CHEEZ-IT BOWL: OKLAHOMA VS FLORIDA STATE

December 26, 2022

Ethan Downs

Camping World Stadium

Oklahoma Sooners

Press Conference

Q. Ethan, what's the team mindset been going into the postseason? I know the regular season wasn't everything you guys hoped but what's the mindset going into the postseason?

ETHAN DOWNS: Coach Venables will tell us that a season is like a roller coaster. Like Coach Roof mentioned, the highs and lows. You can't jump off the roller coaster. You can't give up.

We are telling a story with this season of, it really feels like life: You get punched, you get knocked down, you get right back up. Sometimes you are on a high, and a lot of times you are on a low.

We are trying to show our perseverance and what we are made of. We are trying to show our heart by getting back up and fighting. Even when it doesn't look like we've had such a great past, we are trying to give people home for the future.

We are playing for more than just 7-6, which looks a lot better than 6-7. We are playing for the future the program and the people that have been through the program and the coaches, Oklahoma's reputation. There is a lot on the line.

Q. When you look at Florida State's offense, Jordan Travis obviously makes a lot of plays, but they also run the ball really well. How much of a challenge does that put on defensive ends when you have a mobile quarterback and a good running game and also a passing game, too?

ETHAN DOWNS: Yeah, we have to have a great scheme against him. Also, he's really talented, but can extend plays, run well, pass really well. They have around seven yards rushing, and what do they average, seven yards rushing. They scored nearly 40 points a game, and we have to have a great scheme to drop that quarterback, eliminate the run game and be sound in everything that we do, so it takes discipline. It takes great effort, and We are fired up, yeah.

Q. Just on the quarterback, Jordan Travis, is there another quarterback like him that you've faced that helps you guys prepare to face another like that?

ETHAN DOWNS: I am not sure. He is probably the most talented on his feet that we have seen, being able to run sideline-to-sideline and get the ball to where he needs to be. He has a great ball, as well. He can throw short. He can throw deep. He has great run reads. He is super talented, one of the top quarterback in the nation and it is a great challenge for us and the D-Line to test our skills even more to get better.

It is an opportunity to get better and to see what we are made of, even this late in the season. Doesn't matter, you know what day it is, like there is an opportunity to get better, an opportunity to finish and face the challenge and attempt to conquer it.

Q. Have you seen that approach from your teammates as you get ready for this bowl, what you're talking about, the opportunity to finish, all those things that you've been talking about?

ETHAN DOWNS: Absolutely, yeah. We have been practicing really hard, just like we practice every week. It is just a matter of discipline and heart. We are all in and focused on getting that victory.

Q. I don't know how much in practice you guys go good-on-good but going up against Dillon, what has he brought to your program and how difficult is he to defend in practice?

ETHAN DOWNS: Dillon is a great quarterback. He is a great friend, great teammate. He is always looking out for us and when he is on the field, it shows. He can control an offense and make things happen with his feet, throws a great ball. When we are going good-on-good and DD is in the game, you have got to really crank it up and make few mistakes, or else he's going to expose us, and he usually does. So I am blessed to have him and what he brings. I am excited to see his future.

Q. How big is this week for the defensive linemen from the 2023 recruiting class to be part of practice week?

ETHAN DOWNS: It is really cool to see that 2023 group come in. Like I said, we are working on our abilities, our skills and just having more chemistry with the new guys and young guys that are getting opportunities. Like I said, setting up our foundation for the next year.

I don't like talking about the next year, because we got so much to finish with this year, but everything we do now is going to have an impact on our future. So, every opportunity that we get to make it our best and put our best foot forward, to give the best effort we can is an opportunity finished right.

Q. I was going to ask, you talked about finishing right. What would it mean for you guys to finish out a win over a program that's ranked and has had a pretty solid return year?

ETHAN DOWNS: I don't think a victory would be finishing right. I think playing our best would be finishing right. If we play our best, I believe we will win. A victory isn't always a win in our books. It is about how we played and what we did, and I am very faith-driven. I believe in God and how I play, so I am going to play with the max effort I can, and I'm going to play like there's no tomorrow. When I've failed to do that, I've failed.

Even when we won, the victory, I haven't done my part. Going into every game, every practice, I'm going to try to give my best and be the best person I can for all my teammates and the coaches around me to represent them and to represent my Lord, who I play for. So, a victory, even if we lost, a victory is playing hardest and putting my best foot forward.

Q. Oklahoma is used to having tremendous success basically every season. When you have a year like this, was there any cracking in the foundation of the team, or do you feel like it brought some of you guys together?

ETHAN DOWNS: Yeah, it's always hard. It's always hard to have losses and lots to persevere through, but with that perseverance, we are still a very motivated team. A very driven team and that shows our heart and our commitment to the program and our belief from our fan base. The culture and Coach Venables and the staff brought has really highlighted the tradition of the program and the culture and what it means to be a Sooner.

We play for more than just our pride, our personal pride. We play for everybody that looks up to the symbol of OU, and how it can motivate their household for weeks or months or it can tear down their household for weeks or months.

We understand that. We are playing for more than just a victory.

Q. You mentioned their offense is averaging close to 7 yards a carry. If it started in 6, that quarterback can hand it off, or he can keep it or throw to his 6-7 receiver or throw a screen play. Do you think if you guys just all do your jobs you can slow it down, or do you have to play above your heads or with a certain level of aggressiveness to slow that kind of attack down?

ETHAN DOWNS: We have a lot of resect for them. We know that we have to play our best ball. That is our goal, anyway, is to play our very best ball and finish the season off right.

We know that they have a lot of tools in their arsenal, a lot of great size, speed and talent all across the board. They are a great team, and they are a great challenge. So like I said, we got respect for their tools and their toolbox and how they can extend plays and how they can make plays in the necessary drives.

So we are prepared for it. We see it. We game plan for it, and we are focusing on the victory.