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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Jackson’s action thrills coach Akey

MOSCOW, Idaho – Deonte Jackson’s first collegiate touchdown was a thing of beauty, but the final carry for the Idaho freshman may be more indicative of things to come.

With the Vandals clinging to a 20-13 lead over Cal Poly Saturday afternoon at the Kibbie Dome, Jackson got the football eight times on the last nine snaps to chew up the remaining 4 minutes, 51 seconds of the game.

“I was looking for a kneel (down) somewhere but, hey, they kept giving it to me,” Jackson said. “I was happy. I wasn’t going to stop until that clock stops.”

The final 6-yard run gave Jackson 30 carries and 216 yards, the most by a Vandals freshman.

“Every running back, you dream of having that many carries in one game,” he said. “Every time they gave it to me I acted like it was my first run, just kept my feet going, headed for the end zone every time, never gave up.”

Jackson was stopped for no gain on the first play of the game and lost two yards on his first carry of the second half, but he finished with eight runs of at least 10 yards.

“I can’t say enough about Deonte,” Vandals head coach Robb Akey said. “I like the way he runs. He works his tail off every day in practice and you saw the way he did it out there tonight. That one (touchdown) was a big-time run. He’s just a pup. He’s going to keep getting better.”

Playing big

Idaho cornerback Stanley Franks knew he was going to have a long day. His job on almost every snap was to blanket 6-foot-6, 228-pound wide receiver Ramses Barden.

“It makes the night a little long,” the 5-11, 167-pound Franks said. “He’s a tall lanky dude. He’s good.”

Several times in the red zone Cal Poly quarterback Jonathan Dally tried to take advantage of his big target only to have Franks bat the ball down.

“I know they like the fade ball, (so) I was kind of anticipating it,” Franks said.

Ramses was held to four catches for 45 yards, a week after catching eight passes for 20, including a 68-yard touchdown.

“I talked to Stanley on the field. ‘I think they’d be leaving you alone by now Bubba,’ ” Akey said. “He was doing a great job. He put himself in great position, made great plays on the balls. I can’t say enough, I thought he did a tremendous job

“Stanley is a darn good player. I think he could play anywhere he wants to in this country and I’m happy as hell he’s with us.”

Quick kicks

Senior running back Brian Flowers suffered a pulled hamstring on Idaho’s first possession of the second half and could be out for a while. … Defensive end Aaron Lavarias sprained an ankle and couldn’t finish the game after making 12 tackles. … The new Kibbie Dome surface, RealGrass Pro, got positive reviews from the Vandals. “It feels great,” safety Shiloh Keo said. “It’s so much easier on your legs. I thank all our boosters out there who were able to put money toward getting that nice field. It’s done a lot for the players.”