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PLAYSTATION FIESTA BOWL: OHIO STATE VS CLEMSON

December 28, 2016

Chris Worley

Glendale, Arizona

CHRIS WORLEY: They have a great quarterback, they have a great team. We feel like we have the same thing. So may the best team win on Saturday.

Q. What's your assessment of Clemson's run game? Comment on their ability to average about 170 yards a game?
CHRIS WORLEY: They're really dynamic. Gallman, he's a really good running back, one of the best we've seen all year. And we've played against some really good running backs this year. If you look at the Oklahoma running backs, Saquon, Corey Clement is a really good running back. So we've played against some really good backs. This is just another challenge.

And no matter what game you're in if you don't stop the run you most likely won't win it. That's one of our biggest keys for our defense, stop the run. So we have to stop them.

Q. You're going to have a lot of issues with the offensive line with regard to the schemes and things along those lines. How do you see that offensive front playing out as well?
CHRIS WORLEY: Just like stopping the run, another key for any team to win is the front guys have to play well, whether that's the offensive line or defensive line. It all starts up front. And if our front don't manage the game, it's really hard for the rest of the team to react off of them. So it all starts up front, and we have a tremendous amount of faith in our guys. It's another one of those battles within the game that's going to be a dogfight.

Q. (Indiscernible)?
CHRIS WORLEY: Coach Meyer, he's a fiery guy. And once it gets closer and closer to game time, his message goes from a little storm to an earthquake as soon as we get closer to the game. If you guys could hear him, he was fired up. And he got us ready to practice. So that's who Coach Meyer is. He's a fiery guy.

Q. What does it mean to you and your teammates that Ohio State is a program that's had such an extensive history in Arizona and a lot of success in the Fiesta Bowl?
CHRIS WORLEY: Here at Ohio State, there's a tremendous amount of expectations. And with that you have to live up to it, and there's no mistake about it. It's one of the greatest programs of all time. Like you said we've had a good amount of success here at the Fiesta Bowl. So the only way to maintain that is if we win.

Q. Is it nice coming back to the same area for the second year in a row, playing in the same stadium, knowing the routine and lay of the land?
CHRIS WORLEY: Ohio State have a tremendous fan base here. And we love it and we look forward to playing here. And we were excited to come back here.

Q. You were at Notre Dame Prep yesterday and Pinnacle High School last year that you practiced at. Any difference in the two practice facilities?
CHRIS WORLEY: Not really. I mean, they were pretty similar. But I feel like we had a better view of the mountains. Guys were prepractice and stretch lines, it's, like, look at that mountain. We weren't this close to the mountain in the last place. But it's just respect from being new. Last year we probably were the same distance from the mountain but just being here again is just crazy.

Q. Seems like a nice story line your defense versus Clemson offense. Do you take that as a challenge to make sure you come out on top in that battle of the two top --
CHRIS WORLEY: Yes, I mean, as long as I've been alive I've always been taught defense wins championships. And even when you play against a great offense with a great amount of talent, at the end of the day you have to stop them more than they (indiscernible) stop our offense.

If we do that, technically we should win. But I mean there's different aspects of the game that comes into account like special teams, things like that. So you can't just say, oh, if our defense play better than their defense we're going to win a game because that don't have to be true. But at the same time our whole objective is play better than their defense.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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