UNIVERSITY OF TULSA FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 14, 2024

Keuan Parker

Cooper Legas

Joseph Williams

Press Conference

East Carolina - 38, Tulsa - 31

Q. Cooper, what was the prep like this week? Offensively, you guys were able to get started pretty quickly. And obviously if you have Cam that's hold up, you have a guy like Joseph that's open and being able to make big plays.

COOPER LEGAS: Honestly, ECU is probably the most exotic defense we'll play all year. They can literally run anything -- go drop A or go cover 0.

We were just planning on being prepared for everything. And we had a ton of shots in. And so a lot of those were designed to go to Joe, and he stepped up and made big plays. So, honestly, that was the game plan, just go out and who knows what they're going to be in and see it and take what's there and we'll try to put some shots up.

Q. What's it been like watching Joe have the maturity throughout the season of making these big plays, especially the last few weeks?

COOPER LEGAS: I mean, I've said it before, but honestly, I don't even notice that it's freshmen out there with me. They played like grown men. They played like they deserve to be out there, and that's Joe. That's the O linemen stepping up. That's young running backs. That's dudes on the defense. There's a ton of young guys stepping up and showing that they really belong at this level and that they can play. It's been cool.

Q. Joe, when did you think the light went on for you? Because you didn't have your first catch until North Texas. In the last two weeks you had command performances. When did it kind of get real for you?

JOSEPH WILLIAMS: Really, I was just really waiting for my shot. And I just kept working each and every day, and I finally got that one shot and I just executed it.

Q. Keuan, take us through just kind of being back. You got hit against Temple in a route a couple weeks, what did you see out there today for the first time being back out there in a couple of weeks?

KEUAN PARKER: The game, pretty much the same speed, I got to practice last week on an off week, bye week, and we had a pretty good week of practice. So I take it back up on the game speed.

It was a blessing to be back out there with my brothers fighting, getting another one, and just doing it. We had a couple that didn't get to make it out to the game and we were trying to fight for them. It just felt good and joyful to be out there, having fun with my brothers.

Q. What happened on the touchdown return?

KEUAN PARKER: The pick-6?

Q. Yeah.

KEUAN PARKER: We were in a trap 2 defense to the field, and I think it was I was at the right place at the right time. I tried to bait the quarterback from being at a deeper depth from pre-snap and to walk down to what I was going to really be in and God did the rest, blessed me.

Q. Cooper, on the last play, the fourth down play, what did you see when you lined up? What did you see after you released the ball?

COOPER LEGAS: I mean, that's a play we've been working on all year, and, I don't know, I thought the call was fine. If it works, everyone's stoked. If it doesn't work like it did, then everyone thinks it's the worst play call ever. That's really for anything. And it didn't go our way. But I'm not mad with the call, it just didn't work.

Q. What kind of things do you think inspired a better start this week? This probably may have been your most complete game of the season. What kind of turned the switch from here to UAB from your perspective?

COOPER LEGAS: Honestly, what I think it was we didn't have guys like Tyree and D.J. there. They were dealing with stuff bigger than football, and I think that gave us all a purpose like, hey, it's a blessing we even get to be here. Like, football is not everything. People are dealing with worst stuff. Like, let's go make the most of it and try to fight.

I think that helped a lot just with our energy and really giving us a purpose to be out there and give our bodies, give everything we have.

Q. Cooper, now that you guys are officially eliminated from a bowl game, what kind of do you use for motivation for these final couple games?

COOPER LEGAS: I mean, for me it was I've got 15 days left of football, probably, for the rest of my life. And just have fun, enjoy it. I've been giving it my all. But now that it's, hey, we're not getting that extra one, this is it, just I'm really trying to enjoy it, trying to give these younger guys the best experience they can and set them up for the future.

But just for me, just enjoy it, give it my all. Finish strong and see what happens.

Q. Keuan, you talked us through that pick-6. What's it mean for you to make a play like that, especially after missing time with injury, to be able to come back make a play like that?

KEUAN PARKER: It meant a lot to me. It was kind of a surreal moment just because a month and a half, two months ago, I was in the hospital, didn't even know if I would ever be able to step a foot back on the football field. Just to be able to be out there again, it was a blessing. And that moment, it was surreal again. Just really joyful and that I'll be able to cherish and remember it forever.