Oct. 01--With a talented group of running backs at his disposal, Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald would love to give Justin Jackson more of a breather during games.
But with the sophomore dynamo continuing to rack up yards at an impressive and consistent pace -- nine 100-yard performances in his last 12 games -- the projected rotation system has been somewhat out of whack this season.
Jackson carried 33 times for a career-high 184 yards in Saturday night's 24-19 win over Ball State, a week after getting 35 carries at Duke. He has 118 attempts in four games (29.5 per game) and figures to be a focal point again in the Big Ten opener Saturday against defense-minded Minnesota.
"We need to spread that out a little bit more," Fitzgerald said.
With veteran Warren Long (55-yard touchdown run at Duke), speedy Solomon Vault (98-yard kickoff return at Duke) and talented redshirt freshman Auston Anderson, the Wildcats appear stacked at running back. All of them have been competent pass blockers as well, according to running backs coach Matt MacPherson.
"Warren and Solomon are doing well," Fitzgerald said. "They will continue to take some reps off of J.J. It's a long year."
Long has carried 28 times for 167 yards (6.0 average) and two touchdowns. Vault has 24 carries for 100 yards (4.2).
"As the season goes along, we are going to lighten (Jackson's) load a little bit and just be smart with when we do it and how we do it," Fitzgerald said.
"But J.J. is playing at a high level right now, so it is hard to say, 'Hey, you know what, I want you to stand over here with me for a little bit and not play.' We've just got to work through it and continue to evolve as an offense."
MacPherson said he goes into games with the intention of parceling out reps more judiciously.
"Thirty-five, 37 touches in the last two games is not my exact plan for (Jackson)," he said. "It's a long season, and when you have two other guys like we have ... I have been trying to keep (Jackson) under 30 touches, which means the other guys have to get more.
"Sometimes a guy gets hot and you are going to go with him a little bit more. ... You try to go with the flow of the game."
After rushing for 1,187 yards and 10 touchdowns as a freshman out of Glenbard North, Jackson bulked up during the offseason without sacrificing speed and quickness. He had a 62-yard run against Ball State.
"I can handle whatever they need me to do," Jackson said. "If that's 40 carries or if that's 20 carries, it doesn't matter
" If I had 23, 24 carries last year, my body wouldn't be good until probably Thursday or Friday. I feel awesome right now (Tuesday) and I had 33 carries last week. It's being smarter, more experienced and knowing how to deal with these things."
Since being held under 100 yards in his first four games as a freshman, the 5-foot-11, 190-pound Jackson has averaged 122.4 yards in his last 12 games.
"The running back position is so instinctual," Jackson said. "The biggest difference (from high school) is just the speed of the game. Once you get that down ... you don't have to be 230 pounds to play running back."
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