Ohio State Buckeyes College Football Pregame Quote, 01/05/2025

Q. Sonny, I’m curious, for that front seven, I think you guys had 12 sacks in the last two games. The pressure was enormous on Dillon [Gabriel]. What did you see that has been different for you guys so far in the playoffs?

LB SONNY STYLES: I think we have really good preparation. I think the playoffs, obviously not being in school, we’ve got a lot of extra time. I think Coach [Ryan] Day has handled the schedule really well. I think that shows up in the game. I think our preparation has been better than the last two teams we played.

Q. Sonny, I wonder if you could summarize Cody Simon in a nutshell. What makes him tick? What level has he been playing on for a while now?

LB SONNY STYLES: I think the way he plays is a product of him doing everything in the right way. And obviously, he’s a great athlete, great player, great instincts.

I think the thing that sticks out to me about him is the kind of person he is. He’s an amazing person; one of the best people you’ll ever meet.

He does everything the right way, how it’s supposed to be done. And he’s getting the fruits of his labor, so I’m happy for him.

Q. Do you feel like you and he are really clicking right now? How long have you had that feeling?

LB SONNY STYLES: I’ve had it for a while. Cody has made me a lot better player. It’s been a blessing to play next to him. He’s helped me a lot. Obviously, he’s a very experienced guy; he’s a great player. He’s helped me along on a lot of different things. He’s helped me learn stuff at a faster rate.

Q. Jack [Sawyer] and JT [Tuimoloau] play on opposite sides. Are they opposite people?

LB SONNY STYLES: I think they’re different guys, but they’re similar in certain ways. But I love them both.

They’ve both got high motors. I think that’s something that makes them similar. They just love ball. They love their teammates. They love playing for each other.

They’re more excited when the other guy gets to sack more than they are when they get their own sacks. So I think that speaks volumes about their character.

Off the field? I think JT is a little bit more low-key off the field. Jack, he’s not always a high-energy guy. JT can be a little bit more low-key sometimes. They both just love this team.

We all love hanging out with each other, so I guess you can say they’re similar in that way.

Q. Sonny, Ryan [Day] said he was driving back on the bus, he was on the defensive bus, and he heard you guys talking ball the whole way, talking about something that happened throughout the game. How connected are you right now on defense, 1 through 11, or 13, 14; how many of you guys are playing?

LB SONNY STYLES: I think we’re really well-connected. I think you see it out there when guys are making plays, guys running up to hype up the other player, things like that.

I think what really makes us go is the guy next to us. We all trust each other, we believe in each other, and we want to play for each other.

So no one’s out there with any kind of selfish intentions. It’s just playing for the guy next to you.

Q. One, how have you improved from game one to game 14 doing this? You’ve never played this position prior to this season. In your mind, what are the areas that you’ve improved?

LB SONNY STYLES: I think my footwork improved over time. Early in the season, I kind of messed myself up with my false steps, crossing them over made me a little bit slower to play. So I think I’ve gotten better at that.

I think I’ve gotten a little better at trusting myself on certain plays. That’s something I’ve still got to work on; still got a lot to do.

But I think the biggest thing at linebacker, just got to be instinctual and just go. You can’t overthink things and try and over-process, because then you’ll be slow to the play every time.

Q. Arvell Reese, what have you seen out of him? Coming on this season, it looks like he’s ready to take over when Cody’s [Simon] done. Is that kind of how you do it?

LB SONNY STYLES: He’s a great player right now. He’s going to be a really, really good player next year.

Obviously, he’s a physical specimen, big guy, fast, can run, can hit. I think the biggest thing, he took a huge leap this year in terms of the mental part of the game. I think he has a great understanding of the game. Being able to play Mike linebacker, you have to be a smart player, and I think he took a huge jump in that part of the game this year.

Q. Sonny, you talked about how you guys prepared going into those first two games. How do you guys make sure you keep that same edge going into this third game?

LB SONNY STYLES: I think Coach [Ryan] Day has been doing a good job making sure there’s no let-off. Last week doesn’t matter if you lose this one. So we’re not really focused on anything that’s happened in the past. It’s a clean slate.

We’re focused on beating Texas. They’ve got a really good team, a really talented team, and we’ve got to bring our best to be able to win that game.

Q. I was curious how you assessed Texas’ offense? And they’ve had their struggles in the running game. So they look like a team that’s pass-heavy and leans into the pass first. How would you evaluate that part of their game?

LB SONNY STYLES: You could say they struggled the past few games with the run game, but I think they’ve got a super explosive run game. If you watched the Clemson game, I think they put up almost 200, 250 rush yards, something like that.

I think they’re capable of putting up around 50 points, if you let them. Defense got to show up ready to play. It’s an extremely talented offense on all three levels. The quarterback is a great player. The running backs are very explosive. Receivers are very explosive. They’ve got a great tight end, great O-line. So they’re a well-rounded offense.

Q. You guys are a big favorite in the game. Do you worry at all about overconfidence or complacency? Just because of the way you have dominated the opposition so far?

LB SONNY STYLES: I don’t think any of the outside noise matters. There were things being said about it before we won those two games, and other things being said about us after we won those two games. Those things might be different. Really doesn’t matter to us.

We’re just focused on the opinion inside the Woody (Woody Hayes Athletic Center). And we know we’ve got to bring our A-game every single week. It’s a really good team. Doesn’t matter how we beat the last two teams. This is a completely different team.

Q. Your fans travel very well, but obviously, this game is in Dallas. Do you guys kind of thrive on and like playing in front of hostile crowds?

LB SONNY STYLES: I think guys kind of like going into enemy territory sometimes. It feels good being a little bit of the villain, you could say.

But yeah, obviously, you’ve got to take in the fact that it is in Texas, so it could be a loud environment. Could be like an away environment, we obviously know that. Doesn’t matter where you put the ball down, we’re just going to show up and play.

Q. I think there’s a stat that your opponents have not been called for a holding call since September or something like that? Is that something that you guys are aware of? Do you guys point out on the film, “They didn’t call that one, they didn’t call that one”?

LB SONNY STYLES: Yeah, we’re aware of the stat. We don’t pay attention to it too much, though. You got to just play. I don’t got too much to say about that. You’ve got to just play through it and let your talent take over. Don’t let it come down to a rush decision.