MOBILE — Former Alabama football CB Khyree Jackson, who transferred to Oregon and started as a senior last year, twice played against the Washington offense that is now coming to Alabama, once in the regular season and again in the Pac-12 Championship Game.
Washington won both contests, and when it comes to the scheme that new Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb will install, Jackson had the ultimate praise.
“That was the most complex offense I’ve ever been against in my career, even my years at Alabama. Their route combinations are one of a kind,” Jackson said Wednesday at the Reese’s Senior Bowl. “… They do things out of bunch formations you don’t really see anywhere else. Most teams, if it’s third-and-5, their bunch concept is going to be ‘scat,’ where they’ll hit a little short route. Against Washington, on a third down like that, you can be expecting the short game and they’ll take you up top.”
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That’s a mouthful from a player who faced some pretty stout offenses both in the SEC and the Pac-12. Jackson said he credits retired Alabama coach Nick Saban for what he called his “football IQ,” noting that his transition from Alabama to Oregon was an easy one because of what he learned in Saban’s defense.
And what he learned from Saban taught him to respect what he saw from DeBoer and Grubb.
“It’s about being aware at all times. You never could guess what they were doing. You had to play honest,” Jackson said.
Jackson and DeBoer’s quarterback at Washington, Michael Penix, are teammates this week as they prepare for Saturday’s Senior Bowl. According to Jackson, the two have spoken this week about how Washington’s offense attacked Oregon’s defense, and vice versa. For Jackson, Oregon’s two losses to UW were as much about the plan as they were the players.
“It wasn’t just about the talent. They had great players, but they had a great system too, and that made it that much harder to defend,” Jackson added. “The double-crossers was definitely one of their favorite things. We were a heavy man-to-man team, and Michael told me that was part of their game plan, hitting us with a lot of rub combinations.”
Reach Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on Twitter @chasegoodbread.
