Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke will miss the No. 16 Hoosiers' game next week against Washington after injuring the thumb on his throwing hand in Saturday's 56-7 win against Nebraska.
Rourke won't play Saturday vs. the Huskies, but is expected to return at some time this season, but timetable for Rourke's return isn't clear. The school announced Sunday that Rourke "will be out an indefinite period of time with a thumb injury but is expected to return in 2024."
The Hoosiers star quarterback did not play in the second half of the win, returning to the sideline in street clothes after helping build a 28-7 lead heading into the locker room.
With Rourke on the sideline, Indiana turned to backup Tayven Jackson, who started five games for the Hoosiers in 2023. Jackson completed 7-of-8 passes and led four touchdown drives as Indiana kept its foot on the gas and outscored Nebraska 28-0 in the second half. Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said after the game that he was "optimistic" about the outlook for Rourke following the injury, explaining that the injury occurred when his thumb was hit on a pass attempt.
"I thought he played really well in the first half. He had a thumb on a helmet, (and the) nail kind of came off," Rourke said after the game, according to the Indianapolis Star. "We'll know more tomorrow, but (we're) optimistic."
Rourke has been a key piece of Indiana's 7-0 opening to the 2024 season, the program's best start since 1967. The sixth-year senior transfer from Ohio is the Big Ten leader in both passer rating (188.71) and yards per attempt (10.7), and he's tied with only Oregon's Dillon Gabriel for the most passing touchdowns with 15.
After next week's home game against Washington, Indiana will play at Michigan State on Nov. 2 then enter a home stretch of the schedule that will determine the Hoosiers' postseason future in what is already a banner year for the program. Indiana will first host Michigan on Nov. 9, then after a late of week will play Ohio State in Columbus on Nov. 23 before concluding the regular season against rival Purdue. Indiana is currently tied at the top of the Big Ten standings with Oregon as the only teams off to a 4-0 start in conference play, so having Rourke available for those key games in November is crucial to keeping the Hoosiers in the running for the Big Ten Championship and the College Football Playoff.
