UA's Jackson takes over as QB
Coach says position his to keep, given right decisions
By David Lee Morgan Jr. Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Monday, Sep 17, 2007
What I saw Saturday during the University of Akron's 41-24 loss at Indiana
After watching sophomore quarterback Carlton Jackson come off the bench in the second quarter in place of Chris Jacquemain, it became apparent he was about to take over the starting job.
Jackson's mobility, along with his passing, gave UA's offense an added dimension, and for as much trouble as the Zips (1-2) had containing Indiana quarterback Kellen Lewis (he rushed for a career-high 199 yards), the Hoosiers had a similarly tough time containing Jackson. He led Akron with 71 yards rushing and a touchdown and was 15-of-21 passing for 200 yards and two touchdowns. Behind him, the Zips put together their best offensive output of the season with 370 total yards.
UA coach J.D. Brookhart said at his weekly news conference Monday that Jackson would start Saturday at the Rubber Bowl against rival Kent State (2-1) and said he wasn't concerned about making the switch heading into such a crucial game.
Jacquemain will get a series in the second quarter. That's the same opportunity Jackson received when he was the backup.
''We were much more aggressive (offensively) against Indiana than we were against Ohio State,'' Brookhart said. ''We had different play-calling from a week before and it made a big difference.''
During preseason camp, the competition between Jacquemain and Jackson was tight, with Jacquemain eventually getting the edge because he committed fewer mistakes. Right now, the job is Jackson's to keep, as long as he makes the right decisions and doesn't try to do too much because of his athleticism, Brookhart said.
''As we went through the fall, Chris proved to be the better de cision-maker. He was steady and called all the plays correctly, so we felt comfortable going with him,'' Brookhart said. ''Carlton came in against Army and did a decent job, and if you take Ohio State out of the picture, he came in against Indiana in his first drive and did a nice job. So what we saw were the things we weren't able to evaluate with him (in practice): his ability to improvise and make things happen.''
Senior rover John Mackey (Walsh Jesuit) had his third outstanding game. He leads the team in tackles with 28 total stops and is 11th in the Mid-American Conference, averaging 9.3 tackles a game.
Against Indiana, Mackey registered 13 solo tackles, one short of his career high, and was named the Mid-American Conference East Division defensive player of the week.
Overall, however, the defensive unit looked worn down by the end of the day against the Hoosiers. That's understandable, since the defenders chased Lewis, this week's Big Ten player of the week, all game.
''We had some good athletes that he beat,'' Brookhart said of Lewis. ''I thought he was a pretty special kid. He immediately reminded me of Michael Vick in many ways with the ball in his hand.''
Competing against a running quarterback like Lewis should help when the Zips face the Golden Flashes and their quarterback, Julian Edelman. He rushed for 81 yards and a touchdown and threw for 305 yards in last year's 37-15 win against the Zips at Dix Stadium.
''Last year, I have to admit, we were kind of surprised because he caught us off balance,'' UA defensive back Davanzo Tate said Monday about Edelman. ''We were surprised with his mobility. This year, we can't be surprised with anything he does. We have to be ready for anything.''
Even after the challenges of facing Big Ten teams Ohio State and Indians in back-to-back weeks, the Zips are ranked No. 2 in the MAC in total defense, allowing 360 yards a game.
The No. 1 team? Kent State at 327 yards a game.
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CFB 2007 (32-31)
