Indiana University head coach Curt Cignetti hoped his quarterback from “the frigid north” would feel right at home in the frosty confines of Notre Dame Stadium. Instead, Kurtis Rourke melted under the spotlight of the College Football Playoff, offering up one of his worst performances of the year.
The native of Oakville, Ont. completed 20-of-33 passes for 215 yards, two touchdowns and one interception against the seventh-seeded Fighting Irish, as the Hoosiers fell 27-17 to their in-state rival. The loss ends Indiana’s stunning turnaround season with an 11-2 record — the highest win total in school history but still four victories shy of the ultimate goal of a national championship.
The game turned early in the first quarter when Rourke was intercepted in the red zone, throwing just his fifth pick of the season. That set up a 98-yard touchdown run from Jeremiyah Love to give Notre Dame a lead they would never relinquish, as Indiana’s typically efficient passing attack looked completely out of sorts in front of a sold-out crowd in South Bend. The team’s star passer entered halftime having thrown six completions on 13 attempts for only 77 yards and that pivotal turnover.
Needing just a single touchdown to tie the school’s single-season record, Rourke didn’t find the endzone until less than a minute and a half remained in the game. He broke the mark a minute later with a gorgeous 23-yard strike to Omar Cooper Jr. but the late resurgence did nothing except make the result respectable.
Rourke was hoping to add a defining playoff performance to an outstanding senior season, which saw him named a finalist for the Manning Award as the top quarterback in college football and finish ninth in Heisman Trophy voting. That did not materialize, with the game closely resembling the Hoosiers’ blowout loss to Ohio State earlier in the season for more than three quarters.
The six-foot-five, 230-pound pivot will now turn his attention to the NFL Draft process and an opportunity to perform for scouts at the East-West Shrine Bowl next month. While Rourke is currently projected to be selected in the mid-rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft, his stock is likely to suffer after struggling in both of his team’s most important matchups of the season. The situation will be closely monitored by teams in Canada, with the younger brother of current B.C. Lions’ quarterback Nathan Rourke cemented as the top-ranked prospect in the 2025 CFL Draft.
With the victory, Notre Dame will advance to the Sugar Bowl for a matchup with second-seeded Georgia. Despite much of the media attention north of the border being paid to Rourke and Indiana, the Fighting Irish have the largest Canadian contingent in the College Football Playoff. Defensive linemen Armel Mukam of LaPrairie, Que., Sean Sevillano of Winnipeg, Man., and Devan Houstan of Mississauga, Ont. will all move on to the second round.
The Sugar Bowl will take place on Wednesday, January 1 at 8:45 p.m. EST.
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