Southeast Missouri State football team loses top rusher Jackson to broken hand

~ The junior could miss six weeks after sustaining the injury against Kansas

Southeast Missouri State offensive coordinator Sherard Poteete said throughout spring practices and preseason camp that multiple Redhawks running backs would see meaningful snaps during the season and that depth at the position was a strength for the team.

That depth will be tested after the announcement that starting running back DeMichael Jackson broke his left hand during Southeast's 34-28 loss to Kansas on Saturday and could be out for six weeks.

"Those guys are very versatile just like DeMichael was and they'll be able to go in and play receiver and move around in all kinds of formations," Poteete said following practice Tuesday.

Jackson, the team's leading rusher, remained positive throughout the Redhawks' practice at the Rosengarten Athletic Complex.

He only made one complaint, and it was pretty half-hearted. He told video coordinator Jared Diekmann that he wasn't sure he could handle all the conditioning he has to do off to the side during practice for the next six weeks, but he laughed after the statement.

"It's tough, but I'm taking it day by day," Jackson said, a smile never leaving his face. "You know, I might mess around and get it X-rayed next week and they might say it's healed, so you never know. I'm just taking it day by day. I've got my team and my coaches around me so everything's going to be alright."

Jackson said he took a helmet to the hand on a play shortly after he scored the Redhawks' first touchdown on Saturday -- a 7-yard run with 10:34 remaining in the third quarter.

He rushed for 40 yards on 13 carries against the Jayhawks before leaving the game later in the third quarter.

Jackson rushed for 977 yards and four touchdowns on 170 carries as a sophomore last season.

He already had one receiving and two rushing touchdowns in two games this season, and he leads the team with 122 yards rushing on 21 carries.

Matukewicz and Poteete both said that Jackson's absence won't cause any changes in the offense.

"We've got a plan to win," Matukewicz said. "That plan to win is not player-based. It's based on 20 years of coaching."

Senior running back Lennies McFerren replaced Jackson late in Saturday's game and finished with a team-high 47 yards rushing on six carries.

"If something like that's going to happen, and unfortunately you don't want it to, but we've got some guys that are ready to step up as Lennies stepped up the other night and just ran the ball really well for us against the Jayhawks," Poteete said.

McFerren, junior Lewis Washington and redshirt freshman Brendan Stewart are in the mix to start in place of the injured Jackson.

"That's why we practice. We'll let the guy that practices best start," Matukewicz said. "And then from there we'll rotate to see who's kind of got the hot hand."

Jackson, who said he wants to be a coach later in life, is using the injury as a time to learn from Matukewicz, Poteete and running backs coach Matt Martin, and will try to help his fellow running backs from the sideline.

"Well, I mean, he took it hard, but like I told him, that's a long ways from your heart, a long ways from your head, and at the end of the day there would be a lot of people that would trade [places with] you, and be thankful for the blessings that you have," Matukewicz said. "And as a team we could sit here and have a pity party. I could call [Southern Illinois] coach [Dale Lennon] up and see if they want to join our pity party, but I'm sure they won't. So we've got to take the positive approach, which is what an opportunity for someone on our football team to step up and rise and shine."