Kurtis Rourke injury update: Surprising timeline emerges on Indiana QB's return

Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke might be back sooner than expected, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. While he won’t play Saturday in a must-see game against Washington, don’t expect him sidelined too long.

“Kurtis Rourke is going to be officially listed as out today,” Thamel said on College GameDay. “Indiana will start Tayven Jackson for the sixth time in his career at quarterback. Look being around here the last 24 hours, people have stressed to me, considering Kurtis Rourke had thumb surgery on Monday, the situation couldn’t have played out better.

“He had two small screws put in the top of his thumb, and he’s expected to attempt to come back next week against Michigan State.”

Rourke finished the 56-7 win over Nebraska 17-of-21 passing for 189 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Jackson came in later and threw for two scores.

With the win, Indiana improved to 7-0 on the season and could vaulted up the AP Poll, going to No. 13 The Hoosiers came in ranked No. 16, due in large part to Rourke’s play and Curt Cignetti’s impact in his first year as head coach.

An Ohio Bobcats transfer, Rourke is having quite the season. he has 1,941 yards, 15 touchdowns, three interceptions and a 74.6% completion percentage this season.

Over the course of his career, Rourke has 9,607 yards, 65 touchdowns, 19 interceptions and a 67.6% completion percentage.

As a member of the Class of 2019, Rourke was a three-star recruit out of Ottawa (Ontario) Holy Trinity, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 127 quarterback recruit in the class and the No. 2,247 overall prospect in the class.