The undefeated Hoosiers and their coach and quarterback dominate the AP's Big Ten Midseason Awards

First-year coach Curt Cignetti promised a new and improved Indiana and has given the undefeated Hoosiers their best start since 1967.

The Hoosiers have already doubled their win total from last season, earning four of the 10 Associated Press Big Ten Midseason Awards.

Nine AP writers who cover the conference picked Indiana at No. 16 as the most surprising Big Ten team of the first half of the season and Cignetti as the best coach and quarterback Kurtis Rourke the top first-year transfer and most surprising player.

Since 1968, the season following its only Rose Bowl appearance, Indiana has posted just 12 winning records and never won more than eight games. The Hoosiers posted a 14-7 record in the 2019-20 season, but fell to 9-27 over the next three seasons.

Enter Cignetti, who at 63 is in his first head coaching job in a power conference. He arrived after going 52-9 in five seasons at James Madison and transformed Indiana's roster with 54 additions, half of whom were transfers. Of the 27 transfers, 13 followed him from James Madison.

The one who made the biggest impression came from Ohio: Rourke, a sixth-year player who has made the transition from the Mid-American Conference to the Big Ten better than expected. His 292 passing yards per game ranks second in the league, his 14 touchdown passes are tied for the lead, and his 73.8% completion rate ranks third nationally. He is the first Indiana quarterback since Harry Gonso in that magical 1967 season to throw three touchdowns in three Big Ten games.

Rourke runs an offense that averages 516 yards and 48 points per game and leads the Big Ten with 32 pass plays of 20 yards or more.

Top offensive player

Dillon Gabriel, Oregon. The quarterback, who transferred from Oklahoma for his final season, has completed 76% of his passes for 298 yards per game. He has thrown for at least two touchdowns in every game and has 13 total. His interception rate of 1.5% (3 on 201 attempts) is fifth-best among power conference quarterbacks with at least 200 attempts, according to Sportradar.

Last week he threw for 341 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score at second The Ducks' 32-31 win over Ohio State in a top-five matchup.

Top defensive player

Mason Graham, Michigan. The defensive tackle has lived up to his claim as AP All-America from the previous season and is continuing to build on it NFL Draft Stock. He regularly faced double teams and played no fewer than 46 snaps in five of the Wolverines' six games, according to Pro Football Focus. Last season he played more than 46 times in just one game.

Graham, who forms one of the best defensive line duos in the country with Kenneth Grant, has 3.5 sacks, four tackles for loss and 21 tackles. His PFF grade is the eighth-highest among FBS interior linemen and third-highest in the Big Ten.

Top freshman in first year

Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State. The wide receiver is averaging 17.3 yards on his 32 catches and 92 yards per game, the second-best numbers by a freshman behind Alabama star Ryan Williams. Smith was physical and capable of racking up yards after the catch. Last week he caught nine balls for 100 yards and a touchdown while being covered by Oregon's top CB Jabbar Muhammad.

The most disappointing team

Southern California has found life in the Big Ten challenging to say the least. The season began with a neutral-site win over LSU, but now the Trojans are 3-3 overall, 1-3 in the Big Ten and have been eliminated from College Football Playoff contention.

USC was No. 11 in the AP Top 25 just two weeks ago after erasing a double-digit deficit to beat Wisconsin. But a tough loss in Minnesota was followed by an overtime home loss to Penn State last week, in a game in which the team either led or tied in the final 49 minutes of regulation. This week the Trojans travel to Maryland for their longest road trip of the season.

The hottest seat

USC has a 5-8 record since last season's 6-0 start, and the Trojans' start to Big Ten play has increased the pressure on Lincoln Riley.

The biggest problem is defense. Stopping the run is crucial to success in the Big Ten, and that's where the Trojans have struggled. They rank 16th out of 18 in the conference in rushing defense. They gave up five runs of 30 yards or longer, including four that went over 40 yards.

Biggest injuries

There is a tie Wisconsin quarterback Tyler Van Dyke and USC linebacker Eric Gentry.

Van Dyke transferred from Miami and beat out Braedyn Locke for the starting spot. Van Dyke led the Badgers to victories in their first two games before exiting with a season-ending knee injury against Alabama. The Badgers have been 2-1 since then.

Gentry was coming off the best game of his career – 12 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack against Michigan – when he left the next game against Wisconsin with an undisclosed injury. The Trojans have been without their defensive anchor for two games.

___

AP Sportswriters Dave Campbell, Tom Canavan, Larry Lage, Steve Megargee, Eric Olson, Anne M. Peterson, Joe Reedy, Andrew Seligman and Mitch Stacy contributed.

___

Get poll alerts and AP Top 25 updates throughout the season. Sign up Here. AP College Football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll And https://apnews.com/hub/college-football