Greg McElroy Calls Unexpected College Football Program 'The Real Deal'

The Indiana Hoosiers are historically known for their college basketball program, but lately, the talk around Bloomington has been about the football program. Indiana defeated the Nebraska Cornhuskers 56-7 to improve to 7-0 for the first time since 1967.

Quarterback Kurtis Rourke left the game with a hand injury and finished with 189 passing yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Backup quarterback Tayven Jackson had 92 passing yards and two touchdowns in relief of Rourke. Running back Justice Ellison led the Hoosiers with 109 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just nine carries.

The Hoosiers have now matched their combined number of wins from 2022-2023. Indiana finished 4-8 in 2022 and ended the 2023 campaign at 3-9 under former head coach Tom Allen.

Greg McElroy was impressed by the job first-year head coach Curt Cignetti has done at Indiana this season on a recent " Always College Football " episode. McElroy called the Hoosiers "the real deal" after their hot start to the college football season.

"Kurtis Rourke got hurt in this game," McElroy said. "Hurts his hand. I hate that for him. I hope everything's going to be all right. Didn't play in the second half. That was maybe the biggest takeaway after the fact that you acknowledged that, Indiana, they're the real deal, man. Like, they are the real deal."

Cignetti is a proven winner, having held head coaching positions at IUP, Elon, and James Madison. After Indiana's 7-0 start, Cignetti has a record of 126-35 from those three stints.

It has been a historic season for the Hoosiers. Indiana has qualified for its first bowl appearance since 2020 and will finish above .500 for the first time since 2019. The Hoosiers have only won two Big Ten titles in program history, most recently in 1967.

Indiana will look to move to 8-0 as the Hoosiers host Washington on Oct. 26. Kickoff is scheduled for noon ET on the Big Ten Network.

Related: Greg McElroy Names No. 1 Team in Big Ten ‘By A Mile’