Blaine Fowler on BYUSN 11.24.23
T AWAY. >> Spencer: WELL, BURN THE JACKET. JOINING US NOW, A MAN WHO HAS A FEW JACKET OF HIS OWN, WE SHOULD GET HIM A HALL OF FAME JACKET WHEN IT COMES TO BYU SPORTS. >> Jarom: HALL OF FAME? WE SHOULD MAKE THAT. >> Spencer: BLAINE FOWLER IS ON BYUSN ON THIS BLACK FRIDAY AND HOW IS THE SHOPPING COMING ALONG, MY FRIEND? >> Jarom: I DON’T REALLY DO SHOPPING, SO FRANK GOODNESS — THE ONLY PERSON I HAVE TO BUY FOR IS BRENDA, AND NICOLE AND LIVY, THEY COME UP BIG EVERY YEAR, HEY DAD, MOM NEEDS
THIS AND THIS. AND CAN YOU GET THAT? YEAH, I’LL GET T AND WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO IT, I DON’T REALLY DO SHOPPING. >> Spencer: YOU VENMO YOUR DAUGHTERS AND YOU’RE GOOD? >> Guest: MY PHILOSOPHY IS, I’LL PROVIDE THE SHOPPING, AND I’LL DO TEN JOBS AS LONG AS I DON’T HAVE TO GO SHOPPING. >> Jarom: I FEEL THAT, AND THERE’S NO WAY THAT LANDON AND KELLAN ARE CONTRIBUTING. NO WAY. >> Guest: THE ONLY THING I’M SHOPPING FOR IS FURNITURE, BECAUSE WHEN WE GO INTO THE FURNITURE STORE, I IMMEDIATELY SIT ON THE COUCH. >> Jarom: TODAY
WOULD BE A GOOD DAY FOR THAT, YOU CAN JUST WATCH FOOTBALL. SO COMING UP, WE TALK ABOUT HOW BYU CAN BUILD OFF OF LAST WEEK INTO THIS WEEK. CERTAINLY A GOOD TEAM ON
ABOUT. YOU MATCH UP WITH ANYBODY, OKLAHOMA PROBABLY HAS, IF YOU GO POSITION BY POSITION, THE SECOND BEST TEAM IN THE LEAGUE WHEN IT COMES TO TALENTS. TEXAS IS PROBABLY THE MOST AND THEN I WOULD SAY OKLAHOMA AND TCU ARE CLOSE. AND THE RECORD REFLECTS THAT TCU UNDERPERFORMS THIS YEAR. BUT PLAY AFTER PLAY, IF YOU GET IN THE GAP, IF YOU RUN THE ALLEY THE WAY YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO RUN IT, WE MATCH UP WITH THESE TEAMS. THE ONLY THING WE DIDN’T DO IS TAKE CARE OF THE FOOTBALL. REMEDY ON THAT ON THE ROAD AND YOU WILL
BEAT OKLAHOMA STATE. IT’S ONE THING TO SAY THAT WHEN IT’S NOT REALLY HAPPENING, AND IT’S ANOTHER TO PUT THE FILM UP AND SAY THAT. AND HAVE THE GUYS GO THEY’RE EXACTLY RIGHT HERE. WE CAN DO THIS. WE CAN RUN THE FOOTBALL ON PEOPLE WHEN WE PICK UP THE RIGHT PEOPLE ON THE FRONT. AND WHEN WE BLOCK AND DON’T HAVE FREE RUNNERS. WE CAN RUN THE FOOTBALL FOR 217 YARDS LIKE FOLKS JUST SAW WHEN YOU GET AIDAN ROBBINS GOING DOWNHILL. SO CAN YOU BUILD ON IT? YOU ABSOLUTELY CAN. LOOK AT YOURSELF ON FILM, LOOK WHAT YOU’RE
CAPABLE OF, AND LET’S TAKE IT UP A NOTCH ON THE ROAD AND TAKE CARE OF THE FOOTBALL AND WE HAVE SOMETHING HERE. >> Spencer: BLAINE FOWLER IS WITH US ON BYU SPORTS NATION. ALL RIGHT, BLAINE, THE BIG 12 WEEK TO WEEK HAS BEEN SO FULL OF PAIRITY AND UNEXPECTED RESULTS AND I HAVE NO IDEAS WHAT TO EXPECT AGAINST BYU. AGAINST AN OKLAHOMA STATE TEAM THAT LOST BY 40 POINTS TO UTF AND IT SAME FOR BAMBERGER AND THEY BEAT OU HEAD-TO-HEAD AND THEY HAVE ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING RUNNING BACKS IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY. SO WHAT
DO YOU EXPECT TO HAPPEN TOMORROW? IS THERE SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN CIRCLE AND SAY YES, THIS WILL DEFINITELY HAD A? >> Guest: GORDON IS TOUGH TO STOP. THIS IS THE GREAT RUNNING BACK YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT. ONE OF THE BEST IN THE COUNTRY, BUT I DON’T THINK THAT YOU HAVE TO STOP HIM TO BEAT OKLAHOMA STATE. I THINK IF YOU CAN LIMIT IT — IF YOU CAN KEEP HIM TO 150 YARDS OR LESS, AND ISN’T THAT CRAZY, TO SAY IF YOU CAN KEEP HIM TO 150 YARDS OR LESS? AND YOU DON’T GIVE HIM BIG HOME RUN
PLAYS AND MAKE OKLAHOMA STATE WORK IT? I JUST DON’T THINK THEIR DEFENSE — WHEN I LOOK AT OKLAHOMA STATE DEFENSIVELY ON FILM, I’M NOT OVERALL IMPRESSION WITH HIM AND I THINK THAT BYU FOUND SOMETHING OFFENSIVELY LAST WEEK. THIS OKLAHOMA STATE TEAM COMES IN RANKED 107th IN THE COUNTRY IN RUSH DEFENSE, SO IF YOU CAN KEEP THEM FROM RUNNING THE BALL DOWN YOUR THROAT WITH GORDON, I THINK THAT BYU CAN ESTABLISH THE RUN A LITTLE BIT, AND GIVE THEM PLAY ACTION PASSES OFFENSIVELY THAT HE CAN COMPLETE. AND I THINK YOU’RE IN A BALLGAME WHERE YOU COME
DOWN THE STRETCH AND WIN THIS THING, AND IT’S ALSO SUPPOSED TO RAIN TOMORROW. REMEMBER, OKLAHOMA STATE GAME WHERE THEY JUST GOT BEAT TO DEATH BY CENTRAL FLORIDA WAS IN A RAINSTORM. SO I JUST FEEL IF BYU FOUND THE RUN GAME LAST WEEK AND THEY FOUND IT BECAUSE THEY CALLED THE RIGHT KIND OF PLAYS FOR AIDAN ROBBINS, BUT ALSO BECAUSE THEY WENT SIMPLE IN THAT OFFENSIVE LINE, THEY FOUND THE LIGHT GUYS. THIS YEAR IT HAS NOT BEEN ALL OFFENSIVE LINES, EVERYBODY IS GETTING BEAT ONE-ON-ONE. IT’S WHY ARE THEY DOUBLE TEAMING THAT GUY AND NOT BLOCKING THAT
OTHER GUY ON THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE? SO MANY PLAYS WITH UNBLOCKS PLAYERS. THEY FIXED THAT LAST WEEK, SO KEEP IT FIXED. IF YOU ARE KEEPING IT FIXED, THEY CAN RUN THE BALL WHICH WILL LEAD TO BIGGER PLAYS AND RUN ACTION AND IF THEY CAN JUST KEEP GORDON FROM GOING OFF 250 YARDS NUTS LIKE THAT, THEY’RE IN THE GAME AND THEY HAVE THE CHANCE TO WIN THIS THING AT THE ENDS. >> Jarom: WHEN THEY GIVE IT 20 TIMES, THEY’RE 6 AND 0 THIS YEAR, AND THE CARRY WILL BE INTERESTING. I THINK THAT BYU DID A NICE
JOB AGAINST OTHER RUNNING BACKS IN THE COUNTRY. BROOKS, TEXAS TECH, AND JONATHAN BROOKS OF TEXAS. AND TCU, DEVIN NEIL, NOT SO MUCH OF KANSAS BUT THAT’S AN OPPORTUNITY. AND YOU SAY THAT BYU HAS TO CONTROL THE CLOCK AND THE RUN GAME. AND DOES THAT MEAN THAT YOU THINK JAKE RETZLAFF SHOULD BE THE START WHERE THE INCREASED RUN GAME AND NEEDS IT TAKE CARE OF THE BALL OR SHOULD KEDON SLOVIS START? >> Guest: I DON’T THINK THAT KEDON IS 100% HEALTHY. AND IF HE’S NOT, JAKE GIVES YOU A RUN DYNAMIC, AND IF YOU’RE WATCHING FILM, WE’RE
WATCHING PLAYS WHERE AIDEN IS GETTING THE CUTBACK LANE AND THE PLAY IS DESIGNED TO GO TO THE RIGHT. THEY HAND IT TO HIM PLAY SIDE AND THEN RETZLAFF HANDED BALL OFF AND CONTINUES HIS MOTION OFF TO THE LEFT AND THE BACKSIDE AND THE BACKSIDE LINEBACKER BOTH RESPECT HIM AND STEP OUTSIDE. THAT’S WHAT CREATES THE CUTBACK LANE AND IT’S NOT CREATED BY ANYBODY BLOCKING ANYBODY. YOU LEAVE THOSE GUYS UNBLOCKED. IF THEY RESPECT THE QUARTERBACK, THE CUTBACK IS THERE, AND IF THEY DON’T RESPECT THE QUARTERBACK, THEY CAN KEEP IT AND RUN WITH THE BALL. WE SAW THAT
A COUPLE OF TIMES, AND OR A RUNNING NOT NECESSARILY THE RPO, BUT THE ZONE READS OR THE OPTION FOR THE QUARTERBACK TO TAKE THE FOOTBALL, YOU HAVE A COUPLE OF GUYS THAT HAVE TO STAY HOME DEFENSIVELY AND IT CREATES FOR AIDEN WHEN HE’S RUNNING DOWNHILL. SO JAKE DOES BRING THAT DYNAMIC TO IT. WHERE IF YOU DON’T RESPECT HIM, HE’LL RUN FOR 120 YARDS. HE HAS THAT CAPABILITY. OKLAHOMA STATE’S CAN BE, BAUMAN, HE’S TALL AND A THROWER AND POCKET GUY, THEY RUN THAT TYPE OF OFFENSE, BUT HE’S NOT A GUY WHERE YOU’RE GOING OH, MANAGE, WE
CAN’T STEP DOWN AND RALLY TO HIM. HE’S NOT LIKE OKLAHOMA’S OR KANSAS’ QUARTERBACK, WHERE YOU FEEL LIKE OH, MY GOSH A BIG PLAY IS WAITING TO HAPPEN. HE CAN GET MORE GREASE NIV THE PASS GAME AND HE’S NOT GOING TO RUN 50 YARDS FOR A TOUCHDOWNS. HE’S NOT THAT KINDS OF GUY. HE’S A SOLID RUNNER BUT HE’S NOT A BREAKAWAY KILL WITH YOU HIS DEPOSIT GUY. SO THIS QUARTERBACK, AS GOOD AS HE IS, IS NOT A THREAT TO BYU’S DEFENSE AS DYLAN GABRIEL, WHO BY THE WAY BYU DID A PHENOMENAL JOB ON IN THE FIRST
HALF LAST WEEK, THE MATCHUP IS GOOD FOR BYU WHEN THEY HAVE REALLY GOOD RUNNING BACKS AND THEY CAN FOCUS ON THE BACKS AND THEY HAVE DONE A REALLY GOOD JOB, JAROM, THIS YEAR IN DENDING HIM. I EXPECT TO KEEP THEM 150 OR UNDER, THEN OKLAHOMA STATE IS NOT GOING TO GO AND RUN AWAY WITH THIS GAME. AND THE OTHER THING, IF THE OFFENSE CAN PRODUCE, WHEN YOU SEE OKLAHOMA STATE IN GAMES THAT THEY STRUGGLED, GET BEHIND AND THEY HAVE TO THROW THE FOOTBALL TO CATCH UP AND THEY KEPT GIVE GORDON THE BALL, 20 PLUS TOUCHES,
THERE’S NOT ENOUGH TIME TO DO THAT. IT’S A GRIND. SO IT’S IMPORTANT TO GET A QUICK START FOR BYU TO SCORE EARLY AND PUT OKLAHOMA STATE IN CATCH-UP MODE AND THAT WOULD BE GREAT FOR THE COUGS AS WELL. >> Spencer: LET’S GO AHEAD AND TURN THE PAGE TO BYU BASKETBALL, WHO PLAYED LATE INTO THE NIGHT IN LAS VEGAS, KIND OF AN UGLY GAME. BUT BYU’S DEFENSE WAS THERE, AND THE REBOUNDING WAS OUTSTANDING AND THE EFFICIENCY MARKS HAVE THEM AT NUMBER 12 IN THE KEN POM INDEX NOW, WHAT JAROM AND I WERE DISCUSSING A FEW MINUTES
AGO, REGARDLESS OF WHAT’S HAPPENING AGAINST NC STATE, DO YOU BELIEVE THAT BYU IS A TOP 25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL TEAM RIGHT NOW? >> Guest: I THINK THEY ARE, AND DO I THINK THAT THEY WILL BE IF THEY LOSE TO NC STATE? HARD TO SAY. I WATCHED THE FIRST HALF ON THE COUCH AND THE SECOND HALF IN BED. SO A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT VOTE IN THE AP, I DON’T KNOW THAT THEY EVEN SEE THIS GAME TONIGHT, RIGHT? SO THEY’RE JUST GOING TO LOOK AT THE RESULT. I THINK WILL THEY BE RANKED? IT’S BORDERLINE. I THINK THAT
THEY HAVE THE CHANCE BECAUSE OF THE BIG BLOWOUT AGAINST ARIZONA STATE LAST NIGHT AND THE HANDLING OF SAN DIEGO STATE STATE AND THE WAY THEY’RE PLAYING AGAINST INFERIOR TEAMS. THINK BACK A YEAR AGO WHEN ALL OF THESE TRANSFERS WERE IN THE FIRST YEAR IN THE PROGRAM AND FOUSS WAS DEVELOPING AND ATIKI WASN’T WHO HE IS NOW, AND HANNEMANN, JUST RUNNING AROUND THE PERIMETER AND NOT REBOUNDING AND DEPENDING AND JAXSON ROBINSON WASN’T SURE WHERE HIS SHOTS WERE SUPPOSED TO COME. LAST YEAR, THEY WERE PLAYING AN INFERIOR TEAM AND THEY LET THEM KIND OF STAND A GAME
AND WIN AT THE ENDS AND THIS YEAR, THEY BLOW THEM OFF THE FLOOR. IT’S LIKE NO DOUBT. AGAINST GOOD TEAMS, THEY’RE PLAYING WITH SO MUCH CONFIDENCE RIGHT NOW, THEY LOOK LIKE A TOP 25 BASKETBALL TEAM. AND I TALKED TO DEUTSCH AFTER SAN DIEGO STATE, AND HE SAID WOW, THAT’S THE MOST PHYSICAL BYU TEAM THAT I’VE SEEN IN A LONG TIME. AND THAT WAS HIS COMMENT. THAT HAS BEEN IMPRESSIVE. WHEN THE GAME WAS AS UGLY AS YOU MENTIONED LAST NIGHT IN THE FIRST HALF, BYU DEPENDENT BACK OFF. ARIZONA STATE HAD A LOT OF HANDS ON PEOPLE
TRYING TO ROUGH BYU UP AND THEY DIDN’T BACK OFF AT ALL. THEY PUT THEIR SHOULDERS DOWN AND JUST ATTACKED AND MADE ARIZONA STATE PAY FOR PRESSING. YOU WANT TO PRESS US, FINE, WE’RE GOING TO PUSHUP THE FLOOR AND GET TO ONE OF THE WINGS AND KNOCK DOWN 3s, AND I WAS SURPRISED THAT THEY PRESSED AS MUCH AS THEY DID. BYU IS KILLING YOU. >> Spencer: BLAINE, GREAT STUFF. A LITTLE FOOTBALL AND A LITTLE BASKETBALL AND THAT IS WHY YOU ARE THE DUAL THREAT ANALYST FOR BYU SPORTS NATION. CAN’T WAIT TO HEAR IT. I KNOW YOU’RE
A WOMEN’S SOCCER FAN. AND WOMEN’S SOCCER TONIGHT AND FOOTBALL TOMORROW. >> Guest: BASKET
