FULL SHOW | Utah vs. Southern Utah Game day | BYU football knows it's starting quarterback | Jare...

hey this is JJ and Alex I be as you wrap up your day it's time to get your fix of the teams you live for and the sports you love this is JJ and Alex presented by G2G bars on 975 the KSL Sports Zone man I W lie every day I ask Siri how many days until August 29th make sure literally every day and that's how anxious I am and and not even anxious but just just just to go and give it our last shot you know here with K Reed too this is our last shot too so what's up everybody Welcome in it is JJ and Alex 975 ekl Sport Zone do you think do you think Junior tuna asked Siri today how many days till game day I don't think Junior ton has ever asked Siri he told Siri I can't see in those big giant hands of his I'm holding the phone and saying Hey Siri I don't think so you're going to wake my phone up don't do it hold on sorry now we used to do you know back in the day because when Siri first came out and we used to do the thing where because people are listening over the air and we'd go hey Siri text Mom tell her I'm pregnant send and then we would like see who would actually who if we get these grumpy people that were texting us back my mom just got a text what' it say You're Expecting good news that's great news for you asking Siri how far away the football season is it's a moot point today JJ because it is freaking game day we're back it's college football finally said quit asking oh my goodness it's here yeah but is it at least whatever tonight is is here oh Utah Utah versus Southern Utah obviously a classic Battle of two teams with the name Utah and their University oh yeah inate rivalry Delane Fitzgerald's like we've this is a this is a tradition for us that we like to do every couple years come up get paid leave town with our Tails between our legs the third meeting in the eight seasons is that what it is is that the third time they played each other in eight seasons the only times they've ever played period okay uh I know that they put 70 on them two years ago what are the what what what was the previous score before that even it was tight it was like 20 it was not tight um I'll give you hold on tight in the sense that it should have been a blowout you know what right yes so this is what this is where I get with my friends at winsipedia yes it's a thing winsipedia is uh it's a good one although I don't know if they I don't know if they actually keep tabs on on no so 73 73 to7 was the was the uh come on W from two years ago come on internet so they W they did they cover that game uh yeah all right they did uh but I don't think they covered the pr first match 24 to nothing 24 Z September 1st 2016 okay throw out the record will these two get together so a total a grand total of the youths have won the last two games by a total of 97 to7 not bad not a bad go they scored 38 points by the way in the second quarter in 20122 we'll see what happens tonight I'm really interested to see what cam Rising looks like out there I started to buy into the idea that maybe it's a little bit more nerve-wracking for him than we would have thought not necessarily obviously not you not Southern Utah but I'm just saying like actual live fire you know what I mean about this enough I we have talked about it a lot but I haven't I don't think we have oh okay all right well let's we've just all been all in on this they're back they're back I know and I'm not trying to freak anybody out I'm not I'm not going to play the game of of of saying I think cam rising's going to be up in his head what I'm saying is it's been a long time since he has actually done this it's been a long time since he hasn't had that black or green jersey on that says don't touch me right yeah and I don't think that the offensive line is going to drop the ball on this one and and let a couple of uh Thunderbirds through and have a a clean shot at cam Rising but there has to be a little bit of something about where his head's at we'll listen to some audio here we've got to kick our program off though officially JJ is that all right let's do it roll it out uh G2G bars is the sponsor of your program it is an amazing protein bar it is preservative free it's made right here in Utah you can find them at Costco holiday oil Maverick Associated Foods if you haven't tried a G2G bar yet uh do what your neighbor is doing and that is eating a protein bar that's packed with a ton of nutrients and it's all natural it's awesome give it a shot Costco holiday oil Maverick Associated Foods that's G2G bars let's kick the program off though with the cut as we always do we'll jump right in here we'll get to some Utah sound getting you ready for the Utes versus Southern Utah let's do it it's time for the biggest story of the day this is what made the cut with j J and Alex on 975 the KSL Sports Zone and this portion of the show brought to you by trun wealth TR Jan wealth.com that's traun wealth.com for all your financial needs in retirement all right JJ let's talk about it then you've got cam Rising coming back hasn't played a live snap in a game that counted since January 1 of 2023 that's a long time ago it is today is August 29th of 2024 I know they look I'm less worried about Brandt keithy because I think they did everything they could and waited as long as they could to make sure everything was uh on the up and up with his injury I but again the quarterback is a is a massive question mark I'm wondering and I think it's because I heard Frank Dolce with Hance and Scotty talking about this and we'll bring Steve Bartle on on the program we'll have all sorts of things to to jump in with this but I just wonder where his heads at because I think that at some point during the rehab you're emotionally rehabbing this guy as much as you are anything else because when you have the full knee being replaced when you have you mean fixed was it fixed it wasn't replaced well I mean it was a it it was a knee like I think it was a replacement though like in terms of the no he doesn't have a reconstruction yes maybe that's what it is I don't want anybody thinking like he was like 80 years old and he had to get like it's like a you know a hip oh no no no no no no sorry but you know uh a reconstruction yes but it was was a significant and it was and it was all of it it was like we got to do everything yeah and I just wonder where his head's going to be at when the first snaps happen and what about when it becomes uh an opponent like Baylor next week what about when it's the middle of the season now by then I think that a game like tonight is a perfect time to be able to say let's wrap your head around this thing I I don't doubt that cam Rising is strong enough mentally to be able to handle this but he also we haven't seen whatever version of a guy coming back from a a significant injury and surgery and all those things and the rehabbing of all that I don't we haven't seen that version of Cam yet we've seen all the other versions of Cam we've seen the toughness we've seen the side of Cam that is an absolute competitor the question is can he put all the stuff aside that may get creep into your mind when you've had an injury like that to be able to be the best version of you which is you know supposed to be one of the if not the best quarterback in the entire conference cam Rising is an elite college quarterback he's a proven quarterback he's a proven leader we know what his resume is we know what he's accomplished but the last time he was on a football field he shredded his knee and he hasn't been back on it since and so you wonder and I think it's fair to wonder and it's fair fair to be curious and I think everybody I think all Utah fans watching T night are like I can't wait to see cam Rising on the field for a number of reasons number one because you love him because he's won you a lot of games and he's one of the best qubs in school history number two you have a chance to do something special this year with him under Center number three you're curious what he's going to be like after missing all this time and then cam Rising is as I say Elite but he's also human and as human beings when we go through something that is traumatic that can be difficult and then how do you get over the mental part of it you you do the physical part like and I don't think that was I don't think that was hard for cam to do the rehab and and the physical part of getting back to being 100% but he has not officially tested the mental part of it you're going to have to go out there and prove to everybody including yourself that you can handle the mental part of that going back out there after you suffered a traumatic injury in a game the last time you played and I think he can do that and I think that's why tonight is important for him and for everybody else to see cam is back CU until he's actually on the field in a game that matters and a game that counts throwing touchdown passes there's always going to be that doubt we went through it all last year and I think that's contributed to this the lack of confidence is he gonna be is he ready is he ready is he ready we were told multiple times last year yeah Cam's Cam's good he'll be ready well he never was so is he ready tonight I'm sure he will be and once he gets out there and he proves that then everybody's going to take a big sigh of relief and there's going to be some of that Wonder maybe even some doubt replaced with enthusiasm and excitement for what's to come because cam Rising is officially back and he's himself again yes he has to go out and prove that tonight and I think that's why a lot of us are going to really be interested in watching and he's got to not only do that but he's got to prove he can do it at a high level and I think that people want to see him go out there and do it and just absolutely do it at the same level that he's been able to do it so far in his college football career and I get out immediately and be done by halftime I love how I love how people ask that too like okay so when you go in and then you guys are up by a lot uh and then when you come out how's that going to be I mean he actually was like ah we got to score a lot of points before that but we'll get to that piece of sound this is what Kyle Winningham said about cam rising's Readiness because it's not just I I I think the physical aspect it's all taken care of all that stuff is been done all that work has been done it's about whether or not he's there mentally and I'm I'm interested to see how it goes here's what here's what Cal Whittingham said about the Readiness of Cam Rising he is going to be very judicious in his running and we've we've had you know ad nauseum talks about that and he's going to be a guy that really picks his spots and you know not trying to fight for that extra yard when you know there are situations where you know end of game or whatever where he's going to need to go ahead and throw it in there but preservation is is the key with him as far as when he decides to tuck the ball and run it very little QB Run game you're not going to see a whole lot of of QB Run game he's right now functioning as well as he ever has his arm strength is back the leg feels great just no limitations I mean he's ready to roll there you go however be judicious in the running why because it freaks everybody out because their entire season relies on him keeping us S Health it freaks everybody out and here's what cam Rising actually said a couple of things uh in in the media availability this week and now that they're just a few hours away from kickoff and uh getting things going he's not worried about how much he's going to be limited at all he was asked about it and he's he's more concerned about just making sure that he's playing his game I don't like to focus on that we got to go out there and score a lot of points in order for that to happen so we got to be focused on what we need to handle first and then if we can get everybody in that would be great but that's not our Focus hey cam when are you guys G to get Isaac Wilson in the game is that the question was that the question that was asked it almost sounded like I can't worry about that we go to we got to throw a ton of points in there man before we even start thinking about you see Isaac Wilson by halftime things went really really well and and then that's something we can talk about after the game but I I think you really have to start from the first second in that first drive and really we'll see we'll learn a lot five 10 minutes into that game uh here's what Elsie said and I think you should be excited about this I bet this is the most talented group he's had around him you tell me if I'm wrong at least at the wide out position for the youths here's what he said about that just having depth having multiple guys that can go in and make big plays when you have that usually it's going to make you be able to run any type of play you want at any time so having that ability is going to be special okay he's got a lot of weapons I know that they're trying to figure out the running back thing we know that they've said that here's what wit said about the running back situation I do think that whoever goes in there they're going to give they're going to give some opportunities they're gonna I I don't think they want to do the by committee thing for long and if this is going to be an extended tryy out great but let's see how they do first game but they have a lot of running backs you're going to be able to do a lot wit's not necessarily worried about whether or not they have enough guys to be able to do it even though we don't have clear-cut rb1 it's not the end of the world that we don't have that but we have the two tiers of running backs like I mentioned towards the end of of fall camp where maai Bernard Jaylen Glover Mike Mitchell have uh been in that first group and then we'll see the vast majority of the playing time you'll also see dejon Stanley get some touches during the game and then Hunter Andrews has been a really good addition to the running back group will add value and then Charlie Vincent Mr reliable that is such a weapon force on special teams he's one of the the main stays on special teams but that that is the room uh that we're working with those six guys and like I said that first tier has separated itself from the second tier with the exception of Dijon having a package of plays that that he'll execute what are the I mean look that's four that's four running backs they mentioned including a special package put together for dejon Stanley is that you think that's a there's no they're not planning on a quarterback run situation but maybe some I don't know maybe some direct snap Wildcat situation what exactly how do you build up a package for a guy who is like kind of listed as the fourth okay get him get him give him the ball in some way get him out in open space Andy L Andy lwig likes designed and drawn up they'll get him the ball uh it won't be many I mean remember what they did with um Nate Johnson when he was a freshman yes something similar to that okay uh all right he talks about Brandt keithy as well and we'll get to something that Brandt keithy also brought up but speaking of guys who are coming back uh and I know you probably heard Hans and Scotty roll out there number two and number one uh players on there 6 60 and it was Brandt keithy at two and it was not surprisingly cam rising at one here's what Wht said about Brandt keithy coming back he's a weapon for us and he's looked great in practice we have been intelligent with how we've used him we have given him a few practices off here and there just to make sure that we don't overdo it he is arguably you know one of the top two or three receiving tight ends in the nation he's hard a tough matchup for defenses and when you look at that position that position room is is loaded we got six guys that could maybe start anywhere in the Big 12 okay we we talked about cam Rising back in in the the mental aspect same for Brank keithy he's got to do the same thing he's got to go out and prove the same thing that he can get back to being Brant keithy that he was before the injury at Arizona State this is a big night for Utah now this is not everyone's like oh it's Southern Utah you know and it's an F it's an FCS opponent all that kind of stuff and you know they're not playing Florida and they went playing Michigan like they normally do who's that what voice is doesn't matter I don't know like like I don't know Utah fan aren't you offended by this this is like what my wife guy just does your wife have a voice for you by the way when she does your impersonation yeah it's probably like d yes every husband has a voice that their wife does for them this is what I okay and I'm telling you I got a drool while I do it yeah I mean there there's probably some skepticism out there about how what what are we learning from this this is dumb they play Florida why aren they playing Georgia in no opener I mean this is a good this is really good for where Utah is at right now with a lot of guys coming back from injury I think there's some years where it would be great to have those that Big Time game right out of the gate um I think this is good for for the you for this team for what they're trying to accomplish and for who's coming back and getting back in the mix and getting comfortable again especially mentally this is perfect for this Utah team and it'll be really fascinating to see what they're like with all these guys coming back from injury we haven't talked about a lot Lander Barton's coming back from injury yeah Conor oul was banged up most of the Year van villinger was banged up most of year last year Karan Reid was banged up I mean there's a number of guys that are key players that missed time last year that are going to be back how are they do are they better and I I expect a lot of them to be if not all of them that's why there's so much excitement about what this team can do but we want to see it on the field especially with Cam with the importance of the position he plays all right so here's what we're going to do um we've got a lot to break down till still today of course there's so much to be able to uh to to jump into and to dive into this Utah game tonight though if you're a Utah fan what what's your level of expectation what is it that you want to see do you want to see cam Rising Play the full game and kind of just see and get all that work in or do you want to be one of those people that sits back and goes okay I want to be able to see that guy go in they're up by five scores bring them out of the game in the in the third quarter is that that the version you want to see what's the definition of success of Cam Rising being back tonight or is it just like you know if they have a 24 to zero victory over Southern Utah that they had back in 2016 for example yeah that's not going to fly tonight this the team the expectations of this team are too high to struggle okay hold on guess I don't care who the this is this has nothing to do with Southern Utah nothing to do with Southern Utah I think Delan Fitzgerald's doing a great job there he got an extension they're they're getting back to the Quality FCS team that they were a few years ago but they're coming up here to get a paycheck we all know what this is about this is about Utah and how good are they going to look tonight and if they come out if they don't look great and they are not sharp and they leave doubt tonight then it's going to be like what's going on because there's High the expectations for this team are so Skyhigh and for good reason because they have that kind of talent and they have that kind of experience and they have that kind of coaching staff so there's no excuse for it not to be so if it isn't what we expect it's natur to be disappointed if we walk away disappointed tonight then we're going to have questions going into Baylor it's time to get the inside info on BYU with cougar Insider Mitch Harper of KSL sports.com on 975 the KSL Sports Zone lot of respect for their players I know they got some turnover and and getting some guys going but what you know with consistency that they have in their coaching staff with their head coach they'll be able to get their guys ready to go and we'll get their best shot Saturday we just got to make sure that they get ours welcome back everybody JJ and Alex 975 V KL Sports Zone oh we are prepping you for all sorts of football go going on this weekend of course starting tonight the University of Utah firing off against Southern Illinois or no against Southern Utah BYU against Southern Illinois I have a lot of Southerns in my head a lot of directional schools week one a lot of directional FCS schools and what and Utah are playing directional schools and Utah State's playing some guy named Bob hey Bob you come play a football game with us this weekend we just want to see where our team's at what Bill wasn't available you gotta play Bob instead Bob Morris yeah Robert Morris uh extra points if you know where Robert Morris University is Pittsburgh Pennsylania there you go uh I did my homework by the way now what's there what's their uh what's their mascot what's rmu's mascot just the Bob just the guy named Bob the Robert the guy Robert joining us on the program right now he's our BYU Insider and he also is our lead uh college football simulator uh of all things in college football 2025 Boy The Sim game has blown up uh Mitch I we'll take some credit for it because faking our way through a fake game to get us to these real games has actually worked for for us it's actually helped but I think it was why did people love that that simulation of BYU and Southern Illinois is it because it was so dang close and so many points were scored oh I I think they were I think well the visual first I mean I I think that just they were desperate for football like all of us we're ready for this thing uh but yeah that that story just uh it popped too on the website and there was there were a lot of people that text me and and hit me up says I love that simulation I just think people are clamoring for for football but Al so uh they they just don't know what to feel about this BYU team going into the week one because there's just so many unknowns we feel like we maybe know this team's going to be better but you know is it going to be what it was last year I talked to keano hill yesterday BYU tight end and I you know asked him about how he he's you know about the pressures of of getting off to a fast start because he acknowledged last year the team felt down after that Sam Houston game they were they were disappointed and uh so there's a little bit of urgency to you know get out to a strong start and I just feel like that that pressure for is also carried over to the fan base because they just they hope it's not a Sam Houston game they want to just see uh a strong performance they're going to win against Southern Illinois but how's it going to look how's it going to play out I think that's that's why the going back to the video game why I think people just kind of wanted to get a feeling they hope and pray it doesn't play out like that well whatever the result result is the quarterback at BYU is going to play a big role in what that is and but the problem is we have no idea but Daron Rodrick says he knows and it's clear-cut at quarterback after his statements and and putting you know reading some of the tea leaves Mitch who do you think gets the start I think Jake redl gets the start and and and the thing is is that I don't know if it's completely clear-cut I mean obviously the coaches got way more Intel and they saw every snap every rep and and Jake you know he did have 15 spring practices where he was better than Gary banan and you put it all together over the course of the entire year you can maybe then make the case for clearcut but still I think you should factor in Gary bannan in some capacity and you know if and if the if the Run game's not working if that passing attack is is struggling uh consider going to Gary Bohan and if it does in fact be uh Jake gret left you know BYU once you know Jake gretz left though I do believe from what I've seen this whole year he has gotten better and particularly in Fall Camp passing the football he has done a lot better and and I I feel like you know there there's reason for optimism that they can uh be a more effective passing attack team and what was noticeable too in Fall Camp was BYU was very willing to go to the quick hit uh you know passes to the to the receivers you know last year I thought that could be uh an option where they could turn that into their run game where you just doing those quick hits you know two three yards but move up field whereas you're just getting stonewalled at the line of scrimmage with your running backs you know turn your passing game in some extent uh into a ground game where you're you know in a second and six rather than second and 11 so I thought that was noteworthy and you know redl had great command of the offense too in in Camp and now still with all this said I mean I still have you know modest expectations at best for him I still think that there's a an opportunity for someone like Bohan and T should be having chances to play but I do think he has made a lot of improvements since last year and I always go back to last season in January of 2023 when they brought him in you know Aaron rodrik this offensive staff they looked at rettl as a potential qb1 to be the face of the program in the heart of the Big 12 for them and so they want to play that out I I did also think it was noteworthy too that rodrik you know Point Blank said the eligibility piece was not factored into his decision uh in this which I thought was was interesting commentary because if all things are equal you do go with the younger guy because if redl doeses hit this year it gives you more momentum going into 2025 that you feel like hey you got a qb1 mitch one thing that of course I mean I was telling uh JJ this because on the video you had a smirking uh A-Rod was he smirking because he's excit is he is he smiling because because he's excited about you know what they've got at quarterback and what they've got planned out for for Southern Illinois or is it smiling because he gets to tell you no again probably ladder that he gets to tell us no again and you know what and I think that I'm curious to see you know on Saturday how maybe loose BYU is you know because again uh is it is it a smile of nervous you know that it's like you feel like you still don't have the complete answers and and he has he himself rodrik has said throughout camp they're not going to be able to say anything until they prove it on the field and that's what's so interesting about this this BYU team is that so many times you fallen into the traps of okay this has turned the corner in Camp and then it doesn't materialize in the season I don't think anyone's giving them any praise and rightfully so from What was seen in Camp now there were good things there were there were some positive developments particularly at linebacker um I also you know see the wide receivers being a great strength for BYU but there's there's other key spots the defensive line the offensive line too I I think that starting five is going to be good you got to go prove it though and there's nothing that can be said in the preseason that's going to really change people's minds until you actually do it week after week in a season it can't just be one game either it's got to be over the course of an entire year because you know BYU had a game last season at Arkansas where they had you know in some respects a complete Game defensively and they had some explosive plays offensively it was a big win at the time but do it over the course of a 12-game season and so that's going to be the task in in front of uh rodrik and colani and this whole entire staff what's the biggest non-quarterback storyline or question mark about this team that you'd like to see answered on Saturday the offensive line it has you know are they uh as good uh as a run blocking team as they have said they're going to be uh you know that that has been the number one goal for Aaron Roder beyond the quarterback you know sorting that out his messaging has been you know number one goal establish the ground attack because they were a good football team when they had Tyler aler and you know even for a brief window Tyson Williams and before that with colani Jamal Williams so BYU had a great run of of really good running backs and uh that was non-existent last year year and even though they had an NFL running back in Aiden Robbins he was banged up and he was just non-existent so uh you know LJ Martin he he's cleared to go ready to go for uh Saturday and you know BYU's offensive line has got to dominate uh the Saluki because Southern Illinois they are a team that they shouldn't pose a threat to BYU but one thing that is interesting about them is that they come from the best league in the FCS and they play teams in their league annually that are kind of built like you know group of five or maybe lowend P4 uh offensive lines like North Dakota State South Dakota State those are good football teams we're going to see North Dakota State tonight against Colorado and what they're only an underdog by about a touchdown so the trench play in the Missouri Valley is is pretty good it's comparable to group of five programs but so you know BYU if if they do dominate at the line of scrimage this offensive line it could be a a little you know moment that says okay maybe they have turned the corner but if they have struggle man I I don't know how you re-evaluate this season because the second unit is very thin uh your starting five should be good but that second unit has really little to no experience and so they got to get it right with that starting five Mitch Harper BYU Insider KSL sports.com uh Mitch you and I get to fire up our our our big 12 breakdown uh first and 12 every Sunday 10: to noon right here on the KSL Sport Zone and also on KSL News radio from the Big 12 perspective what's the stuff that you're excited to be able to chop it up this this uh this year about with this conference what excites you about about Utah and BYU being a part of it is it is it is it that is it is it where this conference is is it Brett ym Mark's uh insane way of planning things out with this league but as we break the league down more every Sunday what excites you about it I'm curious to see what the identity of this league becomes because half the members were were not members 24 months ago or 18 months ago uh so it's it's a power League yet it's as yourm Mark has said many times it's a startup so what is it going to become is it going to be uh you know a past Happy League that at once was with when when Mahomes and Baker Mayfield were there or is it going to be you know the the running uh back League where it is this year uh I mean the Personnel running back is Elite it's the best running back league in college football but just kind of the uh what what the maybe the narrative the the identity of the Big 12 is going to become you know yourm Mark is trying to set the tone as the deepest league in America I don't know if I buy that necessarily but it's pretty impressive that you're you know your 16th team going into the season is Arizona State and I know Arizona State's not great but still like that's a program that they could you know win six like you could drop a path where Arizona State's win in six whereas other power four leagues your seller is and Indiana like you're not drawing up much for those teams so uh there's really not a terrible floor in this conference so the identity is going to be interesting but I also think too uh you know the the chase for getting two bids into the playoff you know I I just I feel like you cannot be branded as a one bid league in the first year of the playoff because then you're behind the eightball and you're fighting a narrative perception deal that will just linger even though people you know year to year it should just be based on you know some years are down others are up but that will be an ongoing perception battle that the Big 12 will face they have to get two teams into the college football playoff and if they don't that's just going to be a bad look where people are they going to say Well they're more like a group of five than they are P4 so it's critical for these 16 teams to find a way to get two you know three would be incredible but if they get two that'd be a solid start in year one in the 12 team playoff era Mitch we're excited about it man this is uh it's it's such a fun time of year and the anticipation is killing us that's just how it works every year so we're looking forward to it and uh we'll catch you on Saturday and we'll we'll break it down there and we'll we'll break some bread over some Tucanos up in the uh up in the medi area can't wait guys looking forward to another great year it's gonna be a lot of fun take care there you go for everybody yeah let's go let's get it done let's get it going it feels there's I'm really fascinated by this BYU team yeah I don't know what to think like with youah it's a different deal because we have such high expectations of them because and their experience and the talent and all that kind of stuff BYU is in this different place where there's no pressure on them right because they think everybody outside of their locker room thinks they're not good so how do they deal with that how do they play that role and can colani tap into some of what Kyle Whittingham used to do when he was up at Utah and really get this team fired up to prove people wrong if they do what a great story that's going to be and you know that would would be that would be that would be great let's take a quick break we'll come back we've got more to go around the corner we've got our would you rather we're going to chop it up with Adam from beehive meals Again by the way we have our Hercules here of the week that we're going to be giving uh a shout out to next hour so you don't want to miss that speaking of next hour we also have uh Steve Bartle our youth Insider for KSL sports.com uh one of the newest members of the KSL sports team cannot wait to have him break it down for us again more to go around the corner 975d KSL Sports Zone listen everybody real life hypotheticals to get your brain churning as JJ and Alex ask would you rather all right everybody Welcome Back JJ and Alex 975 vsl support Zone oh my goodness would you rather brought to you by Quantum fiber your life moves fast Quantum fiber internet is faster move up to tomorrow speeds today Quantum fiber.com that is quantum fiber.com uh all right I love this so would you rather we throw these out there scenarios of which one you'd rather have you only get one I I don't know I got I get people that without fail I get tweeted at somebody will go well that's a dumb question they should win both you know and it's like I'm I'm saying we playing a game here you only get one choice we got we got a 5 minute radio segment here let us have Let's us have some fun look if you're talking about a guarant guing a win against BYU are guaranteeing a win against Oklahoma State I'm just going to say I'm going to guarantee a win against both of them you and I don't like play the game come on man so you can only get one of these JJ all right week one of college football or week one of the NFL week one of the NFL it's what's your problem what how are you saying it's not close how many great matchups are there in week one of the college football season name them go exactly how many we have in week one of the NFL all of them yeah Jeremy said set the alarm for Siri to yeah can't wait for Illinois and Eastern Illinois boy San Jose State and Sack state are gonna gonna uh butt heads tonight that'll be fun on True TV or Max True TV so did I hold on I think I made my point it's the NFL it's not even close I enjoy a Saturday of planting my butt of watching Northwestern State versus Tulsa get out of here here stop who's the Northwestern State alorn state and UAB who's the UAB who's the UAB of the NFL uh I get it look I get it I get what you're saying it's just that I I just get more excited about college football than I do about the NFL overall I know the football's better I from a from a football standpoint I know intellectually the football's better I know it and there are listen the NFL plays 17 games in the season uh uh and every game you you really don't know how things are going to go every game but college football is a is an is a love affair that I've had my entire life we already know the two teams that are going to win a National Championship either or okay come on it's not it's we're we're not even officially into week one yet why would you be so cynical as to say that we already know how this se you do that in the NFL do you know the Chiefs and who else and the Chiefs came this close to not making it last year you know what's funny is is you have great last year all the time who has the best odds in the the heard that he's storming down I know he's coming to get me I told Rusty I said you should take heart because everybody's all when the Broncos are talking about Zach Zack Wilson making the 53 man roster I think you guys are going to be okay in the AFC West bro yeah I think they're G to be okay I don't even know who the favorite is in the NFC don't say the don't say you're Cowboys they're not okay I wish ners oh yeah despite their wide receiver issues yeah yeah too many miles to feed in San Francisco that's the problem covering the UTS better than anyone else this is youth Insider Steve ble of KSL sports.com on 975 the KSL Sports [Music] Zone it's awesome I love this team and just to be a small part of it and have that much respect from coach Whit is unreal I love coach Whit that's the guy I always dreamed about playing for and and yeah just to have him say that is special for sure could you imagine having dreams with Coach Whittingham in them no thank you for some that would be nightmares absolutely but you can hear the smile on cam rising's face I mean like he is he's excited I think Utah fans should be absolutely excited too we're watching a replay of a college football game for heaven's sakes that's how excited we are I know well what is it on what's the Big 10 Network it's on the Big 10 Network okay and who is it okay you have to look at the TV screen Howard versus Ruckers the matchup we've all been waiting for how but see again the first name of going this Howard versus Bob Morris like that can't wait the battle of the battle of just dudes that's why you get ESPN plus as far those Howard Ruckers gam I love it all right let's uh jump out to the phone lines here speaking of a guy who probably has a giant smile on his face because it is game day Steve are you Insider for kso sports.com what's going on Steve this is exciting man here we are I just before we get into the excitement is it weird to have Kyle Whittingham in your dreams is that Steve do you have any confessions you need to make right now before we get started should your wife be jealous of your dreams I'm the weird one here oh man that uh that hurts man um dude yeah the excitement it's uh it's real you know the tingling uh you can feel them they're definitely there uh we're hours away I just parked and so I'll be making my walk down to rles as you know as we talk so if I'm out of breath it's because you know I'm out of shape a little bit we've all had to make that we've all had to make that track up the hill at some point so Steve are you telling us you're not in game shape no what have you been doing in the off Seas come on my fall Camp is very different than other fall camp but you know what that would be that that should be what we do next year Steve like we get you we get Mitch Mitch has got to run some he's got to walk some stairs at lvll Edwards Stadium with like a pack on we got to get you walking we got to get you walking from about I don't know just just from 13th East up the up the hill up to the stadium do a few reps of it get everybody in game shape because we already get made fun of as the media guys anyway so uh but I'm for it I am all for it the the uh the game shape though in terms of knowing and talking about all the same points like wondering wondering what you know this team's going to look like at running back um knowing who you're going to get back but of course from injuries all those story lines that lead up to it what's the reality tonight for Utah against against Southern Utah yeah you know I think tonight is going to be interesting right we've talked talked a lot about the team all off seon and you know those certain position group battles and and some of the guys that have to emerge and we've talked about this game and you know just how much of an advantage Utah has in this game and you look back over over the years in these FBS and FCS matchups and Utah's taking care of business and one comfortably and I just think you know in these types of games you know it's important to keep in mind that you know coaches aren't necessarily looking to score on every single play right they're actually more concerned about you know getting into into certain situations they're still learning about this team learning who they can count on and I think you know that's important to keep in mind here is that not every play is going to score not every play is going to be a big play you talk coaches are actually looking for you know maybe some I don't want to say adversity but just some situations where you know you you kind of learn who you can count on and I think um you know it'll be fun to see who emerges and who makes plays and you know who steps up and who does that um you know I think that speaks to the count right Utah coaches aren't going to don't not want big plays obviously but I just think it's important to keep that in mind that there is more to this game than just running up the score you know this is you know a tuneup and when you're in a tuneup type of matchup you're looking at breaking the game down into smaller pieces into smaller areas of focus and I think that'll be important for Utah because as much as we've talked about The Familiar Faces returning this season there are a lot of new guys and you know coaches need to get a f for you know who's ready to contribute and that sort of thing so you know tonight will'll be it'll be exciting to see you know the cams and the brands um but there's still a lot to learn about this about this team as well let's talk about cam Rising we're obviously going to be very focused on him his first game back in quite a while after overcoming some injury I have no doubt that physically he's ready how about the mental side of things uh we've talked about earlier in the show what do you think Steve is there still a mental aspect that cam rising's got to get get over and get out there and and feel comfortable uh it's been a while since he've been out there last time he was he got hurt yeah I do think that's obviously kind of the the uh the next step for him right you could hear it when we when we spoke to Cam and we spoke to Brant that these guys are just like man we're just ready to get on the field like we're to that point now where it's just like we've done that we can do up to this point now it's just getting back on the field in a game situation and going out there and doing it and I think that's just kind of where we're at they're ready to take that next step you know sort of break through the wall right and I think you know with those two and with Cam specifically um you know for him it is going to look a little different right in terms of what we know cam to be terms of the quarterback that he is right he ran for 500 yards I think both of 2021 and 2022 they're about and that's he's still has his leg attached to his body he's still gonna be able to run when he needs to but I just think see that and and adapting to that being more judicious being more aware of you know what's going on around him to keep him upright to keep himself upright I do think that's gonna be an important part of not only tonight but over the next couple of weeks um so I do think you know that's going to be important and the thing with Cam right is um what makes him so special is his mind when you talk to coaches when you talk to lwig you know they Rave about his ability to identify a defense and know what to do where to go with the ball pre snap and also communicate that what he's seeing on the field with lwig in game situations so that they're on the same page and I think you know that's that more than anything else is what makes cam so special is his IQ is football Acumen and so getting on the field and you know doing it in live situations I think is going to be you know the next big step for him tonight uh Steve one of the things that obviously keeps coming up is the running backs situation but try to try to put yourself at a couple weeks down the road here because tonight feels a little bit like it's going to be and maybe even a little bit next week I don't know Kyle Whittingham wants these guys to kind of try out a little bit to try to be the guy I'm assuming that they don't want to stay running back by committee so in a couple of weeks from now who do you think is going to be the person that they lean on the most for to get the most Touches at that running back spot yeah I've I've talked about him all off season he's been my pick to be the the breakout kind of guy this season um and that's Mike Mitchell I I just I think he has that sort of ability and potential he's just got to go get out into these game situations and do it and and I think you know with him you know with his size at six foot he got up to 217 pounds this summer um just through sheer hard work and living in the weight room and that sort of thing like he really embraced the work ethic required to be good this offseason and you know Quinton ganther talked about how much he matured this offseason from when he first got here last summer and I think that's a big thing for him or has been a big thing for him and is what's put him you know in the conversation so prominently with McKai and with Jaylen who are also guys that have the utmost Trust of the coaches that have earned it that have you know sort of proven themselves as well so you know I do think Mitchell will be the guy to you know ultimately emerge because that's been my belief all off season um and you know I've heard everything I've heard up to this point still gives me confidence that that's going to be the case and I think with him he's not only 25 217 pounds now he's he's a former track athlete that ran sub 11 second 100 meters and when you get below that 11c threshold you've got some big playability so I think it'll be interesting to see how quickly or how long it this takes you know I do think Utah still wants regardless of who or if someone emerges I still think they want to use you know all three running backs just like they did in 21 and 22 um and I just I think this running back room it sets up really well for how Utah wants to utilize that position and I think uh Mitchell taking that next step in his game is very important to that I don't think Kyle whittingham's hyped up a player in Camp more than Dorian singer this this H would you agree Steve and and is it for good reason what Utah fans are not familiar with this guy unless they watch a lot of Arizona football two years ago he didn't do a lot at USC I'm sure there's a story behind that but what can Utah fans expect to see from Dorian singer what is HE capable of man uh yeah I'm with you there JJ I I can't remember the last time that has been this he sung the the Praises of a player like this um you know especially a receiver like we're talking about a receiver here right and and uh the fact that he's come in and made the plays that he's made you know his presence felt in the way that he has um it's pretty significant and I do think there's a lot of uh legitimacy behind it um you know you saw when they recruited him out of the transfer for that was their message their message to him was hey we're bringing you here because we want you to be the Dorian singer of 2021 when you were at Arizona or 22 whatever the season was we want you to be that wide receiver one for us we want you to be that thousand wi receiver and how you doing I'm good how are you good um you have to say hi I do you know I could not say hi um but look you know you you they they brought him in to be this wide receiver one for them and everything up to this point has um has validated their belief in him so you know it'll be interesting to Whittingham said that the passing game is now going to run through him and my ears perked up when I heard that because we know you know the the the relationship and chemistry that Cam and Brent have right we know how how much Cam likes to get Brent the ball and and and can now hear that you know singing on the outside is the focal point of the passing game I'm interested to see what that looks like Steve I I've got a couple of uh of fun ones here for you we don't we don't bet in this in this uh in this house okay it's not not prudent we don't do it but yeah I'm gonna give you an over under on a score that the UTS give up on defense uh I'm goingon to say uh five and a half oh you would say five and a half I would thinking you were going to go over seven um oh man did they get a field goal get a touchdown no I think they'll get a touchdown okay right I think yeah I think they'll get a touchdown I honestly I honestly think yeah it makes you think a little bit I honestly think like when when it was 73 to 7 two years ago they they actually when they played in 2016 it was 24 to nothing and there's part of me that goes I bet Whit actually liked that zero more than he liked the 73 from you know from that that's a that's a kind of place where where where coach's head is at uh all right now give me who scores the first touchdown for the Utah 2024 season honestly like I think we'll see a c to oh do I go Doran or do I go with Caleb loner were you about to say Cale were you about to say Caleb ler no no no no but oh man that's tough I'm going to say I'm going to say they follow through they make Lian the focal point and he scores the first touch you could have you could have the entire Stadium melt down if it was a uh if it was a cam rising to keithy touchdown though I mean like that place would absolutely explode if uh if that were the case but I get what you're saying if you're going to send a message that this is your guy and and a program that has relied so much recently on that tight end and you say nope we're a wide we have a by the way they have a wide receiver one which is crazy because it just always seemed like it was just a group of pretty darn good wide outs and now this year you have a premier guy and so uh I like both of those picks I like I'm I'm I I'm in the camp of them only scoring a field goal though that's what I think it's going to be more along the lines like a 49 to to three type of game hey guys this is weird we we're at 422 in this segment we're we're almost done Stephen we haven't even mentioned the defense we're talking about the universe of Utah come what do we doing here Kyle wham's got to be rolling over in his grave what are we doing you can't kill Kyle during the show I did uh Steve we got to talk defense I got to ask let's start with Lander Parton I assume you think he's the best defensive player on the team he's coming off that injury what kind of year do you think he can have I think he's ready for you know really that next step he was in that he was in on the cuff of taking that next step last season I think you know it's unfortunate he got hurt when he did cuz that was the game where it was like oh man it's really starting to settle in like the m aspect of of the of the game right the game was SL down for him um I think he's ready to to make that leap and to become that that Devon lydes type playmaker where he just finds a way to make plays in all different phases of the defense yeah I think he's uh oh man this hill is killing me um yeah I think I think Landers I think he's ready to to take that next step I think he's the best best defender on the team for sure all right Steve we'll leave you we'll leave you there you can catch your breath I know what it's like to try to do an interview while you're walking up some stairs or trying to figure it out it's not for the uh it's not for the for the faint of Hearts so hey make sure you hydrate Steve stay hydrated I'm about to yeah let's get you let's get you in game shape for next week let's get that pack on let's get you start walking up between I'm gonna actually I'm gonna I'm gonna give you some more homework it needs to be more like between stheast and the stadium okay I need you to just really go at it practi next week in the pit you got to get ready here that's fair that's fair I'm going to get to work I'm going to go run some stairs uh the next week and I we'll get back after it next week all right Steve ble you can catch his by line of course kol sports.com anything Utah related you're going to get all of the live tweets you're going to get all of the action from Steve at KL sports.com follow him on Twitter it is uh what you have to do if you're going to follow the UTS this season uh in any type of fashion to be able to know all of it so Steve we appreciate it man have a good season and have a fun night tonight man you guys do the same thank you fellas there you go Steve ble everybody your home for the best college football coverage in Utah is on the KSL Sports Z the Cougars kick off the 2024 season with a home battle against Southern Illinois your home for the best coverage of cougar football is right here on 975 the kosl sports this is JJ and Alex presented by G2G bars on 975 the KSL Sports [Music] song what's up everybody Welcome Back JJ and Alex 975 ekl support Zone Jeremiah Jensen to my right I'm Alex cury thanks for being with us today it is a game day at 6:00 starting at 6:00 you're going to be able to get Ute pregame coverage right here on the KSL Sport Zone sounds good to say it doesn't it oh it sounds great instead of all this uh go hey let's call up one of our insiders ask him who the starting quarterback is for BYU again fire it up come on let's just get it g any update today do we know who's starting let's get some let's get somebody in here and let's talk a little bit about what it's like to have camera Rising back we haven't done that yet hey Brent ke is back this year hey is he wow yeah haven't heard that haven't heard that no we're ready for some fresh story lines we're ready for football good and I know JJ and I were talking about this in the break because it's like inevitably you get so excited about this first game and it might end up being a dog score-wise but sure we will have stuff to talk about I mean our first football Friday of the season is tomorrow Riley Nelson and Sly are going to be able to break down actual games with us an actual Utah game from tonight and then we're going to be able to preview Utah State and BYU so it's a legit football Friday tomorrow we're going to be doing it by the way down in Lehigh because the uh bing a miners are taking on the Lehigh Pioneers is that right that's correct that's our Game Night Live game of the week Lehi probably the biggest Challenger to Corner Canyon this year in 6A for the state champ like to hear that like to hear that and Bingham is really strong in the trenches so it'll be a good test for Lehi and uh we we expect a great ball game uh okay let's get to Aron rodderick and what he has said because all the questions have been asked and it inched a little bit forward the quarterback storyline for BYU this week and here's what A-Rod said as soon as he got with into that media scrum and their final uh media availability going up to Southern Illinois here's what A-Rod said about the starting quarterback situation we're not going to say what we're doing again cuz we want I want Southern Illinois to have to prepare for both guys but I will say that what I hoped would happen during camp that someone would separate themsel enough to be the clear starter that we feel like that's occurred we'll have a starting quarterback Saturday night and expecting good things hey you know what they're going to have a starting quarterback on Saturday night you mean they're not just gonna they're just gonna go out there andap nobody LJ Martin you're starting quarterback you're the guy we couldn't make up our minds they will have a starting quarterback now my question is this man I W lie every day I ask Siri many days until oh I was going to say it was junior junior tuna getting involved somebody some Junior tuna getting involved in this the Rivalry never ends I know he said the Rivalry is a big one for him this year but no but uh be why you speak here's here's the thing about here's the thing about A-Rod and the whole quarterback situation because they really could actually roll it out and you not know who it is until the first snap happens I mean both quarterbacks are going to be out there you know how it is you've watched the pream they go out there quarterbacks go out there and throw and warm up so you're not really going to necessarily know you'll have quarterbacks go in and take some snaps as they uh you know are out on the field and do running a little bit of uh of of some team situation that they do they just run do a couple walkthroughs and they'll have multiple quarterbacks do that yeah the question is is Kanani gonna when he goes on his weekly pregame with Greg Rebel and and Hance olssen is he going to say here's who the guy is or is he going to say you'll have to find out when we kick it off you have to find out when we F have that first snap at this point why would you not wait until this just wait the first at that point it's kind of fun right now I'm we wanted to know what it was wants to scoop Greg wants to scoop in this pregame conversation so Greg I understand that hope you get the scoop but I I think it would be really cool for them to just at this point just let's let's surprise everybody although I mean how surprised are you really going to be when they roll out Jake retof as a starter yeah and I'm I'm leaning toward that as well now this one is one that I didn't know a ton about except for that you know it's been coming up people have been wondering about it but the eligibility question about uh I didn't even know this was in question and obviously that would make a that winning winning now win now this is college football is too competitive to think that far ahead and there's too much turnover in this game schedules you know every week's a great opponent so we're not thinking at all about down the road you got to win now okay let's go so there's another hint yeah that comes into question because okay you're you're not going to start Gary He's a senior this is his last year so they're gonna start they're gonna start a junior okay but we'll see Gary and at some point you're gonna need Gary that's just that's the odds right that's how this works how many teams get through a season without uh a quarterback at missing at least one game due to injury yeah even two years ago when when Utah made a run to the to the to the Rose Bowl cam missed a game yeah so you're gonna need both I I wonder and I wonder what the packages are they're going to have baked up too because they're gonna have something dialed up just for him Gary's not gonna sit on the bench with a helmet off for 12 games and you wouldn't and by the way it would be kind of dumb if because it would be so dumb to have him come in and and not be able to utilize him with one of the greatest strengths that he's got which is his ability to be able to to shake Defenders right all right uh let's take the break here wait we got one more here hold on this is this is what he said because Gary Gary banan and Jake rettl like they've had to deal with an insane last six months right it's been pretty hard I think on both these young men it's been good because now when you look back and you go hey they made this competition happen all the way up until this week according to what they've told us right that's a lot of work these guys have had to put in at the very least you're getting the best shot if if there was separation which A-Rod made it sound like there was they finally got that separation during practice um there this is what A-Rod said about the how these guys have handled it first of all both quarterbacks were great they're very professional all through camp and I think those guys are good friends and you see them compete on the field but they also help each other out I feel like our players as well have a lot of respect for both of them the quarterbacks set a great example for how to be professional out here every day how to compete and be a great teammate all right uh I think they're good friends I always love that it's like are there friends are are there friends in this business a lot of these guys are brothers but I don't know sometimes they're not friends especially in a situation like this you wonder it's highly competitive very especially when so much is at stake but they may be I don't know yeah I'm I'm interested to see how this thing goes because when when the when the when the first snaps happen we saw we've s we've seen good version of G of of uh of Jake rett's laugh and we've seen bad version right and so you just wonder if some of those things have been cleaned up and that's what BYU fans are going to be hoping if if he is the guy who gets the start so all right we'll take a break we'll come back we've got tons more oh by the way for an incredible selection of Kia Subaru Chevy Jeep Dodge or R visit the Doug Smith dealerships in American Fork and Spanish Fork great service starts with noow and nobody knows like Doug here's what we're going to do we have a winner of our Hercules hero of the week and because beehive meals is one of the great sponsors of the Hercules here of the week we are going to bring Adam in and we're going to roll it out the actual winner right around the corner so stay right here with us more to go 975 the KSL Sports Zone your home for the best college football coverage in Utah is on the KSL Sports song it's a Thursday night opener for the youths as they welcome in southern Utah to rackle Stadium your home for the best coverage of Utah football is right here on 975 the KSL Sports Zone this is JJ an Alex presented by G2G bars on 975 the KSL Sports Z [Applause] [Music] all right everybody Welcome Back JJ and Alex 975 KSL Sport Zone thanks for being with us today yes it's uh it's a Thursday but is a freaking game day all right so let's get going we have so much going on in this program we got so much going on with uh with the University of Utah taking on southern Utah tonight football Friday officially across the station starts up tomorrow uh and then Saturday of course you have BYU and Utah State firing up their Seasons not against one another Utah State against Robert Morris and then by of course taking on Southern Illinois the Salukis coming to town is a Saluki a dog is that what we figured out it sure is because I think you have not just any dog well what is it what's a breed a dog well I know but I'm just saying like is it what family is it in is it a husky ofi is a dog breed it's a standardized breed developed from sight hounds dogs that hunt primarily by S it's like where the it's like uh Where the Red Fern Grows it was once used by nomadic tribes to run down game animals because you couldn't have two husky you can't have Northern Illinois be the huskys and Southern Illinois be I mean they're both dogs but you know you got to figure it out right come on uh here's what we got we have uh we have a couple things to jump into here very first thing is the college football storylines this is in fact cam rising's second stint with the big 12 I know you knew that now the first one was not very uh long lived right but there are pictures out there of him there are pictures out there of him in Texas in a Texas uniform throwing spr football right yeah and he was recruited by Oklahoma wasn't he committed to Oklahoma Point committed to Oklahoma ended up Texas comes to Utah Saves the World certainly right there you go uh now this one's an interesting one when you think about Stanford and Cal having to make their first year in the ACC workout how much they taking on that uh I mean those they must be paying them out big right this first year in the ACC just be able to cover travel costs right zero dollars hope hopefully the lights are still on at Stanford and Cal no listen well at Cal they're in debt already all right UCLA has to pay them UC that's right UCLA has to give called calony tax I love it uh but Stanford does have the largest uh endowment of any University in the country I think they'll be able to figure it out that's why it's laughable to me people are like you think the uh you think the Olympic sports are going to go go away Stanford's like not here that's all we do man that's their bread and butter remember the 1,000 NCAA championships that we've won they're not massive end they don't have to worry about football money that's right so and then uh of course the realignment stuff is going to be a big one hyping up a team like Colorado is also just part of the it's part for the course here in the Big 12 so let me ask you what the what the thing is that interest interests you the most on a national scale JJ not talking about the local story lines here that that absolutely reel Us in but what's the biggest National storyline for you as the college football season fires up here it's the 12 team playoff this Chang December well the funny thing you say that get me December but how about the journey we're going to go on each and every week where things are going to e and flow where like we just saw already week zero what happened Florida State lost the team we thought was going to win the ACC ranked 10th in the country has already lost oh yeah but they're not eliminated think about so can they work their way back think about the way that the that the NCAA tournament works with basketball yeah we have first four out next four out we're going to be there's going to be some version of that we now have Bubble Watch colle of course and there's going to be absolute Mayhem when a team gets in from the from the SEC or the Big 10 that should not be getting or two or three there should be getting like I said there might be a three or maybe even a four loss team from the SEC that sneaks in the back end a four lost team well they really challenged themselves on the non-conference the SEC it just means more of course it we're told the committee's told that I told you I told you when I was we were on vacation we were in South Carolina and the guy was wearing an SEC sweatshirt yeah what a nerd and I was like so who's your actual who's your actual team Pack 12 tattoos the Pack 12 tattoo people regret those now or rest in peace do people regret those now they have no reg no regts no regts oh my gosh well you just have to you just have to get the big 12 one next to it or you make what you have to do is you amend it you make it a pack to Champion turn the word pack into big no you make it Pack 12 champion and then they win the Big 12 don't you the big 12 doesn't use the number 12 no no no they use Roman numerals well it's a it's a conference of uh of academics all right don't make a joke don't you dare that Oklahoma Texas Legacy all right it's all about the greats let's get to Adam here on beehive meals and now Adam is here for a very special moment because we're actually going to read for you the nomination and the winner of our our Hercules hero of the week we do it every Thursday and Adam from beehive meals just happens to be here our winner this week Rob noden he's the Hercules hero of the week was nominated by Colton Spencer Rob is an outstanding human I love the start of this one he's a coach he's an assistant for multiple teams in the soccer league in West Jordan all of whom for which he volunteers uh he will regularly stay late into the evening and hold clinics for players looking to develop their certain skill sets he'll come to the fields on Saturdays even when he doesn't have games to talk to parents and players about growth development opportunities goes above and beyond with with the other coaches helping them out as well he does this all because he loves the game and he loves the Youth of West Jordan Rob gets his gets himself a $50 Visa card from uh Hercules Credit Union and $200 of credit at beehive meals you can nominate your favorite Youth Sports volunteer and these are the great stories that we get to hear every week JJ are people like him like Rob who are just a phenomenal examples of developing our kids we know people who are absolutely helping your kid right now as I speak my kids are at practice and some volunteers are there a dad a mom a team mom somebody helping out my son's coaches are missing the Utah game tonight to coach my son's team look at that see that's part of it that means a lot uh and so they get that you can go to ksol sports.com contest and nominate your winners that Adam be have meals jumped on board with this and it's an awesome opportunity you guys have been helping out in the community and uh it's been a cool thing to to be able to give give people that that $200 credit every week with beehive meals it's so fun so thank we appreciate you guys doing that yeah first congrats Rob yeah that's cool I love it he's a great human I think everybody knows somebody like this who's doing something for their kids or has done something for their kids for years in the community and so uh we've been talking beehive meals all day with Adam and the Beehive meals uh there's one in my crock poot right now as we speak because Thursdays are some of our most busy days at my house the fall is some of the most busy time if somebody wants to get started and get kind of going with this what do you suggest when you go to the website H they have the menus on there what do you how do you get somebody started with beehive meals yeah so first we're an e-commerce company uh so everything that we sell is online at bees.com and we try and make it as simple as possible but there is a little bit to know I mean first off you want to check out the menu our menus rotate every month so that means what was on August menu is going to be different in September um today's really our last delivery date in August so we'll be getting into September as early as next Tuesday after the holiday how are you oh sorry how are you able to offer so much variety oh we have over 15 Ms and it's a lot of testing a lot of trial that's that's tough some of them don't make the cut some of them don't make the cut and you have to eat those at home and that's a shame you should you should see the testing that goes on introduce stuff are you looking for any volunteers come on down so I mean even little things so we have our base menu and you learned the favorites the customer favorites right I was actually I mean between us I was really nervous when we introduced like having a rotating menu because you'll go to your favorite restaurants and know I'm going to get this every time yeah and people kind of count on it but that variety is also a huge part of it like you my kids don't want to eat the same thing all the time that's a big thing in my the feedback we received like we allow families to try stuff that they normally wouldn't by themselves you know you're cooking things that you wouldn't normally cook like for instance we've got a a Mississippi pop roast on last month's menu and this next month's menu there's like apple cider pork roast so you get to try variety of different things and the Mississippi pot roast by the way a little bit of spice but my kids all eat Takis like is there so they're all they're all trained up on the they're like they liked it when they ate it they're like oh this got a little spice to it I'm like yes I mean those pepperonis are awesome in that and it's yeah a spice that we're not probably familiar with you know so I I like it a lot I've got some beef corn Mac leftovers at home too the great thing about this is it the the portions are so big that you have some leftto or you know it's good the next day because it's fresh good food yeah we and that's I think a good point we sell our meals in three different sizes anywhere from three to four servings up to 7 to eight so I believe both of you have our bigger ones just based on you know the in our thanks a lot well and I'll point out so we you know we do our smaller we've got me and my wife and then four little kids that don't have very big eaters so we usually do the smaller but when we want to do leftovers like it's it's honestly an awesome thing where our males are so versatile that you can eat them say let's take carne assada you'll do tacos one night Y and then nachos the next and so we'll purposely do you know plan on nachos or leftovers I feel like when I do best on you know eating healthy it's when I'm eating leftovers the next day I'm not like getting to lunch and or getting to work and be like okay what am I going to do and you run to the next fast food place well JJ and I have been talking about the the weight that we've lost this year and it is a big deal to have the protein the protein's a huge part allal been to this works with what we do you know the balance the the calories and and the protein you're not just eating junk you're not eating processed food you're eating a good balanced meal with a lot of good stuff in it go to beehive meals.com check it out ASL Sports [Music] Z your home for the best college football coverage in Utah is on the chaos sell sports song Ready it's a season opening home game for the agies as they welcome Robert Morris to Maverick Stadium your home for all the play-by-play coverage of Aggie football is right here on 975 the KSL Sports s this is JJ an Alex presented by G2G bars on 975 the KSL Sports song [Music] all right everybody welcome on in it is JJ and Alex 975 the KSL Sports Zone Alex cury Jeremiah Jensen thanks for being with us everybody tons going on of course the world of college football is uh week one we're officially into week one now uh week zero brought us uh some storylines but the reality is is that we're kind of more we're kind of more excited about you know the the locals and I don't know if we've ever had have we had week zero games yet with local teams have we actually had any week zero like August 23rd to go way back I think BYU had a a game against Florida State a long time was in I think it was a kickoff classic uh but not it's rare so there like when they went Utah State I think had a week Zero game in the last decade but week one is legit week one's legit this is where we get it going that's why it's called week one yeah it's really starting right now getting pumped about it and uh there's look there's a big there's a big TW or a big 10 uh team playing right now all right oh my goodness ruter is already uh up 14 nothing well it's almost halftime uh they're taking on the Howard bison we're so starving for college football we watching ruter and Howard Watch Hey listen ruter was involved in the very first football game in the history of college football in the history of actual foot was downhill ever since so tradition Spirit honor RoR football and uh toughness sacrifice and passion is shano still their guy yeah Greg shano when your most famous alumni is r Rice oh yeah well they had a run there certainly w w come on all right uh our program brought to you by G2G bars all natural ingredients and no preservatives make the G2G bar perfect for anybody who needs a quick tasty and nutritious boost uh let's get it going the top of the hour here we've got some college footall predictions to sneak in before the actual season starts so let's do it right here it is the cut it's time for the biggest story of the day this is what made the cut with JJ and Alex on 975 the KSL Sports Zone and this portion of the show brought to you by trun wealth trj wealth.com for your retirement needs traun wealth.com all right uh let's talk some predictions here for our teams locally give me the best case scenario for for Utah this season uh and and and a reality kind of a ceiling of what the UTS uh can and will be for this year here JJ best case what I think they could do or the most POS the most crazy possible thing that could happen well the mo no I want you want me to dial it down let's let's be realistic give me what like the win the Big 12 get the three seed in the college football playoff and play a classic in the quarterfinal where they might end there I think if they get there they get to the playoff that's just beyond over the I think everybody would be over the moon here yeah winning a playoff game would be an insane Prospect right in a quarterfinal situation now if you're were a 5 through 12 you'd probably be expected depending on where you're seated to try to win one of those games but you know when you're three seed and you're playing let's say Alabama in uh in a in a sugar bowl or something like that you know that's that's a lot to I mean that's a lot to be like oh yeah know Utah's going to do that that's I'm not ready for that yet I'm not ready for that but I am ready to say Utah is the team to beat in the Big 12 and they've been knocking on the door and now is the time to break through and make the playoff so part of me just wants Utah to win the Big 12 like I I think that would be really awesome for Kyle Whittingham to have on the resume oh Pack 12 Championship Mountain West Championship a big 12 Buster in 2008 like it just it'd be crazy to be a the next step three different conferences a champion for the same team it's it's a we don't talk about that enough that's a that's they were to make the playoff Alex that would be 2021 Rose Bowl 2022 Rose Bowl 2024 playoff three of those things in four years that's such an incredible run that's what I'm saying they got to win they gota win a they got to win a game in the playoff but part of me also wants them to be like a a seven seed hosting a game at Ryle stadium in the playoff like I want to see a December 21st game here on the hill you know what I mean like that that is just a when you think about the Mayhem that can happen in the in the college football playoff that to me is one to have teams right here locally and you know this is why it's important I think BYU fans need to understand too like you might not think to yourself or people aren't telling you that this team is going to go very far this year I think ball eligibility I think for the reasonable fan is is a reasonable thing to look at and it's a it's a good goal to have because it's a better conference this year and that means that there would be significant Improvement I think for BYU if they get to get to ball eligibility but the possibility of being able to at some point get to the playoff yourself because it it doesn't look they they know that people are talking about Utah the way that they are yeah that you and I are going do they win a playoff game or not that'll be ex like that is a crazy conversation to have because they have so much respect and it is a real conversation and BYU fans are so it it it is it's hard to be that far outside looking in and U fans wondering why aren't we there yeah well I mean I think most have a realistic perspective and understand there's a transition going on here but it's Utah why can't we we beat Utah in 2021 we beat him the last time we played him right that's what that's a why can't we do that you know what you're right down the road be why you can have those aspirations and they now have a seat at the table absolutely yeah but there you can't skip steps I do Wonder I do want well you can in the transfer portal by the way well me let me rephrase that unless you if if you don't have 20 million in nil you can't skip steps I will say too that that all of the things in terms of what BYU best case scenario I think for BYU is a winning season not just a bull eligibility not just a bull eligible season I think that there's a real possibility that because getting to six games mean you h means you have to probably steal one from a team that on paper you're probably not going to be favored against but why not I mean they weren't favored against Arkansas last year uh certainly not they weren't favored uh I don't they might have been favored by a point or two against against Texas Tech but they won that game decisively and and and look there the reality is is that conference the conference that they're in now is more difficult and it's exactly what they asked for it's exactly what they want it's exactly what BYU fans need to be honest Independence was no place to live it was no place to live this is so much better so you go two and seven in the in in the conference last year and it was it that was a freaking bummer but you know what it was a 100 times better than Independence like honestly if you were talking about the long-term viability of your program an 11-1 season with Zach Wilson was fun but it was also one that culminated in with a with a game against Coastal Carolina right that's not where you want your season to come down to going on the road and like at the drop of a hat playing a team at their place and you know that was it was Co on top of independence by the way that was that gave us that right so it I think that a seven and five season for BYU there's a possibility there I could draw that line for you somewhere with them actually having a really strong showing in the out- of conference games I think going two and one is going to be crucial for that obviously yes they got to steal they they have to steal one from uh from either Wyoming or uh or SMU and the reality is that SMU if they could steal that one and then go up to lar and do that if they're three and0 going into that then a seven and five season is not out of the realm and you should absolutely look at that and think that okay what's your version of improving this year how about just going even four and five in conference right winning four games in conference uh I don't think that this is the year that they have a winning in their conference but maybe it is maybe we don't know maybe we have no clue what this freaking team is actually bringing to the table you actually in order for your scenar to play out that's exactly what has to happen because if you're going to win seven games and you were two and one in the in the non-conference you won five conference games and that is my best case scenario for BYU is if the quarterback takes care of the football I'm not asking for anymore I'm not asking for Jake redoff to set records or be dynamic or anything you know something about the quarterback that we turn over the football oh jeez BYU on that alone can get to six and six I'm looking at the schedule right now and I think they go twoin one non-conference I I just think it's too much to ask that team to go down and win at SMU and win it and win at Wyoming as well like on a Friday night the week right after yeah I'm just it's not so okay then they and you know even if they beat SMU are found away that's such a trap game at Wyoming that that makes me a little nervous anyway you get beyond that if you were to win five conference games and guess what if you're going to get to five you've got to beat a Kansas State or or an Arizona or Oklahoma State UCF or a Utah you have you're going to win you're going to get two top 25 wins in that process that's an amazing season for BYU to go from two- seven in conference and five- seven with all the angst about what happened last year to the next season s-5 5- four in conference with two top 25 wins would be a remarkable step forward so BYU ended the season last year on five straight losses that takes a toll yes right because you're talking about when was the last time they actually had a win what what was the last uh actual game that they won uh Texas Tech right uh Am I Wrong which one was it I don't know but either way we're talking let me correct myself you know they didn't have it was basically not a win in the entire month of November no it was Texas Tech it was Tech Texas Tech was the last win on October 21st at home so they haven't won a game they didn't win a game the rest of the season correct so it was another month plus that they they went without winning they are dying to get that W and that Feeling Again of a win because you know how it is in those locker rooms it's dead freaking quiet and that stuff snowballs and you start having doubt you cannot have doubt in the game of football they ended the Seas any level right they ended the season with that dead quiet locker room five weeks in a row and that's that's the kind of stuff that that wears on you that's that's why Connor pay is like we were embarrassed that's why that's why these players are going we are going to come out there we're going to pop some people in the mouth because we want to be back to that to that feeling again where we're dancing in the locker room and the and the water's flying right yep they want to get there all right best case scenario for Utah State also seven and five in a bowl game now their schedule is doable for that for 100% you have the tough USC and Utah backtack Utah's at home but I mean this is one of the best Utah teams on paper that that we've ever seen and that's saying a lot but you you you have that tough stretch but then things ease up a little bit so you're going to get Robert Morris okay that's win number one let's say you lose USC and Utah I think they're good enough to go to Philly and beat Temple Temple's not great okay they have enough Talent the next week after that you're at boisey State you're probably not going to win that game let's be honest so at that point you're staring at two and three so now the the margin for error is starting to build up a little bit UNLV we talked to Scotty at the round table he unv might be one of the most talented teams but it's un that's in Logan and yes it's a UNLV I'm not going to trust it let's say you sneak out a win you're three and three and then Broncos New Mexico Lobos come to town you're winning that game I mean Montana State's good but Utah stay is better okay so then you're at four and three at that point Wyoming in larmy let's go four and four okay Washington State in Pullman four and five okay then you're going to finish you got three games to get two Hawaii in Logan San Diego State in Logan and Colorado State in Fort Collins so they have a 13 game season when you play Hawaii because they have Hawaii on the schedule correct I thought that's when you went to Hawaii that you got the extra game it's just when you play Hawaii one two three four 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 no they only have 12 on the schedule all right so yeah they're at home they don't they don't get extra but they have Hawaii in Logan right correct okay yes that is a w in San Diego State's down that's a w there you go you're a bowl eligible okay and then if you get that seventh win at Colorado state which you know Colorado state has a good quarterback and receiver but nothing else why not it's a coin flip and maybe maybe they you know maybe some of those earlier games maybe Washington State's really not that good maybe you win a larmy Wyoming may not be very good this year by the way you don't think that new coach you don't think that Washington State and Oregon State by the way are going to take a giant step back after a bunch of guys hit the transfer portal but on top of it you just have the depression of being a two League team the chip on their shoulders is only going to take them so far no I know that's what I'm saying is I think it'll actually work in the opposite direction for him I think you're going to see down by both of those programs unfortunately uh okay of a of a non SEC or Big 10 champion in The Natty 10% and who would it be Oregon no non Big 10 oh sorry non SEC non Big 10 well it'd be Utah you see how our brains like we have an automatic thing that just goes still not do I'm still trying to figure out that pack 12 doesn't exist anymore right technically it does but it doesn't so the best so the best chance non BCS BCS non 10 sec I compined the two and somehow got BCS non Big 10 sec I think best non Big 10 SEC team in the country is Utah I don't think Florida State or Clemson or Miami are better than Utah did you see that Miami is trolling Florida by the way of course they are okay excuse me by the way in terms of uh rivalry games that have gone away and have not that game hasn't been played for Four Seasons and it's only been played two out of the last nine Florida Florida or Florida Miami has not been played in Four Seasons That's crazy to me but again you get into a weird spot when you are not in the same conference and you're trying to build schedules that were going to be friendly to you getting in the college football playoff that's how you see rivalry games kind of go away because uh scheduling for that purpose is absolutely something it's absolutely a thing try to make a little bit easier on yourself but now you can play that game you can lose it and you can still make it to the college football playoff sort if you're an ACC team all right joining us in the studio right now Adam from beehive meals Adam we've been chatting all day [Music] about all right everybody Welcome in JJ and Alex 975 the KSL support Zone oh yes hey Ruckers is up at the half over Howard all right in case you're wondering everybody driving home home from work right now was dying for that update well listen I'll bring it to you cuz I'm dedicated I'm a dedicated interested in the Wake Forest North Carolina entt game oh &t or maybe we should stick with a big 12 c h Sor I almost did it again almost hit the drop button I remember I was like hey give me the give me the give me your non SEC non Big 10 champ you're like Oregon and and it's because we're just so freaking used to like there are times where I do the same thing where I'm like well look you're not but then you're going to have a team like uh USC who's going to be and then I'm like oh crap those guys are freaking it's a big 10 team they took them all this sounds so weird all right keep going UCF leads New Hampshire uh in the first quarter about to kick an extra point for well actually it's a six nothing lead weirdest score update ever there you go that's how hungry we are for football we're updating the UCF New Hampshire game on our big 12 Scoreboard on JJ and Alex 975 KSL Sports Zone it's your f see a scoreboard later tonight L Kansas welcomes Lindenwood to Arrowhead Stadium lyndenwood sounds like a poor man's uh like HBO series that is kind of along the lines of of Yellowstone or something sorry we need to we need to get to the blitz but Kansas is playing their home games this year at Arrowhead Stadium of course except for Lindenwood who has to come play them at Children's Mercy Park which is a soccer stadium wow so lyndenwood doesn't even get the NFL experience Lindenwood uh name the mascot arad's kind of a dump name the mascot and you get a be I'll I'll give you a beehive meal Lindenwood uh how about uh what are they hellcats you know what whatever their mascot is it's not as good as the Hellcat I'll tell you that Hellcat should be right why don't we have more hellcats come on uh all right we do have some actual NFL stuff you didn't even tell everybody what their mascot was what is it it's a lion oh okay L with lions makes sense right literation got it Greg reell would love it very creative yeah uh all right first things first first and 12 is going to be on Sunday it's our big 12 wrap-up show Mitch Harper and I uh host this thing every Sunday on the KSL Sport Zone from 10:00 to noon it's also on KSL News radio 10 to noon it's brought to you by Macy's freshest fruits and vegetables from local farms your favorite local Brands as well Macy's happy shopping be sure to catch the first episode the first uh show this year of first and 12 on Sunday morning 10: to noon all right Brandon iuk finally did it the 49ers extended them I don't know with what money but they extended Brandon auk to a 4-year $120 million extension to remain in San Francisco that team cannot stay together this very long what are we doing here 49ers you got held over a barrel and it actually worked Brandon iuk is going to get 30 million bucks a year so it paid off there go he's not with the Steelers and whoever else is rumored to be trying to get him he's going to be with the 49ers try to help them win that Super Bowl and he's going to get 30 million holding out pays off holding out does work we've noticed uh the Vikings BYU fans not good news for uh former BYU quarterback jiren Hall who's been waved by the Vikings and they signed veteran Brett rien over jiren Hall uh the Vikings hope to keep him on the practice squad but you know know in the in the league it's a it's a hard thing they know that they wave you and they give a chance to maybe get onto a roster somewhere else uh but the Vikings have uh have waved jiren Hall I hope he uh hey I hope somebody picks him up on waivers and even if they don't I hope he goes somewhere else cuz what a middle finger like you're on the roster and they decide now Brett riff Brett Brett rin's better than you so we're going to bring him in you can go be on the practice squad thatd be screw you guys serious go play for somebody else what a what a how disrespectful okay so I am fascinated to see how this Tom Brady experiment on TV is going to work okay but it's been made even more complicated because the NFL is limiting Tom Brady's broadcasting access because of the pending Raiders ownership stake that he has going on if you may have forgotten Tom Brady is trying to be a part owner of the of your Las Vegas Raiders and uh he's not permitted to attend inperson or online broadcast production meetings and may not have access to team facilities players or coaches that's all part of the fact that if he's going to be a part own of a team you don't want him divulging the secrets to the team that you own strange uh strange thing I get you want to be a part owner of a team but you just signed a $35 million a year deal with fox maybe hold off on the team ownership for a minute or just don't do the TV thing like how about Tom Brady just figure out what he wants instead of just trying to do everything give me that give me that franchise joking I want to be your broadcaster give me that I'm joking I want to own a team I'm joking know it's I want to do a com I want to do a roast on Netflix I'm really joking oh my goodness all right we'll take the break we get it Tom you can do everything but pick one oh my goodness oh I didn't want to sneak this one in though this is about the Jets it's a Jets story and I don't believe anything that comes out of New York or about any of this I think this is I think this is a red herring right here okay this is fake news but according to an NFL agent that will not be named Aaron Rogers is not a team player what and the Jets are in in quote complete disarray yet they're the favorites in the AFC East that's how much the AFC East is a disarray don't tell me Aaron Rogers is a narcissist I don't believe you what he's only into his own thing he does things how he wants never heard of him so complete disarray is what the news is I think that's fake I think that's fake that's just so on brand for the Jets complete disarray you could say that at the beginning of pretty much any season for the Jets yes but nothing nothing different just a bigger name yeah all right by the way Tyler Huntley released by the Browns today they were trying to trade him couldn't work it out jeez he's looking for work too so okay keep our eye on the locals uh in the NFL hope to keep them in the NFL all right we'll take the break we've got more to go right around the corner we'll wrap things up uh before we get you ready for the Utah pregame right here 975 the KSL Sports Zone wrapping up the hour with our picks for the best and worst moments on today's show as J J and Alex want to hear your best and worst of the [Music] day okay everybody Welcome Back JJ and Alex 975 vsl Sports Zone uh short time here as we're going to be uh passing the studio over to the Utes pregame show right here your Utah pregame show we're going to get you ready get you excited about some college football that is firing up in just over an hour you heard me right just over an hour away from college football oh yeah uh there are five straight days of college football though we get a we get a uh we get today you get tomorrow you get Saturday you get Sunday yeah what did we decide s Sunday was again LSU USC in Vegas yes so the Vegas uh classic I love what they call these Classics now who's the Monday game Boston College Florida State dude FSU is going to be can the seminal hold off pesy BC Eagles team I'm telling you it is in Tallahassee they smell blood too I guarantee that everybody's going these guys are fake you know what I mean like there there's something to be said about that so uh your best and worst brought to you by an incredible selection of Kia Subaru Chevy Jeep Dodge or Ram visit the Doug Smith dealerships in American pork at Spanish Fort great service starts with noow and nobody knows like the Doug Smith dealerships uh JJ before we get to Adam from beehive meals here give me a final for tonight's game between the Utah Utes and the southern Utah Thunderbirds 56 to 10 10 points double digits they'll get some late Kyle Whittingham is g to be furious oh there's gonna be a lot of film to work on next week as they get ready for the Bor Bears okay uh true or false cam Rising will throw more than three touchdowns three touchdowns or more no okay gonna get a lot more on the ground couple through the air I don't think he'll be in the game long enough to throw three okay and yeah you're gonna have a combination of different guys getting involved in different ways the defense will probably score you got to keep that in mind oh boy yeah lard Barton might have his first uh pick six coming back yeah kind of pick up left off yeah uh true or false Isaac Wilson will throw a touchdown tonight yes wow true wow all right we're looking forward to it