I are live today out here at ARUP Blood Services. It's ninety seven eighty six South five hundred West in Sandy. We're asking for blood donations as this time of year sometimes going to lead you to a lot of accidents. AARUP is the sole provider to the University of Utah and the Huntsman Cancer Institute. You can enter to win free tickets for the Utah BYU football game.
Our next guest knows a thing or two about Utah BYU about football. Friend of the show, it's been a while.
It's great to have Austin Collie back on the program on a Tuesday. Austin, Happy Tuesday, man, how you doinganky Tuesday?
How are you?
I'm well, I'm well. I appreciate your time today.
So, just generally speaking, what is Utah BYU Week like for you? As somebody who played in this rivalry once upon a time, I'll.
Tell you what. I'll be honest. I tend to get a lot of requests to do some you know, radio bits and different media outlet interviews. So it's fun, man. It's a game that I've you know, I've always held near dear to my heart, and I think all BYU and Utah fans have and you know it's nothing but great for college football and great for the state.
How has your prism or view on the rivalry changed in the years in between your performances, and you had some great games against BYU. We remember fourth and eighteen, you got eighteen passes for three h four and a touchdown. And then obviously you made the remarks that I always maintained were taken a little bit out of context. But you know the deal with this, if you say one thing, the people will run with them forever. So you're still kind of the magic Happens guy. And when that went down,
people were not very nice to you, Austin. So, between then and now, how is your view of the game changed, if at all?
Oh, I think I've put more stock into the game now. Like you know, prior to prior to coming here and prior to coming to bou right, I lived in California, I was I was a packed ten at the time. Kid. You know, I really didn't pay too much attention about uh, you know, in regards to b y U and Utah
and the rivalry. And I remember my my freshman year, my true freshman year, when we went up there played against the Fiesta Bowl team against Alex Smith and Urban Meyer and and uh, you know, I had a little SoundBite during that week as well that that fans and and players didn't take too kindly too and and that was kind of my first dose of of what this rivalry meant to the players, the teams or the universities
as well as the state and the fans. And and uh, I think my understanding has even gone to another level having lived here now right, I've got two partners, uh that uh we don't and insurance brokers here in South Jordan, and they are avid Utah man. So we've been going back and forth in the past two months on who's gonna win this game and what this game means to each of us.
I gotta love that. I wonder if you have, because as I referenced.
You had several memorable moments against you. Is there one that stands out above the rest? I imagine I know the answer to that question, but I wanted to get it from you.
Yeah, no, I you know, the fourth and eighteen obviously is you know, That's what I'm constantly reminded of from BYU fans and and Utah fans alike. Obviously Utah fans have a little bit more hate in our heart when they talk about that played. But you know, I think every game I played it against Utah it was different. It was definitely different than the other games that we
played against. You could tell there was a different energy, there was a different you know, there was more on the line, I think during those games than any of the other games I played.
So I believe, Austin, you were part of the last BYU team to.
Win in Salt Lake? Is that is that accurate? I think that's true.
That is not true. So I the last time I won was the fourth and eighteen year was two thousand and seven. And then I, you know, luckily was able to play against too the best youth teams that Utah has ever had, right in four, lost to them and O four, and then you know, as luck would have it, I lost them and O eight when they was in the Sugar Bowl. So, uh, I only got them one time out of three. So I'm not gonna lie to yet.
You know, every time we didn't get him, I go ahead and I chuck that up as my own win as well.
Fair enough, fair enough, you you reference to dynamic about you personally that I wanted to tap into a little bit more because you know, these days Austin, as you know, you can pull up either Utah or BYU's roster and you see kids from Texas, in California, in Florida, in Canada, in Virginia, and I could keep going. And so it breeds this conversation where if you're not a local, do you really understand what this game means as somebody who
did not grow up here. Do you think the out of state kids really understand what that environment is going to be like on Saturday night or is that something that you simply have to experience firsthand?
No, I think you have the experience first hand, right Like I grew up you know, watching the USC Notre Dame, uh, you know, the Arizona Arizona State, the Stanford USC game or Stafford Cal games like those are the you know, and obviously the Michigan Ohiose State game. Those are the rivalries that I knew. And then, you know, having experienced myself, now I have the appreciation that this is like a top three rivalry in the country in my opinion, right, And I try to I try to say that without
you know, any bias. I mean the fact you have so many especially this game, you have so many kind of behind the scenes, uh factors that go to this game, right the head coach having played at by U over Utah, the head coach playing at b YU and once coaching at Utah for b YU, Right, Like, there are so many different elements that go into this game that you know, the geography of it all right, the fact that the fan bases are majority the majority of the fan base
is broken up by you know, a single point of the mountain, right, and you know, and those are the
things that make the rivalry what it is. And unless you are in the community or have been in the community and understand what this means to everyday people and the bragging rights that go along with it for the next year, and and how how how much people take the win or the loss to heart, man, how that can ruin or make the next year what it is for some of these fans, Like you don't know that until you've set foot on campus and played in the game.
So you've made You've made some of the most infamous comments in the history of this rivalry, as we've talked about.
But I've always maintained that the real hate.
When it comes to Utah BYU is fans who use the internet to feel brave. Cowards use the internet to feel brave, so they go online they attack people in a way they never would in real life, and it seems to very rarely spill over into.
Real life, although that does happen.
But it always felt like the coaches and the players respected each other, respected the you know, the the other institution. Intel, a quarterback that you played with, Max all said I don't like Utah.
I hate them.
I hate everything about them. That was the first time like your comments. In my opinion, yes, they were remembered in a way that probably is a little bit uncomfortable, but I thought that was kind of like no harm, no foul to me, and then Max just goes, you know, nuclear on the entire thing.
How accurate are Max's comments?
Are they truly reflective of the way that most b y U players feel about the University of Utah?
I don't know. That's a great question, you know, and it's a great question to ask only because you know, as the locker room from a geographically diverse or or or continues to become more geographically diverse in terms of where each players come from and now understanding like that back in my day, man, like we had a lot of kids from Utah, so they understood what this rivalry meant. And you could say there was some hatred. There was some U it will right, uh wished upon the other university.
But you know, I think, kid, now, especially with you know how many new kids are, you know, transferring into the into the school, into each school, you wonder if that hatred still exists. And I'd probably say not, right, Like, I know, the kid from Utah said some things about by U which fired me up. I loved them, right,
I mean, that's what the rivalry is all about. And then I saw that he kind of took them back on h on Twitter, and I was like, dude, don't take those back, right, Like, this is what the game is about, is what rivalry is supposed to be about. But you do understand. I think, yeah, I would say maybe maybe maybe the hatred's still there just because it's staying and fused, I guess yeah.
And I just had never heard a player say what Max said. And and for me, somebody who as I say, I cheer for storylines in my space to talk about.
I'm like, sweet, well, I've.
Got an I've got a week of content based off of the comments of Max. It was just new Austin, because I had never heard a player under that phrase, if that makes sense.
Yeah. It doesn't help too that, you know, Max and I during those days, we would walk around, you know, unfiltered, right, And nowadays, I don't think they can get away with that that much, just because of you know, all the eyes and and all the outlets, and you know just how popular college football is now today compared to when it was back then. But yeah, yeah, Max, I think I think most of the players still that way. I think Max is the only one brave enough to say it.
So we had Colonie on yesterday, and when Colanie was up here as the decordinator, I.
Did a weekly coaches show with him, so I.
Was able to get to know him and a Rod's my guy and Jay Hilla you grad. It feels from my seat Austin the Klannie has taken the lead along with Coach Wit because it's very much Coach Mac and Coach Lavelle as far as the respect and admiration they have for each other.
Bronco was central casting for youth.
Fans who think BYU is pious to just feed fuel to the fire. And it felt like during those days, as you know, the hatred was through the roof, and it felt like it felt like it in the community, it felt like in churches, felt like online. Klani and Kyle seems to have restored civility to this thing from my vantage point, in a way that wasn't around when Bronco was here.
Do you feel like that's accurate? What are your thoughts on that? Yeah?
Maybe, you know, I think we kind of put back in the Broncos ed Bronco's you know, coaching tenure. I think I would say that it was easy to have a target on our back, right, And I think that was kind of like self inflicted in terms of maybe they hate the Utah had for us, right, I mean, when we're going out there saying things like, you know, quest for perfection and and uh, maybe taking a platform a more I don't know, a religious stance on the university,
not saying that it's not happening now. But you know, I think we were kind of we weren't afraid to say it, we weren't afraid to flow on it. Right, And I think maybe that that that the stark contract between the two universities and maybe the the the student body was was kind of thrown in your face and maybe leveraged to kind of incite some more you know, more drama, more more ill will towards each other. But you know this nowadays, I think Coladie has done a
great job. It's it's hard to hate Kilane, right, It's hard to hate any any team that Kilani coaches, just because he's such a great guy and he, honestly, I'm I'm sure has a ton of love for not just with but a lot of those guys over there at that coaching staff that are still there or were there when he was there. So you know, I don't think it's I think that he's about to get turned out, to be honest with you, now that we're playing every year. I think that's kind of what kind of decimated the
whole thing as well. When the game has no value and it's just a game to be played and it doesn't indicate where you're going to finish in terms of the conference, and both of you are in the same conference, I think it loses a little bit of its luster. A little bit of its heat. And now that it does matter, now that we're in the same conference, I think it's going to turn back.
Up for sure. Yeah, good point.
I want to ask you because we had always heard, you know, the way Coach went and Morgan coached this week and how it's we don't lose to them, and rumors of other things it may not be above board that I can't speak to because I was not there for any of them. Juxtaposed to the way Bronco prepared you guys for this game. It always felt like Bronco kind of took a nameless, faceless approach and this is just another game type thing, even though we all know it's not.
How did Bronco get you ready for Utah? BYU? What was that week? Like?
Yeah, it was business as usual, to be honest with you, like, I mean that that that was kind of Bronco's approach. You know, no, no opponents greater than the others, and you know, it is more just show up and play our game. We're gonna we're gonna be just fine. And and to be honestly, I hope, I hope, I hope Colony takes a little bit more, has a little bit more or gives a little bit more edge to the guys, right, and preparing him that that this week is not this
week's not like any other week, right. I mean, if you look at the history of the game, I don't know what the what the average is, but you know, this game is decided by very few points each every single year, depending on or not depending on who's good
or or who's having a better season. But I mean it's it's strictly a game that that no matter where anybody stands in the season and how bad a team is or how good a team is, it always ends up being a margin of victory by by you know, uh, or I should say, very small margin of victory.
Right.
So it's not it's not the same week, It's not this as usual. This is a different game. There is a different opponent. They're coming and playing with some you know, coming from a place or playing from a place that you know they're not playing uh you know, they're they're not They're not playing with with any other opponent. If that makes sense.
It does.
And from my perspective, I think Kilani smells blood in the water.
Kilanie is the sweetest guy in the world.
But make no mistake. When it's time to play, he wants to kick your ass. And I think he smells blood in the water. I think he sees a team that has struggled offensively to do much of anything.
Uh.
And I think they're coming up here for blood, man, I really do. And there's no data point that indicates Utah is a better football team than b YU. It does not exist. The numbers, not just the record. You go deeper, there's plenty of data points in indicaate. You know, Utah still has a really stout defense, but offensively it's been a mess. I think you know, it's not just Kilanie. It's a fan base that heard four years enjoy your
Indi and we're in the PAC twelve now. It's fan base that basically for a generation has had the results more or less lopsided. Even though BYU got Utah last time to break a nine game losing streak. My feel is those boys are gonna be out for blood. They're coming up here and they're they're smelling the blood in the water.
Yeah, I hope, so, I hope so. I hope they come in with a with a different swagger than they have in years past. And I hope they come in with a mentality that they're going to you know, handle business and continue to convince the country that they're going to be Big Twelve champions and and hopefully end up in the College Football Playoff.
So a few minutes we have left, let's talk about what's impressed you the most, because, look, the fact of the matter is Austin with what happened last week in the Big Twelve.
Like the walking line for ute.
Fans media was like, Okay, you have a chance to spoil BYU season.
Well you don't because BYU could lose.
On Saturday and still and they do still have a very very realistic path through the Big Twelve Championship and therefore the CFP, And obviously the one thing you could ruin is a perfect season, which is always impressive when you've seen it the way that we have with eight
o five to zero conference. What has stood out most to you about the way Kilate and a Rod and Jay and the whole staff, the way they've been able to piece this together every week to answer every question that's been thrown at them.
Yeah, I mean, they're they're professionals, right. I think I think it would be easy to kind of cower. You know, typically when a team like b YU, who maybe hasn't found themselves in the top twenty five or even you know, obviously the tough ten for quite some time and maybe came in as an underdog, it's easy to kind of get in the bright lights and maybe shy away or start doubting yourself if you're eating, you know, if you belong.
And one of the things that not only the coaches but the players have been able to demonstrate is that they're not afraid, and they have all the confidence in the world, and they carry that top ten swagger right. They do deserve or they do believe that they deserve to be in the top ten. Every week they continue
to convince the country that it is such. And you know, obviously that comes down to the way that they're handling it from the coach's end and what they're telling the players, you know, instilling that belief and instilling that confidence that they are a top ten team and deserve to be where they are.
Last year, Jake struggled. Jake Raetzlof's struggle. He lost all four of the starts he had. But I was told early on Austin in the process that this is not a quarterback competition, even though that's kind of what they were presenting, and Jake had really put in the work to grab that job earlier than most of us learned and understood. And look, I will say, there are still
moments that you're kind of a little bit nervous. He makes some it some some throws, some decisions that are very risky, but ultimately he's.
Been very, very good.
And he was picked by most media preseason prognostications as among, if not the worst quarterback in this league, and by most metrics, he's either the best or one of the top two or three. What stood out most to you about the way Jake has played this year, I.
Think, I mean, going back to what he said about about you know, maybe the word being that there wasn't a QB competition, I would I don't know how true that. I mean, I know that's what they were saying, That's
what you know, maybe was coming out of provo. But there's always a QB competition, especially when you know you got somebody like Gary Bohannon, who was a Big twelve Player of the Year kind of waiting in the wings, right, and so you know when Jake struggled against SMU, it would have been easy for him to maybe second guess himself, maybe hesitate and and and maybe getting to his head a little bit, only because he knows somebody he's on a short lease, he knows somebody's waiting to take his spot.
He has the entire country basically criticizing him, the entire BAU fan base criticizing, you know, the move to play him and to start him when you got somebody like Gary waiting in the wings, and for him to come back against Wyoming and answer the call and then from that point on continue to answer the call, you know, just says a lot about his character and his swagger. I do think the fact that a Rod has been able to use his legs a little bit has maybe
freed up his mind. You know, sometimes sometimes you got to do things like that get get a player maybe in his natural habitat in creating plays to kind of get out of the whole, you know, being technical, standing in the pocket and expected to make every single read, every single throw, and just being able to have that
backup plan of creating on it with his legs. I think his freed up, as you know, his mind a little bit allowed him to play a little bit more to his natural ability, and you know, can team to gain confidence right right now, where he's at confidence wise, you know, it's through the roof. You can tell in the way that he plays he's not thinking nearly as much and not doubting his throws or not second guessing.
And like I said, you know, creating this plays, you know, with his legs is another facet that defenses like Utah has to prepare for and that eventually is going to open up the passing game.
All right, buddy, before I set you loose, I've asked all my guests all week. You don't have to give you one if you don't want to. There's no pressure here. But what's your gut? Tell you what goes down on Saturday. If you want to throw out your score prediction, please feel free to do so.
Yeah, I would love to tell you that we're gonna dog walk them light out of right cycles, but I don't. I don't think that's gonna happen. I think, like I said, this game is always decided by a small margin of victory, and I think it's gonna be something like a twenty one twenty four outing.
Wow, that should make it fun Saturday. Well, of course, if you just picked Utah, you just made little news.
I assume you were going blue.
Are you?
Are you rolling up here for the game. You're gonna be here on Saturday?
No, I should be doing like the BAU Sports Nation pregame and post game show, so I'll be out of pro votes at broadcasting.
Really right on. Really appreciate your time, buddies, so enjoy the week. It's always a fun one.
Okay, all right, brother, you too, have a great one.
Austin coley Man was He a player both at Brigham Young then in the NFL, and unfortunately his career cut short with concussions. But he's a sweet guy. I know you fans don't like him. I've known him for years.
He's good people, so