Friday edition of The Drive Rolling Along always fun to welcome in a good print of the program. Defensive coordinator for you, Tech coaching waiting, Morgan Scaley, excuse me, Morgan, Happy Friday, Buddy? How we doing man?
Spence? You sick or what? No?
No, no, no, no, just you know, when you do this for four hours a day, every day on Friday, the voice starts to go, yeah, you know the drill. I'm sure at some.
Point I was gonna say, you sound like me after a Tuesday practice, That's.
What I was going to say. At any point, do you lose your voice after barking the instructions to the team.
Usually it comes in fall camp and then the voice is ready, the voice box is ready for the rest of the season.
Well, you would think after doing this for twenty years, my voice would be used to it, but I guess it's not. Buddy. Well, look, I know you don't have a ton of time, so let's get into it. First of all, thank you, sincerely. Eight days out from game day, I'll just give you nation a message. Man. How are things going up there?
Oh? Fired up? Excited for healthy for the most part. Love How fall camp has gone progressed? The competitive nature of offense versus defense. I think we're ready to hit another colored jersey besides our own. So you know, going into it, we had our question marks on defense. You know, the d tackle spot was a question mark. Cornerspot depth there was a question mark. And I think we've done a pretty good job of slidifying who's going to help us and feel pretty good about the depth we have there.
So let's start there. How is that dtackle spot coming? Obviously a big loss for Keanu, he's down at b YU, So how is that a defensive line shaping up? Morgan good?
We needed a couple of things to happen. We need Dallas Bakalahi to progress, take on a leadership role, kind of own that position group Aliki Vi Mahi, the two vets that have returned. We needed jonahla A to put on some pounds. This is a guy that we've tried to to groom and develop and he's finally there. I'm really about him and his athleticism now that he has the strength and the weight on uh. And then the freshmen are kind of man a pleasant surprise to have
these guys step up. Pouplu Cepalona Carson Kafusi, SEMy Taloga, you got Dylan Battle and Motawawaka, all those guys you know could be ready for us to play year one. Not only you know a couple probably will will need to use but you know how this deal goes, any anything can happen. Injuries are part of the game, and you've got to have some depth, yeap.
Unfortunately we've all learned that lesson the hard way over the past couple of seasons, no doubt, and look, everybody says football is a contact sport. No it's not. It's a violent sport and no team stays healthy all year long. I suppose you know we all we all say the same thing. We don't worry about your defense with you and coach with your track record, and the standard is the standard. But as far as that second corner spot, you know, Cam Calhoun's a Crimson tide. How's that coming along?
What's that room looking like?
Very good? Had some good transfers come in, a couple that joined us early for spring, and then a couple that we've we've added late in the mix. Scooby Davis is a lot like Jonahlaa was, although Scooby probably got more time than Jonah in terms of the development we needed to put on, have him put on more weight, become stronger, be more durable, and he's going to be
a starter for us. So excited for him. Smith Snowden has only gotten better, has added the outside element of his game playing outside corner as well as having played inside corner for us. And then you take a look at Donovan Saunders who transfer from A and M Blake Cotton. These are names that are going to help us tremendously. Jeremiah Caldwell so a couple others that that he'll need
some development. But I feel much better really going into this season than I did last season about the corner position.
So since we have already talked about the depth outside of the front line guys, and you've discussed some of the names, I mean, do you feel confident that? And look, I'm knocking on wood because none of us want injuries, but it's just part of the deal man. As you know, do you feel like you can weather that storm should have come your way on your side of the football.
Oh, brother, I didn't even want to talk about it, but yeah, that's again you big part of springball is development. Big part of fall camp is solidifying who's going to be a part of that travel group. Another guy I didn't mention is Jackson Benny, who came on and had an unbelieable off season. He was big contributed on special needs. But this is the guy that you know a lot of YOUT fans are going to be fired up about because he's going to be making plays. So add him
to the to the mix. His versatility can play safety, he can play nickel, Evans can play nickel, he can play strong safety. Tail can go down and play corners. So really that's what you're looking for. Or when guys go down, because it'll happen. Do you have the versatility to put the best eleven on the field or are you short changing, you know by putting a guy that may not be in as ready. He just knows the position better. But we'd rather go with our best eleven.
UCLA an interesting opener at the Rose Bowl. It's a new quarterback, it's a new coordinator as well as Tino, Sinceera's the offensive coordinator. I don't know how much I would imagine we're about to launch in a very specific game prep, but I'm sure you've been you know, operating fall camp with one eye on the Bruins. I've been asking all of the guests this, Morgan, I'll ask you, what does success look like for you? Game one, when you're on that plane flying home from from the Rose Bowl.
What will success feel like to you?
Just be playing to our culture, you know, running to the football, playing with good fundamental technique, playing situationally smart football. I mean, obviously there's going to be mistakes that are made. A lot of the big plays that we make on the defensive side the ball really have to do with relentless effort guys running to the football and playing with some physicality. So you know, that's kind of been our
calling card. And if we play to our culture, to me, I can deal with the other stuff, but we have to, you know, play physical, smart football.
Tell me what you've learned about the Bruins. What makes them dangerous? You know, they're they're in the midst of I'll just call it a pivot with a new coaching staff a couple of years ago, and like I said, a new offensive coordinator, really good talented quarterback. A big news out of the Tennessee transfer situation. What do you know about UCLAs of.
Now, well, obviously I did not. I mean I knew of the quarterback. I didn't know much about his game. So after you know, watching a ton of film on him, very impressed, very impressed, not only with his ability to spin it, but when he runs the ball, he's not he's not soft, and he's not a guy that looks to go down. He's tough. He's tough minded. So they
got a good one in Nikos. The receiving core that they have there includes Mikey Matthews, who we know as a slot receiver that coming from US to Cal and now UCLA has and they've got a couple other wide receiving threats that are really good. You know, the old line is going to be, in my opinion, their work in progress. You know, you take a look at our D line, it's our work in progress. That's offensive line
is going to be their work in progress. But the quarterback and skill players, including the running back transfer from Cal who's a dynamic kid as well, that's going to be the strength of their offense in my opinion.
This last week, when Devin Dampier said, hey, sometimes I have eight seconds in the pocket, my first thought was, well, that's not going to make more than happy. Obviously, you guys were an average offense away a year ago from competing for the Big twelve championship. Tell me from your advantage point, this new revamped offense. It's under Jason Beck with Devin under center. How's it looking to you? Morgan?
I'm excited to watch him, Excited to watch him work the offensive line obviously, is the huge strength the skilled players that we've brought in Devin's leadership, you know, And let's be honest, he's got eight seconds because we can't touch the quarterback. It's not it's not like we can sit there and get after him in practice. But no, he is so competitive. That's what I love about him, is that competitive drive. And he's not overconfident. He's not cocky.
He comes to work every single day and he earns that right to be confident. So add to that the schematic schematic elements that I love, the shifts and motions, the formation into the boundary of the Q run game, all the different things that Jason's doing. Really excited to watch these guys work all.
Right before I say you loose, you know, Ultimately, the past couple of years as a result of lack of health has not been what we're used to. Because you and Coach Wade and you know the coaches up there, you've set a standard that I know you guys take seriously. What gives you the most confidence. You do not have the target on your back that you did a year ago. As far as everyone expecting you to win the thing, I think most people believe you're going to be good.
I certainly do what gives you the most confidence that this year will look different than you're one of the big twelve.
Morgan, Well, I don't mean I go I go to work looking to win one game, brother, and I'm dan like, I'm dead serious with this. I think you do yourself such a disservice going looking beyond I obviously you want to know that you're going to be competitive and know that you've got the right pieces to be competitive. I feel like that's the case here with both offense and defense.
I feel like we've got the right personnel. We just got to do a great job of, you know, playing smart football, and it is going to require some luck, man. I mean, and the years that we won the championships, our guy stayed healthy for the most part and you look at the two thousand and four Festival team that I played, starting eleven at the beginning of the season.
We're starting eleven the end of the season on the defensive side of the ball and primarily on the offensive side of the ball as well, so the Sugar Bowl year. So it does take a little bit of luck, but you also have to be smart the way you practice and compete against each other, and we've definitely done that this fall camp and heading into the season. So just excited for game one, dude, and not looking beyond that.
Well played. I'm looking at my inbox and do I need to resend you my cell phone? I mean, one invite to play some golf during the off season. I don't think is too much to ask for somebody I've known for like twenty five years. Do you need me to resend you myself?
Morgandy? Listen, trust me, You're not the only one that has not been playing golf. I've been able to play primarily with one guy and that's shref Shaw, and you know, a couple of rounds here or there, But ultimately my summer was with my family. I got a daughter that graduated and we went on some vacations, but we do need to get together, brother, We do need to get together. You take care of that voice box, okay, and during the off season we'll make sure something happens.
Yes, sir, Thanks for the time, man, best of luck a week one and all year long. Okay?
All right, brother, yeah, all right.
Morgan'scalley, defensive coordinator for the University of Utah. We are eight days away from kick. The Utes will be at the Rose Bowl to take on UCLA. They remain an eight or excuse me, a six point five point favorite in Vegas. Don't forget that game. We'll kick off at nine o'clock Mountain time. Television coverage is on Fox, and of course, the radio coverage is right here on your home of the Utes ESPN seven hundred