CHEEZ-IT BOWL: OKLAHOMA STATE VS MIAMI

December 27, 2020

Tylan Wallace

Camping World Stadium

Oklahoma State Cowboys

Q. Hope you and the family had a good Christmas.

TYLAN WALLACE: Thank you.

Q. I wanted to ask you about Dillon Stoner and what he has meant to you and this program over the four years.

TYLAN WALLACE: You know, I think it's rare when you come across guys like Stoner. I mean, he's one of the hardest-working guys on the team, one of the most humble guys on the team. He goes out there and he gives he everything he's got, no matter what, whether he's getting the ball or not.

It's just really rare to find guys like that on a football team. And to even, not just me, but the whole program, he means a lot especially for how long he's been here. It just shows the kind of person he is, the dedication he has for the game and love he has for the teammates. That's just a little bit to sum up what me and the rest of the guys on the team think about him.

Q. So this is about to be your last game as a Cowboy and earlier this year you made the decision to come back and play one more year after your injury last season. What do you think you've done to help yourself this year and can you talk about why you decided to do that and what you got out of this last year?

TYLAN WALLACE: For me, I think that was a key thing that everybody was wondering, like if I was going to be able to be the same guy I was or be able to bounce back from an ACL injury. That definitely took part of the decision to come back, but also, I knew what the kind of team we had and I knew what we were capable of.

So I think that was another big, key part that I wanted to be a part of and I wanted to make sure that I felt like I was doing the right thing, and I was very happy, very grateful to make that decision and I'm happy that I made that decision. Came out here. Feel like I've kind of proven that the ACL injury hasn't really affected me too much and I think it was just -- I just felt right. I'm really happy that I did that and I was able to go out the right way with my team.

Q. As always, thank you so much for your time. You've elected to play on and finish the season in the Bowl. A couple of teammates have opted out and moved on to get ready for the Draft. Do you understand the other side of that decision in do you see why teammates would make the opposite choice?

TYLAN WALLACE: Oh, definitely. For sure. You know, guys make their own personal decisions. I think that's them. It's their life. It's however they want to live it. So if they want to opt out, then I think that's great for them. Everybody has different situations. So you know, I think I see it easily either way or the other.

I definitely praise guys, if they opt out, if they want to do their own thing, they have their own reasons for doing so and also guys that finish out the season, I think either way it goes, I praise either way.

Q. You've caught passes from quarterbacks going all the way back to Mason Rudolph; Spencer is a different kind of quarterback than the traditional OSU quarterback, more mobile, able to run around. Does this offense work just as well with that kind of quarterback and if so, why?

TYLAN WALLACE: For sure, definitely. I think any time you have a quarterback like Spencer, like a dual-threat quarterback, that just really creates more problems for the defense, honestly. You get guys that can do both sit in the pocket and throw it, and then you've also got to watch out for him when he runs the ball; I think that just adds bonuses honestly. I think that's really the why; that's more for the defense to worry about, and I think that's really it, really.

Q. What do you see from Miami's defense, what stands out?

TYLAN WALLACE: From watching them they play a lot of cover one, basically somewhat man. I think that really stood out to us and I think that's going to be a really good match-up for us, our wide-outs versus their DB. I think it's going to be fun and exciting and hopefully a lot of deep balls.

Q. I know this receiving room is going to take a hit with losing you and Dillon, but what are your thoughts on the talent that will be left for next year and in the receivers coming in from this last recruiting class? What potential do you see from that group?

TYLAN WALLACE: I think they have the potential to do great things. You see just like how when the whole running back situation, you see how Chuba was done and you see other guys that a lot of people may not have heard of step up and go off in games and they show everybody what they can do. I think it's going to be the same situation. You're going to have freshmen coming in, guys who may not have played too much. They are going to get in and show everybody what they can do. Just everybody waiting their turn and proving to everybody their capabilities.

Q. You talked about opting out seems to becoming a more and more common thing. Why did you decide to play? I know you kind of got banged up on that TCU game, to what end did you decide to play in this Bowl game?

TYLAN WALLACE: For me it's kind of just a personal thing. I think to me, playing in the Bowl game for me is the right way to go out. I feel like I've put a lot into the program and it means a lot to me and I know it means a lot to the guys. I wanted to go ahead and finish out the right way in my eyes, to finish out the Bowl game with them and spend the last however -- the last game, last few moments and everything with them.

Q. You put on your Instagram story that it was your last practice. Talk about the thought process of going through the last practices and knowing that your career is coming to a close but you're doing it like you said in the right way. Talk about your feelings or thought process towards that.

TYLAN WALLACE: Yeah, it's bittersweet moments. Obviously you start to feel, you know, you're realizing like this is the last practice, last time I'll be around most of these guys. I think the key thing is for me, I was trying to cherish every moment. You don't get these moments back. So trying to just take in all the little things, soak it in all in and just really excited for what comes next.

Q. A follow-up on Spencer. In your two years playing with him, how have you seen him throwing process? What's he good at, what's he working on and how do you see Spencer Sanders as a passer?

TYLAN WALLACE: As a passer, he's definitely gotten more comfortable, I feel like, to sit in the pocket a lot more than he used to be for sure. That just comes with time. I think that's what I've seen him progress a lot more in is being able to sit there and throw the ball in the pocket, and also, I feel like his accuracy has also gotten a lot better.

So those are a few things that I think he's definitely improved on these past years.

Q. Anybody in particular from University of Miami that stands out to you on the defense? And I'm sure you watched film of the last game against North Carolina, the rushing yards, was that a little shocking to you and do you think that's indicative of their defense and what do you expect?

TYLAN WALLACE: For sure. You see stuff like that, you can go based off of last game, but I think I try to look at mostly the season as a whole. I think throughout their whole season, they played really good and they did a pretty good job the whole year.

So kind of looking at the last game, it can be deceiving, so you don't want to go into a game thinking like, oh, they allowed this many yards in this game; we're just going to think they are not as good as they really are.

I think you also have to be aware of the things they have done in the past for sure, and just go in there and don't take them lightly.