A lot of doubt was swarming the #13 Indiana football team going into the weekend, mainly due to the team losing quarterback Kurtis Rourke to a thumb injury.
Rourke played just one half of last week’s game against Nebraska after suffering a thumb injury towards the end of the first half.
With Rourke sidelined, backup quarterback Tayven Jackson was given the nod to start Saturday’s conference game against Washington.
Going into the game, Jackson hadn’t started a game in over a year, his last start being at #2 Michigan last season on October 14, 2023.
Jackson began the game struggling, completing just two passes in the first quarter.
The running back room certainly didn’t assist Jackson in the first quarter, totaling just 18 rushing yards off of six carries.
The biggest factor and story of the first quarter ended up being the defense.
Specifically, D’Angelo Ponds.
Ponds caught his first interception half way through the first quarter, picking off Washington quarterback Will Rogers and taking the interception all the way for a pick six.
Ponds transferred to Indiana from James Madison University during the offseason.
In his lone season at JMU, Ponds recorded 52 tackles, 33 of which were solo tackles, along with two interceptions.
Ponds’ big defensive game continued in the second quarter, as the sophomore defensive back caught another interception.
Following the victory, Indiana football head coach Curt Cignetti praised Ponds, crediting his mindset.
“He’s got good talent. He’s got competitive character. He’s a competitor and he wants to be great. He’s got day in and day out consistency. He does the things that help him improve on a daily basis and that’s his goal, he wants to be the best football player he can be.”
Ponds’ second interception put Indiana on Washington’s 46 yard line. From there, it took just two plays for Indiana to find the end zone for the first time offensively in the game.
Jackson found Omar Cooper Jr. on the right side for a 42 yard score. The touchdown was Cooper Jr.’s fourth time finding the end zone this season.
While previewing the game, Cooper Jr. explained his strong bond with Jackson, which dates all the way back to high school.
“Tav is my dog. We obviously both grew up in Indiana so we played against each other our sophomore year and up, so we just became cool ever since then.”
Cooper Jr.’s touchdown catch was the only reception he had in the game, not completing his other target.
Despite a 17-7 Indiana lead going into halftime, the game felt much closer. Jackson had completed just nine passes in the first half, while Indiana’s run game was averaging 2.6 yards per carry.
A clear message was put out during halftime, as Indiana’s offense looked like a completely different team in the second half.
Indiana running back Justice Ellison became the main story of the second half for Indiana, getting carries on what felt like almost every play, collecting 20 carries in the second half.
The game plan of getting Ellison the ball in the second half worked like a charm, as Ellison took a five yard rush to the end zone in the third quarter.
The touchdown, Ellison’s ninth of the season, helped extend his touchdown streak to seven games, dating back to week two of Indiana’s season against Western Illinois.
When discussing his performance, Ellison truly reflected how humble his mindset is while in the spotlight.
“It’s everything you work for in the offseason. You work so hard for those moments as a running back because you know that’s what the team needs you to do. It’s nowhere near about Justice Ellison because it’s not about me at all, it’s about this team.”
The theme of the run game carried on throughout the second half, as Jackson added one last score for Indiana in the fourth quarter, a two yard rush serving as an insurance score.
Both Ellison and Jackson’s second half rushing success wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible performance of Indiana’s offensive line.
Ellison commented on the impact the offensive line had in the win.
“Hats off to the o line, they kept battling… it really shows the resilience of this football team and I’m so proud of the guys.”
Mike Katic, a sixth year senior on the offensive line, truly embodies what it means to be an Indiana football player.
Katic has spent all six years of his collegiate career with Indiana’s program, serving a huge veteran presence the last couple of years.
Katic described how well the offensive line group has flowed together thus far.
“We just gel really well together. Our chemistry is really good and we’re just communicating and it’s really good.”
With Rourke being sidelined for the game, Katic and the offensive line prepared for the game with the idea of favoring the run game.
“We knew what we were getting into this week and we knew that we were going to be running the ball a lot so we took that as a challenge and I think we did pretty well with it.”
With just four games remaining in Indiana’s regular season schedule, Katic firmly believes in Indiana football’s future.
“Every single week there’s no shadow of a doubt that we’re going to win the game. Every week we’re going to win no matter what and there’s no thought of losing.”
Indiana will hit the road next weekend, traveling to East Lansing, Michigan, to face the Michigan State Spartans.
With or without Rourke, it’s going to be very difficult for a team to break apart the mojo that Indiana football has.
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