RJ Young
FOX Sports National College Football Analyst
Indiana used one in every of school soccer’s largest levels – the “Big Noon Kickoff” – and the chance to play one of many sport’s most storied groups, Nebraska, to announce itself. Not like a Cinderella story. Leave the glass slippers within the closet. Not as a feel-good tonic in a sport the place change is fixed. Cook your personal “hen soup for the soul” for somebody in want, like Nebraska.
Indiana desires its identify to be identified nationally as one of many prime 12 groups within the nation. And after the 56-7 inflicted by Curt Cignetti’s Hoosiers on Nebraska on Saturday afternoon in Bloomington, Indiana, it is time for the nation to start out taking this Indiana crew critically. The excuses we’d use to maintain a crew like Indiana out of the playoff dialog are being chipped away like a area stuffed with Nebraska-grown corn.
Hadn’t Indiana overwhelmed a crew with a profitable file? Toasted bread.
Had Nebraska not allowed a single dashing landing throughout the first half of the season? Left. The Hoosiers scored two touchdowns on the bottom within the first half alone.
Nebraska entered Memorial Stadium in Bloomington ranked among the many prime 10 groups within the nation in protection (11 factors per recreation). And then, similar to that, Indiana put up 28 first-half factors, 21 of them within the second quarter alone, and 56 complete factors (sure, 56!) in probably the most dominant offensive performances we have seen in Big Ten play this season.
And now that we have established that the Hoosiers are respectable contenders for each the College Football Playoff and the Big Ten title, we should acknowledge the person brilliance of Kurtis Rourke and Elijah Sarratt.
We want to speak about Rourke the identical manner we discuss Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel. The Hoosiers’ senior sign caller, who arrived in Bloomington this offseason after spending the final 5 years at Ohio University, has been nothing wanting sensible all through the month of October. Rourke makes use of symbolic movement, true RPO, higher than anybody within the sport to determine weaknesses in any protection he sees after the snap. He began Saturday’s recreation going 8-for-8 by the air and completed the day 17-for-21 for 189 passing yards with one landing and an interception that got here on a Hail Mary late within the first half.
Rourke didn’t come out with the crew for the second half attributable to an obvious hand damage. He was changed by redshift sophomore Tayven Jackson. But as Jimmy Johnson as soon as stated: Even backups wish to rating. And that is what Jackson did. He threw a dime to Sarrett to increase the result in 42-7 earlier than the tip of the third quarter and completed the sport 7-of-8 for 91 yards and a pair of passes.
Sarratt, who totaled 1,191 receiving yards at James Madison final 12 months, caught three passes for 65 yards and a landing within the win. In the primary half, Sarratt and Omar Cooper helped lead a six-play, 88-yard drive, demonstrating this offense’s capacity to blow up.
Tayven Jackson connects with Elijah Sarratt for a 15-yard landing, extending Indiana’s lead over Nebraska
Now, sitting at 7-0 and atop the Big Ten standings, there’s little doubt about Indiana and its capacity to compete on the prime of one of many sport’s premier conferences. The solely query left is: When will the remainder of the traditionalists and glorified enamellers begin to acknowledge Indiana like they do Penn State and Oregon? It’s a trick query: you are already late.
For Nebraska, although? More ache.
The Huskers haven’t solely misplaced 26 consecutive video games towards ranked opponents since 2016, however at the moment are 0-5 within the Matt Rhule period, when a win would grant them bowl eligibility. That 26-game dropping streak towards top-25 groups is the second-longest lively streak amongst energy convention packages. Only Rutgers has misplaced extra consecutive video games towards prime 25 groups.
It’s again to the drafting board for Nebraska, which now sits at 5-2 with a recreation towards No. 1 Ohio State. 4 within the rankings proper after – one other matchup with bowl eligibility on the road. Meanwhile, Indiana welcomes Washington to Bloomington, with an opportunity to enhance to 8-0 and match one of the best begin in program historical past.
This is what’s at stake. This is what it means to play massive boy soccer. Indiana is an enormous boy. And it is their time.
RJ Young is a nationwide school soccer author and analyst for FOX Sports and host of “The Number One College Football Show” podcast. Follow him to @RJ_Young.
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