play.
Joining us now is the voice of
the BYU cougars, Greg wrubell on
the desert first credit union
hotline.
He is looking dapper in his
office.
We are always glad to have him
on the show.
>> We are just going to point at
your office.
It is up there somewhere.
>> Over there.
>> Greg, you have one of the
more entertaining travel
schedules all year.
It is a little lighter this fall
than it usually is.
>> A little bit.
>> Or a lot.
>> What is your go to medium?
What are you doing when you are
flying across the country?
>> I'm usually studying boards
and writing a pregame script if
it is not already written,
catching shut eye and seeing
what is on live television.
I'm not a big movies guy.
Occasionally if one pops up on
the delta selection panel, it
might intrigue me.
Usually flights and hotel stays
are more work than anything.
I end up doing a lot of prep and
additional prep and research and
memory deals.
They are good for that.
You get isolation and focus and
can lock in on stuff.
>> There is always time for a
classic like "Hot rod" or
something like that.
>> Just like that.
Thank you, jarom Jordan, for
introducing me to that a couple
of years ago.
>> Half of our sitake show prep
is discussing old snl sketches.
It is special BYU is playing at
all.
Utah and Utah state wish they
were playing today.
But BYU is playing.
That is awesome.
On the field competitively, this
schedule, what would constitute
a special season?
>> Well, it is an eight-game
season.
I haven't seen lines on the
other games, but we know Navy is
a pick em and the rest you might
say BYU would be logically
favored to win.
So if BYU were not to open the
season with a win but go 7-1,
they would have done the things
they were supposed to do, you
could say.
If Navy is the one game where
there is doubt to whether BYU
can get it done, you are looking
at special season category.
It is harsh to say 7-1 wouldn't
be special, but with this
schedule, you would have done
the things you are expected to
do.
And so the Navy game kind of
swings it a little bit.
It is tough to tell what every
team is going to look like at
the end of the year right now,
but a lot rides on it.
If that is the game that helps
you become a story.
Everyone is watching on Monday
night football.
It is the only game around.
You are the only team in the
west playing.
If you make a good showing, it
is something to think about.
If you get through September
without a loss, you are a bit of
a story.
The longer BYU can stay topical
and a story of sorts in this
most unusual season, the better.
A lot does hinge on getting out
of the Gates right.
Eight games on the schedule, you
would like to think BYU is good
enough to win them all.
>> National rankings guiding the
conversation, you are relevant
and highlights are seen on
"Sportscenter," let's say they
start 2-0.
At this point in the modifies 76
teams playing, would that be
enough to get BYU in the top 25?
>> I think some depends on how
they look.
They are going to have the
stage.
ESPN Monday night football for
their first game.
CBS coast-to-coast in the second
game.
There will be a lot of people,
rankers and otherwise, looking
to see what this BYU team looks
like.
It is a great opportunity
because of their unique status
of the only western team playing
college football.
They represent half of the
country.
Not everyone in half of the
country is cheering for BYU.
But it is geographically BYU's
game right now and BYU's
opportunity to take hold of.
There are some really unique and
positive potential developments
as a result of this entire crazy
situation and so BYU represents
more than -- it is a pocket of
fandom right now, it is a
potential to become a story for
a large swath of the country,
which is pretty cool when you
think about it.
With so much discussion about
Independence over the years, it
is the one reason BYU is playing
football this weekend.
The fact that BYU is an
independent.
If they were members of a
conversation, they would be on
the shelf with everybody else
right now.
It is not that BYU has had to
break rules to be where they
are.
They are obeying the rules
everybody wants every other team
to follow to play, but being
independent status, they have
the ability to have a unique and
potentially special season.
>> Being single is good
sometimes.
When you look at the relevance
thing.
You make a great point.
How do we quantify relevance.
We have said the top 25.
Another one is you are being
discussed, you are being talked
about.
>> Yeah.
>> There are fewer games the
first couple of weeks.
So guess who is talked about on
game day every week and college
football live?
It is BYU.
The opportunity BYU has, they
have a bye week in week two, BYU
is basically going to play seven
of their eight games in the
first nine weeks.
They have to jump out quick and
there are no power fives.
There is an opportunity to make
a splash quickly.
>> Yeah.
Byu-navy are the marquee names
of opening weekend.
Labor day weekend is two
big-named teams playing on that
Monday night.
Because all the conferences are
waiting to later in the month
and ESPN brokers this thing,
they put BYU and Navy as their
marquee game to cap off labor
day night.
It is a great opportunity.
If BYU looks good right there,
yeah, they are discussed.
BYU is a name.
A lot of these teams playing
with a lot of p5 leagues sitting
out, BYU becomes one of the
bigger names to lump in with the
p5 programs if the cougars can
start strong.
It has been a while since BYU
has been a story or talked about
in the month of October.
What a great opportunity to have
to beat Navy, army and Troy to
be in that position.
>> Greg wrubell the voice of the
cougars on BYU sports nation.
Let's switch gears now and talk
about something that is not as
exciting but quite devastating
to BYU football, losing Matt
bushman for the season.
Just an absolute gut punch to
the potential offensive
production BYU could have.
That said, jarom and I, in our
discussions, kind of feel like
BYU has enough playmakers to
maybe make amends for that.
How do you see the group of
players behind Matt bushman
filling that void that he leaves
behind?
>> Well, there's a good number
of targets to make up.
It should be the shift moves a
little bit from his position to
the wideouts and maybe the backs
see a few more targets and I
really do think this could be an
Isaac Rex breakout season.
He was going to be good as
number two to Matt, but he has
to be better sooner.
He has the ability to do that.
This could be the year the
wideouts see more of them.
Last year's leading target or
receiver in terms of catches was
a receiver.
Bushman had the most yards by a
smidge.
The leading was a receiver.
Without him, you can look other
places and I think there are
guys to look to who can get the
job done.
>> At running back it feels like
BYU is a little thin right now.
How concerned are you since
devontae Henry Cole transferred,
Garrett coal left and hinckley
ropati is gone.
>> It is last year's guys all
over again.
Not a bad things if they can
play eight or 10 or 12 games,
whatever that number ends up
being, as long as the two main
guys in that group can be an
every game guy.
BYU can be okay.
That has been the challenge.
Finding an every-game guy.
You have to go back to Jamaal
Williams to be a work Horace
back for BYU.
It has been injury and departure
and retaigsation and any number
of reasons to keep a true
standout from emerging, but if
those guys who are last year's
guys and they are this year's
guys are back and healthy, BYU
can have a strong running back
core.
Can they get a big number of
games out of them.
Can BYU keep consistency in the
backfield remains a question.
It has been that way at
quarterback.
Having quarterbacks and running
backs who can play every game
together and not have to go
three and four and five deep
between the collection of bodies
means a lot.
>> Greg, you have been
meticulously putting together
your play by play boards and
have dived into the matchups.
So when you look at those
boards --
>> He is grabs the boards.
They are right here.
>> It is a thing of beauty I is
really a thing of beauty.
Adds you look at those boards,
which matchup is the most
intriguing from BYU and Navy?
>> Well, it's going to be just
how different BYU looks maybe on
defense in week one than BYU
does in week three or six or
seven in terms of how they play.
Navy is going to makeou play a
defense unlike the ones you are
going to need the rest of the
season.
You might see really important
players in week one defensively.
Not necessarily the super
important players in week three,
but, man, they wouldn't have won
that game in week one without
those guys being as good at
tackling as they were or strong
and disciplined as they were.
They may not be the marquee
games.
But week one and week two, with
army posing a similar challenge.
Really, you are not going to
expect Dalen Morris to do all
the things Malcolm Perry did,
but if the quarterback is eating
up the kinds of chunks of yards
that Perry did last year, that
is not going to be good.
If they can somehow find a way
to tamp that position down just
a bit, if not a lot, that is
going to be integral for BYU in
week one.
I guess I'm trying to see how
well the quarterback Republicans
in week one compared to what
Navy got out of that position
last year.
It was a huge number
>> Greg, great to catch up with
you, man.
It is going to be a unique
experience to say the least as
you watch a game in such a
heralded stadium and setting
with no fans, but we know you
are going to bring it
professionally.
We appreciate what you do and we
are already working on your next
movie recommendation for the
cross country flight.
We'll get that to you later.
>> I'll for that from jarom.
I will say this.
It is going to be different, our
broadcast crew is smaller in
size by necessity.
There will be no fans in the
stands, but Shakespeare wrote,
the play is the thing.
We hope there will be great
plays to bring to our radio
audience.
It has been a long time since I
have been on the radio.
>> Thanks for the time, Greg.
