Indiana football sixth-year senior quarterback Kurtis Rourke will start against Michigan State on Saturday, according to Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti.
Rourke underwent surgery on his thumb Oct. 21 after suffering the injury in the Hoosiers’ 56-7 drubbing of Nebraska on Oct. 19. He then missed Indiana’s 31-17 victory over Washington on Oct. 26 as redshirt sophomore Tayven Jackson started in his place.
"Kurtis Rourke will start and play the game," Cignetti said during his radio show Thursday. "He has taken more reps every day. He built on Tuesday (in practice), he took every rep on Wednesday and every rep (Thursday). Every day he looks sharper and sharper and sharper. He means so much to the team and the offense."
The Hoosiers enter the contest with an unblemished 8-0 record for the first time since 1967. If they defeat the Spartans, the Cream and Crimson will notch the best start in program history.
In 2022, Indiana went to Spartan Stadium and came back from a 24-7 deficit at halftime to win 39-31. Indiana will now have Rourke back in the fold as it looks to reclaim the Old Brass Spittoon for the first time since then.
Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. Saturday inside Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan. The matchup will stream on Peacock.
Follow reporters Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) and Dalton James (@DaltonMJames) and columnist Jhett Garrett (@jhettgarrett) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
