Jacques Hunts Down Quarterbacks

The job of a defensive end in football is much like the job of a bounty hunter.

He's supposed to attack the offensive lineman and hunt the quarterback down at all costs, as a bounty hunter would track down a fugitive.

Off the field, junior Phil Jacques is cool, calm and collected, but on the field he is aggressive, persistent and determined in his attempt to get to the opposing quarterback.

When he was asked what position he wanted to play as a kid, Jacques knew one thing for sure; he wanted to play defense.

"I didn't want to play offense because I don't like to block. I wanted to play defensive end because I like pass rushing," Jacques said.

Jacques has been a consistent pass rusher for the Bulls for the last two years. He started all 12 games as a redshirt freshman, and all 12 games as a sophomore. He has started all eight games so far this season, bringing his streak to 32 straight games started.

When Jacques chose UB, playing time had a lot to do with his decision.

"I chose UB because it was a good school and I saw an opportunity for me to play as a young guy and that doesn't happen a lot," he said.

Not only did Jacques start every game in his freshmen campaign, which is very rare for college football players, but his future plans include going to law school, which is even more unusual for athletes. He wants to apply to UB, Syracuse and Michigan State after he gets his undergraduate degree in English.

For now, his proudest accomplishment has been getting a college scholarship to play football, which had a lot to do with the coach he had in high school at Brother Rice High School, near Detroit.

"My high school football coach had a huge impact on me. He won so many championships that whenever he talked, you just listened," he said.

Another special person in his life is his mother. He admires her strength to raise two kids on her own.

"My mom and sister both had a big impact on my life; they pretty much raised me because my parents got divorced when I was little," Jacques said.

The support he got from his family and high school football coach helped Jaques recover from a torn meniscus he suffered after his junior year of high school.

"It was hard coming back; I just had to push through the pain. It was my senior year, I had to play," Jacques said.

Jacques has displayed the dedication and perseverance he showed in high school throughout his career at UB. Jacques said he hopes that with a little luck the UB football team can feed off of his drive to succeed and continue to improve this season.

In addition to having all the tools to be a leader on the defensive line, Jacques has racked up impressive statistics in his time here at UB. He had 52 tackles going into his junior year, including 36 takedowns in his first year playing. In eight games this year, he has compiled 18 tackles, and he still has three games left to play.

"We're always focused on winning, that's always the goal," Jacques said. "When we're out on the field, we just want to make the plays."