UNIVERSITY OF TULSA FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 1, 2022

Bryson Powers

Press Conference

Cincinnati 31, Tulsa 21

Q. Just your overall thoughts on the game? Obviously a disappointing loss, but you did some good things on defense especially against their passing game. They threw for only 166 yards. You were able to get a big interception near the end of the game. Obviously Jayce got a big interception. Talk about your thoughts on the game.

BRYSON POWERS: Yeah, coming in we knew it was going to be a physical game, an emotional game, just our history with those guys. Felt like there were some plays we left out on the field that we wish we could have back.

But that's what tomorrow is for. We're going to get in the film room and learn those lessons and then put this behind us. We've got a big game next week, too, so we're going to start focusing on Navy.

Q. Talk a little bit about some of the back and forth between the two teams, some of the bad blood it seemed like, especially in the middle of the game and near the end. Talk a little bit about that.

BRYSON POWERS: Yeah, I mean, we've got -- it's always a tough, physical game whenever we play these guys. I know we're very emotional whenever we play. That's how we play, with a chip on our shoulder. We've got to be careful not to let our emotions get the best of us sometimes.

But there's a fine line between being a physical football team and maybe making some mistakes that we shouldn't. It's just -- we don't need to lose our physical edge, but we also need to be smarter.

Q. Just looking ahead to totally revamping your defense for a week against Navy with their option offense, I know it's kind of hard to think about it right now after the game, but you've played Navy a bunch of times. Talk about the challenge of facing their option offense.

BRYSON POWERS: Yeah, it's always difficult playing them. They're extremely physical, and then they run the triple option, which you don't see often anymore.

But we've played them every year since I've been here, so we know what they're going to run coming in, and we've got to play assignment-sound football really against them, so we're really going to need a good week of practice of flying around and working on our fits to get everything tuned up for next Saturday.

Q. How hard is it to completely change your focus of your defense? It's like playing against a completely different type of football.

BRYSON POWERS: Yeah, our coaches do a good job of preparing us whenever we have some extra days in fall camp, just so this week won't be the first time we see it all year. We've worked it a little bit back in fall camp, so we have a good idea of how we're going to play it, and we just really need to lock in this week and focus on those fits.

Q. With such an emotional game, how do you guys turn this page to Navy?

BRYSON POWERS: I think we're a really mature football team, so I think we'll go in tomorrow and watch the film and learn the lessons we need to, and then kind of put it behind us and start focusing on Navy for next week. That's going to be a physical football game, as well, and we're going to have to be locked in to be able to win that one, as well.

We're just hoping we see Cincy again eventually sometime later in the season.

Q. I know you told me you're pretty close to Davis. Seeing him out there, the way he was able to play, sometimes it looked like he was playing on one leg. How was he able to battle through this?

BRYSON POWERS: Yeah, I think everybody on the football team has an immense amount of respect for Davis. He's a warrior out there, and seeing him, we knew how much pain he was in out there, and just to see him battle through it for -- we say family all the time, for his brothers, I think he definitely has earned the respect of every single person on that team with how tough he is.