Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke is still wearing something on his right thumb. Whether it’s tape, a bandage or something else that could be seen when he met with the media on Tuesday evening isn’t entirely clear.
But the 24-year-old has clearly progressed from the injury he suffered against Nebraska a month ago.
When Rourke first played following his broken thumb at Michigan State, he wore a glove and utilized a stint. The gameday setup was clearly scaled down against Michigan the following week.
And now with the benefit of a week off, Rourke is happy with where things stand with his ultra-important digit.
“I feel great. I feel really good,” Rourke said on Tuesday following practice. “That was one of the things I was looking forward to the most with the bye week is letting my thumb heal up, and not beat it up, and not have to throw five to six days a week. I was really happy with the progress that was made, and I’m feeling pretty close to 100 percent now.”
Meanwhile, Ohio State starting center Seth McLaughlin tore an Achilles tendon in practice on Tuesday, The Columbus Dispatch is reporting. A transfer from Alabama, he was named a midseason All-American by multiple outlets.
This is the second season-ending injury suffered by the Buckeyes this season along the offensive line. Starting left tackle Josh Simmons went down during OSU’s loss at Oregon.
Ohio State ranks just No. 65 according to PFF in pass blocking, while coming in at No. 21 in run blocking this season. But they’ve only allowed 12 sacks and 51 quarterback pressures on the season. Indiana by comparison has allowed 11 and 53, respectively. The Hoosiers have also lost two starting offensive linemen this season, guard Nick Kidwell during fall camp, and guard Drew Evans two weeks ago.
Indiana’s pass rush and run defense are both graded No. 4 nationally by PFF.
No. 2 Ohio State and No. 5 Indiana kick at Noon ET Saturday in Columbus (FOX).
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