A week before the Freedom Bowl, Tulsa coach Dave Rader insisted the suspension of his top rusher wouldn't hurt the team's running game.
San Diego State's Al Luginbill could have grinned and winked when he heard that, but he didn't, because he knew that reserve Ron Jackson was every bit as good as Chris Hughley, the starter who was grounded for academic reasons.Jackson, a junior tailback, played the game of his life, running for 211 yards and a Freedom Bowl-record four touchdowns Monday night to lead No. 23 Tulsa to a 28-17 victory over San Diego State and its star running back, Marshall Faulk.
Faulk, the freshman All-America who led the nation in rushing and scoring, did his part by running for 157 yards and a touchdown and catching nine passes for 42 more.
But it wasn't enough to outshine Jackson and it wasn't enough to save the Aztecs, who struggled on offense in the second half.
By halftime, Jackson had already rolled up 118 yards. After the Aztecs twice failed to get past midfield in the third quarter, Jackson's 3-yard run and Eric Lange's kick gave Tulsa a 21-14 lead with 1:50 to go in the period.
The Aztecs' Andy Trakas kicked a 26-yard field goal with 12:01 to play but a special teams mistake proved costly.
With just over four minutes to play, T.C. Wright fumbled a punt and Tulsa's Billy Cole recovered at the San Diego State 4.
Jackson, who carried 46 times, scored his fourth TD two plays later as Tulsa (10-2) won its first bowl game since 1964, when it defeated Mississippi 14-7 in the Bluebonnet Bowl.
Jackson was hoping to make a big contribution after getting the news last week that he would replace his roommate and best friend, Hughley.
Tulsa quarterback T.J. Rubley completed nine of 17 for 122 yards.