By Ross Jackson
The preseason is for working to make dreams come true.
For most, that dream is making an NFL roster. For many, that dream goes unrealized. It is the unfortunate truth of professional sports and the immense competition of some of the world’s greatest athletes. Things were a little different for one New Orleans Saints running back on Sunday, though.
Louisiana native Jacob Kibodi realized several dreams as he played in front of his family in the Saints’ final preseason game against the Titans. While his paramount goal of making the team will either take shape or dematerialize over the coming days, his Sunday will be a highlight for him for the rest of his life.
Kibodi walked into his post-game press conference with a football in his hands. The football was the ball he carried into the endzone for his first career touchdown in the second quarter of the game. He would score on two runs before the game was over. One 11-yard scamper that was run and blocked to perfection, Kibodi using his burst to catch the edge and cross the goal line. The second, a powerful statement from the 6-foot-1, 225-pound back.
Those two touchdowns were the first he has ever scored in the Caesars Superdome. Even though he is local to Louisiana, growing up in Baton Rouge, he never got the chance to play in the Saints’ home stadium which will also host high-profile high school and college football games.
“That was a dream come true,” Kibodi said in his post-game press conference. “Being from Louisiana, that was a blessing. Everybody dreams that as a kid.”
Kibodi cashed in big time with his opportunities in the game. He carried the ball 12 times for 59 rushing yards along with his two rushing touchdowns.
The value of this moment is elevated further by the fact that Kibodi was not able to participate in either of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s bowl games that took place in the Superdome. Talk about symmetry.
“I told myself God saved this moment for me right now,” he said.
To top it all off, with his mom, brothers and more family in attendance, Kibodi was among the five Louisiana-born players that led the team’s pregame chant. A moment that he described as “a great experience.”
Kibodi also shared that he loved watching former Saints running backs Deuce McAlister and Reggie Bush play when he was younger. Not only did he model his game after a blend of both backs, but now he has also scored touchdowns in the same building. Whether or not the former Ragin’ Cajun makes the roster remains to be seen for now, but he has made quite the case for himself. In the process, he just had a day he will never forget
