The Buckeyes Spoke To The Media Ahead Of The Michigan Matchup
11/26/2024 2:21:00 PM | Football
On Feeling Different This Week In Preparation:
"This is definitely the biggest rivalry game I've ever played in. I don't know if there's one thing I could say. For me it hasn't really been this week. It's really been all year. Feeling how much this rivalry means and how deep it runs. You look around the building and see the countdown clocks. From the moment I got here it was different. You don’t wear blue in the building, you don't say the M word. I was like, okay, this is different. It’s not really a rivalry, it's more of like a way of life."
On Seniors Coming Back To Win This Game:
“That’s what I said in my press conference on Saturday. I want to get this done for them because I haven't been a part of it for that long. l've only been here a year. l only know what, what I know. I love my brothers and they came back and they wanted this, they felt the hurt the last couple of years. Coach Day took a chance on me when he didn't have to. There was probably some kick back I bet when I I first committed here. He believed in me. I owe that guy a lot and I want to get this done for him, I want to get this done for those guys that decided to come back and who believed in me to lead this football team. I'm forever indebted to those guys. I come off passionate. I am a passionate guy and I'm emotional because I love those guys. I love this university as much as the next guy. I love my brothers and I love Coach Day. I would do anything for those guys and I want to get this done so bad for them and for Buckeye Nation. I don't want this to be half in on this thing. This is a big part of being a Buckeye. This game means everything. l'm so grateful to be a part of it and grateful to be here and grateful for all those guys that came back. I want to get this done for them.”
On the team having the right mindset:
"I think that we're worried about what we have going on in our building. We're not too focused on kind of a negative aspect of the team up north, but we're focused on the positive energy and the love that we have for everybody in this building. We're going into that game ready to spill blood for each other because we love each other not necessarily going to war because we hate the other side."
On Will understanding the rivalry
When it comes to this rivalry in this game, there's always a saying, you don't know what you don't know. No matter how much the freshmen think they know, they don't really know. No matter how much the transfers think they know, they don't really know until you really play in this game and feel what it's all about. So I think Will (Howard) understands that and he's the closest to knowing what this means without actually playing in this game. He has the entire right mindset going into it and he's a leader that I think has what it takes to go into this game and win."
On Toughness:
"For myself personally and for the defense, that's how we want it offense as well.
It's been our motto all year being the toughest guys on the field every time we step out there and execute at a high level. If you do those two things, you're usually going to win the game. For me growing up in Columbus, that's like what you pride yourself on is being tough and winning games that way. So that's definitely the style of ball we expect this Saturday and the style of ball we love to play."
On Coming Back For Michigan:
“That’s the reason why we come back. That's the reason why we all came back. A big part for me is to come back for Coach Day. I think that no one deserves this win more than he does. To see what he and his family have gone through in the last three years, falling short to them, made my decision even more clear to come back. He's a guy that gave me an opportunity to play here. So I thought that I owed it to him to come back and get this win for him. So that's what we plan to do Saturday.”
On Will Howard’s leadership
He’s a wonderful leader. Throughout all the adversity we've gone through especially injury wise, he's been a person that you could always look to. He's always confident, he's always upbeat and, he was really big this past week too, rallying the guys and, and making sure everyone is still focused on the mission. I can't say enough good things about him. He's a great dude.
On Emotions With Michigan Game:
It’s probably one of the hardest things just because of all the history and all the traditions around this game. One thing I've been trying to just get to the younger guys is just to still play free. It’s still football when you come down to it. We just have to go out there and play our game and not be afraid to make plays.
On Preparation for this Game:
It speaks to the preparation throughout the week. We make sure we cover every detail. I have full trust in the coaches because they make the game plans and they put us in the right position. Our job is to just go out and execute and play as hard as we can.
