Canadian quarterback Kurtis Rourke tossed his first two interceptions of the season but rebounded quickly against his toughest opponent yet, leading Indiana University to a decisive 42-28 victory over the University of Maryland.
After his early turnovers, the native of Oakville, Ont. found Omar Cooper Jr. down the right sideline for a 27-yard touchdown with 38 seconds remaining in the first half. The Hoosiers never relinquished their lead, as Rourke finished 22-of-39 for 359 yards and three touchdowns.
Kurtis Rourke’s ball placement is great pic.twitter.com/Gs5AnCmuYB
— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) September 28, 2024
The Canadian pivot transferred to Indiana this offseason, joining a program that had gone 7-17 over the past two years. They are now undefeated through five games for the first time since 1967. Under the tutelage of legendary NFL coach Mike Shanahan, Rourke has completed nearly 70 percent of his passes while throwing for 1,372 yards, 11 touchdowns and two interceptions.
The younger brother of B.C. Lions’ quarterback Nathan Rourke previously attended Ohio University, where he surpassed his sibling to reach second all-time on the school’s passing yardage list. He led the Bobcats to a 9-3 regular-season record in 2023, completing 63.5 percent of his passes for 2,207 yards with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions while also carrying the ball 67 times for 219 yards and four touchdowns.
The native of Oakville, Ont. threw for 3,256 yards and 25 touchdowns during the 2022 season, leading Ohio to their first 10-win season since 2011, their first MAC Championship game appearance since 2016, and their first bowl game since 2019. Despite tearing his ACL late in the season, he became the first Bobcat to win the Vern Smith Leadership Award as the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Most Valuable Player.
Rourke is in his final year of college eligibility and was recently named the No. 1 player on the 2025 CFL Scouting Bureau rankings. However, he is expected to generate interest in the 2025 NFL Draft and will have a chance to inflate his stock with two ranked opponents remaining on Indiana’s schedule: No. 3 Ohio State and No. 12 Michigan.
The Hoosiers will return to action on Saturday, October 5 when they visit Northwestern.
