It's now for the beginning of the big show, Big hour. Did we go age before beauty or beauty before age?
That's for you guys to decide.
Bowlers on the road with the jazz, and I wish I was looking across from me in the studio to see the.
Handsome face of Gordon Monks.
And yet he joins us via telephone today, Gord, where you at, buddy.
I'm I'm at home in the middle of writing a column, So that's where I am. And by the way, if we're talking about handsome faces when it comes to Spence check its if it comes to bowler Jack, I'll take third place there.
Oh, don't do that to yourself. I believe you said. What'd you say when you're in your prime? You really had it going on?
Is that? Was that the old Monson.
Line he has about thirty years ago? Maybe forty?
All right, well, all right, fair enough, fair enough.
First of all, when it's Utah BYU week, when it's Rivalry week, does it bring back the memory of when you caught the touchdown pass over Danny ainge it?
You know that is in the back of my mind. You know, I do think about that at times. A moment of glory and then Amsia, you know, patting me on the back saying, hell of a catch here. So I mean, I do have that in my memory, but yeah, it doesn't really apply.
Well, I mean, if I remember correctly, If I remember correctly, you both were in your prime. He jumped as high as he could, but you claimed you out jumped him and snatched the ball from his hands.
Is that right?
That's you have a great memory. I'm telling you, because because as the ball was spinning in the air, we both jumped up and we both caught the ball. We both caught. There were four hands on that ball, and I ripped it away from him, you know. And that's the way it happened. And look, I promise you this is not some fabrication, some embellishment. It is the absolute truth. Trust me.
Did the alarm wake you up right after the catch?
Did you hear the alarm sound so you had to get out of bed?
I'm just curious, I'm just curious. Well, I swear to you if that is a true story.
Okay, all right, well moving on, moving on. Well we'll give you that one, Gord. So let's just get right down to the crux of the thing, like, the bottom line is, if both teams do on Saturday what they've done all year long, it feels like this is a pretty easy BYU victory. The line is now three BYUS, a three point favorite. It opened up at five, it's
moved down to three. But you've covered as many of these as anybody I could talk to on the radio today, So you know as well as anybody the craziness probably will ensue, because it usually does. The last time BYU was won by more than ten was ninety six, and I think the last time they won in saw Lake was way back in two thousand and six. I may be incorrect there, but what's your gut tell you about what we're in for Saturday night?
I would expect I agree with you, first of all, if both teams play to their potential, BYU wins this game. And that's something that if you had ask me before the season, or even at the start of the season, beginning in parts of the season, I would have I would have thought a different way. But as we've seen what the evidence in front of us, b YU is a superior team. Now. The rivalry game brings all kinds of different things into play. Foremost two things come to mind,
emotion and motivation. And if U tak and play at the top of its game, and BYU, because it has more to lose, comes out with nerves jangled and you know, making mistakes because they have in their mind if we blow this opportunity, man, we're blowing a lot and they could lose this game. That's why anybody who lays too much money on a game like this, I think is making a mistake.
Oh, I wouldn't touch the line.
I've told people all week, like, don't touch the thing, man, because you have no idea how it's going to play out.
All right.
The bottom line is this, The data indicates the numbers indicate Utah And you.
Know what, you don't have to look at numbers. You can just watch the game.
The last time Utah was dynamic offensively was the first half of the Baylor game when Cam was under center. Since then, and look, they went up to Utah State, they hung thirty eight on the aggis all due respect to our friends, you know in the North, it's just not a great litanus test. Oklahoma State's the worst team in the conference and they've lost four straight and over
the four game losing streak. The offensive numbers are anemic, near to near the bottom of the conference, some near bottom of the country, so we know that, you know, it's going to be Brandon Rose or Isaac Wilson. I guess they're splitting reps coach WIT's going to join us tomorrow.
We'll see if we have an update there.
And I honestly don't know that it matters who's under center between the two because we just haven't seen enough from either to indicate that this is going to be somewhat of an explosive offensive team all of a sudden. So for me, Gord, if Utah wins, it feels like it's going to be one of those thirteen to ten three nothing right, Like one of those games where defensively, where the numbers indicate Utah is still very good, they're
going to have to try to limit BYU. But I just they haven't scored more than twenty four points against a P four team. It feels like if Utah gets this, it's one of those trenches. You know, stop the run, run, you know, run the football, control time of possession, and they win a very low scoring game. That's where I'm at, Give me your thoughts on it.
Yeah, I agree, Utah has been pretty good at time of possession, but they just have not been able to take advantage of scoring opportunities. And this has been much on the mind of Kyle Whittingham. They're inefficiency in the red zone. That's been a real problem for that team. That's why I think that if BYU makes mistakes that enable say Utah's defense to score touchdown or something along
those lines, then in a low scoring game. And I'm not sure it's going to be low scoring on BYU's inn, but it certainly could be what you fashioned it to be. You know, those kinds of turnovers could make a huge difference. The problem for the Utes is that BYU has been much better getting turnovers and having a turnover margin in their favor than Utah has been, and that stems to
all kinds of things. I mean, you could trace that back to Kyle has said that the team has not been as physical this year, and I think that's been obvious to anybody who's watched, and so they haven't caused those turnovers. BYU, on the other hand, has and so the very thing that the Utes need to have in their favor in order to give themselves a legitimate chance is the thing that BYU has thrived at, not the utes.
So to underscore that point, the stat that probably has hit me across the face.
More than any other.
On Monday, I read that BYUS outscored their opponents sixty nine to ten off of turnovers, which is nuts. They've allowed one touchdown all year off of turnover and one field goal. So what's the combination of way to go, tip of the cap. That's awesome and that can't continue?
Right Like, it's a little bit of both. What are your thoughts on that stat, which to me underscores everything they've been doing as far as causing turnovers and making sure that they stay clean and if they do, they don't allow a lot of points.
What does that say to you?
Yeah, it comes down to a coaching cliche that we've heard a thousand times, and that is clean execution. If the youths can do that. And I think because Kyle's been hitting this hard about being more physical, he's telling his team and to utilize the fuel of the emotion to play physically with the rival. Now, that can either work in their advantage or it could work to their disadvantage. If they get too hyped up and they start leaving their assignments and trying to do too much, that could
be a problem. But if they're able to play physical Utah football to do what b what to do to BYU, what BYU has done to so many of its opponents this year, that gives them a chance to flip that script. Now, whether they can do that or not, or whether they're capable of doing that, I don't know. And that's talking
about defense. On offense, they're going to have to take care of the ball for the very reasons that we've been talking about, because BYU has been so good at pressuring the quarterback and then grabbing interceptions or taking advantage of weird plays that put them in scoring position and allow them to build up these big leads that they're getting.
The US are scoring twenty two points a game, and that includes the earlier success and the success that you mentioned against Utah State, as BYU's averaging what thirteen fourteen points more than that per game, and so that's got to be changed in order for the youth stev a shot.
The other thing BYU does really well well. They do a lot of things really well, but this year, they're starting fast out of the gates, and they're starting fast out of the locker room.
Their first and third quarter splits.
Are insane, and I think if you're a ute fan, Gord, I think the concern is the ability to come back from a big deficit. So to me start and this
is not We're not, you know, breaking news here. The start of the game is going to be so key because if BYU comes out and they have two really good drives and suddenly it's fourteen zero and Utah can't move the football, that will allow a Rod to really change his game plan to basically kill out the clock and not allow Utah the oxygen because I just don't think Utah can come back now if it's like three to nothing after one, and it is that kind of
dogfi that we dissected, I think you fan should feel pretty good. But what do you make about just simply how important it is for both teams to start well and then once the emotion of the rivalry kind of dissipates, you can get back to the meat and potatoes of football, because you know that stadium is going to be crazy loud.
Yeah, I concur with everything that you just said. There's not much more to say about it. I do believe, and that's why Utah's defense has to be at its best because if it, if it limits BYU offensively and then you have a tight game, then those nerves that we talked about before. B why's a very confident team right now? I mean they think they deserve to win and they think they will win. Now if Utah goes out and what what did Mike Tyson say? Everyone has
a plan until they get punched in the head. How's that that saying?
Punched in the mouth? But you you're nearly there.
So so if that's what the youths are able to do to BYU, then they start to go, wait a minute. You you look at you look at BYU through all its season, after games, it's been all hyped up and we win. Nobody beats us. You know, it's all that talk that they seem to have been able to conjure amongst themselves. But if Utah limits that to them, suddenly by You's looking at each other going, wait a minute, this isn't. This isn't what we expect. If this isn't
what should be happening. And when you put a team in that position. Suddenly, that confidence may sheer away a little bit, especially when you're playing in a building like White Ecls. And I know the Utes haven't been grited on their home field, but in this kind of emotional atmosphere, that could give the Utes their best chance if they can rattle the Cougars and not make mistakes themselves. If the Utes make mistakes, then they're in for a long, long night. Yeah.
In the past, you have confidence in Cameron Rising and Andy Ludwig, and you know, say they lose the turn say the turnover battles minus one or maybe even minus two. In the past, you had an offense that could make up for some of those mistakes, or a more opportunistic defense. They could find diamonds where you didn't even know that they were looking over there, with pick sixes and scoops and scores and big game changing plays by Clark Phillips and Devin Lloyd and Eric Quad and the list goes
on and on. But the problem is right now that offense isn't good enough to make up for stubbing your toe more than once or twice, and for all of the metrics that indicate Utah's defense is really good in areas. They're the number one scoring defense in the Big Twelve. They're among the best in the country at both first and third down. What they're not doing is creating havoc plays and turnovers and the offense can't move the ball.
Like the margin of error, to underscore your point for Utah's mistakes is razor thin.
If they want to win this football game, how.
About this for an idea, Kyle Wavingham telling his team, man, this is what you guys are going to do. We're going to throw the ball here and there, but we're going to go out and play physical, off offensive football. That offensive front go out, hit these guys, create space, allow us to run the football, and allow us to burn time off the clock. If they're able to do that and sustain drives, which they haven't been able to do really and haven't been able to capitalize on those drives.
If they can do those two things, and those are big ifs, I get it. But if they can do those things and then the defense does enough to nick up Jake Retz laugh and make him a little bit nervous or make him a little off his normal timing a little bit, you know, keep those receivers under control, then again, that works the huge advantage. The problem is actually executing it, and I'm not sure whether they can do that, but I would be shocked if this was
like some sort of wipeout. That speaks to what you were talking about before. If the Cougar's get a big lead, then I think the game is going to be over unless they just get so full of themselves. They're just doing stupid things on defense and they let let off
the gas a little bit. But if you talk and keep it close and run the football and do it in a physical banner that puts by U in a situation where they go they're uncomfortable, they're they're not used to that in that particular environment, then I think things could go the youth's way. But that's a whole lot to ask and I'm not sure whether the youths could pull that off. I think they can, but whether they will that, uh, that's very much And well.
It's back to where we started.
If both teams continue to do what they've done so far, there's a chance that this is a blood death. And you know like that, we only can go off of the data that we have. I mean, you try to predict things in a business like this, and you're going to be wrong a lot.
And as we've talked.
About, I've been so wrong about this Utah football team that it is going to take some sort of random Burton block, Scott Mitchell coming out of no where, you know, John Why, Jason Shelley with a big comeback, like all of the crazy rivalry memories we have should give youth fans confidence because this game is different than other games on the schedule. But what we've seen so far simply is BYU is a much better team almost all the
way around. But let's dig into a little bit, Gordon, your opinion on what that stadium is going to look like on Saturday night, because it has become a narrative that's gotten a little out of control. There are online ticket outlets where you can look and kind of see what's available, and it's hard to tell whether or not BUYU fans or snatching up all these tickets that a lot of youth fans seem to be selling. I have a hard time believing there's gonna be a ton of blue.
I do think youth fans will show up. I mean, in a way, this is going to be potentially the most important game on the schedule for the rest of the season for Utah football. Even if they go to a bowl, it's gonna be somewhat meaningless. The only thing worse than playing in a throwaway bowl game is not being eligible for one. So this is massive for Utah to show the community maybe one time this season that
they are who we thought that they could be. So what are you hearing in your vantage point from your vantage point about you know, fan attendance. I know there's a lot of anxiety and nervous feelings by youth fans, But do you think we're going to see a good portion of blue in saut Lake on Saturday night.
I think we'll see more blue than is typically the case in these rivalry games. But youth fans are going to show up. I mean, I think they are worried, but I think they're going to show up and they're going to pour the same emotion that they always do in this particular game, you know, and if the youths can feed off of that. But the youthes have to give the crowd, you know, they have to give them encouragement that hey, they're not wasting their time and it's
for instance. Okay, So one of the things that I think will be really interesting to see is, uh, will j Hill I'm sorry, will Morgan Scalley pressure Jake Rhtz left? And how much will he pressure him? How much will they try to get those big plays that you're talking about, force those kinds of mistakes in order to do that. If they let Jake Retz left sit back there and peruse the field and get the ball to the right place or to the right player for the right reasons,
then they're gonna lose this game. If they disturb him, if they make him jumpy, then you know, he might flash back to some of the things we saw a year ago where he'll he will make mistakes, and so is Morgan scally gonna be willing to do that? And if he does do it and they get sacks, then what happens? The crowd erupts and the emotion is there, and the big plays are made and the Youthe fans
are feeling pretty good. If it doesn't happen and BYU is as comfortable as it's usually been or almost always been this season, then that that's not gonna work. So the crowd has to work in the huge favor, But the utes have to feed that beast.
Yeah, I mean, there's been kind of a I hate the term narrative, but that's kind of the right term to use with this one. There's kind of this narrative that's gone on around the marketplace here about how docile that crowd has been this year and how uh you know, it doesn't feel like it typically has over the past decade or so to rise cycles. But you've got to give them something to cheer for. You can't the muss
is always going to be the muss. But if Utah Football, if they're players and coaches want to see this crowd and hear this crowd the way it typically is, they've got to feed them. Man, you can't expect them just to go crazy if there's nothing going on.
So if the use make mistakes, it'd be why you build that early lead that you're talking about, what's the place going to look like? What I mean, what kind of advantage that the youths usually or typically would have that's going to dissipate? And then so really, I know the youths want to depending on their crowd to really give them a boost. But as you said, they have to give my reason, and if they don't give them that reason, then the place is going to get quiet real quick.
You want to give us a little tease for the column you're writing right now for our friends of the.
Trip, Well, I've written. I've written a couple of columns. You know. I don't learn my lessons very well sometimes, Spence. But I have the fifty things that are bound to happen in this game, and I've got that written, and I think that'll be either tomorrow or Saturday, I'm not sure which, But I pick a stab at predicted specific
things that will happen in this game. And I got to tell you, as I've done what you said, and what you've been doing all week and before that, probably studying the stats, looking at the numbers, looking at the record, look examining what's happened in previous weeks, I don't see a lot of practic coal reasons to pick the youth still win. Now, in that same breath, I'll say that is it possible that they can win? Yeah, it is possible.
But things that haven't happened very often this years aren't going to have to happen against a team that is playing really out of its mind.
What does it mean for Arsenal if Nick Kushing decides to go to the.
Gunners disasters disasters, that's catastrophic. Yeah, I just think that's something I think cannot allow to have.
Well said I Concur. All right, my friends, Well I appreciate the time today. I hope to see in studio next week.
All right, all right, then give bowler my love.
Will do the great Gordon Monson from the Salt Lake Tribute, my radio partner for seven years back in the old days. Brought to you today by clear Water Distilling. The only distillery and you talk count you open on Sunday is Great Spirits Tasting Room. Nicest grew around limited release Wednesday whiskey Batch number two out right now it's a mix of their bourbon and their Rye whiskeys. Try to scandal us the Renee or their vodka now in most state
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