PHOENIX – Offensive lineman Tremayne Anchrum and defensive back K’Von Wallace were both true freshmen when they played for Clemson against Ohio State in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl in 2016.

Three years later — after blowing out the Buckeyes 31-0 that year and then going on to win the national title — Anchrum and Wallace have come full circle as they get set to face Ohio State again on Saturday at the Fiesta Bowl in the 2019 College Football Playoff.

“What I remember most, I was a young man so I was kind of nervous, didn’t really know what to expect,” Anchrum said on Sunday after arriving to the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, reflecting on the Tigers’ last trip to the Fiesta Bowl.

“I was kind of thrown into it, so I kind of remember the atmosphere. It was very businesslike, but we also knew how to have fun. He (Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney) kept us engaged throughout the whole bowl prep.”

When Clemson shut out Ohio State on Dec. 31, 2016, Wallace was a first-year player trying to make the most of a limited role on Brent Venables’ defense.

Now a senior, Wallace is a third-team All-ACC selection who enters the Fiesta Bowl with 62 tackles (2.0 for loss), eight passes broken up, a sack and two interceptions (including one returned for a touchdown) in 526 snaps over 13 games (all starts) this season.

“Something I can remember, I was a true freshman coming in, having to play my role,” Wallace said. “I was a third-down guy, so making sure I got everything I need to get done to play well for my team. It was a very locked-in, focused team, didn’t lose any focus. It wasn’t a trip to go have fun. It was not a trip to have a vacation. It was locked in. We knew what we wanted to do. And we came and we saw and we conquered.”

A wide-eyed freshman in 2016, Anchrum is now a savvy senior and an anchor of Clemson’s offensive line as the starting right tackle.

Anchrum played 37 snaps, with a knockdown, in the Fiesta Bowl victory over Ohio State three years ago and remembers being ready for that game because of Clemson’s practices throughout the season leading up to it.

“I remember the level of competition being high — not only in the game, but what prepared us the most was the level of competition in practice,” Anchrum said, “and how we did sharpen iron on iron, and that kind of edge that those older guys brought that taught to us that we can carry onto the younger generations, that hey, it’s always game time.”

Clemson tries to view each game the same way, regardless of its opponent, and the third-ranked Tigers are preparing like they always do for Saturday’s 8 p.m. ET matchup with No. 2 Ohio State at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

“We just don’t get up for games like this, we treat games like this like we do Week 6, Week 7,” Anchrum said. “While the preparation may be a little different, we still keep the same formula for excellence. So, keeping that same formula through now is similar to how we were last time.”

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