Boomo Bugg Show 121225

[0:00] Now, get ready to roll, Shoals, Decatur, Athens and all of Northwest Alabama and Southern Tennessee. It's time for the Valley's exclusive FM Sports Voice. The Boomo Bugg Show. Your exclusive inside track to the Tide, Tigers, Tennessee and the rest of the SEC. Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9, The Score. Good afternoon and welcome here to the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving us free ride around the Tennessee Valley. Brett Beaird, welcome in where we now know next year's big slate of dates in football.

But do we have to wait that long to get a big date in the state when it comes to basketball? Good afternoon, welcome in and how are you? Happy Friday to you and the listeners. No, we do not. As you've alluded to, 2026 SEC football schedules were in bail last night on the SEC Network. And we'll look at some of the teams, including Alabama, Auburn and Tennessee. Blake Lovell and Mike Huguenen will preview the SEC teams in the college football playoff next weekend. And BP is here right now to preview the CM Mutant Classic in Birmingham featuring number one, Arizona, versus number 12, Alabama.

And there's two kinds of people when it comes to that, depending on which side of the Mason-Dixon line you're on. Up north, they're fired up. Down here, we're far down. Brian Passick is probably both. He's going to be on the call there. He's got one of the best seats in the house. The number 12 takes on number one of the Alabama Crimson Tide Network. Brian Passick, welcome in. Brian Passick, how are you? I'm doing great, guys. How are y'all? Hey, buddy. Yeah, we're doing all right. You know, Brian, here's the deal.

People don't realize what a treat this is. We had on yesterday CM's son, who's now up at Sanford. And he was talking about this, what it means to his family. But not only is it something that's meaningful to the Newton family, my goodness gracious, how many times do you get to have the number one team in your backyard? This has to be – all dates are special, but this one has to be some extra frosting on it. It does. And to answer your question, pretty often, actually, because Nate Oates, year in and year out, plays the toughest schedule in the country.

And this will be the second time in the early part of the season that Alabama has hosted the number one team in the country. Hopefully, it goes a little better than it did in Coleman Coliseum last month against Purdue. But hopefully, Alabama's a little healthier than they've been this season. And I think that'll play a big part in what happens tomorrow night in Birmingham. Let's talk about that, because I saw the show the other day, the game, and it looked like the MASH unit. I think Alabama had as many people over there hobbling as they did, suited up to play.

But what's the latest that you can tell us, Brian, as far as the MASH report? Well, it sounds like it's getting better and better. And the good news is, this is a really deep Alabama team. And they've been able to weather the storm for the most part. And there have been a bunch of good wins over the course of the early season. And there have been some losses. I would have loved to see Alabama at full strength against some of these teams that they lost to, and even some of the teams that they beat, but still been able to weather the storm.

And I'm not so sure that the injury situation that this team has gone through will not ultimately make them a better basketball team in the future, because we've seen the emergence of all three of these freshmen. They've played great. They've gotten opportunities, you know, specifically London Jemison, who was not playing a ton in the early part of the season, got an opportunity out in Las Vegas. And I think he's now four or five straight games in double figures. And he was someone that I wasn't sure was ready to help this team, and he clearly is.

And as guys get healthy, I think he's earned playing time. I think all of a sudden this is a deeper basketball team. And Davion Hanna, another freshman, same way. Amari Allen, doesn't matter who's healthy or who's not, he's one of the best freshmen in college basketball, back-to-back SEC Freshman of the Week honors the last couple of weeks. So this freshman class has really stepped up when they've been needed because of the injury situation. But to answer your question, it sounds like Keaton Bristow will be available in the game tomorrow.

And, of course, Littrell Reitzel will be back. And, you know, he played some in Alabama's last game. Aiden Holloway hopefully will play. One of the best shooters in college basketball, one of the most improved players in the country, in my opinion, when healthy. So hopefully he's back. And, gosh, who else is out? It's hard to keep up with the injury situation for Alabama. But, again, thankfully this is a deep team and they've been able to overcome a lot of those obstacles. You look at one of the preseason favorites for the SEC and everybody's kind of saying, hey, what's going on with Kentucky?

[5:11] You know, why haven't they played? Well, they've got three starters out, you know, and that's a legitimate thing. And I'm thinking, so does Alabama. You know, there's been three starter-level players out the majority of the season, but they've been able to overcome it. And I really believe it's going to make them a better team down the line. I agree with you. Amari Allen has really impressed me, not only in Las Vegas, but I know against Clemson, a double-double, 20 points and 11 rebounds. I'm like you, London Jimmison seems to be getting better every day.

And one more, Jalil Bethea, the transfer from Miami, went off with 20 points against Texas San Antonio. And I know you've mentioned this to us a couple of times. It is, Alabama may have the best backcourt when they're all healthy. They may have the best backcourt in basketball. Yeah, I agree. And the player that I was forgetting is Taylor Bulbowen, who was out with back spasms against UTSA, should be available and ready to go tomorrow night against number one, Arizona. But, yeah, I thought coming into the season, on paper, this is the best backcourt in the country.

And now that I've seen some of these guys play, I think without question it is, especially with what we've seen in limited action from Jalil Bethea. He's a former five-star recruit, McDonald's All-American, one of the top ten players coming into college basketball a year ago. And had a solid year at Miami, but not a great year in terms of what was expected. But a lot like Aidan Holloway, he has found his home in a system and a comfort level with the freedom that Aidan Oates gives his players.

And I think he is going to have a breakout year once he's fully healthy and gets the rust off. The rust appeared to be off against UTSA with the numbers that you mentioned. He was great in that game and just gives Alabama more talent, more depth, and an already loaded backcourt. How many players don't want to come to a coach who gets on you for not shooting a three, huh? That's kind of rare out there. Brian Pastic on the Alabama Crimson Tide Network. We know the straw that serves the drink.

Mr. Feiline, I think you made a wise decision coming back. He has been on fire and he's been consistent. He's been so good. One of the best players in college basketball. I thought he would be great this year. He's exceeded my expectations so far, especially on the offensive end. He looks so good, so comfortable, shooting the ball better from the three-point line. One of the best finishers around the basket. He's quick. He's athletic, explosive, crafty. All those things. Nate Oates has challenged him to become the best two-way player in the country.

He's shown what he can do on the defensive end. He's gotten better in those areas, and I think this can be a great backcourt, obviously, on the offensive end. But I think they have the potential to be even better defensively. Let me ask you about the improvement of Aiden Sherell. He has turned into a real rim protector. He's not going to score 20 points a game. They've got plenty of other guys who can do that. But against Clemson, he had eight blocks, ten rebounds. I think he had seven blocks all of last season.

And he's not afraid to put up a three himself. But I have really been impressed with his improvement. Yeah, I have as well. He was, over the course of the season last year, one of the most improved players on the team. I think a reason for that is he started off the year banged up a little bit and just got better and better as the year went on, which is something that you hope to see out of freshmen, but you don't always because a lot of times around midseason, a lot of freshmen can hit that wall because of playing with the intensity and number of games.

He didn't at all. He got better and better. And this offseason has really worked on his body. He's got a lot stronger. He's lost weight in some areas he needed to. He's gained weight, strength, muscle. I think overall he's a little heavier but more athletic, moves better. And his improvement on the defensive end has been one of the big surprises for me on this team. I knew what he could do on the offensive end. He fits Nate Oates' system offensively as well as anybody with his ability at 6'11 to stretch the floor and knock down threes.

He can roll in the basket. He's got great hands, great feet. But what he's done defensively as a rim protector, I really didn't anticipate. And I think as this team gets healthy, as these guards get better defensively, to have a guy like Adriel behind you that is playing the way he is on that end of the floor, I think, is one reason why you look at this Alabama team who's been really good, number 11 in the country, playing the nation's toughest schedule. This team, I think, could get even better as the year goes on.

[10:16] It's always hard to crack the top 10, but one thing that would do it, and that's knocking off number one. Talk to us about number one, Arizona. It's all about matchups. Your thoughts about how Alabama matches up with Arizona. Yeah, Arizona's a great team, obviously. I think Arizona, Michigan, and Purdue are the three best teams in the country. I think Alabama has a chance to get there. I don't think they're there right now, but not necessarily at home, but in Birmingham, in Sweet Home, Alabama, in the BJCC, obviously.

It's going to be a partisan crimson and white crowd. Alabama has a great chance to beat maybe probably the best team in college basketball right now in Arizona, and I'm really looking forward to the matchup because it is a contrast in styles. One of the teams in the country who shoots the least amount of threes, they're old school. In Arizona, they bang it inside. They've got an old Alabama point guard in Jay Bradley, one of the best point guards in the country who's played great, but can not down the three and has, but prefers to drive it inside.

Great with a pick and roll. They're huge on the inside. Co-op Pete is one of the best freshmen in the country. They've got a seven-foot-two center. They're huge. They attack the glass. They're going to pound it inside. They're not going to shoot a ton of threes. They're big. They're strong. They're physical. But they also play fast. So you kind of look at them and you think, okay, well, they're going to grind you out and kind of play slow. But they actually play fast. They're big, strong, and pound it inside, but do it with speed.

It'll be interesting to see if those big guys can chase around the guards for Alabama because Nate Oates is going to put five guys on the court at one time who could knock down threes. So can those big guys get out and defend the three-point line? I think LeBaron Phylon has loved the personnel that Nate Oates has surrounded him with because you've got five guys that can shoot. It's hard to clog the lane with shot blockers, but if anybody can do it, it's Arizona with their size and length.

So it's going to be a fun game, great atmosphere, contrasting styles, the best team currently in the country and a team that wants to at some point this season and hopefully late in the season be one of the best teams in college basketball. So I can't wait to get down the road to the BJCC tomorrow night for a great one. Let me ask you about the VBC in Huntsville, Alabama a week from Sunday. Now, there's a rumor going around that the VBC officials have asked for extra security because they know when you travel with this team to Huntsville, they're going to be hordes.

They're going to be legions of autographs, wanting Brian Passing's autograph. Now, can you confirm that? Because I hear that's a hot rumor in Huntsville. Yeah, no, I'm in charge of autographs, but I'm kind of security for Chris Stewart. I'm kind of his security slash intern. So I'll be trying to help him out with that. But no, you've heard it. You've misheard it. It's Chris's entourage. Thank you for clearing that. Well, we were close. We were close. And I'll be helping. I'll be helping. Okay. You're the other end, right?

Hadn't that worked out for the other guy who was the other end. Pretty well in Tuscaloosa. Oh, man. Well, listen, we look forward to seeing you and Chris a week from Sunday. But that should be fun. When we talked to Martin Newton yesterday, he said the lower bowl is sold out. We've still got some tickets remaining in the upper deck. But I'm also glad, again, that this is a game that honors C.M. Newton, who meant so much to the University of Alabama. I know we've talked with you about your relationship with Wilt, but so many people appreciate and love C.M. Newton for what he did at Alabama, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, and the SEC overall.

And I'm still glad that they're able to do this for him. Yeah, absolutely. One of the absolute legends of the game and proud that he is a major part of Alabama basketball and made such an impact for Alabama, college basketball, college athletics, on the floor, obviously, but more importantly, off the floor with some of the things he did back in those days when it wasn't necessarily easy to do those things. So a great tribute to someone who is well-deserving, that's for sure. Brian, it's always good to catch you with you.

Safe travels to and from. Pick up a big W, and thank you so much for your time today. Good luck holding off the fan club there for Chris, okay? I'll do my best. Always enjoy, guys. Appreciate it. Thank you, man. Brian, pass it. By the way, they've got South Florida coming up. And then you mentioned Huntsville, a chance to go see them without having traveled to Tuscaloosa. That's the 21st, taking on Kennesaw State. There's a reason, BB, they're taking on Kennesaw State, a former Alabama. Yes, and one pit boy.

[15:29] Yeah, exactly right. Coming up, what's going on across the SEC, hopefully quieter than the Big Ten. Blake Lovell on Tech. Stay with us. The staff at First Southern Bank wishes a fantastic holiday season to you this Christmas. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the staff at First Southern Bank. This football season, bring the flavor that wins every time. Champy's world-famous fried chicken. Tailgate like a champ with our legendary fried chicken, award-winning smoked hot wings, and don't forget those Mississippi Delta hot tamales that will light up your taste buds.

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Shoals Royale, 2026, Saturday, February 21st, at 7 p.m. at the Renathon Shoals Conference Center. Tickets are available now at givebutter.com slash ShoalsRoyale2026. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in. It is a pleasure for us to welcome you to the Huddle Blade level. He's got it all covered there at Southeastern 16, and also his podcast is called Establish the Past. You can read all about it when it comes to checking out the Blue Ribbon Yearbook. Blade level, welcome in. Happy Friday to you. How are you?

[20:52] Yeah, I'm doing well, guys. Good to talk to you as always. Hey, bud. You too. One week from tonight, Alabama and Oklahoma get down to business. They take the lid off the playoff party. Your thoughts on that, and what will the topic be regarding Coach DeBoer one week from today, in your opinion, Blade? Yeah, there will still be plenty of tennis guys, I'm sure. You know, it's just we know how it works, especially with kind of how the dominoes have fallen. And that's like we say, like these are the ones with Michigan and others we've seen before.

Like you just can't, you know, kind of throw in there in terms of just looking at all the wild possibilities that could play out and what that could mean for everyone else. So, yeah, I think it's still going to be a talking point. I think this is a game that certainly, you know, when you look at this, this is the one that felt like the missed opportunity for Alabama. I mean, among, you know, probably all of them this season, this is just the one that felt like, you know, they were set up for a lot of success.

Oklahoma comes in, wins 23-21, now you flip it and see if Alabama can kind of do the same. And I think, yeah, like this is one that I think when you just look at this matchup, you know, it's, sometimes it can be pretty simple. When it comes down to really just the consistency of the two quarterbacks, I think that's going to be the real story here. Because we're talking about two guys, think about early in the season, we're talking right there in the Heisman race and thinking about going to be there with a shot and then kind of the way it's there, it hasn't been the case.

And so, yeah, it's a fascinating matchup for many reasons, but I think this is one that's still, statistically, I think Alabama's better. And it's a matter of can they go win the game? Easier said than done. Your thoughts about everybody's had an opinion, get yours about, obviously, the national media took about a nanosecond and put DeBoer in a mix to go to Michigan. You know, it's had a little time to breathe now. I can see the pros and cons. If it's all about money, okay, then it's pretty much a shut deal.

If it's about other things, like who's going to be your boss, can the AD survive up there? What does that mean? How will his system work there? He already lost Justice Haynes out of Alabama. Where'd he go? To Michigan. We know he's a junior, so he's probably going to come out and go to the next level. But it was a statement on his style. If you're going to look at it, taking the emotion out, and let's face it, a lot of these national guys, they won't click bait, so I get it.

It's money. But objectively, where are you with this DeBoer to Michigan stuff? Yeah, I think you would turn it down. But I say that with what we know now versus maybe where we are a week from now. And I think that's the big key to me is, you know, you're trading expectations for expectations. Like, you know that it's the same at both places. There are differences, obviously. And like you said, I think there's a bit more chaos involved at Michigan now for many reasons. And I think that's what you have to sort of decide.

Now, again, it's going to be the pressure of if you lose this game to Oklahoma and you kind of know this is how it's gone in terms of your postseason success these first couple years, then I think, you know, you obviously have the opportunity, if presented to you, to say maybe this just was not the right choice, and maybe this is the best path forward, that could obviously play out that way, right? But I think if he is the person making the choice here and, you know, if things are where they are right now, which, again, it's all going to depend on in the heat of the moment of what happens next week, I don't think he would leave for Michigan.

But, again, stranger things have happened. If you go there and get beat by, you know, 10 or double, if that happens, then I think anything's on the table. Miami and Texas A&M, interesting matchup with Marcel Reed and Carson Beck, the respective quarterbacks. We're going to find out a little bit more about Texas A&M. They lost to a much-improved Texas team. And during the course of the season, A&M did not play Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss, Tennessee, or Oklahoma. I don't know how you get through a season.

You're not going to be able to do that moving forward. Your thoughts on Miami and Texas A&M in the college station? Yeah, and that's the thing. It's like I know people are kind of picking on Texas A&M. And, again, when you look at the schedule, like, you play who's in front of you, but at the same time you can be realistic and understand that their schedule could have been tougher. There's no question about it. And the toughest game of the bunch, you know, arguably the first or second toughest game, they go in and lose 27-17 at Texas.

And so it's interesting because, you know, we can have that argument for Texas A&M. We can have the same argument for Miami in that you look at their body of work and, I mean, let's call it what it is. How many of us were just shocked that Miami was in this thing? And I was one of the people. Like, I just did not give them a chance to get in. And that's a discussion for another day when it comes to why they hopped Notre Dame.

But I think, you know, from that standpoint, I think you've got two teams that come out here with something they feel like they have to prove because both have kind of been classified in a similar vein this season, I think, in terms of like, all right, show me who you really are. And it seemed like each time Texas A&M had a chance to do that, they kept finding ways to win, but they'd have some of those head-scratching-type sequences. South Carolina, they'd have the Texas game, you know, ones like that where you just question them a little bit.

[26:14] And then Miami, it's like, all right, show me who you are. We have a great start to the season, 5-0, Notre Dame, South Florida, Florida State, and then you lose to Louisville. Then you lose at SMU, and nothing against those two, but it's like, you know, who are you? Like, that's really what it comes down to, and I think we're going to figure out the answer finally with these two. Blake Lovell, Southeastern 16, he is in Nashville. Everybody loves to go to Nashville, it seems, Blake, but Tennessee football fans, they're coming to see you here shortly again in the Music City Bowls.

Something tells me that's not good enough for Tennessee fans. Nothing against the Music City Bowl, but they have higher expectations. Your thoughts on that? And the latest way to kind of fix that, bringing in Jim Knowles, he's respected across the country, Ohio State, Penn State, and now at UT. Blake, your thoughts about Tennessee? Yeah, I think it's pretty, you know, for Tennessee fans, they're like, hey, can we just watch the defense practice? We don't care about this game against Illinois. Can we get an early look at the defense next year?

Like, that's all we're worried about right now, but you can't blame them for that. But yeah, I mean, it's not where they want it to be. There's no question about it. I think, you know, again, for a lot of different reasons, you know, this is just one where they had to fix some things. This was the number one starting point is you had to make sure, you know, you get your defense kind of shored up for the future. Otherwise, you're going to be playing the same types of games that we've seen them play to where there's just no room for error offensively.

And I think, you know, it kind of came down to it. They had to make a move. And so, yeah, I mean, there's plenty of optimism now, I think, for Tennessee. And honestly, I'm half joking when I say I don't even know how much they care about the bowl game. And they just want to start looking at what kind of moves they're going to make defensively and see what kind of players they're going to bring in to kind of feel the system better and all those things.

And I think that's really where their attention is turned to. And so, yeah, I think a disappointing season. But at the same time, you can say that for a team that's still won quite a few games. And, you know, but the expectation is that you were to make the playoff every year. And I think by making this upgrade defensively, that they will have every opportunity to do that next season. Yeah, Jim Knowles started today officially making $2 million a year as the new defensive coordinator coming from Penn State and then previously Ohio State.

I think you're right. Tennessee fans want to see a big improvement there. We just finished talking to Brian Passing of the Alabama Basketball Radio Network, Sports Network. And we were looking at Alabama against number one Arizona tomorrow night at 730. And you mentioned this in a couple of your articles. When this team's healthy, they're shooting the ball, playing defense, and rebounding. They're certainly a top-ten team. Arizona's got a big front line. It's always the question when Alabama plays trees in the middle, it can rebound and block shots.

Can they match the physicality of, again, a number one team that played Purdue earlier? And does Alabama match up with Arizona tomorrow night? Yeah, I think, obviously, I mean, Arizona has just been excellent to this point of the season. I mean, they have, look, they've looked the part outside of Michigan. I just don't think you've seen a better team than Arizona. And I feel like when you look at just what they can do, Jaden Bradley, obviously, former Alabama player. I mean, he has been, I mean, he's playing the best basketball of his career right now.

He's just kind of been the guy that seems like he just closes out games for them in all these tough spots they've had. If you look at Arizona's frontcourt, I mean, good luck. Like, it's going to feel like you're playing, you know, Gonzaga, but maybe even to a different level. And I think that's another thing that, you know, keep in mind, Alabama, one of the things is the rebounding. Like, they have given up a lot of offensive rebounds in some of these games against, you know, big-time opponents.

But they've also been, you know, having a mix and match so many different rotations because of guys being injured. And now it seems like they're finally almost all the way back. And so I think, you know, I wish this game was in Tuscaloosa. That's my only thing is, like, this feels like one of those. And that thing against Birmingham, obviously, you're playing it there. But I just, this is the kind of game, if you're Alabama, you'd probably love for this to be in your building because I think it would be such a tough road game for Purdue.

You know, it was for Purdue. They came in and won the game. But I think for Arizona kind of in this setting, this would be a real true test. And I think, honestly, there are a lot of things I like about Alabama in this game because Arizona can only kind of get their points from two. Alabama gets a lot of their points from three in the fifth row line. If Alabama comes out making shots early, I think that they've got as good a chance as anybody right now of knocking off Arizona.

Well, it's certainly going to be interesting. Great job as far as your articles and certainly the podcast. A lot of football, a lot of basketball going on. Where can we get online and get all the great stuff? Yeah, I always appreciate it, guys. Southeastern 16, find all of our stuff there, yeah, for the college football playoff and all these coaching moves and everything in the offseason. And, yeah, we'll have you covered with SEC basketball coming up this weekend as well. It's always, Blake. Good to hook up with you.

[31:23] Thank you so much. Have a great and as warm as you can, especially Sunday weekend, okay? Thanks, guys. You too. Thank you, bud. Play level Southeastern 16 just keeps on getting worse for Jerome Moore, now the ex-Michigan head football coach. He's now been charged formally with home invasions, stalking and breaking and entering. Not a good week for Jerome Moore, BB. No, no, that's a mess. Let's hope it's a better week for the one and the only, Bill Schenks. He's on deck. Stay with us. Wishing you a beautiful holiday season and a new year of peace and happiness, warmest greetings of the season, and best wishes for happiness in the new year.

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Tune in tonight for High School Hoops as Florence entertains Austin. Pre-game at 7-15. Tip-off at 7-30. Hear all of the action right here. Bundle auto and home, renters or condo, and save with Progressive. I'm John Thayer with the Sports Flash, presented by Progressive on 93-9, the score. If you've been diagnosed with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, this is what it sounds like to be a million miles away. Imagine being a million miles away. Trimphaya Cousalcumab, taken by injection, is a prescription medicine for adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis who may benefit from taking injections or pills or phototherapy.

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The score. Welcome back to NBB. I'm just going to go ahead and go out on a limb right now and say, in my mind, Bill Shanks has had a better week than Jerome Moore at Michigan. Would you agree? I was looking at Twitter, and there are 20 consecutive Twitter posts about the charges, home invasion in the third degree, stalking, breaking, and entering, et cetera, et cetera. Yes, I would think that our beloved Bill Shanks has had a better week. Well, let's hope so anyway. When he's not busy, there's host of the Bill Shanks Show at 93.1 FM in Macon, online at thesesuperstations.com, and on the tube at 41NBC.

Bill Shanks, welcome in. How are you? I was just watching those Twitter posts about Moore's court appearance. I thought I was watching an Auburn team meeting. Oh, no. Touché. Bill, obviously, we know the story on this side of the state line. DeBoer has been mentioned to be a replacement. Did you see the other? Was it a Twitter feed, or where was it, that this guy named Kirby Smart, he's red hot, may leave Georgia for Michigan. Can you confirm or deny that? Kirby's got his own blonde in Athens.

It's his wife. Yep. Yep. All right, Bill. How does it feel to be the king of the heel? Right now, Kirby got it rocking and rolling. He's checked all the boxes. Let's face it, to the king belongs the credit. Your thoughts about this program right now? Well, it's what Alabama used to be. What happened, Bill, outside of Nick Saban leaving? Well, you know, look, they needed to win the game to show that it was not just a Nick Saban thing, because it was not. I mean, Kalen DeBoer had won the first two games against Kirby Smart, and you couldn't deny that.

And so, they needed to kind of break that, and they dominated Alabama. And both teams were knocked around and injured. Georgia had a ton of injuries, some that played and some that did not. And, you know, it was just a domination. And Georgia is a different team now than it was in late September when Alabama won by three points in Athens. A much different team. A much better team. A team that we can – I mean, we didn't know, even coming out of that Tennessee win and the win after that, going into the Alabama game, we didn't know how good Georgia was.

We were still questioning how good Georgia was. And then when Alabama won by three points, we were like, well, all right, now we got questions again. And now – I mean, there were people calling my show saying they may lose three or four games. I'm like, hold the phone here now. Let's don't panic. Because they lost by three lousy points, and they really screwed up and made the wrong coaching decision, which, I mean, I don't know about y'all, but I kind of went to domain.com and got Fire Kirby Smart just in case.

FireKirbySmart.com. But, you know, look, it's a different team now, and they're better, and they're showing it. Talk to us about that defense. If you look at the stats, I mean, since the first half of that game, I mean, you look at the number of points scored. Let's go ahead and repeat ourselves. Who does a better job than sitting here taking a punch in the face and adjusting down the stretch than Kirby and the staff? Kirby's not the only one on that staff. Your thoughts just about the defensive play.

Well, the defensive play's been unbelievable. I'm almost shocked at the defensive play. First of all, Ellis Robinson was a cornerback. Two years ago, he was the number one overall prospect coming out of high school in one of the recruiting services. I want to say it was 2-4-7 sports, but one of them had him as number one overall. And he hadn't really showed it until about midseason, where he flipped the switch, and it's been all-American level play at cornerback. I mean, unbelievable. He played that way last week against Alabama, and I was sitting next to a kid, a young kid from the Georgia student radio station.

And I said, well, I want you to watch the replay of this kid right here, Ellis Robinson. He just absolutely dominated that receiver. I mean, he's playing all-American-type ball all of a sudden and living up to his potential as their number one overall prospect. You've got a defensive line, and this is the stat that I've harped on all week, guys, that kind of blows me away. And I know defenses, especially Georgia and Alabama, those elite-type defenses, they want to rotate people in and out of there.

[41:44] Georgia did not have one single defensive lineman that had 50% or more of the defensive snaps the entire game. The leader, the highest number was Joseph Janier, who was at 49%, so just under 50%. And that shows you the depth that they have and that they've created. Like, they had an injury. I don't remember the game he got hurt, but Jordan Hall was the starting defensive lineman. He got hurt, and people were a little panicky about that because, you know, again, you don't know how an injury that he's probably going to miss the rest of the season is going to impact your team.

And people are like, oh, Lord, what's going to happen now? Well, it's almost like people are calling up and saying they've been better since he got hurt. And that is a development that is an in-season development that we don't see all the time. So it has been quite a story of how that defense has absolutely emerged as elite here in the last release. My co-host on my midday post, Jeff Dantzler, said that, you know, they had two fourth-down stops on Florida in the game in Jacksonville in late October, and they've been a different team ever since that.

Well, that's the key to a lot of this stuff is when do you peak. Obviously, Alabama peaked in October after beating four top 25 teams, a lot of the injuries and other issues. But the coaching, it's just like the block punt I mentioned to you yesterday. L.T. Overton is normally on the punt team. Well, he was out because of health issues. Georgia knew that a freshman was in his place, and they filled that gap and came in and blocked the punt. Again, Georgia out-coached, now played Alabama.

That's a great example. Again, and you're right, players who are much better in November than they are in September. I know we've talked about expanding the roster and some of the other issues, but there are a lot of teams that are not nearly as good in November as they are September. Georgia's been able to do both. Well, they have overcome injuries. They had their center go out a couple of weeks ago. That panic, everybody. Yeah. And the replacement, Malachi Tolliver, was tremendous last week against Alabama.

The number one, you know, Georgia had two players who accounted for more than 50% of their offense against Alabama, Colby Young Jr. and Chauncey Bowens. Young may return for the game on January the 1st, may not, but that's the rumor, and he's missed half the season. Bowens had the primary reason why we were competitive in the Alabama game, because you may remember Nate Frazier fumbled early on, and they put him in Whitney's protection for the rest of the night, and Chauncey Bowens came in, and it was unbelievable, and he's barely played since then, and he had four snaps the other day.

So they've done this in spite of their injuries, and they have overcome that with depth and with solid play, and again, with players growing up. You know, young players who are thrust into the action, by the time they get to this point of the season, they're not young players anymore. No. I mean, they don't have much choice, right? They've got to step up. It's kind of like, put or get off the pot, and these guys have just done so well with that, and that's why they are where they are.

Well, let's face it. If you're a good coaching staff, you better have that voice, Scott, and you be prepared, because at the end of the season, you're going to have to go to your B, C, sometimes all the way down to the Z plan. Bill, you've seen a lot of football. Bill, you've seen this matchup that you just mentioned twice this year. In your opinion, first of all, did you ever think you see an Alabama team rushing for a whopping minus six yards total? And in your opinion, your thoughts on this Alabama team now compared to the first time you saw them this season?

Well, look, I said all last week that if Alabama didn't have a running game, they were not going to win that game. And I did it by asking the question, okay, I think I asked Brett the question when he came on my show. All right, if Alabama does not have a running game, or if it's not a productive running game, how are they going to win the game? Well, you know, obviously, and we talked about this several weeks ago, and I think I said, and I formed the question then, I said, how much pressure does that put on Ty Simpson, who is struggling right now, comparatively, compared to the early part of the season, if there's no running game for him to turn to?

And obviously, it put a tremendous amount of pressure on that young man. And so, you know, you can't win without a running game. And whether it's Jam Miller being hurt, or those other guys not stepping up, or they just not having the room they usually have, they're not going to beat Oklahoma if they don't have a running game. I mean, it's just, I don't know how it could happen. And you've got to have, look, Georgia last year, Georgia last year was 15th in the conference in rushing yards per game.

[47:07] Yeah. And they still won the SEC. I don't know how, to be honest with you. I really don't know how. I mean, look back on that, like, how the heck did they do that? Well, they did. But, you know, it hurt them in the end, because they couldn't do it against Notre Dame at all, and it killed them. You just can't have that type of lackluster run game in today's sport. And look, you know, we cover teams, whether it's Georgia, Auburn, or Alabama, that are built on running the football.

People gripe over here about Mike Boba all the time, and I'm like, you know, you guys need to understand something. We've got a defensive head coach here who was under Nick Saban for 12 years, or whatever it was, and he has the same philosophy that Nick Saban had, and that is, I'm going to run that football, because if I go out there and don't run the football and have a quarterback throwing, you know, 70-yard passes and having three-and-a-half-minute drives seven times a game, my defense is going to be gassed in the fourth quarter.

Thank you. And so I'm not going to do that. And so these people over here gripe about Mike not as much anymore, right? They're quieting down a little bit. But it's like you could gripe about whoever's the offensive coordinator. Steve Spurrier could come in here. But if Kirby's the coach, he wants that defense, even if it's rotating in and out like they're doing or talented as h***, he wants them fresh as a daisy in the midway part of the fourth quarter. Because these people, Nick Saban and Kirby Smart have simplified football.

We're going to be more physical than you, and we're going to outlast you. And outlasting you means we're not going to blow our wad in the first quarter by having the defense out there and having the time of possession in your favor. We're going to have the time of possession in our favor. And if you don't have a running game, you're not going to do that. Let me ask you a couple of Braves questions. They've had an interesting week with two signees. Mike Derskrimski is, of course, the grandson of iconic Coral.

And I know he can play multiple positions. They signed him for a two-year deal for $23 million. And one that actually gets me even more excited than that is reliever Robert Suarez to a three-year, $45 million. A setup guy, but he can certainly help Iggy as far as Rachel Iglesias as far as closing. Now, again, I still think they need to get a pitcher and a couple other players, but I thought those were two good additions this week. Very good additions. Derskrimski is a 35-year-old left-handed hitter who has good power potential, especially away from San Francisco, where he spent the majority of his career until he got traded to Kansas City late last summer.

And, you know, he is a very good fielder. I think it's going to mean that Profar goes to DH spot more often than not. Yeah. And that they, you know, have a little bit of versatility there. Profar, the right-handed, rather the switch hitter, Derskrimski, a left-handed hitter. He's very good against right-handed pitchers, better against right-handed pitchers, obviously. And, you know, you can mix it around a little bit. But I think this also kills the narrative of we're going to split Sean Murphy and Greg Baldwin with the DH spot, which was stupid because Sean Murphy, for the last two seasons, has not hit .200.

H***, he's the one who needs a designated hitter, not the pitcher. You got that right. So, I mean, I never understood that and don't get it. And I hope this kills that narrative. Suarez is a very good pitcher. He throws gas. He's got a lot of electric stuff. And, you know, to have that quality guy there to set up Iggy, to get some save opportunities and then to take over. And Iglesias only wants to pitch one more year. That's why he did this. I mean, he said to the team pretty much when he signed that contract a few weeks ago, I just want to play really for one more year and then retire.

And so, therefore, this is the perfect scenario where he's paid 13 this year to be a set-up man, and then he gets to take over the same price that Iggy was at this year for the next two seasons. So, yes, two very good signings for the Braves. And you're right, they need – look, they've got to figure out the shortstop stuff, and they've got to have another starting pitcher. And because if Bryce Elder is in the rotation again, I'm going to start drinking straight boxes. Well, that's what I was going to mention, and I keep using the word veteran, durable starting pitcher, and those don't come cheap, but they still need another one.

By the way, the Bulldogs schedule out for 2026 looks fairly manageable except for that October 10th game in Tuscaloosa. We'll discuss that as we get closer to it. If Tim or Jay or any of our loyal listeners will like to get on this afternoon and listen to Bryce talk, SEC talk, I'm sure you've got some comments about Notre Dame and their whining all week long, where can they get on line? Well, let me tell you something. I haven't heard from Jay and Tim and Pastor Tommy from Alabama all week long.

[52:29] I don't know why not. It's a coincidence. They were quick to call my butt last Friday and offer a little opinion on what was going to happen in that game, and all of a sudden they're in the freaking witness protection program. You think they've got a white girlfriend in another town away from their lives, man? Nah, they're one of thin as h***. They're busy in the North. Oh, man. I mean, my word. Where are those guys? Because I need them to call up today and let me know that they're okay so I won't be feeling like they're being held hostage by somebody.

We're actually going to have a show today about cards, baseball cards, sports cards, about your favorite sports cards, and maybe Jay and Tim and Pastor Tommy can call me up and give me a little insight as their favorite card and apologize for their errant prediction last Friday afternoon. Well, if they got the famous card right now, it would be from the Boston Red Sox back in the 60s, the guy by the name of Carl Yastrzemski, the grandpapa, proud grandpapa, the newest brave. He was a pretty good one back in the day, BB.

Bill changed back up in Boston. He was good. You know, somebody scared me the other day because when they signed Yastrzemski, my buddy just texted me Yastrzemski. I thought Carl would die. No, no, no, no, no. By the way, tell the Hall of Fame committee to take a long walk off a short pier when it comes to Dale Murphy and one of the greatest broadcasting, radio broadcasting and TV in history, Skip, Ernie and Pete. Well, it's been a hard week for me because I'm crushed. I hate it for Dale Murphy.

I don't know what we're missing. I keep on saying I don't know what they're missing. Maybe we're missing something, but I don't know what it is because if you factor contribution to the game and you're leaving him out, you're nuts. It's called 2025. It's a crazy, wild, wild world out there. Bill, listen, man, thanks so much. Have a great weekend, okay? You too, guys. Thank you so much. Thank you, buddy. The one and the only, Bill Shanks, the Superstations.com. Coming up the next hour, a lot of shuffling down to the plains.

Justin Ferguson talking to Auburn. Mark McCloud says get ready for the Huntsville boy in Mike Hugen. He's got it all covered straight ahead. Stay with us. Mugshot's Grill and Bar has a winning fall lineup with their limited-time offers. Choose from the smoky bourbon maple stack with two kid burgers or the pretzel basket with four pretzel sticks sprinkled with kosher salt. You must try the Chili Trio, which is a cup of cheesy chili, or the Nashville Hot Tacos, three flour tortillas with three Nashville Hot chicken tenders.

Happy Hour is two to six daily, and get $3 mimosas and $5 Bloody Marys until three on Saturdays and Sundays. Watch the game with our game day pitchers. So grab your friends and head to Mugshots for beer, burgers, and ball in historic downtown Florence. At First Metro Bank, we don't just do business in the Shoals community. We're part of it. Our roots are right here, and we know what matters to you because it matters to us, too. Whether you're saving for a dream vacation, buying a first home, or starting a small business, we're here to help you with that hometown touch.

First Metro Bank, where your neighbors are your bankers. First Metro Bank, member FDIC. Wishing all the best for you this holiday season. May this time be filled with memorable moments for you. From Florence Utilities, Merry Christmas. Texting privacy policy and terms and conditions posted at radiodirect.com slash privacy. Texting enrolls for recurring automated text marketing messages. Message and data rates may apply. Reply stop to opt out. Text help for help. Consult a doctor prior to use. Wow, you look amazing. What have you been doing? You've heard of Ozempic, Wigovi, and the other GLP-1 medications that are all over the news, right?

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Get the same active ingredients in Wigovi or Ozempic for 80% to 90% less, 100% online. Don't wait. Text BLISS to 797979 right now for your exclusive offer. Text BLISS to 797979. That's BLISS to 797979. Hey, I'm Mike Slater. My dad passed away at the age of 63. It's out of nowhere. I had a stroke. Super hard, obviously, for the whole family. But my dad had life insurance. This is why I have life insurance for my family, for my wife and four kids. And the best place to get life insurance is ethos.com because you can do it in 10 minutes.

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It comes standard. Visit HyundaiUSA.com and search Hyundai Hope on Wheels to learn more. Tim collects bobbleheads. A lot of bobbleheads. Baseball bobbleheads. Race car bobbleheads. Little chihuahua bobbleheads. He's got an entire room strictly for bobbleheads. Does he need them? No. Is his wife mad about it? A little. But Tim works with Empower and he got good at money. So he can be a little bad. Ooh, horse bobblehead. Classy, Tim. Empower. Invest well. Live a little. Start today at Empower.com. 1819 News. Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth is criticizing the director of the Alabama Department of Transportation after news came out earlier this week that bonds are being sold for the West Alabama Corridor.

On social media, Ainsworth took ALDOT Director John Cooper to task, saying that Cooper should be embarrassed for embarking on this project without having secured any pledged matching federal funds to help alleviate the cost of this project. Ainsworth says the boondoggle of a plan will cause ALDOT money to be diverted to the construction of the highway and cause other existing roads that are in disarray to get even worse. Former State Senator Gerald Dial responded to Ainsworth disagreeing, saying that this north to south highway in western Alabama is important for developing that area and improving the entire state.

I'll be back with more Alabama stories after this. Where I was living was not a great place to live anymore. I began to pray for a place to go, praying for all of these things that a nine-year-old would want. I wanted horses, big house with a bunch of people my age. I wanted parents. I wanted a mom and a dad. Before I even prayed it, the Lord had already answered my prayer with the Big Oak Ranch. Who would that nine-year-old be if she never came to the Big Oak Ranch?

I would be trying to fight for survival instead of fighting to break a cycle. Big Oak Ranch, a Christian home for children needing a chance. Baldwin County authorities arrested two men who were found on a gaming app for children soliciting the children for sex. Undercover police posed as 14-year-old minors on the gaming app, with the sting operation resulting in the arrest of Antoine Watts and Jeremy Wendel. Both men apparently drove to Baldwin County with the expectation of meeting a minor for sex. A woman in Florence had to be hospitalized after being hit by a vehicle during the Christmas parade that occurred this past Thursday night.

A woman had injuries to her leg. She was taken to a Huntsville hospital. I'm Andrea Tice. For more news affecting Alabamians, go to 1819news.com. And while you're there, subscribe to the daily newsletter. Valley Broadcasting Corporation, WITK-FM, Rogersville, Athens, Decatur, The Shore, Sports Radio 93.9, The Score. Scott Graham here from Westwood One. Don't miss any of our exclusive NFL action all season long until a new champion is crowned at Super Bowl 60. Of course, each week begins with Thursday night football. I'll get it started with a preview and a look ahead at the big weekend games.

Then it's to the stadium for the play-by-play of all the action. Join us all season long on Thursday night football. Ryan Rankin here from Sunday Night Football on Westwood One. Join Mike Golick and me every Sunday for a marquee primetime NFL matchup. Scott Graham gets things started with a pregame show from the studio with exclusive player interviews and the latest league news. Then from the stadium, Mike and I bring you the exclusive play-by-play call of the action. Join us every week for Sunday Night Football. 93.9, The Score weather.

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[1:02:47] Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9, The Score. Welcome back in. Welcome back to the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving us a free ride around the Tennessee Valley. And for Mike, who can undertake time out of his schedule as national college football slash basketball analyst. And maybe an analyst with a couch this week after a crazy rock and roll world out there will come college football, certainly from Michigan. Mike, welcome in. How are you? Yeah, the Michigan situation has sort of overshadowed everything else.

You had the college football playoff announced, then you had the national team about that, then all of a sudden, boom, the Michigan situation happens with Jerome Moore. And now you're hearing that, you know, this is far more than a coach being fired. Yeah, it's a sobering aspect of college football. But I also will say this, you know, Michigan, for decades, I'm in my 60s, and ever since I've started following college football in the early 70s, the Michigan sort of held itself up above the fray. Yes, we're in major college athletics, but we don't associate with the riffraff.

We're better than everybody else. The Michigan man ethos. And I'll be honest, the last four or five years, the Michigan man ethos, he has moved from the penthouse to sort of the gutter. Because the school has had controversy after controversy. They cheated on the field. You had the basketball coach getting into a brouhaha with another team's assistant. You had Michigan breaking NCAA rules with Harbaugh, and now this. So I think that, you know, college athletics is a lot different than when I started following it in the 70s.

But I think college football, you know, don't hold it up as some kind of beacon of amateurism or anything like that. It's a pro league, and this is unfortunately – this is not an example of that, but my point is that controversies and ugly things happen in pro sports. Controversies and ugly things happen in college sports as well. Well, you know, and you get too much money and too much power, sometimes crazy things can happen. Mike, you stated it well. Obviously, Michigan is going to wave a lot of big bucks under somebody's nose.

It's going to be, quote, a great career opportunity for somebody. But let's bring it down to our zip code. If you are killing DeBoer and you're at Alabama, you've already shown what kind of ads you've got. He came to Alabama post Nick Saban, so the man ain't afraid of a challenge. Your thoughts, where are you with all this blowing back and forth with DeBoer to Michigan? And if it's not DeBoer, then where does Michigan go from here? And if you're DeBoer, why would you leave Alabama when you really don't even know yet who's going to be your boss up there?

Because this thing hasn't settled down completely. You don't know what they're going to do with the AD going forward. He's already got a black eye, you know. I think that, you know, the following Saban, yeah, the guy doesn't lack for intestinal fortitude, let's put it that way. But there's also, is Alabama a better job than Michigan? Of course it is. I don't know, maybe DeBoer, again, Alabama's a better job, hands down, unquestionably. Maybe DeBoer's like, yes, I knew what this was going to be like following Saban.

But I really didn't know what it was going to be like. Nobody, unless you're here. Right. And I think if Alabama loses to Oklahoma next week, a lot of folks are like, fine, Lee, we don't care. Which, obviously, would be an overreaction. But I think this all comes down to Kalen DeBoer's mindset. He can win big at Alabama. He can win big at Michigan. Where is he more comfortable? Because Alabama is a better job. It's in a better league. And some of the stuff that Michigan was able to sell before, that would be, oh, yeah, we are above the fray.

No, you're not. And you're right, the idea that you might go to work for a school that, in another three months, fires its athletic director. Who are you going to be working for? Thank you. Mike, let me ask you about the other story this week that got overshadowed by the Michigan Mass was the Notre Dame athletic director b******* for three days, trying to tell everybody that they had the most demanding 10-week schedule in history. And they played three, two, and ten teams, one, three, and nine, and one, four, and eight.

They lost their first two games, certainly to two good teams. I thought the committee actually righted some wrongs as far as looking at the head-to-head. Then he jumped on the athlete. The AD, Notre Dame, jumped on the ACC for, quote, not supporting them. Notre Dame's had a long week, too, Mike. Yeah, they have. And if you're the ACC office, do we pump up a full-fledged member, or do we pump up a team that doesn't even belong in our football league? We have a scheduling thing. You know, I think Notre Dame is one of the ten best teams in the country.

[1:08:25] That said, the best team they beat was USC. The schedule wasn't all that difficult, ironically, because they played a lot of garbage teams from the ACC. But, you know, what they bring to the ACC in football, yeah, if Notre Dame goes to Virginia, if Notre Dame goes to Georgia Tech, if Notre Dame plays at Boston College or Virginia Tech, yeah, it's a big deal. Notre Dame needs a place for its other sports, though. Part of me thinks that the ACC should say, if you don't think we supported you enough for football, see ya, we don't care.

Because, again, I don't think, oh, Notre Dame baseball, solid program, who cares? Notre Dame basketball has fallen a long way. Notre Dame has really good women's sports. Nobody cares. And I care about women's sports, but my point is, you know, Notre Dame is not driving anything when it comes to women's athletics. Yeah, great women's basketball program, if they play at Virginia, 3,000 people show up. It's a big deal. So I think the biggest problem I have with the college football playoff selection committee is that Tuesday night show.

It's a 30-minute or 15-minute program that makes things vastly, vastly worse. You know, we've talked about this for years now. If you're the committee spokesman, you may be out there arguing for stuff that you don't agree with. Who knows how Notre Dame thinks they picked the right teams? But he has to go out there, put on a brave face, and say, okay, yeah, this is what we looked at. And he might be thinking inside, that's a great question. I wish I knew the real answer, because I don't, because I agree with you.

So to me, the idea that this weekly TV show is a month, it's wrong. Get rid of it. The college basketball selection committee does a reveal about a month before the tournament starts. Here are our top 16 teams right now. The selection committee for football could do the exact same thing. They could turn that into an hour-long show. They could also discuss the group of five. And then they could say, we'll see you in four weeks when we unveil the field. That's a good idea. If there had not been a weekly reveal, nobody would have known that Notre Dame was ahead of Miami until the last weekend.

And again, Notre Dame and Miami did not play the last weekend of the season, and yet Miami moved ahead of Notre Dame. That's totally illogical. So I think the committee makes it worse by having that stupid weekly reveal. They do. I bet it has something to do with ESPN making a lot of money off that weekly show. I'm just going out on a limb here. All right, let's talk, Chuck. One week from tonight, Alabama takes on Oklahoma. We saw what Georgia did in the rebound game with Bama.

What's Bama going to do in their rebound game with Oklahoma differently? Yeah, they have to run the ball. You know, Brent Venables is a great defensive mind. And my presumption is that they, obviously they played him in November. I think Alabama's running game might have actually gotten worse since they played. Now, Jan Miller being healthy would make a difference. But at the same time, Venables and his defensive staff are in there going, if we do a good job of shutting down the run, they become one-dimensional, and we're fine with that.

And I think that's what DeBoer and Ryan Grubb have to – I'm sure these guys are smart guys. They know we have to run the ball or we're going to lose again. And the first game was in Tuscaloosa, which is going to be a vastly different crowd in Norman. And so, to me, it all comes down to the Alabama running game. Is there a modicum of a running game? And I don't mean they've got to run for 160. Can they even run for 100? And if they run for 100, they have to – Even that would help.

But I don't know if they can. Let me ask you real quick, Miami and Texas A&M. Interesting game. This Saturday at 11 a.m. on TNT, not ABC or ESPN. E&T, and it's Mike Hugen and see that outcome. Yeah, I think that's the best first-round game. Alabama-Oklahoma rematch. Tulane-Ole Miss rematch. I mean, come on. Second round, you could have Alabama – you could have Georgia-Ole Miss. Another rematch. So, to me, Miami-Texas A&M is by far the best first-round game. Two teams that pride themselves on being physical along both lines of scrimmage.

Both teams have secondaries that are susceptible to big plays. The biggest difference to me, Marcel Reed is mobile. Carson Beck is a lawn chair in the pocket. So, if I'm Cassius Howell and I'm Mike Elko, I'm looking at Miami tape, realizing, man, if we get in Beck's face, he's going to make two or three mistakes that we can capitalize on. So, I think both teams will want to run the ball. I'm interested in seeing if A&M makes Marcel Reed's legs a focal point of the offensive game plan.

[1:13:44] To me, the biggest difference in that game is Marcel Reed's legs. I think Texas A&M is going to win. But, you know, it's the earliest game. It confounds me. Oregon-James Madison is in front. Yeah, that's right. Texas A&M-Miami kicks off at 11 local times. I don't, and I know the fact that it's Oregon on the west coast, you know, the TV kickoff. But, I'll be honest, Oregon-James Madison could be over midway through the second quarter, and everybody goes and finishes their Christmas shopping. Yeah. Yeah, well, one fact is, Oregon and James Madison's on ABC, and Texas A&M and Miami's on TNT.

But, I'm like you, they should have reversed that. Yeah. Goodness gracious. Yeah, and it's, but, you know, you think, you know, typically the old four-team playoff, oh, we've got to wait three, oh, my God, it's next weekend. So, that's right. That's right. That's good. And, I'll be honest, I think if I'm, any of the teams playing the first weekend, this Michigan situation has sort of sucked all the air out of the room. So, I guess we're in the playoff, but we're sort of under the radar here.

So, I think the coaches are liking that aspect. Yes. Yeah. I think they need to reset next week. Some of this off-the-field shenanigans will calm down. Great stuff, as always. Get some good basketball, Arizona and Alabama on tomorrow night, as you probably know. Yep. Have a great week. Arizona's playing great. Go ahead. Yeah, I was going to say, Arizona's playing great. The Pete kid is a freshman. You know, his father and brothers play football. I think Pete made, Coa made the right decision playing hoops, because that dude's going to be rich next year.

Yeah, he's not the only one on the court tomorrow night. He's going to make some money. Very good. Absolutely. Listen, have a great weekend. Let's do this again next Friday. Excellent. Thanks, guys. Hey, having the one, the only, Mike Coogan, and checking in, hopefully, from a warmer Orlando, Florida. Speaking of the Sunshine State, Mark McLeod talking about the Huntsville connection. All straight ahead. Stay with us. Hello, everyone. This is Ron Tyler, Mayor of the City of Florence. I would like to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas.

During this time, I hope you're able to remember the reason behind the season and can celebrate the virgin birth. Take this opportunity to enjoy the hope, peace, and joy that comes in this season. Merry Christmas. Hey, this is Russell from Medford Jewelers, reminding everyone as we celebrate our 80th Christmas in downtown Florence that we have you covered. If you need a pair of two-carat lab diamond studs, we've got them on sale for $599. We have a two-carat lab tennis bracelet for $995. We have a $35 custom cookbook easel where you can bring in a handwritten recipe of your grandmother's, and we can engrave it for you.

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It's a daily update on Bama sports, and it's brought to you by the Good Feet Store. Helping people get back to the life they love without their feet getting in the way. Start your journey today at goodfeet.com. Hello again, everybody. I'm Roger Hoover. On Thursday's edition of Crimson Drive, driven by NASCAR, we were joined by former Alabama basketball standout and SEC network analyst, Richard Hendricks. He's agile. He can score on the block. He's a load on offensive rebounding, and he can even knock down an outside shot.

So, I think Alabama's roles have always been this season. It's about what can you do as far as interior play and protecting teams that have the ability to post you up and go inside. We've been able to see that Purdue was able to have some success against Alabama. Gonzaga as well. But I do think that this Alabama team and Nate Oates has his squad motivated. They're playing much better in that level of the game, and they'll have another challenge. And more than anything, a big opportunity for Alabama to pick up a significant win that will bolster their NCAA tournament resume to not go for the number one overall seed and top-ranked team right now in Arizona.

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Welcome back in. Word is he's not about to leave the Sunshine State any time soon, maybe by April, whenever the frost gets off the pumpkin. He's Mark McLeod. He's hosted the Blitz with Mark McLeod and the Gator Blitz down in the Sunshine State of Florida. Mark, welcome in. How are you? Hey, good afternoon, gentlemen. Good to be on with you, bud. You too. Is it true Gator fans love the Huntsville boy right now because he has not lost one ball game yet, Mark? Well played, Errol.

Well played. They love you to the first hiccup, right? You know, it's interesting, guys, but it's a great point because he was not well loved, as you guys saw from social media. It was not a good situation, but I'll tell you what. The things he said, he won the press conference. He did a fabulous job there. I think the hires that he's made, the rumors of some potential hires that he could make are very well received by the Gator Nation. And I think when you look at him and just really the things he said during the press conference, the more people have been able to dive into his history at Troy, his history at Tulane, what he did as an assistant coach.

And I think he is really overwhelmingly now winning over the Gator Nation. Well, here's the bottom line is, what do you want to win, a press conference or games? Look, go back to LSU. When they hired Kelly, they were already polishing up and moving out space in the trophy case for a national championship. You go to Vanderbilt, they hired Clark Lee. Who? And look where he is now. He's the king of Nashville, right there with Merle and the guys. Sometimes don't win the press conference. Hire somebody who's going to win some games.

Exactly. And this guy has done just that. You know, as I wrote a piece for Blitz Sports Radio and I really dug into what he did. And, you know, to have to replace 60 players, according to the New Orleans newspaper, and to do the various things that he did, you didn't get your quarterback until July. You go out and you win 11 games, win the conference championship, and you're in the college football playoffs. The first team from Louisiana to be in the college football playoffs. It's just an amazing job, guys.

[1:24:06] I mean, look at what he did at Troy and how he changed things there. Tulane was really kind of in a bad place when he took over. He turns that program around, and he's just done a fabulous job everywhere he's been. And when you're, yeah, you're only a head coach four years. Okay, that's fine. But you also have won three conference championships. And the other thing that I noted, guys, and I've said this to you guys about Billy Napier in recent years, something that needed to change at Florida.

Last year we started to see it change, but then it reverted right back to the old. Look how many players that he put, John Summerall put on the all-conference team. Eighteen players a year ago were on the all-conference team for the Sun Belt. And then this year I believe that number was 11 or 12. But, again, he had to go and find 60 new players. Let me ask you about some of the coaches. And the first one resonates with a lot of Florida fans. There is officially official an offensive coordinator.

Unlike Billy Napier, John Summerall believes somebody needs to be called in place. Buster Faulkner, who was at, comes with really an impressive resume, been the offensive coordinator at Georgia Tech. We've heard the name Derek Nix, who Hugh Freeze should have let call the plays at Auburn, and he meddled in that too much. Maybe the running back coach. I think that Brad White, coming from Kentucky as the defensive coordinator, was a good choice there. And I'm sure, I know he's added a few more guys there, but your thoughts initially of his hires for offensive, defensive coordinator, and some of the other guys?

Yeah, I think they've been spot on, Brad. I really do. But, you know, your point with Derek Nix is well taken. You know, this is a guy who many think is ready to run offenses, and yet here he is coming to Florida as probably a running back coach. Maybe he'll get the co-coordinator title. I have no idea. But, you know, I really, when Jabbar Jaluk was announced he wasn't going to be retained by Florida, that concerned me. That concerned me quite a bit because this guy can flat recruit.

And, guys, you've seen what the running back room at Florida has done with Jaden Baugh's development and some of the other guys in recent years as well. You know, but, you know, I thought that was a tough one. And, of course, now guys, we're hearing Phil Troutwein as offensive line coach. I had a conversation with Phil four or five years ago, and he said, he told me I would love to come back to Florida, Mark. I really would, and coach the offensive line. Now, this was just prior to him getting the job at Penn State.

But, you know, that is rumored out there now that he's going to be extended that invitation. And then, of course, Brad White, you talked about, look at the job he's done at Kentucky with. Let's face it, they're not recruiting a lot of four- or five-star guys. No, no, not football. Mark McLeod, he's in there with the blitz with Mark McLeod. The schedule is out for next year, and I'm just going to go ahead and say it. I believe Florida will get off to a 2-0 start.

Opening game, Florida Atlantic, and then Matty Campbell. The question is, what about game three on the road, first road game in the Battle of the New Kids on the Block, against the guy who beat Florida last year, Alex Gullich, but now he is at Auburn. Florida will be at Auburn the third game of the season, September 19th. Your thoughts about Florida's schedule overall, including what should be a very intriguing game on the Plains, by the way, a school that did want Jon Sumrall, Auburn. Yeah, yeah, exactly.

And, you know, finally, Florida gets to play Auburn, Harold. Yeah. Finally, 15 years. Goodness gracious, since we've tripped Auburn. And those two used to play, I don't want to say they played annually, but they played a lot of football games against each other through the years before the conference went into the scheduling, and, of course, you had your annual opponents. I think that it's a tough schedule for Florida, just like it has been the past two years. Everybody else is facing the same thing. It's going to be very interesting.

You talk about the 2-0 start, and, yeah, I think Florida fans are eager to finally see something like that. That would be very welcoming game four. How sad is that to say, guys? I mean, goodness gracious, can you get a Christmas present coming to game four? Let me ask you real quick about this recruiting class. This was not his class, be any stretch of the imagination, but Florida somehow ended up finishing it on three, 13th. The Kevin Ford, an edge rusher, McCoy, a defensive lineman, Justin Williams, a wide receiver, along with what many people think is their best when they being gross or grossy.

[1:29:19] Mark, we'll see what Jon Sumrall can do. He is a recruiter. They did a pretty good job to try to salvage this class. You're right. The staff did a great job, and Florida fans should really tip their hat to all those guys. You know, they did a great job, and that's another hire, Brett. You know, look, the two most important hires, well, the most important hire hasn't happened yet, the strength and conditioning director. We believe he's probably going to bring Witt with him because Witt was with him at Troy, and he took him with him to Tulane.

So we think that that might be the case. But he's got to keep Katie Turner, in my opinion, as the director of recruiting because she has done a terrific job for Billy Nathar, despite, look, look, there's a lot of negativity, and to be on your hot seat for the past two years or more, and really two and a half years, and everything they're going through and to reel in the classes they've brought in has been awfully impressive. But you're right. This is a really good class.

They filled needs, Brett. They really have a lot of issues on the offensive line in terms of graduation this year. So to get five offensive linemen was big, three tackles, two interior, and then they've got another guy who's going to be a developmental project. So that really six guys on the O-line. And then certainly they were able to bring in some edge rushers and some key defensive linemen, which that was my take on Napier last year, as you guys know. I said he didn't. He fell short of getting one defensive tackle.

He thought he had enough. I kept saying, no, he doesn't. And I also thought he needed to go and hit the portal for an elite edge rusher, and he did not. He felt like he had the guys on the roster. Well, I've told quite a few people that I think in five years, Jon Sumrall will be the best hire of the six. We'll see how that pans out, but he's gotten off to a good start. Mark, where can we get on line to get all the Gator stuff?

Yeah, Blitz Sports Radio. I'm writing some stuff there. And also certainly at McLeod Live, M-C-L-E-O-D Live. Send us some warm weather, Mark, okay? Absolutely. It's beautiful down here, guys. Chamber of Commerce phase. There you go. Well, it is here today and tomorrow, but Sunday might be a different story. Mark, enjoy the sunshine, and thanks so much for your time today. Always good to be on with you guys. Thanks a lot. Thank you, Bill. You too. Mark McLeod, he's Visionaries, host of The Blitz with, you guessed it, Mark McLeod.

Coming up, speaking of Auburn, the latest Tiger talk with Justin Ferguson on deck on the Boomo Bugg Show. Stay with us. Christmas greetings to you from Bigby Steel. Thinking warmly of each of you and wishing your family an extra measure of comfort and hope this Christmas season. Have your best Christmas from your friends at Bigby Steel. Hank Williams, Tammy Wynette, Lionel Richie, The Swampers, Riley Green, Jamie Johnson, Ella Langley. What do all these great music icons have in common? Well, they're all from right here in Sweet Home, Alabama.

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[1:34:39] Visit HyundaiUSA.com and search Hyundai Hope on Wheels to learn more. Hi, I'm Jill Bobo with Alabama Land Services. We'd like to wish all of our friends and customers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We would also like to thank you for your business, and we look forward to serving your land title and real estate closing needs. Merry Christmas. Progressive presents the Sports Flash on 93.9 The Score. It's basketball election tomorrow. It's holiday hoopsgiving in Atlanta at State Farm Arena. Game number one is Georgia against Cincinnati.

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Coverage for dogs and cats is included with the purchase of collision coverage and subject to policy terms. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in. Time to open the door and say hello to Justin Ferguson. Got the Auburn Tigers cover there with the Auburn Observer. Justin, welcome in. Happy TGIF to you. How are you? I'm doing all right. How are y'all? We're doing okay. Justin, let's just jump right in. The SEC schedule for next year announced a return. Last year, Auburn goes to Baylor.

This time, Baylor comes here, but it's not here. It's in Atlanta. Your thoughts about a very intriguing opening game as far as the new schedule. Baylor at the Dome. Yeah, I mean, I thought, you know, Auburn making the decision to, you know, sell that game. That home game to the Atlanta group, you know, for NIL purposes and all that. I feel like that, you know, I think people were pretty upset with that just because there's the amount of home games. But I do think the way the schedule sorts out, like, you know, after that, Auburn does play three straight home games, including two SEC home games to start off.

So, it's a little bit easier to swallow knowing that at this point. But, yeah, that Baylor game should be very, very interesting. I think we thought at the beginning of the year, Baylor was going to be a team that, you know, might be a contender in the Big 12. They never really got off the ground this year, but they are bringing Dave Miranda back. They're supposed to be trying to reload their roster this offseason. So, it's going to be very interesting to see. I would expect Auburn to have, you know, the majority of the fans there in Atlanta.

And a really interesting way to get, you know, the Alex Golesh era started, you know, against, yeah, for sure. Let's talk about that. Obviously, better is going to be a test. You never know what you're going to get. It's like Forrest Gump. It's a box of chocolate there. But your thoughts overall about the schedule, the new schedules are out. I don't care what team it is. It's going to be challenging now with nine games. Some new faces that were old faces on October 3rd, road trip to Tennessee, but first, September 19th against Florida.

And we talked with some of our friends from Florida, Justin, very intriguing matchup. Alex Golesh obviously beat Florida last year over at South Florida. He's now the boss, of course, at Auburn. And the fan favorite to replace Hugh Freeze, John Somerl, now at Florida. Very intriguing matchup, September 19th against the Gators. Yeah, I mean, it's a really good way to get that started, right? You know, first time Florida's been to Auburn since 2011. First time Auburn and Florida have played each other since 2019. So, you know, it's going to be a pretty big game for sure.

And I think, you know, obviously it's going to have a lot of intrigue on both sides. First year coaching staffs, obviously, there's a lot of crossover, like you said, between Auburn and Florida and these coaches. So, it should be a really interesting matchup. I think the schedule as a whole for Auburn, you know, turned out fairly well, given that, you know, you knew that you were going to Georgia and you knew you were going to Alabama. It's an even number of years, you know. So, you couldn't avoid that.

[1:39:58] But I do think it balanced out pretty well. You don't get back-to-back road games all season in terms of weeks. The two back-to-back road games you get this year, Tennessee and Georgia, there is an off week between them. And then it kind of alternates home road, home road, you know, there on out. I think that's a really good, you know, way to balance it out for Auburn because it is a really tough schedule. And then you get, you know, you get that neutral side opener and then you get three straight home games.

So, you know, I think for Auburn, there's an ability to get kind of a little bit of momentum early on. If you pick off one of those games, one or two of those games, then hit that October stretch and just kind of grind it out. And then, you know, hit November with a little bit more favorable on your schedule with, you know, Arkansas, Mississippi State, and Sanford before you play, you know, Alabama in the Iron Bowl. So, yeah, I mean, I think for an even year schedule for Auburn, I think it was about as balanced as you could ask for.

And my thought process has always been with the nine-game SEC schedule, it's not going to make Auburn's life any easier. It's just going to make a lot of other teams' lives harder, you know, because they're going to have to taste kind of what Auburn's having to deal with year in and year out. So, I do think it's a lot more balanced out for everybody. Yeah, and that's the first thing that I noticed was the five road games. And then, again, because the games begin September the 5th, the way the calendar falls, there's only one bye week.

And you had one more conference game with only one bye week, and that's going to be a challenge in itself. Updated as far as coaching is concerned, Joel Gordon, it seems to be the offensive coordinator, Cody Burns, the receivers coach, Von Trail King-Williams is going to be staying, Larry Porter seems to be returning as running back coach. Now, is he just about now as far as the top assistant jobs, or most of them now about field? Yeah, there's only one spot left open that we can kind of feel.

But, yeah, you're right, Joel Gordon, offensive coordinator, quarterback's coach, Larry Porter coming back as running back coach, Cody Burns, the wide receivers coach, Houdanik, the USF offensive line coach coming over. You mentioned Von Trail King-Williams staying over there, Coleman Hutzler, former Mississippi State defense coordinator, obviously was at Alabama before that. He's the edge rushers coach. You know, they've got DeMarcus Van Dyke coming from USF to be their cornerbacks coach. Tim Banks, who was the defense coordinator at Tennessee last season, is going to come be the safeties coach.

And then they've got another kind of floating assistant right there to help out with, coming over from USF to help out with DJ Durkin. So, really, the only – oh, and also on top of that, you've got, you know, Jacob Bronowski coming over as your special teams coordinator from Pitt. He's been one of the best special teams guys in the country the last few years. So, really get hired there. The only, you know, gap on this roster or, you know, coaches right now we see is tight ends.

We don't know who the tight ends coach is going to be. So, they're kind of sorting a lot of that out. So, it'd be very interesting to see what they end up doing. But pretty much everything else is filled. And I really do like the way this staff's kind of come together for Auburn because you've got a mix, right? You get a mix of USF guys, you know, that helped Alex Gullish be successful. You've got a mix of guys who know Auburn. You've got a mix of guys who know the SEC.

I think it's a pretty good balance. And I think that's kind of what you need with the first-year staff. Justin Ferguson, the Auburn Observers, something else that you've got to observe. And that is, in the modern era, you can come, you can go. Where is Auburn with bringing guys in with the new staff and, as always, perhaps losing some because of the new staff? Yeah, no, I mean, they've had a few guys already announce their intentions to go into the transfer portal. None of them are really surprising at this point.

You know, Jackson Arnold, Perry Thompson, you know, Raon Strader, who was a backup corner this year. Got a couple other kind of reserves on the defensive side who have announced that they're going to go into the portal as well. Horatio Fields, you know, coming off that injury that he had. So, you know, a handful of guys have already been in. There will be more, you know, over these next few weeks for sure before the portal opens in January. But I was Gullish talking earlier this week saying his top priority was to meet with everybody these first couple weeks and just say, okay, let's sit down.

Let's talk to these guys. Let's watch their film. Let's see what they're about and find out, hey, do you fit what we're trying to build here? And do you want to stay here with us and help build it? That's kind of been the priority there. So, you know, I think you'll hear some more, you know, decisions over these next couple weeks. But there is time between the portal opens, between now and when the portal opens in January. So, I do think this calendar benefited Auburn because one transfer portal window, it's in January.

[1:44:58] So, what you get is, you know, Alex Gullish has had really a whole month to kind of sit, come in, evaluate his team, evaluate his roster, build a staff, and then, you know, know exactly what he needs to hit the portal instead of trying to do it all at one time. Let's face it, I would imagine one of those evaluators, has he called whoever's writing a big check and said, about this guy, Cam Coleman, you know he's going to have options. He is going to be one rich dude.

Not that he hasn't already been, but certainly next year, the options are wide open. He's good. He's at a valued position. Your thoughts about the strategy there with double C? Yeah, I think Cam Coleman is going to be one of the top priorities in the portal. I think both him and Malcolm Simmons are going to be two guys that I think you would see Auburn really want to push for at that wide receiver position here. And obviously, you know, when you go get a guy like Alex Gullish and you bring in Cody Burns and you look and say, hey, you know, look at the wider series we've had in this offense, you know, dating back to the time of Tennessee to now with USF.

Look at the numbers they've been able to put up. If you stay here, here's what you could probably expect. Here's, you know, here's where we see you kind of fit in. And yeah, you're right. I mean, Cam Coleman, this is probably going to be his last year of college football before he goes to the NFL. So he's got to make a decision. Does he want to stay here or does he want, you know, to go somewhere else and try to maximize, you know, maybe playing on maybe a team that's going to compete for a championship next season right off the bat or, you know, maybe has a little bit more of a track record with producing guys for the NFL wide receiver.

I do think the one thing that's in his advantage, though, Auburn's advantage, though, with him and Malcolm Simmons is, you know, their location. Cam Coleman's from right down the road, you know, Phoenix City. Malcolm Simmons from right down the road in Ellic City, you know, Ben Russell. So, I mean, those are two guys that are really, really close to home. And, you know, if that's a priority for them, which I think it was when they picked Auburn to begin with, and, you know, obviously for them to decide to stay for another year, I think Auburn's going to really want to kind of lean on that as well as obviously make sure they're taken care of in the, you know, revenue share in the NIL space.

Let me ask you about the portable. It seems like there are some positioning needs. Tied in is one. Brandon Frazier, Johnson are going to be gone. Offensive tackle, what's Xavier Chaplin going to do? Is he going to stay? Or with two Tom Miller and Mason Murphy out of eligibility, certainly going to be one more offensive tackle. And I think even more of a priority for that is the buck linebacker, the defensive line. We all know Kendrick Falk's going to the NFL, Keron Crawford, Chris Murray. I know they've got some young guys there, but tight end, pass rusher, and offensive tackle are those three of the biggest needs.

Yeah, absolutely. I think this has got to be a build that's going to be from the inside out. You know, I think Auburn's going to have to get multiple guys on the offensive line in the transfer portal who can play next year. I think even if you bring back a couple, maybe you bring back some young guys that you like for the future, you need to get some dudes that can play right away. And then on the defensive front, kind of the same way. I think if you can retain them a leak block and some of those young guys up front and, you know, a Morris Williams would be big there as well, you know, you're in a really, really good spot.

But, yeah, edge rushers, can you find somebody and go get after the quarterback, try to work your magic there again? And then from there, just kind of let it develop out of that, right? Quarterback's obviously going to be the big thing. Everyone knows that that's going to be a big part of it as well. But I do think in terms of volume, the line of scrimmages on both sides of the ball has to be the thing because this is a line of scrimmage league. This is a line of scrimmage sport.

And when you hear Alex Golesh talk about his identity, it's like, yeah, you know, this is a team that wants to stretch the field, spread the field, go vertical, go horizontal, do all that stuff. But at its core, it wants to win at the line of scrimmage. It wants to be a physical team. It wants to be, you know, a team that wins at the point of attack. And so you've got to go out there and get the dudes to do it in the portal. Speaking of teams, talk to us, Justin, about the Auburn basketball team.

Yeah, I mean, coming off a really tough loss, you know, Arizona last week, that Arizona team, you know, them and Michigan have both played really, really well against Auburn this season. And, you know, those are the two best teams in the country, you know, right now. And I think Auburn looked at their own game from those two games and say, hey, there's a lot of stuff we can work on. We've got to clean up on it. This team's got to do a much better job of, you know, passing the ball, sharing it.

And the assist rate's kind of really low right now. They've got some good one-on-one scorers. But, you know, their assist rate's kind of dropped off. And so, you know, when you're not playing that cohesively on offense, it can really hurt you on both ends of the floor. I think we saw that, you know, these last couple games. Or at least those two losses. But, you know, the other thing is, is this team, you know, they come back from Vegas. You know, they win two big ones, including that St. John's game where they came back in the second half and won by double digits.

[1:50:03] That's a huge win, one of the better wins anybody's got in the SEC this year. So, you know, I think that this team's got potential to keep building and keep growing. And tomorrow they're going to play Chattanooga and Atlanta in a holiday hoopsgiving game that Chattanooga team has banged up. Doesn't have a ton of size. I think it'll be a good opportunity for Auburn to really work on themselves and kind of play a cleaner game before, you know, next Saturday they roll out to play Purdue, Indianapolis.

And you know how tough that game's going to be. So, yeah, for Auburn, I think this is a team that's still learning, still growing with one another just because there's so much newness. And I think, you know, the Michigan and Arizona losses were kind of some stiff reminders of, hey, if you don't do everything you need to do, you know, the stuff that you can control, if you don't take care of that first and foremost, really good basketball teams can really put a hurt on you.

And so Auburn's got to continue to learn that and tighten up the things that they've got to get better at moving forward. Let me ask you real quick, Alabama's playing Arizona tomorrow night in Birmingham. You actually flew out there to see Arizona. Toby O'Walka, Jaden Bradley, O'Walka's the Tennessee transfer. Bradley the transfer from Alabama. Pete, I've heard a lot about, is their front line their biggest strength? Oh, 100%. I mean, they're gigantic, them and Michigan are. Co-A-P is about as well-built of a true freshman as I've seen since when Paolo Bancaro was at Duke.

I mean, this is a kid who's 6'10 and he looks like he's made out of concrete. Just really physically gifted. They rebound the ball well. They've got a 7'2 center. They play through. And their guards are good. I mean, Jaden Bradley, you were mentioning, really good at getting downhill, getting to the basket. They don't take a ton of threes, but they hit them when they do. So, I think, yeah, Alabama tomorrow night, I mean, that's a really rough challenge against anybody with that front line. They had a ton of points in the paint against Auburn.

They don't really have to rely on the three to get a lot of points. They're as good at getting to their spots down low and finding and hitting. They hit a lot of tough shots, too. A lot of good mid-range in the paint looks. It's like they're as tough as I've seen, you know, in the front court this game. So, yeah, I mean, it's going to be a real big – that game more than – even more than the Auburn game. I think that's a really big, you know, styles-makes-fights kind of game.

You know, Alabama wants to run and gun and shoot the three. Arizona is going to – Arizona is going to play fast, but they're going to do it trying to get into the rim on every possession. Tell us about the 6 a.m. emails, Friday mailbag, the podcast, the whole nine yards. Yeah, auburnobserver.com, check it out. We are running a special right now, 25% off for your first year at the Observer. So, it's just $45 if you subscribe between now and Christmas Day. So, we've got a lot of specials running there.

Works for gifts as well. So, yeah, mailbag out today, podcast, talking a lot of football and basketball. I'll be in Atlanta this weekend covering that Auburn-Chattanooga game. A lot of stuff on both sides of football and basketball coming out. And then yesterday, I did a really good interview with Sebastian Williams Adams, Auburn's freshman forward, that you can check out. It's very, very interesting. He's probably the most interesting freshman in the country. So, you just – really, really good stuff from him. So, you can check all that out at auburnobserver.com.

We've been teased. Justin, listen, thanks so much for your time today. Safe travels to and from. And, again, thanks for your time today. Absolutely. Appreciate it, y'all. Thank you, bud. Justin Ferguson, the Auburn Observer. BB, we talked about Auburn's schedule. Your thoughts overall about Alabama's schedule next season? Well, I think it's manageable, if you can say that, as far as the SEC is concerned. Auburn, still got a gauntlet in the middle of the season with Georgia at Tennessee, Texas A&M, a bye week. And LSU, Alabama begins with East Carolina at home, travels to Lexington the second week of the season, Florida State, South Carolina.

Yeah. Tough in the middle, but I think it's a little more manageable at the beginning and the end. November 14th at Vanderbilt. Is Diego Pavia going to be there, BB? Uh, no. Okay. Maybe, maybe not. Stay tuned. That's going to take your biz for today on behalf of BB, Greg, James Blair, the entire crew here. Harold LeBlanc, thank you so much for your time today. Let's do it again Monday, noon to two for the Boomo Bugg Show, back here on Sports Radio from 93.9 to score.