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'He'll be fine' Notre Dame anxious for Jackson's return
Posted: Saturday December 19, 1998 10:15 AM
SOUTH BEND, Indiana (AP) -- Bob Davie says he's still not sure how ready Jarious Jackson will be for the Gator Bowl. His teammates, however, are already convinced their starting quarterback is ready to go -- even if some of it is wishful thinking. "He'll be fine. He'll come back," running back Autry Denson said Friday. "I saw him running yesterday. He looks pretty good, and you could just see as he was doing his sprints, he got stronger and more confidence in just how strong his knee was holding up." Jackson, sidelined since November 21 with a partial tear in his right knee, will be eased into practice over the weekend as the No. 17 Irish begin preparations for 12th-ranked Georgia Tech. Davie said Jackson's progress was slightly ahead of schedule and allowed him to practice a few handoffs and passing routes while the Irish practiced in helmets and shoulder pads Friday. Davie anticipated turning Jackson loose after arriving in Jacksonville, Florida, December 26 to begin final preparations -- so long as he's 100 percent. "We're going to take it at the pace that Jarious needs to go at, and I don't think any of us have a crystal ball," Davie said. "I think a lot will depend on just how Jarious responds." While Jackson was out, the Irish (9-2) saw their hopes for a Bowl Championship Series appearance slip away with a 10-0 loss to Southern California as backups Arnaz Battle and Eric Chappell threw four interceptions -- two fewer than Jackson had thrown in Notre Dame's previous 10 games. "He's our leader. He's our general," said tackle Mike Rosenthal. "Even in practice now when he's in his brace, you see him walking around, tapping everyone on the helmet, keeping everyone going. It's real important just to see him getting better with his health. That's uplifting for us." Davie said he'll prepare for Georgia Tech knowing that Battle will likely handle at least some of the snaps. He also wasn't concerned about Jackson's month-long layoff, saying every other bowl-bound team in the country has been idled for most of the past month since the regular season ended. His only concern is Jackson's stamina and making sure he's back 100 percent. "If Jarious is back and Jarious is 100 percent, I don't think we have a problem any more unique than anyone else in the country playing in a bowl game," Davie said. "If Jarious is not healthy and is not 100 percent, then we keep moving ahead and moving forward with Arnaz Battle and Eric Chappell. "If Jarious is healthy and if Jarious is back, the fact that he did not play in the USC game to me is not a concern." Still, Denson said the Irish know how important it will be to have Jackson back. "When we have Jarious with us, we're an entirely different team," Denson said. "We're just excited he's coming back. I'm praying for him, and we're just fortunate his knee injury wasn't more serious." The Irish will have to prepare for Georgia Tech without defensive line coach Charlie Strong, who former Irish coach Lou Holtz hired to take over as his defensive coordinator at South Carolina.
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