DURHAM – The Voice of the Blue Devils, David Shumate, sat down with redshirt junior linebacker Shaka Heywardfor a brief question and answer session.
DS: With Halloween coming up, how much do you get into the candy and the costumes? SH: Not too much. Last year I wore a costume, but it's not an every year thing. Last year I went as a ninja.
DS: If you had to power rank the candies, which would be your favorites? SH: I like Twix and anything sour.
DS: You come from a football family. When you were growing up, was football the only sport? What all sports were being played? SH: I played football, baseball and basketball a little bit. But football was definitely my favorite. It runs in my family.
DS: How competitive were those games growing up? SH: It was definitely competitive. My brothers and I were competing with each other to see who could have the most rushing yards and tackles, stuff like that. It was always a competition between us.
DS: Heading into Wake Forest, it is the first ranked opponent you guys have played. They have a unique style of RPO offense, how do you guys prepare for that? SH: We have to do what we are coached to do. You have to be patient and do your job at every level.
DS: What were some of the points of emphasis for you with the extra practice time during an open date? SH: Definitely recovery. Making sure that I am in the training room and helping my body recover with the off week. I'm working on eye discipline and focus and doing the things that I am supposed to do.