Clemson, Oklahoma Take On Media Before Orange Bowl Matchup
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – While Sun Life Stadium is getting a new paint job for the Orange Bowl, Clemson and Oklahoma players are finding the balance between work and play.
"It's definitely hard – I mean you're in Miami. It's one of the greatest cities in the world. It's kind of hard to say, 'Man I ain't going out today,'" said Oklahoma defensive end Charles Tapper.
There's only a handful of players between the two schools that come from South Florida. So for everyone else, South Beach was a culture shock.
"Where I'm from we don't got beaches," said Shaq Lawson, Clemson's defensive end.
"You see some of these beautiful women around, you're going crazy, like, 'Wow!'" said Oklahoma linebacker Eric Striker.
"It's everything. It's a beautiful setting down here," said Lawson. "I wouldn't mind playing down here one day."
But South Beach isn't for everyone.
"Y'all charged my teammate $43 for a burger. I don't know if that's heaven. I'm thinking heaven, Jesus championed the poor," joked Striker.
South Beach aside, there's still a game to be played. And if Clemson wins, you can count on Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney breaking it down.
"I've been dancing forever. I've been dancing since I was coaching receivers at Alabama," Swinney joked.
His game-winning dances have gone viral, but one player, Germane Hopper, is taking all the credit for his skills.
Jokes aside, there's more than a trophy, some oranges and a party on the line. Some of these guys are hoping being on the big stage will change their future.
"My Mom just landed here today and she was like, 'What are we here for? You want to change your life? We can always go back to Baltimore or we can go to Miami whenever we want.' I'm trying to change my whole family's life so I know this is a business trip," said Tapper.
