Indiana QB Tayven Jackson's fairytale ending was just out of reach: 'I thought I had it'
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana football quarterback Tayven Jackson created special memories at Lucas Oil Stadium during his time at Center Grove High School.
He started in three state title games in the building and won two of them.
Jackson revisited the site of those triumphs on Saturday looking for another one. This time as the Hoosiers freshly named full-time starting quarterback after beating out Brendan Sorsby for the job.
Everything fell into place for Jackson with the Hoosiers trailing Louisville 21-14 with less than five minutes to go. He made a series of throws in the second-half to bring IU back from a 21-0 deficit including a 41-yard bomb to Cam Camper that got the offense inside the red zone for the third time in the half.
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Now, he just needed to make one more play on third and goal from the 7-yard line to extend the game.
Louisville quickly collapsed the pocket with pressure off the edge on both sides of the line. Jackson stepped up and started scrambling to his right while looking for anything to open up in the back of the end zone, but no one broke free.
It turned into a foot race with linebacker Jaylin Alderman to the pylon, a race Jackson thought he could win.
They collided near the sideline just as Jackson launched himself like Superman — one arm outstretched — in hopes of crossing the goal line.
"I thought I had it," Jackson said, after the game.
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His teammates did too as did the fans in the stands. The officials cut the celebration short by ruling Jackson out of bounds at the 2-yard line.
A review of the play moved the ball forward to "one and half foot line", but Jackson was still short.
"Growing up as a little kid, you are always in the backyard, oh, 3...2...1...dive for the end zone," Jackson said, mimicking the moves with his hands. "You finally get that moment and it doesn't go as planned. It's a hard pill to swallow."
Jackson wouldn't get another shot to punch it in.
Indiana offensive coordinator Walt Bell called an inside handoff to Josh Henderson that was stopped on the line of scrimmage and resulted in a turnover on downs. Louisville was able to run out the clock after that and escape Jackson's home away from home with a victory.
Did the talented redshirt freshman know how close he was to the touchdown? Had he seen a replay?
"I have not, I didn't watch it," Jackson said. "We lost that game cause I didn't get in."
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Jackson was the best player on the field in the second half
Jackson's teammates would likely disagree with that sentiment.
He threw for 299 yards (24 of 34) with a touchdown and interception. He completed passes to eight different receivers and threw six completions of 20-yards or more.
Indiana running back Jaylin Lucas said Jackson's "winning mentality" was just as important. The poise he showed throughout the game and positive energy he had on the sidelines was exactly what the team needed to make it a one-possession game.
Jackson deflected that praise and refocused it on his offensive line and skill players.
The loss could be the starting point for the bright future Jackson sees for the group, but that didn't make falling just inches shy of that pylon any easier.
"Right now, I just feel disappointed," Jackson said. "I feel like I let the team down because I didn't score the touchdown. Once I get in the film with coach Bell and watch a couple things, maybe the thought process will be different, but for right now that's my thought process."
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on Twitter @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Indiana quarterback Tayven Jackson had game-winner in his sights
