Canadian quarterback Kurtis Rourke fell short of the mark in the biggest game of his collegiate career, struggling mightily as the No. 5 Indiana Hoosiers lost 38-15 to the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes.
In front of more than 100,000 screaming fans in Columbus, Rourke was flummoxed by the Ohio State defence. He completed just eight-of-18 passes for 68 yards and was sacked five times, fumbling once. After jumping out to a 7-0 lead on their opening drive, the Hoosiers failed to score again until late in the fourth quarter.
Ohio State quarterback Will Howard was 22-of-26 for 201 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in the victory, as the Buckeyes’ special teams did much of the heavy lifting. Indiana punter James Evans had one snap go through his hand to set up an easy opposition touchdown, while Caleb Downs took another punt 79 yards to the house.
The Hoosiers were undefeated entering the game and serious contenders for the Big Ten Championship, starting the season 10-0 for the first time in school history. Much of that has been credited to the hiring of new head coach Curt Cignetti and the arrival of Rourke as a senior transfer from Ohio University. In 10 appearances, the Oakville, Ont. native has now completed 179-of-256 passes for 2,478 yards, 21 touchdowns and just four interceptions.
The six-foot-five, 230-pound passer, who is the younger brother of B.C. Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke, is the top-rated prospect in the 2025 CFL Draft but is expected to receive significant NFL Draft interest. This performance is likely to hurt his stock but won’t drop him far in what is viewed as a weak QB class.
Indiana (10-1) is still projected to qualify for the new 12-team College Football Playoff despite the loss but will see their ranking drop considerably. They will wrap up the regular season on Saturday, November 30 when they host the last-place Purdue Boilermakers.
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