This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jakin Zalez on Fox Sports fourteen fifteen Howard by Nova Insurance Services. Make sure your most prized possessions katz R two side and iHeart Radio Station. Yet. Very good afternoon, everybody. Welcome to I on the Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera, here Jakin Zones, and we're here for another day of a busy day. Yeah, busy day. But then we put together a good show. Yeah. Well we've got some great guests. Yeah wow, now
we might we can screw it up. I hope we don't, but we can. But yeah, we got went out, got a couple of great guests for the for the show today. Who do we have, Well, we've got We're gonna start with Dana Demil, the head coach at the UTEP. They're coming into town. You know, it's hard for us to get Jet Fish on the radio, but we got coach Demilt. Yeah. I'm glad you dad. Yeah, but we got Dana Demil. He's been he was on our show a couple of years ago. They were they were going
through a nice run and in a bull season. Back in twenty twenty one. He's a form we're assistant at Arizona under under Mike Stoops back in the mid two thousands, and so he's got some connection here. But uh, you know, we we'll we'll, we've reached out to him and he's going to join us today and just talk about the game coming up. You know, we'll probably get into you know, mid d miss Tucson. Well,
you know, did you like it here? That kind of stuff, But really, more than anything, they're the next opponent up for Arizone and we've got the head coach of that team coming on at at about three fifteen, well more like three twenty, but uh here in the first in the first hour, and then uh in the second hour. Johnny Avello our buddy from uh Draft Kings sports book. He's the director of sports book operations at Draft Kings and we've had him on in the past. We're trying to get him
before the NFL season started. Didn't work out. We've got him today. We'll just kind of talk about, you know, what's going on in the gambling world, in the betting world with uh, you know, the online gambling and that type of stuff, and just you don't just see what's up. You know, we don't go we don't trying to get tips from him, but we more or less try to just kind of what, you know,
what are people doing right? You know, it's been what I think three years now that we've had it here and here in Tucson and in Arizona, and you know, I mean, I'm curious, are are are are betters smarter today than they were three years ago? You and I have been pretty smart betters all along. Not good smart, but you know, in terms of knowledge of how to make bets, different types of bets. That kind of thing curious to as too, you know, other people you know,
and how it's going. So we'll talk to Johnny Vello about about that in the second hold. We'll see about smarter. We have our picks today too. I know, we've done a fab five Friday picks on Thursday. I have to be out again tomorrow, so we're gonna do them today in the in the last segment, after we talked to After we talk to Johnny Vello, okay, no, cool, we also her jed today, right,
so you'll have some of that. Well, yeah, well let's let's kind of get into that because we're Uh, you know, we had a press comment just a really a couple of hours ago, so this is hot off the presses, but you know, getting ready for the on Saturday. As always, JD starts out as press conference talking about what kind of crowd they're hoping to have in that kind of thing. So here's here's what he
had and these were introductory remarks today at the press conference. Excited about getting back at home this week, having a home game here, looking forward to a great crowd. Sounds like we're getting close, Sarah. We have about forty three or forty four thousand tickets out. We're still trying to get as many out as we can for this final Saturday or for this game coming up. Understand that the dub game is close to sell out already, so that's
exciting. Things are moving in the right direction there. I don't know what time that game is going to be just yet, but we need to really focus in on this one. Really need to make sure we have our best, our best game this year on Saturday night. That's what I told our team. It's gonna take. It's gonna take us playing our best that we've played all year. Four quarters of great football. You know, there's a saying that we've said it in New England and others that before you have to
win, you have to keep from losing. And our goal this week is to take care of the ball, not have a lot of penalties. The first game we had eleven penalties. The second game we had five turnovers, you know, so we're looking to have a clean game, disciplined. We had five penalties. This past game. Was a good job going from eleven to five. Keep bringing that down. Turnovers we had to the first game five. This game, we got to bring that down and if we could
do that, you know, we need to do simple better. We need to do simple better and find a way to put ourselves in position to compete. Knowing that we've got an offense that is a challenge. They are a two back offense that runs power extremely well. H similar or somewhat similar to North Dakota State of a year ago. Know that there's going to be a
challenge there. Defensively, we know that the defensive coordinator came from the SEC, has a really good feel on stopping the passing game and some of the things that he does with his coverages and his fronts. So we've got to challenge there and then we have to do a great job and special teams. So it's gonna take all three phases for us to have the outcome we want. And our goal is to go out there and play our best ball. Do you think so you have your quarterback Delora, do you think he said
safe is better? What do you say about being safe? Kind of being careful, not carefree, you know, but safe for the ball? Right? Yeah? Yeah? They can't stall over? Yeah yeah, But do you think he's capable with quarterbacks like Delora? I'd like to think that he thinks he should be able to do that with a quarterback like Delora. Whether he really can all different. Really, it's all different quest realistically. We've talked about it all week and I'm trying to beat it again. But he
is what he is and he's gonna trying to make place for you. I think, yeah, I have come to that conclusion. He is who he is and that's what he's gonna be. You know, I you know, in our you know, posting our podcast and just said that, you know, buckle up, Arizona fans. This is the way it's gonna be. And some days you're gonna hate it. Some days is gonna be great.
You know, he may he may play his an incredible game against Washington and then need to make one more play and he does something dumb, and you know, you just have to be ready for anything. And and if you're gonna sit there and get frustrated and you know and hate it, you're gonna just make yourself miserable. Just understand it, Like like when you were a kid, Right, you're got in trouble, but you had to wait for your dad to get home. Right, you knew you were gonna get trash
kicked, so you just dealt with it. I don't know anything what you're talking about. You know, you just doubt. You just said, Okay, I know, I know, I know I'm gonna get my ass kicked by my dad. I'm just gonna sit here. I'm not gonna worry about it. I'm just gonna deal with it and let it happen when it happens, and then want from that. That's kind of an analogy that I have for all we can expect from Jane Delord. You can expect bad things to
happen with Jane Deloyd quarterback again. You just expect that there's a whole lot more good things that happen. Yeah, well, you're I don't think he's gonna get a butt whipping from Jake, from from Jed because he's Jed's guy. And not only that, Steve doesn't do what he's good. No, no, you need him, you need him. You can't, you can't, you can't bust him down so that then he doesn't want to go out there and try and do the things that he can do to make to help
you win. So let me ask you this. Do you think that we'll see fa Fida this weekend at any moment if they're in a big the same as always, if they get a big lead, you know, there's body a bunch of points in the or No, that's a yes, Yes, I think so too. I think we'll see him. I think so because of that, because I think everyone's gonna win this game by because of that, right exactly. Yeah, yeah, that for that. Yeah, and it's not bad to give him, give him a shot, you know,
run some offense, see how well he does. Right. One of the storylines on this is Jacob cowing uh answered from UTEP two years ago, was their best player. Basically game sh Arizona did a great job last year, he's doing another great job this year. Uh and uh, you know he's There are a lot of reasons why he came, but Jed talks about his recruitment a Justin spears from there's when Daily Start asked a couple of questions about
that. Here's what the Justin aston the answers from Jed fish when you looked at Jacob Colling's tape from Utah as production, the amount of run after catch that he's able to get to the fact that he was able to put up on sixty seven catches, I think it was over eleven hundred yards. His ability to make guys missing space, the toughness that he shows blocking, the
toughness that he shows catching them all over the middle. Really, there's been no surprises with Jacob calling from when from what we saw on film to what we've seen in person, Jacob Colling has been the consistent, uh soon to be pro, we'll call it. And as he's gotten better, stronger, I think that just experience gets you better. But Jacob's film showed the type of player that he was going to be when he got here. Acre by a lot of schools what what was the communication like with him? What do
you think ultimately sold Arizona. Well, I think I'd be naive to think it was in at least fifty one percent. That he has a son here and the family aspect made a huge difference for Jacob to be able to come back home, to be within an hour and a half of his son, he grew up in the state of Arizona, to be closer to his mom.
All those things were a huge part of it. The other part of it that I think he really appreciated about us was the way we were going to use the wide receivers in our offense and the way we throw the football, the importance that we place on wide receiver development and throwing the football.
He came in here had eighty five catches in his first year, and our goal is to help him get back to that number again this year and be one of those wide receivers that has, you know, really historic numbers if we can get them to another thousand yard year and another eighty Yeah, and he and he he was very fortunate to get him right, very fortunate because he's done very well, but he also knows how to use him so well. First of all, Jed, you know, they were coming off of
one eleventh season. Uh, Cowen had to believe in Fish that things were going to get better quickly so that he could I mean, I agree with Jed that, you know, a lot of it had to do with it. I had to do with this kid, right, But he still wanted to go to place I was competitive, So he was really being you know, you probably wanted you probably wanted to go to a SU two, you
know, yeah, because I mean it lives up there. But you know, so if he if that's where he was choosing, I don't know, maybe I don't know if he I mean, he was at U tep so they're going to California, wasn't going to be close and it was her two herb was at the time, so he had to believe. And then you know, he came here and things of you know, things that worked out,
and then the fact that he decided to stay. You know, when he could have, you know, tried to go to the pros, probably would have been a maybe what do you think a fourth fourth round draft picker, so you know, might have made a team, started making money support his family, but he decided to stick around. And so uh, you know, and and good good for Jed, good for Arizona, and hopefully it's good for good for Cowing that that he did that. Yeah, okay,
no anymore. Yeah, let's got one more clip because it was a really interesting approach because look, we've been talking about this game that it's you know, in marketing the win call him. You know, you gotta have your team's attention. Uh, you know you and I think you throw your uniforms on the field on this one. He should win. But you know, obviously a coach can't let his team think that he was asked just kind of his approach to a game like this last non conference game and then you
know, you got you got your conference season starts next week. How does all that play into your approached to this game? Yeah, you know, Ryan, I talked to the guys about four quarters of the season. This is the end of the first quarter, and we gotta win every quarter. And that's what we talk about. We you know, you want to go eight and four, you gotta win every quarter, right, you want to go better than eight and four. You gotta do better than just you know,
go two and one. So for us, for us, we got to win this quarter. We're putting well, you know, coach speak would say every week you're trying to go one and ozer, right, and that's of course the case. But with this game, coming off of the type of loss that we had, we're not settling for moral victories. This isn't year zero any longer. You know, where we were trying to compete for four quarters and seeing if we could stay healthy for four quarters. We went
into Starkville expecting to win. We're disappointed we didn't. And now it's our responsibility this week to channel all of those frustrations and then see how good we could be. You know, we want to see how good we can be by eleven thirty on US Saturday evening. Yeah, okay, I think that thought. What's blen thirty on Saturday? You know that game is gonna Yeah, let's say games over at eleven thirty and I'm not home till twelve fifteen.
Oh, you don't have to write about it. I probably won't write about that night because there's no point who's gonna stay up and read it. I'll write it in the morning. You know I'm crazy. No, that's not true. I'm when I get home from a game. I'm I'm up for a couple hours no matter what time the game is. You know, the adrenaline is still going. Man, you quinn or lose. I don't believe you don't believe me. Okay, I believe that, but you ain't
gonna read me. Good Steve, I read your stuff. Yeah, but none a's three of them more if you were to post it and I'm sitting there because when I go, you know, when I hit the sack, you know, my iPad goes with me, and I'm I'm flipping through Twitter and stuff. If you post it and tweet it or put on Facebook, I'm reading. I tell you right now, don't stay up for me, because well I'm not gonna stay up specifically for you. But but I do that. I you know, I it does. It takes me. Hold.
It's same thing with a with a basketball game. It takes me after because you're you're two and four, you get your car drive across you know what I guess? Yeah, So no, I do that all the time. So all right, well let's take our break. We're to have a coach Dana Demel from from texts you you tep who's coming into town. To players over this weekend and form Arizona guischooll. See what we's got to say
about all of that coming right up, So let's stick around. For more than twenty years, the Window Depot has provided the best price and the biggest inventory on in stock vinyl windows, and now the Window Depot is more than a window store, offering homeowners and contractors, a one stop warehouse offering interior and exterior doors, granted in courts, countertops, in stock cabinetry, and
skylights to finish your project. Their team of professionals will help with everything from pre kitchen design to custom orders from leading manufacturers like mill Guard and Gelwyn. Order online or find a location near you as a Window Depot dot. Join Children's Clinics and ride for us in the fortieth annual El Torede Tucson. Help us raise funds to support adaptive sports and arts programs and to purchase adaptive trikes
and bikes for children with chronic complex medical needs. Find us at Children's Clinics dot org. Steve ofvar here to talk about Doroto Rock and materials. I needed a lot of gravel from a driveway, so I called Eric at Dorato Rock. He found out the amount and color I needed and boom, it was taken care of and at a great price. How do I know radio
commercials work? I heard one of his on the radio. Doroto Rock and Materials provides a wide range of landscaping materials, including decorative rock, boulders, gravel, soil, and sand for residential and commercial use in the Tucson area. They are locally owned and have been around for more than fifteen years. Jim, We'll call at five two zero four zero zero four two three three. We are Beads of Courage. Come ride with us for the fortieth LTTE
at Tucson. Beads of Courage provides innovative arts in medicine programs for children coping with serious illness, their families, and the clinicians caring for them. Let's ride together. Find us at Beads of Courage dot org. Where do you buy exercise equipment? Arizona Health Arizona Health Arizona Health. Of course, to feel better and look better, it makes sense to buy your fitness equipment from
the people who know it better than anyone else. At Arizona Health, our goal is to help you choose the equipment you need to reach your goals. Your health and fitness deserve the best you deserve. Arizona Health the lead nige and exercise equipment on twenty seconds just west of Wilmot. At Nova Homelans, we believe everyone deserves the opportunity to enjoy the independence that comes with homeownership. Paul Volpi is ready to help you find an option that best fits your needs.
Whether you're a first time or veteran HomeBuyer or want to get cash out with the refinance. Nova has a variety of home loan programs to meet your unique situation. Visit Volpe team dot com. That's Volpe team dot com or call five two o six one eight five six two six Today MLS three eight seven was going to be Equal Housing Opportunity dot Commitment to lynrics and credit rates and available loan programs a subject to change the notice. It's summertime. In
the summer, leagues are wrapping up. Volleyball, softball, baseball, swimming and pickle ball are coming to their season end. Come down and visit the cool and relaxing Creative Awards Idea center to pick out your awards for the champs and MVPs. It's also time to replenish your corporate apparel with new Polos caps and safety t shirts with your corporate logo to make your team look sharp. Creative Awards also has a large selection of brand names like Nike, Eddie Bauer,
New Era, and Carhart just to name a few. Believe it or not, it's corporate holiday gifts season time for your clients too, with over one hundred thousand items to choose from. Come visit Creative Awards, Inc. Two twenty eight West Drachtman Street or online at Creative Awards az dot com.
Did you know sports cards at Memorabilia are setting records sales last month In nineteen fifty two, Tops Mickey Mantles sold for twelve point six million, Lebron James Rookie sold for five point six Also, collecting cards is a family fun hobby that can be very profitable. If you want to start a collection or expand your collection, check out Showtime Cards. They are one of the leading card shops in the country and have served our local community for twenty five years.
They are located on e Speedway. That's Showtime Cards, Neck pain, back paint, car accidents, headaches, sports injury, or Nelli's Chiropractic's goal is to help our patients achieve a healthy lifestyle. Combining chiropractic care with physical medicine modalities, therapeutic procedures and massage therapy not only reduce pain, but helps the body heal itself as well as provide other health benefits. Or Nelli's Chiropractic.
We use a natural approach to improve an individual's health and well being. Don't suffer any longer. Call or Nelli's Chiropractic Today. The Secret Savings Account from Pyramid Federal Credit Union is an account you pay yourself and save oh right. It's set up as an automatic transfer for any amount and the trans first add up over time. You can save for a down payment on a dream vacation or an emergency fund and the best part for withdrawals. Your Secret Savings Account
can only be accessed in branch or over the phone. Visit PYRAMIDFCU dot com slash Secret Saving to learn more. Federally ensured by NCUA, Join the Aviva Children's Services Team and write the old torta Tucson for free when you raise five hundred dollars. Have fun while raising money to support children in Fostercare. Visit gear Up for Good dot org to sign up and for more information. It's that time of year, Summer in Tucson. Time to take control with temperature
control for all your air conditioning needs. We'll keep you cool during all the hot streaks. All you have to do is stay in control with temperature control where we handle everything you need with prompt response, affordable pricing, and sound solutions. We also excel in plumbing and electrical work. We handle everything you need. Give us a call at five two eight one five five six six five or visit our website at temp dashcan dot com and remember, stay in
control with temperature control. Need concrete, hard Works Concrete has it. We have more than twenty five years of experience with all things concrete. Installing sidewalks and patio floors are our specialty and handle masonry work and retaining laws. We're locally and family owned. Just let us know what you need, how you want it, and we'll take care of it. Leave the hard work up to us. We're Hardworks Concrete. Call us at five one two nine six
two five six six zero or visit our website Hardworks Concrete dot com. We'll put the work in for you. Steve Rivera and Jakins Solids. They have their eye on the ball on Tucson sports station Fox Sports fourteen fifteen. They welcome back to Why on the ball here? Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera, He's Jakinsauce. Now on the phone, would have Dama dem Waldeu tap football coach formerly of you, of a back in the day coach, to are the Mexican restaurants here miss you? Yeah? Well of course
they do. Yeah, you don't watch one missed me. The most I talked about last time was Galahara. Uh, the Gualahara grew. But football ops person is they had plans now to make sure he goes by there and get and gets a margarita. You know what you're talking about? Good welcome back. How do you feel good that my favorite place to live of all the places I've coached? Isn't that crazy? You know? I love living
in Tucsa and great place to live. Obviously we love al Passo al Passos just like New Song kind of a hidden jam that loved living in Tucson as well. So is there is there any nostalgia to this for you? I mean You're here a long time, but you came here, you coached, you lived here, I think three years. You know, when you're coming come back to a place like this, Is there anything about that for you
that the kind of gets into your mind at all? Yeah, Judd, You know, because it was fun because it was after my time at the
head coach at Houston. I came in and and uh, you know where we were able to flip the program, you know, because Mike was getting the program, trying to get the program back up and going, and then I was able to come in and be with him when we flipped it and got to the Bowl game and got the recruit and coached you know, Gronkowski, but Gronkowski brothers and and he got to be a part of some special times and in Arizona and meet some really special people Scott McKenzie, h Chris
del Conte, uh, Jim Live and just some great people that were there with me that I really have lifetime friendships with. Now we talk about those times back then compared to this time, because Jeds did a phenomenal job recruiting, and I'm sure you could admit that, but but Mike had his special moments, right he got some pretty good talent to come here. He really did. You can recruit the Tucson There's no doubt about it. It's a great place to recruit to. It was a one place I said that I
you know, had recruited that Sunday morning. When you saw the guys, they have a file on their face because they have a good time. They enjoy the campus, they enjoy the atmosphere, and it's a great place to go to school. So you've got so now you got to play these guys. You know, it's a it's a it's all. You know, every game's important since you don't have so many of them. So just some of your thoughts on what you've seen from Arizona so far, and then we'd like
to you know, what do you think of your team so far? Yeah, what I've seen from Arizona is I think Jeb has done a tremendous job of recruiting some really good players. Uh they're super explosive on offense, and they've gotten so much more athletic and fast on defense. And you know, really exciting to see what he's done to that program in such a short period of time. And I know everybody's excited about what they're doing there, so a little bit a big test for us. We got a really good team.
You know, we have a lot of kids that could have gone in the portal and gone many places, and they decided to stay and play at UTAP and not take the extra money and those sort of things that come to players to leave and have a really good team. Obviously, we've had some tough road games so far this year, but we have a really, really quality team with some guys that are Senior Bowl candidates playing on our roster. So our first home game was in Alabama and we had a Senior Bowl there
to watch us. And we got a good team too. So we're looking forward to playing an exciting game against a much much improved Arizona football team. And sorry to bring this up, but you must have been very part broken of whatever word you want to use with Jacob leading. Yeah, and let me talk about that. You know, just Jacob left for all the right reasons. You know, when he came to me and said, coach, I'm going in the portal, he said, I'm only going to go if
Arizona Arizona State offered me. If they don't offer me, I'm staying I'm still in ute. And of course he got offers from everybody in the country, and he chose to go to Arizona because he wanted to be close to his baby in Phoenix and South Phoenix. And so Jacob left for all the right reasons. He's a great player. I get questions just from the pro scouts about him every day. The pro scouts would come through to see our guys, and they all love him, and I have nothing but great things
to say about that young man. So Arizona's blessed to have him on their program. Well he's really, you know, sort of been the anchor to this receiving quarter that they put together and there you know, and it's it's a good one. What made him sort of special to be a guy who
would do that? And you know, he could have left last year and you know, gone on try to you know, start you know, earning a living and you're with a family, and the whole bit that he would come back, I mean, what did what did you see in him that that he was that kind of a guy. That's that's who he is. He's a team player. He cares about winning and losing, and he's super contentsive and and he wants to be a part of getting Arizona to a poll
game, you know what I mean. Just like he was a part of here, he wants to be a part of doing that at Arizona, putting them in a poll game. And that's why he decides back. So having grown up in that area in New Mexico, and I went to school in New Mexico State, and you tempi that you say as a hidden gym, how difficult if that's the right word again to do that job and recruit that area. Uh, you know again, it's okay with me because it's it's
an mo of where I've been, you know what I mean. I spent my whole career at Kansas State and then was able to go to Houston when they were struggling and get that program on its way to be turned around, and then came to you of A right after that when you have a was struggling. And you know, obviously we slipped it when I was there and got it turned around and went back to Case State and slipped it again. And so this fits me. This fits Dama demo. Turn around fit Dama
demo. And we've been able to get a lot of good players in here, because we know how to find the diamonds in the rough, and that's what you have to do. So you faced Rich Rod, another Arizona Arizona coach in the first game. Did you guys trade any stories about about Tucson, about restaurants, about anything like that. Yeah, he shared plenty of good stories about saw that he loved it there too, you know. And and uh, it's just that, you know, Tucson is a special place
of the hard guys. I'm saying that it really is. We we you know, had some great times. We had a real cool little place where we have forces and we said we had a barn in our backyard and stilling pool in our backyard. We didn't have a huge place, but we had a really nice place. And you can do all that in Tusson and and and really enjoy I take my first three months there, guys, I kept saying, everybody, my gosh, the weather is just gorgeous. Here,
my gosh, the weather's gorgeous. And everybody looked at me, like, what are you talking about. It's like this all the time. Because it was January, February and marks right, and it's just the way it is there, you know. So we loved living there, really did well. You didn't stay here in June of July last month or so I knew you. Guys are gonna say that that's the same way, and I'll pass. But remember I'm from Columbus, Ohio, guys, and so that cold weather,
I don't have a room for that. I'll take the heat over the cold. Any time I hear you about that, I hear you about that. But you were doing very well. I think the last time we talked to was two years ago. You are how was that season? Did that kind of start the ball ruling for maybe what's gonna come up in the future.
Yeah, guys had a really good season in twenty twenty one. Last year, we were ahead in our last ball game, and if we win it, we're gonna go to the bowl game for the second straight year and for only the second time in school history. And if we can get back to a bowl game this year, it'll be the only second time in school history that UT has been to a bowl game in two out of three years. So we're doing some cool stuff here, and we got a good team.
I really think we're going to challenge for the cons this year. Obviously, we had a tough loss in our first game and out of the Northwest last week and didn't play as well in the second half. But we have a really good team, So I'm excited. I think this is our best team that we've had since I've been What kind of game were were going to see Saturday night? A lot of always a lot of talk about since last year, I should they always about, you know, Jed's offense, but
the d defense played played very well against Mississippi State. You guys, you know, what do you think we're gonna see on Saturday night? Yeah, I think that improvement that's is a defense of Arizon gotten so much and so we got to try to minimize big place defense and handle the test a much and more athletic defense of an air so had recent years. And so there's
a lot for us that's gonna be hard for us to accomplish. But our goals are to create some big you know, more big plays, eliminate big plays, win the turnover margin, and I'll give us an opportunity to compete in the game like this. Well, Coach Dana, We're gonna see you Saturday night. I don't know about this eight o'clock, nine o'clock start, but you know I'm gonna start. I'm gonna started as old. Dudes need to take a nap, so you know we'll we'll do that during this.
Yeah, I'm gonna I'm gonna ask Jed. I'm like, Jed, what's going on here? Because you know we're do you know what time we're gonna get back. We're gonna get back to two. Uh, I'll pass on like six thirty in the morning, and you still got to play a game the next week. So that's the part of that that people don't slick about you play late games like that. Well, welcome to the PAC twelve and you will because you're well aware. Yeah yeah, coach, thank you for
joining us. Appreciate you, Hey, guys, great voices that you guys take. Can appreciate you having me on. Thanks Coach. Dana Demo. Dana Demo from UTAP. He's a tough task. I think the lineus moved up a little, you know. Okay, so it's eighteen, but look, you know he's he's he's a UTEP. I mean, that's a hard place to win. It's a place Jay go ahead and he's winning. Yeah. No, it's a place where like the Mexico State Mexico, you go
to get fired. I mean, you get a job and there's a chance that you're gonna get fired, and it's a tough place to win, right and he's in. He's in his seventh year there now, so you know, good for him. And again he has picked you know, seven and six that he had a really good season going to end up getting in a bowl game anyways, because he was like seven and one or something like that
or six and one when we talked to him. They ended up seven and six lost their bowl game when five and seven, as he said, they came within you know, the game again to another bowl game. So you know, I know, we like that doesn't happen to you. Yeah, exactly exactly, And you know, I mean that was after he gets in, they go, you know, win two of the first twenty two games. See, I didn't realize realistically that he was at Kansas State probably in
the Snyder time and in Houston. I didn't. I wasn't. I don't know why I didn't know that. But he's gotten the places where you have to kind of overachieve. It's funny when you you know, we've been thinking all weekends. I's gonna kick their butts. Now we talked to him, and you go pump the brakes just a little bit because they're capable, you know. And again if if, if bad, Jayden comes out for three quarters instead of one quarter anything, and that well, he's the guy.
That he's the guy and a coach where you lose one of your best players, if not your best player? Yeah, uh, how do you recover? Recover from that? Right? And and now he's playing against you. It's like Jayden, Well, I like Jayden left here or somebody here with to leave right. Well, hey, we're gonna see Dorian Singer, you know, two weeks. Right, let's one, take our break. We'll
take your calls when we come back. So stick around. If you're an Arizona men's basketball fan, you know it's been successful for newly forty years. Now. Take a look back at the Ludolson era in my new book, Lessons from Loot. It was a labor of love through the eyes of twenty five former players, coaches, and friends to give insight to the coach and the man who led them, competed against them, and inspired them twenty five
chapters for his twenty five years as Arizona's beloved coach. Lessons from Loot is an insight to how he built the program into a national powerhouse. Want one Email me at Steve dot RIVERA ninety five at gmail dot com. The world's first three D scanner for wild animals has finally been made. It will save countless lives while also creating exciting youth programs to protect our wild spaces. Will you ride an ill toward to Tucson to help start a digital wildlife revolution?
Go to Biodiversity Group dot org for more information. Ride with us. All skill levels are invited to join our GROUPO Youth Cycling for our Fall Fondo on October twenty nine. Your race fee supports program said empower all youth regardless of socioeconomic background. Call us at five two O four two nine, six one three eight for more info. Hey walk at nation. Jake Fisher here,
I gotta tell you about my winning team over at Arizona Health Insider. I was able to get a custom private health insurance plan with no deductibles, no co pays, nationwide coverage, and I get to pick my own doctor for less than two hundred dollars a month. If you want to avoid getting gouged on the exchange and you want real health insurance, call Arizona Health Insiders five two zero eight five zero six eight six six five two zero eight five zero
six eight six six Bear down. What's your goal? A new career or career advancement? How about transferring to a four year college. Pema Community College can help you make some day today and reach your goals affordably on your schedule. With over one hundred programs to choose from and financial aid available, it's time to earn the degree or certificate you need to prepare for the career you want. PIMA offers free career exploration classes so you can choose the field that's
right for you. Learn how at Pima dot edu slash someday in Tucson. The fall arriving means a couple of things. One, our wildcats are back in the classroom and back on the field, and two we still have some hot days ahead of us. Picture Rocks Cooling, Heating and Plumbing is ready to bear down on all your AC problems and keep you cool. If your fall gets overheated, give us a call for zero for zero six nine or go to picture Rocks Cooling dot com. Fall season is upon us and fans
are bearing down for our new and improved Arizona football team. I know Edmund marcus Is. He's a huge Arizona football fan and of course a University of Arizona graduate. If you don't see him at the football game or are you a sporting event, go see him at All State Insurance on Campbell and get a quote for your car and home insurance and more. Visit Edmund Markets State Agency at twenty seven nineteen Northcamel or give him a call at five to zero
three two three nine three three three. You are in good hands with Edmund Markets All State Agency. Looking for an exhilarating adventure newdal Tour Day Tucson this year. Join mad Arizona on November eighteenth and be a part of bringing an end to drunk and drug driving. Head to mad dot org slash azy to register today and together we'll ride towards a future of no more victims. That's MADD dot org slash az. Do you want to be part of a winning
team? A team? Security is looking for friendly, outgoing event security guards and events staff to be a part of our team. We've been providing our outstanding services to some of Arizona's biggest sporting events and concerts for over twenty years. We want you to join the action. A team offers a fun and exciting opportunity to work in the sports and entertainment industry, with flexible schedules that are perfect for those looking for a part time job or a second income.
Come be a part of a winning team the eight Team. Apply online today at eight Team security dot net. Come ride with United Way of Tucson for the fortieth annual Eltour Day, Tucson joined the Ride United team and helped support the one in four members of our community who receive life changing help from United Way of Tucson in Southern Arizona. Learn more at United Way Tucson dot org. Steve Rivera and Jakin Salas they have their eye on the ball on Tucson
Sports Big yet Fox Sports fourteen fifty streaming live on the iHeart Radio. Whap Hey, welcome back to Tuay on the Ball here Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera, you're Jakin Sawas a lot of fun, a lot of fun put the team that was good, that was good. I'm good luck to him, right, Uh yeah, you know, uh, I mean, like I said, you kind of you know, you talked to the coach feel good about themselves. Well, you know he's I didn't realize this, you said this, Rob did he seven years? Yeah? Years,
seven years. That's a long time for a place like that, because because it's tough to win. Like I said, it's hard to win, and then when you don't, they still get rid of you. They still get rid of you, right, even though it's hard. But he's got seven thirteen. He went two years ago, he went seven and seven and six two years ago when seven to five in the regular season, got to bowl
game and lost, he went five and seven. Last year they went into the last game where if they had won, they had gone bowling again. Fifty percent is a pretty good disrecord those places. I can remember those days. Remember when they do the bottom ten, Steve Harvey's bottom. They were always at the them in northwestern Mexico State, all those that's a mixture, you know, something in the water or nothing in the water. Yeah, yeah, Hey, you get some work to do. I gotta gotta take
care of some business here. Football is back in full swing with another week of epic games, and who's got you covered on the action for every single one of them. Draft King Sports Bucking official sports betting partner of the NFL e Coomers can bet five dollars on football and get two hundred dollars instantly in bonus bets. Nobody's missing out on the action this season. All Draft kingstomers can get it can take advantage of two new offers every game day this September.
So get in on the NFL Week two action with DraftKings sports Book. Download the app now and use code fourteen fifty to sign up. New customers can betch just five dollars to take on two hundred instantly in bonus beets only on DraftKings sports Book with code one four five zero. The crown is yours twenty one, an older Arizona only gambling problem called one eight hundred Next step. Bonus beets expire seven days after issuance. Eligibility and depositive restrictions apply.
Terms at Sportsbook dot DraftKings dot com slash football terms. All right, we've got some more Jets stuff. You want to play some more some more Jet fish stuff. I had a couple of interesting things. There was there was a question about how does James Delora handle criticism, which I will play that whose uh, eleve, I can't remember one of those guys. Well, let's go ahead and let's go and go right into that, because great question.
You know that really is an issue, right, I mean, if he's and if and if he comes off the off the field of jets screaming at him, how does he think? Yeah, and I don't think he does that, but think But the funny thing is you've been to press confidence. Uh. He he makes those faces, he makes those faces that he kind of doesn't like the question, but he gets the question and he answers it. But you don't like, Yeah, why do you questioned me?
Yeah? You know exactly. Yea, Justin Flow does that too. Here's what he had, Here's what Jed you had to say about that. As when it comes to criticism, I don't know. I don't think I'm the easiest guy to play for. When it comes to a mentality of perfection, when you look for things to be right all the time and you want it to be perfect and you want to give guys an opportunity to be successful, I'm probably more critical on myself than anybody is when it comes to and have
I given him the best opportunity to be successful? Have I made it clear to him what we're looking for? Is there something I need to do differently or better? Criticizing a quarterback can go either way. You know, are you going to criticize him in the confines of your office? Are you going to do it in front of the team. Are you going to do it in the locker room, on the practice field? It all based It's all based upon, let's call it, how you're how the team is approaching a
given day or a given week. When it comes to standard and expectations, I could say it's very high. There's a standard to play here. There's an expectation to play, how we want our quarterbacks to play, the amount of time that we ask him to give to football, whether that be to his body, whether that be to in the weight room, whether that be the training room, the film room, or on the practice field, staying after leading the way. There's a very high expectation, and if he doesn't
fulfill that expectation, there's a significant critique. But I would say this year, in comparison to last year, it's not even close with his work ethic. I do not necessarily criticize on turnovers as much as I like to teach on turnovers and see what we can do to eliminate some while also realizing it's part of the game. So he was very diplomatic. He he didn't criticize the turnovers. A couple of days ago, he was very let me ask you this, and I didn't know the response. I wanted to see what
it is to you. He imagined Dolora playing for rich Rock. You, oh, Rich Try would have had a heart attack on the side. You would have lost his mind on Saturday. Yea, he would have lost his mind. What the hell are you trying to do? I mean, that's that's what you say. Nice you know. And listening to that clip right there, just in that what it was a minute a two minute clip, it really made me. I really got a feel for why Jed Fish is
different as a head coach than most other hits. His approach is more thoughtful, less emotional, very very much. So he's not your football coach. Yeah, I mean he's not. It's it's not that he's not that crazy. Rich Rod is an emotional coach. Stops Mike Stoops emotional coach. You know, Dick I get times more emotional than Jed, but less emotional than you know, I mean, because he could get pissed right, and he
could lose his mind. I mean, I still I still have a vision of when remember at the end of the end of the Washington game in ninety eight, the Leap by the Lake and one of the players got a personal fund got kicked out of the game, and he went and sat on the bench, and Dick chased him to the bench, and I'm to get his ass up and go stand on the sideline with everybody else. And I don't know that I saw Dick madder than that ever, So he had that in
Jed seems more or reserved, reserves not the right word. I just want to control, thoughtful, controlled. He looks always looking at whatever I do. Now, what's that gonna mean down the road? You know, I think a lot of it is just his personality. One. I wasn't gonna say that first, but him having been in the NFL. It's more. You don't see NFL coaches doing that yet. Up You're just, yeah, You're just a normal dude walking the sidelines, watching and observing. Maybe that's
where he got it. Well, the older guys, for one, right, they're multi millionaire, they're gonna throw you the finger, right, And if they don't have a good relationship with you, guess who's guess who goes out the door? Sure not the player that the coaches. So maybe that makes you handle them different. Yeah, in fact, that's a good question. Ask jed where did he get his sideline demeanor? And he has he always been that way? Save that for next week. Yeah, I think
I will. I think I will be coming to have to cut this piece out of the podcast because we don't want they're not listening. Those guys listen to Yeah, no, justin that was a very good question. That was a really good question. And who else did we say? I'd have to go back and listen to the question. I I don't remember. I don't remember. So then he was asked, who who would you compare him to? Okay, did did you see that I told you to? Something was
talking about Mahomes. Well here's what he said. Okay, you know, I mean I think that he has traits of a lot of players out there. You know, he has traits of a Patrick Mahomes where he can make plays off schedule on a consistent basis. He's not afraid to throw the ball at any given moment. I give him the Brett Farve comparison, where he has a toughness about him, he has a competitive stamina that he's okay with.
He has such great confidence in himself that if he makes a mistake or turns the ball over, that's not going to affect his ability to go back out there. I think that you look at a lot of these players, you know. I mean, I'm not going to give comparisons of like guys we don't know right or bad players. That wouldn't be a comparison we'd want to do. So we're always going to pull from the great ones that are out there. But we watch a lot of Jalen Hurts, We watch a
lot of Patrick Mahomes. We watch we certainly talk about the farms of the world. And the biggest thing for him is, yeah, he makes wild plays, but I tell him, you know, you don't need to be Superman, just be Batman. Use your tools. That was a pretty good one. That everything that he said about Jaden right there is spot on. Yeah, we've been talking about all the week, he's got the fire invincible,
I can get this done. How many coaches outside of Babe Khalil because he did this to his detriment and he ran, he ran into players he tried to get eventually caused him his shoulder into right where he and try not to avoid the hit he initiated to him that the first game where he you know, run into and you're thinking, what are you doing? You're the
quarterback. So he thinks, he thinks, not out of the box, you don't want to do some of the things he does right exactly, and and that's you know, I think that's where you know, somebody like like Dolora has it kind of looked at himself, right, what's the right thing to do here? Sure? Sure play play with your head as well as your arm and your body, you know, I mean, do do the do the right things. And I think in the end that's all people want.
It's like if he would have been thinking, he wouldn't have thrown that first pick over the middle where the guy where his guy was. All a sudden two guys were on top of him, and then he threw it. You know, those kinds of things. But again get used to it. Yeah, no, I see, I reminded myself of maybe Rogers with Green Bay when when he would have that smirk for the other guys, he was better than everybody, smarter, smarter than anybody in the room, and the
other guys screwed up. You know, the other guy screwed up. There's a combination of a lot of things. Uh, and we all are a combination of a lot of things. Yeah. So final clip, Uh, this is actually the whole press conference so that we will played. But the final clip was a question not a question about I mean the fact that the
protection has been really good. You know, Jade Delora has had time to throw He's yeah, he's run, he's run sometimes, but uh, he's you know, he's got an offensive line that he should be able to do some things with. Here's what Jed had to say about the offensive line and protection for Jade Delora. Yeah. I think that our protection has been at a very very high level. Uh, to only be we had one sack in the game against Mississippi State. I can't even remember if we had one
against NAU. One sack in each game. So and we throw the ball thirty five times a game, so when you're sitting there. We've had seventy attempts at two sacks and we've always we believed going into this season. A healthy Jordan Morgan, a healthy Jonah seven Ah. You know those are two outstanding college offensive linement. And then the three guys inside. I know Jonah is playing more inside this past week, but the three guys inside that are
going to really help us. I'm really hopeful on Polido. I still haven't gotten the final word there. If not Polido, then we'll obviously have boorjon in Jonah again in their combination. But you know, the way we're protecting right now, it's giving us an opportunity to take shots down the field when
we want. It gives us an opportunity in our screen game because we can get guys out athletically, and then when you can create a dish or a pocket like we've been able to create with the edge rushers being able to move them from the core, it's enabled Jaden to work in the pocket a little bit longer and be able to find some guys down the field and a little bit later in the down. Yeah, there's a lot to like about this team. I mean, the just is this is the best team that they
had in a long time. Well, and that you know. And the thing is that, you know, the good teams that Arizona's had in the past always had a really good offensive line. I mean, and so it's it's gonna get better too, right, Polito he's not sure yet. In the beginning, he said he's waiting to hear, but he's hopeful that Polito, we actually Dukes is coming back. There was one another guy saw, so everybody's supposed to be back. They still don't know about Polito. They're
hoping he's back. The thing of it is that this this line was good, has been good the first two games without Polido, Yeah, right, and including to get at Mississippi State. They didn't get pushed around. But I'm just gonna get the State. But there's a lot to like about this team. I'm not sure it has that six squins in him. But you know, like we said, they'll probably pull something off and then possibly lose to something they shouldn't lose to. Well, yeah, I mean, that's
that's that's what's the way of the world. Is kind of what you expect when you're when you're at Arizona, you know, you do, you do, you do very cool things, then you do some really dumb things and it kind of offsets everything. But I you know, I don't know. I just think that that this team has potential, do you know, to do really well if they can just keep their house in order. And by that I mean you know, the turnovers and the penalty. You know,
there's there's two penalties in the first game. There's too many houses in this room, rooms in the house. Keep in order, you know what what Jed said at the you know, at the top, they've got to play their best game. Go on and play a really good game, not not a bunch of turnovers, not a bunch of penalties, not a bunch of dumb plays. Okay, let me give you this sto. So they win fifty to twenty. Yeah, from depends on what it looks like what they
okay, because remember you know we we we liked it. We liked the outcome of the Nau game. They beat him thirty eight to three. Game was never in depth, right, But they had all these penalties, they missed some opportunities, you know, a fumble and a pick. In the end, you thought they won, and they won handily, but there were
some things there that you were concerned about. That first half was and so going into the Mississippi State game, you thought, we still don't you know, I thought I didn't think I had any chance in HELLI beat Missispies. It really did, I really did. And then after the first quarter I knew they didn't. And then they end up that they did have a chance in hell, and in fact, they don't do those stupid things and maybe they win the game. So you just I don't know. So, Okay,
we're doing this show in Tucson, we know about Arizona. What do you think the people in Mississippi State are thinking we're not that good? Right? Or yeah, we should have beat the hell out of Arizona because Arizona is not that good. Right, So we beat the hell out of them last year at their place. Why couldn't we beat well? Maybe either thinking we just had a bad game. Were they looking ahead LSU? Possibly possibly they got because at halftime you're thinking, you know, we look at this,
we'd running all over the guys. We got these guys, but the but the shorties, you know, and it's fourteen and that's fourteen to seven, where Arizona was very happy with it. I you know, certainly when Arizona tie the game, they're like, oh no, yeah, because I know that's what I would be thinking if we're here, If we're here on Saturday and all of a sudden, you TEP scores late and Arizona has to score again in order to win the game, You're going, Holy hell,
what's going on? You're thinking, we can't lose their yeah, right right, yeah, And that's the worst thing that happened. That is the worst thing that happens. So you know, it's uh, I just think that you know, when you when you when you have a game like this, it's back to your question, how do you feel if they win fifty to
twenty. I'll feel good if there weren't four turnovers and there weren't ten penalties, and you know, and it was just a fifty to twenty game where they took command, had it in hand, maybe gave up a couple of plays and they scored a couple of touchdown. Okay, we gotta go. All right, let's take our break. We're gonna come back breaking news here at the top of the hour, so be sure to stick around for that and then we've got uh, Johnny Avello from DraftKings sports book in our on the show in a