Indiana trounces UCLA in first Big Ten game played at the Rose Bowl
Indiana and UCLA played a historic football game Saturday evening in what will go down as the first Big Ten game for the Bruins. That home game also came in the Rose Bowl, making it the first-ever Big Ten game played inside the iconic venue.
While it set up as a potentially banner evening for UCLA, the game belonged to Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers. Indiana opened the game with 14 straight points while UCLA turned the ball over on its first play on offense.
From there, it was all Hoosiers with Indiana delivering over 400 yards of offense and controlling the line of scrimmage all game long. It leads to a 3-0 start for Cignetti, and he’s got a great chance to continue to build some momentum for his program over the course of September.
Here are the key takeaways from Indiana’s 42-13 win:
Kurtis Rourke can play in the B1G
The former MAC Player of the Year, Rourke arrived at Indiana as a veteran poised to jumpstart Cignetti’s rebuild. So far, Rourke has looked the part — including against the Bruins.
Rourke was deadly efficient against the Bruins with a pair of first-quarter touchdowns before finishing the night with 4 total touchdowns. He ended the game 25-of-33 passing with 307 yards and avoided the negative play in efficiently leading the Hoosiers.
If Indiana wants to keep this strong start rolling, Rourke will need to continue delivering at a high level in B1G games.
Is a bowl game realistic for the Hoosiers?
Facing UCLA — on the road — was the first real test for Indiana. The Hoosiers ace it in remarkable fashion to move to 3-0 and stand halfway to a bowl game at the middle of September.
If the Hoosiers want to get to a bowl game, the next 3 games will be crucial with showdowns against Charlotte and Maryland to go with a road trip to Northwestern. Each of those games is certainly winnable, and late-season games against Michigan State and Purdue also stand out as manageable tasks.
Nothing is a given in college football, especially for a program like the Hoosiers. But the start has looked exactly like Cignetti would want.
When will UCLA win again?
This season always stacked up like a difficult one for the Bruins. But after losing the home opener against Indiana, it’s fair to question when the Bruins might find their next win.
The next 3 games are all against ranked opponents, including 2 games on the road. The schedule goes at LSU, vs. Oregon and at Penn State with 2 of those games against teams currently ranked in the top 10.
Oct. 12 stands out as a winnable game with a visit from Minnesota. However, it’s worth wondering if the Bruins will still have enough stamina after traversing the country twice before we get there.
And, should UCLA lose that game to Minnesota, it could be a horrific snowball with the Bruins turning around for road trips at Rutgers and then at Nebraska (after a bye). DeShaun Foster and his staff need to buckle up for what could be some rough growing pains.