Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah
Q. Jeff, I was reading up on Clemson a little bit and found some interesting things about the way they’ve not only played the season other the past several years. But this era of their football, they’ve won 50 in a row when they’ve scored first. They’ve won 50 in a row. And I’m wondering, when you’ve watched them this year, do you have an explanation of how they’ve been able to get up on teams and keep them down the way they have?
JEFF OKUDAH: With Clemson, if they’re able to score first, it kind of destroys a teams’ morale. For us, I feel like we never get too high, never get too low. We have an experienced secondary, experienced defense. We’ve been in our share of dog fights. And if they do score first, I feel like records must be broken.
Q. How do you build on that? Do you start fast because you want to get teams down and control? Can you just explain why the beginning of this game may have great importance? Because you want to be the team setting the tone.
JEFF OKUDAH: Everybody wants to be the team that sets the tone. But it’s a heavyweight fight. If they punch us, we’ll brush it off, get back up. We’ll throw our punch. We’ll just see who recovers better from that first punch.
Q. You’ve had success your first three years here, but you haven’t been to the playoffs yet. How excited are you to finally being so close?
JEFF OKUDAH: I’m excited. I was talking to my friend at OU (Oklahoma) and asking him, What are the playoffs like? Is it a different feel? He was like, yeah, the playoffs are just different. He didn’t really explain it. Just a different environment, different feel to it. So I’m kind of ready to soak it all in. Live in the moment and have fun on Saturday.
Q. Who’s the friend?
JEFF OKUDAH: Tre Brown, corner at OU (Oklahoma).
Q. How would you say your year has gone? How would you describe it?
JEFF OKUDAH: I think it’s gone really well, the Rose Bowl last year. Coach Mick (Mickey Marotti) sat me down, told me that I have a lot of talent, just have to bring it out, be consistent every day. So one thing going into the offseason, I just want to be consistent, want to be a leader for the younger guys. Understand my work ethic from a different level. It’s kind of cool to see. You reap the fruits of your labor, I would say. So it’s been a real blessing, really humbling. I’m excited to see what the next couple of weeks are like for the whole team.
Q. I know your mind is not on anything beyond this game — or hopefully the next game. But you’re not blind to what the draft talk is and all that stuff. Most people expect you to go. Is there an urgency for you to make the most of this opportunity?
JEFF OKUDAH: I wouldn’t say there’s an urgency. I kind of feel like I owe it to the younger guys, the older guys to be at my best. I don’t worry about my situations. I worry about other guys, seniors, who it might be their last game, the younger guys who kind of look up for leadership. I think I have to just be at my best to do my part and the way everything plays out.
Q. Are you even thinking about that yet?
JEFF OKUDAH: I haven’t had a chance. The season goes so fast. You never really have a chance. Just bask in the moment.
Q. Did your family come out, or will they get out?
JEFF OKUDAH: They’ll be out maybe Thursday or Friday.
Q. Tomorrow you have Christmas without them. Not typical. It’s happened before. Cotton Bowl it happened?
JEFF OKUDAH: Cotton Bowl it happened but I was in my city. Cotton Bowl was cool. Really the first year, because we flew out last year on Christmas, so we kind of did Christmas a little bit. So it was really the first year that we haven’t been together as a family.