Indiana State football won 9-0 for the first time in program history, highlighted by a 47-10 win over Michigan State that welcomed the return of starting quarterback Curtis Rourke and moved the Hoosiers closer to a College Football Playoff berth. It was a victory.
Rourke missed last week's win over Washington due to a right thumb injury he sustained a week ago against Nebraska. He got off to a slow start against the Spartans, but it didn't take long for him to develop the poise and precision he should have in the Heisman Trophy race. And there's no doubt that first-year coach Curt Cinetti is in the National Coach of the Year conversation. Rourke completed 19 of 29 for 263 yards and four touchdowns.
In fact, the Hoosiers (9-0, 6-0) trailed for the first time all season, trailing Jonathan Smith's Spartans (4-5, 2-4) by the first 10 points of the game. . From there, it was pure dominance, including seven sacks for Indiana, including two and a half from Michail Kamara, another candidate for the award. MSU had 205 yards of total offense, 3.2 yards per play.
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This season follows Indiana's best season in history, set by coach John Pont's 1967 team, which won the Big Ten championship, advanced to the program's only Rose Bowl, and finished 9-2. The 1945 Hoosiers, coached by Bo McMillin, also won nine games and tied their second game, finishing with a record of 9-0-1 and 5-0-1 in the Western Conference (the former name of the Big Ten). I got it.
The 2024 Hoosiers are off to their best start ever. If they can defeat downtrodden defending national champion Michigan at home next week, they will become the first Indiana team to win by double digits.
And if Michigan's attempt to upset Indiana is denied, all that remains for Indiana is a trip to Ohio State and a home game against rival Purdue, the worst team in the Big Ten. Only.
The Hoosiers could face the Buckeyes for a spot to play No. 1 Oregon in the Big Ten Championship Game, and a loss to Columbus could keep them out of the first 12 teams in the College Football Playoff. is low. As long as they handle the business they should handle. According to The AthleticThe Hoosiers have an 87% chance of making it, according to their projections.
And that's about as much commentary on the strangeness of this season as Vanderbilt beat Alabama to earn a bowl berth in nine games, Army and Navy both finished in the top 25, and Pittsburgh won for the first time in 1982. This is the first season they started 7-0. —Anything goes.
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