Rivals

Eric Munoz a walk on linebacker at Utah State got emotional after a stellar start. The first of his football career as a junior. It was touching to see football and teammates impact the young man so much. Scott and Jason are discussing  the most emotional moments, good and bad, of their football careers from high school to the NFL.

Scott and Jason agree Andy Ludwig has been beyond impressive this season for Utah, but has made him so great? Talent management. Tyler Huntley has been playing lights out, and part of it is that Andy Ludwig understands how to play to Huntley’s strengths, rather than sticking to his old playbook. Ludwig is a master at maximizing the talent he has. Jason talks about the challenges a defense could face against Utah’s offense.

BYU is 4-4, which is close to the predictions Scott and Jason made preseason. The Cougars have had a very realistic season. They have been faced with plenty of adversity, especially at the quarterback position. Zach Wilson had surgery and Jaren Hall (his backup) has had two concussions. Baylor Romney, the current quarterback, is battling a foot injury. With all of those injuries the Cougars could have had a much worse season. The depth has been impressive to both Scott and Jason

As surprising as it feels, this is a real questions Ute fans are facing. Would you rather win the Rose Bowl or play for a National Title? Scott and Jason disagree on this. Scott lets nostalgia get to him. Jason explains that every year, every team should be playing like they’ll win a national title game.

Is it the athletic director? Head coach? Quarterback? Lineman. None of the above. Scott and Jason are talking about the most important person (people) for any college football program to be successful long term. Scott and Jason share personal examples of the most important quality in a coaching staff. Being humble tops the list.

In this episode of Rivals Scott and Jason discuss whether or not they believe BYU and Utah State are rivals. The teams meet this weekend in Logan. The disagreement between the two in this episode comes from the definition of “rivalry.” All of our in state rivalries seem to only exist because of proximity and closeness. None of the teams are in the same conference, which Jason believes makes a rivalry stronger.

Scott and Jason are both truly enamored by Utah’s defense. Kyle Whittingham’s Utes shutout Cal last weekend and now they are heading to Seattle for probably their biggest game of the season against the University of Washington. Jason said one key to the defensive success is their confidence. They are confident that there are no weak spots in the defense.

The BYU Cougars head to Logan, Utah this weekend to take on the Utah State Aggies. Jason Buck has said this is a trap game for the Cougs and they MUST take the Aggies seriously. The guys also talk about how the Aggies will (or should) prepare if they don’t know who BYU will start at quarterback. Jason said for Kalani to keep his job, they must win.

BYU defensive back Dayan Ghanwoloku talked about playing in Logan this weekend and what he expected, he started some light trash talk about dairy farms in Logan. Jason Buck wonders when these young kids will learn their lesson about trash talk. Scott just doesn’t understand what in the world the dairy farms have to do with BYU’s upcoming game against the Utah State Aggies. Jason grew up on a farm and takes ISSUE with the comment.

Scott is in awe that BYU beat Boise State but couldn’t beat South Florida. Jason is just happy, calling it a fantastic win. They agree on one thing - it was shocking. They guys get real and talk about how inconsistent the 2019-20 BYU Cougars are. They also talk Baylor Romney and the offensive changes. Was there someone new calling offensive plays? Scott thinks yes. Scott nails down BYU’s problem, Sitake is not Uncle LaVell, he needs to be tougher. He needs to be more hard nosed and being genuine to himself. 

The University of Utah Utes beat the Arizona State Sun Devils but not without a fight. The Sun Devils quite literally came out fighting. There were multiple cheap shots and unsportsmanlike conduct calls. After the game Herm Edwards apologized to Kyle Whittingham. Scott asks his defensive counterpart what he thought of the dirty playin

Tyler Huntley is the only quarterback in college football who has not thrown an interception. Jason is sticking with his original assessment - Huntley is a runningback who can throw. Scott and Jason heavily disagree on this matter. Buck does offer praise to Huntley, putting him in the category of Brian Johnson or RG3. The guys also talk about the USC game and how it was the wake up call the Utah football team needed. 

Jason Buck and Scott Mitchell discuss the state of the BYU football program and whether or not they predicted it would end up like this at the beginning of the season. Buck admits he was excited after the Cougars’ first four games, but when looking at their record at the midway point - he isn’t surprised with the number of losses, but by where they came. Scott and Jason also talk about the conversation surrounding BYU - whether or not Kalani Sitake should be fired. They agree, this is not all his fault.

Vontaze Burfict is the wild card you don’t want on your team, according to Scott Mitchell and Jason Buck. He has no business being on the field. Scott is baffled by his lack of respect for the NFL, his team and every other player in the league. Scott and Jason describe him as a bully, who creates more risk than normal on an NFL field.

It looks like BYU lost Zach Wilson. They’ve already for sure lost Ty’Son Williams. Scott Mitchell and Jason Buck discuss how bad it actually is for BYU and what the rest of their season may look like. The duo also discuss why they lost to Toledo, Scott thinks it comes from an attitude that they were the superior team to Toledo and almost got complacent when the took the lead. It is easy for young players to lose control of the game.

Utah’s stellar receiver Britain Covey will likely take a medical redshirt for this season because he hasn’t reached the limit of the new rule yet. He will take the time to heal his knee after suffering an ACL tear last season. Scott and Jason agree the new red shirt rule is really good for student athletes. It helps keep players healthy so that they can have long, healthy careers. Coming back too quickly can really put student athletes at risk. The guys also talk about the NCAA’s ruling about Utah’s GIANT new O-lineman who has two years to play one.

We haven’t talked much about the NFL this season because local college teams have kept us busy, so we wanted to get Jason’s read on what he has seen this season in the NFL. We are discussing the teams that surprised Scott and Jason for the better...and for the worst.

Cal is the last undefeated in the Pac-12. Scott mentions their head coach is a disciple of Chris Petersen. Makes sense why they are rolling. Scott and Jason talk about the likelihood of a Pac-12 team making the college football playoff. Jason thinks it is possible to be a one loss team and make the playoffs. He said even Utah could do it since their loss to USC came early. Jason and Scott discuss what makes the Pac-12 different than other P5 conferences. In order for the Pac-12 to get an elite team they should put Chris Petersen at USC.

One weakness Jason sees with Utah is Tyler Huntley. He says he is a running back who can throw. Scott disagrees as he has been impressed by the way Huntley has been playing. Jason’s biggest problem with Utah football is lack of leadership and character. He said the penalties Utah got during USC shows lack of discipline. Scott said a lot of the penalties were just wrong but what he did see is lack of preparation. We also talk a little about the whopping Washington put on BYU.

Zack Moss left the Utes’ game against USC with an undisclosed shoulder injury that is not season ending. BYU lost their star running back Ty’Son Williams who was a graduate transfer to a torn ACL. Scott and Jason discuss how both teams will move on. Utah has an easier time but Scott wonders why this happens to be BYU every season...it seems like.