Jacob Charest Says all the Right Things

If Jacob Charest is going to continue to get this many snaps in football games, then he can also expect to be fielding questions from the media after practice. Number 12 walked over towards the tunnel after practice ended Monday night and and was greeted by a wall of reporters. After being congratulated by a few people on Saturday's win, Charest smiled and asked us all how his hair looked. And that's the type of charisma you want in a starting quarterback... especially one who is being thrown into the action before anyone thought he would see the field. Coming into the year, most expected Juice to carry the load and the rest to fall on back-up Eddie McGee, but in the game of football, things can change quickly.

When asked how this week was different from other weeks, Charest responded that it really wasn't much different. The amount of plays in his package has obviously gone up, but the flow of practice seemed the same. Four weeks ago, Charest wasn't getting on the field and things were heading downhill for the whole team... times were slow for a third stringer. "It feels like time has fast forwarded two years (since then). It doesn't even feel like it was this year that I wasn't getting reps... It all happened so fast. It's almost like I've been doing it all year." But he hasn't been doing it all year. And he didn't get to do it last year either. This Saturday Charest is facing a start for the first time in his college career.

So how has life changed since the playing time has gone up? "Sometimes it's kind of awkward because people will just look at me, and I'm like are you going to say 'hey' or what? I'm a friendly guy (laughing)." But not only are people starting to recognize him around campus, people are starting to talk about him around the conference. Is this new found spotlight encouraging Jacob to focus harder? It seems so. "I used to come in most days to watch film, now I go everyday. Even on Sundays I come in to get a head start, learn as much about the defense as possible."

Going into the game, Jacob thought he would be inserted into the offense... not thrown. One would expect that there would be some nervous build up, but sometimes a single play can calm your nerves. "The first corner I threw to Jeff (Cumberland), he didn't catch it... but I was like, alright, I got it in there. At least I know I can get the ball where it needs to be." It's important that the freshman signal caller doesn't put too much on his plate, and he realizes this. "I just need to get the ball in the hands of our play makers." And he showed that maturity in one third and long play where instead of running and being tackled probably short of the line, Charest pulled up at the last second and tossed a crucial first down pass. In live action, some were worried that Charest had crossed the line of scrimmage... and the thought entered his head as well. "Right after I threw it, I looked back and sighed... Are they going to call it? I was looking for flags."

If this weekend does mark the first start of his career, he won't have to face it alone. "My family is coming over with my brother. They came for the Michigan game, but I didn't get in. They were definitely happy we won, but a little bummed that they didn't get to see me." And when I say face it, I mean what some refer to as the Freshman Blitz... If you go up against an inexperienced play caller, just blitz, blitz, and blitz. See if he self-destructs. Minnesota tried, but wasn't successful in shaking his cool. "You have to have faith in the offensive line and not worry about getting hit... and I didn't get hit that often. Just try not to panic."

So here we are. Less than a week away from an important showdown with Northwestern over the first annual Land of Lincoln Trophy, and it looks like the starter will be Jacob Charest. Starting the season as the third stringer this year, Charest says he expected to play in two or three games and, "get a little playing time, but not what's happening now.". Even he admits that the opportunity is "bittersweet", however. "Nobody wants to see a teammate go down." But like the team player Juice Williams is, he has been nothing but supportive of the young quarterback. "He's played as a young guy. He's done pretty much everything that I'm going through right now so every little thing he can tell me is greatly appreciated."

The season may not be where Charest expected it to be, but he still believes that his team can go to a bowl game... and he knows what that would mean to the fans. But if this season ends, and the Illini are home for the holidays, remember that this is the type of valuable game experience that will only improve a player's future. I would be willing to bet that Jacob would trade his playing time for some more victories, but as for now, he is doing all that he can to lead his team one game at a time.