Indiana concluded its conference slate in historic fashion on Saturday afternoon, defeating the Charlotte 49ers, 52-14, at Memorial Stadium.
With the win, Indiana’s Curt Cignetti became the first head coach in program history to start 4-0 in their first season with the Hoosiers.
When asked about the accomplishment postgame and how he felt about the start of the season, his answer was brief.
“I think it's a pretty decent start,” Cignetti said.
Indiana also became the first team in all of the FBS to score over 200 points this season, thus far at 202 points. All the more solidifying IU's dominance early on in the 2024 season.
Despite a rather low showing from fans that left several sections of Memorial Stadium bare, the Hoosiers on the field brought their own energy.
Early into the game, Indiana set the tone by punching the first points of the game on the board with the help of a touchdown from running back Ty Son Lawton.
But the 49ers had not faltered.
Charlotte was successful in applying the right pressure coming out in the first half, and it was clear to this Indiana team that it was going to take some fight and resiliency to wear them down. Struggling to hold up at times in the first half, Cignetti and the Hoosiers had not gotten off to the start that they had wanted.
Along with forcing IU to take a field goal late in the first quarter, Charlotte had answered with back-to-back touchdowns in the second quarter. The game had become a three-point differential midway through the second quarter before reigning Big Ten offensive player of the week Kurtis Rourke rushed for a touchdown to take the lead.
Before the 49ers knew it, the score was 31-14 going into halftime with the Hoosiers holding the advantage.
However, whatever was flying by the Hoosiers in the first half, was nowhere to be seen in the second half.
The Indiana defense had come out of the locker room in the second half with a new energy, holding off the 49ers to any scoring opportunity they had.
In total, the Hoosiers tallied a total of 76 tackles, held Charlotte to 256 yards, and succeeded in a fumble recovery by defensive back Bryson Bonds.
“We knew the mistakes that we were making (in the first half),” Indiana defensive back Shawn Asbury II said postgame. “We just had to make sure to go out there in the second half and fix them.”
On the offensive end, the Hoosiers were rolling, finishing the day with 510 total yards. Rourke completed 16-of-20 pass attempts for 218 yards, threw for one touchdown, and held no interceptions.
In Rourke’s eyes, he’s seen a significant improvement from week one to week four.
“I’ve improved my eyes and everything,” Rourke said postgame. “(I am) able to see everything a little bit more and kind of not get too antsy or move around when I don't need to.”
Rourke’s go-to receiver on Saturday afternoon had been none other than Texas Tech transfer Myles Price, completing the day with three receptions for 77 yards. When Price was asked about what it's like to play for Rourke after the game, his answer was simple.
“I love it. He makes my job easy,” Price said.
One thing that Cignetti had made sure to stress and share about his team postgame was that his players have character. With that strong character and ability to maintain focus without distractions, Cignetti believes that that trait is going to be key moving forward.
As the season continues on and conference play picks up, Cignetti addressed how his team plans to prepare and what this next week will look like.
“We'll enjoy this one for 24 hours and get ready for conference play,” Cignetti said.
Looking ahead, Indiana (4-0) will welcome the Maryland Terrapins (3-1) for its Big Ten home opener back at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff from Bloomington is set for noon ET.
