The 2022 Breckenridge football team was one of the school's best since the turn of the century. That Buckaroos squad finished with an 8-3 record, the second most wins in a season since the 2010 squad went 9-3. Only two other times since 2000 has Breckenridge posted at least eight wins.

The Buckaroos enjoyed rare gridiron success in 2022 behind the rushing attack of Anson Rodgers and Jerry Lawson. Rodgers was listed at 5-10 185 pounds, a standard measurement for a Class 3A running back. On the other hand, Lawson was anything but ordinary size for a running back. Yet, the 6-2, 245-pound senior averaged 6.9 yards per carry and scored nine touchdowns on offense while also playing defensive end, where he was second on the team with 12 tackles for-loss despite minimal playing time.

“Everywhere I’ve coached, we’ve always projected young men into which position we believe they’ll play when they arrive,” Abilene Christian head coach Keith Patterson said. “We look at high school running backs and try to project them into a different position if they’re not a Division I level running back.”

Lawson was outside the category of a future NCAA Division I running back. He held precisely one offer to play college football and was not projected to play running back. That offer was from Abilene Christian.

“When I saw Jerry’s tape, he was a big, old bowling ball of butcher knives at running back. They told me he was listed at 6-2, 230 pounds or so, and I thought he’d make a great outside linebacker the first year and expected him to maybe grow into becoming a defensive end,” Patterson said. “Somewhere between the day he graduated and when he arrived in Abilene, he put on some weight and came in weighing 280-285 pounds. I’ve never seen someone go from a running back to a three-technique so fast.”

Lawson suddenly found himself playing defensive tackle, appearing in 11 games with seven starts as a true freshman.

“It doesn’t matter what size school you go to and all that. Whenever you get your shot, you have to take advantage and do the most with it,” Lawson said. “The coaches believed in me, so when it was my moment to do my thing, I had to show them a reason to keep believing in me and do my job.”

One side effect of Lawson gaining so much weight so quickly was the need for his body to adjust to his new size. He also needed to learn the intricacies of a position he’d never played until he arrived at ACU. Lawson spent the offseason learning from Nick Holt, who serves as associate head coach, co-defensive coordinator, and defensive line coach.

“We really just threw him into the defensive line, and when you watch tape of him from last season, you see that he didn’t really know what he was doing outside of playing hard on every play,” Patterson said. “He had no idea how to play behind his pads or use his hands, but Holt and Jerry did a tremendous job of developing and working during the offseason. Now, he creates havoc inside and commands a lot of attention.”

The work paid off as Lawson leads the Wildcats with 13 tackles for-loss and 5.5 sacks this season.

“I never thought I’d get to 295 pounds, but I feel smooth with (the added weight) now,” Lawson said. “At first, I was having some pain, but I’m moving better and feel good where I’m at.”

Lawson has been a force on an ACU defense that posted its first shutout since 2021 during a 24-0 victory over Northern Arizona in the first round of the FCS playoffs. The sophomore defensive tackle wasted little time showcasing his skills, quickly diagnosing a running back screen to force a punt on the Lumberjacks' opening drive.

“He showed his athleticism and speed on that critical third-down play,” Patterson said. “They ran a running back screen, and Jerry was all over it. He had a heck of a read. Jerry is moving more efficiently this season.”

Despite a dominating performance where the Wildcats held the NAU offense to 219 fewer total yards, 163 fewer rushing yards, and 30 points below their averages entering the contest, Patterson and Lawson believe the defense still has room to improve.

“We get off the field 64 percent of the time on third down, and we’ve been good in the red zone this year,” Patterson said. “We’re trending up on that side of the football and playing more cohesive defense.”

“We certainly haven’t played our best football yet,” Lawson said. “We have more games ahead of us to show what we can do.”

ACU’s next opponent is perennial FCS power North Dakota State, which has won nine national championships since 2011. The Bison earned the No. 2 seed in the playoffs and will host the Wildcats inside the Fargodome at 2 p.m. Saturday on ESPN+.

The Wildcats enter as 24-point underdogs, according to multiple sports books. However, the reigning United Athletic Conference champions are used to being underrated after being voted to finish sixth in the conference preseason poll and fifth in Dave Campbell’s Texas Football summer magazine.

“A lot of people feel sorry for themselves when they’re disrespected, but we take it and turn it into a positive,” Patterson said. “We won the conference but were the No. 15 seed behind a team we beat a few weeks earlier. It’s up to us to prove we should’ve been seeded higher. We have to play the 17-time national champion in Fargo, North Dakota, as a 24-point underdog. We see that as an incredible opportunity to showcase to people how good we are this year.”

Considering Lawson’s credentials as a running back, should NDSU plan for a potential appearance by the 295-pound defensive tackle in short-yardage situations? It depends on who you ask.

“I’m always telling Coach (Pat) Brown, the running backs coach, to let me tote the rock, and I’ll punch it in every time,” Lawson said.

“Earlier this year, (offensive coordinator Rick) Bowie was talking about putting in a jumbo package, and Jerry was telling us he’d score every time,” Patterson recalled. “We teased him and said he would fumble the ball.”