This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera and Jay Gonzalez on Fox Sports
fourteen fifty powered by Nova Insurance Services and Sure Your Most Prized Possessions kat z
R two SAG and iHeartRadio Station The Good Afternoon, everybody. Welcome to you.
I on the Ball Hero Fox Sports forteen fifty. I'm Steve, He's
Jay. You got Kevin in the booth today, Man in the Ship and
we're sitting here looking at our computer screen going early on arely on? Is
this you hear me that? Can you hear me that we're on? Okay?
Good? This is great, great, great day. Welcome to Thursday
show. I think a pretty good show. Yeah, you know, yeah,
you know. We we always enjoy getting Mark Harlan, the Utah leg
director, comes on our show before the Arizona game, and he's doing that
again today. We've got some questions for him about, you know, how
his things are going over there. I got some questions Aboutkyle Whittingham that I
want to have and I want to ask him. But we did talk to
Jetfish today and his press conference, and I you know, we asked him
a question about you know, where he thinks he is in terms of you
know, trying to catch up with Utah because we talked about that last year.
We'll get to more of that in a minute, and then Corey Williams
will join us ESPN college basketball analysts also form Arizona player back on that nineteen
ninety fourteen that went to the Final four. Yeah, so it gets good
he's been doing. He'll be doing his ESPN and basketball analysis here in about
two weeks or so, as you get back he do you know this is
in studio? Yeah stuff. Yeah, So so both Corey and Mark Harland
at three about three twenty, Corey Williams about four twenty, So be sure
to stick around for both those. They should be some good conversations. We'll
get Corey Williams thoughts on Arizona basketball so far. Yeah, yeah, I
seen. I think he should have been to a couple of games already.
So okay, cool, what else is going on? You were in the
press commerce today. I was with at the Jetfish press conference, you know,
getting ready for the for the Utah game. We uh, you know,
I kind of jumped out. I've been thinking about this question since yesterday
because I think I brought it up a little bit yesterday. But last year
about this time when Arizona played Utah, it was also in November. You
know, Jed made the comment or there was a discussion about the fact that,
you know, Utah is a program that Arizona aspires to be. There
were some fans who took exception to that, saying we should be better than
Utah. But right now, Utah is the gold standard in the league,
especially when you consider even USC and well USC Washington Organ. Utah's defending packed
had twelve chann two time defending pack twelve champion. Yeah, this is not
an exclusive to Arizona question. This is a question to everybody. Yeah,
in the league. Yeah, so I asked Jed Okay said, Jed,
here you are. You talked about that last year. Here you are.
You got the same same season record. Right now, you're ahead of your
ahead of Utah and the conference standings, You're ahead of them in the in
the College Football playoff, Frankins in your favorite to beat them tomorrow. Where
do you think you sit in terms of this discussion about wanting to be Utah.
I think we're still a lot of years behind them in regards to the
consistency of their program. They've been able to keep their defensive coordinator for eight
seasons in a row. They've been able to keep their offensive coordinator for six
seasons in a row. Coach Whittingham is going into his nineteenth season. The
formula for winning consistently has never changed in Salt Lake. From Urban Meyer to
Kyle Winningham, they've been able to consistently go out there every week and have
a brand that everybody nationally recognizes. At this point in time, we're at
the very infant stages of that. We're very new in that world. We're
trying to establish that brand. We're trying to establish a culture that can continue
on throughout. They've sell out one of their games. They had one of
the longest, if not the longest home winning streak in college football. So
that, to me is what we aspire to do. We're proud of the
fact that we're matching up head to head against the team that we have the
utmost of respect for. But in the end, it's can you consistently do
what they've done over the course of time. Yeah, No, I think
he's spot on. Yeah, It's funny how we always mentioned they got to
sell the place out. Yeah, which, of course if everyone of fans
bitch about the money that's not there or whatever talking about it, they could
play a part. Yeah, they can go to the game. They could,
they could. He did mention that they are about forty three forty eight,
also seven hundred or something. He said, they're about thirteen hundred short
of a selling I remember, it's not technically a sealot. They're giving a
bunch of tickets away, you know, a tall season ticket holders get a
pair. I got a pair of tickets, so you know, my daughter
can go to the game and stuff like that. But you know, I
don't care how fifty thousand people get in the stadium. Get fifty thousand people
in the stadium, and that's that's more or less. You know where they're
at. So you know, it could be a fun game on Saturday.
He said they're going about fifteen hundred a day, so he thinks that it'll
be but it'll be declared to sell out by some time tomorrow. Yeah,
which is great, Which is great as long as there are buttz in the
seats. Yeah, you know, it should be a great atmosphere. I'm
looking I'm looking forward to this and we'll talk to Mark Carland about that from
Utah a little more so, you know, one of the reasons that Arizona
is where it is. Obviously, he's talked about the twenty twenty two class,
but there's some senior holdovers from who really stuck it out. And in
particular, the discussion was about Michael Wiley and Jordan Morgan, who won they
could have transferred or two they could have left after last year, their fifth
year seniors, who's stuck around and he really he talked about how important they've
been to the program by the fact that they stuck around. Yeah, both
of those guys, you know, they were here before we arrived. They
stayed committed and then they stay committed to our program. After a year of
one and eleven, they didn't go try to transfer. After a year of
five and seven, they didn't declare for the NFL draft. They both decided
to return for their fifth years and wanting to really make an impact in the
program and change the culture. And they did that. They are who our
team look up to, the way they act, the way they handle themselves.
They're grad their degrees that they have the fact that they're not just here
as an athlete, but as a student athlete, that they've managed to have
over three point zero GPAs, that they've managed to lead the team as a
captain, that they do things right in the training room, off the field,
on the field. Those guys have meant the world to this program,
and I hope that they get rewarded for it. I'm sure that they will
when it comes to the NFL Draft this year. But what you're also going
to see is you're going to see guys like that be able to be spokespeople
for Arizona football in the years to come. Yeah, you know, I
mean we talked about the twenty thwey two class. You know Frafeita, Manu
McMillan, you know Savonne, all those guys. But when you really think
about it, you know, those two guys sticking around, helped get other
guys and helped other guys stick around. And I'm thinking, can underestimate really
how important those two guys really end up being? No question, no question,
And then circumstances of the events that happened a minute, but there's no
question Fafina has helped this team tremendously, especially a guy like Jordan Morgan,
right, who you know, first round draft pick quality guy offensive line,
you know, keeping a guy like that around and showing other guys that you
can come here be a first round draft pick. That has to have a
lot to do with you know, who's decided to come. Why why Polito
came, and why Savonne can all those guys that said, okay, I
can go to Arizona. I don't have to go to USC to be that
guy, right, right, it's just understanding that that's the case. You
know, well, how was it back in nineteen eighty three, But in
nineteen eighty three eighty four when you got here, right, you knew of
his reputation, Those who paid attention knew of his reputation, right, good
coach, We didn't know what his est could be established. But you have
to start with one or two. He got Sean, he got shot.
Well, he got Craig McMillan. We go to that, well, right,
you got Craig crillen. I believe the first mc donald's. McDonald's all
American, right, And then he got Sean, and Steve was already here,
but he wasn't Steve Kurr right, So you need just guilt. You
guys get to build right, right, and and and you gotta win,
and you got and look and it. You know, Arizona basketball wasn't good
at that time and Luke made it, made it good and got you know,
and built that up. But historically Arizona Arizona football is harder to get,
yeah, you know, top level recruits because of the well, I
think that, I think that Rich Frod is the one that said it best.
It's it's a tough place to get to. It's not a destination,
but once you get here, you think it's pretty good. Bad why did
you decide to come here? The weather in the campus and the sports isn't
that one bingo exactly exactly? And and a little ceiling for admissions, but
let's go past that even more so. Okay, interesting couple of questions from
Brian Peterson regarding n I L just how the NIL thing is working and what
it's been like to operate under that. Uh uh, you know, where
where donations are going and all that kind of stuff. Here's what Jed had
to say. Yeah, I mean, I think it's clear that that is
where college football, college athletics, whatever you want to say, has gone
in a lot of different ways. Football specifically, Uh, it's expensive to
run a football program. Uh, it's certainly expensive when it comes down to
you know, your player retention, player acquisition, how you're going to support
your players through name, image and likeness. And collectives are very involved in
that. Multimedia brands are involved in that. And if you want to have
a winning culture and a winning team, the supporters of University of Arizona have
to step up in that regard. It is the only way right now to
get it to where it has to go. We've seen other programs put in
millions upon millions of dollars into their player payroll. However, you want to
look at it, and you could say some of them have benefited greatly.
Some of them would say there's been some challenges with that. I think in
the end you have to find a nice balance and you have to be able
to recognize and reward players for what they have done. Certain players obviously are
going to bring more to the table than others financially the same token donors are
really the way most of these collectives are funded right now, and that those
donors could come from private entities, meaning their companies, their businesses, how
can they help a kid succeed or their personal investments into the collectives, but
all of it is necessary to be able to sustain winning and win more in
the future. And then a follow up question was, Okay, where do
you think Arizona sits in the hierarchy of the Pact twelve? From an NIL
standpoint, Yeah, I think the I mean I wouldn't know the answer to
that, because it's the most clandestine operations of all time. Nobody has any
idea what anybody's saying doing, and a lot of times what you hear and
what we read turns out to be false. A lot of times you hear
about this kid got offered that, or this kid got or this player was
compensated in this regard, and then you find out from somebody else, or
somebody transfers into your program and tells you what was going on in the other
program, and it's nothing like what you thought you knew or read or saw.
So I believe that's why the NCAA right now is trying to find ways
to make people at least kind of tell people what they got right, you
know, give their contracts to one central location, make sure it's more open
to the public, make sure people have a better understanding, because right now
you're you don't know if you're negotiating against yourself or you're negotiating against another team,
because there's no open forum and there's no way to really know. That
makes sense. And let's let's use Texas A and M as an example,
right A wealthy, wealthy money coming in their mil deals are reportedly very good,
right, how they do it? That's a good. That's so it
doesn't really that doesn't drawing money at a situation that doesn't really can wait?
Well, yeah, or you remember that that little tedt of tet between between
Jimbo Fisher and Alabama and Nick Saban, you know, accusing each other of
you know, buying players and paying millions that la YadA, YadA, YadA.
Well again, as you said, how's it been going for Texas A
and M? Right, you know, not so good? Still got to
coaching kids. Yeah, I mean you're you're hearing that Caleb Williams is getting
millions of dollars, but you're also hearing that, well, he's getting millions
of dollars, but he's not gonna play in his Bowl game, right you
know? And let me is there is there something that says, okay,
you awe with some money if you don't play well, let me say this,
what about what about the kids possibly being resentful that he's doing this,
yees this and they're not getting in, they're not getting any of it.
Exactly. That was my initial that's your Yeah, that was my initial thought.
You started talking about that day one. How's the center going to block
for this guy who's making millions? And I got ten thousand dollars in the
bucket? You know? You know what I'm saying exactly. All right,
We're gonna we'll chat somewhere about some of that stuff after the break. I
mean, after the next segment, we're gonna bring in Mark Carland, athletic
director in Utah, and old uh he was an Arizona guy for a long
time, so he's got some connections. Seri is a good friend of ours,
so we'll be back with Mark Harlan. For more than twenty years,
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is I on the Ball with Stea Bravera and Jacobzalez on Fox Sports fourteen fifteen.
Hey, welcome to buck to While the Ball here plus Sports fourteen.
Quickly come steeple there, he's sickly. Go throw the folio. Mark Harlan
the A d Utah via Arizona. Yes, we're gonna we have to make
sure that if we claim credit for where you where you are, Mark,
because you know it all started here. You know the plaque of both you
guys here in the giving giving you credit for reminding me stay out of the
media and going to administration. So smart man, Sure, I don't know
you guys are the ads these days have a tough life. This is n
I L budgets blah blah blah. Yeah you know, I mean you could
be at Arizona where they just figured out that they don't have two hundred and
forty million dollars that they thought they had. So hey, man, I've
been busy traveling and all that stuff. But I know doctor Robbins will figure
all that out. I have a lot of belief in that guy. He's
awesome. So so Mark, I always ask these people who are doing really
well, what's in the water in Salt Lake. You guys are killing it,
crushing it you have been for a while. That's nice. Yeah,
no, it's you know, I think just like like I felt when I
worked at the University of Arizona. You know, it's all about great people,
and we've got a great staff and that that really that just tries to
outwork to everybody and be really innovative. And but most importantly it's these coaches
and student athletes. A lot of continuation of really good coaches. Everyone likes
living here and being here, and and they go out and recruit to their
kind of style. You know. Obviously football gets the headlines, but it's
kind of like that in many of our sports, and so a lot of
good people that have been here for a long time that that work really hard.
Well, you know, we we actually asked Jed Fish about that because
last year at this time he said, you know, Utah is a football
program. We want to you know, we aspire to be that. And
I said, okay, so this year, you know, you're getting closer,
but how far away? Do you still think you are? And so
we're still years away. And he had a lot of great things to say
about about the programming, particularly about about Kyle Whittingham. So let me ask
you about Kyle Whittingham, you know, the dean of the coaches. He's
been there long time. What's been the thing that you think has been sort
of a key to his success and why you know he continues to be there
and do the things that he's doing, you know, two rose bowls in
a row, all that stuff. Well, first of all, you know,
I do want to mention Jed's comments last year. It was it was
really noted and he was really gracious with his comments. This week, Kyle
and I both caught those chat with Kyle as we do every week about everything
going on, and we both noted that and really impressed with what Jed Jed
has done and that whole group down there. When I saw Jed's media day
in Vegas, you know, we were chatting a little bit. I could
tell he was really excited about what might be coming. Of course, DUYNEA.
A. Keen is one of my one of my greatest and dearest friends,
and you know, it's just there's just a lot of really good people
on that staff, and so I'm to say I'm surprised would be a lie.
I'm not surprised. So so congratulations on everything he's done. You know,
Kyle is Kyle. Whitting him is just you know, he's got a
way of doing things. It's culture, and it's recruiting to that culture.
I mean, everybody wants five stars and four stars, we get all the
star stuff, but he's got his staff. It's got an unbelievable way of
just recruiting the right kind of people in here that believe in toughness. I
mean, it's a real physical program that you know, practices with our earspinned
back every day. And it's a family approach, which I grew up with
Dick Tomy. You know, it's a very close knit group and it's been
a joy to work with him. You know, it's it's it reminds me
a lot of the days with Coach Tomy. You know, he love folks,
and you take care of people and they work really hard for you.
And I think that's what we've seen. And to see the kind of success
the programs had, particularly these last few years, it's just been really gratifying
for all the work they do. He's terrific. You answered my own question
because I was going to go there with Dick Tomy because you were a ga
under him back in the day. But you know, the thing I think
about Williamham. He comes in driving in his motorcycle for game day, and
I'm thinking, that's a dude I don't want to play for. He's just
a hard, tough dude. And that's exactly what you guys are. You
guys are hard ass tough dudes. Yeah. Yeah, he's tough. I
mean, he really is. I mean people forget he's sixty four and uh
and he is. He doesn't behave like a guy sixty four. I mean,
you know this motorcycle thing. He and I get into some tips over
the motorcycle. You know, I said, I get these tasks when you're
not wearing that helmet cruising around town. You know, people text me.
But he's he's great. He and his wife Jamie, the family. You
know, their institutions here and and you know the coaches love working for him.
He's got it, like I said, a great staff. You know,
Morgan Scully are longtime defensive coordinator Andy Ludwig you know, been with Witt
for for a long time on the offensive side of the ball. The three
of them just have a great synergy. But it starts with Kyle's leadership and
and the kind of students you want in here. And we've I think the
transfer portal, although it's always going to hurt you at times, it's been
really that positive for us. We've had some great transfers come in and really
contribute, so we know we got our hands full of this Saturday, I
can assure that. Well, so you know, talking about about winning him
though, you know, I mean you must be able to put your head
on the pillow at nine and you know with a little smile on your face
that you got a coach like that. But on the flip side of that,
you know, do you do you fret? Do you worry at all
that you know somebody's going to come along with an offer he can't refuse and
you know, we know how things are, right, how much do you
worry about that? If at all? Well, I think you know,
when you've been doing this as long as I have in leadership roles ad almost
a decade now, you you understand that anything is possible. You know,
if we've learned anything in the last year. In particular, anything's possible when
you don't think it. I think you just always have to have your plans
and you know, your different routes mapped out for what might happen. But
Kyle and I are we have a great communication rhythm about about all those types
of things. And I think you know, obviously he's proven on many times
that he wants to be here. A staff wants to be here as long
as he knows, like any of of my coaches, you know, are
we invest thing, are we making good decisions together? Or we at a
high level of communication at least gives you a great opportunity to fight through those
things. But you know, control the controllables. I don't worry about it
because I think we've got a lot of good pending no matter what happens.
So we know that you were here many years ago. Who was your I
don't think we've asked this question at least, I haven't your mentor down here
in becoming who you become. M Well, it's hard because you're picking up
you know, remember I worked there and there it was a you know,
kind of a mount rushmore of athletic administrators to talk about John Parrin and Rocky
Lorose and Dick BArch and you know, said Dempsey was there my you know
when I was coming through, and then Jim Live and Good. I mean,
you can go on and on. I mean, I'm not going to
say Chris del Kanye in case because I don't want to give him any credit.
I wouldn't do that. I wouldn't do that at all. So I
won't say Chris, although I love Chris my mentor, and I could go
on and on. There was just such it was such a time to be
working there in the late eighties early nineties, and and you know, through
that decade of just people that that that really worked together, the program really
grew. You know, it didn't mean we'd have great challenges, but we
all worked together, saw what teamwork really look like. And incredible coaches,
I mean, oh my gosh, Lout and Rick coach t and just on
and on legendary coaches. So too many to name, but I will tell
you it's John Parrin and Rocky. The two of them in particular, I
spent a lot of time with and I think a lot like they do,
which is always keeping a student athlete in mind. Well, well, yeah,
John just went in the into the Athletic Hall of Fame, I know,
and I was supposed to be there. Del Connie and I were also
to be there, and we both got these ridiculously early kickoff games and we
had the Sun Devils and he had somebody else, and so we weren't able
to get there. And you can imagine JP had to go at us about
that. But I'll see him this weekend. So so well, so,
you know, talking about that then with all those people who you just mentioned,
you know, does your program over there look a little bit like what
it looked like over here? Gosh? I hope so, because that's what
she wanted to look like, right under said in Jim's leadership, where people
have creativity and bringing things forward and without afraid of get you know, not
backwards if if something didn't work totally right, and and that culture is something
I always have wanted to create where I've gone, and I think we've been
able to do a lot of that, you know, put my own style
into things too, but being very collaborative and communicative with with your team.
You know, we got two hundred plus people at work at Utah and and
so you can't see everybody every day. But if you can establish that culture
that I learned there, you get you know, you give yourself a chance.
So this game's not completely you know, this season is not completely over.
But I want you to know Mark uh Jay and I have anointed you
pack fwelve champions next year, big, big, big twelve champions next year.
Big. Well, because you know, we haven't talked in a while.
Lots happened since we've talked. Yeah, a lots happened, I guess
all. I'd say, there's so much to say. Maybe we can,
you know, get on a show and talk about later. But the one
thing that is given me a great comfort is that you know, we're going
in there with Colorado and two Arizona's. I think there's really I know,
from our fan base, the fact that, uh that those schools are going
with us, it just makes it all that all that better. You know,
we're I think we're all excited about some new cities and and some new
teams, and there's a little bit of juilt of energy about all that,
but going in with those schools, and I think you might have seen a
little wink wink on that with the way the football schedules came out of this
first four years that we're going to play each other on most years, and
I think that's important not only for the programs, but also for the fan
base. So we'll see what happens and then and then you're back in with
those guys in blue over there. H u yu. How fun is that?
Or is like, damn, we we got away from them and now
we're back. What the hell? Yeah, Well, the funny thing is
we we've taken a two year break in football because Tom the ad. They're
a good friend and think they agreed to kind of step aside so we could
have this home and home that we just completed with Florida. We were scheduled
to go back on another ten year football arrangement anyway, and we already played
them home and home in every other sport. So really, to me,
like this just makes it matter even more, Like we're playing him anyway,
let's let's let's have it. You know, meant something, And you know,
our students kind of a lot of our students up with them, and
so you know they're excited about that piece. Well, well, you know,
we did talk about the fact you are on the college Football PLAYFF Committee.
I know you can't talk about any of the stuff going on with it,
but can I ask you how much work is it? And are you
having fun with it? Yeah? Well, yeah, it's it's a you
know, I would argue, you know, basketball committee is up there too,
But to be asked to serve on this committee is probably the greatest honors
I've had since I've been in the in the business. And you know,
it's an interesting it's a one year term to represent the PAC twelve. As
weish up. I got a Lake call on it because of a replacement.
But yeah, I mean, it's it's a it's a tremendous amount of work,
but it's it's a labor of love. You know. My wife jokes,
she said, what are you doing on that's a Sunday morning? You
know what are you doing? I'm watching game films because you're watching college football.
You need to do other stuff. I said, no, this is
this is the real deal now, and she she she laughs, But but
yeah, you know, you gotta there's there's thirteen of us and you've got
to go in there and you've got to be ready to roll. You've got
to know stuff. You gotta see it film. They give me some really
good They load up your iPads with with by eight am Mountain time, they've
got all the key games down to one hour and you can see the all
twenty two or the television you can go in. We reach assigned the conferences
and you really got to dig out on those conferences and also on the national
level. I do. I go every Sunday for six weeks. We're in
week three coming up. I go out to Dallas and then I'm there Monday
and Tuesday five back Tuesday night, and we'll do that through the final poll.
But it's been a great experience. It's very very sophisticated. But yeah,
it can be mind bending at times for sure. So we have a
couple of games that left, like I say, in the regular schedule,
we might see this Saturday, but I'm looking forward to the Pac twelve basketball
tournament in Vegas, the last hurroun for everybody. Yeah, yeah, no,
it turn. It's been great. You know another former Arizona ALM,
you know Dinette Late And at the time, right she she was the big
driving force when she worked for Commissioner Scott to get that tournament moved. And
boy, that was just a huge success. I mean, I think that
and maybe the football move too, which she also did, was just a
gigantic success for the league. And you know, just like we filled it
up for football last couple of years, you guys have filled it up for
basketball every year. And I think I'll say I'm you know, learned a
little bit. I don't know if you guys had talked Dave Ikey about this,
but learned a little bit about the Kansas City piece of this in the
Big twelve that apparently I've not been, but apparently it is off off the
charts. Yeah, yeah, just just incredible all in approach to it.
You know, sold out, the moving the women there too, which is
great. The arena, I guess is elite, so you know, I
think there'll be some ol bummer we're leaving Vegas. But from what I'm told,
the tournament, the Big TWL tournament is just unbelievable. We heard that
because you know, immediately, you know, PAC twelve fans immediately starts saying,
oh, you need to move your Big twelve tournament over to Vegas,
and Big twelve fan was saying, you have no idea what it's like in
Kansas City, and Yeah, it's just far so yeah, it's just it's
not the drivable And I've heard it from our fans too. It's only six
hours it like seven from remember, but it's a quick drive. But you
know what it's it's all part of the change we're going through. And uh,
you know it'll be another interesting step in it. But you know the
heck of a basketball conference that we're heading to, that's for sure. Well,
thank you, Mark. One thing is and you know you this already
that Jay hate you because you've got into the Rose Bowl twice. Hate.
Hate is a strong hate is a strong word. Mark. But you know,
let me tell Jay, let me tell you something. It's better than
you could even that night. Baby, you know what, I was just
gonna invite you to our tailgate on Saturday morning. But that's hot. I
always find you that's off there you go wait, wait, wait, well,
what do you guys think about the game? I mean, come on,
look at where's gonna happen on Saturday. Everyone's gonna kick your ass.
What do you think he's gonna say? Well, maybe I'll just stay outside.
You might want to bring your own food. I think it's gonna be
fun, maright, thing's gonna be a great game, I really do.
You know, you know how Arizona fans are, right, we keep thinking
that this thing is gonna, you know, crumble, and it hasn't yet,
And I feel I think it's gonna be a really good game for both.
You know, it's gonna be fun and I'm looking forward to it.
I love the twelve thirty start, I do. Yeah, well, I
echoed that it should be two you know, obviously, two highly ranked teams
and Arizona gus Ever since that USC over time, I watched every play that
and boy just been on a tear kind of you know, if you look
from an Arizona historical standpoint. I don't want to overstate it, but doesn't
it remind you a little bit about that loss in Miami that's at eight to
seven, the McLoughlin wide right, and then that team went on a tear
after that. Has a little bit of that, a little bit of that
feel as I watched them play. The confidence that Arizona's playing with, which
is what our coaches have noted, that's why you tip your hat. Yeah,
I know, we uh, we'll be ready, though, I can
assure you we'll be ready to come down and give everything we have. But
it should be a great game. Yeah, I said exactly that a few
little a little bit back. The problem with that season though, was they
didn't finish right. They lost their last three games. So I'm saying this,
they got to finish this to keep Oh that's right and now, and
you guys are in the way. You guys in the way, So we'll
see what happens too. Mark, to his point, he has n't been
right at all his So there's that. Thanks, Well, we'll see what
happens. Well. I appreciate you guys always reaching out and I look forward
to seeing you somewhere them all. Yeah, give us a yes, not
buy a look for us. Well, we'll be there. Thanks Mark,
Thanks, I appreciate you. Fday b Bye. Mark Carlin heyda Utah,
longtime friend. Love that guy thirty some years. Still down to earth right,
Oh yeah, he's this big high falutin athletic director on the college football
Playoff committee and he still like comes back in Jab. Here's not del Conte,
He's not definitely county. That was funny. All right, we'll be
right back and we'll take your casse five two zero four one, six,
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Steve Bravera and jaygn Salez they have their eye on the ball on Tucson
Sports Stage jet Fox Sports fourteen fifty streaming live on the iHeartRadio app. Hey,
welcome back, joining the ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty Young Steve,
you got Kevin with us today, thirteen minutes should be like to call
a good conversation with Carlon. He was fun. He's he's he's so much
fun. He's such a down to earth kind of guy. You know,
always remembers where you know, where he came from and the people get there.
Yeah. A good guy back then too. Yeah, and you know
always I will say he was really he played on that baseball team with a
few times. He was really slow. Really what made him really I don't
know, because he was not a big guy. He was not a small
guy. He was just a dude. His legs didn't move. That's typically
why the slow guy is slow. I remember I remember watching him run down
the first baseline. I'm like, you love he's joking. Oh, we
should have had a lot of I should chick on it like that. He's
gone, he's probably he's busy doing whatever. His next thing is that he's
not even hearing this and we're ripping on or I'm ripping on fun guy.
Love love the guy. But you know the program that Utah has and that's
coming in one six Street and they went S Street. Yes, gus Arizona.
That's not by accident, no, no, they passed. They lapped
Arizona because remember when when Arizona Colorado came in in the you know, into
the pack pub, you thought, okay, fine, you know they're you
know, it's gonna be tough for them to be competitive. And guess what,
Arizona pens still have that perception, is right, that that that's who
Utah is. Yeah, yeah, Colorado you know, yes, they had
one one Pack twelve South championship, but their team has sucked. Well guess
what Arizona right, right, you know, and so you know the holier
than now thing. But and you know, Utah, you know, a
couple of rose bowls and snuck in there and stuff, and it's all lapped
Arizona and some other teams and it's all they play like their boss. Yeah.
I mean they're in the conversation with Washington, Oregon and USC right as
you know, as the standard in the PAC twelve. And guess what,
every time I don't know about you, but every time they would play those
teams, you just take there's no chance. Yeah, I guess what,
they beat them? Yeah, and they beat him and they and they got
into it. Got you know, won the back to back. Then that
two doesn't happen by it? No, first time, okay, second time,
not so much. Now it's a thing. Yeah, now it's the
thing. And Jed talks about that again. They're packed pack twelve champs coming
in. We have to have to beat them. Yeah, well, let's
let's play that clip because he does. He does mention that in his in
his UH in his introduction about you know who they're facing this week. We've
got a UH champions coming in here. PAC twelve champions two years in a
row. So we know that that is an awesome challenge to bring in the
Pac twelve champions UH into our place and see how well we can play against
them. It's a UH certainly, it's a championship opportunity. It's a championship
game in so many different ways, and we've got to take advantage of this
moment as a program. Sitting here at seven and three, proud of where
we are these last ten games, proud of where we are these last four
games, knowing that we have two more games to play at the opposite highest
level prior to the postseason. We know the importance and significance of the following
week, but all of our focus is on this championship game that we have
on Saturday. This doesn't pertend to this clip or whatever. But I was
coming in and I don't know why this can't struckt me. But but we
talk about dogs, right, we talk about the UA being dogs, And
I'm thinking this is a perfect example for me to talk about my uniforms analogy.
You put those defenders in just just the uniforms, just the uniform just
rag tag uniforms, they would look even more dog like because they would be
just dudes who wanted to beat the crap out of you. Does that make
sense? But not all pretty don't I want pretty. I want dogs and
their dogs. But when they look at they no, they don't want to
get their uniforms even dirtier. See if I agree. I mean, you
know they're they're you know, they're just wanting to go out. It's like
when you think you see those the old NFL films from the sixties and you
know, early seventies when they were all muddy and bloody and and stuff like
that, that those guys just they didn't give a crap what they look like.
They just played yea, and they were and they were mean and vicious,
you know Dick but me and Joe Green, uh, you know,
Mike Curls from the Colts, those guys John Madden. John Madden has a
commercial. I don't know if I see it every now and again. It
says, oh, it may on far and maybe he's on Facebook or Twitter
or whatever. He says, Yeah, they say that we played dirty back.
When what are you gonna do about it? Exactly exactly. So Jed
was talking about, you know, a championship game and all that kind of
stuff in that in that clip a minute go. So he was asked,
how much are you how much are you talking about the fact that you're still
in the hunt to get into the PAC twelve Championship game. Here's what he
had to say. Yeah, well, you know that was from the very
beginning. We yeah, been very clear about that. If you want to
play in the PAC Tworld Championship Game, you gotta win on Saturday, then
you gotta win again on Saturday, and then you need Oregon State to beat
Oregon and that's what has to happen. So we don't shy away from it.
That's just the bottom line. And that's why we all work this hard.
And you know, we talked a little bit about the difference between sacrifice
and investment, and everything that we've asked our team to do is invest in
themselves to be able to put ourselves in position to have that conversation. So
once we got into the conversation, I didn't want to shy away from it.
Amazing that it's even the conversation though, Nonny, Yeah, stunny is
that it's a conversation, no question, no question. The storylines of this
year have been Arizona, even Colorado to a point because no one thought they'd
win some Yeah, what us Oregon being this good? Or Washington? The
quarterbacks? Yeah there's two now because there's only two quarterbacks here, right,
the rest of kind of fallen with so two quarterbacks, Arizona, Colorado?
What else from those are the stories those? Well? US has been a
storyline, but in a bad way. But it's bad way. So but
yeah, no, you know, and that that's been the discussion, Pep.
You see on social media that Arizona is like one of these stories of
the PAC twelve. Uh yeah, because it was so unexpected and you know
what, you know, what makes it even more impressive is the national guys
like the herb Streets and the those dudes are talking about it, not just
guys. Yeah, no, you know again, you know, the the
the the the podcast I listened to with Dan Wetzel, Pat forty and and
Ross Ross Dellinger. At the end of I think on their their Tuesday podcast
or somewhere they're no, they're they're Sunday podcasts. They at the end they
say, Okay, now, because we've said all these bad things about people,
we've got to say something nice about somebody. And Arizona was the topic
of Ross Dollinger, you know, saying nice thoughts. I'm talking about how
Jetfish has turned it around so fast, and not only are they good,
but you know, they're they're physical, they're you know, they're they're hard
to beat. They do all these things that they're hard on people. And
talking about how this game with Utah is gonna be you know, you know,
Utah's Utah. Yet you think Arizona can win that game? Do you
think that they snuck up on teams and that's part of it. I think
they snuck up on a couple. I think it snuck up on Washington.
I think they stuck up on USC after that. I don't think they snuck
up on anybody, you know, especially after what they did to Washington State.
I thought, you know, Oregon, there was no reason for Oregon
State to think Arizona wasn't you know, and it wasn't good enough to beat
them, you know. And you see, like you know, I watched
a little bit like the second half of the UCLA A SU game from Saturday,
you know, on that sixty minute thing. They're awful. They were
awful. Yeah, it's looked like it looked like there's something going It looked
like there was the last place they wanted. There's something they're playing like in
fact that they look there's something going on because they before the week started.
Uh, he talked about his them not being together. How we have a
caller. Hey, you guys, I'm doing pretty good. Hey, let's
talk about the elephant in the room. So I listened to you guys last
night, and you guys talk about how there's still rumors about you say,
potting ways with Chip Kelly, and so I kind of think that Jetfish still
wants to be at Arizona because Arizona's going to the Big twelve there's easier way
for Arizona to to compete and win championships in the Big twelve. And and
there's not a Texas, Oklahoma or either Oregon, Washington or USC in the
Big ten, I mean in the in the Big twelve. So there's an
easy way to win to win in the Big Twelve compared to if Jetfish goes
to UCLA or even Florida. In the Big Ten, there's Oregon, Washington,
USC, Ohio State, and Michigan, and then in Florida there's obviously
Georgia, Alabama, LSU, and Tennessee and you and it goes on and
on, and I just kind of still think that Jetfish would be there's still
want to be at Arizona compared to going to to those two schools where their
fans are very want to win and a very high level, and compared to
Arizona, we if we we love to win nine or ten games or even
eleven games. But so that's why I kind of think and I kind of
expect Jonathan Smith to be hired, but I hope Dave Peking a President Robbins
have a working behind the scenes to give me Jetfish a huge, a huge
contract extension and and and we and also pay raising paying the race for the
for Jetfish's coaching stuff. We need to keep keep them compare high Water.
Yeah, I agree with you, Gabe. And I think I don't see
him. I think it's too early for him one from the standpoint of a
school looking at him like at U C l A or whatever. But yeah,
I could, I could see you see, like, you know,
coming, you know, coming at him. And I don't know Jetfish other
than the fifteen or half hour that we get with him once once, you
know, once a week. But I would think he'd want to do a
little more here before he went off somewhere else. That's just my Yeah,
that's what That's why I kind of saying, I'm totally fine if he's go
to the NFL. By least Arizona needs to be finally relevant football. Why
not airs Ona? Just like what Rich was Rich say, why not Arizona?
Why can't Arizona just be good in football? Why can't Arizona just be
like Utah? Is this right now is the perfect time for Arizona to be
relevant in football finally? And just I'm just we us Arizona fans, we
dealt through the Kevin Bumlin era and that was a sugar and Honey, I
see show and just it's finally it's I'm happy that Jetfish finally cares about Arizona,
not like a Kosha doesn't really much care. And and I just kind
of irritated, why can't why can't Why can't Arizona just have something really nice?
Yeah one, Okay, well good, we gotta go. We got
good, good stuff, Gaye. But obviously you know we'll be watching,
so we'll see what happens. Hey, thanks about have a great day.
Yeah, so we have forty four seconds one that kind of expended. But
there's always gonna be coaching openings. There are every year, you know,
I mean, how how often does somebody come after call Waittingham? Right?
You know, uh, probably all the time. Yeah. So and if
you're good, that's gonna happen. You just deal with it. Sure,
we'll get more, get more behind you on the resume, exactly exactly,
you know, I mean, I'm not I wouldn't be shocked if you if
you see l a fire Chip Kelli and they came after Jed. But you
know, you just see what happens that you hope for the best. Good
luck with that. Yeah, exactly all right, we're gonna take our break,
we'll be back. Kevin will be here with breaking news.