Northwestern’s Jackson shatters carry ceiling

IOWA CITY — Northwestern coaches try to set a ceiling of carries for running back Justin Jackson, but so far that ceiling consists of glass rather than concrete.

Jackson leads the country in carries with 150, 10 more than anyone else. He tallied at least 20 carries in each of his first five games, including a 35-tote appearance at Duke. There's some strategy involved with keeping Jackson fresh, but the No. 20 Wildcats (5-1, 1-1 Big Ten) throw it out when it comes to game action.

'They always say they want to try to keep me to 20, which is ideal, but it kind of ends up being how the game's going, the flow of the game,' Jackson said. 'Sometimes it gets to 30 or so. They don't want me getting the ball that many times, but then the next week it happens again.'

Jackson, a sophomore, has become Northwestern's most reliable offense player. He ranks fourth in the Big Ten with 661 rushing yards, and he averages 4.4 yards per carry in the Wildcats' six games. He boasts 48 percent of all of Northwestern's carries, and that grows to near 50 percent when team sacks are removed.

'I just like to be available for my team, and if they have to give me the ball 30-some times, then that's what my team needs,' Jackson said. 'If it's 15 or 20, I'll do that, too. Whatever they ask me, I'll do.'

Northwestern has tailored its offense around Jackson, in part because of its inexperience at quarterback. Jackson appears larger than his 5-foot-11, 190-pound frame. He's physical and strong, yet elusive and quick. He has speed, and he has power. He's got a combination that frequently draws compliments from his opponents. Two Iowa starting defenders called Jackson 'a great player.'

'He's a very versatile, strong runner,' Iowa linebacker Cole Fisher said. 'He really made some nice cuts. He reads the line well. Sometimes it's not quite there, he's a little patient and lets the holes open up.'

'A great running back, great vision, physical, fast,' Iowa strong safety Miles Taylor said.

Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz recruited Jackson, who hails from suburban Chicago, but the Glenbard North product decided on Northwestern nearly a year before the 2014 signing day. Jackson played as a true freshman and ran for 96 yards on 24 carries at Iowa last year.

Jackson rushed for 1,187 yards and 10 touchdowns last year. He has 1,848 career rushing yards in 18 games.

'It doesn't take much room for him,' Ferentz said. 'I was watching him (Monday) night and I'm thinking, 'How did he get through there?' But he did and came out running.

'He was a good back in high school, as was the quarterback (Clayton Thorson). We liked both of those guys a lot, and we couldn't even get a date. That's the way it goes sometimes.'

Jackson expects a fight against Iowa, the nation's fifth-best rushing defense. But he also accepts the challenge the Hawkeyes present.

'They're going to load up the box, we know that,' Jackson said. 'They're going to make us throw it because we have a young quarterback. But we want to be able to run the ball even when there's six or seven or eight guys in the box.'

l Comments: (319) 339-3169; scott.dochterman@thegazette.com