Monday, September 16

This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jay Gonzalez on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. Subscribe now to the podcast on the iHeartRadio app Just Surgeon, I on the Ball.

Right on the Ball. Welcome to Monday Show.

At least we're having some technical difficulties, as you can.

Kind of tell, but we're back on Monday. We're back on air. Jay's not in today, I'm Steve Rivera. He's out ill. We got our guy Henry in today and got our new intern Matthew. We want to talk real quickly. We've got about ten minutes maybe for this next segment to finish, and then we'll kind of talk to our

They didn't care, So what did you think?

Yeah, after the first half just went all downhill. I saw the coach trying to amp up his team, but nothing was going on.

Nothing was cool. That's disheartening, disheartening.

I think it was really surprising that they came out that half so flat because the first half ended so well for them with the QB running out the clock.

Yeah, they could have been worse.

Right, Yeah, it could have been way worse.

I think they should have felt lucky it'd only be down by seven and use that momentum into the second half.

Right, And they just did show up. I thought that. And not that this matters because the interception, they were driving right, and Noah through that interception he looked quite open. Then he didn't all of a sudden. That would have been key at least for some confidence in some momentum. Fourteen seven, right, and they're looking good. You're thinking, Okay, they got a chance, they're going to score. Right, You're thinking, okay, you got the second half or down by touchdowns.

Right, right.

And the thing about it is, and you're thinking, if you're a Narraso fan, they have a chance to score a lot. Right, They didn't even show that, did it at all? Well to your to your point earlier that we talked about Henry, you gave up at halftime, Well, same thing you gave up at halftime. You watched him feel good about the game at halftime. I'll say that, what about you, Matthew cut it. We couldn't stop a running quarterback. Yeah, it was thrown on this and running

Seeing it again.

He talked a lot about that.

I think some of it Today in his press conference, Brandon did, what's the solution? Well, I don't know. The first time is a mistake. Second times I have it. Now they've got to come up with some big, big time plays because I jay this too. What do you think the Pan base? The Pan base is disheartened very much so.

Well.

I think the running quarterback issue stems from the D line taking too long to get pressure allowing the QB to get out of the pocket.

I think that's a big thing they're good at.

Last year, the D line really dominated games and didn't allow qbs to run on them like they have this year.

Okay, yeah, okay, we're gonna go. This is what we're plent on doing. We're gonna go through the first through the time. We're gonna go through the top of the hour and go all the way to the first break in the four pm hour. So we'll get ahold of the lot.

Honey. Uh back to the four o'clock. We'll give them a call or have a call.

You want to take?

Got all we gotta Yeah, let's take it cool.

Thanks for calling. We have some time now, we have a next twenty twenty five minutes. Hey, you're on the air and eye of the ball. You're on the air and hear us? Yes, yes, I can better to hear you.

You're on speaker.

Go ahead.

How are you guys?

This is a game, jab Jame?

How are you? Long time no talk?

Yeah, long time no talk.

How are you two doing?

We're doing fine. Jay's out today. He's sick. But let me tell you. Let me take a guess. You must be really pissed off.

Yeah I am. Yeah, you want to talk about it?

Yes, just don't cuss, Okay, I won't.

Uh so. Yeah. The offense was not the same compared to the New Mexico game, gore seven points. The defense tried to do some good things, but they couldn't stop the run, and the coaching steps from what I've watched, didn't really give a you know why, And the players same thing. So I think what needs to happen is both the coaches and the players need to need to need to hunger down and stare down.

And they need to well.

For the defense, Dwayne need Dwayne and Keina needs to tell the players to tackle, to to to to tackle and the and and if if you know, Babers can just can't get this offense going, I think he needs to retire. And I'm not saying Brent Brennan needs her to be fired, but I'm just I'm just stating the fact.

Yeah, I think what you're saying is probably what a lot of people are thinking in this town.

Uh.

We talked about this Friday. I don't know if you listened to on Friday, that they that the last thing they could do was not play well and not stay close. It was close for two quarters and then it was over. After that, Like I said, I was disheartened, and I'm sure as a fan as opposed as you are, to following the team that.

They just didn't show up. It's like they didn't care. They're indifferent.

Yeah, exactly, you're one right.

I was watching the game, I think the four There was a few minutes going the fourth quarter, and I don't want to pick on this player, but Justin Floyd was kind of chuckling or joking. I really don't want to pick on you, Justin, but come on, you guys, look fits off.

Please, no, no, hey, I saw the same thing, Gabe. I saw the same thing, and I thought the same thing. As you're getting your butt kicked and you're acting like that, that's the last thing you want to be looking like. You're like you're having fun on the sideline. And whether it was just like one of those bad camera moments where you're you know, talking it up or whatever and they caught you at a bad time. But still you can't do that.

Yeah, and Noah Sfida, Jacob Manu iMac, I mean, you guys are the leaders.

Come on, so let me ask you.

I know, three games and Elastic the guys here inside, so everyone had them with eight wins, maybe nine wins. I can't remember what you told us at the beginning of the year. You're a pretty optimistic guy.

It was uh it was nine wins.

So so to what's your re evaluation? What's your reevaluation?

I really I want.

To see if they get everything in order, and then I want to see the Utah game, and then I'll make a final decision in regards to how many games.

Okay, that's fair enough. You know they're gonna be very big underdogs in that one.

I know, I know.

Well, I'm glad they're not ranked. So that's that's good because if Arizona has a chip on the shoulder and it's un raked, well, I mean we were. Arizona was unranked last year. So before we win those semi semon games. How is Jay taking this?

Well, he's just as frustrated as everybody else. Uh he's not in today. He's sick. Uh, but but we'll see. I'll see him tomorrow.

And he was.

We were texting back and forth and it was just just an uninspiring effort. I mean, just like they just you know, let's get to get on the plane and come back to Tucson in front of the national audience. That was another problem. Jay, Jay, thanks for calling, continue to listen.

Thank you anytime. I always I'm always listening to your podcast.

So you're down Arizona. Love you guys, Thank you Geving, Yeah, thank you, gab. Hey, you got a couple more minutes for another call or two. We're gonna try to either go through the hour, We're not going to stop at the four o'clock hour, and we're gonna see if we're getting more calls. I'm gonna talk to Lamont Huntley at four o'clock maybe a little after four. We've got a call coming in.

No you do.

Hey, you're on the air, Hide of the Ball.

Hi, Steve, it's Jim.

Jim.

Hey, exactly. I thought about you Friday night. I said, exactly what you said could happen.

Happened well, And I didn't want to bring it up at the time because it sounded like I was, you know, full of myself and and.

Brow being a team.

But you guys touched on it a few minutes ago. It's it's their team speed. Yeah, especially on defense, and that those two quarterbacks that you mentioned, they random ragged from sideline to sideline to sideline.

And nobody ever laid a glove on them. Yeah, it's like you know, Jim I don't know if you know this. A few years back, Jim told me again before they played the Penn State, didn't tackle much before they prepared for the don't want anybody hurt. I think that's the case now where they didn't tackle much and now they're they're behind the eight ball because they didn't tackle much.

Well, they did not tackle well. And but I really think you know you want you get in a running contest with a guy and he beats you a couple of times, what do you do? That's a natural athletic skill. Yeah, Well, and so you can scream and jump up and down and cheerlead all you want, but that guy's going to beat you down the field on the next play.

Right if you don't have the way to stop it. Guess what you're not going to stop it?

Well, and that would be having better foot speed across the board. That's my observation on what what the most fundamental basic problem is. I could be wrong still, but that's what I've seen the and the numbers bear it out.

Yeah. So I think we asked you too that this could not happen. How on a scale one attend? How disheartened are you?

Well?

I don't get that bent out of shape about.

It either way. So yeah, okay, you're just an observer.

Observer, Well, no, i'd like to see him when I'd like to see him do well. But you know, I don't invest myself, you know, very deeply. The thing that really comes to mind for me is, I've got an idea about bubble Steve, and I think you'll get this. What what's the difference between what's on the inside of a bubble and on the outside.

Of a bubble?

Air? More air? What is it?

Well, reality is on the outside of the bubble. And every time we get ourselves locked into these little fought bubbles, this is what happens.

Yeah, you mean in terms of believing the hype and all that stuff. Yeah, yeah, well we've I've you know, I've been accused of being the negative Nitton Dilly and I think you may be by you two, but it's realistic every time. In basketball too, if they're if they're highly ranked or they're highly thought of, that's when you have to be concerned. When they're not in their underdogs, they pay hard and they consider themselves be very good.

And I've seen it. I've seen a thousand times they played out of their ba.

In this case, gravity is still a thing and you're not going to escape it, and that's what dictates.

Yeah, I'm sorry, Yeah, I know, you're exactly right. You're exactly right.

The other thing that I bet you'll identify with is I bet there's a guy walking around in Albuquerque this week talking about how Devin Danpierre ran the ran, the Arizona Wildcats ragged and damn near beat him.

Well, they'll talk.

Let me tell you this because I saw this. I saw maybe it's a twitter a thing from Albuquerque, maybe on Sunday Saturday. How proud they were because they played really well for three games against some top notch competition and the game against Juve was one of theirs, one of their main points. Hey, look we played an FPS team. Uh, that's very good, and we are at the time they thought was very good and we played close and we should have a lot to hang our hand on.

I'm thinking at this point and at this point that's almost meaningless.

Yeah, of course, of course. Yeah, Jim, Hey, we gotta go. We gotta get ahold of the money. Thanks for the call, You're welcome. Good, We're gonna We're gonna continue the conversation of his points. You like, oh, you didn't hear the points just about the team not being fast enough. They couldn't stop the quarter because they weren't fast enough. The corners were useless. Pretty much caught it aut it. Yeah yeah, because you see it all right, you've seen it for players.

I know that some of the corners we have aren't what they're being projected to.

Yeah. Yeah, because well I.

Think one of them is projected to be a first round pick. Yeah yeah, I never saw that. I just you don't see it. I personally never.

Well that's the whole thing.

I mean, here, you get this praise and it's high praise, and you start believing it, and then I'm gonna ask Lamont. I don't know how if he knows anything about this. I asked Jay this or somebody on Fridays maybe Saturday says so so nil. So if you're Matt, if you're gonna get paid, n I L Do you get paid before the season or after the season. So if you get before, this is not the real world. If your performance you are you get the money in your bucket?

What do you have to do?

Right?

Does that makes sense?

Exactly exactly, because if you you get paid at the end, okay, you deserve it, you work for it. So I don't know about that, and I'm not going to connect the two until i know more. But you understand where I'm going with it, right, It's like me paying you here, here's here's one hundred bucks. Have a good show. No, have a good shown, and then you get the money exactly. But that's not the case. I don't think the case. Yeah, you laugh because you know what I'm telling the truth.

I know exactly what you're talking about.

Yeah, and I'm not gonna say I'm not going to correlate, but it was so disheartening. And then and then everyone kind of fights with Jed because he did what he did up there that has nothing to do.

With Tucson exactly.

That's like, you know, if you if you had a house that's a nice house in a cul de sac and your neighbor got a brand new car, or he wrecked his car and you're happy for the you're happy they erect his car. It doesn't make your house any better. Does you make your car running better? You have to worry about your situation.

I don't get it. I don't get it.

He might have to call ust because it's.

Okay, I'll let him know. That's fine, okay, Okay, what's going on? What are the guys? Victor texted me and said this your first show is like the Arizona game on Friday, and he's right, okay, let mean just text him real quick and get him on the show.

Well, that's so bad. What's that? Okay? Maybe he'll call now. Yeah.

What other observations did you see? Who's special teams?

Ah?

He didn't even get on the field. Tyler Loop did not get on the field.

What is that? What is That's how us?

They're disorganized, right, they're not well coached. I'll stop there.

There's just a lot of red flags in my opinion.

Yeah, no, no, well that those two things and and penalties. Hello, you're on the airs is Lamont.

Yeah.

Hey, hey, we're ready to go with you this morning or this afternoon. Maybe that's why it's problems.

How are you good?

I'm good.

About fifteen minutes.

What was your after watching after watching the game on Friday, what was your initial thought on what happened?

Are you talking to me? Yes, I'm yeah, So like you were talking to somebody else.

Just now no, no, I was, I was selling to the Guian studio.

But now, okay, now do you okay, now are you guys? Are you on the area?

Yes, we're on the years. But don't cuss.

Oh, I'm not going to curse. I learned my lessons. Uh well, actually my initial thoughts when I was watching the game, I was, I was kind of like get shocked in regards to, you know, which team is out there playing.

Against the Kansas State that Kansas State, Kansas State.

I mean I was, I was only shock and maybe as far as who's really showing up at this point in time, because the chemistry between Nora and and t mac and and Hiss, I mean, it just wasn't even there. I mean, it just didn't seemed like it was the same team a couple of weeks ago. And I know the defense kind of improved themselves the second week against NAU,

Yeah.

So I've said this a couple of times already since we got back on the air. The thing that this disappointed me in my observation right away was they didn't look like they had any interest in being there in the second half, at least, there was no emotion. There was no body language that was like when is the when is the plane leave? Because we want to get the hell out of here.

Well, you know, I honestly I don't want to. I don't want to put them in that situation, you know, because I mean, how how how do you become you know, shell shocked in regards to being that environment? I mean you you you you play you know Oklahoma and down at the Alamo Bow, So I mean, I mean those are teams that you know playing, but particularly you know, this particular Arizona football team. So you played a caliber team in Oklahoma. So you know what that's all about.

No, no, no, that's not that's not what I'm saying.

I'm saying that they were just it was almost like, Okay, you got us twenty one to sell whatever, let's get the hell out of here.

They were disinterested in the game.

Not that they didn't believe you think they gave up in that case.

So the second day they gave up. But you know that they again as far as the actual things that I did see out there in the presence when they scanned the sidelines, I mean, honestly, I mean I was disappointed in TMAC because I did see some you know, disbelief in him as far as being uninterested on the sideline at the time when they panned there and they you know, they showed his facial expressions on the sideline. You know that. To me personally, I said, what's up

So let me ask you.

I asked the guys in here in the in the room here, So do you know how this works?

Okay? Ricky?

Uh?

You know? Ricky?

Are you Lamar Honey? You're a senior. You're a senior at U of A. You striked up nil deal before the year, over the summer? And do you get paid before the season, during the season, or after the season.

And bear with me.

So if Lamon Honey gets paid fifty thousand dollars or whatever in August, what the hell does he have to show for it?

I mean, you you already got paid?

You agree? I agree?

You know?

And and and and that's and that's what we that's probably what we're dealing with in the landscape of all college football. It's the fact that, I mean, you're dealing with the fact that you're giving these kids all of this money that they don't have to work for, right, I mean, why do I have to go out there produce a show, Toself? And you know, And I'm not and and and lord knows, I'm not saying that Tmax this way, and I pray that he isn't. But this

So I'm not I'm not singling him out directly. I'm just saying you any student, any student who gets paid X amount of money, uh, just not how the world works. I mean, you have you you don't pay your employees before they show up, not at all.

They get paid once they once they do their work and and whatnot. And and again maybe they they got something in place where you know, the kids may be getting the money at a certain time instead of the money up front. You know, if if, if, if, if I had any choice on it to where I can make that decision on how the money gonna be divet out. It will be given out on a weekly basis, or maybe a quarterly basis or whatever we come up with

You don't have to tell me who you watch the game with.

You probably did at home with your with your family, but uh, you do know people, you know, how your friends who form players, how how disheartened were they from the game?

Well, you know, I mean we did have some I did have quite a few people that I didn't go to game, I didn't watch the game with, but we we text among each other and regards to what we was watching and and a lot of this stuff was, Man, are we really watching this same football team that was there a week or two weeks ago? Are we are we watching the same football team from last year? I mean,

Kansas, Kansas State and getting into.

This big ten, it's gonna get worse. So I think that right there, Ana, lies our problem is that we just don't have the right players. And it's not the system or the scheme or that people would say what Dwayne is putting in front of us, it's the actual players.

Well, I hate to say this because web Waldroup and some of those guys aren't walking through the doors there to help you exactly.

And that's going to be I mean, that's gonna be a long, long year because of the fact you're right, and you can't find nobody and you can't make these kids,

Let me, you know, let me ask you one more question before before you go.

I know we won't probably talk to you before the Utah game, but what are you hoping to see?

And guess what? They're going to be underdogs by fifteen seventeen whatever it is. Yeah, what do you hope to see in the next game?

Well, I mean, I mean I hope to see defensively first and foremost I want to see and I hope to see more aggressiveness and more control type of a football player out there. Okay, I think our football, our team up front there, they are totally undisciplined when it comes to their eyes. Okay, they're seeing something that they don't they don't supposed to be seeing, you know. Instead of keeping their eyes disciplined in the area they supposed to be, they let the eyes wander and it gets

These defensive linemen and upfront, I mean.

Since the whole up front seven just be more disciplined with their eyeballs. I mean, there's time that you can place yourself in a good position and fall over and make a tackle, you know, as long as you're in the right position and doing what they call the gap control type of a defense. If we do those things, then we'll.

We'll probably see a more progressive.

Defense at that point in time. Offensively, they gotta have fun again, I mean, get out there and start having fun, right you know. I mean, and just run around and and and and be those kids that they were last year. You know, don't put this extra pressure if you have it on your back, remove yourself from that. I mean, Nor got to be the be the leader that he is, and I know, the kids a leader, I mean, the kids a leader, and people going to follow this kid.

Yeah, will Lama, honey, thank you for joining me. We'll talk to you soon, you soon.

We're good. Did you pay your bill? That's why, that's why they kicked you off.

Something's going on here. I have no idea what's going on.

You didn't know that if you don't pay.

Your bill to cut your electricity off in.

Your phone off, it's not the electricity, just as Arizona's offense did last Friday. That's not good, all right? Thank you man?

Thank you man does Lama Honey will take the breakdown? Can you go to the break and then come back and get that modano on the other side.

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Live, I mean iHeart radio.

Wow.

This is Eye on the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jacob Salez not Fox Sports fourteen to fifteen.

Hey, welcome back to Whying the Ball here Fox Sports Sports.

I'm Steve Rivera.

James out today He's got him really well, got got Henry.

And Matt Now what you got met? But I don't know if I'm going dot.

Tom put that musical General.

Matt, that was all for you.

Nice a great entrance.

I like it.

We brought off the drums for you. So what were your options? Did you want your Game of Priday?

You had to parts of it, so I was watching actually one of Arizona's commits play at play at the same time, so I got to see parts of it most of the first half, kind of the.

Portion Arizona still in the game.

Second half.

I kind of was spotty here.

And there, kind of checking in between players.

But got to get a good feel for what went on, and.

Obviously not a lot of great things for Arizona and that game.

What does this do for the perception of the program and maybe the team, or does it at all?

I might overthinking it.

You're overthinking it.

It does nothing.

If you're talking about recruits, it doesn't really do a whole lot.

I mean, it's again, I think fans have this thing where they look at games through their own lens, and they look at it different than a lot of recruits and recruits, but just don't view things the same. Negative games don't impact things as much as positive games.

In recruiting, So.

If people think that because there wasnt a loss of tame to stay and it didn't look good, that suddenly they're going to lose all the recruits.

This is not going to happen. It's not how it works.

There's too much involved, there's too many things that are in play, especially when you're talking about and IL now, it just doesn't work that way. So in overaction, I think if you're talking about recruiting now, if you're just a fan, I think you have some valid complaints. I think there's some things that should be concerning. But yeah,

To build, but is near the end of the world. Look closer to the end of the world when you have, uh, when you have a performance like that, you're only three games in and and and every game looks bad and this one just look worse.

Correct.

I think that if you look at the overall you know picture, it's not great. I mean, the trend it was kind of ability to this. You know, the New Mexico game had its kind of issues and then they finally were able to kind of pull that out and you know, lean on their their star player and you know, able to kind of get that win. And then it didn't look good against ANAU and they're able to escape with that one. You go, well, I think my thought was the offense needs to prove it to me, because

And you know, that's it's an issue. And I think that you now have seen it three weeks in a row, that's the problem.

That's the full fledged kind of problem at this point, because it's not just a fluke. It's not something that you know, they're still just trying to figure it out. I think by week three you need to need to have figured it out, and if you didn't, you know, going into the top twenty matchup, Uh, you know, that's the problem.

And so they have some things that they need to work on.

Obviously they're heading into this bye week and have some extra time to figure things out. But I'm not sold that everything that's going wrong with this team right now is things that can be fixed in a week or two.

Yeah.

I know, so, Matt, let me ask you. You talked about Matt Modero talked about the offense. What are your thoughts on the offense or just to play calls? No, no, not you, Matt, now, you man, My MAT's in off in here, so hold.

On, got you.

I wasn't upset at it. I think the old line could have played a little better. The run game wasn't there, So the runs game is not there automatically away from the passing game. But yeah, it just I don't know, it's just was it much same in that last game?

Yeah?

Yeah, so you're talking this is not an easy solution, right right, Matt?

What I know?

I don't think so.

I mean I think that your game plan and you you devise your schemes and your systems and everything and what you want to do.

Over the course of the entire year.

You know, they're you know, Gal Babers and uh, you know, Guanna Quina and those guys in charge of their units have been working on Okay, this is what we want to do.

When we get to the ball.

You're putting, you know, eight months of work into that, and so it's not going to flip overnight. You're not going to be able to As smart as all these coaches are, it's really difficult to be like, all right, we're gonna have to do something different. And I think but that's kind of where they're at, where they need to try something else because it feels like they've tried the same things over and over again and it just

It's not the NFL.

Yeah, so you know you can't go get a bunch of you guys right now. So you maybe try some different pieces, try some different combinations. But I think the one thing you can do with Arizona is just see where you're at and and kind of stand idle. You know, you have to be able to, you know, pick apart what you did wrong in that game to state game and then figure out what the solutions are and come extra time to do that. But I think you can't, you know, just kind of stand pat You have to

I was just gonna say, at the end of the day, as we evaluate this stuff, we thought that go to and two right within the first two, possibly maybe pull one off in the next two, but it doesn't look likely. So you're two and two with the with the schedule kind of favorable to Arizona at least what we thought going in. I still think there's a chance to win some games the Texas texts, some of the other ones, obviously the West Virginia's uh and others. So there's still hope.

Uh.

They just got to, like you say, kind of get better at some of the things they're doing.

And what do you see? What do you see in the the TMAC Noah combination.

Yeah, I mean I think it's so strong that it's it's difficult. I don't blame for not I know you did a little bit better, but for not spreading the ball around more. I know that was the conversation after the first game, like, well, you sed to you know, find different receivers, but man, if you have Tetron McMillan, if you have t MAC out there, and you've built this relationship with them over years. It's hard to not look there and you know he can go make those plays.

I can just throw the ball up there and he can go make that play.

And so but you have to they're just it's almost to the point where they're going to have to for seed you know, certain actions and certain things within the game where they're gonna have to be like, no, you

In the game to state game. You know, they're missing obviously missing Bill there. But you have enough to do some.

Things on the ground, and so the ground game, you know, one one has to compliment the other. If they're able to really be strong on the ground, it's going to.

Open up the passing game for some of these other players.

But this also, to me, is kind of a byproduct of building a team through the portal. You just never know, You never know what it's going to look like. You have to make decisions really quick when you're talking about portal players. You don't have a ton of time to evaluate everything they've done. You just kind of watch the state and go, okay, there, I like them, I don't

And maybe that's still a possibility. I think it's still early enough. For those guts to develop.

But yeah, it's been really interesting, and I think it's really about just for No fpeat, it's about I need to really understand every part of this offense, figure it out, and do my best to spread the ball around because that's only going to help you know, team back there eventually teams.

And teams already starting to do it.

Just zero in on him because if you take him out of the equation, nobody else can beat you right now. And so that's that's kind of where Arizona is at, and that's kind of the worst spot to be in because again, it makes you one dimensional. It makes the game time pretty simple. I think even defensively right now, if you're you know, Arizona, if you're an opposing team and you're looking at what Avery Johnson did, it's like, hey, I'm just gonna attack him with the running game.

And you know, Davon Dampier did the same thing.

A running quarterback is it really feels like that's their kind of buggably right now, and then that's kind of their issue, is like can you stop a running quarterback and it and maybe not every team has that, but they're going to utilize that element if they know that's the way.

To be there and down it.

So I was gonna ask you, So it's fite too much to ask that the offense kind of pulls this team together, because you know, you covered, you were here in rich Rod's time for the offense kind of had the outscore opponents to win.

Yeah, I mean it's I still think there's something there at the offense.

I think that.

Overall it's probably closer to what it was in the Mexico game. But again, that's very one dimensional and that was one guy having a career day, and so I still think there's some good elements to this offense. It's just about figuring out how to make it all kind of work together. And I think that's the difficulty when you bring some pieces together. I mean, THEO Babers and Brent Brandon didn't work together, you know, last season and

To figure things out, and so it is going to take some time.

I do think there is some talent to make sure that the offense can be more productive, but right now that's that's where the issue is. I mean, they have to be able to score points. You can't score one touchdown in a game against the quality opponent. You're not playing any of U in the Mextro aren't on the schedule anymore.

I mean, you're gonna play.

Some teams that are going to be better and have more talent. And so I know, you mentioned you know, the schedule does get a little bit easier you go deeper into the season, but you know, you get Yukon next and then you know there is still talent in the rest of the Big twelve, and so you know, I think it's going to have to be again this this staff trying to figure out, okay, what works, what pieces work, and this five week is important. I mean,

After that, you know, you just have to be better.

You have to have better showings, you have to win some games, you have to start stacking some wins, and so you know it's going to be a really interesting thing to see what they look like when they come out against Utah and then especially Texas Tech when they should have their footing, because if it doesn't look good in the next couple of games, it could be a long season.

Yeah, no question, So we'll see. Well, we run out of time. Thank you, Matt. We'll come back to you soon down the road. Thank you man.

Right, yeah, anytime.

See, thank you.

Okay, let's take a break, come back and talk more about this football team and see what happens.

Thanks gas.

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This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jay Gonzalez sound Fox Sports fourteen fifteen. Subscribe now to the podcast on the iHeartRadio app Just Surgery.

I on the Ball.

Hey, welcome back to I the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifteen.

I'm Steve Rivera, jays out.

Today's not doing well?

Spot to day out? He tell you want to too much? Is up Friday in the game I have.

I've got Henry here, we're running the board and Matt you guy here helping me out. Tough, tough game. More what are what are other concerns? I know you didn't hear lamont or or Moreno, but let me ask you, and I asked moreno, the same question. Uh, is it too much to ask for the offense to outscore teams?

No, as long as we have t MAC and know what on the field, I don't think it's you think that, Yeah, but it didn't happen. I know your looks still tell me on the regular tell now.

But on a serious note, I think the major concern to me was the running.

Game and and and it's not there. It's not well, is it?

Is it?

J c M? It's j c M? Right? Yeah?

And he's not.

I was just going to tell you that.

I was just going to say that there was no update information today, but at the very you know, he's not.

Going to come back.

I think the issue is less about the actual running play. It's more the design. They're taking so long to get started.

That that was asked to in the handoffs and.

The handles are so slow. The d lines are able to get in the backfield already. So that's the old line too, then yeah, yeah.

Yeah, So if the old lines an issue, and when you that was gonna happen going in and Lamont says the defensive line or issues were games won in the front in the front and the back and that's not a good sign, not at all.

Yeah.

Did you do you notice that stuff? You obviously I've seen it, right, Yeah, the old lines.

This year they're running with fullbacks a lot more than they did previously. I don't think last year they ever used fullbacks. This year they've used fullbacks a lot, which it works, does some work sometimes.

But right, And it doesn't make sense to me because they have a lot of talented running backs like Speedy Loop. I don't know why he's not on the field, but he's not getting any playing tom It's just I don't know, man.

They got to figure it out. But it's gonna be tough this year. What was you guys were on campus today?

Yeah?

Yeah, how was the feeling or it didn't really matter? Yeah you didn't feel yeah? No, And you guys are going you guys go to the games too, right, Yes, So it's going to be different. I think the next home game, right.

I think if they beat Utah it will be it won't be different. If they lose the Utah then it will definitely be different.

Right. What do you think is what happens? Is cam riising play?

We don't know, Yeah, we don't know it will depend on if he plays because he didn't play last year and destroyed him.

But right, Yeah, but this is kind of different.

A different team.

Yeah, so you guys watched both last year. What do you what do you think the vibe is? It's totally different.

I think we had a lot of expectations coming into this season, especially after beating Oklahoma in that bowl game.

So you know that hurts. Yeah, the expectations. I just think we're way too high considering what this team lost. I mean, they lost their head coach. It changes a lot of guys to the NFL. We should have seen. I mean, I think a lot of people did see that there's gonna be some regression, and we're starting to see that.

The realistic people, I don't think there's that exists, even though I kind of bought into the Okay, and you guys you played. You played at a pretty high level in California.

Uh.

The one thing I've learned in this position for thirty some years covering it and writing about it is coaching matters. Coaching matters. You could have the same talent with a different coach a better team, and it's a better team. And not to say Brenton Brennan is the guy, or not the guy because it's too early. But he's different than Jed on the field, you can see it the on the no personalities type of things. And his coaches too.

Exactly know what I'm saying. And I don't know if that's happening.

Not that they're not paying attention, it's getting getting not getting involved.

Yeah, I was gonna say it feels less involved. Jed called the plays last year and this year Brennan doesn't call it play.

Doesn't call a player, and it's and they're not. They're not dynamic plays. You know, we have some dynamic players and you have something players.

Right, you're asking for a nice food at a restaurant and you're not getting the food that you're asking.

It's not tasting the same, right, right. I don't know.

To me, it was just like I said at the beginning of the show, it's just and I'm not a fan.

You know people know who listen to this. I'm not a fan. It's just disheartening for or to see the indifference, like it's like, let's just get get out of here. Yeah. Yeah, and you guess your fans. You guys are fans, right, definitely.

Yeah.

I'm a fan and Henry and you're seeing it too, right.

I don't want to kind of go back to the same subject, but you're seeing that they're okay whatever, and that's what brought up the ail thing.

Matt.

Listen, I know some Walkons that are making fifty K. You're here, no no, no, no, general in other places. So if Walkhon's making fifty k, right, just imagine what scholarship players are making.

Oh sure yeah.

So I don't know if if I'm a player and I'm getting paid and I'm still not getting playing time, I'm thinking personally, when one am I getting here?

Right? Once I got my money? You know, right, no question.

The funny thing about it is if you're walking on somewhere else, then I've heard that.

But then you know those people.

You go somewhere let's say X high seated school, and you're not playing, but you're getting fifty You're not gonna get fifty at a lower school, not at all, but you'll play, but you'll play. So so what's what's again?

If I'm a player and I'm not getting playing time that I was promised, I'm, like you said, I'm on the sideline doing whatever I want, you know, on my own world.

And yeah, are you gonna get the heck out of there? Yeah, even though you get the money, Are you getting the money? No, you definitely get the money. Yeah, you gotta get the money. No, no, no, no, okay.

So you're you're you're at big U, right, you're big at you but you're a walk on.

Yeah, and you're getting X amount of money. Now you still get the stipe in every every month. No no, no, no, no, okay, So you get the stipen, you get the fifty thousand, like you said, you said, hey, but you're not playing, You're a fourth string running back whatever. I'm want to go to a lower school and play, but not.

Likely to get that that money because that school doesn't have the money the big school task, right, So what's your decision?

I mean, you're looking at your future here. Do you want to sit and get the bare minimum? More plan? See what your value is once you put up the stats. So I don't know me personally, I'll leave and go to the small.

Maybe without getting that money. Get in the bag.

Right, Okay, it makes sense, makes sense, it makes sense. But are you a freshman or are you a freshman sophomore junior? I think being a no, no, no, no, just that situation. Yeah, So if you're a freshman, do you stick it out? If you're a freshman, you get to step in. Because if you're a senior junior, then maybe, okay, you gotta look at your career how it's been, if

You move up the right. It all depends. It all depends. But again, if there's.

You gotta you just gotta understand the situation is different situations.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, are you gonna give up fifty thousand?

Just I'm listen, I'm just imagining what you see the outcastler.

Driver, right, No, no, I get it, I get it.

Yeah, yeah, And that goes to my point, I'm driving this right, They ain't take it away from me, I think, and the tackling. You know what I'm saying, it's just it doesn't make sense to me.

Yeah, it's given before, it's earned, So given before, it's exactly And then we talked about that earlier. And you see it. You can see I don't. I don't.

You can see the problems that it could present. I'm not saying there's problems now, but you know it's not how the world is.

Definitely, yeah, definitely.

Yeah.

So we'll see. Anybody want to call in. We have a few minutes. We get about ten minutes, eight eight, eight minutes. Yeah, give us a quick call. Get us through this. Five two oh four one six seventy four forty. I think we got it under control, not me, Henry, it's got it under control. Yeah, yeah, So give us a call. What's your thoughts, what are your thoughts? On the end, I'll talk that we just had. You know, you don't have the one thing that I think that's

You gonna want to do it again? Probably not?

Guess guess what drives up? Did you dry up? And then what I think? Uh, there were like boosters at the game too, Oh.

It was this was the booster.

Yeah, exactly.

They stayed there a couple more days after after the team left, you know, took in the sights of Manhattan, I guess. But but they went and they got to see stuff firsthand.

Yeah.

Yeah, that's the game.

You want to kind of impress everybody, right exactly because the purse strings in the wall, it's open up, and you know, I don't have the money to give, so it doesn't matter for me, but for the people that do you those are the people you're asking exactly.

But I will say I think if you're a booster, you're a booster because you love you that you love the school.

Question not going to go away.

No question was if the team does trend down, that's not going to be promising.

For the year.

And we talk about this maybe a year or two before the nil. They love the school, so they support the school. Not the player exactly. Yeah, so oh you're giving it to the player. No, no, no, I wanted to go to the athletic department, right, you know, and those cars that are driving those go things go away, right, and then you don't get then you don't get those players, those types of players exactly. So it's it's a catch

So I agree with did you we were talking about on the air. You didn't have to hear fans.

He says, it doesn't really matter now because it's early and that's not what players look at right now. But if you don't win, if you don't win, and what's in.

It for me? Right, right, because that's what it is. I'm twenty one, so twenty.

One year older, but you're still young and you're thinking, sorry, Matthew, you ain't gonna get what you hope for.

What are you gonna do? You get to step in as you're gonna give me something? Yeah, exactly, but right, it's unfortunate, it's unfortunate. Yeah, we'll see what we'll see what happens. And it's kind of beating a dead horse. But I'll ask the questions when some of those guys come on and say, you know, what's the situation. You get paid on the front end back then, stuff like that. Yeah, I know, I know as a football player, you automatically get a stipend to pay. Yeah, yeah, yeah, of course,

They're gonna get more here in a couple more years, when when the twenty million dollars comes in and and if you're a mediocre school, I'm not saying that's the case right now, but it's not training in a great.

School, you're gonna get paid anyway. Yeah. Don't you wish you're still playing? Definitely? I really yeah. I did.

Definitely do take your beatings on the field, and you can take it, man, I'll be on the sideline just yeah, you take your game me. Yeah, yeah, I'll did whatever. It ain't easy to be in a student athletes. Yeah, do you wish still playing?

Yeah?

A little bit, a little bit, you know, because going to live games, I'm seeing players I just I don't know, as an athlete, as a former athlete, I just feel like I could compete, but maybe I'm yeah, losing a whole.

Little bit right right, right, Well, why didn't you COVID COVID?

I feel like expected. Where did you go to high school?

I went to I went to Short High School, okay, and I was a senior. We have pretty good players in front of me. So my junior year I started half of the games and then senior came. We had COVID. So they canceled that season. Okay, and I got it would have been your season. Yeah exactly. I didn't want to go JUCO because I didn't feel like that was for me. But twenty twenty one, you have had a tryouts. I'm not sure if you they do it all had it for welcome. Yeah, and I went to that before.

That was that was for sure.

I think they held those like a couple of weeks again, so bad.

Yeah, yeah, so I remember that they typically do that anyway, just to get some more bodies or whatever, just to see So that was in his first year. Yeah, that was that just lost the n AU right exactly. Yeah, yeah, And were you disheartened a little bit. But then did you did you think you played well enough to make it?

Oh? Definitely, definitely try out.

Definitely, Yeah they were purposely not even if I was, I just like, no, no, definitely. I feel like they were doing that to make a statement. I don't know that to the other people. Yeah, just we don't need you guys, even though we're bad. I don't know, just someone was off about that little thing they had. But okay, that people they took on from the truck. Oh, they took nobody from There was a few, I'm sure there was. It was like, I'll say, like two hundred and three hundred people.

That many.

Yeah, I thought maybe.

You're gonna say twenty five No, no, no, no, So they they put you in the stad the yeah, divided this into position groups. In my runner back group, it was like twelve ten of us pretty good, pretty good players in that group. Oh no, definitely, yeah, at least three that definitely could have at least been a walk on or something. And then that it was a lot of people there, but nobody, nobody made it.

So what do you think when they took nobody?

But I just I don't know. I just felt like, yeah, they just did it to do it.

I don't know, they just did it to prove to the other guy you can be.

Replaced exactly something like exactly that that point right there, Yeah, because you kind of sense or maybe people were leaving me and comments in the instagrams and thinking, oh, I could join this team and then they didn't.

Just right, I don't know, right, I get it, I get it. Yeah.

No, it's it's tough and they turned out to be. Okay, we'll see what happens here in the next couple of weeks.

I don't know.

You think they're gonna win? Utah, be realistic, you realistic. Cameras is playing. I don't think so.

Didn't you say what do you say Friday? Did you say that they win? No?

No, because we no, I said I said that.

But you hear funny Okay, you said they're gonna win.

You said they're gonna win.

Yeah.

No, So yeah, you guys are delusion.

Remember what I know? You said?

No, you said that because of the score. We're saying, oh yeah, yeah, yeah you did. You had them winning thirty one seventeen yeah, something like that. Yeah, so all three of you guys, you guys should leave the room. No, don't go, don't go till your end of the show. Yeah, no, it was tough.

What do you think is gonna happen with Colorado? I don't know, but I'm excited for that game.

Oh yeah, I don't. I don't.

It's too long hollowing it now. We are not stopping Travis Hunner. I'm calling it. Possibly I picked them. That was my only win this weekend. I was horrible this weekend, but that was my only win. They have the same issues as they got we got ready to go or we got one minute? Oh okay, good, good, No, thanks for the conversation, guys. I uh, it's too early for me to say. But uh, but they're they're Arizona kind.

Of the star players.

But the coach, do you know anything about him being a good coach.

I don't want to say he's a good coach because the same things that are happening last year are having this year.

You know, you had the whole sea.

I think they gave him one year of grace to this year. They still have the same.

Issues and he'll be here next year after the guys leave. But no, no, yeah, I think the jury is still out and he has people.

At least the hype machine is down.

And think about next year one Trevis yea too?

Oh yeah yeah. Now now what's well? The Florida state job's open.

I don't think he's gonna be open.

No, it'd be for you know why you expose yourself to Yeah. Okay, are we good? Okay? Thanks guys, thanks for hanging in there with us, the people who stayed with us this afternoon. We'll see you guys tomorrow. Maybe j will be around.

We'll have uh uh Ryan with us and we'll talk to you tomorrow. Thanks,