BLOOMINGTON — Former Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn raved about Indiana football quarterback Kurtis Rourke’s development on Friday afternoon after a rehearsal for FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff.
Quinn is one of the analysts on the show that will air from the South Lawn outside Memorial Stadium before IU’s game against Nebraska on Saturday.
The former Maxwell Award winner did his homework on Rourke for this weekend. He went back and watched film from Rourke’s time at Ohio — he was the 2022 MAC Offensive Player of the Year at Ohio to a Heisman hopeful this week — before studying what he’s done this season for the Hoosiers.
“He’s throwing dots, throwing lasers, layering throws, Kurtis can do that,” Quinn said. “I didn’t see that quite as much as Ohio University, you see it this year.”
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It’s a big reason IU’s offense ranks fourth in total offense (515.7 yards per game) and second in scoring (47.5 points per game). Quinn pointed to Rourke’s effectiveness in the intermediate area of the field as something that stands out among his peers.
“In college when you break down a guys tape and you look at a lot of their passing chart or passing maps — you see a lot of throws that are like five yards to the line of scrimmage or behind and throws down field particularly to the outside over 20 yards, but that’s like it,” Quinn said.
“You don’t see any of those intermediate throws, but that’s what you have to do at the next level and the teams that tend to be able to stay on the field, move the ball, put up a lot of points and finish drives, are the ones where you get a quarterback when its 10 to 20 yards down field, he’s on point.”
Rourke’s numbers rank among the best in the country in most major passing categories. He’s averaging 292.0 yards (No. 11 in the FBS) with a completion percentage of 73.8% (No. 3) and 14 touchdowns (tied for No. 13).
He’s on pace to break multiple single-season IU passing records, and has become a dark horse candidate for the Heisman.
On those intermediate throws Quinn mentioned, Rourke is 32 of 48 with 600 yards passing and six touchdowns on throws 10-19 yards in the air. He has an elite grade of 91.8 at that passing depth, according to Pro Football Focus.
Quinn’s Big Noon kick co-hosts have also been impressed with Rourke.
“He’s more of a quarterback’s quarterback,” former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said. “You can tell he’s worked on his game.”
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Meyer spoke with Nebraska defensive coordinator Tony White this week about Rourke. White was Syarcuse’s defensive coordinator when the team faced Ohio in 2021.
“Coach White said that his progression as a passer is phenomenal,” Meyer said.
Former Heisman winner Matt Leinart was also impressed with what he saw from Rourke on tape this week.
“Gosh, he’s really good,” Leinart said. “He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes, he can make all the throws from the pocket. You at some of the other guys, they are a little more dynamic, but they get themselves in trouble. He’s steady back there and a big reason they are undefeated.”
Quinn and Leinart also echoed each other’s comments about this game being a huge test for the quarterback as he seeks to gain greater national recognition.
“Nebraska’s defense is really good, physical and very good in all three levels,” Leinhart said. “I’m interested to see how he handles this environment.”
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.
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