The crowd erupted as Syracuse’s wide receiver Courtney Jackson went 64 yards down the field for the Orange’s first punt return for touchdown since 2018. That play helped Syracuse beat Boston College 21-6 inside the Carrier Dome on Saturday.
Jackson is not Syracuse's typical punt returner. That responsibility falls on Trebor Pena. However, with Pena unavailable, Jackson was asked to be the next man up in his place.
Doing similar work in high school helped prepare Jackson for this moment, even though college is different. He said thinking on his feet and getting to the skill level he’s at now takes practice.
“In practice, we practice catching, [but] in the game, you play with the ball in your hand,” Jackson said. “After you catch the ball [the goal] is just to make a play, make a move, score a touchdown. That’s every time you catch the ball. That’s what goes through my head. Catching the ball is the hard part. After that, it’s just playing football.”
He said there’s one key thing to figuring out what his next move is.
“You understand your return and understand your blockers and what they’re trying to do for you. So you play off of them, and they play off of us,” Jackson said.
Jackson said the trajectory of the punt aided in his ability to see read Boston College's coverage.
“That allowed me time to put a return together, and I saw the gap because they were so far away, so I just hit the seam and cleared it across the field,” Jackson said.
Through the wins and losses, Jackson said he keeps himself motivated.
“I try to stay positive myself. I’m not really a negative dude, and I don’t like that type of energy around me,” Jackson said. “So I’m always level-headed, hoping for the best.”
The biggest thing for him, however, is having the support of his team.
“We have a good team, and we’re all sticking together,” Jackson said. “We win as a team; we lose as a team.”
Jackson said the win against Virginia Tech helped their team’s mentality a great deal.
“Last week showed what we can do,” Jackson said. “That was a big comeback, and that showed we can do this as a team as long as we stay together.”
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