As darkness fell on Kyle Field last spring, 265-pound fullback Ja’Mar Toombs secured the ball tightly in his massive right forearm, burst into the open field and squared his imposing shoulders while making a beeline to the end zone. Toombs’ uniform featured the letters "Texas A&M" on his chest, but the rumblings suggested the passing of Amtrak.

Destination: goal line. Speed: breakneck. Itinerary: non-stop.

Or so it seemed. Before Toombs could deposit his pigskin passenger in the end zone, he was derailed and de-cleated by a high-speed collision that seemed to defy logic. The force of the violent impact sent echoes reverberating throughout the metal bleachers of the mostly empty stadium.

Offensive players, who were preparing to celebrate Toombs’ TD in the full-contact scrimmage, were suddenly stunned by the vision of the powerful fullback being stood up and dropped on his backside. His forward momentum and full head of steam had been completely halted at the moment of impact.

Defensive players whooped and hollered at the jarring nature of the hit. Had it been a game — and not just a spring scrimmage — ESPN may have led SportsCenter with it and CNN/SI may have designated it the play of the day.

The impact was that vicious, the impression that memorable. And what made it all the more remarkable was that it was not instigated by a lineman, linebacker or even a strong safety. It was delivered by the smallest defensive starter on the team, cornerback Jason Webster.

At 5-foot-9 and 178 pounds, Webster didn’t try to jump on Toombs’ back, didn’t attempt to slide at his feet and didn’t hesitate for an instance. Pad-on-pad and man-to-man, Webster drilled Toombs, with the force knocking both players off their feet.

"There’s no one on our team who is ever going to question Jason’s toughness," A&M head coach R.C. Slocum said. "He is such a competitor."

"He’s a bulldog out there," A&M defensive backs coach Ron Milus said of Webster. "He throws his body around like he’s a 200-pounder or more. He’s a fearless kid. Absolutely fearless."

Even more now than ever before. Webster, who already was recognized as one of the best coverage cornerbacks in the Big 12, is now viewed as one of the team’s best — and most ferocious — tacklers.

That’s a reputation Webster enjoys and has worked hard to attain. But more than anything else, he credits his improved tackling and more aggressive field demeanor to a book he has spent much more time studying since just prior to the start of spring practice.

It’s not a "How To" publication written by Bears like Dick Butkus or Raiders like Jack Tatum, but rather, by saints like Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Webster, along with teammate and close friend Cornelius Anthony, rededicated his life to Christ last February. He has been hungry for the word of God ever since. And while he applies the scriptures to his daily walk, the soft-spoken Webster makes it perfectly clear that the Bible is also applicable to stopping the run.

"I received Christ at a very young age, at around 6 or 7 years old," says the soft-spoken Webster. "I didn’t have the full understanding of what I had done, but as a freshman here at A&M I became closer to the Lord. Then I really, really began to focus on the Lord around last February. I got re-baptized in July, I’ve just been reading the Bible and truly understanding it, as opposed to just reading it to read.

"The Lord doesn’t give us the spirit of fear, but (rather) the spirit of power and a sound mind. I knew before then, but a lot of stuff was reiterated before last spring when I rededicated my life to Christ. I just took that approach to the football field. That helped my tackling. I have no fear to tackle anybody, regardless of size or situation, because I know that greater is he who is in me than he who is in the world."

Webster’s faith is having as much of an impact on his teammates as his tackling. He is the leader of the team’s growing Bible study (which averages about 22 players per meeting) and was honored last spring by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes as the Brazos County athlete of the year.

A second-team All-Big 12 selection last year and a preseason first-teamer this year, Webster says the FCA award is more meaningful than any trophy or all-star recognition he has ever received.

"That is the highest award and biggest honor to me," Webster said. "I felt worthy. I know I’m far from perfect, but when I received the award, it opened my eyes to a lot of things. It actually made me realize I wasn’t doing as much as I could, and it motivated me to do more."

In reality, Webster, 22, always has been motivated to do a little more, go a little farther or do things a little faster than the next guy. Always.

According to his mother, Esther, Webster began walking at about seven months old — a full five months before many infants. To prevent damage to his legs and to strengthen his hips, doctors instructed Esther to double-diaper Webster as he toddled around the house.

That may have something to do with his leg strength and tremendous speed. And his toughness can be traced back to that same period of time.

"He was a little over seven months old, and he was motoring around with his bottle in his mouth," said his mother, a nurse in the Houston area and a former track star at Texas Southern University. "His knees just buckled… and he nearly bit his tongue off. It was horrible, but fortunately he was young enough that everything healed fine."

Fortunately, indeed. While Webster has never been talker, his words have often been as inspirational to others as his actions. When an aunt was extremely ill with cancer and losing hope as quickly as weight, it was the calming words and Christian faith of Webster, then a seventh grader, who helped her battle the disease and gain the inner strength necessary to overcome it.

"She still uses that example of Jason as a part of her testimony," Esther Webster said of her sister-in-law. "He’s been a real inspiration to the family."

Sometimes, he’s been the glue of the family, says Webster’s uncle, Michael Foster. A former Marine, Foster served as Webster’s pastor during much of his childhood and adolescence.

Foster says the young Webster was a valuable member of the church’s congregation. But to his family, he was simply invaluable.

"Jason grew up under my ministry, and I was always impressed with his maturity and his ability to apply the teachings," Foster said. "In fact, he’s really been a strength to his own family. When his mother and father were going through difficult times, it was Jason who really held things together.

"Personally, I am so very proud of him. I have five sons myself and five brothers and sisters who have children. My prayer and my sincere hope is that Jason will continue to be a great influence on his cousins. I see that as something the Lord is doing for our family; working through Jason to bring our family closer together and, more importantly, closer to the Lord."

Webster, the youngest of three children, is as complimentary of his family members as they are of him. He praises the ministry work of his uncle. He credits his mother and father, Riley, for instilling a Christian value system in him. And along with his faith, his athletic genes can be credited to his parents.

Webster has developed All-America-type skills at cornerback, but his speed is primarily a gift that coaches first noticed as a result of his mother’s past accomplishments.

While attending Webster’s Little League baseball game, Esther was approached by one of her former track coaches at Texas Southern. The coach asked if she had a son on the team, and because of her background, encouraged her to bring him out for a new youth track program he was starting.

Esther Webster obliged, and her son’s athletic career literally took off in the fast lane.

"I took him out to that first track practice for an organization called ‘Wings,’" Esther said. "I remember very vividly that they timed him in the 100 meters, and her ran a 14-flat as a 7-year-old. That’s pretty impressive, but it’s even more impressive considering that he stopped in the middle of it. He wasn’t sure how far to run, so when he stopped, I hollered, ‘Run to the man, Jay.’ He was a natural."

From those beginnings, Webster developed into a youth track star, earning local, regional and national recognition for his sprinter’s speed. And by the time he finished his sensational high school career at Sugar Land Willowridge, Webster was a two-sport All-America.

And more importantly to his mother, Webster finished in the top 10 percent of his graduating class and was cited for his model behavior.

"The same desire, dedication and discipline that everybody could see on the football field was also evident in his schoolwork," Esther said. "I remember that he made a C at some point, and it absolutely devastated him. He came back with a resolve to not let that happen again and became an A and B student.

"I’m his mother, and I know mothers are proud of their children in almost all circumstances. But I am so proud of the young man he has become. I believe that life is choice-driven, and he has really made good choices most of the time. He has been such a blessing to us."

To Texas A&M, as well. When Webster arrived in College Station in the summer of 1996, the Aggies were ranked high nationally and preparing for the season-opener against an unranked Brigham Young team.

That day — August 24, 1996 — turned out to be one of the darkest moments in the recent history of the Wrecking Crew. And it was particularly gloomy for an A&M secondary that surrendered a school-record 536 passing yards in the 41-37 loss.

That set the tone for a season of agony for the Aggies, especially in the secondary. The 6-6 season concluded with another disaster, a 51-15 loss to Texas in which James Brown passed for 336 yards and four scores.

Webster, who made the traveling team as a true freshman, is one of three senior survivors of that season and that trip to Provo, Utah. Along with cornerback Sedrick Curry and free safety Brandon Jennings, Webster is now part of a secondary that may be the strength of the A&M defense.

Rest assured, the secondary has come light years since 1996. And if the Aggies are going to contend for a second consecutive Big 12 title and a shot at the national title, much of the burden will fall on a veteran-laden defensive backfield.

"I think we’ve come a long way since (1996)," Webster said of the A&M secondary. "The guys that played before me, they were good. Real good. But we started rebuilding and started playing as we were coached instead of worrying about making mistakes. I think that’s the biggest difference between then and now.

"It’s very exciting to see how far we’ve come as a unit and as a team. We have a chance to do something very special this year, and I’m going to prepare accordingly. I know that as good as last year was, the past doesn’t guarantee the future. As seniors, we’re going to have to work hard and lead by example."

Nobody does a better job of that than Jason Webster. Behind his laid-back and soft-spoken exterior exists a remarkably funny and dry sense of humor. His mother, in fact, says that if Webster had not earned a collegiate scholarship, she would have encouraged him to pursue a career as a stand-up comedian.

That, however, is a side of Webster that many people have never seen. And for the most part, Webster is far more comfortable keeping his mouth shut and letting his actions speak for themselves.

"He’s more of a quiet leader," Milus said of Webster, who began the 1999 season with nine tackles and an interception against Louisiana Tech. "He’s always trying to get better and always trying to learn more. The way he goes about the game will really help the young guys like Sean Weston and Sammy Davis. And he’s more than willing to help those guys get better. I just hope they continue to follow his role and pay attention to how he goes about his business."

Slocum hopes his players also pay special attention to how Webster conducts himself off the field.

"Jason is as fine a young man as you can know," Slocum said. "He’s a joy to be around and a joy to coach. I told an NFL scout, who asked me about his character, that you can take all the good guys you have on your team, and Jason would be every bit as good as the best of the best."

That’s what Webster demands of himself — to be the best he can be in every situation. On the field, Webster says he sets a personal goal of shutting down every receiver he faces on every play. He also wants to return every punt for a touchdown.

While those are goals, Webster quickly acknowledges that there is no possible way he can achieve those objectives on every play for an entire season.

"Most of the time, my goal is to completely shut down that receiver I’m lined up against," Webster said. "But I know there are going to be catches in front of me. If I have a bad play or even a good play, I try to put the last play behind me immediately and look forward to the next play.

"I think the real measure of a man is how he handles adversity and failure. Only one perfect man ever walked the earth. The rest of us make mistakes, bad decisions and just fail. But how you respond to adversity often gives you more of a chance to be a positive influence on others. I want to be an example to others and to show Christ in me in good times and bad. I want to be consistent."