Entering the road to the playoffs, No. 2 Clemson buckles in, while preparing to face third-ranked Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona on Dec. 31.

Earlier this week, the media spoke to linebacker Ben Boulware. The senior spoke on the motivation he has after losing the National Championship and Tuesday’s energetic practice.

Question: How was practice today?

Boulware: “It sucked. I’m tired. I want to go to bed.”

Question: How was the energy at practice today?

Boulware: “It’s always been high. It’s been that way all season. I think our guys on our team have done a great job of having high energy and making practice fun. We gotta be here, so we might as well make the most of it.”

Question: What’s the difference in preparation for the Fiesta Bowl, having so much time, as opposed to preparing during the regular season?

Boulware: “Nothing really. We’ll have our game plan in by Thursday or whenever that day is. We’ll know what we want to do. Guys on the defense will be ready to play by Friday or Saturday, that extra time is just extra time for us to get in some extra tendencies we might find on film. But the game plan will be in, so we’ll prepare like it’s game week.”

Question: Being here (the College Football Playoff semifinals) before, how does it help you prepare for the big stage?

Boulware: “It’s huge because I’ve already been through the fire. I know what to expect. We’ve been through every situation last year; playing in the ACC Championship, playing in the bowl game, and playing in the national championship. So we’ve kind of dealt with every situation.”

Question: “Now that you’re only a few weeks away from beginning your playoff journey, is the hunger starting to kick in?”

Boulware: “The hunger has been there all year. Not finishing and losing to Alabama gave us an extra fire under our butt. The hunger has been there, since day one, since January.”

Question: Does it hurt looking in the practice facility looking at the 2016 National Finalist instead of Champion?

Boulware: “It’s definitely a reminder. It pisses us off on a daily basis, including me. We didn’t play at a high level, we didn’t play consistently. It’s definitely a daily reminder.”

Question: Thinking back to your last time in that stadium, how much does that experience motivate you?

Boulware: “It sucked. I definitely don’t want to feel the way I felt after that game in that locker room. We didn’t play the way we should’ve played. I don’t want to ever feel that way ever again, so I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure I don’t.”