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Speaker 2: Welcome back Cougar Sports one of three nine ninety eight
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help you to invest the right way. It is time
for a little keep up with the Cougar's is going
to welcome to a former BA rate to talk some
BAU football preview the BAU Texas Tech game and why
this time in Texas it's gonna be different. What happens
in Lubbock stays in Lubbock, what happens in Arlington. Like
the last time boas in Arlington, Bulier got the dub
over Oklahoma and Jerry's World one of the best wins
in the modern era, maybe one of the best wins
in BA football history.
Speaker 3: Hopefully that happens again this time.
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Speaker 3: Let's get out to the hotline. Welcome in.
Speaker 2: One of my favorite grit guests on the latformer BYU
Great NFL VET pastor Dewey Gray.
Speaker 3: What's up, Pastor? How are you?
Speaker 4: I'm doing great, my friend? How are you doing?
Speaker 3: I'm doing fantastic.
Speaker 2: Also creator of Cougar's on top AI song It Hit Hard.
Speaker 3: We played it earlier today.
Speaker 4: Dewey oh Man, let me say they should have never
let me discuss of her Ai creation songs. I've been
making songs about my kids, my wife. It has been
a blast. But on a serious note, I just thought
that that would be something fun to do, and I
listened to it a few times. I was like, man,
this thing swaps. Let me send it to Ben and
I send it to some other people and they're like,
this is good. So yeah, I'm just I'm just having
a little fun. I'm excited about the game tomorrow. I'm
super proud of my school. I think from outbidding Penn
State to keep Kialani, the momentum with recruiting, I can
never remember a time that BYU and a recruiting class
had four four stars. Usually it would take US five
recruiting or eight four stars. Usually it would take like
four recruiting cycles to have eight four star players. Now
we got eight four star players in one class and
it's number twenty one in the country. So the momentum
is certainly behind BYU football. It's really exciting.
Speaker 2: It's you look, We've had a lot of discussions on
this show over the years about talent, scheme, culture, the
building blocks of great football play, great football programs, and
it's tremendous to see what where BYU is at right now,
knocking on the door on the.
Speaker 3: Cusp of elite football.
Speaker 2: Right and we've had years where BYU has played some
really great football, maybe even arguably elite football.
Speaker 3: But you know, you look back at.
Speaker 2: Your era, my era that you know it's hard to
create consistency year over year of great to elite football.
Killone's doing something special, but he's doing it with support
the help of many right now, including the university finally
investing in their program.
Speaker 4: Absolutely, in today's modern football, you have to make a
financial investment. You have to have top tier coaches, top
tier facilities, top tier nil and you know too, I
don't like to compare errors because number one, it's really impossible.
Number two, it's not fair. I'll say this. You know,
my era, your era, plan in the Whack is not
the same thing as playing in the Big twelve. The
level of competition that the current DYU team is facing
as much higher than the level of competition that we
faced in the Western Athletic Conference. And you know that
is a sign and progress of the nature of our
football program. And so that's really really exciting and I
think we have some incredible momentum catapulting us into the
game against an absolute stacked Texas Tech team. Three of
their defensive linemen were first team All Big Twelve. That's incredible.
They had the defensive player of the Year in Rodriguez.
We know what they can do on offense, we know
what they can know special teams. I mean, they spent
twenty eight million dollars in il to have an incredible roster,
and they've had an incredible year. But I think Saturday
is going to be different.
Speaker 2: Why will it be different? Give me your keys to
the game versus Texas Tech.
Speaker 4: Well, so let me start with the obvious. The defense
held Texas Tech to multiple field goals and played well
enough for the game to be a lot closer. I
think our offense the first time around was intimidated. We
had some things go bad early and we could never recover.
I think now that you face the big bad monster
and you go, you know what, it's not that bad.
I think we're going to have renewed energy on offense.
We're not just gonna turn the ball over. But for
some reason, I have a feeling we're gonna start the
game off with Max protect, which means, uh, leaving in
like eight guys to block. And I think we're gonna
take some deep shots. And even if those deep shots
don't connect, I hope they do. But what they're gonna
show Texas tech is you are not gonna be able
to stack the line with eight men in the box
and play man to men. If we cannot run the
ball against the seven man front, it's gonna be a
long day. But if we can run it against a
seven man front, they're gonna have to bring that eighth
man in the box, which means Parker Kingston's gonna be
one on one. Jojoe Phillips is gonna be one on one.
Roberts is gonna be one on one. Bear's gonna have
to make some throws. And we have to be okay
getting like one carry for four yards, uh and then
being like third down and two like we need to
eat the clock. We need to be physical. Then we
need to play action pass and go deep. And I
think our defense is gonna go blow for blow for
blow with them. I expect Jack Kelly to have a
monster game tomorrow.
Speaker 2: I can't wait to see a healthy BYU team. Right Look,
they're healthier than they've been in a long time. Lj's healthy,
Bear Bachmeyer's healthy, Chase Roberts is healthy. Offensively, you have
the defense, uh bringing back a lot of players right
that have regered, or Justin Kirklans back in the lineup,
Tommy Prices back in the lineup. Nissy Purcell should be
there as well. This is a this is gonna be different.
The neutral setting also builds well for byu uh the
inclement weather.
Speaker 3: It was really windy, and I.
Speaker 2: Don't think Sam vander Horr or Parker Kingston were ready
for it, honestly in this game. And they not only
muff punts, but they shanked punts. This this game is
gonna be closer than it wasn't loving it.
Speaker 4: Is it is, and you know, and and for me
being a native of Texas, you know, playing in Arlington,
which is basically Dallas, which is not that far from
Lovebuck Uh, Texas Tech still is going to have somewhat
of a home field advantage. But you know, b Yu,
we we we travel well. And I think the game
is gonna be sold out. It's gonna be incredible, and
I just don't think we're gonna turn the ball over
if Texas Tech plays their best game and we play
our best game, Texas Tech will win. They have more talent. However,
the most talented team are the best team doesn't always win.
The team that wins is the one that executes on
the day of the game. And I just think we're
gonna get some turnovers, We're gonna get some big plays.
I think we're gonna get get out ahead early on Tech,
make them panic. They're not used to that. The only
game where they had some resistance was basically on the
state right, and so I think we're gonna get out
ahead of him, and I think they're gonna panic. I
think they're gonna force some things. I look to us
tomorrow to have at least three to four turnovers, some
big plays in the kicking game, and I think we're
gonna I think we're gonna matriculate the ball down the field,
play action pass, max Protec go over the top. Kingston
Speed is gonna be a nightmare. I hope they play him,
Manda Man. I hope they do.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, you wonder, Okay, what happened in the
Arizona State game. How did Arizona State beat Texas Tech.
I don't know if you've been able to look at
that game evaluated, but it's kind of interesting how I mean, look,
Number one, they were at home. That helps, right, A
home crowd definitely helps. Will Hammond was the starter for
Texas Tech, the true freshman that he had seen some
pt but it's not like he'd ever been.
Speaker 3: In a an.
Speaker 2: Environment like this with defensive coordinator that had prepared for him.
He got into Utah game played really well, but they
didn't prepare for him. So you know, there's a lot
to take in in regards to that. But one thing
that that Sam Levitt did well is the extended plays,
kept eyes downfield. They got some chunk yardage plays on yeah,
scramble drill plays, and I thought that was kind of pivotal.
Speaker 4: Yeah Levitt, who I played with his dad, was just
pretty pretty cool. He was a human RoboCop. But Levitt
in that game was twenty eight of forty seven for
three nineteen. So that's dunkin and Duncan too. That's that's
that's not that's that's been judicious with the ball. You know,
like back in the day, Detmer on twenty eight completions
would have had five hundred yards you know, just so
I think we need to. I'm sure our coaches have
looked at that film and have said, Okay, here's some
things that we can do. And I think that we
have to be aggressive. But I do think max protection
is cool. So that means you running three man routes.
If those guys aren't there, then throw the checkdown. Get
five yards on a checkdown, get six yards on a
checkdown that eventually, when of those guys are gonna miss,
leave your big tight end in you know, to block
on those max protect dump it to him. He's two
hundred and fifty pounds. That's not gonna be fun tackling
that guy. You miss one tackle, that's twelve that's fifteen yards.
And so we have to be aggressive, and that means
even taking the checkdowns. But we gotta throw some haymakers,
like like come out throwing hey makers, come out with like,
you know what we expect to win this game. We
have faced the monster and we ready this time.
Speaker 2: De We Gray pastor de We Gray here on ESPN
the fan. One thing that I know that you'll appreciate is,
you know is uh he's a great figurehead of the
of of b YU and b YU football. I think
Shane Reeve said as much. He said, look like, in
many ways, Kolani is the face.
Speaker 3: Of Brigham Young University.
Speaker 2: He's the ambassador, He's the most recognized figure of the
church that you dis Christ a lot of the saints
in many ways, you know what I mean. And and
he goes out in front of Kugarnation and he says, look,
you know, and I'm just grateful that that I get
to be the head coach. But you know, it should
be more than just football. It should be about being
a disciple of Christ. So when you hear that, you
see that, you see the uh, the engagement and and
and what they're they're doing with Kolani and investing in
him as that face of b YU.
Speaker 3: What's your reaction to it? You know?
Speaker 4: So my I think my reaction would be somewhat different,
and I'm gonna take a different angle, okay, And I
think knowing is really important. Who would ever thought, let's
just say, in nineteen seventy eight, when Black's black men
cannot hold the Malkeziedic priesthood right, who would have thought
that the face of Brigham Young University would be a
Polynesian man. I mean, that is unheard of, and frankly,
I would suspect that there were many who would not
have wanted that. So I think it's quite remarkable to
find ourselves in twenty twenty five that Koloni Saitake and
his history and his story of getting to where he
is is the face of BYU and his coaching has
put BYU on the map at a new level, which
I'm sure coach Edwards would just be so ecstatic about
to see one of his players take the program to
new heights. And so, yeah, I think that's really cool
that the face of BYU is a Polynesian man. I
think that's pretty awesome.
Speaker 2: And then piggybacking off of that, like he's he's saying, look, yeah,
I want to win football games, but I also want
to celebrate, you know, christ I want to serve. I
want to develop men. I mean, but he mentions discipleship
a lot.
Speaker 4: He does. He does, he does, and and I think
that's one of the reasons why a lot of guys
want to play for him. And I think that's why
a lot of parents want their kids to play for
him as well. And I've and I've said this for years,
is you know, playing for BYU creates a moral framework
that you're going to live from that's helpful not only
on the field, but off the field. I could deemically.
And so you know, I at my time at BYU,
I think I may have heard one coach curse in
my four years there, you know, So I do think
that there's something about playing in an environment like that
where they're trying to develop you holistically. You know, when
you're eighteen nineteen, you know, like you think you're going
to be that age forever, and you think you're going
to play football forever, but you're going to be a
non football player a lot longer than you are a
football player. And so yeah, football is a great tool
to actually teach the Christian faith. From me, I tell
our congregation all the time that I'm a football coach
disguise as a pastor. The Bible is the playbook, You're
the team, and the football is the gospel.
Speaker 3: I love it.
Speaker 2: Man, great insight, great perspective on the situation down at
BYU and Kaloni Satak.
Speaker 3: Look.
Speaker 2: The great thing too is you know we've seen over
the years BYU as an institution maybe not invest in
the coordinators We all know head coaches are only as
good as their coordinators, right and Kalonie the figurehead, he's
got his strengths, he's got his weaknesses, and he can't
do it all. You've got to be able to attract
and retain good coordinators.
Speaker 3: And right now you have Aaron Roderick.
Speaker 2: The offense per espnsp plus is top twenty.
Speaker 3: They're twentieth in the nation.
Speaker 2: The inefficiency metrics you got Jay Hill espnsp plus top twenty,
and special teams is.
Speaker 3: Not too far behind that. They're like top thirty.
Speaker 2: You got true complimentary football and coordinators that can coach
up and inspire and get players to execute.
Speaker 3: It's a special time right now.
Speaker 4: It is it is you. You can only be as
effective as the assistants are around you. And you also
want to take care of your assistance and go to
bat form. You know, if I were a head coach,
my philosophy would be I would look for assistance that
I believe that one day could be a head coach
because they're gonna have the vision, that ambent vision and
the work ethics and the details to execute what's being asked. Uh.
And you know, the offensive line coach is incredible, Fessie.
I mean, it is a it is a strong staff.
You look at the corners with Gennaro. It is a
it is a strong staff. And you know we're gonna
have to fight hard to keep a lot of that
a lot of that staff. But you know, when you
go back to coach Edwards, I mean, people forget Andy
Reid was on his staff. I mean three times Super
Bowl winning coach learned the West Coast offense from coach Edwards.
You know, Brian Belichick, I mean and and uh not Belichick,
Billick and so uh, you know, list goes on and
on and so it's good to see that the assistants
are going to be taken care of. And you want
to head coach who's also gonna found the table for
you to get paid as well, and not just him.
You want to coach for a person like that. You
you want to you want to build something special with
a person like that.
Speaker 2: Pastor Dewey Gray Uh, the pastor of the Transformation Church.
Pastor Transformation Church. You can check it out Transformation Church
dot t C. I believe is the website. One of
the things I love talking to you about is uh
is uh the religious aspects of the discipleship, aspects of
all things. And what have you guys been been doing
there at the Transformation Church uh?
Speaker 3: This month?
Speaker 4: UH?
Speaker 3: Last month? We have Thanksgiving, we have Christmas.
Speaker 2: UH.
Speaker 3: We we want to turn our our our our our our.
Speaker 2: View, our mindset towards Christ and his birth and his
mission on this earth. What are you guys doing there
at the Transformation Church this month?
Speaker 4: Yeah? You know, I would I would say the biggest
thing that we're doing this Christmas UH is where we
share a lot of generosity. And so there's some things
we're gonna be We're gonna we're gonna be paying off
tens of millions of dollars of medical debt for people
in the North Carolina and South Carolina. And we we
have a free grocery store. There's gonna be several other
things that we're gonna be doing to to help people
in pain. But most importantly, we're gonna be continuing to
cast the seeds of a gospel of grace that most
people do not believe that the grace of God is
as good as it is. Most people think God is
grading on a curve or if they score enough points,
and you know, it's hard to believe that God doesn't
grade on a curve. He grades on a cross, and
Jesus on the cross got an a plus for us.
That's what unconditional love is. God is not a God
that we uh, let's work hard to earn his love. No,
he worked hard to earn our faith through his love.
And it's is love that transforms us through the Holy
Spirit's power. And so we're going to continue that message.
People in America are hungry. There's a lot of people
that know about Christ or know of Christ, but do
you really know Christ? Has He really permeated your being?
And I think that's so important because our culture is
so politically divided. Politicians are trying to tell people of
faith how to live their faith. And the reality is
it's us, the people of Jesus, who should be telling
politicians know. Love is the way to go, Kindness is
the way to go, Compassion is the way to go,
Mercy is the way to go. That's the way of Jesus.
And if we don't believe that, simply read the Beatitudes
in Matthew chapter five three through twelve. It's all there.
Speaker 2: Love that man great insight is always love here and
you preach and you know from your pulpit and sharing the.
Speaker 3: Good news that some people forget about.
Speaker 4: Right.
Speaker 2: We get bogged down with certain things that are procedural
and just not the most important things in this life.
The good news is what we should be focused on
and embrace that. Do We always appreciate our time together,
always love talking ball and faith with you.
Speaker 3: Always learn something from you.
Speaker 2: Hopefully b why you comes out victorious and can make
those college football playoff committee members.
Speaker 3: Maybe eat a little crow, right.
Speaker 4: Man, the way those guys are by, you could win
forty nine to six, you know, still put Notre Dame
in man.
Speaker 2: It's crazy, right, Like, Look, I want to always expect
the best from people, you know, but we are living
in a fallen state. These men and women in this
temporal state are fallible, right, I'm like, but come on, man, the.
Speaker 3: Objective data is right there before you. Where's the love?
Where's the truth?
Speaker 4: Man?
Speaker 3: I need the truth to set me free.
Speaker 4: Baby, man. We need uh, we need some better politic
and like Notre Dame has because that's absurd that they're
ahead of us. But if we win tomorrow, all questions
are answered.
Speaker 2: Yes, indeed, we just don't have enough I guess we
don't have enough like cache, a built up equity, built
up filthy luker, you know, built up. It's just it's
not enough right now to sway these people. They don't
want to talk about us on their on their committee shows,
not even want to know they did by you or
the resume.
Speaker 4: Because of because if they did, it would it would
it would be exposed. There's there's a talent biased against BYU.
And when the committee looks at BYU, they they say,
how in the world could a team based on two
four seven have the seventieth most talented roster in the
country and be this good? Yep. They don't even know
how to deal with that. But when we win tomorrow,
they're gonna have to deal with it.
Speaker 3: They don't know, but they about to find out, right Pastor.
Speaker 4: Grove, mess around and find out.
Speaker 2: Love it, man, love it, Dewey much love to you
your family. Always appreciate our time together. And I invite
everybody to not only follow you, check out the Transformation
Church website and then to purchase any of your books
that you have online right now because all of them
are fantastic.
Speaker 4: Thanks so much, Thank you, buddy, Bye bye.
Speaker 3: They go that's Dewey.
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Don't go anywhere. Still breaking down this Bau Texas Tech
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