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OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

December 4, 2016

Tyquan Lewis

Columbus, Ohio

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How nervous were you whether you guys would make it? What are your thoughts on playing Clemson?
TYQUAN LEWIS: I had a good idea about it. You don't really know. I mean, there's a lot of uncertainty to it because it's not in your hands. It's up to the committee to decide the best four teams.

All along I believed we were one of the best four teams in the country.

Q. Who were you with? What did you do? What was your reaction?
TYQUAN LEWIS: I was with my roommate. We was just hyped in the room together. Then we went down the hall Raekwon's room. Everybody came over, was just enjoying the moment.

Q. You have been through this once before with the playoff, month of preparation. What is it like? How much can you accomplish with this much time to get ready for a game?
TYQUAN LEWIS: We have the best strength staff, best coaches in America. They have a plan in place to get us where we need to be. Lately just been doing conditioning and things like that until we found out our opponent. The plan is already set in stone. We already have a clear idea of how things are going to go. Just got to put the work together now, put everything together.

Q. How much did you do last week as you waited?
TYQUAN LEWIS: Last week, I mean, we did, like, a lot of conditioning. Not a lot, but we did moderate conditioning, I mean, just to keep our blood flowing, keep moving, stay active.

Q. Did you watch any of the games last night? If so, were you comparing how you view your team to the teams in the playoff race?
TYQUAN LEWIS: I watched some of the games. I didn't really, like, compare or anything like that. I was just looking at it from a fan's perspective, just looking at different things that were going on throughout the game.

Q. You're from an area that's not too far from where Clemson is. Do you have any connections to that team, any guys you know that play for Clemson?
TYQUAN LEWIS: I mean, I actually considered going to Clemson when I was really young. I know a lot about Clemson. I went there a lot when I was in high school.

I mean, I was there almost every weekend, but...

Q. What do you know about Clemson? What stands out about them?
TYQUAN LEWIS: I mean, I think they're a good all-around team. They run the ball, they throw the ball, good on defense. I mean, that's why they're in the top four. Great team. One of the better teams in America.

Q. Deshaun Watson, what jumps out about him?
TYQUAN LEWIS: Great composure. Very good quarterback. Can run on the ground, throw the ball, get in the air, tight ends and stuff like that. That's just from what I saw last night.

Q. You're an older guy on this team, but you're still sort of young, are you surprised to be standing here at this moment in the College Football Playoff? This was such a young team at the beginning of the year, what has come right for this team? Why do you think you deserve this shot?
TYQUAN LEWIS: I mean, we were clearly one of the better teams in America. We work just as hard as anyone if not harder than everyone. This is one of the hardest places to play at 'cause everything that we go through during the off-season, training camp, like, every week it's a battle. Everyone wants to give us their best shot. We have to step up to the plate.

This team, we battled through some things. We know what it's like to overcome challenges. Now we're just excited to get an opportunity. We're just going to keep pushing forward.

Q. How much is the championship in 2014 propelling you right now? How much are you using that as the template for success?
TYQUAN LEWIS: I wouldn't be able to say that we use that guideline or anything. This is a whole 'nother team. That team, it was young as well. We lost some starters the year before that.

As you could see, the next year we came back and we put pieces together. We were rolling. We were clicking. We lost two quarterbacks. I mean, it just goes to show, like, this team is well invested. Everything we do here, people, they acclimate to the culture of what it is here. That's just the main thing.

Q. About the youth of your team. When you go to Oklahoma, all those young guys, was everybody overwhelmed? That was obviously a big reason you were picked? Was there anything about that you remember, the youth of the guys with you?
TYQUAN LEWIS: I remember that week very vivid. Guys came out and they practiced hard. You could just tell, like, young guys, they were ready. That was their opportunity to, like, shine, showcase their talents on a big stage like that.

I think Oklahoma was No. 3 at the time or something like that. I mean, playing on a stage like that, it's an away game, hostile environment. None of them were nervous. We had a rain delay. Everything looked bad, but none of them were nervous. They stayed composed, went out there and played hard.

Q. Do you wish Ohio State had played in the Big Ten championship or are you glad to have the weekend off?
TYQUAN LEWIS: I mean, I wish we would have played. There's nothing like winning, especially winning the outright championship.

I mean, having a weekend off has its benefits. You get extra time to rest. Other than that, I like winning more than resting.

Q. Having been through the playoff before, just that setup to get the four best teams, you have to beat two great teams to win the whole thing, it's physically taxing, tough to go through, but is it fun? Do you like that setup of this is what we have to do to prove ourselves to win this thing?
TYQUAN LEWIS: I think it's a great idea because that way when you pick the four best teams, no one's left out. You go head-to-head against the other two opponents that you have to face.

I mean, that's how you, like, sort everything out. It's just like a boxing match or something. You just figure out who is the best. Like Muhammad Ali is the best.

Q. Is Ohio State Muhammad Ali?
TYQUAN LEWIS: Yes.

Q. You said you were at Clemson almost every weekend. How did you wind up at Columbus, Ohio?
TYQUAN LEWIS: I wanted to be the best. There's no other place like this. I respect Clemson. I respect everything else that goes on there. But coming here is different. It's a lot different here. The culture, everything, the tradition. What everything means to me, this university, like, it's much deeper than that. That's why I love it here.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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