Ohio State has officially arrived in Dallas amid blustery conditions on Sunday night, so now it’s time to continue on-field preparations for their College Football Playoff quarterfinal game against the Miami Hurricanes in the Cotton Bowl Classic.
Upon arrival, however, two Ohio State players spoke to the media and did a good job of completing the plan so that the two Texans could preview the game and what it means to be back home. Those two players are running back James Peoples and linebacker Peyton Pierce. Both are very important rotation players on this year’s roster, and both have to be excited for family and friends to be able to watch them play on college football’s biggest stage.
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We’re on hand in Dallas with a full transcript of Pierce’s Q&A, and we’ll continue to bring you what’s next in Ohio State’s journey to defend the CFP National Championship.
Q: How was the landing tonight?
LB PAYTON PIERCE: Great. It’s great to be here. A little cooler than I expected.
Q: I was going to say, you live in Texas. You know it can change in an instant, right?
LB Peyton Pierce: I know. I came here for Christmas a few days ago and it was about 70 degrees. I seem to be in my 40s now.
Q: How excited is it for someone like you to return to your hometown? Have you been here before but are you here again with a game like this?
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LB PAYTON PIERCE: Yeah, I’m very excited. You grew up watching “The Cotton Bowl,” so it means a lot to come back and watch it again. This is a dream come true.
Q: For you guys, this is your third year in a row playing here. How does this routine help you?
LB PAYTON PIERCE: Yeah, I mean, we know how to deal with it. We’ve played here before. Our coaches and staff prepare us well and we come in and do our job and go out.
Q: What was the team’s mood like when you came here for this game?
LB PAYTON PIERCE: I think everyone is hungry and ready to get back to playing basketball. I mean, everyone’s excited, there’s physical practice and stuff like that. Just ready to put it on the field.
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Q: Is the mood different on the defense, especially after the first loss? They only scored 13 points, but they had momentum. How would you describe the dedication of the defense in these games?
LB PAYTON PIERCE: Yeah, absolutely. I think we have a few weeks to hone ourselves and improve without an opponent. I think the last few weeks have been great, just getting better, just staying healthy and practicing hard. We’re ready to hang out.
Q: What impressed you most about Miami’s offense?
LB PAYTON PIERCE: I mean, everything. They had a good game. The quarterback (Carson Baker) is great. They had a great game against A&M. So we just focus on ourselves and try to get better and then go out and stop them.
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Q: When I say Keionte [Scott]what’s the first thing you think of?
LB Peyton Pierce: Quick. He’s fine. He’s really good, fast and athletic. He plays all over the field, wildcat. Yes, we are ready to play against him. This will be fun.
Q: What do you think the team, as a whole, has recommitted to over the past few weeks? Ryan Day said, these little things, these little things, maybe as the season goes on, you’ll relax. How would you describe what you guys have been really focused on over the past few weeks?
LB PAYTON PIERCE: We have to adjust all our fundamentals and stuff like that. We must reflect on the past few weeks of self-examination. very good. We have to get better at a lot of different things. I think we just focused on playing a fast, physical game.
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Q: When you look at Miami’s running back (Mark Fletcher), how do you prepare to defend him in a game as big as Texas A&M?
LB PAYTON PIERCE: He’s a long, physical player. We have some big, physical running backs at Ohio State. So just working on the body, hitting each other, it’s going to be fun. As a linebacker, we love playing against big running backs who like to be physical. So it’s going to be a fun game.
Q: Kayden McDonald Simply put, this guy is a unanimous All-American. They’re already talking about him in Miami, about how impressive he’s been on video and other things. What can he bring to a game like this?
LB PAYTON PIERCE: Being a linebacker becomes very easy behind him. I’m excited to watch him play.
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Texas native, Ohio State linebacker Payton Pierce talks Miami showdown