Boomo Bugg Show 082126

[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. New 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 in to the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving us a free ride around the Tennessee Valley. Brett Beaird, welcome in to where it is the last weekend coming up of college football into the month of January and the first night of high school football on a Friday night throughout the entire Shoals area. Good afternoon, welcome in and how are you?

Happy Football Friday to you and the listeners. We'll update Alabama, Auburn and Tennessee summer camps a little bit later in the show. Zach Pounders of the Shoals Sports Report will preview, as you alluded to, the first Friday night of high school football. And Jimmy is here right now to recount the second Bama scrimmage and look at some position battles for the Tide. And that ain't all. Jimmy Stein has got it all covered there at Locked on Bama, part of the Locked on Network with Luke Robinson and Cover Crimson Podcast with a fellow by the name of Travis Ryer, one of the best on YouTube.

Jimmy, welcome in. Happy Friday to you. How are you? Oh, I'm doing great, guys. Appreciate you having me back and welcome to football. Absolutely. Jimmy, what do we know? This is the first time we've had a chance to get together with you since last Friday. What do we know about this Alabama football team now, seven days later, after the second scrimmage? Well, maybe they can run the football. I mean, that was one thing that they discovered yesterday as a result of the second scrimmage. They ran the ball really well. I wouldn't necessarily call it a shock.

It's certainly been something that they've worked on a lot and sort of came to fruition. I had a lot of success with multiple backs. It wasn't just Treshawn Brown. It was Daniel Hill. It was Kevin Riley. It was multiple backs having nice days. I had one source at the scrimmage tell me that he, you know, no one keeps stats, but he felt the team may have rushed for somewhere between 180 and 200 yards in the scrimmage. Say it again. Yeah, I know. It's shocking, isn't it? I mean, that was a – it took two to three games to compile that a year ago.

But, no, there were big runs on the day. I think Kevin Riley had a really long run, which really aided the numbers. Keelan Russell had quite a few rushing yards as well. So it's been a point of emphasis. And, again, like I've said all offseason, it doesn't have to be great. It just has to be better than it was a year ago. And I think there are signs that they may pull that off. Jimmy, you mentioned a guy by the name of Keelan Russell. You know the obvious question.

It seems that the winds are blowing this way. It's not if but when he has named the official starting quarterback. Is that presumptuous or what are you hearing? No, I think that we're headed straight to that. I think it's been that way. I would say for a while. I don't think that's necessarily the case. As a matter of fact, both quarterbacks split reps yesterday. That tells you that it's not officially and firmly in the books. But I think everyone realizes that there's the strong lean here because Keelan has sort of outperformed Austin, especially lately.

I think after that first scrimmage in particular, Keelan may have sort of turned a corner a bit, which happens with these young guys. And I think the question all along at quarterback was twofold to me, going all the way back to January. With Austin Mack, it was a matter of how good is he. I mean, is he good enough? Can this guy be good enough to be a starter in the SEC? The answer to that apparently is yes. He's played quite well. Nothing that's happened has been a knock on Austin.

It's just the question as it related to Keelan was this. Is Keelan ready? Is he ready to be a starter? And not everyone's ready in year two. Not everyone. Like, for instance, Ty Simpson. He was not ready until year four. Jake Coker, not ready until year five. Mack Jones wasn't ready until later in his career. So the question with Keelan was, would he be a guy that could be ready as soon as year two? And it appears, particularly lately, that he has turned the corner and that he is, in fact, ready.

[5:10] And we'll obviously find out. I think they're going to announce the starter in the next day or two. Jimmy, one of the reasons Alabama had an improved running game in the scrimmage was obviously the offensive line. We know the three known commodities. Jackson Lloyd at left tackle. Rayson Delgati at center. Michael Carroll, right guard. But, Jimmy, has Mal Waltrip, is he leading right now over Will Sanders for left guard? And is Javon James leading over Nick Brooks at right tackle? Yeah, I think you used the right terms, Brett.

I think it's a leading situation. I think the other three guys that you mentioned, their spots are sort of set in stone. They're going to, assuming good health. Rayson Delgati, Jackson Lloyd, and Michael Carroll will be starters on the offensive line against East Carolina. The other two spots, I would refer to Mal Waltrip and Javon James as leading those races. But I also think that now we've gotten so deep into camp, with both of them performing pretty well, that my expectation is that they start the East Carolina game.

I just don't know that you would say that the battle there is over. I think because Mal Waltrip is going to be new to playing in games, I think they're going to want to see him perform in the games. And with Javon James, who's being pushed at right tackle by Nick Brooks, who had a great summer in terms of working on his body and conditioning. Nick Brooks didn't so much push anyone in the spring, but he pushed Javon James in the ball camp at right tackle.

So those two spots on the offensive line, I think, are still up for grabs to a degree. But Mal Waltrip and Javon James have played well, definitely leading. And it's my expectation that they will start against East Carolina. Jimmy, let me ask you about the receivers. Everybody knows Ryan Coleman-Williams and Lottie Brooks. Coming back from that concussion would be one and two. But I've asked you about number three. It appears two reports. Derek Meadows may be, I'll put it like this, penciled in there right now.

Rico Scott, C.D. Morgan, Tyler Henderson, I think, is going to surprise some people a little bit later in the year. And Noel Rogers will be back later, too. Jimmy, who's the third receiver in the rotation? I would say today the best guess is Derek Meadows. As you said, Derek had a nice scrimmage yesterday. He was targeted more often and had more receptions than any receiver at the scrimmage. Now, again, as you mentioned, Lottie Brooks missed the scrimmage, still recovering from a concussion. He suffered earlier in camp.

He should be back this week. That's the expectation with him. But Derek Meadows has really stepped up. He looks like wide receiver number three right now. And what he brings to the table that's very welcome is as talented as Ryan Coleman-Williams is and as talented as Lottie Brooks are. These aren't the biggest guys, right? I mean, Lottie, you know, 5'9 at best. We all know Ryan's not a ripped-up kid. I mean, he's pretty, you know, he's just sort of a thinner frame, although not necessarily short.

But Derek Meadows is a tall guy. I mean, we're talking like legitimate 6'5", 6'6". He's got great catch radius. He's physical. I think adding him to a group that already consists of two smaller guys is kind of exactly what the doctor ordered. But thankfully, on top of it, he's been a very productive guy. Let's remember, I know he didn't catch any balls last year, but Derek Meadows started the LSU game as a true freshman. So they were trusting him to play with the ones last season.

But he's apparently made several strides forward in his development. Yeah, 6'5". I had to come in handy in the red zone with those fade patterns back to the end zone, too. Jimmy Stein, they're going to be with us locked on Bama. Jimmy, obviously, you've still got some time to go here before the opener, what, two weeks from tomorrow. What would you like to see Alabama work on to sit here and, as they say, polish things up before that opener? I think they've worked so much on the physicality, not that that work is ever done.

But I think that's been the emphasis of the offseason is offensively, just becoming more physical, running the ball better. You don't need to stop doing that. But now that you've basically settled on a quarterback, you know, now it's time to make sure that Keelan's comfortable with all parts of the playbook they plan to utilize early, and that's throwing the football. I think there's been such an emphasis on running the ball. You want to make sure that Keelan shows up, particularly in that second game at Lexington, you know, with the ability to use a lot of the playbook, and that includes chucking it around.

Biggest surprise for Jimmy in summer camp. Luke Matz, Carmelo O'Neal, who I keep hearing about, Chuck McDonald. Who's one or two surprises for you? Those are some good answers. I hate to call Trey Sean Brown a surprise because he was noisy in the spring. The surprise would have been Trey Brown not continuing to be a thing. That would have been the surprise. But Trey Brown was fantastic in the spring, especially for a three-star type kid who had very, very little offers. As a matter of fact, at Alabama, not offered him late.

[10:46] He was headed to Boise. And instead, Alabama offers him late. And he's a good player right off the bus. So that was a surprise. But it was a surprise in the spring. No one should be surprised now. Trey Sean Brown has continued his good work. And it's been good timing with E.J. Crowell sidelined with the ankle. He's been out. A.K. Deer's out. That's given him more opportunity, and he has continued to take advantage. I'll give you all kind of a surprise answer for a surprise at fall camp.

And that's been Connor Talti at kicker. Connor ended last season in pretty good shape. But as Alabama fans know, they went to the transfer portal and signed a kicker from Marshall. Lorcan Quinn, an Irish guy, he had competed in American football for one season at Marshall and was an all-conference kicker in the Sun Belt in his first year of kicking. So, enormous upside. Everyone was very excited to get him. Lorcan has shown up and has been good. He's disappointed no one. They're excited about him. But then there's this simple fact.

Connor Talti just doesn't miss. He just hasn't missed. And that's an exaggeration. I'm sure he's missed something at some point. But Connor Talti has been remarkably consistent. He's hugely improved. And I'm as curious as anyone to know, has he really held off Lorcan Quinn to remain the starting kicker? Kicker's a little bit easier to evaluate than other positions. Other positions, the evaluation can get complicated. A kicker, not so much. The kicks are good or they're not. That's right. And Talti has just been pretty remarkable. So, we'll see if he continues to hold off Quinn in his Alabama starting kicker against East Carolina.

My feeling is they'll both have a role. Mm-hmm. Jimmy, I've got to admit a first for me and our beloved producer, James Moody, mentioned this. First time in 24 years I've ever interviewed a guest and watched him on TV at the same time. We've got the podcast up on the monitor with Luke and we're watching it right now. Jimmy, where can we get online and get you and Luke and Travis Fryer and get the best coverage of Alabama sports on the planet? Well, you obviously know if it's up on your screen, you know how.

But for everyone else listening, Locked On Bama, you can find us on YouTube because we do have the video version. But you can also get an audio version. You know, if you're in the car and you just want an audio version, you can find Locked On Bama wherever you get your podcasts. But we have six new shows a week plus breaking news. And we'll have plenty of coverage and a new show again Sunday morning. Jimmy, the Swiss Army Knife Stein, you've got it all going on, radio, TV.

Keep it up, Jimmy. Thank you so much. Get some rest. This is one of the few weekends between now and January that you're going to be needing it. So get some rest, okay? Hey, appreciate it, guys. Y'all have a great weekend. You too, Jimmy. All right. Jimmy Stein goes to Locked On Bama and right there in the beautiful eyes of one Brett and James. Coming up, it's time to go all over the SEC. Blake Lovell with that and more straight ahead of the Boomo Bugg Show.

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Well, now you're back healthy for the Crimson Tide. Again, playing a fun brand of volleyball, what makes this a good system? I would say that it's really fast-paced in the SEC, so that makes it really fun. And it's just like a different level of competition, so that's really exciting. So that's everything you're doing on the floor for the Crimson Tide. How about in the classroom? What's been your focus there? Honestly, I don't love school that much, but I definitely, I think I try and work hard and knock it out, just get it done so I can focus on volleyball afterwards.

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The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in. It is a privilege for cello to Blake Lowell. He's got the entire NCC covered at, where else? Southeastern 16. Blake, welcome in. How are you? I'm doing well, guys. I'm going to talk to you as always. You good? Yeah, you too. Obviously, here we are about, what, two weeks from tomorrow. The party gets started around, we've got next weekend, I know, but we've got to address rehearsals and the real deal in a couple of weeks.

Let's start with basically the question around the SEC that a lot of teams have got in common. That is, who is going to be named the starting quarterback at various camps? So let's start with, let's face it, Blake, a lot of folks say it's a softball question. Let's start in Tuscaloosa. Help us unveil the mystery of who's going to be the starting quarterback in Tidetown. Yeah, I mean, again, I'm sure there's not a story you guys have talked about more over the past little bit. Yeah, you're correct.

That's how that's going to play out. But, yeah, I mean, look, I think we all knew sort of coming into this, like, these are two guys that certainly, you know, there are strengths and weaknesses when it comes to the potential options you have with both of them. And to me, you know, I'm sure it's obviously when you look at someone, you know, like Russell and what he can do, like, yes, like, there is going to be a lot of excitement. And, again, you're looking at, you know, can we hit that sort of next big future star type guy?

And that's what everybody's going to put their focus on. And then, you know, certainly you look at the skill set of Mac and be like, all right, hey, maybe these are a few things that he can do better. And, again, we always say what you don't want is two in terms of being able to just go back and forth and not really having an idea of how it's going to play out. This seems like the one that, to me, feels like it's sort of the, I don't want to say unknown, but I think it is kind of the most fascinating of all these quarterback battles.

And I can honestly, guys, understand both sides. But, again, Russell feels like the one that seems to have quite a bit of momentum when it comes to just, I think, what maybe a lot of people want to see. Because it's kind of a cousin in Tennessee where you got this hot shot, let's face it, the best quarterback on any college team is one on the bench. Is it a similar situation there at Tennessee? You got this phenom that the fans say is going to be walking on the water with Moses and the Israelites.

[21:09] And then you got the guy who was good, but people have forgotten when he came out of high school, he was rated pretty good, too. Is it a similar situation from that standpoint? And at the end of the day, who's going to be UT's QB? Yeah, I mean, it is, right? Like, it does feel similar. Because, I mean, you're talking about someone that's, you know, from a top five player in the country when it comes to Faison Brandon and what he is going to bring to the table.

Because, as you just said with the other race, there are different comparisons as to what these guys can do well. And, of course, George McIntyre, like you said, not exactly a guy that people should really be down on. Because it does seem like, again, he's had a pretty good summer here and getting ready for the start of the season. And so I think, you know, that is the battle you face. And we know, like, it's been that way for a long time. But when you think about just the nature of where the position is at right now and just the athleticism that is needed in terms of running some of these sort of modern offenses and, you know, just all the, again, different intangibles.

The speed and element and there's so many things that go along with it. Yeah, I think it's spot on here. Like, there are a lot of people that I've talked to like, well, of course we want the five-star freshman to play. You know, this guy's not, we're not paying him all this money just for him to spend. But, you know, I don't know if that's necessarily the case. Let me ask you about Vandy. Everybody thought Jared Curtis, the number one quarterback recruit in the country last cycle, would come in and take over that job.

But Clark Lee has mentioned since SEC media days in Tampa. Guys, we actually have a competition here. Blaise Berlewicz, who is a transferman from New Mexico State. He took over for Pavia. But he is quite familiar with Tim Beck's system. And Clark Lee, I know, has mentioned several times. He's been very high on Berlewicz. What are you hearing here? I know a lot of people thought Curtis would be the de facto quarterback. But, once again, as Harold says, not so fast, my friend. Yeah, Vanderbilt might be diving into those simple analytics and saying, well, you know what?

We've had some success with a New Mexico State transfer before. And maybe we should lean on that from the start. But I will say I would still be surprised if Jared Curtis isn't the guy because I think it goes along the lines of what we just said with some of these others. And that I think it's a little different with Vanderbilt in that you're talking about a guy, and you guys know how this works, right? It's not just Clark Lee looking at the football perspective. Yes, like it would be easy to be naive and say that.

But, I mean, you know, again, you look at Curtis, and you talk about the highest rated recruit you've ever had. And he has the tools to be ready now, I think, to be the starter. It's just a matter of whether they want to put him in there from day one. And, again, like I think about it from a business perspective. Like, how many additional tickets do you think they sold? Absolutely. You know, Jared Curtis is our guy. You know, come watch how many posters this guy has been plastered on with the season tickets and everything.

And so, I look at it from that thing. And, again, the coaches are going to make their decisions that doesn't, you know, determine everything. I understand that. But I do still think he has the momentum towards being the guy. But I don't think that what Clark Lee said is wrong in that I think they really have looked at Berlowitz as someone who, let's say, Curtis comes out. You've got a few games early on where maybe you don't learn a whole lot. But if you see a couple of those things kind of heading into the bulk of your SEC play, I wouldn't be surprised at all if Berlowitz may be the guy at some point.

Blake, a lot of folks always like to pick the surprise team. And it doesn't necessarily have to be the team that's coming out of the basement. It can be a team that lives up to the expectations. Is it hard to bet against Ole Miss? I saw some of the preseason All-American teams. And Ole Miss right now has either the number one quarterback or the number two quarterback, either the number one running back, or the number two running back. In the same backfield, that's a lot of stuff to start with is not an offense.

Yeah, I mean, their offensive approach this year is going to be about as easy as it gets because they just got a lot of good playmaking ability. You know, even you go to the wide receiver, tight end position, like you just keep going. And, yeah, this group is very, very talented. There's no question you expect the defense to be fine because Pete Golding is kind of the guy leading the charge there. So, yeah, I mean, Ole Miss does feel like a team that, you know, certainly had all the attention towards the end of last season.

But I think it's almost like, I don't think people forgot about them, but like, okay, well, it's the preseason now. So, let's make sure we talk about the Georgians and Texas and LSU and, you know, keep going, right? But, you know, you got to. So, I think, though, with Ole Miss, like, it is a roster perspective. And, like you said, just having Trinidad Chambliss, I mean, it's just such a good starting point when it comes to comparing yourself to a lot of other teams around the country.

[26:13] And so, yeah, I think Ole Miss is one you feel pretty good about. I'll tell you, the team I've been most fascinated by this offseason, I think, is Oklahoma. Just because I do look at them, you know, getting material back where you feel like he's fully healthy. You can certainly see how last year playing through the injury kind of, you know, hampered his game a little bit. But I think that's another team. If you look at the offensive playmaking ability, the defense is going to be outstanding.

You know, Brent Venables has got a nice little payday that he's had there. They don't have that pressure the way that they've had in recent seasons. And so, I fully expect Oklahoma, too, to be one of those teams that really could, you know, have a chance to compete right there at the top, even with a pretty tough schedule. Listen, Brent Venables was all but fire two years ago. Yeah. He had that losing season. And now, as you mentioned, $10 million with a contract extension. That's a pretty good extension.

It's going to be here next time we know it. And I know you and your staff will be on top of it. I know you've looked at the preseason schedules, dark horses, the whole nine yards. Where can we get online to get all the good stuff? Yeah. You can check it all out, guys, over at Southeastern 16. Plenty of stuff to get ready for the start of the season. And, yeah, we're, of course, tracking all this wild, wild west behavior in college basketball with the transfers and everything, too.

So, you can find that at Southeastern 16. Sounds great, Blake. Listen, kick back. Have a great and safe weekend, all right? Thanks, guys. You too. Thank you, buddy. Late Level Southeastern 16. Coming up, time to check in with the big dog, Bill Shanks, next. Stay with us on the Boomo Bugg Show. Hello, Shoals. It's Elmer Pierce from Garner Pierce Autos. Are you tired of being told that it will take two weeks to service your vehicle or even to look at it to tell you what's wrong with it?

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The score. Progressive presents the Sports Flash on 93.9. The score. The Atlanta Braves were winners yesterday. They beat the White Sox in Chicago 2-0 in a make-up game from June 11. The Braves had eight hits and held the White Sox to just one. Granholm's got the victory. He's now eight and five. Braves 75 and 53. The Braves are back in action this afternoon in Milwaukee against the Brewers. Chris Sale on the bump for Atlanta. He's 12-8. Preseason NFL action tomorrow. The Falcons play in Indianapolis against the Colts. And the Saints will play at Sofly Stadium against the L.A. Rams.

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He's now in the Hall of Fame. Oh, find on. Weekdays at 3 Eastern on the ESPN app and the SEC Network. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in. He is the man with all the answers when it comes to Georgia football and Atlanta Braves baseball. And that's not all. Bill Shanks is the king of radio in the Peachtree State. As host of the Bill Shanks Show at 93.1 FM in Macon. Online at thesesuperstations.com. And on the tube at 41 NBC. Bill, welcome in.

How are you? I'm doing well. Good afternoon. Hey, buddy. Good afternoon to you, Bill. Obviously, I'm sure people have been saying, Bill, help us figure out these Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Atlanta Braves. Boy, you're talking about streaking, good and bad. This is a team for the ages, is it not? Well, it has been a very interesting year back and forth with the stretches. The bad stretches have been awful. And I hope yesterday's win got them out of a 12-game stretch that was looking like it was another one of their bad stretches.

I'm hoping that if they win, you know, just win the series in Milwaukee. Look, they've got a difficult stretch here. They've got three games in Milwaukee. They've got three games back at home against the Dodgers. So, they are going to have a big test. And then they still have seven games against the Phillies. That includes right in the middle of those seven games against the Phillies, three with Tampa Bay. So, they've got a lot of tough games coming up for sure. In effect, it's a preview of the postseason, is it not?

Because you're going to see this is not the first rodeo all these teams are going to see each other. Nope, this is it. This is exactly what you're going to do. And you're going to have a lot of pitching that you're going to see very similar to what you'll see in the postseason. So, yeah, this is it. I mean, this is it. This is going to be – I mean, you do almost have – with 34 games left, you almost have to take the attitude that – the postseason starts now.

And so, I think that's exactly what they're going to do. And, you know, it's – when you get past the all-star break, there's an urgency that I think comes with that. And then, you get within 34 games or less than a fourth of the season left. You're down to cases here where even you have a five-game lead here with 34 to go. You've got to try to play every game as if it were a playoff game, especially against the teams. I think 23 of the games left of the 34 against teams that if the playoffs started today, they would be in there.

Wow. A lot of tough competition. Let me reinforce the point you and Harold made. You had a great text on – post on Twitter that they practically won a division. The first 66 games, 45 and 21, they averaged 5.2 runs a game. The ERA was 3.35. And then, the second positive stretch of 38 games, nearly identical, 5.2 runs per game. And the ERA was 3.33, the starting rotation with 14 and 6. But as you mentioned, the two bad stretches, they only scored 2.9 or 2.5 runs a game. And the ERA was a dismal 6.35 and 5.13. That's how you're – that explains vividly the good and the bad.

[36:57] Yeah, it does. It shows you kind of the ups and downs. And, you know, I know some people could say, well, you know, you take those 17 games out in June. You take the 12 games out here. I get that. And there's no question. But, you know, the question is really what are you going to be in October? What's one of those streaks you're going to have in October? Look, I think more so for baseball than anything. Baseball, there's no question that a lot of the times the best team in the sport wins the World Series.

But a lot of times, and probably as much as the other, it's about playing the best at that time. That's right. And, you know, I mean, I don't think the Braves were necessarily the best team in baseball in the entire 2021 year. In October, they were. Yeah. And that's why they won the World Series. So, you know, if the Braves, and that's why you can't count them out, because can this team be very good and hot and have heroes in October? Well, they can. I mean, I think there's some skepticism in my voice there, because I'm not sure of the pitching.

I'm probably more skeptical of the hitting than I am the pitching, to be honest with you right now. I just don't know. And that's why these next six games against Milwaukee and Los Angeles is going to be interesting. What are they going to do against this better pitching? What are they going to do against this kid today who's throwing 102 miles an hour how many times a game? I'm really anxious to see that, because I think the hitting has been questionable when they face tougher competition. Absolutely.

Your thoughts on Olsen? I know when Freddie left, and we've talked about that, a lot of people thought he shouldn't have left and stayed. Olsen now on pace for another 50 home run year. He just passed 900 consecutive games played, which is incredible. And a lot of people thought, there's no way this guy can come in here and replace Freddie Freeman. Has he? Yeah. Yes. But, you know, I don't think that conversation can take place without saying that while statistically and production-wise, he has replaced Freddie Freeman, the Braves have not won a playoff series since Freddie Freeman left.

Yeah. Leader shield. Now, and that sounds like a negative point toward Matt Olsen, and it's not, but it does show, I think, and demonstrate the value that Freddie had. Yep. Freddie's the best leader in the world, but Freddie's been at Atlanta Braves since September 2010, for crying out loud. Mm-hmm. You know, and there's value in that. There's value in what he did in 2021. There's value in what he did as part of the rebuild, where they could have traded him, and they didn't. There's a lot of value that went with Freddie Freeman, that while his statistics were going to organically decline as he got older, as they have, the value was still going to be there in what he brought to the table.

And I think, again, that sounds like I'm, if I'm making a case A versus B, that there's negative on the part of Matt Olsen. There's really not. It's not Matt Olsen's fault they haven't won a playoff series since Freddie left. But, you know, you have to include that in the conversation if you are comparing the two. Production-wise, there's no question. And look, Matt Olsen is on pace for Cooperstown, just like Freddie Freeman. Mm-hmm. I mean, there's a little doubt that, I mean, h***, he plays every day already.

But if Matt Olsen stays relatively healthy for the next five to seven years, he's going to be in a Baseball Hall of Famer. I mean, the numbers are going to be over 500 home runs. And, I mean, you know, that alone, as long as you don't shoot yourself up and stuff, it's going to get you into Cooperstown, where it used to, and I think it will with him. Because he's a very good player. He's a great defensive player. He plays every day. There's value in that, of course.

So, Matt deserves a tremendous amount of credit. Because, look, the alternative would have been if Atlanta had gotten a different option to replace Freddie Freeman and that player had not even been up to where Matt Olsen is, it would have been even more so looked at as a disaster in letting Freddie walk out the door. Came out, theesuperstations.com with Bill Shanks turning to football, Georgia. Second scrimmage in the books. This is when a lot of the questions hopefully are going to be answered. Does Georgia leave any questions on the table after their second scrimmage, Bill Shanks?

Not many. You know, they look very good from every report in the scrimmage. I mean, you know, what's going on at Georgia right now is the evolution of an elite program and a coach that's got a program just in a certain spot where, all right, the biggest question for Georgia, I think, is the wide receiver group, mainly because they lost Zachariah Branch, they lost Dylan Bell, tight end Oscar Dell, Noah Thomas, Colby Young. They lost a lot of yards that receivers and pass catchers got last year.

[42:21] So they have to find new ones. And, you know, they have an opportunity with very good candidates to allow people to emerge. You just don't know who that is yet. It helps that the tight end room is excellent and probably one of the best rooms in the country as far as talent is concerned. And it also helps that you've got a couple of cash for clunker games, East Tennessee State for the blind and Western Kentucky. And then you've got Arkansas before the game against Oklahoma on the 26th.

So you've got, you know, a real good cushion there to allow those receivers to get time with Gunnar Stockton to get some synergy, to get some chemistry, whatever you want to call it. And then you're going to face perhaps the best defense you're going to face all year long when Oklahoma comes to ask until the 26th. So, you know, that's the one thing. But here's the thing. Again, this is something I'm getting ready to say is what partly made Alabama great for so many years. That receiver group that needs to emerge and to define itself is going up against the secondary that is absolutely cracking skulls right now.

And they're only going to get better because they're facing a secondary that may have two All-Americans in there with K.J. Bolton and the cornerback, Ellis Robinson, and others that are emerging very, very well this summer camp. So that's only going to make the receivers better because there probably won't be a better defense they go up against. I get amused sometimes at the criticism for Mike Bobo. Well, they don't have enough explosive plays. There's nothing wrong with 10 and 12 play drives that end in touchdowns. But is that something I heard they're trying to roll Gunnar Stockton out a little bit more to open up maybe a little more explosive plays downfield.

Yes, and that's one thing they're having to figure out. And, you know, with those new receivers, again, who's going to do that? They've got to transfer in with Isaiah Canyon, who I think is a very good player, taking the place of one of the kids, Colby Young and Josh, that left, you know, last year after last year's season. And I've covered Canyon here in middle Georgia, and he's a big 6'4 kid. He's just good. He's a good player. I mean, I don't think – look, Georgia hasn't had a 1,000-yard receiver in two decades.

Yes. You know, I mean, Terrence Edwards was the last time they had a 1,000-yard receiver. So it's been a combination of receivers all throughout that time. And I think the combination of receivers is going to be able to replace the production. But you know what? They're probably going to run the ball more this year anyway. So I would think if you look at last year's running statistics and last year's receiving statistics, you know, I think they're going to be skewed even more so toward the running game.

And I think that's going to make it a little bit different situation. But I think – and it may happen only in the first part of the season where, you know, later on you may see more receiving yards and more for Gunnar Stockton. So I think, you know, when you lose a – I mean, look, they're rebuilding their receiver room. You know, so when you're doing that, you've got to kind of give it time and know that it's probably going to be a little bit better in October than it will be in September.

Absolutely. Only two more weekends away. And I agree with you. I think this is a key series this weekend with Milwaukee. And, of course, you've got your second favorite team, the Dodgers, coming in next week. Who have you got on the show today? Are you talking about Alabama winning a national championship again? And where can we get online and listen? You can't hear me at all this afternoon because the Atlanta Braves are playing against the Milwaukee Brewers. Oh, that's right. What am I thinking about? I'm sorry.

And so I'm going to get a massage at a shady hotel in North Bacon. I won't ask you any details on that. No, you don't. Go ahead and rub it in, Bib. Rub it in. Literally. Yeah, that's what she said. Have a great weekend, buddy. All right, guys. See you, bud. Well, I'm the only. Bill Shane coming up. The curtain comes up on the Falcons' nest. KJ, the tale's next. Stay with us. It doesn't matter if you're running drills at the park, playing pickup on a Saturday, or sinking the final putt.

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With Hiring Pro, you can hire with confidence and build the team you need. Join the 2.7 million small businesses using LinkedIn to hire. Get started by posting your job for free at linkedin.com slash Eisen. Terms and conditions apply. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in. As they say in Hollywood, he's back. The fine voice of the Florence High Falcons, KJ, Kevin Johnson. Welcome in. Are you ready for some football? How are you? Man, everybody's ready for some football. I mean, it's high school football time.

I think the state of Alabama has been waiting on this for about three months and finally it's here. And man, what a weekend it's going to be. Well, every year it's a brand-new ball game, sort of speed part of the pond there. But this year, Kevin, we touched on it when we were able to get in the same huddle earlier. But for the folks just coming to the table, talk to us about how things may look different for Florence High this year because of the R-word reclassification.

Yeah, it's going to be a lot different. Definitely, obviously, the HSA has moved the private schools into their own league and then reclassified all the public schools down to six classifications. And Florence will technically drop from 7A to 5A, but really it's dropping down to 6A. They go from being the smallest 7A school to being the largest 5A school. So, the target may be on the back a little more and the underdog role may be gone a little bit. But it's a good thing, I think, for high school sports.

When I looked at the numbers personally, I felt like the numbers were more even than they have been in the past. And it just seemed like it leveled it up. It seemed like also it cut down on travel for a lot of teams. I know it did for Florence. They go from having to make hour-and-a-half and two-hour trips for a region game to our longest trip for a region game this year, maybe one hour. So, it really helps out in a lot of ways. And some familiar faces come back into the region play.

You'll see Muscle Shoals, Hartsell, Athens, Russell, and Florence all in the same area with Austin. And, you know, it just gives those type of vibes where it's teams that everybody knows. And it's going to be a – listen, it's not going to get any easier. As a matter of fact, it may be a tougher region than 7A, but the road to the championship, the state championship, might be a little more level playing ground for all teams in 5A than it was in the 7A region. We're going to be talking about a lot of these guys as we go throughout the season.

[52:48] But talk about some of the names that you're going to be calling. This is a very good team. I think they're underrated. 13 returning starters. Talk about some of the names you're going to be calling tonight. Let's start up front with Jaden White. I call him Mr. White. He's 6'3", 295 pounds. He's got my respect. Mr. White is really good. He already has offers from about 10 or 12 Division I schools, I think, a few SEC schools. And some ACC schools have offered him, and only a junior. But he is one of the best defensive linemen in the state of Alabama.

He's not only big, he's quick, he's smart, and he's going to be a handful for everybody. And that defensive front is going to be one of the best, the strength of the Falcons, I believe. They're going to have some really good guys up front, and that's where you want them in the trenches. So Jaden White would definitely be one to keep an eye on the defensive side. I go to the offensive side, and I spoke with Coach Kenny Morrison. I said, Coach, you have a stable of running backs this year.

I said, not a room of running backs, but a stable, because there's three studs over there. And, I mean, it is really good. It's Elijah Hines as a junior. He's a quick scat back. He's really improved over the offseason, as has the Carson Johnson, who I think is really outstanding. He had a big 70-yard touchdown run in the Jamboree. And then there's a sophomore that's coming up that you'll hear his name from, Kayon Williams, who's going to be really good. And his ceiling is extremely high, as talented as any back we've seen coming up.

So three really good running backs behind a sophomore quarterback who's getting his first start for one tonight, Costin Mahan. But don't let that fool you. The young man that's a sophomore, he started a bunch of games in baseball for varsity. He played a little bit last year in the varsity football. And he does not play like a sophomore. He'll have a sophomore moment here and there. But the kid is really mature. The kid's a good athlete. And more than that, he's a gamer. He is just a gamer.

The talent level on the offensive side is really, really spread out. Great receivers. A talented, deep, room of receivers. So this Falcons team, I think, has as much talent from top to bottom as they've had maybe in eight to ten years. Speaking of that maturity, you're going to find out tonight. It's going to be put to the test because any opener is always tough on both sidelines. But when you open on the road, it's just another layer to it. Your thoughts about tonight's opening opponent at Pinson Valley?

Well, I don't know when y'all talk to Coach Kenny Morrison next time. But would you get him to help me to help him on scheduling that first game? We will. We will, KJ. Going to Pinson Valley, I mean, how tough of a first game can you get? My goodness. Go down there and take on an Indians team that is just legendary and really good at home. But it'll be a great test for Florence. This is a great test. They're going to be really athletic. This is a new coach they have down there.

And Coach Francesco is tremendous. And so it's going to be a great game, a great high school game. I think the key for this Falcons team is to be themselves. They don't want to beat themselves, just be themselves. Because, you know, Pinson Valley is going to have some success from time to time. But if Florence will be themselves, I really feel like they can play with this Pinson Valley team. But it's always a tough place, tough atmosphere, long trip. And we'll see how the Falcons fare.

Yeah, they were four and six last year and lost three games by a combined total of eight points. They're always good. Kickoff, a pregame kickoff, coach's breakfast. Tell us about it. Man, it's been a long weekend already. We're just halfway through it. This is the kickoff tonight, 7 p.m. for the Florence Falcons against Pinson Valley in the 6 o'clock pregame, an hour before kickoff. We'll be with you on the TNT Fireworks pregame show. It's myself, Kevin Johnson, along with Mike Albertson, Jeffrey Jones, and John McDaniel. The crew is still together.

I think this is our 10th year together. And we're looking forward to doing the game tonight. And then in the morning, 8 a.m., coaches from around the Shoals area will gather at the North Alabama Bona Joint Clinic to talk about Thursday night games, Friday night games. I've already had some messages from coaches looking forward to that. It's a great tradition. There's nothing about me being there as far as the broadcaster that asks the questions. This is a tradition that was started back in the days of Jerry Knight, Greg Thornton, J.D. Byers.

And now I have the honor to carry it on as well. And that's at 8 a.m. Saturday mornings right here on 93.9 The Score. Supper tonight on the road, breakfast tomorrow morning right there in your backyard. Life is good. It's back. Listen, safe travels tonight. All the best to you and the team, Kevin. Thank you very much. And, hey, best of luck to all these young men going out and playing tonight. Go out and support high school football wherever you are. Amen. Absolutely. Amen and amen. Kevin Johnson on the call tonight right here on 93.9 The Score.

Meantime, coming up the next hour, all over the place, going to kick it off with Mike Huganen and more spread ahead. Stay with us. 1819 News. State Senator Arthur Orr revealed this week that he sought to regulate flop cameras years ago back in 2021 during the legislative session. Orr was on the right side radio program with Allison Sinclair and Amy Beth Shaver discussing his early attempts to rein in this emerging technology. But there were no parameters or guardrails or restrictions. It was just, we're going to put these readers up and what we do with that information or where it goes, how long, who can access it, all that, trust us.

[58:15] And I wasn't comfortable with that either. So the best deal I could cut at the time was to get LDOT to put policies in place. And I was assured by the transportation director at the time, Mr. Cooper, that they would. And they did. In my opinion, they're very, very loose. They're not as tight as I would like to see. And now it seems, as you say, the public has awakened. I'm ready to revisit the issue and really clamp down on these if the public even wants them at all.

And I think that's the initial debate out of the gate. Do we even want to have them? I'll be back with more Alabama stories after this. The news cycle can be overwhelming, to say the least. Andrea Tice cuts to all the noise with the daily detail from 1819 News, Alabama and national news in just 10 to 15 minutes. What you need to know before you start your day. Find the daily detail wherever you get your podcast. A trial against a Huntsville man regarding the death of two women back in 2023 has now ended in a mistrial.

Ty Stephens was being charged with capital murder. When it comes to the death of DeAsia Morris and Sequoia Lamar, a new trial date will be set by the judge. I'm Andrea Tice. For more news affecting Alabamians, go to 1819news.com. And while you're there, subscribe to the daily newsletter. Valley Broadcasting Corporation, WITK-FM, Rogersville, Athens. To cater the shores. Sports Radio 93.9. The score. 18 national titles. And hungry for more. 100 yards. And the tide adds to its lead. Every snap is right here. Your family's going to win it.

Join us Saturday, September 5th as the Crimson Tide start the 2026 season against East Carolina in Tuscaloosa on your home for Alabama football. The Crimson Tide Sports Network from Learfield. Catch you in a football night at Lost Pizza Shoals every Monday night right here on 93.9 The Score. Hear from head coach Brent Dierman, assistant coaches, players, and other guests as they take you inside the UNA football program. That's 7 to 8 p.m. Every Monday night at Lost Pizza Shoals. Join us this Monday for pizza and UNA football or tune in right here on 93.9 The Score.

93.9 The Score weather. Today a 20% chance of showers with a high around 95 and heat index values as high as 100. Tonight mostly clear with a low near 70. More sunny with a high around 95. More night partly cloudy with a low near 70. And for your Sunday sunny with a high around 90. Your weather from 93.9 The Score. Now, get ready to roll, Shoals, Decatur, Athens, and all of northwest Alabama and southern Tennessee. It's time for the Valley's exclusive FM sports voice. The Boomo Bugg Show. Your exclusive inside track to the Tide, Tigers, Tennessee, and the rest of the SEC.

Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in. Our Poodle of the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving a street ride around the Tennessee Valley and for checking in on the 93.9 The Score app wherever you may be. Mike Huguenen is in Orlando, Florida. He is a national college football slash basketball analyst. Mike, welcome in. And the question is, can you hold on just one more weekend without college football until January? Yeah, it's getting closer and closer, thankfully.

And I'll be honest, I think week zero's got three or four extremely interesting games. So, very, very much looking forward to players actually being on the field in real games again. And, you know, technically it actually kicks off next Thursday night, so we're actually less than a week away. But as far as the weekend itself, for the folks who don't follow this thing as religiously as we do, what would be, obviously you don't have time to go through all of them, but as far as game A, game B, what would be the most intriguing for you in week zero?

I think the Memphis UNLV game, the first Saturday night, Memphis is going to be one of the better teams in the American UNLV is going to be, if not the best team in the Mountain West, certainly one of the top two. So, given that a group of five team or a group of six now, because the Pac-12's back, it gets an automatic bid that the loser of this game is going to be in trouble going forward. But this is a really important group of six games in week zero.

[1:03:21] And Memphis has a new coach. Both teams have new starting quarterbacks, but I think that's the most interesting game, followed by North Carolina TCU. North Carolina, obviously, program in turmoil. But then again, you had TCU yesterday with a projected starting corner dismissed because he put a teammate in the hospital. So, there's a lot of stuff going on at both those schools. Mike, what about North Carolina State at Virginia on Saturday? I think that's the 3.30 Eastern time game on ESPN. Yeah, it is. Virginia, obviously, had the surprise season last year.

A lot of guys back. New quarterback. Let's see how that works out. NC State, you know, they'll finish 8-4, 7-5 because that's what they always do. That game was supposed to be played in Brazil. I do not know why. Really? Really? But they brought it back because of technical problems, you know, infrastructure problems, which I think is a shorthand for we didn't sell any tickets. So, that's an important ACC game, important game involving ACC schools early on. But I think that's the third best game. I'm more intrigued by TCU North Carolina just because of the train wreck factor with Belichick.

I'm with you, Matt. When I think of college football, Brazil is the first country that pops in my mind, isn't it you? But that's nuts, Brazil. Let's talk a little bit about our neighbors, your neighbors up the road there in Gainesville. First scrimmage. A lot of questions there for the new boss. He is doing a good job talking the talk. Can he walk the walk? His first scrimmage in the books. Aaron Filo from everything we're able to gather coming down from Georgia Tech, getting most of the reps at quarterback.

What are you hearing coming out of the scrimmage? Yeah, I think Florida's got a legitimate quarterback competition between him and holdover Trammell Jones. I think Florida feels comfortable with every position on the roster except offensive line and quarterback. That's a pretty important issue. They're a lot more talented than they showed last year. This coaching staff, I think, has a clue on offense because the last one did not. If Florida gets consistently adequate quarterback play, they're going to be a dangerous team. Eight wins, maybe even nine.

They haven't had consistently adequate quarterback play, though, since 2020 when Kyle Trask was there. Part of that was the coaching, the last coaching staff was not a good one. I think this coaching staff is a good one. Buster Faulkner is a really good offensive coordinator. They have really good receivers. This is extremely, this is the best receiving core Florida's had since probably 2008 when they won the national coaching. The running backs, Jaden Ball is a stud. But none of it's going to matter unless the offensive line sort of gels.

They don't know who their last tackle's going to be. And that's, I think they're comfortable with their interior. The two tackle spots are sort of in flux, and that's obviously dangerous. Mike, we talked about this a little bit earlier. Who wins the quarterback competition at Tennessee between true freshman, Faison Brandon, and second-year quarterback, George McIntyre, who I hear has had a good summer? From what I was told, Brandon had the better spring. I think he has a higher upside. He also is a true freshman, and yes, McIntyre hasn't played.

He has been around for two years in that offense. Brandon is in the month eight of that offense. So, there is going to be a learning curve for either one. I think it would be a little bit steeper for Brandon. But Brandon, I think he'll be the starter. I think the running game at Tennessee is going to be the bulwark of the offense. Bishop's a stud. The offensive line returns most of its key guys. The receiving core is solid. But I still think this is a team that's going to want to run the ball between 55% and 60% of the time.

So, as long as the quarterback isn't a mistake-prone guy. I think coaches can live with one turnover a game. They can't live with two or three or four. And I think the quarterback that Hypo chooses will be the one who is less – I'm not necessarily saying he'll be risk-averse, but he'll be the guy that makes a few mistakes. And I still think Brandon has the higher upside. I think he'll be the starter. Mike, you're going to in the huddle with us, National College Football slash Basketball Analyst.

[1:08:32] Mike, everything we've been able to gather. Looks like the news so far is good out of Baton Rouge. Sam Levitt looks like he's fully healthy. The defense looks like they're standing up down in Baton Rouge. Your thoughts about how things are trending there in LSU country. And just a fun question, who's going to have the better – the more fun as far as fans this year? LSU fans or Lane's old team at Ole Miss? Team. But that's – Ole Miss has the better quarterback. Yeah. So, it's going to be interesting to see.

And I think Kiffin, for all his faults – and he has a lot of them – he has a really good offensive mind. Mm-hmm. And I think Ellis – sorry, Ole Miss, while he was there, had a certain swagger on offense. And I think people sort of scoff at the word swagger. But when Kiffin was there, I think – I legitimately think every game Ole Miss walked onto the field thinking, well, we're scoring at least 30. Yeah. So, if we can keep the other team under 30, we're going to win this game.

Mm-hmm. And the offensive staff went with Kiffin. Chambliss is obviously extremely talented. Kiwan Lacy, obviously extremely talented. Receiving core, pretty darn good. Offensive line, sort of questionable. I wonder, though, about the coaching staff and what they're going to be able to get from Chambliss and Lacy and all those guys. Because Kiffin is gone, Charlie Weiss Jr. is gone. There's a new – there's a new group of coaches handling the offense. So, let's see how that works. LSU, you mentioned Levitt. If he gets hurt, I think LSU is going to be a 7-5.

Mm-hmm. Levitt has not been healthy. Two years ago, they made the playoff, and he still missed a game. Last year, he played hurt most of the year and missed a lot of the season. So, his health is vital. There's a lot of new guys, obviously, all new offensive line. I'll believe it when I see it in terms of their running game. Now, one thing Kiffin is good with and Weiss, they generally have superb rushing attacks. LSU's rushing attack the last two years was not even mediocre.

So, it'll be interesting to see how that pans out. But LSU, defensively, I think will be fine. They've spent a ton of money on that roster. Yeah. But I think a lot hinges on Sam Levitt and his health. I agree with you entirely. And Charlie Weiss, Jr. is going to be a future star. Mike, we've got a Braves' day game coming up shortly. But I always enjoy the conversation. We will get into more detail about Week Zero with you next week. Have a great weekend. Let's do this again next Friday.

Excellent. Thanks, guys. Thank you, Mike. Mike, you're going to National College football slash basketball. And let's check it in from Orlando. Before the Braves play today, a lot shaking in the shoals tonight. First big Friday night. Zach Pounder's details next. Stay with us. In a contracting business, you're either growing or you're grinding. Success is no longer about hard work alone. It's about using AI to accelerate impact. Service Titan is the only integrated intelligence that seamlessly automates your entire workflow, from first call to final invoice. Born in the trades.

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Zach Penner would agree with that. He is the founder and manager of Shoals Sports Report. Zach, welcome in. Are you ready for some high school football? Yes, how about y'all. Man, we are ready. Before we talk about what's coming up tonight, let's talk about what happened last night. Big night for Lexington. Tough night for Lauderdale County to take the lid off. Yeah, last night, Lexington, the three-game losing streak over the last three seasons. Lauderdale County with a one-point win. Lexington was up 12-7 at halftime. He went down 19-12 in the third, or 19-7, I think it was, and 19-12, and then came back on one in the fourth quarter and finished at late.

Yeah, they've got a great, Lexington's got a great quarterback. Zane Kilborn, he scrambled and then found Peyton Clayton for the two-point conversion to win that game 2019. It was delayed for quite a while with thunderstorms. My Lord, there were some bad storms. I know where you're going tonight, young man. Dessler at Russellville, the 100th meeting. Now, they haven't met consecutively. They've had a few hiatus in there. You noted with me, but what a game for Daryl Higgins to make his debut at Russellville. Was an assistant, Dessler, for 22 years.

Incredible success for 10 years at Morris Hill. Dessler at Russellville tonight. Yeah, Coach Malone and Coach Higgins have a long history when it comes to playing for each other and coaching with each other as far as the rivalry goes, but Coach Higgins will now be on both sides of it with the Dessler history he has and the Russellville history now, and then Coach Malone played for Coach Higgins in the late 90s at Dessler, and Russellville has not lost to Dessler at home since 2004. Wow. And Coach Higgins was at Dessler.

Crazy how the world rocks and rolls. Let's talk about another one that's going to be very interesting, and that is Muscle Shows bringing, talking about a brand-new era of football. We know Scott Bays is out, brand-new coaching era in, and Muscle Shows is going to find out in a hurry on the road to a brand name called Hoover tonight. Yeah, no pressure out the gate for Muscle Shows and Coach Higgins. Yeah, really. But Hoover is one of those, you almost can't get a better opener in the state of Alabama outside of Thompson or Phoenix City, who played last night.

All right. But Hoover is still the standard Alabama football when it comes to high school. Mm-hmm. Absolutely. Lincoln Smothers, who transferred from Jasper, will be the starting quarterback for Muscle Shows. The Smothers brothers, as we affectionately call them, would be very good for Muscle Shows. Florence at Pinson Valley. We talked to Florence, the voice of the Florence Falcons, Kevin Johnson. Last year, Florence 6-5, Pinson Valley 4-6. They've always got athletes. Pinson Valley lost three games last year by a total of eight points. But Florence has got 13 starters coming back.

[1:19:38] Elijah Hines, Kevin Toles about a stable of backs. I think this is a much-improved Florence team. Your thoughts as they travel to Pinson Valley? I think for Florence and Muscle Shows both, to get acquainted with this new region they're going to have up here in 5A, I think going to play Birmingham schools out of the gate is the best option they could have had as far as the competition level. The Birmingham schools are just different as far as talent level and all-around teams than up here in the Huntsville area, where it's not a disrespect, but it's more just like a factor of the talent level and the talent gap.

There's a gap between the Huntsville and Birmingham areas in football and high school. In other words, Zach, let's talk a little bit about this. It seems like we've got a common theme going on here. First game, first appearance by a brand-new coach. Talk to us about Brookside with a new top line taking on the Hornets down in Hatton tonight. Yeah, Brookside to Hatton was a Hatton team who's had a lot of hype in 3A this year early on. They get put in that 3A region with Winfield, Cordova, Curry, and those kind of schools instead of the one up here with the 4A last year.

I didn't play in the last year, then 4A for Hatton will be a positive because they're going to go to that 3A region, taking a step down in 3A, and having played 4A the last two years. The guys that have played 4A ball are going to be used to the physicality of it, and that region really actually favors Hatton, I think, more than the 4A region did. But Brookside is going to have a third region also up here with 4A, Deshore, West Morgan, Hamilton, Priceville, West Point, Ardmore, and so on, who all had last year a 4-6, 5-5, 6-4 better, and made the playoffs, had a chance to make the playoffs.

I think that's actually one of the more intriguing games of the night. Hatton and Brooks last year finished the season at 7-4. Another very interesting game to me is going to be Convert County at Convert Heights. Oscar Bonds in his second year with the Indians. Brett Vick, we talked to Brett earlier in the summer, and he's really excited. Of course, he jumped in last year, I think, in June, and didn't have a whole lot of time to get ready. Convert County's won this series, I think, 34 out of the last 37 games.

But Convert County at Convert Heights tonight. Yeah, Convert Heights, the last two years, have turned off undefeated 4-0 and 5-0, and then finished 4-6 and 5-5. So it was Convert Heights. We're looking for it if they can get another win and get that momentum going instead of hitting a fly with a loss and fly the rest of the season. Convert County, though, it's a long streak, but this year it's a non-region game. It's a rivalry game, but a non-region game. So it doesn't mean as much as the standings go.

But it still means a lot to both schools, both programs. I think the winner of this game could have a 500 season or better. The loser, I don't know. Zach Paners does know the Scholes. He's the founder and editor of Scholes Sports Report, talking about an intriguing matchup. We mentioned that we're talking about a lot of first games for a first-year coach. Mars Hill, we know the story over the years with the aforementioned Daryl Higgins now, again, at Russellville. Chris Hill, now at Mars Hill, taking on a guy that's probably headed for the State Hall of Fame in Bob Gopsey.

It's always been an intriguing matchup over the years. Madison Academy at Mars Hill tonight. Yeah, I think that's the fourth straight year they're playing, actually, for Madison Academy at Mars Hill, including the playoffs for the last couple of years. But this is going to be interesting this year as far as Mars Hill has, I think, 40 players this year from eighth grade to 12th grade, and that's going to be a change, I think, from the last few years with Coach Higgins. How do you find that depth in the fourth grade as far as two-way guys go versus the Madison Academy, who has played in 4A, 5A ball the last couple of years, and it's in that double-A class where Mars Hill is in the single-A class, which the double-A is the bigger private schools, single-A is the small private schools.

But for Madison Academy, Mars Hill is one of those, you get a look at Mars Hill with a possible new offense this year, something they've not done in a long time at Mars Hill, not earning the wing tee, they're more of a spread-based team this year, and if they start throwing the ball around, who knows how far they can go this year. Absolutely. Mars Hill's record at home the last nine seasons, 60-4. That's incredible. But frankly, and then they've got the 20-game winning streak, which is the longest in the state.

Central, Heckeberg, Hamilton, Rogers, and Wilson are idle tonight. They'll get started again next week. I asked you this before about who was your sleeper, and I think you mentioned Wilson a couple of weeks ago, that they've got a lot of guys back. But who is your sleeper for, again, we'll find out certainly in the next couple of weeks, teams will get off to a good start. Who's your sleeper this year? That entire 3-8 region, though, is one of those that could be slept on by everybody.

I think it could wind up being one of those 7-3, 6-4 teams winning and winning the region in a tiebreaker. So I think that 3-8 region, once you get in a tiebreaker in two weeks, everything will matter ten times more because of the region aspect. That's right. And it could come down to one of those tiebreakers where it's straightened their record outside of region play. Well, that's not Lardot County. It's the Lexington. That's a big loss to Lardot County if that tiebreaker comes into play later on in the season.

[1:24:56] They did for Florence last year. But with Wilson, Central, Rogers, all playing four of all the last few years and now coming down to 3-8, that's going to benefit them the way it will benefit some of these other schools that are moving down in class to play not lesser teams, but teams that are smaller as far as numbers go. And when you have more numbers, you can have more depth in the fourth quarter, third quarter of the game. And you're playing guys two ways or one way.

Other teams are playing guys two ways and they're getting more winded come the second, third quarter of the game. Especially early in the season when he's usually a bigger factor. Sheffield looking to get off on the right foot. They've got the home cooking to do it. They've got to get by Haleyville. Your thoughts about that matchup? Yeah, Sheffield gets to open up their new turf tonight with a first game against Haleyville. So last night with Florence Fly Football, you'll have a trivia question tonight from who was the first one to score on the new Sheffield turf.

There you go. Who was the first one to win on the new Sheffield turf? I mean, but yeah, Sheffield's one of those interesting teams this year in 2A. I think they can contend for the playoff. I'm not going to say they won't win the region, but I'll be shocked. But they can at least contend for the playoff as far as 5-5, 6-4, 4-6 goes in that 2A region instead of the 3A region with a more civil carbon care in the last few years. I agree with you.

I think Sheffield's going to be much improved this year. Hard to believe it's here. I know you're going to enjoy covering Russellville and Dashter. You will have the recap of that game and a lot more this weekend. And we'll be talking about, again, week two, hard to believe, next Friday. Where can we get online and get all your previews you've had this summer and, of course, the recamps for tonight? On Facebook, Shoals Sports Report. The Facebook page and on Twitter, at lowercase, S-H-O-A-L-S-B-O-R-T-S. And Friday night, you get chaotic for us with posting and how many posts we do and share the whole night, whatever.

But on Twitter, if you'll turn on post notifications, it'll send it to your phone like ESPN app alert would. You better get down there early. I got a feeling tickets are going to be tight tonight for that matchup at Russellville. Safe travels to and from. And, Zach, thanks for your time today. Thank you, y'all too. Thank you, brother. Zach Founders, Shoals Sports Report. Do you realize, as far as the regular season, high school football, I just was thinking about this, by the time Alabama-Auburn and the bulk of the SEC kicks off a third, almost a third of the regular season will be over on high school football.

Enjoy round one coming up tonight. In the meantime, what's going on down there? Speaking of the Auburn Tigers, on the Plains, Justin Ferguson, the latest next. Stay with us. When you see this in your kitchen. The stainless steel fridge is covered in fingerprints. You hear this. Leslie, people are going to think you were raised in a barn or by wolves. Erased in a barn by wolves. Fortunately, Wyman Stainless Steel 3-in-1 cleans, shines, and protects to give you the best shine. A spray and a wipe will have your fridge shining like a mirror.

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Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in. You're absolutely right. Two weeks, one day, and the curtain comes up on a brand new can of Auburn football. In the meantime, what's going on leading into it? Justin Ferguson got that and everything else covered when it comes to Tiger Talk. He's got it covered there. The Auburn Observer. Justin, welcome in. How are you? Doing well. How are you? Hey, bud. Two scrimmages in the book. Justin, what's the vibe coming up?

Yeah, very positive one. I think that second scrimmage was a very good one for Auburn. You heard Alex Gullish talk last week about, hey, we need to be cleaner. We need to tackle better. It wasn't very good there. We had a lot of stuff to clean up. Sounded like they cleaned up a lot of it in that second scrimmage. Good work for both sides of the ball. Gullish was pretty positive about pretty much every position group. Seemed to be really pleased with the way this passing game is going with Byron Brown and those receivers for a second straight scrimmage.

Thought the defense really stepped up and attacked the areas they needed to attack. Offensive line continues to hold up well and stay healthy, which has been a big thing. So, yeah, this was a scrimmage that I think got a lot of positives. And since this is really the last scrimmage of camp, they got to kind of say, okay, when they went back to work today and they'll have one more practice tomorrow before they hit kind of a mock game week next week, they know exactly what they needed to work on.

And it was a lot of that situational stuff that's just going to come with time. But I think for those individuals and those units, they cleaned up a lot from that first scrimmage and had a really, really good day on both sides. Talk about injuries. J.J. Falk, defensive end, out for the season, unfortunately, with a broken collarbone. Every team has one or two during summer camp. Is the rest of the team fairly healthy? Yeah, fairly healthy. You know, guys who have been in those non-contact jerseys are out of them.

[1:35:21] So, Sylvester Smith, Reed, Christian Neptune were ones that came out. Got Caleb Harris and new boy Fagans back out there as well going full speed. That secondary has gotten a lot healthier over really the last couple weeks, which has been a good sign. You've been able to hold up on the offensive line, you know, get some of those pitch counts from some of those older guys. And I think Auburn is just going to be very careful with some of the key guys like, say, Jeremiah Cobb at running back.

You know, Xavier Atkins at linebacker, some of those others between now and the start of the season. But, yeah, they were expecting today to be a pretty healthy unit. Didn't really spot any non-contact jerseys or guys out of pads. A ton outside of the names we already knew. So, it's going to be a fairly healthy team with about two weeks to go from the start of the season. Justin, by the way, Justin Ferguson, the Auburn Observer again. You mentioned running back. A lot of folks have been waiting on Bryson Washington to earn his keep.

Word is, he had a good scrimmage. Your thoughts about Bryson Washington? Yeah, it's a very good stretch here for Bryson Washington, especially with the fact that Nakai Davenport, the USF transfer at running back, has been a little bit banged up here in camp and hadn't been able to do as much. So, behind Jeremiah Cobb and, obviously, O'Brien Mabson having a great preseason like who else was going to be up there at running back. At Washington, it was just a case of just getting back into shape.

You know, he missed a lot of time last season, you know, and was banged up with injuries at Baylor, had had some surgeries, wasn't really full go in the spring. And so, they've really, really challenged him. And, you know, when you hear, you know, Alex Gullish talk about, hey, he's looked like the guy that he was at Baylor, you know, this past week. That's exciting because this guy ran for more than 1,500 yards at Baylor. So, really, really good effective player. Yeah, it's a good time for Auburn.

I think Cobb and Mabson have continued to kind of be the class of that running back room. But when you have a guy like Bryson Washington get back to his old self, it does a lot for your team. What, as far as competitions, in particularly left guard, we've talked about Jacob Strand, Derek Plaz, and Harold mentioned the number three running back. What competitions are left starting with starting left guard? Yeah, that left guard one's really, if I'm looking at, like, starting jobs, I think that's kind of the only one I'm really focusing on a ton.

I think Strand probably ends up getting that. So, it can be a matter of how many guys at guard they want to play. They like Plaz, they like Jacoby Ward as well. You know, Cole Skinner is a guy that was more of a rotational, wasn't in every down player at right guard at USF last season. So, it'll be interesting to see kind of what they do there. From there, it's just kind of establishing, like, that separation of who you can trust on the rotation and who's probably a little bit further behind.

So, like, a wide receiver, like, you know, they want to have six receivers that they can really rely on this year, right? So, if you say the four USF transfers and Deshaun Spencer's the fifth one, who's that sixth one? So, you've got to keep an eye on maybe who could emerge there. How many tight ends are they going to play this year? I mean, how many guys on the defensive front do they really like? Who's that, who's the, who's the backup going to be, you know, behind Deshaun Womack and Jared Smith, the edge rusher, this season?

How many corners, you know, who's that third and fourth corner? Who's that third and fourth safety? That's kind of more of where I'm looking at right now because I think you can pretty much feel like there's a good, okay, this is who it's going to be. This is where they're going to be pretty much for the starting lineup. So, to me, it's more of if you want to play fast and you want to play deep, which is what they want to do on both sides of the ball, you've got to really have a good two-deep there of guys you can trust.

And it's about just kind of finding those last spots, I think, at several of those positions. Yes, and what's your biggest concern as far as polishing things up here before the real deal? Actually, a couple of weeks to go as far as polishing things up. And, you know, let's face it, when we ask the question about how the quarterbacks are performing, quite frankly, it's kind of hard to evaluate until the real bullets start flying because these guys know they're not going to have to take a serious hit.

And in screaming, yes, to a point, but you've got to believe that they're told, as far as the defender, don't wreck or seize them by getting too full of hormones here. Has Brown lived up to the expectations to the extent that you're able to hear? Yeah, 100%. I mean, he's had a phenomenal fall camp. He has been a guy that I think has really stepped his game up from what we saw in the spring. He just has that kind of confidence about him. Every time we see him, every time we get to hear about him, it's like, man, he's making a lot of plays.

And the thing about him is, like, you're right, you know, he's not a guy who's been able to showcase what all he's capable of because anytime anybody gets near him, they blow the play dead. That's right. He was one of the better. He was one of the better running quarterbacks in college football last season. So he hasn't been able to really kind of showcase that full scope yet. So when you hear Alex Gullis, you talk about things tightening up. You hear Alex Gullis talk about we need to be able to convert better in the red zone, tighten up on these short-yarded situations, you know, do some of this stuff, winning in the margins he talks about a lot that they've got to get better at.

[1:40:22] They've got to continue to work on that. I also know that, you know, once Byron Brown's out of that orange jersey, that changes a lot for you. You talk about third down, short yardage, red zone, when he's actually able to run and get hit. So, you know, as much as he has been able to show, it's been a pretty positive, you know, fall camp for him. The tight ends, I think, are underrated. Jake Johnson, Boardingham, Jonathan Echols, who's been beat up a little bit. Your thoughts on that, but what is the rotation there when Aubrey goes 11, 12, maybe even 13 personnel?

Yeah, I think Jake Johnson's going to be your leader, and I think Arliss Boardingham, the transfer, you know, from Bowling Green. He didn't play last year at Bowling Green, but he played a good bit at Florida and was very productive there. So he's a guy who's played in this league and has shown he can do it at this level. So you've got kind of a good one-two punch of guys who are vets that have played in this conference before that you can rely on. And then it kind of just gets to be, okay, situational, have some fun with it.

Jonathan Echols was really a red zone guy, you know, big, long receiving target for the most part at USF last season. I think that's probably what his role is going to be at Auburn, where you might not see him as a top two tight end, but he might be able to make some really big catches. He had a handful of touchdowns last year for USF, despite being a guy who didn't play a whole ton of reps. And then the other one to keep in mind is going to be Tree Newsome, the transfer from Howard.

He was going to play edge rusher at Michigan a couple years ago. Had an injury that kind of knocked him off that course. They've kind of converted him to tight end over time. His head coach at Howard is now Auburn's tight ends coach, Larry Scott. They look at him as just kind of this super impressive project of a player. You know, he looks like an offensive tackle. He's 6'7", 280, running down the field like a receiver, though, at tight end. So he's going to be a guy I think they can get creative with if he can prove himself to be, you know, reliable.

So I think really, again, Johnson and Boardingham have done it in this conference. They've been really good this camp. They're kind of 1A and 1B, I would say, a tight end. And then I think with guys like Newsome and then Echols, if he can be, you know, get healthy and stay healthy, I think that's where you can just get a little bit more creative with them in certain spots. Absolutely. We've got a Braves' day game coming up here shortly, so we're going to have to cut it a little bit short.

But where can everybody get on to get the 6 a.m. emails, Friday mailbag, podcast, and all the other incredible stuff at your site? Yeah. Go to auburnobserver.com and check it out there. It is, you know, $7 a month or $70 for a full year. So you get it two months for free if you sign up for the full year. And, yeah, we've got a ton of stuff right now from, you know, the scrimmages this week, practices. You know, I'll have a story out here shortly and a little bit on Auburn's defense.

Talked to a lot of defensive players and coaches today. So a real deep dive into that group over there. Podcast as well. And then, yeah, next week, Auburn's kind of starting a mock game week. So we're going to kind of be at that schedule. So we'll hear from Alex Gullis and the coordinators. We'll get to see some practice. We'll get to talk to some players. We'll get to kind of do all the stuff we get to do during the season just a week early. So there'll be plenty of stuff on the Observer for that as well.

So go to auburnobserver.com, sign up there. Sounds great, Justin. Listen, have a great and safe weekend, all right? Yeah, y'all too. Thank you, buddy. Justin Ferguson, the Auburn Observer. Coming up, time to get some deals on some good wheels. Elmer Pierce to tell us next. Stay with us. Bush light is cold and smooth. I'm waiting for you to get out there. Everyone knows that the classic taste of bush light is brewed for the outdoors. So before cracking open your next adventure, grab a case of bush light.

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U.S. Med is an approved provider for Medicare and over 500 private insurers. So call 888-665-0696 today for a free insurance and Medicare benefits check as easy as… That's 888-665-0696. The score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in. He's always got his game face on. Elmer Pierce. He's the owner of Garner Pierce Autos. Elmer, welcome in. How are you? Yeah, he got tied up. He's making a sale. Oh, okay. Hopefully get to Elmer here in a second. I figure, what I figure is he's looking for a tribe-sized van, BB, so he'll put the whole team on there.

While we ever to get to Elmer, let's talk a little bit about that. First big Friday night, we talked early with KJ, Kevin Johnson, who is getting ready for the call tonight. Speaking of folks on the road, he's on his road to Pinson Valley. It's amazing how many first-year coaches are kicking it off at the respective programs tonight in the Shoals area, BB. Brooks, yeah. Mike Horton at Brooks. Again, you've got Darrell Higgins at Russellville. No question about it. It's going to be a very interesting night.

Again, Lexington beat Lauderdale County 2019 to get it started in the Shoals. Last night, Harold, here are some of the games. We mentioned some of them. L Green at Woodville, Brooks at Hatton, Clements at Shoals, Christian. Colbert County at Colbert Heights, I think it's going to be a very intriguing game. Desiree at Russellville, of course, for the 100th meeting. Florence at Pinson Valley. Haleville at Sheffield. Madison Academy at Morris Hill. As mentioned earlier, I think that's the fourth consecutive time they played. Muscle Shoals at Hoover. Phil Campbell at Red Bay.

Phillips at Brilliant. Thorptown at Cherokee. Vina at Pickens Academy. And Waterloo at Holy Spirit. Just some of the many games. And the weather, believe me, the weather's going to be a lot better tonight than it was last night. That was freaky. It was. It's been a weird week. We had that red, whatever color that sky was earlier in the week. And then last night, everything looked as tame as a sheep. And then the lion came roaring through. And you don't want to be after all that lightning and all that stuff going on.

So, all the best with that. But your thoughts as far as this is a very important week because you want to get off on the right foot. And let's face it, the respective fan bases, they're all sky high tonight. And somebody like our friend Brett Norsworthy said, on any given week, half the team's going to lose barring a tie. So, this is a very important week for a lot of fans. But the most important thing is to get out and support your favorite team. These kids work hard.

They're tired of hitting each other. And they would love it. Not only that, let's face it. We talked earlier with some of our friends. And they talked about the expense of what everybody thinks is just on cruise control. But you've got to pay the officials. You've got to pay the support staff and et cetera. So, from that standpoint, to me, it's a great investment to get out and invest in these guys. It's not that expensive. And like I've always said, this is one of the greatest investments you can make into not only the players, but the band, the cheerleaders, et cetera, may be for the future.

Well, absolutely. And you can pay for season tickets, sponsorships, a lot of different ways and in-kind gifts. We've talked about just simply water, sports drinks, laundry detergent, a lot of that. But, yes, a lot of these teams don't have the resources. And they're looking for, again, as far as the parents, grandparents, sponsors, donors. But, yeah, we've interviewed 17 high school coaches so far this summer, and we will continue doing that. Yeah. In the meantime, BB, let's talk about something in case you missed the first part of the show.

And that is, in your opinion, is it just a foregone conclusion before the staff? And this could be the weekend. I think a lot of folks are pointing either to tomorrow or Sunday. You know what we're talking about here when DeBoer is going to come out basically and reveal the worst-kept secret of Kemp so far. How shocking would it be that it's not Keelan Russell named Alabama's starting quarterback? I don't know if I'd call it a shock. I think I would call it a surprise. Again, from all of the, quote, insider reports we've been able to gather, Keelan Russell just has that wow fact.

[1:51:08] He can extend plays with his legs. Did that in particular in the first scrimmage. The Alabama can win with both of these guys, but I think Keelan Russell's upside is certainly more than Austin Mack. And I'm going to guess that Keelan DeBoer, it may be Monday, but I'm going to guess in the next three days he'll make that announcement official. And I think what you're going to get with Russell is the good, the bad, the ugly. I call it the Clint Eastwood special because you're going to get, this guy's going to wow you with some plays, but he's still young.

He's going to make some mistakes. I think the biggest, one of the biggest challenges for this coaching staff is to make sure that whoever is left on the bench, how do you keep them implugged and not looking down the row, baby? In other words, two, three, and four, because they've got a deep room, keeping that room happy without trying to get them out of there. And, Harold, the amazing thing about it, remember Freddie Kirby? Earlier this week said third-string quarterback, Jetsamala, may be better than both of them.

They're always the best one. The guy down the depth chart, always the best one, no different this year. Coming up, can the Braves make it two in a row? This is going to be a very interesting weekend. The Brew crew, they are very, very good. So, it's go Braves pregame just ahead. You got that. And later on tonight, again, the call with KJ, foreign side football in Pennsylvania. Another busy night right here on 93.9 The Score. It's going to take care of business for now. On behalf of BB, Greg, James Blair, the entire crew here.

Terrible bug. Thank you so much for your time today. That's when you get Monday, noon to two with the Bumble Bug Show back here on Sports Radio 93.9.