Oregon State tailback takes on hometown school in UNLV

Friday, Sept. 13, 2002 | 12:43 p.m.

CORVALLIS, Ore. AP) - With UNLV's defense adept at stopping oncoming rushers, Oregon State tailback Steven Jackson knows the Rebels will be gunning for him.

After all, he's from Las Vegas.

"This team is real athletic," Jackson said about the Mountain West Conference opponent. "Especially with me being from Vegas - they're going to be after me."

This week a little bit of Vegas comes to Corvallis as UNLV (1 (1)- visits Oregon State 2 (0)- and native son Jackson.

UNLV's defense has limited its opponents to 227 yards. The Rebels held Kansas to just 69 total yards in their victory last Saturday and slowed Wisconsin running back Anthony Davis to 81 yards in their season-opening loss to the Badgers. They stopped Davis' streak of 100-yard games at seven.

"I'm going to come out and play a little bit harder and a little bit faster," he said. "Because I've got something to prove to them."

Jackson has a lot to prove to everybody, taking over the Beavers' running game from graduated star Ken Simonton, who rushed for a gaudy 5,044 yards in his Oregon State career.

Jackson left Las Vegas behind two years ago, wooed by Oregon State coach Dennis Erickson and the Pacific-10 Conference.

As a true freshman last season, he ranked second on the team in rushing - behind Simonton - with 74 carries for 390 yards.

Now the 6-2, 224-pound sophomore is Oregon State's offensive go-to guy, racking up more than 100 yards in each of the Beavers' first two games.

"I'm really happy the way things have panned out - a sophomore starting in the Pac-10 Conference," he said.

Like Jackson, Oregon State has started well, with wins over Eastern Kentucky and Temple, after losing quarterback Jonathan Smith and Simonton to graduation.

"Obviously they're a good team - and they have a chance to be a real good team," UNLV coach John Robinson said.

Derek Anderson is Smith's strapping replacement - a conservative 6-6 and 235 pounds. He has completed 48 of 71 passes with seven TDs and no interceptions.

"We've gone out there and we're played a couple of good games," Anderson said. "I think the guys have a lot more confidence now."

Anderson slightly sprained his left ankle last Thursday in Philadelphia, but powered through for a 35-3 victory over Temple. The ankle is fine now, he said.

"The thing I was most impressed at with Derek was he was able to stand in there and take what they gave him," coach Dennis Erickson said.

Anderson's counterpart for the Rebels is Jason Thomas, a quick and agile quarterback who has rushed for 157 yards and two touchdowns, while completing 24 of 48 passes for 282 yards and one TD.

"He does some things other quarterbacks can't do," Erickson said. "He's really big and runs extremely fast; he has a strong arm and he's really the key to what they do offensively."

Teams led by Erickson and Robinson have never met, even though both have had lengthy and successful collegiate coaching careers. Overall, UNLV is 3-0 against OSU.