Football: Broadway hangs in there– QB battles flu to help Cajuns win

Chad Washington, Daily Advertiser, November 8, 2013

Terrance Broadway already established himself as one of the leaders to this UL football team in the offseason. But on Thursday night, the junior quarterback showed senior-like qualities early in the Ragin’ Cajuns 41-36 win over Troy.

Despite having only 13 passing attempts, Broadway made plays and scored four touchdowns – two passing and two rushing – while putting up 248 all-purpose yards in the game. And he did that while battling flu-like symptoms.

“Terrance Broadway did not sleep last night. Not a wink,” UL head coach Mark Hudspeth said. “He stayed up all night sick; he had to take an IV this morning. How he finished the game and fought through it, I have no idea.”

Broadway did not show how ill he was in the first half, as he helped the Cajuns to put up 21 points in the first quarter. His first pass was a 23-yard strike to Jamal Robinson that set up a 38-yard touchdown run by Elijah McGuire.

Then on their next offensive possession, Broadway found McGuire downfield and got the ball to him, and McGuire sprinted all the way for a 60-yard touchdown to put UL up 21-6.

“I knew (Elijah) was going to be even with (a Troy defender), and I just trust him to make the play,” Broadway said.

In the second quarter, Broadway scored from 11 yards out and threw a 36-yard touchdown to running back Effrem Reed to give the Cajuns a 35-26 halftime lead. He then added a 2-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter to put UL up by 12.

The fast start by the offense was a key factor in the win, as Troy was able to chip away at the Cajuns’ big lead and had a chance to win the game in the fourth quarter. A defensive stop in the red zone with under three minutes left prevented the Trojans from getting the win.

Broadway, who threw for 185 yards and ran for 63 yards, wanted the offense to not have a slow start like it did last Saturday against New Mexico State, especially with how strong Troy’s pass-happy offense is.

“We just had to make sure we didn’t start slow like we did last week against these guys because they’re an explosive offensive team,” Broadway said.

But he also credits the defense for standing tall when the game was on the line against the Trojans, who are the top-ranked offense in the Sun Belt Conference entering the game.

“We only scored six points in the second half I think, so we had 35 points coming into halftime,” Broadway said. “For the defense to hold those guys, which is a very powerful offense, to help us out in the end, it was real big for us.”

As for playing through illness, Hudspeth reminded Broadway before the game of Michael Jordan’s efforts in the 1997 NBA Finals, leading the Chicago Bulls in a win while suffering from the flu. It wasn’t that dramatic of a performance, but Broadway found a way to perform well while not at 100 percent.

“I reminded him of that and how the great ones tend to find a way, and he certainly did that tonight,” Hudspeth said.

Broadway also credits his receiving corps of Robinson, Darryl Surgent and James Butler, who each had big plays in the game. Robinson’s catch set up a touchdown, Butler got open on a couple of key receptions to keep a drive going, and while he didn’t catch a pass, Surgent did return a punt 67 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter.

Broadway’s performance was definitely noticed by his teammates, who led by example and hope that he can continue to lead the Cajuns as they look towards their first-ever Sun Belt championship.

“He’s a soldier, he’s a leader,” Surgent said. “He gutted it out for his teammates. He knew he had to do what he had to do.”