Either Myles Jack is really, really good, or the rest of the Pac-12’s freshman class is really, really bad.
Whichever way you cut it, the UCLA freshman started the first eight games of the Bruins’ season as a linebacker before coach Jim Mora decided that, heck, why not try the kid on the other side of the ball? In went Jack at running back, where through four games, he racked up 269 yards for an average of 7.1 yards per carry and seven touchdowns. This all came alongside some impressive defensive stats — 72 total tackles good for third among conference freshman, a forced fumble and a clutch interception in the dying seconds of UCLA’s game against the Utah Utes on Oct. 3.
Possibly Jack’s most impressive offensive display came against Arizona, where he gashed through the Wildcats’ defensive line to deliver a dagger of a 66-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
The Pac-12 established both Offensive and Defensive Freshman Player of the Year awards in the 2008 season, and Jack is the first player — and likely last for some time — to win both in the same season. Â Reading that might leave a bad taste in the mouths of Pac-12 rivals USC and Oregon, but it couldn’t be sweeter for Jack.
Photo via Twitter/@Justinn_Wilsonn
