LSU senior wide receiver R.J. Jackson might have surprised Tiger fans and the Vanderbilt defense with his big game Saturday — but not his teammates.After former LSU wide receiver Demetrius Byrd went to the NFL following his senior season, the third wide receiver spot behind senior Brandon LaFell and junior Terrance Toliver became open. Jackson and senior wide receiver Chris Mitchell have been battling since the spring for the slot receiver position.Jackson caught six passes for 55 yards against the Commodores after compiling only one reception for -1 yards in his previous three seasons.But senior tight end Richard Dickson said Jackson is reliable, fast and can make a lot of plays at the slot position.”He’s just as good as you can need at the receiver position, and he could definitely come into that role,” Dickson said.Jackson’s career-best performance Saturday included a 30-yard reception, which set up junior kicker Josh Jasper’s 22-yard field goal at the end of the first half to give the Tigers a 13-7 halftime lead. It was the game’s longest play from scrimmage.”Like coach [Gary Crowton] said, just be ready when your number is called,” Jackson said. “Thank God that my number was called that night, and I actually stepped up to the plate.”The fifth-year senior from Houston was recruited by LSU as a running back and was listed as the No. 10 tailback in the country by ESPN’s Scouts Inc., in 2004. But Jackson moved to wide receiver after being redshirted his freshman year and playing sparingly in his second year.Senior running back Charles Scott said Jackson was a great running back, but coaches decided to move Jackson to wide receiver when Scott, senior Keiland Williams and junior Richard Murphy joined the running back crew.”When they moved him, you never heard him complain,” Scott said. “All he did was work hard and try to be the best player, and it’s showing now.”Jackson played primarily on special teams before his breakout game in Saturday’s Southeastern Conference home opener.Sophomore quarterback Jordan Jefferson said Vanderbilt was covering the deeper patterns, and he was forced to make his check-offs and throw the ball short to receivers like Jackson.”Vanderbilt just kept leaving it open, so I just fed the receivers the ball and they made yards after the catch with it,” Jefferson said. “If teams keep dropping back in coverage like that, we’re going to keep feeding the short routes.”Jackson said he and Mitchell know the slot receivers might have more opportunities to make plays for the team.”All eyes are going to be on Brandon and Terrance, so we have to step up and make sure we’re playing a good game to make sure we’re in the right spots to take some of the pressure off those guys,” Jackson said.Jackson said the most important thing about last game’s performance will be proving he can do it every game.”What you want to do is be consistent as a receiver,” Jackson said. “I have to go back to practice with that same mentality like last week didn’t happen and keep working hard.”Jackson said his running back background helps him be a better receiver on a team full of physical receivers who are willing to block on the perimeter and take on extra tacklers.”You see a lot of receivers running out of bounds, but one thing our receivers as a group pride ourselves on is being tough,” Jackson said. “Once you catch the ball, you’re a runner.”—-Contact Jarred LeBlanc at [email protected]