Kurtis Rourke, Indiana look to quiet Ohio State and rabid fans at 'The Shoe'

It's only about a 90-minute drive from Ohio University's campus in Athens to the football mecca known as 'The Shoe' in Columbus, but it might as well be a different world.

After spending five years of his life flinging footballs at 25,000-seat Peden Stadium in a city with about the same population size, Canadian quarterback Kurtis Rourke is set to take his talents to one of his sport's biggest stages.

The Indiana transfer leads his Hoosiers (10-0) into 100,000-plus-seat Ohio Stadium on Saturday to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes (9-1) in a top-five battle between a longtime NCAA power and an unheralded program that has captured the imagination of a football-crazy country.

"The MAC (Mid-American Conference, which includes the Ohio Bobcats) is one of the lower-level D1 conferences in the country for football," explained Eric Decker, the sports editor of the Athens Messenger, who covered Rourke during his time at Ohio U.

"Ohio State, they have the same notoriety, that same level as a Yankees or Dallas Cowboys, that sort of thing. College football can say that about five or six different schools. Ohio State is one of those powerhouses competing for a national championship every year. In that way, (fans) can almost root for Ohio State and not necessarily have to root against Ohio, or vice versa. Because it's almost minor leagues versus major leagues in a sense.

"The state of Ohio brands itself as a football state. It's the No. 1 sport. It's really all that people care about."

Rourke's story — from little-known college prospect, to star at a lower-level school, to standout for a power-conference team that was a football minnow before its 10-0 start to this year — is shared by many of the men who will be wearing Indiana uniforms at the massive, horseshoe-shaped stadium.

The second-ranked Buckeyes, with a roster loaded with five-star recruits, were 10-point favourites over No. 5 Indiana at BetMGM as of Friday, despite Rourke being listed tied for fourth in this week's Heisman Trophy odds.

However, the Hoosiers are anything but a just-happy-to-be-here team under first-year coach Curt Cignetti, who has proven time and again he is not short on confidence.

The 63-year-old football lifer and son of a coach toiled away at lower-level schools for decades before leaving James Madison to accept the Indiana job prior to the 2024 season.

When he was introduced to Indiana fans at a men's basketball game (the school's longtime top team) last December, he took the microphone and gave some thoughts about a few Big Ten rivals.

"Hey, look, I'm super fired up about this opportunity," he said, per ESPN. "I've never taken a back seat to anybody and don't plan on starting now. Purdue sucks! But so does Michigan and Ohio State! Go IU!"

At his opening press conference when he was asked why he felt he could possibly have success at Indiana, which has lost a mere 28 games in a row against Ohio State, he said, "It's pretty simple. I win. Google me."

He said similar words, perhaps without that level of brashness (but who really knows), when he recruited Rourke out of the transfer portal. Twenty-six others joined Rourke in taking up Cignetti on his transfer offer — most from similar programs outside the four power conferences (ACC, SEC, Big Ten, Big 12) — and the results have been outstanding.

Earlier this month, Cignetti signed an eight-year, $72-million extension with Indiana.

His players, following the lead of their coach, don't seem fazed about the noise or the hype (ESPN "College GameDay", which tries to pick a buzzy broadcast spot prior to each college football Saturday, has chosen Ohio State as its venue for a record 24th time this week).

"I've never played them in my career. I've definitely played in some environments that have been similar," Rourke, a native of Oakville, Ont., and the younger brother of B.C. Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke, told reporters this week.

"Penn State in 2022 (with Ohio, before 107,306 fans in a 46-10 loss), it was an awesome atmosphere to be able to play there. It's not going to be the most I've ever played in front of. But I recognize the history behind it, Ohio Stadium, the amount of fans and how great an atmosphere it will be. I'm really excited for that. Just ready for the challenge."

He'll have to be, as Indiana, despite its unblemished record, still has to deal with some skeptics.

The College Football Playoff is expanded to 12 teams, from four, this year, and some prognosticators feel Indiana could be a bubble team even if it finishes 11-1 (the Hoosiers play their final regular-season game next week at home against lowly Purdue).

Indiana's strength of schedule isn't as high as other contenders, partially because some expected top conference foes like reigning national champion Michigan and runner-up Washington are in the midst of down years.

But Rourke isn't about to get into a debate on where Indiana belongs on the national pecking order. He'd rather let his team's play do the talking.

"A lot of what (Cignetti) says is reflected in the way we've handled our week and our mindset," Rourke said. "He came in at the start of last week, the bye week, and the start of this week and he was saying it's a big game because it's the next one. I think a lot of us full-heartedly believe that, knowing that we can play with anybody. It doesn't matter who we're playing. We've just got to go execute and we'll be fine. That's kind of our mindset going into this week, just like it was every other week."

Ohio State, as you'd expect, wants its fans to make things as difficult as possible for Rourke and Indiana's high-powered offence.

Fans will line up hours before the noon kickoff to see Ohio State's marching band, named The Best Damn Band in the Land, perform its famous Skull Session at a nearby arena before making its way to the stadium.

Block O, the student section, is sure to bring the noise as soon as the first ball is kicked at the 102-year-old venue.

If all goes according to OSU plans, the sweet sounds of the Victory Bell — a tradition that started in 1954 — will be heard up to five miles away after the game. The bell sits at the top of a stadium tower.

Hockey fans will get the Ohio Stadium experience on March 1, 2025, when the Columbus Blue Jackets host the Detroit Red Wings in an outdoor game.

Meanwhile, Ohio State coach Ryan Day opened his weekly press conference ahead of the Indiana clash with a message to Buckeye fans.

"One thing great about being at Ohio State is you get a chance to be around the best fans in the land," he said. "I know that this week is going to be a huge opportunity for us to show a nation what the best fans in the land look like. I talked about it on the radio show this is going to be that type of game where we've got to be loud on third down every time they have the ball."

Quarterback Will Howard echoed his coach's sentiment.

"We want to overwhelm them with noise and be the loudest, hardest place to play in the country," he said. "We want 'The Shoe' to be that place. We need to come through and be loud. I just encourage all of Buckeye Nation to show up, be loud, be early. We're going to need you guys. You guys are the best fans in the country. Let's do it."

Toronto Argonauts star returner Janarion Grant, who played with Rutgers at Ohio State in a 56-17 loss before 106,795 fans in 2014, says the key is not getting overwhelmed by the environment.

"Just go in there and not make the moment too big," Grant said in an interview with Sportsnet's David Morassutti at the Grey Cup last week when asked for his memories of 'The Shoe'. "Just go in there and play the game. Of course, there's loud noise, you might go with the silent count and all that stuff. But play to win."

You can be sure Cignetti, Rourke and the rest of the Hoosiers will follow this advice.

They're used to being doubted. Nothing changes now.

"I always hark back to (Rourke) is one of the best, most level-headed, kind of more intelligent people around the game I've ever talked to," Decker said. "As a competitor, you have to believe he'll have that sort of prove-it mentality, especially coming back to Columbus."

Nathan Rourke, who played his entire college career at Ohio, is very familiar with the power of the Ohio State brand. It's impossible to be involved in football in the state and not be impacted by the Buckeye behemoth.

“We would go to our games and people would be wearing Ohio State gear all the time, and it would eat at you,” Nathan Rourke, who will be in the stands Saturday, told the Bloomington Herald-Times this week. “It was like, damn, can you at least wear green (the Bobcats' colours) for the game?”

That's the type of hold Ohio State has on the Buckeye state.

But in little Athens, there may be some divided loyalties on Saturday. After all, they have an adopted Canadian to cheer for.

"This whole thing is going to be great for people of Athens," Decker said. "They're super proud of what he's done and what he's accomplished."