By By Danny P. Smith / special to The Star
Oct. 18, 2002
STARKVILLE A player on special teams never knows when his one shining moment will come.
For Mississippi State's Nathan Jackson, that moment came in the first game of the 2001 season against Memphis.
With the Bulldogs trailing the Tigers 10-7 late in the third quarter, Jackson got his hands on a blocked punt by Curtis Stowers and returned it 6 yards for a touchdown to give his team the lead.
That's exactly what Mississippi State got as it went on to defeat Memphis 30-10 on Labor Day. As the Bulldogs get ready to challenge the Tigers this week, Jackson said special teams could once again make a difference in a battle of 2-4 teams.
Jackson said one of the keys to being successful on special teams is being at the right place at the right time, which was the case for him last year against Memphis.
The score by Jackson is the last time the Bulldogs have gotten a touchdown on special teams. Jackson has played in 28 games during his college career and most of his work has been on special teams.
After rehabilitating a knee injury he suffered in the Mississippi-Alabama High School all-star game, which required surgery, Jackson enrolled at MSU full-time in January 1999 and was redshirted.
Jackson said mistakes are going to happen when the game is played with 100 percent effort, but there are also some rewards.