BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Kurtis Rourke threw two first-half touchdown passes Saturday, and No. 8 Indiana’s defense held up long enough to give the Hoosiers a record-breaking 20-15 victory over longtime nemesis Michigan.
Rourke was 17 of 28 with 206 yards as the Hoosiers (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten), college football’s losingest program, beat college football’s winningest program, Michigan, for just the second time since 1988 and earned the first 10-win season in school history.
The Wolverines (5-5, 3-4) produced their lowest point total in this series since a 14-10 loss to Indiana in 1987. Davis Warren was 16 of 32 with 137 yards through the air, but Michigan rushed for just 69 yards.
Indiana took control when Rourke hooked up with Omar Cooper Jr. on a 7-yard touchdown pass late in the first quarter and followed with a 36-yard TD pass to Elijah Sarratt early in the second quarter to make it 14-3.
The Hoosiers added a 40-yard field goal late in the first half, and Michigan added two second-half field goals — a 22-yarder after picking off Rourke at the Indiana 7-yard line and a 56-yarder that cut the deficit to 17-9 late in the third quarter. It was Dominic Zvada’s fifth field goal of 50 or more yards this season.
Michigan had a chance to tie the score after Kalel Mullings converted a fourth-and-goal into a 1-yard scoring plunge with 9:35 remaining, but Warren’s 2-point conversion trickled through a defender’s hands and out the back of the end zone. Michigan got one more chance after an Indiana field goal but turned the ball over on downs at their 42-yard line.
Takeaways
Michigan: The Wolverines’ offensive woes continued — and it cost them. The defense was outstanding, especially in the second half. But until Michigan consistently scores touchdowns, this will be just a mediocre team.
Indiana: Coach Curt Cignetti’s team added another chapter to its magical season and unlike the last win over Michigan, in 2020, the Hoosiers celebrated with a sellout crowd. It kept Indiana’s Big Ten title hopes — and playoff chances — alive.
Missing out
Michigan receiver C.J. Charleston was carted off the field in the first half with what appeared to be a lower leg injury. He returned later to the Wolverines sideline.
The Hoosiers lost receiver Myles Price in the first half. He went straight to the locker room after taking a hard hit near the goal line. Indiana running back Justice Ellison also left the game briefly after his head bounced hard off the turf, and cornerback Jamier Johnson was ejected late in the first half for targeting.
Up next
Michigan: Play host to Northwestern on Nov. 23.
Indiana: At No. 3 Ohio State on Nov. 23.