BLOOMINGTON – Indiana football showed no signs of tiring on Saturday.
The Hoosiers improved their record to 4-0 for the first time since 2020 with a 52-14 win over Charlotte. The offense continued to look unstoppable as the team set a program record for most points scored in a four-game series. It was also the first time since 2019 that the offense totaled more than 400 yards in four consecutive games.
Indiana’s defense did a mediocre job of stopping the run (see below), but the 49ers had little hope of a comeback after being down by several points with third-string quarterback Trexler Ivey due to a series of injuries.
IU grades vs. Charlotte: Kurtis Rourke stays fit while the Hoosiers’ offense hums
More: Why Curt Cignetti is on the warpath against the “warm fuzzies”
Here are three observations on IU’s performance in Week 4:
IU-QB Kurtis Rourke picks up where he left off against UCLA
Last week, Rourke was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, becoming the first IU quarterback since 2015 (Nate Sudfeld) to receive the honor. He was one of the Manning Award Stars of the Week and Davey O’Brien Award Dave’s 8.
He may receive further recognition in the coming days.
Rourke picked apart Charlotte’s secondary with ease on Saturday — throwing for 258 yards (16 of 20) and scoring two total touchdowns. He hit 4 of 5 throws of 15 yards or more, including two perfectly placed passes to Myles Price for gains of 37 and 39 yards. His final throw was perhaps even more impressive considering he did it all in just three quarters.
He also made plays with his legs when Charlotte covered the field well on rare occasions, running up the middle for a 12-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
Rourke showcased the veteran player experience that Curt Cignetti praised earlier in the week in a game that will not appear on the match report.
With the Hoosiers facing a 3rd-and-long in the red zone, he rolled out of the pocket to buy himself some extra time and threw the ball to Zach Horton when he saw the tight end being held up by a defender right in front of a referee. The referee immediately threw a flag for pass interference and IU threw the ball in on the next snap.
IU’s run defense was surprisingly absent in the first half
Charlotte came into Saturday’s game with an offense that ranked 130th out of 134 FBS teams. The 49ers averaged just 2.4 yards per carry through their first three games, but they somehow stepped it up a gear on Saturday.
They managed a 33-yard end-around in the first half – the first run of 30 or more yards the Hoosiers have allowed this season – and scored a touchdown on third and goal from the 13-yard line by running the ball right down the middle.
Charlotte finished the first half with an average of 5.1 yards per carry and more yards (82) than in the last two games combined (62).
That success helped the 49ers make 5 of 8 third downs in the first half, as they needed four yards or less on half of those attempts. They had more third down conversions in the first half than IU had allowed in a single game this season.
For this reason, Charlotte only had one possession in the first half with 5:19 minutes left in the first period, leading 17:14.
IU football quietly shows its weaknesses
Indiana left the bench empty in the fourth quarter, but in some key moments when the game was still contested, the substitutes were able to make an impact.
Running back Kaelon Black had six 50-yard rushes and one touchdown, and showed impressive speed on a 21-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. He’s faded into the background after the successes of Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawton, but he’s a pretty talented player for a third-place finish.
Tight end Sam West received some extra playing time due to James Bomba’s injury and set up a touchdown with a 37-yard catch (the first of his career) in the second quarter. Bomba was the team’s primary backup tight end for the first two weeks of the season, but was injured against Western Illinois.
The other key reserve for the Hoosiers on Saturday was Jamari Sharpe, starting in place of D’Angelo Ponds, who served a first-half suspension for targeted offense. Sharpe had a prominent spot in IU’s rotation last year but didn’t play much in the first three games.
Sharpe did not let his reduced role affect his game and was able to intercept two passes on Saturday, both times on the third attempt.
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana reporter for the Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X. @michaelniziolek and read his full report by clicking here..
