Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns have settled their QB battle. What happens next?
LAFAYETTE – Louisiana football coach Michael Desormeaux said the quarterback battle between sophomore Chandler Fields and junior Ben Wooldridge is complete.
He’s just not saying who won the job.
The first-year Ragin’ Cajuns coach was peppered with questions about the closely contested battle Saturday.
But first things first: Desormeaux needs to sit down with Wooldridge and Fields to inform them of his decision before letting the rest of the team know. He plans to deliver the news to the QBs Sunday.
“We need to let them know as soon as possible, so we’ll bring them in there, talk to them,” Desormeaux said following Louisiana’s scrimmage Saturday. “One guy will be really excited and the other disappointed. That’s the nature of it though.
“I know who it’s going to be. After fall camp, I’m very confident in who it needs to be.”Coming off UL’s final team scrimmage of the preseason Saturday at afternoon, held inside the Leon Moncla Indoor Practice Facility, Desormeaux said the conversations with the pair of quarterbacks will take place Sunday.
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Not much separated Wooldridge and Fields statistically during the final scrimmage of the preseason Saturday.
Both completed 7-of-9 throws. Wooldridge had 85 passing yards with a 17-yard touchdown to Michael Jefferson but at times looked a little more indecisive.
Fields had a touchdown pass, a 15-yarder to Kaleb Carter, and finished with 70 yards passing. The sophomore threw interception, but senior cornerback Eric Garror made an impressive read to make the play.
UL will hold a couple more practices to get reps for the first team offense and defense, but focus in preseason practice now shifts to more game planning and scouting ahead of the Sept. 3 season opener against SE Louisiana (6 p.m. CT).
“It was difficult early on, a lot of back-and-forth but it became a little more obvious as we got to the middle of camp," Desormeaux said. "Those guys have competed their tails off.
“I have felt like we’ve had two great options that are ready to do right now. It’s a good problem to have. Whenever you have a bunch of quarterbacks you feel confident in, that’s a good thing.”
Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers and Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers and Cajuns coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU/UL athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Louisiana football: Quarterback battle is over. Here's what's next.
