BLOOMINGTON — As Indiana football’s season rolls on, the games start to become increasingly important and more difficult.
That part of the season begins this week, as IU (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) hosts Maryland (3-1, 0-1) at noon ET. The Terrapins have won three straight against the Hoosiers, but dropped their Big Ten opener this year against Michigan State.
Head coach Curt Cignetti met with local media on Monday to preview that game and discuss his surging Hoosiers. Here are some key things he talked about.
Big test coming
Maryland and IU football spent the last decade in similar positions, trying to overcome the disadvantage of competing against some of the sport’s top programs in the Big Ten East division.
Conference divisions are now gone, and the Terps’ recent success against Indiana means a little less with the new regime in Bloomington. But Cignetti is familiar with Maryland, and he’s expecting the Hoosiers to face their toughest challenge so far this season.
“This is going to be the stoutest defensive line we’ve gone against. They’re really big inside, and they’ve got good players on the outside too. And, you know, if you go two tight ends, they’ll bring five defensive linemen in,” Cignetti said. “They’re very aggressive. It’s also going to be the best receiving corps we’ve seen up to this point. Probably the best quarterback we’ve seen up to this point. So it’s the best football team we’ve seen up to this point.”
Cignetti said he knows Maryland head coach Mike Locksley “a little bit,” but not extensively. College Park, Md. is around 2 ½ hours away from Harrisonburg, Va., so Cignetti and his staff at JMU may have talked with some regional recruits that Locksley’s Terps also showed interest in.
Though it didn’t play out in that exact scenario, quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. is one such Maryland player that IU’s head coach knows. Cignetti offered Edwards a scholarship at JMU when he was a three-star recruit out of Burke, Va. The quarterback eventually committed to Wake Forest, before transferring to Maryland after his freshman year.
Edwards is off to a strong start after winning the quarterback job in camp. He’s averaged 288.8 passing yards per game (third in the Big Ten) while completing 75 percent of his pass attempts (fourth in the conference), with eight touchdowns (tied for second) and two interceptions. He’s also rushed for 69 yards on 23 attempts with two touchdowns.
Edwards caused problems for IU in 2022 after taking over for an injured Taulia Tagovailoa, when he rushed for 53 yards on five attempts and scored the game-sealing touchdown in the fourth quarter.
“I’ve known Billy Edwards for a while. My first year at JMU, he was the guy we had targeted. I sat with his dad in my office a couple times. Started out at Wake Forest, then transferred to Maryland,” Cignetti said. “He can make all the throws. He’s got a lot of snaps under his belt. They’ll also run him, and obviously he’s a threat when he gets out of the pocket as well when he drops back and escapes the pocket. So he’s a very competitive guy with good arm strength, and good leader. They like him, and I can see why.”
Rourke improving
Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke is right there with Edwards through the first four weeks of 2024.
Rourke owns a 75.5 completion percentage (third in the Big Ten), 253.3 pass yards per game (sixth), and eight touchdowns (tied for second) with no interceptions. And those numbers could look even stronger if not for IU taking Rourke out early against Western Illinois and Charlotte.
The Canadian is looking sharper with every passing week. Cignetti praised the progress Rourke’s made since week one.
“He’s in command. He’s playing a lot of confidence. He’s seeing the field. He’s making the throws,” Cignetti said. “When the pattern breaks down, he’s running for yards, touchdowns, first downs. The guys have a lot of confidence in him. You can really see it all coming together. And I thought, as the game went on, he really was sharp.”
Rourke attributed his improving play since the start of the season to his field vision, as well as becoming more comfortable with his new team.
“Since week one, I’ve definitely felt like I’ve improved my eyes and everything, being able to see everything a little bit more, and kind of not get too antsy or move around when I don’t need to. Just feeling more comfortable,” Rourke said after Saturday’s game. “It’s definitely something new that I’ve experienced from week one, and just continuing to build on that and rely on my teammates and not try to do too much.”
Kickoff carousel
Through four games, Indiana has already used three kickoff specialists.
Louisiana-Monroe transfer Derek McCormick opened the season in that role — and the redshirt senior performed well enough in fall camp to earn public praise from Curt Cignetti for his ability on kickoffs. But McCormick missed the UCLA game with an undisclosed injury, and remained out against Charlotte. Redshirt junior Alejandro Quintero stepped in against the Bruins and started out against the 49ers as well.
But Quintero limped off the field Saturday after a kickoff late in the second quarter, and he didn’t return. Freshman Quinn Warren handled kickoff duties the rest of the game without any major issues, although he did leave one short in the fourth quarter.
Cignetti was pleased with the way Warren performed in his first collegiate game action.
“I thought he did a really good job. He’s done a nice job in practice. He’s taken advantage of his opportunity,” Cignetti said. “Those other guys (McCormick and Quintero) are sort of day to day, week to week, and we’ll see what happens this week.”
Although he evidently hasn’t been in consideration on kickoffs, redshirt freshman Nico Radicic continues to serve as IU’s placekicker. He’s converted all 28 extra-point attempts, which is tied for the most made PATs in the country. And he’s 2 for 2 on field goals — a 27-yard kick against Charlotte and a 35-yard kick against FIU.
Extra points
- Cignetti said Donaven McCulley is “getting closer” to being back at 100 percent after he suffered an injury during the season-opener against FIU and missing the next game against Western Illinois.
- With tight end James Bomba hurt, Cignetti said JMU transfer Tyler Stephens has been taking some tight end reps in practice. Stephens was in the mix at the guard spots for IU after Nick Kidwell’s preseason injury, and he played in some heavier packages against Charlotte.
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