Jackson eager to get back in the mix

A bout with the flu a couple of weeks ago cost Brandon Jackson his spot in East Carolina's running back rotation, but the sophomore isn't feeling ill about his spot on the depth chart.

The Pirates have won two straight games, and although Jackson currently has senior Dominique Lindsay and now junior Giavanni Ruffin in front of him, all three backs have done their share during the Pirates' 5-3 start to the season.

Jackson said his illness, which kept him from making the Pirates' trip to SMU on Oct. 10 and has left him third on the depth chart since might have cost him, but admits he's where he should be right now, and that Ruffin earned his shot.

“Everything hasn't gone as planned this season, but there is no animosity between us,” Jackson said of the Pirate backfield, which has employed eight different running backs in eight games, but is led by the trio of Lindsay (570 yards, three touchdowns), Jackson (264-3) and Ruffin (165-3). “I went down and (Ruffin) stepped up and took advantage of his opportunity, so you can't be mad at the guy for that. It didn't surprise me when he stepped in and did a good job.”

That doesn't mean Jackson won't fight for a bigger share of the action.

Competition is a constant on teams under the watch of head coach Skip Holtz, and the best players in practice often become the players used on game days, regardless of any previous standing on the depth chart.

“If someone earns something, it shouldn't be taken away from them just because someone else comes back,” Jackson said. “I have to take advantage of my opportunities just the same as (Ruffin) did. You never know who's going to come out and start at the end of the week. It's about your performance in practice and how hard you work off the field too.”

According to Holtz, Jackson must relocate his killer instinct on the practice field in order to scale his way back into a prominent role.

For the first time all season other than the SMU game he sat out, Jackson did not have a carry in last week's win at Memphis.

“Early in the season, it was Dominique Lindsay and Brandon Jackson that were really playing at a high level, and Brandon was sick for a while and missed some time,” Holtz said. “He came back and he probably wasn't as aggressive, wasn't as confident as a runner as you'd like him to be, and the only way you can gain that is to come out here on the practice field.”

Contact Nathan Summers at nsummers@reflector.com or (252)329-9595.