The No. 13 Indiana Hoosiers see signs of success pretty much anywhere they turn these days. Players and coaches are suddenly inundated with midweek interview requests as the newest darlings of college football.
Network studio crews are moving their pregame shows to Indiana's campus. Fans talk incessantly about Indiana sitting atop the Big Ten standings and, yes, even what not-so-long ago seemed implausible — earning one of this year's 12 playoff spots. And yet new coach Curt Cignetti wants his Hoosiers to ignore the revelry and focus on the mission — beating Washington on Saturday to keep their perfect record intact.
“I think it’s great exposure for the football program and the university,” Cignetti said when asked about having ESPN's “College Gameday” broadcast from Memorial Stadium, one week after Fox's Big Noon Saturday crew came to town. “Now we've got to do our part.” So far, nobody's slowed down Indiana (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten), which has moved within one victory of matching the 1967 Rose Bowl team for the best start in school history and adding yet another chapter to this magical season.
Now, though, the Hoosiers face their toughest challenge yet — remaining unbowed despite lost starting quarterback Kurtis Rourke to a right thumb injury. He was injured in last week's 56-7 rout over Nebraska and had surgery Monday. That means Tayven Jackson, a third-year player who grew up about an hour away from Bloomington, Indiana, is being asked to keep the momentum ro.
