After practice Wednesday at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, how has Ohio State gotten acclimated to the upcoming challenge Saturday at Penn State? Junior defensive tackle Dre’Mont Jones, sophomore punter Drue Chrisman, fifth-year wide receiver Terry McLaurin and fifth-year senior H-back Parris Campbell embrace the prime-time battle with the whiteout game in University Park, Pa., at Beaver Stadium.
Dre’Mont Jones
On pumping fake crowd noise into practices helping at Penn State…
“Yeah, it helps because in a game you’re just used to it. They’re screaming, going crazy and then you’re in the game like, ‘All right, I’ve been there before. We’ve done it at practice.’ So it’s like, ‘All right, I’m ready and acclimated.'”
Drue Chrisman
On knowing the importance of special teams against Penn State after game-changing plays coming from the unit over the past two years…
“Every week we’re just very intent with what we’re working on, especially special teams. This week, just making sure there’s no weak links. We can’t have something like (a kick return or blocked kick) happen. We’ve got to find a way to get to their spot. We really think it’s going to come down to that. It’s putting a huge emphasis on that this week.”
Terry McLaurin
On understanding the importance of Ohio State’s offense since Penn State’s is just as potent…
“Well, first of all, take care of the ball. We can’t give them any extra opportunities. And we’ve got to execute when we’re in that red zone, we’ve got to get seven points instead of three. Those are the two main things that come to my mind, that’s part of our plan to win. We’ve just got to execute at a high level, take our shots and we’ve got to hit them. In big games, I feel like that’s the biggest thing — you’ve got to capitalize on every time you touch the ball and for the most part I feel like we’ve been doing that.”
Parris Campbell
On adapting to the step up in competition from Tulane to Penn State…
“I think it’s a week-to-week basis right now. Obviously we always prepare the best way we can, but we know what’s at stake. We’ve got a saying around here right now that the most prepared team will win this game and that stands true. But I think the wideout unit, we know how to prepare for big games. I don’t think it’ll be any different this week.”
