The State Pres
Jackson, a junior, has started all nine games at comerback for Arizona State this season.
Jackson
Continued from Page 7
bly the best duo in the Pac-10," Jackson says,
“but it doesn’t hurt them to have the quarter
back they do throwing them the ball. Akili
[Smith] can make even an average receiver
into a great one.”
Jackson, a fifth-year junior, is developing
into a pretty damn good one himself.
After being named honorable mention all
Pacific-10 Conference for his 1997 efforts,
which included starts in all 11 games and
one interception, Jackson has stepped up his
production this season. He has grabbed three
interceptions, broken up eight other passes
and made 41 tackles for the Arizona State de
fense, which ranks No. 4 overall in the Pac
10.
However, the Sun Devils have struggled as
a team despite being mentioned among con
ference — and even national-title — con
tenders in the preseason. The hard times be
gan with a 42-38 loss to Washington on Sept.
5.
“Our opening-game loss to Washington
was heartbreaking for us,” says Jackson, who
is a scholastic senior majoring in interdisci
plinary studies. “It was one of those situa
tions where if we could have won that game
like we were supposed to, we probably
could have gone on a roll.”
But Arizona State has righted the ship
enougli of late to put itself in position for a
possible third-straight bowl bid.
“We all know how much hard work it’s
going to take to get us to a bowl game,” Jack
son says. “We’ve had to work for everything
this season. We have four losses, but this is
not a four-loss team.”
When Jackson was a redshirt freshman,
the Sun Devils made the first of those con
secutive bowl appearances at the 1997 Rose
Bowl, losing 20-17 to Ohio State. Jackson
started two games that season, scoring one
touchdown on an 85-yard fumble return
against Southern California and recording
one interception. He was honored with the
Scott Award as the defense’s most improved
player.
“What was different during that Rose
Bowl year was that we never felt like we
were out of the game,” Jackson says. “No
matter what the situation was, it was
never a panic situation.”
Following a standout prep career in
DeSoto, Texas, that included being named
a first-team all-region safety by Bluechip
Illustrated. Jackson says he almost chose
to attend a Big 12 school before deciding
on Arizona State.
“The Pac-10 was a big draw because it
was so diverse," Jackson says. “In the end,
I liked the coaching staff at ASU the best.
I’ve had a good experience with [head
coach Bruce] Snyder and his coaching
staff so far.”
Jackson says he used his redshirt season
in 1995 to get adjusted to Division-I
college football.
“Each level you play at gets a little
faster, and the competition level is raised
a little higher,” Jackson says. “The systems
are more complicated in college. That was
the hardest thing for me at first. It wasn’t
the physical aspect of playing in the Pac
10; it was understanding the different
complex systems that offenses run.”
There will be nothing complex about
Jackson’s pivotal role on his island
Saturday.
If he can blanket his man play-in and
play-out, the Sun Devils just might be the
first team to sink the Ducks in Eugene this
season.
Spoils brief
Tickets for the Oregon
women’s basketball team’s
first-round WNIT game
against Nevada went on
sale Monday for the gener
al admission price of $8.
Student tickets are also on
sale for $5.
Though regular-season
tickets are free, students
will have to purchase tick
ets for each round of the
WNIT Preseason Tourna
ment the Ducks host.
If attendance is high for
Oregon’s first-round game
on Friday, and if Oregon
beats Nevada it could host
the second, third and fourth
rounds to be played over
the next week. But all of
that is contingent on Ore
gon defeating Nevada in the
first round.
Ohio State coach’s November woes continue
John Cooper sees an
opportunity slip away
against Michigan
By Rusty Miller
The Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio — In 1963,
as a 25-year-old only a year out of
college, John Cooper applied for
an assistant coaching job at Ore
gon State. While interviewing
with coach Tommy Prothro, he
was given advice that he would
never forget.
“He said, ‘John, in coaching
there are a lot of peaks and val
leys. The longer you’re in it, the
peaks don’t get any higher, and
the valleys get deeper,”’ Cooper
said.
The 61-year-old Ohio State
coach added, “I’ve been through
some valleys, but the one this
week was particularly deep.”
During head coaching stints at
Tulsa, Arizona State and 11 years
with the Buckeyes, Cooper has
won 176 games and lost only 73.
But he may be remembered more
for some losses than for winning
two Rose Bowls and twice leading
teams to No. 2 in the final Associ
ated Press poll.
The latest defeat was as painful
as any for Buckeyes fans, and
that’s saying something.
After all, four times in the past
six seasons Cooper’s teams have
been been unbeaten in November.
Each time, they lost to a school
from Michigan.
Ohio State — ranked No. 1 all
season — was a 28-point favorite
Saturday against Michigan State.
Ahead 17-3 after one quarter and
24-9 midway through the third
period, the Buckeyes squandered
the lead, depressing fans hoping
for the school’s first national
championship in 30 years.
Cooper has become accus
tomed to the after-shocks follow
ing unexpected defeats.
“When you lose, you can’t
sleep,” he said. “So I got up early
and went to work a little earlier
than usual, around 7:30 in the
morning. And some of the coach
es were already there.”
The Buckeyes practiced Sun
day while still in a state of shock.
Cooper said he didn't belittle his
players and didn’t have to point
out mistakes.
“The worst thing you can do
when you lose like that is to go
out and yell and scream and be
rate them,” he said. “They feel as
bad as you do.”
If he read the local newspaper,
he would have seen the article
criticizing his play-calling on
Ohio State’s final two series.
Those calling in to radio shows
this week have continually
ripped Cooper and his staff for
running on 12 straight plays on
the next-to-last series, then pass
ing all six downs on the Buck
eyes’ last chance. Neither pro
duced points.
Cooper was asked about his
play selection after the game.
“That’s some real good second
guessing,” he said.
He declined to say it was the
most disappointing loss of his ca
reer. Given the opportunity dur
ing his weekly news conference
to blame his quarterback, Joe Ger
maine, he defended him instead.
“It’s a team game,” he said.
He got angry when told that
some TV analysts had singled
out a freshman fullback for miss
ing a block that halted the Buck
eyes’ next-to-last drive. Cooper
said the player did his job and
there were breakdowns else
where.
“That’s ridiculous,” Cooper
said.
University Theatre Presents
GUYS AND DOLLS
snoa onvshiio
A Robinson Theatre Production
Nov., 6, 7,12,13,14,
20, 21 8pm
yS AND DOLLS
6UVS AND DOL
Benefit Matinee
Sunday, Nov. 15 -2 pm
Center for Community
Counseling
Celebrating Their 20th Year
GUY$,4ND DOL
UT Box Office: 346-4191
EMU Tickets: 346-4363
WltS AN* 2>0\
8 Oregon Daily Emerald Wednesday, Novembe
Moresq
LIVE MUSIC
No cover charge EVER!
11/12 Allison Scull
Come dry out
by our cozy
fireplace
11/13
Skip Jones
Keyboard Boogie
5
ALL SHOWS START
AT 9:30 P.M.
Open mic Sundays w/ Pete Christie, 8:00 pm
KEGS TO GO!!!
Check out our beer of the night.
Microbrews/Domestics on tap.
Including labatts, Foster's
and a large selection of other
imports and micros
Monday Night Pool Tourney • Sign Up 6:30, starts 7:00
Free Pool Sunday (Noon- 5 30PM) & Tuesday Evening |7 00 - 10:00PM).
2657 Willamette • 344-0816
11.1998
/moo
Ch
O
O
Winter Term 1999
Take a pE class
For More Information:
a) Web site: http://darkwlng.uoregon.edu/~pars
b) Schedule of Classes — pgs. 100-103
c) Call 346-4105
d) All of the above
Recreation