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In a sport where starters receive all the glory and fame, while backups invest hours at their craft hoping to earn one opportunity to prove themselves, competition is fierce.
But, at the University of Louisiana, two dynamic quarterbacks have found a way to not only coexist, but flourish as leaders of the Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns’ football team.
“Ya know, we’re really best friends,” said a smiling Jerry Babb, starting quarterback for the Cajuns, about backup Michael Desormeaux.
“It’s funny,” said Desormeaux, “Jerry (Babb) got an opportunity to go up to the Manning Passing Camp this summer, and he told me that so many quarterbacks don’t get along with their backups. We’re definitely the opposite.”
Last season, the duo combined for a total of 2,343 yards of the Cajuns’ total 4,253, Babb picking up most of them with 859 passing and 400 running. After Babb suffered an injury in game four, Desormeaux captained the team to a 2-1 record, showing flashes of his brilliance on the ground by rushing for 487 yards and three touchdowns as well as in the air with 597.
<center><p><a href="http://vermilion.louisiana.edu/issues/20060823/News001.shtml" target="_blank">The rest of the story</a>
The Vermilion
Author: Grant Alexander
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“You spend the most time with your backup quarterback and over the past two years, we’ve helped each other a lot, both on and off the field,” said Babb. “We’ve been in situations where if one of us needed to talk to someone we were there and we’ve built a pretty good relationship.”
Desormeaux said that relationship began from day one, when Babb extended the olive branch of peace and took Desormeaux under his wing.
“There was never any animosity between us,” said Desormeaux. “He approached it the way you should. We’re both quarterbacks in competition and whoever is better will end up playing.”
After being thrust into the lineup last season, Desormeaux outperformed expectations and gave the Cajuns an added dimension and sense of security.
“I think when you go out and win a game with your backup, you feel like you have a chance to win every game,” said offensive coordinator Rob Christophel. “Obviously Jerry (Babb) has garnered a lot of respect from the league with all his preseason accolades and so has Mike (Desormeaux). I think teams know that when they play us they have to game plan for both of those guys.”
Desormeaux said he has learned a great deal from Babb.
“He’s taught me how to adjust to the college game,” said Desormeaux. “When things go wrong, you have to learn to just let it go and move on. The cool thing is that he went through everything I went through. It was nice that he could help me work through all that.
“Even when I was playing I’d come to the sideline and be like ‘Jerry, what do you see out there.’”
The junior sophomore sensation said he also may have left his mark on Babb.
“I don’t know if I’ve taught him a whole lot,” said Desormeaux, “maybe how to have fun at the meetings. He’s a kinda serious guy, but we have a good time in those meetings.”
Both quarterbacks spoke highly of one another, reluctant to find a weakness in their counterpart.
“As far as a weakness, it’s hard to find one,” said Desormeaux. “He’s incredibly smart as a football player. He works hard on the mental aspect of the game. He studies film and defenses. He knows when to run and makes extremely good decisions. His passing numbers speak for themselves.”
Babb echoed Desormeaux’s sentiments.
“He can make plays,” said Babb. “He’s not the type of guy who’s going to sit in the pocket and wait, and wait, for a receiver to get open. That’s what you need when stuff doesn’t go your way; you need a guy like that who can make those plays.”
Babb said that last season’s injury, and Desormeaux’s subsequent insertion into the lineup, helped him gain a different view of the position. Babb was able to tell Desormeaux to look for certain coverage’s and point out things he may have missed.
“For a quarterback, you gain a different perspective playing and then watching,” explained Babb. “We’ve both had the experience of being on the field and being under pressure and we’ve really been able to help each other because the other person has a different perspective from the sidelines; you’re not under pressure, trying to avoid tackles; so, it helps us read the things that we really couldn’t.”
Desormeaux said the pair’s similar personalities help them bond off the field, making their relationship stronger.
“We hang out on the weekends,” said Desormeaux. “We just do things like watch TV, play golf and maybe water ski, just to kinda get away from things a little bit.”
Babb said their leadership and athletic ability make them virtually the same guy in the huddle. They can both throw the ball down field well and can make plays with their legs. He did admit one thing though.
“He’s little faster than I am,” Babb said begrudgingly. “As a quarterback, it’s a given that you are going to be in a leadership role. Sometimes that means pulling guys off to the side and other times it means just letting the team go and letting certain situations correct themselves.”
Although the duo is in direct competition, Desormeaux said he knows he is still Babb’s backup.
“I think he’s the best quarterback in our league,” doted Desormeaux. “I’d put him up against anybody.”
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