Ohio State Buckeyes College Football Pregame Quote, 12/26/2023

Q. What does it feel like being in here, practicing, working out?

CB DENZEL BURKE: Honestly, like a dream come true to play in AT&T Stadium. Trying to get a glimpse of my future. It’s awesome. I’m going to take advantage of the moment, live in the moment, take care of these times with your brothers.

Q. Have you made up your mind what you’re going to do?

CB DENZEL BURKE: Not yet. I will let you guys know on January 10th, so mark your calendar.

Q. Why are you playing in this game?

CB DENZEL BURKE: To finish the season out with my brothers. It’s an action game on the tape for the scouts and just finish the season off strong and have momentum going into next year for next year’s team.

Q. Why January 10th?

CB DENZEL BURKE: Honestly, that’s just the day my family picked. It’s after the bowl game, and I have time to think and make our decision. I already have my decision, but you guys will know on January 10th.

Q. What does Missouri look like offensively? What jumps out at you?

CB DENZEL BURKE: A lot of shifts, a lot of motions. They use their receivers in a lot of good ways. #3 (Luther Burden) is all over the place. He’s probably the best player on the team. And #7 (Cody Schrader), the running back, is a good back, runs hard. Quarterback (Brady Cook) is solid, has a good arm. And he extends plays and things like that. It’s a good team. This might be the best offensive team we’re going to play in terms of athletes and how they throw the ball.

Q. I asked Steele [Chambers] when you are watching video of when these guys were going against Georgia, what do you pay attention to when you are getting ready for a team?

CB DENZEL BURKE: Especially teams like this, an out of conference team, I watch their best games, good on good games, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, South Carolina, and just see how they match up against them, see how the receiver comes out from the routes, their body language, certain formation concepts, and the quarterbacks tendencies.

Q. Is this the best group of receivers you guys will face this year?

CB DENZEL BURKE: Most definitely.

Q. Why?

CB DENZEL BURKE: They’re just they’re an explosive wideout group. We got to keep stuff in front of us. #3 (Luther Burden) is the best, like I said. They make a lot of good contested catches. Solid on route running and, yeah, they know how to make plays.

Q. You mentioned a few weeks ago the defense needed to have more takeaways. How do you not force that but still try to create that kind of havoc?

CB DENZEL BURKE: Doing your job and let the plays come to you. It comes with a lot of film study, knowing where you are at, anticipating routes and being proactive on the field. If you see it, go get it.

Q. About the turnovers, with the turnover battle with the team up north (Michigan), you don’t win that. How much does the defense take that on? Does the defense take ownership of that? How do you respond to something like that?

CB DENZEL BURKE: You really can’t put it all on the defense. This is a team game. A lot of the little things we take care of ended up not helping us. We lost the game because we didn’t take care of little things.

But, yeah, man, it’s tough. Our plan for this game is to take care of little things and take care of the details and do your job.

Q. How have you seen some of the other wide receivers, maybe guys who didn’t play during the season, step up during bowl practice?

CB DENZEL BURKE: Carnell Tate, it has been him since he’s been here. He has taken over that stop since Marv (Marvin Harrison) isn’t going to be playing. It’s going to be him. Who else? You all see them.

It should be fun to watch them boys. He will be the next first round out of here, mark my words. He’s a pro on and off the field. I kind of see a little bit of him in me when I was a freshman, how much this game means to him.

Q. When you were talking about turnovers, in the game last month, didn’t you feel like you had one?

CB DENZEL BURKE: Oh, I definitely did. The refs didn’t give it to me. If it was in my field of play, it would have stood as an interception. He didn’t really have possession of the ball. I don’t know what the ref saw. A lot of calls that game didn’t go our way. We can’t get stuck in the past. It is what it is.

Q. Did you watch it more afterwards?

CB DENZEL BURKE: I watched the play like a hundred times, and it was blatant. He didn’t have control of the ball. It is what it is.