Jackson leaps past Pac
into national rankings
Oregon Stated running back has
emerged as the conference’s
top rusher late in the season
Peter Hockaday
Sports Editor
Steven Jackson is like a puppy.
Just give him the ball, and watch
him run with it.
At least that was the analysis of
Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti,
only without the puppy part.
“They’re very comfortable giving
him the ball 30 times a game and let
ting him win the game for them,”
Bellotti said of Jackson, who the
coach also called “the best runner in
the conference.”
With Onterrio Smith sitting out the
past weeks with injury, Jackson has
officially taken over the crown of the
Pacific-10 Conference’s best rusher.
He averages 136.6 yards per game, al
most 30 more yards per game more
than Smith and 50 yards more than
the next-nearest challenger, UCLA’s
lyier Ebell. That number puts Jack
son fifth in the nation.
He will win the conference rush
ing crown, barring 500-yard per
formances from Ebell in the Bruins’
final two games or a shocking ap
pearance by Smith in the Civil War.
“What can I say?” Oregon State
head coach Dennis Erickson said.
“He’s had a great year, and we’ll see
what happens this week.”
If Erickson had trouble coming
up with words, Oregon’s Kevin
Mitchell had no problem coming up
with some.
“He’s the real deal,” Mitchell said.
“He’ll run you over or put a move on
you. He’s unbelievable.”
Jackson has scored 14 touchdowns
this season, the most by a Pac-10 run
ning back, and rushed up the Oregon
State career lists in total yardage (he
now ranks 17th), career points (11th)
and career rushing yards (eighth).
Yes, Jackson is eighth on the
Beaver career rushing-yards list.
And yes, he’s only a sophomore.
His emergence has Oregon State
fans asking “Ken Simon-who?”
Ken Simonton, who had a well
publicized Heisman Trophy cam
paign fall well short last season,
gave way to Jackson, who now
finds himself right up there with
the Heisman hopefuls, at least in
Adam Amato Emerald
Steven Jackson (33) ranks fifth in the nation with 136.6 rushing yards per game.
some statistical categories.
On the national rushing-yard
list, Jackson trails only Colorado’s
Chris Brown, Penn State’s Larry
Johnson, Northern Illinois’ Michael
Turner and West Virginia’s Avon
Cobourne. Brown and Johnson are
legitimate Heisman candidates late
in the season.
“He’s been our workhorse,” Erick
son said of Jackson. “Let’s face it,
when we’ve made the decision that
he’s going to carry it 25 or 30 times
a game, we’ve been more productive
offensively because we’ve gotten the
ball to a big time player’s — in our
scheme of things — hands.”
Erickson knows his team. When
Jackson rushes for more than 100
yards in a game this season, which
has happened eight times, the
Beavers average 37.5 points and
r
have a 6-2 record. When he rushed
for less than 100 yards, the Beavers
scored only nine points total in two
losses and scored 47 points in a win
over UNLV.
“He’s got very good speed, and
he seems to have hit his stride,”
Bellotti said.
The question for Oregon’s defense
will be; which run defense shows up
against the conference’s top rusher?
Will it be the defense that was
ranked first in the Pac-10 after a 6-0
start? Or the defense that has
slipped to third by giving up 160
yards to USG, 190 to Washington
State and 163 to Washington?
Surely, the Oregon defense should
be able to stop a puppy.
Contact the sports editor
atpeterhockaday@dailyemerald.com.
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