University of North Carolina Athletics
Pollock, Guy Press Conference Quotes
October 18, 2005 | Football
Oct. 18, 2005
Jarwarski Pollock, Senior Wide Receiver
Q-How is the knee doing?
"The knee is fine, I would say that I am about 90 percent so I will be able to go Saturday. I will have to wear a knee brace to protect it so that I don't further injure it."
Q- What ten percent do you still have to get back?
"Probably just cutting on it, just feeling comfortable with it, that's basically it. It's just being comfortable with making all the moves I used to make."
Q- Are you comfortable enough to set the record this week?
"Yeah, I think so, I hope I am.
Q- What did the guys do during the off week?
"We just basically got the Louisville game out of our system and from there we started preparing for Virginia the two days that we practiced. And we allowed a couple of guys to heal up from injuries."
Q--Did you guys need that break either physically or mentally?
"I wouldn't say that we needed it but it came at the right time. We played five hard games and now we have another six hard games, so I think it came just in time."
Q--If you do get the record this week, what is it going to mean to you being the leading receiver at UNC?
"It is going to mean a lot because it just shows that through consistency and hard work that you can achieve anything that you want to achieve when you step foot on a college campus."
Q--What has been the key for you?
"Staying off the injury list and just going out and preparing hard every week and practicing as if it was a game-type situation every play and just focus and concentration basically."
Q--What was post surgery like in regards to getting ready for practice this week?
"After the surgery I walked out without my crutches so I was already in the mindset of getting back as fast as I could and trying to help the team out. I rehabbed twice a day just to try and get everything back the way it used to be. I will be wearing a knee brace."
Q- Since the Louisville game, how has the team responded? Have you talked among yourselves?
"We are just getting back on track the way we played the first four games just going out and playing hard and being consistent. We went into a little bit of a lapse that game and it just got ugly real quick and we just couldn't do nothing about it. They were a well-prepared team and they just did more than what we did. We have six more games, six more ACC games that we need to go out and compete in."
Q--What does the offense need to do to be more consistent?
"We just need to go out and execute like we do in practice. In practice we don't miss a beat and when we get into games we find that it is the little things that hurt us such as a false start or a holding penalty and we are then starting first and fifteen and that puts the offensive coordinator in a bind and that disrupts the whole offense."
Q--Once you get the record, will you be more proud of the record or earning your degree when you came in as a partial qualifier?
"Earning my degree, no question about it."
Q--Why?
"To get a degree from UNC is a great accomplishment. This is a great University and that's what I set out to do, to come here and get a degree and to make my Mom proud."
Q--Is that a promise you made to her?
"Yes, I did, because she is a teacher."
Kyndraus Guy, Sophomore Defensive Tackle
Q--How do you feel after the time off?
"I feel so much better. My body is rested and my mind gets a little more focused and we are ready to continue with the season."
Q--What has coach Sanders said to you guys in the last week and has practice been any different?
"Coach Sanders has been very confident in our defense and practices have been a little bit tougher but that's not on his part -- that's on the defense coming together and saying we don't want this again. Sixty-nine points is a lot of points we gave up."
Q--What specifics are you guys going over in practice so that you don't repeat them against Virginia?
"Mental focus; we lost a lot of that when we went to Louisville and we want to correct that."
Q--Can you put your finger on why the focus was lost, what happened there?
"Maybe a little chip on our shoulders with the two wins. Maybe it was the weather conditions. Maybe we thought Louisville wasn't the same team they were last year. Whatever it was, we decided that we can't have that again against any team."
Q--What did the players talk about during the last few days?
"We reflected back on what our goals were. We do not want to [just] be a team that is better than last year. We still want to be a top-25 defense."
Q-What do you recall about last year's Virginia game?
"That was heart breaking but it was a different team; we were younger, we were inexperienced and most of us were undersized. So we are a different team and we hope to focus on what we've got now. We have experience, depth, and we want to see how they play.
Q--What is your key to getting to Virginia's quarterback?
"Keeping him in the pocket, because if he gets outside he is a dangerous guy. Whenever he's in the pocket he doesn't look to stay there."
Q--Do you see the same desire, fire, emotion and drive that was building in you guys during the first four games? Has the time off allowed you to get that back together again?
"We will find out Saturday at 12:00 o'clock."
Q--Can you talk about your quickness and what that does for you game?
"My quickness is one of my advantages [in] playing football. It I think I can get on that guy before he can move or strike him after he moves, I think I have a great advantage because they is no one going to get lower than me."
Q--Where does an offensive lineman have an advantage over you? Is it size?
"Knowing the snap count and knowing where the play is going -- that's it. Because I am shorter that most players I have better leverage, so if I keep my hands tight and hit them high I can win every battle."
Q--Coach Bunting talked about how much you loved to play football and how emotional you get at times, can you talk about that. What does this game mean to you?
"My ambitions are not beyond college, so I feel like these are my better days. I have been playing football since I was seven so it's something different because those guys think they have ten or twelve more years of playing time and I have one or two, maybe. After I graduate I am not really focused on going to the pros, I am focused on other things."
Q--What other things?
"Lately I have been reading about abolishing oppression, becoming more spiritually enlightened. My thinking is, football's [end] is inevitable.; it is going to end, it doesn't matter what you do. You have to fine something to maintain your focus for the rest of your life and hopefully I will live a long, long time."
