CURT McKEEVER / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Thursday, August 31, 2006 7:00 pm
If not for Patrick Jackson, Louisiana Tech running backs coach Shelton Gandy might be wondering what he did to get on his boss’s bad side.
For starters, last spring coach Jack Bicknell decided that the Bulldogs would be better off if their leading rusher in 2005, Mark Dillard, helped out a depleted secondary by moving to strong safety.
Then, after fall practice began, Tech’s No. 2 rusher from last season, Freddie Franklin, started taking repetitions at wide receiver, a position that was already stacked with talent.
That left Jackson — who as a freshman last year produced 367 yards and a 4.2 yards-per-carry average — as the clear choice to receive a much heavier workload in 2006.
“I couldn’t see it, because I thought all three of those guys were capable,” Gandy said of the moves that left Jackson as the featured ball carrier. “But right now, Patrick’s so polished.”
Jackson will make his first start in Saturday’s game at Nebraska. And while Franklin is listed as the No. 2 running back, he’ll see more action rotating in at one of the receiver spots.
Meanwhile, Dillard will start at strong safety.
“Our coaching staff is good, I knew they’d figure a way out to get the best talent on the field,” Jackson said. “Mark is big and solid, and he had good defensive skills, so it was pretty easy for him to move. And Freddie Franklin has a nice receiver’s frame.”
OK. But that still puts added pressure on Jackson to perform.
“I’ve prepared (for that) since last summer,” he said. “The only difference is having that sense of urgency of you being the guy to start it off. But I feel a lot more confident, quicker, more athletic — and my mental state of the game has also picked up.”
Jackson came to Tech after a decorated career at West St. John High in the New Orleans suburb of Edgard, La. He helped bring two Class 2A state championships to the school, and as a senior rushed for 3,013 yards and scored a Louisiana high school-record 58 touchdowns (53 rushing, 5 receiving).
“The one thing I love about him, he’s a competitor,” Gandy said. “You love the talent, but he’s got that right mind-set. He loves to go out and practice. He looks at every situation as positive, and he wants to get better.”
The 5-foot-10, 195-pound Jackson also is a dangerous kickoff return man. Last year, he averaged 27.7 yards on 17 returns to rank 12th in the nation.
Now, he relishes the opportunity to make more big plays running behind the Bulldogs’ offensive line.
“The game has slowed down a lot and now I’m playing more on instinct,” Jackson said. “When things are working for me, I’m putting the move on somebody and getting up the field. I like to go north-south.”
While Gandy has coached the likes of Derrick Nix, who established Conference USA and Southern Mississippi records with three straight 1,000-yard seasons, and NFL first-round picks James Johnson and Antowain Smith, he thinks Jackson could develop into just as special of a runner.
“He didn’t get a lot of carries (88), and was kind of feeling his way last year, but I think he’s got the potential to be as good as anybody I’ve coached,” Gandy said. “No matter what you do, a running back, you’re going to be judged on when you don’t have anything. Anybody can run through holes. A coach can make a bad call, or maybe nothing’s there, and you’ve got to have the ability to make a guy miss. Patrick has that.”
Jackson can hardly wait to try and display that against the Huskers on Saturday.
“I look at it as a big-time opportunity, because we have a chance to go against a great program and show what we’re made of,” he said. “I believe we’ve prepared great for them. The coaching staff and players have a sense that we can compete and come out with a victory.”