In Kurtis Rourke's return to play, he was simply sensational against Michigan State, leading Indiana to a victory over Michigan State that gave his team its first 9-0 start in program history.
Rourke missed the second half against Nebraska and the entirety of the Washington game with a thumb injury, but was back in full force in this one, throwing for 263 yards on 19-for-29 passing, while also passing for four touchdowns.
It was a speedy recovery for Rourke, as coming back in just two weeks was impressive for this type of injury, a testament to all involved, Rourke saying:
"I had a good plan, the training staff has been really awesome and helped me get back with a lot of treatment sessions and everything like that and so just being able to you know progress every single day and then obviously it wouldn't be possible without Dr Reich the surgeon, so it was just a bunch of things coming together."
And come together things certainly did, for Rourke and the Hoosiers both, as this fast recovery process allowed the Hoosier QB to have a phenomenal return to play, allowing IU to score 47 unanswered to beat Michigan State on the road.
Rourke's first two drives were nothing special, throwing for just nine yards in the first two series combined, a part of a first quarter that saw IU down 0-10 at the end of it.
After this, though, Rourke was tremendous. He drove Indiana down the field and made it a three point lead with a 17 yard TD pass to Zach Horton, then two drives later he drove down the field again to give IU the lead, making several key throws along the way.
Coach Cignetti said postgame that during practice that Rourke "every day was better than the previous day in terms of his execution, zip and accuracy," and that sentiment of getting better every rep was on full display from Rourke during the game.
Rourke would only continue to get better as, later on in the 2nd quarter, Rourke extended the IU lead with a 4 yard TD pass to Elijah Sarratt with a beautiful escape from the Spartan rush.
Sarratt said postgame that he's "always confident when I have my man nine out there," referencing that he was happy to have his starter back on the field, especially because he found him for a touchdown early on.
In the second half, Rourke would throw yet another TD pass, this one to Myles Price for 18 yards on another solid pash rush escape. This extended the IU lead to 20 points after the defense's safety, solidifying the fact that, even though it was down by 10, IU would never look back.
Rourke said that the reason for this was that the team "just needed to settle down and stick to the game plan" and he believes that everyone around him did a great job of that.
He mentioned that "this team is special," adding that he gives credit to everyone around him above himself.
Credit certainly does need to be given to Rourke though, as this second half was where Rourke really found his groove, throwing for 124 yards along with the two touchdowns he threw after the half.
Cignetti noticed how Rourke, as well as the team as a whole, were great in the second half, saying "We just started to execute," mentioning "great throws and catches" from the Rourke and the offense.
While at this point the Hoosiers were up by 30, Rourke and the offense weren't done, as the QB and his receivers still had points to put up on the board.
In the fourth quarter, Rourke would throw his fourth and final TD pass, this one again to Elijah Sarratt for his second TD grab of the night.
Sarratt mentioned this play postgame, saying that "it was a great ball" and that he "got one foot in, but wish it was too, that would've been better for Sundays."
While Sarratt was the one to reference Sundays and the NFL, it might be Rourke as the one to play in the pros as, with a season like he's having, especially with how he returned, he has a very bright future.
But Rourke believes it's his Hoosiers who have the brightest of futures, saying his team has "got a lot of opportunities ahead" and with the way he's been throwing the ball it's hard to argue with that.
The TD pass to Sarratt was his final throw of the night, as Tayven Jackson was subbed in to lead the Hoosiers in the final minutes of garbage time, wrapping up what was an incredible way for Rourke to return to the field for IU.
This performance, among all his others, have allowed Indiana to get out to the best start in its history, but the game Rourke just had felt more special. Rourke coming back as quick and effective as he did shows the kind of competitor he is, Elijah Sarratt putting it best by saying "he battles everyday."
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