Houston - 38, LSU - 35
Q. Conner, Willie said he didn't think you made a single mistake or he didn't see one. How locked in were you? Did you sense that kind of moment?
CONNER WEIGMAN: I mean, yeah, I was locked in. For sure I had a chip on my shoulder. Playing against that team meant a lot to me, meant a lot to this team. I can't say enough about my guys around me. The O line, they played a hell of a game.
I feel I had all the time in the world in the pocket. My receivers went out, made plays. The running backs had juice all day. They ran the ball really hard. When you do that, things like that tend to happen.
Q. You told us earlier in the week about what the significance of a 10-win season can do. Now that you've got it, what can this do moving forward, especially for you coming back next year?
CONNER WEIGMAN: I mean, that should be the expectation here, especially being in the city of Houston. We've got everything we need to be a power program, and especially with Coach Fritz at the helm, anything's possible. I love Coach Fritz taking a chance on me bringing me in here, and I can't say enough good things about him and this coaching staff, and we've got to keep this rolling.
Q. Tuesday's practice, you mentioned you wanted to see people turn out to the game. Can you walk us through what it was like seeing the Houston faithful show up in today's game?
CONNER WEIGMAN: Wow. Very special moment coming out of the tunnel and just seeing all that red. We asked for them to show up, and they did. It was a truly special moment. And it was a perfect way to end this season.
Q. Can you talk about the two drives, one to end the first half and then the penultimate drive where Dean Connors scores a touchdown to go up 10, how huge it was for the game, but for you guys, how were you guys able to find success on those drives?
CONNER WEIGMAN: I mean, Coach Nagle, he had a great game plan. He called a really good game. We just went out there and executed one play at a time. We didn't try to look too far ahead. Everything was about that next play. And we all bought into that, and that's how we went out and put that two-minute drive in together and ultimately the drive in the game to end the game.
Q. You mentioned that the LSU team created a chip on your shoulder. What is it about this team in particular that made you feel like that? What was your assessment on LSU's defense as far as what you expected and what you saw tonight?
CONNER WEIGMAN: I mean, that stems from me coming in the SEC. I played in that league for three years. I played those guys two times before. It didn't go how I wanted it to go in the past. So it meant a lot to me. My teammates had my back. It was a huge, really cool moment.
Q. What we all love about this game is that it's a team sport. But as the quarterback, you're a natural leader. What does it mean for you to get the MVP just based off of your family watching here in home court?
CONNER WEIGMAN: I mean, it meant a lot. I had quite a few people, family, friends, here to support me. It meant a lot for them to come and put on a performance like that in front of them, I love them and they've supported me throughout this whole journey. And I can't thank them enough for being with me every step of the way.
Q. Throughout the year, whether it was the Oregon State game, Arizona game, especially tonight, it felt like you played a lot of your best football with your back against the wall, either trailing or tied, just how do you kind of psych yourself up in those moments to consistently deliver?
CONNER WEIGMAN: I mean, it's all about execution at the end of the day. Just take a deep breath and go out and play good football. I mean, take what the defense gives you, have good eyes, see what the defense is doing, and react from that.
Q. Can you kind of take us through your new wardrobe and sort of did you expect that in terms of what the MVP got, and also how did the barbecue taste?
CONNER WEIGMAN: I did not expect that. The barbecue was good. I mean, my stomach kind of feels weird right after a game. It would have been way better a couple minutes later than when I ate that.
Q. The hat's kind of bedazzled --
CONNER WEIGMAN: It's really cool. I'm hanging it up at my mom's house. She loves all the bedazzled stuff. She'll really love that.
Q. You mentioned Slade's game plan. When you see a game plan like as a quarterback, does that get you excited, and that drive at the end of the first half, your own 10, did you guys know you were going to be aggressive at that point still?
CONNER WEIGMAN: I mean, we didn't know. It all depended on what they did. And we had a few things planned out depending on what the clock was. And they said we're going to go. And I feel like that was one of our better drives of the season. I mean, that was a two-minute teach tape right there. We just went out there and executed each and every play. My receivers got open and got them the ball and we managed the clock extremely well.
Q. What was Coach Fritz's message to you guys after the game, and what about him do you feel is like he does really well? Because it seems like the whole team is really, really invested and bought in in Fritz in not only this season but for the coming years?
CONNER WEIGMAN: I'm going to sound like a broken record, but the culture he's built, you don't see that every day in college football, especially nowadays with the transfer portal. I mean, there's new guys coming in and out. It's hard to build that bond just in an eight-month period. Like back in the day you're with these guys four years. So you're really tight, and to be able to speed that process up and do that in eight months, it was a truly special thing that he built.
There's lifelong friendships that are going to come from this time, and I'm really proud of those guys in that locker room.
Q. How does he accelerate that?
CONNER WEIGMAN: He's just an old school coach and he doesn't stray away from his ways, especially in the new age of college football, and to be able to be that confident in yourself as a head coach, I mean, it speaks volumes and it pours off into us and we carry that from him. He means a lot to this team and, like I said, we all love Coach Fritz.
Q. As I walk behind the bench throughout the game, different players, different teammates, whether it be from the D line, wide receivers, coming up and giving you support, patting you on the back, high-fiving you, what does it mean to know that you've got that genuine love from teammates whether they're a freshman or transfer coming in?
CONNER WEIGMAN: I mean, it means a lot. Like I said, it stems from the brotherhood that we've created over time. Not just all the on-the-field stuff, off-field stuff, us getting to hang out, getting to know each other and becoming brothers. Like when you know your brother next to you has got your back you're going to go out there and play a little bit harder and give a little bit more for him.
I feel like we got that across the board, offense, defense, and special teams.
Q. Favorite moment on the field, from the celebration or in the locker room, something that you think is going to stick with you?
CONNER WEIGMAN: Yeah, just some of the seniors -- Tanner, Dean, Matt, all those guys -- that was the last time I'm going to be able to play football with those guys. It meant a lot to me. Those are my brothers.
Me and Matt, we were at Texas A&M together. He was my first center I ever took a snap from and just as a full-circle moment. We embraced. It was really cool. We'll always have that forever.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports