BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – One of the few disappointing aspects of Indiana’s season-opening win over Florida International on Aug. 31 was that fans never really got to see what wide receiver Elijah Sarratt could do.

The James Madison transfer had just two catches for 12 yards in the 31-7 win over the Panthers.

Considering Sarratt racked up 1,191 receiving yards and 82 catches during the 2023 season with JMU, a season in which he never had fewer than 29 receiving yards in a single game, this was a bit disappointing.

The junior from Stafford, Virginia, made up for lost time on Friday against Western Illinois.

He showed Indiana fans what he was made of when he had six catches for 137 receiving yards and a long touchdown catch in the Hoosiers’ 77-3 win over the Leathernecks at Memorial Stadium.

It didn’t take long for Sarratt to get involved. He was targeted on the very first play of the game. While Myles Price and Andison Coby made the catches on the first series, Sarratt started cooking on the second series.

He caught a 23-yard pass from Kurtis Rourke, putting Indiana in position to score on a touchdown run by Justice Ellison.

On the third series? Well, Sarratt was the series.

Sarratt played on the left side of the field but wasn’t distracted by the bump-and-run coverage, allowing him to run a deep route through the middle.

Sarratt beat Western Illinois defensive back Tyler Henry, and Rourke patiently let Sarratt run his route before throwing a perfect strike to him in space. Sarratt ran the rest of the way untouched for a 71-yard touchdown reception.

Sarratt had another 15-yard reception later in the first quarter. He finished the first period with 3 catches for 109 yards.

“It felt great,” Sarratt said. “I always like to get involved early. Kudos to my coach (wide receivers coach and co-offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan) for putting me in a position to get the ball.”

Sarratt had two more catches in the second quarter and one in the third quarter, reaching his game total.

Sarratt feels good about the relationship he has built with Rourke, and likes how direct he is in his dealings with his teammates.

“He’s always fun to play with. Never not have fun playing with him. He’s been clicking on all cylinders. He’s just got to keep that going,” Sarratt said.

Rourke is not shy about leading and directing his receivers, something Sarratt has no problem with.

“One thing I like, I know I’m not perfect, so I like when someone other than myself tells me how to do something. He’s good at telling me where to run a route, where to line up. He’s a leader. He’s a great quarterback,” Sarratt said.

And as for the slow start? That follows his pattern in 2023 at JMU. His game-low 29 yards came in JMU’s opener against Bucknell. He had another two-catch game against Virginia in the Dukes’ second game, but things took off after that. In the next 11 games, Sarratt never had fewer than four catches in a game or fewer than 45 yards.

He really came alive in the second half of JMU’s season. Of his six 100-yard-plus receiving games, five came in the final six games of the season.

Indiana hopes the talented receiver can follow a similar pattern when it enters Big Ten play against UCLA next week.