August 15, 2025 • 43 mins
Ben Criddle talks BYU sports every weekday from 2 to 6 pm.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Yeah, this is Cougar Sports with Ben Grittle on ESPN
ninety sixty and it's time for keeping up with the Cougars.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Brought to you by Dentalprosiutah dot com.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
Welcome back Cougar Sports one of three nine ninety eight
point three ESPN the Fan. I'm then Crital broadcasting from
our Vanderwelth Studios. Banderwealth dot com. Get on a free
Q and A no obligation doing fast Q and A
with our tax smart Wealth Advisors, Certified Financial Planners nfl PA,
Certified Financial Planners today Bandr Wealth Banterwealth dot com. But
he's time for a little keeping up with the Cougar
is going to be brought to you by dentvil Prosiutah
Dentlprosofutah dot com. We're gonna welcome in a former BAU
(00:42):
quarterback in Utah State quarterback to comment on the quarterback competition.
He's he's he's got inside and knowledge you can't get
anywhere else. Stay tuned. This segment, as I mentioned, brought
to you by Dental pros of Utah. You've been told
you need a filling, a ground, a root canal. All
I'm asking you to do is get a second opinion.
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(01:04):
in and get a second opinion. They utilize biomametics, biometic techniques,
rebuilding your teeth layer by layers, so you don't have
to settle for fake teeth later on in life. Let's
get out to the hotline and welcome in my guy,
Riley Jensen to the show. Former Utah State and BYU
quarterback and snow college badger.
Speaker 4 (01:23):
What's up? Riley? Hey, what's going on? Mongoose? It's always
good to be on your show. It's always good to
have you call me a BYU quarterback, even though I
was there for like Onewatts in the spring of nineteen
ninety seven. But you know, we'll take it. We'll take it.
I was there for a minute. You know.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
It's funny. So nineteen ninety seven was that the okay,
that quarterback race that you were a part of in spring?
Who was a part of it? What do you recall
about that QB battle?
Speaker 4 (01:58):
So this is this is a fun story. Told this
the other day, but so it was. It was Paul
Shoemaker and Kevin Federick, and myself. Right, I finished second
string in the spring, believe it or not, ahead of Frederick,
behind Paul Shoemaker, and went into coach Lavelle Edwards and said, hey,
(02:25):
I can watch I can pay to watch YU football.
I really want to play college football. And he sat
me down and literally said who do you want me
to call in the spring and was always super kind
to me after that, which at the time, you know,
when you wanted to transfer, coaches weren't always super kind
to you. But he called every school that had offered
(02:47):
me out of junior college. The only one that was
willing to give me a scholarship again because a lot
of times those slots fill up, right was Utah State.
But he called Arizona State, he called Kansas State, he
called South Florida, called Boise State. I think I'm missing
somewhere in there, someone else that I got offered by.
(03:07):
But it was it was really amazing. But let me
tell you a funny story about trying out one of
the things that or compete the first and I told
people that this won me the job at Utah State.
Later is we were we were running a play. It
was in the old b Yu lore. So if there's
(03:28):
some old BYU football players listening, it was just red
right sixty three, which is a deep post cross. The
ex receiver goes through the free safety and then you're
running a postcross. But there's two arrow routes to check
arrow routes on that on that route, and Kevin Fedderick
dropped back and both of them were open. Both the
(03:49):
deep ball passed the safety and the postcross were open.
Checked down to the running back, and the coaches were
going crazy because he checked down, and they're like, that's
the way to do it. That's the way to do it, Kevin,
that's the way to check the ball down. And they're like,
what did you see it? And goes, well, I'm having
a hard time seeing downfield, so it was better for
(04:11):
me to just check it down to the running back
and take care of the football. And then he looked
at me and he winked and walked back to the huddle,
and I was like, son of a biscuit, this guy
got me. This guy got me with pretending like he
was checking down. And the left thing that I learned,
(04:32):
the lesson that I learned is probably every fourth or
fifth seven on seven play or team play. I would
check down on purpose just to make coaches think that
I was actually like going through the reeds. And I
think it won me the job at Utah State. But
it was it was a crazy story. Kevin Frederick was
(04:52):
obviously a wily veteran at that time, even though he
was young, he knew, he knew some of the games
to play, and you have to play some of those
games when you're trying to win a spot in springball,
for sure.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
Interesting. So I had a conspiracy theory put on my desk.
This I don't know, I want to say a week
ago about this particular quarterback battle. So it's a it's
a blessing we have you on the to tap your
into your mind about this. Who did you feel like
was the better quarterback? Between Paul Shoemaker and Kevin Frederick?
Who did you think was going to win the job
(05:25):
and should have won the job when it was all
said and done.
Speaker 4 (05:28):
Well, I listen, I I know and like both of
these guys. It was a friendly competition. It wasn't a
mean competition. If in my heart of heart it felt
like I felt like Paul Shoemaker had the better arm
and Kevin Federick had more connections. But I also thought
(05:51):
that Kevin Federick read the field better, but his arm
wasn't particularly strong. So it was really confusing because Paul
came he was undefeated in high school for like four years,
but he but he ran like the triple option and
he and hecame highly touted into BYU. So did Kevin Federick.
He was an Orange County quarterback. He worked with the
(06:11):
Rotten with the Johnsons, Rob Johnson's, and obviously his dad
had a lot of money. His dad, you know, provided
places for coaches to stay when they went and recruited
Orange County.
Speaker 5 (06:23):
And.
Speaker 4 (06:26):
So it was it was interesting. I do think that
it ended up being Kevin Federick, and I do end
up I do feel like he was the better quarterback.
He just wasn't. I mean, he wasn't a big armed quarterback.
He was kind of like a space filler in between
some of the other great quarterbacks that played at YU.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
Yeah, it's interesting that the conspiracy theory is that there
was more politics involved than actual playmaking ability in that
particular quarterback competition. Did you get a sense for that
when you were in springball or and and did that
contribute to the transfer at all.
Speaker 4 (07:02):
I do not recall. I do not recall any of
the things that you're talking about. Maybe I'm maybe I'm misremembering.
Speaker 3 (07:13):
Like what you think that Wow, Wow, we're gonna do
a thirty by the way, We're gonna eventually, eventually we're
going to do a thirty for thirty on this uh
here at ESPN ESPN Local. I'm and and we're going
to have to get you on the record of officially
on it.
Speaker 4 (07:37):
I have no idea what you're talking about. I have
no idea.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
Well, and it does spru that.
Speaker 4 (07:45):
Did I transfer right after that? Did time I was?
I can't remember exactly what the time?
Speaker 3 (07:50):
It is interesting, right, and so as much as we
love I mean, we love football, and there is this idea,
you know, I think for most of us we believe
that the best player always with it's hard to like
full a locker room, it's hard to fool the team
right into thinking that one guy who is inferior deserves
(08:15):
to be like the starting quarterback, right. Everyone can see it.
It's it's there. So like traditionally, I think meritocracy in
football is is alive and well, but on occasion there
is a there, there is an OC or a quarterback
shows that wants a particular guy, right, and it's his guy.
He likes him for whatever reason, X, Y, and Z
(08:36):
and and he goes with him, he rolls with him. Uh.
And that can create a little bit of controversy within
the locker room too.
Speaker 4 (08:44):
I don't always feel like it's like like political as
far as uh, you know, like a parent paying somebody
off or somebody's better friend. I don't always feel that way, right, Like,
I'm not saying that doesn't exist. Here's here's where I
think it gets interesting. In college football, offensive coordinators and
defensive coordinators are hired to win football games and to
(09:09):
run the offense and the defense. But every other single
position coach is basically graded by whether his recruits play
or not. Yeah, so think about that for a second.
So let's say I'm the quarterback coach. But I have
Orange County, and I have San Diego County, and I
(09:30):
have the East side Utah schools. And let's say that
we landed ten recruits that I brought in. Right, If
five of those guys make the two deep, I'm one
of the best recruiters on the staff. If two or
three of those make the two deep. I'm one of
the worst recruiters on the staff. And so if I'm
(09:51):
a coach and I'm coaching special teams or I'm doing
some of these different things, I'm doing everything I can
to make sure that my recruit on the special team's
depth chart that are getting to the two deep, that
are getting into different places that I need. And that's
where it can become political. I just didn't feel like
I was Norm's guy, if you want to be really,
(10:15):
I just didn't feel like I was the one that
was really I wasn't really being recruited.
Speaker 3 (10:19):
By Normans who recruited you? Then who got you to
b yu who recruited you.
Speaker 4 (10:24):
So so there was a couple of things. Robbie Bosco
was there. Who who was really really influential? I actually
the guy who loved me and the guy who I
ended up loving who there's there's a lot of controversy
about this guy on the non space of his name
(10:44):
is the offensive line coach, which was French. So Roger
French loved me. He I mean half the time he's like,
get him out of here, get Jenson in here. He
knows what he's doing. Right, And I just loved like
he was more blue collar, like he would get ticked
off if like things were run right or if the
protection wasn't wasn't correctly called. He I mean, he had
(11:07):
no patience for that, and so there was there was
fun things about that. But it's hard. Listen, it's hard
to compete in Division one. And my answer to guys
they're competing is just leave no doubt. Like you know,
when I look back at it, I was trying to
win the competition by just being one leg ahead of him.
I needed to be five legs ahead of him so
(11:28):
that they couldn't deny it. And if we're looking at
the if we're looking at the competition right now, this
is exactly what's happened with bear Bachmeier has won this job.
We're just waiting the time out to like actually name it.
Everybody in the building can see it. Everybody knows he's
the best quarterback and he's won this spot. I think
(11:50):
they're just trying to delay the announcement of it so
it doesn't feel like it's hasty.
Speaker 3 (11:55):
Yeah, yeah, Well it's over.
Speaker 4 (11:58):
The competition is over.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
It's been pared down right after the Saturday scrimmage, this
past Saturday, right, they did play under the lights of
Level last night too is more so like Thud than
it was live, but they did play under the lights
of Level a lot of seven on seven. They did
do some eleven on eleven to Thud. I believe in
front of fans and so fans now are you know
(12:22):
got eyes on and and and media has had eyes
on and most of us concluded after the Saturday scrimmage
and the Tuesday media availability, I'm like, it's it's Bear, right,
it's Bear versus McKay. But Bear, even if he's on
par with McKay and their equivalency in playmaking, it's gonna
be bare because of the youth, the size, the talent
(12:44):
and high football like you as well, I mean, he's
he's accelerated.
Speaker 4 (12:48):
Well, right, listen, I really like McKay. Here's the problem.
I think some of the coaching staff is wishing that
it was closer, but it's uh like, that's that's where
we're at right now. It's not close. And my heart
goes out to McKay. My heart goes out to Boorgay
(13:11):
right like it goes out to these guys that are
that are competing because you know, out of out of
five opportunities for me to compete for a quarterback job,
I won three and lost two. And it hurts when
you lose, you know what I mean, Like it hurts
and it doesn't feel good. I hope, I hope that
(13:33):
these guys that aren't getting the job are captain like
material where they're still they're still trying to do what's
best for the team instead of what's best for them.
But the result of today's game is that it's not
always that way, and it's also very very hurtful, especially
the quarterback position, because you don't play if you if
(13:55):
you don't win the quarterback job, you don't play. You're
watching on Saturday, and you know, if you're the second,
if you're in the too deep at corner, if you're
in the too deep at linebacker, if you're in the
too deep at most positions, you're gonna play quite a bit.
And there's always an opportunity to play on special teams
and like really make a meme for yourself or do something.
But quarterbacks don't play, and so it's a really really
(14:17):
like huge, huge obstacle when you don't get names as
as the starters. It's hard.
Speaker 6 (14:27):
Yeah, it is hard.
Speaker 7 (14:28):
These guys work so hard to lead a team, you know,
be a P four quarterback, and opportunities and our granted
to everyone. So it sounds like I've been declared I
in this too rally I said last week, I said
one hundred percent, I'm all in on Bear back.
Speaker 6 (14:41):
My let's get it done.
Speaker 4 (14:43):
It's done, it's done.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
Right.
Speaker 7 (14:45):
So with that being said, we saw a true freshman
quarterback and Isaac Wilson. Uh, the school up the Hill
didn't go so well. What's the ceiling with Bear? What's
the floor? Can they get a double digit win season
with him being a true freshman?
Speaker 4 (14:59):
So it's it's hard for me to say. I mean,
we're talking about the Big twelve. We're talking about a
piece four conference, right, And I think it's really really
interesting that it is going to be Bear and you're
gonna have a freshman that's leading the troops into a
Big twelve conference schedule. I mean, his ceilings as high
(15:20):
as you want it to be. I mean, this is
an NFL type quarterback. He's big, he's strong, he's smart,
he has a little bit of wiggle to him. He
reminds me of Jackson dark in the way that he
can scramble, or maybe a Josh Allen where he's just
super deceivingly quick and deceivingly like can avoid tackles a
little better than you think. His arm strength is off
(15:43):
the charts. He I mean, look, sometimes you look through
a BYU like press guide, or you look through a
Utah State press guide and they're like, oh, yeah, he
got recruited by so and so, so and so and
so and so, and all they got was letters. Bear
legitimately had offered to Alabama LSU CLEMS and I mean,
we're talking the biggest of the big in the country
(16:03):
and he's at b YU and he is. His upside
is gigantic. I think he's gonna get better and better
every game. But the one thing that I wanted to
point out about him, and I generally don't like to
read too much into like a preseason throw or some
sort of preseason highlight because it's just it's just a highlight,
(16:24):
but there was a and I can't remember the name
of the tight end that he threw it to, but
it was a man a man coverage, and he threw
like one of the most accurate throws that you can
throw over the middle. And for me, there's a couple
of things that are really important. When you start to
see the maturity of a quarterback is you start to
see them complete passes over the middle of the field.
(16:46):
It's very easy for a young quarterback to throw to
the outside receiver on and out or on a streak
or on a hitch because it's typically one on one
coverage outside and you don't have to read a lot
and you can make that throw. This throw to this
tight end that I saw, you know, all over Twitter.
There was a ton of people that were really excited
about it. There was a few things that were really important.
(17:08):
One is the pocket was closing down on his backside
where he couldn't see it, but he could feel it.
Number two is he realized it was man to man
and that the defender was chasing, and it was okay
to throw the ball where he threw the ball because
the defender couldn't see him throwing the ball. Number three
was he was throwing the ball over the middle of
(17:30):
the field where no one else was, so he could
put the ball where the tight end was or where
the tight end could catch it, and nobody could catch it.
And he had the arm strength, and the accuracy to
put it right where he needed to put it. I
mean there's like four or five working things going on
on that one highlight that I saw that were just
(17:51):
he's mature beyond his years to be able to make
that throw, to feel the pressure on his backside, recognize
that it's man to man, recognized that he can put
it where the tight end is and nobody else is,
and then have the accuracy and the ability to put
it where with Carson Ryan was the tight end, Yes,
Carson Ryan, where Carson caught it where he could catch
(18:13):
it and nobody else could. I mean that gave me
quarterback envy in like three out of four categories. I mean,
it was really good. It was really good.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
What I find one of the most intriguing things here
in the quarterback competition is over the last week, I
came to the realization that Emerson Goleman continues to receive
rep substantial reps in seven on seven and even eleven
on eleven, Like he'll get a few drives each practice,
and every single time he's out there, he actually leads
(18:44):
a pretty gosh dang good drive, makes a good decision,
he's big, he's fast, he's strong, he's smart, and I
was like, man like, is there an additional competition for
QB two that could brew into the season. To get
your thoughts on Emerson, Gomman, what you like about him?
What you know about him?
Speaker 4 (19:04):
So a couple of things about Emerson that I think
are really interesting. Number one is I know that the
staff at BYU feels like they got to steal on him.
I think they waited and weighed and weighted, and then
you know, it's a little bit different to give someone
a preferred walk on now at BYU. I mean he's
getting paid, he's getting some schooling paid. I mean it's
different than what it used to be, right, And they
(19:26):
just kept waiting and waiting and couldn't figure out why
nobody had offered him. And then now that they have
him on campus, he's a freak athlete. He's over sixty three,
he's like two hundred and fifteen pounds. He can run,
he can throw, and he is very, very very smart.
They love this this young quarterback a lot. And where
(19:47):
I think you have to be careful is is if
you were competing for the starting position and you think
you just slipped a second. If you're not mentally clear,
and if you don't have the mental acuity to stay
on your game, you could flip past second string and
somebody like Emerson who's hungry to be on that travel
squad and to be a quarterback for BYU and who
(20:09):
is as smart as he is. And I mean, the
thing that people don't understand is how athletic this guy is.
I mean, he's very athletic, and he can throw the football.
And so you've got to be You've got to be
on your game if you're not careful as a BYU quarterback,
because he can sneak in here. And I know that
the BYU staff is high on him as well, and
(20:29):
so he's fun to watch. He's a guy that I
could see playing in the future because I can see
Bear Mott. I mean, and this is where like Bear
doesn't scare you as much. Maybe he plays two years
for BYU and then Emerson has a chance to like
step in as as the heir apparent if he if
he bides his time well. But they love his attitude,
(20:51):
they love his athleticism, they love his understanding the offense,
and he's he he is very smart as fair as
far as offenses go, and this this BYU offense is
not only sophisticated, but it's complicated. Like if you were
to if you were to look at the verbiage and
you were to and you were to go through it,
(21:12):
even some of the old time BYU quarterbacks to be
going who that's a lot of words, that's a lot
of thoughts, that's a lot of processing going on for
a quarterback. And this young freshman is picking it up.
So is bear Bachmeyer. These guys are smart kids. These
guys are prepared kids, and young quarterbacks are prepared more
than effort to be able to play at the divisional level.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
This has been a keeping up with the cougar segment
brought to you by Dental Pros of Utah with Riley Jensen,
former BYU quarterback in the spring of nineteen ninety seven,
lost the lost the quarter started quarterback job to Kevin
Frederick slash Paul Schumacher. And now we're going to do
a thirty for thirty in depth conspiracy theory.
Speaker 4 (21:54):
Nobody will care about that.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
I will care about that. The deep cuts that's what okay,
yes indeed, and then also another jem bear Bachmeier's the
guy and don't sleep on Emerson Galman. He can push
for PT this year if Bear is asked to be
spelled for whatever reason. So Riley, best way to support you?
(22:17):
What you do, how you do it? For all of
our listeners, Well you can go.
Speaker 4 (22:21):
You can go to RJPG dot net. That's Riley Jensenperformance
Group dot net. I'm working with corporate groups, I'm working
with individual athletes.
Speaker 5 (22:31):
I'm working with teams.
Speaker 4 (22:32):
I'm worth it working with everything from a fifty two
year old steer wrestler all the way down to a
ten year old soccer player on mental performance. I genuinely
love what I do. If you're interested on the mental
performance side of the game for your employees or for
your own, your own athlete, I'm your guy. Come see me,
(22:56):
come and visit me. I'm happy to helpe.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
He's the best of what he does us connect with him. Riley.
Always appreciate our time together. Man, thanks so much for
joining us.
Speaker 4 (23:07):
You're the man. I appreciate you. Mom Goose, we'll talk too,
all right.
Speaker 3 (23:10):
That's Riley Jensen. Ladies and gentlemen hit him up today.
Connect with him on LinkedIn. Check out his website that
was brought to you by Dental pros of Utah, Dentleprosovieta
dot com. If you've been told you need a filling
a crown and roo can out just get a second
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(23:33):
We'll go to break, don't go anywhere more to get
to you. This is Cougar Sports one of three, nine
ninety eight point three.
Speaker 4 (23:36):
Folks.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
It's time to celebrate the freest team sport known to man,
where modern day gladiators collide for all the glory on
the grid.
Speaker 6 (23:44):
I let's talk some.
Speaker 2 (23:46):
College football on Cougar Sports with Ben Crittle.
Speaker 3 (23:49):
Welcome to Guger Sports one of three, nine ninety eight
point three ESPN the Fan. I've been Crittle broadcasting live
from our Banterwill Studios, Batterwell dot com. Get on a
free Q and A no obligation to invest Q and
A with our tax more wealth is stop for a
little college football segment. We're going to welcome into College
Football Insider from College Football Insiders and CBS Sports to
discuss the bear Bachmeyer situation in this quarterback competition gonna
(24:14):
be brought to you by our good friends at Orthurpose
of Utah in American Fork. Brace up those neasels, ankles,
those risks, those elbows for the high school football season.
Let's get out to the hotline and welcome in. CBS
Sports Insider College football insider Schehan Jay Rajah is on
the line. Shehan, how are you.
Speaker 5 (24:32):
I'm doing great, Thanks for having me.
Speaker 3 (24:34):
Always a pleasure talking ball with you. Yesterday we saw
a soundby drop on the feed discussing Bear Bachmeyer. What
are you hearing about the Bear Bachmeyer situation at BYU
in Why could he be the guy to lead BYU
in twenty twenty five?
Speaker 8 (24:52):
Well, it's fascinating, right, I Mean, he's a freshman who
came over from Stanford in the fall, so like he
didn't go through spring camp with everybody, and he hasn't
been on a.
Speaker 5 (25:01):
College football team before.
Speaker 8 (25:03):
But he has really really impressed in camp, and we're
hearing that he is potentially a player who has a
chance to win that starting job.
Speaker 5 (25:12):
Of course, he's competing.
Speaker 8 (25:13):
With two guys who have experienced playing at the group
of five level, have three years in college football.
Speaker 5 (25:18):
But apparently his talent.
Speaker 8 (25:20):
And his upside gives him the opportunity to maybe push
for that starting job in.
Speaker 3 (25:24):
Week one if he's the leader of this team, if
he's the quarterback. What would you put the floor and
ceiling in the regular season at for BYU's win loss
win loss record.
Speaker 8 (25:37):
Well, it's fascinating, right because I think that when you
look at BYU I ranked them earlier this year, I
think that they have the easiest schedule in the Big Twelve.
Speaker 5 (25:45):
And the thing that you love about it too, if.
Speaker 8 (25:46):
They do start a freshman, and probably part of their
calculus is that essentially they'll be favored in their first
six games at least, and so if they go five
and one in that stretch, like they have an opportunity
to in the second half of the season really pick
things up and have a chance to get for the
Big Twelve. So look, I mean when you talk ceiling,
like I've said previously on this program, if if Jake
(26:07):
Redslap was back, YU might be my pick to be
in the Big Twelve title game, and I dropped them
more into the middle class.
Speaker 5 (26:15):
Of the Big Twelve when he left.
Speaker 8 (26:16):
I think that if Bear is ready and if they
feel like he gives them the most upside, which I
think he does, that puts them back in the conversation
that that gives them an opportunity to get into that
ten win conversation again and have a chance to contend
for a Big twelve title.
Speaker 5 (26:32):
Now it's we're saying too Yeah.
Speaker 8 (26:34):
No, it's we're saying too right on the low end, right,
I mean, obviously he is a true fresh and we
saw across the state. You know what a really talented
player in Isaac Wilson at Utah last year. Right, I mean,
mistakes can happen and maybe he won't be ready. So
but again, with the way that the schedule lines up,
I mean, a winning season at By, you should almost
be assured in twenty twenty.
Speaker 3 (26:53):
Five, Shahan is b why you built right now to
number one get to a bowl game this year with
a true freshman? And can they actually get to double
digit wins with a true freshman because I've never I
haven't seen it recently in the college football program with
(27:14):
a true freshman, even if it's a four or five
star at some of these very talented and well coached
teams across the nation, and there are many Boa fans
that feel like, hey, we can replicate what happened last
year with Bear Bachmeyer. We can get to ten and
eleven wins in twenty twenty five. And I don't know
if I'm seeing it. I don't think it's ever happened
(27:34):
in BA football history, and I don't know how recently
it's happened in college football history.
Speaker 8 (27:42):
Well, I think that when you look at the Bear
Blackmeyer situation, I want to be clear about this, like,
it's not a question of whether Bear can lead them there,
it's whether he can do enough to give the rest
of the roster a chance. Because defensively, we know what
this program is, especially at linebacker with Isaiah Glasker and
Jack Kelly. We know what they can be in the
defensive line, we know how well they're coached. And offensively,
(28:04):
I mean you look at almost every level of the field,
right wide, receiver, tight end, running back, like they should
be better than they were last season. The two questions,
of course, offensive line is going to be a serious one,
and again they get six games to really try to
get their feet underneath them. But it really is okay,
can the quarterback position give them some upside? When I
(28:24):
look at contenders in the Big Twelve, Like a lot
of the time, when you look at the teams that
end up in Arlington, it's the teams that had some
dynamic player on offense who raised their ceiling. Last year
Cam Skataboo for Arizona State, a player that nobody saw
coming a couple.
Speaker 5 (28:39):
Of years ago.
Speaker 8 (28:40):
With Kansas State, douce Vaughn, Max Duggan at TCU, this
is pretty common to kind of have that kind of
thing happen. For me, that was my question with Yu
is in those big moments, in those close games, who
is the dynamic playmaker? There are a lot of solid playmakers.
The question for me is, okay, with Bear, can can
he just make enough right plays at the right time
(29:02):
to make it happen? And let's be clear, if he's
the starter, he's going to lose BYU a game at
some point, and he's.
Speaker 5 (29:07):
Maybe gonna lose BYU two games at some point just
because he's a young player.
Speaker 8 (29:12):
But does BYU have enough to overcome in all those
other moments?
Speaker 3 (29:16):
Shaehan, appreciate your time. What else can we read about
what have you published recently at CBS Sports that we
can peruse? What topicst have you broached.
Speaker 8 (29:26):
Yeah, We'll have a lot of stuff coming up in
the lead up to the season, so over the next
two weeks, make sure and stay tuned to cbssports dot com.
You know, we've got all sorts of analysis about the
Michigan situation as well, So I check all that out
at cbssports dot com and we'll have a podcoming later
today on the College Football Insiders.
Speaker 3 (29:42):
Boom Shaka Lacka. Make sure you're subscribed to the College
Football Insiders with Shaehanjaraja of CBS Sports. Read all his
content at cbssports dot com. The man with the most
swagger in college football right now, Shaehanjuraja, thank you so much, Shan.
Speaker 5 (29:58):
Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 3 (29:59):
There you go. That's our segment brought to you by
orthroposof Utah Authorprosofutah dot com. If you've been told that
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Please don't go anywhere. This is Cougar Sports one of three,
nine ninety eight point three.
Speaker 2 (30:34):
You are listening to Cougar Sports with Ben Krittle and
it's time for a Cougar insider report. Now, let's get
that for a prietary inside scoop on Cougar Sports from Critle.
Speaker 3 (30:44):
Welcome back Cougar Sports one of three, nine ninety eight
point three ESPN. The fano'm been critical broadcasting from our
Banterwellth Studios, Batterwealth dot com. Get on a free Q
and A no obligation to invest Q and A with
our tax moret Wealth Advisors Certify Financial Planners, NFLPA Certified
Financial Planners today check it out at Vanderwelthbatterwealth dot com.
All right, guys, I want to get into a little
insider report again against no Bruce Mitchell. You're starting center
(31:07):
for the Bau Cougar football team. It all starts up front,
and it all starts with that center quarterback exchange. You
can't have mishaps up front. Got to get that dialed in,
especially if you have a true freshman quarterback starting. It's
not the ideal situation. Let's be honest by you. Has rarely,
if ever, had to start a true freshman quarterback, and
(31:31):
more often than not, they don't start the season as
the starter. They come in as relief.
Speaker 4 (31:38):
Right.
Speaker 3 (31:38):
Maybe they're trying to get a spark, trying to get
something cooking, something going. This would be a new experiment
for Cougar football. It's hard to get to nine wins,
ten wins Quoteah's eight wins on a season. B way
you fans don't handle anything less than eight wins on
(31:58):
a season, including a bowl opportunity. So uh, it all
starts up front. Hopefully Brucey and Bear have a great
relationship and can keep those center QB exchanges on point
throughout the entire season. If Bear ends up being the
(32:18):
starting quarterback, which we believe he will be, all right,
why don't we get into an inside report brought to
you by Big O Tires in American Fork. If you're
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he executes. Hit him up today at big Otires in
American Fork. All right, let's get to know Bruce Mitchell,
starting center for the bau Cougars.
Speaker 4 (32:53):
Yeah, other than.
Speaker 9 (32:56):
In the two three two three technique, I think JT
he got a lot better from springball. He's kind of
been paired with Keanu. But JT is another guy like
Keanu who's probably faster, the most offensive lineman, and he's
a really strong guy.
Speaker 10 (33:12):
So you got to bring your a game.
Speaker 9 (33:13):
Uh yeah, talking with the offensive lineman, JT's improved a
lot from the spring, so he's making us a better
offensive lineman as well as Keanu, so both of them.
Speaker 8 (33:25):
How are you feeling with this camp compared to this
time last year when.
Speaker 6 (33:29):
It felt like you were kind of an utility guy, right,
still sort of.
Speaker 7 (33:32):
Working in and rotating and got back backed by fire
a little bit at some points, like how are you.
Speaker 6 (33:38):
Feeling with camp today?
Speaker 9 (33:40):
I feel a lot more comfortable. I think the offensive
line feels a lot more comfortable. We've been in Coach
Woods system for a year now, so nothing's new to anybody,
so that's helping us out a lot. And yeah, last
year at this time, I was still trying to learn everything.
I'm starting to really settle in at center. I feel
like and I'm doing pretty well and hopefully we can
have a good screw miss tomorrow, and really showed what
(34:01):
this offense can do. Yeah, that's where I played off fall.
That's where I feel the most comfortable. Obviously, I still
got a lot of work to do. For work hands,
you can always improve, right, But no, I'm feeling comfortable
at it, feeling comfortable in the calls. Now, it's just
executing it and getting all the offensive linemen on the
same page. What do you think you've learned the most
(34:26):
from Oh wow, that's a heavy question, man. Just Schematically
last year, I was playing a lot of guard early
on in fall camp, so I was more so listening
to the center and he was telling me where to go.
Speaker 10 (34:39):
So schematically, I've just learned where everybody.
Speaker 9 (34:41):
Else should go on the place, trying to get everybody
else on the right people.
Speaker 10 (34:45):
Yeah, I learned a lot in terms of how the
offense works.
Speaker 4 (34:51):
Have you gotten better at that? Yeah? Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 10 (34:53):
You you start to look at things differently.
Speaker 9 (34:55):
You try to see the blitzes even if they're not
coming to you, so you can get everybody in the
right protections and things like that. But yeah, learn a
lot about the offense and schematically talking about.
Speaker 3 (35:06):
Getting on the same page, like watching tap and stuff.
What else do you feel like you guys do.
Speaker 10 (35:10):
Whether it's in the room or on the field, to
get on the same page.
Speaker 9 (35:13):
I guess I could say we got a tight knit
O Line group. I'd say we're all really close with
each other. Yeah, I think we just love hanging out
with each other. This summer, we went down to Saint George,
did a little bonding, just got to know each other
a little better. And then yesterday and the day before
we were up camping and it was fun. The whole
old Line was able to share a cabin and just
(35:34):
just bond together.
Speaker 10 (35:35):
I mean, oh, line is such a unique.
Speaker 9 (35:36):
Position because you gotta have five guys all on the
same page. And if one guy's off, you're gonna give
up a.
Speaker 10 (35:42):
Sack or a tackle for loss.
Speaker 9 (35:43):
So you gotta have good chemistry between five guys and
make sure everybody knows what everybody's doing. So it's a
fun position. And yeah, just off the field things, I
think lit a lot of chemistry in the old line.
Speaker 11 (35:53):
What's been the progression of the offense regardless of who
the quarterback is going in and I working through all that.
How have you seen the quarterbacks whoever's been in there,
working through the offense and progressing a fall tame the
skull man.
Speaker 9 (36:06):
I think they're settling in kind of like us as
an alignment. I was really impressed with how all the
quarterbacks came out. It felt like they were all really prepared.
They took it very seriously, and I went up to
all of them and told them, you know, I was
really impressed just how prepared all of them came And
it didn't feel like the offense skipped a beat coming
into fall camp. So you can tell the quarterbacks are
(36:28):
settling into their roles a little bit, and uh, yeah,
that they're getting comfortable with the pockets we're giving them
and getting comfortable in the offense.
Speaker 10 (36:36):
And yeah, yeah for something.
Speaker 11 (36:39):
That a lot of people will view it as an
unknown at the quarterback. When you see that type of performance,
what type of confidence does that give you guys on
the line, just the offensive general.
Speaker 9 (36:50):
Yeah, I think it boosts everybody's confidence when you see
a quarterback playing good, even.
Speaker 10 (36:54):
Even the defense.
Speaker 9 (36:55):
I think likes to see a quarterback playing at least
our defense when we're going at them, likes to see
the quarterback playing well. But no, it's it's awesome to
see when you know when your quarterbacks are in rhythm.
Speaker 10 (37:04):
And when they're not.
Speaker 9 (37:04):
You know, when they're completing it every single play in
a in a two minute drive, or whether they're struggling.
But no, it gives you a lot of confidence when
you're seeing those guys consistently get in rhythm and feel
comfortable in the offense and be able to find their
guys or check us out of plays or get us
in the right plays.
Speaker 10 (37:22):
Yeah, so they're settling in and it gives me.
Speaker 9 (37:25):
A lot of confidence to see them settling in and
getting comfortable.
Speaker 4 (37:27):
Do you have any.
Speaker 5 (37:28):
Personal goals.
Speaker 4 (37:33):
You know?
Speaker 10 (37:34):
Yeah, I got some.
Speaker 9 (37:35):
Im'd rather not share it this time though, though appreciate
it though recently learned.
Speaker 10 (37:39):
You were missing companions with Richie Sonders.
Speaker 6 (37:42):
Yes, what's a lesson you learned while.
Speaker 10 (37:44):
Serving with other sons?
Speaker 4 (37:46):
Man? I love it.
Speaker 9 (37:47):
He was such a fun companion to serve with. A lesson.
He's like one of the hardest working people I've ever
been around, and you can see it in the way
he plays basketball.
Speaker 10 (37:57):
I mean, he's getting after it.
Speaker 9 (37:59):
He's gonna work anybody he's with, and he showed that
as a missionary when we served together. Man, we just
went out there and worked as hard as we could,
had a pretty good success, and had.
Speaker 10 (38:09):
A lot of fun along the way.
Speaker 9 (38:10):
I love Richie's one of my best friends, and you know,
he was really fun to serve with. And yeah, it's
good to see him having a lot of success because
I think it was hard for him to go out
there for two years. He was a lot more recruited
than I was as a basketball player, so it's good
to see.
Speaker 10 (38:25):
Him having success.
Speaker 3 (38:26):
On the court.
Speaker 5 (38:27):
Did he drag you up those heels?
Speaker 4 (38:31):
He might. Yeah.
Speaker 9 (38:32):
We we usually woke up about five thirty, went and
got a lift on, played a little basketball here and there.
Sometimes we'd have to tone it down when you get
two competitive guys playing basketball, beating each other up in
the gym, and you know it says every once in
a while we had to tone it down.
Speaker 10 (38:47):
But it was a lot of fun serving with him.
Speaker 11 (38:48):
What did you make when you found out that you
were that close to your possible.
Speaker 10 (38:54):
No, it's I thought it was funny. I didn't know
that about him.
Speaker 9 (38:57):
I lived with Richie for twelve weeks and he never
told me about his grandpa. But uh, it was really
fun serving with him.
Speaker 3 (39:05):
Thanks, Bruce, Are they go? That's Bruce Mitchell. You're starting
center for the bau Cooper football team. For those that
didn't know, Yes, he did serve his mission with with
Richie Saunders. Which that's a power, that's a that's a
power missionary couple. If I've ever seen one knocking on doors,
knocking down.
Speaker 6 (39:26):
Doors, looking down doors, backing then doors.
Speaker 3 (39:29):
Preaching the gospel to uh every man, woman and child
that they come in contact with, I'm sure they had
a lot of success out there in the mission field.
Speaker 6 (39:37):
Yeah, and that was fun.
Speaker 7 (39:38):
And I know that people are just finding this out now,
maybe from the BYU perspective of asking, but Ben to
go back, I mean, you know, poke a little bit.
First he told us that at the Big Old Tires event,
you know, tell us when he's like, oh, yeah, compares
to rich I'm like, oh, he compares with the taking
really he like brought it up free Willie h nilly.
So yeah, A powerful couple for sure. I mean, and
(40:00):
I asked this fun question of today Ben at that moment,
and we need to do this. How many former football
players and basketball players have served together as mission companions
at brigap Young University or went on or just any
other sport.
Speaker 6 (40:13):
When you think about that, not many. I would assume.
Speaker 7 (40:15):
So you're starting center Brucie and the top king Richie both,
but I mean Bruce is being humble in their reguard.
Speaker 6 (40:23):
He didn't want to reveal his goals.
Speaker 7 (40:24):
I would assume those are aspirations and things to maybe
get to the next level, to be all big twelve.
And yes, sure, maybe Richie is, you know, one of
the faces of the BA basketball program. But I think
Bruce Mitchell as the also as the opportunity to get
to the next level. Brady Papingka hasn't mentioned that a
few times, so love that he's leading. That One thing
that stuck out to me Ben about that and let
me know your thoughts on this. Shout out to Vic
(40:45):
Graham who asked a question learning center and being a
guard guard you're being told what to do. And then
he says center to know where everybody's at, because he
says one miss block, one wrong shift, you know, or
if you don't get their assignment right, it's a sack
to the quarterback, or it's a tackle for loss. And
I thought that was just something pretty good to look
at because sometimes Ben, you know, and I'm bringing this
(41:07):
up to connect Mkole Harmon when the Chiefs won a
Super Bowl two years ago, had went on the Jimmy
Fallon or you know Kimmel Show, and they said, oh,
when I hear Tom and Jerry, that's it.
Speaker 6 (41:16):
I know what I'm supposed to do.
Speaker 7 (41:17):
Sometimes in positions on the football field, you're like, oh,
I just know what I'm supposed to But knowing the
entirety of the play call, knowing where everybody's supposed to be,
a center is a very smart position, you know. I
like to say it's the captain of the offensive line, right.
So love that Bruce pointed it out, and then he's
seen things differently on tape and that's going to help
him and whether he's a center at the next level
or the guard. You see that, Ben, You're starting to
(41:38):
see guys in the NFL. If they play tackle, they
can play guard. If they play guard, they can play center.
So love that Bruce, he mentioned it out. Excited for
him tomorrow football player. Definitely think he has an opportunity
if he gets it done the right way and stays healthy,
can play at the next level.
Speaker 3 (41:52):
I want to say that there's been a few of
these situations where be all your football players and be
all your basketball players have served.
Speaker 6 (41:59):
I'm serious.
Speaker 3 (41:59):
Thats why I brought it up alongside should want to
and my CTE is.
Speaker 7 (42:04):
Uh is, you haven't send me in like six months, man,
I doesn't want you to know.
Speaker 3 (42:08):
It's a life right now. I'm like, wait a sec. Now.
On my mission Spokane, Washington checked this out. We didn't
get to serve with each other, but Sam Burgess was
in my mission. We should have served together. It would
have been awesome. We would have we would have baptized
the entire mission Spokane, Washington. It would have been uh,
you know, you know, definitely the largest baptizing mission in
(42:30):
the country and the world, but we didn't get to
serve together. I know this has happened before, Bruce and Richie. Uh,
you know, it was a it was a tough mission
at that time because Seattle, Washington, I think it was
during the COVID it was during COVID. I think, yeah, man,
nineteen twenty nineteen to twenty one babies, things, things were
(42:51):
shut down in Seattle Washington. Should have crazy, should.
Speaker 7 (42:54):
Have asked them off record of there, how is that
you know a little tidbit of to get through that
during those tough times because you and I have been
we didn't serve COVID mission, so we don't know what
that's like.
Speaker 3 (43:02):
I don't know what it's like. That's a tough one.
That's a tough one. Anyway, there you go. That's a
little insider report from Bruce Mitchell, brought to you by
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tires in an American Fork. Everybody needs a great mechanic and
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I'm telling you right now, Ryan's gonna treat you well.
Let him know, I sencha. Let him know you listened
to ESPN the Fan for the best service, in the
best discounts. We'll go to break. Don't go anywhere more
to get to This is Cougar Sports on one of
three nine ninety eight point three
Yeah, this is Cougar Sports with Ben Grittle on ESPN
ninety sixty and it's time for keeping up with the Cougars.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Brought to you by Dentalprosiutah dot com.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
Welcome back Cougar Sports one of three nine ninety eight
point three ESPN the Fan. I'm then Crital broadcasting from
our Vanderwelth Studios. Banderwealth dot com. Get on a free
Q and A no obligation doing fast Q and A
with our tax smart Wealth Advisors, Certified Financial Planners nfl PA,
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he's time for a little keeping up with the Cougar
is going to be brought to you by dentvil Prosiutah
Dentlprosofutah dot com. We're gonna welcome in a former BAU
(00:42):
quarterback in Utah State quarterback to comment on the quarterback competition.
He's he's he's got inside and knowledge you can't get
anywhere else. Stay tuned. This segment, as I mentioned, brought
to you by Dental pros of Utah. You've been told
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in and get a second opinion. They utilize biomametics, biometic techniques,
rebuilding your teeth layer by layers, so you don't have
to settle for fake teeth later on in life. Let's
get out to the hotline and welcome in my guy,
Riley Jensen to the show. Former Utah State and BYU
quarterback and snow college badger.
Speaker 4 (01:23):
What's up? Riley? Hey, what's going on? Mongoose? It's always
good to be on your show. It's always good to
have you call me a BYU quarterback, even though I
was there for like Onewatts in the spring of nineteen
ninety seven. But you know, we'll take it. We'll take it.
I was there for a minute. You know.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
It's funny. So nineteen ninety seven was that the okay,
that quarterback race that you were a part of in spring?
Who was a part of it? What do you recall
about that QB battle?
Speaker 4 (01:58):
So this is this is a fun story. Told this
the other day, but so it was. It was Paul
Shoemaker and Kevin Federick, and myself. Right, I finished second
string in the spring, believe it or not, ahead of Frederick,
behind Paul Shoemaker, and went into coach Lavelle Edwards and said, hey,
(02:25):
I can watch I can pay to watch YU football.
I really want to play college football. And he sat
me down and literally said who do you want me
to call in the spring and was always super kind
to me after that, which at the time, you know,
when you wanted to transfer, coaches weren't always super kind
to you. But he called every school that had offered
(02:47):
me out of junior college. The only one that was
willing to give me a scholarship again because a lot
of times those slots fill up, right was Utah State.
But he called Arizona State, he called Kansas State, he
called South Florida, called Boise State. I think I'm missing
somewhere in there, someone else that I got offered by.
(03:07):
But it was it was really amazing. But let me
tell you a funny story about trying out one of
the things that or compete the first and I told
people that this won me the job at Utah State.
Later is we were we were running a play. It
was in the old b Yu lore. So if there's
(03:28):
some old BYU football players listening, it was just red
right sixty three, which is a deep post cross. The
ex receiver goes through the free safety and then you're
running a postcross. But there's two arrow routes to check
arrow routes on that on that route, and Kevin Fedderick
dropped back and both of them were open. Both the
(03:49):
deep ball passed the safety and the postcross were open.
Checked down to the running back, and the coaches were
going crazy because he checked down, and they're like, that's
the way to do it. That's the way to do it, Kevin,
that's the way to check the ball down. And they're like,
what did you see it? And goes, well, I'm having
a hard time seeing downfield, so it was better for
(04:11):
me to just check it down to the running back
and take care of the football. And then he looked
at me and he winked and walked back to the huddle,
and I was like, son of a biscuit, this guy
got me. This guy got me with pretending like he
was checking down. And the left thing that I learned,
(04:32):
the lesson that I learned is probably every fourth or
fifth seven on seven play or team play. I would
check down on purpose just to make coaches think that
I was actually like going through the reeds. And I
think it won me the job at Utah State. But
it was it was a crazy story. Kevin Frederick was
(04:52):
obviously a wily veteran at that time, even though he
was young, he knew, he knew some of the games
to play, and you have to play some of those
games when you're trying to win a spot in springball,
for sure.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
Interesting. So I had a conspiracy theory put on my desk.
This I don't know, I want to say a week
ago about this particular quarterback battle. So it's a it's
a blessing we have you on the to tap your
into your mind about this. Who did you feel like
was the better quarterback? Between Paul Shoemaker and Kevin Frederick?
Who did you think was going to win the job
(05:25):
and should have won the job when it was all
said and done.
Speaker 4 (05:28):
Well, I listen, I I know and like both of
these guys. It was a friendly competition. It wasn't a
mean competition. If in my heart of heart it felt
like I felt like Paul Shoemaker had the better arm
and Kevin Federick had more connections. But I also thought
(05:51):
that Kevin Federick read the field better, but his arm
wasn't particularly strong. So it was really confusing because Paul
came he was undefeated in high school for like four years,
but he but he ran like the triple option and
he and hecame highly touted into BYU. So did Kevin Federick.
He was an Orange County quarterback. He worked with the
(06:11):
Rotten with the Johnsons, Rob Johnson's, and obviously his dad
had a lot of money. His dad, you know, provided
places for coaches to stay when they went and recruited
Orange County.
Speaker 5 (06:23):
And.
Speaker 4 (06:26):
So it was it was interesting. I do think that
it ended up being Kevin Federick, and I do end
up I do feel like he was the better quarterback.
He just wasn't. I mean, he wasn't a big armed quarterback.
He was kind of like a space filler in between
some of the other great quarterbacks that played at YU.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
Yeah, it's interesting that the conspiracy theory is that there
was more politics involved than actual playmaking ability in that
particular quarterback competition. Did you get a sense for that
when you were in springball or and and did that
contribute to the transfer at all.
Speaker 4 (07:02):
I do not recall. I do not recall any of
the things that you're talking about. Maybe I'm maybe I'm misremembering.
Speaker 3 (07:13):
Like what you think that Wow, Wow, we're gonna do
a thirty by the way, We're gonna eventually, eventually we're
going to do a thirty for thirty on this uh
here at ESPN ESPN Local. I'm and and we're going
to have to get you on the record of officially
on it.
Speaker 4 (07:37):
I have no idea what you're talking about. I have
no idea.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
Well, and it does spru that.
Speaker 4 (07:45):
Did I transfer right after that? Did time I was?
I can't remember exactly what the time?
Speaker 3 (07:50):
It is interesting, right, and so as much as we
love I mean, we love football, and there is this idea,
you know, I think for most of us we believe
that the best player always with it's hard to like
full a locker room, it's hard to fool the team
right into thinking that one guy who is inferior deserves
(08:15):
to be like the starting quarterback, right. Everyone can see it.
It's it's there. So like traditionally, I think meritocracy in
football is is alive and well, but on occasion there
is a there, there is an OC or a quarterback
shows that wants a particular guy, right, and it's his guy.
He likes him for whatever reason, X, Y, and Z
(08:36):
and and he goes with him, he rolls with him. Uh.
And that can create a little bit of controversy within
the locker room too.
Speaker 4 (08:44):
I don't always feel like it's like like political as
far as uh, you know, like a parent paying somebody
off or somebody's better friend. I don't always feel that way, right, Like,
I'm not saying that doesn't exist. Here's here's where I
think it gets interesting. In college football, offensive coordinators and
defensive coordinators are hired to win football games and to
(09:09):
run the offense and the defense. But every other single
position coach is basically graded by whether his recruits play
or not. Yeah, so think about that for a second.
So let's say I'm the quarterback coach. But I have
Orange County, and I have San Diego County, and I
(09:30):
have the East side Utah schools. And let's say that
we landed ten recruits that I brought in. Right, If
five of those guys make the two deep, I'm one
of the best recruiters on the staff. If two or
three of those make the two deep. I'm one of
the worst recruiters on the staff. And so if I'm
(09:51):
a coach and I'm coaching special teams or I'm doing
some of these different things, I'm doing everything I can
to make sure that my recruit on the special team's
depth chart that are getting to the two deep, that
are getting into different places that I need. And that's
where it can become political. I just didn't feel like
I was Norm's guy, if you want to be really,
(10:15):
I just didn't feel like I was the one that
was really I wasn't really being recruited.
Speaker 3 (10:19):
By Normans who recruited you? Then who got you to
b yu who recruited you.
Speaker 4 (10:24):
So so there was a couple of things. Robbie Bosco
was there. Who who was really really influential? I actually
the guy who loved me and the guy who I
ended up loving who there's there's a lot of controversy
about this guy on the non space of his name
(10:44):
is the offensive line coach, which was French. So Roger
French loved me. He I mean half the time he's like,
get him out of here, get Jenson in here. He
knows what he's doing. Right, And I just loved like
he was more blue collar, like he would get ticked
off if like things were run right or if the
protection wasn't wasn't correctly called. He I mean, he had
(11:07):
no patience for that, and so there was there was
fun things about that. But it's hard. Listen, it's hard
to compete in Division one. And my answer to guys
they're competing is just leave no doubt. Like you know,
when I look back at it, I was trying to
win the competition by just being one leg ahead of him.
I needed to be five legs ahead of him so
(11:28):
that they couldn't deny it. And if we're looking at
the if we're looking at the competition right now, this
is exactly what's happened with bear Bachmeier has won this job.
We're just waiting the time out to like actually name it.
Everybody in the building can see it. Everybody knows he's
the best quarterback and he's won this spot. I think
(11:50):
they're just trying to delay the announcement of it so
it doesn't feel like it's hasty.
Speaker 3 (11:55):
Yeah, yeah, Well it's over.
Speaker 4 (11:58):
The competition is over.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
It's been pared down right after the Saturday scrimmage, this
past Saturday, right, they did play under the lights of
Level last night too is more so like Thud than
it was live, but they did play under the lights
of Level a lot of seven on seven. They did
do some eleven on eleven to Thud. I believe in
front of fans and so fans now are you know
(12:22):
got eyes on and and and media has had eyes
on and most of us concluded after the Saturday scrimmage
and the Tuesday media availability, I'm like, it's it's Bear, right,
it's Bear versus McKay. But Bear, even if he's on
par with McKay and their equivalency in playmaking, it's gonna
be bare because of the youth, the size, the talent
(12:44):
and high football like you as well, I mean, he's
he's accelerated.
Speaker 4 (12:48):
Well, right, listen, I really like McKay. Here's the problem.
I think some of the coaching staff is wishing that
it was closer, but it's uh like, that's that's where
we're at right now. It's not close. And my heart
goes out to McKay. My heart goes out to Boorgay
(13:11):
right like it goes out to these guys that are
that are competing because you know, out of out of
five opportunities for me to compete for a quarterback job,
I won three and lost two. And it hurts when
you lose, you know what I mean, Like it hurts
and it doesn't feel good. I hope, I hope that
(13:33):
these guys that aren't getting the job are captain like
material where they're still they're still trying to do what's
best for the team instead of what's best for them.
But the result of today's game is that it's not
always that way, and it's also very very hurtful, especially
the quarterback position, because you don't play if you if
(13:55):
you don't win the quarterback job, you don't play. You're
watching on Saturday, and you know, if you're the second,
if you're in the too deep at corner, if you're
in the too deep at linebacker, if you're in the
too deep at most positions, you're gonna play quite a bit.
And there's always an opportunity to play on special teams
and like really make a meme for yourself or do something.
But quarterbacks don't play, and so it's a really really
(14:17):
like huge, huge obstacle when you don't get names as
as the starters. It's hard.
Speaker 6 (14:27):
Yeah, it is hard.
Speaker 7 (14:28):
These guys work so hard to lead a team, you know,
be a P four quarterback, and opportunities and our granted
to everyone. So it sounds like I've been declared I
in this too rally I said last week, I said
one hundred percent, I'm all in on Bear back.
Speaker 6 (14:41):
My let's get it done.
Speaker 4 (14:43):
It's done, it's done.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
Right.
Speaker 7 (14:45):
So with that being said, we saw a true freshman
quarterback and Isaac Wilson. Uh, the school up the Hill
didn't go so well. What's the ceiling with Bear? What's
the floor? Can they get a double digit win season
with him being a true freshman?
Speaker 4 (14:59):
So it's it's hard for me to say. I mean,
we're talking about the Big twelve. We're talking about a
piece four conference, right, And I think it's really really
interesting that it is going to be Bear and you're
gonna have a freshman that's leading the troops into a
Big twelve conference schedule. I mean, his ceilings as high
(15:20):
as you want it to be. I mean, this is
an NFL type quarterback. He's big, he's strong, he's smart,
he has a little bit of wiggle to him. He
reminds me of Jackson dark in the way that he
can scramble, or maybe a Josh Allen where he's just
super deceivingly quick and deceivingly like can avoid tackles a
little better than you think. His arm strength is off
(15:43):
the charts. He I mean, look, sometimes you look through
a BYU like press guide, or you look through a
Utah State press guide and they're like, oh, yeah, he
got recruited by so and so, so and so and
so and so, and all they got was letters. Bear
legitimately had offered to Alabama LSU CLEMS and I mean,
we're talking the biggest of the big in the country
(16:03):
and he's at b YU and he is. His upside
is gigantic. I think he's gonna get better and better
every game. But the one thing that I wanted to
point out about him, and I generally don't like to
read too much into like a preseason throw or some
sort of preseason highlight because it's just it's just a highlight,
(16:24):
but there was a and I can't remember the name
of the tight end that he threw it to, but
it was a man a man coverage, and he threw
like one of the most accurate throws that you can
throw over the middle. And for me, there's a couple
of things that are really important. When you start to
see the maturity of a quarterback is you start to
see them complete passes over the middle of the field.
(16:46):
It's very easy for a young quarterback to throw to
the outside receiver on and out or on a streak
or on a hitch because it's typically one on one
coverage outside and you don't have to read a lot
and you can make that throw. This throw to this
tight end that I saw, you know, all over Twitter.
There was a ton of people that were really excited
about it. There was a few things that were really important.
(17:08):
One is the pocket was closing down on his backside
where he couldn't see it, but he could feel it.
Number two is he realized it was man to man
and that the defender was chasing, and it was okay
to throw the ball where he threw the ball because
the defender couldn't see him throwing the ball. Number three
was he was throwing the ball over the middle of
(17:30):
the field where no one else was, so he could
put the ball where the tight end was or where
the tight end could catch it, and nobody could catch it.
And he had the arm strength, and the accuracy to
put it right where he needed to put it. I
mean there's like four or five working things going on
on that one highlight that I saw that were just
(17:51):
he's mature beyond his years to be able to make
that throw, to feel the pressure on his backside, recognize
that it's man to man, recognized that he can put
it where the tight end is and nobody else is,
and then have the accuracy and the ability to put
it where with Carson Ryan was the tight end, Yes,
Carson Ryan, where Carson caught it where he could catch
(18:13):
it and nobody else could. I mean that gave me
quarterback envy in like three out of four categories. I mean,
it was really good. It was really good.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
What I find one of the most intriguing things here
in the quarterback competition is over the last week, I
came to the realization that Emerson Goleman continues to receive
rep substantial reps in seven on seven and even eleven
on eleven, Like he'll get a few drives each practice,
and every single time he's out there, he actually leads
(18:44):
a pretty gosh dang good drive, makes a good decision,
he's big, he's fast, he's strong, he's smart, and I
was like, man like, is there an additional competition for
QB two that could brew into the season. To get
your thoughts on Emerson, Gomman, what you like about him?
What you know about him?
Speaker 4 (19:04):
So a couple of things about Emerson that I think
are really interesting. Number one is I know that the
staff at BYU feels like they got to steal on him.
I think they waited and weighed and weighted, and then
you know, it's a little bit different to give someone
a preferred walk on now at BYU. I mean he's
getting paid, he's getting some schooling paid. I mean it's
different than what it used to be, right, And they
(19:26):
just kept waiting and waiting and couldn't figure out why
nobody had offered him. And then now that they have
him on campus, he's a freak athlete. He's over sixty three,
he's like two hundred and fifteen pounds. He can run,
he can throw, and he is very, very very smart.
They love this this young quarterback a lot. And where
(19:47):
I think you have to be careful is is if
you were competing for the starting position and you think
you just slipped a second. If you're not mentally clear,
and if you don't have the mental acuity to stay
on your game, you could flip past second string and
somebody like Emerson who's hungry to be on that travel
squad and to be a quarterback for BYU and who
(20:09):
is as smart as he is. And I mean, the
thing that people don't understand is how athletic this guy is.
I mean, he's very athletic, and he can throw the football.
And so you've got to be You've got to be
on your game if you're not careful as a BYU quarterback,
because he can sneak in here. And I know that
the BYU staff is high on him as well, and
(20:29):
so he's fun to watch. He's a guy that I
could see playing in the future because I can see
Bear Mott. I mean, and this is where like Bear
doesn't scare you as much. Maybe he plays two years
for BYU and then Emerson has a chance to like
step in as as the heir apparent if he if
he bides his time well. But they love his attitude,
(20:51):
they love his athleticism, they love his understanding the offense,
and he's he he is very smart as fair as
far as offenses go, and this this BYU offense is
not only sophisticated, but it's complicated. Like if you were
to if you were to look at the verbiage and
you were to and you were to go through it,
(21:12):
even some of the old time BYU quarterbacks to be
going who that's a lot of words, that's a lot
of thoughts, that's a lot of processing going on for
a quarterback. And this young freshman is picking it up.
So is bear Bachmeyer. These guys are smart kids. These
guys are prepared kids, and young quarterbacks are prepared more
than effort to be able to play at the divisional level.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
This has been a keeping up with the cougar segment
brought to you by Dental Pros of Utah with Riley Jensen,
former BYU quarterback in the spring of nineteen ninety seven,
lost the lost the quarter started quarterback job to Kevin
Frederick slash Paul Schumacher. And now we're going to do
a thirty for thirty in depth conspiracy theory.
Speaker 4 (21:54):
Nobody will care about that.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
I will care about that. The deep cuts that's what okay,
yes indeed, and then also another jem bear Bachmeier's the
guy and don't sleep on Emerson Galman. He can push
for PT this year if Bear is asked to be
spelled for whatever reason. So Riley, best way to support you?
(22:17):
What you do, how you do it? For all of
our listeners, Well you can go.
Speaker 4 (22:21):
You can go to RJPG dot net. That's Riley Jensenperformance
Group dot net. I'm working with corporate groups, I'm working
with individual athletes.
Speaker 5 (22:31):
I'm working with teams.
Speaker 4 (22:32):
I'm worth it working with everything from a fifty two
year old steer wrestler all the way down to a
ten year old soccer player on mental performance. I genuinely
love what I do. If you're interested on the mental
performance side of the game for your employees or for
your own, your own athlete, I'm your guy. Come see me,
(22:56):
come and visit me. I'm happy to helpe.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
He's the best of what he does us connect with him. Riley.
Always appreciate our time together. Man, thanks so much for
joining us.
Speaker 4 (23:07):
You're the man. I appreciate you. Mom Goose, we'll talk too,
all right.
Speaker 3 (23:10):
That's Riley Jensen. Ladies and gentlemen hit him up today.
Connect with him on LinkedIn. Check out his website that
was brought to you by Dental pros of Utah, Dentleprosovieta
dot com. If you've been told you need a filling
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(23:33):
We'll go to break, don't go anywhere more to get
to you. This is Cougar Sports one of three, nine
ninety eight point three.
Speaker 4 (23:36):
Folks.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
It's time to celebrate the freest team sport known to man,
where modern day gladiators collide for all the glory on
the grid.
Speaker 6 (23:44):
I let's talk some.
Speaker 2 (23:46):
College football on Cougar Sports with Ben Crittle.
Speaker 3 (23:49):
Welcome to Guger Sports one of three, nine ninety eight
point three ESPN the Fan. I've been Crittle broadcasting live
from our Banterwill Studios, Batterwell dot com. Get on a
free Q and A no obligation to invest Q and
A with our tax more wealth is stop for a
little college football segment. We're going to welcome into College
Football Insider from College Football Insiders and CBS Sports to
discuss the bear Bachmeyer situation in this quarterback competition gonna
(24:14):
be brought to you by our good friends at Orthurpose
of Utah in American Fork. Brace up those neasels, ankles,
those risks, those elbows for the high school football season.
Let's get out to the hotline and welcome in. CBS
Sports Insider College football insider Schehan Jay Rajah is on
the line. Shehan, how are you.
Speaker 5 (24:32):
I'm doing great, Thanks for having me.
Speaker 3 (24:34):
Always a pleasure talking ball with you. Yesterday we saw
a soundby drop on the feed discussing Bear Bachmeyer. What
are you hearing about the Bear Bachmeyer situation at BYU
in Why could he be the guy to lead BYU
in twenty twenty five?
Speaker 8 (24:52):
Well, it's fascinating, right, I Mean, he's a freshman who
came over from Stanford in the fall, so like he
didn't go through spring camp with everybody, and he hasn't
been on a.
Speaker 5 (25:01):
College football team before.
Speaker 8 (25:03):
But he has really really impressed in camp, and we're
hearing that he is potentially a player who has a
chance to win that starting job.
Speaker 5 (25:12):
Of course, he's competing.
Speaker 8 (25:13):
With two guys who have experienced playing at the group
of five level, have three years in college football.
Speaker 5 (25:18):
But apparently his talent.
Speaker 8 (25:20):
And his upside gives him the opportunity to maybe push
for that starting job in.
Speaker 3 (25:24):
Week one if he's the leader of this team, if
he's the quarterback. What would you put the floor and
ceiling in the regular season at for BYU's win loss
win loss record.
Speaker 8 (25:37):
Well, it's fascinating, right because I think that when you
look at BYU I ranked them earlier this year, I
think that they have the easiest schedule in the Big Twelve.
Speaker 5 (25:45):
And the thing that you love about it too, if.
Speaker 8 (25:46):
They do start a freshman, and probably part of their
calculus is that essentially they'll be favored in their first
six games at least, and so if they go five
and one in that stretch, like they have an opportunity
to in the second half of the season really pick
things up and have a chance to get for the
Big Twelve. So look, I mean when you talk ceiling,
like I've said previously on this program, if if Jake
(26:07):
Redslap was back, YU might be my pick to be
in the Big Twelve title game, and I dropped them
more into the middle class.
Speaker 5 (26:15):
Of the Big Twelve when he left.
Speaker 8 (26:16):
I think that if Bear is ready and if they
feel like he gives them the most upside, which I
think he does, that puts them back in the conversation
that that gives them an opportunity to get into that
ten win conversation again and have a chance to contend
for a Big twelve title.
Speaker 5 (26:32):
Now it's we're saying too Yeah.
Speaker 8 (26:34):
No, it's we're saying too right on the low end, right,
I mean, obviously he is a true fresh and we
saw across the state. You know what a really talented
player in Isaac Wilson at Utah last year. Right, I mean,
mistakes can happen and maybe he won't be ready. So
but again, with the way that the schedule lines up,
I mean, a winning season at By, you should almost
be assured in twenty twenty.
Speaker 3 (26:53):
Five, Shahan is b why you built right now to
number one get to a bowl game this year with
a true freshman? And can they actually get to double
digit wins with a true freshman because I've never I
haven't seen it recently in the college football program with
(27:14):
a true freshman, even if it's a four or five
star at some of these very talented and well coached
teams across the nation, and there are many Boa fans
that feel like, hey, we can replicate what happened last
year with Bear Bachmeyer. We can get to ten and
eleven wins in twenty twenty five. And I don't know
if I'm seeing it. I don't think it's ever happened
(27:34):
in BA football history, and I don't know how recently
it's happened in college football history.
Speaker 8 (27:42):
Well, I think that when you look at the Bear
Blackmeyer situation, I want to be clear about this, like,
it's not a question of whether Bear can lead them there,
it's whether he can do enough to give the rest
of the roster a chance. Because defensively, we know what
this program is, especially at linebacker with Isaiah Glasker and
Jack Kelly. We know what they can be in the
defensive line, we know how well they're coached. And offensively,
(28:04):
I mean you look at almost every level of the field,
right wide, receiver, tight end, running back, like they should
be better than they were last season. The two questions,
of course, offensive line is going to be a serious one,
and again they get six games to really try to
get their feet underneath them. But it really is okay,
can the quarterback position give them some upside? When I
(28:24):
look at contenders in the Big Twelve, Like a lot
of the time, when you look at the teams that
end up in Arlington, it's the teams that had some
dynamic player on offense who raised their ceiling. Last year
Cam Skataboo for Arizona State, a player that nobody saw
coming a couple.
Speaker 5 (28:39):
Of years ago.
Speaker 8 (28:40):
With Kansas State, douce Vaughn, Max Duggan at TCU, this
is pretty common to kind of have that kind of
thing happen. For me, that was my question with Yu
is in those big moments, in those close games, who
is the dynamic playmaker? There are a lot of solid playmakers.
The question for me is, okay, with Bear, can can
he just make enough right plays at the right time
(29:02):
to make it happen? And let's be clear, if he's
the starter, he's going to lose BYU a game at
some point, and he's.
Speaker 5 (29:07):
Maybe gonna lose BYU two games at some point just
because he's a young player.
Speaker 8 (29:12):
But does BYU have enough to overcome in all those
other moments?
Speaker 3 (29:16):
Shaehan, appreciate your time. What else can we read about
what have you published recently at CBS Sports that we
can peruse? What topicst have you broached.
Speaker 8 (29:26):
Yeah, We'll have a lot of stuff coming up in
the lead up to the season, so over the next
two weeks, make sure and stay tuned to cbssports dot com.
You know, we've got all sorts of analysis about the
Michigan situation as well, So I check all that out
at cbssports dot com and we'll have a podcoming later
today on the College Football Insiders.
Speaker 3 (29:42):
Boom Shaka Lacka. Make sure you're subscribed to the College
Football Insiders with Shaehanjaraja of CBS Sports. Read all his
content at cbssports dot com. The man with the most
swagger in college football right now, Shaehanjuraja, thank you so much, Shan.
Speaker 5 (29:58):
Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 3 (29:59):
There you go. That's our segment brought to you by
orthroposof Utah Authorprosofutah dot com. If you've been told that
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Please don't go anywhere. This is Cougar Sports one of three,
nine ninety eight point three.
Speaker 2 (30:34):
You are listening to Cougar Sports with Ben Krittle and
it's time for a Cougar insider report. Now, let's get
that for a prietary inside scoop on Cougar Sports from Critle.
Speaker 3 (30:44):
Welcome back Cougar Sports one of three, nine ninety eight
point three ESPN. The fano'm been critical broadcasting from our
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All right, guys, I want to get into a little
insider report again against no Bruce Mitchell. You're starting center
(31:07):
for the Bau Cougar football team. It all starts up front,
and it all starts with that center quarterback exchange. You
can't have mishaps up front. Got to get that dialed in,
especially if you have a true freshman quarterback starting. It's
not the ideal situation. Let's be honest by you. Has rarely,
if ever, had to start a true freshman quarterback, and
(31:31):
more often than not, they don't start the season as
the starter. They come in as relief.
Speaker 4 (31:38):
Right.
Speaker 3 (31:38):
Maybe they're trying to get a spark, trying to get
something cooking, something going. This would be a new experiment
for Cougar football. It's hard to get to nine wins,
ten wins Quoteah's eight wins on a season. B way
you fans don't handle anything less than eight wins on
(31:58):
a season, including a bowl opportunity. So uh, it all
starts up front. Hopefully Brucey and Bear have a great
relationship and can keep those center QB exchanges on point
throughout the entire season. If Bear ends up being the
(32:18):
starting quarterback, which we believe he will be, all right,
why don't we get into an inside report brought to
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American Fork. All right, let's get to know Bruce Mitchell,
starting center for the bau Cougars.
Speaker 4 (32:53):
Yeah, other than.
Speaker 9 (32:56):
In the two three two three technique, I think JT
he got a lot better from springball. He's kind of
been paired with Keanu. But JT is another guy like
Keanu who's probably faster, the most offensive lineman, and he's
a really strong guy.
Speaker 10 (33:12):
So you got to bring your a game.
Speaker 9 (33:13):
Uh yeah, talking with the offensive lineman, JT's improved a
lot from the spring, so he's making us a better
offensive lineman as well as Keanu, so both of them.
Speaker 8 (33:25):
How are you feeling with this camp compared to this
time last year when.
Speaker 6 (33:29):
It felt like you were kind of an utility guy, right,
still sort of.
Speaker 7 (33:32):
Working in and rotating and got back backed by fire
a little bit at some points, like how are you.
Speaker 6 (33:38):
Feeling with camp today?
Speaker 9 (33:40):
I feel a lot more comfortable. I think the offensive
line feels a lot more comfortable. We've been in Coach
Woods system for a year now, so nothing's new to anybody,
so that's helping us out a lot. And yeah, last
year at this time, I was still trying to learn everything.
I'm starting to really settle in at center. I feel
like and I'm doing pretty well and hopefully we can
have a good screw miss tomorrow, and really showed what
(34:01):
this offense can do. Yeah, that's where I played off fall.
That's where I feel the most comfortable. Obviously, I still
got a lot of work to do. For work hands,
you can always improve, right, But no, I'm feeling comfortable
at it, feeling comfortable in the calls. Now, it's just
executing it and getting all the offensive linemen on the
same page. What do you think you've learned the most
(34:26):
from Oh wow, that's a heavy question, man. Just Schematically
last year, I was playing a lot of guard early
on in fall camp, so I was more so listening
to the center and he was telling me where to go.
Speaker 10 (34:39):
So schematically, I've just learned where everybody.
Speaker 9 (34:41):
Else should go on the place, trying to get everybody
else on the right people.
Speaker 10 (34:45):
Yeah, I learned a lot in terms of how the
offense works.
Speaker 4 (34:51):
Have you gotten better at that? Yeah? Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 10 (34:53):
You you start to look at things differently.
Speaker 9 (34:55):
You try to see the blitzes even if they're not
coming to you, so you can get everybody in the
right protections and things like that. But yeah, learn a
lot about the offense and schematically talking about.
Speaker 3 (35:06):
Getting on the same page, like watching tap and stuff.
What else do you feel like you guys do.
Speaker 10 (35:10):
Whether it's in the room or on the field, to
get on the same page.
Speaker 9 (35:13):
I guess I could say we got a tight knit
O Line group. I'd say we're all really close with
each other. Yeah, I think we just love hanging out
with each other. This summer, we went down to Saint George,
did a little bonding, just got to know each other
a little better. And then yesterday and the day before
we were up camping and it was fun. The whole
old Line was able to share a cabin and just
(35:34):
just bond together.
Speaker 10 (35:35):
I mean, oh, line is such a unique.
Speaker 9 (35:36):
Position because you gotta have five guys all on the
same page. And if one guy's off, you're gonna give
up a.
Speaker 10 (35:42):
Sack or a tackle for loss.
Speaker 9 (35:43):
So you gotta have good chemistry between five guys and
make sure everybody knows what everybody's doing. So it's a
fun position. And yeah, just off the field things, I
think lit a lot of chemistry in the old line.
Speaker 11 (35:53):
What's been the progression of the offense regardless of who
the quarterback is going in and I working through all that.
How have you seen the quarterbacks whoever's been in there,
working through the offense and progressing a fall tame the
skull man.
Speaker 9 (36:06):
I think they're settling in kind of like us as
an alignment. I was really impressed with how all the
quarterbacks came out. It felt like they were all really prepared.
They took it very seriously, and I went up to
all of them and told them, you know, I was
really impressed just how prepared all of them came And
it didn't feel like the offense skipped a beat coming
into fall camp. So you can tell the quarterbacks are
(36:28):
settling into their roles a little bit, and uh, yeah,
that they're getting comfortable with the pockets we're giving them
and getting comfortable in the offense.
Speaker 10 (36:36):
And yeah, yeah for something.
Speaker 11 (36:39):
That a lot of people will view it as an
unknown at the quarterback. When you see that type of performance,
what type of confidence does that give you guys on
the line, just the offensive general.
Speaker 9 (36:50):
Yeah, I think it boosts everybody's confidence when you see
a quarterback playing good, even.
Speaker 10 (36:54):
Even the defense.
Speaker 9 (36:55):
I think likes to see a quarterback playing at least
our defense when we're going at them, likes to see
the quarterback playing well. But no, it's it's awesome to
see when you know when your quarterbacks are in rhythm.
Speaker 10 (37:04):
And when they're not.
Speaker 9 (37:04):
You know, when they're completing it every single play in
a in a two minute drive, or whether they're struggling.
But no, it gives you a lot of confidence when
you're seeing those guys consistently get in rhythm and feel
comfortable in the offense and be able to find their
guys or check us out of plays or get us
in the right plays.
Speaker 10 (37:22):
Yeah, so they're settling in and it gives me.
Speaker 9 (37:25):
A lot of confidence to see them settling in and
getting comfortable.
Speaker 4 (37:27):
Do you have any.
Speaker 5 (37:28):
Personal goals.
Speaker 4 (37:33):
You know?
Speaker 10 (37:34):
Yeah, I got some.
Speaker 9 (37:35):
Im'd rather not share it this time though, though appreciate
it though recently learned.
Speaker 10 (37:39):
You were missing companions with Richie Sonders.
Speaker 6 (37:42):
Yes, what's a lesson you learned while.
Speaker 10 (37:44):
Serving with other sons?
Speaker 4 (37:46):
Man? I love it.
Speaker 9 (37:47):
He was such a fun companion to serve with. A lesson.
He's like one of the hardest working people I've ever
been around, and you can see it in the way
he plays basketball.
Speaker 10 (37:57):
I mean, he's getting after it.
Speaker 9 (37:59):
He's gonna work anybody he's with, and he showed that
as a missionary when we served together. Man, we just
went out there and worked as hard as we could,
had a pretty good success, and had.
Speaker 10 (38:09):
A lot of fun along the way.
Speaker 9 (38:10):
I love Richie's one of my best friends, and you know,
he was really fun to serve with. And yeah, it's
good to see him having a lot of success because
I think it was hard for him to go out
there for two years. He was a lot more recruited
than I was as a basketball player, so it's good
to see.
Speaker 10 (38:25):
Him having success.
Speaker 3 (38:26):
On the court.
Speaker 5 (38:27):
Did he drag you up those heels?
Speaker 4 (38:31):
He might. Yeah.
Speaker 9 (38:32):
We we usually woke up about five thirty, went and
got a lift on, played a little basketball here and there.
Sometimes we'd have to tone it down when you get
two competitive guys playing basketball, beating each other up in
the gym, and you know it says every once in
a while we had to tone it down.
Speaker 10 (38:47):
But it was a lot of fun serving with him.
Speaker 11 (38:48):
What did you make when you found out that you
were that close to your possible.
Speaker 10 (38:54):
No, it's I thought it was funny. I didn't know
that about him.
Speaker 9 (38:57):
I lived with Richie for twelve weeks and he never
told me about his grandpa. But uh, it was really
fun serving with him.
Speaker 3 (39:05):
Thanks, Bruce, Are they go? That's Bruce Mitchell. You're starting
center for the bau Cooper football team. For those that
didn't know, Yes, he did serve his mission with with
Richie Saunders. Which that's a power, that's a that's a
power missionary couple. If I've ever seen one knocking on doors,
knocking down.
Speaker 6 (39:26):
Doors, looking down doors, backing then doors.
Speaker 3 (39:29):
Preaching the gospel to uh every man, woman and child
that they come in contact with, I'm sure they had
a lot of success out there in the mission field.
Speaker 6 (39:37):
Yeah, and that was fun.
Speaker 7 (39:38):
And I know that people are just finding this out now,
maybe from the BYU perspective of asking, but Ben to
go back, I mean, you know, poke a little bit.
First he told us that at the Big Old Tires event,
you know, tell us when he's like, oh, yeah, compares
to rich I'm like, oh, he compares with the taking
really he like brought it up free Willie h nilly.
So yeah, A powerful couple for sure. I mean, and
(40:00):
I asked this fun question of today Ben at that moment,
and we need to do this. How many former football
players and basketball players have served together as mission companions
at brigap Young University or went on or just any
other sport.
Speaker 6 (40:13):
When you think about that, not many. I would assume.
Speaker 7 (40:15):
So you're starting center Brucie and the top king Richie both,
but I mean Bruce is being humble in their reguard.
Speaker 6 (40:23):
He didn't want to reveal his goals.
Speaker 7 (40:24):
I would assume those are aspirations and things to maybe
get to the next level, to be all big twelve.
And yes, sure, maybe Richie is, you know, one of
the faces of the BA basketball program. But I think
Bruce Mitchell as the also as the opportunity to get
to the next level. Brady Papingka hasn't mentioned that a
few times, so love that he's leading. That One thing
that stuck out to me Ben about that and let
me know your thoughts on this. Shout out to Vic
(40:45):
Graham who asked a question learning center and being a
guard guard you're being told what to do. And then
he says center to know where everybody's at, because he
says one miss block, one wrong shift, you know, or
if you don't get their assignment right, it's a sack
to the quarterback, or it's a tackle for loss. And
I thought that was just something pretty good to look
at because sometimes Ben, you know, and I'm bringing this
(41:07):
up to connect Mkole Harmon when the Chiefs won a
Super Bowl two years ago, had went on the Jimmy
Fallon or you know Kimmel Show, and they said, oh,
when I hear Tom and Jerry, that's it.
Speaker 6 (41:16):
I know what I'm supposed to do.
Speaker 7 (41:17):
Sometimes in positions on the football field, you're like, oh,
I just know what I'm supposed to But knowing the
entirety of the play call, knowing where everybody's supposed to be,
a center is a very smart position, you know. I
like to say it's the captain of the offensive line, right.
So love that Bruce pointed it out, and then he's
seen things differently on tape and that's going to help
him and whether he's a center at the next level
or the guard. You see that, Ben, You're starting to
(41:38):
see guys in the NFL. If they play tackle, they
can play guard. If they play guard, they can play center.
So love that Bruce, he mentioned it out. Excited for
him tomorrow football player. Definitely think he has an opportunity
if he gets it done the right way and stays healthy,
can play at the next level.
Speaker 3 (41:52):
I want to say that there's been a few of
these situations where be all your football players and be
all your basketball players have served.
Speaker 6 (41:59):
I'm serious.
Speaker 3 (41:59):
Thats why I brought it up alongside should want to
and my CTE is.
Speaker 7 (42:04):
Uh is, you haven't send me in like six months, man,
I doesn't want you to know.
Speaker 3 (42:08):
It's a life right now. I'm like, wait a sec. Now.
On my mission Spokane, Washington checked this out. We didn't
get to serve with each other, but Sam Burgess was
in my mission. We should have served together. It would
have been awesome. We would have we would have baptized
the entire mission Spokane, Washington. It would have been uh,
you know, you know, definitely the largest baptizing mission in
(42:30):
the country and the world, but we didn't get to
serve together. I know this has happened before, Bruce and Richie. Uh,
you know, it was a it was a tough mission
at that time because Seattle, Washington, I think it was
during the COVID it was during COVID. I think, yeah, man,
nineteen twenty nineteen to twenty one babies, things, things were
(42:51):
shut down in Seattle Washington. Should have crazy, should.
Speaker 7 (42:54):
Have asked them off record of there, how is that
you know a little tidbit of to get through that
during those tough times because you and I have been
we didn't serve COVID mission, so we don't know what
that's like.
Speaker 3 (43:02):
I don't know what it's like. That's a tough one.
That's a tough one. Anyway, there you go. That's a
little insider report from Bruce Mitchell, brought to you by
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I'm telling you right now, Ryan's gonna treat you well.
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to get to This is Cougar Sports on one of
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