This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The phone calls came as Troy Williams was waking up. His Washington teammate, Deontae Cooper was heading out to run and do drills in the sand pit at Gas Works Park, on the northern tip of Lake Union.
Williams wouldn't want to work out before class. He told Cooper so, to which his teammate would reply: "OK, I see, you don't want to get better. It's alright. It's OK."
Guilt tripping was the ultimate motivation.
"I used to be so mad at him for doing that," said Williams, now Utah's starting quarterback. "So I used to go work out with him, then walk into class sweaty and everything like that. But I'm glad he did that."
Work paid off — just not with the Huskies, where both Cooper and Williams started their careers. This week, the Utes and Williams head to San Jose State for a date with the Spartans, who now boast Cooper as their starting running back.
Williams calls Cooper "my big brother," and at 25, the rare seventh-year senior is just about everyone's elder. But after spending his first three years of his college career with consecutive ACL tears, Cooper's long-awaited fresh start is injecting him with a youthful excitement. Last week, he notched 126 yards with a touchdown on 18 carries in the Spartans' win over Portland State.
"You know, it felt good to kind of get my feet wet," he said. "It really was easy when you have the creases of my offensive line. I'm just excited that they gave me this opportunity. It's always good to go somewhere where you're wanted."
Both Williams and Cooper, former four-star recruits, know that feeling of plans falling through.
Cooper was invested with the Huskies for a long time, joining the program in 2010. He says he loved his experiences at Washington and wouldn't trade them — but his body broke down early, and he didn't set his eligibility clock until 2013, when a touted quarterback from Southern California arrived.
Williams and Cooper got along right away, bonding over video games ("I used to give him the work in Madden," Cooper said). Cooper also helped push the freshman to build a work ethic with pre-class sand pit runs, something Williams never loved but always ended up appreciating.
Williams ended up transferring to Santa Monica College following the 2014 season, right when Cooper thought things were looking up for him. He was elected a team captain, and represented the Huskies at Pac-12 media days before the 2015 season.
Then freshman Myles Gaskin became a sensation in Seattle, rushing for over 1,000 yards. Cooper got buried in the shuffle with only 16 carries. While he had come to love Washington, he realized that only by leaving could he turn his story of perseverance into one of success.
At San Jose State, early indications are he's found it. And he's happy to see Williams, the teammate he had to rouse out of bed, succeeding as well at Utah.
"You know, I'm really happy for Troy," Cooper said. "Things didn't go the way he wanted them to. What he's having now, what we talked about when we trained. I want to win this game but I'm going to be rooting for my guy."
Similarly, Williams said he's rooting for Cooper — although there might be some pre-game trash talk.
When they aren't playing one another, they talk about their dreams. Both still are shooting for the NFL, though Cooper would be one of the oldest rookies in the league. But after all they've been through, they wouldn't bet against one another.
"It's been great seeing him get his opportunity over there, and he told me congratulations on my opportunity here," Williams said. "It's just good to see those guys that you build with, grow with, become brothers with. It didn't really work out at the previous school, but it seems like everything is working out for him now."
Twitter: @kylegoon —
Utah at San Jose St.
P At CEFCU Stadium, San Jose, Calif.
Saturday, 8:30 p.m. MT
TV • CBS Sports Network