Ohio State Buckeyes College Football Pregame Quote, 12/27/2023

Q. Xavier, what have you thought of Texas so far?

WR XAVIER JOHNSON: I love it. Obviously I’m from Ohio, so it’s a little different. We did a hat bar and some things, and I didn’t know what a hat bar was. I got my first cowboy hat yesterday. And actually, I was in Texas for Spring Break this past spring. So I really enjoyed it. Great food. Everything is bigger in Texas, like they say.

Q. When you look at that Missouri defense and the DBs particularly, what have you seen from them and what do you expect as far as that match-up goes?

WR XAVIER JOHNSON: I think you see well-coached players. Good players. Players who have play-making ability. And I think that, you know, you see a physicality that they bring. And so I think that for us, it’s going to be a key matchup of physicality, and we need to play and execute at the level we play and execute at. I think if we check those boxes, we’ll like what we see.

Q. With Devin [Brown] getting his .rst start, as the receiver, the core, how can you make the game easier for him?

WR XAVIER JOHNSON: Coach Hart (Brian Hartline) does a great job and emphasizes the fact that our goal is to minimize the mistakes. And so if the ball’s maybe a yard too far, that’s on us. We have to .figure out how we can get that yard back. Just as receivers, you know, we’ve got to execute at a high level so that he can play with confidence. So he doesn’t have to worry about maybe the little things and he can just really trust himself and rip the ball.

Q. Coming up against Missouri, a team that’s playing its biggest game in a decade, how do you motivate the team being in a playoff? How do you motivate them for Friday’s game?

WR XAVIER JOHNSON: I think it’s important not to minimize the game, but I think you do that by having the right guys in the locker room and having guys who are going to appreciate the game, not just because, you know, it’s a CFP (College Football Playoff) or not, but appreciate the game because we love the game. So to match the motivation, I think that if you have to motivate somebody to go out and play on a national stage, then you’ve got the wrong guy.

So I think we are blessed to have ‚Äì and Coach [Ryan] Day did a great job and all the recrui.ng coaches do a great job of bringing in men who love the game and who appreciate the game and who aren’t going to minimize another opportunity because you never know what’s going to be your last.

So I think just allowing that, along with the fact that there’s just people like myself, like Cade [Stover] and different people, who have poured so much into the program, poured so much in individually. Acknowledging the fact that it’s our last game and kind of trying to send us out on the right note, I think that Coach Day has the done a great job of trying to drive those couple of points home.

Q. Do you think it’s a misconception that Ohio State cared less than Missouri did?

WR XAVIER JOHNSON: I think it’s definitely a misconception. A lot ‚Äì I’ve heard there’s kind of a stereotype that Ohio State are kind of some divas, in a way, and I think that when you see the way we approach the game, when you see the way we play the game, how we play for each other, that that narra.ve isn’t necessarily true.

So I think that when it comes to this game specifically, you’re going to see a whole bunch of hungry young men, hungry brothers, who are coming out trying to put a stamp on the 2023 season. And we have poured so much into it, sacrificed so much, and it’s only right that we go out there and give it our best, give it our all to finish off this season.

Q. How much have you thought about this being your last game at Ohio State?

WR XAVIER JOHNSON: I’ve thought about it a lot. And you know, different moments, it hits me, like this will be my last Thursday practice or my last practice at The Woody (Ohio Stadium) as a player, different things like that hit me randomly.

So it is kind of surreal. I’ve been there for six years. I’ve become accustomed to the way we do things at Ohio State. That’s been my regiment. That’s been my rou.ne for six years now. And so just kind of knowing that it’s my last .me and trying to truly cherish things. I struggle stopping to smell the roses at times in my life, so I’ve been very intentional doing so with this game.

Q. This last practice, did you take a look around?

WR XAVIER JOHNSON: Took a look around, took it all in and really just grateful to be part of a great university like Ohio State. Grateful to be part of something that’s not a lot of places and that’s the building all the way down to the custodians. It’s just a different place. Woody Hayes said it, “You win with people,” and I think Ohio State has taken that and ran with it. Great people throughout the building.

So just to be amongst them and to learn from them, love on them, try to pour back into people coming behind me, it’s been an honor and a privilege.

Q. What’s Devin Brown like off the field?

WR XAVIER JOHNSON: Devin Brown o. the field, he’s a very personable guy. Someone who you want to talk to. Someone you want to be around. I think you need that ‚Äì and somebody who you can really trust. So I’ve had a relationship with Devin o. the .eld, not just something where he’s the person throwing me the ball and si.ng in the locker room somewhere. We have a relationship off. the field. So I think that really helps the transition and trust factor, even all the more.

Q. Marvin [Harrison Jr.], it doesn’t feel like he’s going to play ‚Äì not quoting you whether it’s going to happen or not ‚Äì who are the guys who have kind of stepped up without him and [Julian] Fleming throughout this preparation, I guess?

WR XAVIER JOHNSON: I think you see everybody preparing for the game that’s pro like. Anybody who gets a chance, gets an opportunity, they have put their best foot forward and been, I think, the best way to describe it is pros in the situation.

So I think we’re excited to put an ou.it out there, and we’re going to go out there and play our best ball. That’s what you’re supposed to do in December, and that’s what we’re going to do.

Q. Is this the time for guys like [Carnell] Tate and [Jayden] Ballard to get opportunities?

WR XAVIER JOHNSON: In bowl season, at least at Ohio State, the young guys get an opportunity in a way to prepare themselves and propel themselves into next season. And so, you know, just having that and having more opportunity within practices and stuff like that, I think that the coaches do a great job of preparing them in that way. And so as they navigate and see all they can do, I think we’re going to looking forward to next season and seeing just exactly, you know, how their careers take off and the way that they navigate them.