Indiana QB Kurtis Rourke out indefinitely with right thumb injury

No. 13 Indiana (7-0, 4-0- Big Ten) hosts Washington (4-3, 2-2) next weekend as it tries to remain atop the Big Ten standings while matching the best start in school history at 8-0 but they will have to do it without senior quarterback Kurtis Rourke.

Rourke is a major key behind the 7-0 start for the Hoosiers, completing 74.6% of his passes for 1,941 yards and 15 touchdowns with only three interceptions this season. He had at least one touchdown pass in every game, including five contests with multiple scores for the potent Indiana offense, which leads the FBS with 48.7 points per game.

Rourke was injured against Nebraska before halftime and replaced by redshirt sophomore quarterback Tayven Jackson. Jackson, who transferred from Tennessee before the 2023 season, played the second half Saturday and was 7 of 8 with 91 yards and two TDs after Indiana had taken a 28-7 lead.

Jackson, the younger brother of IU basketball legend Trayce Jackson-Davis and a former four-star recruit. Jackson flashed some potential last year, but mixed it with plenty of struggles. He finished the campaign with a 60.9 completion percentage for 914 yards with two touchdowns and five interceptions.

Head coach Curt Cignetti talked about his backup QB's play on Saturday: “It's hard to be the second-string quarterback because you don't get many reps,” Cignetti said of Jackson’s progress. “We put a lot of new stuff in in the pass game week to week. You look at the variables in terms of their coverages and defenses, right? But I thought he went in there and did a good job. I had confidence. Team had confidence. I was proud of him.”

The 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."