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BLOOMINGTON — Indiana football’s quarterback competition is progressing at a steady pace this spring with Kurtis Rourke seemingly creating some distance from the rest of the room based on comments coach Curt Cignetti has made over the last two weeks.
Cignetti has been reluctant to go in depth about the topic, but he’s praised Rourke every time he’s been at the podium.
“I think Kurtis Rourke has taken a pretty significant step,” Cignetti said, on Tuesday.
More: Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti keeping same format he used at JMU for spring game
Indiana’s Kurtis Rourke (9) passes during Indiana football spring practice at Memorial Stadium on Thursday, March 21, 2024.
Cignetti, who previously praised Rourke for operating at a “high level”, made sure to balance out his praise by pointing out the Ohio transfer still had room to “improve in a lot of different things.”
Rourke had the experience advantage over the other competitors coming into spring.
He was a three-year starter for the Bobcats and earned MAC offensive player of the year honors in 2022 with 3,256 passing yards (69.1%) and 25 touchdowns. His numbers weren’t quite as impressive last season, but he still led his team to 10 wins as he worked his way back from a torn ACL he suffered the previous November.
Cignetti said much of the spring has been focused on installing the offense and all that comes with it — learning news plays and a whole lot of new terminology. Rourke has passed that test so far while showing the live arm that jumps out on film.
The other main development in the quarterback battle was Cignetti publicly stating he wanted to see a little more from Tayven Jackson. Jackson threw 914 yards (60.9%), two touchdowns and five interceptions in six appearances (five starts) last season.
His best performance came against Louisville when…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/eyes-indiana-football-quarterback-kurtis-080331006.html
Author : The Herald-Times
Publish date : 2024-04-12 08:03:31
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