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Q+A With Duke Football: Shaka Heyward
10/13/2022 12:12:00 PM | Football
DURHAM – The Voice of the Blue Devils, David Shumate, sat down with redshirt senior linebacker Shaka Heyward for a brief question and answer session.
DS: The chance to play North Carolina, you've been a part of this, playing in this state, living this. What has this rivalry meant to you over the years?
SH: It's meant a lot. It's been a hard-fought rivalry. I've only been able to beat them my freshman year and that obviously leaves a bad taste in my mouth. You walk around Durham and hear all this bad stuff about Duke and good stuff about Carolina, it's more than that. It's just a hard-fought rivalry between us, I just can't wait for the game.
DS: We've been talking about you being a leader for this team, being a captain. How have you embraced that role through the first half of the season?
SH: It's just about trying to live in the now. I try to encourage the team to live in the now, be as good as we can be, day in and day out, because I know when we do that, we're a really good football team.
DS: When you look at the linebacker spot, you're probably going to have the most contact on the field. You're always in there trying to make a tackle. What sort of mentality does it take to play that position?
SH: You just have to be a man amongst boys. As a linebacker on the field, you have to be a captain and just a fearless leader. The better you are, the better the team's going to play. The more you're locked in, the more you study the game plan, the more that the defense is going to flourish out there.
DS: You guys are getting used to playing these night games at home, 8:00 kick for the game against North Carolina. How do you fill the day before you guys come over to the stadium?
SH: Yeah, so we just have our own routine. Coach gets us going with a good routine. Just take advantage of all the opportunities within the hours and get my mind right, get my body right before the game.
#GoDuke
DS: The chance to play North Carolina, you've been a part of this, playing in this state, living this. What has this rivalry meant to you over the years?
SH: It's meant a lot. It's been a hard-fought rivalry. I've only been able to beat them my freshman year and that obviously leaves a bad taste in my mouth. You walk around Durham and hear all this bad stuff about Duke and good stuff about Carolina, it's more than that. It's just a hard-fought rivalry between us, I just can't wait for the game.
DS: We've been talking about you being a leader for this team, being a captain. How have you embraced that role through the first half of the season?
SH: It's just about trying to live in the now. I try to encourage the team to live in the now, be as good as we can be, day in and day out, because I know when we do that, we're a really good football team.
DS: When you look at the linebacker spot, you're probably going to have the most contact on the field. You're always in there trying to make a tackle. What sort of mentality does it take to play that position?
SH: You just have to be a man amongst boys. As a linebacker on the field, you have to be a captain and just a fearless leader. The better you are, the better the team's going to play. The more you're locked in, the more you study the game plan, the more that the defense is going to flourish out there.
DS: You guys are getting used to playing these night games at home, 8:00 kick for the game against North Carolina. How do you fill the day before you guys come over to the stadium?
SH: Yeah, so we just have our own routine. Coach gets us going with a good routine. Just take advantage of all the opportunities within the hours and get my mind right, get my body right before the game.
#GoDuke
Players Mentioned
LB
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