When asked how he feels about going into his last college football game here at Virginia, fifth-year cornerback Demetrious Nicholson did not waver from his appreciative roots.
“I’m going to savor every moment and enjoy it to the best of my ability,” Nicholson said.
After experiencing a season-ending injury when he suffered a sprained toe in Virginia’s game against Ball State on Oct. 5, 2013, sitting out most of the 2014-15 season, and finally getting back out on the field this fall, it’s no surprise Nicholson aims to take in each and every moment during his last college football game this Saturday against Virginia Tech. Kickoff is at noon.
In the face of that adversity, Nicholson has consistently held a positive outlook during his time at Virginia.
“Throughout all the hurdles and obstacles I always enjoy, you know, being out there with my guys, being out there with coach, just being out there in Scott Stadium playing college football,” he said.
When asked about that enduring sense of optimism, Nicholson said it’s just part of who he is.
“I feel like it’s something I’ve always had, a characteristic I’ve always possessed,” he said.
“I definitely try to stay positive, stay optimistic in the locker room and I think that helps keep faith, keep hope, and keep pushing forward because you can’t go and think about the past too much, about what went wrong, about what could have been and what should have been, you gotta live in the present moment. I try to do that every day when I wake up,” he added.
Over his five seasons with Virginia football, Nicholson has seen both highs and lows. The Virginia Beach native had played on 96.4% of the defensive plays before his injury. He is the only Hoo on the roster to have played in the 2011 Chick-fil-A Bowl. On the other hand, Nicholson endured an injury that cut short two seasons including the rough 2-10 campaign of 2013 and has been through three consecutive losing records. As a fifth-year senior, he has been left out of playing time in some games, including a ‘did not play’ against Louisville with bowl eligibility still in the cards.
In his career, Nicholson has 174 tackles, 32 passes defended, and 4 interceptions.
“It’s been like a roller coaster, like literally, but it’s been great,” he said. “I’m just happy to still be here and be able to endure any situation.”
Nicholson added: “The thing that helped me to continue to stay afloat and continue to push is my teammates and the relationship that I’ve built with those guys, it’s been incredible. … We keep each other up, hold each other up, no matter what we go through in the locker room. It’s something that can’t be broken and the memories that I have here can never be forgotten, you know, the good or the bad, you learn from everything and I’ve just been blessed to be with Coach [Mike] London, for him to recruit me and to just have the opportunity to be at UVA.”
When asked about going against Virginia Tech, Virginia’s biggest in-state rival, in his final game, Nicholson said he knows there is a lot at stake and that is a “great stage” to finish out a career.
“We haven’t beat them in 11 years … that’s like three generations worth of UVA football classes that have come through and not been able to beat them,” he said. “[A win] would be great for this program, great for Coach London, great for our seniors going out, and especially great for Charlottesville and the community.”
