The quarterback is one of the most trusted players on a football team. They are one of the only players to touch the ball on every offensive snap and are responsible for leading their team down the field, making big plays and scoring.
Kurtis Rourke stepped up and did just that for Ohio on Saturday. However, the redshirt junior did more than just step up in Ohio's 41-38 win against Florida Atlantic. He also etched his name into the record books.
After the first quarter, it didn't seem as if Rourke was on the way to having one of the best games of his career. He had only thrown for 45 yards and was sacked once. Meanwhile, FAU's N'Kosi Perry had thrown for 101 yards and a touchdown.
During the second quarter, however, Rourke started to find his groove. He trusted in his teammates and himself to make big plays, which paid off. By the time Rourke came out for the second half, he looked like he was already in mid-season form and had been leading the team all season.
Rourke lit up the field throughout the rest of the game Saturday, finishing with 345 total yards. He ended up with his own single-game record for yards and the eighth most yards in a single game in Ohio history.
However, that's not all.
Rourke also finished the night with five touchdowns, four passing and one rushing. His four passing touchdowns are tied for second-most in a single game by an Ohio quarterback.
Rourke credits a lot of his success on Saturday to his teammates and coaches. While his leadership may have sparked something in the team, they also sparked something in Rourke.
"It's not necessarily about me," Rourke said. "It's more about how great the other guys around me make me."
Rourke certainly utilized the talented receivers around him against FAU. He completed passes to seven different receivers, five of them with a catch for more than 10 yards. Rourke threw seven passes to James Bostic for 136 yards, more than twice as many yards as any other receiver.
Rourke also threw a pair of touchdown passes to Sam Wiglusz, a graduate transfer from Ohio State. It was expected that Wiglusz would be a tool that Rourke could utilize early in the season, which he did on Saturday.
Ohio head coach Tim Albin said it's no secret that Rourke trusts his teammates and coaches.
"Kurtis has been very open in talking about the confidence he has in the weapons around him," Albin said.
After a rocky 2021 season, Rourke needed to improve his gameplay. He often traded snaps with former Ohio quarterback Armani Rogers last season, but Rogers is now gone.
Albin was looking for Rourke to embrace the starting role this season and was happy with what he saw on Saturday.
"I thought he made some special plays today," Albin said. "I really like where he's at. I got a little frustrated with him on a couple of things, but he had great answers, and sometimes last year that was not the case, so he took a big step."
Although Rourke had a career night on Saturday, he still has 11 games this season to lead Ohio through. If tonight was any indication of how the season will pan out, Rourke will be just fine.
