University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: A More Mature Durant is Ready for 2002 Season
June 27, 2002 | Football
June 27, 2002
y Adam Lucas
Tar Heel Monthly
There is only one time when Darian Durant looks like a quarterback.
Standing in the hallway, holding a slice of pizza, Darian Durant just doesn't look like a quarterback. He looks like the kid who might sit behind you in biology class.
On the practice field this spring, after taking a short break from North Carolina football, he just didn't look like a quarterback. He's shorter than you think he is, not quite as fast as you'd like, doesn't have a pure throwing motion.
The funny part is, he knows that he doesn't exactly fit the part. He knows that when evaluated on a piece of paper, his measurables don't quite measure up.
"I like being the underdog," he says. "There's nothing better, because everybody is sleeping on you. It gives you a chance to shine and open people's eyes."
And that's what happens when the calendar turns to Saturday, when the stadium fills with thousands of fans. It is on those days when Darian Durant most definitely looks like a quarterback.
That's what the defending national champion Oklahoma Sooners discovered last August, when Durant entered a game that appeared to be long over and suddenly made the champs sweat, completing two touchdown passes and planting the seed for the rest of the season's two-quarterback system.
The word that might best describe his playing style is efficient -- he finished 2001 second in the ACC in passing efficiency and 12th in the country in that statistic. He didn't make the jaw-dropping runs that Ronald Curry occasionally did. Durant's plan was pretty simple: pass it to the open man, run it if necessary.
"Darian is a tremendous run-to-throw guy," head coach John Bunting says. "Those types may be the most dangerous."
The dangerous man pulled a stunner this spring, announcing that he was planning to transfer. It was a decision not entirely unexpected from a 19-year-old who occasionally left the coaching staff scratching their collective heads.
A short time later, the prodigal quarterback returned.
"Darian had to take the time to look at himself and realize that he had to start living up to commitments," said his father, Israel Durant, back in April. "He had not only let himself down, but also his teammates down, and It's important for him to remember that he is part of a team. Darian is 19. He's been in school two years and he's still only 19. He will be 20 just before the season starts. He's still young, and he's allowed to make mistakes. We are very close, and he may have felt like I needed him. [The quarterback's step-mother died in the week before the Wake Forest game last year.]
"Darian is not the most outgoing person in the world. I don't think he's ever had trouble making friends, but he's never been away from home, and he may not make friends as easily as some people."
ut standing in the Kenan Football Center this summer, it's apparent that Durant is maturing. Not just physically, although he is getting stronger. ut it's even more apparent in the way that he handles questions more easily, not always an easy thing to do when you're a college sophomore and strangers are questioning your dedication.
"I'm mentally stronger now," Durant says. "Last summer, if I felt like I couldn't make a run I would just give up and stop. This year, I'm determined to make every run and make all my times."
Those times should be dropping as the season draws nearer. After studying other successful quarterbacks, the Florence, S.C., native wants to add another dimension to his game.
"I saw how [Michael] Vick and other guys who were fast could take over a game with their legs, and that could be another weapon for me," Durant says. "I already feel confident in my throwing ability. If I could tuck the ball and run, it would be good for us."
The boy has become a man. The passer is becoming a runner. And on Saturdays, There's no doubt that Darian Durant looks very much like a quarterback.
