For fifteen years, the Big Show dominated the Utah sports talk airwaves. First it was Craig Bowler, Jack and Gordon Monson, followed by Spence Check its in Monson. Now all three are reunited on the Drive. It's time for the Big Show Hour on the Drive at Spence check its exclusively on ESPN seven hundred.
All I can really say is when you live right on and off the microphone, magic happens. And we have Craig Bowler, Jack and Gordon Monson live in studio together for the first time, I don't know in a few months. We've had some scheduling issues, but good to see you guys. Thanks for I've been here, he's been here. I haven't been here, you know, vice versa. But reunited and it feels so good. You're right over there. Sorry, there you go. Yeah, man,
I've missed you. Yeah, I haven't seen you. Spence, We've talked, but you know, here we go. Man, one game down, eighty one to go for the Jazz Hockey has lit this city in the region on fire. A little four to zero, you know, got blanked by Ottawa. That'll happen. They're young, but it's good to see you guys brought to you by Big o' tires as always. So it's great to have you in studio, and we will start with some jazz and then we'll go over to college football.
So Bowler I said, when you walked in, I mean, I think, if it's not the biggest topic for me currently, it's certainly one of them is. So the jazz tell us this is about development, right, that's what they say. Okay, so this is about young players. It's about development. If their developmental system is working correctly, year three, Walker should look better. If it's not, you know, well, Walker is going to be like a case study for development under
this new regime because he's the third year guy. He was really good last night. He was let's start with Walker. What'd you see? You know? I saw confidence. I saw a stronger, more tenacious rebounder. I saw a shot blocker who believes, you know, he's really good at the rim obviously left hand with the shot blocks. I just saw
a stronger Walker Kessler. I did a good talk with him in Portland, and just in the verbiage that he and I discussed, I mean, he was much more mature and look, I tried to go back and think to myself, what was I like? Who was I at twenty and twenty one and twenty two? Probably not that cool a dude. I mean, I just was trying to get through college and you were, you know, but at this level to be with this much responsibility and trying to rebound from
last year. He started twenty two game spence in Gordo, and he talked to me a lot about the arm injury, how much that hampered him more than maybe some people realized, because he does use his left hand dominant with with shot blocking. But I liked his approach. I just liked his court presence last night. I liked the fact he didn't glance at the bench. I thought he ran the lore and was able to be a participant on defense or offensive rebounds. And you know, all the above equates
into what a third year pro ought to be. It's one game sample, guys, but you know what, it's something to look on and they're they're collecting data points and all these players this year to see, you know, who they are, what they will become, at least what the data tells them. In the league that is obsessed with numbers and data. Sloan used to say, hell, just go out there and play. You know, I can tell who's
good and who's not. But data is everything in this league, on the minuture, on the floor and what you do. And and I just liked what I saw last night compared to what we ended the season on last season. Sure, there's a spark or two spence at the end of it, but this this was a good start, so Gordon. Last year they well and last night they were also a siev Defensively, We'll get there. It's not a good defensive team.
But if Walker and continue to evolve. Now, Memphis was really good at the rim, but but Walker had five block shots himself. I think they were sixteen of seventeen finishing at the rim. If he can evolve and just he's not going to be Rudy. I heard people say like, hey, he's better than He's not better than Rudy rookie year, give me a break, Like he has a marathon to go before he even lives in the same cul de sac. But what would it do for the defense if Walker can be what he was last night?
You know, And that's one of the things I noticed what Will Hardy said after the game. He said, yeah, he played well defensively in the first half. In the second half, the coach saw some things where Walker needs to improve. Well, or you said it was just one game, But Spencer, I'm telling you, the things that I saw out of him look like they had some permanence to him. I agree, you know, the strength, the aggression, the aggression, the you know, the going to the hoop. I just
I don't know. I think that's a guy who That was the good news last night. As far as I was concerned with the development. Another thing I liked and Bowler you know this, and so do you spent the Jazz. I like the honesty of the Jazz after the game. They know what's going on here. Will Hardy knows what's happening here, and they all admit it that this is
about development. However, they depend on those those established players to get the you know, get get the Jazz back in the game and give them a chance to win. And that that gap between the young guys not contributing as much, well except for Kessler and uh Agus Hendrix had at second half. Yeah, yeah, but you know, four seven three or five from three, I mean that's showing some stuff. But somehow they have to get those guys to contribute all the time or as often as possible.
And Kiante George last night just just struggled.
Yeah, we'll get to the bad. Let's let's let's stay in the good for a second and then we'll get to the bad. Because Kiante was bad turnovers leading to runouts, leading to transition points. I mean, I'm sure Will's frustrated. But Gordon said a couple of things about Walker Craig that I think need to be underscored. And before the game you walk down to the court, he's looking you see Zach e Edi Like that dude is a mountain. He's Mark Eaton and Walker somebody he didn't get pushed
off his spot by Zach Okay. Second of all, Gordon talked about attacking the basket. No more finger rolls, You're seven feet dunk the ball. He did it lastly, as you referenced the screen setting last night, like that's the thing that go bears a lead at the Walker has been bad at and he was much better last night. Those three things really stood out. Offensive rebounds, he had six. I like the fact he kept the ball above his head and no one took it.
Away.
That meant to me that he has more strength in his hands in four arms where he can wrestle the ball down second chance opportunities at least on occasion. But you know, yeah, I thought he was just more engaged. And when he gets off to good starts like you did last night, he runs the floor better and the reward is on both ends. He can run and roll, he can go back on deep block a shot. He's good like Rudy in a way where he can come out and show on the perimeter and then you know,
basically run back and help protect painter or baseline. I think we'll get better at that, I really do. But Rudy has so much length that he can run out and show and then you know, go down and protect baseline. But now, Walker was a real positive last night, and.
Will said one of the things Bowler and I thought it was interesting. He talked about Kessler rediscovering some joy.
He brought that up. That's why I wanted to go next.
Yeah, well, we've always saw, yes we have.
You guys are like twins.
You saw you saw when when the fans got the.
Chickens better looking. Though I'm not sure he is. I'll stop that, but you know, I mean, he.
Was cheering from the sideline and carrying on. And I don't know, maybe that's just the old man sentimentality in me, but I'd like to see that.
You know what he was down last year, Let's be honest, call it what it is. He lost every bit of confidence. The injury put him in a hole. You know. Here, here's something else. He kind of told me that really he's not looking, if any at social media. I think that he realizes that he cannot live in a world of negativity for all of us, right, And I totally agree, because it can absorb you, it can destroy you, it
can depress you. And I think for a young player trying to re establish and find himself, he did himself a hell of a favor just to focus on the game and Gordon and Spence to your point, he's having fun. He finds a spark again, right, and he's not, you know, half motoring it down the floor. And his glances to Will are nothing of what they were his rookie season.
Who by the way, he busted. Maybe that was the worst case because he had such a great rookie season that the second year the expectations were even higher and then it didn't happen. The sophomore slump, I guess comes into play, but I'm really glad that he jumped down at least in one game. That's a great way to start a season. I'll tell you that eighty one to go.
But gosh, Spencer right, if he can give you those type of numbers, he's a double double guy, and I think he's at least a three block shot guy per night. So my my twin also referenced. So I'm like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gordon's yeah, very movie. But my twin brought up also Taylor. I want to talk about Taylor Hendricks because look, there are a lot of people that are out on him. You know, the summer league thing wasn't great this year, and he looked a little bit lost
at times last year. I'm not one of those people. I think the Jazz maximized that draft slot. I think he was the best talent available last year at that slot. But I was talking to Smitty about this and then Gordy at the game last night. Taylor's not going to pop in a way where he's gonna have thirty five or forty one night like Donovan's rookie year, he goes for forty against the Pelicans, where I was like, wait, what is this real? It turns out that it was.
Taylor demands a little bit more of a nuanced analysis. So like the play where Memphis goes one four flat, Jaw has the ball at the top of the key and Taylor has him and joh tries to shake him and take a step back jumper and Taylor blocks the shot. Because of how bad they're defense, Because of how bad they are defensively, they need a defensive wing that can match up with other wings. I think that can be Taylor.
And if to Gordon's point, if he can just knock down open corner threes, that's a win, you know, because I don't think this is not a good isolation team. They're not gonna throw out to Taylor and say go make a play. If he can continue to use his measurables, he does look bigger and stronger match up against a Durant or whoever's on the other team. As a great dominant offensive wing, knock down some open shots, that's a win. I thought Taylor looked really good last year.
Be useful, Yeah, I mean that's what these young guys have to do is be useful, contribute to positive things on the floor.
You are you know what I think upstairs is where it's at. I mean people always say, you know, athleticism, Yeah, you got it, But it's the it's the mental side of a dent and especially with him separates, he loses focus at times, right right, And you know he was a young guy on the Central Florida. You know, some people were high, some people thought no, but the jazz roll the dice. Danny liked what he saw on Justin
as well. He had a slow start last night. I thought it was probably opening night second year jitters because he knows that the young guys understand there's pressure. Look, you can't play in this league without it. And he's being dependent, right, And you know what, he's gonna play post most likely on every They're gonna stick him on every tough offensive player that hits the floor home er away because of his length. But I like the fact that he got himself back together and spence in the
second half and started hitting threes, spread the floor. And I've always said, man, the power of the three is real. Look what happened in the first half seventeen down because of what Memphis was able to do with a three point shot. Joh got to the rim. But then the Jazz started hitting shots. It sounds it sounds simple, but they I thought they just ran the ball. Found that they were more patient and some of the threes really
helped bring that club back. And if it wasn't for a couple of late misfree throws, they may have won that game.
I got a question for you guys. So I know you were more offensive. Mind as a player yourself.
Get the shots up, So what do you have to do?
But what is it going to take defensively to get this team to be able to get big stops when they need it? I mean, if Hendrix can, can he develop into a stopper? Is it a matter of getting the guys to coordinate together and work together in order to slow down offenses?
We last night I saw two things and Craig, I'll certainly see it to you here. I do think Taylor can develop so coming out, And I never loved the comp thing. We've talked about this for years because I think comps put an idea in a fans mind and if a player never becomes that it's like what you were supposed to be that player. I heard a lot of Pascal Siakam for Taylor Hendrix. Siakam's awesome, He's an All Star, Like, let's pump the brakes a little bit.
But if Taylor can play a little with a little bit more bite, he can be a little bit like Jade McDaniels from Minnesota, right, who is a defensive wing who can score a little bit, but he's mostly a knockdown, spot up shooter, doesn't do much off the dribble. But last night, two things. It's point of attack defense, it's on ball defense, and I'm talking to you Kyante, like, it's not fair to judge anybody who's trying to guard John Morant. But this was the issue with Caianty last year.
So everybody's talking about make or miss on offense. Kiante had a horrible night defensively. The only player that had success with joh was Taylor, you know. And so it's point of attack defense. And then it's turnovers that lead to runouts. Right, So they were last in transition defense last year, but it was because of their turnovers. And there's this thing that sometimes people do because the Warriors with stay with Clay and Steph and Durant were like
third to last in the league in turnovers. You'd hear broadcast, you'd be like, well, turnovers don't matter. They don't matter if you have Durant and Steph and Clay. They matter if you have Keyante and sex Like and Sexton like last night, it was turnovers to transition points and point of attack defense. To me, Craig, those are the two defensive issues, right then, go I mean turnovers, they allowed
twenty four points. Here's the other problem. When you don't hit threes, which was the case in the first half, that ball takes a wicked bounce. Now it can come long. I'm short, and so the runout is there. And unless you just turn after the shots released and bust tailed down the floor, it's just a gimme. That's where the Jazz had issues last year as well, missshots, runouts, light ball turnovers where they have no chance to get back on defense. And you know, Will made an interesting point.
He said, Look, this league isn't perfect. Each team's going to have a couple of minutes where they they lose focus and they may allow a six to zero eight zero run the challenge for the jazz, and he said this in his pregame presser last night, is that you can't extend it to eight minutes of hell right, he didn't say hell, I did, But but think about that. Where you're going to see improvement for the jazz is the hiccup. But then they're able to put it and
put the fire out. And you know why last night down seventeen, there were moments where they ran back and they got a little tougher defensively. I like the fact that John Collins was showing the guys how to play Zach Zach edie and you know what, get a little get a little nasty down low right. I mean those guys he fouled out in his in his rookie debut fifteen minutes. Yeah, I'm not sure, you know what. I didn't see enough of him. I talked to him on the floor last night, guys, and I tell you I
was blown away. I said, hey, man, you got to be excited about your rookie debut.
Yeah.
Maybe, I just know that's it interesting the most he's not the most highly verbal individual of excitement I've ever rubber run into.
I know one thing in my later years. I don't want ed.
All right, moving on? Uh we do have we probably have gone. And by the way, he got a couple of clients that you know, if you want to better chew on that. Yeah, okay, all right, okay, moving on. Sorry, I apologize that was it wasn't your worst. I believe you know what we need still drums in here, Yeah.
Back compliment it wasn't your worst, which tells you how bad the worst was.
I'll try to come up with a couple of examples. But before we sigt off, we probably have gone too long without talking about marketing who just like continues to raise his game to another level. If you're the Golden State Warriors and you're watching Lowry, I mean, because they're going to waste the final few years of steps prime. They don't have a good enough team. They're probably the sixth or the seventh seed in the one Big Last Night in the West. Yeah and look there, you know,
it's not like they're a bad team. But I would venture to guess there may not be another game all year where an NBA player scores thirty five points and takes fifteen shots. That's nuts. Got to the line, knocked down thirteen to fourteen, four of seven from three in the second half. Memphis was keen on him and they couldn't do a thing. He did whatever he wanted last night. It was a lot of fun.
What would have taken for the Warriors to entice the Jazz into that deal? What? What did they not offer that the Jazz wanted bowler?
Do you have any insight there, because I really don't know if it's the young guard? Is it Pajemski? Yeah, the report is the Jazz, but I can't believe that that's true. The Golden Stay was like, no, we are not trading for Lowry because you want Brandon Pajemski. Like, if that was the hill you died on, you died on the wrong hill. He's a fine young player, but Larry is he's top shelf man. He's really good.
And the thing about Larry is that it's not like a guy who's just taking advantage of playing on what might be a bad team, Like you said, fifteen shots, it's nuts. I mean he can do that. He could do that for the Warriors and still make room for the other guys.
Yeah. My guess is Danny probably said, look, if you want Lowry, then go look at what I got for Donovan and go Bear and let me know if you can match that, because I can't believe that Pajemski was the breaking point. That makes no sense to me. But you know what, Curry's gone and Draymond's declined continues. Golden State is in their own rebuilds.
Tea last night.
And so what happens is if the Jazz would have owned some of those picks, they may have been pretty valuable and high level, right, But I think the bottom line is when discussed, Lowry may have quelled that conversation himself. I mean, he actually wanted to be here.
If you said that part, you said that five times last night, and I think it really resonates with Jazz fan.
Yeah, I mean, how about that he wants to be here? And what I saw last night is that during the preseason Spence and Gordo, I thought he struggled with double teams and even the third guy coming around the edge when he turned his head and put the ball down around his waist, he would turn the ball over with a slap. They would just kind of slap it out
of his hands and it frustrated him. But I thought he was stronger with the ball last night and maybe face the basket a little bit more instead of turning sideways, which I think the Jazz are trying to obviously wreck. You know, let's just say remind him, man, he's still a strong guy. He put on weight too, and muscle, and you see it in the in the biceps. He's a strong guy. And can he keep the weight on?
As Big t always says, it's it's not only the weight, but can you keep the strength that comes with some of that? And that's the important part for for Marketing and for Walker too, and I think it's also for Taylor. You know, grow into your bodies and you know it's part of that maturity process. But I think a lot of it's stillygo is upstairs between the years, understanding what you need to do and don't play outside yourself. You know. Maybe that's that holds true for Keante. Look have you
got some good handles? Okay, you don't have to show it every time go down, be effective, be an impact and play smart and just don't try to go outside the box. In your second year in the in the NBA, this team needs, you know, someone to run the show. And I think that's got to be another focal point tomorrow night and beyond as you're you know, as the season continues. Last thing here, then we'll catch your break
to do college football coming up next. I wondered aloud yesterday on the show because the xanak Age Ryan Smith message to the fan base's development young players, that's what you're going to see. But ultimately it's up to the head coach. So how would Will handle it in the case where Keyante George goes three of eighteen like he
did last night and is not impacting winning. The most interesting stat to me last night, Patty Mills in sixteen minutes didn't take one shot, he didn't take one free throw, He had one assist, but they were plus ten and sixteen minutes when Patty was on the floor and Keante was off. Because when Patty was on the floor, the ball started to move. He knows what to do, you know, obvious, he's thirty six, He's been doing this for twenty years.
So I just have to wonder if Will is going to have the self control to continue to allow Keyante to screw up and say he's our guy. We're going to let him learn through it, or does he get so frustrated say I know it pops a little bit better with Patty. Can Patty give me another five ten minutes a night. I don't know how that's going to look.
I think he will stay with Kant unless it gets really bad. If it gets really bad. Now, now you're not doing the kid any favors by having you know, uh, who was the draft pick that Jazz said that they moved up for that guard forgetting his name right now? Will no, no no. After that, they moved up Trey Burke. Trey Burke, you know That's what I mean. They they
gave him time and it just never came around. And I'm not saying Keante is is Trey, but I mean at some point, Bowler the coach has to say, Okay, at this point, for the good of the other guys, I gotta I gotta go with the guy who's going to smooth things.
That's one of the famous lines in Star Wars. Is it Yoda who says no, there is another? So you forgot about Callier who's out with the hamstring A little Yoda on a Thursday? Thank you?
Correct? I like that. There is no try, There is no try.
There is no try. But you know, he intrigues me more of kind of a bulldog type of point. Are a little more physical, can get in the paint a little bit more. He's got the hamstring. The report today from the Jazz that was made public that they are going to reevaluate him in ten days, but he is going to be on the floor trying to work himself back in. They want to be careful. Hamstrings can be
pretty wicked and come back on a regular basis. But yeah, but I think that's why Patty's here is in this particular case that an injury pops just like that, and Patty Mills becomes an important fact and your stat number is exactly who he is and why he will brought him here. Just calm it down, man, Just run it, run the show, and and and show the ball, move the ball. Yeah. So, but I'm anxious to see Callier. H Yeah, he's out there. Yeah, I play with Bronnie.
I talked to him. In the beginning of the season. It was chaos at USC You can imagine with with Bronni there. Everyone the press was always saying, can oh, but Lebron's gonna show up and it just was constant. Have you know, just an uncomfortable place that really kind of I think took him out of his game and he's hoping he can find it here. And last thing on Callier. Unlike Keante, he's always played the position. Yes, he's always been a league guard, Kiante. This is new
for him. He's learning, so we'll see, all right, we'll do some college football coming up next. Craig Buller, Jack Gordon mottson Live in Studio. It's the Big Show, a big hour on the Drive with Spence Check. It's brought to you by Big O'd Tires. It's their fallse sale right now, Fall Into Saving Sale. You can get from eighty to one hundred and twenty dollars off a select
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All right, we got Craig Bowler, Jack Gordon, Moths and Liven Studio for another big, long segment. Last segment was jazz stuff NBA basketballs. Move over to some college football, and let's start out with the good. Okay, So, ultimately I thought, at this point in the season, you know, six seven games in, I thought Utah football would be undefeated, maybe one loss. I thought the offense would be high powered. I thought the defense would make havoc plays and create turnovers.
I thought the home stadium advantage would be one of the best in the West, because it has been. All of that is happening about forty miles as the crow flies down there, and none of it's happening up here. So let's start with BYU Gordon, who, just to put it mildly, has had good fortune. We'll just say that. And I'm still wondering what it looks like if they
play a really good team where nothing weird happens. Not one hundred and thirty eight yard park at Kingston, punt return, not a scoop and score, not the chaos that seems to have happened. But the bottom line is the bottom line. You survive in advance. They're seven and zero. How good you think BYU is?
I think they're really good? And this is I look at the way a team handles itself, how the teammates look at each other and what's happening. Obviously, when you're winning, it's easier to be that way, but I think there is something special happening with this team. You talk about weird things happening. Well, BYU force some of those turnovers, not all of them. Someone that is scoop and score.
That's thank you very much, right, But you saw the interceptions and even when Jake had some problems, you know BYU would turn the ball, would get the ball back by forcing a turnover or getting one anyway. So I guess the bottom line is Spence, Yes, this team is good. They did not play well against Oklahoma State. They made a lot of mistakes. Klanne was ticked off afterwards that they didn't play up to what his expectation was and they still won. So what does that say?
Good teams find a way. That's the old cliche, But I think they're opportunistic and you said it. I mean they forced some of these turnovers, but they've also been in the right position. A case state comes to mind, by the way, and it doesn't in that minute fifteen span. It was a perfect storm. If he was, it was man at floodgates, just you know, a tsunami, what may, whatever you want to call it, but you know, when you are given that opportunity, good teams will take advantage.
And that's exactly what went down, and that's what they continue to do. Jake, I think is a is a guy that has a ton of confidence. He can throw the middle ball really well. Seems to be a much more what's the word I want to use, polished quarterback At times, you know, they're still hiccups, right, but I just think he feels like he's in that position where he belongs. Kilane, he told you, Gordo multiple times, Man, we're good and that was in camp and they've proven that. Right.
Interesting that they're an underdog this week at seven and.
Oh why because they didn't stop the run against Oillclomba State and u c F. They had three hundred and fifty rushing arms last week.
That's what they did in Iowa State, which.
Is one of the best defenses in the country, supposedly.
Eleventh ranked, and spend time with you, I've figured you'd flip it that even Utah would probably be a top maybe six rank sixth right now up there, right, Utah would be clean. Yeah, and BYU is running the table at seven oh, eleventh ranked in the country, but a two point underdog. This will be interesting to see how they do it, U ce F. And you're right about
the ground game. That's you know, if you can that's what every coach says, what they say to you, Gordo, Hey, if we can we can establish the run or stop the run, stop her, or establish and not turn the ball over and play, you know, sixty minutes football, We're going to win. I got a football coach from like a Western movie or which coaches that's John Wayne.
I like you.
I like that John Wayne coach here. Yeah what John Wayne?
You know?
Yeah? I do? Uh Kennedy better than John Wayne. What about John Wayne? As Kennedy? My brother Bobby was a good man. Try to stop it's a wall. Yeah yeah, Phil Grumm, I'm not going to hit you. The hell I'm not.
I've heard I've heard Morgan Scally say a thousand times. I've heard Colon say a thousand times. Priority number one, stop the run, because if you can do that, then you can make a team one handed. And they they really struggled in that where they hadn't been struggling in that regard, but against Oklahoma State they did. And that's what UCF does. They have a new quarterback who I don't know whether he's he can really hurt the Googers throwing the ball, but they're gonna have to get that
ground game, if not stopped, at least slowed. Well.
The most impressive thing for me about BYU is they they can bring whatever that game mandate. So right now, like your Chiefs, you know it doesn't Mahomes does not air it out anymore. Like he's one of the worst fantasy football quarterbacks in the NFL. It's a true thing. You could actually drop him from your team and be fine. But it doesn't matter. Like whatever Andy Reid needs to do to put the Chiefs in position to win, they do it. They can beat you three zero, they can
beat you thirty one to twenty eight. Now they got a great leg in butker Kelsey you know, don't know what's about. But Mahomes just figures it out. Does Yeah, It's like it's like a puzzle. It just figures it out. And BYU's doing that, they're finding ways to win. Yeah, outside pocket picking up a crucial first down on third and long, while Mahomes does that constantly, Jake can get out and there's a lot of similarities there. But the Chiefs have been also opportunistic. They have not played great
football the last couple of weeks much better. The way they started this season looked like they were lethargic and thought someone's going to give him a third ring in a row. Not the case in the National Football League. And you got a hungry BYU team that doesn't like to be told they're no good, and they go out and prove everybody they're they're wrong. Well, and they're on a roll. They've got confidence that it's hard to find and to maintain that.
They think they're going to win. And I was very curious to see how Jake Rutzlaft would handle that last drive. What a minute thirteen left. And this is where BYU quarterbacks make their names. Right in these situations, I'm saying Jake have it in him to do this. He gets
that what that thirty yard game running the ball? He picked up that down that you were referencing Bowler third and eight, I think it was when it may have been fourth down when he hit Downe's fourth down exactly, and the yeah, and that what to play that was? And yeah what one yard despair? And then they keep the drive alive and they go down. And then when he drops back and then he sort of double clutched drop back again, and then moved up and steps up
and drills that ball to Darius Lassiter. And I don't know what Oklahoma State was doing on defense there, but I'll tell you this is what they're doing. Lass looks like a real weapon to mesction.
He's an athlete. You know what bothers me in college football and in the NFL.
I hate.
Protecting the lead and getting the wave of how you even got there. I mean the two minute drill or the prevent defense that coordinators put on the field. Okay, let's just give up to fifteen and then we'll just let the clock run. No, no, no, you know what, when you lose your middle round and the backers drop back or they play up a little bit and you go underneath, and all of a sudden, you go man coverage and you get busted. I see this all the time.
Go play your regular set of football on the defensive side. But instead they're afraid to give up the big play. But they give up big chunks at a time and then allows a big play to happen. That's me. Well, it's also what back to the Mahomes magic when teams realized he's impossible.
There were.
When teams realize like he's impossible, they started bumping everybody back, prevent defense, whatever you want to call it, too deep, and so Mahomes has just turned into this little dink and dunk and dunk. Okay, if I'll final take six yards here in four yards here, and we'll just keep moving the chains like he's they're not playing the way that made them like the most exciting team in the NFL when they don't have young was like a young quarterback.
But the thing is they just don't need him because the bottom line is what it's winning games. And it's the same thing with Brigham me on Gordon. Whatever the game needs, call it fate, call it fortune, call it luck, call it make your own luck, whatever it is. Every single game they have just found a way to get it done, and you have to tip your cap.
This is what I think the result of what happened the other night for BYU is. I think that game is going to make them better, not worse. I know they showed some weaknesses. They made a lot of mistakes. They gave up the run. That's something that they have to stop, like we talked about earlier, but this team really, if you believe you're gonna win, you can't achieve if you don't believe. Bowler, I agree, and I am also Ronnie said that, but so did who else said that.
I'm trying. I'm trying to think it sounds like a Johnny Cochran line to me. No, it doesn't fit. You must have quit.
Anyway. The point is they believe, they thought, they thought they were gonna win that game, and the rest of us are sitting there going all right, does Jake have it in him to lead this team down the down the field? Is he? Does he have a little tie depth mirandum? Does he little Steve young anim What does he have in him? Well? I mean that was a pretty sweet.
Ball, it was, and you know, what we're seeing, and then we'll get to Utah after this. And this shows what happens when you can build some momentum a little bit like a snowball. I haven't been down there, but Lavelle Edwards looks like the most rocking spot around. It looks like it did back in the day when b YU football was the top of the top of the table. I mean, when you play like this, fans are gonna show up and the game ops are doing a good job.
Cosmo's Cosmo fire Dancers looks like those folks are having a good old time on Whole Milk and donuts.
That's what happens when you're under feet the whole.
Milk and Donuts. I love that lines. I'll tell you Cosmo, by the way, I got to give him some high level cred.
I mean jumping down the helicopters or from what was he doing the other?
Like three or four games ago, we had three tables stacked and he was like jumping from one table to another. Come on, it's it's remarkable. I'm knocking out.
Look.
I worked at the Disney's Wire World of Sports as an intern in the summer of ninety eight. We had we had mascot tryouts for the Harlem glow Trotters. Nice Scott's are weird people. Man, that's a strange folk. Okay, carnies and such, But whoever is Cosmo? Cosmo he did he did the fire dance right at a couple of us batons or whatever.
On watch watch him mix it up with the cougarrets. Yeah, I mean he's dancing with them.
Let me take the chance to apologize to any mascots that are listening to the show. I don't want any angry emails, the look that yeah here they come all right. With the remaining time, let's talk to you. It's you know, it's it's such an interesting lesson. And I always say this like we're just giving you educated guesses. We don't really know. Charles Barkley has a great line when hej says, Okay, now let's go to the experts, and Charles says, there
are no experts already, only God's an expert. Everyone and their dog picked Utah to finish either a top the Big twelve or in the top three. And there's a case to be made that they're one of the worst teams in the conference. Let me present their offensive numbers, and then we'll talk about coach Ludd total offense. Right now, Utah fifteenth of sixteen teams, remember sixteen teams the Big Twelve.
I know it doesn't make sense write a letter someone tenth and passing ninth and rushing fourteenth and scoring fourteenth and first downs, fifteenth and third down conversions, thirteenth and fourth down conversions, fourteenth in efficiency, eleventh in red zone, and somehow number one in time of possession, which is so weird it's crazy. But ultimately that indicates that you're a bottom three offense in the entire Big twelve. Andy Ludwig out Mike Bijakian in Gordon will start with you.
Well, when you only pick up sixty eight yards on the ground rushing against DCU, you got a problem. You got a big problem. When Bernard only carries the ball thirteen times. I know he's not the kind of back that you want to give it to him twenty five times in the game, but that number was way too low. And knowing Kyle Whittingham the way we do, if you lose a game and you only pick up sixty eight
yards rushing, someone's gonna pay for that. And the second I heard Kyle Whittingham say, well, we have some tough decisions to make over the next twenty four to forty eight hours, I thought Andy, he loved, was in trouble. That's the first thing that came into my mind. And we're talking about guyho's been there for ten what five years now? Yeah? Yeah, I mean a guy who has helped that team win championships and the two.
Thousand and nine Sugar Bowl of that time.
But this has been ugly. I mean, and you said everybody and his dog was picking the youths to win the conference. If came rising, stayed.
Here, you gorrect That's the key, you know, and Andy knows that too. But also I think some of the criticism, do you simplify his offense to allow Isaac to, let's just say, at least be productive. I don't know if the young eighteen year olds soon to be nineteen is gonna have that ability, right because Cam had that playbook in his head back pocket, knew exactly what to do every time he, you know, took a snap. This will be interesting to see how Isaac responds, how does the
O line respond? And I know the defense guys we talked about this before he came on. I mean, Morgan scalley'sd has been living on the field and that just can't continue on just no way, because either injury comes or you're gonna lose some guys and then you have a you maybe already have a little bit of a split on the team, like hey, guys, you canna help us, you know, or we're trying to save your butt every game. But it's just not happening right now. Run game hurting
and with Cam done for the season. One thing, I am glad, and we said this a couple of weeks ago. I'm just glad that Wit just came out and made it very clear, as did the Jazz, about what the focal point is with the franchise and where they're going ahead now with Isaac at quarterback. Fans have to know that I agree with you. But look, Isaac is less than a year removed away from trying to figure out Farmington's secondary. He's not gonna like dice up big twelve
teams exactly. I think ultimately it's fair to say, for the second straight year, were you properly prepared in the instance that your entire franchise goes down? Which happened again, and there are two have thought, all right, so did they just whiff on sam Hewart because they did go to the portal to find a vet Did they whiff on him? Were there other potential veteran quarterbacks in college
football that didn't want to sit beyond Cameron? Or did you really go get the personnel you needed in the case that your injury prone quarterback got hurt for the second straight year. That, to me, as much as anything else, is why Andy Ludwig is down at the office filing for unemployment.
And those coaches are responsible for that obviously, to get the right guys in place to be able to make good decisions. And they picked Isaac early on and settled on him almost immediately. Yeah, and so it makes me wonder if they I don't know, I don't know what Sam Hewart can do in this offense. I'm not sure.
But how much has it change under the Jacin Well?
I mean, I'll tell you one thing, that ground game is going to become more productive or else I mean.
The interim and Spence I was doing some research on it today, you know, in the sense of his field expertise. He has it in the past he was the senior offensive analyst, but yet still the quarterback coach. He's been to the National Football League as well, with the Buccaneers as their quarterback coach for four years a few years ago, so he's got quarterback experience coaching, and maybe that helps a young Isaac Wilson. But again, how does that translate
to the field. And this week when they're on the road at Houston, by the way, well thir three and a half point favorites, which was a little surprising. Yep, Utah, Well, I know it's Houston, yes, but still a road. It's still the road. The road is not a fun place.
The most condemning number from that game the other night, even worse than the sixty eight rushing yards eleven eleven punts, that's right. That tells you they couldn't pick up They couldn't pick up first downs, let alone and sustained drives.
So I mean, that's what was your number in the red zone and they are eleventh.
I thought it would be.
Worse than that, That's what I thought. I was actually surprised he was that good. But there are eleven because they do kick field goals, which is you can rather have touchdowns, right, yeah.
I think their touchdown rate is like forty six in the red zone, and Kyle said they like to keep their goal is seventy at least, of course, And so there you have it, man. I mean, these guys got to get it together. This is, in my opinion, this is what needs to happen. They need to get in front of that offensive line and say, look, fellas, it's time to grade some road. You gotta do it. You gotta move. You got to create space for this run
game so that we have that as a base. And then from there they can move forward with allowing if it's Isaac Wilson, allowing him to do some little simple throws, not real complex stuff. Although the best play of the game was a seventy one yarder, which was a real sweet throw. He can sing.
I mean, those Wilson boys can throw a football, there's no doubt. It's just the other things that haven't necessarily fallen into place. But I think Craig raises a good point because we heard from Mike Pijakian on Tuesday. It was his first media availability, and he said, the systems in place, the systems, the system, right, this isn't the NFL where you can come in and tell your general manager, I need a left tackle, right, go give me a wide receiver. Now the personnel is the same, the systems
the same. So my question is what can Mike Bijakian do with an Andy Ludwig offense and the same personnel that Andy Ludwig himself could not do? Like, what what's reasonable to expect?
And Pete Houston? I mean the timing for that is perfect.
Yeah, but you could call plays and they would beat Houston.
Yeah, I mean, but I mean, maybe build a little something positive.
Might have a new career.
Can what's the last time you can remember the utes tumbling the way they have over the last three weeks.
Two home losses that were devastating, and the fan base just the energy in that place, which has always been high level. Man, just you know, boom, it was. It was like energy sapp down.
This coach is Bowler and you know, listen, you should say in your voice, not mine, but coaches are going to tell the guys to go back to fundamentals.
Oh yeah, absolutely, that's that's the first thing you say in practice. Guys, if we have to, I'm gonna take you back to just how you set your feet, how you hit, how you go into a defender with your pads squared, and how you drive, drive, drive, drive, drive them out. And I'm curious too if they'll use the athleticism of Isaac and do they run outside the tackles a bit? Can they spread the field more instead of
running between the tackles. It seems that's been a problem that those short yards have not come easy, and so do you open up the field a little bit? Regardless, how does play more into this as well?
I'm just going to say that, regardless of who's playing quarterback, what do you expect a bigger season out of Kithy?
If they It's almost like I look, I'm only saying, you know, I follow the Chiefs. I'm not everybody knows that I'm from Kansas City. Kelsey has not been involved much in my homes or even they're looking for him. And it's almost a similar situation where I thought Keify would be a real big part. But maybe it's because of the injury and Isaac just doesn't have the ability to look off and go through his progressions and take the time of the patience for it to develop.
Well, you're tight, it is your safety valve. Isn't that where you look when you can't find anything?
Well, when he's high levels, sometimes he just kind of goes middle field and the backers drop. But now everybody knows what Kelsey is and they've known it for years. But for some reason this season he's not as engaged in Mahomes's mind. But Keify could be a bigger part of his offense. That could be one of the answers. Yeah, the bulk of Brand's numbers have been when Cameron's been under center, and a lot of it was Southern Utah.
Who you know, Dejhon Stanley was running wheel routes with nobody within thirty yards and everyone's like they've got a weapon in Dejon Stale mcgar or. He just ran up the field because nobody was around. But let me go here. We got a few minutes left. Because the good news is this, Okay, the defense has not necessarily been as dominant as we're used to, but we're used to one of the best defenses in the western and west of the Mississippi. But they're still second in total d in
the Big Twelve. They're fourth and rushing fifth and passing third. In defensive efficiency. But here's where they struggle, which I think is odd based off of who this program is. They're ninth in sacks, they're sixteenth in fumbles forced, thirteenth fourteenth excuse me, and fumble's recovered, and ninth in interceptions, so twenty to twenty. They stopped the run, they're good
against the pass their second overall defense. They're not turning the other team over, and they're not pressuring the quarterback.
That's usually been the calling card for Wit and the utes exactly, even on special teams and the defense have usually caused havoc and given a lease I mean a touchdown and set the utes up for a field goal opportunity, it'll probably again you have to go back and look at the years under Whit, but I mean ten twelve points a game that's been manufactured by special teams and
the defense. But if we operate off the premise that the defense is still good, and they get Connor O'Toole back, and you know Karente played last week, and they get you know, all their pieces back on defense, and I'm trying to be optimistic here because you know, in their losses, if they scored more than twenty seven points they get a win. I mean, Arizona scored twenty three, Arizona scored twenty seven, tic you scored thirteen. So we don't need Isaac to come in here and be camera rising from
two years ago. If we operate off the premise score and that the defense is still really good generally speaking, what does the offense have to look like just to give him a chance the rest of the way.
Stay inside yourself and don't try to do things you can't do. Yeah, and you know, it reminds me of that scene in the movie Hitch. You remember that when I know you're a big.
Will Horrible movie Will Smith when he had to get the bendrill on his eye Will swollen. Okay, why would you bring up Hitch.
Because this is one of my worst analogies. But I'll be Hitch is telling Kevin James, Yeah, when he's teaching them to ants how to dance, he says, this is where you live, right here, right here from shoulders shoulder. You don't do all that stuff flopping around, spinning around, So no, you stay right here. That's what the used have to do. Stay right here, get back to basics. And as far as the turnovers, goes water.
This is probably this is.
One confused the offense and what what what? What has Kyle Wheneham built his program on one word that everybody thinks of when they think of Utah football.
Strategic It's from a senthoul skin physicality.
Hit the living snot out of the guys. Then guys start to fumble. Then they started hearing steps like you said, get some sacks, sack of Lake City right, knock the ball, loose play like Utah plays everything I thought Utah would be.
B y U is Yes, I was just gonna say Spencer. In my mind, the opportunistic hits and the way the bull jumps back into the hands of Byu is what Utah has been able to do for years, and they have not been able to do that this year. Stay right here, Stay right here. This is where you live. We got right right here. Gordon is currently holding his hands up like about six inches apart. You canan on YouTube if you lost six six ninety two pounds a lineman or three to zero three. Stay right here within
this probably squeeze last thing real quick. We got to go Utah.
BYU.
Who wins if it's tomorrow on a neutral field.
On a neutral field. I have to go with by justint.
I would I would totally agree at this point in time. Yeah, and I wouldn't. Who would have said that two months ago? Seinfeld Bizarro World. Everything is opposite, man, it's crazy. Hey, great to have you back in studio. Let's do it again next week, We'll do it. Gordon Monson Craig Bowler Jack brought to you by Gordon's favorite distillery. It's clear Water Distilling. It's the only distillery in Utah County open on Sundays. Great Spirits, I'm just kidding. Don't write an emails,
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