BLOOMINGTON, IN – The Indiana Hoosiers overwhelmed the Charlotte 49ers 52-14 on a warm Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium, giving new head coach Curt Cignetti a resounding victory and a 4-0 start heading into conference play.
Indiana’s offense fired on all cylinders, amassing 510 total yards compared to Charlotte’s 256. The Hoosiers’ balanced attack featured 288 passing yards and 222 rushing yards, keeping the 49ers’ defense on their heels throughout the contest.
Quarterback Kurtis Rourke led the aerial assault, completing 16 of 20 passes for 258 yards and a touchdown. On the ground, Indiana’s rushing attack was spearheaded by Josh Ellison, Kalib Black, and Trent Lawton, who each scored a touchdown.
Charlotte struggled to find rhythm offensively, managing just 13 first downs to Indiana’s 29. The 49ers’ lone bright spots came in the second quarter when running back CJ Stokes punched in a 13-yard touchdown run and quarterback Trexler Ivey connected with Isaiah Myers for a 25-yard scoring strike.
The Hoosiers’ defense proved stifling, forcing two fumbles and recovering one. Indiana’s special teams also contributed, with Maddox Price returning three punts for 44 yards, consistently providing good field position.
Indiana put the game out of reach in the third quarter with two unanswered touchdowns, pushing their lead to 45-14. The Hoosiers added one more score in the fourth quarter to cap off the dominant performance.
The loss drops Charlotte to 1-3 on the season. They’ll look to regroup as they hit the road next week to face Rice in their conference opener.
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