BOO JACKSON THRILLED WITH OHIO
“I feel great. It feels real good. It’s been a dream since youth football with the Rebels. I think it’s every kid’s dream.”
Jackson’s dream however, even with a CIF title under his belt, looked kaput even before he started college.
“In high school I didn’t get it done in the classroom. That’s what everybody preaches about and I ignored it. You’ve got to get it done in the classroom. I found it out the hard way. That’s the first thing you have to do, like it or not.
“I thought everything was done. Plus I had to get knee surgery so I definitely thought everything was done. I couldn’t play football.
“But I did some rehab on my own and got invited to the all-star game. Then I went to El Camino and gave it a chance. The rest is history.”
Jackson chose El Camino in Torrance because his uncle, who lives nearby, walked into coach John Featherstone’s office with tape of his nephew. “At first they saw my defensive skills and they had me at free safety,” Jackson remembers.
But the EC offensive coordinator spotted him throwing on the sideline and suggested he take a year off, “gray-shirting” it’s called, and return as a quarterback. Jackson won the starting job four games into the 2006 season and took the team to two Mission Conference titles. Of course he had some help-- El Camino pumped 23 players into Division I schools this year.
Meanwhile the Ohio Bobcats did not win the MAC last season. They went 6-6 with a revolving door of no fewer than four quarterbacks. Coach Frank Solich, the onetime Nebraska coach, was in his second year as head man.
Solich never passed the football at Nebraska but he has turned a new leaf at Ohio, according to Jackson .
“They had Kalvin McRae who was an outstanding running back. They gave him the ball a lot. Toward the end of the season they started throwing to their tight ends so they’re going more to passing this year.” Jackson said both he and his principal competitor are dual threat operators.
Solich has announced he’ll tailor the offense to the most impressive quarterback performer in spring drills.
“He just wants me to perform how I always perform,” Jackson said. “He’ll base it off what I do in spring ball if I become the starter.” Jackson is the only OU newcomer at quarterback.
Since signing Jackson has held a phone meeting with OU quarterbacks coach Gerry Gdowski at 8 a.m. every day to go over the play book... or books. “I’ve got six or seven different books. There are hundreds of plays.”
Bowling Green, Northern Illinois, Eastern Michigan, Buffalo, Miami of Ohio, Akron, Kent State, Temple, Ball State, Central Michigan, Northern Illinois, Toledo and Western Michigan are also in the MAC. Eastern Michigan is the defending champion but MAC Report Online, an e-mail scouting service, rates OU’s 2008 recruiting class the best in the conference.
“Boo Jackson brings with him the promise of a new day for Ohio's passing attack, which has been the biggest thing crippling its offense for the last two years of the Solich reign,” writes Brian Golden. “I'll be surprised if Jackson isn't starting very soon.”
-0-
BLOW TITLE FIRST IN A GENERATION
MIKE VILLALOBOS won at 119 pounds in 1984. Anybody know how to contact Villalobos? Lompoc Locker Room will put Villalobos and Blow on the same stage if we can find him.
-0-
CHURCH FACES SANTANA
-0-
COLLEGE HOOPS
In Seattle Washington stuffed Arizona 75-66 Thursday night as JOEL SMITH was perfect from the three-point line. In 13 minutes he went 1-for-1 with a rebound. The Huskies are now 6-8 in the Pac-10, 15-12 overall.
-0-
In Bismarck, North Dakota the University of Mary Marauders were idle as they await their final regular season game on Saturday opposite the Wolves of Northern State University in a Northern Sun Conference clash. The Wolves are ranked No. 4 in NCAA’s Division II. The University of Mary is 8-18 overall and eighth in the 10-team Northern Sun with a 5-12 record. Northern State, ranked fourth in the nation, is 15-2 and 24-2 overall.
No comments:
Post a Comment