Utah Football is BACK!! Will Cam Rising or Isaac Wilson play more vs Southern Utah?

it's been over 250 days since we've been able to say it but Utah fans it's game day who's in for a big night inside rice eele Stadium as Utah welcomes the Thunderbirds in to kick off the 2024 campaign that's what we'll be discussing on today's lock on Utes you are locked on UTS your daily podcast on the Utah UTS part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day hello everyone and thank you for making locked on you it's your first listen every single day we are part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day if you're in the market for a second listen make sure you check out locked on Big 12 to learn about what other big games are going on around Utah's new conference also check out locked on college football today's episode of Locked on UT is brought to you by our friends at 5 Hour Energy 5H Hour Energy fixers tired fixes tired fast with zero sugar and convenient portable size it's the perfect pickme up for a getting stuff done you can go to firear energy.com and use promo code locked on CFB to receive 20% off that's locked on CFB all caps no spaces to get 20% off your order this order is this offer is only valid until September 30th on your order and cannot be used with other promotions go to 5our energy.com and I apologize if I sound like I've had a 5 Hour Energy because I'm fired up that it is game day it has been 274 days since Utah has played at home against Colorado that comes to an end tonight my name is JT wiill former intern inside the University of Utah athletic department excited to be joined on Today's Show by friend of the show Dante guardy kind enough to hop on with me and preview this game for Utah which of course it's not a massive game it's Southern Utah the last time these two teams played each other it was 73 to7 but I don't care Dante it's Utah football and I'm so glad to have it back especially as we kick off this new era as a member of the Big 12 yeah most definitely you know that Florida State game last week and kind of got us into got the wheels in motion and obviously it's great to have the UTS kicking off their season and um looking forward to to what's going to be a game where I feel like nothing's going to be decided for certain but we're going to get a better idea of who are going to be the key contributors at some of the spots that we're not necessarily um sure about like running back is a big one for example so this game's going to present an opportunity for a lot of younger guys to to make an impact and for some other guys who have um had a couple years in the program to also give fans a taste of their game absolutely agree with the game getting underway tonight what I want to do is just talk about what I expect in this game for Utah which players I think will pop and actually we're going to close the show with giving some season stat predictions for the top Utah players gave my season predictions on yesterday's show and I did go bold said Utah will be not just Big 12 Champs but one of the last four teams remaining in the the country and their quest to do that begins tonight and mentioned the game last time Utah played Southern Utah Right 73 to7 it was an absolute demolishing of Southern Utah but the Thunderbirds Are Better this year they're coming off a six and five campaign when Utah last faced them they were coming off a one- win campaign it was Coach Fitzgerald who's now the coach of the Thunderbirds it was his first season he's gotten some of got his guys in and he's got some strong players right you look at a guy like who's coming back running back brillan Whistler he a guy who had 686 yards also 186 receiving yards last year get some returners along the defensive line as well so this is a better team than the one Utah demolished and I do not think Utah is gonna throw 70 up there if they played cam risen the entire time I think they would throw 70 up there but that's not what I think is gonna happen in this one in fact I think most of Utah's starters will be out by halftime could some of the guys play a little bit more sure but I think Utah's better and I think the thing I'm also most excited about Dante is just to see the these games against FCS opponents when you execute correctly like I expect Utah to do this Utah team I think will end the season as one of the five best teams in college football so when I have you projected to do that I I think you're going to take care of business against the FCS team obviously so I expect the execution to be crisp this is just the game that's going to build a lot of hype because things are going to look really good I just think we're all going to be leaving this game fired up and encourage and I think one of the reasons that is is I do think cam Rising will throw three touchdown passes in the far first half showing off his new weapons I think Dorian singer is gonna get two of them and I do think that Brant keii is gonna haul one in as well it's a nice welcome back to Rice eckle Stadium as well but I see a big first half for this offense I agree I think the offense is most definitely gonna explode in the first half and like you said I expect the starters to be to be out by halftime pretty pretty firmly and as I mentioned previously I don't expect this game to decide anything for certain when it comes to position battles like I said it's more so just going to give fans a kind of a g for what to expect out of certain players who obviously we haven't seen suit up in a in a Utah uniform yet but the one player that I do want to highlight and I do expect him to have have a big game I is is Mike Mitchell the running back Kyle woodingham mentioned him along with Jaylen Glover and mikai Bernard as the three guys that have been kind of spearheading the the running back room although there's not necessarily necessarily a clearcut number one and I think it it speaks volumes to Mitchell's game the fact that he's being mentioned alongside two guys that have been here for I mean M Bernard he's been here since I was a freshman in college so that's four years for sure for sure maybe even more than that and then Jaylen Glover obviously this is his third season uh with the youth so these are two guys that are more so veterans than anything and Mike Mitchell as a a red shirt freshman I think it speaks volumes to his game uh that he's being mentioned alongside a couple of proven proven guys like that in the running back room and I mean I was reading an article earlier today about the Arizona Cardinals running back Trey Benson and they were mentioning how great his frame was and I mean he was 6 foot 216 Mike Mitchell's a freshman in college and he's 6 foot 211 I mean he he was an extremely highly tited player coming out of high school and um he's got a great blend of size and speed and I I expect him to be uh the the breakout player for Utah's offens uh this season and I think this is a game where he'll be eager to Showcase his skill set and I don't expect him to disappoint that's for sure I totally agree I think Mike Mitchell is going to lead this team in rushing yards I have him going for 80 yards two touchdowns and um if we're doing like strange predictions I think he's going to end up being one of the guys after the game we see in the postgame uh up on the podium uh talking to reporters I think he'll have uh that type of an effort but there's a lot yes we're excited to have football back that's the biggest thing I already said that myself but if you're like okay who are you most excited to see play cam in terms of making sure he's healthy yes but in terms of making his debut I think we're going to get to see Isaac Wilson and I think that's incredibly exciting he played his last game of high school football inside rule Stadium winning the state championship in 2023 and he gets to kick off his campaign there as well and I do think he's going to look really good I think he's going to throw for over a 100 yards we'll see how in games like this where he's GNA get in in a blowout I don't know if he's gonna get to over 200 yards because they might just be willing looking to run the ball uh frequently but I do think Wilson's gonna look nice I think he's G to give us a couple of highlight worthy uh plays through the air I actually surprised I do have money Parks leading Us in receiving yards is a little bit of a repeat from the first game last year when he led Utah in receiving yards although he'll uh do it on more than just one reception like he did uh with last year's passing get attack I do think taesan Lions is a guy in the second half will also notice who's G to make at least one impressive grab fourstar talent that I'm excited to see and as a final offensive prediction I do think this new look offensive line will look pretty good I could see them having a mishap and giving up a sack and something of that nature just because they are so new and you know young players like kale blow this is first start left tackle so like if he gets beat one he's gonna get beat for sure just because it's his first ever start but I don't think it's going to be a problem and I do think we're going to be feeling very strong about the way this offense looks at the conclusion of this game against the Thunderbirds oh most definitely I mean like we both said the offense is gonna gonna have their way especially when the starters are in and I expect that to continue even when the starters aren't in like you said Isaac Wilson potentially making his debut it's pretty special and while I don't expect uh Andy lwig to really open up the Playbook a ton for him uh I do think that they'll let him have his have his moment or two and I do expect to make make some cool plays and get the crowd fired up for for for what's to come but my other I guess hot take for this game would be I believe Utah's defense is gonna score a touchdown hopefully another pick six to add to that impressive pick sixu resume but I see either ler Barton or k Reed making a big play either against the Run forcing a fumble that gets taken back to the house or or even a pick I mean both those guys are just absolute game record and they're more more more so leaders now on Utah's defense so I expect them them to um be Keen to make an impact early on and uh really set the tone for for Utah's defense going forward all around I mean against the run and the pass because you know that this is a this is a unit that just thrives um when they're feeding off of each other more than anything and the linebackers I think are the most key to uh setting the tone and I think they'll do just that because it's one of the strongest uh units on on the team I I agree I think this defense is going to be outstanding and I want to talk about my defensive predictions as well as Dante I agree I think someone is uh taking it in the end zone and I do think that pick six streak is continuing but I'm going to tell you who I think is going to do that and which players on the Utah defense are going to excel in one moment but first let's talk about our friends at Five Hour Energy you can grab a Five Hour Energy and it gives you the shot you needed to stay alert when you're watching your favorite teams and games we're going to be staying up to check out Utah of course but even Friday there's some Thursday Friday there's some fun games so you might need that energy boost come Saturday to keep your college football Marathon rolling on and that's where col and that's where Five Hour Energy comes in to help you out because if you stayed up late to see that intense overtime game you need that Five Hour Energy to start your day Five Hour Energy is a brand for hardworking people like you and they have been trusted by customers for over 20 years to give them the alert energized feeling they need to get through a busy and hectic day you always know where to find Five Hour Energy shots too right at the cash register and nearly every convenience drug and grocery store Nationwide stock up on money saving multi packs to make sure you never run out of delicious energizing Five Hour Energy shots if you go to 5our energy.com that is the number five so not spelled out the number five hour energy.com and get some Five Hour Energy Products today you can use my promo code locked on CFB that's all caps no spaces to receive $20 off your order this offer is only valid until September 30th on one order and cannot be used with other promotions this code is not good on subscription orders you can go to 5our energy.com today to see what they have cooking at 5our energy also want to tell you guys about something exciting got the opportunity to do at the locked on podcast Network college football is back and it's not too late to catch up before the season kicks off with the SEC ACC Big 10 and especially Big 12 you can get it all from locked on stable of college football experts by subscribing to the locked on college football podcast who has a chance to make the playoff what team will cause chaos in their new conference Utah everything you need to know all in one place be sure to follow And subscribe to locked on college football podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day did shoot something briefly with the other locked on host we're going to be doing that each week too where we talk about all the biggest games in the Big 12 we did not spend a lot of time on SN Utah not surprisingly this week but uh some fun match ups going on Penn State West Virginia is Colorado going to get upset week one I'm curious to see how that one shakes out so lots of fun things going on across Utah's newest conference the Big 12 and one thing I'm really fired up Dante about this tonight we're going to get to see is this Utah defense flying around making plays I'm gonna say it right now this will not be 77 to 73 to7 that's that's I just don't see that happening I think that that was just one of those things where this Southern Utah team was so bad that it they're clearly so much better there's such a difference between a six and five team and coming off that type of season and coming off a one in 10 year that I just think this team will be better I do think they'll get a field goal in the first half I think they'll hit a couple of big plays this is still week one there's going to be a defensive laps or two by Utah and the one and Southern Utah will be ready to go and come in so I think they'll make a couple plays in the first half I expect the halftime score to be something like 3134 to three and then in the second half the Utah defense will still be pretty strong but some of the backups will give up some some plays but I think this is a one I still see Utah controlling all the way through and the defense I do expect to be exceptional Dante who are some of the individual guys you mentioned Lander and kene for a big play who are the individuals you think are really gonna stand out in this one I'm looking forward to seeing uh Teo Johnson at safety I thought he was impressive at the slot Corner position last season but I really liked um his speed and his instincts and I think he's got a good build too so I think I think safety is just a really good fit for him all in all whereas in the slot you're more um expected to play manto Man coverage against speedier type slower or I mean speedier speedier and smaller receivers whereas safety you're more so just that last last line of defense and I feel like that role kind of Suits Teo Johnson's skill set a little bit better so I'm excited to see him out there and then there's also um because the safety position isn't 100% certain yet I feel like there's still a little bit of room for somebody to kind of separate themselves as the starter so there's a lot of competition within that room and ta Johnson's the guy that I expect to to come out on top but I also I like the fact that there are people pushing uh other people pushing for the job as well and not making it like easy on him especially given that it's a new position uh for him different than last year being in the slot um so I'm expecting T Johnson to come out and make a couple of good plays we actually had a very similar first half score prediction I I have 35 to three and I end end Utah winning the game uh 52 to1 I expect the first half to be pretty much fireworks from the Utah offense I think that's the best way to put it without fire mainly on mainly on the ground I think maybe a couple play action shots as well uh just to to show off a little bit if you will um but in the second half I expect Utah to really just Pound The Rock and and try to just get out of the game with uh as as the least injured they can possibly be yeah you know so I I expect them to just run the ball chew the clock for the second half uh get out of the game with with with a sound Victory and starting um the season off on the right foot and because of that like I said Mike Mitchell earlier I think he's going to have a big second half manly because I expect him to be kind of the guy that Utah leans on uh during the second half given that he he's he's been talked a lot about by the coaching staff but the fans really haven't seen a whole lot of him in the game yet so I think that he'll be the guy that they kind of lean on because he hasn't seen a lot of game action and this is just a good opportunity for him to see game action whereas the other guys that he was on the same level as according coach Whit Jaylen Glover maai Bernard obviously they have a ton of experience so I feel like we just need to see a little bit of Mike Mitchell because we've heard a lot about him and um I I think he's gonna be a fantastic player and a great contributor to this Utah offense you said you think he's gonna lead the team in rushing I I believe that as well so it's awesome that we're all on the same page and can't wait to see um one of Utah's most highly touted running back prospects perform at a high level yeah he him tojon Stanley uh you know John Randall now a quarterback uh surprisingly but that 2023 class running back was was a lead wouldn't be surprised to see Stanley break one in the second half of this game because I do think him being the four string guy like you talked about Utah wants to stay healthy right so I just don't think there's a lot of Reason to Run mackai Bernard much in this game there's not a lot of Reason to Run Jaylen Glover in this game and I think by the end of the season we'll look at Mike Mitchell as maybe the best back in this room but like early in the season we're still determining that so he needs to get a go and Stanley is another guy fired up this seems like a this is the kind of game too where like Charlie Vincent I'd love to see him get into the end zone right just someone who always comes to work every day for Utah so that'd be something that would be awesome to see as well um I also want to do some defensive predictions I think Logan funo leads his Utah defense in sacks coming back here I think he's supposed to play in this first game everything we saw they don't put out an injury report of course so I do remember he's coming off that injury so I I think he was good to go if it's not Logan Foo I'll be play it safe and say Conor otou um I think Utah and too gets six sacks in this game I think they do really make it hard on the Thunderbirds just the Exotic blitzes that Utah can come up with and just straight up being able to win with four this is a game where I do think Paul Fitzgerald gets his first sack as a member of this Utah Squad at eight and a half last year with Utah State so looking forward to him getting to work and joining sack Lake City also I think for the linebacking court I think C Fu this is a game where he's gonna look really good I think he's GNA have 10 to 12 tackles we'll see him on the field a lot when Utah separates Lander and car get him out of there they' both had some injuries in the past Lander coming off a season ending injury so let fotu get out there he had his up and down moments last last year I think it'll look much stronger this fall and this is a nice tuneup game for him and as for my prediction on who's getting the pick six I'm going with Keenan Johnson the Georgia Tech transfer making quite the impact in his first game inside rice Eckles stadium and to top it off with predictions I'm going 55- 17 Utah yeah I said I don't know if I said it for sure or not but I said 52 to 10 in my head at least I might have said it when I previously spoke as well but yeah 521 52 to10 is my my prediction I I really struggle to see southern Utah generating any sort of offense I think they're going to be they're going to really struggle running the football first of all uh Utah is just going to dominate them in the trenches they'll be behind the sticks because of that and that's G to make it really hard for them uh to throw the ball and consistently move the chains because that's gonna give Utah a lot of freedom to Blitz on even like yeah I mean on third down they're GNA be bring in the house obviously and um they have the the Personnel to be able to to send seven guys and um still be able to hang in in the defensive back field especially against a team like Southern Utah so I just expect them to be behind the sticks uh for for the vast majority of this game and that's not going to really help them out when it comes to field position either because they'll be punting deep in their own territory giving Utah great field position and I mean like I said I don't expect Utah's throw game to really be um on full display here because I think they're gonna have a lot of short field and I think they're gonna have a lot of big type of gashing runs 10 between 10 15 yards that sort of thing and and a lot of short drives because of that expect a potent first half like I said 35 to3 and then for them to just kind of keep pounding The Rock in the second half and get out of there as quickly as possible I totally agree and what's exciting is we're pretty much done talking about it Utah versus Southern Utah it's getting underway tonight before we get out of here on this episode want to give some final season stat Pro projections I think cam Rising has a chance to end up in New York City it's going to need some pretty nice numbers to in order to achieve that how's Brant keithy Dorian singer which one of them will lead Utah and rece receiving yards that's what we are going to be discussing in one moment but first want to talk with you all about our great friends at FanDuel Sportsbook have you you've heard me talk a lot about FanDuel lately right America's number one sports book well we have something a little different for you now through September 22nd all FanDuel customers can bet $5 and get a three-week free trial for NFL Sunday Ticket with YouTube and YouTube TV that's right with then with your YouTube TV base plan you'll be able to watch every regular season Sunday afternoon out of Market game all you need is a Google account and your current form of payment and you can cancel at any time at all we're all fired up to bet on the college football action but NFL action is just around the corner are the Chiefs going to beat the Ravens once again like they did last year how about all the other week one NFL action and I know I mentioned week one college football but it's a great slate you get oh well I was going to say Ohio State akaran so that is not going to be a good one but look at Dame take it on Texas A&M Miami versus Florida maybe one also be a good one depending on how Florida looks we know how they looked last year in their week one opener so we'll see if they can bounce back from that one but lots of great games going on make sure you guys head over to FanDuel today to check out everything FanDuel has going on as the sports season gets ramped up just visit fanduel.com lockon capital L and O to download and one word locked on to download America's number one 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salmon and so much more you can head to factor meals.com loock on50 all one word and 50 at the end that is with the number 50 not spelled out locked on College 50 and use that code to get 50% off your first box plus 20% off your next month that's code lock on50 factor meals.com loock on50 to get 50% off your first box plus 20% off your next month while your subscription is active head over to factor today all right Dante real quick let's make some season predictions stat-wise for the Utah youths as I said I had Utah winning the Big 12 and I do think they're in for just massive things this fall so that in order to achieve that cam ry's gonna have to be really good when you look at the weapon surrounding him I think this offensive line is going to be better than it was last year the play calling and Cam's control of the system I think Cam's in for a monster season I have him going for three over 3,500 passing yards 30 over 30 total touch or excuse me 35 total touchdowns I think he's only going to throw five interceptions so I think he's going to be absolutely spectacular this year in what will be TR I know we all give him crap for his age but this is really only TR year three for him on the field with Andy lwig but all that time in the classroom with him even when he's been hurt I think will really pay dividends September through maybe even January let's hope so I think that's a great take honestly I love the the over 30 total touchdowns I I too agree that he's going to or 35 total touchdowns he said I think he'll end up with between 30 and 35 if he were to get above 35 I'd absolutely love that that's fired me up so much but I think that's that's pushing her a little bit I think that Utah's gonna they I think they're gonna be winning in a lot of games and because of that they're gonna lean Less on cam rising and I think in the second half we're gonna see them run the ball a lot and because of that I think Mike Mitchell is gonna have have a monster season maybe early on maybe early on there's going to be a couple of growing pain uh type weeks because like we mentioned before he is a freshman and there are a couple other guys um kind of next to him on the depth chart but I do expect him to separate himself as kind of uh not necessarily A Workhorse I feel like that's a little bit of an aggressive term but the closest thing that this team will see to to a clearcut running back one how that's exactly going to manifest itself I I think time will tell but I do expect Mike Mitchell to be the one leading the team um in rushes consistently during the back end of the season and because of that I think he'll rush for more than I'll say I'll say he'll rush for more than 800 yards this season um touchdowns I think might be a little bit tougher to come by because Jaylen Glover I think is gonna be a very solid goal line back I mean he he he's he's good in those tight spaces and he's got a lot of power as well so I think for Mitchell to overtake him uh when it comes to goal line work might be a little bit of a stretch though I wouldn't completely rule that out but I I do see Jaylen Glover getting the majority of the the goal line work out of the the three running backs and Makai to be the guy um to be targeted out of the back field like he has been throughout his entire Utah career but like I mean that's what's perfect about this running back grp because they all have uh their specific skill and what they're going to bring to the table and I think that's going to just compliment um they're going to compliment each other greatly and and because of that the offense greatly you know you need a strong rushing attack to open up the passing attack and when you have um a team with the Personnel like Utah The Playbook is so open when you run the ball well when you look at at play action or just taking deep shots in general or getting uh all your guys involved you know because Dorian singer is going to draw a lot of double teams which is going to open up a lot more opportunities for other players and it's gonna be great to watch this Utah offense just unfold and um to witness the cause and effect and see like oh this happened because so and so set set so and so up you know it's gonna be they're they're G to be working together very fluently and it's it's going to be it's going to be special to watch especially coming to the Big 12 and maybe feeling like they have a little bit of a chip on their shoulder not getting invite to the to the Big 10 or the SEC um and obviously still having an opportunity to um get a get a Buy in the college ball playoff just by finishing uh as the conference champions most likely I feel like that's safe to say or well it is safe to say I keep forgetting it's like power four such a weir to it's gonna take us I'm getting used to but that's the reality of the situation now so I feel like if Utah wins the conference which I do expect them to I think Oklahoma State's on the road is going to be a very tough team to play Oli Gordon is I mean he's just electric simply put but then again I I do expect Utah to to scout well and to maneuver their way through the conference schedule um confidently and and not with ease but um comfortably I I think is a good way to put it similarly to how we've seen them operate throughout the Pack 12 Seasons you know I mean it's crazy to think about Utah's first season winning the Pack 12 I mean Oregon came to to Rice Eckles as the number three team in the nation they beat Ohio State That season I mean they had they had all the moment the Oregon Ducks that year they were nine and one coming into R Cycles as well I believe and just got trounced you know so to see Utah come into a game like that that confidently and to do what they did it was extremely special then and I expect that to carry over into this season and for them to bring their aame in those big games especially Arizona I I I'm so excited for that game because obviously the Arizona game last year was a big bummer and with them coming to life cyes now I think they're really going to come into that game with a chip on their shoulder and and uh ready to um to reclaim what's theirs in the in the series against Arizona I guess because that game last season was such a bummer and Arizona's a very talented team nonetheless but uh Utah is Gonna Come into that game with something something to prove I think um and I think that's going to be the game that I mean the Oklahoma State game as well because that's the first game on the conference schedule but those two games are going to be where Utah really showcases uh their dominance and um gives the college football World a taste of what they can do on the football field come uh time for the playoff I can't wait for it before we get there I'm so excited to watch this team go to work a couple other predictions just wanted to throw out there I do think Brent keithy will narrowly lead this team ining yards yet again I think Dorian singer will be right behind him and I go still go back and forth between money parks and Damen Alford for who I think will be next right now I'll stick with Damen Alfred even though money Parks was ahead him on the depth chart we'll just wait and see how that shakes out I do think Landon King's also going to contribute a lot and I think D Bentley winning the backup job he'll be another guy in the mix there too but I do think King will finish this as second leader in tight end receiving yardage going there defensively I do think Connor oua leads his team in sacks I think he is going to get to 10 or more sacks this year I think Logan funo will also be phenomenal I'm picking Lander Barton to have the best season we've seen out of Utah linebacker since Devon Lloyd I think he'll lead the team in tackles and be all over the field secondary wise will go with Teo Johnson to lead this team in interceptions but it's going to be so much fun to see this squad all working together as one and that's it we're done talking about what this team could do making predictions the season is here and I am absolutely fired up about it as I toss my hat for those of you who are listening on the audio portion and Dante also fired up because you sat down with me my friend thanks again for joining me of course appreciate you for having me JY as always that's going to do it for locked on UT today the next time I'm talking with you guys I will be reacting to a Utah football game let's go I can't wait to see what Utah is going to do against Southern Utah make sure you guys join us again tomorrow as I will be reacting to that game the season is here I hope you all enjoy Thursday night inside rackle stadium