Texas beats Clemson, advances to face Arizona State in quarterfinals

Texas beats Clemson, advances to face Arizona State in quarterfinals

Updated: 10:36 PM EST Dec 21, 2024

It’s awesome, you know, to have the opportunity to be *** part of the, the, the first expanded, uh, playoff. It’s, that’s exciting to, you know, have this chance and, and, uh unique opportunity to, you know, go on the road and, uh, you know, play at ***, at *** great venue against, you know, *** great football team. Uh This is *** huge challenge. Uh And, you know, that they all are when you get to this point in the, the season, uh you’re playing, you’re playing great teams and, uh, you gotta play well to, to win these games. But, uh Texas is, is had an outstanding year. Sharks done *** great job, you know, they’re in the playoff now, back to back years. Um, uh, you got, usually when you’re *** playoff team, you got excellent quarterback play. Uh So no big shocker, uh, with that, they’ve got outstanding quarterback and they’re really good in the trenches on both sides. They’ve got explosive playmakers outside. Uh, you know, they’re built through the run game and the RPO game, the screen game and shots. I mean, they, they do *** good job of, um, you know how they how they put it all together offensively and, um, uh, defensively, I mean, they don’t give up any points. Uh, so like 12 points *** game. This is as good as you’re gonna see in the country. Big stout up front, athletic linebackers, very skilled in the secondary thor for winner. And number seven out there at corner, obviously, we know k uh, and, and who he is, uh, you know, so it’s *** complete football team and, uh *** great challenge, but we’re looking forward to it. These guys are, are, I mean, they’re excited, they’re proud of themselves, man. And they should be, I mean, they, they won this league. Um, and, and they are one of twe 12 teams in the playoff. They earned it. And so these guys, you know, they, they, they all want to compete at the highest level and, um, you know, from as far we didn’t start off the season and again, we could have, we could have scheduled anybody in the opener, but we started off and had *** tough half of football, but they responded and they came back and, and they, they just played their butts off all year and competed and stayed together and had *** bump in the road with Louisville that had *** bad day and then you have *** very tough loss at the end of your season, you know, with *** minute to play and, and, but you respond and, you know, they, you play all the games, uh, they finished 71 in the league and earned an opportunity to go play the, the one undefeated team in our league and beat them, whether there’s 60,000 or 100,000. Uh, you can’t be affected by that. You, you got to lock in on what you do, um, you know, play in and play out, you know, this game, all of these type of games really, when you, when you, when you pull bullet down to what makes the difference in the game, typically it’s two or three or four plays and it’s usually some fund something fundamental. It’s really what it usually comes down to in these types of games. So, uh, you just got to do your job, one play after another, after another, after another and stay focused. Um, you know, in the moment that you’re in throughout the course of the game, you know, handle the adversity, handle the success in the game. But I mean, it’s fun. I mean, it’s fun as *** competitor. Uh, you know, I’ve, I’ve always enjoyed going on the road. It’s hard when you, when you got everything, you know, is against you, but it’s, it’s fun too, uh, to go and compete and this is again, as good as it gets, that would be an awesome crowd. They asked me today on the game day thing I was doing like, what’s it gonna be like? It would be like I said, well, it’s gonna be like *** normal road game times *** million. You know, because this is *** playoff game and it’s just, you, you, you’re going fishing, right? You lose this one. as Charles Barkley likes to say, you know, this is, you win, you keep going, you lose, you’re done. So, I mean, it’s, you don’t have *** game next week. Uh, so it’s, you know, it’s *** lot of, I mean, everybody knows what’s at stake and everybody knows the opportunity that you have and it is opportunity, you get it, the winner gets to go to Atlanta and play Arizona State in the Peach Bowl and you get *** chance to stay alive, you know, for another week. So that’s what it comes down to. So you’re just excited to be in it and have *** chance to go compete and again, you’re playing *** great team, um you know, at their place. So then they’ve earned that. So if we’re gonna, if we’re gonna get it done, we gotta go do it the hard way. He knows it’s, it’s, it’s, it’s really not, um it’s not about emotion, it’s about execution. I mean, that’s what this game is about. I mean, all that stuff’s great. Those are great storylines when you’re on the outside and you’re, you’re, you’re not really in the game, you know, those are natural things you got going home and, you know, I’ve been *** part of that playing Alabama you know, it’s like it can be surreal and then the game kicks off and you don’t even know who’s over there. You don’t even pay attention. Like, you know, you forget who you’re playing. You don’t, you don’t think about any of that stuff. You’re just thinking about your job and doing your job. And so, um, again, it’s, I’m sure there’s some emotion in, in the thought of it, uh, processing it, cool opportunity, uh, unique probably wasn’t what he thought would happen when he came to Clemson. That, ok, my third year, I’m gonna be playing *** playoff game in, in, in Texas at Austin. So, all that stuff’s neat. But it, it’s, when it’s what you do it, you know, he knows it’s about execution, it’s about him doing his job at *** high level. Doesn’t matter where you play, it doesn’t matter when you play, it doesn’t matter who you play, it doesn’t matter what TV station you’re on, it doesn’t matter what they’re ranked. It doesn’t matter what the weather is. It’s about how you play and how you play all comes back to your foundation, to your preparation and those things. And so, you know, that, that’s, he knows that. Um, and, uh, so it’s just, you know, that was probably the first day or so and I’m sure he got *** million texts from his buddies and this and that, but then you lock in. All right, just, just get ready to go play the game. It’s amazing. Uh, it’s, it’s incredible. I mean, yeah, it’s ***, I think it’s *** great compliment. Tart League, uh, for sure. I mean, this is, I mean, I mean, it’s hard to get better than coach Belichick. I mean, he’s an unbelievable proven coach and winner and I think it’s, uh, I think it’s really cool, uh, so excited I’ve met him one time and, uh, over the years but, uh, you know, look forward to, you know, we in at the right time, you know, we have conference calls and meetings and things like that. So, uh, I mean, it’s, uh, it’s pretty cool, pretty cool. See him walk into AC C spring meetings. Yes. Not so, you know, not what, not what you really envision. But, you know, that’s, it’s, there’s *** lot of things, uh, the world we live in but, I mean, he’s *** great football coach. There’s nothing in his past zero. I know there’s been *** lot of people talking about, there’s nothing in his past that says that he won’t be successful, you know, uh, he, he’s gonna be very successful and, and I think he’ll do an awesome job but, you know, look forward to, um, you know, I think we play them next year. So that, yeah, that, that wouldn’t, that wasn’t on my, that wasn’t on my radar, uh, you know, coming into the, the season, uh, that, you know, the guy got more super bowl wins than anybody, you know, would be coming, uh, to our league. So, but I think it’s really cool, great opportunity for those kids that are in that program and, um, I don’t have any doubt. He’ll do an awesome job.