Speaker 1: Part in Utah's ESPN Radio Network on the go by
tapping that app. Download the ESPN the Fan app from
the Apple App Store or Google Play. Today, let's get
to know the Cougars student athletes. Get a player profile
segment here on one oh three nine at ninety eight
three ESPN the Van.
Speaker 2: Welcome Back Cougar Sports one of three nine ninety eight
point three.
Speaker 3: Here's being the fan.
Speaker 2: I've beenfittal broadcasting from our Vanderwelth Studios. Banderwell dot com.
Get on I pre Q and a oh obt to
get some to invest na with our tax more wealth advisors. Today,
it is time for a little player profile segment brought
to you by rubisndrubies In dot Com. I love rubies In.
I think you're gonna love rubies In as well. Whenever
you want to explore the wonder of the West Bryce
Canada National Park, make sure you're staying at rubies In.
They have and all you can eat breakfast. They got
spacious rooms, They got comfortable beds, clean lodgings that you
can have a little home base from as you uh
set out to explore and wend your way through the
beautiful Hoodoo Red rock formations of Rice Canyon. And they
also have a pool. They got a jacuzzi, they got
a gym. You can stay in shape in the gym
as well. Why pay for a day at ski resort
when your whole family can also enjoy an entire week
at winter weekend get away at Bryce Canyon for much
much less. At Ruby's In. You get that cozy room
as I mentioned, and free hot breakfast to start out
your day. You could also horse or you can horseback ride,
you can you can snowshoe, you can cross country ski,
et cetera. So much to do, and then you got
spring break coming up right now. You've got some great
spring break deals going on right now, take advantage of
those deals at rubisndreubes in dot com. Get out into
the wild blue yonder and explore the wonder the west
and stay at Ruby's In. All right, So, Ronald, the
three men, we was able to catch up with Shione
Moa BYU running back RB two. Ronnie, how you feeling?
Why don't you preview this interview for us?
Speaker 4: Yeah, caught it with one more just to preface you
guys a little bit. Forgot to ask it during any
of you asked him right after Tony Cameral was like,
oh dude, didn't you ask you you running with the ones,
running with the twos. He's doing a little bit of
both right now. Biggest thing, I don't want to spoil it.
I'll let you let him explain of what it is is.
He just wants to start and finish, you know, the
best way possible.
Speaker 5: And now we'll tease the interview.
Speaker 4: He highlights obviously Devon Eckley talks about where Bert Bachmeier
improved in just what he learned from the sideline. Look,
when you're not playing, sometimes it's it's tough, and sometimes
you you make a mistake. He talked about specifically, you know,
coming back and maybe that shouldn't have been the right move.
And that's difficult, right Ben, because you want to play
at the for your boys, you want to play out
there for yourself or your family, and sometimes when things
are nagging, aren't going well, maybe you shouldn't. And he
discusses all of that very humble young man. Is always
a privilege to be able to interview who could be
RB two. But he's definitely had taking reps out there.
Speaker 2: Let's get into it. Running back b YU.
Speaker 4: Running back running back. Just what does it feel like
to be back in sport find me again?
Speaker 3: It feels great, man, it was.
Speaker 6: It was a tough five months, tough recovery process, but
it feels good to be running back at the boys
and just being able to feel like myself a little
bit more. And I'm excited just for the rest until
fall camp, the rest of the springball.
Speaker 3: Just to be back to myself.
Speaker 5: What if you.
Speaker 4: Don't mind, what was the injury? Take us through that?
Just how was all of that in the recovery process?
Speaker 3: Yeah?
Speaker 6: So I had a compartment syndrome in my quad, uh,
and it was honestly tough. I never heard of it,
and so a lot of people in the trainer.
Speaker 3: Never heard of it. Well they have, but never really
worked with it.
Speaker 6: And so it's kind of a tough recovery process. But
we're here now. My recovery team has been awesome. My wife,
she's a nurse, so she's been taking care of me
at home. So it's been a tough journey, but definitely something.
Speaker 3: That I needed to go through to be here. I'm
Matt and I'm excited.
Speaker 4: What did you learn the most about yourself from the
sidelines last season?
Speaker 6: I learned to just be patient. You know, I was
so eager to come back. I came back for the
Big Toe Championship game. Wasn't the best idea. I kind
of reinjured that again the first play, and so throughout
the whole time, it was just I was just learning
how to be patient, just wait for my time, just
trusting God and just hope that he has the best
plan for me. And so that's probably the best or
the thing that I learned the most. While I was
sitting on the sideline watching the boys play.
Speaker 4: What was it like, you know, in the process of
watching LG. Martin did obviously wanted to be out there
and help. But a guy that rushes for a thousand
yards and has a chance.
Speaker 5: To break the all time mercer.
Speaker 6: Record, Yeah, I was so excited when he when he
took the rings of the offense last year, just putting
putting everybody on his back and just running how he does.
You know, it's nothing new, it's nothing that we don't
know that he's capable of, and so it was exciting
for him to showcase it, for everyone, to shove one
that he's the best running back in the league. And
so it was cool to see that and just for
him to take the whole load on.
Speaker 4: Take us to the emotions of the running back room
coach Harvor when he was announced the Big twelve Offensive
Player of the Year.
Speaker 6: Oh Man, all of us were excited for him. He's
a quiet guy. He didn't like to show emotion, but
we knew that he was happy and he enjoyed the recognition.
Speaker 3: But she deserves So what is.
Speaker 4: It like been watching him grow from a freshman, you know,
starting now to you know, coming back for a senior year.
Speaker 5: He's grown into a leadership role Perkolani.
Speaker 3: Yeah, no, for sure.
Speaker 6: When I watched him his freshman year, I was great shirting,
but it was cool to see him like he was
running with like I think it was Brooks. I forgot
the running backs in front of him. But he after
year after year got better and better. And just to
see him interact with the younger boys like Micah and Devon,
it's cool to see the leadership role that he took
on teaching these boys, even teaching Bear. I know Bear
had a great season, a lot of it because his
mentors like lj Or, like the older guys teaching him
how to do that.
Speaker 3: So it's been cool to see him growing to the
player that he is now.
Speaker 4: You mentioned Bear, how impressive was it for you to
watch a true freshman come in midway through June, when
the starting job in August and then Lee by YouTube
you know, one of its best ones in program Mystery.
Speaker 6: Yeah, it was a great feeling, so relieving for sure.
Obviously everyone else we're kind of in the mix up
in the off season, and then when Bert came in
and learned their offense and took over. It was awesome
to see him throughout the game just continue to progress
and get better and better. And so I'm excited for
him this upcoming season.
Speaker 3: He's gonna take a huge step. I'm already knowing.
Speaker 4: And yeah, what do you like about Enig, Watson, Tracy Bourget,
the rest of the quarterback room?
Speaker 6: Yeah, saying they all just uplift each other. I always
see them like working out here by themselves or like
together by themselves and just learning off of one another.
Tracon learning from their Enig learning from those two, and
even those two learning from Enich. And so it's cool
to see them all interact with each other, connect with
one another, and the way that connect with us boys too.
Speaker 5: Let's transition more towards you.
Speaker 4: What do you want to accomplish in this fifteen practice
here at spring ball?
Speaker 6: Man, I just want to get healthy, you know what
I'm saying. I want to get back under my feet,
just be able to move how I was starting to
move and then obviously the injury happened. But I just
want to be back to my one hundred percent self
and we're getting there. It's basically almost there. So I'm
excited to see how that feels.
Speaker 5: Again, would you say you're between eighty ninety percent then.
Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, it was definitely just yeah, how does it
feel with the strength and conditioning staff?
Speaker 5: You know, they put you guys through the ringers.
Speaker 4: They post these videos you guys have like these Olympic
like list.
Speaker 5: Is that in the off season.
Speaker 6: It's awesome to just have that fun environment. Uh, not
only is it fun, but it's also like we're all focused,
We're all ready to attack every single workout that they
have for us with a competitive mindset. So while we're
having fun, we're still competing with one another trying to
be better than the next guy.
Speaker 3: And so it's it's just a cool environment to be
a part of.
Speaker 6: I'm so grateful for our weight and conditioning staff, and
I think we have the best of the best, and
so we're blessed.
Speaker 4: It needs you to remind Kubernation, what skill set do
you add to this running back room?
Speaker 3: Man? They got everything.
Speaker 6: I'm just I'm just you know, I feel like I'm
a north and south runner.
Speaker 3: I'm not agile like LJ and Devon and jo Best
and all those guys. But if you need two or
through your eys, I got you. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 6: But I'm obviously trying to work on my past games too,
just catching out the backfield, just anyway that coach ay
Rod needs me to hop out of the offense. I'm
just there so hopefully I can adapt to whatever new
things come.
Speaker 4: So is that what the coach a Ron is, you know,
communicated to you pass game, but out of that pass proach?
Speaker 6: Yeah, yeah, most definitely being being a good blocker for him,
being a good like I said, catcher for him. We all.
Speaker 3: I think he saw a clip.
Speaker 5: On the converse.
Speaker 6: Absolutely what I'm saying, Like, I gotta protect the most
valuable player.
Speaker 3: So that's our job being the six lineman, and so
he had to.
Speaker 6: Take pride like that dude said, just take pride in
it and just try your butt off to protect them
the best way you can.
Speaker 4: I don't know if I asked you. This is they're
a running back. You model your game after someone you liked.
Speaker 6: Now, I loved watching Adrian Peterson. My uncle followed. He
was a fullback during that time. But I was watching
my uncle and I was watching Adrian Peterson. He became
my favorite running back, and so I try to model
his his game for sure, as.
Speaker 4: A native of Chicago and all about Adrian Peterson and
the Viking. So you don't have to tell me about
to hear what bo you?
Speaker 5: Running back?
Speaker 4: A couple of things and we'll, you know, let you
get out of here. The transition, you know, a marriage.
Last time I told you, you see you were having
the wedding in July.
Speaker 5: How's that been.
Speaker 3: It's been awesome.
Speaker 6: Like she she deals with a lot with me, you
know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3: Uh, And she she's such a warrior.
Speaker 6: But when I got injured, I was always at home
and she was taking care of me, and she was
by my side the whole time. And so it's awesome
to have that person right next to me every step
of the way, and it's been great this past seven months,
eight months, eight months.
Speaker 3: Tomorrow.
Speaker 6: Actually got to remember that.
Speaker 3: If I forget tomorrow, I remember today.
Speaker 4: Take us through after you know, the season was over.
What you do any family activity over the break, you know,
before you picked.
Speaker 1: It back up.
Speaker 6: Yeah, I just uh took the time, went to Hawaii,
visits of my family with my in laws too, and
just my parents are just over here in Utah, and
so spent some time with him ullay time. It was
just something that I needed to uplift my spirits. Obviously,
I missed the whole season basically, and so being around
my family and just all my loved ones definitely helped
me a lot.
Speaker 3: And so that's that's kind of what we did throughout
the off seasons before coming back.
Speaker 5: What do you like about new coming to von Ecker?
What is he ad to the room?
Speaker 3: I love him.
Speaker 6: He's a hard worker, He's he's one of you tell
him what to do, he'll process it and he'll go
out there and execute it. And so I'm excited to
see where he goes and how he progresses as a
player and as a man too.
Speaker 3: And so yeah, and.
Speaker 4: Then last thing for me who do you want to
highlight who's stood out to you since you guys have
either started just a couple of days ago or.
Speaker 5: When you were doing workouts.
Speaker 6: Oh, I love this question obviously my running backs, but
outside of my running back room, I like going with
a little freshman. Last year, I said La Mason. This year,
I like, I like Terrence Terrence. I think, yeah, yeah,
he's smooth. The freshman class we have, honestly every position
they're they're they're great athletes, and so I'm excited for
all of them.
Speaker 3: But Terrence. Yeah, Terrence caught my eye. Man, He's just
move right there.
Speaker 5: So I'm excited for he got some speed, for sure.
Got a look out for him.
Speaker 4: And who from the defensive side newcomer who'd like to
highlight overturn newcomer?
Speaker 3: I'm out for sure. K.
Speaker 6: You know, it's it's cool going like we go again
the linebackers ever practice and so just being able to
see uh him on the other side of the ball.
Speaker 3: It's cool.
Speaker 6: We obviously lost Jack last year and all these other
great linebackers, and it's so it's cool to have these
newcomers replace that and fill in their spot. And he's
definitely that kind of tear player, and so I'm excited
to continue to go against him and get better with
each other.
Speaker 5: I will get you out of this Jack Cade.
Speaker 4: What the similarities, the different system skill sets you see
between those two guys.
Speaker 3: Both of them were just ballers.
Speaker 1: Man.
Speaker 6: Obviously it's day two. I haven't seen too much of Caid.
Obviously Jack has a lot. It's a big shoot a field,
you know what I'm saying. But I think it's it's
he's capable of doing it for sure. So I'm excited
I can answer that maybe in a couple more weeks that.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I think Jack is still faster too.
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's okay, But I think I think b y
you running back to you, I appreciate your brother.
Speaker 2: A lot of good gems from that interview, Ronnie, since
it was yours, I'll let you kind of take over
some of your your your gems that you have teen
from that fantastic conversation with Sione Moa.
Speaker 4: Yeah, Unfortunately it had to be Adrian Peterson. It had
to be his favorite running back, you know. Just it
brought back night man. No, I'm just kidding. That's a joke. Look,
this is one of the most humble people on the roster.
It's always a pleasure and been the reason why I
wanted to see onymore, just to tell everybody everyone's been
talking about, you know, Santamoy healthy.
Speaker 5: People wanted to know what was going on. We didn't
know what it was.
Speaker 3: Ben.
Speaker 4: I wanted to hear from the horses and mouths of hey,
what were you going through?
Speaker 5: You know, you know went through you know, Parkinson syndrome
and my quad. You never heard of that.
Speaker 4: We did see him in the Big twelve Championship. He
did come back. He said to himself, bad idea. I
needed to learn patience because remember Ben, you know I
was there for the pop Tars Bowl standing.
Speaker 5: There wasn't regular clothes.
Speaker 4: It said, interesting, you played it in the Big Toe
Championship game, but you didn't play in the Poptarchs Bowl.
Speaker 5: Now that explains it. Reaggravated it.
Speaker 4: But you know eighty ninety percent, he said, oh yeah, yeah,
like so he is pretty much back there been taking
the reps. You've seen him training with the stranded conditioning staff.
His goals wants to be complete healthy. I think that's
a great mindset after you're out for pretty much all
of the season, is to be healthy. This is a
guy ben and when he's in the backfield with LJ,
when they run that two running back set, it's it's
truly dynamic and you know what LJ brings, but they
never never really had that true RB two that made
people respect them outside of l J. And when is
healthy and when he's on the field, he is the
RB two.
Speaker 5: Nothing.
Speaker 4: This is nothing against anybody else in that room or
who I liked from what they did last season. It
is so I want him to remind people what skill
set does he bring. You know, North South runner. He's
a he's a bulldog. He'll put his shoulder down, he
runs angry. I told him, I still want you to
run mad, you know, like the Isaiah Pachecos, the Warrens
of the Steeler run, run straight, and run hard. And
I think Will will be able to showcase that if
he's able to stay healthy. This fall camp be highlighted. Obviously,
Davon Eka, the name that's been raved about, but an
interesting name, has said, who's stuck out to you? He said,
obviously the running backs. Everybody's gonna pick their position group
right then. But he said, Terrence Sarion, we've been discussing
wild receivers. The entire show that's been the storyline just
got off the line with Jay Drew. He said, this
terarance there and the slot the speedster. Could he step
up as a freshman, could he replace the role? So
I loved how he did that. And then on the
defensive side, it's funny he was actually getting interviewed right
behind me. Katu luave the transfer filling big shoes of
Jack Kelly. I think that's super, super tough of Obviously,
Beckay was the number one linebacker out of the transfer portal,
so a lot of good stuff from loved this interview.
This was a gym, was able to get through a
lot and appreciate his time and obviously b yu for
the privilege to be an interview Who could be and
who a lot of people are saying will be RB two.
Speaker 2: We surprised he discussed the injury right, the injury sustained
and kind of had a little setback at the bowl
game trying to make his way back.
Speaker 5: Yeah, honestly was surprised.
Speaker 4: It's our job to ask the questions and and I
don't like to tell people's you know stories, I do,
but I want them to speak on that. I was surprised,
but I think is at a point where he is comfortable,
you know, talking about it was something I think that
he doesn't want this luring above his head. And you
know it sounds like, you know, from the patience on
the sideline, it sounds like his faith has taught him
that this is not a setback. You know, this is
only gonna make him better, and that he learned a lot, right,
you know, being a leader. I'm on this team right
because this is Lj's last season after that is a
guy that could be RB one. You know, a lot
of people are gonna say, well, that might be a stretch,
but if he's able to stay healthy, been and have
a five or six hundred yard Russian season, he puts
himself in the conversation for next year. So I was
a little bit surprised, but at the same time, I
think he's I'm going through this, He's had his trial
of faith, the refiners fire, and he's mature enough to
understand and again appreciate him. Let letting Kugarnation know what
was going on, and I think he's ready to hit
the ground running and put twenty twenty five behind him.
Speaker 5: He's looking forward to twenty twenty six.
Speaker 2: Love it, wat some more of it, shone moa running back,
Numero dos behind LJ. Martin taking the baton, getting a
lot of the reps, getting back into the swing of things.
Let's keep this man healthy, Let's keep this man humble. Yes,
but hungry for that pig skin because I think you
can toe the rock well. But guys, that's our player profile,
little SHIONI moa action and it was brought to you
by rubies In, rubies in dot Com. I'll tell you
what else I love. I love rubies In and I
love Bryce Candon National Park. Why pay for a day
at a ski resort when your whole family can enjoy
the entire week winter weekend wonderland get away at Bryce
Canyon National Park for much much less, much more economical,
and memories will be made with friends and family members there.
I believe because you're seeing something iconic, You're seeing something
that the international world and the the the nation wants
to come in and see. And we're like, we're hop
skipping a jump away. We don't take advantage of it.
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, rubies In, rubies In
dot com stay at rubies In when you go, and
explore Bryce Candonational