Boston College Athletics
Grass Is The Word: Football Finally Free Of Rain
August 14, 2003 | Football
Aug. 14, 2003
Grass is the word.
The Boston College football team was able to practice on its grass practice fields for only the third time in preseason camp Thursday afternoon. Heavy and persistent rains had forced the team to practice on the Alumni Stadium turf for eight of their first 10 workouts of camp.
Shortly before practice, senior running back Derrick Knight, the leading returning rusher in the BIG EAST, took a few moments to discuss practice and the upcoming season.
Q: With a week of practice under your belt, how are you feeling?
D Knight: "I think we've come a long way. We kind of had a rough spring, especially with a lot of guys in new positions, a lot of younger guys, especially in the offensive line, mixing and matching and feeling their way through. I think everyone matured and worked over the summer, realizing the season is here. I think now it's a new focus, and that's a good thing. I think we're where we needed to be after this amount of time in camp. The guys are starting to come around, especially in the offensive line, opening up holes and realizing what they're supposed to do. It's starting to click for us, so I'm excited."
Q: What's your focus from now until the Wake Forest game?
D Knight: "To polish what we've been doing and keep playing better. We've pretty much installed what we're going to be running, so now we just need to keep getting better and better. For me personally, I just need to polish off everything, whether it's slowing down a step here, or waiting an extra second to read this, just doing all the little things now that will help refine my game."
Q: What was your impression of the younger running backs at Wednesday night's scrimmage?
D Knight: "I was very impressed with them. I think they're a very competitive group and very talented. It will be interesting to see who's going to step up when Horace (Dodd), Greg (Toal) and I are gone after this season. It's any man's game. The young guys are very talented, and I think they're doing better than I was at that stage. So I think there are good things in store with BC's running backs for years to come. The good thing is the competition is going to drive all of them. It's not like when I came in, when Will (Green) was so far ahead of everyone, and it was about waiting your turn. It's going to be all four of them competing for a spot, so this is going to work out for the benefit of the football team. All four of them are going to get better."
Q: Do you think about the 1,000-yard rushing streak, or is it more about a personal challenge for you?
D Knight: "I don't think about it too much, I try not to. Last year, Coach Swepson made it clear that we as an offense do better when we have a running back that gets 1,000 yards. That's how we, as an offense, become successful, by establishing that we run the ball well, all season. The thing for me is, to keep the streak alive means our offense does well. It means I went out there and helped give my team its best chance to win. So yes, from that standpoint, it is important for me to go out there and keep the streak alive. But beyond that, it's more important to go out there and win games. And if that streak is alive, I think we will win more games."
Q: A year ago at this time, you were fighting for the starting job. Does having won that job last season give you a different outlook at this point in preseason camp?
Definitely. This time last year, we didn't know who the starter was. You wanted to go out there and help your team, but at the same time, you were thinking about who the starter was going to be. Then when you get on the field and you're not the starter, you have to perform, because this is your only shot. Now it's a different feeling - better or worse, I don't know, I think it's the same, just a different kind of anxiety. Now I'm the guy, but now I'm the guy with the star on his chest, the one every team's going to be out looking for. But that's good for me. I work well under pressure, and I think having the star on my chest will give me more of a burden, but I accept it. I never back down from a challenge, so I'm excited."
Q: You've been going against the defensive unit for a week now - what's your impression of them, especially the defensive line?
D Knight: "They're excellent. Phenomenal unit. They're probably one of the best units in the BIG EAST. It's not like it's just the front four, they're deep. We have a lot of players in there who are new to starting, but they've been in the system a while, and they're not new to Boston College. They're going to go in knowing what they have to do. So I feel very confident in our defense. I can't wait to see our defensive line in action this year."
