Japan Bowl : Jackson’s 3 Touchdowns Help East Win, 31-14

Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson scored three touchdowns, including one on a 57-yard run to clinch the victory in the fourth quarter, as the East defeated the West, 31-14, today in the Japan Bowl all-star football game.

Jackson, of Auburn, also scored on a 69-yard pass play from Illinois’ Jack Trudeau and on a one-yard plunge, and LSU quarterback Jeff Wickersham connected with All-American David Williams of Illinois on a 58-yard touchdown pass play for the East.

Jackson was named the most valuable player in the game, which was played before about 30,000 spectators at Yokohama Stadium. He rushed 18 times for 171 yards, setting a Japan Bowl record. The previous record was 85 yards.

Lineman Mike Hammerstein of Michigan was named the game’s outstanding defensive player.

The East’s victory was only its third in 11 Japan Bowls. The West had won six straight.

The East led, 10-0, at halftime on the Trudeau-to-Jackson pass and a 20-yard field goal by Chris White of Illinois.

The West drove 82 yards in 12 plays and scored on a seven-yard pass from Chuck Long to Iowa teammate Bill Happel, narrowing the gap to 10-7 midway through the third quarter.

The East bounced right back with a 10-play, 80-yard drive, capped by Jackson’s one-yard plunge.

But then Dwight Garner of California ran the kickoff back 70 yards to the East 16, and a pass interference penalty put the ball on the East two-yard line. Two plays later, Tom Rathman of Nebraska scored from a yard away, and the West trailed, 17-14.

Wickersham’s scoring bomb to Williams came on the next drive, and after the West was stopped at the East 38 on its next possession, Jackson broke loose on his 57-yard run.

Jackson’s three touchdowns are the most ever scored by one player in a Japan Bowl.