The Indiana Hoosiers are 7-0 for the second time in school history and are up to No. 16 in the newest AP Poll.
While things have been going exceedingly well under first-year head coach Curt Cignetti, the quarterback received crushing news on Sunday.
Quarterback Kurtis Rourke will be out ‘indefinitely’ with a thumb injury suffered in Saturday’s 56-7 romp of the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
“The Indiana football program announced on Sunday (Oct. 20) that redshirt senior quarterback Kurtis Rourke will be out an indefinite period of time with a thumb injury but is expected to return in 2024,” the school said in a statement.
Rourke has been exceptional for the undefeated Hoosiers. He’s 135-for-181 for 1,941 passing yards. His 15 touchdowns ties him with Oregon Ducks signal-caller Dillon Gabriel for the Big Ten’s lead, and Rourke’s three interceptions puts him in a tie with Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard for second-fewest in the conference among players with 150 pass attempts or more.
Rourke began his college career with the Ohio Bobcats. He spent five seasons with the MAC squad, and was named the conference’s most valuable player in 2022.
Backup quarterback Tayven Jackson is expected to fill in for Rourke while the quarterback is injured. Jackson came in after Rourke’s injury against Nebraska and went seven-for-eight with two passing touchdowns.
The Hoosiers will host the Washington Huskies next Saturday as they look to improve to 8-0. ESPN’s College GameDay will be airing live from Bloomington on Saturday morning.
