CORAL GABLES – He currently leads the team with a 27-game start streak on the line.
He provided a key block that helped lead the way for running back Travis Homer’s game-winning 33-yard touchdown run in Miami’s 27-19 win over Syracuse last week.
He has emerged as one of the team leaders over the years, and he’s proud to represent his home base in more ways than one.
Senior offensive lineman and Palm Beach Central 2014 offensive lineman Kc McDermott has been anchoring the trenches throughout Miami’s 12-game winning streak, which dates back to last season. He has also been selected multiple times this season to speak with media members after practice ends, including this past Tuesday (Oct. 24) at the Greentree Practice Fields.
McDermott, who has up to six games left in his four-year career at Miami, spoke on how he’s holding up right now and much more.
“I’m feeling pretty good, taking care of myself,” McDermott said. “We have a great training staff that does a good job of helping us recover. You know, they do a good job of making sure that we eat right, that’s a big part of it, making sure we eat the right food and help heal our body with the right recovery. And then, along with the treatment that we get, they do a good job of taking care of us and that’s exactly what we have to do on and off the field.”
McDermott discussed his role in Homer’s game-winner against Syracuse.
“I enjoyed it a lot”, he said. “I’m kind of upset with myself in a way, though. I had an opportunity three or four times before that to make that same exact block, but I wasn’t thinking about doing that exact cut at the same time. But I figured it out at the end of the game. It ended up leading to a touchdown score and ultimately helping us win the game.”
McDermott spoke on the Practice appearance of junior running back and reigning team MVP Mark Walton, who is out for the remainder of this season with an ankle injury.
“I didn’t even notice him,” he said. “We were focused on our individual drills and stuff. But it’s just awesome to have him around. I remember when he came crutching in after his surgery, the entire room just lit up. He’s a great kid, he works hard, and he does everything right. You can’t ask anything more from someone than that. And it’s exciting to see him anytime because he’s always smiling. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that kid not smile.”
Speaking about injuries, McDermott has an approach that he lives by in this arena.
“Next man up mentality, that’s all it is here, that’s how it should be everywhere,” he said. “Next man up mentality, it doesn’t matter what class you are, it doesn’t matter how many snaps you’ve played in your entire career, its next man up mentality. Everyone’s got to study the film, everyone’s got to do their job. I’m pretty sure that’s how North Carolina has attacked it.”
North Carolina (1-7; 0-5 in ACC) has 16 players that won’t be suiting up against Miami (6-0; 4-0 in ACC; No. 8 AP national ranking) due to a rash of injuries.
“My freshman year we had a lot of injuries,”
McDermott said. “It’s football. We play football. This is a tough game. It’s a hard sport, people get hurt all the time, and God bless those kids that work hard to get back from their injury. And I know that’s what they’re doing, and we can’t be like, ‘Oh, they have 16 guys hurt, they’re going to fall over.’ No, they’re a tough team. They’re going to come attack us, like they always have. We have to keep our minds right, go out there and do our jobs and attack the game.”
McDermott touched more on North Carolina, which went on the road to beat Miami last season.
“They’re a good team,” he said. “You can’t ever look at a team’s record and be like ‘Oh, they’re a bad team.’ No, they’re a good team. A lot of people want to make a big flair about Virginia Tech beating them by so much. You know, Virginia Tech’s offense only scored 17 points. That’s a good defense. That’s nothing against Virginia Tech’s offense, they have a really good team, they’re a good offense, but that is how good North Carolina’s defense is. They did a great job against Notre Dame. They kept their team in the game. If we do our job this week studying film, do our job on the field, you know we’ll take care of business. We have to do our jobs to win.”
The kickoff time for Miami’s road game at North Carolina is 12 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28. It will be the final game before the first College Football Playoff rankings are revealed, which is slated to be released on Tuesday, Oct. 31.
PHOTOS: Keith Forde
