BYU Football Countdown: Player 49 – There when you need him
By Adam Gibby
No. 49 McKay Jacobson – Receiver, Returner – 2006, 2009-2011
When you think of really good receivers and players for BYU Football, the first name that comes to your mind probably is not McKay Jacobson. Sure Jacobson was a good receiver but statistically speaking he wasn’t the most flashy or playmaking player. In fact, his senior year was his least productive year of his career. So what is he doing here at 49? He was clutch and made memorable plays.
Remember, to make the list Top 100 three categories are taken into consideration: Impact, Statistics and Memorable Moments. While the second one is what most people point to in deciding whether a player is good, the first and third ones often leave the biggest impression, and those two areas are where Jacobson scores high.
Impact B+
McKay Jacobson sort of reminds of Dalton Nixon on the current BYU Basketball team. He isn’t the star, the starter or even the big playmaker. What he is though is a leader and team player. Jacobson never complained about his role never increasing throughout his career. He was a four year player and through those four years his role stayed about the same, the second/third best receiver. Despite this, he was a leader and a mentor for players who went on to become good BYU receivers like Ross Apo, Cody Hoffman and Marcus Matthews.
Statistics C-
Jacobson’s statistics aren’t great, but they are consistent which is a good for this ranking. Throughout his career as a receiver he caught for 1,836 yards and scored nine touchdowns on a 20.4 yards per catch average. He also did some damage in the return game averaging 18.6 yards on kickoff returns and 13.7 yards on punt returns, including a 77 yard touchdown return. Overall, his stats were limited due to touches, but when he did get the ball in his hands, it normally meant a big chunk of yards was going to be picked up.
Memorable Moments A+
Jacobson was part of two of the biggest moments in BYU history, but will be a shadow in both. The first was in 2006 when BYU was driving down the field against Utah late in the game. We all remember that it was Beck to Harline to win the game, but we forget that it was Beck to Jacobson with just over ten seconds left for 19 yards and a first down at the 11 yard line that set that play up.
The second moment was against Oklahoma in 2009. Fans remember the first touchdown by Andrew George, the broken collarbone of Sam Bradford and the missed 53 yard field goal attempt by Oklahoma near the end of the game, but it was Jacobson who caught the game winning touchdown with just over three minutes remaining.