Who is Jerry Babb? . In the world of college football in Louisiana, UL might be dead last on the food chain at the moment. None of the bayou teams will ever be as big as LSU, but the Ragin' Cajuns are hoping to at least get better after losing 34-3 to Louisiana Tech and 45-42 to UL Monroe (the Indians' only win) last year. With quarterback Jerry Babb, ULL has a potential star to build around.
Head coach Rickey Bustle and his staff put Babb out there from day one, and things didn't work out so well as the redshirt freshman generated a total of three points in the first two games. In the third game against Houston, Babb completed a mere 5 of 22 passes for 57 yards. With things not going well, Eric Rekieta came in and got the offense moving proving to be more effective even though the team wasn't winning.
With an 0-7 record, Babb ended up getting back into the mix halfway through the New Mexico State game and led the Ragin' Cajuns to a 26-24 win with a touchdown pass and two rushing scores. The team went on a bit of a team with four wins in the final five games of the season with Babb playing like a seasoned veteran.
Coming into 2004, it'll be Babb's job to make UL Lafayette a relevant football team and needs to keep the momentum going. He has the raw skills, and now he might grow into a great mid-major quarterback.
"Jerry is a very athletic quarterback that finds ways to win, said head coach Rickey Bustle. "He's young, but learning at an accelerated pace."
Babb's best game so far was . in the season finale against MTSU. After leading ULL into overtime on a two-yard touchdown pass to Bill Sampy with :26 to play, Babb's touchdown run in the third overtime turned out to be the winning points in a thrilling 57-51 win. Babb completed 37 of 56 passes for 435 yards and four touchdowns with an interception. He also ran for 39 yards and a score.
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Practice photo of #15 Jerry Babb and #6 Eric Rekieta