Speaker 1: Is Cougar Sports with Ben krettel At. It's time for
the Cougar Beat getting the dish from the local reporters
that cover Cougar athletics.
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Today it is stopped for a little Cougar Beat. Gonna
get into all the knicks and crannies and get the
perspective of those that cover on the team on the daily,
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zero eight seven. Let's get out to the hot live
welcome in our guy Spencer letting a bau TV Spencer.
Speaker 2: How are you Ben?
Speaker 1: Greetings from Arlington. It's happening BYU is in a Power
for Conference Championship football game. In less than twenty four
hours and one win from not just getting in the
college football playoff brother, but from I think hosting a
home playoff game in the fund. You beat Texas Tech,
you deserve to be in the top eight.
Speaker 3: Let's go, Oh my goodness, gracious, is it possible?
Speaker 2: Is it? Fees?
Speaker 3: Do you think they get a home game if they
beat Texas Tech? Do you think they get a home
game in the college football playoffs?
Speaker 1: I don't see how even this committee, yes, even this
committee cannot reassess BYU IFF And I know it's a
huge hypothetical lift. But if BYU beats Texas Tech when
the Red Raiders are number four, and what's the only
thing working against BYU right now? Well, the only game
they played against an elite squad, they look like they
were incompetent and not capable of winning an important game.
That's the only thing that people keep defaulting to. Spencer.
They lost by twenty two. Yeah, okay, what if they
beat that team? Now you have to reassess eleventh ranked
BYU for just beating the number four team. I don't
see how that doesn't jump BYU over the rest of
the two lost teams at least and put BYU at
worst at number eight. So not only is BYU playing
for their first ever powerful conference championship and the hoist
to Big twelve Trophy, I truly believe that if they
beat Texas Tech, they will jump at least three spots
and we'll be in level Edworth Stadium on Friday night
December nineteenth or on Saturday, December twentieth, getting ready for
the Cougars to host a playoff game. Everything is on
the line, brother, and it's it's been just the culmination
of decades of at times struggling and frustration for this
type of opportunity to break through. And people keep saying, hey, winning,
you're in. Yep, winning, you're in, and you are hosting.
Let's do this.
Speaker 3: What makes you believe that BYU will beat Texas Tech tomorrow?
BYU lost by twenty two points. It wasn't even close.
At Lobbick Tech is a twelve and a half point favorite.
Per ESPN Analytics, b I only has a thirty three
point four percent chance of victory. Give me your optimistic
takes on why BYU can get a victory in Arlington.
Speaker 1: Okay, well this disclaimer. I understand why BYU is again
a heavy underdog, Like I don't have any issue with
most oddsmakers thinking that yet it's probably going to be
a thirty one to seventeen game or a thirty four
to twenty game or something of that sort in favor
of Texas Tech. But this does feel like a totally
different BYU team, especially from an emotional standpoint. In lubbing.
BYU was the undefeated team. The Red Raiders already had
a loss to Arizona State, so when they had the
opportunity to host BYU at their place and then take
firm hold again of the Big Twelve, it sold a
little bit like Texas Tech was the team that had
more to prove and had more to lose and had
a desperation element of sort, like if they lost to
BYU and Lubbock, now they might not get to this game,
and BYU becomes the clear favorite, so they had the
desperation element of sorts this go around. Who's the team
that is absolutely desperate? Uh, yeah, it's YU. So they've
got that working for him, because nobody outside of those
probably in our circle, has been think that BYU has
any shot to actually go and win this game. Then
you throw in the element of Wow. BYU at the
beginning of the week, weren't even sure they were going
to have Kilani Satake as their head coach in this
game or even for this game, and then he's going
to State College Pennsylvania and it becomes like a lame
duck scenario. So what BYU went through to keep their
head coach and get through the first two days of
this week and all of the emotional roller coaster that
that was, and how difficult that was, and how for
some of the players and the recruiting in the future
of the team. Team in the program, like I've heard
the word frightening used to describe what it would have
been like if Colonia left. To get through that, and
then to come together and to be able to rally
around their coach after practice when he suddenly said, hey,
look I'm not going anywhere, and then the team freaks
out watching that imagery happen and knowing that hey, we
got to the next day, got through that, and then
the college football playoff ranks came out that night and
BYU still number eleven, and the disrespect and you're not
put on graphics that ESPN keeps putting out. BoA's nowhere
in the conversation, they're just beware the spided, perturbed team
that is BYU right now. So from an emotional standpoint
desperation factor, this is the only way you're probably going
to get in. This is advantage BYU. They can go
out and truly play loose because even if they don't win, well,
nobody expected you to anyway, and you can go to
pop tards, bull and nice job BYU. Pat on the back.
You went eleven and two. But guess what, you're not
good enough again. They're so tired of hearing that for
the last month and being taken as not a serious
contender to actually prove that they can get in this
playoff and earn their way in. I like that a
lot for BYU. If ever, there was a chip on
the shoulder, this might be the biggest chip on the
shoulder moment in BYU football history. I know it sounds
like hyperbole, but seriously step back and say, Okay, when
did BAU have a bigger chip on the shoulder than
they do right now? And they're using it to their
advantage now From an actual skill set and football schematic approach,
Man Ben, doesn't it feel like this team's way healthier
than they were against Texas Tack and Lubbick. Especially LJ.
Martin like he's running violently and with an edge and
with purpose. LJ from his mouth, from the mouth of
the horse himself, feels way better than he did coming
off that shoulder injury against Iowa State. So advantage that
Duiu is just feeling better, and the run game should
be better against an incredible defensive front that the Red
Raiders are going to put out there. But the offensive
line also feels like they have something to prove. Colonia
said several times, We're not just going to send Bear
back there and let him wait for longer passing ruts
to develop. We want to play with some pace. Ball's
got to come out faster. LJ is running better, offensive
line is motivated, Parker Kinkeson is motivated to show that
he can show up for the big game. The offense
should be able to manufacture some type of momentum. It
just stuff like they were stuck in the mud in Lubbock,
and so yeah, anxious to go out and show that
they can do something. I thought the defense was fine,
they were okay. They held Texas Tech to their lowest
scoring output at home on the season and the side
from the airs on the state game where Texas Tech
had their backup quarterback in the always defense, I thought
really did a nice job when their average starting films
position was what minus seventeen or eighteen yards on average
for the game insane? And your minus three in the
turnover margin crazy. So I don't expect those things to
be so wildly in favor for Texas Tech. This game
is weird, It has a weird shaped ball. Can BYU
catch a break, build some momentum, and then take some
things with a healthier bunch of guys on offense and defense? Yeah,
I think that boy's going to look like a totally
different team in this game. With hopefully twenty five to
thirty thousand BYU fans slammed into AT and T Stadium
as well.
Speaker 3: Yeah, so what type of ticket sales do you think of?
Is it going to be fifty to fifty ordeal? I
know it's sold out. Are we going to say fifty
to fifty between Tech fans and BA fans?
Speaker 2: Will be more of a home environment for BYU?
Speaker 1: Yeah? So I talked to a guy named Tagart Baron.
He's the alumni chapter chair in the Dallas Fort Worth
area for BYU, and he was feeling very confident, you know,
he had his blue goggles on and the optimism flowing,
and he said, I think it's going to be a
split stadium. I don't know if it's going to be that,
but I am confident that in a stadium that holds
a little over eighty thousand, BAU can pack in thirty thousand.
So maybe sixty forty split in favor of Texas Tech,
because this too is an accomplishment, major accomplishment moment for
Texas Tech as well to be in this game and
playing against BYU. And it's only a five hour drive
from Lubbock, but I feel like Red Raider alumni base
is all flying and from all over the country as
well to be at this game. I'd guess sixty forty.
I don't think it's gonna be fifty to fifty. That
would be something if BYU could pull that off. It's
gonna be a little bit tougher of a ticket to
get and a tougher place to get to for some
BYA fans in Texas Tech. So I'd say sixty forty.
But even thirty thousand fans like they'll be loud. BUA
fans will be loud, They'll be heard. It'll be even
better than it was, certainly for the BYU Oklahoma game
in two thousand and nine, when it felt like there
were sixty thousand Oklahoma fans and only about twenty thousand
Bye fans. I think it's going to be closer to
a true split, but it'll still still should be probably
sixty forty in favor of Texas Tech. I'm excited to
see all the blue there. It will feel like a
totally different game, a true neutral site game. Uh and
not what by was facing in a hornet's nest That
was love of just a few weeks ago.
Speaker 3: Spencer Lytton Here on a cougar beat, brought to you
by Bresa Cleaning Services. Bresa makes it a breeze to
keep your house. You got to you got a house
cleaning service, Spencer.
Speaker 2: You need you need a little love at the home.
Speaker 1: Ben, And this is not a joke. I was just thinking,
what do I need to buy for my wife? What
can I do for her? How can I help her
for Christmas? And my Hey? What if I just paid
house cleaners to come clean the whole house like I
take the family out to go see a movie in
and some dinner, and then we come home in the
house is sparkling clean like Merry Christmas. Hunt.
Speaker 2: Let's go, yeah, I'm gonna hook you up.
Speaker 3: I'm gonna get you in contact with Gabby. Are you're
in Utah County right.
Speaker 1: Yes, sir, Saratoga Springs represent Let's go.
Speaker 3: Let's go, Okay, we'll get you aoked up. I'll get
you connected with Gabby and her starting five. She does
great work. No's answer much about it. UH Signing Day
occurred on Wednesday, and then we just got the flip
Jaren Pula and Kennon pull The two twins come into
UH BYU a top twenty five class.
Speaker 2: They ranked twenty first.
Speaker 3: Right now they have I believe, like ten four stars
nine four stars in this class. H who's your favorite
and why? What do you make of the signing class.
Speaker 1: It's always nice when you can slip not one, but
two players of the caliber of the pool of twins
like that is no small feat that BYU just pulled off.
And let's go ahead and be clear that if Kilanie
Saitake is not still the head coach at b YU,
that certainly is not happening, and probably at least half
of the class that has been celebrated this week deservevely
so that Boa just pulled in the best ever in
program history is probably gone somewhere else, and the flips
are happening to other in state schools and other power
conference schools, and those guys are not staying at BYU.
So just an incredible, an incredible week for BYU considering
everything that was on the line with Kilane is potentially
leaving for Pennsylvania. So this is credit to Kilani and
his staff. You asked my favorite. Yeah, like I like
those late slips. How do you not love that Bo's
back in the quarterback business with bear Bachmeyer and he'll
be followed by Rider Lions, And I know there's a
lot of conversation about, well what about the crossover spencer,
Like what's going to happen if there's a junior and
writer comes back and he expects be the starter after
his mission, and like, let's just get.
Speaker 2: To that prof to have. It's a great prop to have.
Speaker 1: Let's get to that point. Let's stop. Let's stop like
throwing it down to twenty twenties. I'd be like, oh no, drama.
Let's just enjoy the Big twelve championship game tomorrow. Let
Rider Lions do his thing as a missionary for the
Church of Jesus Christ, and matter of his hants for
however long that may or may not be. He said
he wants to come back in early twenty twenty seven. Great,
that's his prerogative. He can do what he wants. But
let's just worry about that when we get there. And
You're right, fantastic problem to have. Love that BYU is
back in the quarterback business. Love that they're back in
the bringing major offensive lineman like bot Mouy Talow, and
that those guys should become a more common thing. TJ. Woods,
by the way, underrated recruiter, Ben underrated recruiter on that
offensive line for the Kougs. And so yeah, I'll probably
start with those guys. But gosh, I can't think of
a crazier week in our professional careers in the broadcast
fashion than what has transpired over the past five days.
It's been insane.
Speaker 3: It's been loco, my friend, it's been crazy. Know if
sandsor Butt's about that. We got Spencer Linton on the
line here in a Cougar Beat brought to by Brezea
Cleaning Services. BRESA makes it a breeze to keep your
house clean. So right now, BYU is a in a
place that they've never well, I feel like they've been
here before, but they haven't necessarily been here before.
Speaker 2: And I'll qualify that and I'll preface it.
Speaker 3: BYU since nineteen ninety six technically has not been able
to get over the hump into the College Football Playoff
or BCS Championship Series. Correct, right, like everybody else has,
UCF UTAH, TCU, Boise State and Northern Illinois got there,
like you go down the list of teams, and like
BYU was tremendous from O six nine.
Speaker 2: They had the two thy and.
Speaker 3: Sixteen season where they were like they're eight points away
from going undefeated. That was a great season, but it
just wasn't enough. Twenty twenty your yard short versus Coast
Carolina twenty twenty one, you fall short a little bit,
you know, with those two losses, we've just we've been
knocking on the door last year where we're knocking on
the door and we.
Speaker 2: Just don't get there.
Speaker 3: We're tied and the tiebreaker beaches we don't go to
the Big twelve championship game.
Speaker 2: We're knocking on the.
Speaker 3: Door again, right and I want to believe that now's
the time, now's the place, and it's gonna happen. But man,
it's been almost thirty years since we got into a
New Year's Ball situation. You know, are you feeling like
this is the year, now's the time, Now's the place?
Speaker 1: So it that is why it carries so much significance.
Like I've had several people say, Spencer, I know that
the eighty four championship game against Michigan that quenched it
for BYU, like that probably is a deserve number one.
But if you think about, you know, really earning it
and showing the country that, like you're legit, because people
still pointed that game and say, yo, good job beating
a six and five lame duck Michigan Wolverines team to
win your your fake national championship. Like I this this
is a different beast, right, Like you you go and
beat number four after you put together an eleven and
one campaign and like you earn it the hard way there,
you can't deny that at that point, b Yu one
million percent is an absolute contender and deserves to be
where they are. So it's just a different feel to
go around. And you bring up ninety six that the
only New Year's dy Bowl game that by has ever
played in against Kansas State and Cooges were number five
and it was number fourteen Kansas State and they won
that game and it was so fun, and you know, hey,
Bowl Alliance like yet you know, suck on this Cotton
Bowl win. Even even then, like the Bowl Alliance still
didn't invite b YU in that year. It was heartbreaking
when BYU was not playing in the Fiesta Bowl like
they thought they were going to be, which was part
of the Elite More Elite Bowl Alliance. The Cotton Bowl
is fantastic, don't get me wrong, but even then that year,
the Cotton Bowl was not included in the Coolest Kids Club.
So this this gives BYU the chance to just get
somewhere they've never been. Even if they don't even they
got to the college football playoffs and and didn't win
the first round game, this would still count as the
official breakthrough. Okay, can we just make that clear. If
BOU wins this game and they're in the College Football
playoff like that is breaking in the cool kids club
and then you have a chance to win and then
go play in the quarterfinals in one of those major
bowl games. But getting to the CFP would still count
as the breakthrough that BYU has been longing for it
that they have never been able to do, to be
the Alliance bull buster, to be the bcs busal, the
college Football playoff buster. Here's your opportunity. Do I believe
that BYU is going to do it tomorrow? I'll tell
you what I do believe. This is going to look
like a totally different team and it's going to be
an absolute battle. I expect, not even this game, not
even like, well, can BYU just be like, you know,
can I be within ten or like get out of
here with that No, no, no, get out of my
face with that crap. They're going to show up. It's
going to be a dog fight, and I think it's
going to get weird in the fourth quarter, and then
you never know what has can b Why you put
Texas Tech in the position that they have not been
in this season, which is with their full staff, their
full accouterment of weapons, including Baron Morton, their quarterback playing,
and BYU put them in a weird place mentally in
a close game they haven't experience to this year with
Baron Morton, Like, how does Texas Tech respond? Because? Ben,
what is by You've done? All year long? They've been
in so many close games and they've been able to
finish every close game they've played.
Speaker 2: It.
Speaker 1: It was not close against Texas Tech, there was no
weirdness for drama, but every other close game Boy he's
played in, they've been so clutched in critical situations in
the fourth quarter. Can they get it to that weird
scenaria in the fourth quarter? If they do, watch Out
then BYU could be that team that does it again.
Speaker 3: Watch out now, Ladies and gentlemen, Spencer Lytton, Ladies and gentlemen, Spencer.
Best way to support you? What you do, how you
do it? For all the Cougar fans that are tuning
in today.
Speaker 1: Well, we've got a two hour pregame show to get
you set for anything and everything that relates to tomorrow's
big TOEAL Championship showdown against Texas Tech. It's bright and early. Obviously,
we're on the air at eight a a Mountain time
on BYU TV to count you down to the showdown
between the Red Raiders and Cougar's. We'll have all of
the details on the latest injury update status, who's playing,
who's feeling well, who's not feeling well, the mindset of BYU.
Will have our usual assistant coaches interview, probably with Sessi
Sataki or Aaron Rodgers, talk about how the offense is
going to attack Texas techas go around, and of course
any in every stat that you could hope for, and
if you just want to be in a room where
you want to get in that echo chamber where everybody
feels the same way that you do about the disrespected
the YUS feeling from the College Football Playoffs Committee, like
the pregame show is going to get you in the
right mindset to feel agitated and ready to go when
the game kicks off tomorrow at ten am. So we'll
see tomorrow on the pregame show two hours and then
win or lose, we'll be there for a postgame show
to recap how the game went down, talk to all
the key players from the game, and of course in
the interview with Cloni Okay love it.
Speaker 3: Spencer Litten make sure you follow him on x as well.
Is watching him on BAYU TV.
Speaker 1: Thanks so much, Spence, Ben, you got it, brother, I'll
say you this no more. Trust me, Bro arguments from
the college football playoff situation. Okay, well this team just
looks better than BYU. Bro, trust me. I know, boy,
you know it's.
Speaker 3: Funny because I was just look, there's a lot of
conspiracy theorists out there, and look, I am a bit
of a conspiracy theorist now post twenty twenty.
Speaker 2: But Mark Carlin's on the committee.
Speaker 3: Do you believe that Mark is advocating for his Big
twelve friend, his Big twelve rival, his Big twelve member
BYU right now in the committee.
Speaker 1: I want to believe the best in everyone, Ben, like
I want to believe the best in everyone. But there's
integrity there. Please Mark, please look.
Speaker 3: I could just imagine Mark getting in front of the committee.
He's like, look, BYU is a resilient, gritty, good football team.
I mean, they're all right, but I know, bway you
better than anybody. But look, they stole that game in
twenty twenty four from They stole it from us. The
rest stole it like they didn't earn that, and honestly,
they kind of stole the game and at Lavelle Edwards.
I mean, they shouldn't have won that game. So no,
I don't think you should be in the colleg football playoff.
Speaker 2: That's my opinion.
Speaker 1: Oh dude, I hate it. I hate that that might
actually be happening. But oh my gosh, I just I
just want to believe the best and everyone. But please
to the people that keep saying, but Notre Dame's two
losses were aby combined four points and buy Us one
losses by twenty two. Thus Notre Dame eighteen points better
than be one. Get out of here. Stop it.
Speaker 2: Crazy crazy. I'm taking crazy pills.
Speaker 1: Spencer, I can't do it anymore.
Speaker 3: Enjoy your time in Arlington, man, hopefully come back with
a dub.
Speaker 1: You got it, brother, Good to talk to you. Go Kogs.
Hope everyone listening as well, and Merry Christmas and happy Holidays.
Speaker 3: Let's go Blessings on blessings, grateful, attitude of gratitude. B
Way's got a chance. They are the master of their destiny.
They can win this game. And I do predict and
I do perceive a BYU team that will be better
than they were in Arlington. Know if answer, but a
better shout out to Spencer Linton. That segment was brought
to by Bresa Cleaning Services. BRISA makes it a breeze
to keep your house clean. Give them a call, set
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know IF's answer butts about it. They love to clean
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Shoot them a text, give them a call. Eight O
one three eight zero eight zero eight seven. That's eight
O one three eight zero eight zero eight seven. The
quickest way to get to prick the heart of that
special someone in your life, your your your eternal companion,
is to clean up her house for her.
Speaker 2: Okay not uh. You don't have to do a physically.
Speaker 3: You can pay someone to clean it for you seventy
dollars off the first cleaning at Bres. Bresa makes it
a breeze to keep your house clean. Eight on one
three eight zero eight zero eight seven. Let's go to break,
don't go anywhere. Max Chadwick College or excuse me, PFF.
Pro Football Focus is who he represents. We'll talking metrics
with him coming up next.
Speaker 2: This is Cougar Sports. One of three nine ninet eight
point three is