INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana quarterback Tayven Jackson seemingly spent his entire life preparing to lead his home state team onto the field for one of the biggest games in program history.
All he has to do now is help the 13th-ranked Hoosiers beat Washington.
Indiana coach Curt Cignetti named Jackson the starter after Kurtis Rourke injured his right thumb during the first half of last weekend’s 56-7 rout over Nebraska that will keep him on the sideline indefinitely.
“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 news 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 provided no additional details about Rourke’s injury, which appeared to occur when his throwing hand inadvertently struck the helmet of a Cornhuskers pass rusher late in the first half. He threw for 189 yards and one score as the Hoosiers (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) built a 28-7 halftime lead, but he spent the second half watching from the sideline in street clothes.
Jackson looked good in another relief appearance, going 7 of 8 with 91 yards, two scores and a quarterback rating of 99.9 — even better than Rourke’s rating of 89.8.
Jackson also rushed twice for 21 yards while leading to another 28 points over the final 30 minutes and has grown accustomed to living life in the limelight.
His father, Ray, played on Washington State’s 1998 Rose Bowl team and three years in the NFL. His older brother, Trayce Jackson-Davis, was an All-American basketball player with the Hoosiers. And the third-year quarterback led prep powerhouse Center Grove High School to 28 consecutive wins during his junior and senior seasons before initially starting his college career at Tennessee.
So when Jackson opted to transfer to Indiana following the 2022 season, many Hoosiers fans expected him to earn the starting job almost by acclamation. Instead, Jackson found himself locked into a season-long battle for playing time with Brendan Sorsby.
But when the Hoosiers fired coach Tom Allen, Sorsby entered the transfer portal. Jackson opted to stick around even after Cignetti got the commitment from Rourke, the 2022 Mid-American Conference MVP.
And while Rourke won the job and led Indiana to its most lopsided win in school history, the Hoosiers first 7-0 start since 1967 and into playoff contention, Jackson bided his time, improved his craft and developed a friendship with the 23-year-old Rourke.
The two have grown so close that after each played a half in Indiana’s most lopsided Big Ten victory since 1945, Jackson put his arm around Rourke and they walked together to the student section. And now Jackson has a chance to lead Indiana to a record-tying 8-0 start.
Cignetti has no doubt Jackson will be ready to face the Huskies (4-3, 2-2), last season’s national runner-up who had a bye last week, or beyond.
“I thought he (Jackson) came in, did a nice job in the second half. Now he’ll get more repetitions, which will help him prepare for the game,” Cignetti said. “He’s a guy that’s extremely capable, extremely capable. I’m sure he’ll rise to the occasion.”
Still, it won’t be easy replacing Rourke, whose leads the Big Ten with a quarterback rating of 188.7, shares the league lead with 15 TD passes and is second among conference quarterbacks in completion percentage (74.6%).
Rourke has played so well, he’s in the discussion for Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and even a potential Heisman Trophy contender.
Now, though, Jackson needs to be more than Indiana’s quarterback of the future. He’s being asked to keep the Hoosiers’ magical season on track, now.
“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.”
