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Three wins in Utah this week and a whole lot to talk about.

I break down Utah’s gritty road win at Wyoming—dominant defense (hello, John Henry Daly), red-zone hiccups, and a freshman kicking game that has me chewing nails—then pivot to a huge Texas Tech at Utah preview with Big Noon Kickoff in town. After that, it’s Utah State shocking Air Force behind Bryson Barnes’ five touchdowns and why bowl eligibility suddenly feels real in Year 1 under Bronco. We jump back into MLS with Real Salt Lake 2–1 Sporting KC—Diego Luna back on the sheet, playoff math, and why I still don’t trust the defense. Then it’s the Utah Mammoth rookie camp/showcase takeaways: why I’m bullish on the top-end prospects, what the bottom-six/bottom-four battles might look like, and how this front office is building with purpose. I close with early Borderlands 4 impressions (story/writing >>> BL3, fun gunplay, PC launch warts and all).

If you enjoy the show, share it with one friend who’d vibe with Utah sports and games. It helps more than you know. 💙

Topics

• Utes at Wyoming: elite defense, red-zone woes, freshman kicker nerves
• Texas Tech preview: strength-on-strength at Rice-Eccles
• Utah State 49–30 Air Force: Barnes’ breakout, Aggie path to a bowl
• RSL 2–1 SKC: Luna’s spark, play-in chase, defensive doubts
• Utah Mammoth rookies: top-heavy prospect pool, roster battles, year-one expectations
• Borderlands 4: first-look thumbs up (full review next week)

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This week on The Matt Cave, Utah college football takes center stage. 🏈

• BYU vs. Stanford: The Cougars’ defense dominated with sacks, turnovers, and shutdown play, but offensive play-calling remains a concern.
• Utah vs. Cal Poly: A blowout win revealed little, though questions linger about two-way players and receiver depth.
• Utah State vs. Texas A&M: Bronco Mendenhall’s Aggies showed fight but were ultimately outclassed in a tough paycheck game.

Beyond football, the show covers the Utah Mammoth’s rookie camp at their brand-new Sandy facility, Lauri Markkanen leading Finland past Serbia in international play, and Diego Luna with the USMNT in a tough loss to South Korea.

On the gaming side, Matt delivers his Borderlands franchise rankings while previewing Borderlands 4 and highlights why The Finals might be the most underrated free-to-play shooter out right now. 🎮

From college football breakdowns to NHL expansion buzz, NBA international updates, soccer struggles, and gaming hype, this episode delivers a full dive into sports and pop culture from a Utah perspective.

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🚨 New Episode Alert! 🚨

Week 1 of college football is in the books — and for once, we’ve got a Utah hat trick 🎩⚡ All three teams (Utah, BYU, Utah State) came away with wins… though some looked a whole lot prettier than others 👀

🏈 Utah’s defense embarrassed UCLA while Dampier took care of the ball
 🏈 Utah State found stability (and some weird helmets) in Bronco Mendenhall’s debut
 🏈 BYU’s true freshman QB Bear Bachmeier didn’t just survive — he thrived in a 69–0 demolition

Plus, I wrap things up with my hype check on Borderlands 4 (Sept 12) and Battlefield 6 (Oct 10) — the two biggest releases left this year (sorry, Call of Duty). 🎮

Grab your Diet Coke, settle in, and let’s spelunk into the madness. 🎙️

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The 2025 college football season is here — and The Matt Cave is diving deep into the BYU Cougars football preview before Week 1 kicks off.

In this episode, Matt breaks down everything Cougar Nation needs to know:

• QB1 Bear Bachmeier: true freshman starter, comparisons to Taysom Hill, and what fans can realistically expect.
• BYU’s offense: Chase Roberts, Tiger Bachmeier, JoJo Phillips, LJ Martin, and a rebuilt offensive line.
• BYU’s defense: led by Jack Kelly, Isaiah Glasker, and Raider Demouni — but can they finally generate sacks?
• Special teams strength: All-American kicker Will Ferrin and returner Parker Kingston.
• Season prediction: Ceiling, floor, and why Matt has BYU finishing 6–6 in 2025.

Plus — we end with a gamer’s PSA on The Finals, the free-to-play FPS you need to try if you’re tired of Call of Duty and Fortnite.

Grab a Diet Coke for those late kickoffs, and let’s spelunk into the BYU football season!

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The Utes are on deck! This week on The Matt Cave Podcast, Matt dives deep into the University of Utah’s 2025 football season outlook under Kyle Whittingham. With Devon Dampier stepping into the spotlight and Jason Beck bringing a new-look offense, what can Ute fans realistically expect? Matt lays out Utah’s floor, ceiling, and his season prediction, plus the players to watch as the Big 12 era ramps up.

To close things out, Matt reviews EA Sports College Football 26. Was this year’s version a step forward or just an expensive roster update? Hear his honest breakdown of what’s new, what still needs fixing, and whether it’s worth your money.

Oh, and this episode is dedicated to longtime listener Angela Hammond — and yes, we see you, Quench It fans in Lehi.

👉 Season predictions, roster questions, turnovers, defense, and video games — it’s all packed into this week’s episode.

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Football season is almost here, and it’s time to break down Year One of the Bronco Mendenhall era at Utah State. I cover the Aggies’ offense, defense, coaching staff, key players, and schedule before giving my official 2025 record prediction — and it might not be what Aggie fans want to hear.

Then we shift gears to gaming, diving into why the Battlefield 6 beta has over half a million concurrent players, how EA finally learned from Battlefield 2042’s mistakes, and why October 2025 could be the best month for shooter fans in years.

Whether you’re here for college football talk or video game hype, this episode has you covered.

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Soccer, shooters, and some spicy NFL drama—this week’s Matt Cave has it all.

First, Matt breaks down Real Salt Lake’s wild run in the Leagues Cup, explaining what the tournament actually is, why MLS vs. Liga MX is heating up, and how RSL’s penalty shootouts became must-watch chaos.

Then it’s on to Battlefield 6, where EA finally looks ready to bounce back after the disaster of 2042. Hear why the new reveal has Matt cautiously hyped and why this could be the Battlefield comeback fans have been waiting for.

Finally, we wrap with a hilarious dive into Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys’ Micah Parsons drama, because watching America’s Team implode in the offseason is just too much fun.

Football season is almost here, but until then, we’ve got plenty to rant about in the Cave. Spelunk in and enjoy the show!

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This week in The Matt Cave, Matt tries to process two things he never thought he'd say in 2025: Real Salt Lake is in playoff position, and BYU Men’s Basketball is being hyped as a national title contender. No, seriously.

First, he breaks down RSL’s wild 2-1 win over San Jose, featuring two goals that were more “gifts” than greatness. Then it's time to dive into an ESPN article that has BYU ahead of blue bloods like Duke, Kansas, and Michigan State — a sentence 15-year-old Matt would never believe. AJ Dybantsa, transfer portal wins, and offensive firepower? What timeline is this?

Plus:

• Thoughts on Pablo Mastroeni’s Herculean coaching job
• A preview of what’s coming during college football season
• Updates on Matt’s EA Sports College Football 26 review and a potential Mammoth podcast opportunity 👀

Spelunk in, share with a friend, and prepare for some unfiltered Utah sports takes like only The Matt Cave can provide.

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This week in The Matt Cave, Real Salt Lake finally breaks the curse in Portland, notching their first win in Oregon since 2017 — only to trip over themselves at home against Eastern Conference leader FC Cincinnati. Matt breaks down both matches and what they mean for RSL’s playoff hopes (yes, playoffs).

Plus: A quick but funny Utah Mammoth update involving ESPN’s painfully slow name correction, and a deep dive into six video games worth your time in a pretty meh release year. From Borderlands 4 hype to Pokémon Legends: Z-A, to tangents on why Ubisoft is the worst, this episode has rants, recs, and real talk.

Celebrate Pioneer Day with some salty MLS truth and nerdy game previews — only in The Matt Cave.

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Real Salt Lake makes it four unbeaten, but are they for real? Diego Luna's return sparks life into the squad, but will he even be here for their next match? Matt dives deep into RSL's win over Houston, Luna's looming transfer, and the growing tension between short-term results and long-term planning.

Then it's Big 12 Media Days recap time: BYU and Utah showed up in full fluff mode, but there were still some nuggets to break down. Matt gives his honest take on Devin Dampier, Utah's new offense, Kalani Sitake's refreshing NIL perspective, and who he thinks should be QB1 for the Cougars (spoiler: it's not McCae Hillstead).

Plus, some props to Kyle Whittingham and a brutally honest look at what both programs need to prove heading into the fall.

Rate, review, subscribe, and as always—share the show with just one person who'd enjoy spelunking into the Cave.

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