Indiana QB Kurtis Rourke (thumb) may only miss one week after surgery

College Football

Updated Oct. 22, 2024 3:11 p.m. ET

Indiana starting quarterback Kurtis Rourke will likely miss the No. 13 Hoosiers’ game against Washington on Saturday after undergoing surgery on his injured right thumb on Monday. But his prognosis has improved and he could return for Indiana’s game against Michigan State the following week, ESPN reported.

Rourke was injured during the first half of last Saturday’s 56-7 rout over Nebraska when his hand hit the helmet of a Cornhuskers defensive player.

Indiana is 7-0 and 4-0 in Big Ten play. The Hoosiers have a chance the best start in school history at 8-0 if they defeat the defending national runner-up Huskies on Saturday (12 p.m. ET on the Big Ten Network and FOX Sports App).

Now, though, they’ll have to do it with third-year quarterback Tayven Jackson behind center. 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 halftime lead.

Jackson has been a fan favorite since returning to his home state and is the brother of former Indiana basketball star Trayce Jackson-Davis, an All-American.

Tayven Jackson links up with Elijah Sarratt for a 15-yard TD, extending Indiana’s lead over Nebraska

Rourke is tied for the Big Ten lead with 15 TD passes while throwing for 1,941 yards. He’s second in the conference in completion percentage (74.6%) and had won the Big Ten’s offensive player of the week award twice this season.

He’s also dealt with injuries previously, suffering a season-ending knee injury in 2022 — an injury that continued to bother him last season, his final year at Ohio University. Still, Rourke was selected as the 2022 Mid-American Conference MVP.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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