Pasha Jackson Journal

Sooner linebacker Pasha Jackson will take Sooner fans behind the scenes as Oklahoma plays its 2003 season. This is the second installment of his weekly journal:

Pasha Jackson
Journal Entry No. 2 (Sept. 17, 2003)
Our last game was real sweet. Playing a team from California and having that type of dominance in the first half was an outstanding feeling. That was definitely how we wanted to assert ourselves, playing against a non-conference team in our house and the way we started out was just a great sign of things to come.

Everything about the first half was great and how we were clicking, except for one obvious thing, but this team is strong and everything will work itself out. You have to be able to step it up when called upon and that is what the defense will do and that is all I will say about that.

What happened later on was disgusting, with the special teams and the defense. But I am glad we stuck with the second team personnel and the coaches let them play it out, because a team is only as good as it's weakest link. And you have to find it within yourself to keep the other team's offense out of the end zone. Unfortunately, we did not do a very good job of it.

We are not happy about it, but that just means you work harder the next time out, and believe me we will. But like I said, we showed what this team was capable of on both sides of the ball in the first half. We proved to ourselves and to Oklahoma what this team can do.

We were so focused against a good team and, let me tell you, Fresno is no pushover. They built their name up by upsetting teams like us but it felt real sweet to do what we did in that opening half and it's always good to get the "W".

Now we've got another "Cali" team coming in with UCLA on Saturday. I grew up watching the UCLA vs. USC rivalry, but of course I was always cheering against the Bruins and for USC. So this is going to be a great opportunity to play against them. I kind of always wanted to face them.

It will be cool to walk out and see them in their blue and gold and then just go after them. They have a good offensive attack, similar to Alabama and they've got some big linemen. One guy is ridiculous -- like 6-9, 330 pounds. Again, this team is very similar to Bama. They are physical up front and have some tight ends that can do some things for the offense. So we just need to stay alert on defense and take care of business like we have been. We are definitely ready to play; some good things are going to happen, going against them here at 2:30 on national TV in our house.

I love 2:30 games. We get to stay in our hotel sanctuary on Friday, then we wake up, eat, have chapel and give thanks to God and get ready for the game. No waiting around in anticipation. Night games are great and playing under the lights are great, but the Saturdays are just too long waiting for game time to roll around.

I guess a typical game day routine is pretty basic for me. I have a similar routine I do each time on Fridays before walk throughs with my roommates -- kind of a superstition -- but not really. It is kind of strange but I think the guys in the locker room are finally getting use to it. At least they should be since we have been doing it up till now, starting way back last season.

I pull my shorts up, to around mid-stomach level, kind of like the old professional boxers use to and you look across the locker room and see Chris Bush do the same thing. Then Chris Chester is like our referee and he makes us shake hands and gives us the old "DING, DING" and we go at it like we are having a boxing match. That is the one ritual I seem to do every weekend, either before or after walk through. It happened one game against Tulsa, I think, with us just kind of messing around and for whatever reason we have been doing it since.

Before the walk throughs on Friday, I have all my morning classes and just try not to think about football and focus on school, which is hard, but once that is done for the week, it is time to think football and nothing else. Then, after the walk through, we do what we do as a team, eat and relax and watch a movie or whatever, then eat again and watch some film and eat some more.

Fridays are no doubt the best days to eat. I better not get use to it though, because after football if I am still eating this good, I'll get huge.

But anyway, once gameday hits, I try to do my own thing. That is when we have the time to ourselves and the coaches are good about giving us that time. I'll listen to all kinds of music and build it up as game time draws closer. I might start out with some easy listening then go to some opera then maybe some Enya and some Deep Forest.

You have to kind of build it up to the harder music as the countdown ticks away, so I listen to a whole lot of rap and r&b near the end of the rotation. I don't listen to too much heavy metal, but when I want to get ready for a big game, I'll bust out some old Metallica and that gets me going and fired up for the game!

Friday and Saturday are the most serious times of the week for me during football season and it needs to be. Once the weekend rolls around, all the joking needs to stop and we need to be focused so we are prepared for the upcoming game and we can get down to business.

That reminds me, I should get going, there is a lot to prepare for this week with classes and the UCLA game. So check back next week and see you at the game Saturday.

GO SOONERS!

- #53 Pasha Jackson

Sooner Player Journals

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Related News

Related Videos

Sponsors