His time is coming.

Ruben Jackson’s playing time has steadily increased as Oregon State’s football season has progressed, and the junior transfer from City College of San Francisco believes its just a matter of time before the kind of big plays he made against UCLA this past Saturday become commonplace.

The speedy, shifty wide receiver had a 24-yard run on a reverse in the 51-28 loss to the Bruins at the Rose Bowl, demonstrating that when Jackson gets the ball in space, good things can happen and major yardage can be gained.

“I think I can make big plays, I just need a chance,” said the 5-foot-11, 185-pounder, who appeared in a season-high 20 plays at UCLA. “Josh Hawkins, Mike Hass and Anthony Wheat-Brown are great receivers and they need the ball, especially Mike and Josh because they’re seniors.

“So if I don’t get it that much this year, I’ve always got next year. I’ve never lost my confidence, it’s just getting opportunities. So when I have another opportunity to make a big play, I know I’m going to make it.”

All signs indicate the 2004 junior college All-American will have his number called more and more in OSU’s final four games as he becomes more familiar with, and more polished in, a new offensive system.

“I think he’s very fast,” coach Mike Riley said, alluding to Jackson’s blazing 4.4 speed in the 40-yard dash. “He’s making plays in practice, catching the ball. And he can fly. He can really run.

Junior college players need all the work they can get in fall camp and Jackson’s reps were limited somewhat by a minor shoulder injury.

“That was a major factor for sure,” Riley said. “As you can tell, he has some talent. We’ll keep him going as the season goes.”

It’s not unusual for junior college receivers, especially one who missed spring practice, as Jackson did after signing well after the traditional February date, to struggle as they adjust to new surroundings.

Greg Ainsworth (49 catches as a junior, 58 as a senior), James Battle (6-31) and T.J. Houshmandzadeh (24-48), OSU’s top recent two-year JC transfer receivers, all were substantially better their second year than their first.

It’s much the same with Jackson, who chose OSU over California and Arizona after catching 76 passes for a record 1,493 yards at tradition-rich CCSF in 2004.

“I knew it would be a lot tougher, especially not being here for spring ball,” Jackson said. “I didn’t know the plays, and I knew I wouldn’t be as strong as the other players,” who went through the winter and summer weight-training and conditioning programs, and who developed a connection with quarterback Matt Moore by working out with him all summer.

“That’s very important, because the quarterback knows their speed, and they have good timing, When I got here, (Moore) didn’t know my speed and was underthrowing me or overthrowing me. It makes a big difference.

“But I’m here now, and I’m learning the plays.”

Moore’s been impressed with what he’s seen in the three months they’ve been teammates.

“Ruben has a lot of stuff to him,” Moore said. “He’s fast. He has great hands. He’s athletic and can run with anybody.”

Coaches at Arizona and California had similar ideas and they also recruited Jackson hard. The Bears had the inside track early; several of his CCSF teammates, including quarterback Joe Ayoob, committed there, but ultimately Jackson ended up in Corvallis and got the last laugh when the Beavers beat the Bears 23-20 at Berkeley on Oct. 15.

“It was kind of hard (deciding) because everyone from CCSF went to Cal and it would have been like the same team” Jackson said. “I would have gotten a lot more balls thrown to me.

“But I think I made made the right decision coming here.”

CCSF is a perennial national junior-college power; 37 players have signed Division I-A scholarships in the past two years. For example, former Beavers Terrance Bryant, Bennie Johnson, Paul Davidian, Lawrence Turner and Marcel Love played there, as did current Beavers Kevin Swanigan, James Otuhiva and Eldorian McCullough.

The Rams expect excellence, and invariably deliver.

“When I first set foot on San Francisco grounds, coach (George) Rush told me that I was not going to have a starting spot,” Jackson said. “He said, ‘You have to work for it, and there’s a lot of talented players here.’

“So (offensive coordinator) Dan Hayes and (receivers coach) Jake Drohan worked with me, they kept their eyes and hands on me, pressuring me to make big plays.

“And that’s what I did.”

The Beavers are confident history will repeat itself.

“He’s been working his way into the offense and he’s a good player,” Moore said. “I’d like to get the ball to him more. Coach Riley wants to.

“He can definitely spark the offense.”