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TOSTITOS FIESTA BOWL: OHIO STATE v TEXAS


January 2, 2009


Brian Orakpo


GLENDALE, ARIZONA

Q. Sergio has only been in this defense for one year. Do you see him possibly providing the kind of impact that you provided this year if he keeps going the way he is going?
BRIAN ORAKPO: I think I am. He is going to be -- whatever he decides, I don't know what his deal is, but whatever he decides, he is a great player. You seen what he did this year. Obviously the country knows he is a great player. He is a guy that can possibly win all these awards and be a great player. He is a great player now. So who knows what's in his future.

Q. Do you think -- I mean, he said he doesn't know yet. But if you were his dad, what would you say?
BRIAN ORAKPO: I would tell him to make the best decision for yourself. Don't make anybody -- don't let anybody make a decision for you. You make that judgment because you are your own man and you are the one that got yourself to this point. You make that decision on your own.

Q. How big a game is this for you? This is your last go-round. I bet these four years blew by kind of quickly.
BRIAN ORAKPO: It did.

Q. How excited are you about getting up for the challenge?
BRIAN ORAKPO: I am very excited. I'm excited to be out here to be with these guys one last time. It has been a great year here at the University of Texas. My mind-set going in is to be consistent, be consistent. Don't be complacent. A lot of the guys probably in my position probably would get complacent and worry about the future and getting hurt and all that stuff. My mind-set is I want to win. I want to win, I want to do the best I can to help my teammates like I have been doing all season. Everybody else is the same way.

Q. What do you think about Laurinaitis?
BRIAN ORAKPO: He is a good guy. He is a good guy, hard-working guy just like myself. Very disciplined. A good gentleman. I can see why he led the Buckeyes so many years.

Q. Did you ever talk to him about his dad?
BRIAN ORAKPO: Yeah. He was all hanging out at the award deal, whatever.

Q. In Orlando?
BRIAN ORAKPO: That was in Newport Beach, California.

Q. How big is he?
BRIAN ORAKPO: He is big. He is about my height, 330.

Q. He is bigger than he was.
BRIAN ORAKPO: Still about 300.

Q. His dad was Animal?
BRIAN ORAKPO: Yeah.

Q. He was the bigger warrior.
BRIAN ORAKPO: The Hawk was huge. Still huge.

Q. How much does this game mean for Sergio?
BRIAN ORAKPO: Like Sergio, we are going into this game like it is another game. Obviously it is a huge game. But we just can't wait to put these pads on and strap up and play. We are not worried about trying to do more than we can. All we are doing is taking this game -- taking the same approach as we would if we were going to State or any other game we played this season.

Q. But for guys like him to make a decision, does it play a part in your decision?
BRIAN ORAKPO: No, we are focusing on the game. What you try to do is put that behind you and just play football, play what you have been doing all season. Play what got you to this point right now and really just not worried about the future of the NFL and all the other aspects that can take place.

Q. (Indiscernible)?
BRIAN ORAKPO: Having him and Henry and the rest of the guys, they are speed guys. We feel like we are capable, if he breaks loose. We have enough recovery speed to get back to him and hopefully do the best we can. He is a great athlete with great speed. As defensive ends we are speedy linebacker-type speed. We feel like we have to have very good pass and discipline. If he does, we have to regroup and get to him as fast as he can.

Q. How can you tell when your pass rush is affecting the quarterback?
BRIAN ORAKPO: Throughout games we played, you can tell when quarterbacks start being hesitant and start feeling like somebody is about to hit them and get rid of the ball a little sooner than they want to and not make their reads that fast.

End of FastScripts




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