Matt Saracen
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| Matt Saracen | |
Zach Gilford as Matt Saracen |
|
| First appearance | "Pilot" |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| Name | Matthew Saracen |
| (Former) profession | Starting Quarterback of the Dillon Panthers |
| Portrayed by | Zach Gilford |
Matt Saracen, played by Zach Gilford, is the starting quarterback at Dillon High School, in the television drama, Friday Night Lights.
[edit] Fictional character biography
Matt Saracen was the former backup quarterback, but was thrust into the spotlight when Jason Street suffered a career-ending injury. Matt does not have the talent of Jason Street, who was the number one quarterback in the nation, but he has the heart and the passion that Coach Taylor believes will lead the team to victory.
After a heartbreaking loss in the first game Matt started in, his position as starting quarterback (QB1) was in jeopardy. A new quarterback, Ray 'Voodoo' Tatum, was illegally brought in by Buddy Garrity to take Matt's spot. Coach Taylor agreed to bring him in, but did not like the way it was done. Coach Taylor also let Voodoo start in the next game, instead of Matt, who everyone agreed was becoming a better quarterback with every passing day. At the game, Voodoo showed that he wasn't a team player by calling his own plays and ignoring anything that Coach Taylor told him. After throwing an interception before halftime, Voodoo was thrown out of the game by Coach Taylor, who told Matt that he was going to be playing the rest of the game. Coach trusts Matt and tells him that he can lead the team to victory, which Matt does. Matt soon has to deal with the spotlight on and off the field, after being completely ignored by everyone for years.
Matt soon begins to worry about how he will do against the team he and the Panthers are facing in the State semi-final game. Matt believes that he is going to let the whole town down, and would be better off riding the bench. Jason Street, who is with Matt when he says this, believes that Matt can do it, and starts to give him advice on how to become a better quarterback. Jason's advice pays off and Matt leads the team to victory, scoring the game winning touchdown in what can only be known as "The Mud Bowl."
Matt feels ready for the State Championship game against former teammate and foe, Ray 'Voodoo' Tatum. But times soon get tough for Matt, when Jason and Coach Taylor both tell him that he isn't ready for the State Game and that he needs to improve his game if he wants to win. Landry then tells him about Tyra's assault. Landry does not know what to do in this situation, but Matt makes it clear that he needs to tell someone about it. As if things couldn't get worse, Julie shows up at Matt's door in tears, telling him that her dad took a job offer from Texas Methodist University (TMU) and that she is moving to Austin. Matt tells Julie that they will make their relationship work, even if there's 200 miles between them. Matt is truly upset over Coach's decision. Matt thought of Coach Taylor as a mentor and a father-figure, when Matt really never had one. He and the rest of the team play a horrible first half of the State Championship game, as the announcement of Coach Taylor leaving is too much for them to handle. But Coach lifts their spirits when he tells them to go and play for the people in the stands who will never give up on them. The team comes alive and are one play away from winning the Championship. Matt gives Coach his own play. Coach McGill thinks its a risky move, but Coach Taylor approves and lets Matt run it. Matt's play is a success, and the Panthers win the State Championship. That night, Julie tells Matt that she and her mom are staying in Dillon, and not moving to Austin. Matt is truly happy, but when asked if her dad is staying too, Julie says no. Matt still feels hurt, but seems like he will be okay, now that Julie is staying
[edit] Relationship with parents
Matt lives alone with his grandmother, who suffers from senile dementia. Because of his grandmother's condition, Matt has to do all the cooking, the cleaning, and the food shopping. Matt also works at the Alamo Freeze fast food restaurant to help pay the rent of his house and any kind of medical bill his Grandma receives.
Matt also has a poor relationship with his father, Henry, who is career military and serving in Iraq. His father recently came home on leave and caused many conflicts with Matt. After his grandmother has an accident, Matt's father tells him that Matt would be moving to Oklahoma and that his grandmother would be going into a nursing home. Matt has finally had enough and snaps at his father after a football game in front of everyone, telling him that he was only making things worse and that he should go back to Iraq. It is suggested that his father's time in Iraq has caused him to become a person that Matt cannot get along with. Henry decides to stay at home and take care of his family, much to Matt's approval. But when Matt realizes that his father does not want to be home, he tells him that it's okay if he goes back, that he will be okay continuing to take care of his grandmother. Henry agrees and goes back to Iraq.
Matt's relationship with his mother is unknown, although he has said that she lives in Oklahoma. It has never been mentioned why she lives there, or how long she has been out of Matt's life.
[edit] Relationship with Julie
Matt is currently the ex-boyfriend of Coach Taylor's daughter, Julie. Matt first approached her with his best friend Landry, (who knew full well that Matt had a crush on her) to try and have lunch with her. Julie told both of them that she doesn't eat with, nor like, football players. Matt continued to pursue Julie, who slowly began to give Matt her time and began to develop her own crush on Matt. He soon asked her on a date and she agreed. The date went badly, as Matt had to go home and sing his grandmother out of the closet she had locked herself in, while Julie watched. When Matt found out that Julie liked what he did with his grandmother, he kissed her after the next football game. Julie and Matt soon became closer, as Julie began to help out Matt at home when things did not go the way he hoped when his father came home.
While Coach Taylor does not approve of their relationship, both Matt and Julie have let him know that they will not stop seeing each other.
Matt's relationship with Julie has not always been perfect. After they were in the playoffs, everyone wanted a piece of Matt. Having a nice dinner with Julie, Matt was called to leave Julie and be interviewed by the radio announcers who were at the same restaurant. Later that night, Tim Riggins and a few other players kidnapped Matt into partying with them, even after he told them that he wasn't going, leaving Julie at the restaurant by herself. Matt tried to make it up to Julie by going to a concert with her, but Matt had to cancel when he found out Coach Taylor wanted Matt to join him on a TV show. Matt was kidnapped, once again, and was forced to take part in a calendar shoot that the Rally Girls were doing, even after telling them that he didn't want to do it and that Julie would not be happy with it. The next morning Julie asked him about what he did the night before, but Matt lied to her, telling her that he didn't do much of anything. Julie let Matt know that she saw the calendar and didn't appreciate that fact that he lied to her. She told him that she was sorry she trusted him and that he should go with his football friends and to leave her alone.
Matt, truly upset over what he did, tried his hardest to make it up to her. Picking her third for his Powderpuff team, was a bad start. Julie, who did not want to take part in the game at all, was begged by Matt to play quarterback. She agreed and even gave Matt a play to run. Matt let her run the play, as Julie ran all the way to the end zone and right into Matt's arms, winning the game. Matt, now somewhat back in Julie's good graces, made her a mixed CD, something that Landry thought would be a good way to say "I'm sorry." Tyra saw the CD and told Matt that he needed to go and find a better way to apologize, because a mixed CD wasn't going to be a good trade-off after a night in a hot tub with a couple of Rally Girls. Matt decided to buy Julie a heart-shaped necklace that had her birthstone on it. Matt decided to meet up with Julie at the stripclub she and Tyra were at, because Tyra needed to get money from her sister Mindy (who worked at the stripclub). Tyra didn't like the idea that Julie would answer Matt's phone call, but Julie told her that she still liked Matt. While there, Landry, who was also with Matt, was caught without an I.D., and Landry, Matt, Julie, and Tyra were sent to a juvenile holding cell. The next night, after the playoff game where a riot broke out, Matt gave Julie the necklace and officially asked her to be his girlfriend. Julie didn't hesitate to say yes. Julie soon decided that it was time for both of them to have sex for the first time. Julie thought it would be the perfect opportunity to control the whole situation, even though Tyra and her mother told her that she didn't have to do it, that she could wait if she wanted to. Matt also dealt with his teammates' advice, with one player even telling him that he needed to use a video camera to remember it all. Matt got Bradley's lake house to use for the event, which didn't go over too well with Julie who didn't want the whole team to know, even though they already did, and that it would be all over school as well. Even though she was freaked out, it didn't stop her from continuing on with it. Julie met Matt at the lake house and told him that they needed to get right down to it, since she told her parents she was staying at a friend's house and needed to be home at a certain time. Matt decided to call it off when he noticed she was uncomfortable making out in front of a deer head, and when she thought the place smelled bad. Matt told her that they didn't have to do it, that they could just hang out. Julie was very relieved. They wound up falling asleep together and freaked out when it was way past Julie's curfew. Matt took Julie home but told her that he loved her just as she was about to get out of the car. Julie told Matt that she loves him too. Julie later falls for a fellow lifeguard, "The Swede". Julie breaks up with Matt to date "The Swede". "The Swede" turns out to be a jerk causing a drift in Tami and Julie's relationship. Eventually Matt dates a cheerleader and falls for his grandma's nurse, Carlotta who he loses his virginity to.
