Indiana's biggest x-factor vs. Ohio State, and it's not Kurtis Rourke
Yesterday at 07:07 PM
The spotlight continues to illuminate larger for Indiana football and star quarterback Kurtis Rourke. Rightfully so, as the Hoosiers are delivering a historic 10-0 start never seen before in school history.
Rourke and the Hoosiers now have their biggest heavyweight battle on deck. Longtime Big 10 Conference kingpin Ohio State awaits upstart Indiana in Columbus. Indiana’s QB1 is bringing an astonishing 71.8 completion percentage in tow into a traditional hostile environment. With ESPN College GameDay in the vicinity, plus College Football Playoff implications on the line, Rourke and IU have their highest anticipated game yet.
Yet, the standout signal-caller isn’t the proverbial “x-factor” ahead of this marquee battle. Rourke’s role is indeed a large one. He’s a big reason why Indiana is averaging 453.2 yards per game, plus ranks second nationally with racking up 43.9 points per game. Rourke also leads the nation in three different categories including average yards per completion at 14.1.
Rourke has a deep contingent of weapons on his side. Head coach Curt Cignetti set up Rourke perfectly to carve up defenses.
But an explosive piece on the Hoosiers’ side holds the biggest key to this top five matchup. Here’s why it’s this playmaker, not Rourke, who earns the x-factor label inside the famed horseshoe.
Elijah Sarratt is biggest x-factor for Indiana against Ohio State
Indiana’s leading wide receiver Elijah Sarratt holds the key to opening up this vaunted offense. And Sarratt has to go against the nation’s top scoring defense.
Sarratt has established himself as Rourke’s go-to wide receiver. He leads IU in all three major receiving categories. But he only has 38 catches, 685 yards and has scored six touchdowns. Sarratt is starring in an offense that spreads the ball around.
Regardless, the junior and James Madison transfer has stepped up big for Rourke and company. Sarratt is the field stretcher for this offense. After all, he’s averaging 18 yards a catch. He even torched Nebraska by tallying 21.7 yards a catch in Indiana’s 56-7 trouncing of the Cornhuskers. But his job becomes deeper on Saturday for numerous reasons.
As stout the Buckeyes are on defense, their cornerback unit is noticeably inconsistent in man coverage. Top-ranked Oregon exposed this flaw in its Oct. 12 victory at Eugene. Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel attacked Ohio State’s man-to-man scheme on both of his touchdown throws — including the 48-yarder to Tez Johnson. Opposing teams have since attacked the Buckeyes cornerbacks Denzel Burke and Davison Igbinosun when they’re in man.
Sarratt is the deep threat option tasked to blow the top off defenses for IU. He’s Rourke and the offense’s best threat to spark the explosive side of the Hoosiers’ attack. He’ll need to improve his numbers from the last four games to make it happen, though.
The 6-foot-2, 209-pounder settled for only one catch for 36 yards against Michigan on Nov. 9 (although it was a touchdown against the Wolverines). He also hasn’t caught more than four passes since the Oct. 5 Northwestern contest.
Ohio State still needs to do its part to account for Sarratt. He’s a past 1,000-yard performer for JMU. Before arriving to Bloomington, Sarratt racked up 1,192 yards for the Dukes. He grabbed 82 receptions that season too.
Rourke and IU do have an embarrassment of riches at WR. Five different wideouts have caught between 24 to 38 catches. They also have Omar Cooper Jr. averaging 22 yards a catch on 24 receptions. But to exploit Ohio State, Sarratt is a great place to start in testing the Buckeyes’ Cover 1 approach, especially when either Burke or Igbinosun have no safety help. Don’t be surprised if Rourke tests Ohio State deep early with the former JMU WR.
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