Bruce Adams, Chronicle Staff Writer
DeSean Jackson has his reasons for looking at Saturday's game against No. 1 USC as the biggest of the season. "It's my own rivalry game," he said. "It's been on the calendar all year." Jackson, from Long Beach Poly, was one of the most highly recruited wide receivers in the nation last year. He narrowed his choices to Cal, a team he hadn't heard of much pre-Jeff Tedford, and USC, the team he grew up following. On letter-of-intent day in February, he went on TV, holding a baseball cap from each school. He ended the suspense -- and showed his natural flare for the dramatic -- by putting on the Cal cap. It had to be a difficult decision for a player who grew up with his sights on USC, and, in fact, had committed verbally to the Trojans before signing with Cal. "I grew up watching them," he said. "I know a lot of people who've played for them, and I have a great relationship with the coaches." Jackson said the biggest factor in choosing Cal was the chance to play as a true freshman. "I knew Cal was losing a lot of receivers and 'SC wasn't losing that many," he said. "I thought I was going to go there, but it didn't work that way." Jackson leads the Bears in receiving with 29 catches for 397 yards and four touchdowns. Though he is recognized for running good routes, showing outstanding body control and possessing great hands, he is truly distinguished by his speed. He'll be challenged by USC, which rarely plays man-to-man, bumps receivers at the line and doesn't leave the middle of the field open. Jackson isn't worried, saying he has the quickness and the moves to get free at the line. "I try not to let any defensive back get his hands on me," he said. Wide receiver coach Eric Kiesau says although the Trojans don't often play man-to-man, they have the speed to maintain close coverage. "They can run with us, step for step," he said, pausing when asked if that applied to Jackson as well, before adding, "Well, he might be a little bit ahead."
Jackson says he knows many players on the USC team, and is likely to cross paths in the secondary with strong safety Darnell Bing, a fellow Long Beach Poly alum. "He's like a big brother to me," Jackson said. Bing was a senior when he was a freshman. "I looked up to him and we have a real good relationship." Any pleasantries will be exchanged before or after the game. "When I'm playing against him, we're not friends," Jackson said. "There aren't any friends on the game field."
Tedford is confident Jackson will bounce back from a bad performance in Saturday's 27-20 loss at Oregon, a game in which Jackson had no catches, dropped at least three passes and deflected another ball into a defender's hands. "He understands that wasn't like him," Tedford said. "He has a lot of confidence. That's the great thing about him." Jackson relishes the game within the game: wide receivers against defensive backs in a high-speed drama involving players known for their cockiness. "Every game I play, it seems like someone on the defense is going to be talking to me," he said. "It makes it more fun." Jackson says Tedford and Kiesau prefer he not talk back. But he finds that a tall order. "If someone talks to me, I'm going to say something back," he said. He got in trouble with his coaches when he carried on an orchestrated end-zone celebration with Robert Jordan after scoring a touchdown at New Mexico State on Sept. 23. The Bears were penalized 15 yards, and Tedford told Jackson not to do it again. "Hopefully, if I reach the next level, I can do all the celebrating I want," he said. If he's able to make any big plays against the Trojans, his reserve could be tested, given his strong emotional stake in the game. "When 'SC comes to play, everything is on the line," he said. "I used to like their band, the horse. When you think of 'SC, there's just a lot of excitement."
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