Football: Cajun QB duo does job – Terrance Broadway and Jalen Nixon

Nick Fontenot, Daily Advertiser, Dec. 22, 2013

NEW ORLEANS — The question was answered on the first play from scrimmage.

Terrance Broadway, the quarterback who started all eight of UL’s victories this season, started under center in the New Orleans Bowl just three weeks after suffering a broken arm against UL Monroe.

“I was a little out of shape,” Broadway said. “I got cleared on Monday. I knew coach Hud wasn’t going to hold me back.”

Broadway’s game had a little of everything. He was 12-of-19 for 143 yards passing; he ran the ball 14 times for 54 yards.

He threw two interceptions, including an ill-advised pass in the fourth quarter that set Tulane up inside the red zone. He cramped up on his final carry of the game.

“We knew Terrance wasn’t 100 percent,” Hudspeth said, “It showed. He was struggling a bit throwing the ball, but we still thought he gave us the best chance to be successful.

“He made some plays, but we couldn’t execute a lot the plays we would have liked to on offense.”

With his play somewhat sporadic, Cajuns coach Mark Hudspeth stuck with the 2012 New Orleans Bowl MVP for the majority of the game.

Freshman Jalen Nixon, who was rumored to start for most of the day, played just one snap in the first quarter. Nixon, however, was called on in a big way after Broadway was down.

“I think the MVP of the game is Jalen Nixon,” Hudspeth said. “Taking our team on that drive and moving the ball out when we were backed up.”

Nixon said his day was “a little shaky,” but said he was ready when his number was called.

“Only thing that was going through my mind was to make good plays to get my team in position to win,” Nixon said. “Anything I could do to help the team was good with me. I’m glad it happened the way it happened.”

Nixon’s drive didn’t result in points, but Hudspeth called it “the most important drive of the season.

Beginning on the Cajuns’ 9-yard line, Nixon was 2-of-2 on the drive including an 11-yard pass on third-and-10 to Jamal Robinson to extend the drive. He rushed for 17 yards and moved the Cajuns to the Tulane 49.

“He had some great scrambles and extended that drive,” Hudspeth said. “He enabled us to punt it and down it inside the five-yard line.”

After Tulane kicker Cairo Santos missed a potential game tying field goal, the game ended with Broadway kneeling and raising his rams in victory.

For Nixon, he said he wouldn’t have had it any other way.

“There is no feeling like this,” he said. “It is the most exciting feeling in the world. We’re bringing this trophy back to Lafayette.”