Pasha Jackson Journal Entry No. 11

This is the eleventh installment of the Pasha Jackson journal. Thanks for all the great questions. Remember to email me your questions or comments using the link at the end of my journal.

Pasha Jackson
Journal Entry No. 10 (Nov. 14, 2003)
Our last game was alright, everybody had a hard time getting in the right mind set for the Baylor game. But it was still a good game. Anytime you don't allow a touchdown, you know you are doing something right. Baylor is a good team -- a respectable team -- and they proved that. A lot of teams have come into our house this season and haven't fared as well as Baylor did last Saturday.

Now we have the season finale in Lubbock. Texas Tech is an offensive team and I am not trying to take anything away from their defense, but there is a reason people are always talking about that unit. I think their receivers are all ranked near the top of the nation's leaders in receiver categories and they will just throw the ball the whole game. Their receivers grab anything and everything.

That is a big threat and their offensive line is playing much better compared to last season and that will be a challenge, too. And on top of playing Tech this weekend, we have the a whole situation to play against. In that, I mean we are wrapping up the season trying to stay on top, undefeated and win on the road. These are all difficult factors going against us, but I know this team is up for the challenge so we will remain focused and go out there and play our best to win that ball game.

Everyone talks about the Texas Tech offense but remember that our defense is not too bad, and our offense is not shabby either (laughs)! Now it's time to answer some of the questions from the fans, don't forget to keep emailing me more of your thoughts and I'll try to tackle them in next week's journal entry.

What is the biggest distraction that players face?
- Jason from Newcastle, Oklahoma

The prospect of having free time, no doubt about it. It's funny because, with student-athletes, free time works with school and school works with athletics. You have to have school in order to have athletics and it's like saying "maybe I will just take today off." Being at home, relaxing and feeling what it is like to be a normal student can be addicting. That is a huge distraction but as long as you stay focused on your school work and practice everyday and get in that routine, everything works out. There is no free time and you do not even think about free time.

Pasha, what do you feel are the key ingredients that makes this year's Sooner squad one of the best ever?
- John from Tokyo, Japan

I definitely do not think this is the best one yet, there have been some great ones here and we still have some goals to accomplish to make this season reach the type of success we are thriving for. As far as making this team the best that we can be, we have the right combination of not just talent, but the will to win. And the guys on this squad are awesome when it comes to that and when we all put it together, it shows on the field because we perform like a well-oiled machine.

We just seem to be combining all our strengths at the same time and we have been "clicking" all season long. We have plenty of opportunities to be one of the best ever, but right now we are focused on Texas Tech, then we can think about the next step. Anyone can teach a player to be better, but that will is something you build on your own. And when you combine that with talent, how successful you are shows on and off the field

With you having the chance to play under some great coaches and a high-quality system, have you ever thought about going into coaching after you are finished playing?
- Allen from McLaughlin, South Dakota

I have thought about coaching and I could see myself standing on the sideline and directing young athletes. That has to do with my experiences throughout my career being on some horrible teams, some undefeated teams and championship-bound teams. The thing you learn from football is that it is just like life. You learn so many different things from the game and it is such a pure game, people get to the root of who they are. That is what I love about it and would not mind being involved with the sport after I finish playing.

What has been the best win this season personally and for the team?
- Steve from Gainesville, Florida

For me it may sound funny but the North Texas game. When you talk about building a team like you are building a house -- you start with the foundation. It may not have looked like it and people were questioning us being the preseason No. 1 but our performance in that game, stuff we did well, stuff we got wrong, were all building blocks. We learned not what to do and how to keep doing things right. I like to look at things from the beginning -- where you come from -- and us being fresh out of two-a-days said a lot for us to perform like we did against North Texas. That was the first time this team took the field and we did our job.

As a team, probably Oklahoma State. That was our best win and I think despite what we might say about not being angry about past losses, it was hard not to use that as motivation. It was kind of a dark cloud hanging over our heads that they had beaten us the past two years. We came together as a team and blocked out all the talk about them dominating us and we came out on top big. That is what makes this team so good, we have respect for our opponents and when you respect somebody you get excited about playing the game and not using anger as motivation to win.

We have a lot of talent but that is what helps us maintain our composure and perform like we do week in and week out. And beating OSU was a big hurdle for this team and it was extremely satisfying to win like we did.

That is all the time this week, BOOMER SOONER!

Pasha

- #53 Pasha Jackson

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