UCF Defensive Back Jayden Williams Talks Return To Field Against Bethune-Cookman
UCF defensive back Jayden Williams speaks with the media following the Knights' season-opening win over Bethune-Cookman, 73-6.
Video Transcript
I know you had a big, uh, big opener last year .
Uh, I know you're obviously banged up for the most of the rest of the year, but just how good is it feeling to know that you're back and to have such an impact play early on in the game?
Well, first and foremost, God, I just wanna give all praise and glory to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, man.
He knows where I was, where I was at when I got injured, and he really helped me a lot, but to answer your question.
Um, actually, could you repeat the question?
Well, he had a really big season opener last year, and I know you were injured most of the way after that.
So how good did it feel to know that you're back and you're healthy and to make such an impact play so early in the game?
Well, it felt great.
It felt great to be out there with the guys.
The crowd was amazing, you know, running out there and the atmosphere really gets you going.
So it felt great to be out there with the guys and my teammates.
We worked so hard during the offseason, so we, we worked a lot, so it felt great to be back out there.
You get the, you get the interception.
What's going through your mind considering all the things you went through last year when you, when it, when it fell on your hands?
What, what was kind of going through your mind as you were returning against those touchdowns for a touchdown.
That's it.
Just score a touchdown every time I , uh, get my hands on the ball.
I try to score no matter the situation, no matter what it is, you know.
We really don't get them opportunities a lot.
I really try to display my athletic ability, you know, try to get in the touchdown.
What was the reaction once you, you realized you got the touchdown?
Well, and it's crazy because like 2 years ago I, I got an interception.
I was rolled down on a 1.
Though they was gonna do that to me again, but I was really thankful to get the touchdown and shout out my teammates.
If you really watched the clip.
Everybody's out there blocking and blocking for me, so it was amazing.
in this entirety of spring and fall we've heard nothing but an emphasis on making turnovers, getting defensive hats on the ball.
What do you see out of this defense, be able to force some turnovers and even score defensively as well?
Yeah, that's our motto now.
Take away the ball , turnovers, turnovers equals victory, and that's just the standard to get hands on the ball, to punch at the ball, interceptions.
That's been our emphasis over the winter, spring ball, even summer.
Fall camp, yeah, that's just been our emphasis and it kind of displayed today and we're just trying to continue to push forward with that.
We scared you almost didn't score.
Uh, yeah, like I said, I was ruled out on a one a couple of years ago because I, I was a little, a little nervous, but they gave it to me.
Competition ramps up next week.
What more does this defense need to do to.
Get a victory on the road.
I just feel like we got to hone into the little details.
All the little stuff matters, you know, especially versus a better team.
You know, we can't get away with little things, missing tackles and stuff like that, but we got 9 days to prepare, so I think we'll be fine.
Jayden, how big was it for you to get you and the team to get a turnover like that early in the game and make a statement from a defensive standpoint and get.
Two touchdowns ahead that quickly, you know, uh, that kind of like sets the tone of the game, so it's always good to come out with a with one quick and early to, you know, set the tone for the rest of the game.
So it was amazing considering what it was like to get so quickly, just, you know, you being out for so long, almost a year, a year, less a couple weeks from that, what was it like to be able to do something that quickly after getting back on the field again?
I felt great.
It really did.
It was.
Really something that I prayed about, man.
I'm telling you it was really something that I prayed about and it, it manifested in the world, so I just, I'm just blessed, man.
I'm just blessed and I was really excited to, you know, get my hands on the ball and get my hands on.
Louis helped set up the interception with the hit on the quarterback.
How has he evolved both as a leader and then as a blitzer to be able to kind of make plays like that?
Yeah man, Lewis Carter is that dude.
Like he's that dude.
He's the leader of the defense like you said, and we go as he goes, so.
You know, I'm, I'm thankful for him for, for rushing the quarterback like that because when he does things like that, I'm able to make plays and, and then shout out to my guy.
Last year, the defense had a pretty solid unit itself in performance, um, after a game like this.
What is it you guys need to do to continue to be as good a defense as you were last year?
Yeah, we're not really like.
Like taking too much out of this game, we're not trying to get too high.
We're just staying level headed because the mission is nowhere near complete, and we're just looking forward to week to week two to continue to build off this though.
It's not like we're not gonna look at it as a success because we won a game, but we're just trying to stay level headed, stay focused in week two, and just continue to a lot of plays that we made trickle down to week 2 and week 3 and so on and so forth.
So is this the key.
What did you say?
Focus is the key.
Focus is the key.
Yes sir.
9 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, a slew of quarterback hurries.
A lot of that was on the defensive front.
What is the impact of the work that they do on the work that you do?
Well, it kind of goes hand in hand.
They make our job easier as we make their job easier.
If we can cover guys, they can get in the backfield.
They get in the backfield, they get hands on balls, we can get those tip interceptions.
We can get quarterback, you know, probably not getting all the way in his read and making a bad read, so it goes hand in hand.
Our D line, our linebackers are amazing, and our DBs are amazing too, so it allows all to play, play together.
Jaden, what do you want to take with you guys from a game like this on the road to Pittsburgh?
Um, I would just say our, our focus, I feel like we came into this week very focused, very attention to detail, and we can't let that fall off, especially going against a, a better opponent.
So yeah, just our focus man we're just trying to focus attack each week as itself.
We're not gonna do anything different than we did last week because we're attacking each game as its own so I wouldn't say really anything different but Of course we gotta turn it up a notch, you know, stay a little, a little more focused, watch a little more film because it won't be as easy.
I'm not saying it was easy, but it'll be a little different this time, but you know, just stay focused.
All right, thanks J.
Will, thank you.
