University of North Carolina Athletics
Durant Comments On Injury, Wake Loss
October 27, 2002 | Football
Oct. 27, 2002
Darian Durant watched Saturday's 31-0 loss at Wake Forest from the sidelines after breaking his right thumb last week at Virginia. He took a few minutes following the loss to talk with the media.
What did you do this week after Monday's surgery? Did you go to practice?
"I was just in my apartment. The medication I was on was strong and it kept me drowsy, so I didn't want to come around the guys without a positive attitude."
What was it like watching the game from the sideline?
"It was tough. It feels like you just can't help them and you wish you could. It's just an unfortunate situation."
How can you help the team even if you aren't playing?
"I just have to be a vocal leader. It's easy to sit there and talk to them, but if what you're saying is going in one ear and out the other it does you no good. So, I just need to talk to them and keep them up, because bad things are going to happen in games and I just want them to keep their heads up."
What do you see is wrong with the team right now?
"We're not playing with a lot of fight -- the kind of fight and energy we had earlier in the year. I don't know if it's because of confidence or because a lot of guys are going down, but I hope we can finish the season on a strong note and pick up our tempo a bit."
When can you expect to be back playing football?
"It will be a while before I can get my hands on a football. I know I still have to go a couple more weeks with a pin in my finger, and once I get that out it just depends on how quickly I heal up. I talked to my grandmother and she told me I'm a quick healer, so hopefully she's right and within a month or two I'll be able to throw the ball."
What was it like wearing a headset during the game? Did you say much?
"I didn't say too much. The main thing I wanted to do was just see how the game was running. I didn't want to put my little two cents in when you've got four or five other coaches doing the same thing. Basically I was just listening to see what was going and see how things were going, just to see when I was in the game what kinds of comments coaches make."
Can you learn anything when you're out?
"Definitely. You learn a lot from watching. It's hard to learn when you're in the game and things are flying 100 miles per hour. But when you're over there on the sideline and you can see what's going on, you can learn a lot. You can see what they're talking about when you're on the sideline, but when you're in the game and they come to you with something it's sometimes hard to know what they're talking about."
How did you think C.J. Stephens played in his first college start?
"I thought he played well. He didn't really make any bad decisions, and he was almost perfect. I thought he played real well."
