Is Indiana Quarterback Kurtis Rourke a Heisman Contender?

Senior quarterback Kurtis Rourke threw for 380 yards and three touchdowns completing 25-of-33 passes to help No. 18 Indiana stay unbeaten with a 41-24 victory over Northwestern on Saturday afternoon.

The nation’s No. 3 scoring offense entering Saturday broke the 40-point mark for the fifth time this season, putting up over 500 yards of total offense with no turnovers. Rourke enjoyed his third 300-yard performance in the last four games.

Before transferring to Indiana, Rouke an Ontario, Canada native threw for 7,651 yards and 50 touchdowns with just 16 interceptions in four years as a starting quarterback at Ohio.

Rourke was named the 2022 Vern Smith Leadership Award winner, which is given to the MAC’s top player on an annual basis, as well as the 2022 MAC Offensive Player of the Year.

In six games this season Rourke has been one of the more consistent and efficent quarterbacks in the nation. The IU signal caller has 14 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 1,752 yards on a 73.8 percent completion rate. Those numbers mixed with the Hoosiers 6-0 start moves him in the discussion for the Heisman midway through the season.

Rourke will have to play big in the next few weeks at home against Nebraska and Washington to move up in the rankings with Ashton Jeanty, Cam Ward, Jaxson Dart, Jalen Milroe and Travis Hunter but only time will tell if the IU quarterback could be on the Heisman ballot or even earn a trip to New York in December.