Versatile QB will open up playbook in fall
SAN JOSE — The relationship between coach and quarterback can be pure entertainment, the stuff of books, movies and television. It is not unusual for either side to crack a light-hearted joke at the other’s expense out of solidarity.
Sobrato coach Nick Borello was openly not serious Tuesday when he said his quarterback, Jerry Jacob, is getting on the nerves of offensive coordinator Rick Dukes. The three minds are very much on the same page.
The only people Jacob has frustrated so far this offseason are opposing defenders. The spry 5-foot-10, 160-pound junior was doing so in must-see fashion this week at a full-contact Competitive Edge Camp at sun-parched Leland High School. The Bulldogs scrimmaged five teams — Prospect, Monta Vista, Santa Teresa, Washington, Leland — and Jacob ran the wing T offense effectively against each of them, making crisp hand-offs and pitches and throwing well on the run.
The most exciting plays were the ones he improvised. Tuesday against Washington, Jacob rolled out toward the left sideline — about 15 yards from the end zone — but found no open receivers. Rather than force the ball into traffic, the righty pump-faked twice, then tucked the ball under his left arm and raced upfield. He sprinted through a defensive back and was about to meet another one at the goal line when a whistle sounded (no teams need injuries in June).
On the far side of the field, Borello and Dukes nodded their heads.
“I can already tell he’s going to be great for our offense,” Dukes said. “Right now, we’re figuring out he’s a gamer.”
Jacob’s excitement for the 2010 season has been building since last fall when Borello named him the team’s quarterback of the future. His sophomore year was the equivalent of a redshirt season, though he did start one game — a 48-7 victory against Overfelt — and play garbage minutes near the end of three blow-out wins. Jacob honed his skills watching first-team all-leaguer Patrick Bacciarelli plow through defenders and put the ball where receivers could catch it.
Jacob has a much different build that his predecessor. He lacks Bacciarelli’s size but looks a step faster.
“I learned so much from Batch,” Jacob said. “You always have to look upfield and know where you are. You have to stay strong in the pocket, find your receivers.”
Then, a little bit of Bacciarelli washes over him.
“But, sometimes, I just want to run. I like running the ball, pitching it and taking hits.”
His coaches are fine with that. Borello said the Bulldogs are going to run the ball “90 percent of the time” with a well-rounded mix of ball carriers headlined by star junior Obi Mbonu, now the go-to guy at fullback.
Stopping Sobrato’s triple option will be a tall order.
“Jerry is a true option quarterback. Right now, he’s beating defenses with his feet,” Dukes said. “That’s really going to open things up for us. If Everything evolves around the fullback in the wing T. If defenses want to take the fullback away, that’s fine. We can do lots of other things because of Jerry.”
That includes throwing the ball on occasion. Though Jacob’s release is still stuck in baseball season, he gets the job done during live-action drills.
“Sometimes, his arm doesn’t look so good, but that’s all going to come with summer practice,” Borello said. “His short passes and three-step drops are fine. When he gets into scrimmages, like out here, he throws a pretty decent ball. He throws like our offense will need him to the next two years.
“We expect big things from him.”
Junior wideout Steven Villarreal, Jacob’s favorite receiver, has no doubt in his quarterback’s ability.
“When it comes down to game-time, clutch situations, we can always count on him to come through,” Villarreal said. “I’ve seen it before. We’ve been playing football and basketball together since we were 7.”
The underlying word is leadership, the keystone quality of every successful signal-caller. Jacob has been a mentor to his younger teammates, including first-year center sophomore William Puna.
“He helps a lot. We work together going through snaps,” said Puna, one of potentially four new starters on the offensive line. “He gets us pumped up in the huddle, telling us what to do, getting us ready. We have a lot of confidence.”
Given his potential and the nature of his position, Jacob already feels the pressure to succeed. The Bulldogs are coming off their winningest season, a resurrecting 8-3 finish that included the program’s first win over rival Live Oak and a second berth in the Central Coast Section playoffs; Sobrato lost 48-0 to Wilcox in a first-round Division II game.
As his head coach said, expectations will be high for Jacob in 2010, but the cool-headed QB isn’t worried. He already has the support of his team.
“There’s always going to be pressure being the quarterback,” Jacob said. “I enjoy it. I feel like I was made for this.”
