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PLAYSTATION FIESTA BOWL: OHIO STATE VS CLEMSON

December 27, 2016

Ben Boulware

Glendale, Arizona

Q. (Indiscernible)
BEN BOULWARE: That conversation and that playoff conversation, for us to be in it two years in a row just speaks to Coach Swinney and his staff and the players, just being consistent and to be in that national title contention every year.

Q. What did you learn from last year; what does it take to actually win it this year?
BEN BOULWARE: Just finish. That's kind of the only thing we've been preaching all year. We've got to finish. We played well for 14 games. And at the end of the day we didn't finish. We got beat. So that's kind of been our motto all year is to finish in every aspect -- in the film room, at practice, each game -- just treating every game like it's the national championship and hopefully when that time comes it will carry over.

Q. When you watched them on film you see three different guys can really make game plays in the running game. How does that change what you do on a regular basis? Does it change anything in your approach when you see three guys (indiscernible)?
BEN BOULWARE: Not really. Kind of the same sense, you go into the same mindset as Louisville, just knowing that their quarterback is capable of running the ball just as good as he is throwing it. But two running backs, with Samuel -- they definitely do a lot of different things. But it's our job to stop them.

We've got a great game plan in. We know that they've got a lot of talent on their side of the ball. But so do we. We're D-I football players, too. So it's going to be a great matchup.

But definitely they present a challenge for us, but we're eager for it.

Q. You've been here a while. You've seen the success you guys had at bowl games. Almost a month to prepare, what is it that makes you guys so good?
BEN BOULWARE: I think we just don't really allow that time, that extra time to allow us to get complacent or lackadaisical. We have our game plan in by Friday. With the extra time we just kind of tweaked some things, but if we had to play on Saturday, last Saturday, whenever it was, after that first week, I think we wouldn't have been able to play at a high level.

So we get our game plan in just the same we do with any other game. So really the extra time just allows us to tweak and make little minor adjustments.

But it's really just that. We're treating it like a normal game week. And that's about it.

Q. Is that a playoff beard or a lifestyle beard?
BEN BOULWARE: It's a lifestyle beard. It doesn't change.

Q. (Indiscernible)?
BEN BOULWARE: Patience. You've got to go through a lot of ugly phases. You've got to be a man. But to fight it off and resist the razor. That's about it. It's definitely not a playoff beard. This has been here since January 12th and it's December 27th. So that's a long time.

Q. It's the day after the title game last year?
BEN BOULWARE: I had the mustache. I don't know why. And I shaved the mustache the day after the National Championship. And I had a clean slate. It's been growing ever since.

Q. What does it mean, the legacy you've left at Clemson, making this program a national contender every year?
BEN BOULWARE: It's definitely not me. It's definitely me, Deshaun, Jay, Carlos, Tootie, Jadar, Coach Swinney, Coach Venables. There's definitely -- one man cannot take credit for all of this.

I know everybody likes to point to Deshaun is the savior of the world and the savior of this program, but he couldn't have done this without Jay Guillermo or Mike Williams or Wayne Gallman. And it's the same with me. I couldn't make the plays that I do without Tootie, Jadar, without Carlos, Christian, Dex, Kendall, without Coach V putting us all in the right position to make plays.

So I definitely don't think there's one man that can take credit for it. Even Coach Swinney, if he had a team full of crappy players we'd suck. Luckily that's not the way it is.

I think it's really the whole aspect of team. You can't do it without the guy beside you. So I think that's why we've been so consistent ever since he's been here.

Q. How have you been able to instill that in the younger players moving forward so they can continue on this pace?
BEN BOULWARE: I'm really just kind of leading them in any aspect. Just kind of teaching them the game of football, learn formations. And it's not high school football anymore. It's not see ball, get ball like it was for me in high school. Just the aspect of camaraderie, going to work every day with your brothers.

You're grinding ever since January. So I don't think much needs to be said. Really just the work you put in speaks for itself. And you just kind of learn to love the guy beside you because you put in so much work beside them.

So I think it's just really that. Just really in the offseason, I think that just teaches them more than anything that it's not about you. The thoughts of our recruits coming in here, get humbled real quickly. Think they're going to come in here and play, be a freshman All-American, a lot of times that's not how it is. You've got to go to work, you gotta grind, do your time, pay your dues. Exactly like I did.

And once in a while Dexter Lawrence who can come in here and be a freak like he is, Sammy Watkins, that's about it. So I think really just the grind and just going to work, preparing every day kind of teaches those young guys about the whole team.

Q. Were you able to enjoy what the team accomplished last season or did that loss stick with you?
BEN BOULWARE: It stuck with me for a while. After a while I definitely was, I became appreciative of what we've done. I know it's so difficult. At least to do it two years in a row, let alone one.

So probably the first month or so I was completely just pissed off about that game. But reflecting back on it now, and the past couple of months, it definitely allows you to appreciate that much more. Just doing it two years in a row, just realizing, dang, that's super hard to do that. And play at a high level. Because it's such a long and growing season. Really probably the past couple of months it's allowed me to appreciate that much more.

But after that game I was just completely pissed about it for a long time and didn't realize the success we had.

14-1 is a pretty dadgum good season. But obviously that one loss lingers and stands out. Definitely going to try to change that this year.

Q. No one on your roster played high school football in Arizona. But for the second year in a row, coming here to Arizona, how would you say you guys like playing in Arizona?
BEN BOULWARE: I don't, because the last time we played here we lost. But I obviously want to change that and make amends to that and get some revenge on that last game.

But I don't care where we play. At the end of the day, it's football. At the end of the day the grass is the same. Same rules.

You always have a great team in front of you. So I don't care if we're playing Atlanta, Orlando, Arizona or Canada. Doesn't matter to me. It's still football at the end of the day. I don't care what environment it is in.

Q. Question about the Tiger fans.
BEN BOULWARE: Absolutely. I know wherever we go, Mexico, across the world, Clemson fans will be there and they'll be there deep. So Arizona is a small trip for a lot of those guys. So I definitely am expecting a big crowd.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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