Speaker 1: Is Cougar Sports with Ben kretele At. It's time for
the Cougar be getting the dish from the local reporters
that cover Cougar athletics. Welcome back Cougar Sports. One of
three nine ninety two point three ESPN The Fan. I'm
been cridinal broadcasting from our band or Wealth Tailgater, our
Ultimate Tailgate. He's always brought to you by Baterwealth Banterwealth
dot Com. Get your prep getting you're ready for this
byu Utah Holy War. The Holy War is upon us,
the ninety seventh Holy War in in our historic in
illustrious history. And we're just set up at the South
Swig just right down the street from Lavelle Edwards Stadium.
We'd love to see you. We'd love to chat with you,
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They do fantastic work. We're efforting to get Darnell Dixon
doubd on the lining give us his keys to the
game and score predictions. But let me break down for
you what what's cooking with the cougars right now as
we get your prep getting ready for this Holy War
six pm kickoff. Obviously it's gonna be on Fox right
This is a game in which BYU is not favored in.
I am surprised that that Vegas went that way, but
it is what it is. There in the vetting game.
They aren't in the win loss prediction game, that's not
what they do. But BYU ESPN Analytics they slightly favored
BYU in this game. Six chance of victory per ESPN Analytics.
Kyle Whittingham is eleven and five in this this robbery game.
Since taking over his head coach in two thousand and five,
Kilani is two to four in the robbery game over
unders set at forty nine and a half. We chatted
with Gurney yesterday. G Man says, take the under. Take
the under if you are a betting man. Ins A
report is out. Marcus McKenzie, Jojo Phillips, h Bryan Strathersioni Mola,
Tommy Prass is all out this game right and the
Mooney is doubtful and Anissi per Sale defensive tackle is
probable on the Utah side. Key contributors in the secondary
Rabbit Avans Evans, excuse me, Nate Ritchie as well as
Josh Soffern. Three safeties are out in this game. Wide
receiver Tater and Zipper is out as well. DN Paul Fitzgerald,
linebacker Grady Moreco and offensive lineman Isaiah Garcia all out
this game for the us SO byus on a two
game winning streak right now, beating the Utes twenty six
to seventeen in Provo in twenty twenty one and then
last year twenty two to twenty one at rice Eco
Stadium will Ferron kicked a forty four yard field goal
to win it in the final seconds on that final drive.
What a glorious game that was, and it was It
led to a bit of a controversy with Mark Harlan
going to the podium and complaining about being a part
of the Big twelve, and then he received a ft
FT fine of you know, I don't know how much
money it was, one hundred thousand dollars possibly, but crazy
times in this rivalry game, Red versus Blue over forty
miles apart, only forty miles apart, and can't can't wait
to see what this rivalry game is going to contribute
to the lore. Andrew Peterson, you're in my ear. What
do we got? We got? We got Darnell on the line,
We'll get I'm here on the line here momentarily, I
have shot. I also have Sean Walker by my side
of KSHL dot com. Sean, how do you see this
game playing out tonight under the lights of levelle oh Man.
Speaker 2: I was just enjoying being a thoughtful listener to this
fine here program, Ben, So thanks for bringing me on.
Speaker 1: Really do appreciate it.
Speaker 2: I love that you bring up both the ESPNFPI the
fifty one percent in favor of BYU versus the Vegas
spread minus we're gonna have points in favor of Utah
because that somewhere between those two diconomies is where I
think this game is going to wind up. It's gonna
be as single as a game, probably a one possession game.
Probably maybe even a field goal game, I think very likely,
and really flip a coin as to who as to
who wins this one. These two teams are so similar,
like they are almost mirror images of each other right now.
Both built around a really strong run game. One has
a slightly better offensive line, one probably has a slightly
better tailback, if you will. Quarterbacks are both first year
playing their first year in at their current schools, first
year in this rivalry game, both laying on their defenses
very heavily. Like, these two teams are so similar that
I agree with Brandon Gurney take me under. I also
see this being very much a field goal type of game.
Speaker 1: Let's get out to the hotline. Welcome in Darnell Dixon
the Daily Heraldean for a little cougar beat, and he's
gonna provide some insight into this rivalry game, Darnell, how
you living?
Speaker 3: I'm living and getting ready to head on over to
the stadium for what I hope is another classic BYU
Utah game.
Speaker 4: Why not?
Speaker 1: What do you recall about that? I mean you, you've
been covering the coup for a long time. You were
a student once upon a time here in Provo. How
would you describe the rivalry? What do you remember about
growing up in the rivalry?
Speaker 3: Well, I didn't really grow up in the rivalry because
I grew up in Oregon and I was familiar with BYU.
But obviously at that point, way back in the olden days,
I didn't get cable TV in my house, never had it.
I had some friends in town who had it. First
BYU game I ended up seeing was an ABC aclassic
against San Diego State on a Saturday afternoon where BYU
won by like sixty points and San Diego Chicken was
entertaining everyone by by carrying the ball. But I didn't
really get a look at the by UTI rivalry until
I came here to BYU, And at that point, the
Cougars were pretty much ruling the roost and had won
a bunch of games in a row and kind of
dominated the rivalry, and we've seen over the years how
that's kind of changed, gone back and forth, and right
now DYU has a couple of game edge and the
uteven once since twenty nineteen, they haven't played each other
every year. But the thing I'm most grateful for and
I you know, I talked to Riley Jensen, our good,
good friend of the program this week about the story
I was working on about mental health during by Utah weekend.
He said, you know, we should just be really glad
that we still have this rivalry.
Speaker 4: And you know how much of an old school guy
I am.
Speaker 3: When it comes to college football, And I'm just glad
Cougars and Youth are back on schedule to play each
other every year. It is what college football should be
all about. And so I'm excited for the opportunity to
cover another yu Utah game that invariably goes down to
the end of the game, somebody makes a play here
or there, and we end up talking about it for
another year.
Speaker 1: Yeah. The national pundit's chiming in on this particular robbery
game this year. Dave Portnoy at Big New Kickoff picking
the Utes, saying Vegas knows all Vegas has sold itself
to the devil and they are picking Utah. Therefore he
will pick Utah. Yet game day Game Day crew Desmond
Howard says, BYU, Nick Saban Utah, Pat mcv BYU. Jelly
Roll picked BYU in then Kirk Heursery picks b Yu.
I don't know if it's a good sign or a
bad sign that the national media is split on this
particular rivalry.
Speaker 3: Game well, I was reading a story about four Apparently
when he was just out of college he lost like
forty thousand dollars betting on sports. So I don't know
if I take his line with La to Vegas.
Speaker 4: But I feel like, you know, the national.
Speaker 3: Media get why this is such a big rivalry. In
our experience, we know whether comb or Away doesn't.
Speaker 4: Really have that big of an effect. I don't think
on the game.
Speaker 3: It's just a matter of who's going to play the
cleanest ball and who's going to make a play when
it needs to be made. And so far this season,
Bay He's been able to do that. Past few games
have been closer than YU fans would have liked, but
the Cougars figure out a way to win it and
make the plays, and so I expect today to be
a similar type situation. I think Utah is a pretty
good football team. When they lost to Texas Tech early
in the season, I think that that was a blow
for them, and I think the fans that followed buy
You were thinking, Oh, Utah's really beatable, and then Utah
has been really good since then. So I think that anybody.
Speaker 4: Who picks Utah has seen how they've played.
Speaker 3: The last several games, and then when they pick BYU,
they think it's a home a little bit of homefield advantage,
and the Cougars have found a way to win certain games.
So I'm not surprised to see them a little bit
split when it comes to the national media and this rivalry.
Speaker 1: How do you see this game playing out tonight out
of the lights of Lavelle Double D.
Speaker 4: Yeah, you know.
Speaker 3: One of the things that popped into my mind the
other day was nine to nothing and wilfare and kicks
three field goals.
Speaker 4: But I don't think that's what's going to happen.
Speaker 3: I feel like BYU needs to force Devin Dampier to
beat them over the top with some longer throws. If
the Cougars can slow down the running game for Utah,
and that's the big short Utah has been running the
ball really well, and their offensive line is very highly regarded.
If by is helping up a defense and they can
slow down the run game and force some second, third
and longs, which pretty much is every game. But I
think that might be another key in this one. And
another thing that's happened in the last couple of games
is the Cougar's turn the ball over and they need
to limit the amount of turnovers. And it seems like
Utah manages to get the Cougar's turn the ball over
a couple of times and make some key mistakes in games.
And if you go get last year's game by you
did not play well in the first half at all
and came back with a better second half. Of course,
the get return for a touchdown help, but but it's
it's just with this game, we just don't know what
We don't know until we see what happens in the
in the first half and and what happens for the
end of the game. So that's kind of my thought
process as I head over there.
Speaker 1: What did you make of at big noon kickoff? All
the BYU fans uh heaping booze all over Urban Meyer
and then furthermore, the the sign of the day Elder Oaks,
President Oaks the profits here in Red Lady. Now that
Jesus Christ of Latter j is getting AI to pit
with a A U's down sign, he got was it Tyler?
I don't know who was the BYU fan? Was he
got a five hundred dollars check for issuing that that
sign for all of the Cougar football in college football
world to behold, give me your thoughts.
Speaker 3: Well, I feel like both by U and Utah fans
were really appreciative of Big New Monday or Big New
Saturday coming and the kickoff show. And I read somewhere
earlier in the week that Utah was going to try
to take it over and bring a couple hundred folks
down to kind of see if they could dround out
the Cougars. And BYU loves to have the national media here.
They love being able to take that national spotlight. And
it's just part of this great rivalry when you put
it together and you let people know. I mean, I
grew up watching Ohio State, Michigan, and USC Notre Dame
in Florida, Florida State, and those were all really good rivalries.
But I started thinking this week, I don't follow those
teams as closely as I followed By, obviously because it's
my job. But I can't imagine there's a lot of
guys on the Ohio State staff that originally coaches Michigan
for a lot of players that played in Michigan and
transferred to Ohio State. You just have this really interesting,
unique atmosphere for By and Utah because it's so integrated
within itself and the coaching staff and the players and
so all this hooplah. I'm glad it's just six o'clock game.
Speaker 4: I don't know if I'd be waiting another couple hours
to get this one going.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Darnell, it's interesting that you bring up the hashtag
you takeover. I think they were calling it because I
was down here for a big new takeoff early this morning.
And don't get a twisted like, there were a lot
of Utah fans that most of them probably made the
drive forty minutes south on I fifteen to get here
nice and early. They were scrolling in a lot of
them were kind of scrolling in with me. Right around
five thirty six am, two hours before the broadcast started,
and they met a big group of BYU fans and
mostly students. Probably they were kind of camping overnight. But
I agree with you, like it didn't look like as
much of a takeover. I've been hearing all of these things,
and you've been around this rivalry long enough to know that, Like,
even when you think you have home field advantage, you
don't always have as much home field as advantage as
you might believe. There was a lot of blue at
Rice Cycle Stadium last year. There's a good chance there's
going to be a lot of red down here at
l Ees this year. How big of an impact do
you think that plays into this one? Or are these
two teams that have been Are we to the point
of the season where these two teams have been on
the road they've seen hustle crowds enough where maybe they
can block that out a little bit better than you know,
guys like you and I like to talk about.
Speaker 1: Over the radio.
Speaker 3: I think the home field advantage is negated a little
bit by the fact that this wave of emotion that
goes to the stadium really works both ways. And not
only are the BYU fans cheering really loudly when something
good happens, but they're rolling their eyes and throwing their
hands on their head when something bad happened. So it's
just this wave of emotion that goes through the whole stadium,
and certainly the Utah fans that fill that corner are
going to provide some of that, but it's just it
just seems like the home field advantage and this rivalry.
Speaker 4: Is not as big a deal as it could be.
Speaker 3: And some of it's the location and some of it
is just there's going to be a lot of Utah
fans that will make sure that their their players know
they're there and when they make a good play, that'll
that'll get them out of their seats as well.
Speaker 4: Must have lost me too, h.
Speaker 5: Okay.
Speaker 1: Welcome back Cougar Sports one of three nine ninety eight
point three ESPN The Fan. I've been prittal broadcasting from
our South Swig location just uh, just south of label
Over in Stadium. Stop by Slow. Our Royal Army brand
is in attendance. We got some great BYU lights apparel
created by fans. Four fans stayed loyal to the Royal
reping why the right way port to sell your BWA
lights Apparel, Royal Army brand dot Com. Shout out also
to Banterwealth Banterwealth dot I'm in our ultimate tailgater broadcasting
from the swig location. We got some college football games
behind us. We do want to get like a college
football update here momentarily all the scores coming out of
the college football world. I don't know if ap if
you got an update for me or not taking a
look at all the scores coming across the college football ticker.
Let's get that here momentarily as well. But Darnell Dixon
still on the line, Double D. Sorry about the technical difficulties,
Double How you living, buddy.
Speaker 3: Living well?
Speaker 4: Probably some you fan messing with the radio station, right
all right?
Speaker 1: Man, Yeah, we got you fans here locally disrupting our connectivity.
They don't want truth being bestowed upon all of Cougar Nation.
Knows sands buds about this, But give us a little
score prediction. How do you see this game playing out
under the lights of Levelle tonight six pm kickoff?
Speaker 4: Yeah?
Speaker 3: I think both teams are really well established as far
as a running attack, and probably comes down to who
can slow down the other team. Bay He's been able
to get good yardage from LG. Martin, who was the
big twelfth player Offensive Player of the Year of the
week rather after his one hundred and sixty plus performance
last week, and bar Bachmeyer as that plus one kind
of running part of the game, we got to account
for him and hopefully that opens up some other things
for the Cougar offense. And Devin dan Pier has been
putting up a lot of yards running the ball at
quarterback for Utah, though, I think both defensive lines are
going to be challenged, and I think whoever is able
to slow down the other team a little bit more
the running game might end up winning that game.
Speaker 1: Well. As far as health is concerned, for the most part,
both teams are are fairly healthy. Out of the injury
report that you've seen, which team has the competitive advantage
as far as health is concerned, I.
Speaker 3: Ges you mentioned from what I've seen obviously Pilot Winningham
is keeping some of those minor injuries to himself or
ones that may or may not keep a player out.
He decided that he doesn't need to provide a full
injury report. But as far as vous concerns, I think
that they're as healthy as they're going to get this
time of the year, and from what I've seen Raider do,
Mooney won't play, but Jack Kelly will and that's a
big deal. I think that Jack will make a difference
out there for the Couters. And so yeah, who knows
by U in Utah. They they are very physical with
each other. So this could be a game that could
put a toll on either team that could last maybe
more than just one or two games.
Speaker 1: If Kyleiham doesn't get a win tonight at LaBelle Edwards Stadium,
does he come back in twenty twenty six.
Speaker 4: I'm sure he'd be tempted.
Speaker 3: I mean, I feel like the way he's reacted to
the media question this week a little bit henre. I
think he's not happy with not having beaten the Cougar
since twenty nineteen, and it's going to put that into
his players to get out and play well.
Speaker 4: And he would love to go out.
Speaker 3: They've already picked, you know, a coach in waiting for him,
so he knows that the team will be tatting care
of when he decides to leave, and that'll be something
obviously he'll think more about the end of the season.
But I certainly think that's the big deal. May be
a bigger deal than normal for him to get a
win in this rivalry game tonight.
Speaker 1: Twenty of the last twenty four BYU Utah matchups have
been decided by single digits. This is a very close,
very competitive rivalry game. I'm sure it will become that
once again tonight. It'll be one for the ages, maybe
the biggest rivalry game in modern era history. Why because
of the implications of conference championship and maybe even CFP birth.
Because both of these teams are ranked, both of them
are in the same conference, would you would you conclude,
I mean, this was one of four games in the
last you know, thirty or forty years that both teams
are ranked and have an opportunity to win either a
conference championship, and now with the expanded playoff, they could
get to a c AP birth.
Speaker 3: And more so than just the fact that both teams
are ranked, because that's happened before occasionally in this rivalry,
what really accounts for to me, what the biggest thing
is that these are both two Big twelve football teams
that have a chance to make the college football playoffs
and they can earn it. I mean, it doesn't have
to be. You know, when Utah was going undefeated, when
they're playing in the Mountain West Conference, they had to
get voted in and they didn't have access like they
wanted and BYU have never had access until they joined
the Big Twelve. That would make this even a more
important game, I think is that both teams have access
if they win out, if they win the right games,
they can get in. They don't have to wait around
and feel like they're they're not getting the the you
know what they deserve from you know, whatever entity is
deciding who goes where they can earn it on the field,
and this is a big game and go and moving
toward back for either team.
Speaker 1: My guy double d Darnell Dixon. Nobody does it better.
Follow him on x at Darnell Wrights. Read all of
his content at The Daily Herald. Darnell, We appreciate you
man as always, Thanks for hopping on.
Speaker 4: All right, guys, we'll see you tonight.
Speaker 1: All right, we got a little college football update. We
got a score update by chance. Okay, let's go and
give it to us. What do you got, Vic Graham,
make sure that mic in front of your mouth so
you can speak to all of cougarnation, give me some
updates on scores.
Speaker 6: All right, we have the number one Ohio State buck
Guys up twenty seven nothing in the third quarter.
Speaker 1: Just going into the fourth quarter.
Speaker 6: We have number three Indiana of twenty eight ten on
Michigan State.
Speaker 1: And a big game that's going on right now.
Speaker 6: We have the Old miss Running Rebels up thirty five
to twenty six on number six Georgia.
Speaker 1: And then the big one in the Big in the Big.
Speaker 6: Twelve, we have Arizona State at halftime up nine to
seven on the Texas Tech Red Raiders, Texas A and
up Texas A and m up seven to three. And
then in the Big twelve, we had some big games.
Speaker 1: We had let's see we had. Let me give you
an update on some Big Twelve scores. Baylor TCU forty
two to thirty six. That was a final U of
a Houston. Houston ended up edging out the Wildcats thirty
one to twenty eight, UCF forty five thirteen over the
West Virginia Mountaineers. Those are some of the news and
notes coming out of the Big Twelve in the college
football world. Here on your Utah ESBN Readio network, we'll
be back Cougredation. We're gonna welcome in Tim mctire to
the show, former BYU defensive back to discuss this rivalry
game what it means to him in some of his
keys to the game. We're live from Lavelle Edwards Stadium,
just south of Leavell Edwards Stadium. At the Swig stop
by Salo get some Royal Army Brand gear PYU swag
created by fans four fans always stay low to the
Royal repped. Why the right way purchase should be where
your likes to peril at Royal Army Brand dot College.
Shout out to banter Wealth and the Utah Tailgators. Here
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go to break. Don't go anywhere more to get to
This is Sugar Sports AMINTA three nine ninety eight point
three ES