COLUMBUS — In the final days leading up to The Game, tensions are at an all-time high, and players are typically trying to go about their normal work weeks while avoiding saying or doing anything that may make waves.

That was hardly the approach from Ohio State cornerback Denzel Burke on Tuesday as he exuded confidence while delivering response after response suggesting the Buckeyes are ready to prevail in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Saturday.

From the first question he fielded, Burke let it be known he isn’t concerned with Michigan but rather himself and his teammates playing well. Asked what stands out about the Michigan offense, Burke quickly responded by simply saying, “Nothing.”

Burke added, “We just have to go out there and do our job and really compete and play hard for each other. We’re going to be the villain walking in there, and this game is really just about respect for us, especially my class. The last two years, we haven’t gotten it done, no Gold Pants. So we just have to go out there and just be us.”

Asked if he embraces playing the role of the villain on the road, Burke said he loves it due to the ability to “go into someone else’s hometown and compete” while having nobody behind them except each other.

A junior from Arizona who has yet to experience a win over Michigan, Burke admitted he didn’t fully grasp the enormity and weight the rivalry holds in Ohio. He quickly found out, though, starting as a true freshman in 2o21 and again last season. The losses have stayed with him, and Burke said the team has a “different mentality” as it prepares to correct its recent struggles against Michigan.

“It’s horrible, man, especially when you’re at Ohio State because livelihoods are at stake,” he said of the losses. “You gotta win this game. It’s mandatory. We’ve had to live with it for 365 days, and now it’s here, so we’re ready.”

“Just thinking about the game, my blood boils, so I’m really ready to just go out there and do what we can do,” he later said.

While Burke expressed an understanding of what a third consecutive loss to Michigan and all the associated implications would mean, he made it clear that doesn’t equate to Ohio State being under pressure this week.

“It’s no pressure, man. We just gotta go out there and ball and do what we can do,” Burke said.

Whether the rest of his teammates have embraced the same approach Burke has adopted remains to be seen and likely won’t be known until the final seconds have ticked off the clock in Michigan Stadium. However, when a reporter noted how “dialed in” Burke appeared on Tuesday, Burke suggested he was far from the only one expecting to deliver on Saturday.

“I’m trying not to get out of character, but this game means a lot to us, and we’re going to get it done for the state of Ohio,” he said.

Reach Dillon Davis at 740-413-0904. Follow him on Twitter @DillonDavis56.