University of North Carolina Athletics
Q & A with Darian Durant and Jason Brown
November 16, 2004 | Football
Nov. 16, 2004
Seniors Darian Durant and Jason Brown fielded questions from the media Tuesday.
Q: To finish 5-3 in the ACC with all the talk of this being such a strong conference, what would that mean to you?
"It would mean a lot. Nobody gave us this opportunity. Nobody felt like we would even be competitive in this league, so it would mean a lot. Especially with it being my senior year."
Q: Do you think you're overlooked sometimes by the people outside [the North Carolina] program?
"I think so. Just because of what has happened in the past. Also, a lot of people don't look at how tough our schedule was. Just about everybody we played is ranked in the top 25 in the country. I think I'm overlooked a lot, but I think even with that being said, I've kind of risen up a little bit with some of the wins we've had this year."
Q: How much does last year's loss to Duke still sting for you and the team?
"Oh a lot. Nobody around here has forgotten what happened. Usually when we're having fun in the locker room you're used to the bell ring. We realize that it's missing, and that's our number one objective."
Q: After last season, what were talks like between you and Coach Tranquill [who was considering retirement]?
"He told me he wasn't sure if he wanted to come back because he hated to lose. I told him that I understood, but I told him he's been all I've known. I would really love for him to come back for my last year because he's taught me everything I know. If it wasn't for him I wouldn't be able to accomplish the things that I have accomplished. I told him to just try and give it one more ride. I know he loves the game and it would hurt him to be at home watching it even though he's been around for a long time."
Q: Darian, you looked so dejected after the loss to Virginia Tech. How did it make you feel to get the opportunity to come right back and drive the team down the field to win the game against Wake Forest?
"It was a great feeling. That's what you play the game for. It's up to you to lead your team to victory. It's just a great feeling. That's just the beauty about this game. Sometimes you have another week to prove yourself and redeem yourself. I'm just thankful for the opportunity."
Q: What was the focus after the loss to Duke last season?
"Make some changes, do something different. To reap something that you've never had before, you've got to sow something you've never sown. You have to take it to that next level. What are you going to do? At that moment all we thought about was, `This bad feeling, we're going to remember it. BUT - where are we going to go from here?'"
Q: What kind of leadership have you seen from a guy like Chase Page who hasn't been on the field this year?
"Chase Page has traveled with us to a lot of the games even though he doesn't play. He pulls individual guys to the side and has those heart-to-heart talks with them. It's not one of those outrageous, `Hey let's get amped up, let's get it going,' but it's one of those in-depth, meaningful things. And he's still playing a very large leadership role on this team. Nobody can look into Chase Page's eyes and not be able to tell how much he wants to be out there with us."
Q: Talk about the play Saturday where you pushed Darian across the goal line.
"First I see one guy wrapping Darian up, but he is not willing to go down to the ground. I'm rushing to his aid, but two, three, four of the defenders are rushing to their teammates aid. I somehow run up behind Darian and I wrap my arms around his waist, and basically--in a moment of trying to shield my quarterback and protect him--I feel that we're that close. And I just got to pushing. Of course it seems like a no win situation when there's five of them and two of us. But it seemed like the little engine that could and I just started driving my feet, and we inched in foot by foot."
Q: After the Duke game last year, [former player] Dexter Reid said, "We're the senior class that lost the Victory Bell." Do you feel like you want to be the senior class that gets it back?
"Of course. One of the main things that I recognized at practice yesterday is that for Duke week of every year, we don't blow the horns to change periods in practice. We ring the [Victory] bell to change the periods in practice. There was no bell at yesterday's practice for the first Duke preparation week in 3 years for me. Carolina is built on such strong tradition. When you break tradition with a huge upset [like last year's loss to Duke], you want to get things back in order. You want to get your house in order at the level that it was before. It's a must that we pull it out this week."
