Football: Davis exhilarated to get ‘live action’ versus Troy

Bobby Ardoin, The Advertiser, December 5, 2015

 

UL Ragin’ Cajuns quarterback Jordan Davis (10) rolls out to attempt a pass during the first half of an NCAA football game against the Troy Trojans at Cajun Field in Lafayette, La., Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015.(Photo: Paul Kieu, The Advertiser)

 

Jordan Davis sampled his first extensive taste of college football game action Saturday night and he flavored the experience with a mixture of what he labeled as fun and excitement.

Davis, a UL redshirt freshman quarterback, entered the game with the Cajuns trailing 17-0 late in the first quarter and played nearly all of the remaining minutes of a 41-17 season-ending loss to Troy before a chilly crowd of 22,264.

Although there was no apparent script for how much the UL coaches intended Davis to play, the quarterback from Spring, Texas, played nearly a whole game, threw for 207 yards, a touchdown and 20 completions.

Davis admitted he made some mistakes and had some impressive moments, but most of all, he said after the game, it was an exhilarating feeling to quarterback the Cajuns’ No. 1 offensive unit and move the team while playing from behind.

“I was just excited to get some live action. I was having fun and I learned a lot. I felt I was real fortunate to get the opportunity to play tonight,” said Davis, who also ran 17 times for 49 yards.

Davis relieved UL starter Brooks Haack, who played most of the first period, but was pulled after he completed two-of-four passes for no yards and an interception.

UL head football coach Mark Hudspeth indicated earlier in the week that although Davis wouldn’t start, he planned to play him more than he had the previous week against Appalachian State.

Davis said there was no plan for how long the coaches intended for him to remain on the field.

“Coach told me earlier in the week to prepare like I was going to be the starter and I’ve done that all year, learning the offense, learning the defense..

“He told me (on Saturday) to just go out and play ball and see where we go from there. I played that first series and I just kept going from there. I wasn’t expecting to play as much as I did,” Davis said.

Davis guided the Cajuns into the end zone with 13 minutes left in the second quarter when UL scored its first touchdown on an 18-yard Elijah McGuire run. Then 35 minutes later, the Cajuns closed to 24-10 on a 35-yard Carlos Alvarez field goal under Davis’ direction.

UL got within seven (24-17) on a seven-yard Davis touchdown pass to McGuire with 10:51 left in the third to cut the Troy lead to seven.

Then problems for Davis occurred when he fumbled at and Troy recovered at the UL 35 with 6:30 left in the third period. The Trojans used the turnover to push across another TD.

On the next series, Davis failed to handle a wobbly snap from the pistol formation and Troy’s Demetrius Cain returned that for the game’s final score.

“I had some errors and things didn’t turn out like I wanted them to turn out, but overall it was fun. I wish I had some stuff back, like when you have a turnover for a pick six. I wish I could have that back.

“At the time, we were down by seven and kind of driving,” said Davis.

Davis said the experience against Troy has only made him eager for the future.

“I’m just excited about what’s going on, about the offseason and next year. I had this experience once before, back in high school, where I was the third guy and I don’t want that to happen again. I want to be on top,” said Davis.

Hudspeth said Davis, who had two previous game appearances this year, displayed some promising attributes.

“I thought he was very accurate, going 20-for-34 and I thought he ran the ball well, too. I thought he showed a lot of promise.

“It was a good game to get his feet wet, and he showed that he can be a really good quarterback,” said Hudspeth.

Hudspeth wouldn’t speculate too deeply when asked after the game if the coaches should have played Davis sooner.

“We were at a point where we were climbing back into the (Sun Belt Conference) race and (Haack) was playing pretty good.

“It’s one of those decisions where you say maybe we should have done it earlier. That goes back to coaching. Was that the right decision? It may or may not have been . We’ll never know,” Hudspeth said.