With Kurtis Rourke set to miss Indiana’s game against Washington, and perhaps more, Tayven Jackson is thrust into the spotlight.
Jackson played quarterback for the entire second half on Saturday against Nebraska, after Rourke suffered a thumb injury late in the first half. The redshirt sophomore came in with a 28-7 lead, and took his first snap from inside the red zone after Shawn Asbury II’s 78-yard interception return.
Indiana’s offense continued dominating despite the quarterback change, as Jackson handled business. The Center Grove alum completed seven of his eight pass attempts for 91 yards and two touchdowns, and he picked up 21 rushing yards on two attempts.
After the game, IU head coach Curt Cignetti said Jackson played well.
“He still has to practice better. It’s hard to be the second-string quarterback because you don’t get many reps. We put a lot of new stuff in in the pass game week to week, and then you look at the variables in terms of their coverages and defenses,” Cignetti said. “But I thought he went in there and did a good job. I had confidence. Team had confidence. I was proud of him.”
Cignetti also said Jackson has “always” been the backup quarterback. He didn’t have to shoulder a big workload in this game — the Hoosiers ran just seven offensive plays in the third quarter, and they ran 15 run plays in the fourth quarter to just four pass plays. But the redshirt sophomore helped IU put this game away and turn it into the 56-7 blowout it became. He displayed great touch on his touchdown pass to Elijah Sarratt late in the third quarter, as he dropped that ball in perfectly over the top.
This was Jackson’s fourth appearance of the season, and third with real action. He played the third quarter and a little bit of the fourth against Western Illinois, going 3 for 3 for 104 yards and a touchdown, along with two rushes for 19 yards and a touchdown.
“Tayven came in, I thought he played nicely, delivered the ball, ran it too,” Cignetti said the Monday after Western Illinois. “So he should feel good about his outing coming out of that game.”
He also entered late in the third quarter against Charlotte, once IU’s lead grew large enough. He finished that game 2 for 7 for 30 yards, along with 2 rushes for -4 yards.
Jackson has shown improvements in his game since the beginning of fall camp, though Cignetti has always emphasized what he can continue improving at.
“Tayven is capable of making the ‘wow’ play,” Cignetti said during fall camp, “But there has to be more play in, play out consistency, eye discipline, focus, eyes downfield, making the right reads, securing the football, not turning the ball over. Proper footwork in the run game so we don’t have fumbles in the run game. Things of that nature.”
Jackson, the younger brother of IU basketball legend Trayce Jackson-Davis, arrived in Bloomington ahead of spring camp 2023. He committed to join Tom Allen’s Hoosiers out of the transfer portal after his true freshman year at Tennessee, which became a redshirt season after very limited game action.
His first year at Indiana was bumpy. Jackson battled with Brendan Sorsby for the quarterback job throughout spring and fall camp, and that race continued into the first two weeks of the season. The Greenwood, Ind. native was eventually named the starter ahead of IU’s week three game against Louisville, but that lasted only two games. After he and the entire offense struggled against Maryland, Allen replaced offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Walt Bell with Rod Carey during IU’s bye week, and the Hoosiers returned to a quarterback rotation against Michigan. Sorsby took control of the job for the rest of the season after that game in Ann Arbor.
Jackson flashed some potential last year, but mixed it with plenty of struggles. He finished the campaign with a 60.9 completion percentage for 914 yards with two touchdowns and five interceptions.
After Cignetti replaced Allen in late November, Jackson never entered the transfer portal. He stayed with the Hoosiers amidst all the roster turnover the program underwent last winter, even as the new staff brought in an experienced quarterback to play over him this season.
Now, he once again has an opportunity to prove himself.
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