Speaker 1: Or it's with then Kretel and it's time for the
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It is time for a little Cougar beat. Going to
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back into the game at game day. All right, let's
get out to the hotline. Welcome in Jerem Jordan of
BYU TV JJ. How that are you, buddy, Ben Brett?
Speaker 2: What's going on? How are we doing?
Speaker 1: Living right? Man? Feeling right? It's a great day to
be a Cougar. Seven to zero in football BYU basketball.
He's predicted to be an Elite eight. Dare I say
Final four team? All is well right now in Cougar Country?
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, it's going great man, Good vibes, here in
Kansas City. I'm actually in the airport heading back tonight
from a big twelve basketball media days, great event, people
excited about the game three and a half hours to
the north of me at Iowa State coming up this weekend. So, man,
I don't know if it could be much better?
Speaker 1: Right now?
Speaker 2: You always eighth and the A people in the men
to hoops and eleventh in football. Life's good, bro.
Speaker 1: So let me ask you this. You mentioned those numbers
right last year we had this discussion. Actually yesterday both
teams BYU football and BYU basketball ended up thirteenth overall
in the final AP Pole. I believe, pretty crazy, right
Versus the expectations that both teams had last year, It's
obviously that football overachieved and to a certain extent, basketball
achieved the expectation because there was a lot of hype
surrounding this BYU basketball team. So now going into twenty
twenty five, you see what football and what basketball expected
to do. Like, what's the follow up to this? What
will be the end? Uh? You know, when the when
the dust settles, what are we going to be talking
about here? Is it another overachieving year for BYU football
and a hitting quota for basketball this year.
Speaker 2: I mean, if basketball can go to the Final four,
then that that was incredible. Even though I know they
have a Final four level team. They have one of
the best five players in the country, is validated by
the AP preseason First Team at American list with aj
de Bontnet. They probably have the number one or two
pick obviously in AJ so basketball, yeah, they have to
go at least the lead day with this roster, seeing
the one the investment in the roster and two who
they have and the continuity of the coaching staff, which,
by the way, Kevin Young told me yesterday that multiple
coaches on the staff had head coaching offers elsewhere but
chose to stay at BYU because they love Provo, they
love the school, they love the roster. Obviously, big things
are going to happen for this staff and these guys
from a big year. So there's a lot of investment there.
But in football, it's an interesting question because they've done
it again. They've surprised people, they've overachieved. You know, there
were some places that said, hey, six and a half
wins for this team with a true freshman quarterback at
seven and zero, what do we raise our sides to
I'm still I am currently standing in the show me
state that is Missouri. I'm still in show me mode
with football relative to Big twelve title game and college
football playoffs. Boild could very well go too and zero
in the next two games, and now I'm willing to
embrace that. But if they split, they're still in the mix,
which is good. But if they unfortunately, if they went
on and two, that sort of ends. Right now you're
in a tie breaking meeting scenario with you loss and
so on and so forth. So I'm still in show
me mode. I like what this boy team is done.
They don't have style points, but they just win. And
the next two weeks is certainly going to tell us
where we should go with the expectations. But if you're
asking me, like, okay, right now, end of the year,
what are we talking about is did they get to Arlington?
But then you go back to bear Backmeyer and you go, well,
did they win nine games the regular season? Preseason? That's
how I felt. I was thinking eighty four, but I
thought and nine and three. I think they can maybe
do that. That'd be incredible. And if you get ten
in a bowl game, there's only been four to freshman
quarterbacks since two thousand that have won ten games. I mean,
the expectations for this guy continue to go up, but
we have to remember how crazy this is of what
he's done so far, and it's still not over.
Speaker 1: The analytics ESPN analytics at least lean to a ten
and two regular season. What do you if that is
an accurate depiction. Where do you foresee the two losses coming?
Speaker 2: It's a good question. You'd think at Texas Tech, right
and Baron Morton not going to play this week? Will
Hamm's the starter I supported this morning. I think they realized, Okay,
we gotta ramp it up. Loklahoma State's not the game
where you have to have Paran Morton back. He's missed,
you know time three different times. Tech feels like one.
Frankly at Iowa State feels like that's probably the second
most likely lost. You look at Cincinnati and they look
like the ASU from last year. But the metrics on
Cincinnati put him at like five six, seventh in the
Big twelve right now, which is really interesting. They kind
of put VYU at third, which is interesting. I have
Ua second in the Big twelve in terms of best teams.
I have Tex Still they've lost one game by four
on the road against the defending champs with their backup quarterback.
They shouldn't be punished a ton for that. I think
techs still the best team in the league. But yeah,
I think the next two games determined a lot. Obviously
at Cincinnati two. So you have three roadings, men, you
got to get one of them at least if you
want to be an art then you probably need to.
If UOU walked in with one loss at the end
of the regular season, they're going to be in that
title game. You don't want to get bundled up like
last year with a bunch of the two loss teams
and now you're hoping on random tie breakers and you
may not make it in like BOI didn't last year.
Speaker 1: Charm Jordan here on ESPN the Fan talkings to BYU Football,
BYU Basketball. He was out at Big twelve Basketball Media Days.
What were some of the jabs that you were able
to pay through your interviews, your cot your your interactions,
your interviews, et cetera.
Speaker 2: I love that, Kevin Young said, A J. De Bonca
has the opportunity to be the best defensive player in
the Nation, and he said, we're asking him to do
a lot on the offensive end, but his length and
his ability on the defensive end. He said, sometimes he's
going to want to take a breather on the defensive
end because of what we're asking him on offense. But
the ceiling for him defensively is high now. Against Nebraska,
there were a few moments right where he did need
a breather, and they've got to address defensively how they
attack that. They allowed ninety points, They allowed forty percent
from three. They didn't play everybody the whole time like
they're going to Friday against UNC. Kevin Young also told
me he wants to play the targets more like a
regular game. They did not play the starters all in
the second half. We didn't see Rob Wright the third,
we didn't see Capakta very much. Those guys played less
than twenty minutes each. Those guys are probably in the
twenty eight to thirty two minute category when we get
into the regular season. They're both kind of fighting through
a couple of minor injuries they're getting over. Also, I
love that Richie Saunders is not worried about kind of
his role in this offense. Neither is Kevin Young. Like
Kevin told me, you could plug Ritchie into the top
eight teams in the NBA right now and he would
function schematically. He faces the floor. He's good off ball.
He wants Richie to and Richie told me this is well.
The next step for him is to become a very
good on ball defender. And Rob right the third is
excited about kind of getting down hill, getting in transition.
He told me he's quicker with the ball than without
the ball, which is wild. So I'm excited to see
these guys play and see them gel and it's there
may be a few losses here and there that we
don't expect, because one, they're playing a tough schedule too,
they've got to gelt together. And three, let's see how
that defense approves, because last year that's probably the thing
that you know, kept them at it going a little longer. Obviously,
Alabama goes off for what was it, twenty five to
three in the sweet sixteen. Certainly, if you play a
little bit better defense overall, you give yourself a better seed,
a better chance, a better opportunity to make a run
in March. And I'm not worried about the offense at all.
Devin Young is going to run that part. They were
the best offense in the last twenty five years maybe
ever for BYU. I expect them to be even better
with the best individual player in America in AJ Debonta,
who can get a shot off on anybody.
Speaker 1: One of the things we were debating. I want to
say this was maybe a week and a half ago
on the show is last year we had Yegor come
in high expectations, lottery pick, labeled all those things, and
by mid season BYU fans and maybe even national media
and others were questioning whether or not the hype was real.
We obviously know that on the back end of the schedule,
the back end of the season BYU climax and crescendoed
into their best selves, and so did Yegor and the
gentleman is balling out in the NBA now and he
was a lottery pick, went eighth overall to the nets.
It was great, It was great, It was wonderful. Will
we be in the same situation with AJ by mid
season or is it just going to be declarative right
off the bat that Aj is the guy, He's the dude,
he's the best player in college basketball, and he's showcasing
it night in and night out.
Speaker 2: I think we've had multiple evidences of this. One is
typically when we Kugarnation hype something, it's us saying it
right Loan Peak three, Final four. The country was not saying, oh,
look at Yu, they're going to go loud. We were
the ones quest for perfection that was internal in our
way from Bronko Menenhall, who's saying what about aj? It's
everybody else. Then it's everyone else telling us he's this good.
He's the number one or number two pick at preseason
first team All American. We're not the ones that w
associated pressed it the voters. Did you know Big twelve? Somehow?
He was in the Big twelve Freshman of the Year
by the way, which hey, Darren Peterson's great too, but
how are you the first team All Big twelve unanimous
sky which anyway, it's everyone else telling us that. I
think out of the gate. Also at Nebraska, the fact
that he goes for thirty in the first exhibition and
he's ten of nineteen overall, he's two or four from three,
he's eight of eight from the free throw line. He
drew seven fouls. Those are all NBA like numbers. This
guy is great right now. He probably would have been
the number one pick against Cooper plag even if he
had gone out of year early, which Cooper flag win
a year early. By the way, he three classified in
high school, so that would have been interesting. But everyone
else is telling us it's not us, So we can
buy into the hype on him on this one because
the sources are sound.
Speaker 1: I love it. Jermen Jordan here on ESPN the fan
Little Cougar Beat, brought to you by our good friends
at game Day Menchealth Gamedaymanchell dot com. So, jerem uh,
let's discuss what this BYU basketball team will look like
from a rotation standpoint or a chemistry standpoint. I think
one of the biggest tasks, the biggest challenges that k
Why has is getting I guess everybody involved and feeding
all the talent that is on this roster. He did
a great job last year. Can he do it again
in twenty twenty five, twenty twenty six.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and it'll take a minute. I mean, I think
it's pretty clearly defined that Rob Wright, third, Richie Songers a,
davidmonte Canard Davis mu Ke Bakada, there's the starting spot
like lock that in with Charbi and then it's you
know who's healthy and who's coming along, you know, Tyler
Russ I think is it's sort of a trem and
not nail type in terms of three point shooting off
the bench. I think Mihali Boskovich has a similar role.
Nadim Mbop what role with he'll play because he had
a double double against Nebraska in limited minutes and I
thought he was pretty good. The retro freshman from Senegal
Xabeon Stateon is going to be a rim protector, rim roller.
That will be interesting. Nate Pickens probably your backup point guard,
but he's coming off an injury. Dawson Banker little banged up.
We know what he provides. Dominicia Monday there wasn't a
guy like him on last year's roster. A six with seven,
real long wing who wants to dunk on everybody. Alexei
Kostitch has international experience with Austria as a shooter, so
there's a lot of Brody Kozlowski banged up, we'll see
what he provides is kind of a stretch for You're right,
there's a lot of mouths to feed here. I think
the starting lineup is as good as anyone's in the country.
Who's healthy, what role can they provide? What kind of
instant impacts can those guys have off the bench? I
think that's TVD and it'll take a minute. Like last
year it was, this is a new staff, it's a
new look roster with certain positions. You know, Yegor got
hurt his knee for a while, Dallen Hall coming off
the bench. There was all these quotational situations and questions.
I don't know that it's going to be as des
as it was last year because you've got five great
dudes in the starting lineup. I see you ride them
and you try and get to kind of eight or
nine BYU was toying with ten or eleven right there
at the end of the year. Just depends who provides
what at what point, who's healthy. But I think it
will take a minute. Like when you need to be
good is February March. You don't have to figure that
out until then. And so I think there is a
little bit of patience and we're gonna get antsy though,
because we look at Clemson in Wisconsin and Yukon and
you want those wins. But Dy's going to be rewarded
for a tough schedule and hopefully they're one, two or
three seed and they have a great path to hopefully
something special in March.
Speaker 1: Every year there's a surprise, maybe on the roster, there's
someone that steps up and maybe overachieve. I want to
say last year, like Tray Stewart really really balled out
at critical times for BYU, maybe overachieved versus the expectation
that was placed on him leading up to the season.
And Trevin actually I think played well and kind of
made doubters into believers last season. The sharpshooter at a
woods Cross High school? Who is it going to be
this year for the Cougars?
Speaker 2: Do you think the good question?
Speaker 1: Uh?
Speaker 2: From a bench perspective, I wonder if I'm Boop is
the guy that gives you some some punch off the bench.
That's just a little different. As a six to nine
redshirt freshman, it's pretty raw. I think he's gonna have
some games where we go, hey, that's awesome. Dominique Diamande
could be that guy. He's got NBA athleticism at six'
seven From france red shirted At washington last Year Super Long.
Frame he's played for The Augri. Coast he's actually connected
With charles bull in that in that, space which is pretty.
Cool he might be the. GUY i don't know that
it's gonna be like to your point Of Trey trey
wasn't the guy that was scoring double. Figures Trey stewart
was What Preston rex has become the last two. Games
From boy And boa. Football it's a player too, here
here or there that really helped. You, Right you're not
asking him to be a massive, factor but is he
has a piece of the. PUZZLE i wonder if a
guy Like don Dia monde could be that. Guy because
they Need Tyler moruss to be in the, rotation they
Need boskovic to provide some they Need baker to get
healthy and be one of those veteran. Leaders But diamande
from an athleticism, standpoint he's the kind of guy THAT
ua has coming off the. Bench BUT i don't know
that Previously uay's really. Had if that guy was that,
athletic he was probably in the starting. LINEUP i think
this is a good situation FOR ua to develop a
guy like that WITH Nba athleticism in.
Speaker 1: Length love that breakdown and the other guy forgotten What
mag maybe was the favorite, there like as far as
the overachievers and the individual, side maybe over uh you,
know just kind of over delivered for the. Expectation but
what mag was probably the winner of that award last.
Speaker 2: Year three and d guy corner. Threes you, Know that's
that's awesome is who is that guy on this? Team
who's the you, KNOW i Think Canard davis takes that,
role BUT i Think canards a better or last year
you put up SIXTEEN a, Games so Then i'm, like
that's not a role, player that's a.
Speaker 1: Dude love that. Breakdown Jerrem jordan here ON espn The, Fan,
Jerrem let's, uh let's revert back to some comments made
By Brian santiago At big Twelve basketball media. Days one
of the things he, MENTIONED i think was the thing
that makes him most intrigued is kind of like the
momentum and the the that that the entire athletic department,
has but like the the two TEAMS byu, FOOTBALL byu,
basketball the great coaching, staff maybe even the, Resources like
when when you, INTERACTED i don't know how often you
did when you were out there at The Big Twelve
basketball media. Days what sense do you get about the
next step FOR byu athletics under the, tutelage under the
vision Of Brian.
Speaker 2: Santiago DID i interact With? Brian DID i take an
uber With brian at one am On monday? Night? YES
i did, So, Yes YES i do.
Speaker 1: IT i do. It.
Speaker 2: YEAH i think the next step is maintaining WHAT voi
is doing right, now BECAUSE i don't know. That you
have to get it. Better look at What VOI's doing right.
Now you need to get To arlington at some point
in the next three. Years in, football you need to
win A big. Twelve right that's the next step of this.
Program and maybe it's this, year who. Knows maybe the
team keeps it going and with the true freshmen they
exceed all the. Expectations in, basketball, yeah it's like get
to An elite, eight get to A final. Four you
always the MOST ncaa tournament appears is ever for a
team that hasn't gone to The Plant. Four you have
the best player In, america you have one of the
you could argue the best coach under forty five in college.
BASKETBALL i, mean this is the. Time so do those
things maintain excellence where you're competing some conference championship and
the two main sports continue The olympic sports. Excellence the
boys produced in soccer and volleyball and cross country and
so on and so, forth continue to, elevate or it's
like women's basketball and sotoftball and so, on continue to raise,
funds nil recruit at a super high. Level, obviously what
football and basketball are doing is. Amazing SO i don't
know that it, is, hey we have to do, something
we have to win A natty in basketball or. FOOTBALL
i don't think it's. That obviously down the road you
want to get to. That but you got to compete
for and win conference. Championship and let's maintain what boy
is doing right. Now they don't have to go seven
to zero every. Year BUT i would love to be
in the space where we feel Like day's going eight
plus every year and once every couple of. Years, yes
they are competing for the conference, championship they're winning, it
they're in the playoff at some point in the next three.
Years and if they expand to, sixteen that certainly. Helps
but maintain what you're, doing keep it, going don't be
a flash in the, pan because there's programs that do.
THAT i Think boa is built to last though right,
now and the physical, emotional social investment THE uyu has
right now looks like it's going to be.
Speaker 1: Sustainable one last thing before we let you. GO byu
just gotta win over their. Rival what a glorious day it.
Is three in a. Row they got a working. Streak, Now,
YEAH i couldn't believe. It it was, crazy it was,
amazing it was wonderful as Grand, look the fallen state
Of man is one of comparative. Culture it's the enmity between.
Neighbors it is that that competition that drives up sometimes
the keeping up with the. Jones is HAS byu now
surpassed its neighbors in? Football is it on the same?
Level is it surpassing its? Neighbor what does the future
look like of this rivalry on the, gridiron SPECIFICALLY byu
Versus Utah holy?
Speaker 2: War in my completely biased, Opinion, yeah let's look at
WHEN byu has been on level a level playing field
With utah as an independent and obviously they were not
lways doing the best it. Could at the, Time utah
was in a power conference for over a decade OVER.
Uau they have this massive head. Start when they've both
been in The Big twelve or even announced in The big,
twelve you always three and oh Against. Utah since they've
been announced in The Big, twelve those margins you, know
are are nine one in, three so they're always close.
Games like it's not Like utah is far behind in that.
Space but the way we aloys recruiting tells us a.
Lot next year's class is the greatest recruiting class you
always ever. Had now in the, eighties if they had
recruiting rankings MADE vba was. Higher who, knows but What
boay's doing, nationally the kind of kids they're, getting the
coaching staff that the coaches that they're, Acquiring, yes it
is a new. ERA yu is the number one team
in the state and the head to, head the, recruiting
the perception. Nationally it's it's. HAPPENING i Think dave McCann
called it a couple of years. Ago people mocked. It
he was, right and it's exciting to see where this is.
Going DO i MEAN voi is going to get a
nine game win streak Against he's not necessarily certainly hope,
So but those, GAMES voi has equal to or more.
Talent now you heard it From Aaron roddrick On Coordinator's.
Corner he, said WHEN i was up At, utah yeah
it wasn't it wasn't the same because we were in
a power league that were. Not it's a level playing
field now AND voi is thriving right. Now they're doing,
great and it's the end of the ear For. Utah
you don't know how Long kyle's gonna. Go Morgan scully takes.
Over they hope there's some continuity. There but With colinie's
tack at the Helm, man things are going. Great you
Hope Jay hill's here, forever but he's not going to
be so enjoy the time he's calling the defense because
right now it's. Special Aaron rodgers offense continues to do its.
Thing he Got Bart bachmeyer for a couple of years
and then you got the they're a parent after. That
so it's, exciting.
Speaker 1: Man so how much longer CAN ba fans At JOY. J?
Hill do you Think.
Speaker 2: I'm hoping another two or three? YEARS i, mean If
i'm If i'm a power force school off, THERE i
try and Grab, jay but OBVIOUSLY i don't want that to.
HAPPEN i Want jay to be. HERE i think he's.
HAPPY i think you know what happened to him with
his heart attack last. Year it certainly gives everybody perspective
on the mortality of. LIFE i hope that he's enjoying
his situation. Here he's a grandpa for the first time
as of a couple months. Ago shout out To ashtons
who used to work with us At BYE tv for the,
baby and, Yeah i'm just hoping for hope for the
best for him in his. Life and obviously he's been
an INCREDIBLE dc and you always got a great thig going.
Speaker 1: Score priddict should Be Yu Ioway. State how do you see?
Speaker 2: IT i Think by goes in there and it's an,
upset which is funny for the number eleven team in the.
Country another you know road dog Or himen Home dogs
from last last. WEEK i Think yu went to the
thirty twenty. ONE i think That dua runs the ground
game gets. GOING i think L j And bart continue
what they've been. Doing sixty fourth rushing defense in the
country For Iowa. State that three three. Five you know
when you Early bronco that was the. Thing it's harder
to kind of stuff the run in that. SITUATION i
Think reoly defensively matches up with the three or four
tight ends THAT i would say loves to throw. To
they get their starting running, Back Carson hansen. BACK i
Think rockaback's really. GOOD i think he's going to create
more problems in the run game Than devin Dan pierre.
Did that, ankle especially in the second, half wasn't, working
So fickland came. In BUT i just Think boa has a.
Rolling they figured out how to. Win it's probably, close
BUT i do Have yu winning thirty twenty.
Speaker 1: One my Guy Jerem jordan BYU. Tv support him on
the television, screen follow him ON x and whenever he's
pontificating on OUR, rs make sure you tune. In thanks so,
Much Jerrem, ben thank, You we'll see much Love Jerem.
Jordan ladies and, Gentlemen That Cougar beat was brought to
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Though it's A, Thursday october twenty third edition Of Cougar.
Sports here on ONE o three nine ninety eight point THREE.
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