RJ Younger
FOX Sports activities Nationwide School Soccer Analyst
Indiana used one among faculty soccer’s largest phases — “Huge Midday Kickoff” — and the chance to play one of many sport’s largest brand-named groups, Nebraska, to announce itself. Not as a Cinderella story. Depart the glass slippers within the closet. Not as a feel-good tonic in a sport the place change is fixed. Cook dinner your “Rooster Soup for the Soul” for somebody who wants it — like Nebraska.
Indiana needs its identify recognized nationwide as one of many 12 greatest groups within the nation. And after the 56-7 hurting Curt Cignetti’s Hoosiers placed on Nebraska Saturday afternoon in Bloomington, Indiana, it is time for the nation to start out taking this Indiana crew severely. The reasons we might use to maintain a crew like Indiana out of the playoff dialog are being sliced away like a area filled with Nebraska-grown corn.
Indiana hadn’t crushed a crew with a successful report? Toast.
Nebraska hadn’t allowed a single speeding landing via the primary half of the season? Gone. The Hoosiers scored two touchdowns on the bottom within the first half alone.
Nebraska walked into Memorial Stadium in Bloomington rating among the many high 10 groups within the nation in scoring protection (11 factors per recreation). After which, similar to that, Indiana put up 28 factors within the first half, 21 of which got here within the second quarter alone, and 56 whole factors (sure, 56!) in one of many extra dominant offensive performances we have seen in Huge Ten play this season.
And now that we have established the Hoosiers as a authentic contender for each the School Soccer Playoff and the Huge Ten title, we should acknowledge the person brilliance of Kurtis Rourke and Elijah Sarratt.
We have to discuss Rourke the way in which we discuss Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel. The Hoosiers’ senior signal-caller, who arrived in Bloomington this offseason after spending the previous 5 years at Ohio College, has been nothing in need of sensible all through the month of October. Rourke makes use of token movement, true RPO, higher than anybody else within the sport to determine the weak point in any protection he sees post-snap. He started Saturday’s recreation by going 8-of-8 via the air, and completed the day 17-of-21 for 189 passing yards with a landing and an interception that got here on a Hail Mary to finish the primary half.
Rourke did not come out with the crew for the second half after struggling an obvious hand damage. He was changed by redshift sophomore Tayven Jackson. However as Jimmy Johnson as soon as stated: Backups need to rating too. And that is what Jackson did. He threw a dime to Sarrett to increase the result in 42-7 earlier than the top of the third quarter and completed the sport 7-of-8 for 91 yards and a pair of passing scores.
Sarratt, who accounted for 1,191 receiving yards at James Madison final yr, caught three passes for 65 yards and a landing within the win. Within the first half, Sarratt and Omar Cooper helped lead an 88-yard drive in six performs, proving this offense’s skill to blow up.
Tayven Jackson hyperlinks up with Elijah Sarratt for a 15-yard TD, extending Indiana’s lead over Nebraska
Now, sitting at 7-0 and atop the Huge Ten standings, there’s little doubt about Indiana and its skill to compete on the sharp finish of one of many premier conferences within the sport. The one query left is when will the remainder of the traditionalists and glorified glazers start acknowledging Indiana the way in which they do Penn State and Oregon? It is a trick query: You are already late.
For Nebraska, although? Extra ache.
The Huskers haven’t solely misplaced 26 straight in opposition to ranked opponents since 2016, however they’re now 0-5 within the Matt Rhule period when a win would grant them bowl-eligibility. That 26-game dropping streak to top-25 groups is the second-longest lively streak amongst power-conference packages. Solely Rutgers has misplaced extra consecutive video games to top-25 groups.
It is again to the drafting board for Nebraska, which now sits at 5-2 with a recreation in opposition to No. 4-ranked Ohio State up subsequent – one other matchup with bowl eligibility on the road. In the meantime, Indiana welcomes Washington to Bloomington, with an opportunity to enhance to 8-0 and match the most effective begin in program historical past.
These are the stakes. That is what enjoying big-time, huge boy soccer means. Indiana is an enormous boy. And it is their time.
RJ Younger is a nationwide faculty soccer author and analyst for FOX Sports activities and the host of the podcast “The Quantity One School Soccer Present.” Comply with him at @RJ_Young.
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