Boo's a Happy Bobcat; News on Blow, Church

BOO JACKSON THRILLED WITH OHIO

In an interview to appear on Lompoc Locker Room Monday at 5:30 (Comcast cable Channel 25) BOO JACKSON expressed flat-out joy Friday at his signing with the Division I Mid-America Conference Ohio University Bobcats.

“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.”

Jackson leaves California for Ohio March 30. School and spring ball start March 31.

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BLOW TITLE FIRST IN A GENERATION

Al Hunt tells us that the CIF wrestling title achieved last weekend by MASSON BLOW was the first at Lompoc High in 24 years!

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.

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CHURCH FACES SANTANA

Friday RYAN CHURCH took his first batting practice against Johan Santana. He was impressed. "I don't need to see those pitches anymore," Church said shaking his head.

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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.

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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.

It's Official-- Boo to Ohio University

BOO HIGHLY-REGARDED AS HE MOVES EAST

BOO JACKSON's career at Ohio University began officially on Wednesday's NCAA Signing Day.

Andrew Gribble of the Athens, Ohio, Post filed this story.

The phone’s been ringing off the hook all week inside the football offices at El Camino Junior College in Torrance, Calif. That’s what happens when 23 of your 40 graduating sophomores are headed to Division I schools and media outlets across the country are clamoring for quotes.

So when a call came in from Athens, Ohio, on Tuesday concerning the gem of Ohio’s 20-man recruiting class, quarterback “Boo” Jackson, Warriors coach John Featherstone was ready to chat.

“You’ve got a darn good quarterback coming your way,” Featherstone interjected before I could finish introducing myself.

“He’s got, like, a sixth sense.”Now you’ve peaked my interest. Go on.

“He sees the whole field, in terms of a quarterback throwing the ball,” the 23-year El Camino coach said. “He’s a very accurate thrower. He’s usually on the mark or right around the mark every time. He’s got tremendous feet and he can get you out of trouble real fast.

“You got a steal in Boo Jackson.”

As Featherstone describes it, Jackson, like many junior college football players, slipped through the cracks. Sure, Jackson managed to garner a number of state honors, but he didn’t get much of a chance to show off his arm in high school, Featherstone said. Jackson was relegated as the hander-offer in a run-heavy Wing-T system at Lompoc High School in California.

That didn’t bother Featherstone, though. He noticed right away that Jackson had a knack for putting the ball right where it needed to be. He finished fifth among 72 California junior college teams’ quarterbacks in pass efficiency his first year on the job. Last year, he finished first, completing 134 of his 223 passes for 2,235 yards, 23 touchdowns and just four interceptions.

Oh yeah, he led the team to a state title in that first year and another conference championship last season.

But is he cut out to lead a Division I offense?

“Boo doesn’t like sitting around,” Featherstone said. “He doesn’t like not playing. He’ll do everything in his power to win that job.”

Once I informed him that quarterback controversies in Athens are more common than bricks, Featherstone laughed.

“Well,” he said. “You’re in for another one.”

Yesterday, coach Frank Solich wasted little time confirming that.

“We do not, in this point in time, have an established quarterback,” Solich said. “We do not have a player that has stepped forward and just taken over the position.”

Last spring, when Theo Scott arrived with a similar “hot shot California JUCO stud quarterback” buzz, Ohio’s quarterback situation was only a tad murky. But a spirited competition between Josh and Scott Febus wasn’t enough to dethrone an experienced Brad Bower going into the fall.

This year no one, not even Scott, has an edge.

“We don’t have anyone with a great deal of experience,” Solich said. “We’re talking about guys that have to gather experience really, really quickly and show what they can do very, very quickly.”

Notice the stressing of “quickly.” Solich means it. Whoever wins the battle, Solich said, will be what the team bases its offensive schemes around going into fall camp.

Bottom line: Solich doesn’t want the flip-flopping that occurred between Bower and Scott last season.

Which makes Jackson just as viable a candidate as any.

“We’re going to give him an opportunity to show what he can do,” Solich said. “We’re excited about him coming in.”

— Andrew Gribble is a senior journalism major and The Post’s sports editor. Send him an e-mail at ag358604@ohiou.edu.