Halloween, Washington State recap, and Cam Rising out

[Music] you're listening to the Utah checkdown podcast and now your hosts Josh Furlong and Robert Jackson [Music] welcome back to another edition of the Utah checkdown podcast I'm Josh Furlong joined today with co-host Robert Jackson as always we get uh you know wide receiver from the University of Utah Solomon enus with us on Mondays um we're happy to have him with us for another day of of podcast information so before we jump into the game though I want to make sure that we talk about the biggest thing happening today which is clearly Halloween perfect drop right like we're doing this so are you are you a Halloween guy uh I am I wish I I wish I could celebrate it but I mean I am especially my girlfriend she's very big on it like we like this weekend we were getting candy making like bags and stuff and you gonna hand it out to the kids and stuff like that um I was going to dress the dog up this year little weener dog I don't know what we were going to dress him up as but but yeah I mean my girlfriend loves Halloween so yeah are you the the type of person that uh plans for this costume forever or is it just kind of like look I'll wear whatever yeah I think for me it's just like what like screw it if you got something for me I'm G to wear it I don't really plan anything out my girlfriend's like that my mom is really into Halloween when I was back in Arizona we would always decorate the house like around this time of year like she would go she'd be like let's go to Lowe's or Home Depot and go or whatever to find ation and she'd buy like the biggest ones and we would set them up but me I'm just I mean I just like I mean it's Halloween it's candy that's my thing is just the candy within the within the holiday so so what's your candy then what's your favorite oh okay so I say my favorite chocolate is Kit Kats there you go so that's my favor right there that's that's that's where it's that yep um we're going to do this again where we're dividing us again is this what we're doing yeah for real like not candy good candy I need it with milk have you ever had those Mexican suckers that have like the chili pepper on it and stuff I have that's why I love Mexican candy I love it it's great anyway sorry yeah but other than that I mean I'm more of like a I'm not a big chocolate guy I'm more of like a like a gelatin like like gummy like chewy candy like sour worms or like um damn I can't think of them but yeah just stuff like that I mean I don't I can't really pinpoint it but I will say my favorite chocolate is Kit Kats for sure I'm I'm already coaching my littles to to pick the Kit Kat or the Twix or the Snickers out of the bucket because they don't know right they're just going to grab whatever they see like no put put down the Milk Duds put down the Junior Mints grab the good stuff oh yeah no definitely we got you got to put a scattering report together for that yeah you know you know it's it's like common plays right can't one house you guys are disrespecting the the the best candy of them all it's the Reese's right like come on you can't go wrong with a peanut butter C you can't and if you throw them in the fridge they're pretty good that's true oh I haven't tried that oh yeah I I mean when I get Reese's I always bring them home because my girlfriend loves them so I throw them in the fridge for her when she gets home from work but like other than that like you can't go wrong with Reese's I just get overwhelm with the peanut butter sometimes like sometimes I'm not craving that but like the Kit Kat is just like chocolate and it's crispy and it can't go wrong every time I love it we're going to have the rankings of uh sponsored by K give me a break com below com what your favorite candy is we're just going to take it all just give us whatever you want so I mean it's it's hard to hate candy right like I mean is there a candy that when you were growing up if you went trick-or-treating or you did anything like that was there anything that was just like nah uh-uh uh easly tussy rolls Milk Duds Three Musketeers Milky Ways oh yeah Whoppers is that what it is Whoppers they're F I mean they're just like what what do you eat like it's gross it's like your I don't know Whopper feel like Whoppers are like an old for me it's the coconut like the Almond Joy like garbage away yeah no I eat those you ear your with that one Rob I'll die on that one coconut doesn't doesn't uh belong in candy I didn't know go ahead I just going to say you need those like orange peanut you know packing peanut type candies that are the gross oh those are terrible like the grand the grandfather candy where it's like the worther original yeah and you know look they can have their place okay you're getting old now now back to your Almond Joy argument as a kid I didn't understand didn't make sense to me so I did not touch it but I think as I gotten older I was like maybe I'm G give it a chance and I can I can rock with it a little bit Yeah may maybe an occasional dive into it yeah oh man but I'm trying to think there's definitely one oh I don't like um I don't like candy corn like that at all yeah candy actually eat candy corn is it just for decorations I don't know if I've ever seen anybody actually partake I think right like I've eaten it but it's like the jars on the counter yeah you eat it no I don't I'm saying I I have eaten it but it's like it's the worst thing in the world I mean I I've I've seen people that do candle wax oh it is and I feel like I've seen people do like different variations like a caramel apple or something I feel like that would be maybe better but it's still like you said it's like eating a candle like why do I want that no yeah that's I loved your reaction though when he was like you eat that he said no I don't you thinking sure he knew that you don't eat that I agree though I'll take hakes but I'm not going to go with that stuff yeah uh-uh then no disrespect anyone out there that likes candy corn but no full disrespect I think I think Steve ble doesn't he like candy corn like that I think you're right I we're going to have to have a talk with him today that that's an automatic block I'm just kidding we're going to tell him sorry sorry Steve you've been cut yeah oh man what a what a time to be alive right debating candy corn debating whether Almond Joys are worth it I don't know 100% it's a good I guess it's it's either chicken or candy I mean I'm I'm wondering what next week we're going to talk about but can't go wrong we'll find something we you know look we're we're waiting until somebody sponsors us on a food side so we'll just keep bringing things up until somebody does it hey pretty bird um that would be great yeah who doesn't love a hot hot chicken sandwich look Lucky 13 I'm open every time Lucky 13 I'm I'm ready I'm listening these are some good choices yeah look oh lucky 13 that what is that habanero Burger it's the oh like fire fire in the hole I think I get that one every time man oh every time oh no I can't do that oh yeah no no it depends sometimes they don't put as many spices or peppers on it so it's not as hot but I remember one time after the the very first time I tried it they didn't put as many peppers on it so I was like ah this isn't that bad and the next time I mean they put a lot more Aeros on there and I was like oh okay this is a this is a little bit spicier I mean I'll still eat it but yeah I was eating with my girlfriend and we got the same burger and she bit into hers and she was like wow this is hot and I bit into M I'm like what are you talking about and I took another bite and all the peppers were like clumped in the middle so my first bite had nothing the second one had everything and I was like oh I had to finish it because we bought it but oh man no that I needed milk after that I needed Cold Stone ice cream after that oh see Coldstone you can come too yeah for real we need that sponsorship oh that's that's next we'll keep that next week next week we'll talk ice cream okay we'll uh we'll give our low down on that guys are making me hungry I haven't had lunch yet all right well I guess we should talk about actual football I think that's what you're uh you're going to the University of Utah for I mean it's an education right but I mean football is kind of important athet I mean student athlete yeah yeah yeah so I mean just kind of recap that game for us obviously it was uh it was a pivotal game in the sense that you needed to get a win to keep your aspirations for a championship alive um obviously it didn't come in the best circumstances because cam was you expected to go he was out there warming up and then all of a sudden what 30 40 some odd minutes before the game cam kind of scratches himself from the lineup even Kyle didn't really know uh that until he he said that I mean what what was kind of going through your guys' minds as you were going through that game and then you find out that Cam's not going yeah so I mean we're going through warm-ups everything's normal and then you know we're about to go out before the game starts and we hear that Cam's not playing and like we were talking about earlier and you know it was more of a when when uh coach wh said Bryson was our guy it wasn't like a oh man like this he's coming in like great it was more of all right like let's roll it wasn't I guess always it's always that next man up mentality I mean if you ask anyone that's what Utah is always going to say in response it's next man up next man up and uh but we felt we always feel comfortable with Bryson just how we were in the Rose Bowl too when Bryson came in on that last drive it was just like screw it I mean he knows what he's doing we have confidence in him he has confidence in Us in the way that he carries himself when it's his turn to step up it's like you could just tell he's been like waiting for it and you know he took it and you know and he did his thing and it was a great game uh Washington State great team I mean really good team their defense was pretty good um you know and our defense played a hell of a game you know they kept us in it and you know when we started finally getting traction and you know getting rid of those three and outs um everything was clicking you know even was even though it was a even though it was a 21 to 17 win you know it was a win that we needed and at this point in this season a win's a win so however way you get it that's all that matters two games in a row that you were instrumental uh coming down the obviously the block that you had USC provided cam rising to get into the end zone for the two-point conversion this time you get called uh defensive holding was called on you walk us through that play you know under a minute left you're on the 30 yard line and you know you guys decide to go for it instead of trying to a long field goal kind of walk us through that play and um you know what uh you know kind of how you were feeling on that one so I had a corner route so I tried to wrap the defender and when I was breaking out of my route I felt like he straight grabbed me like was like grabbed me maybe a little face mask little shoulder pads whatever whatever football is football and when I was coming out of it you know he was just holding me and stuff and I felt like he tugg me down so when I fell like I fell and I looked up and then Bryson had thrown it so then it was a pick but my first instinct was I mean if they're not throwing a flag get up and go make a tackle because we need it so I got up uh I forgot who else made the tackle but we made the tackle and then the flags came out because I mean I'm not going to say it's on the TV cop yet but uh yeah just Pi at his finest I guess you know I was coming out the break and I got pulled down like I think it was pretty I don't know you guys tell me how did that look on TV it was pretty obvious even even the player that did it I think it was Smith Wade yeah he he knew that he had done it um which you know he's trying to make a play you know you can't really fault him but uh at the same time you know uh you can't I I think they call defensive holding uh and not Pi uh because I don't think the pass was thrown um but uh regardless it gave you guys the first down and you guys were able to milk out the clock and and it was a game where you guys you know that that first opening drive there was a lot of uncertainty right because everybody's expecting you know cam to be out there Bryson's out there and you guys you know marched it down the field you had a missed field goal but it kind of set the tone for the game how important is it to to get off on the right foot in a game like that where you're on the road uh you're starting quarterback's not playing I mean I I I'd imagine you don't have a ton of experience in a situation like that but you kind of have to have a few things go in your favor to get the win and you guys just did just enough uh you know last Thursday in against Washington State yeah I mean we just lean on each other and made it go I think our defense like I said played a hell of a game and they helped us when we needed traction they were making a lot of plays special teams paid off especially that big um that uh that punt that I believe it was off of his foot um that helped that was a big momentum changer and I'm glad we took advantage of that um there was kind of you know we benefited from one if he targeting call I'm not a ref so I can't I can't decide what it is but he benefited off of that and then obviously we had the other Target calling RJ you know you target is such a touchy subject I'm not even going to touch it tap in into that but you know I think it was just an overall team effort I mean you know you have games where it's offens is doing this defense is doing that or you know special teams is doing this but I feel like we played a very complete game and we needed it especially this one so you know like I said a win's a win no matter if it's by one point or by 30 um you know I'm glad that you know we got out of there with a W and it says I think it's something on Twitter that Utah hasn't won at Washington State in a long time or something like that and I didn't even 2011 yeah so over 10 years yeah so you know it's just it was good to get a win no matter how or what the what the scorecard said but uh we definitely needed it I think everyone lean on each other and you know I think we played a very complete Game you know it it Not only was it Utah's first win it was the first time that you've had a quarterback throw a touchdown pass since uh joining the Pack 12 the only other touchdown pass came from a punter on a trick play and I think it was in that 2011 win um talk talk about you know how much of a stud dton K is we all saw it he he played he played hurt ended up still scoring a touchdown on the play I mean let's talk about his toughness and you know how that kind of maybe has a mark on some of the younger players coming up and they they see you know a player out there they battling it's clear that he's hurt and he's still able to score a touchdown like just talk about his toughness and how it can have an effect on a on a young team yeah Dalton is just he's just a hell of a player um loves the game does everything the right way um definitely one of our focal points when Brandt went down I mean he was always a focal point but that role definitely increased since brt got injured um but yeah I mean he's tough as Nails I mean that's just I think it's a credit to not only the individual that plays at Utah but I think what Utah brings in based off what they see as a tough person what we need for the program I think our our team is just full of tough dudes um you know it goes on display that Doan is one of them because I mean he's fighting through those injuries um and he's making plays while doing it you know but it's a testament to everybody that has you know that's that's tough just like our old block like our or line is one of the toughest that we people that we got on the team um I guarantee you Cam would have pushed through even if he had a you know um hop around on one leg that's just like that's just how competitive and and tough our guys are on our team but back to DT yeah I mean that's just it takes a lot to just you know keep going taking shots keep making plays and you know because the team needs him and uh you know he's just tough his nails I can't say more about it you're obviously getting to that time of the year where where players are getting dinged up I mean I don't think there's probably anybody that hasn't at least gotten some extent of an injury obviously there's guys that are more like you said Dalton uh you know we're not going to get into whether he plays this weekend or not that's that's not for us to say right here um but you know you've got him you've got Maki who who you know by all accounts probably shouldn't even have suited up based on what he went through earlier and and everything that's going on with him but you know do do you you guys get like does it change your mindset when these types of things happens obviously you know injuries happen you've seen this throughout your entire career but does it change your mindset at all or or or how does that how do you guys kind of use that as a motivating factor or do you at all I mean like I always say it's always next man up at Utah but I mean we just got tough dudes just in that locker room man like we got dudes that know they can't go but still want to try to go like when I was hurt I was still trying to run around in practice even when I wasn't traveling I was still trying to play cuz I didn't want to miss games at all like I wanted to be with the guys because it just didn't feel right sitting at home not you know or not being there with them um but yeah I mean it's just I think that's just how Utah operates I mean you have to be tough to play here and you know a lot of the guys are just that and um you know I think that really like back to Rob's question I think that really radiates throughout the rest of the team in the sense of you know the younger guys seeing that like I mean football they always tell us that your body's not going to feel the same right right when fall Camp starts they're like your body's not going to feel the same as it is right now and it's true I mean that's from here to NFL I mean you take it how you want it but that's just the name of the game but you know definitely having tough guys to lean on um definitely benefits and uh I think that was tying back to the game that was one of the key reasons why we won that game I'm curious your perspective on injuries because in the NFL they obviously have like an injury report guys know who's in who's out that kind of stuff in the college game obviously you don't have that there's not a universal system the NCAA isn't isn't asking for that so Kyle obviously likes to keep it a little bit more in housee I I if if you were in charge of all this would you like a universal report does that help you or do you feel like you like it the way that it is where it's just coaches can kind of decide you just just go play right I mean I know you're out there on the field you don't really care necessarily but how how would you approach that I mean college is just different in the NFL I mean in so many different ways from schedules to how things are hand L and it varies from program to program I mean some schools probably aren't hitting during practice at this point in the season some schools are you know it really just takes an account of you know what the what the coaches are trying to ins Ste in his players and um you know I don't know if I would really change it or not um that's as easy as it sounds it's or as easy as it is seems to answer I don't know if I would change it just because I mean it's college football I guess you could say like the injury reports if you're going to put somebody on there but then again it like changes maybe that week they're playing you got to take them off you know I'm not really sure how those rules work but uh I mean at that point it just it comes down to football and just being prep prepared for you know whoever you're playing in the scheme and you know you got to be prepare for if this guy's playing but if not then I mean you just got to adjust and go from there and I think that's what good teams do I think that's what great teams do um but I don't know I mean I'm not sure I don't know if I would change it or not with so I want to ask one more question about Washington State but you guys obviously came back out with the helmets of of Aaron and Tai um obviously those two two guys they passed away after the Washington State game did that play into that that reason for wanting to wear it there or was it just I guess what went into the reason for wanting to wear that helmet again yeah I think it was down to the captains um because uh you know they discussed the the uniform Combos and stuff like that but you know yeah I mean even when coach Whit brought it up before he went on the field I was just like dang like it's crazy how that happened like back toback years same team same location of the game you know and I think it was only right to do so you know um just another just another way of you know remembering those guys and honoring those guys and I mean obviously yeah helps with the motivational point or part but I mean it's bigger than that you know it's doing the right thing and hon honoring them the right way especially on a Thursday night game where there's not really any other games playing uh so I think it was only right to do that to do that and it did Garner a lot of national respect from a lot of the national media and fans across the country that were able to tune in and and see you guys play you know in a game like you said where there's not a lot of other games on uh and and to see you guys honor you know Ty and Aaron in that regard so that was that was pretty awesome and you know good job from from from you know all fans of the University of Utah you guys represented those two with utmost class and respect and that was really awesome to see um you know but you know it's tough you know you got to move forward uh you have a game this week against a really good Arizona team although their record doesn't really indicate that they they've played a lot of tough teams have a really good offense what can you tell us about Arizona and what we can expect you know this this Saturday yeah so especially last year I feel like a lot of people thought that Arizona wasn't good I think they were thought they were a good team but they had a lot of injuries and uh I think now like they're getting a lot of people they're getting a lot of people back especially from last year got a couple transfers coming in um but I mean same thing as last year I mean they're a great team their defense has athletes all around the field they can spread them out they play different positions depending on what the situation is uh obviously you guys see the offense I mean I was watching that a SE game a little bit too and you know they got Playmakers they got uh that good quarterback back there and uh I think the running back's pretty solid too um but you know this week like I always say week in week out on the podcast you know we're just going to take it day by day uh you know prepare the way that we were supposed to prepare you know and and get ready to play Utah football on Saturday um I'm glad we're back in Ryle Stadium I think that's you know I love playing there I don't I wouldn't want to play anywhere else uh so that's definitely exciting and uh you know it's a 5:30 game so hopefully you know that's a good time for people to come out um but yeah we're just going to take it day by day by day practice get the Reps in watch film and you know prepare to play Utah football on Saturday do you feel like this year maybe as opposed to different years that the the level of the Pack 12 has increased that it allows you guys to maybe focus on individual teams a little bit better I mean I I I I'm not going to have you say it but like individually like I can't imagine that uh it's easy to go from a USC to an Arizona or a Colorado sometimes who clearly their record isn't the same they're not competing in the same realm but do you feel like with everybody that's generally kind of improved this year that you feel like it's easier to kind of focus on that or or or do you guys even notice any of that I don't really know if we notice any of it just because we're always just focused on the team of the week you know we're not really looking too far ahead and we're when we definitely don't try to look back in the past um it's just the Mantra of trying to go one and0 every week I think that's what's pitiful or not pitiful wrong word choice that's the point of success for our program is looking just for the week that we're in right now not looking too far ahead because when you start looking too far ahead that's when the carpet slips under your feet or the rug does so it's like I I don't I mean I don't really I don't think any of the guys do that I think our culture is built around you know this game is the most important game of the season week in week out and that's the only game that we have to focus on well it's it's tough because you guys are essentially locked in a four-way race with Oregon USC and UCLA for that that spot do do you feel like it's changed this year now that you don't have necessarily to worry about the south it's crazy cuz like when they brought that up I was just like well how is this going to work because I guess it was a little bit there's pros and cons to everything like for example with the North and South you could lose all your conference games and then go undefeated and league play and still make it you know but I mean this year makes sense I think they may really made this change just to try to get more um more a chance for a Pack 12 team to be in the playoff and I think that's that was the push um I mean I don't know I wasn't in that office when they made those decisions I'm not that's above my pay grade uh but I don't know I don't know if I would switch back or forth I mean there's PR and cons of both of them for sure obviously the rankings come out tomorrow do you guys pay attention to that what rankings the the college football playoff oh oh oh yeah yeah yeah the playoff they come out that was a good answer even though you uh well I thought you meant like the P to comes out with rankings like of teams in order every week I was like I didn't even know they did that you sounded like coach wh there for a little bit rankings what are you talking about yeah no I remember they said well like the little TV show right like they do like on ESPN yeah yeah oh yeah I remember that you guys are in practice during that time so I mean I can't imagine you guys ever watched that show yeah I forgot when the last time I watched that show was I usually just see it on Twitter if I'm scrolling through I'm like oh we rank this you know so I can't imagine there's there's a lot of of looking at I I don't know I think it's kind of funny that a lot of a lot of people put so much stock into these rankings and and I get it right like you kind of have to judge teams and if you are using a committee to to do that it makes sense to rank them but it's funny that like the whole narrative around a season is is defined that way you know where it's just like well are you a playoff team if not no you know you're not a good team and I don't know I I think you kind of lose some aspects of that where you know you're you're overlooking good teams that may not be one of the best four in the in the country because you know they they're not a playoff team I don't know it it just seems weird to me that that's how how it's approached yeah I mean just with voting and everything it's I agree it's just crazy like for example I was watching Ohio State pennate game this weekend this past weekend and Ohio State's a really good team and I think but the thing is though they're rank I mean it's it's pretty much pre like if you get that preseason ranking and you hold on to that if you don't lose I mean you can't move anywhere it's not like they can drop you or anything but I think that was their first ranked win of this year I believe and they've been number two number three or top four you know so and I discredit to Ohio state they're a damn good football team you know watching them play but like see like that's how the Voting is like kind of weird in that aspect of like you got other teams that's playing ranked team teams and then like there's kind of like these barriers of like well if they're undefeated put them up here if they're one lost team put them here if they are two lost team because we've been like the only two loss team like the highest of a two lost team to be ranked for like a couple weeks or something like that um but then again it's it's above my pay grade I just got to do my job you know but it's definitely interesting how they how they structure and and lay it out for sure do you pay attention to maybe the teams that you've played that are out of conference I mean like I see Utah fans they're they're far more interested in what Florida does this year they're far more interested in what Ohio State's doing this year because you guys played them obviously you know they saw the talent they saw different things that way but do you guys get that same way or or or how do you kind of approach that I mean yeah I mean I I watched college football so I tune in the teams that we played and see what they're doing and you know it's just watching the game I'm just student of the game love the game so I watch no matter who's playing but I mean it's hard to say like watching a team it's just like damn this isn't what we thought they were G to be I mean it was just you already played that game about two months ago you can't change it I mean it was like if for example Florida uh first game new coaching staff new schemes didn't have like we're try to watch as much film as we can I mean we just didn't play our best game and that's that's what it is you know and then team started rolling and catching on to it blah blah blah whatever you want to say but I mean I mean we lost that game you know they Florida played a good game and we didn't play our best and that's just how the cards fall sometimes so I think the biggest thing is is just like that's what makes college football so exciting is just it's always a roller coaster like for example Oklahoma State played Kansas State and Oklahoma state was ranked number nine I think in Kansas State 22 and they beat him 40 40 to something 48 a zip yeah you just never know like it's just a roller coaster I think that's why people love it so much because like NFL you got all those like good teams like the bills played the Packers last night and you know they did their thing and then if you I'm not going to say any teams on here because I know there's like loyal fan bases and stuff but if there's this one scene you're like uh I don't know if I like their chances but like with college football anything can happen and I think that's what makes it so exciting and what makes people tune into it you know I agree with you like you see you got people still Tweeting about games that's happened almost three months ago it's true they they can't let it go almost right yeah it's just it's just that's just a result of college football in my opinion get diagnosed with college football syndrome yeah that's right I you know I love it right like it it's been kind of nice the last couple weeks because uh you guys haven't had a game on Saturday so I just sit at home and watch a lot of college football and uh it's a little different because it's like I I turn into a couch potato because all I do is watch college football and it's not a bad thing I'll take it well as a AP voter aren't you supposed to at least watch the majority of the games that you're you're ranking right I I look at the ballots of some of the other AP voters and I'm not sure that they have a TV in their house like you're an AP yeah AP voter so I'm the the voter for the state of Utah dang look at you and you was asking me questions about how rankings work but you're really one of them so I'm talking about you Josh for long the funny thing is is like I I asked that question knowing full well that it's like I find it funny that that people get so caught up in like what I rank right like whether I think you guys are 12 or 10 or or 15 like does it really matter like I I get it like you have to have a system in place and you're trying to do things that way but it's it's always funny to me that uh that people get so worked up over a ranking especially when it's like one or two spots away from where the consensus is so yeah it's just reality I mean it's just that's your job you put out your opinion that's people can't be mad at what you think you know even if it's not what they want to hear it's what you think and that's what you you know how you feel like but yeah comment is towards you I didn't even I didn't even know you're an AP voter you among everybody else they they'll just get mad right let me go tweet right now Josh forong we should be 10 that's what he wants that solves my problems let me just go tweet it hey Elon Elon Musk wants to wants to take the verification away on Twitter now so uh you got to be careful you don't know what you're going to get you're going to get a whole new Twitter experience right I gu I guess I saw something I don't know people were making jokes but like he was going to make people pay for the verification or something that's what I thought I saw the same thing yeah 20 bucks a month for Twitter blue or something like that are you paying 20 bucks for that no no I wouldn't that's part of my gas tank I'm cool yeah I mean like what what I don't know 20 bucks seems like a really dumb asking price to just verify you on Twitter and maybe maybe he's got some good vision of it but I I can't imagine yeah everybody's gonna have it I mean everyone's gonna have blue checks and so like what's the what's the point of it you know you're going to get guys with like 150 followers that are uh tweeting out information as if it's fact because they have a verification now yeah yeah I don't know what's gonna happen with this whole Elon Mustang because I didn't even because I remember he tried to buy Twitter or whatever and it fell through but I I guess he came back through and I I don't even know man I'd be out of the loop sometimes I don't even know what's going on in the world sometimes honestly not Twitter I don't know unless it's something big don't get me wrong but like little stuff like that just like oh here we go again you know it's just funny the things that people get all worked up over I'm like this is social media it doesn't matter we'll find something else if it doesn't work with Twitter yeah I hop back on Instagram yeah that's right that neon's gonna buy that go go get on Tik Tok and you can dance all of your uh all of your complaints now all your pain and sorrows away Solo's gonna get on there and he's goingon to dance at me because he's mad that I didn't put him at number 10 yeah oh I'm yeah no that's crazy that is crazy you ain't gonna see me dancing no Tik Tok no unless it's with my mom she makes me do those does she yeah she gets mad when I say no to her that's awesome no no Tik Tok I just watch the funny stuff on there that's right sometimes there's really good stuff on there most of the time not though pure gems on Tik Tok look when it when we were in that like Co lockdown I I think I I all I did was just scroll through those things cuz what else are you supposed to do like we've we've seen each other as a family forever now we just got to go look at other stuff and I don't know I 100% agree that's why I think I downloaded it and started I mean there's guys on the team that make Tik toks and like danc and stuff like that but N I ain't one I ain't one of them I'll do it for fun but I'm not committed you're not going to get a following for it huh uhuh nope I'm stiff I can't dance I love it so much all right man well we appreciate it uh we uh we look forward to seeing what you guys do this week uh keeping it going and uh hopefully you guys get Cam back it sounds like he's he's making some progress or at least what Whittingham said so uh you know hopefully you get him back and you guys can be in your full health and and being able to do what you need to do but uh anything else before uh we send you away as always appreciate y'all for having me make sure whoever's listening send it send this podcast to anybody that you know subscribe you know it's a good vibe good times on here and you know comment what you guys want us to talk about cuz I guess we went from chicken to Candy so I don't know what's next maybe ice cream or get us some get us out of our comfort zone a little bit but uh you know looking forward to a great game this weekend hopefully it's great time I think it's at 5:30 so hopefully everybody can come out um yeah so looking for a great turnout and hopefully coming out with the w so I appreciate y'all for having me yeah good luck on Saturday thank you appreciate it thanks Sol that was fun ice cream we're going to talk ice cream next time right uh like who has the best Shake maybe I I can always go for a shake or ice cream you know just like do you go like the the hard pack or you soft serve kind of guy like I mean suspense right we got to leave people on the cliffing here do some research you know ice cream rankings let's do it I love it no I I I thought that solo did great and the the uh the vibe coming from that game like I was pretty optimistic you know for Utah um just coming off that huge win versus USC you know historically Kyle Whittingham always does well off a bye has having his team extra prepared and then you see you know Tavon didn't travel with the team you see Micah Bernard like you saw some preliminary reports that he's not going to play but then you see him warming up so you're like okay you know maybe he's going to give it a go and then you see cam Rising uh wearing the yellow Jersey on the sideline you're thinking well this could be a long day right like you looking like oh man like Pack 12 after dark thr the Poo whatever like haunted Vibes whatever it might be you're thinking great and Utah's offense took the field first marched right down the field granted they missed a field goal but I feel like it more importantly set the tone that yes we can drive we can play with Bryson Barnes under Center and he made some really good throws the throw to Jaylen Dixon you know came on like a third and long uh 25 yard pass I mean that was that was a game changer um he had a long run like a 55 Yard run himself showed that his Mobility he can scramble and Drew the late uh holding call on solo you know threw the ball up there that you know allowed Utah to milk the milk the clock at the end and you know you you look at Utah of years's past you know at the 30 yard line maybe they kick the field goal tried to take a seven-point lead or maybe you do a pooch punt try to pin them like Kyle Whittingham went for the win like no like we're GNA win this game and you've seen that a couple times now you know like the USC game where they had the chance just to tie it with the extra point and they said no we're going to we're going to go for the win um and it happened to the right decision so um that was that was really awesome to see uh Utah Come Away with the win it wasn't pretty um but when you're down that many guys and and this is the difference between Utah in 2022 versus Utah in 2014 2015 2016 where you lose your starters and your backups are you know not up to par that they couldn't carry you and this year you tell backups across the board like you lost your starting safety due to a targeting call and so you had somebody else have to step in against one of the you know better passers in all of the Pack 12 so I mean that to me I mean across the board Utah showed grit to determination it wasn't a perfect game I I mean you miss a field goal you have a botched handoff attempt you know that kind of gave Washington State some life he had blown coverage by uh one of your best defenders in Clark Phillips he just happened to fall down on the play like you know it did it wasn't perfect but it was good enough for the win and that's all that matters yeah I think there was there was a lot of things that you could break down in that game and I think it's funny when we left as the media when we left the game I mean we we kind of looked at each other and just said there's so many Avenues to take this game uh first off obviously with Cam not going in there I mean we knew we knew Makai Bernard was likely not going to play and even if he did I mean well he wasn't supposed to suit up quite honestly um and so when he did suit up that kind of changed things although uh we knew that he wasn't he was going to be limited um but then when cam didn't go in I mean that was a real surprise to all of us and I felt like it took it you know everybody even in the Press Box a good quarter to kind of really understand what was going on and and understand like how this is how this has all happened is this just a you know them just messing around or whatever um we we knew that cam was injured right he was he was a little you know hobbling along a little bit in in practices and stuff but by all accounts he was warming up fine and everything but I think what what Bryson did was uh you you know aborable uh he he was able to keep the the game going I think the most telling thing about that like you mentioned with Kyle just being a little bit more aggressive and and not just just trying to play it safe uh is the fact that you know even when they they were running it they're trying to wear out the clock they get to a third and long and they still find a way to get it right sure one of those came as a defensive holding different things that way but they weren't afraid to take the right shots at the right time and and it could have ended poorly it could have been an interception granted we don't know what that would have looked like if there was no holding so it's different but I think that's the that's the game right is is yes three touchdowns in a typical game for Utah that that might not be a great scenar Mario but the defense stepped up you had you know them do everything that they needed to you know cam Ward I think if I remember right he threw for 83% accuracy I mean like he was he was hitting targets it wasn't a matter of uh being an effective 27 of 31 for 222 incredible and one TV yeah but the thing is like even with that Utah's defense made it uh really not a factor right like I I can't remember other than maybe that touchdown that Clark fell really a big play that that changed the of the game right there was a lot of little passes and not all of them were right there were still some that were 20 yards or whatever it may be but there wasn't anything that necessarily harmed the team and and it showed this defense is is willing to step up they're willing to put more pressure they had four sacks in the game uh they were able to get in the back field a little bit more they were actually just rushing for guys most of the time uh which allowed that defense to be able to you know move around they had more guys available to be able to protect and do different things that way so I think you know you know like solo said it was a team effort right right and and we heard that from muad daate at the end of the game uh just you know I I I I had asked him like how do you summarize that and he just said team win uh and it's hard to argue with that right like it was a it was a game that was very much so a team effort it it took the defense playing well it took the offense doing everything they could to be able to do that but then to have Bryson do that with basically no reps under his belt this week that that says a lot I yeah and you said he did admirable I I think that he given the circumstances I think that he he played better than you could have anticipated um that was a tough situation for him to get thrown in and for him to respond with the attitude that he has and uh kind of the GP it you know it's crazy because a lot of these these uh you know just the the Casual fan they don't realize that everything that goes into like the game plan and the preparation and it's not like um it's not like Bryson's get not getting any reps all week but he's not getting the majority and when we say majority I'd probably say it's like a 8020 split where Cam's getting the the the far out majority of these reps and that's kind of how you get better that's why making it to a blll game is so important for a young team because you have that many more practices that you can dish out reps to some of the younger players too and and that's just a reality they you can't you only you're limited to a certain amount like x amount of time that you're able to go out every week and practice due to ncaaa rules and so it's not like Bryson's out there you know getting the same amount of reps as Cam he's not you know the game plan is obviously featured towards cam Rising because that's your starting quarterback and it's not like Andy lewick had all this time to adjust you know this is this is Monumental for this program because years scripted right that's that's the nature of it like Andy has has spent the entire week scripting those plays for cam especially he's going to go right like he's going to go and he's the one that they've planned for so 30 minutes before the game that's not easy for Andy to just say okay we're going to scrap all this that's not to say Bryson can't run all that but it it takes effort on all levels in the sense that you know Bryson had to be able to perform but Andy had to be able to change the offense in a way that was going to be effective right and and we saw that on the opening drive where that they were able to move down the field and it wasn't just running every play you know Bryson was able to complete some good passes he was able to you know run the ball and you consider that Utah's down to their potentially third string running back uh you know and jayen Glover uh and even their fourth streight running back in J quinon Jackson like that that was impressive against a really Stout Washington State Defense that had been you know pretty good they held Oregon State to 24 they held USC to 30 um granted they gave up a ton to Oregon State but they were they only lost by three so I feel like you know they beat Wisconsin on the road it's not like a uh you ran over this this poor defense that was a really good defense that you were able to to go to toe-to-toe with and you know the the critical thing is when when the game's on the line and you make those critical plays right um you could kind of felt uh the tension when Quinton Jackson fumbles right after you know a previous drive three and out and Washington State's only down I think it was 21 to 14 so they're going down to score and Utah's defense stiffens they did what they needed to do to get Washington State to to to go for a field goal I mean I think they got the ball on like they like the 35 or 37 yd line yeah I think um they got one first down they got into the Red Zone and they they forced a field goal and and that was the game changer had Washington state scored a touchdown that changes everything because now Utah has to match right and you already missed a field goal so are you gonna are you GNA try the game-winning field goal are you gonna you know preferably you're you're going to punch that into the end zone but that changes everything so the way that Utah responded to every you know punch counter punch that Washington State gave them was really really awesome to see and you know for for Utah's depth I can't I just can't you know say how different it is you know in years past it reminds me a lot of like a game that Utah played against Cal and the starting quarterback got hurt I think it was Travis Wilson and your backup was a guy named Griff robbles right he could barely throw the ball five yards and that's nothing to take anything away from him he you know he he uh he was the best option that Utah had at the time but that's how far Utah's depth has come is you have a guy that has thrown for a touchdown pass in Rose bow as your backup quarterback and Utah hasn't had that luxury uh it's like when your when your starter goes down you don't have a plethora outside of maybe the running back position you don't have a plethora of options and so Utah is building up that pack 12 depth and we saw that you know that if if you were to to package that up into a product that would be the game that we saw on Thursday night uh against Washington State granted you you would have liked to see you know more of the starters return to the lineup it was off of bye um you you know but uh that's just the way things go so hopefully you know you look at cam somebody like cam Rising we're not going to go into specifics but he hasn't played since the USC game so he's now had he'll have had three weeks of rest uh before Utah takes the field against Arizona on Saturday is that right yeah well yeah by the time they take with with the bye and then you know essentially not playing uh this week against Washington State so that that's going to be huge um it's going to be huge to to get some of these guys we did learn that there are no seasoning injuries so you know prayers up for Dalton concade and hopefully Utah can get him on back on the field as soon as possible um you know and uh we'll see how Utah can respond um you know this Saturday against a very very very good offense this team is top 20 in most offensive categories in the NCAA but they're like bottom 10 in the defensive categor so Utah's going to have to put up a lot of points to to keep up with Arizona in this one I think yeah I I you know this is going to be one of those games where I I I think in years past everybody would just say oh you know Utah's going to gloss over Arizona it's an instant win I don't necessarily think that's the case uh this year the Utah's favored by 18 points so clearly Vegas thinks that Utah has the the potential to to really make this a big game but at the same time like that offense you know they've got a mobile quarterback and Jaden Delora that is is solid he obviously did really well for Washington State before he transferred Arizona and he's got a plethora of of wide receivers that have done some phenomenal things they've had some phenomenal catches this year and so it's it's going to be another tall task for a Utah defense that that really needs to find its foothold especially with RJ Hubert out that first half due to the targeting call uh you know Utah peeled that targeting decision and the NCA said no so uh he will sit out that first half um but but I I I guess more to your point is is just Utah's built in a different way than they've ever been right like we we've seen in years past where a player goes down and instantly that team's over right you you look back even at that 20 18 year when uh Tyler Huntley goes down and then you also have Zach mosco down I mean those are two key injuries and and most teams are going to have a problem if their starting quarterback goes down but the same thing is is you've got guys that can do it right is it going to be perfect is it going to be the same level of of um production and and efficacy no but at the same time you're you're doing it in a way that's that's allowing your team to be able to be successful where you can absorb some of these things years ago you lose Brant keithy at the beginning of the season and that's one of the biggest injuries that you could have had right so I think this Utah team is is built a little bit differently they've done well they they're they're they're finally into a full power five depth team and they're doing what they need to so look I I I I still think there's question marks going into this game right like you know with Dalton concade you know I think you can be optimistic that that he's able to play for you know at some point this season I don't know if it's going to be this Saturday I'd probably say it's doubtful that he plays this Saturday if he does that gravy but the reality is is Utah has the guys that they can do it right especially against a defense that that has that has not been great this season I mean the only the only team worse than them is Colorado in the Pack 12 and that says a lot right they're but they're pretty neck to neck in a lot of those things so look there are opportunities here for Utah it's going to be here here's the points that they've given up over the last three games USC they gave up 45 Washington they gave up 49 Oregon they gave up 49 against Colorado they only gave up 20 but then against Cal they gave up 49 so you know four out of their last five games they've given up nearly 50 points uh and and that should be the barometer for Utah like you know you are you on par with some of these other Pack 12 offenses and I would say yeah you are can't I don't see Utah scoring that many points I see Utah doing a more control clock kind of game uh similar to what we saw against Washington State but you know I I uh I I still think that you offense should be able to put up some good numbers um it'll be a uh you know can they stay on the field on those you know critical third Downs against Washington State for the majority of the game they were they were seven of 15 which is pretty good uh not great but not not bad either uh and we we ended up in a in a win for Utah so uh if you get if you get Cam Rising back it obviously makes things a little bit easier but as we've seen Bryson can can carry the load and uh and do enough to uh you know and it'll be interesting to see like we we we won't know until closer to kickoff like who's going to be the starting quarterback but it'll be interesting from a team perspective had Bryson been given the whole week of practice would he have been able to perform better and the obvious answer is yes he would have like the game plan would have been tailored to him specific strengths um and things that he would be um you know excelling at they would have called that a little bit more I think we would have seen a little bit more Bryson designed run plays we saw the one he went for 55 yards and a couple key scram uh and then they kind of got away from it so uh it'll be interesting to to see uh you know how Utah kind of goes forward your next two games you've got uh a good offensive team in Arizona but you know pretty mediocre defense and then it's almost the exact opposite the next week in a pretty pretty good defense in Stanford but you know I I think their offense is is is non-existent so um kind of the the tale of the two the two opposites in your in your next two games going up and then you know you don't want to get it too far ahead of yourself but the one after that is the the one that the season hinges on uh can you can you be the first to to knock off Oregon uh in Pack 12 Play because many teams have tried and they've all come up short yeah this is you know this is a great opportunity for Utah especially with where they're at with injuries you get the bye you get three games that should be winnable right in the sense of Washington state which was winnable uh you get Arizona and then Stanford at home I mean games that ryes alone can help will Utah to a win uh that doesn't mean that Utah can't lose these games absolutely they can but I think it comes at a good time where you're allowed to to kind of maybe heal up a little bit some of these guys that are dinged up maybe you get Makai Bernard who who has a little bit more rest Dalton concade obviously needs that uh there there's going to be other guys out there that that are getting banged up they're getting hurt you know you're starting to get to the point where uh you lose a guy for two three weeks and it's a season ending injury so it it says good things that you know somebody like Dalton isn't lost for the season that they have optimism that he's maybe you know a week or two out or whatever that may be maybe it's three weeks to get him for the Oregon game um but I but I think Utah's in a good spot right they they they can't Overlook anybody Arizona's a good team Stanford starting to put things together they're starting to do well that doesn't mean their offense is really that good but they're they're they're putting things together and and and it can be a a losable game for Utah but uh you know I think I think the the opportunities are there for Utah you know they've got to be able to do what they need to to to really get back to that conference Championship game uh Oregon is really going to come down to that uh that same weekend is going to be a UCLA USC matchup so it's going to be a fun weekend to be able to see how the Pack 12 goes but uh there's there's there's a lot of happening around the conference there's a lot happening around the country there's a lot of teams that are doing really well and and you know you have four teams in the top 12 from the Pack 12 in the in the AP Top 25 which is pretty crazy I mean most years we get two teams just ranked uh this year you get four in the top 12 and then you get Oregon state that jumped in at at 24 so look there's there's opportunities here right was and Washington's in the receiving votes yeah they're lurking granted it'll probably be shortlived uh because they have to play organ this week so yeah I mean that that's the thing right like it's it's there's only so many teams that you can get there right and the SEC has the same thing right you beat each other up and and everything and and by no means am I comparing the Pack 12 to the SEC but you're you're you're getting I do think the gets a little bit of forgiveness right you know so we have Georgia versus Tennessee which according to the AP poll is one versus two well is let's say Georgia wins is Tennessee going to fall further than three or four probably not you know depends on the game I guess and if Georgia loses they're not going to fall farther than three or four either so I mean yeah unless one of the teams blows the other one uh blows the drawers off the other one uh I don't see you know either team moving much out of the top five but I think that's but that's a pass that they get whereas usfc L by one on the road and you saw them nearly fall out of the top 10 all together but but yes and no but I think at the same vein because you have so many teams high in the in the Pack 12 ranked that that does give them that that opportunity right like there is a difference between Georgia and Tennessee one of those teams losing and them not falling a ton because the other team is highly ranked now I mean it was the same thing Utah what they 20 the week that they beat uh USC I think they were that that USC didn't fall a ton right I mean if Utah was unranked when they had beaten us I think you would have seen USC drop a lot further but I think you're starting to see that right and I think you know the pwell still has a long ways to go and it's it's only going to get more complicated when USC and UCLA leave but you're getting more of that forgiveness in the rankings simply because say you know voters are able to look at and say look they played them tough it was 4342 there's no reason to drop USC all the way out or really low because the reality is that was a good game right it was two top 25 teams and I think that's that's why a lot of people get mad at the the SEC because it's like oh you know number one team loses and they drop to number five sure but they're also doing it against much higher uh competition and they're also doing it on a week- toe basis where these teams are always good so I I think that's what's been missing from the Pack 12 for years is is teams like that that are able to sustain the level of playing field for for the Pack 12 you know Oregon loses they're not going to fall down a ton Because unless they lose to you know like Cal or something like they they beat them obviously but I I think those things help the conference as a whole and it's it's been a much better barometer for where the conference is this year just to be able to see that that style you want to do weekly predictions here or do you want to save that for another one uh we maybe let's look back at maybe some of our our favorite games from the weekend and then we can do our our you know when we uh preview Arizona we can jump into that uh so for me it started watching uh Friday night oh obviously uh the Utah game was Thursday so it was kind of just a relaxing weekend outside watching uh that that game and the biggest surprise was right on that Friday night East Carolina going into Provo um you know I kind of sat on that game for a lot and I was like there's no way that BYU at home is going to lose four in a row they're they're they have too good of a team their quarterback is just going to will their way to Victory and lo and behold they lost uh we saw some questionable decisions made by their coaching staff to to go for it on fourth down and it it was kind of like they weren't necessarily calculating and it's always like we look back on it be like hey had it worked it's the best best call in history but because it didn't work the situation that they were in it really put a lot on their defense when their defense you know quite frankly hasn't been the same Buu defense that we're used to so East Carolina got favorable field position multiple times to just be able to do what they do and they got into field goal range I didn't think the kick was going to go in but obviously it was just high enough uh squib kick I mean yeah I mean there's not much more you can say about that other than Bru is struggling mightily and they don't get things any easier because they have to go on the road to a place that they have not fared quite well against a team that has had their number um quite frankly in Boise State so that that losing streak could be extended that the other game that you and I were texting back and forth on was the Ohio State Penn State game and it seemed like it was going to be this lows scoring Affair and then all of a sudden the fourth quarter happened and you know it touchdown Fest and uh I mean I what we saw from Ohio State's defense um was was really something because we all know that Ohio State's offense can score at will but it was their defense that stepped up got a crucial pick six nearly had a goal line stand at the end I was like man like that that drive that Penn State finally had to score on was was nuts but uh Penn State fought hard they did uh almost everything that they could but you you turn the ball over too many times to a really good offensive team and we'll see what we saw what happened what what were the surprises for you from this from this this past weekend yeah I think you just kind of touching on that one real quick I think it was good test for Ohio State to be able to uh show that they only test well it has I mean they had Iowa but you can't you can't really claim Iowa because they don't have an offense I mean quite honestly they don't like it it doesn't exist so I I I think this was a good opport Unity for Ohio State to really say look we can we can play against the top teams in in in in the league uh Penn State's not you know Penn State's not Michigan let's just say that like they're not going to be in that same caliber Ohio State still has a far more difficult test when Michigan is is is playing them um but I think it was a good opportunity for us to be able to see what this team is about so uh to me I you know I I still don't have uh any doubt that Ohio state is a solid team I think their defense still has some things that they need to improve upon but I mean they're making strides and and clearly you know they one defensive an I'm blanking on his name right this second JT I can't remember but he you know he was phenomenal I think he had a sack or a couple of sacks he had a a forc fumble he had a fumble recovery he had two interceptions I mean the the the guy just was everywhere for that Ohio State Defense and I and I think that's really done them well to be able to have a player of that caliber I mean quite honestly Ohio state has a bunch of players of that caliber but I mean you're you're getting a team that that's really kind of shaping into a playoff form and that was good to see the the the one game that that I was absolutely you know just kind of shocked by was that Ohio or Oklahoma State uh uh Kansas State game you know Kansas State goes up by 14 it was 14 zip early and I just thought okay you know good jump they have their backup quarter Aiden Martinez wasn't uh there uh so they had their backup QB in and I thought you know Oklahoma State's going to come back they're going to do this they're a good team and then they just didn't right like it was just a weirdest game and in Kansas State goes in and wins 48 to Zer Mike Gundy shut out I think I I I I can't remember the stats but it just doesn't happen to Mike Gundy Leed team where they just looked so listless lifeless everything that you want to describe there to me that was probably the the craziest result of the weekend just because I was expecting that game to be a far closer game but it you know I mean that's the way it goes we all were we all were like the majority of the picks I think we had let's see I'll pull up the exact number there was a 86% majority picking Oklahoma State to win and I don't think anybody you know Saw Oklahoma State necessarily blowing Kansas State out but we all thought it was going to be you know a competitive game Kansas State obviously found a weakness in Oklahoma State and you you know this is where having those back-to-back tough games I feel like can really weigh on a team uh like Utah had with you know they had UCLA on the road and then they had to go play USC the next week in Oklahoma State's case they came off a big dramatic win over Texas and I don't know if it was just like emotional uh carryover the next week to go on the road to play a team with his backup quarterback but it looked like Oklahoma State just lacked any and all motivation in this one they couldn't get into any sort of Rhythm and credit goes sometimes the other team just is is more prepared they they just want it more and this was definitely the case there where everything that Kansas state did right did was right and everything that Oklahoma state did was was was wrong and credit goes to Kansas State's defense I feel like um I feel like Kansas State probably wants another shot at TCU because yeah for you know they they uh you know lost in the last second in that one but uh yeah that was that was the interesting thing in the Big 12 is um we thought that Oklahoma state was going to be the favorite you know uh outside of you know if TCU can hang on and keep winning uh that would have created a you know another top 10 big 12 championship game but uh okahoma State Falls all the way from 9 to 18 uh and Kansas State moves up to number 13 welld deserved that was a very very very impressive win for Kansas State puts them right back in the thick of things yeah and the Big 12 is going to be an interesting uh scenario this year I mean t TCU hasn't lost a game yet but they've also really just kind a lot of people are critical of TCU um saying that they're the the highest ranked weakest team sort to speak in the sense that they just haven't played anybody or they've lucked into wins but at the end of the day a win is a win is a win right if you're if you're undefeated and you've faced every single test I what is your take on that like how how do you perceive TCU and where did you have them in your ballot I believe I had them at seven uh I've had a lot of people ask me questions about that actually just said oh they're they're a weak team there's no reason they deserve to be even in the top 10 and I I completely disagree I think a lot of people want to sit there and say you know you lucked into wins but the reality is is they had to fight right that oklah okahoma State game that they came back and they had to fight right it's not just like Oklahoma State rolled over and and and I mean I guess you could argue some of that but but TCU had to fight and they're doing that every single week right like solo said like whether you win by one point or you know 50 like it's still a win and I think that shows this is a really solid team Sunny Dykes has got his team rolling are they perfect no but like what team out there other than maybe a select two or three are really solid almost all all the time like this this is a team that is doing really well they haven't been in this area for a long time and they're winning right like that's great and you're doing it against competition that is really solid Kansas State Oklahoma State you're you're doing this against teams that are still ranked in the top 25 the Big 12 has is similar to the the Pack 12 in the sense that a lot of them have moved up and they've got a lot of good teams so why are we knocking them like I I could they go lose 100% but like so could anybody soak with any other team so to me there there's no reason to knock a TCU team that's doing phenomenal like it just feels like they're not the the name the sexy name they're not Oklahoma they're not Texas and so everybody wants to just push them down but the reality is Sunny Dykes has this team in a great spot right they you know as long as they continue this trajectory and they continue what they're doing there's no reason they shouldn't be considered the top team in the Big 12 so to me like I I think they still deserve that I don't have any qualms about them being where they're at clearly I put them at seven so I believe that it's not just because I'm trying to be in in with a consensus I truly believe that they're one of the top teams in the country and they're doing a great job at it and speaking of top teams in the country the big game this week Tennessee at Georgia number two at number one biggest game of the season um for sure for for college football uh what what can henden hooker do that no other quarterback has been able to do against a very good or Georgia defense and and that is find find a way to get the win um Georgia had a struggle against Missouri but you know how much that is motivation right hting up for every game um you know and it just like Utah struggled against on the road against Washington State sometimes these these Road environments are just hard to win it's it's hard to win at Missouri um and as Georgia saw just like you know it's hard to win at pman it's hard to win at Rice Eckles if you're an opposing team so I mean do you do you see Georgia running away as the home favorite or do you see henden hooker kind of being the surprise and The Darlings of college football this season for sure I think you know he's in my eyes he's the favorite for the Heisman and I know we still got a lot of time there's a lot of things to be played um but the fact that that uh Georgia is favored by nine points is kind of a little confusing to me uh it doesn't mean that Georgia couldn't win by nine points but I I see this being much closer if not Tennessee winning and I think a lot of that has to do with henden hooker and his ability to be able to make the reads uh they he's able to make those tight throws he's got you know a plethora of receivers jayen hayatt is is one of his his favorite targets and he's done a phenomenal job with it that they they do well the the thing is with me not with me but that I see with Tennessee is is they they do a really good job of simplifying an offense right it's it's very complex and how it is able to open up different guys uh they've got a lot of great opportunities where you know henden hooker doesn't necessarily have to think a ton he does right at quarterback you have to think a ton but he's got different routes that open up different things for different people and so he's got a lot of opportunities available to him and and this Georgia defense is going to have to sound they obviously have the talent they've got the you know the physical attributes they've got the ability to be able to stop henden hooker but like how do they how do they do against that that offense that is able to just scheme and do things in such a creative way that really forces defenses to get off their blocks get off their assignments get different things that way that that allows you know Tennessee to just really work at an effective rate and henen hooker is 100% behind that in the sense that he's able to make those throws so to me like this isn't one of those those scenarios where you know Tennessee has has gotten the benefit of of you know playing bad teams no if anything they've beaten more good teams in the country than anybody else and they're doing it at a high rate right like they beat a good Kentucky team this wasn't a Kentucky that is down this is a really solid team and they just destroyed them like this is this is this is a great Tennessee team and I think or or uh Georgia is going to have you know their their hands full uh they obviously have a great offense as well they they're able to do a lot of things things on their side of the ball as well so it it to me it's going to be a close game it's going to be fun and it's one that I 100% am looking forward to I have been for quite a while honestly yeah this this game has been circled on my calendar as well let's move it closer to home we have BYU traveling up the road to take on boisey state BYU's obviously lost four in a row uh and they're hurting uh boisey State on the flip side has won four in a row and they seem to have found a Groove since replacing their quarterback um what do you see happening here because this is a game where you know according to BYU fans that have put their picks in so far only 26% of them are siding with their own favorite team in BYU is this is this a case of like do they have to win this game to go to bowl eligibility granted they have three games left they have this one they have Utah Tech and then they play Stanford um is this the must assuming that they can beat Utah Tech um which I I mean I don't think that's too farfetched but is this the must win game is it this one or is it Stanford I mean which one are they going to win and are they going to win H that's a that's a tough question the way that they're currently playing and I hate to say that that BYU could actually go you know 0 and five in the last you know five weeks but I I don't know man like boy state is playing some really good football ever since it was their offensive coordinate they fired and then the you know Hank BM left they've they've done a phenomenal job of of just being able to play sound football they're back to kind of the Boise State that we were used to at least in a more competitive way right uh BYU is in dissay honestly like I don't I don't know where they go from here uh you know the coaching staff is having problems the players are having problems and and they're all saying the right things behind the scenes and saying you know look we've got to we've got to embrace the culture and we've got to do all these things but the reality is is none of it's working and it feels like for for BYU to pull off a win they're they're an underdog in this game by seven points to for them to pull off this win would be quite a you know an impressive feat because I just don't I don't see them in a good head space right now like the players are already down on each other like they can't even score on offense at this point I mean they got they got 24 points against uh East Carolina so it's not like they can't score but things AR just aren't working they're they're not finding ways uh they don't look like they're playing loose they look like they're playing tight they're they're in their own heads and I just don't see a Boise State game where it's always been that kind of Head Case game going in a favorable situ situation for for BYU so so look like I've I've picked for BYU the last two weeks and they've burned me I'll probably pick against them this week and pick Boise state and they'll find a way to win but the reality is I I just don't see it I think the odds are that that BYU loses this game and then at that point you've got Utah Tech and Stanford that you have to win and and that's not a guarantee at Stanford or with Stanford either so I don't know they're they're in a tough situation right now what's the line on the boy CB you game is it minus8 for boisey I think it might be up to eight now but it was seven I think when it opened up oh minus seven so yeah I I uh you know my preliminary indication is that that Boise State's going to get the win they've seem to have had Buu's number in the past and I don't you know the way that the teams are going in polar opposite directions and uh there just doesn't seem to be that course correction that we thought that we were going to see um and so that makes the the uh you know that Stanford game a must win for for them to to go to Bull eligibility which it's motivation right I mean do you really I mean can you really get to you know can you really get up for a game knowing that your destination's going to be the New Mexico Bowl right like you know it's got to be pretty disheartening for the players when especially when your expectations and your you know your pre your rankings in the middle of the season I think they got up to as high as 12 after the Baylor win and uh now it's kind of like season's over and already looking forward to basketball season so yeah good news for BYU fans is basketball season is like a week away I I saw it pop up in our scoreboard so Utah plays uh an exhibition against uh Westminister and then they have the their first game of the season against Liu if I'm not mistaken you're correct that on the seventh yeah there we go the seventh uh go up to the Huntsman Center get your tickets this will be a this will be a fun opportunity to see Craig Smith's team and if not then go up to the night with the running Utes they're bringing it back this year uh the covid protocols are kind of put U you know put on I I think we're all done with that you know yeah so uh I think it it'll be fun let's get back Back to Football Utah plays Arizona we think that uh Arizona's defense or Arizona's defense has been pretty bad uh their offense has been the polar opposite they're one of the top 20 in the country how do you see Utah handling this uh especially with so many injuries and uncertainty uh let's get your prediction on this one yeah you know I think Utah comes away with a win I don't know if it's 18 points it very well could be more than that uh I'm not necessarily concerned with the spread I think the thing that I'm more concerned with is is can Utah's defense play like it did last week right obviously this is a much more mobile quarterback than cam Ward uh cam Ward was good but he's not as Nimble as like a Caleb Williams or Dorian Thompson Robinson or anything that way so Jaden Delora is going to be a tough tough match for him right and and so I'm curious to see can they make those necessary steps to be able to be there crazy enough Utah's defense actually leads the Pack 12 in total yards they've been able to do well despite kind of being a relatively quote unquote down year um but to me like that's that's kind of the story of the game I I don't doubt the offense will be okay I think the offense can can do whatever it needs to win in a shootout whatever it needs uh especially if Cam plays but but I think that the real story of the game has to be that defense if the defense can step up Utah is going to be fine I don't necessarily think that Arizon Arizona is going to uh cause them problems that way but it has potential where Utah does have to you know fight this out to the very end and and have it kind of close like that USC Arizona Arizona game so uh to me I you know I still see Utah winning I I think that is is one that they're not going to overlook and I think it's going to be a good stepping stone to to the next week against St Stanford this is a game where I see Utah that 18-point spread just seems way too high um I I think that Utah wins comfortably I think they win you know by 10 but I don't see it being ever really put away and that's more of Arizona just has nothing to lose at this point right like they know that they're probably you know they're probably not going to make a bowl game so what I mean they're just playing to have fun they're playing for the Love of the Game and when you play loose like that things tend to go more in your favor than not um and and Utah um you know they they should on paper win this game by 18 but I just don't see it happening um you know this is a game where I see Utah you know getting a small small lead and just kind of holding on to it throughout the game and kind of trading punchings with a really good Arizona offense but I'm curious to see how Utah's defense can respond that they passed the test were flying colors last week holding Washington State to 17 points I mean granted they gave up 200 plus yards through the air but more importantly they only gave up two touchdowns and that was the difference in the game where your offense only got three touchdowns that was enough to win yeah um and so this one will be very interesting because Arizona's offense is much better than Washington State's uh their you know uh Washington State's offense was onedimensional they knew that they had to to throw the ball they had zero running game uh and Utah was able to game plan against it Arizona has a good running back in Michael Wy they have a very good receiver in Jacob coing so it'll be interesting to see the dynamic and how Utah adjusts and but I do see Utah winning by probably probably around 10 or so I haven't put my prediction in quite yet but I can see a 10-point win yeah I think that's probably a safe bet hly yeah I I think like looking at that line 10 like like we mentioned like 18 is is a a standard I think Utah easily could hit um but I just think the nature of this game you know 10 would be a safer spread to me um but I don't know it it'll be interesting especially if Dalton's out like who steps up obviously you've got Devon V you've got Jaylen Dixon you've got solo you've got guys so right the other two games that we have in our pick them schedule we don't need to really predict them too much but New Mexico goes on the road to Logan to play Utah State Utah state has injury issues but even then they should be able to get the win here it's a must- win if you want to remain in the bull hunt uh they're sitting at three and five and New Mexico's at 2 and six this should be a game that Utah State wins the other game that we have is that of the ACC number 20 Wake Forest coming off at what I think a eight turnover performance against Louisville uh taking on number 21 NC State this one could go either way uh it's offense versus defense NC State's got the defense Wake Forest has the offense when they don't turn the ball over I think Sam Hartman's a really good quarterback but uh I I mean eight turnovers in one game that's that's unheard of it's almost by us it's been a while since that happened I I don't I don't see another performance like that for Wake Forest right I mean those are the one of those aberations way there's no way I I think that one's a close one so yeah anyway Go to ksl.com you can participate uh in our pick them contest we can uh We've giving away weekly gift cards from Golden West Credit Union uh you sign up today at ksl.com Sports /pi them you can also go to ksl.com uh click on the sports Tab and create your own Top 25 Poll uh and you can actually vote just like Josh gets to do every week in the AP poll and you can see how the different fan bases are are voting in the AP poll so far this week George is the clear favorite uh but uh you know we'll see after this game against Tennessee if they can hang on to that number one spot yeah thanks for listening to us uh we appreciate you coming each week and and listening to what we have to say about the games and obviously we want to thank Solomon Nas for for coming on each Monday and and chatting with us I think he gives us some great perspective in the game that that obviously Rob and I can't can't provide so uh check us out each week let us know if there's anything that you want us to talk about if it's ice cream if it's chicken sandwiches candy Kit Kats Kit Kats if you want to give us some Kit Kats we'll take them too we're not going to turn away Kit Kats um but thanks for listening and uh we will chat with you guys later [Music]