Darnell Dickson: The BYU Cougars have a lot to show & prove in their season-opener if they want f...

DJ and PK don't miss your chance to win every week and you can win big on the Zone this week on win ticket Wednesday you're going to have a chance to win tickets the de leopard at Utah First Credit Union Amphitheater on September 10th listen The Zone all day Wednesday for your chance to win djpk we're joined Now by Darnell Dixon BYU football columnist for the daily Herold Darnell good morning good morning boys what's going on football football we had a bunch of blowouts Colorado played a close game are we going to have another blow in Provo Saturday night cougar fans would like to know yeah pretty much everyone would like to know I think I think that you know it's an interesting phenomenon during fall camp that every team and every player is kind of the best version of themselves as as they look to improve over the previous year and you know if if everything happens the way it's supposed to yeah it'll be a blow up but it rarely does so I guess it comes down to how many things miwu could have taken care of that were problems the previous year in that first game and we'll see we'll see what happens you got the youths doing what they're supposed to do blowing out suu so all youth fans feel good about it because it wasn't close and it's not just for BYU to get the win I mean that's the ultimate objective but people are going to judge it styly with these games and I don't need know styly is a word but if it's not I just made it up and I don't like stylistic I know stylistic is a word but I like style better and it looks like that because of Portland State and Sam Houston that those were games against Lester competition that the offense didn't look overwhelming it looks like for at least for the fans sake and maybe for the psyche of the team that they've got to win comfortably 30 40 points how much do you buy that theory I I think there's some validity to that and you mentioned a couple of really good indicator uh Portland State was 2017 I believe and not a very impressive Victory and BYU had a really poor season and last year Sam Houston was moving up from FCS to FBS um and you know BYU took the opening kickoff marched down scored a touchdown and everyone thought okay everything's under control and then the Cougars only won that game 14 nothing and Sam Houston went on to lose I think it's first eight games of the year so um yeah it's it's going to be an indicator and Southern Illinois is a good FCS program but they're replacing um a lot of good Defenders on a defense that was really good they're replacing their all-time leading passer um I I I think BYU fans would be pretty upset and the Cougars themselves would be upset if Southern Illinois can score with on a couple of touchdowns against that BYU defense and and the cougar offense needs to put up points they need to run the ball and need to get the ball to their Playmakers and it does need I think to be a little bit you know one of those games that they win by a lot so that Wu fans can rest a little bit easier because obviously the schedule gets a lot tougher uh starting the next week when BYU goes to SMU When A team's going to dominate that means a group or an individual player is going to dominate who do you have the most faith and confidence in that they are going to go out and absolutely blow the doors off everything Saturday night and we'll be in here on Monday morning saying yep so and so did it that's a really question I hadn't really thought of it quite that way I I probably would choose the whole defensive side of the ball as as a group that really should dominate um yet they did lose Ben Bywater who would have been a great playmaker at linebacker but I think they've got plenty of of Playmakers on that side of the ball I think Jacob Robinson might be one of the better Corners in in the Big 12 and uh they've kind of worked on the defensive line to get some more pressure and that's kind of going to be something to watch as well can they put more pressure on the quarterback and we you know we talked to the coaches a lot about the Run game and and Aaron rodri said it's 11-man deal it's not just the offensive line of the running backs everybody has to do their job and I think the pass rush kind of fits that that mold as well um you've got to get good pressure from your front you've got to get great coverage on the back end and and make the quarterback uncomfortable and not be able to go to his first option every time so I think the defense will really set the tone tomorrow uh I think they'll come out and and hit and and make big plays and get some turnover overs and and hopefully the offense can pick up on that and get some scores and get some confidence but I I think the defense I I think the whole defense is going to be what we I think most thing about BYU fans will be talking about the next day yeah especially either good if they get pressure on the quarterback get some sacks and hurries and all that stuff or bad if they don't so right it's almost like it's a no win because if you do W it's against Sil illino but if you don't it's like my gosh you couldn't get it against Southern Illinois what is wrong with you people so coming off of a season like they had they haven't earned the benefit of the doubt they haven't like Utah they've earn the benefit of the doubt people are expecting them to do well and when they do well it's like see and so I'm wondering do you feel like the players and the coaches sense that and are really looking for a blowout to maybe exhale a little bit Yeah I think that that's a good point too and and you look at how last season worked um you know they had the win against Sam Houston to start they went down to Arkansas and got a victory and and the Razer backs weren't great but it was still an SEC win and they go into the first Big 12 game two and one and Kansas just kind of ran them out of the um out of the field on the second half with the Run game and there were some blowouts some games that BYU was not competitive in which was a little bit surprising to me that it happened that way uh and then the last two games of the Season against Oklahoma and Oklahoma State I think the Cougars figured some things out um they played you know had within a play of probably winning both of those games so I think they take some strength from that that that they they can uh put together some some good moments on both offense and defense and and they've worked hard they've tried to correct some of those errors with the the Run game and uh the run defense and you know they brought in more 60 new players last year but between the transfer portal and freshman and return missionaries and I think that really played Havoc with them trying to get things together and everybody on the same page and this year they brought in less than half that number of new players so they're running with the guys that that they brought and and they feel like that kind of continuity and experience is really going to help so getting a good experience in that first game where they get validated for all the effort they put into trying to correct the issues would certainly go a long way and creating a season that is much better than than what they did in 2023 are you figuring rlap is getting the start are you thinking it's Bohanan are you getting there early she can get to BX and stare down and watch warm-ups and figure it out what do you think well yeah I I think most of us uh and I know some of the people I've talked to and some of the sources that you know after spring Gary Gary had uh you know just he just came back from that that shoulder engine was his first action and so Jake redlu was the starter coming out the spring and then banan made up some ground in the summer and had really good start to fall camp but from what we've learned uh Jake rof had a really good second couple of weeks leading up to this game and has kind of taken that I think he's going to be the starter but I really think it's important for rlof to get some time it's been a long time since he's played he got injured in the middle of the 2022 season and missed all of 2023 so um you know at first I was kind of thinking maybe they should start banan then they've got r have to come off the bench should should there an emergency arise and you've got an experienced quarterback that has played recently that can do that um but it looks like redoff will probably be the starter but they they would like to get in a position where bannan can get some playing time just to knock the rust off from having not played um you know comparing the two I think rofs may be a little more accurate U maybe understands the offensive system a bit better Bon may be more of a big play guy both with his feet and and down the field when he throws the ball so we'll see what what we'll see on Saturday but it would be very good for BYU if they could get that second quarterback in the game yeah I agree uh it looks like as I look at the Personnel offensively and defensively the players that need to play well we already know who they are and I'm wondering did you see or sense anybody that maybe is a little under the radar because sometimes it happens where like when LJ Martin we weren't sure what to expect from him and he gets out there and he's like oh wow this kid looks good right from the start and now here he is expected to be for the next couple years anyway the best running back do you see anybody like that that maybe we're not talking about as much but has the ability to emerge because I think there'll be somebody if not multiple kids that will emerge a little bit better than we think right now yeah I think there's a couple of guys that said that m one of them is probably Logan loule a defensive end who's really come on in Fall Camp um Isaiah B and Tyler bad are the starters probably but Logan's going to get some playing time and he's really impressed the coaches with his ability and quickness and and playmaking the other guy I'm thinking of is somebody that I remember watching at Bingham High Isaiah Glaser he's a tall linebacker he's 6'5 um he played defensive back then but when I saw him in high school he was the best athlete on the field in the games he played and so he's a sophomore now a red Shir sophomore so he's third year in the system I think he's going to start one of the linebacker spots and he's made some plays in Fall camp that are just amazingly athletic and and I I think he's a guy that that could definitely uh on defense make some big plays and get BYU some some momentum out there football rosters are so big there's so many guys who have to play that when you get to the summer and everyone's positive but there's some things and especially doing it for a while you just think yeah I just can't buy that I just can't buy it so when you look at BYU it's not going to be all roses they're not going 12 and0 what part can't you buy here what's the problem going to be you think well there's a couple of things one of the things that comes to mind is the offensive line uh they've made some changes they brought in a new offensive line coach in TJ Woods brought in a new tight end Coach they have some new players uh and you the reports that we're hearing from the coaches and players is that that the offensive Line's going to be good but we thought that last year and they actually have uh you know Kingsley Su mat is going to start as a rookie for the Kansas City Chiefs they had him on that offensive line and they still had issues running the ball and and and creating holes and and protecting the quarterback so I'm not buying yet the offensive line because I got to see it first and and if they dominate Southern Illinois that'll that'll give me um a little bit of indication that they've improved but then they've they've got tougher tests coming up and they'll have to do that in a big 12 play um I don't know I feel they've got some starters back I like um I like that they've got way lauu coming back and Conor pay center is really good main stay um they say kay betan has gotten better and he looked a little lost last year but he's 68 320 and he he can play if he's if he's gotten improved and the other part of it is just the quarterback play because certainly last year when Jake redoff came in it was a tough you know those four games he started against Big 12 competition and and he had some good moments but he also had some spectacularly bad moments so those are a couple of areas on the offensive side are they going to be able to run the ball efficiently and that's an 11 man deal as we said and if Jake gof is the starter as we anticipate can he avoid that big turnover can he move the team and and find the ball because I think they've got some Playmakers on that side of the ball if they can get that taken care of so that that's probably the main thing I'm looking at and not quite buying yet is is that offensive line going to be better looking forward to that glorious pregame meal are you one of those guys who just rebels in it BYU usually does it up right I don't know what's coming up tomorrow but I hear tonos it's always always it's always tonos and and you know my brother comes down from Idaho with his family to come to games and they always want to go out to to lunch or dinner before and I always tell them sorry I can't I got tanos coming up see there it is priorities toos toos veteran media member right there that's the veteran Play Good Work Dar what's the deal I I read in their thing that they don't have tables back there to sit for you to eat you got to go to your seat no there's tables there oh I thought I thought they I thought I read that you had to go eat at your seat Well they in 2020 you did during the pandemic they they made little boxes of the food for you pick up the box and then sign for it and then go sit by your seat but I don't know maybe they've changed that you know they they keep taking away stuff from the media we have to sit up at Concourse for the basketball games so maybe maybe they took away our tables too all right well we want to see some photos and some tweets we got to get to the bottom of this before kickoff the public I'm sure is dying know I'm on it I'll be doing it had a kid Darnell thank you we appreciate it all right FS have a great day Darnell Dixon BYU football columnist for the Daily Herald joining us right here on the Zone coming up after the break Pablo masteran RSL head coach this is the worst stretch of the season right here San Jose that was terrible at home there've been some bad performances on the road got to turn things around after the last half dozen games we'll talk with Pablo masteron about that next stay with us