Indiana football vs Michigan State takeaways from another Hoosiers win

EAST LANSING, MI — IU football fans conquered Spartan Stadium on Saturday.

The No. 13 Hoosiers (9-0; 6-0 Big Ten) decked out in cream and crimson were the only people left in the 74,866-seat venue as the sun set in East Lansing. They chanted “Go Hoosiers” as their team put the finishing touches on an impressive 47-10 win over Michigan State (4-5; 2-4) that set a program record for best start.

It was IU’s most-lopsided victory for in a series that dates back to 1927 — the previous record was a 31-0 win in 1991 — and most points ever against the Spartans. The previous record was the 46 points the Hoosiers scored against MSU in 2006.

They managed to reach all those milestones despite spotting MSU a 10-point lead.

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Indiana starting quarterback Kurtis Rourke returned to the starting lineup after missing last week’s game with a right thumb injury. The thumb was an afterthought late in the third quarter when Rourke hit Omar Cooper (21 yards) and Elijah Sarratt (35 yards) on back-to-back deep throws.

He finished the game with 252 yards (18 of 28) with three touchdowns.

Overrated? IU football quiets Spartan Stadium with 47 unanswered points

The late-arriving crowd in East Lansing got excited when MSU went up 10-0 in the first quarter and even started a brief “overrated” chant at Spartan Stadium. 

That sentiment died out pretty quickly as the Hoosiers scored 47 unanswered points.

Indiana forced three turnovers (safety Amare Ferrell had a pair of interceptions and James Carpenter forced a fumble in the end zone) and the offense got into a rhythm when offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan shifted his focus to getting the ball to his playmakers in space. 

KeShawn Williams had three catches for 65 yards during that stretch with much of that production coming after the catch (43 yards). Myles Price had a reverse go for a 25-yard gain down to the 1-yard line. 

Rourke’s deep throws were a bit off target early in the game as he got used to playing with his right thumb wrapped, but he had no issues delivering the ball accurately and on time on intermediate passes and screens. 

IU football defensive end Mikail Kamara silences Spartans

Mikail Kamara sensed the Spartans on the ropes in the third quarter and landed the knockout blow all by himself. In the span of three snaps, he sent MSU’s top two quarterback limping to the sidelines when he got loose in the backfield and landed clean hits on Aiden Chiles and his backup Tommy Schuster.

With Michigan State in obvious passing situations, Kamara just teed off. He had seven tackles with a career-high 2.5 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss. The Hoosiers had seven sacks and 15 tackles for losses while facing a mobile quarterback in Chiles for much of the game.

Kamara came into the game ranked third in the FBS in quarterback pressures (36) with a pass-rush win rate of 15.8%, according to Pro Football Focus. He’s now just a half sack away from becoming the first IU player with double-digit sacks since Jammie Kirlew in 2008 (10.5).

IU football’s streak of first quarter dominance comes to an end

Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti often defines adversity as facing a two-score deficit.

It’s a scenario the Hoosiers avoided through the first eight games by outscoring opponents 87-0 in the opening frame. They were one of two teams (Army) left in the country coming into Saturday’s game that had yet to trail this season. 

Those streaks both came to an end in East Lansing. 

Michigan State kicker Jonathan Kim connected on a 47-yard field goal just five minutes into the game. Spartans quarterback Aiden Chiles got his team into field goal range with a 33-yard throw to standout freshman Nick Marsh. 

They connected again at the end of the quarter for an 18-yard touchdown to give MSU a 10-0 advantage. Chiles avoided pressure on the play and made a throw at the sideline where Marsh managed to make a toe-tapping catch for the score. 

Indiana’s offense had a rare slow start with consecutive three-and-outs. That number matched their total number of three and outs in the first quarter through the first eight games. 

Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.