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

Q. What’s it like seeing the offense operate the way it has? It was actually early in the first two playoff games, and what does it do from a defensive perspective?

DT TYLEIK WILLIAMS: When you see the offense going out there, putting up points, succeeding at the level they’re doing, it really motivates us to go do the same thing, keep getting them the ball back. Just watching them do great things.

When they build a lead like they’ve done these last two games, it makes it easier on us as a defense, because it makes the offense we’re going against one-dimensional. They can’t run the ball to get that lead back. throw the ball. So, it helps us.

Q. How many times this season do you feel like you’ve been fully yourself, fully healthy?

DT TYLEIK WILLIAMS: Truthfully, I don’t think I’ve been fully healthy in a while, because I’ve had these little knick and knack injuries. But I still think I’m producing at a great pace with my guys next to me.

But probably before – probably camp. Probably the first couple games.

Q. So how close do you feel right now? Did any part of the layoff at the end of the regular season, then getting maybe an extra week to get ready for Tennessee, or a week and a half for Oregon, how much has that helped you? How far away are you from a level you want to be at physically?

DT TYLEIK WILLIAMS: I think I’m at a great level right now. There’s always going to be little injuries battling. But I think I’m perfectly fine right now. I don’t have anything I’m worried about right now.

Q. I asked Gee [Scott Jr.] this question. You’ve been here personally through the ups and downs, the team ups and downs. Does that make what you’re doing now, to peak, to pull together the way that you have these last two games, does that make it even more special?

DT TYLEIK WILLIAMS: I think definitely. I’ve been here going on four years, and we haven’t really done anything. Just to have this chance, go end it the right way, with all the guys that are done at the end of this season, I think it’s great.

Just finishing in the right way is our mindset right now.

Q. You’re going to be playing in Texas against Texas. You’ll have a lot of Ohio State fans, because they always travel, but it will be a pro-Texas crowd, for the most part. Do you guys kind of thrive off that? Do you like that, kind of being the enemy, I guess?

DT TYLEIK WILLIAMS: You could say that, but we don’t really try to focus on the fans. We just want to produce on the field. If It’s an away game, home game, we just want to go out there and execute.

Q. There’s a lot said when you guys all came back. These last two games, 12 sacks. And you guys really aren’t blitzing a ton. What’s it been like to see this group realize its potential? Kind of recap the last two weeks.

DT TYLEIK WILLIAMS: We always knew what we had in our room. Now it’s just showing up. Teams are scheming us different ways. It’s allowing certain players to make certain plays. I think we’ve got so many guys in the room. We have 2s that can be 1s anywhere; 3s that can be 1s anywhere in the country. They all decided to stick here and grind this thing out with the guys they came in with.

Like I said, I think we have a great group who can make plays any time.

Q. You guys get eight sacks in a game, but also holding offense to minus 22 rush yards in the game. What is that like? And what does that say about the job you guys did last time?

DT TYLEIK WILLIAMS: It’s a great feeling, looking up at the scoreboard and seeing a negative, definitely. But it’s just like all the work we put in over the summer, over the season, we’ve been

building this defense to where it is now.

Like I said, when we’re executing and we’re at a high level, it’s hard to do anything with us.

Q. I’m not going to ask you to call out officials, but I do want to ask you, have you ever been held before?

DT TYLEIK WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think our whole D-line gets held every game. I don’t know what the refs are seeing or what’s going on with that. But if you turn on the tape and really look at it, we’re held almost every play.

Q. Can you guys be better actors? Can you be more dramatic about it? What do you think has to happen for that to get called in your favor one time this season?

DT TYLEIK WILLIAMS: We can be actors, but we don’t really teach anything like that. I don’t know if it’s because we’re Ohio State, like letting things go, or what it is. But it’s been pretty bad. I know you see it, too. It’s every play, almost every game.

Q. We had a chance to see a glimpse of Coach [Ryan] Day’s pregame speech. The intensity you’ve seen from him the last two games in the playoffs, is that different than you’ve seen throughout the season? What does that do for this group before you go out on the field?

DT TYLEIK WILLIAMS: I wouldn’t say it’s different. He’s been like this throughout the year, but just now it’s getting recorded and posted. Definitely when you see your head coach is fired up like that, it lights a fire in you to go out there and do better.

You can’t thank Coach Day enough, because he’s our leader of this team. When he’s like that, it makes you want to go out there and do great for him, for the guys around us.

Q. Texas runs a lot of outside zone in their run game, running schemes. What’s important for defending that kind of play as a defensive tackle?

DT TYLEIK WILLIAMS: For a D-tackle versus stretch team, you always want to talk about penetration, like penetrating the line and not catching. Because once you penetrate the stretch, it basically stops the stretch and makes them come back to unblock players.

So, really just attacking this game and not catching.

Q. Tyleik, you were in a freshman class with Quinn [Ewers]. Now you’re playing against him a few years later. What’s that like for you?

DT TYLEIK WILLIAMS: Quinn’s my guy. He’s a great competitor, great quarterback. I think it will be fun going against him, trying to get him running around.

Q. Tyleik, I don’t know if there’s one thing you can pinpoint why you all have been so dominant. I would think it’s maybe because of the physical brand of football. Do you feel that’s going to

be the survivor in this game, who’s the more physical team?

DT TYLEIK WILLIAMS: I would say definitely the most violent team, the team that plays the fastest, executes the most, and exceeds their game plan the most is going to win this game.

Q. Tyleik, what’s your relationship been like with Ty Hamilton, especially as this season has progressed? And just how in sync do you feel like you two are playing on the defensive line together?

DT TYLEIK WILLIAMS: Me and Ty, we’ve been roommates for the past two years. We live in the same apartment complex. We played a game together. He’s really like one of my best friends on the team. We talk about a lot of football things, so we’re really on the same page with a lot of plays teams like to run against us. It could be some stunts we’ve run. We’re always connected in some kind of way.

Q. What does it say about your defensive line and your guys when you can get eight sacks, 13 tackles for loss, without having to bring a ton of extra guys and pressure, but you can push forward and do a lot of that?

DT TYLEIK WILLIAMS: I would say kudos to our coach, Coach J [Jim Knowles]. Teaches a lot of technique. Sometimes it doesn’t show up, because teams scheme you different ways. But when you have a team one-dimensional, they have to pass the ball. That’s when all the pass/rush technique comes out.

I think we’ve gotten Tennessee and Oregon into those situations where they had to pass the ball, and just let us rush free instead of worrying about the run, if that makes sense.