Division II quarterfinals
Tuskegee (10-2) at West Georgia (11-1), noon
Devontae Jackson would think about football when the dishes piled up or the orders backed up.
He was supposed to be a freshman at West Georgia last year, but instead spent the football season working in the kitchen at Pappasito’s Cantina in Marietta.
Jackson didn’t earn the necessary ACT score while at Wheeler High School, so he sat out the 2014 season, working and working out and working toward a qualifying score.
“It was tough not being able to play football,” he said.
Jackson eventually qualified and enrolled at West Georgia in January. He went through spring drills and has steadily become the Wolves’ featured running back.
Jackson leads West Georgia (11-1) with 910 yards rushing entering Saturday’s Division II quarterfinal against Tuskegee (10-2), which has upset higher seeds in the first two rounds. He also rushed for seven touchdowns and caught three touchdown passes.
“His production has increased as the year has wore on because he’s gotten more accustomed to our system,” West Georgia coach Will Hall said. “We run a pretty complex, NFL, pro-style scheme. You can’t pick up the whole scheme at the drop of a hat. He’s learned more and more as the year’s gone on, and we’re able to do more and more with him.”
Jackson rushed for more than 100 yards in three of the past five games, with a high of 142 against North Alabama on Oct. 24. He’s 90 yards away from becoming the 10th player in school history with a 1,000-yard season.
He is nearing the milestone despite a four-game stretch in which he had a total of 19 carries for 83 yards.
“I had a slow start,” Jackson said. “I was trying to get used to college, so I had to adapt to the game, but as the weeks progressed, practices felt better and felt more comfortable. I got used to the game speed.”
Hall said Jackson, who is 5-foot-7 and 175 pounds, also is still learning the Wolves’ intricate blocking schemes. He sometimes splits time with Lamarcus Franks and Aares McCall (Grayson), who have 100-yard games this season in West Georgia’s zone-read offense.
“Devontae is a great player with the ball in his hands, which is the easiest part of learning how to be a college football player,” Hall said. “He’s getting better every day in how to be a great player when the ball isn’t in his hands. There’s no lack of drive or anything, it’s just a whole lot different playing high school and then coming to play college football on a team that’s got a chance to win a national title.”
