WED POD @SpenceChecketts 10 Days from CFB Kickoff, RSL vs MIN UTD, PGA Tour Champ. + more

All right, let's get a drivetime Wednesday afternoon style, thirteen minutes past the hour of two o'clock, scorching hot day. It's about ninety six degrees and sunny here in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. It looks like we have some cooler temperatures coming our way starting on Sunday and then throughout the course.

Of next week.

As it is every single day. It's good to have you along for the riot. Spence checkets behind the mic. That is Porter Larsen Beyond the Glass today producing the program, booking the show, some good guests on the program today to talk about a bevy of different things. Happy Wednesday to you. You are halfway through that work week. You're one day closer to the weekend. Hopefully you're having a good work week. As we inche closer and closer to game day. It is game week in the world of

Games to go the way of the Big Twelve.

We'll do some college football in the show today. The CFP Selection Committee has announced some enhanced metrics but they're going to use to select the teams in advance to the CFP. There is a December first deadline for the agreement of the new CFP format to be put in place or else he's just going to kind of remain the same for next year. And I want to get into the difference between innovation and just change. Brian Rolapp,

Today.

They're forming a new committee led by Tiger Woods to implement innovation and change on the PGA Tour. But college football seems to lack innovation and simply lean into change for the sake of change.

So I want to get into that.

On the show today to see if we can understand the landscape of college football a little bit better. RSL One day closer to the weekend for Reale Salt Lake. They are taking on Minnesota out in Sandy coming up on Saturday. It is a big, big match for the boys. We're here for the lads. Seven thirty First kick on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. RSL dropping a couple of road matches, some tough calls going against the boys, So we'll get you ready for that match and talk

Get all three.

And the latest that continues to spilling on this beef with the current US men's national team players and kind of some of the X guys that are criticizing them soft young generation. You gotta deal with it, so we'll get it out on the show lot to do on the program. Inching closer and closer to pro football, Lamar Jackson had to leave Ravens practice today with what looked like a wrist injury, but the reports are he's okay.

There was a.

Scuffle down in Tennessee featuring cam Ward Scott. Mitchell joined us yesterday and talked about the complications of this time of year when you're in camp and all you want to do is hit somebody else. You're sick of hitting, you, your teammates. You just want to get out there and play. So inching closer and closer to the starter. Pro Football. Week three of the NFL preseason gets roll, coming up on Thursday, and then Week one a week from next Thursday, September the fourth with the Cowboys.

Will Mi Caa Parsons be on the roster.

Charlotte Jones is the latest Jones to put her foot in her mouth as she made some comments today about the landscape of the Dallas Cowboys, the favorite football team of that guy Porta Larson.

All Right, our first guest will be our friend Sammy Morra from You Zone.

We'll do some Utah football camp Kyle, some fall football with Sammy on the show.

Matt Brown, what are our favorites?

From the College Football newsletter? Extra Points stops by. We'll do the latest on the CFP format. There's an interesting dynamic happening throughout the landscape of college athletics as far as employees for athletic departments that are being squeezed out. You know, a lot of the athletic directors and higher ranked executives are being paid a lot of money and the staffers are not, and they're being asked to do

Good friend of the.

Program, Tony Park stops five Voice of the Bees. We'll do a little bit of everything with Tony. We'll do some college football, some offseason jazz, and we'll get the latest on the Bees with TP. Then the head coach over Al saw Lake. Even though he was awarded a red card yesterday, Porter, I've rescinded that and I've made it a soft yellow, so I've allowed Pablo to come on the show today.

There we go, how are you appealing to the league office? Indeed, indeed, how'd that go?

It was a proof.

So even though a red card indicates kicked him off yesterday and kick him off today soft yellow, We're gonna let him on.

For Pablo. I support it for Pablo. I do support it. So we're good there old soccer players. No, they don't get a pass. How's your Wednesday, Val, Wednesday's good. Halfway through the work week. In ten days, Spencer checkets away from football here in the great state of Utah, which should be a really exciting year, I think in college football in the state of Utah. Bronco Mendenhall, Kyle Whittingham, Klonie Satake, Morgan Scally, who may join the show later this week.

I believe, stop it, don't tease me. We'd never get Morgan on the show in waiting.

I guess I want to call it right. It gives a little feel of, of course, when Kyle was like very much the head next head coach because Urban was clearly going to either take an NFL job or in Ohio State Florida USC type gig right, there's a little bit of that feel with him on the way out. Obviously different with Kyle maybe retiring in the next I don't know one to ten years. Who knows with that guy, But excited for it and yeah, ten days away frum kickoff right.

Around the corner.

Our first guest today will be Sammy Moro from Mute Zone to give us the latest on the Utah football situation as far as training camp goes, maybe some positional battles. We did find out yesterday that Isaac Wilson is your QB two.

Most of the positional battles seem to.

Be relatively settled, but we'll see what Sammy has to say about that today.

But before we.

Bring on Sammy on a Wednesday afternoon, courtesy if our good friends, and you're good friends too at Prize Picks, it's.

Time now for your opening tip.

Welcome to the Drive with Spence check its on Utah's number one sports talk now into the studios of ESPN seven hundred to set them on a scene for the show. The opening tip of the Drive is brought to you by Prize Picks. Use the code ESPN seven hundred and run your game with Prize Picks.

All right, First things first, with Prize Picks, if you have not taken advantage of the deal they give you as a result of them being a client on the show and you being a listener. I say this all the time. Go get their free money. Should always do that. Okay, Now behave yourself. Okay, moderation and all things kids. So download the Prize Picks app today, use the promo code ESPN seven hundred, and they're gonna give you fifty dollars in lineups after you play your first five dollars lineups.

He will do that.

Max discount number two Dax Prescott has to throw for point five yards.

My guess is he will do that too.

So if you've not downloaded the app and taken advantage of the free money, you should do that. They'll go get their max discounts and essentially win. That's that's the deal with our good friends at prize picks. All right, a couple of things here and we'll get into the later with Matt Brown. Brian Rolapp front of the show. He joined us a couple of years back. Brian Rolap is now the CEO of the PGA Tour. Okay, and it was announced today as Brian Rolapp, who spent twenty

He would have been the successor to Roger Goodell.

All of the NFL revenue streams generated by TV deals. He is the brain power behind all of those deals. Okay, So the media behemoth it is live TV rights behind pro Football is the brainchild of Brian Rolap, who has now taken over the PGA Tour.

Okay.

So listening to Brian today as he addressed the group at Eastlake as the Tour Championship is get getting ready to get underway. Scottie sh with the shortest odds to win that tournament since Tiger in two thousand and nine, Brian has decided to implement a new committee led by one Tiger Woods to essentially enact what he's calling quote significant change to the tour's current model. Okay, and I'm really excited. We're not going to do a ton of golf here. I will land the plane, trust me. We

What as far as what they're going to try to do to kind of.

Get this this you know, certain dynamic with the PGA Tour, just kind of bring it back around to take advantage of the popularity of golf right now. Golf has boomed across the world in a way that the sport's never seen and Brian is a really interesting guy to lead this endeavor during this landscape change interest spike in the game.

Overall, there's nobody in charge.

And because there's nobody in charge, the audacity of the Big Ten to even float this model out there. And now, I will give the SEC a little bit of credit, you know, they have kind of walked back a little bit, you know, kind of their initial messaging that we're the SEC, so we should get whatever we want.

Really, the Big.

Ten these days are causing all the problems. You can make an argument that the Big Ten is the best football conference in America. I don't think it's the deepest, but maybe at the top it's the best. But the audacity to even float this thing out there, it is beyond stupid. Because what makes college football great, what has always made college football is the urgency and the prescient nature of every weekend.

Every time your team plays, it feels like it's.

Life or death because you suffer a loss in conference and suddenly everything shifts. You suffer your first loss of the season when BYU is independent. As soon as they lost the game. It's like, Okay, Idaho Potato Bowl, Hawaii Bowl. We know your destination. Now, you just got to go get six wins, even if some of those wins against like UMass or like East Carolina or that joke of

It will.

Now the problem right now if you're just a college football consumer, is that the powers that be, even though there's nobody in charge, there certainly are college commissioners, and we know the Big ten of the SEC and the landscape of college football, wield most of the power. They know that they've got you. They know they got their

Turn off your television.

And this is a little bit of a spillover effect of pro football because pro football for years, we've heard a lot of people say, oh man, this will be the thing that drains interest in the NFL, and you

They can do what they've been doing.

And honestly, screw a few things up here or there, and y'all are still gonna watch. And they know that, which is why they have the audacity to float out an idea of a twenty eight team expanded CFP. Baylor would have been playing for the national championship last year if if this thing was real, And every year we debate like who's the seventh best team in the Big Ten who deserves to get in after the top six

And then let's roll with that.

And Brian roll out the commission of the PGA Tour today, I think gave a bit of a masterclass on leadership and what it's like to put things in place intentionally, with an organized approach, in order to capitalize on this moment that golf has and has had for a few years now with its popularity. Okay, things are good right now in golf. Let's not rest on our laurels. Let's evolve, let's innovate, let's improve.

Well.

College football, on the other side, has this built in advantage of so many fans just loving it no matter what, and they don't seem to give a rip about that.

All they want to do is change for change shake, trying to make.

Me cry on the show today with extensive So what do we got here?

What's the bump?

Little Chappelle roan Pink Pony Club on behalf of the guest.

Wait, is that how you pronounce it? I think so.

I thought it was Shapple. I honestly it might be.

It might be. You'll have to ask Sammy. I'm not again. Listen, this is pretty new music, like brand new, but like this century, so it's not really down my wheelhouse.

Well, we like to give our guests an opportunity select their walk up song, so we'll bring in Sammy Mora, our friend from you Zone. All right, Sammy, how do you pronounce the artist's name? I honestly don't know. It's Chapel roone, nice porter.

There we go. See. I'm not like that song though.

Bro.

I'm old enough to be really an older brother. But if we stretch it and get weird, I'm old enough to be your father.

Uh yeah, I know.

All right, Sammy. How are you happy Wednesday? I'm good, good, Thank you for the time.

So let's start with the announcement that came down yesterday that Isaac Wilson is officially QB two. He'll be backing up Devin Dan Pierre, And I suppose Sammy the blessing in disguise with Cam's son, you know, his inability to stay healthy last year is Utah football as a backup quarterback with a good amount of Big twelve experience, which of course is a good thing.

What's your reaction to the news.

Well, I mean, you have Kyle say that that Isaac is that backup quarter but then Jason Beck yesterday kind of slightly contradicted him by saying that he sees it as a two A and a two B versus a two and a three, so saying and he was talking about Bird Fickl and specifically, like he said that Bird can get out there and get the job done if they needed. But you know, it's kind of interesting to hear Kyle say that Isaac is two and then you hear Jason say that it's a two A two B

Tell me what you've learned about Bird, because to your point, it is kind of funny to hear Kyle emphatically announce the backup and coach back Beck, wait, hold on a second, and I wonder how much of the messaging is too. It's just such a weird thing now. And obviously the transfer portal is not open, but so many players, if they're not happy with their lot, decide to withdraw and maybe go elsewhere. I don't know how much of that messaging is to you know, let Bird know, like, no,

What kind of quarterback is bird? Ficklin?

Well, bird is Beck even said that Bird does things a lot similarly a lot, more like a lot, the same way that Devin does things Bird. So it's like the fun fact that I have about birds. He's a leftist, so you know, they kind of have to, you know, shift a few things here and there because of you know, the left tended quarterback. But other than that, like, he's a he's a big guy. He's up to two hundred

How is that wide receiver room shaken out? I know I asked you this last week, and I'll ask you this probably up until we actually see see the games and see what they look like. Coach Witz said they've landed. I think he said seven or eight. And the reason that number is applicable is that's how many you travel with.

And we'll see.

I mean when asked about it, Devin has good things to say. The wide receivers were made available last week. They all said things you'd expect them to say in fall camp. But any thoughts on who wide receiver one is, wide receiver two is how that room is kind of shaping out as of now.

So I honestly I said this to you last week, but I still think Tobias Merriweather is going to be

So you sent out a tweet, Sammy, and I followed you last week when you joined the show, and you're a great follow I'll encourage people to follow Sammy at s Underscore more two four seven. That got quite a lot of attention, and it was the you were the first person I saw tweet this. I later listened to the sound as Devin Dampier said that he sometimes has up to eight seconds in the pocket with the Utah offensive line the big boys blocking up front, and it

Look, it is the positional group.

Like ESPN did their top one hundred players in college football today, Spencer is at seven in the entire country at any position, you know. And I was thinking about this the other day. I was just kind of doing some prep for the show. We never talk about Michael Mokafi Si. He has thirty three starts under his belt and all the attentions on like Spencer and Caleb and

I honestly do. Like you know, this is like you said, there's a lot of experience on this line. You know, Spencer and Caleb are getting most of the of the preseason praise and stuff, but you got to remember to know what Togi. I Also, he graded out as one of PFF's top guards last season. Like he is also a high, high level play. So you know, it's not just the tackles that are good at what they do.

Yeah, well said I wonder. You know, you're in a generation where it's not your fault. But we raised you guys with cell phones. They were your babysitters, they were your friends. You probably had a phone when you were young. I didn't have my first phone until I was in college, and so the Internet wasn't a thing when I was in college.

So let's be clear about that.

But when it comes to the online dynamic of your job, is it uncomfortable for you or I mean anyone.

In our space.

Amys to develop leathery skin, and I think for some older people it probably takes time.

Because I was not raised with social media like you were.

Is that an uncomfortable part of your job or is it just something that you can kind of roll with because you're used to it.

Well, to be fair, like I was one of the last kids in my school to get a phone. My parents didn't get me a phone until I think I was in like fifth or sixth grade, and I was, like, I graduated high school in twenty seventeen. Just to like put that into perspective, So I was like one of the last kids in my brain to get a phone.

Certain extent, good because the Internet is where cowards go to feel brave, and certain BYU fans are a certain kind of coward and they want to be a certain kind of brave. So don't let it get you down, Sammy, You're doing a good job. I've been asking all of my guests the following question. I will ask you this as well. What does success look like against Ucla? I'm not playing home from the Rose Bowl? What sort of

Well, I think, yeah, like you said, the win is probably the best. The is the biggest thing, and I think you know, getting out on a one and oh start is going to be massive for this thing. But team, but I think, you know, offensive success at this point, you know, everyone's going to like UCLA is basing their game plan off of what Beck did at New Mexico and what Beck possibly did at Syracuse. So right now,

Success, what sort of balance or maybe I'll even say a lack thereof because there is a part of me that believes this is going to be a very run heavy attack and I'm only basing that off of the personnel that we feel, you know, more or less confident in, and maybe this wide receiver group will blow us all away. And maybe Devin is better with his arm than he was a year ago in New Mexico.

I don't know.

I certainly leave space for the possibilities of things manifesting that I don't know about. I'm no expert at all, but it does feel like with your line being what it is in two backs they like a lot and a quarterback that can really run, it feels like we could be in for a little bit of a rush heavy system, which you know or maybe you know intermediate passes.

Think you know this, Like you said this, this offense is I think going to be rooted in a run first and a run first mentality. I've said, I think sometimes I say it's gonna be fifty to fifty. Sometimes I say it's gonna be sixty forty in terms of run to pass. But I do think you know, Utah's gonna take their chances. They're gonna you know, Devn's a good quarterback. Devan knows how to get the get it done through the air. I think they're gonna they're gonna

Have you landed on where you think you ta exists in this big twelve ecosystem. I'm telling you every whether it's a podcast or an article or you know, college football media members or experts, who I who I trust? And this isn't just the Big Twelve. And look, I've always been of the opinion, Sammy, that this is the sport that is the hardest to predict year in and

I honestly like this conference is so hard to read and predict, like you said, and it's just kind of it's it's interesting to see. I mean, I've been asked so many times to do a preseason ranking, and at this point I just split it up into tiers. I have contenders, middle of the pack and bottom of the pack. Like I can I see Utah being in that contender top half, top third of the conference. You know, Arizona State's up there, Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas State, Texas Tech.

All Right, before I say you lose, what are you willing to say about where you believe Utah will be prior to their trip to Provo. So it's the opener at U SA LA at the Rose Bowl, it's a cake walk against cal Poly. At home, it's a road trip to Laramie against a Wyoming team they should handle.

The home versus Tech Morgantown.

West Virginia, then home Arizona State bye week mixed in there. So after those six games, prior to the trip to Provo, where do you believe Utah football will be?

Oh? God, that's so, that's that's that's that's hard because you know, I could see losses to Texas Tech and Arizona State, but I could also see Utah pulling off wins against both of them. So you know, I could see Utah maybe going six and oh, but I could also see five and one. I think that's that's a safe bet for me. I mean, worst case scenario is six and two, I think, or not six and two, four and two. Don't do math on the air, kids, but I think that worst case scenario four and two,

Probably fair enough.

All right, Sammy, where can people go find your work?

You can find me on Twitter at s Underscore Mora two four seven and you can come join us over at ut Zone, one of the best communities for Utah fans on the internet. We're running a fifty percent off sale currently for the first year of your subscription. We have a VIP podcast that comes out twice a week. So yeah, come over and join us at yout zone.

Thank you, Sammy, I have a great weekend. We'll catch up soon.

Okay, thankes. Sense all right, our.

Friend Sammy more from ute Zone, Ashy reference at s underscore Mora two four seven and then ut zone dot com for all the latest on the University of Utah. All right, before we catch a break, I want to tell you about my friends at Utah Eleite Services. Do yourself a favor and don't procrastinate and wait to take care of your asphalt or fix that concrete that's been cracking and shipping away. The fall and winter will be hitting us very soon, quicker than we want to admit.

First of all, thank you, Hello, how are you?

Second of all, Matt stops by all the time, and you hear me say this often. It really is one of the best college football newsletters out there. It has been a nice north star as we all navigate the changes to the sports. So we're gonna bring him on in a moment. But apparently his personal assistant answered his cell phone porter.

Is that what's happened?

Yeah, assistant or he's what I believe to be like not a toddler daughter, but not far off. She's very young. She answered his phone and I could tell it was it was young Gal. I said, hey, could you put your your father on the phone? Could you put Matt on? And she emphatically told me no and hung up. So that was a first as a radio producer. We're waiting

Yeah, Matt has this funny bit on his Twitter page where occasionally he lets his daughter tweet, and she's talking about like Peb and Jay's and like Disney movies.

It might that might be going on now, and she is not taking phone calls apparently, And this.

Only reinforces your belief that all kids suck, right, because you're not a fan of kids.

I mean, it is the first time ever on this show that I've had a child, I believe, and he's she rather is ruining this segment.

So I wonder if Matt would let us interview his.

Daughter, probably for a minute.

We should do a segment where I interview toddlers, where we just have random six year olds on the show.

I mean pretty much sports radio.

They do say.

There's this old TV show I think it's called Kids Say the Darnedest Thing.

Yes, that was funny.

Like I was with my brother and sister in law and their family in Carmel and Dian over the weekend. They have six kids, and they have twins that are three years old, and their little daughter, Helen. I could just listen to her talk all day like it's nonsensical, but it's hilarious and they're just so happy. What do we do to children to knock the happiness out of them? That's what I want to know.

You want to do this today?

Well, we got an open segment, So why don't we just talk Why don't we just talk about how we can solve the go to solve the world's problem, the societal condition of children that suddenly removes them of all joy.

And you want to talk about the socioeconomic trends that cause despair.

And I'm telling you, I know, I know there's not a high chance you're ever gonna be a father.

I is that fair to say?

I would say it's a lower chance.

Okay, we'll see. But for parents, out there.

And you know, I am a father, I have one uh and I have one child. You just turned twenty four. Everyone can relate to the following. There's just something that happens when they hit a certain age where you're like, what happened to you know, my and my sons are very well adjusted.

You know Connor, he's a good kid. He's a sweet kid.

But something happens where you're like, wait, what happened to the joy and the wonderer? And you know, yeah, yes, Like I can remember when Connor was like six, we went fishing and caught a fish and I'm a catch and release guy, but I couldn't get the hook out of his mouth in time and he died. Oh no or she, I don't know, or they them. I'd have the fish's you know, current.

Don't have a fish gender.

Yeah, that's true. I need to be better about that. You're right, So whatever the sex of the fish, whatever, the fish died. Okay, the fish died, and Connor started crying, and I was like, that is the sweetest thing, and I just want to want it to be like I hope he holds on to this pure, kind, soft hearted nature his entire life.

And something happens in.

Any any parent can can relate where you just one day, It's like, what what happened?

What did I do? Is this my fault? Is it society's fault?

Like?

Why aren't you full of wonder and joy? I don't know, man, I don't know. So yes, we should have a segment where I just interview toddlers who bring joy and wonder and awe on the program and Whimsy.

I mean, you know, I'm a big fan of Whimsy. I don't hate the idea. Get their sports takes.

Maybe all right, if you are a parent of an interesting toddler, get ahold of us and we'll have the toddler on the show. So you tell, do you want to punt two three point thirty for Matt?

Maybe? At this point we're at the mercy of his personal assistant. I regret to inform you we do have practice sound from Morgan Scalley from Jason Beck from the from the Fellas yesterday. But yeah, I think I think Matt Brown is TBD.

Okay, let's do some sound from practice. We played your Coach with and Devin Danpier yesterday. So we'll bring you Morgan Scalley and Jason Beck here, I do want to tell you about my friends at IFA Country Stores. Like any good coach, it's time to update the game plan for a healthy green lawn as the hot weather continues this month. Make sure you're using I fase Step three summer lawn food for healthy turf that stays green and every season. I fhase dep three lawn food. It's the

Solid?

Solid camp?

I'm excited to be getting some other jerseys.

Good physical camp.

Still working out some kinks with depth positions.

But very happy with the leadership, Very happy.

With the progress guys have made and pretty much pretty much you know where we are right now.

What's that defensive tackle one look.

Like for you right now?

Uh man, We've made a ton of progress.

The freshman came in and really have proven that they can play year and one, So you know, Carson Kfusci and I would say Poopoo, Sprona, you know, Thisten, Sammy and my guess is all in see time at some point this season.

But I would say that person Poop, who have kind of separated themselves from the pack, from the freshman pack after that Leaky and you got Dallas and you've got who many sung Jonah.

So that's a solid group right now.

Very happy.

Luthian Ellis has done a heck of a job with that crew who should be solid.

How was a few weeks ago that Blake Katt had finally separated him sold on the outside cornerspot What have you seen from him? You know, from you know the time fall started until now that led to that separation.

I would just say mastery of the scheme in physicality. You know he's he's got the speed to play corner, but to be able to add the physical element, the ability of the blitz and and you know leverage the football is a big factor in it. So that's another position group that you're going to probably see quite a bit of rotation there because we feel comfortable with the progress that's been made there.

Shreef Shaw is.

A head of a coach, has gotten those guys to progress quite a bit. Add to that, you know the progress of Jackson, Benny, the ability that Rabbit Evans.

Has to play the nicole.

We have some versatility in the safety room. So very excited about the secondary.

What have you seen from Levoni Demoni this BLF camp as he comes back from from his injury.

He's just trying to get more confident and that Achilles just more confident. And we've done a pretty good job of kind of limiting the reps. He knows the scheme and it's just about getting to the party healthy and so the physicality.

Is never an issue with him.

He's not a guy that has to be in there and and learn how to hit.

He knows how to do that.

So but he's feeling much better and he's getting increased reps.

What does his follow up?

What does his presence mean to the younger guys and everybody else?

And never, well, you just you need leadership.

You need those guys that are compelling, that will meet extra with the young guys and be able to teach and teach in a way that his coaches were sitting there saying, yeah, we don't worry about him screwing the deal up, teaching something that we're not teaching. So leadership you can you can never outperform the leadership that's provided, particularly from the players.

How does how does having Smith and Lander taking some offensive snaps effect that I'm so mad.

So mad.

No, it's just like shoony Vaki last year, and deal with it.

It's it's a good thing.

You know.

As much as I'll give them prap when i'm you know, when they're on the offensive side of the ball and I'll talk crap to him, I also let him know how proud eye on them of.

Him and listen.

If you can at wherever you can add value, you can help the team win.

More power to you.

Its little fit to have in the big green dot this year or kind of how does that role work for you guys?

This year?

We'll have multiple green dots And you know, the biggest thing there is in your substitution packages, just understanding that.

You know you've got to.

Have one your air at all times. So good thing is the linebacker position. We have a new depth that the rotation.

You're always gonna have a guy either they can trust.

So whether it's Trey, whether.

It's Lander, whether it's Levanni, all three of them are great.

Communicators, most improved position group defensive tell w Yeah, you know, came into fall camp. That was a big priority getting that, you know, the position figured out, and I'm much more confident.

What does the location look like at defense?

End defense a lot, you know, So all of them are getting reps, all of them are playing well. Uh, it's it's five guys right now, five guys.

You're rotating and like I said, it allows us.

You know, in the past situations, to get a little bit creative, but very pleased.

I do nothing.

You know, I got great position coaches. I'm just saying, you guys are awesome. Blue the spouse fantastic with those guys and recruited the majority of them.

So I just get to call Bess.

I can't see the degrees from last season that you went into our address going into this season that maybe you guys adjusted. Fixing bull run, defense, tackling and taking the football away.

Those are all three that I feel.

We've done a good job focusing on.

And having as a priority. Whether you're practicing.

Every day, We've had live sessions almost every time.

We get your full pads and.

You know, you can't be scared of it's it's it's football.

And we're a position now.

We always said we will just keep tackling so we feel comfortable with.

The with the group, and we nowhere we feel and then ply with Sto Johnson add on your defensive side.

You can play corner, can plain Nicol he can play into three and now he's he can play the strong safeties.

He's much more physical than the box. So versatility would be the biggest thing to face the table.

I don't think I would enjoy trying to tackle Landerbarton. No, I don't think that would be fun. And he mentioned he got five carries with the Lions the other day during preseason football. I don't think I would enjoy trying to tackle him either.

Yeah, there's there's a way that like linebackers and Siony. I know he was a defensive back technically, but kind of the way that he played up in the box, the way he played in Morgan's defense, that's basically a linebacker. They bring a certain physicality that you don't want to meet in the in between the tackles.

I'm trying to think, Oh, did you see the videos floating around of this new forty and over tackle Football League? I don't know specifically, but yes, I just saw these videos this morning. I guess there's a league there for forty and over gentlemen.

No, there's plenty of these leagues.

Oh, this is it's it's a horrible idea. It's a great idea. No, it's a horrible idea.

I didn't tell you about the time I played a game for the Zion Lions. You did not When was this? It was college ish down at Saint George. There's a little there's a little league. Yeah, but you're a college kid. But the rest of the roster. Let me be clear, what it's not college kids?

The Zion Lions. Yep, was this down south?

It was?

Okay, it was.

I think that league is still technically going. I'm not exactly sure, but yeah, there's there's there's middle aged men playing I guess what is dubbed semi professional football over this great country and paying their way to do it. I honor and respect the hustle.

Tom Haberstrow told the story on the show last year of his friend tearing his meniscus turning around teaching a class. Yeah, you're in your forties, you can and you can tear an Achilles grocery shopping.

You shouldn't be playing football. Maybe you're training, you're staying in shape. Maybe that's the reason, Maybe that's the purpose by a per semi semi semi pro football, buy a Peloton, goes ion lions go for a walk.

What do you remember during your football days having to tackle one specific person?

That wasn't very much fun at all?

Uh?

I mean I never played high level football really, I you know, I The only time I was playing any sort of respectable opponent was on the basketball circuit AAU or or you know, right post high school football wise, it was literally just the farm boys I grew up with. Because those some of those guys well, and to be clear, some of them did go on and played good football. A couple of them, it's no college. One of them is the head coach up at the school right now,

The First time you get hit, like properly hit, you never forget it. No, my last year of football I think was my sophomore year in high school and quarterback end around ear hold knocked out.

I'll never forget it.

Oh No, that's probably why I stoped playing. I'm like, I don't need to do this. I'm just gonna play basketball year round. I'll go shoot hoops. But trying to like Lander Barton running at you full speed, that would not be a fun person to tackle.

He and listen. He is a guy that I watched a little bit in high school. When he was on the offensive side. They used him more as a tight end. He wasn't running the ball much. It was more like I'm almost picturing more of a Caleb Blowner situation. He is that type of athlete. He really can't go up and get him. That is what he was doing.

At Brighton.

They were just like, Okay, go stand by the field goal post and we're gonna throw it up in the air. That's when we use Lander Barton. We'll see I think that's more of what you'll you'll see from him, while maybe Nate Johnson, Smith Snoden, those guys might be more out of the backfield.

We'll see Caleb Ata catch for the Broncos over the weekend, one catch for about four yards coming a reed. Jonah ellis a lot of uts on the Broncos. Do we have time to play Jason?

All right?

We will try to run interference through Matt Brown's daughter to bring him on after a break. But before we catch a break, we let you hear from Morgan. Let's hear from the offensive coordinator, Jason Beck. Jason, at the beginning of False Campus said, you wanted to go with your trusted.

Guys, the guys that are gonna be consistent. How have you felt like this all camp has.

Gone for your offense.

Yeah, that's been what we're looking at every day. You know, who's consistently day and day out making those plays. And some guys have been emerging that way and doing a nice job. Some guys are close somewhere's trying to keep forcing that issue of what we're asking them to do, uh, so that we can count them and count on them

What progress have you seen out of Tobias Mariyweather and Murray Simons.

You know, they were so new when they got here, it was just getting everything everything going. But they both have played and done stuff in the past where they're yeah, they're comfortable stepping in and playing, you know, right off the bat.

So they've done a good job. Just trying to get them.

Up to speed as fast as possible, and yeah, they're both doing a next job coming along.

And we'll help us this year.

Well have you seen this tight end room maybe evolved as fall.

Campus, Yeah, it's been. It's been one of our more consistent rooms with that mix of guys showing up every day, and that includes like JJ he came in as a young kid, and he's done a really nice job as he's been in.

There and improving each week.

So they've been a strength of the group in terms of their consistency and what they're getting done.

The Obviously the starting five gets the headlines, but what sort of progress did you see him in the second unit offensive line?

Well, yeah, the starting five, you know, they've done a nice job and they've kind of been in and out a little bit with some different things, or to have given other guys opportunities.

To get reps.

So right now you feel like we have three guys that could come in and play and we won't have to drastically change too much. So they've done a nice job just kind of establishing themselves in what they can do, and then we're just looking for another player or to continue to make that next jump where we feel the same way.

But we gave us an update on the on the back of quarterbacks, and you mentioned in that there might be some place for Bird. Is that is that something you anticipate maybe every game we might see him some these situations or how often might we see it?

Well, you never know, but if hopefully, you know, hopefully we played well and all of that bought if something were to happen. Bird has done a nice job. He's come in here, he's paid plays, and he's done a nice job. So if we needed to, he could kill him and help us play. So I kind of look at him at it like we have a two A and a two B versus a two and a three.

What has given you a confidence about I think allowed you to name him with the K.

You know, he's really coming from spring and just took a big step forward from where he faused the spring, and his just the ability to manage every thing because of the experiences come through has just kind of put him a step ahead for hanging the whole offense and being able to do everything we needed to. But at the same time, he you know, burned this stuff a little more like dev.

Than Isaac does.

So it kind of has that door where a bird can step in into some things.

Kevin said yesterday that he's working on, you know, not taking chances as much this season.

Have we seen that, you know, the smarter decisions as fall so.

Far he has you know, approoves through a fall.

We track everything every day with all that, and he's done a really nice job with that, and so you know, you just want that to continue forward to the season.

He just stood at a wide receiver so far?

What's that?

Who stood a wide receiver so far?

Yeah, that's a great question.

That's uh, that's where you know, the most consistent is our d He kind of maybe had a leg up coming from New Mexico with being consistent and having chemistry with Death. But then a lot of all the other guys have just been you know when you guys learning the bias. You know, Zip's been in that deal, Justin's been in there. So a lot of those guys have just been improving, getting better, and we're just focusing in as we're starting to.

Set that game plan on what can they do to help us win.

I'm talked a lot about mending your offense towards the strength of your team. You know, four weeks through fall camp, bag, guess, just what do you feel like your best strengths on the offense are.

Well, it is, Yeah, I'm mending the offense to Dad and specifically the kind of each guy. So even in the past game, you know what game guys do putting those.

Positions to be successful.

But we're looking to be a you know, a real efficient offense. We'll lean on the guys up front and kind of counting them to lead the way, and then as those skill guys performing games, then we'll see what direction that takes. You know, I've been a part of this where you think you have a great idea and you hit week one and then you really find out.

Where exactly you got do this.

But they playing can we stop with the jugs machine?

I have a feeling there's somebody listening right now based off the text we just received. They can hear the messaging I've been Usually I only do it once a year and hope that my please actually land with somebody up there that can do something about it.

Can we just stop with the jugs machine?

In the background while we're interviewing the players and coaches, I'm talking to Bill Riley's handlers specifically right now, our guy. Can we just please? Can we please stop? That's not too much that it is.

The one thing I'm thankful for with the countdown, We're now within ten days because starting next Monday, we get Kyle in a press conference room, we get the interview rooms at campus. Right, I'm with you, But the clockets ticket on the jugs machines they got to go behind closed doors.

Here.

In the next couple of.

Weeks, I'm gonna start going up there and unplugging them before media availability.

Yes, maybe that'll maybe that'll do the trick.

All right, maybe Matt Brown if his daughter allows us to join, allows us to talk to him. Coming up on the other side, We've got some other things that will bring your way. We do have Tony Parks on the show today the Latest with RSL with Pablo Maschuetti.

But before we catch a break, here's the deal.

All right, we have a new partner on the show Game Day Men's Health, and I'm just going to tell you my experience with their products and encourage you to take advantage of the offer that they're giving you as a result of you being a listener.

And then being a client. So I am I'm not bragging you, Okay.

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It is a process, so I'm not going to lead you astray.

But by the time you football is over, you can be in the best shape of your life. So give yourself five six months of committing to a clean diet, of committing to exercising daily, but also take advantage of what the Huberman bros.

Our guy in there calls biohacking.

Okay, that there are things available now that are affordable that have always only been available to either celebrities or athletes or people a lot of money, and it's changed. The game has changed. Testosterone supplementation is something I've utilized for about a year and a half now. And then in addition to that, if you need to lose a little bit of weight, they've got some glue tide. They've got all the weight loss things that are going on right now that are really effective.

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But if you give yourself just about five months, five six months and utilize Game Day Men's Health as an assistant, I promise you you will see results. You got to be consistent, and what they're doing right now is they're giving you a free testosterone test and consultation. I went into their facility a couple of weeks ago. They're really nice people. It's very comfortable, and they walked me through the process that they're going.

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Okay, so you go in there, tell them you heard me talk about it on the show. They're gonna give you a free consultation with free blood work and a free testosterone test, and then they're going to walk you through where you're at. They're going to tell you where your testosterone levels are, they're gonna tell you what your blood work says, and they're going to cater a program

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All Right, Matt Brown's five year old daughter has given us permission to interview him at four o'clock today, A little uh on the other side of four, So bring in Matt. Pablo mash Drenni, the head coach of RSL. I would imagine he's still a little bit salty as a result of some calls that continue to go the wrong.

Way against RSL.

Will join us in about an hour from right now get into five o'clock out of the show, but let's welcome in a very special guest. You know him as the voice of the Bees and longtime radio personality in our market, The Great Tony Parks on a Wednesday TP, Happy Wednesday.

Are we doing?

I'm doing great man. Mike Toddler is never coming on this show.

I become more and more afraid over time if you were to interview with her, you know what she might unveil?

Are the things that she might say.

So I'm when I heard about this, I thought, you know what, other and keep my phone close to me at all times when I'm expected to be on the air, because I'm not quite sure what would happen.

I have a feeling, though ton as the young lady grows and evolves, if she's anything like either her mother or her father, she'll be very willing to express anything that she wants to express.

Is that fair to say?

Yes?

It is.

She talks with her hands, she loves pasta, and she's a fast talker too, very passionate. I don't know where she got all this from, but whatever, She's an Italian for sure, and she shows that all the time, and she's absolutely wonderful and I couldn't be more in love with the experience of having her in our life.

Love it, buddy.

All right, let's start actually with the announcement that was made by BYU that young Bear Bachmeyer has won the starting job as a freshman.

As a true freshman.

He will be the first true freshman in BYU history to start an opener, and he will be the seventh true freshman to see action under center for Brigham Young.

He was with.

Stanford for springball, didn't land in Provo until late July. He's been there like four weeks, five weeks. I was on TV with our guy to Dave Fox last night and he asked me what this says about the quarterback room. I don't think it's an indictment on the room. I think it's a commentary on the kid, and it's pretty impressive that he was the guy that stepped up and won the job. Now, whenever you do anything for the first time in life or in sports, there's going to

Yeah, I mean the question is always going to be who gives you the best chance to win going forward? Now, I think you make the best comment there. You know, everyone wants to say, well, this must be an indictment on you know, what they really have.

This must show a.

Lack of depth or a lack of capability. Well, we don't really know until live bullets get flyed. I mean, there was a season where Utah was battling back and forth between you know, did they go with Travis Wilson or do they go with Kendall Thompson and oh my goodness, and each of them brought something, but neither.

Of them was complete right.

And then there was a season where this guy named Brett Elliott was a returning starter and was ready to take over and have a great season for Utah, and he was injured and everybody thought the season really might be headed down, you know, a downward spiral. And then some guy named Alex Smith came in took over and they flourished.

And they would go on to win the conference and the rest is history.

So I do understand the true freshman's you need come because it's the first time he's going to be out there, he's young, all of that.

It is not nineteen ninety two anymore.

We're having a freshman quarterback was just thought of as the worst possible situation you could be in. What I do know is that when it comes to the way that program's going to view it, Look, if you're the best thing to help us win, you're going to be out there.

And if you're not, you're not. So when there's this.

Hey, we need patience and baby steps, and let's remember how young he is. Sure, if he's the best thing to help you win, then you know what, you're going to have him out there, and if he's not, you're not. So as long as that ends up being the case, and it is clear that that is the case, they'll

If it's not going to work out.

What I do know is this when the live bullets get flying, and that's when we discover so much more about these guys, and we're going to find out that much more about him.

And I will say that I believe Colonie and a Rod have earned the benefit of the doubt. And when it comes to the quarterback battles that we've like, Zach Wilson didn't automatically have that job.

He won the job.

Jaren Hall won the job, Jake Rahetzif a year ago won the job. Like they're pretty much three for three when it comes to picking the right QB, you know, as it pertains to the quarterback battle they found themselves in. So it does feel like those guys know what they're doing. If I'm a Byu fan, I am putting my faith in that staff.

Yeah, I would, because the last time I saw a job given to someone who I thought had massive question marks as to whether or not he was capable and kept getting a longer and longer leash was Jake Keaps And.

We all saw how that turned out and it wasn't good.

And then all of a sudden they were facing a situation where they had to turn away from him before they lost the locker room, and they were able to salvage the end of the year. And by the way, Riley Nelson was going to be a Heisman candidate, but they had to make that quick decision to go. So this is one where I definitely put the trust in

An entire program and fan base.

If you look at the way it worked for Kyle, it's actually been similar in the timeline I think for Kilani and now he has really solidified so much of what he wants and how he wants to do things never perfect, of course, but I really like the roots that he's built there, the trust that he's built there, and now going forward when it comes to decisions, you know, anytime Kyle's been wrong about something, redirects quickly and then you see them start to.

Move back upward.

I think it would be the same case here if they, let say, missed on Bear as your starting line or starting quarterback.

The other piece of news that was announced yesterday and it's it's been kind of interesting. We actually just played the sound from Jason Beck, offensive coordinator for the You. So coach Wit comes out and announces that Isaac Wilson is QB two, and then Jason is like, well, it's more like two A two B. I don't know if that messaging is to You've got to be careful in

Well, Isaac being the backup I don't think is a bad thing at all. The other part about that, as you talk about his experience and all of that, is when you go two A two B and people are like, wow,

Be day to day, having some of the investment that you need from a guy that is very unlikely to play.

Clearly, there's a two and a three, there is a two and a three two A two B. I would I would bet my money that that is unlikely. But it's very important that a player believes that understands and

If you are the better option and you start showing.

Things that help us believe you know what, this is actually going to win us games more than that, then you're going to find yourself on the field and staying on the field. And so it goes back to the the you know, the h Alex Smith calling Kaepernick thing, which I know is so controversial last decade, but the point was Kaepernick was one play away, and then when Kaepernick got on the field, the forty nine ers had to realize, wait, this guy right now gives us the

So two A two B is you.

Need to keep them hungry to believe each one of them that they are one play away from.

Being on the field.

I've been asking all my guests this this week as we're ten days away from the first game for Utah. They're at the Rose Bowl against UCLA. They're six point five point favorite, and I kind of like this opener. I actually I like the opener for BYU in a different way. I think it's good that Bear will have a soft opponent to kind of land. I'm not a huge fan of the FBSFCS thing. I think at some

But when they're on.

The plane flying home from LA after playing UCLA, what does success look like for you?

Game one for the Utes, there's.

A clear indication this offense can work in sync and that it can be reliable over four quarters. Like you can't just come in with a game plan that starts really well and then you're three and outing your way out and hoping your defense can save you and clinging to a seventeen to fourteen win.

Now, I'm not saying you don't turn.

Down a win, but in order for you to get on that plane heading back to Salt Lake and feel like, you know what, we got something here that can travel the rest of the season, I want to see an offense that can really work in sync. One thing that I really wish for you fans that they could see with that team is a group of receivers that can be very dependable to make high level plays consistently.

To make the tough catch Lakisi at times.

To be able to just go up and win a ball more often when a quarterback needs to just kind of put it in a spot and depend on his guy to go win.

Utah has not been able to have that consistently.

They've had ugs here or a player who has a particular skill, such as you know, a guy with speed, or a guy's got good hands but not a great route runner. It always feels like they have one, but they're always missing the other. And I would love to see a core of receivers that they can depend on more and more.

Balance.

I don't think is going to necessarily be a must, but you have to be able to have a threat for these things rather than a defense saying okay, this is all we have to do, and we can simplify our plan once we figure out what their original game plan is. I want to see a group that can go out and beat people just simply by being better players. And so last year, like the BAU game, always jumps out to me because I love that game plan.

I love the way they executed.

The physicality was tremendous, and Utah obviously hangs their hat on that but the second half it was very early. You're looking at it going they're not going to score. I mean they had field position for days, couldn't move. I mean they their defense was given them opportunity after opportunity,

No, no, no, no, no.

I want to see something that shows me with a guy like Devan stepping in winning a job like that where you fans have been hoping to see a guy who can go out and be a dynamic playmaker like they had, you know a few years ago when healthy, and then say, okay, now if you take this away,

You reference the balance and look, man, you've known me for a long time. I'm just a natural cynic for whatever reason, and I'm usually more skeptic than I am accepting just audacious expectations based off of no data or proof.

So I lean into what I feel like.

I know.

I mean, back when like Al Jefferson was here, it's like, oh, we're going to call it the Wheezy and he's going to be twenty and ten, Like, no, well he's not very good. If this team is not going to be very good, and you know, when it comes to just Homer Broadcast and Homer Media, I'm not into it. So I just don't know enough about the weapons on the outside for Utah right now.

I don't know enough about the wide receiver room.

Even if the Zach Williams kid didn't transfer, I mean, he didn't have a ton of experience. Here's what we know, and I'll speak for myself, here's what I feel like. I know they've got two running backs they like They've got a run it, They've got a quarterback that can really rush the football. They've got potentially the best offense in line in the country, not just the Big twelve. They have a head coach that just abhorrors not taking

If it's heavy run.

Because you're incapable of passing, and then you have to do it like you did say in twenty fourteen, which I'm not bashing that twenty fourteen team and that was the first one in the Pac twelve area era to kind of emerge and start to win at a higher clip.

You cannot save your way to wealth.

You must be the one that ends up being a little more aggressive, or is it the threat to be more aggressive? So the twenty fourteen team, it was I remember coming out of their game against USC thinking you can't keep winning like this, Like you just can't keep like you can't have a wide receiver drop a backwards pass and stare at the football on the ground.

I think it was Orfe who picked it.

Up and ran it back while nobody eve knew what was going on and takes it back for a touchdown.

Utah I think had one good offensive drive. It just happened to be the game.

Winning drive, and everyone's like, but they're in contention, and it's like they can't keep winning like this, Like in this league, you're just not going to survive that way. If you want to talk about a championship aspiration, if you want to talk about playoff threat, those.

Kinds of things, you won't get there.

Then the twenty eighteen team, they lost a couple of conference games early and when they started playing their best balls, they lost one conference game the rest of the way out.

This is the part I'm getting into. They were not balanced.

They were like sixty four percent runs something like that. The difference was Huntley was now a much bigger threat to throw effectively. The team showed the capability to throw at a much more efficient level, and so the defenses. Even though Utah would say take off with Huntley or go to their run game.

Because they knew you could.

It actually helped open up even more run opportunities. So balance may not need to be there. The balance of what is a realistic threat. Those two things must happen, because if they get to the point that they know that you are not dependable enough in the throw game, that they can absolutely load the box and that if they play the odds right, you're just not going to be able to put up enough offense, and if they

But you won't get to the elite levels. You'll just have a nice season. You'll have a nice season.

So when people look back at some of those Novembers when they used to say, boy, the uts they just can't figure it out in November, well that's because they kept trying to survive with a situation where they everybody knew that their ability to throw the football was not a real threat, or it wasn't a consistent threat.

Just don't get.

Beat on a massive big play and you're fine because eventually the quarterback, as I remember, Wilson at one point had a I think an interception every nine attempts through pac twelve play in one of those years because they knew at.

Some point a big mistake was going to be made, and so it.

Was worth the risk to just not get beat deep, keep it in front of you, wait for him to make a mistake.

You can't play it. You can't be great like that.

So that's what I'm curious about with Utah, even after the first game, do teams now have to legitimately respect your ability to.

Throw the football and hurt you in all different facets of the pass game?

And if they throw for you know, some great number, but we're talking screen passes that took off for a big gain, or somebody got out of their alignment on a wheel route, you know, in coverage and it was a busted coverage and an easy throw. That's not the same thing as Hey, if you don't make sure you cover this guy, it sticks over the top every time. And if you don't have your eyes in the right place, this guy's going to beat you across the field.

Get to the sideline and it's going to be thirty five yards.

I want to see if Utah actually has that threat, because that, I think is going to tell me a lot as to whether or not this is going to be a season of improvement or a season of being a true threat to become elite.

HI to him before I say you lose. Give me the latest the Bees. What's going on with our local baseball team?

Yeah, man at home here tonight getting ready for the game against the Reno Aces, the Diamondback's affiliate, And then after this week we have two weeks left in the season in terms of home games, a twelve gamer there in September. Take advantage of the great September weather by coming out to some games.

Those nights are going to be beautiful.

So if you haven't joined us, make sure to come on out, and if you have joined us, join us one last time.

Saturday Night is a big night.

That's this upcoming Saturday, the twenty third, we have Princess Night, so make sure to join us here. Kids get to run around the bases after the game, and do not forget that we'll have the princesses here with a princess theme. Dron Show all of that more so great theme night's great fun and tickets on Sunday or five bucks getting while they last.

So hope to see you out here.

Good stuff, Tom, Thanks for the time, buddy. You have a good week with chat too.

Appreciate you.

Thanks man.

We've got two hours down. We have two hours to go.

Coming up on the other side, we will interview Matt Brown, then we'll bring in Pablo. Matt all right, ten days away from Utah football at the Rose Bowl against UCLA. B Yu welcomes in Portland State. Well, Utah, stay, welcomes in Utah. It is week zero though, so we have college football this weekend.

Our next guest good enough.

To join us after his personal assistant ran interference earlier, the great Matt Brown from Extra Points Matt, Happy Wednesday.

How are we doing?

Hey, I'm doing great.

I appreciate nobody taking my eleven year old picking up the phone and hanging up personally just to glad that she didn't accellently get put on the air.

Well, actually, Matt, in that vein, I told porter I was going to ask you if I could interview this young lady because at times she does do a little Twitter takeover and she seems like a very gregarious, funny young lady.

Is that fair to say?

I would say that she is better at social media than I am. I think every single time she ends up on my computer when I'm off doing something else, people are like, why why are we paying to read Matt Let's go, let's go hear the eleven year old review of K pop Demon Hunters, and not about who's going to join the a Sun next week? Like, sure, next time, we'll just get for the fun.

I'll pay her a buck.

Love it, Love it well.

I wanted to have you on for a number of different reasons, but I saw a tweet of yours that caught my attention, got a lot of people's attention that I just find to be interesting and not talked about a whole lot.

And look, I say this often.

You know, I've been in media for about twenty years now, but I've spent my entire career in the realm of sports, whether it was marketing, pr venue management. And you're really sold kind of a bill of goods that oftentimes turns out to be completely not the thing you thought it was going to be. You are asked to work a ton of late nights. You're asked to work a ton of hours, and honestly, if you're lucky enough to work your way up to a high position, then.

You're gonna make a little bit of money.

But up until then, and most people never make it that you just don't get paid very well.

It's not near as glamorous as.

Of what most people believe because we watch the athletes, and now college athletes are being paid, Coaches are being paid millions of dollars, athletic directors are getting rich. But what are you hearing about the other people in athletic departments that are now asked to even carry a heavier load without really getting an additional compensation.

There's going to be a bigger story about this next week, and I think you're right to draw comparisons to the media industry, right Like I tell people, I love my job, I love running extra points. This isn't the best job that I've had so far, and I'm really fortunate that I'm I think one of the few media people that has a fair amount of autonomy over what I get to do every day and makes it.

Makes a decent living.

But it's wild to think that I'm probably like the top five percent, top ten percent of earners, because the comp is so terrible and there's so few jobs left in this world, even for people who are doing stuff far more important, I think than what I do.

And this is.

Very much what I hear a lot from people that work in college sports, where it was I would say bad before COVID, between COVID and House, and now this gigantic clawback of research money and federal money at larger universities over the last year. It's very rare that I talk to anybody that I would describe as a frontline athletic worker that isn't deeply, deeply burned.

Out and looking to leave.

And when I say frontline worker, I'm not talking about Kyle Whittingham, although obviously he works a ton of hours. I'm talking about the people that actually execute the plans that coaches and ads put into effects. So these are not just the comm staffers that you and I talked to. These are the athletics trainers. These are the people that are trying to sell ticket packages to the Boys and

But what I've been hearing more and more.

Is I'm not expecting to get paid a lot of money because I work in sports for a living. I do want my boss to be invested in the quality of work that I do. I want to feel like what I do matters, that there's some kind of connection

Grand more money.

There's a real brain drain that I can I can see happening not just at the you know you U BYU level, but you know, down to the the use of the world for the people that are actually making stuff happen, and that that is not a.

Positive thing for the industry, just like it's not for media.

I mean, I could give you a list of so many names of brid eyed, bushytailed young people who would you know, contact me how can I get in sports? And you know, then you provide an avenue and then suddenly they try it out and they just don't last. You know, I do think we romanticize the industry in a way that to your point, people that have a skill set that could be translated into other endeavors to allow their pocketbooks to a little bit a little bit differently.

Now, it's not everybody.

There are plenty of people that have careers in the space and they're you know, able to kind of find their way into a landing spot that allows them to make a good living. But what sort of extra added weight or pressure or workload have you heard that these staffers have received as a result of things like nil and the new reality of what college athletics looks looks like yeah.

So I think an example that I hear a lot from both big and small schools is with trainers.

Right, in a perfect world, you want.

Some kind of emergency trained medical professional trainer that's at every practice and and every game, and you'll have some of those folks. You'll be in the traveling party for every sport as they go across the country.

Well as you are. And let's let's say you're.

A basketball coach, right, and you're really mad at your team. They went out there and they played some late November game against to the head Cares Division two team and there they stuck up the joint. So the coach calls an emergency practice at eleven o'clock at night. Well, guess what that means. The trainer who might have had plans has to cancel all those and they have to show up too. And you'll follow follow the same structure here as as everybody else, but you don't get paid over

We have to we spend all this money on new.

Facilities, or the state isn't going to give us any money, or the fens aren't going to give us any money. So this is the place that we decide to cut corners until it's too late. It's very rare.

I think at this point that I can think of schools that have hired common staff.

Most people have laid off or strunk their staffs, while also asking them to produce more social media content, to produce more videos, to produce more features, to be more visible, sometimes even doing sales work.

All of all of this is a lot, and I don't.

Think it's just about money. I think part of the trade that people make when they work in college sports is I'm going to take less salary in exchange for really rewarding work that's around athletes. And also, if I'm working for a university system, I should get pretty good benefits. And I think that kind of trade offs is increasingly not holding up.

All right, Matt, moving off this one.

Tell our listeners and me what the Score Act is and why we need to know about it. And as it kind of continues to gain some momentum, do you think we're getting closer to this actually becoming a reality.

I think we're getting closer to a passing the House. The Score Act is actually a bipartisan bill, although it's overwhelmingly supported by Congressional House Republicans, to address a lot of the stuff that the NCAA has been asking for years. It would give the NCUBA an anti trust exemption to be able to enforce an IL regulations, to be enforce the terms of the House Settlement, and and so they won't get sued.

And it's like it's.

Are not and shouldn't be designated as employees regardless of what happens with Johnson v. V mc double A or other future court cases. This is something that's really important. It's a powerful conference conference leaders, but also folks in Indianapolis at the incident because their concern is without some of these anti trust exemptions, the CSC can't actually, you know, smack down anybody's nil deal that goes above the cap, they won't be able to enforce eligibility rules, and shoot,

I can tell you guys, it's very likely.

To pass the US House. It has widespread Republican support. There's three Democrats that are co signing it. Probably at least one more will vote for it. The question is what happens in the Senate, because if you want to break the filibuster, you need more than fifty one votes. And the Senate Republicans, last time I talked to some staffers there, feel pretty good about getting some Democrat support. They don't think they have sixty votes yet, so we'll have to see.

Started the show off today after listening to Brian Rolapp, who's the new commissioner, excuse me, the new CEO of the PGA Tour. Brian spent twenty two years as Roger Goodell's right hand man, friend of the program of actually

Does this thing have any legs at all?

Like, what's your reaction when you saw that this is the thing that the Big ten decided to actually leak out there?

When I first heard about this, my first thought is always I personally appreciate when schools and conference offices are willing to leak stuff to reporters, throw things at the wall that they know are not completely baked and get beaten up a little bit, because I actually I think that's a way to kind of keep organizations from making really bad decisions. And sometimes after an idea kind of gets dragged through the national you know, discourse circuit.

Sometimes it comes out better.

And that was kind of my read on the Big Ten's proposal. Like I'll tell you, I talk to people that work at the Big Ten, Like Big ten headquarters is fifteen minutes from my house. There are people that have Big ten email addresses, are like, now, this is.

A stupid idea.

And what I think this is more about is trying to negotiate in public to throw something out so Atlantish and like ash Hucks, You're right, twenty six is way too many. We should go back to sixteen, right and try to you know, shift the terms of the debate to go get what they really want, which is automatic more automatic bids. So a team like in Iowa or Minnesota or Wisconsin that will probably not make the twolth team college football playoff more than once a decade has

Like I agree with you, I haven't seen.

Anybody in the here in the Midwest.

In the footprints, you know, really really.

Cake for this thing. I don't even think the math pens out because conference championship games, even as they are, you know, less important than they were in like nineteen ninety four, they're enormously valuable, not just broadcast television inventory, but they're really important for conference sponsorships. Like you know this, the SEC and the Big Ten make a lot of money selling sponsorships at Lucas Oil Stadium and and you know the Georgia to only all these other places for

To the college Football Playoff that you don't.

Control will make you financially whole I for a game, first round game that's going to feature you like two eight and five teams. I very much struggle to see how that works for anybody.

The Salt Lake Tribune did a really interesting piece this week on BYU and their athletic department budget is doubled since twenty twenty. According to the Tribune, they interviewed a history professor at by You excuse me, he's a leading Latter Day Saint expert of Colorado State. His name is Matt Harris. The Church Commissioner of Education Clark Gilbert. He's a general authority UH sent out you know, this tweet about you know, the way that BYU should handle their

You are not breaking the rules.

You should be able to say it out loud as opposed to lean into the BYU experience. And that's why AJ sat like, you're paying him five million dollars, like it's really interesting piece, And I just wonder what your thoughts are with this dichotomy between one side of what appears to be down at BYU with some administrators not

Yeah, I'll answer this question with the caveat that I have not had a chance to read this in its entirety, Like that's one of the stories that I've had opened on a tab for a minute here. Well, what I can tell you just from being on this beat here for a minute is that it's pretty rare to find an AD or a senior administrator or a president who's willing to say on the record, yes, we do pay

I feel like the only school that's.

Been willing to kind of say it with their chest this offseason that yes, we are opening up our checkbook is Texas Tech, and and A big part of that is because the checkbook opening up is not exclusively coming from the university. It's also it's also coming from some booster. So I think that there's there's a there's a discomfort with with admitting we are paying in the top twenty percentile for X, Y and Z. I don't think that's unique to b YU. I don't think it's unique to

It's not true.

I also think, knowing what I know about BAU athletics, if there's some some some discomforts with with answering some of those questions, like look, you have to you have to say what if you're going to say something in.

The paper, you you have to say what you're.

Bosses want you to say, even if you know in your heart that that yes, you know our our payrolls and the X percenter you know for X, Y and Z. If you know that, if you say that in the trade, if Clark Gilbert's gonna yell at You're not gonna do it.

I understand that this is legitimately.

Like I'm not being dismissive or just saying that pejoratively, like that's that's the gig, And that's true at state schools, and and that's true somewhere else. There's a lot of unique tensions in a place like b YU between the athletic department, between academia, between central administration, between high level donors.

And I know that that's that's not unique to just nil. I don't.

I don't think this is a state this is this is a this is talking out of school or gonna get me in trouble or anything. But the etholic department at b r U is gonna have often has a different view about diversity related issues than everybody else because they talked they work with the most diverse pool students than anybody in the law school or the business school or or administration does like it's it's in their interest to maybe have a lighter touch or more.

Inclusive touch for their students. That it might be if all you do is teach American heritage.

That's true for fundraising that that you know that that's true for for lots of other departments.

I don't know how it ends.

Like.

What I would say to anybody listening to this trying my very best to not be biased, is I don't think there's a writer or wrong way to feel about this. From my reading of the scriptures and my understanding of LDS theology, I don't think there is anything that you know, runs counter to church teachings in paying a basketball player of five million dollars, I understand for cultural reasons or other reasons. Why so that would make somebody uncomfortable, And

Talked to would would just tell us.

The full truth instead of hiding behind euphanisms.

But that is I you know, I don't think I could throw any any.

Proverbial rocks, just that provo for that, because I think that's a higher education challenge, not just the Utah County challenge.

For sure, you know, I find interested.

I've got a good friend who's a Notre Dame alum, and he's Catholic, obviously Notre Dame Catholic the tie there, and we were discussing he's done well and he donates heavily to his alma mater, and he loves Notre Dame football, Notre Dame basketball, and the language he uses isn't unlike what I hear from some of my LDS buddies who went to BYU.

Who also you know.

It's just kind of it almost feels in a way, Matt, that some of these religious institutions have this built in advantage when it comes to raising money with nil because if you are a faithful member of a certain religion and you believe that your money will help further the message of the religion you belong to, if your by you were Notre Dame, you can send out the message to the masses like, okay, all you faithful believers, our football program being good helps the mission of the church,

You know.

Yeah, maybe like that actually I think might be something that that's worth investigating or worth turning into an actual story.

You know.

One of one of the differences I think between b YU and that kind of approach and maybe other large religious institutions in Division one is uh, most Protestant and even Catholic institutions are.

Not missionary focused.

The these, the these you know, the spreading the message of Catholicism through Notre Dame football does not have like the same doesn't mean the same thing, I think as as as it does in Mormondom. I don't know if there's as many people that are like you know, checking the annual statu reports about about how many people went to Mass or or you know, if they opened up a new parish somewhere, maybe the same way that that

Certainly, yeah, yeah, yeah, And certainly the examples I utilize your anecdotal would be interested to hear somebody like you read somebody like you actually dig into it to see if there's anything there. But look, man, good, I guess yeah. I'm glad we were able to get past the first layer of the brown household to get you on the show today.

Where where can people go get the work? My friend?

You bet you can find my work my reporting at extra Points mb dot com. I have some I'm gonna break a little bit of news about some some SCS conference re alignment tomorrow. I've got I've got some reporting that's gonna come out in a couple of days about they kind of burn out crisis within within college sports.

I'm gonna be in the in Raleigh this weekend for.

The Raleigh Sports Podcast Festival and doing a little reporting there and then next week when everyone else is talking about the biggest games in college sports, Like I mean, I'm excited, I'm going to Texas to go to the first ever game at ut RGV.

We're gonna, We're gonna counter program you have, you have State Texas, you know world here.

I'm excited for some of the places off the beaten path.

I think extra Points will be going this season.

Very nice.

Well, thank you for the time, Save travels and we'll chat soon.

Thanks Matt, Oh, yep, you bet.

Thanks friend, the great Matt Brown College the college football newsletters called extra Points. I utilize it for the show all the time. It is definitely worth your time on his socials. I want to tell you about my friends at aut Lauda Stilling, a new partner here on the ESPN Sports Network. Outloud Distillery is a homegrown grain to glass, nitty gritty whiskey, vodka, rum and moonshine distillery right here in Salt Lake County. It's Utah grown with so much

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Today.

They will be our partner for our vip ESPN seven hundred tailgate event for Utah football home games all year long. I will get back to some of the college football storylines of the day today as we're ten days away from kick for the Utes for the Cougars, for the Aggies as well, It's week zero in the world of college football, so we actually have games this weekend. We also have a match this weekend in Sandy, which is

Happy ones? Just spend doing well, buds.

I hate to start it out this way, but you know where I'm going. And I'm certainly no soccer expert, but my soccer pee brain says, when a player kicks a ball and the defender hits that ball with his hand, typically that is what is known as a handball. I don't know, man, I hate to continue to harp on this officiating stuff, but it seems like weekend and week out, you guys have to feel a little hard done.

Is that fair?

Yep, yeah, I think I think it's absolutely fair. And the other way just affects the group. Is this momentum, you know, And I think it's like Murphy's law, those things that you think might happen end up happening. You know, two games in a row where we're just on the wrong side of some calls. But I really like Porter's point,

Well, he stole that point from Dunny yesterday.

Look at you, quarter, at least give Dunny credit if you're going to try to brag the Pablo.

I know Dounny did bring it up. Okay, all right, if it does bring true, it's going to swing real fart.

No, all good, all good.

Hey, Look, we need to give Porter some love because when he makes a good point, it makes him feel good to acknowledge it.

So I'm glad you brought it up.

Okay, Let's move over to the tackle on a Mecca also like in real time, because here's the thing, Like a Mecca's a sturdy kid.

And he doesn't dive. Okay.

Uh.

And so when I saw the tackle, I'm like, I need to see a replay. Then I saw the replay like that to me, clearly is reckless and violence. I mean that felt like a red card to me.

Yep, No, and again his arms across his neck chest area and he's throwing them down and and again. The weird thing is the subjectivity part is you know, we'll see all these replays and we're gonna, I think, start in the in the referee preseason video of all the calls that they do differently, because again we you know, we get feedback from the refs every week and kurts on the call, and you know, I jumped on last week. I didn't jump on this week because again, they're not

I'll ask you one more thing about this and we can move on and talk about how the team is coming together. But when you do some simple math, because here's here's always it's always been my issue with officials that I don't think they fully understand what's at stake when they bought a call. Because if you miss the playoffs and you're a coach, there's an owner that might say, Okay,

Yeah, I think Spence, that's the hardest thing because the last thing I want to do is quite to something that we have no control over, you know, And so I don't think I you know, in this last time, I didn't even acknowledge this Charlotte game, you know, because

He's going to be so insufferable after this interview he's doing he's doing a fist pump in the studio.

Okay, all right, No, I like it.

We can give our guy a little credit here, all right. You reference Rawan and Victor. We've seen both of them. Now, just give us an update on how it's going to integrate them into the system, and then tell us about how training is going. Are they grasping what you're asking them to do as we get familiar with these two new acquisitions.

Yeah, and again I think this is why there's been talked about changing the season around, and it's it's it's so difficult to integate, integrate guys with eight games left, right, and there's so many variables in our league. And I think I touched on it last week, but as far as you know, our tactics are going to be different than the way either of them played. And then understanding how they you know, what their teammates' qualities are, right

Always has a day to say this. I don't want to sound like the ugly American, but I'm always curious about, uh, you know, the communication between players who come here and the language barriers, and you know, I know you have found a way to kind of circumvent some of that stuff. But how's the English, How's how's the communication with the two new players communicating with the other guys on the roster.

That's a great point, you know, It's been really fascinating his victors completely fluent in English and he's a big time reader, so he's you know, he he loves, He easily integrates into the end of the team. And Huon as a when we talked him on the zoom, he was really hesitant to speak English. But what I've come to realize is his understanding of the English is really really good and he wants to learn, so he's going

So you're without Diego again this weekend, right, and then Gozo as well as let's see, I think it's Willie right, we got it, Okay, we got it okay. So without those three, what's that attack going to look like?

Yeah, So we looked at a couple of guys, you know, in those positions, Johnny Russell being one of them, Ari Fuel being another. And you know, I think it's a it's a good opportunity for guys like Goan and Victor to go to distance, right, you know, with with a few games left, we've got to make sure that we give him a long enough run way to be fit for these important games. And so, you know, Johnny looked really bright today. He's a guy that can make plays.

So every time I and look, I mostly just watch RSL, mostly just watch you. But every time I watch Minnesota just seems like a total pain in the ass.

They just seem like such a pain. What is it? Is it?

Is it personnel? Is it coaching? Is its schmatics? Like why are they so stout defensively? Why are they so hard? Let's say they seem like such a tough nut to crack.

Yeah, you know, they're almost contrarian spence in that the modern game of football is primarily how are we going to attack? They flipped the script and they say, how are we going to defend? And so where teams placed maybe a seventy thirty emphasis at pieces, right, So it's it's the muondane part of the game that they they're excellent at. So they're almost comfortable giving you the ball and then they'll say, we'll catch you on a counter attack or we'll catch you on a long throw in, right,

Bit of a must win.

Pobs, you've got eight games left, with five at home. Have you done the math as far as where you think you need to be to get over the line and make the playoffs.

Yeah, you know, I think, you know, if we take care of home and win the five home games, I think it puts us in a position to compete for the playing game. And then you know, we got to squeak one or two one with a draw. So somewhere around eighteen points, I think Jesus in a in a playoff position, and I think fifteen points sees us buying

Transfer window closes tomorrow night. My sources little Bertie, cute little Bertie to keep us little Bertie that could ever be indicates that we might might might have some news dropping over the next twenty four hours.

Care to elaborate on that at all?

Yeah, No, I think it's again, I don't know if the documents have been signed, and I'm so hesitant to say anything before because there's nothing you can't go back on that. It's kind of like a referee call, right Spence like, yeah, sorry, it's but if it goes threatened to be fair, I talked to the the players coach.

Good stuff. Does he have copious amounts of neck tattoos?

Yes?

He does?

Okay, okay, last thing that I'll set you loose on this and if you need to go, you can be quick on it. But I am genuinely curious. And the nice thing is you're a coach, you don't exist in the media space, but you are a former member of the US men's national team, and there's been this really

I hope you coach forever and you never have to do this.

But as somebody that once upon a time represented our country, what do you make of this back and forth between the old guard and the players playing now?

Yeah, yeah, I find it really interesting. And you know, I think I think everyone wants the same thing, Spence, And one side is coming from having played, and another side is coming from playing and and but I think at the end of the day, everyone wants the same thing. Which is the US team to be successful. And so like I can see through all this stuff. I think

All Right, Buddy, will you sound good?

I was wondering if you're going to be grumpy, but I'm glad you're sounding good. So I will be there this weekend. You are undefeated when I'm in the building, so best of luck.

Let's go get three. Pablo.

All right, thanks man, appreciate it. Bud.

All right, Pablo Masceroni, head coach of URSEL. They're back at action this weekend against Minnesota in what has to be characterized as a must win game seven thirty on Apple TV.

All I wrapping it up, final.

Segments of the show on this Wednesday afternoon. You're halfway through that work week, you are one day closer to the weekends. I want to take some time to say very special thank you to all of our listeners. We received up to date numbers today and we are in the best spot that we've been in since we started the show. So it's very cool. We just turned six last week. It both seems like we just started this yesterday and thirty years ago. I don't know what that means.

So if you listen to us every day.

Or anytime at all, whether it's on seven hundred AM ninety two one FM, our podcast page, you're streaming online, a very very sincere.

Thank you so much. Never take a listener for granted. You guys mean everything to us.

So we got the numbers today and they're really really good, So thank.

You for that.

Do not get a big head just because Pablo said you had a good point about soccer, You're gonna be insufferable the rest of the week. Because Pablo complimented the point. So take me beyond the scenes when you had them on the phone. What was this salient, excellent point that you made, just just.

You know, soccer guy stuff, behind the behind the scenes, you know, stuff that if I were to bring it on air, it wouldn't it wouldn't really translate to the everyday listener when it comes to soccer. I know, it's just it's my guy Pablo. We're talking schemes, We're talking, you know, timing, roster, substitutions, the whole, the whole. Like you know, my guy Kyle Kyle b KB saw him playing tenness the other day, you know, a little conversation just my you know US men's national team homies.

I like to call what is your preferred formation in the attack? What's your favorite formation to enact when you need to attack and score goals?

Yeah?

I like I like eleven personnel to eleven? Do you like like multiple tight end sets?

Usually?

Can you name one soccer formation diamond? Your worst than I am the triangle. I'm a fan of a four one two one two myself. That is the diamond formation in the middle.

That's what I was going for. I know, it's like something like that where you got the one guy that's like you're your leave for really right? Right?

Sure? Sure?

Yeah?

Okay, Well, speaking of that, I have just been informed that tomorrow at nine am it is supposed to be official for the RSL player announcement. They are bringing in a really big name. Now, look when I say really big name. This is the league that recently we've seen my guy Sonny from Tottenham, Tomas Mueller from Germany, and obviously Lionel Messi, so it's not on that level, but it's a name you'll be familiar with. It's a defender

That should become official tomorrow.

We are ten days away from game day for the Utes, the Cougars and the Aggies, and then we have Week zero college football this weekend. You're gonna blink in. The NFL will be here week one, September fourth, and then we are actually not that far away from training camp in Pro basketball too. Now we're not gonna do a lot of that as of now, and hopefully the Jazz give us something to talk about this year.

My guess is they will not.

But we are creeping off on one of the best time of years for sure. So we will say good night for a Wednesday Porter what comes our way on a Thursday edition of the show.

On a Thursday edition of the show, we'll continue the college football conversation with one Kyle Bonegura of ESPN. We'll talk some PGA Tour Championship with one Rex Hoggard Mate, catch up with our friend Richard Smitty Smith out of the US Open, and a little little Bertie, Sweet little Bertie tells me we may have a particular RSL maybe newcomer on the show tomorrow.

Okay, So the RSL player announcement will be in the morning and we hope the interview said player in the afternoon. So that'll be a fun Thursday show and border reference. The US Open is going on right now too, so a little bit of everything. Join us for a Thursday show. We'll say goodnight and special thank you to Sammy Mora, Matt Brown, Tony Parks and Pablo Masch joinny for any of the sound you missed from the program today. The good news is it's up online. You can listen to