Dec. 29, 2015

Q: Is it safe to say this could be a strength against strength their offensive line, the rough gate, against your front seven?

Romeo Okwara: Yeah, absolutely. Ohio State has a very good offense. They have a ton of really, a lot of really good players, and offensive line is definitely one of the biggest strengths and it’s definitely going to be our front seven against their front seven and that’s going to be the game.

Q: If you could picture your last game: does it get any better then this, other then maybe the championship game?

Romeo Okwara: Yeah, besides the national championship game, this is probably the best way to go out against Ohio State. I’d say Notre Dame and Ohio State are the two most powerful Midwest teams and to be in the final game, it’s really special.

Q: Did the Ohio guys hit you up about this game at all?

Romeo Okwara: Nope.

Q: Guys, they’ve talked about this or have they been kind of quiet? (mic unclear-)

Romeo Okwara: I mean, they’re been really quiet but I know they’re pretty excited about this game. I think they went back home and I know all the (something here)ââ’¬¦ Ohio State they’ve been talkin’ a lot. (mic-unclear)

Q: What would it mean to the senior class legacy to get a state bowl for the first time in 20 years, basically yet another step for this program forward?

Romeo Okwara: Absolutely. I mean we definitely have a foundation for years coming ahead and it’s just something we’ve done together as a class and something that we can look back and be proud of.

Q: Well, as a guy who’s, this is your last week of practice, is there a different feeling at practice then usual, do you appreciate it more, enjoy it little bit more than maybe you would during the season?

Romeo Okwara: I mean I’ve been taking practice the same way as I have all season. But I think after the game, it will definitely hit me that was my last week of practice at Notre Dame. But yeah, we’re just sticking to practice the same way we have all season, we’re practicing hard, we’ve got a really tough game ahead of us. So, we got to try to get better, as good as we can.

Q: When you look at Ohio State obviously there is so many weapons, what stands out?

Romeo Okwara: I mean, they have a real good offensive line that just does a great job blocking and creating holes for the backs and the quarterbacks to run, so it’s going definitely be their front seven against our front seven.

Q: How would you evaluate the play of the defense this year?

Romeo Okwara: I think we’ve had our ups and downs. I don’t think we’ve really reached our potential. So this is that game where we can get to the level we want to get to. So we just got to play really good as a defense and not make as much mistakes.

Q: Notre Dame hasn’t won a major bowl game in 20 plus years, what would mean to be apart of the team to break that streak if you guys were able to get the win?

Romeo Okwara: I mean that would be really awesome but I mean you can’t really about it, you just got to think about beating Ohio State and that’s the main goal. I mean, if we do win next, that would be awesome.

Q: Obviously you guys want to be in the playoffs. Where does the balance lie between that disappointment to now okay, we’re playing Ohio State, it’s the Fiesta Bowl, it’s a great opportunity.

Romeo Okwara: This is the next greatest game besides the National Championship, playing Ohio State, a Midwestern kind of rivalry. I mean you see Notre Dame and Ohio State are probably the toughest Midwestern teams, so it’s really cool and awesome.”