David Shumate Sits Down With Justin Pickett
David Shumate, GoDuke the Magazine
David Shumate, the play-by-play voice for Duke football, recently sat down with offensive lineman Justin Pickett for an interview for the Duke Football Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl Guide.
David Shumate: Not to be too much a prisoner of the moment, but what were the emotions like for you after the win against Virginia?
Justin Pickett: They were incredible. You have a lot of older guys like Aaron Hall, Tre Freeman, myself, Sahmir Hagans — we've been here for five years, working really hard and you go from coming in and our freshman year we're 3-9, we’ve been through three different coaching staffs, and then in the end you end up on a podium in Charlotte. It's surreal. It doesn't even feel real still, but it's special. It truly means a lot to the players on the team and the staff, and of course the fans.
DS: There were so many firsts for you guys along the way. When you hear people say 34 wins, the most wins by any class in a four-year span in program history, what does that make you think about?
JP: I think a lot of people would jump to the conclusion that it's a shock, but for the guys inside this locker room, I don't think it is. I think it's a testament to our character, our work ethic, who we are, what this program is becoming, and what we're trying to make this program become in taking it to the next level. With Coach Diaz, you know, that can happen, and the goal is to be in Charlotte every year from here on out — keep winning and get to the College Football Playoff. We know Coach Diaz is the right guy to take those steps forward.
DS: It wasn't just the wins for you guys in this four-year span, it was the firsts. The first win over Florida State, the consecutive wins over Clemson — we can go on down the list of all the other things, including the back-to-back state titles for the first time in more than 60 years. We knew going into the weekend the missing piece was the ACC title. For you, where does that fit in amongst all the firsts that you guys accomplished?
JP: I think it's got to be at the top. It's obviously at the top because everybody wants to be on a podium and we strived at the start of the year knowing that was going to be one of our goals — winning the ACC and making the College Football Playoff. Obviously that second goal we weren't able to accomplish, but we've built the stepping stone and the foundation for this program in the future to go take that next step and we're excited for that.
DS: I get a chance to go to practice and I know every week on Wednesday you guys finish your work with some runs and you get the team riled up before you do your last rep. That moment for you, being out in front of your guys, your team so to speak, what has it meant to you to be a captain and leader for this group throughout this season?
JP: It's been special. I hope the guys have enjoyed having me as one of the leaders, but I'm not the only one. There's Aaron Hall, Darian Mensah, Wes Williams and multiple other guys who aren't captains. But I think it's just been a special moment for me, especially getting a second opportunity to be a captain for this team, after having the honor of being a captain last year. Not many guys get that opportunity. It's really meant a lot to me. I've learned a lot. It's taught me a lot of new things and how to experience this game and learn and keep pushing myself on a personal level. But in terms of the team, to be a leader for them, it's one of the greatest honors in football in my opinion.
DS: One thing that I know we’ll all remember about this team is the right side of the offensive line. You and Brian Parker — tell me about your guys' relationship and what this has been like to accomplish everything you have.
JP: Yeah, it's been special. People are going talk a lot about Brian and me, but I think it's our whole unit, all five of us up front, six including Bradley. We just really gelled really well together this year and it's been a great experience, and we've earned a lot of honors. We've had some struggles here and there, but that’s one thing about our offensive line room, that Coach Norrid and Coach Shepherd preach is to keep pushing, to stay in the fight and be the most dominant and well-coached and best technique offensive line in the country. I think we pushed towards that each week.
DS: When you look at this offensive line as a whole, I talked to a bunch of you guys over the course of the summer and one of your goals coming in was to run the football better and to have better run blocking. You look at this win streak to close the season; you guys ran it more than 40 times on average over the course of those three games. What does it mean to you, not just that you guys won these games, not just that you won the ACC title, but how you did it running the football?
JP: I think it means a lot. Every offensive lineman's dream is to run the ball, and I think it sets up our offense, and it makes our offense very explosive and almost impossible to stop. So, I think it's a great tone-setter. It’s just a testament to who's in that room and the guys up front and the coaching staff and their belief in us.
DS: I know you guys have talked a lot over the years about finishing and obviously there's one more game to go in the Sun Bowl against Arizona State. How important is it to finish the season out with a win in that game?
JP: It's always important. I think bowl games are about not only the game, but it also helps build the future. It's a foundation. It's an extra month of young guys getting to lift, to practice, learn the playbook, older guys getting more tape. I think it's crucial to the development of the program and I think that's what bowl games are there for – that and obviously we're there to win the game and it will be awesome to send all the old guys out on top.