WEBVTT - Before The Whistle: Purdue

0:00:07.570 --> 0:00:08.930
<v Speaker 1>Well, so far, so great.

0:00:09.110 --> 0:00:12.890
<v Speaker 2>UCLA is 2-0. The vibes are high. The bandwagon is

0:00:12.910 --> 0:00:16.050
<v Speaker 2>getting crowded. All of that is wonderful. Josh Lewin, Matt

0:00:16.070 --> 0:00:20.490
<v Speaker 2>Stephens with you. The question now is this Saturday against Purdue,

0:00:20.950 --> 0:00:24.060
<v Speaker 2>can the vibes stay this strong? And Matt, before we

0:00:24.160 --> 0:00:26.840
<v Speaker 2>get under the hood of who is Purdue, we haven't

0:00:26.880 --> 0:00:30.230
<v Speaker 2>seen these guys in a very long time. Let's talk

0:00:30.250 --> 0:00:32.979
<v Speaker 2>about what we do know. We know that UCLA is 2-0.

0:00:33.090 --> 0:00:35.909
<v Speaker 2>They've looked pretty good getting there, not perfect getting there.

0:00:36.400 --> 0:00:38.960
<v Speaker 2>What are the highs and lows that you're seeing so far?

0:00:39.860 --> 0:00:42.220
<v Speaker 3>Well, the offensive line coach, Chris Smith, I mean, he

0:00:42.300 --> 0:00:45.620
<v Speaker 3>played 10 offensive linemen in that San Diego State game.

0:00:45.659 --> 0:00:48.960
<v Speaker 3>I mean, that's just outstanding to have that kind of depth.

0:00:49.500 --> 0:00:51.300
<v Speaker 3>And really, a lot of those guys came into the

0:00:51.340 --> 0:00:54.060
<v Speaker 3>fourth quarter and they were the final push to get

0:00:54.180 --> 0:00:55.090
<v Speaker 3>UCLA to win.

0:00:55.270 --> 0:00:56.970
<v Speaker 1>I mean, these backup offensive linemen.

0:00:57.010 --> 0:01:00.470
<v Speaker 3>So I think that's a real good thing that's down

0:01:00.490 --> 0:01:02.350
<v Speaker 3>the road going to really help UCLA.

0:01:03.030 --> 0:01:05.789
<v Speaker 1>Nico Iamaliaba, everybody was talking about him, not a great game.

0:01:06.069 --> 0:01:08.320
<v Speaker 3>Well, I thought he threw two great passes in that

0:01:08.380 --> 0:01:11.380
<v Speaker 3>football game that really gave me a lot of hope

0:01:11.480 --> 0:01:14.980
<v Speaker 3>that I think UCLA, that they found him in a rhythm.

0:01:15.020 --> 0:01:17.180
<v Speaker 3>And he was, you know, without, I don't know, three

0:01:17.220 --> 0:01:19.670
<v Speaker 3>or four receivers. I mean, it's a mash unit, that

0:01:19.720 --> 0:01:20.550
<v Speaker 3>wide receiver unit.

0:01:21.770 --> 0:01:24.970
<v Speaker 2>So because you're a former quarterback, I know you get this.

0:01:25.130 --> 0:01:28.869
<v Speaker 2>Everybody looks at that position first and sometimes only, fair

0:01:28.970 --> 0:01:31.610
<v Speaker 2>or not. And I guess because we live in that

0:01:31.690 --> 0:01:33.550
<v Speaker 2>kind of world where it's what have you done for

0:01:33.569 --> 0:01:36.690
<v Speaker 2>me lately, it is one touchdown pass in his last

0:01:36.730 --> 0:01:39.310
<v Speaker 2>four games going back to last year. We are seeing

0:01:39.330 --> 0:01:43.800
<v Speaker 2>120s and 160s in terms of yards through the air,

0:01:44.420 --> 0:01:47.300
<v Speaker 2>but the Bruins are in position to win games. So

0:01:47.420 --> 0:01:48.900
<v Speaker 2>is it one of those things where it's kind of

0:01:48.920 --> 0:01:50.980
<v Speaker 2>like ignore the numbers and just check and see if

0:01:51.020 --> 0:01:51.580
<v Speaker 2>they win the game?

0:01:52.770 --> 0:01:53.250
<v Speaker 1>Oh, totally.

0:01:53.350 --> 0:01:57.390
<v Speaker 3>I mean, the continuity with wide receivers and Nico, I mean,

0:01:57.780 --> 0:01:59.580
<v Speaker 3>isn't there yet because of the injuries.

0:01:59.640 --> 0:02:01.100
<v Speaker 1>I mean, that really affects him.

0:02:01.540 --> 0:02:04.500
<v Speaker 3>And he's done a great job commanding the offense, getting

0:02:04.560 --> 0:02:06.980
<v Speaker 3>everybody lined up. You know, he needs to get guys

0:02:07.020 --> 0:02:08.540
<v Speaker 3>out of the huddle maybe a little quicker. There were

0:02:08.560 --> 0:02:11.859
<v Speaker 3>some problems in that San Diego State game, but he's

0:02:11.880 --> 0:02:12.660
<v Speaker 3>doing a great job.

0:02:12.740 --> 0:02:15.420
<v Speaker 1>And, you know, when Nico... is not.

0:02:15.240 --> 0:02:17.500
<v Speaker 3>The center of attention, UCLA is going to be really good.

0:02:17.800 --> 0:02:20.410
<v Speaker 3>My favorite players are the linebackers. And I'm an ex-quarterback,

0:02:20.430 --> 0:02:22.549
<v Speaker 3>and I usually just watch the quarterback. But my favorite

0:02:22.570 --> 0:02:24.450
<v Speaker 3>players are Jalen Woods and Sammy Omosego.

0:02:25.790 --> 0:02:28.850
<v Speaker 2>Well, those guys hit hard. There's no question about it.

0:02:29.050 --> 0:02:33.190
<v Speaker 2>And anytime somebody gets forced fumbles two straight games, you

0:02:33.210 --> 0:02:37.090
<v Speaker 2>pay attention. That's Omosego. When somebody gets both a sack

0:02:37.310 --> 0:02:39.370
<v Speaker 2>and a pick and leaves the team and tackles in

0:02:39.470 --> 0:02:41.989
<v Speaker 2>one game, that gets attention. That was Jalen Woods last time.

0:02:42.870 --> 0:02:45.510
<v Speaker 2>Are you surprised that there's, I don't mean to be Mr. Negative,

0:02:45.530 --> 0:02:48.419
<v Speaker 2>I really don't. Are you surprised that some of those

0:02:48.500 --> 0:02:51.240
<v Speaker 2>kind of glory stats, you know, the sacks coming from

0:02:51.260 --> 0:02:54.160
<v Speaker 2>the D-line, guys off the edge, Sayre West has been

0:02:54.240 --> 0:02:57.340
<v Speaker 2>close to being a game wrecker, but it's kind of

0:02:57.360 --> 0:02:59.970
<v Speaker 2>like so far, it's like, man, it's looking like everybody's

0:03:00.040 --> 0:03:02.730
<v Speaker 2>super close to having a huge impact. The only two

0:03:02.750 --> 0:03:05.810
<v Speaker 2>guys we're really talking about are numbers 9 and 10.

0:03:05.810 --> 0:03:09.230
<v Speaker 2>Are we close to talking about everybody else on that defense?

0:03:10.050 --> 0:03:11.910
<v Speaker 3>Well, because 9 and 10 are making all the plays,

0:03:11.930 --> 0:03:14.210
<v Speaker 3>that means everybody else on the defense is doing their job.

0:03:14.790 --> 0:03:17.120
<v Speaker 3>And Cullen Hitchler could be one of the best defensive

0:03:17.139 --> 0:03:21.240
<v Speaker 3>coordinators ever to coach at UCLA. I mean, he might

0:03:21.260 --> 0:03:23.520
<v Speaker 3>be the best defensive coordinator in college football right now.

0:03:23.540 --> 0:03:26.500
<v Speaker 3>I mean, when you watch UCLA's defense, I feel like

0:03:26.520 --> 0:03:29.410
<v Speaker 3>you're watching an NFL game. They crowd the line of scrimmage.

0:03:29.430 --> 0:03:31.850
<v Speaker 3>There's guys flying around all over the place. You know,

0:03:31.870 --> 0:03:35.170
<v Speaker 3>it's intended for the linebackers to make all those plays. Uh,

0:03:35.330 --> 0:03:37.370
<v Speaker 3>and you know, the safeties are involved. You got two

0:03:37.410 --> 0:03:40.370
<v Speaker 3>lockdown corners on the outside, but I mean, it is

0:03:40.900 --> 0:03:44.240
<v Speaker 3>such a joy to watch UCLA play defense and it's

0:03:44.260 --> 0:03:45.700
<v Speaker 3>because of their defensive coordinator.

0:03:46.620 --> 0:03:48.500
<v Speaker 2>And I think also on both sides of the ball,

0:03:48.520 --> 0:03:51.120
<v Speaker 2>we've seen this twice and it's the beginning.

0:03:50.780 --> 0:03:52.280
<v Speaker 1>Of a, of a trend, right?

0:03:52.400 --> 0:03:55.650
<v Speaker 2>Because two gives you more than one game to go

0:03:55.790 --> 0:03:57.930
<v Speaker 2>off of, but it's still only two games. I put

0:03:57.970 --> 0:04:00.670
<v Speaker 2>that out there as a caveat, but the Bruins have

0:04:00.690 --> 0:04:04.260
<v Speaker 2>been the more involved team, the more intense team, the

0:04:04.300 --> 0:04:08.060
<v Speaker 2>more in shape team when games are ending. And some

0:04:08.080 --> 0:04:10.560
<v Speaker 2>of these games obviously are still going to be played

0:04:10.600 --> 0:04:13.650
<v Speaker 2>in warmer temperatures and all of that. So how much

0:04:13.690 --> 0:04:17.230
<v Speaker 2>of that is pure conditioning? How much of that is coaching?

0:04:17.270 --> 0:04:18.310
<v Speaker 2>What do you attribute that to?

0:04:19.150 --> 0:04:21.680
<v Speaker 3>Well, I mean, coaching, Bob Chesney is probably the best

0:04:21.720 --> 0:04:25.089
<v Speaker 3>coach UCLA's had in a very long time since Terry Donahue.

0:04:25.750 --> 0:04:29.640
<v Speaker 3>I mean, he's great to talk to. I listen to

0:04:29.700 --> 0:04:32.220
<v Speaker 3>all his interviews. He gives you so much information. There's

0:04:32.260 --> 0:04:35.960
<v Speaker 3>so much buy-in with all the players. I mean, they're 100%

0:04:35.960 --> 0:04:38.839
<v Speaker 3>behind Bob Chesney, and he is coaching that entire football game.

0:04:38.860 --> 0:04:40.789
<v Speaker 1>He's talking to everybody. And he just.

0:04:41.550 --> 0:04:44.529
<v Speaker 3>Everybody forgets that, yeah, it's his first year at UCLA,

0:04:44.550 --> 0:04:47.850
<v Speaker 3>but he's been a head coach for 17 years, and he.

0:04:47.850 --> 0:04:49.089
<v Speaker 1>Started from the bottom.

0:04:49.410 --> 0:04:52.120
<v Speaker 3>He starts with his first head coaching job where he

0:04:52.150 --> 0:04:54.400
<v Speaker 3>has to coach a softball team as well just to

0:04:54.420 --> 0:04:57.960
<v Speaker 3>keep the job. And this works his way up, and

0:04:58.600 --> 0:04:59.380
<v Speaker 3>he's the best.

0:04:59.839 --> 0:05:03.800
<v Speaker 1>I'm so happy. But UCLA, one thing they do need

0:05:03.820 --> 0:05:04.140
<v Speaker 1>to do.

0:05:04.740 --> 0:05:07.840
<v Speaker 3>And Dean Kennedy, the offensive coordinator, said it best, They

0:05:07.900 --> 0:05:10.260
<v Speaker 3>need to get off to a good start. That's one

0:05:10.300 --> 0:05:13.930
<v Speaker 3>thing UCLA hasn't done from last year. They haven't had

0:05:13.990 --> 0:05:17.030
<v Speaker 3>good first quarters, and he's really stressing that. I think

0:05:17.170 --> 0:05:19.670
<v Speaker 3>if UCLA can get off to a good start, they

0:05:19.690 --> 0:05:21.570
<v Speaker 3>could be a much more dominant team.

0:05:22.330 --> 0:05:24.010
<v Speaker 2>I want to go back to something you said since

0:05:24.070 --> 0:05:26.820
<v Speaker 2>you brought up Terry Donahue, and obviously you got to

0:05:26.860 --> 0:05:30.599
<v Speaker 2>know him very well playing when you played. Is there

0:05:30.720 --> 0:05:34.290
<v Speaker 2>something to the charisma of a coach being noticed by

0:05:34.330 --> 0:05:37.010
<v Speaker 2>the guys on the team? Does that give you a

0:05:37.110 --> 0:05:40.620
<v Speaker 2>relaxation mode where you know, man, this guy's got everything

0:05:40.680 --> 0:05:41.940
<v Speaker 2>covered because I don't have to worry?

0:05:43.089 --> 0:05:44.770
<v Speaker 1>Well, it's not so much the charisma.

0:05:45.650 --> 0:05:47.809
<v Speaker 3>And you're right. I mean, you don't have to worry

0:05:47.870 --> 0:05:50.150
<v Speaker 3>as a player. You didn't have to worry when Terry

0:05:50.170 --> 0:05:52.010
<v Speaker 3>Donahue was the head coach. He was going to take

0:05:52.070 --> 0:05:55.570
<v Speaker 3>care of everything. But, you know, the buck stops with

0:05:55.589 --> 0:05:58.240
<v Speaker 3>Terry Donahue. The buck stops with Bob Chesney. I mean,

0:05:58.690 --> 0:06:02.300
<v Speaker 3>he gives everybody a decision. It's not a maybe. It's

0:06:02.460 --> 0:06:04.560
<v Speaker 3>always yes, no, this is how we're going to do it.

0:06:05.120 --> 0:06:09.060
<v Speaker 3>There's a protocol and everyone buys into that. So everybody's

0:06:09.100 --> 0:06:12.620
<v Speaker 3>on the same page. That's what I like about Bob Chesney.

0:06:12.720 --> 0:06:14.039
<v Speaker 3>That's similar to Terry Donahue.

0:06:14.900 --> 0:06:17.360
<v Speaker 2>So now as we go forward towards Purdue, I think

0:06:17.400 --> 0:06:19.280
<v Speaker 2>the headline and we kind of buried the lead here

0:06:19.300 --> 0:06:22.120
<v Speaker 2>a little bit is as the students are starting to

0:06:22.180 --> 0:06:26.120
<v Speaker 2>come back, they get this news that it's free. You're

0:06:26.140 --> 0:06:28.400
<v Speaker 2>just welcome to come on in and be part of

0:06:28.460 --> 0:06:31.050
<v Speaker 2>what's being built. And you and I have already sung

0:06:31.089 --> 0:06:33.450
<v Speaker 2>the praises of Tim Harris and how quickly he's making

0:06:33.490 --> 0:06:36.210
<v Speaker 2>changes and making an impact. But when you heard that news,

0:06:36.490 --> 0:06:38.960
<v Speaker 2>because you were a student once as well at that school,

0:06:39.400 --> 0:06:41.600
<v Speaker 2>what does that say to a fan base that we're

0:06:41.620 --> 0:06:44.240
<v Speaker 2>just going to make sure everybody that can get there

0:06:44.640 --> 0:06:46.469
<v Speaker 2>wants to be there and will take care of you?

0:06:47.810 --> 0:06:49.830
<v Speaker 3>The beer sales are going to go up, that's for sure,

0:06:49.850 --> 0:06:52.290
<v Speaker 3>because the students don't have to pay for their tickets.

0:06:52.970 --> 0:06:54.150
<v Speaker 1>I think it's a great gesture.

0:06:54.210 --> 0:06:58.060
<v Speaker 3>I mean, there's a logistical problem for the students at UCLA.

0:06:58.080 --> 0:07:00.060
<v Speaker 3>They have to go 26 miles to Pasadena to the

0:07:00.080 --> 0:07:02.940
<v Speaker 3>Rose Bowl. They're going to make all their efforts they

0:07:03.040 --> 0:07:04.849
<v Speaker 3>can to get them there.

0:07:05.130 --> 0:07:07.070
<v Speaker 1>It's free now. There's no excuse.

0:07:07.910 --> 0:07:11.030
<v Speaker 3>And once they come, I mean, they'll see how good

0:07:11.070 --> 0:07:13.650
<v Speaker 3>this football team is and they'll want to come even more.

0:07:13.920 --> 0:07:16.480
<v Speaker 3>When the students are there, it sort of attracts more

0:07:16.560 --> 0:07:19.540
<v Speaker 3>people as well. So it's a great gesture by Jim Harris.

0:07:20.480 --> 0:07:24.020
<v Speaker 2>So I'm looking at the calendar and realizing that it's

0:07:24.120 --> 0:07:29.270
<v Speaker 2>basically exactly a year since the Bruins got out 0-3, lost,

0:07:29.490 --> 0:07:31.910
<v Speaker 2>I mean, not just lost, got boat raced at home

0:07:32.230 --> 0:07:35.740
<v Speaker 2>by New Mexico, right? And then you're going into a

0:07:35.780 --> 0:07:38.490
<v Speaker 2>bye week. There's a coaching change. You come out of

0:07:38.510 --> 0:07:42.110
<v Speaker 2>the coaching change still very much 0-3. And Matt, that

0:07:42.150 --> 0:07:44.150
<v Speaker 2>was just a year ago. I mean, that almost seems

0:07:44.190 --> 0:07:46.630
<v Speaker 2>like it was a decade ago now. Are you surprised

0:07:46.670 --> 0:07:51.440
<v Speaker 2>at how quickly the just general zeitgeist around everything has

0:07:51.500 --> 0:07:52.220
<v Speaker 2>changed for the better?

0:07:53.290 --> 0:07:56.250
<v Speaker 3>You know, when Bob Chesney came with his coaching staff, seven,

0:07:56.370 --> 0:08:00.540
<v Speaker 3>you know, assistants that included the coordinators, he also brought

0:08:00.840 --> 0:08:03.240
<v Speaker 3>everybody else with him. The, you know, all the other

0:08:03.280 --> 0:08:08.730
<v Speaker 3>assistants and. people that work operations and stuff like that.

0:08:08.850 --> 0:08:13.010
<v Speaker 3>So Bob Chesney didn't come to UCLA. He brought the

0:08:13.070 --> 0:08:16.730
<v Speaker 3>village from JMU. And that's one of the keys because

0:08:16.790 --> 0:08:20.830
<v Speaker 3>now college football, I mean, it's a major corporation. It's

0:08:20.870 --> 0:08:24.290
<v Speaker 3>a major product that brings in a lot of money

0:08:24.330 --> 0:08:27.250
<v Speaker 3>to a school. And you have to have a lot

0:08:27.300 --> 0:08:30.620
<v Speaker 3>of people supporting the head coach. And like I said,

0:08:30.900 --> 0:08:34.059
<v Speaker 3>Bob Chesney brought in the village. And I think that's

0:08:34.100 --> 0:08:36.500
<v Speaker 3>why UCLA is where they're at right now, 2-0.

0:08:37.460 --> 0:08:40.760
<v Speaker 2>So Purdue comes in 1-1, and I think the headline

0:08:40.840 --> 0:08:42.969
<v Speaker 2>there is the last time they actually won a Big

0:08:43.050 --> 0:08:46.370
<v Speaker 2>Ten game, the movie Oppenheimer wasn't even out yet.

0:08:46.790 --> 0:08:47.829
<v Speaker 1>I mean, this was a while ago.

0:08:47.870 --> 0:08:53.070
<v Speaker 2>We're talking about 2023. That's incredible. Nothing in 2024, nothing

0:08:53.090 --> 0:08:57.000
<v Speaker 2>in 2025, 0-9 in conference both times. The Bruins did

0:08:57.040 --> 0:08:59.880
<v Speaker 2>not get the pleasure, I guess you could say, of

0:08:59.940 --> 0:09:03.710
<v Speaker 2>playing against them. I get the sense they're different this year,

0:09:03.809 --> 0:09:05.870
<v Speaker 2>at least a little bit better. They're not a team

0:09:05.910 --> 0:09:08.130
<v Speaker 2>that's going to finish upper echelon of the Big Ten,

0:09:08.190 --> 0:09:10.690
<v Speaker 2>but I've looked at them on tape. Would you agree

0:09:11.130 --> 0:09:13.910
<v Speaker 2>this doesn't look like a team right now that would

0:09:13.929 --> 0:09:15.709
<v Speaker 2>lose 18 conference games in a row?

0:09:16.990 --> 0:09:19.939
<v Speaker 3>This is a very good football team, and both Hitchler

0:09:19.980 --> 0:09:23.979
<v Speaker 3>and Kennedy, the coordinators for UCLA, are very concerned about Purdue.

0:09:25.260 --> 0:09:28.050
<v Speaker 3>Right now, Ryan Brown is probably the hottest quarterback in

0:09:28.090 --> 0:09:31.329
<v Speaker 3>college football. He was going to transfer. He came back.

0:09:31.950 --> 0:09:36.710
<v Speaker 3>He's putting up 77% completion percentage. He's throwing for 323

0:09:36.710 --> 0:09:40.410
<v Speaker 3>a game. He completes 27 passes per game in the

0:09:40.470 --> 0:09:43.880
<v Speaker 3>last two games. He throws the ball like an NFL quarterback.

0:09:43.890 --> 0:09:45.700
<v Speaker 3>In fact, I think he's going to be in the NFL.

0:09:46.140 --> 0:09:48.740
<v Speaker 3>And he's got four or five targets that he can

0:09:48.800 --> 0:09:52.830
<v Speaker 3>throw to. Then you throw in Emei Idjiboye. The running back,

0:09:53.530 --> 0:09:56.340
<v Speaker 3>he is a truck when he's coming at you, and

0:09:56.360 --> 0:09:57.640
<v Speaker 3>he's got some shake and bake.

0:09:58.090 --> 0:09:59.270
<v Speaker 1>He can create space.

0:09:59.990 --> 0:10:02.870
<v Speaker 3>Uh you know right now this Purdue team they're going

0:10:02.890 --> 0:10:05.030
<v Speaker 3>to put a lot of points on the board and

0:10:05.080 --> 0:10:08.040
<v Speaker 3>also their defense uh they're very big they're quick they

0:10:08.080 --> 0:10:10.960
<v Speaker 3>get penetration I mean it's not the Purdue team of

0:10:11.020 --> 0:10:13.740
<v Speaker 3>last year and Barry Odom's made some big changes.

0:10:14.250 --> 0:10:15.750
<v Speaker 2>So I want to unpack a little bit of what

0:10:15.790 --> 0:10:18.320
<v Speaker 2>you said, kind of position by position. Let's start with

0:10:18.340 --> 0:10:20.920
<v Speaker 2>the quarterback. And yeah, he had a little dalliance going

0:10:21.000 --> 0:10:24.859
<v Speaker 2>to North Carolina. He decides to come back. He's buffed

0:10:24.940 --> 0:10:27.400
<v Speaker 2>up a little bit, Matt. He's about 10, 12 pounds

0:10:27.460 --> 0:10:30.300
<v Speaker 2>heavier than he was a year ago. It looks like

0:10:30.360 --> 0:10:32.829
<v Speaker 2>his decision making is getting better. That was one of

0:10:32.870 --> 0:10:34.670
<v Speaker 2>the things, I guess, that slowed him down last year

0:10:34.750 --> 0:10:39.030
<v Speaker 2>was more interceptions than touchdowns. This team hasn't turned it

0:10:39.130 --> 0:10:41.650
<v Speaker 2>over yet this year. Now, granted, it's only been two games.

0:10:41.710 --> 0:10:44.200
<v Speaker 2>One of them was against Indiana State. But this looks

0:10:44.280 --> 0:10:45.820
<v Speaker 2>like a guy who knows what he's doing.

0:10:46.880 --> 0:10:50.309
<v Speaker 3>Well, I mean, Brown, he's 6'4, 220. He's not a

0:10:50.370 --> 0:10:52.949
<v Speaker 3>small dude. I mean, maybe he was 205 last year.

0:10:53.250 --> 0:10:55.750
<v Speaker 3>And you talk about last year making mistakes. There wasn't

0:10:55.809 --> 0:10:58.880
<v Speaker 3>as much talent on the outside that he could throw to.

0:10:58.900 --> 0:11:00.760
<v Speaker 3>And he didn't have a great running back as well.

0:11:01.100 --> 0:11:04.060
<v Speaker 3>So now you bring those pieces in with Brown. And

0:11:04.080 --> 0:11:05.240
<v Speaker 3>you're looking at him.

0:11:05.059 --> 0:11:07.280
<v Speaker 1>Going, wow, this guy's really good.

0:11:07.580 --> 0:11:10.750
<v Speaker 3>He has pocket mobility. He'll stand in the pocket and

0:11:10.850 --> 0:11:14.130
<v Speaker 3>take a hit. If a guy's coming down on him,

0:11:14.570 --> 0:11:17.490
<v Speaker 3>he throws in rhythm. He's on time. I mean, I

0:11:17.790 --> 0:11:21.270
<v Speaker 3>am so impressed watching his film. And like I said,

0:11:21.309 --> 0:11:23.969
<v Speaker 3>I mean, you put a better offensive line and that

0:11:24.030 --> 0:11:26.570
<v Speaker 3>talent around him, that really showcases his skills.

0:11:27.830 --> 0:11:32.170
<v Speaker 2>As for Easy Boy, it's really... Easy to watch that

0:11:32.290 --> 0:11:36.120
<v Speaker 2>tape and say to yourself, OK, UCLA has not had

0:11:36.160 --> 0:11:39.820
<v Speaker 2>to face Nick Chubb the last few years. You know,

0:11:39.840 --> 0:11:42.700
<v Speaker 2>none of these great jump cutters. I can't remember the

0:11:42.740 --> 0:11:45.260
<v Speaker 2>last time the Bruins faced a running back who could

0:11:45.320 --> 0:11:48.300
<v Speaker 2>just literally make you miss like you're a hologram like

0:11:48.320 --> 0:11:50.040
<v Speaker 2>this guy. You mentioned he's a truck. I know he

0:11:50.059 --> 0:11:52.560
<v Speaker 2>can run people over. I'm just as impressed with his

0:11:52.620 --> 0:11:55.040
<v Speaker 2>ability to to fake left, go right and just leave

0:11:55.059 --> 0:11:55.660
<v Speaker 2>you standing there.

0:11:56.850 --> 0:11:58.150
<v Speaker 1>I mean, he's got all the moves.

0:11:58.230 --> 0:12:01.969
<v Speaker 3>And what Colin Hitcher said, the defensive coordinator, you have

0:12:02.010 --> 0:12:04.720
<v Speaker 3>to put a shoulder on him because he will run

0:12:04.840 --> 0:12:08.839
<v Speaker 3>through you. He has great collision balance. He can catch

0:12:08.900 --> 0:12:09.360
<v Speaker 3>the ball.

0:12:10.300 --> 0:12:11.360
<v Speaker 1>I mean, he's explosive.

0:12:11.420 --> 0:12:14.500
<v Speaker 3>And Purdue, they run an offense where it's just one

0:12:14.559 --> 0:12:17.740
<v Speaker 3>running back set, and then they'll spread you out on defense,

0:12:17.940 --> 0:12:20.760
<v Speaker 3>either with three wide outs, four wide outs, and not

0:12:20.800 --> 0:12:23.120
<v Speaker 3>have a tight end in. So that gives him a

0:12:23.220 --> 0:12:26.459
<v Speaker 3>lot of space to run in. And he's going to be–

0:12:26.830 --> 0:12:28.130
<v Speaker 3>You know, one of the players you want to watch

0:12:28.170 --> 0:12:28.770
<v Speaker 3>Saturday night.

0:12:29.870 --> 0:12:33.210
<v Speaker 2>As for the defense, I guess it's a little bit

0:12:33.270 --> 0:12:36.530
<v Speaker 2>unusual that Kevin Kane would come back because he was

0:12:36.600 --> 0:12:40.680
<v Speaker 2>basically all but run out of town with pitchforks the

0:12:40.720 --> 0:12:42.400
<v Speaker 2>last time he was in charge of the defense. They

0:12:42.420 --> 0:12:45.440
<v Speaker 2>bring him back, and it doesn't seem like the fan

0:12:45.460 --> 0:12:48.579
<v Speaker 2>base exactly welcomed him with open arms. But I think

0:12:48.620 --> 0:12:51.599
<v Speaker 2>he's got some more talent to work with this time.

0:12:51.620 --> 0:12:54.220
<v Speaker 2>They've got some really big guys in the secondary. I mean,

0:12:54.240 --> 0:12:55.559
<v Speaker 2>we're talking some 6'3, 6'4, corners.

0:12:57.600 --> 0:13:00.980
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, I mean, actually, Don Sanders is 6'4. He came

0:13:01.020 --> 0:13:04.380
<v Speaker 3>from Utah. He's going to be an NFL corner. I

0:13:04.420 --> 0:13:07.460
<v Speaker 3>like Hines as well. Their safeties are big. One guy

0:13:07.480 --> 0:13:09.939
<v Speaker 3>you're going to talk about a lot on Saturday night, Josh,

0:13:09.980 --> 0:13:14.080
<v Speaker 3>is Charles Correa. He's their linebacker, the guy that really

0:13:14.140 --> 0:13:18.790
<v Speaker 3>makes all the plays, the leader of their defense. Dean

0:13:18.830 --> 0:13:22.189
<v Speaker 3>Kennedy was talking, too, about Ian Jeffries and Kurt Neal,

0:13:22.210 --> 0:13:25.820
<v Speaker 3>the defensive tackles. He's really worried about them in terms

0:13:25.860 --> 0:13:28.760
<v Speaker 3>of getting a push. He says they're the biggest defense

0:13:28.780 --> 0:13:31.220
<v Speaker 3>they're going to face. I actually thought Cal was really big.

0:13:31.950 --> 0:13:34.590
<v Speaker 1>But, you know, Purdue's very... you know, has good size

0:13:34.670 --> 0:13:35.250
<v Speaker 1>on defense.

0:13:35.890 --> 0:13:38.470
<v Speaker 3>One thing they do is that they have two safeties

0:13:38.530 --> 0:13:41.069
<v Speaker 3>that play deep in the middle of the field. They're

0:13:41.090 --> 0:13:42.750
<v Speaker 3>not going to be able to do that against UCLA's

0:13:42.790 --> 0:13:44.210
<v Speaker 3>run game. One of those guys is going to have

0:13:44.230 --> 0:13:45.500
<v Speaker 3>to come up. So they're going to be out of

0:13:45.510 --> 0:13:48.560
<v Speaker 3>their base defense. And the other problem, too, for Purdue, Josh,

0:13:48.960 --> 0:13:51.480
<v Speaker 3>they're playing it at 11 o'clock when you think about

0:13:51.520 --> 0:13:52.160
<v Speaker 3>it at night.

0:13:52.540 --> 0:13:55.180
<v Speaker 1>You know, it's eight o'clock kickoff. But, you know, back

0:13:55.240 --> 0:13:57.819
<v Speaker 1>in Purdue University, that's going to be 11 o'clock at

0:13:57.960 --> 0:14:00.040
<v Speaker 1>night for that kickoff. That's that's pretty tough.

0:14:00.870 --> 0:14:03.950
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, and just as a fan, and this is not

0:14:03.970 --> 0:14:06.990
<v Speaker 2>supposed to be a podcast that blasts Big Ten scheduling

0:14:07.030 --> 0:14:10.730
<v Speaker 2>or anything like that, but if I'm a Purdue fan,

0:14:10.830 --> 0:14:13.150
<v Speaker 2>I'm like, are you serious? I got to stay up

0:14:13.190 --> 0:14:16.250
<v Speaker 2>till 2.30 in the morning to see if my team

0:14:16.290 --> 0:14:19.010
<v Speaker 2>wins a game? I mean, isn't there, I don't know,

0:14:19.190 --> 0:14:22.530
<v Speaker 2>like a write your congressman kind of a vibe to that? Like,

0:14:22.550 --> 0:14:23.650
<v Speaker 2>how can that be a thing?

0:14:24.840 --> 0:14:25.380
<v Speaker 1>Well, I know.

0:14:25.460 --> 0:14:27.940
<v Speaker 3>TV rules, you know, they make the schedule. It's not,

0:14:28.120 --> 0:14:30.600
<v Speaker 3>you know, the Big Ten. The Big Ten just sort

0:14:30.640 --> 0:14:32.900
<v Speaker 3>of follow in TV. But yeah, that's pretty tough. I mean,

0:14:33.240 --> 0:14:34.760
<v Speaker 3>if you're coming all the way out from the East

0:14:34.800 --> 0:14:36.880
<v Speaker 3>Coast to play on the West Coast in the Big Ten,

0:14:36.920 --> 0:14:39.320
<v Speaker 3>I think there should be a rule. The game shouldn't

0:14:39.340 --> 0:14:40.940
<v Speaker 3>be no later than six o'clock kickoff.

0:14:42.060 --> 0:14:44.540
<v Speaker 2>In terms of what to expect from the fan base, though,

0:14:44.600 --> 0:14:46.100
<v Speaker 2>and you and I have talked about game times a

0:14:46.100 --> 0:14:50.000
<v Speaker 2>little bit this year, the eight o'clock kick, I don't

0:14:50.040 --> 0:14:53.450
<v Speaker 2>think it's ideal for anybody. But if you're suddenly happy

0:14:53.470 --> 0:14:56.130
<v Speaker 2>to be at the Rose Bowl again what an opportunity

0:14:56.150 --> 0:14:58.550
<v Speaker 2>to just tailgate your butt off, right? I mean, all

0:14:58.570 --> 0:14:58.990
<v Speaker 2>day long.

0:15:00.710 --> 0:15:02.970
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, it's true. My wife's not coming to that game.

0:15:03.010 --> 0:15:03.990
<v Speaker 1>She's a little disappointed.

0:15:04.070 --> 0:15:06.710
<v Speaker 3>She would have probably tailgated for about six hours, but

0:15:07.330 --> 0:15:08.970
<v Speaker 3>it's going to be a really nice day out there

0:15:09.550 --> 0:15:10.950
<v Speaker 3>at the Rose Bowl. I mean, the weather's going to

0:15:10.970 --> 0:15:14.090
<v Speaker 3>be good, but it is a late game, you know,

0:15:14.150 --> 0:15:15.630
<v Speaker 3>and I wish it was a little earlier.

0:15:16.510 --> 0:15:19.680
<v Speaker 2>So to kind of head towards the finish line on

0:15:19.740 --> 0:15:25.030
<v Speaker 2>our conversation here, Matt, just in terms of getting these rivalries, established.

0:15:25.100 --> 0:15:27.560
<v Speaker 2>I mean, Purdue and UCLA have only played five times,

0:15:28.120 --> 0:15:33.600
<v Speaker 2>mostly 50s, 60s, 70s. Obviously, you know, nobody, or I

0:15:33.640 --> 0:15:36.660
<v Speaker 2>should say very few people remember those games at all.

0:15:37.420 --> 0:15:39.560
<v Speaker 2>Is it helpful in a weird way? I mean, we

0:15:39.580 --> 0:15:42.250
<v Speaker 2>didn't really have to when Washington came in, or when

0:15:42.280 --> 0:15:44.490
<v Speaker 2>Arizona came in, we didn't have to tell the story

0:15:45.030 --> 0:15:49.500
<v Speaker 2>of those schools histories that much. Do you agree? I mean,

0:15:49.640 --> 0:15:51.640
<v Speaker 2>I think that it's helpful just to spend a minute

0:15:51.680 --> 0:15:55.150
<v Speaker 2>talking about who Purdue is in football because, I mean,

0:15:55.170 --> 0:15:56.650
<v Speaker 2>if you don't go back to the days of Drew

0:15:56.690 --> 0:16:00.220
<v Speaker 2>Brees or Bob Greasy or whatever, it's not a team

0:16:00.240 --> 0:16:01.580
<v Speaker 2>that you probably have watched a lot.

0:16:02.550 --> 0:16:04.950
<v Speaker 3>Well, I mean, Aiden O'Connell, the quarterback for the Raiders,

0:16:05.030 --> 0:16:07.670
<v Speaker 3>Jim Everett, Kyle Orton. I mean, those are the guys

0:16:07.690 --> 0:16:10.460
<v Speaker 3>that have played in the NFL for Purdue. I mean, Purdue,

0:16:10.800 --> 0:16:13.000
<v Speaker 3>you know, under Drew Brees, has some really good teams.

0:16:13.080 --> 0:16:15.760
<v Speaker 3>And they've gone on some hard times. I think Barry

0:16:15.820 --> 0:16:18.660
<v Speaker 3>Odom's the guy that can turn this program around. I mean,

0:16:18.700 --> 0:16:21.320
<v Speaker 3>he did it at UNLV, and no one thought you

0:16:21.360 --> 0:16:23.550
<v Speaker 3>could win at UNLV. And he took this job. He

0:16:23.590 --> 0:16:28.170
<v Speaker 3>knows there's challenges. I think Purdue, you know, could finish,

0:16:28.210 --> 0:16:31.360
<v Speaker 3>you know, you know, with a 500 record. I mean,

0:16:31.740 --> 0:16:33.820
<v Speaker 3>when you got a guy like Ryan Brown and a

0:16:33.860 --> 0:16:36.230
<v Speaker 3>running back, you know, like they have, I mean, you're

0:16:36.250 --> 0:16:38.150
<v Speaker 3>going to put points on the board. And, you know,

0:16:38.190 --> 0:16:40.630
<v Speaker 3>I know they lost to Wake Forest at home in

0:16:40.670 --> 0:16:43.530
<v Speaker 3>double overtime, but Wake Forest was nine and four last year.

0:16:43.890 --> 0:16:46.630
<v Speaker 3>It's not like, you know, they were a bad team.

0:16:46.710 --> 0:16:50.610
<v Speaker 3>So I think Purdue is on the verge of finally

0:16:50.850 --> 0:16:52.370
<v Speaker 3>turning the corner with Barry Odom.

0:16:53.350 --> 0:16:57.420
<v Speaker 2>So as we look inside the matchup, that we're actually

0:16:57.440 --> 0:17:02.350
<v Speaker 2>going to have at kickoff. You know, UCLA for years, Matt,

0:17:02.380 --> 0:17:04.649
<v Speaker 2>unfortunately has had this thing with penalties and, you know,

0:17:04.690 --> 0:17:07.250
<v Speaker 2>coaching staffs have changed. I don't know what it is,

0:17:07.650 --> 0:17:10.630
<v Speaker 2>but it's 20 penalties and two games so far. Purdue's

0:17:10.670 --> 0:17:13.490
<v Speaker 2>not far behind. Is it too simplistic to say that

0:17:13.550 --> 0:17:17.010
<v Speaker 2>whoever just takes care of their own business puts themselves

0:17:17.070 --> 0:17:18.410
<v Speaker 2>in a good position to win this game?

0:17:19.270 --> 0:17:21.689
<v Speaker 3>You know, it doesn't really matter about UCLA and penalties.

0:17:21.750 --> 0:17:24.350
<v Speaker 3>Of course, Bob Chesney, it matters and it drives him crazy.

0:17:25.150 --> 0:17:26.300
<v Speaker 3>I think the key of this game is going to

0:17:26.340 --> 0:17:28.780
<v Speaker 3>be time of possession, though, Josh. I mean, Purdue just

0:17:28.820 --> 0:17:31.840
<v Speaker 3>hangs on the football forever. I mean, right now they

0:17:31.880 --> 0:17:35.220
<v Speaker 3>have over it's almost 35 minutes time of possession a game.

0:17:35.940 --> 0:17:37.439
<v Speaker 3>And you've got to get that ball away from them.

0:17:37.520 --> 0:17:39.399
<v Speaker 3>And UCLA, yeah, they've got to cut down the penalties.

0:17:39.440 --> 0:17:42.340
<v Speaker 3>But the penalties that they had, you know, against San

0:17:42.359 --> 0:17:45.330
<v Speaker 3>Diego State, you know, they were pass interference and holding

0:17:45.380 --> 0:17:48.390
<v Speaker 3>on the outside. You can live with that if you're

0:17:48.430 --> 0:17:51.189
<v Speaker 3>saving a touchdown. You know, it's the small little offsides

0:17:51.230 --> 0:17:54.210
<v Speaker 3>and things that drive you crazy there. I think UCLA

0:17:54.250 --> 0:17:57.149
<v Speaker 3>did a much better job as they did in the

0:17:57.230 --> 0:18:00.990
<v Speaker 3>first game. So, but yeah, you got to cut that down,

0:18:01.030 --> 0:18:03.990
<v Speaker 3>but UCLA, I mean, they're without those interceptions, you know,

0:18:04.330 --> 0:18:06.470
<v Speaker 3>they haven't put the ball down on the ground yet.

0:18:06.550 --> 0:18:07.370
<v Speaker 1>So that's really good.

0:18:08.290 --> 0:18:11.750
<v Speaker 2>UCLA is a two touchdown favorite. That's always a good

0:18:11.770 --> 0:18:14.889
<v Speaker 2>thing to report. And obviously the fact that again, as

0:18:14.910 --> 0:18:17.140
<v Speaker 2>we look at the vibes, those seem to be so

0:18:17.200 --> 0:18:19.940
<v Speaker 2>high right now, I think there's a distinct home field advantage.

0:18:20.220 --> 0:18:23.230
<v Speaker 2>You mentioned the, Purdue team having to travel west and

0:18:23.250 --> 0:18:25.270
<v Speaker 2>kick off at 11 o'clock body time. So a lot

0:18:25.310 --> 0:18:28.830
<v Speaker 2>of things point towards 3-0, but you absolutely do have

0:18:28.850 --> 0:18:30.610
<v Speaker 2>to take care of business. And Matt, I can't wait

0:18:30.630 --> 0:18:32.750
<v Speaker 2>to be in the booth with you. That 8 o'clock

0:18:32.790 --> 0:18:38.060
<v Speaker 2>kick on KABC locally, SiriusXM, and the Bruins website internationally,

0:18:38.140 --> 0:18:40.719
<v Speaker 2>so you can find us wherever. Appreciate you, brother, and

0:18:41.240 --> 0:18:44.360
<v Speaker 2>drive safe to Pasadena. We'll see you soon. All right.

0:18:44.380 --> 0:18:45.460
<v Speaker 1>Look forward to the game, Josh.

0:18:46.100 --> 0:18:49.020
<v Speaker 2>That is Matt Stevens. I'm Josh Lewin. Four's up. Thanks

0:18:49.060 --> 0:18:51.940
<v Speaker 2>for listening. We will see you. at the Rose Bowl

0:18:52.200 --> 0:18:52.760
<v Speaker 2>in Pasadena.