Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons
Q. Isaiah, was PlayStation the sponsor when you came last time?
ISAIAH SIMMONS: Yeah.
Q. That was the first year?
ISAIAH SIMMONS: Yeah.
Q. What impresses you about this Ohio State offense?
ISAIAH SIMMONS: They have great players at every position. That’s the main thing. Great running back and great receivers as well. They make a lot of tough catches.
Q. For [J.K.] Dobbins specifically, they really relied on him the last four games. Giving him 30-some carries a game. Do you guys go into the game expecting him to carry that kind of load again?
ISAIAH SIMMONS: I would assume so. I give one of my best players the ball. Nobody has really stopped him, so it kind of makes sense. Why not keep giving him the ball if nobody can stop him?
Q. They had to do that the last few games because [Justin] Fields didn’t run the way he did earlier in the season. Are you still preparing as if that’s going to be a threat?
ISAIAH SIMMONS: Yeah, we’re prepared for him to obviously play the best game of the season. That’s what everybody is here obviously to do. So like I said, we’re going to prepare for the greatest run ever.
Q. Why does that make them tougher, the way [Justin] Fields can run?
ISAIAH SIMMONS: You’ve got to cover the whole field. That’s probably the hardest thing to do in football. Just being able to cover the field, stop the run, stop the pass, quite honestly.
Q. As much as you’ve accomplished in the past years, is this still a chance to prove something going up against an offense as good as Ohio State?
ISAIAH SIMMONS: Yeah. A lot of people think we’re not supposed to be here. So I guess it’s more to prove them wrong, because apparently we didn’t play anyone. That’s been the rhetoric out there. I would probably say, yeah, we’ve got a chip on our shoulder, something to play for.
Q. Is it personal motivation for you as well? Either by sticking up for the team or something you want to prove for yourself when you’re on a stage like this?
ISAIAH SIMMONS: Not really. That’s not really a motivator for me. I know what we’ve accomplished and how hard it is to get to where we’re at. We can never discount that. If it was as easy as everyone is saying, then why aren’t more people not doing it? It’s not really motivation for me. It’s all just media talk.
Q. For you personally, what would it be like to go out with another national championship? You’ve already said your plans after this year. But what would that mean for you?
ISAIAH SIMMONS: It would mean a lot. Nobody’s been 30-0 ever with back-to-back CFP national championships. So to make history would be awesome. We made a lot of history this year, just within our team, and I think a couple nationally. Just making history is really cool. It’s not something that
happens all the time. That’s why it’s history. To do that and, obviously, it would be nice to leave my last game with a win.
Q. What’s this year been like for you, kind of rising up? I know you try to tune this stuff out, but running up the draft boards, that kind of stuff. What’s it been like going into this year?
ISAIAH SIMMONS: I really don’t pay attention to anything like that. I’ve just been trying to have fun with my teammates and enjoy this whole process and enjoy the moment more than what’s coming in.
Q. Do you guys talk about making history at all? Does that even enter the conversation? Or just hanging out with teammates and the fact that you have a chance to do this 30 back-to-back?
ISAIAH SIMMONS: Everybody definitely knows. Why not make a goal? Dream big. Shoot for the stars. We’re not really — you don’t ever go into a game just hoping to squeeze out and win everything. You want to have a goal, something you can reach for to do it. You don’t want to — you don’t ever want to go to a game thinking that was my last field goal. You go in the game thinking you can build the team out. Everybody knows what we could do and what’s in front of us. It gives everybody something to strive for.
Q. Does it make it a different feeling for you guys this year, as opposed to last year’s playoffs, when you were going in just looking for another national championship? This year you’re going in to really leave your mark on history.
ISAIAH SIMMONS: Last year we weren’t just going in looking for another championship. We wanted to be the first team to be 15-0 in the CFP. So each and every game is something we’re looking to go get. So this year, it’s kind of the same thing, another 15-0 mindset. It would just happen to be 30-0.
Q. Some of the stuff Dabo [Swinney] says, as far as you guys don’t get any respect, you talked about it some. Do you feel like there’s some, I guess, pressure on this game? Not pressure, but you guys can prove something that maybe you guys have played somebody.And if you do lose, maybe some of that talk about you guys haven’t played anybody is true?
ISAIAH SIMMONS: I don’t think that’s ever going to be true. We’re 9-1 against SEC in our past 10 games. I guess we don’t play anyone still. We don’t really worry about who we play. We worry about who we are and who we got and what we got to do opposed to who we play. I feel like teams that are opponent-focused don’t really succeed as much as teams that are team-driven.
Q. Along those same lines, I know it’s a statement game. It’s such a cliché. It usually never applies to the playoffs. But in some ways, is this kind of a statement game to show the world, Hey, we can beat a team that’s respected across the board?
ISAIAH SIMMONS: Absolutely. Like you said, we’ve got a lack of respect. Apparently we don’t play anyone. But I guess you could say it’s a statement game. Us as a team, we know we can play with the best of the best. So I don’t — if you want to take it as a statement game, we’re just trying to play our best four quarters of the year, no matter who the opponent is.
Q. What did you notice about the Ohio State offensive line watching film?
ISAIAH SIMMONS: They are a veteran group. They all play really well with each other. You can tell they’re players who have played a lot of ball.
Q. Given what Ohio State does, given what I asked you before about [Justin] Fields and how he plays, what does that mean for you specifically? Does it change the game at all to play a team with that kind of balance?
ISAIAH SIMMONS: Absolutely not. I’m just trying to play within the game plan.
Q. I know it’s raining and everything right now. You’re back in Arizona. What it’s it like to be here, in a new spot again and enjoying the desert valley?
ISAIAH SIMMONS: I kind of like it here. I’ve never been here in the summer, so I don’t know if I can say that for sure. I know it’s super hot here. I like it here. It’s really nice. Kind of different. It’s really different compared to where I’m from. I like it, though.