Boomo Bugg Show 011426

[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 tie, Tigers, Tennessee and the rest of the SEC. Now your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Good afternoon and welcome in 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. And is there a prouder set of parents in the world today than Mr. and Ms. Simpson? Welcome in. And what Homer Simpson's parents couldn't do, it looks like Ty Simpson's parents could do. Brett Beaird, how are you?

The Wednesday, Wednesday to you and the listeners. I thought some of the quotes that he had in Chris Lowe's article were the best quotes I've read in a couple of years that he stands for something. We'll get into that throughout the show. Media reports indicate two Alabama defensive players, Keyon Salb and Yonsei Pierre, are returning to Bama for the 2026 season. As of this morning, Harold Bugg, Wednesday morning, there are 10,576 football players. And growing. We have entered the transfer portal, and of those 10,576, 6,846 are still active and looking for a new football team.

And Kevin is here right now with those stats to talk about Kurt Signetti and a little SEC basketball. Every time I hear those stats like that, it's the old love in Spoonful. Remember that song? There was that, how many thousands of guitar pickers in Nashville? That's what it reminds me of. I don't think Kevin Scarbinsky is in that portal. He's always busy as an award-winning columnist for the Birmingham News. Check him out also behind the microphone. He's about to really get busy when basketball enters the state finals here.

He's always busy there on the Alabama Public Television Network. And his podcast is called Skarbo Knows. Kevin Scarbinsky, are you in the portal or are you still out there? Hey, guys. No, I'm not in the transfer portal. Always willing to look for new opportunities if they present themselves. But I fear, though, that the 6,000-plus who are still looking are not all going to find a spot to land. Some of them will not be playing football next year, at the least. You know, Kevin, the thing is, what they're doing, they're forfeiting a scholarship.

And ask any parent who's got a kid on their payroll at college. They can tell you that's not exactly chump changing itself. But let's go back to Ty Simpson. Here's a kid that had all the options, reportedly. We don't know this as a gospel, but reportedly had up to $6.5 million. And basically, I won't go through all the boring details here. He said that means that he would be remembered as a kid who left Alabama and took the money. I would have lost everything that I built in Alabama.

I was a captain. You can see in concrete over at Denny Chimes going forward. That means something. How refreshing is it any time, but especially in this day and time, when kids would come here and basically flirt with the school to get their numbers up at where they are going to wind up? We saw it, in my opinion. I don't know this. But a lot of folks are thinking that's what happened over the weekend with Alabama with some guys. But how refreshing is it as a set of parents to see a kid say what he means and means what he says?

Well, as the parent of two young men, it is incredibly refreshing and admirable to know that there are still young men out there that value things more than money, that their character matters, their reputation matters. Their word? Yeah, the fact their word, boy, isn't that becoming an ancient concept, sadly, among all ages, not just among young men. And, you know, the fact that he cited things like he's already put his handprints and footprints at Denny Chimes as a captain, that that means something to him. And that's, I think, and I don't think I'm wrong about this, I think that's one of the things that attracted us to college sports a long, long time ago.

Those of us who have been following for a long time, whether we're fans of a certain school or not, or just fans of college sports, it's because it was different than the pros. It was not about the money. They were playing for the love of the game and or the love of the school, and usually it was an and, not an or. That seems like ancient history, again, because of the money that's involved, the money that's available. It's life-changing money for a lot of families. I think Ty said in that story from Chris Lowe at On3 that that $6 million was more than his parents had made in their entire careers.

[5:23] Or ever will, probably. And probably will, and obviously that would have been incredible, maybe, I don't know if it would have been life-changing money for them, but it might have been. But that he saw a bigger picture, that there were things more important than an immediate payday, just says a lot about his parents, it says a lot about his family, it says a lot about him. And I think that's why so many people have responded so positively to it. You do have, you know, people saying, oh, he was foolish, you should have taken the money, what did he really build at Alabama, he didn't win a championship, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

You know, come on, have we completely forgotten old-fashioned values? You know, yeah, I know the answer even as I'm asking the question, sadly. But your thoughts, obviously, be that as it may, back to the ranch. Kevin, you're a great person, you've covered both programs for years, and where is Alabama and Auburn football? I mean, we go back a ways, and I can't remember a time when both schools have a lot of question marks here in January of 2026 going forward. I think that's going to be the case for most schools in this new era.

Even after you know who is on the roster, even after this portal closes and all the decisions are made, and everybody's locked in in their spots for next year, it's still hard to know because of all the changes. Auburn's not just changing a roster, they're changing a coaching staff and a support staff. So it's more unpredictable than ever. I mean, look at Indiana, for example. They went 11-2 last year, made the playoff, and they were ranked number 20 to start this season. And if they win on Monday night, they'll be the national champion that started the lowest in the AP poll since Auburn in 2010.

They were started at 22, and of course, that's before anyone really knew who Cam Newton was or what he was capable of. And so there's more uncertainty, and in a way, it makes the game more exciting. You know, I used to say, Alabama in the early days, especially under Nick Saban, was kind of boring because when you went to a game, you kind of knew what was going to happen. You know, there were some details that might change from week to week, but you pretty much count on them beating all the lesser opponents and beating them badly and then beating almost all of the equal or close as talented opponents.

And maybe they'd be some close games, but they'd find a way. And it was like clockwork. It was like watching a metronome. Well, now, just look at Alabama. I mean, their last month of the season, losing to Oklahoma, and then a few weeks later, then they beat Oklahoma on the road after falling down 17-0. They beat Auburn, and then they get run by Indiana. I mean, it's just, you just don't know. And I don't think that's a Kalen DeBoer. I don't think that's a Nick Saban hangover thing.

I think that's the state of college football and college basketball. Yeah. I think you're exactly right. Speaking of Kurt Signetti, you wrote an article about him. Not even Saban raised college football eyebrows like Indiana's Kurt Signetti. Summarize this article, young man, for us. I'm just glad I got a chuckle from the headline. The double meeting and a raised eyebrow. Yes. I'm glad someone caught that. It is pretty amazing. And, you know, we've always thought, or at least I've always thought, that Kirby Smart was the Saban protege that was most like him in so many ways.

But the more we watch Signetti at work at a power conference program, the more I'm starting to think, you know, he's really as close to Saban in his attitude, his approach, and now his accomplishments in two years in the Big Ten as the boss. Now, of course, Kirby has the two national championships, and Signetti will just, well, I say just, that's a terrible thing. He will have one if he wins Monday night, which I think a lot of us expect he will. But what he's done and where he's done it, that's one thing that separates, I think, what Nick Saban did even.

And, look, nobody's going to match what Saban did in terms of longevity and consistent excellence for a decade and a half plus. Not cursing that he's not going to do that. Dabo Sweeney has shown he's not going to do that. Kirby Smart's not going to do that. Nobody's ever going to do that. But to take a program that had never had a 10-win season in its entire history, and he won 11 last year, he's won 15 and counting this year. They had never won, this blew me away when I looked it up, they had never won more than 16 games in a two-year period in their history.

[10:34] If they win Monday night, they'll be 16-0 this year, which nobody's done since Yale in the late 1800s. I think the conditions were a little different back then in college football. Not that I was around to see it, mind you, but I haven't been around that long. But, you know, it's just very, very impressive. And you know what? It's not gimmicky. It's not a fad. It's good old-fashioned planning and coaching and development and spotting talent that other people had overlooked. Thank you. Thank you. And then getting the most out of that talent.

And, look, I don't know what the weakness is on that team. You want to force them to run the ball? They'll run it right down your throat. You want to force them to throw? Fernando Mendoza's throwing darts out there into windows the size of a Tic Tac. And then his receivers. When's the last time you saw an Indiana receiver drop a pass? It's unbelievable how sure-handed those guys are. And the offensive line is not made up of a bunch of behemoths like some SEC schools that we could name.

They move you where they want you to go if they don't just flat overpower you. And then I even mentioned the defense, how good that is. So, no, it's a machine that he's put together. And when's the last true college football machine we saw? It was Alabama under Nick Saban. Yeah, Signetti reminds me. Remember your mom and dad looking in the rear view mirror at you? He would give you that look. He didn't have to say a word. The look said it all. Let's switch gears, by the way.

Check out Kevin's work amongst other places. Scarbo knows. Basketball, Alabama-Auburn. Started with Alabama since they played last. Two-game losing skid. Looked like they were going to run into three. Failed behind by, what, 14. Then it ran the dogs out of the hop, winning by, what, 15. Kevin, talk to us about Alabama and Auburn basketball. Well, I'll start with Auburn. I was very impressed with the way they bounced back from the Texas A&M disappointment. Because they let that game get away from them. They looked like they were beat.

And then they fought back in the last minute and thought for a millisecond that they'd won the game. Unfortunately, they were a millisecond short on the last second shot. And that's the kind of game that can really tear the heart out of a team. But they came back stronger than ever. And maybe their most impressive performance all year against Arkansas on Saturday. And Arkansas was never really in the game. So I give Stephen Pearl a lot of credit for that. If they can play with that level of effort, they can score.

There's no doubt. Keyshawn Hall, how about scoring 30-plus in two straight games? And no Auburn player had done that to Wesley Person in 1994. That's a long time ago. So they can score the ball. But if they can play defense consistently like they did against Arkansas, you'll see them in the NCAA tournament. As for Alabama, they didn't bounce back very well from the loss at Vanderbilt last week. And lost a game to Texas that you shouldn't lose. That's the first bad loss, really, that they've had. You could talk about the margin against Arizona, but Arizona's the best team in the country, and they keep proving it week in and week out.

But to lose that game to Texas, an unranked team, that's at home. You shouldn't lose that game. And then to fall behind the way they did early last night, it looked like, wow, they're really in a slump here. And then they went on an Indiana football-like run from that point and just smoked Mississippi State. LeBaron Phylon was elite, had a career high. You know, again, for them to do that with eight scholarship players available, their biggest problem all year has been lack of health. Guys getting banged up and hurt and missing games and having 10 different starting lineups.

But we saw last night what they're capable of. When they guard, and the guard's actually guarded, we know how good they are on the offensive end. They can go a long way in the postseason. So positive recent vibes from both programs. This is another one, though, shows I wish we had 30 more minutes with you. Great stuff, as always. I saw your text about our friend and yours, Lenny Acuff, speaking to the Birmingham Tip-Off Club. We talked about Ty Simpson. You talk about a humble, thoughtful, class, professional, et cetera, et cetera.

It is Lenny, and hopefully we can talk about him the next time we have you on. Tell us about, as Harold mentioned earlier, about the 15 platforms we can catch Kevin Scarbinsky on. Well, the common denominator is X or Twitter, at Kevin Scarbinsky. You can keep up with me there, and you can find links to all of my work, to my columns, which you can find on AL.com, to my podcast on YouTube. It's Kevin Scarbinsky-ScarboKnows. And, as you mentioned, before we know it, we'll be at Legacy Arena for the state basketball finals in high school.

I can't wait for that. Pelham is 21-0. They had the player of the week at the Tip-Off Club on Monday here in Birmingham when Lenny Acuff spoke. And so we may see the Panthers in the final four. But that's always one of my favorite events of the year. Can't wait. Break out the Listerine. Get the vocals ready. In the meantime, Kevin, thanks for your time. Dave, let's do it again as soon as possible, buddy. I'm with you. Thanks, guys. Have a great day. Thank you, bud.

[15:57] Kevin Scarbinsky, amongst other places. Scarbinsky, check it out. From one breath to another, the Tales on Deck. Stay with us. At Family Credit Union, we believe every great team starts with a strong community. We're proud to help our neighbors save, borrow, and build brighter futures together. Whether you're planning for your first home, growing your family, or supporting local dreams, we're here with personalized service and competitive rates. Stop by any of our convenient locations, Tuscumbia, Sheffield, Muscle Shoals, Florence, Russellville, Cherokee, and Killen, or visit us on the web at valleycreditunion.net.

Valley Credit Union, rooted in community, committed to you. Let's win together. On January 6, 2026, at its regularly scheduled meeting, the City of Florence received an application for a new solid waste transfer station from the City of Florence Solid Waste Department. Interested persons may contact Mr. David Kuntz, Manager, City of Florence Solid Waste Department, at 256-760-6495, with questions regarding the application, or visit the offices of the City of Florence Solid Waste, Street and Recycle Department, 50 Country Club Drive, Florence, Alabama, 35633, to review a copy of the local solid waste management plan and the application submitted by the City of Florence Solid Waste Department.

The approval process will be conducted from January 6, 2026 until April 7, 2026, at which time the City of Florence has tentatively set a date to approve or deny the application. Members of the public may submit written comments in person at the City of Florence Solid Waste, Street and Recycle Department, 50 Country Club Drive, Florence, Alabama, 35633, or by United States Mail, postage prepaid at the same address. It's a new year, and Aleve is here to help you keep your New Year's resolutions on track. Whether it's a daily walk, hitting the gym, or spending more time with friends and family, Aleve's got your back.

With up to 12 hours of body pain relief per dose, Aleve keeps you moving with long-lasting body pain relief so you can chase those dreams and achieve your goals. Don't let body pain slow you down. Keep going with Aleve, because this year is your year. Try Aleve. Use as directed for minor aches and pains. Every morning, we rise and shine. Make breakfast and brush away the night's rest. These routines help us start the day off right. NatureMade vitamins are a simple step in that daily care regimen.

Nutrivitamins with daily essentials. Clinically studied probiotics for gut health support. Magnesium to help relax the body. NatureMade is made to care for you. Every day. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. 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. Hey, fans. Welcome back to Fansville's Cheers. And tears. Okay, so like everybody deals with losing, right? To a rival on a last-second field goal. Whatever. It's fine. I'm totally fine. But I cope with losing with an ice-cold Dr. Pepper. Mmm, those 23 flavors are, like, so delicious. They totally wash away the pain of your college football team taking a big fat L. College football. It's a pepper thing.

It's a new year, and Aleve is here to help you keep your New Year's resolutions on track. Whether it's a daily walk, hitting the gym, or spending more time with friends and family, Aleve's got your back. With up to 12 hours of body pain relief per dose, Aleve keeps you moving with long-lasting body pain relief so you can chase those dreams and achieve your goals. Don't let body pain slow you down. Keep going with Aleve, because this year is your year. Try Aleve. Use as directed for minor aches and pains.

For delicious meals, you could go out to eat, or spend hours in the kitchen, or you could just make a Marie Callender's meal. Yeah, you heard me. Marie Callender's Classic Chicken Parmigiana Bowl is delicious, with scratch-made marinara sauce, creamy mozzarella cheese, and no preservatives. It's high in protein, with 30 grams per serving. Marie Callender's. What having it all tastes like. United Way of Northwest Alabama is thrilled to announce the return of its signature fundraising gala, Shoals Royale, on Saturday, February 21st, 2026, at the Renathon Shoals Conference Center.

This black-tie optional casino-themed event brings all the glitz and excitement of Las Vegas to the Shoals, complete with live entertainment, gaming tables, prices, hors d'oeuvres, and a cash bar, and all for a great cause. Now in its fourth year, Shoals Royale has become one of Northwest Alabama's premier charity events. Uniting local businesses, community leaders, and residents for a night of luxury and purpose. Proceeds directly benefit United Way of Northwest Alabama and the 12 local non-profit partners and 22 community programs and funds. Individual tickets are $125 or $200 per couple.

[21:26] Or go in VIP style for $350 or $600 per couple. Shoals Royale, 2026, Saturday, February 21st, at 7 p.m. at the Renathon Shoals Conference Center. Tickets are available now at givebutter.com slash Shoals Royale 2026. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back again. Time to check in with a man who knows all about the ducks at the Peabody, the fine ribs at the Rendezvous, and Ole Miss football anytime. Brett Norsworthy, afternoons, sports time, 3 to 6 on Sports 56 in Memphis. And then a thing called Ole Miss football on the network there.

Pre-game, half-time, post-game. Brett Norsworthy, welcome in. You're a busy boy. How are you? I'm doing well, Harold. Great to be with you and Brett. Hey, Brett. You too. Brett, you've been around Ole Miss football a long time. How in the world, you're a wordsmith, how would you describe the season and, in particular, the last three to four weeks in Oxford? All-time. It was really historic and a lot of fun. The team just played really well and almost pulled off the Fiesta Bowl and would be preparing for the national championship game.

But, instead, Miami played better, and Miami deserved to win. But, it was still so much fun and historic 13 wins, record season, you know, to beat LSU, to beat Mississippi State, to only lose once in the SEC, and then winning the college football playoff at home. That was probably my favorite day ever at a game in Oxford, to be hosting the college football playoffs at Christmas time and then to win the Sugar Bowl and what I think is the best college football game I've ever seen and never been to.

And, a week later, go to one just as good, but that one doesn't turn out the way you want it. What can feel real good can feel real bad from the high of the Sugar Bowl to the low of walking off that field at the Fiesta Bowl and knowing it's over, knowing that if had won, had a chance to really compete for winning it all. But, the future is very bright under Pete Golding. So, you know, onward, upward. Let's talk about that, Brett. Obviously, could Hollywood come up with two contrasting personalities more than Lane Kiffin and Pete Golding.

Your thoughts just about you work with both. Help, for all of us who don't know the two, help us to understand what it was like basically working with both personalities this season. Well, and for the last couple of seasons, they're very different personalities. They're very close. There's no friction with Lane and Pete Golding, none at all. And, without Lane getting Pete to Ole Miss, Pete would not be the head coach at Ole Miss. And then, with everything that Lane has done in the last month and a half or so to take the LSU job, they're different personalities, but both really good guys.

And I get along with both very well. Lane's a little more short and to the point and cryptic, but still, I think, a very good person. And Pete's a little more gregarious, a little more back-slappy, and a very good person as well. And Pete will do a great job leading this program. He's already off to it. And how he can identify and spot talent, especially where you have to win in the SEC, and that's up front, defensive line in the SEC. Absolutely. Both of them learned at the feet of the master.

One of the things that really impressed me about Ole Miss' performance against Miami, the Hurricanes had racked up 12 sacks in the first couple of games in the playoff. And against Ole Miss, Brett, they had won. Now, again, Trinidad Chambliss' elusiveness really helped them there, but I was impressed with that. And I still say, if Ole Miss has 25 more seconds left in that game, when they got to the 35-yard line, I really wonder if Ole Miss would have won the game. Yeah, we scored pretty quickly to go up 27-24.

And I told our side ladder for John Darnell from Corinth, who we played in the late 80s, I told him, I said, we're about to steal this game. Because it really felt all night like Miami was in control and was the better team. But we got ahead late and then just could not get a stop, Brett. You're right. We thought they would have trouble getting to Trinidad, and we thought with his scrambling ability, and it really worked, that it would wear out their defense, and it kind of worked.

But then we couldn't stop Carson Beck on the offensive end. And he made a play when we were kind of expecting a turnover from him. He didn't. He came through and was really clutch. He had one turnover all night. And we were expecting two or three picks out of him, but couldn't get it. And he played well. The best team won. Miami deserved to win. Yeah. Brett Norsworthy hooking over this. Sports 56. I appreciate the shout-out to Corinth over there in Alcorn County. Hello, Warriors. And you know that territory very well over there, Brett.

[26:35] Talk to us a little bit about the future here. Speaking of quarterbacks, obviously, Deuce Knight. I'm sorry? He's done a great job as our sideline reporter. He's just a really fine person. And you've got to get some slow burgers next time you're over there, too, at the white trolley. That's an unpaid endorsement there. But on Highway 72, just… Now, let me ask you about, obviously, there's a shuffle out there right now. Everybody's shopping. Deuce Knight, a Mississippi native, had a cup of coffee at Auburn. Basically, it was the future under the former head coach.

Now, he is calling Oxford home. Your thoughts about that and, of course, the litigation there with Chambliss. What do you see there, Brett? Well, we think we're going to get relief with the NCAA. It's awfully interesting that T.J. Finley just got yet another year. Yes. He's played college football since Burke Jones was quarterback at LSU. But the easy no for the NCAA has always been to tell Ole Miss no. But Tom Mars, I'm glad to have him on our side. We've been against him, and he's quite a formidable foe.

But I'm glad to have him on our side. In this case, we think we'll get Trinidad back. But if we don't, got to make other plans at quarterback. And Deuce Knight almost got him in normal, if anything's normal anymore, in recruiting last year. But he went to Auburn. And, boy, look at that mass exodus of talent from Auburn. Telling you, man. That Hugh Freeze did assemble. But with some bad breaks and some bad calls. I mean, look how it changed the fortunes of him and of Auburn.

But we think Deuce Knight can be a really good player and look forward to having him in our program. Brad, I was looking at the numbers today as far as transfers into Ole Miss. Jaheim Otis, who was with Alabama a couple years ago. Colorado now with Ole Miss. Kearney, or Kern, from LSU, the offensive lineman. Some guys that stuck out to me. Brent, as far as positions of need, and Friday is the last day in the transfer portal. I'm sure Ole Miss has covered a lot of their needs.

But what's outstanding right now? Offense, defensive line, linebacker, secondary. Where does Ole Miss need to fill their remaining needs? I would always like to get another defensive lineman and another safety. I think I would put that order in almost every single time. But every one of those players you mentioned, Kearney, Deuce Knight, Jaheim Otis, almost got him in the normal recruiting process. And that's why, you know, used to, there were no silver or bronze medals in recruiting. You either signed the guy, you got the hat to answer, you didn't.

Now you don't mind being the runner-up because look up what being the runner-up did for Ole Miss with Kiwan Lacey. Yeah. And Alabama, Ty Hayworth, and a lot of that story can go on and on. But on that theme, Brett, you are a professor of this sport. Where is college football, using what Indiana has done, and let's face it, Ole Miss went in the Final Four while Ohio State, Alabama, and Georgia had to take a place on the couch. Your thoughts about college football now and where it's going?

Harold, I think it's in a great place that we've got to fix some big things, two or three or four big things, and if we get those rectified, it will absolutely thrive. But it is thriving. It's thriving with sponsorships. It's thriving with TV ratings. It's thriving with stadiums sold out. Right, right. It is costing people a lot of money to fund these programs, and I think the donor fatigue could really set in. And I'm not one of the ones that wants to go to Congress and think they have the magic answer.

Just very rarely in my life has Washington, D.C. had very many good answers. Since the cherry tree with George Washington. Brett, I've noticed on Twitter and social media, according to Bruce Feldman of Fox and Brett McMurphy, the SEC had a terrible bowl season. I think everybody knows it wasn't up to par that it normally is, but I didn't realize now that the SEC had been regulated to a second or third class league, according to some of the Big Ten proponents. Yeah, well, they get to have their victory lap right now.

Because Indiana is going to win, I think, in Miami. That's three straight years for the SEC not to even have a team in the finals. But that previous 18, 19 years, we quickly have amnesia. Okay, that's fine. That's fine. I just can't wait until the SEC is back as the leader. Because that same crowd that's now saying we're dead, it was always, yeah, but when we're having that 18, 19-year run, and we might go to that 2014 bracket. I looked at it yesterday and spoke with Brother Brent about it last night on our show, Brett.

[31:51] And it's not as crazy and as far-fetched as I thought until I looked at it and started examining some, now if we go to that, and I'm fine by it, if we go to that, that bulldozes, as we know, the bowl season, and the bowls it knocks out, it's not necessarily knocking out the dot-com bowl and the Bahamas bowl and the Roosters coffee bowl. What it's going to knock out are the bowls after December 28th, 29th or so, before January 2nd or so, that we look at the traditional bowls, Sun, Liberty, Gator, Music City, and I don't see how they can merge all those bowls into a playoff format.

We're going to have to go to more on campus because it's the expense for people to travel to all these places. Thank you. It's just not the NCAA tournament. So it's going to bulldoze those bowls. And I hate to say it, I never thought I would get here, but I'm really tired of being the defender of the bowls because they stayed pretty intractable for a long time. Yeah, Brent, I get amused when I hear what you just said about the SEC not having a team in the national championship game.

Three years ago, Alabama lost in overtime to Michigan. Two years ago, Texas lost to a scoop and score, and Ole Miss loses in the last second to Miami. Yeah, and we're terrible, but Brent, what it proves, what it proves, here is the fairest, most legitimate criticism of SEC football. It's not perfect. It doesn't bat thousands. And that they love any little slight to go in, and that's fine. Every one of them will be knocking themselves over to be at Tampa next summer because they know that's where the action is.

If they didn't believe that, then go cover the Big 12. Yeah. That's exactly right. And you'll have crickets and readers and clicks. That's it. You're exactly right. Thank you so much, as always, for coming on. Congratulations again on a great season for Ole Miss, buddy. Where can we get online this afternoon to listen to your great show? 556, WHBQ.com, and it was some fun year, and looking forward to doing it again next year. Thank you all for having me. Thank you so much, Brent. Keep them straight over in Ole Miss country.

Coming up, time to go down to Tynetown. Check in with the man, Rodney Orr, on deck on the Bumbo Bug Show. Stay with us. Get fit and fab this new year at YMCA of the Shoals with 24-7 access. And no joining fee if you sign up before January 31st. The YMCA has leading-edge fitness equipment, year-round swimming, dozens of group exercise classes per week, and a family atmosphere. Elevate your fitness journey with YMCA of the Shoals, where health meets community. Join before January 31st with no joining fee.

And start 2026 off-right. 256-246-9622 or ymcasholes.org. My ride smells just right. Just right. Just right. Just right. I gotta try that for Breeze car. Just right. Just right. Just right. La, la, la, la, la, la. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. With those 40 days of consistency. On low, for Breeze car clips right on your vent. You know my car's my happy place. Keep that smile on my face. When it smells just right. Just right. Just right. Yeah. Breathe happy for Breeze. La, la, la, la, la. You're still grooving.

Still connecting. Still loving. Still turning up. Still thriving. You still got it. But your immune system, it weakens as you age. That's where vaccines come in. They help train and strengthen your immune response to fight off respiratory illnesses like flu, pneumococcal pneumonia, RSV, or COVID-19. Ask your doctor or pharmacist which vaccines you need. Book in minutes at VaxAssist.com. Sponsored by Pfizer. Progressive knows there's so many great things about being a sports fan. Like scoring the company box seats. How great is that? Trick plays that actually work.

Prevent defense when your team is winning by a lot. And even more preventative prevent defense as they're hanging on by a threat. And of course, saving money when you bundle your home and auto with Progressive. That's pretty great. Just like trick plays that actually work. Yeah, but how often does that happen? Complaining about sports. Not so great. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company affiliates and other insurers not available in all states or situations. A SoFi personal loan is here to help you achieve something once thought impossible. Overcoming high interest credit card debt.

Walk the tightrope of your finances with one low, fixed rate monthly payment, no fees required, and as soon as the same day funding. That's right. Pull off your own debt-defying stunt with a SoFi personal loan. Visit SoFi.com slash trick to learn more. Loans originated by SoFi Bank N.A. Member FDIC. Terms and conditions apply. And NLS 696891. Okay, I have to tell you. I was just looking on eBay where I go for all kinds of things I love, and there it was. That hologram trading card.

[37:11] One of the rarest. The last one I needed for my set. Shiny like the… Designer handbag of my dreams. One of a kind. eBay had it. And now everyone's asking. Ooh, where'd you get your… Windshield wiper. eBay has all the parts that fit my car. No more annoying. Just beautiful. Millions of finds, each with a story. eBay. Things people love. My name is Whitney Allen. I am a widow. My husband, Ryan, died. We never thought in a million years we'd have to use life insurance. The unexpected happened.

With Ethos, it is so fast and easy. It's 100% online. You can get a quote in seconds, apply in minutes, and get same-day coverage. No medical exams. And you can get up to $3 million worth of coverage through Ethos. Get your free quote at ethos.com slash game. That's E-T-H-O-S dot com slash game. Time spent on application may vary. Online health questions required. Progressive presents the Sports Flash on 93-9. The score. It's basketball action. Last night, Alabama scored 61 points in the second half and pulled away from Mississippi State on the road to win 97-82.

Alabama with the victory is now 12-5 on the season and 2-2 in the SEC. The Crimson Tide will play at Oklahoma on Saturday. The Auburn Tigers are on the road tonight. They'll play at Missouri. Auburn is 10-6 on the season, 1-2 in the SEC, while Mizzou is 2-1 in the conference and 12-4 overall. Troy will play at home against Southern Miss tonight. The Trojans are 11-6 on the year and 4-1 in the Sun Belt. Southern Miss is 5-1 in league play. 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. You're still grooving, still connecting, still loving, still turning up, still thriving. You still got it, but your immune system, it weakens as you age. That's where vaccines come in. They help train and strengthen your immune response to fight off respiratory illnesses like flu, pneumococcal pneumonia, RSV, or COVID-19. Ask your doctor or pharmacist which vaccines you need. Book in minutes at VaxAssist.com. Sponsored by Pfizer. You can swirl it, you can sip it, but the best way is to share it.

Hey y'all, I'm Deanna, a team member at my local Chick-fil-A. And a little thing I love about the Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich and new frosted sodas and floats is how well they go together. You get that bold flavor of the Coke mixed with the smooth deliciousness of the vanilla ice cream. You have a juicy filet and a smooth, creamy float. It's an awesome pairing. Order a Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich and a new frosted soda and float at your local Chick-fil-A restaurant. Real team member paid for their testimonial.

The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. The Score. Welcome back in, the busiest man in Tuscaloosa, maybe outside the coaching staff and fellow agents. His name is Rod Newer, the founder and editor of tighterinsider.com. His book is called Bigger Than Bama. Rod Newer, welcome in. How are you? Doing well, Harold. Brett, how are you guys? Hey, bud. We're doing all right. About a week and a half into this portal thing, about two and a half days to go. Rodney, the question is, are Alabama fans going to survive it or they have to go to the ER before this thing is all said and done?

Yeah, well, I mean, I think that's, you know, that still remains to be seen. Yep, it does. I mean, obviously, you know, Alabama's got some guys that I think can help them. And, you know, I think there's basically it's pretty simple. I mean, how does Alabama do in the trenches? We've been saying that for weeks and weeks, that when the portal time comes, you know, the trenches are going to be the key. And I think right now we're seeing that. I mean, they've lost all, you know, when you lose your left tackle, Proctor, you lose your left guard, Dewberry, you lose your center, Brelsford, you lose your starting right guard, Formby, you lose the guy that's been another starter in Jaden Roberts.

You've lost a lot of guys. You know, you lost a lot of the backup guys. So how do you replace them? That's the key. And I think when you look right now, Michael Carroll is the most veteran player they have, which is kind of scary. I mean, he's a great player. He's a great young player with a tremendous amount of potential, but he has probably less than 500, you know, snaps total. And, you know, you really only have one other guy that's got any experience and much experience, and that's William Sanders.

So you're kind of in a situation right now, Harold and Brett, where I think, to me, you really need two more guys out of the portal, at least, with experience, an interior guy and a tackle. Certainly, if it was a left tackle, it would be great. But I think you need those guys, you know, when you start to move forward because you really need some experience up front on the line of scrimmage. And then also, I would say the same thing on the defensive front. You know, you lost your three guys up front.

[42:22] You lost Keenan. You lost L.T. Overton. You lost James Smith. You know, you lost some backups. You lost Keelan. You lost Renaud. And I know everyone says those guys are easily replaced. But when you lose that many guys, I mean, that's a lot to replace. Let me ask you this, Rodney. Obviously, we're not trying to sit here and, you know, if you listen to the show, we're not about clicks or trying to be extremists. We're just trying to be realistic about it. You look at what they've lost, which is a lot of formal four and five stars, and you look at the roster now, these guys coming in are pretty much three stars.

They don't know the system. The bad news is you lost a lot of guys. The other side of that coin, Rodney, correct me if I'm wrong, does that not free up a lot of money to go out, and if you know what you're doing, to spend it wisely to get the guys you need to answer the problems here? No, I think you bring up a great point, Harold, about you just can't always plug guys in. I mean, sometimes you can, but you're bringing new guys in.

You're bringing them in on the offensive line. They've got to make those adjustments to your system. You know, there's a lot going on here. Same thing on the defense line or whatever positions it is. You know, so, yeah, again, I think you can get some guys that you can plug in and play and, you know, perhaps maybe show improvement, but it's a big question. And I think, like you said, does it free up money? I mean, obviously it does. You know, and again, I don't know how they're going to allocate the money that they have.

And here's the thing, though, Harold and Brett, and I know, like, for example, you know, there's a great offensive tackle out there, Jordan Seaton from Colorado, who had Alabama at the top of his list coming out of high school before he went to Colorado. And now he's back on the market in the portal. And I don't know that Alabama's going to be a real contender for him because of the amount of money he's going to want. And, you know, understandably, maybe you don't want to spend $3.5 million or $4 million on a left tackle.

So, you know, you just – the numbers out there, you've got to find somebody, and I'm not sure that there's any – how many there are out there, the pool that there is to choose from. Ronny, let me ask you about three guys on the offensive line that I've heard could be possibilities. And these guys seem to have some experience. D.J. Chester, the former LSU offensive tackle. Rayson Delgati out of Cal Poly. Josh Cuevas comes from there. Cuey McBroom from Louisiana Rowe, who actually has 1,000 snaps in a couple of seasons.

I think he's appealed to get another year of eligibility. Or could one more of these guys come from those three? Well, I mean, yeah, certainly could. Well, now, Chester, I think he might – I don't know if – I thought he committed to Mississippi State. I don't know if he signed with them. Yeah, I knew that was one of his finalists, Ronny. I didn't know if he had signed, yeah. And, you know, I know a family member on – you know, right after his visit, you know, told us that Mississippi State had kind of seen that that was more where they were headed.

So, you know, we'll see. Again, I don't know if he actually signed, but then you mentioned McBroom out of La Monroe. Right. You know, I think he's supposed to visit tomorrow, the last I heard. You know, again, things change. And, you know, he certainly could be a possibility. And then who was the other one you mentioned? Yeah, Grayson Delgadie out of California. Yeah, man, now, now, he's a real deal. Yeah, I've heard that. I like him. Yes. I like him. I think, right, he would be a big-time pickup because I think, now, he is a guy that could come in.

Right. He looks like he has the potential to add what you need on the interior part of the offensive line, whether it's center, he could play guard. I like him a lot. So, that's a name to listen for, Delgadie. And there's a kid from Bucknell. And you know what? I cannot pronounce his name. Dara. And he's got a funny last name. You get to me? Steve Smith. He's very intriguing. Yes. He was a basketball player over in Europe for a while. He was really good. He was a defensive lineman at Bucknell for a few years, and then they moved him to offensive tackle.

And he is extraordinarily athletic. I think he's like 6'7", 6'8", you know, 330, somewhere in that neighborhood. Great feet. I mean, you can see where he was a basketball player. I mean, so, he's got a lot of talent. That's a name that I know Alabama's been involved a little bit, South Carolina, Auburn. He's an intriguing-looking kid. On your tighterinsider.com, Rodney, let's talk about something that might be optimistic. We're hearing rummage that maybe Pierre and Saab may be coming back here yourself. Your thoughts about what are you hearing as far as the secondary?

[47:44] Yeah, I mean, you know, again, I think, you know, with Saab, that seems to be the feeling right now, is that he's, you know, certainly not going to the NFL, and that he's probably going to return here. It seems to be the direction it's headed. And the same thing with Pierre. They don't need to lose Pierre at the World Cup. Oh, my goodness. That'd be back to the ER realm. Yeah, you're losing your best, yeah, you'd lose your best, you know, pass rusher. I think, you know, overall, again, you just never know when these guys might hit the portal because so many things are going on behind the scenes.

You've got agents working nonstop for guys, and, you know, so right now, Harold, I mean, I've heard a little buzz about a couple of things, but I don't know that they have any validity right now. But, again, it can be complicated because of these agents that are involved. Rodney, what's in Ty Simpson's article with Chris Lowe of On3.com, as Harold used the word refreshing in today's world, and I quote, everybody would just remember me as the guy who took all this money and went to Miami or Tennessee for his last year.

But I was a captain. I put my hand in footprints and seamen at any chimes. I would have lost everything that I built in Alabama if I would have accepted the 6.5 at Miami, 4 at Tennessee, and Ole Miss. I'm glad to see somebody stand up and have a little bit of a backbone and a little bit of character. Yeah, and listen, that's great of Ty, and I think he's very genuine when he says that. And I also think, too, the fact that he's looking at the first round, becoming a first-round draft pick, it probably makes turning down that money a little easier.

But, no, I do think that, you know, and I think Ty's an Alabama guy. I mean, he stuck it out. He did, you know, he did what most kids nowadays won't do. So, you know, I certainly applaud him for that and, you know, that he is a captain at Alabama. And I think he's very genuine when he says that the fact that he wants to remain, you know, his legacy and he wants to keep that intact at Alabama, I think he's being genuine. Absolutely. Rodney, where can we get online and get Titer Insider TV, the 24-7 message board, the absolute latest in the transfer portal, Alabama basketball with a big win at the hump last night.

A lot of stuff there. Where can we get online and get it all for a nominal price? Right, TiterInsider.com. It's only $48 a year and you can get instant access with your credit card if you prefer. There is an address there to send a check. It gives you all our premium information. But also our all-sports forum. I want to tell you, it's been crazy. It's been crazy. So, you know, just a lot going on right now. TiterInsider.com. Busy boy, we appreciate you taking time out of that busy schedule and joining us today, Rodney.

Thanks so much and have a great rest of the week, okay? Appreciate it, guys. Take care. Thank you, brother. Rodney, or TiterInsider.com. Rodney, or Hooking it with us, brought some good points, BB. Obviously, nobody wants to spend $3.5 million on a position of need. But there's two ways of looking at that. Number one, does it fit your budget? Is it worth it? Don't spend $3.5 million. Is it worth investing $3.5 million? And, by golly, what happens if they go cheap? In other words, they go to Dollar General while Texas goes to Saks and picks up stuff.

What's going to happen going forward, BB, if you've got the money and you don't spend it? Well, again, you've got to target specific guys and bring them in with experience. Now, Strayhorn is good. He's had 94 snaps. Hayward's had 15. And that does accounting some of the – a lot of these guys have tremendous potential. But every once in a while, you need to spend a little money on experience and bring them in. Or invest a little money. Coming up the next time, we're going to be taking you all over the place.

ESPN's Andrew Adelson going to be on board. Drew D'Armond talking about it all. And Coach, Tony Pujol and more. Straight ahead, stay with us. At Bob's Tire and Alignment, we've been keeping the shoals rolling for 49 years. From tires to alignment for cars and trucks up to 550s, we'll keep your ride game day ready. And don't forget free tire rotations and fast oil changes with whatever you need, conventional, blend, or full synthetic. Always save big with service you can trust. Bob's Tire and Alignment, Jackson Highway in Sheffield, where every drive is a winner.

Hello, my name is Keith Medley, and I'm an attorney with the law firm of Johnson, Passeur, Medley & Burchill. Why call an out-of-town lawyer when you can call our law firm, which has over 100 years of combined experience in all areas of the law? Check us out first by calling our office at 256-766-3131. No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers. Hi, I'm Michael from the Warren Treaty. You know the jingle.

[53:16] Now discover the facts about Ozempic at GLP-1. Only Noble Nordisk makes FDA-approved Ozempic. Learn about the real thing. Talk to your healthcare professional today. Call 1-833-OZEMPIC or visit ozempic.com to view the medication guide and to learn more about Ozempic. Semaglutide injection, 0.5 milligram, 1 milligram, and 2 milligrams. Oh, hello. It's me, the calculator that lives inside of TaxSlayer. I love numbers. Like 100, as in 100%, as in TaxSlayer's 100% accuracy. Guaranteed. And zero, as in zero dollars. As in, it costs zero dollars to file and get the refund you deserve with TaxSlayer Simply Free, if you qualify.

Simply Free is available to a limited number of taxpayers with age, income, credit, and deduction restrictions. See TaxSlayer.com for eligibility requirements. TaxSlayer. File fearlessly. File fearlessly. Avatar Fire and Dash has arrived. I am the fire. Get your 3D tickets now for the greatest chapter of the biggest saga in history. Whatever happens, protect this family. No! Critics rave. It's by far the best Avatar movie. If your father and I do not return, you go as far and as fast as you can. Movies don't get any bigger than this.

Avatar Fire and Dash. Rated PG-13. Now playing. My name is Whitney Allen. I am a widow. My husband Ryan died. We never thought in a million years we'd have to use life insurance. The unexpected happened. With Ethos, it is so fast and easy. It's 100% online. You can get a quote in seconds, apply in minutes, and get same-day coverage. No medical exams. And you can get up to $3 million worth of coverage through Ethos. Get your free quote at ethos.com slash game. That's E-T-H-O-S dot com slash game.

Time spent on application may vary. Online health questions required. State Senator Arthur Orr has filed a bill for state lawmakers to consider as the Alabama legislative session for 2026 gets underway this week. The bill from Orr prohibits the use of credit card donations to political campaigns if the credit card has a foreign billing address. This prohibition would apply to candidate campaigns, political action committees, or even political parties, and would primarily address online campaign donations that are made through credit cards. That credit card must be verified as coming from within the U.S. or a U.S. citizen who is living outside of the country.

Orr says that his bill seeks to prevent nefarious contributions from foreign entities. He says it puts some guardrails on this whole process. 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. A Gadsden man has been sentenced to life in prison for the death of his three-month-old son. 28-year-old Bobby Honeycutt was sentenced by a Cherokee County judge this past Monday. Honeycutt's son was taken to a medical center in May of 2024 where the baby exhibited symptoms of being shaken violently.

The baby died even after life-saving efforts were made. Governor Ivey has issued a community development block grant worth $17 million that will be distributed to 44 communities here in Alabama. Money will be used to address issues like water and sewer upgrades, road resurfacing, and blight removal. I'm Andrea Tyson. For more news affecting Alabamians, go to 1819news.com. And while you're there, subscribe to the daily newsletter. What if your instincts could pay off? With Robinhood Prediction Markets, you could put your sports IQ to work on the games you know best.

It's not you against the house. It's you participating in a live market. Buy or sell your predictions all game long. Trade every play with Robinhood. Visit Robinhood.com slash predict. That's Robinhood.com slash predict. Futures and cleared swaps trading involves significant risk and is not appropriate for everyone. Event contracts are offered by Robinhood Derivatives LLC, a registered futures commission merchant and swap firm. My name is Whitney Allen. I am a widow. My husband, Ryan, died. We never thought in a million years we'd have to use life insurance.

The unexpected happened. With Ethos, it is so fast and easy. It's 100% online. You can get a quote in seconds, apply in minutes, and get same-day coverage. No medical exams. And you can get up to $3 million worth of coverage through Ethos. Get your free quote at ethos.com slash game. That's E-T-H-O-S dot com slash game. Time spent on application may vary. Online health questions required. Broadcasting Corporation, WITK-FM, Rogersville, Athens, Decatur, The Shores, Sports Radio 93.9, The Score. Tide fans. Here comes the Tide. Let's roll. At one for the win.

[58:27] Grab your hard hats and tune in for blue collar basketball with the Crimson Tide all season long on your home for Alabama basketball. This Saturday, Alabama goes on the road to take on the Oklahoma Sooners. Airtime is 11 a.m. with a tip at noon here on 93.9 The Score. Brought to you locally in part by nationwide insurance agents Michael Noe and Bill Cochran. Garner Pierce Auto, the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, Bob's Tire and Alignment, Alpha Insurance Agents David Jordan, Mike Mitchell, and Matt Henry. Fake Independent, Champy's World Famous Fried Chicken, Woody Anderson Ford, Garnett Electric, and Elliott Johnson Insurance, Alabama and Oklahoma.

This Saturday morning at 11 on 93.9 The Score. 93.9 The Score weather. Today, a 90% chance of showers with possible gusty winds and a high around 50. Tonight, partly cloudy with a 20% chance of showers overnight, possible gusty winds, and a low around 20. Tomorrow, sunny with a high around 40. Tomorrow night, mostly clear with a low near 20. And if you're Friday, mostly sunny with a high around 50. Your weather from 93.9 The Score. Now, get ready to roll, Scholes, 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. Welcome back in, our tour of 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 with that, we are more than flattered to open the door and say hello to the man who knows UNA basketball about as well as anybody anywhere and the quality of lost pizza.

Tony Pujo, welcome in. How are you? Harold, Brett, how are you guys doing today? Hey, Tony. And we're doing all right. Congratulations, Coach. Good weekend trip. The way it ended there in the Bluegrass State. Congratulations on a big win. A much-needed win, as always. Oh, always, right? Whenever you can get one on the road in this league, you've got to take a run with it, right? So, really excited about the way the guys came out and played in both games, but more importantly, that last Saturday game, for sure.

Talk to us about the mindset, Coach. Anytime that you win all the ballgames, you've got to sit here and you've got to battle complacency. But on the other side of the coin, let's face it, it's a marathon, not a sprint. If you go through a stretch where you lose more than one game, it's easy for the guys to start questioning themselves and each other. Talk to us about that aspect and what can you say about the team that said, we're not going to go into the fetal position.

We're going to pick ourselves up and we're going to fight back. Well, I'll tell you one thing. That's one of the things we've preached since we've gotten here, right? It's always going to be about stacking days. And we don't get too high when things are going well and we don't get too low when things don't go well, right? We want to live right in the middle and just understand that it's not too bad and it's not as great as it always looks, right? So, for us, it's about just stacking the days, going one game at a time.

And like I said, it's our job as coaches to make sure that these guys understand that, like you just said, it is a marathon. It's definitely not a sprint. You know, I got to interject this. I had a friend back in the day and he said it best. He was a cutout. He said, you go too fast, you run over somebody. You go too slow, they run over you. Get in the middle. That's exactly right. That's exactly right. I think sometimes we get so caught up in outcomes that that can really mess with the mindset of a team, right?

Where if your focus is just to continue to get better every day, like I'm looking at even the national championship football game coming up here pretty soon. Right. Miami could have tossed it in at any time of the year, especially when they lost to SMU and they lost to Louisville, you know, they had two of those losses and you're thinking, okay, that's the end of our chances. And you just keep moving forward, right? You just keep moving forward. You never know what's going to happen. Just continue to grow your team and just make sure that you're stacking the days.

That's the mindset that we have every day. So we're going to continue to do that. Let me ask you to cut to a comment on some of the players who had very good games. Dallas Owl. Oh, I know you're glad to have him back. 24 points, a career high, six of six from three in the second half. Cornelius, who had been ill, came back very strong. 20 points, 15 rebounds for a double-double. Kevin Jefferson, 17 points, six assists, including six of six from the free throw line. Cortez Graham Howard, career highs with 10 points and even more impressive to me, a game high, seven assists.

[1:03:53] Yep. I can tell you this right now. It definitely was a great game. It's great to see Cornelius back at 100%. It was great to see Dallas, who not a couple games ago was 0 for 9 from the three-point line in the game to come out and have the type of game he had. Again, it just goes to show you the mindset of our guys. They understand that, okay, just because I had a night like that, I'm a big numbers guy. Sooner or later, he's going to have his breakout.

And sure enough, he did. And now what we hope for is that steadiness, right? Now we've got to live right where he's at, what he does well in his wheelhouse. So we're excited for him. Obviously, Cornelius, like you mentioned, people talk to me about we had the flu go through our team. But you know what? Every team goes through stuff, right? Everybody goes through that. And our thing is those things aren't going to stop us from doing what we need to do, okay? The outcome may not be what we want, but again, it's all about just continuing to grow as a team.

But like you said, Cannon Jefferson coming out and scoring the way he did, but also having six assists in the game. But then having Cortez come off the bench and give us 10 points, seven assists, but even more impressive, I'm going to tell you guys, had zero turnovers in the game. So it just goes to show you when a kid's locked in, man, he's a freshman. Him and Braylon have given us really good minutes off the bench lately. Yeah. It's like a baseball relief pitcher comes out, gives up a grand slam.

He's got to have a quick memory, come back out the next day and do better. What's the old saying, Coach, if you just try to go for 1% better each day, guess what's going to happen a year from now? You'll be 365% better. Your thoughts on that and the chemistry of the team, about right now, is when you find out the chemistry. You go in the preseason, you go the first part of the year, everybody's like boxers trying to feel each other out. Your thoughts just about trying to get to that 1% better every day and about the chemistry of the team.

Yeah, I think that's what the whole year is for, especially at our level. You know, in the SEC, you're going to have at-larges. At our level, you've got to win the tournament to get to the tournament, right? Right. For us, our focus is always going to be about peaking at the right time. Championships are not handed out in January. They're handed out in March. So, for us, you know, our focus is always going to be how is our team growing every day that we're out? Like, today, man, today we've got to go win out there.

We've got to go win at practice because we know that in 24 hours we're going to be tossing it up and we're going to be competing against a team that's truly hungry, okay? Because right now they're 0-4 in the league and they're trying to get back in the winning track. So, I couldn't ask for a better opponent that's going to be focused, locked in, hungry to win a game to challenge our guys here at home. Tony, I always look behind the scenes and when I look at a box score for basketball, one of the first things I look at is rebounds, assists, and turnovers.

UNA out-rebounded the Knights 32-19, continue not to beat yourself. I know last year the team was so good at not turning the ball over, only nine turnovers. I think that was a set at the time this year UNA's finished with 10. But, Tony, again, I keep saying the blue collar, the little things win basketball games. 100%. And you mentioned two things that statistically from an offensive standpoint improves your efficiency. And that is valuing the basketball and not turning it over. And the other thing is rebounding. We held Bellarmine to their lowest rebounding output in, I want to say, about 30 years.

That's what I heard. Okay? I mean, our guys did a tremendous job coming in and really instilling their will in the game from a rebounding standpoint. But those two areas that you talk about are blue collar, you know what? They are so important. They are so important for your offense. Because when you can get second chance opportunities, most of them are going to be either high quality at the rim shots or the ball gets kicked out to the perimeter for wide open shots. And then when you take care of the ball, that means at least a shot's going to go up, right?

Which, again, gives you an opportunity. So, whenever those two things work hand in hand, which, by the way, guys, I think we're the first in our league in turnovers per game at around, I say we're about 9.9. So, it's something that's part of the culture of this program. There you go. Don't give them the red. I caught the red cross in your charity to the other team. Your name is basketball coach, Coach Tony Pujo. You mentioned it. I'm going to throw a phrase at you, Coach, and see if this sounds nice to you.

CB&S Bank Arena. Does that sound nice to you? Or is it a foreign language in some ways? Man, that's home. Yeah. That's home. It's been a while. That's the bank. That's the vault. That's home. And I couldn't tell you how grateful and thankful I am to be the head coach at North Alabama because the community has simply just, man, they've wrapped their arms around this program. And I can't tell you how much I want our fans to enjoy wins, especially here at home with this team because, man, they have embraced this team big time.

[1:09:35] And our guys embrace this community. They're very thankful as well that we get an opportunity to be a part of something so special, right, especially with the history of this community and the success that they've had, not only with men's basketball, but our football run in the 90s, volleyball winning a championship in early 2000s, and softball winning a national championship in 2016. So the tradition has been here that most programs here are going to be extremely successful, and our community just embraces the university and the success that all these athletic sports have at this university.

Well, one of the reasons I brought up CB&S Bank Arena, too, that is your next date site taking on a tough North Florida team. I know the record doesn't say that, but your thoughts about finally some home cooking for these lines coming up tomorrow night. Yeah, well, the first thing I'd like to do is definitely reach out to the community and say, come on, let's go ahead and pack the bank this Thursday night because it's going to be an entertaining game for sure. And then, obviously, to the students and the student-athletes to come out and fill the vault up, and let's get loud and rowdy in there.

Just like, you know, make it the toughest place to play like it's been from last year to this year, one of the toughest places to play in the A-Sun. Tony, we've discussed this before with teams' records. In North Florida, certainly would like to have a much better record of what they've got, but I got to looking at their schedule. They've lost to Florida, Tennessee, Southern Miss, Gonzaga, Dayton with Anthony Grant, Miami, and Austin Peay. That would be a tremendously difficult schedule for any team, but I keep telling people, go and look at the teams they've lost to, and you'll have a better perspective.

I told our players this yesterday when we watched film. This team is 0-4 in the league. Every game, they've been in the game at the under-four-minute media. That means it's been either a two- or three-possession game under the four-minute media. Okay? And if you look at the teams they've played, the two teams that are tied for first and the two teams that are tied for second. And that's who they've lost to. Okay? So, to me, don't even look at the record. And if anything should teach us in this league, you never look at the record because at any given night, any team in this league can beat anybody.

This year, this league is so wide open. I just think it's going to be a heck of a year. It's going to be a fun tournament. And I can't wait to continue to play games in this league because it is truly wide open, and anybody can go get it. No question. I know you know this, but Ja'Cory Lane, who played at UNA, scored 20 points and dished out nine assists. I was more impressed with the assists than I was the total points that he scored. They lost to Tennessee in double overtime, but he's learned a few things from Tony Pujo and his staff, number one.

And number two, if you're hungry Monday night and would like to eat some great food and listen to UNA basketball, what would you recommend? Well, definitely, listen, definitely recommend now for sure Lost Pizza. There is a new sandwich that just came out Tuesday, yesterday. Okay? It's called the Full Court Press. It's a Cuban-style sandwich. A Cuban sandwich. I mean, I was shocked. I was shocked when I saw it. And by the way, it is delicious. It's got ham, it's got pork, a nice smoked pork, and it's got a little Swiss cheese, mustard, and pickle, man.

It is phenomenal. I wish you hadn't done that, Coach. I'll never get through the rest of the show now. The mouth will be watering, so I'm going to throw a technical foul on you for that, Coach. Hey, brother, hey, just don't forget. I love it. And it's called the Full Court Press. Well, I bet it's good. You've got to give it a try. I wonder where that was inspired. Listen, Coach, all the best. Thanks so much for your time today, and all the best tomorrow night against North Florida at the bank.

All righty. Appreciate you guys. Thank you for having me. Thank you, Tony. I may not be able to talk now, baby, after that, but we'll give it a shot next with ESPN's AA. Stay with us. I'm Chris Stewart for Elliott Johnson Insurance. Elliott Johnson has a great partner in auto owner's insurance. Auto owner's makes it easy to get life, home, car, or business insurance. Auto owner's insurance aligns themselves with great agencies like Elliott Johnson Insurance, knowing the best local agents only add to your convenience. Let Elliott Johnson Insurance find the auto owner's policy that makes a difference for your life.

[1:14:56] Call Elliott Johnson Insurance at one of their three locations, Florence, Loretto, and Lawrenceburg. Elliott Johnson Insurance, moving forward for our clients every day. This is the story of the one. As the purchasing manager at a manufacturing plant, she knows the only thing more important than having the right safety gear is having it there when you need it. That's why she partners with Grainger for auto reordering, so her team members can count on her to have cut-resistant gloves on hand, and each shift can run safely and efficiently.

Call 1-800-GRAINGER, click grainger.com, or just stop by. Grainger, for the ones who get it done. What if your instincts could pay off? With Robinhood Prediction Markets, you can put your sports IQ to work on the games you know best. It's not you against the house. It's you participating in a live market. Buy or sell your predictions all game long. Trade every play with Robinhood. Visit Robinhood.com slash predict. That's Robinhood.com slash predict. Futures and cleared swaps trading involves significant risk and is not appropriate for everyone.

Event contracts are offered by Robinhood Derivatives, LLC, a registered futures commission merchant and swap firm. We all hear the radio ads about the IRS. They tell you to be afraid, to be scared, and they try to frighten you into calling. I'm not here to do that. Tax relief advocates is different. TRA is here to tell you that if you owe money to the IRS, whether it's $5,000, $50,000, or $500,000, we have a solution. It doesn't matter if you're sitting in your car, at work, or with your kids. No matter where you are, call now.

800-575-6759. Don't lose hope. TRA can eliminate or reduce what you owe to the IRS. There is zero risk to you. If we can't reduce your tax debt, then you pay nothing. Our passion is taxes and helping individuals fix their IRS problems. We have a five-star rating on Google and Yelp and an A-plus with the Better Business Bureau. You don't need to be afraid of the IRS any longer. End your tax nightmare today by visiting us online at tra.com or call 800-575-6759. That's 800-575-6759.

Tax relief advocates, real solutions for real people. Hey fans, welcome back to Fansville's Cheers and Tears. Okay, so like everybody deals with losing, right, to a rival on a last-second field goal. Whatever, it's fine, I'm totally fine. But I cope with losing with an ice-cold Dr. Pepper. Mmm, those 23 flavors are like so delicious. They totally wash away the pain of your college football team taking a big fat L. College football, it's a pepper thing. This is the story of The One. As the purchasing manager at a manufacturing plant, she knows the only thing more important than having the right safety gear is having it there when you need it.

That's why she partners with Grainger for auto reordering so her team members can count on her to have cut-resistant gloves on hand and each shift can run safely and efficiently. Call 1-800-GRAINGER, click grainger.com, or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done. Hey, can you blow up some balloons for Jack's party? I can't. I can't. I'm so congested. You need Sinex Saline from Vicks. Sinex Saline nasal spray? Yeah, just Sinex. Breathe. Ah. Sinex Saline instantly clears everyday congestion associated with colds and year-round allergies with a gentle, ultra-fine mist that's no mess and easy to control.

Daddy, we need more balloons! On it! Enjoy life's important moments without congestion. Try Sinex Saline from Vicks. Just Sinex. Breathe. Ah. Use as directed. From the University of Alabama, this is Crimson Tide Today. It's a daily update on Bama sports and it's brought to you by Conecuh Sausage, a true Southern flavor since 1947 and the official smoked sausage of the Crimson Tide. Order online at ConecuhSausage.com. Hello again, everybody. I'm Roger Hoover. Here are final thoughts from Alabama women's basketball head coach Christy Curry following Monday's win at Missouri.

Coach, roll tide. What a win for your basketball team. Had that huge lead early in the second quarter. What led to so many good things for your basketball team tonight? Yeah, just, you know, when they were able to make their runs, we were fortunate to get some stops and, you know, that run in the second is probably on me. We went to our bench and, you know, had some miscues and I probably should have gotten one, you know, to give us a minute, but just really proud of our team.

What an unbelievable effort when we fought through some bumps and bruises and had a little bit of adversity at times, didn't we? But, man, what an effort by Alabama tonight on the road. Anytime you come on this gym and get a road win, it's really important. Yeah, we mentioned Carly Weathers, career high, 23 points, but she impacts the game in so many different ways beyond scoring. I mean, just what she did to slaughter down the stretch, limiting her touches. And I'll have more in a moment. Hello, Tide fans.

This is Chris Stewart for Kaneka Sausage. Kaneka's an Alabama fan favorite we all know and love. It's made from the finest cuts of pork, their patented blend of seasonings, and smoked over a pure hickory fire for that true hickory smoked southern flavor. Kaneka Sausage is always great on the grill and perfect for tailgating. Pick up a pack and enjoy your family's favorite recipes at any meal of the day. Kaneka Sausage, a game day tradition, and the official smoked sausage of the Crimson Tide. Join us tomorrow for Crimson Drive, driven by NASCAR, streaming live at 2 p.m. Central on all CTSN social media platforms at UA underscore CTSN.

[1:20:31] Crimson Tide Today is brought to you by Kaneka Sausage. Crimson Tide Today is a production of the Crimson Tide Sports Network from Learfield. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back here. Quickly, baby, wasn't it good to hear some love and a shout out to Carly Weathers, 23 points against Missouri. You think her mama and daddy up in Loretto are pretty proud parents? Well, they're very proud. I think that was a career game for her. Speaking of her, Andrea Adelson on deck. She's got it all covered there at ESPN.

Andrea, welcome in. How are you? I'm doing great, fellas. How y'all doing? Good, dear. Well, you are a parent. We got done talking about it. We happen to know David and his beautiful wife up in Loretto, Carly Weathers, standing out with Alabama Women's Basketball. And speaking of Alabama, as a parent, what could you say about the news out of the Ty Simpson count? I got a feeling that his mom and daddy are pretty proud of him in Martin, Tennessee today. Well, I mean, I feel like he could have made a good choice either way.

Right, fellas? Isn't there a report he was offered $6.5 million to stay in college football? Yeah. Yeah. That's pretty good money, I would say. But, of course, he's going to get even better money in the NFL, right? So, it's kind of a win-win situation. But, obviously, you know, any parent loves to see their children succeed and do well and be happy, right? First and foremost, right? You want to make sure your kids are happy and doing what they love to do. And the patience that he showed to stick with it and then get his opportunity this season, have a great year, and now put himself in position to be one of the first quarterbacks taken off the NFL draft.

It's just a lesson on perseverance, resilience, hard work, you know, and stick-to-itiveness, right? Just keeping at it, even when things may look bleak, and loyalty. And so, obviously, he was raised in a football family, so we all know he's got that part of it with his dad, but, you know, his ability to weather the storm and come out of it on the other side and now reap the benefits of it in the NFL, truly amazing. Especially when you had options to leave and make probably even more money, Andrea Adelson to ESPN.

Andrea, the championship game is coming up. I'm not going to ask you who's going to win the ball game based on results so far. It's not who's going to win, but how many points is Indiana going to beat Miami or is it a case of not so fast, my friend, good job interviewing the trigger man of the Hurricanes? Well, you know, I have counted Miami out a lot this season, guys, and it's just because I was there in person when they lost to SMU and I watched the season fall apart last year and I watched the season fall apart the year before that, right?

So, over the last 20 years we've been completely conditioned to think Miami's not going to do anything because that's how it's been for 20 years. The way this team fought back after that SMU loss and beat everybody ahead of them including some really good teams whether it was A&M, Ohio State, which was number one headed into the Big Ten championship game, what they did to Ole Miss. I just talked about resilience with Ty Simpson. This team has shown an incredible amount of resilience for a program quite frankly that really didn't have a lot of it before Mario Cristobal arrived and even in the early years under Mario Cristobal, it feels like that's where things are different with this team and we talk about embracing an underdog mentality and it's really hard to talk about Miami as an underdog because it's flipping Miami, right?

And they do and all that goes with it. They are the underdog to Indiana at their home stadium. They were the underdog to A&M and they were the underdog to Ohio State. I believe they were their favorite Ole Miss. So three out of the four games of the playoff they're going to be an underdog and this team plays better when the pressure is off them and when they are the underdog they've embraced that mentality and so I'm not going to sit here and count Miami out when they're playing at home for a national championship.

Do I think Miami is the better team? No. Obviously Indiana is the better team. They're undefeated. Do I think Miami can win? After what I've seen over the last seven weeks and in the opener against Notre Dame and against Florida and against Florida State? Yeah. I think Miami can win, guys. Double A. Harold alluded to your interview with Carson Bank. It was a good one. I mean he got a little emotional going back through the journey of recovering from the injury in the SEC championship game against Texas against Ole Miss 23 of 37 268 three touchdowns and one interception.

[1:25:38] He was impressive in the fourth quarter. Again, when it came down to crunch time that he threw for a grand total of 130 against Texas A&M in College Station but he really has, with the chips on the table, he's really performed well. Now again, these two teams don't beat themselves. Indiana's got one fumble. Miami's got three. They sacked 47 and 45. But Miami has got a, to me, even as good as Indiana is, I think they've got a little bit of an advantage at the line of scrimmage and particularly their ferocious defensive front and their offensive line.

But Beck was the one I was impressed with in the fourth quarter and the win over Ole Miss. You know, I'm glad you said that and I appreciate y'all watching the conversation with Carson. He's just grown up so much from his time to Georgia going through everything he went through last year and the injury to where he is now but I guarantee you there were people watching the fourth quarter of that game thinking how is Carson Beck going to mess this up? That was the narrative surrounding him at Georgia and for him to rise up not just in that last drive but in the last two drives in the fourth quarter when things looked bleak and they had to match Ole Miss, right?

Everyone was like, how's Miami's offense going to match Trinidad Chambliss and Ole Miss to be able to keep up with them scoring? What he did in leading those 15 play drives and then running for the winning score, we saw him run against Ohio State, he's a difference maker on the ground. Running the ball in, I was standing in that end zone, watching him come toward me and I could see the smile on his face even before he crossed the goal line knowing he was going to score.

I saw him yesterday, I was down in Miami for more interviews and I said, Carson, I gotta say, just looking at the smile on your face and I could tell that was a moment of complete catharsis for you where you let go of so much that has been with you over the last two years and he just looked at me and smiled and said, yeah, that was a pretty special moment. So I think it wasn't just proving it to other people who've been doubting him. I think he needed to prove that to himself.

And I think that's so valuable and important leading into the championship game and I also think he's learned a lot in this playoff run. Last year he felt like he had to do everything. Everything was on his shoulders. He had to be a superhero. He had to make plays. This year as they made this run and he told me this during that interview he didn't make it in the piece, there's an understanding that he doesn't have to do everything. He doesn't have to throw for 300 yards.

He doesn't have to make spectacular plays. He has to make plays that are there and rely on the playmakers around him. Like Mark Fletcher who's been outstanding in the playoff run. Like the offensive line in front of him. Like Keelan Marrians who's made some great plays in the passing game. Obviously Malachi Tony, CJ Daniels. I could go on. I think that burden lifted from him that he doesn't feel like it's all on him has also freed him to play his best football. Henry is from ESPN.

Isn't amazing the Nick Saban effect? Carson Beck at one time was a commit to Alabama and went to Georgia. We know the respective coaches got ties to Alabama. I thought that was just interesting the influence this man has had. He still has that influence on the game. He's a genius to get out when he did. After all it's said and done people say what's it going to take for Miami to win? Obviously that's an easy question to ask hard to answer. One thing you can't let Indiana do what they've done over the last few games and that's come out and steal the other person's manhood.

They have knocked them to their knees in the first half and hanging on the ropes of the second half. Your thoughts about Miami's strategy, how are they going to keep from doing what Alabama, Oregon, and others have allowed or have seen, I won't say allowed, but have seen Indiana do. And that's just basically build up such a big lead that they're just defeating themselves in the second half. Well, I think it's probably going to be similar to what they did against Ole Ole Miss, which is control the ball, mistakes that can get you beat.

Miami had way too many penalties last week, dropped way too many would-be interceptions, and had turnovers of their own, right? You can't do that against Indiana. No. Indiana has proven they will not beat themselves. They're one of the least penalized teams in the country, and their turnover margin is through the roof, as we saw last week against Oregon, Alabama, just use all the examples. But there have been games where it was a line of scrimmage game, where Indiana didn't necessarily have the offensive fireworks that we've seen during this playoff run.

[1:30:42] And if I go back to the Ohio State Big Ten championship game, Ohio State is the number one team in the country. They were the favorite. Miami's defensive structure is similar to the way Ohio State likes to play. And Miami got the better of Ohio State in that game. So again, if Miami can continue to dominate there, control the clock, Mark Fletcher needs to have a game like he's had over the last three where they can run the ball. They're not fumbling, they're not turning it over.

I think that's the recipe for Miami. If Miami's got procedure penalties, if they've got pass interference, if they've got holding, forget about it. They're handing the game to Indiana and saying, here, you guys. But we saw in that game. And Ohio State's a team that Indiana beat, right? So if you're doing that whole like, well, so-and-so played so-and-so and da-da-da-da-da, right? I do think that there's going to be a lot of pressure on Fernando Mendoza as the Heisman winner playing in Miami with the national spotlight with Indiana as the favorite Heisman trophy winners historically don't play as well in national championship games.

So I think Miami is going to use all of this to their advantage. And by the way, Miami gets to practice on their home practice field, on campus. If I'm Indiana, I'm not too thrilled about that, fellas. Miami will be staying at the designated CFP hotel, but Miami is going to get some home cooking as it relates to being able to use their facilities. They will have their locker room. At the stadium, it just so happens the visiting team gets Miami's locker room and Miami's the visiting team.

The only thing that's different for them is they're on the opposite sideline. They're on the visiting sideline, right? So Miami sees all of this gearing toward Indiana and the way they played. I think it's advantage Miami in terms of some of those intangibles and what their offensive and defensive fronts have been able to do in the playoff. We'll see. Yep. Run the ball short the game. Miami ran 88 plays to 64 Ole Miss and ran for 191 and Ole Miss had 121. And you could tell on that last drive the Ole Miss front seven was tired.

The way they'd run the ball effectively against them. Double A, where can we get online and get your interview with Carson Bank and all the other great stuff? Appreciate that fellas. Full interview you can find it actually on my social media. Just go to A Adelson ESPN. I have it there from College Game Day. And then a whole bunch of really great stuff coming up this week. ACC Network tonight for Central Inside Access. Miami's athletic director is our host or our guest. And then Monday from Hard Rock Stadium.

We've got a live episode of Inside Access. And I feel like this is going to be a highlight of my life. Vanilla Ice is scheduled to be one of our guests. Miami legend, guys. So, yeah, ice ice baby. Too cold. Make sure to tune in from there. We'll be in Miami. Avenue covered from South Florida. Or even South Beach. Drink out the flip flops. Listen, thanks so much for your time to save travels to and from. Let's do it again soon, Andrew. All right, fellas, thanks for having me again.

Appreciate it. Thank you, dear. Double A, Andrew Adelson is taking it with us from ESPN. From Double A to Double D, Drew DeArmond on deck on the Remote Buck Show. Stay with us. Hi, this is Christy with J.C. Hammond Sons. Did you know that J.C. Hammond Sons is the oldest family-owned heating air business in the shows area? Over the years, we have helped thousands of customers achieve ideal home comfort. If you need help with your home comfort system, give us a call at 256-764-7386 or stop by our new location at 2536 Florence Boulevard.

J.C. Hammond Sons, your comfort professionals, serving the shows since 1952. Alabama license 83391. Thy ticket, Lady Jennifer of Coolidge. Well, many thanks, good sir. Heareth my discover card. They accept discover at renaissance fairs? Yeah, they do here. Discover is accepted at the places I love to shop. Get it? With the times. With the times? You're playing the lute. Yeah, and it sounds pretty good, right? Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide. Based on the February 2025 Nielsen report. Hey, Joy, you are glowing. Oh, hey, more like MiraJoid.

MiraLax helped me go. I was so backed up. Tried mega coffees, prune juice, everything. Then, MiraLax. And hello, gentle relief, without the harsh side effects. Ooh, how does it work? It works naturally, with the water in your body for constipation relief. Find MiraLax today at your local retailer. Use as directed for occasional constipation. Every 40 seconds a child is reported missing. That's 2,000 children every single day. It's a heart wrenching reality that we can no longer ignore. Find the Children is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping find missing kids.

[1:36:09] You can be a part of their mission by donating your unwanted vehicle, running or not. Call 1-800-294-0222. We guarantee that you will receive the maximum tax deduction. We provide fast, free pickup with 24-hour response. Call 1-800-294-0222. Find the Children provides crucial resources to help find missing children and educational materials to teach kids how to recognize and avoid predators. Our recovery programs have a proven track record of reuniting kids with their families. It's time to act. Donate your unwanted or unused car. Help us build a world where every child is safe.

Pick up the phone and call 1-800-294-0222. Together, we can bring these kids home safely. This advertisement was paid for in partnership with Cars RS and Find the Children. Refresh your bathroom with big savings at Lowe's. Reimagine your bathroom with up to 40% off select faucets during our bath savings event. Needed today? Order by 2pm for same-day delivery by 8pm. Shop for your bathroom refresh at Lowe's. We help you save. While supplies last, selection varies by location. Same-day delivery on eligible in-stock items subject to availability.

Fees vary. Visit Lowe's.com slash same-day delivery for full terms. My name is Whitney Allen. I am a widow. My husband Ryan died. We never thought in a million years we'd have to use life insurance. The unexpected happened. With Ethos, it is so fast and easy. It's 100% online. You can get a quote in seconds, apply in minutes, and get same-day coverage. No medical exams, and you can get up to $3 million worth of coverage through Ethos. Get your free quote at ethos.com slash game. That's E-T-H-O-S dot com slash game.

Time spent on application may vary. Online health questions required. It's time to level up your game. Introducing the all-new ESPN app. All of ESPN, all in one place. Your home for the most live sports and the best championship moments. The electricity is palpable. Step up your game with no annual contract required. It's the ultimate fan experience. Level up for more on the ESPN app or at stream.espn.com Sign up now. My name is Whitney Allen. I am a widow. My husband Ryan died. We never thought in a million years we'd have to use life insurance.

The unexpected happened. With Ethos, it is so fast and easy. It's 100% online. You can get a quote in seconds, apply in minutes, and get same-day coverage. No medical exams, and you can get up to $3 million worth of coverage through Ethos. Get your free quote at ethos.com slash game. That's E-T-H-O-S E-T-H-O-S dot com slash game. Time spent on application may vary. Online health questions required. Progressive presents the Sports Flash on 93-9 The Score. The Auburn Tigers are on the road tonight. They'll play out Missouri. Auburn is 10-6 on the season, 1-2 in the SEC, while Mizzou is 2-1 in the conference and 12-4 overall.

Troy will play at home against Southern Miss tonight. The Trojans are 11-6 on the year and 4-1 in the Sun Belt. Southern Miss is 5-1 in-league play. Binge basketball action last night. Alabama scored 61 points in the second half and pulled away from Mississippi State on the road to win 97-82. Alabama with the victory is now 12-5 on the season and 2-2 in the SEC. The Crimson Tide will play at Oklahoma on Saturday. 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.

The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93-9 The Score. Welcome back in. Always a pleasure to say hello to Double D. Drew DeArmond. He is host Talking Ball and the Recruiting Blitz on Huntsville's 97.7 FM The Zone. Drew, welcome in. How are you? I'm good, guys. How are you? Hey, bud. I would imagine like you, pretty busy. Obviously, the portal is heading down on the stretch. Before we kind of break it down into specifics, Drew, your overall thoughts about Alabama and Auburn to date with the portal?

Well, you know, I think Alabama got also a good start. I mean, certainly, you know, when you're able to address some of your offensive line needs, I mean, Strayhorn's a guy that can play center or guard. I think he's a good player. No doubt about it. I think when you get Tompkins, you know, Devin Tompkins from USC, he's somebody that was extremely sought after in the transfer portal. You know, at defensive line where you can address both needs in the line of scrimmage early, I think that's good.

[1:41:13] No question about it. I think overall, I think, you know, and they got at the time Hollywood Smothers which looked like it was going to address an experienced running back situation and give them an experienced piece that, you know, it's similar to a Jameer Gibbs who had a great impact at Alabama in 2022 and has gone on to have a good career at Detroit, but there's always a but there. We know Alabama didn't get signed to his rev share and that was a huge tactical Peter Woods level blunder and he ended up going to Texas and now I still think you've got to address running back.

I think you've still got to keep addressing the offensive and defensive lines because I think that's your most important thing. I think despite adding a wide receiver I still think they need another receiver or two because I think they've only got, I think, six on scholarship right now so you've got to have some depth and got to have probably some size and more size as well so that'll be interesting to kind of follow and there are going to be some running backs still out there maybe a Christian Clark in Texas I know the young man of Michigan State's of interest to Alabama so we'll see and then I think they've done a good job of revamping their special teams now they just need to revamp probably the guy that coaches said position What do you think will happen there Drew obviously fans once you go through a season by Alabama standards they're going to point fingers if you were calling the shots what kind of tweaking would you do to the South well I mean I've kind of been outspoken I would address the offensive and defensive lines first with Coach Cap and Freddie Roach I think Jay Nunez the special teams and then probably the running back coach I think it's been solid but it's kind of like when Holman Wiggins was at Alabama even for an extreme example Kirk Signetti both of those guys were at Alabama for five years and sometimes you just need a new voice certainly Coach Sig was ready to become a head coach and you see what he's done coming full circle and now has Indiana on the doorstep of history and then Holman Wiggins is the OC now at Texas A&M he's doing well and I think Niles would probably land on his feet too but those are the four areas that I think I would look at and I apologize for not mentioning Auburn but I think if you're the Auburn Tigers and you want to know about their transfer portal just Google the 2025 roster of the South Florida Bulls go to work copy and paste right is that going to work I mean obviously there's a comfort level there but to me you know as always everything is a risk is a risk reward where are you with not only the coming year but the years to come because basically they invested in Brown for the upcoming season and they said at one point Deuce Knight was going to be the future of that quarterback room your thoughts about the strategy there both for this coming year and down the road well I mean I think Alex did a really good job at South Florida and I'm not sure people realize how bad that situation got under Jeff Scott and it was not good and so he rebuilt that program and certainly when you're taking those guys all those players they're very familiar with the coaching staff on the offensive side of the ball so I think it leads to continuity and then I got one thing to say those James Madison cats have done pretty good under Kurt Cignetti in Indiana yes yes absolutely depending upon how you look at it Alabama picked up three more this week Keyon sale Beyonce Pierre and Bray Hubbard now they were not in the transfer portal but getting those three back I think is rather significant for the defense oh no doubt I mean I made this statement and I meant it with 110 percent he better have signed his red share agreement or whatever the h*** has happened but if Beyonce Pierre had gone to another school I was going to get in my vehicle drive down to the Greyhound bus station buy a Greyhound bus and take it to Tuscaloosa and put every one of the coaches on it and send them away that's basically what I were going to do we were going to have our first coaching search of 2026 courtesy of Drew Dearman right yeah exactly the entire coaching staff was going was probably the defining story of the defense in the second well I mean the season as a whole and then as the season unfolded you know don't forget guys I think we talked about it on this show that he was really a third string situational guy until Glass Joe Roussau got hurt again and then a guy that we really haven't talked about but I think with all these appeals and everything for seventh years John Marion Latham maybe trying to get another year because he got hurt so they were both out but Yonsei stepped forward and that was big and that may also that's an interesting thought with John John Marion Latham maybe that's why Alabama hasn't addressed you know edge as much in the portal you know they could get him back and they were trying to get Yonsei you know under contract with Sab has played a lot of football as well when you think about O'Neal the corner from Clash Safety from Mercer that they got out of the portal and then all the guys now Bray Hubbard coming back as well I think it's going to be one of the best safeties secondary in college football potentially next year now I think Woodson is going to help them linebacker from Virginia Tech I think that's going to help them inside but they probably need to go out and get another backer as well whether that's an inside or outside guy so they need to continue to address those needs but certainly Saab and Yonce Pierre today that was a couple of huge pieces getting them back to return you know you felt pretty good about that the entire time but you never know because as I said on my show it's now three hours we've gone three hours on talking ball from 7 to 10 a.m.

[1:47:52] when the clock struck 12 and it was at zeros and Indiana had smashed Alabama in the Rose Bowl you know I would have thought guys like Wilkin Formby Clay Russo James Smith you know a lot of these guys you know and you know Keon Keeley I would have thought those were the kind of guys that would have returned like they did a year ago I would have thought with the roster attention at Alabama those guys would be back but as we saw Isaiah Horton as well this is just a new day in Alabama football and of course on the college level and you're going to have turnover they've lost over 20 guys now they've added I guess 10 I still think they probably need to add another 7 or 8 and feel good about the roster and the depth going into spring football and we'll see how they address it but I think that's the one area right now I think Alabama still doing a really good job in identifying and signing high school and JUCO players but they've got to become more proficient at the transfer portal because you just have to embrace it as of now because it's become such an important part of the landscape dude I'm in the huddle with us just breaking news and I think this who knows what role this played in Ty Simpson's decision Dante Moore projected to be in some people's projections going to be the top draft pick coming back to Oregon maybe Ty's decision now that six and a half from Miami may be like chump change considering that now at least at this moment the top pick is off the board yeah and that's crazy too because Fernando Mendoza will likely be the first pick Ty could move up to that solid number two spot we all know still how important the quarterback position is in the NFL and the Rams have two draft picks and you know we all know Stafford has had a Hall of Fame career Matt Stafford but he's near in the end he's 37 years old and perhaps Ty could go to the Rams and then wait in the wings and be with a really good organization I think it was a solid decision by Ty and I think that's why you saw Austin Mack and Keelan Russell return and then of course they've got Jet Tamala and Caden Tala they've got four quarterbacks on scholarship right now which is a luxury in college football h*** they might not have any offensive and defensive linemen they've got three quarterbacks but they better address the offensive line that's for sure or they you know there's no telling how many of those guys want to play and I also think it's interesting that Dylan Raiola has also announced that he will stay and sit behind more for a year and try to develop into a first round draft pick so Dan Lanning and Phil Knight they got that quarterback formula from the portal mastered right now absolutely D2 at the eight minute mark of the first half last night with Alabama trailing Mississippi State the 14 a lot of fans were probably saying oh no here we go again but the tide goes on a 21-5 run and then the second half torched the Bulldogs for 61 points to win the 15 97 to 82 Phylon had a tremendous game along with several of the guys Aiden Holloway with 15 Sherell ends up with a career night too a much needed win they actually played defense for about 30 minutes of the game which does help tell us about the expanded show and by the way the Huntsville Crimson Panthers came up to our neck of the woods last night and they had a big win over Mars Hill D2 where can we get online and get all the good stuff oh yeah they can still connect with me we're still working on getting that Twitter account back I'm not I don't have to get the hook up like Chris Lowe but he did get his back I'm hoping that I can get mine back at some point but they can connect with me at 9770 SPN you know Scott Tyson and I this is our second full week of doing three hours of talking ball 7 to 10 a.m.

still getting used to that still getting used to the workload actually it's been interesting we were out at Metro Diner on Highway 72 today had some great breakfast we appreciate their hospitality if you missed any of that you can go to 9770 SPN or our sound cloud page 97.7 the zone dot com and yes it was a huge win for Alabama I can give you guys a funny story I mean I was giving some text on the bus last night back from Marsville one was the Keystone cops are getting destroyed this was in the first half and then another was this team is trash well I of course was following the game on the bus and then got home to see most of the second half so I humored some of my friends when I responded after the game went final I said trash 97 maroon and white 82 and then Keystone cops 97 MSU 82 excuse me 97 82 in both cases but you just have to you can't get frustrated you know the SEC is a tough league but NATO teams are resilient they can turn a game on a dime when they're playing poorly it just seems like and if they get it going offensively and certainly Phylon did last night and the best thing was to see Aiden Shirell do what he did and then Amari Allen has just been kind of a godsend and he has been banged up and at least he's been available most of the time you know I got a message today Taylor Bulbon it looks like a sprain and not a break so hopefully he can wear a brace and play at Oklahoma I think that's a winnable road game in the SEC but we'll see what happens there that would be a great week to get two road wins and then you know take most of the next week off Tennessee will be coming in Tennessee got that double overtime win over Bucky Ball last night that was a heck of a basketball game and then Auburn has got a great opportunity going to Missouri tonight even though that's not going to be easy either but Auburn I called that shot after they left the opportunity to flip to their fingers to Texas A&M they just smashed Arkansas I still think Auburn has got a chance to have a really good year but Alabama if they can get healthy I still think I'm going to go with Florida as the best team in the SEC I still think with their front court and those guards developing they're going to be very difficult to beat but I think Alabama can be in that top two or three but winning at Oklahoma against Porter Mosher the former assistant to Wim Sanderson at Arkansas Little Rock and of course with Sister Jean at Lyle with Chicago they need to win that road game this weekend as always Drew good to hook up with you listen next time we have coffee with Elon Musk we'll try to get that account restored here for you on x slash Twitter okay man I'd really appreciate that help put in a word for me and yeah absolutely and the Crimson Panthers they will be back at home on Friday night big area game against Sparkman who escaped last night by one point at home so that'll be a big 7A area seven game after a nice road trip we appreciate the hospitality great people up there at Marshall Bible School always enjoy being home with you guys amen and amen stay safe out there Drew DeArmond 97.7 FM the zone BB obviously two and a half days away and again the big news the last few minutes Dante Moore coming back to Oregon going to see how that affects one Ty Simpson the upcoming NFL drought yeah that was an interesting decision we're going to take care of biz for now on behalf of BB, Greg, James Blair the entire crew here Harold Black thank you so much for your time today let's do it again tomorrow noon to two for the Boomer Buck Show back here on Sports Radio 93.9 the score