In The Trenches With Duke Preston and Bucky Babcock
September 28, 2004 | Football
Sept. 28, 2004
by Meghan Reynolds, Illinois Sports Information
Their dominating presence in a small office is just as overpowering as it can be on the football field. Last season, offensive linemen Bucky Babcock and Duke Preston amassed 129 knockdowns, but for them the game is about a lot more than just numbers. It's about hard work--which was evident in the large sweat stains left in two chairs during a post-practice interview---and friendship. (Duke's quotes appear in italics)
I remember when... (Duke) I came on my visit and... (Bucky) No, no, no. You cannot use that one. No. Okay, you're right. I can't. You go. I remember when Duke weighed 330. (Duke) Boo! That's unfair.
Teammates must also be... to be an o-lineman you have to be thick-skinned. Thick-skinned and quick-witted. Or else you won't survive.
The Fighting Illini offensive line... Tough. Physical. Getting after it. Just borderline dirty.
When I think of Bucky... dueling banjos is what I think of with Babcock.
Sometimes Duke can be... too loud. Too loud and he eats too much of other people's food, so he's kind of inconsiderate in that way. I like to snack. What can I say?
 Duke Preston  |
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My biggest fear is... clowns. I'm definitely afraid of clowns. I don't like fish, snakes, worms, frogs. He always calls me a redneck, but I'm really not much of a redneck if I don't even like to fish. I can't bait my own hook. Just keep me away from clowns.
Last season... nightmare. What last season?
This season... renewed hope. Opportunity. Opportunity to surprise a lot of people, and do things that we're not really expected to do.
Wearing orange means... in (offensive linemen) case, those tight jerseys mean you look terrible. At least we went a couple sizes up from last year, which is definitely a plus. So now our numbers aren't stretched more sideways than they are top-to-bottom. Well, last year when I had the same size jersey as our kicker, I was in a tough spot as far as looking good on camera. But the orange helmet is pride. It's a sense of history and opportunity. We're out there representing our school. It reminds me of some of the best years I'll ever have in my life and some of the best friends I'll ever make.
After this season I am going to... (laughter) I'll let you go first. Never talk to this guy again (pointing to Duke). That's exactly what I was going to say! We always give each other a hard time. He left a note on my locker saying he wished he had a time machine to go ahead six months so that he would never have to see me again. He wrote it and signed it "70."
The toughest guy on the team is... Duke Preston. Patrick Babcock.
After practice, I usually... try to catch my breath. I try to stop sweating.
Protecting the quarterback is... a thankless job at times. It's something that you have to be really passionate about to be good at it. Like Duke said, it's really thankless most the time and nobody really notices when you're doing really well. But when you're not doing well, everyone notices it and they bring it up and they mention it. But it can be really rewarding at times. When your quarterbacks or runningbacks recognize you and the job you do, that's more important than getting recognized by anyone else.
Coach Turner... repeats himself a lot. When I sit and listen to him talk, everything he says he repeats two or three times. He's got to be one of the most creative people in the world. He comes up with a new catchphrase for every week. He's got something that he comes up with every year as the team motto.
If I had one wish... we'd be playing in a national championship game. And I'd be about 225 pounds. A national championship and a physique like Xavier (Fulton).
Chocolate or vanilla? ... (laughter) Vanilla. Chocolate. (more laughter) I can't believe that question. I should have said vanilla, and you should have said chocolate. Yeah, can we switch that? I pick chocolate. Sure. Vanilla.
I really admire... Duke's perseverance. He comes to practice every day, and he never gets down. I had a chance to start earlier than him. I never saw him down. There were times when I was really doubting myself as a football player, but I never saw that in him. The way he was able to mask that and the way he carries himself has really impressed me. With Pat, and I call him Pat because we're getting heartfelt here, he's probably one of the toughest guys I've ever met. Doing what we do, mentally and physically, the way he always finds more. The ability to get everyone to go harder even when you know he's hurting. Well, we should do this more often. That was really therapeutic.
