Speaker 1: Is Cougar Sports with Ben Kretel, and it's time for
the Cougar Beat getting the dish from the local reporters
that cover Cougar athletics. Welcome back Cougar Sports one of
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All right, let's get out to the hot line. Welcome in,
Cougar sports insider, legendary beat rider and reporter. Let's welcome
in Dick Harmon at the Desert News. Dick, how you living, buddy?
Speaker 2: I'm doing good. How you doing, Ben?
Speaker 1: I'm doing great, man. Great to hear from you, Great
to chat with you. Number one, Give us updates. How's
everything going. What have you been writing about on the
Deseret News website?
Speaker 2: Do good? Today's my birthday, so I slipped you in here, Ben, right.
You know I'm going like.
Speaker 1: Happy day, so you're here. I love it, man. What
are you gonna do for your birthday tonight?
Speaker 2: Watch the basketball game? My wise got to release society
presidentcy mean, so I am watching the game. You.
Speaker 1: Happy birthday to Dick Harmon. You're you're fifty nine years old.
Speaker 2: Congratulate twenty twenty eight. Thank you. Yeah, I'm twenty twenty eight.
Speaker 1: Congratulations. Man, you look you don't look at day older
than twenty five. I tell you all the time, like
I feel like, I mean, mentally i'm twenty five. My
body is now forty three, but mentally I'm still twenty
five year old Ben still as immature as ever.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a it's a good time. I mean, being
alive is good, being upright is good.
Speaker 1: Right, Yep, no doubt about it, one hundred percent. Man. Well,
hopefully you get to do something fun maybe on the weekend.
What's your favorite place to eat? Do you have a
favorite like restaurant or thing? I know you'll have the golf,
Like all you want to do is golf all day
and it's not I guess is it still warming up
the golf right now? How many courses are open right
now in Utah County?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think there are several that are open. I
think Uh, Temple and August is open. I think sleeper
Ridge is open. It's going to be rainy in the
rest of the week. But the boy, we've had great
weather before this. It's been a good December. It's one
of the warmest I can remember. But you know, it's uh,
you know, the birthday stuff is a week long stuff
in our family, so we we don't the day is
the day, but everything, you know, because of schedules, we
just we just celebrate a week. So it'll be fun.
Speaker 1: Love it, Dick harmor, Ladies and gentlemen, Well you're gonna
be watching this BYU Pacific game.
Speaker 2: Uh.
Speaker 1: Name of time in which football and basketball were better
than they are this day and age. We're back to
the glory days of when you've probably started covering the
Cops back in the eighties.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think I think probably the era of the
Danny Ainge era in football, they were winning conference championships
in the whack back then you're going to bowl games
and winning and you know, it's probably comparable with that,
but those teams were not both ranked in the top ten,
which happened this season. So no, this is a unique
time in BYU sports history where you can shift from
being at number eleven, a number ten, a number twelve,
as high as number seven ranked football team and then
just jump right into a basketball season where you're considered
going to the top ten teams in the country maybe
maybe probably one of the top seven. When things all
gets ironed out and you look at the comparative things
with the net ranking and and the other thing, so yeah,
there's there's no there. I can't remember a time like this.
Speaker 1: Crazy times. You gotta savor these moments. And BYU is
preparing for a pop Tarch Bowl and to be taking
on the number twenty two team in the country. Georgia
Tech got another opportunity to win a bowl game. You
mentioned it, winning bowl game. For BYA fans, I think
it matters, matters more than some people think. Look, Notre
Dame doesn't care about bowl games, not unless it's a
college football playoff. They'll quit. But for BA fans, bowl
games matter. Why is that the way that BA finishes matters.
I think when the dust settles on this season.
Speaker 2: I think you're right, and I think what's in mentioning
about this season is BA. You did make it at
the conference championship game, and a lot of people laid
down the coin and they went to that that game
and they spent the you know, thousands of dollars. And
it's going to be really interesting to see how some
of those same fans, if not others, you know, do
the same investment and go out to Orlando and support
this football team. What we've seen is that this generally
happens with Boa fans. They do travel well. The people
in the local areas that Boa plays, They come out
from multi state areas and they show up. And there'll
be interesting to see how many tickets b a yourself
for this game.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think it'll be a good showing from Cougarnation
out there in Orlando. Are you heading out to the game.
You're gonna be out and taking part in the Disney,
the Mouse and the Universal Studios, et cetera. No.
Speaker 2: J Drew is going to go cover that for us.
He's going to leave a little bit later than normal
to cover that. But Bowl trips have always been a
part of what I've done over my career, and I've
taken my family with me and usually gone a couple
of days early and spent that. But no, I've got
a daughter coming in from Houston. She is underwent surgery
and she's coming in on Saturday, and so we planned
a big Christmas thing and I can do my thing remotely.
Ever since COVID, it's been an option. So I'll do that.
Speaker 1: So, BYU, I believe is below five hundred all time
in Bowl games. What do you make of it? Why
is it that? BYU? I mean, look, they win eight
games of seasons since nineteen seventy two. They're well above
the five hundred bar collectively between Lavelle and Gary Croton,
Bronco Kilani. Why is it that we're sitting below five
hundred in these Bowl games?
Speaker 2: I think it's two things. Back in the old days
when boy played in Bowl games, Lavelle had a philosophy
that he looked at it like it was a reward
for the team and not necessarily something that they had
to do. There was an emphasis on winning, but you know,
it wasn't the same thing that I think you see
Kline doing right now with his staff. That's one thing.
The other thing is, I'll take you back to nineteen
ninety nineteen eighty nine. I remember Ty Depmer throwing passes
to his receivers in the smith Field House on the
gym floor in sneakers, and that's how they prepared for
a bowl. They didn't have any endoor practice facility. They
either went outside where they had to get the plows
and they get the grass free where they could do that,
or they went inside the Smithfield House in that one
annex area and practice or else. It was one of
the dumbest things I've ever seen for a major college
football program to be able to watch the team in
a very limited area trying to run plays and prepare.
That's how they prepared for bowl games back in the
yearly seventies or late seventies, nine, eighties and nineties. It
was ridiculous that a practice facility I think was made
in the early two thousands. I think Gary Crunton was
the first to.
Speaker 1: Enjoy that.
Speaker 2: But yeah, I mean it was a whole new era
back there, prepared for a bowl game and most of
your preparation had to take place in the three or
four days, you know, on site in San Diego for
the Holiday Bowl, where you actually had warm weather, so
that I think that had a part to do with it.
Speaker 1: Ben, Yeah, I think they see your perspective on this
is critical, right because there's a lot to take in
as it relates to the bowl record. Eighteen twenty two
and one, I believe is the official record, so just
below five hundred. I believe this may be the I
want to say this is the third time BYU has
gone to Orlando in their bowl game history. They went
out to Orlando, Florida for the Tangerine Bowl in nineteen
seventy six. I don't remember that game, but they played
I think they played Oklahoma. It was an Oklahoma State
in the Tangerine Bowl. I think it was, yes, yep.
And then they played in Orlando and the Sisters Bowl Ohio.
Speaker 2: State, Ohio State, Ohio State. Yeah.
Speaker 1: Yeah, So this was their third time heading out to
Orlando for this. You get a top twenty five fo
this is good. This is kind of a can You
mentioned a few things there about why by US bulow
five hundred. You typically were going to get some really
really good football teams in these bowl games.
Speaker 2: Oh don't know that about it. And you know, you
play Ohio State in the bowl game, that's you know.
I think I think it was Robbie Bosco that played
in that game. They had somebody I'm trying to remember
who was who had a pennocidies. I think it may
have been Roger Gurley on the running back or somebody,
but they had a couple of things that were really
weird that happened. And you know, be always very competitive
in that game. But going to Orlando was a big deal.
I mean, that is a great city. It's a great
area to go and play football at a practice and
for fans to go. And I mean we're talking about
Disney World, We're talking about Tiger Woods golf course that
he has down there, and Laura is always good. It's
a great venue.
Speaker 1: Love that. So what what do you make of this
BYU football team this year? They're not elite, but they're
a great team. Where do you think this team is
going to rank amongst the best teams in BYU football history?
Speaker 2: Oh? I think because of the schedule. I mean, look
at the teams that they played as a power for
the conference team in East, Team Carolina was a very
good team. They had a very difficult schedule. They had
to think the thirtieth the rank has straight the schedule
in the country and it was a hard don't I
don't think any of the best teams that Bay You
played had to schedule this difficult. That was rank so high.
Speaker 1: You'll go back to.
Speaker 2: Ninety six, that team with Chad Lewis and the Tulamini
and Steve Sarkisian. They went on the road to Washington
and lost that game early in the season. Then they
never lost again. So that's probably one of the better
teams that you could say you could hang your hand on.
But this team at eleven wins, with the schedule that
they had, I think it has to go down as
one of the best teams in history. And it wasn't
a flashy team. It was a hard hat, lunch pail,
take it to the game, work it out, grind it out.
Good good offensive line, a decent defensive front, seven, great linebackers,
some of the best the corners that boy has ever had.
I think as far as man coverage, no, I think
I think this team had it all. When you have
the leading rusher in the Big twelve, the number six
rusher in the country on your team and you're able
to get him the ball and get him the positions
where he's able to just grind out things and wear
people down. It's it's been a different kind of a
BYU team, but from the ones that we remember when
they were throwing the ball forty forty five times. But
because of Bear Bachmeyer and his development, I think it's
been handled brilliantly by the coaching staff and Aaron Roderick
and the things that they've been able to do. It's
been remarkable because you know, back in June when all
the stuff went down with Rattle, if you're thinking, okay,
kind of thought this team would be back to winning
ten or eleven games, but no way now. But then
they did it, and I think that's remarkable.
Speaker 1: Dick Harmon, legendary b writer and BYU reporter here on
your Utah ESPN Radio network and just talking some Cougar
football here with him. A couple of things I want
to get into as well with you, Dick, is is
as we look at you mentioned a couple of things
that that we've discussed today that that reminded me of
a discussion that we had earlier in the show. The
offense with the true freshman quarterback was tremendous. You got
to give a lot of credit to Barry, got to
give a lot of credit to Aaron Roders. I don't
think many fans give it. I think they're coming around.
I think they're beginning to prospect a Ron as a
play caller. They look at him coming in in twenty
eighteen as the passing game condinator, taking over some I mean,
I've been told that, and I don't know if you've
been told this as well, but I was told that
he took over primary play calling duties in twenty nineteen
versus Boise State. I don't know if you can confirm
or deny that, if you've heard the same, similar and
essentially right, if that's true, right, yes, yeah, okay, so
that's true. Twenty twenty then was his season as the
primary play caller. That was a great offensive season. Twenty
twenty one was a great offensive season. Twenty twenty two
a little bit of a dip there, and then in
two thousand twenty three not a good showing, right, but
the final two games were good. Obviously, the last two
seasons were fantastic offensively, in my opinion, really good. And
so we were discussing who the best offense coordinators are
in by football. You're the best offensive coordinator in b
WA football history? Is where would you lean it? Are
you the Doug Scolville guy, the one that laid the
architecture down for everybody else to follow. Are you a
Norm Chow guy. Are you a Gary Croton guy and
he's a good play card. Are you a Robert and
I guy? Are you a a narrow Roder guy? Where
do you think if we pulled the fans collectively, what
type of poll would we see at the end of it?
Who would win?
Speaker 2: That's a good question. I mean a lot of people
were not around when Doug Scolville was and they don't
understand what he did and transforming the passing game at
b YU and back then you didn't have the influence
of NFL defensive coordinators in the game. And he completely,
excuse me, he completely took the college scene by storm
and viny way that he would on his offense and
lager the receivings and the targets, and college football was
not ready for that. And so you got to give
him credit for bringing that in and the way that
he developed quarterbacks back in the day. And you just
named the ones that went down the line with Giffer
Nielsen and Jim McMahon and Mark Wilson. I mean, this
was the heyday of BAU quarterbacks been I remember, I
remember back in the day when when Mark Wilson played
at San Diego, and I think in four or five
first passes he threw three touchdown passes and Arepa Singa Parsia,
the former Notary Gate Dame coach, was on the call
and he was saying, I've never seen anything like this.
So that's the day back and there, and then you
had Norm Show, who was an alkolade of is. I
think Norm Chow is a very underappreciated coach for the
things that he did in developing receivers. He started as
a receiver coach at by U and then he was
the offensive coordinator. But no, he was brilliant in the
way that he could do things. And I think you
got a credit the Lances for coming along and helping
him in a lot of ways behind the scenes. But no,
Norm Chow should be right up there with Scoville. I
think Scoville's won norm Chow's two. I would put the
running back acumen that Robert and I have brought in.
He had a couple of the leading rushers and THEU
history because of the design that he had and the
attitude that he had. But right now, in this era
of independence and the power of Power four and the
Big Twelve. You've got to give Aaron Roderson credit. This
season has been remarkable what he's been able to do.
You look back at every game, they started slow, sometimes offensively,
but he's found a way to grind, grind it out.
And this team has been remarkable in the way it's
been able to focus on the task at hand, trust
one another, and believe in themselves to come back from
fourteen points down. I think it's three times this year
that they did that early in games, and it's just
been one of the better seasons I've seen. And I
think Aaron Rodnick deserves all the credit in the world.
Speaker 1: Love that breakdown, Dick harmon, Ladies and gentlemen, a couple
less things before we let you go. You're gonna be
watching the BYU men's basketball game tonight, and obviously this
team he is amazing, monumental. You know we're gonna get
aj for one season, though, right Are we ever going
to have Danny Ainge, a Jimmer for Debt type player
come through a kresimirchosis that goes for you know, three
four years and then leaves after becoming a legend. Are
we going to have any of those anymore. Do you
think Richie Saunders? Maybe maybe it's the Richie. Richie's a
legend and he's going to become a legend. Are we
going to continue to have that in this new era?
Speaker 2: I don't think so. I think because of the way.
I mean, you're if you're going to get a top
twenty five player and he's going to be that good,
he's won and done, you might get a second year
out of him, but you know, depending on where he's
projected in the draft, because it might be more financial
well off to come back for a second year with
nil and to take advantage of that rather than to
be a free agent or not be drafted. So that
could happen with a player. But I think the key
to that story is that boy's going to be in
the game with some top notch players AJ paving the way.
Now you get a guy like Rob Wright. I mean,
these two guys with Richie, you're probably the best trio
that I've ever seen. And I've been covering BAU basketball
first well just washing it back in the mid sixties,
so professionally since seventy eight, but I've never seen a
trio like this. The closest you could get was probably
Danny Ainge and Fred Roberts and Steve Trumbo and Greg Kite,
that group of guys that played in the NBA. That
was a good team of talent. But this is a
remarkable talent in a lot of ways that Boy's never had.
Can you ever imagine a guard like Robert Wright doing
what he's doing? The defenses you can't guard him. Now,
he's taken some shots, he forces some stuff, he gets
in there and gets caught. You've never seen a dribbler
that can do what he did on the BAU uniform.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's a great question. Who's the I need you
to write this article. Who's the best big three in
B y U basketball history?
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's that's a very good question. And then you
might have to go back to Jimmer Forett, Jimmer Furdett
and Emery and uh let's see the facada that got suspended.
What's his name, Brandon Davies. And then you had a
team there that probably was one of the best chemistry
teams that Boy's ever had. I mean the way those
pieces fit, the role plane that was done, the unselfishness
of those players to act with you. That to one
of the greatest shooters that ever put on a bo uniform.
That was That was Elead.
Speaker 1: Lose you there, Dick, You're still there?
Speaker 2: No?
Speaker 1: No, okay, sorry I thought I sorry, I thought I
lost you there for a second. Yeah. The big obviously
rob right third and of Richie, Saunders and AJ It'll
be intriguing to see how they continue to win their
way through their schedule. Well Dick, and join the game
to night. Happy birthday. We love and appreciate you as always.
Appreciate talking some ball with you, talking sports, talking Cougar sports.
Nobody does it better than you, Dick, your legend. Appreciate
you joining us today.
Speaker 2: Hey, thanks Ben, You guys do a great job. Keep
up the good work and hope to see you around.
I'll see you down at bull practice probably, thank you.
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, we'll see you down there. Appreciate you, Dick. Harmon,
Ladies and gentlemen. That segment brought to you by the
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that a show shout out to everyone that joined us.
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Weaver and Brandon C. Gurney. We had a star study cast,
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