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Speaker 2: When you do, you can follow me on ex act,
Cridel Benjamin, follow us at ESPN. The fan guys, we
got a fantastic show for you. Why don't we get
right into it. Let's fire it up the ESPN the
fans starting a lotup music, and I can introduce you
to my co host and the rest of the star
set of Cash joining us for this Wednesday, October twenty
second edition of Cougar Sports as welcome in first and
foremost the hammer Time Show, Brett Hammer, What's up Hammertime?
Speaker 4: I don't know if you saw the Bear Bachmeyer interview
on Sports Center last night, but apparently there were some
wild WWE matches in the Vachmeier household growing up. They
would put a championship ladder hanging from the fan are
a melt akro, the man climb a b ladder. Tiger
Bachmer was jumping from one couch soon another and split
its mount omit. So we will be there will be
a little bit of mention of wwup show, and it's
all because Bear Backmer started it. I know you don't
like it, but if Bear said, and I think it's
I think we have to talk about it.
Speaker 3: Well, it's funny.
Speaker 2: It's like we interviewed Bear Tiger Hay in the lead
up to his first start, and every single one of
them discussed how wild and rockish the monk Myer Home won,
and then they would engage in all manner of wrestling
scout and then they.
Speaker 3: Whatever it took going off the top rope. It was wild.
Speaker 2: It was crazy in the Bachmar home and once again
Bear was ash in the post game.
Speaker 3: We listened to it earlier this week.
Speaker 2: I asked him like, hey, how do you stay level
headed when all of the hype is surrounding you? And
He's like, look, it's it's just I've said it a lot.
I'll say it again. It's how I was raised, you know,
It's how I was raised. He's got a military father
and then he's got a Asian mother that probably gave
a little bit of corporal punishment from now and now
and again, you know a little little uh. I think
they I think they said the wooden spoon. He had
had the wooden spoon, so uh, he is of tight
descent uh and lineage. So those two things combined and
then having a bunch of brothers in the home sound
like it was.
Speaker 3: Uh.
Speaker 2: It was a unique upbringing, no doubt about it. And
look all of us growing up. I think at one
time or another, we we we were watching wwf WW
and we're going off the top rope, either on top
of a brother, a sister, a neighbor, somebody, right, Uh,
and so every one of us have tried that. Yeah,
we're gonna play that sound for you.
Speaker 3: Uh. So don't don't miss it. Stay tuned.
Speaker 2: We're gonna delve into all the knooks of Gretti's all
the news and it's coming out of Brigham today. Also,
welcome in AP Andrew Peterson to the show. Was up AP, Oh,
nothing much, just just going off this w W.
Speaker 1: I personally, I'm on Ben's side. I'm not really a
fan of WWE. I've never really gotten into it. But
the b yu wwet belt. If Bear Bachmeyer is a
huge fan, does that mean does that add to the
need to buy one for the set?
Speaker 5: Here?
Speaker 3: I try.
Speaker 4: I submitted an expense report and it was denied, So
I looks like I have to submit another one.
Speaker 3: Andrew. Could I get the Crumble THEEO to go another?
Speaker 2: I could probably get a free belt from Salt City Swaggering. Yeah,
they do some sweet one. I'll put in a request
from from my guy for ESPN. The fan at Cougar Sports.
Speaker 3: I'm not I'm not a fan of WWE, but the
belts are. You can't argue with the belt.
Speaker 4: And I did the like if I buy that belt,
because I was like, when else am I going to
use it? My wife was like, we're not buying that.
There's no time to do it. There's nowhere and it's going
to go in our home. And I was like, okay,
but what if I brought it to the game. She's like,
there's no way you could bring that to the game.
I can confirm I was at the game on Saturday
and there was someone walking around with a WWE belt.
I don't know how they got that through the metal detector,
but applaud them because that was impressive.
Speaker 3: So now I want to can you imagine how sweet
that thing is?
Speaker 4: You just walk around carrying this giant a belt with
the BYU Cougar on it.
Speaker 3: Man, I love it.
Speaker 2: Let's also welcome in Martin Kelly to the show Martin,
how the heck are you buddy?
Speaker 4: Not doing too bad?
Speaker 3: Not doing too bad?
Speaker 4: Let's see if you know, continuing this WWE talk, let's
see if the you know by you can earn themselves
a championship run or some type of you know down
the road. Here at the end of this football season,
they gotta key winning games.
Speaker 3: Gotta keep on winning games.
Speaker 2: And one of my key questions of the day chiming
on Twitter at cridel Benjamin you can follow us at
esp and the fan as well, pollard A what will
By's record be in the next five games?
Speaker 3: And why this is?
Speaker 4: Uh?
Speaker 2: This is the gauntlet that we were fearful of. You
got the win that you felt was most important in
the gauntlet? Right if if you gave a BYU fan
a choice of beating Utah and losing four five straight
after that, or losing the Utah and only being a
one lost team UH towards the end of the year
and making it into early I wonder how many BYU.
Speaker 3: Fans would have taken would have taken.
Speaker 2: The UH the all the other wins over a Utah loss?
Speaker 3: Would you take the inversion?
Speaker 2: Like?
Speaker 3: What would you do there?
Speaker 2: Because I think That's a tough dilemma for any BYU fan,
But you got the win that you wanted, probably most
out up the next six games in this gauntlet.
Speaker 4: My brother in law at the game the other day
said I would take going one at eleven as long
as it means.
Speaker 3: That we beat Utah, And I'm like, look, I understand that.
Speaker 4: Him here for that, and now we're sitting in a
position where it's like, guess what you get to also
be seven and oh you have no losses on the schedule.
I was just watching back yesterday PFF College are good
for Max Shadwick.
Speaker 3: They did a preview for this BOYU.
Speaker 4: I was they came, which I'm sure we'll play for
some sound later on in the week, but I was
reminded by Max Chadwick, do you guys remember what the
preseason win total was for this team? Six and a
half points. We have already surpassed the preseason win total.
People debating whether or not BYU was going.
Speaker 2: Four and a half, So you went from four and
a half to six and a half. The most underrated
team in college football. We have three objective data points.
Just in the last two years, the over unders at
four and a half and six and a half. You
have also the aggregated data of AP polls.
Speaker 3: Yep.
Speaker 2: Right, Like, my most underrated, the most underrated college football
team in the AP pole era is BYU. No other
team started outside the top twenty five and entered into
the top twenty five than BYU.
Speaker 3: And that's what's insane.
Speaker 2: So and look like, listen to the anlysts, the punnits
that continue to not buy into who BYU is. And
I was having this discussion with the ad after in
the SID after this game versus U, tom like, look like,
why is it that BYU is so underrated? Why is
it that no one really is ever willing to really
go out on it on a legend and pick BYU
in the preseason? And and some of it has to
do in the modern era of like recruiting rankings. Right
when two four seven and rivals UH, they they rank
BYU recruits. Once the commit commits to BYU or the
prospect commits to BYU, their rating goes down.
Speaker 3: Their rating doesn't continue to elevate.
Speaker 2: Right, The only prospects that continue to elevate in their
status are those that are choosing not to serve missions,
and they allow for like the final five or the
final three to play it out and then they finally
make it announcement on live television. Right, they make out with
all of their schools there because there's a pr propaganda piece.
Speaker 3: And all that.
Speaker 2: But if they're serving a mission and they and they
commit early, they have a precipitous drop in their recruiting rate.
So that has something to do with it. But there's
more to it than just the recruiting ranking BYU. We've
had College Football Matrix on our show Dave Bar two
and he discusses that BYU's coaching staff just continues to
out produce per their talent, yes, but also per their resources,
their resources allocated. Why is that, I'm gonna say it's
the BYU culture. It's the LDS way. That is the
culture that we have here. Look at the socioeconomic status
right now in the state of Utah, and it's trickling
down into a football program that can receive all those
resources and allocate them judiciously and strategically in order to
maximize wins on the football field on the basketball court.
Speaker 1: Well, in my opinion, I think it comes down to
think I think it comes down to Tom Holmo and
the job he did as the athletic director. One of
his focuses as the athletic director, and he said this
was stability. And he did a good job of hiring
good coaches and making it a stable situation for them,
allowing them to actually do their job, and so they
were able to coach up this talent and maybe.
Speaker 3: Overperform in some instances. Like think about this, Dave Rose.
Speaker 1: I think was it twenty seasons at BYU, and nineteen
of them were twenty win seasons? He had one. I
think he only had one season under twenty wins. That
level of stability there is almost unheard of anywhere across
the country.
Speaker 3: His final season nineteen and thirteen exactly. And so.
Speaker 2: I think, sorry, that was a twenty eighteen nineteen when
he had the nineteen win season.
Speaker 1: I think it goes back to Tom Holmo did a
great job of setting things up administratively to make it
a stable athletic department and and that allowed the culture
to grow, and that allowed teams to overperform.
Speaker 2: Well, it's uh, it's a great day to be a Cougar.
We got a star started cast for you. Obviously, our
internal crew. We're gonna get into a lot of sound
Aaron Roderick Andrew Gentry commentary. We're gonna have a Tim
Brown of RGS six Steeries on the line. We're gonna
have Rondo Felberg and much much more in Cougar bytes
in commentary. Don't miss it, bear Bachmeer sound. You're listening
to your Utah ESPN Radio Network one O three nine
ninety fight point three.
Speaker 3: Yes, Ben the fan.
Speaker 2: Let's get into the naty gritty brought to you by
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Speaker 4: One to one too, So.
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Speaker 3: Utah dot Com.
Speaker 2: Aaron Roderick, your by offensive coordinator, or addressed the media yesterday.
Speaker 3: Let's get into it.
Speaker 2: How would you evaluate the performance of your offense on
Saturday night versus Utah.
Speaker 6: Without all week?
Speaker 5: We had two weeks in a row where we were
negative in the turnover margin, and we knew we had
to do better this game. And I was really proud
of our team for that. And then I thought we
played physical. I thought we were especially in the fourth quarter.
And I thought Very did a nice job taking care
of the ball and was giving us small sparking the
run game too.
Speaker 3: But turnovers matter.
Speaker 2: It's cliche to discuss every single game, but you gotta
win the turnover battle.
Speaker 3: And even that's what's so unique, right.
Speaker 2: We talked about sustainability even last year in twenty twenty four,
even I would say twenty twenty three. Do you remember
that in twenty twenty three, b while you started the
season off pretty nicely, do you guys remember the two
thousand and twenty three season by chance and what happened
and the storylines that surrounded the.
Speaker 3: First year of the Big Twelve. Started out five and two.
Speaker 1: We had, I mean, we had an sec road win
and and we had a game against Kansas where we
felt like we could have won.
Speaker 3: We just had to turnovers that got back for six.
Speaker 4: Yeah, that was the Parker Kingston hit.
Speaker 3: That was a big one.
Speaker 1: I'm still I'm convinced that if Aiden Robbins had been healthy,
if he hadn't tried, if he hadn't tried playing with
broken ribs at the beginning of the year, if he'd
been healthy that year, b YU actually would have been
a pretty decent team and he would he would have
been drafted, He would be on an NFL roster right now.
Speaker 2: It would have helped. It would have helped it for
him to be healthy, be strong, and be able to
to to you know, around game game eight, to be
able to produce.
Speaker 3: At a high level.
Speaker 2: Byu went on a on a losing streak, big losing Streek, Texas,
West Virginia, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State the last two games. Though,
you saw what Byu could be when maybe healthy, when
blocking better, when schematically they were more aligned and you
almost beat two top twenty five teams ten digit wins
teams Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. So like, you look at
what b what he's done in the Big twelve through
three years, and I know they lost some big games
in that first year, but they've always had the potential
to compete. They've always had the potential to do what
they're doing right now, and we saw that even in
twenty twenty three.
Speaker 3: At any rate.
Speaker 2: I look at turnover margin and how turnover margin was
definitely a part of and he's always a part of
BYU football in winning games, especially rivalry games, and they
were plus two in the turnover margin game versus the youth.
Speaker 3: So they had to fix it.
Speaker 2: They fixed it in the game that for many Boa
fans mattered the most.
Speaker 3: Now, is there any thought on load managed with L J. Mortar?
Do you think he can continue to carry it at
this pace?
Speaker 6: Yeah, we're definitely being smart with him. In practice.
Speaker 5: He doesn't get hit at all, really, but yeah, the
load of carries he's getting right now is kind of
what I was envisioned before the season, even if even
I wasn't out Bears getting a few more than I
would like at times, but he's so good at it
it's hard not to use him.
Speaker 6: So we're trying to manage that as well as we can.
But uh, yeah, LJ, his practice week is pretty light.
Speaker 5: He's a veteran player who knows the offense really well,
so it's it's mostly just game plan details that he
needs to be able to play well on Saturdays.
Speaker 2: So yeah, look, I mean, how often do you see
in the NFL where these these running backs that you
pick up on your fantasy team they're like questionable all
the way up to kick off because they like got
like minimal practice time in that's it.
Speaker 3: They're they're on the bike, they're they're they're in the pool, they're.
Speaker 2: On the field, but they're not really doing anything of
import right, they're just resting, staying healthy prior to kickoff,
prior to Sunday.
Speaker 3: That's kind of what we're seeing with LJ and the
load management.
Speaker 2: Why, because he's got one hundred and twenty seven carries,
he's already surpassed his total yards from last last year
seven hundred and seventy four. He's at six point one
yards per carry, four touchdowns, and he's also received the
ball eleven times eighty two yards seven point five yards
per reception. So yeah, the load is heavy, the burden
is heavy, but this is all a part of it.
This is all a part of the game plan. This
is what a rod wanted to distribute to his bell
cow back. Go back and look at what Tyler als
Year did his junior year, what Jamal Williams was doing
his junior season.
Speaker 3: Look at guys like Harvey Yunga.
Speaker 2: The touches that they are getting are essentially equivalent or
the touches that LJ is getting or equivalent to a
bell cow and NFL running back. And quite honestly, the
NFL wants to see durability. The NFL wants to see
consecutive games of twenty plus touches running backs blocking in
the pass, pro.
Speaker 3: Catching the ball in the back.
Speaker 2: That they're looking for an all purpose back and every
down back. That's the most valuable back in the NFL.
And they want to see that first and foremost because
they got they got scat backs that can come in
and replace it for third down if needed. But they
want to see the full fledged arsenal of your skill set.
And that's what LJ is showcasing this year every single game.
Speaker 4: The irony with using the term load management is that
it absolutely does not apply to LJ, because LJ has
earned the right to sit out a couple of days
because of what.
Speaker 3: He does in games.
Speaker 4: Whereas NBA players they just get tired, so they don't.
They just they're not feeling up to it. It's a
little too much for him.
Speaker 3: LJ.
Speaker 4: It's not too much for him. He's earned the right.
So in terms of yardage, LJ is fourth in the
country in rush yards, and then in terms of he's
fourth among power for running backs in terms of carries.
Speaker 3: So there are.
Speaker 4: Very few people in college football who are carrying it
as much in carrying it as well as LJ Martin.
I did think it was interesting that Aaron Roddricks said
that this is kind of what he envisioned and already
expected LJ would carry the ball at this clip preseason.
I'm grabbling with whether or not I believe that.
Speaker 3: I think I do.
Speaker 4: But also there's no way that a rod expected to
run Sione Mola this little because I think they thought
that they would have him. I did think the nugget
about Bear Bachmeier was really interesting, where he's like Bear's
running it more than we want him to.
Speaker 3: But also the success dictates what are we gonna do.
Speaker 4: We're gonna ask him to stop running the ball because
guess what, A, you can't and B if you do,
you take away probably the game winning touchdown against Utah.
You just can't afford to run Bear Bachmeyer any less. Unfortunately,
given the circumstances that you have, and I don't think
that you'd want to.
Speaker 1: Well go ahead to ap well, and you mentioned Lj's
fourth in the country. He's second among power for running
backs correct in yards and so I guess there hasn't
been a ton of buzz. But where does does he
enter the Doak Walker Award watch list?
Speaker 3: Here? Is he? Is he?
Speaker 4: I do believe he was on the mid season award
watch Do we think he's a finalist? Well, I mean,
I think you got to continue to sustain it, right
if he if he keeps the pace, he'll be in
that conversation. Does he have the total touchdown that you're
looking for? Does he have the god enothers maybe you're
looking for?
Speaker 2: Maybe maybe not, But he's definitely gonna be in the
mix and should be being in a power conference and
doing what he's doing versus the competition that that is
currently being fielded before him.
Speaker 4: Yardage and carries, he's doing really well. The only argument
that will hurt him in the Doak Walker Award is
bear Bachmeyer because meer Bachmar unfortunately takes a lot of
those touchdowns when they get down to the four or
five yard line.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and rushing touchdown.
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's a little unfortunate. But if you're voting on
the award and you really know ball, you understand it's
not because LJ can't. It's just because they have a
two headed monster, and typically LJ is getting them in
position to score those touchdowns. So that's probably the only
place where the argument may be used against him. But
he certainly has the carry, and he certainly has the wins,
and he certainly has the yardage.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 2: So as far as touches are concerned, right now, LJ
is averaging eighteen carries per game when you include the
Portland State game and nineteen points. I mean, it's a
hair under twenty touches per game with receptions included. You
can throw in another ten to probably fifteen snaps per
game in which he's blocking, and so there's a lot.
Speaker 3: Of wear and tear on him, there's no doubt.
Speaker 2: But he's he's had to His one focus this offseason,
apart from getting bigger, faster, stronger, was his pass pro
and he showcased fat ability thus far his effectiveness in
the past pro. All right, let's move on Aaron Roderick.
What's the depth chart like behind Preston Rex right now?
Speaker 5: Yeah, we still believe in Jovessa. I mean, Jovessa did
not get put. You know, just because he made one
mistake is not why he's not playing. Is Preston had
earned the opportunity prior to that, and injuries had kind
of held him back. But we have a lot of
belief in Jovesa and Enichnawaheen is a good player too.
Speaker 2: And Tercellin that rhetoric from a Rod I'm gonna hold
because and here's why I think what he's saying is
true in that they have future belief in Joe Vessa
to become something.
Speaker 3: I don't think they're comfortable using him this week. I
don't know where I'm at.
Speaker 4: Like, I put a lot of stock in a lot
of things that Aaron Roderick has to say, and I've
said this a lot like what a rod doesn't waste words,
so when he says something, it's because he means it.
He's not out there to just give you coach talk
or give the media a quote. Aaron Rodricks says exactly
what he's thinking. I'm sure there was other consideration, and
I do believe the fact about Preston Rex having earned
the opportunity beforehand.
Speaker 3: I do believe that to be true because we saw
it in fall camps.
Speaker 4: Correct.
Speaker 3: We saw presson number twelve getting reps.
Speaker 2: Side by side or even ahead of Joe Vessa in
fall camp before he sustained a hamstring injury.
Speaker 4: Sure, However, that doesn't mean that both things can't be true.
And That's where I'm at with this. I believe Preston
Rex earned that opportunity. I also believe that ever since
Joe Vessa fumbled the football, he hasn't touched the football
since now. I think part of it, Honestly, when when
he chirps up and he says yes yes to answer
the question that there is depth, I don't think they
really care about depth, and not in a way of
we don't believe Preston or Jovesa can do it.
Speaker 3: I think that that's just not a priority for them.
Speaker 4: I truly think a Rod is good with We have
Bear and we have LJ. They're a two headed monster.
We don't need anybody else. And we've heard FeSi say
a similar thing. It's like, yeah, we have depth, we
don't need to use it. I'm happy with the guys
who are starting, who are taking up most of our catches.
I wonder if a Rod is similar in his belief
in the running back room, which is I have two
running backs. One of them happens to be my quarterback.
But I don't fully feel like that I need to
go to Jovesa or to Preston because I'm happy with
what I've got. And so I think when we as
the media talk about this running back depth, I don't
think a Rod is concerned about it in the same
way that we are, because he sees it differently.
Speaker 3: Almost twelve rushes.
Speaker 2: Per game from Bear Bachmeyer, by the way, eleven point seven.
He's averaging fifty one point three yards per game, four
point four yards per carry, eight total touchdowns. That's one
rushing touchdown per game, a little over one touchdown per game,
and a long of twenty two. His longest rush game
versus the University of Utah.
Speaker 3: What a tote? What a tot.
Speaker 4: That's why he's.
Speaker 3: The goat, that goat. He's he's good, he's good.
Speaker 2: I won't go as far as the saying goat, but
he is the right handed Tim Tebow, which puts him
in and into our lofty expectations.
Speaker 1: I'll say, though, he's doing very nicely on like everyone's
while like creeps into my mind is like, what's the
likelihood that Bear could actually catch Max's wind total? And
you know, if you're looking at where we're at right now, and.
Speaker 3: Dare, don't you dare talk about win totals in front
of him?
Speaker 1: If he stays four years, Max only played three, that's true,
I don't know he could break it.
Speaker 3: I what I want to know is in about don't
you dare blasphemy?
Speaker 4: No, I'm We'll have to do the research because I
think it would be hard to just pull this number
up straight. I'd love to know what the highest average
rushing yards for a quarterback is at BUYU and wear
Bear's numbers right now?
Speaker 2: You got to, yeah, Steve, taste him, and then Steve okay, yeah,
and then Riley Riley Nelson probably after that when he
was running the ball one last sound bye before we
go to break Aaron Roderick. What makes Bear so effective
in the QB run game, Well, he.
Speaker 6: Has he has really good vision. He's faster than you think,
and he's he's very physical. He runs, he runs behind
his pads, and.
Speaker 5: He's two hundred and thirty two thirty five pounds, so
he's just a low to bring down.
Speaker 6: And he's just very instinctive. He's he sees the game.
Speaker 2: Yeah, he is very instinctive. Indeed, like he's got his vision.
I bet you if you if you tested his vision,
I bet you he's got like, you know, it's better
than twenty twenty vision. I would say it's like twenty
thirteen visions. So most of you that you know, can
see something at thirteen feet right, ABCDEFG whatever that you
know that the alphabet in front of you, He's seeing
it from probably twenty.
Speaker 3: Feet just as clearly. And because.
Speaker 2: You can see him navigate potential contact in such a
smooth and and calculated manner, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3: He just flows and he sees things.
Speaker 2: Happen before they do, and that's why he's able to
have the air bear leap right, That's why he's but
he had multiple like he avoided contact on his lower
half early in the game with Jackson Benny going low.
But then on that twenty two yard keeper he actually
I think he may have elevated or did a little
hop jump like twice on that a little jump stop
cut and then also just like a mini air bare lead.
He's seeing things in a way that he's It's hard
to describe, is what I'm getting at.
Speaker 1: It did feel like the game was slow for him
at in this Utah game.
Speaker 2: Yeah, And it's a combination of obviously his vision and
his neuro muscular athleticism, like his coordination. But man, he's
good at it, no doubt about it. That's why a
Rod keeps running.
Speaker 3: Him because he's brilliant. He's brilliant. He's brillian brilliant, I say, brilliant.
Let's go to break.
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Hammer time show getta get into our question of the day. Guys,
how we feel about the next five games? Now that
PYU is seven to zero and we have no more tears?
How we feel about the next five games? What will
BYU's record be on the road versus Iowa State, get
a bye week, and then on the road versus Texas
Tech TCU at home, Cincinnati on the road, UCF at home.
Speaker 3: This is a gon limb. This is a tough one.
Speaker 2: This is gonna be a very difficult stretch for BYU football.
Speaker 3: Five and No.
Speaker 2: Four one, three and two, two and three or worse
ready a stand right always bringing the hammer.
Speaker 4: I mean, we're one game into the stretch that one
Aaron Rodericks called the toughest one in BAU football history,
and I would argue that you could make the argument
to the to me that Utah was the toughest game
on that stretch because of the rivalry component. I don't
know that Utah is better than Texas Tech, but I
think when you add in that component, you could make
that argument that Utah may have been the toughest one.
That certainly doesn't make the rest of the schedule easy, though.
Everyone that BYU will play for the rest of the
season other than UCF is in the top six teams
of the Big twelve standings right now, so they really
have their work cut out for them. My biggest question
with Texas Tech is who's going to be their quarterback.
Is Baron Morton gonna play because it sounds like he
may not play this week, and it sounds like there's
a chance Will Hammon will play. And if Will Hammond plays,
then my question is what version of Will Hammond are
we getting? Are we getting Utah Will Hammond or are
we getting Arizona State Will Hammond who was not lights
out as he was at that Utah game. Some of
these games or must win because you need to be
able to break the type, be able to beat the tiebreaker.
Speaker 3: Iowa State.
Speaker 4: Actually, given where they're at right now, you could lose
to Iowa State and not have an issue because you
don't need a tiebreaker against them as of now because
they have two losses. It's gonna be really interesting to
see how this thing plays out because we don't know
what version of Iowa State we're getting because we saw
Iowa State through the first few games of the season
and they looked unbeatable and then they lose their two
corners and Cincinnati says.
Speaker 3: Hey, we're gonna throw all day long on.
Speaker 4: You guys in this s Iowa State defense hasn't looked
the same. There's a version of this where by you
can easily crank through these next few games. But it
just depends on what version of these teams we're getting,
and you could easily get the bearst or you could
easily get their worst.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 1: For me, I feel better than I did at the
beginning of the season, and I'm gonna say that because
I personally I've never I haven't been high on Iowa
State all year because I look, people have been talking
about the one score stat for BYU and how would
they you know, the.
Speaker 3: Regression to the mean.
Speaker 1: Iowa State was six and one last year in one
score games, but nobody talked about that with Iowa State
and Iowa State started off the exact same way with
one score games, but the competition was not great.
Speaker 3: Kansas State we thought they were. Turns out they're not.
Speaker 1: Arkansas State not great, uh, and so they were squeaking
by in. Iowa is Iowa They're basically the same team
every year. So I haven't been terribly high on Iowa State.
I think BYU can beat them because well, I think
he's a better team, and I think Iowa State is
way less healthy than BYU is. They are getting their
kicker back, which is big news, you know, special teams
can't underrate that. Sounds like they might be getting their
star defensive tackle back this week, but the corner situation
has not been fixed. Texas Tech. Again, it comes down
to the quarterback that place. I think by that time
Baron Morton will be back. I think he's day to
day right now. And then TCU is worse than I
thought they would be. I thought TCU was gonna be
a lot better. I'm a big Josh Hoover guy. I
think he's really good, but I just don't think he
has the surrounding cast and I don't think that defense
really supports him well. But Cincinnati's a lot better than
we all thought. And I think UCF is right where
you know, we thought they would be. They're not great,
They're just they're kind of there. And so I think
I think, personally, if I'm being optimistic, I think BA
can go four and one and three.
Speaker 3: Into it worst.
Speaker 2: Right now, the analytics per ESPNFPI has EYU going ten
and two. Okay, this season. Two losses would be the
Texas Tech and right I can't believe this. UCF is
who they're predicting right now to lose two. So those
are the two losses, but honestly, the two losses could.
Speaker 3: Come from anywhere.
Speaker 2: Like all of these teams are good and BYU is beatable.
Speaker 3: They just find a way to win.
Speaker 2: They are a complimentary football team that finds ways to win. Okay,
even when for Kyle Whittingham, they're out gained, out rushed, out,
first down all those things. They win in the turnover margin.
They they create short fields for their offense. They find
a way to convert on third and third and ten
and rumble for a twenty two yard score with their
six two, two hundred and thirty five pounds quarterback running back,
quarterback Tim Tebow Right.
Speaker 1: I mean, well, Ben Kyle Whittingham, according to him, they
had four hundred and seventy yards to nothing.
Speaker 3: They won twenty one nothing because they're not focused on
what the other team.
Speaker 2: Did, no doubt about it. He doesn't even do scatter reports. Yeah,
just focused on us this week.
Speaker 1: He was just focused on them, and as far as
he's considered as a twenty one nothing dub.
Speaker 3: That's a win. All right.
Speaker 2: Let's get back to the sound cougardation chiming on that
pole of a day we were talking about l J.
Speaker 3: Martin Bear bachmar let's get to number five. Where does
l J.
Speaker 2: Martin rank and pass protection compared to other backs that
you've had at BYU.
Speaker 5: He is doing a really good job. I don't know
how to rank him, but much better than a year ago.
In fact, I thought he had a very good pass protection.
Speaker 6: Game against the Uths.
Speaker 5: I mean we were We had to mix up our
protections a lot in that game. Last year, our quarterback
got hit a lot, and this year we were very
intense to.
Speaker 6: Not allow that to happen.
Speaker 5: You know, they get most of their turnovers from getting
after the quarterback. They get you in, they stop the run,
they get you in third and long, and.
Speaker 6: Then they get after the QB.
Speaker 5: And this hits on the QB often turn into turnovers,
sacks and interceptions.
Speaker 6: Things like that.
Speaker 5: So LJ had a huge role in in that and
I thought we did a solid job.
Speaker 6: Wasn't perfect, but we did. We did a good job.
Speaker 3: Protecting protecting them.
Speaker 2: Lj's improving and showed very well and proficient in the
past pro game versus the Utes. Now since last since
the last Iowa State game a Rod, this team hasn't
lost a game by more than one score.
Speaker 3: Was that a pivotal moment for this BYU team in
twenty twenty three.
Speaker 5: Yeah, that was a humbling loss. I mean they got
after us from the first play of the game. I
mean we fumbled the opening kickoff and it went all
downhill from there.
Speaker 6: And you know, Iowa States a program that I respect
a lot.
Speaker 5: I've looked to them as a program that we felt
like we could be like them. You know, they were
they were good before we were in this conference, and
you know, they played with a lot of discipline and toughness.
They're a big team like we are. On offense, they
run the ball and and they're they're very balanced. They
can throw it down and run it Defensively, they're tough
and physical. So I think it's a program that we've
kind of looked to like, Hey, there's that's someone to
emulate and try to you know, we're not. We do
different things than them, but we respect them a.
Speaker 2: Lot much respect. Iowa State does it the right way.
Coach Campbell does it the right way. And Coach Campbell
actually uh, he elaborated on how much respect he has
for Kalanie Sataki and the way that he coaches. These
are teams that in many ways mirror each other in culture.
There's no entitlement At Iowa State. There's there's little to
no entitlement. I think at b YU and uh Uh
it's a we not me type of approach for both squads.
They're tough, they're gritty, Uh, they execute. They're great football programs.
Going back to Aaron rodercks out, uh they lost their
starting quarters Iowa stated, Do they present any different challenges
because of that?
Speaker 5: Really hasn't been a big drop off that I see.
And it's defensive coordinator does such a good job. They
mix up their coverages so much. It's not like their
corners are just hanging on an island all day in
man coverage. You know, they do a lot of good
things to keep you guessing, and so I am. They're
a program that's very tough and physical, and you know
when they have somebody get hurt, they're not gonna gonna
whine about it. The next guy's gonna step up and play.
Speaker 6: I have a lot of respect for him.
Speaker 2: Not much of a drop off, he says, is that
an accurate depiction of what Ioway Stayed is doing on
the back end of their defense. Some would say no,
that there has been a bit of a drop off.
The defense has been exposed at times. They have weaknesses
on the back end. We'll see if a Rod and
the staff can expose some of those weaknesses through the
throw game. I'll say this much like I do not
believe we are utilizing Cody Hagen as much as we should,
and I think we need to look. As much as
I love seeing Bear Blackmart throw chop top throws to
Chase Roberts or back shoulder throws Chase Roberts, I want
to see something over the top to Cody Hagen because
he's beating everybody, every defensive back that tries to guard him.
He's created separation. Even the best defensive backs that they've played.
Smith Snoten had trouble keeping up with him from the
slot receiver position. When you put Cody Hagan at the
slot off the line of scrimmage, he is unguardable in space,
unguardable in space.
Speaker 3: We just got to find a way to get him
the ball over the top. Well.
Speaker 1: I mean, I think this Iowa State game sets up
really well for him because theoretically you've got cornerback five
for Iowa State's team is the one assigned to Cody
and I don't know, I feel pretty good about Cody
Hagen being able to beat out cornerback five.
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, no doubt about it. No, it's answer butts.
Speaker 2: Let's get to the number eight segment here, Number eight SoundBite.
First day is the first time a daykick that we've
had this season. So you get the one thirty kickoff.
Does that change anything for you guys?
Speaker 5: You know, yeah, you get you wake up and eat
breakfast and go. That's so that'll be different. But I
think we're all excited to play a day game. It's
you know, instead of getting home at five o'clock in
the morning, we'll get you know, get a decent night's
sleep after that game and going into our bye week.
But you know, night games has been great to us,
But we're excited to play in the day.
Speaker 6: I am and looking forward to it.
Speaker 2: Day game guys, any impact here do you think being
on the road in ames in a day game environment?
Any issues there, guys that you see being showcased.
Speaker 4: I just never feel great about the daytime kiss now.
Speaker 3: I don't.
Speaker 4: I don't feel good about it. I know last year,
I think the first one they had was Arizona. Who
do we play first Baylor Arizona because those were both
daytime kicks Baylor, and the Baylor one was weird.
Speaker 3: You guys, remember that game.
Speaker 4: We played really hot, played real well in the first half,
and then the second half. Robertson turned it on in
the second half, and again it.
Speaker 3: Was just it was just a weird one.
Speaker 4: So it's gonna be one thirty Mountain time, so that'll
be where their body clocks, or it'll be two thirty
I think time in Texas.
Speaker 3: Look, do I think BYU is a better team than IOC. Yeah?
Speaker 4: Do I think they're gonna expose I State secondary? Yeah?
But do I also believe that it's possible that just
the pure weirdness and no other argument other than that,
could play a factor at.
Speaker 3: The beginning of this game.
Speaker 4: Yeah, the nighttime has been so good to us that
if the daytime gods decide not to give us help
at the beginning of that game, I could see that
possibly happening.
Speaker 3: But either way, I think they win.
Speaker 4: I think the beginning could just be a little bit odd.
Speaker 2: Yeah, the the vampire Cougars have have us all a
little bit superstitious, or at least stitious.
Speaker 3: Is we headed in day day games, right, I don't know,
it's just.
Speaker 1: From I mean, we played well during day games last year.
I think the staff has got a good routine down.
I think I think it comes down to the resources too.
I think Boa has got better resources than we had
during the day game curse. I mean, is it different, Yeah,
but I don't. I just feel weird because it's a
road game more than a day game, because this year
BYU has I mean, they've played well, they're seven and zero,
but they played significantly worse on the road. Like Colorado
was weird to start the game. I don't think we
were ready for the road. In fact, East Carolina that
first half we couldn't score the ball. It took a
pick six to to kind of to get everything going.
Uh and Arizona we started out well. I think that
was more of the rain delay than it being a
road environment and being stuck in that very small locker room.
But regardless, the three road games that BYU's play laid,
it's just been a little bit. We've been less than
we are at home, and I think the difference has
been significant big time.
Speaker 2: We'll see how it plays out. Where do you see
the strength of this Iowa State defense.
Speaker 5: Hey, Ron, Well, it starts with just they have a
very unique scheme and they're very good at it. That
I would start there and then but they have good
players at every position, very good size.
Speaker 6: They're a big team, and they hit. I mean these
guys are hitters.
Speaker 5: This is there's some this is a violent team and
I respect them a lot.
Speaker 3: Big, physical, well coached. Uh.
Speaker 2: Like I said last week, it seemed like a Spider
Man meme from a statistical output standpoint. This team culturally,
this team, how they're coached, this team, how they hit and.
Speaker 3: Bring the would bring the hammer. Uh.
Speaker 2: They very much look and feel like b YU. It'll
be a tough one, no doubt. What is the status
of Jojo Phillips and when do you expect him back?
Speaker 5: Joe, Well, he won't play in this game, but I'm
expecting him. I'm expect him to play against Texas Tech.
Speaker 6: So after the boy, I think, so.
Speaker 3: Yeah, how about to see on A.
Speaker 6: I'm more unsure on him, but Jojo was Yeah, JoJo's
getting really close.
Speaker 5: He's he's track seeing and looking really good out here.
Speaker 2: Disgusted yesterday were like, Hey, what's the best case scenario
for b YU getting Jojo Phillips back, and and we
were like, well, at least by like TCU. We got
him probably by TCU. But tech is what a Rod
is saying. Now, will he be full strength, We'll be
ready to go. Will he be implemented in the game.
I don't know, but he'll least be available. And you
could hear a little bit of pep in in his step,
you know, vocally with a Rod pontificating on Jojo Phillips.
Speaker 3: He wants him back and needs them back.
Speaker 1: I think the biggest thing I learned here is that
if I want an injury update, I'm to ask Aaron
Roderick and not Kilani because Kilani's gonna call me out
and tell me to wait for an injury report.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and a Rod is just gonna give it to
me straight. He's gonna give it to you. Hey, that's
a Jay and a Rod.
Speaker 2: Do I think Kilanie doesn't want to be the one that,
you know, to elaborate on hippo violations.
Speaker 3: I know that's not hippo violations anymore. But anyway, all right,
there you go.
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