Indiana quarterback Tayven Jackson seems to have spent his whole life getting ready for Saturday — leading his home state team in one of the biggest games in the program’s history. Now, he just needs to help the 13th-ranked Hoosiers win against Washington.
Indiana coach Curt Cignetti announced Jackson as the starter on Monday, two days after Kurtis Rourke hurt his right thumb during the first half of last weekend’s 56-7 win over Nebraska, which will keep him out for an unknown period.
“Kurtis Rourke will not play this week. We do expect him to return during the regular season with a thumb injury, that’s all I’ll say about the injury,” Cignetti said during his weekly press conference.
“We have 100% confidence, the team has 100% confidence, I have confidence, the staff has confidence in Tayven Jackson. I thought he played really well in the second half.”
Cignetti didn’t give more details about Rourke’s injury, which seemed to happen when his throwing hand accidentally hit the helmet of a Cornhuskers pass rusher late in the first half. He threw for 189 yards and one touchdown as the Hoosiers (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) built a 28-7 halftime lead, but he spent the second half on the sideline in street clothes.
Jackson performed well in another relief appearance, completing 7 of 8 passes for 91 yards, two touchdowns, and a quarterback rating of 99.9, which is even better than Rourke’s rating of 89.8.
Jackson also rushed twice for 21 yards, contributing to another 28 points in the last 30 minutes of the game and is used to being in the spotlight.
His father, Ray, was on Washington State’s 1998 Rose Bowl team and played three years in the NFL. His older brother, Trayce Jackson-Davis, was an All-American basketball player for the Hoosiers. As a third-year quarterback, he led the successful Center Grove High School to 28 straight wins during his junior and senior years before starting his college career at Tennessee.
When Jackson decided to transfer to Indiana after the 2022 season, many fans expected him to quickly become the starting quarterback. However, he ended up in a long competition for playing time with Brendan Sorsby.
After the Hoosiers fired coach Tom Allen, Sorsby entered the transfer portal, but Jackson chose to stay, even after Cignetti secured a commitment from Rourke, the 2022 Mid-American Conference MVP.
Although Rourke won the starting job and helped Indiana achieve its biggest win in school history, as well as its first 7-0 start since 1967 and a chance at the playoffs, Jackson used this time to improve his skills and build a friendship with the 23-year-old Rourke.
They became so close that after each played a half in Indiana’s largest Big Ten victory since 1945, Jackson put his arm around Rourke, and they walked together to the student section. Now, Jackson has the chance to lead Indiana to an 8-0 start, which would tie a school record.
Cignetti believes Jackson will be ready to face the Huskies (4-3, 2-2), last season’s national runner-up who had a bye last week.
“I thought he (Jackson) came in, and did a nice job in the second half. Now he’ll get more repetitions, which will help him prepare for the game on Saturday,” Cignetti said. “He’s a guy that’s extremely capable, extremely capable. I’m sure he’ll rise to the occasion.”
However, it won’t be easy to replace Rourke, who leads the Big Ten with a quarterback rating of 188.7, is tied for the league lead with 15 touchdown passes, and is second among conference quarterbacks in completion percentage at 74.6%.
Rourke has performed so well that he is being talked about for Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and even a possible Heisman Trophy candidate.
Now, Jackson needs to step up and be more than just Indiana’s quarterback for the future. He is being asked to help keep the Hoosiers’ impressive season going.
“Everybody’s here for a reason, right?” Cignetti said. “In this sport, you’re going to have injuries at every single position. It’s a lot different when you’re the starter, right? I’m sure he’s excited about it.”
