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Actually, there, I am, Hello, Scott.
Hello.
I never I never shoved a columnist. Oh yeah, there were some guys. I don't know if I should say this, Spence.
Oh no, no, no, we're here.
You got to say it now, go ahead, Just just don't even think about it.
Just say it.
This is bad, Okay, this is really bad. So there was a guy. Let's say, the Detroit media was kind of for They were brutal and they still are, and this guy was one of the most brutal. And uh yeah he was. So I'm having hard time saying this. I'll just say I don't care.
There you go. Not a boy. He died that escalated.
And he was young when he died. And this was after I had left Detroit. I can't say that I shed many tears.
It got that, it got that tough.
Uh it was. It was the I have. My mom was amazing.
She kept every every every newspaper article, everything.
Good and bad, oh all of it.
So so my whole entire career is documented and and the books. When I go through Detroit, I can just open the book, look at the picture, and go did we win or lose. If we lost, it was a crumpled picture of me being, you know, mauled by the defenders. And if we won, it was this pristine picture of Barry Sanders.
Oh okay, so Barry got all the love.
Oh yeah, of course, and and he was great and he deserved it. But you know, it would have been nice to just every once in a while have a picture where, Okay, you know, we won this game and they showed something good.
They were they're not they were not having it.
Yeah, yeah, I mean sometimes I I'll chuckle a little bit if I hear one of our local teams or PR people talk about the press in Salt Lake. I'm like, what cause I you know, I grew up in the New York market, sure, watching my father get beat up every day by the thirteen daily periodicals and the six sportstock radio stations.
Yes, so we have so many soft people here, so many babies. I go, did you hear what they said about us on the reading? Did you hear what Gordon Monson wrote? I'm like, are you kidding?
You wouldn't survive for five minutes anywhere other than Salt Lake, you cake, It's just ridiculous. But anyway, rant over Scott, when we last spoke to you about thirty thirty five.
Minutes ago, I said to you, off fair, I said, look, when I.
Listened to Brandon Rose talked to the media yesterday, it sounded like a kid.
Who thought he was going to start. And you referenced you had some clues after listening to Coach Wit. Yeah.
Yeah, you know, Coach Witting and I don't have personal information. You know, this is just speculation. It's reading the tea leaves. It's just kind of the nuances of voices. And one of the things Coach Whitting him is he's a very honest man, so he wants to answer the questions truthfully. But he's also you know, he understands gamemanship and and and you know, if you look at the visiting locker room at right Cycle Stadium, you'll see that they're very
much into we're not giving anything to our opponent. I mean, the locker is just it's a joke. It's uncomfortable. So any way he can get an advantage, and so not telling anyone who the starter is is part of that advantage that that he kind of that's his mantra.
That's what he does.
But he was He was very clear to me about if Isaac Wilson was a starter, and Isaac Wilson has been the starter, I don't think. I don't think. I don't think that. I think he would have just come out and said that. But he said, we have a plan, we know what we're doing, yep. And and I really think that was And for that, I think, you know it was it was Brandon Rose because I felt and I go, just go watch the film and I can sit down with you and I can show you the
film and I can show you the difference. And and Brandon Rose really impressed me, like way through the ball went he through the ball, the decisions, he was just very decisive, he was very comfortable.
It's never this was just Houston. Yeah, and he hasn't played.
Look, I understand he hasn't played much, but he didn't walk walk into cam Rising, hadn't played much, and he steps in the game against San Diego State and all of a sudden, it's like it was different. And that's what I saw with Brandon Rose. And I understand, you know, it's a small sample, but a very small sample that kind of gave me some encouragement now, Isaac Isaac Wilson. I'm not I'm not like against Isaac Wilson. I'm not
down on Isaac Wilson. He's young and and and you can see that that maturity level is just really hard for for a young guy to really go through the whole season and mentally be there. If you've ever been through a football season, let me tell you how it is. It's a grind. It wears on you mentally, it wears on you physically. They're they're a month into football before they ever play a game. Coach Whittingham is not a he you know, you want to talk about tough media,
He's a tough coach. His camps camp Kyle is not for the light, you know that the timid and and uh and so just that grind of going through all of that is is a tough thing. And that's what makes these teams, you know, tough during during the season. And and he and it's it's it's who he is, it's what he is. But when you have a young quarterback he's trying to figure out things, it's just it's
just hard to to it's hard to almost breathe. You know, you just feel like it feel like you're you're swimming. To some degree. I haven't seen from Isaac any growth. You know, you want to see that turjectory, and it's just been flat, if like dipping. You know, the game, you know, every game just looks like the same the same game, and so there hasn't there. There just hasn't been anything. And so it just just tells me he's still young, still still learning, still trying to figure it out.
So I feel like Scott, if Utah is gonna win this football game, because the fact of the matter is they have not scored more than twenty three points against the P four team. Right They hung forty nine on
Southern Youth, they hung thirty eight on Utah State. But they're high as twenty three against Baylor, twenty two against Okay State, and then it's been ten nineteen, seven, fourteen, it feels like if Utah's going to win this game, and as you outlined earlier, there's no data that indicates Utah is the better football team.
But this game is weird. It always is.
So it feels like if Utah's going to win, it has to be like seventeen fourteen or something. I mean, do you anticipate coach Witt trying to really slow it down and Ryde McKay as much as you can and try to keep rets laugh off the field, Like.
How did you?
I guess the better way to ask it is, how does Utah win this football game?
Well?
I think this offense when you saw Cam Rising in the game was actually explosive when he was healthy, not when he came back court. And I don't know how good this offense. I know this players are good, they're talented. They lost money Parks. That hurts because he's a deep threat, and he's a legitimate deep threat. So you just haven't I've seen a quarterback back there that can really, you know, take this offense out of second gear, you know, and like let's get it out there and let's really see
what happens. I think there's the potential of the offense being explosive, and I'm really curious to see what Brandon Rose could do with that.
You still feel like there's an explosive offensive performance left on this roster.
There's just too much talent at the skill position, with the tight ends, with the wide receivers that it's just been inexperienced quarterback play and in an injured quarterback play, And to me, the quarterbacks in college football make a huge difference. I mean it's been a difference for BYU, it's been a difference for every team in the country that's doing well as you have an electrifying, game changing quarterback and you just have to have that, and Utah hasn't had it.
I think Utah's defense has done an.
Exceptional job this year, for sure.
But you've got to have you know, I don't think seventeen points. I don't think having a defensive battle. I don't think it wins the game for you. I think you've got to You've got to be explosive. You've got to be in the high twenties to maybe thirty points if you're gonna have any shot in this game.
If you're you're the offense.
And we don't know Brandon Rose, we know what would happen if Isaacson, there's probably not gonna happen. But maybe you get a little explosive with Brandon Rose.
Who do you think the best defense is the Utah have seen so far this year?
You know, you know h Houston, Okay, Houston was actually they were and they were one of the one of the top.
Defenses in the country. But here here's this is hard too.
It's hard because every defense that plays Utah plays them a certain way, right, they load the box, they dare Utah to throw the football. I mean, I mean, oh, Oklahoma State did it, every Arizona did it. Arizona State did it, every single team except.
Baylor because Cam was UNDERSTD Yeah, right.
And they all they all just said, we're gonna crowd the box, We're gonna we're gonna be really aggressive, play down hill, and so you do a lot of run blitzer, so you get that early p So the run game just gets blown up because they don't don't care, like we'll throw caution to the win, because because you're consistently not going to beat us on the outside. And the defense has kept the offense in every game and Utah
has done nothing, nothing to scare defenses out of that. Look, it's like every week I see the same I just see the same thing that's gonna happen. And and but but I really really thought of all the defenses that that probably the best was Houston.
Yeah, and look they just be Case State.
I mean, I asked the question because I look I was prior to.
I would say the TCU loss.
I was the radio host holding on to the final branch before I hit the ground, and it felt like everybody else's face was in the mud because prior to the TCU loss, everything was still on the table.
You know, you can get in with two losses.
You have a schedule with head to head with other teams in front of you, and now I just have to be honest. My optimism for any sort of explosive offensive performance Scott is not here today, which is why I pose the question, because it feels like if Utah is going to win John P's four and a score defense scores, they turn BYU over in a way they
haven't turned anybody over all year. They're opportunistic, they get a special teams or a defensive touchdown and Brandon just doesn't turn it over and they cruise to some sort of seventeen to ten type victory. But there's a chance BYU's defense will be as tough of a defense that
Utah's offense has ever seen. So based off your knowledge of defenses and how you've outlined the way teams are trying to play against Utah, we anticipate that it's Brandon so BYU's probably going to sell out to stop the run like everyone else has. You're Mike Bajakian. How do you take advantage of that defensive attack and scores score some points in a way that we haven't seen in a while.
Well, for me, everything always starts at first down. I mean, you have to start there, and so you have to be willing to get explosive on early downs and the early part of a series. This is something about you get off to a good play, a good start in a drive, everything just and just flows. And and with a guy who can throw it down the field, a guy who's willing to throw it down the field.
Uh.
And and the play action game is such a big part of what Utah has done in the past. It gives you those chunk plays. So there are some play action parts to to the offense that I would incorporate, But I would I would be willing to open it up on early downs and throw and throw the football.
And I keep saying it.
I feel like I'm a broken record with this, but I mean, the tight ends have been so massively underutilized and there's there's just a lot of confidence building plays that tight ends bring to an offense that if you'll use it, they're there there and they're open, and they're just they're high percentage easy throws that they might be a seven or eight yard catch which turns into an eleven yard game, you know, if you throw it on time and you throw it accurately. Uh, those are the
things you get. You've got to you've got to really break out of this extra guy in the box kind of thing, and you've got to try to be a little bit more explosive. The answer last week was, you know, early it was just like we're gonna throw screens. We're gonna and it worked once or twice, and and the bubble screens, you know, the one to Keithy work, but then the rest of the game, you know that it didn't work at all.
But I just really think.
Brandon Rose brings an element of being able to throw the ball down the field and his ability to actually run and run decisively when things aren't there. Maybe that key that kind of unlocks this offense just a little bit.
I want to go back to something you referenced in our first hit to start the show, and just to throw a few names We talked about a few of
these earlier. The Scott Mitchell's of the World, who in ninety eight goes for three eighty four and three touchdowns, The Eddie Johnson's of the World, the Mike McCoy's, the Jamal Anderson's, the Chris fu of Matzama Fala, the Brandon Warfields, the Steven Savoys, the Brett Rattle, the Brian Johnson's, the John Whites, the Joe Williams, the Brandon Burton for the block. The fact of the matter is you can be remembered as a legend with one great game against Brigham Young.
But as you referenced, and if you pull up both to be fair, if you pull up both Utah and BYU's roster, you see players from California, Washington, Texas, Florida, Canada, California, Arizona, and I could keep going Kahucko. Obviously, I don't know what the percentage is. There's a good amount of players on both teams that did.
Not grow up here.
I think it's fair to say maybe back when you were playing, there was more of a local presence on both rosters generally speaking, So if you're coach with if you're obviously the coaching staffs from both teams know exactly what's at stake on Saturday. How do you get the message across from a to a kid from Rosenberg, Texas, Like, Dude, Saturday is different.
I'm sorry if you don't fully understand, but it just is.
I think it's really hard. Again, I thought it would be one of the biggest challenges, one of the biggest concerns for Utah because they've been out, they haven't been conference foes for so long. And you can be from a different state, you can be from a different you know, part of the country, and and but if you've been
conference foes for a while, that like it matters. I remember interviewing the players from USC and the PAC twelve media days and they're like, you know, do you like having that late season game against Notre Dame?
You know, because it.
Can really in there, like like we would never give that, Like that game means so much to us and so understanding and being in the thick of a rivalry that matters. I don't care where you're from, it it'll matter. Right now. These haven't been conference foes, and I think and for that, I think b Yu has a harder challenge because they have so much more to lose, you know, and so there's so much more pressure on on on and this
guy there's like no pressure on Utah. It's just like the expectation for people is Utah is gonna lose this game, like like like the expectation is there is no expectation, and where with BYU, it's like, man, you better.
Not lose it.
You can't throw away this amazing season just by losing to them.
Yeah.
Yeah, And there's there's that pressure that's built in there, and that's when things get funny, you know, because then the players, you know, you play tight, you play you know, out of the like don't lose this game mentality, as opposed to let's go win the game mentality. And and that's when you start to see the mistakes. And that's where I think Utah has the advantage in this game is when is when the pressure really is all on on BYU to play well.
So let's continue the quarterback conversation, but let's switch over to what you've seen from Jake Jake Rhetz laugh who last year in four starts, lost all four of them. And I watched every minute of those games. He made so many errors, not just the ones he paid for. He had throws that should have been picked off. He had fumbl that were covered by his own team.
It was a.
Comedy of errors of sorts. Obviously that kid put in some serious work. I was told that it really wasn't a QB competition. A Rod thought Jake had put in the work in the offseason. They'd seen enough raw potential. There are now to your point about Utah's defense. If you're a youth fan, here's why you should be relatively optimistic.
The problem is Utah football.
For everything you said about their d because most of the numbers indicate they're a top two or three d in conference except for two. They don't get to the quarterback and they don't force turnovers. But for all of Jake's brilliance this year, there are still three or four moments every game where you're like, that should have been picked Yeah, you should have paid for that. So he's been really good. I'm not knocking on it.
But if your Utah's defense are those Jake, and.
You go, well, we haven't turned the ball, we haven't got turnovers a lot, we haven't got to the quarterback percentages just say it will come inevitable, it's a but happen, right, And and a lot of it has been game situations. A lot of it's been a lot of teams have been really really conservative playing this Utah defense.
They have not let the quarterbacks sit in the pocket.
They haven't had to because you're not playing from behind, you're not, you know, So the the one element that and and that's on the offense. The offense doesn't put pressure on the other team's offense because we don't have to score because you guys suck right off. And so so those are a little misleading because I like a lot of what this defense is and what they've done. They've just been they've been in some really unfortunate tough situations.
The meat and potato metrics are good. They're good against the run, they're good against the past.
The good efficiency, yes, and and and under duress, because there have been a lot of three and outs. I mean eleven punts, you know, I think against TCU, and you just you get tired, you get worn down in a game, and it and it's hard to stay at
that high level every single play, every single series. And that's why you see kind of these big plays that happen from time to time because someone just got tired and they just didn't quite get to their gap where they're supposed to be and that you know, that's just the product of just being tired. But yes, so so what what Jake reds Laugh has done is he's just made some plays at the right time, and he's made
plays running the football. And but there's a little bit of I've lived on some borrowed time here, and that catches up with you eventually. You know, you you live by a certain way and you're gonna die by it eventually, because that's just that's just the way things are. And and I and that's to me, the pressure of this. You know, can you create enough pressure about this game? Can you put enough pressure on him to where you
know he's gonna he's gonna give you a turnover? Because I think turnovers are going to be a huge part of this game. They always are, and and and I think a lot of it is because of that weirdness and that extra pressure that happens uh in this game. To me, it's about stopping him running more than it is stopping him throwing the foot and I think if you talk and do that, you know they're they're gonna have a chance.
You know.
To me, I think your defense is gonna give you a chance no matter what. I think they're really going to give them a chance if they can do that. And and it's just can the offense produce enough? Can you find other opportunities? So maybe you play a little bit more aggressive on defense to try to get interceptions. Maybe you open up your special teams to try to hey, let's get a return somewhere somehow, let's go after and you talk.
Did that a little bit.
They went after the punder a couple of times in the Houston game last week because you got to figure out, you know, somewhere to manufacture enough enough offense. But the quarterback, to me, really it's it's a b y u is. Everyone's just playing with a lot of enthusiasm. You know, they're just playing hard. I don't know that they're extra special talent wise or whatever. I don't I don't know talent wise, you know, I don't know that it's very
different across the board in the conference. But there's just they're just how fun playing football. They're energized, they believe in what they're doing, and and that that you find ways to create opportunities on the field when you play like that.
One more thing for the segment that we're gonna grab my guy Mikey here. So I referenced when you were playing, it felt like there were just more local players.
On each roster who got it.
But there weren't.
They weren't all local players.
So what was it like for you, as somebody who was a local to explain to your teammates who didn't grow up here what this game is actually like?
Uh? Okay, I have a funny story, Jared.
And so they someone from by you painted the U blue, okay, right, And our players did not like that, right, And so some of them were gonna go down and they were gonna they were gonna paint something red in Provo, okay.
And they were players.
Of color, and and I said to them, understand your enthusiasm here, but you're gonna stick out in provo.
Maybe don't do that down there.
You're gonna they're gonna, they're gonna go You're not from here, right, And so they end up going down there, and they they tried to paint the cougar at outside the stadium red and they were arrested before they got they got there. Sounds right, but it it really didn't take long for anyone to understand this rivalry in my time because BYU was so they were so arrogant about and they had the right I mean again really good fifteen out of sixteen, I mean BYU had it going on.
And two yeah, right, yeah, over twenty years.
Right, and so, uh, no one took that lightly, whether it just it just it didn't matter. It wasn't it wasn't hard in that game. It's like, all right, guys, you you've set yourself out there, you better come out ready to play. And they did, and uh, we actually lost that game. I think it was it was like twenty one seventeen or something. It was, it was in nineteen eighty seven. It was a close, close game, but yeah,
we understood. Everyone understood the rivalry, and it probably meant more to us to win it and to play in it than I think than.
I think b Yu more.
With Scott coming up on the other side, we are going to bring in Austin Collie today Magic Happens on the program. We also have Riley Jensen later on as well, but we're live today at Arup Blood Services. My guy Mikey stops by once again. Mikey, what's going on?
Man's living large. It's snowing outside.
It is snowing.
You know.
Somebody texts me like you might be outside. I'm like, well, then they might not have a remote. We're inside, which is good, all right? Aar you Pe Blood Services. What do you want our listeners to know?
You know, we are headed into the holiday season, right it's snowing outside. You start thinking about holiday travel, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
These are some of the busiest.
Trauma holidays that we see at the hospitals all year, and so you know, everybody's off on their way to Grandma's house, but sometimes they end up in the hospital in er and nobody thinks that it's starting off the day that they're gonna end end up.
In the hospital meating blood.
We need more help from our own community to keep up with what is already being used, as well as be ready for this holiday season.
Ninety seven eighty six South, five hundred West. If somebody who's been out here maybe forty times, I can tell you the best thing to do is throw that in your GPS and just follow it. Ninety seven eighty six South, five hundred west. So we're asking people to donate blood, yep. And you are the sole provider for the hospitals at the U.
Yep, absolutely sole provider of your University of Utah hospitals and clinics.
And Hunt's been cancer hospital and they go through so much.
Is there any like specific blood type you're looking for. I'm not a blood expert.
All types, all types.
We tend to struggle with O's the most, but honestly, all types. We need every type. And if you don't know what your blood type is, there's a great way to find out.
Well, some donate blood. We'll tell you.
We should not need to bribe you to come out here. However, we're not above that. So what are we giving away today?
Hey, everybody that comes in to donate this month, all month long, you get a Megaplex gift card if you come donate blood. If you come in today and fill out a little pick your winner for the football game this weekend, and you're entered into a drawing for one hundred dollars Amazon gift card as well.
There you go, all right, Mike, you're the man. Thanks for stopping by. Thank you, Okay, it's Arup Blood Services.
In addition, if you don't have tickets for Utah BYU, come on out donate. You're gonna get that Megaplex gift card and then you're gonna be entered to win free tickets for Utah BYU. You also have the option of internet win Jazz Laker tickets Utah men's basketball taking on Saint Mary's as well. So they've got great snacks. They're really nice people and we'd love to meet you. Scott's gonna be here for another thirty minutes or so. So it's Arup Blood Services and it's ninety seven eighty six
South five hundred West in Sandy. You can call them with questions at eight oh one five eight four fifty two seventy two. You can visit them online as well at Utah Blood dot org. All right, more college football with Scott coming up next ton ESPN seven hundred.
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Arup Blood Services ninety seven eighty six South, five hundred West and Sandy, come on bye, donate some blood we needed this time of year. And you can enter to win tickets for BYU Utah football on Saturday night. And you can also grab a ma Aplex movie pass. You can get the autograph of the man who slayed the Mighty Giant back in nineteen eighty eight. Scott Mitchell's here live on site for another big, long, juicy football segment.
All right, Scott, so we are of.
The same mind that we do believe it's Brandon Rose over Isaac Wilson, as we've talked about what's what's the difference? Does it make a difference in your mind? Obviously the position is of utmost importance, and you reference you liked what you saw on tape from Brandon against Houston.
What's a reasonable expectation for.
You fans with a play caller who will have his second game under his belt and a young man who we both believe is going to make his first college football start.
The biggest difference happens when the players believe, right, it's not so much the quarterback. It's it's all the people around you go and there's a there's a tendency to try a little bit harder.
And it's not a conscious thing per se.
Maybe sometimes it is, you know whatever, But most of the time, it's like, Okay, hey, we.
Got a guy in here.
He's gonna get me the ball and and and uh, he's gonna make plays. We're gonna we're gonna have a chance. It's it's that whole mindset of hope. And when you have someone in there, whether you know whether they have more talent, they do a better job. But if the players believe in that guy, that that can really just
that can change the dynamic. Like like nobody's business. It's it's the mindset is such a powerful thing, especially for these college kids, you know where where they're they're they're still trying to figure out and find their confidence and their belief, you know, because when you you start looking at this offense and it's just lost its confidence, Cam Rising he just oozed confidence and he just brought that to the table and lifted not only the offense, but
like the whole entire team. So you get a guy out there that kind of changes that everybody, even the coaches, you know, even the defense even you know, if you someone we got a guy in here, we know we can win, You're gonna get a better, more consistent effort from everybody.
So I want to ask you about the Houston game.
And as you pointed out earlier, I mean, look at this point, like this week, we were supposed to do our Big twelve Power rankings. Yeah, and I'm like, let's kill the segment because I would say it's b YU one. Then everyone else tied to through, so I don't know who's good and Houston just b K State. So maybe they figured some things out. That was game one for Mike Jay. Can you played the position at the highest of levels. Did you notice anything different with the play calling?
Is?
Did he put his own stamp on that game at all?
I don't know that. I don't know that it was significantly different.
You know, they've they've ran an actual screen and and it worked, and it you know, and and so that was maybe a little difference, but everything else because you don't want to just like fire Cell the whole entire office, you can't. You can't learn those other those players can't learn a new system. It's just impossible and learn it and feel confident to go run in game situations. So you're it's gonna be the same plays. Uh, you know that Andy's had and you don't want to change because
the plays are good. It's not it's not a it's not a question. It's about executing the plays and and about you know, making making plays. It's about converting third downs,
it's about you know, just those fundamental things. I think we talked about them where there was this lack of focus with coming back to the football, catching the football, offensive linemen, going off sides and and and that to me said this this team is not having the discipline to prepare themselves to play because you see those those those are those are absolute fundamental things that have to happen when you play, and it takes a level of
comp uh focus and concentration. But also it's it's the discipline to do it during week the week, doing it every single day, where they become just the habits of who you are. And when you're kind of going through the motions, you're not believing in things, that's when that's when you see that that that offense really sputter. And that's that's what I've seen with this this Utah too.
So it's very safe to say that Utah is gonna have to protect the quarterback and they're gonna have to open up some lanes for the running backs because b Yu, they have gotten to the quarterback and they do force turnovers, they do create havoc plays. We're hearing and maybe you have some first hand inside here, some rumors about maybe some o linemen that aren't entirely healthy for Utah BYU will be without Connor pay and one of the doesn't one of the receivers is out. But they've got like
seven dudes in that room. Tell me what you've seen from the O line, both the good and the bad this year, and what you're expecting on Saturday against a really good b YU.
Front really quick about the conference and who's good and who's bad and banking everything. I think the conference, almost from top to bottom is about the same.
Even BYU feels that way. It's it's and so it's a matter.
Of timely place, it's a matter of playing right. It's a matter of how your schedule flows out, and not only not only who you play, but when you play them, you know. And so I mean you look at Utah going down the road. They got BYU, who's at the top of conference. They've got Colorado who's at the top of the conference. They have Iowa State, who's at the top of the conference. I don't think you would have
said that at the beginning of the year. And then you got UCF, which all of a sudden looks like they might have gotten explosive. And so it's it's about this attrition and you talk about losing guys, and it's do you have enough depth and and and are you playing you know, at the right time, And so the there's just a fine fine line between winning and losing. In this conference from top to bottom, there is not one team you just go, oh, they are just head
and shoulders better than anyone else in the conference. So you've got to show up week after week and and game after game if you if you're gonna play and play well, and some guys, some teams do it and some haven't this year, and really the conference could go anyway. And I think that's a hallmark of the Big Twelve in general. You know, they've had a lot of different winners in the conference, and you know, TCU went to the College Football Playoffs a couple of years ago and
they're trying to figure out who they are today. UCF was undefeated a few years ago. Cincinnati was a really good team. But as far as this offensive line, to answer your question, I think it's been a very consistent performance. The quarterbacks have had time to throw the football, and
they've done an exceptional job of actually run blocking. What the thing that I saw early on and I saw a lot last year, was too many guys were just missing blocks, whether it was in the run game or in the passing game, just getting beat on one on one situations. And sometimes that's a product of youth. You know, there was a little bit of youth in the offensive line. The offensive line, to me, has been a very pleasant surprise this year. I certainly think they've done a a
pretty decent job. The one thing that's been hard, and Utah has been so good at it in the past is running in the red zone and running inside the ten yard line, and you haven't seen that this year. There have been some situations where they've had some some short yardage and that they haven't converted on. But but overall, you know, I've liked what the offensive line has done. Part of what helped the offense in the past was a quarterback though, of course, and kind of took he
kind of erased some of the mistakes you saw. Even Tyler Huntley did this when he was there. He got out of some tough situations. And but Cam was a wizard at it. And when he hasn't been in there, you haven't had that that element, which again it helps you to kind of, well, the offensive line is not doing too bad because the quarter you don't you don't
necessarily see it as much. But even though the quarterback has played not so good with Cam out, the offensive line is still played pretty pretty solid and pretty consistent.
So of course we know the McKay bernard is running back one and Kyle told us as much. And I think there was some skepticism about whether or not he could run between the tackles because we just hadn't seen him do it. But he has been able to do it certainly in spurts. We've seen a little more Jalen Glover as of late. Jalen had some unfortunate media availability yesterday where he decided to say some things that probably might end up on a bulletin board. But that happens,
It's okay. Called it the Cold War, which, yeah, close. You know, mistakes are made. But Jalen Glover has had really good games for Utah in the past in really big situations.
I'm not saying that this is the answer, because I agree with you.
Until they find it on your center with a quarterback, you're kind of running up hill. Sure, but can we see a little more Jalen.
You think as the season wears on.
You always have to have a number two guy. H The number one guy just can't carry the load throughout the season. You're just gonna You're just gonna wear down and you wear down in the game. You just they need a break from time to time. I've always been a fan of Jalen Glover. For for whatever reason, he's fallen out of favor with the coaching staff. I don't know why, you know, I just know that it's been
the case. And uh and and I'm sure some of his conversations or some of his you know, uh remarks or actions have been probably out of frustration.
You know.
I've just this has been a kid that's seems like he does things the right way, plays hard when he gets in the game, and you know, he's not a guy that's gonna be super explosive, you know, but he's gonna get you some really tough yards. And and that's the one thing he's been as a tough, tough runner.
I'm not sure that Mike Mitchell has been that guy they thought would be tough running inside, who had been kind of the number two guy, and and they give they started to give Jalen some looks here as of recent and and he's a guy that's not only I think good at that, but.
He's probably pretty fired up.
Yeah, I'm gonna show you, all right, you keep me off the field and that's a good thing, you know, And I don't think it's intentional't buy the coaches to like, well, let's let it, let's get him pissed off and then you'll play good.
You know. It's just a byproduct of everything.
And I don't want to give a coach any good ideas that maybe they start that that that the strategy. But I like him and I think he could he could have some kind of an impact on this game and even for the rest of the season.
As far as as you outlined earlier, a roster that's still and this was the as I as I talked about last segment, This was the branch I was holding on too before I fell flat in the mud. Is I still believe the talent on the roster is there and there's a reason why all of us. And when I say all of us, I don't just mean locally, I mean the national media too honed in on this team as the favorite to win this conference and go to the CFP.
That maybe we were.
Misguided, but it doesn't mean we weren't wrong about the personnel. So I want to talk about and obviously you have experience playing quarterback in the pros. I would imagine at some point, maybe during a rough period for you or your team, some of your targets weren't thrilled with you because you weren't throwing them the football. How tough is it for a Dorian Singer or a brand Keithy or any of these guys Caleb Loner who has three catches on the year and all three of them are touchdowns.
How tough the tight ends, as you reference outside of brandt like not existing even though there's talent there. How tough is it to stay confident and ready when you don't have the right guy throwing you the ball all year long?
I think it's I think it's brutally hard.
Yeah.
If I was in that situation, it would drive me banana. I'm sure I would just be like, oh my goodness. You know, in Detroit, I had Herman Moore and Brett Perriman and and Johnny Morton was our third guy, and you know, and he was really good, and Bretton and Herman had over one hundred catches, and and Brett was still mad, like he's like, you know, throwing me the ball, you know, And and and for me, I liked it.
I like that these guys wanted the football, just wanted it every down because it's like, I know, if I throw the ball to you, you're gonna make a play on it, like and you build that cam Raddie. We had one situation Brett got so mad he wouldn't come in the huddle. This is no joke. And I go dude like, and he goes, well, you're not gonna throw me the ball anyways, And I go, well, just line up and don't jump off sides then, and just go over there and pout.
You know. It's just what if that's the way you're going to be about it? Yeah, you know.
And that lasted about a play, but uh uh. And I love Brett and I'd love throwing a football to him. With the Utah situation, I just I feel for these guys, I really do, because you have to you have to show up, and you have to play hard, and and
you have to. You may be in the third quarter and you you may have been, you know, real time, sitting there for three hours before you throw your first pass has thrown to you, and then they go, okay, catch it now, you know, and and it's and it's and that's why that's why I talk about getting guys involved early.
In the game.
It's just it's just it's they just feel confident, they feel and even if you just talk to them, you know, hey, okay, I know you're you know what do you like? You know, just anything, just even if you're even if you're bsing with them, just talk to them, Just talk to all of them, because uh, they want to feel like, you know, they're they're they're involved in they're they're a part of this. And and human nature is just like, why in the world am I going through this over and over and
and uh, and I'm never getting the ball. I'm not involved because everyone that goes out on the field, and I shouldn't say everyone, but most everyone they go I want to be a difference maker, you know, give me the ball. I want to be someone that that hasn't uh, you know, some some kind of input impact on the outcome of this game. And when you're not involved, it's
just it's such it's such a hard thing. And it's so hard when you know you have a lot of really good players because because then you're you're like those players are never going to reach their full potential of what they could really be because and so you got to really get guys that buy into it's about the team and it's about winning.
And if it's about team and winning and you're not winning, then what's it about? You know? And it just makes it brutally hard.
Well, and for guys like Dorian Singer and Bran Keithy, I'm no NFL scout, but you can find mock drafts that have them.
As NFL prospects.
The guys you were thrown too, it's about their money, right like you, they want their catches because they want their contract. But if you're Branton Dorian, you want to put good tape out there so you can get drafted.
And they haven't had the quarterback this year. Although maybe it doesn't matter.
De von Veley is killing it in Denver and he didn't get Cameron as much as we thought he would either. But there's got to be that element too. These guys are looking at maybe the next step, and if they can't get exposure for what they can do because of the quarterback, that might seep in a little bit.
He starts to see some frustration.
Uh, And rightfully, so.
I'm not mad at no, because it's like, look, you know, it's a special opportunity to get to play on Sundays. It's incredible and knowing that, you know, so much of it depends on kind of I need to get exposure. I need to have people see what I'm all about and what I can do, and and and being in a situation which which if you're if you're a recruit, it's like, why would I want to go to a
school where I'm not going to get that. Look, I'm not going to get that exposure, I'm not going to get that development and that that that don't lily hurts you now, it hurts. It hurts future future prospects, you know, down the road. But there is there is one thing that's different from when I was playing and you talk about money, is there's players today that are in college that are.
Are making money.
And money's a funny thing and it you know, and so some of them may go, yeah, you know, I'm good, you know, and it might take the edge off or the drive or the you know, I want to I want to do well.
You know, it's like I'm good.
You know, I got a little bit of money, you know, because you're eighteen, nineteen, twenty years old and you know, thirty thousand dollars might make you like you're a millionaire. You know, you know who knows, And so the money side of it can work kind of both ways where I need I want to show that i can get paid, but then I'm getting paid and I'm less motivated because you know, I'm kind of being taken care of.
Right now, how do you think Utah has adapted to the new reality of the sport? I mean, I'll just ask you point blank. Coach Witt was asked about it and he just essentially set out, difficult has been. It felt like the early returns were fine. Utah didn't have like a mass exodus that did. They lose some people for sure, like the Jaquinin stuff hurts.
He's really good.
So they've lost people like everybody else. They've also brought people in like everybody else. But now that we have about almost three years of data behind us, how do you think Utah football handles has handled the new normal?
Well?
The thing that I like is they've recognized that it's what you have to do, and I think there's a real effort to do the best they can as far as you know, raising money and having money available for
these players. It's you know, it's brutally challenging because, as you know, players can just bolt, you know, and so you're constantly recruiting players, you're constantly keeping them involved and just going you know, we have a budget, We have so much money we can spend, and you spend money on players who aren't producing or aren't healthy.
You know, it really it really challenges it.
I mean, if anything's hurt them, it's not been players leaving. It's been it's been Cam Rising not being able to play.
I mean a lot of money went into cam Rising for the last two years for the limited production, and I think it's money well spent, if you you know, I honestly, I think you look at any program in the country, they're going to go out and get a guy, even the top one like Oregon got Dylan Gabriel and and he wasn't there, they didn't recruit him, but they go, we need a top tier quarterback, and we're going to
go get him, and we're gonna pay for it. And I think I think of any position, there has to be a willingness to go get that kind of guy in your program. If you're really serious about being a contender, on a national stage.
Since I've simply never asked you the question on air. Cameron has an eighth year of eligibility left. Well, I feel like this is a scenario where a married couple still loves each other but just kind of wants to go experience the world. So you give each other hugs, say go take care. This has been fun, do you It's probably in the best interest. And I had Eric Weddel on the day of the Monday after the ASU game.
He was pretty forceful.
He's like, no, that's the love cam, but that's not Where are you at with the potential of.
Him coming back? Yeah, you talk.
There's just a lot of fatigue there both in the program, like we've had enough, and there's a lot of fatigue kind of from the booster donator side of it, like yeah, we've we've maybe had enough of this and it and it probably is in everyone's best interest to to move forward.
You know.
There's coach Shula I think would sell his own mother to win, you know, and and so so the competitive side of you goes, yeah, but remember those two years when when you won championships and.
He comes back next year and oh yeah, yeah, yeah, but you know, is there a willingness to do it?
Is do you have to pay for it?
You know?
Does he want to does he want to do it?
I'm not I'm not convinced it that Cam is a legitimate NFL prospect. But you know, all bets are off if you're trying to win championships and if you have a good player and you can get him in your program and he can be healthy. I think you're I think you're foolish not to consider that.
All right, Scott, Before I set you loose, since this is the time I get with you this week, I want to ask you for a final score prediction.
I'll ask you whether or not the ute inside of you.
Anywhere has been able to find confidence that Saturday night could actually go Utah's way.
Okay, So the protective fan side of me just says, man, Utah is gonna lose this week, like you, just to prepare yourself, just set expectations right and so then if they But but the real side of me says, this is a this is a really tough game for BYU. It's a scary game for BYU because Utah is not as bad as what their record says it and and and it could just you know, it could be a funny thing. And I really feel like that's probably more of what what's gonna happen. I think we're all gonna
be surprised, you know, from this game. So I'm I'm which is really dumb. I'm gonna bet the ranch on Brandon Rose, okay, And and I'm gonna say I'm gonna say Utah scores twenty twenty seven.
Points, they have to get more than twenty four.
And and I think I think byu is, I'm gonna go twenty seven to seventeen.
Twenty seven seventeen Utah wins. I think it's I think play the damn fight song.
I think it's it's turnover laden and there's some help in there. But twenty seven seventeen.
All right, my friend, Well, thanks for coming out. It's great to see.
Okay, Scott Mitchell, who'll be on the call with Ryle's coming up on Saturday night, appreciate his time out here at Arup Blood Services. That's where we're at at ninety seven eighty six South, five hundred West and Sandy