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Indiana football survived one game without quarterback Kurtis Rourke, knocking off Washington 31-17 after a stiff test from the Huskies.
All facets of the team had to step up without their star quarterback, and that's exactly what they did. Star cornerback D'Angelo Ponds started the game off with a pick-six on a screen pass and picked off another pass later in the first half. Backup quarterback Tayven Jackson — the brother of current Golden State Warriors big man Trayce-Jackson Davis — was unspectacular but made the plays required of him, and the Hoosiers picked up another win to improve to 8-0.
Now, it looks like Rourke, who left Indiana's win over Nebraska on Oct. 19 with a hand injury, may be able to go on Saturday against Michigan State, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN.
“Sources: Indiana QB Kurtis Rourke has continued to throw the past few days, and there’s continued optimism he can play on Saturday against Michigan State,” Thamel reported on X, formerly Twitter. “He’s been dealing with a thumb injury and had surgery last week. IU’s first full practice is Tuesday.”
Head coach Curt Cignetti backed up that report, saying that he is “optimistic” that Rourke will be able to go on Saturday and that his workload in practice will continue to increase as the week progresses, according to Zach Osterman of the Indy Star.
Rourke has quietly been one of the best quarterbacks in America in 2024 and is slowly becoming an NFL Draft sleeper. In seven games, Rourke has completed nearly 75% of his passes with 1,941 yards and 15 touchdowns with just three interceptions.
Indiana is a force and should be in the College Football Playoff
Each year, there is a team or two that takes the country by surprise and goes on a run through the regular season, and Indiana is one of those teams this season. New head coach Curt Cignetti has Indiana playing very good football, and now it has an inside track to reach the College Football Playoff.
Indiana is ranked No. 13 in the latest AP poll despite being 8-0 on the season with a very impressive win against Nebraska. While some voters may be doubting the Hoosiers due to a relatively easy schedule, they will get a chance to prove themselves when they take on Ohio State on Nov. 23.
Even if Indiana loses that game, it should still earn a playoff spot as long as it is able to take care of business in its other three remaining games, which are all winnable games (Michigan State, Michigan, Purdue).
The numbers show that this Indiana team is truly an elite team. They rank sixth in the nation in total offense and second in scoring offense as they rack up more than 46 points per game.
Defensively, they also rank near the top of the nation in both yards allowed (fifth) and points allowed (seventh), so this team can really get the job done on both sides of the ball. Despite being relatively new to the scene, this isn't an Indiana team that should be taken lightly.
