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Jacobs: 'It's time to come out'

T-shirts. Hats. Towels.

Anything this group of young fans could get its hands on, it waved in the face of every Saluki exiting the visitor's locker room last Saturday night.

Fresh off a 37-2 victory, every player on the No.1 ranked SIU team was a hero - even at Youngstown State. But no Saluki brought awe to the children's faces more than running back Brandon Jacobs.

Once the man they had been waiting for emerged wearing his maroon SIU warm-ups toting a large black bag, their smiling faces quickly turned to astonishment. While his 6-foot-4, 260-pound frame definitely had their attention, so did Jacobs' gold teeth.

Say, "yeah," the children requested of Jacobs, wanting him to do his best Lil' Jon impression. Complying with a warm smile, Jacobs recited the line as he politely signed their memorabilia.

In his brief moment with the young fans, Jacobs' gentle compassion for children shone through. On the field Saturday, he revealed his passion for football for the first time in more than a month.

Rushing for 82 yards on 16 carries, Jacobs showed why he was once considered the nation's top running back coming out of Coffeyville Community College two years ago - and why some consider him a top NFL prospect for next year's draft.

"I was glad to see Brandon Jacobs," head coach Jerry Kill said after the game. "I thought he ran really physical and hard tonight."

This was the Jacobs everyone knew after earning Gateway Player of the Week honors for his 106-yard, four-touchdown performance in week one against Southeast Missouri State.

But during the games in between, Jacobs was nothing more than a diversion. In games two, three, four and five Jacobs rushed for just 143 yards on 34 carries. Last week versus Northern Iowa he carried the ball just three times for eight yards. It was undoubtedly the low-point of his brief Saluki career.

"After SEMO, I kind of went into a turtle shell," Jacobs said. "But it's time to come out. That's not why Coach Kill got me in here. He got me here because I'm a hard-nosed football player and because he knows I can play the game."

Jacobs can't explain why he went into a funk. But against the Penguins Saturday, Jacobs ran more like a hare with a huge turtle shell strapped on for protection.

On every one of Jacobs' carries it took two or three Penguins to bring him down. Averaging a steady 5.1 yards per carry, Jacobs did his part in wearing down Youngstown's overmatched defense.

"I don't want to dwell on it, I don't even want to think about it anymore," Jacobs said of his drought. "Every game from here on out will be like this one."

Jacobs started the Salukis' first drive Saturday, a far cry from the week before when he didn't get a carry until the second half. In an attempt to get his talented back motivated, Kill took a hands-on approach.

"Coach Kill was on my butt all week long telling me I need to run harder. He was just drilling me all week - I mean really on my butt," Jacobs said. "I had to give him what he asked, and I just did what I know I can do.

"I appreciate coach Kill to the fullest. That is the most important coach to me I've ever had."

Quarterback Joel Sambursky said he recognized Kill working Jacobs a little harder than usual last week in practice, and that Jacobs played Saturday with a noticeable edge.

"I think it's obvious he played ticked off, and it's great. We need him to play like that every week," Sambursky said. "He plays so much better when he hits the hole hard, and that showed tonight."