Story Links
After starter Antonio Appleby went down with an injury in the opening minutes of last Saturday’s game against North Carolina, juinior linebacker Darren Childs was summoned by coach Bob Diaco to be the “Next Man Up.” The San Diego native, called “Cali” by his teammates, went the rest of the way and helped spearhead a tremendous defensive effort that held the Tar Heels to a season-low 13 points. After the Cavaliers forced overtime following a 2-yard TD run by Cedric Peerman, the defense forced UNC to kick a field goal on its overtime possession. Peerman scored his second touchdown on UVa’s possession to send the Cavaliers to a thrilling 16-13 win over their longtime rivals. For the game, Childs made a career-high 10 tackles, including one for loss. Childs talks about his background and the feeling of accomplishment in his role in the win.
Q: How did you find out you were going in? Jon Copper said you were out there for 3-4 plays before he realized you were in.
DC: I (saw) that Antonio got hurt on the first play and I buckled up. It didn’t know what kind of injury it was but I saw the opportunity to go in. The next thing I know is that coach Diaco calls me out.
Q: How much did you see that as an opportunity, your first opportunity, to state your case for more playing time in the future and show what you can do?
DC: I was just filling in; I was just playing my role on the team.
Q: You’re originally from California. What brought you to UVa?
DC: I didn’t want to go to school in California. I wanted to get out of there; it was too much of a distraction.
Q: Did you know anybody in Virginia and did you have a support group in Virginia?
DC: I have some relatives (living) off (Interstate) 95 … in Caroline County. I go up there every so often … I have two cousins that goes here actually, Kristin Clark and Courtney White. I see them every so often, but they’re in different schools than me.
Q: You haven’t played much in three years. Has it been hard to stay up in a situation like that or did you have down times?
DC: Definitely. It’s hard to sit out. I want to help, I want to contribute but everybody else is doing so good. But that’s just the way it goes…I was just concentrating on being patient. I guess you could say I had faith. I just played my role on the team and I just waited and I was patient. You never know what can happen.
Q: What’s the feeling like when you got the chance to go out there and be a big contributor?
DC: It’s really hard to explain the type of feeling. You haven’t played for about three-and-a-half years since the last time you played an actual full game and you do it in good fashion, it’s kind of like a big deal. Your family’s proud of you. My family didn’t get to see the game on the west coast but my family out here talked to them about it.
It’s a good feeling.
Q: How would you assess how you played?
DC: Given the situation, it was a big game. It was UNC, overtime and I played a lot of plays. I was just happy to be a part of it. When you’re on the side, you’re a part of the game, but you’re only a part of it to a certain extent, because you can’t play. I always wanted to see what it felt like and I did.
Q: How much did it start to snowball once you started making a couple of hits and start to see your confidence pick up?
DC: I started getting a little more comfortable. My teammates started making me feel more with the group. I just felt part of the brotherhood out there. It just felt natural. We were all just together, just doing it.
Q: You obviously had an outstanding high school career. But when you think where you’ve come from in this program and how long you’ve waited, is this the biggest thrill you’ve had?
DC: Definitely. This is the biggest game of my life, without question.