Jackson trying to help ASU salvage season

Wildcat File Photo Arizona Daily Wildcat Lenzie Jackson The preseason All-American candidate has seen his numbers drop this year along with the expectations Arizona State received at the start of the season.

Senior wide receiver Lenzie Jackson had high expectations for his team and for himself at the start of the season, but now he and the rest of the Sun Devils are fighting to get into a bowl game and have been relegated to the role of spoilers for Friday's showdown in Tucson.

"It's been going OK, but it could be going a little better," Jackson said. "We had higher expectations of ourselves this year and I put higher expectations on my own individual play. You just have to take it in stride."

Jackson was supposed to be the go-to guy for the preseason eighth-ranked Sun Devils but like the rest of the year, the preseason plan has not been followed by ASU.

"Lenzie is a player we rely on and he hasn't gotten the ball as much as we thought he would at the beginning of the year," ASU head coach Bruce Snyder said.

Last year Jackson caught 53 passes for 733 yards and five touchdowns, and this year, although his numbers are down, he still has been an integral part of the offense, catching 37 passes for 513 yards and four touchdowns. He also has added a new facet to his game as a kick returner averaging 20.3 yards per return and 101.1 all-purpose yards per game.

Part of the reason Jackson's numbers are down from 1997 can be blamed on the quarterback situation for the Sun Devils as sophomore Ryan Kealy has been battling injuries and a slump all season long.

"There has been some instability for us at quarterback this year, but I feel comfortable with all our quarterbacks," Jackson said. "Certainly it helps if you have a stable situation."

Kealy also got hurt in this game last year in the first quarter and Jackson understands that this game is different than the rest and experience with this rivalry is important to the success a team or player hopes to have.

"We hope Ryan's playing. He didn't play last game but we've had a couple days off so hopefully he'll be OK," Jackson said. "He has only played in one quarter of this game, but at least he knows what to expect. If you haven't played in this game before, it's an experience because it is like no other game."

With his 37 receptions this year, Jackson moved up to fifth on the list of career receptions at ASU, one behind current New Orleans Saints receiver Keith Poole at 139.

If Jackson hopes to move ahead of Poole on Friday, he will have to do it against Arizona's Thorpe Award semi-finalist and Football News Defensive Player of the Year finalist Chris McAlister, who has consistently shut down the top receiver of the opposing team.

"Chris is really an outstanding player and I admire him. He does a great job in pass defense," Snyder said. "Lenzie, though, would welcome the challenge and it would be a great battle to watch."

The battle between Jackson and McAlister and for state bragging rights begins Friday afternoon at 4:30 in Arizona Stadium.

Dan Rosen can be reached via e-mail at Dan.Rosen@wildcat.arizona.edu.