By Bob Keisser, Staff writer
DeSean Jackson needs tickets. Anyone have 20 on the 40? Each Cal player is allotted only two ducats for Saturday's game versus UCLA, which is quite limiting for the former Long Beach Poly star who has enough friends, family and fans to fill a section of the Rose Bowl. What's a poor college student supposed to do? Jackson has his own website through the university, is a bullet train on NFL radar, has been featured on the cover of several national magazines and has caused the biggest buzz in Berkeley since Governor Ronald Reagan ordered the national guard to retake People's Park. And he can't get more than two in the end zone. "I could probably use 30," Jackson said Wednesday between workout sessions. "That's just family, too. "It's always fun to go back home and see my family. But I don't think of who we're playing as much as I did. It's an opportunity for us to meet our goals."
His best solution: Help the Bears win the Pac-10 title and earn a spot in the Rose Bowl game, which would certainly trump an October date against their UC cousins. He could have all the tickets he wants, and pleased Cal fans would be so grateful they would likely offer to build Jackson and family their own float for Rose Parade. Fans of Cal football have had Pasadena on their mind since the day DeSean Jackson's quick feet landed on the campus in Berkeley. It's been almost a half-century since the Bears last played in the Rose Bowl (1959), the longest drought of any of the Pac-10's anchor teams, and 70 years since the Bears won one (1938). Even if Cal fans aren't foam-at-the-mouth types like those at USC, UCLA or Washington, they're without question wistful for the fragrance of roses. As is Jackson. When the former Jackrabbit, a two-time All-CIF choice who led Poly to the 2004 CIF title, decided to attend Cal, getting the Bears to a Pac-10 title, Rose Bowl game or BCS title game became as personal a goal as that of any old Bear. He chose Cal ultimately because he didn't want to be just another Poly product taking the Harbor Freeway to USC.
He's now mentioned in the same breath as past Bear legends - quarterback Joe Kapp, who led the team to its last Rose Bowl; former St. Anthony star Johnny Olszewski, who was part of three straight Cal Rose Bowl teams; Jackie Jensen and Sam Chapman, who went on to become major league players; and standout modern-era names like Chuck Muncie, Steve Bartkowski, Russell White and Tony Gonzalez. "I definitely realized there were people here hoping I could help this team (get to the Rose Bowl)," he said. "When you're in a situation like that, you know every game is important and it has to be part of your mentality. "I always felt Cal was the best fit for me. Cal gave me the opportunity to play right and Coach (Jeff Tedford) is great at developing offensive players. It was best for me to get away from home and grow up on my own. I needed to gain some independence." Cal offered different opportunities and challenges, and Jackson has met them thus far. As a freshman, he caught 38 passes for 607 yards and seven touchdowns, and his only punt return went for 49 yards and a touchdown. In 2006, he had 59 catches for 1,060 yards and nine scores while averaging 18.2 yards on 25 punt returns with four touchdowns to lead the nation.
Those seasons made him a preseason All-American and Heisman candidate. Tedford, who was a quarterback at Cerritos College before launching his successful coaching career, says Jackson has exceeded his own expectations. "I never really knew until last year how fast he is," Tedford said between seasons. "There are times when you see him catch a ball and split people ... he's playing at a different speed than everybody else. There are very few guys who have the instincts like DeSean of starting one way and being able to stop, reverse their field, and cause a mismatch." Jackson's numbers in 2007 have been muted by defenses having decided someone else will beat them. Playing most of the season with a sore thumb, he has 32 catches for 317 yards and two touchdowns, but has added 109 yards rushing and scored his sixth career punt return, a Pac-10 record.
Jackson had a fantastic game in the season opener against Tennessee (143 yards on six touches, including a 77-yard punt return) and the Oregon win (11 catches, 161 yards, two scores) that catapulted the Bears into the top five. But he was shut down by Oregon State last week (four catches for five yards) when Cal was forced to start freshman Kevin Riley at quarterback. The clampdown has been frustrating. Opponents are either doubling Jackson at all times or playing an aggressive bump at the line, and kicking away. But that attention has opened the door for other Bears. Lavell Hawkins leads the team in receiving and running back Justin Forsett is thriving. Jackson may get the Bears to the Rose Bowl through his presence more than his yardage.
"I know what I'm capable if and I don't think defenses can stop me," Jackson - who credits the Poly coaches, his older brother Byron and former Long Beach State football players Derrick Davis and Irving Booker, for getting him to this point - said. "I don't have any control over how teams defend me and the coaches have to decide to do what works best for the team. But I'm very confident of what I can do regardless of what anyone does. "Saturday was one of those games where I didn't get many opportunities. It's just something I have to deal with." The Bears are dealing with last Saturday as good as can be expected. They briefly were a candidate to be ranked No. 1 for the first time since 1951 but, playing without starting quarterback Nate Longshore, were beaten by the Beavers. A win over UCLA will restart the dream, and the way ranked teams have been falling, they could find themselves back in the top five by Halloween.
"You want to go unbeaten, but if you don't, you can't be mad or upset about for it for too long," he said. "College football is like that now. There are a lot of teams that can beat you, and one loss doesn't end your hopes and dreams. You just have to be strong. "We're all anxious to get back on the field. It's good that we have another opportunity to play and win and move forward again. You have to be strong." And maybe know a good ticket broker.
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