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ROSE BOWL GAME: GEORGIA VS OKLAHOMA

December 28, 2017

Steven Parker

Pasadena, California

Q. (No microphone.)
STEVEN PARKER: DJ is a guy that's not afraid to get dirty. He puts in the work and he does it quietly and that's what we love about him. The thing is, you might not ever hear a peep from him but anything that he does say, everyone listens and everyone knows that he means business. So that's what we love about him.

Q. In your film study about Georgia, talk about the quarterback and what you've seen out of him especially as a young player?
STEVEN PARKER: He has a strong arm, he can put the ball in spaces that where only his receiver can get it. He's going to be a gamer. So we're going to have to be ready.

Q. Last four games you won the turnover battle, just importance of this game the quarterback has only had one pick in five games and they only have two straight back-to-back no turnover games.
STEVEN PARKER: Like I said, we're going to have our work cut out for us. Our job as a defense is to get the ball out any type of way and one of those weighs is to practicing stripping at the ball, making sure we're always hawking at it, and whenever we get a chance, to go ahead and make apply on the ball in the back end. We got to get some int's, we got to come up with some turnovers.

Q. When you heard about the matchup I don't know what you heard about Fromm. He doesn't have some of the numbers the big quarterbacks have. What was your impression of what you thought about him?
STEVEN PARKER: Just learning about him and talking about him, like I said, he's a quarterback, he's going to be gamer, he's going to be a guy that's going to be ready to go. Like I said, he's probably going handing the ball off the majority of the time with the run game but he's going to cut your head off with the play action pass. That's what Georgia does very well.

Q. Strange for you to look across the field in a game of this magnitude and see a true freshman quarterback?
STEVEN PARKER: No, not at all. It doesn't surprise me at all. It takes a team to get here and he's done a great job of leading this team. It doesn't surprise me that I'll be lining up across from a freshman. That doesn't matter. If you're ready, you're ready.

Q. Do you see like things like leadership and confidence and things like that on tape? Can you see moments on tape where you think oh, man, he looks like he's a senior or something?
STEVEN PARKER: Oh, definitely. He shows a lot of leadership quality tease and like I said, he's going to be a guy that's going to take control. He's going to take the ropes and he's been taking the ropes all year. So he's going to be a great leader, he's going to be a great energy give for them.

Q. (No microphone.)
STEVEN PARKER: We talked about it every single day. Starting from -- I'll probably say starting from right after Auburn. Starting basically winter workouts we already knew what our goal was, which it's the goal every single year, especially being at the university of Oklahoma, but we really instilled that in us. Atlanta, Atlanta, we already knew that the championship was going to be in Atlanta so we have been working to get to Atlanta.

Q. You guys have shirts that say ATL on them. How did that come about?
STEVEN PARKER: Really they just kind of came up with some designs for the shirts and stuff like that and one of our themes this year was we want to put like where the championship is going to be, so we have something to work towards and we have something to look forward to. That was one of the designs that we came up with and ATL just always stuck. So you guys probably heard it from Motley, he always throws his hands up and says ATL, that's what we have been preaching all season, all year. We have been really waiting on this moment.

Q. When did those shirts pop up?
STEVEN PARKER: In the summertime.

Q. (No microphone.)
STEVEN PARKER: Actually, they did not make a trip here but we'll probably end up making a trip. They will probably end up making a trip if we get to Atlanta.

Q. Did y'all stop wearing them at a certain point before the season started?
STEVEN PARKER: No, we still wear them, but we still -- those were like our summer shirts so we get shirts every single, I guess season, so you got winter, you got your summer and then you got fall camp and you got fall, so.

Q. (No microphone.)
STEVEN PARKER: It was very easy. He already knew what this season meant. We have been working to get to a title, a national title, bring one back to Oklahoma. It's been a couple of years. The last one was 2000 and we want to basically put our names in the history books.

Q. Going back to Fromm, what can you guys do to get him inaccurate? He's a 62 percent passer, pretty good for a freshman, what can you do to disrupt him when it comes to being able to find the right receivers?
STEVEN PARKER: Pressure, pressure, pressure. We got to -- it's going to be a physical game and we have to show our physicality as a defense and just as a team. He's going to have to feel our presence and he's going to have to feel like he's going to have to be on his heels.

Q. Is this going to be a different challenge dealing with Georgia's bigger receivers. Emmanuel said that's something you don't really see a lot in the Big-12?
STEVEN PARKER: Honestly we have seen some, especially Iowa State. Iowa State has three, 6'-3" and up receivers. They got some great players. But talking about it, that's kind of what the Georgia receivers kind of remind us from, they got some height in a way. Their slot receivers, they can run very well, just like the 6'-4" receiver that they have. We're going to have our -- we're definitely going to have our work cut out for us.

Q. Emmanuel said that after the Oklahoma State game how he felt he had to step up as a leader. He's a quiet guy.
STEVEN PARKER: Definitely. I feel like there was a lot of leadership that came after that Oklahoma State game, especially because that's not how -- that's not how we want to brand our offense on Oklahoma football as far as a defense. We don't want to brand ourselves or brand our defense in a bad light. A lot of people always say that the Big-12 doesn't play defense, it's hard to stop those defenses, but for us we set a standard here and that standard is basically playing great ball on the defensive side. So leaders emerging, you have a lot of people stepping out of their shell and no one's scared to correct anybody. Everybody is in for the long run and everyone is going to basically be a leader at some point.

Q. You got a lot of guys that play big roles that sort of came out of nowhere who transferred in or JUCO guys. What's it like playing with guys with unique backgrounds?
STEVEN PARKER: They provide a lot just because those people that or my teammates that basically I guess came from nothing or basically that didn't really know if they would make it, just being either let's just say a walk on or let's just say a person that came from a JUCO that didn't have any offers before, they bring a lot of light because they, a lot of young guys, they can see that story and just know that they can thrive in this defense and thrive on this football team.

Q. Lamkin said, going back to the Oklahoma State game he said after that game you guys started having defensive meeting, player meetings. Do you guys still have those and what started that?
STEVEN PARKER: Yes, we still have those meetings. Actually as a defensive back I hold meetings twice a week at least and that's just really just to make sure that we're on point, making sure that we have all of our coverages right, making sure that we know our responsibilities. As a defense we kind of started meeting as a whole in a way, just so we can clear some things up and clean up our defense.

Q. Who is idea was that?
STEVEN PARKER: Me and Ogbo. But really our whole defense wants to step in and do that as well.

Q. Why is it that these Big-12 games are so high scoring? You guys obviously have held Ohio State to 16, that's pretty good offense what is it about the Big-12 that has that kind of explosion on the offensive end?
STEVEN PARKER: It's different offenses that you see. It's a spread offense, that's one that has been adopted in our league and that's what we run, that's what we go against every single day. SEC or Big-Ten they're probably facing a lot more run than they do pass and in our league it's a lot more pass and run I would say it's a little balance but it depends on the team that you're facing, but you are going to face a lots of pass.

Q. Talk about Jake Fromm. Obviously their running game is what makes them go, but he's been really composed as a freshman. You played a lot as a young guy, what's the biggest adjustment? Is it just size and speed or is it mentally being able to like get over mistakes that you make?
STEVEN PARKER: That's exactly what it is. You have to be able to just squash any mistakes that you made. If you're a person that goes through hard times and you think about it, you're not going to thrive that way just because you're going to be over thinking about the mistake that you made, so that's one thing about being young, you have to be able to get over things very fast and I feel like with Jake Fromm, he's a guy that does that very well.

Q. Did you have moments when you were playing when you were really young that you didn't get over things fast?
STEVEN PARKER: Oh, for sure.

Q. Do you remember any in particular?
STEVEN PARKER: I can remember things in practice, I can remember things in games. Just like yes, I did. I would say one of them was I had actually messed up, it was a blitz call and I actually messed it up and I can remember Mike and Bob both just firing me up and I was like, oh, my goodness, this is not what I want. Then on top of that, you have the older guys that are saying, come on, pick it up, but of course it's not -- that's a nice version of it -- but as a freshman it's very hard, those guys, everybody believes in you in that system or in this system, but it's one of those things where they have to be hard on you, so therefore you can go ahead and learn or excuse me, not think about it but you can learn from your mistakes.

Q. What have you seen from Fromm on film that you watched?
STEVEN PARKER: He's a competitor. He's a guy that he's accurate passer, he's a strong, he has a strong arm and he's a guy that's going to have the will to win.

Q. The guys on the scout team, what guys have impressed you?
STEVEN PARKER: I would say Rambo and AK, those guys right there, they're always giving us great looks. Our offensive line, I would say really just the whole scout team, they have given us a great look of what we're going to face.

Q. As a New Yorker, I noticed your Mets hat yesterday but then I said you were a Yankee fan. How do you become a Yankees fan in Tulsa?
STEVEN PARKER: I just always liked the Yankees, they have such a rich background and history and, I don't know why, it just always stuck with me. Of course I was always a big Jeter fan, so I would say it was kind of just everything leading up to it and I've always just kind of grown up just watching the Yankees and loving the Yankees baseball organization.

Q. And the Mets was just you liked the colors?
STEVEN PARKER: Yeah, it was just more just the hat. I know a lot of people ask that they're like you really like the Mets? And I was like, nah.

Q. You played in a lot of big games, you made a lot of big plays, looking back at it, did you think you would have this kind of career when you first committed to Oklahoma?
STEVEN PARKER: In my head, yes. That was a dream and that was the layout. I really did feel like I was going to be a part of something special. I've gotten the opportunity to come to two, this is the second time to the semi-finals, a lot of people don't even get the chance for one. So like I said every day that is happening is a blessing, it's also due to hard work and will.

Q. There's been so much talk in your career with the Big-12, what it is, what it isn't, getting left out of the playoff last year, this year you're in. What does the Big-12 have to do to sort of kind of get the respect of the country?
STEVEN PARKER: I would say a lot of people always say that our league isn't as great, maybe because of teams, maybe because they feel like we're not physical enough, that's always been the talk, so it's one of those things, whereas a player in the Big-12 we just have to do everything better and we have to do everything above expectations than other leagues I feel like.

Q. Do you feel like you don't get the benefit of the doubt?
STEVEN PARKER: From time to time. But last year we got kicked out, we weren't salty about it. We played a great Auburn team last year, we were happy about it, that was a great victory of course against a great Auburn team. This year we didn't want to put it in anybody's hands and that's how we kind of respond. We don't want to put anything in anyone's hands, we always feel like we kind of control our own destiny.

Q. The Big-12 has not yet won a game in the college football playoff. You guys are the only ones that have had the opportunity so far. Would that change the narrative, would that help you guys break through?
STEVEN PARKER: I would say so. I would definitely say that this would be a great game changer to kind of change the game, change the rhythm of everything.

Q. There's all that talk about the Big-12's defenses as well. You were able to stop Chubb and Michel, what do you think that would say to the country?
STEVEN PARKER: It would say that Big-12 plays defense and that we're not backing down from anybody. A lot of people expect us to bow down or basically run away from the physical game and honestly we want to meet it head on. This is what we come here to Oklahoma for, we come here to play in big games and it's going to be a physical one.

Q. Do you like this matchup with the running backs?
STEVEN PARKER: I love the matchup because it's going to provide a challenge and they got three dudes back there, two of them will probably get a little bit more carries but it kind of reminds me of Jones and Sermon in a way and we have to tackle those guys, so it's nothing different.

Q. Ogbo was saying earlier he gets annoyed by the narrative that the Big-12 is not physical enough or for SEC teams, etcetera, you've beaten them several years in a row, you I think were a senior in high school when they played the Sugar Bowl. So what do you think of that?
STEVEN PARKER: Kind of what Ogbo says. We get it all the time, but no one ever gives us credit for how physical our games can be. It's a lot of running. A lot of people don't realize that it's a lot of running, we're running marathons, it's not a sprint. So that's how we look on it.

Q. After you beat the SEC teams?
STEVEN PARKER: Well, we have beaten the SEC teams, I think we're 4-0 now or 3-0. Records don't matter.

Q. You're smiling about that record.
STEVEN PARKER: Records don't matter. I smile about it because we prepared and we have out lasted the hype, but that's what it is, it's hype. We have to be ready and prepare for each and every game. So it's not like I'm saying Big-12's better than SEC or SEC is better than Big-12, it's one of those things where the better team is going to win no matter what league you're in.

Q. Not to look too far ahead, but there is a scenario where you can play two SEC teams.
STEVEN PARKER: Definitely. There's a scenario that it's possible, but if that's the case, that's the case. First we got to get past this one.

Q. How have you guys changed since 2015, last time you were in the playoffs?
STEVEN PARKER: I would say this team right here we with were close in 2015, but for some reason I feel like we're even more close and it all started in fall camp with the freshmen coming in and making everybody work. A lot of freshmen come in and they don't know if they're going to get a spot or that, so it's kind of like they don't go as hard but yet they're trying to prove themselves. I feel like this group right here, they pushed us older guys to get better and we, that's always a thing for our team, but I feel like there was just something there that where they pushed us even harder over the top.

Q. You were a big piece of that 2015 team and you guys led at halftime and then Clemson just kind of pulled away in the second half. Kind of the narrative was physically you guys had to get stronger and everything else. Do you feel like you've cut that gap in two years?
STEVEN PARKER: Definitely. I feel like we have cut that gap. Even then we had our opportunities to make some plays and they made more plays than us. I don't think that they were stronger, I feel like we had a great team that year and I feel like we had a chance to go all the way. Not making any excuses, they were the better team that day, and we're going to live and learn from that. I feel like that's kind of what the team has done, I feel like we lived and learned from that situation.

Q. The Iowa State game, I think they're an underrated team, but what was different for you guys that game, what was not going your way?
STEVEN PARKER: I would say it really started with the tackling. We didn't tackle well as a defense. We just didn't play our best ball. But like you said, they're an underrated team, they're actually a really, really good team, they're right there as far as exceeding their expectations.

Q. Is there something you learned from that that you know not to do before a game or anything?
STEVEN PARKER: Exactly, I mean, I would say that with that game right there, it made us just think about where exactly where do we want to be and how do we prepare. And that game right there we didn't prepare as good as we have in the past, especially like with Ohio State. We say it all the time, our defensive coordinator, he could have called anything versus Ohio State and we were running to the ball we were knocking heads. I feel like Iowa State it was kind of like we were running to the ball but it seems like we were it's like we were over doing things as far as thinking too much, over thinking, not playing like ourselves. But it all started in practice and film.

Q. One of the differences talking about 2015 action Baker and Lincoln are have been here three years or at least Baker has been the starting quarterback three years now. What's been your observation of their relationship being from the defensive side of the ball being a guy who's been here three years?
STEVEN PARKER: Oh, their relationship is, it's magical is what I like to say, just because Coach Riley, he zeros a lot into Baker but I think Baker as well, I think they just have a bond to where they both kind of grow and they kind of both just get ideas from each other. So that's why I say magical, just because I feel like they really set each other up as far as growing closer and closer each week.

Q. Is there a big difference between the program now and under an offensive guy with Lincoln versus under Bob last year?
STEVEN PARKER: I wouldn't say it's much different, only difference is Bob is retired and Coach Riley is here to stay. He's done a great job of taking the reins and going with it.

Q. A little less hands-on though on your side of the ball?
STEVEN PARKER: I feel like he's still hands-on. Don't get me wrong, Coach Riley is young, but he's a guy that he thrives on basically -- to keep the engine running -- I feel like he's done a great job that have.

Q. Put that in perspective that a young coach who had never been a head coach has done this. Obviously these are Bob's players, but put that in perspective what that means?
STEVEN PARKER: For me it means that you have a young coach that it's very, he's very capable of being a legend that, in my eyes, maybe the greatest coach that ever lived, there's a lot of room for him to grow, just like we're growing as players, so he's growing as a coach.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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