PASADENA, Calif. – Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti stressed for months that the Hoosiers’ trek out west to take on UCLA was nothing special.
In his pregame press conference, he affirmed his position.
“It’s more of a business trip, whether we’re playing in the Rose Bowl or in a parking lot,” Cignetti said Sept. 10.
Although there were a lot of extracurriculars – 14 penalties for 127 yards and a pair of Hoosiers ejected for targeting – Cignetti’s squad got the job done on the west coast. Indiana took down UCLA 42-13, winning at Rose Bowl Stadium for the first time in program history.
“It will open some eyes,” Cignetti said postgame. “We came out here and got done what we wanted to get done. No one in our locker room is surprised.”
Kurtis Rourke passed his first road test of the season with flying colors, undaunted by the Bruin faithful. He rarely put a foot wrong, completing 25 of his 33 passes for 307 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions while taking no sacks. He was calm, decisive and accurate — all qualities expected from a veteran signal-caller.
“I thought he was really sharp,” Cignetti said. “If we protect him and the receivers separate, he’s going to get the ball to them. He did a really good job of that tonight.”
Wide receiver Miles Cross, who had one reception in Indiana’s previous two games, was instrumental in Rourke’s aerial success. The senior pass-catcher, who played three seasons alongside Rourke at Ohio, hauled in a team-high six passes for 90 yards and caught Rourke’s first touchdown pass to cap off Indiana’s opening drive.
Ke’Shawn Williams caught a pair of touchdown passes and Omar Cooper added another on a free play. Justice Ellison led the Indiana rushing attack, contributing 47 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. Indiana outgained UCLA 430-238.
The game wasn’t without its hiccups though — it got choppy in the second half, largely thanks to the officials. In the past, Indiana has unraveled after questionable calls went the way of its opponents — many fans remember all too well Micah McFadden’s ejection against Cincinnati in 2021, and some would contend it led to the eventual downfall of head coach Tom Allen.
Defensive tackle CJ West and defensive back D’Angelo Ponds were both ejected for targeting in the second half of Saturday’s game, yet the Hoosiers didn’t collapse as they did in the past. They stayed focused and forged forward, keeping the Bruins out of the end zone in the second half despite multiple drives that took over five minutes off the clock.
Save for UCLA’s lone touchdown drive at the end of the first half, Bruins quarterback Ethan Garbers looked uncomfortable behind center. He threw for just 137 yards with no touchdowns and an interception, but perhaps the biggest omen for how the night would unfold came on UCLA’s first offensive snap, which he fumbled. Indiana’s Mikail Kamara recovered and three plays later, Indiana doubled its 7-0 lead, scoring two touchdowns in 57 seconds of game time.
Cignetti praised Indiana’s ability to respond to UCLA’s scoring drives, and the numbers don’t lie — Indiana answered both of UCLA’s second-half field goal drives with touchdowns and outscored the Bruins 21-6 in the second half. The Hoosiers never allowed their lead to shrink below 11 points. Indiana has not turned the ball over once this season and has a turnover margin of +4, meaning it does not give its opponents opportunities to get back into games.
“When you have the right people in your organization and put the right things in their heads, they’re going to respond,” Cignetti said.
Led by Aiden Fisher, Jailin Walker and Amare Ferrell, Indiana’s defense has held its opponents under eight points per game. Saturday proved that defense travels well — as Indiana moves forward and faces the likes of Nebraska, Michigan and Ohio State, it will need Fisher and Co. to continue making opposing quarterbacks uncomfortable.
“It’s a lot easier to deal with success in the middle of the season rather than failure,” Cignetti said. “We can’t let complacency sneak in. We’re back at it next week.”
The Hoosiers host Charlotte at noon on Sept. 21, rounding out the non-conference slate before Maryland visits Bloomington on Sept. 28. Cignetti said Indiana will enjoy the win for 24 hours, but it’s back to the drawing board on Monday morning. He was all business before the game and maintained that outlook — after all, each game counts the same.
