Alabama RB Josh Jacobs talks about big hit, bigger game against Oklahoma
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MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — It wasn’t anything personal — Josh Jacobs just wasn’t going to be stopped. Catching a ball out of the backfield on Alabama’s fourth possession, the powerful back made one of the most memorable plays of Saturday night’s Orange Bowl, trucking Oklahoma safety Robert Barnes at the 5-yard line before rumbling into the end zone for a touchdown.
That had to be pretty sweet for a kid from Tulsa, Okla., who was overlooked by the Sooners during the recruiting process. While that might have been the case, Jacobs brushed off any notion of revenge following the game.
“I really didn't come into this game with any kind of expectations or any kind of emotions,” Jacobs said. “I approached this game how I approach every game. When I seen the opportunity to score, I just wanted to, I mean, try my best to score. That's just what it was.
“… I was actually surprised I was that open. Initially when I caught the ball, when I seen it was just one defender to beat, I tried to beat him any kind of way I could, and it just happened to be running him over.”
Jacobs has been running over a lot of players lately. The junior took home offensive MVP honors during Alabama’s victory over Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. Saturday night he was back at it, racking up 158 combined yards and a touchdown.
In his last two games, Jacobs has piled up 181 rushing yards on just 23 carries, an average of 7.87 yards per attempt. His 98 rushing yards on 15 carries against Oklahoma marked a season-high, topping the 97 yards he piled up against Mississippi State earlier this year.
That’s not bad for someone who came to Alabama as an unknown recruit in the 2016 class. Despite racking up 2,704 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns during his senior season at McLain High School, the former three-star back didn’t start generating interest from bigger schools until a few weeks before he signed with the Crimson Tide. Three years later, he’s quickly becoming a household name.
Walter Football ranks Jacobs as the No. 6 running back next year’s NFL Draft class if he chooses to forgo his senior season. Through 14 games, he has earned an 84.1 offensive grade from Pro Football Focus, even higher than teammate Damien Harris (82.3), who is listed as the No. 1 running back on ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper’s big board. While the Jacobs has not yet decided on if he will enter the draft after this season, he hopes he can serve as a success story for other players who were looked over early in their careers.
“I just tried, whether it's football or whether it's in life, to be a role model for everybody back home,” Jacobs said. “Growing up I really didn't have a role model besides my father. I really didn't have a role model on a big stage, and there wasn't a lot of people from where I'm from that made it out or was doing big things or positive things. So that's where I'm really the most, just being an inspiration to kids and showing them that regardless of their situation they can come out and do anything they put their mind to with hard work and faith.”