Episode summary

This episode of *The Score* focused on college and high-school football matchups, with particular emphasis on Alabama-Kentucky and Auburn's recent performance. It featured discussions on defensive strategies, player highlights, and predictions, alongside a brief mention of tennis and local civil cases.

Highlights

  • Larry discusses Kentucky fans' confidence in beating Alabama, citing their recent 45-13 win over Youngstown State and the team's creative offense.
  • Larry Vaughn predicts a 28-24 Alabama win but expresses uncertainty, recalling the 1997 Kentucky-Alabama game where Kentucky nearly upset Alabama.
  • Caleb Suggs from the Decatur Daily previews Muscle Shoals' defensive strength and the Athens vs. Decatur regional matchup.
  • Bill Shanks analyzes the Atlanta Braves' offensive struggles and their need to perform well in upcoming games against the Phillies, Cubs, and others.
  • Ken Williams of Clarks High School is highlighted as the star player with a 56-yard touchdown run against Muscle Shoals.
  • The transcript mentions a civil case against Democrat Rudolph Drake, running for Alabama State Legislature, involving allegations of blackmail, stalking, and domestic abuse.
  • Justin Ferguson of the Auburn Observer discusses Auburn's close 1-point win over Baylor, noting their struggles with the offensive line and three costly interceptions.
  • The episode concludes with predictions for several games, including Auburn vs. Florida, Alabama vs. Kentucky, and a high school football schedule featuring Bell Green at Red Bay.

Full show transcript (text version of the audio, for readers who are deaf or hard of hearing)

This transcript was generated automatically from the broadcast audio. Names and some words may be misspelt; the audio is the official record.

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[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 Tigers, Tennessee and the rest of the SEC. Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9, The Score. Good afternoon and welcome here to the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving us free ride around the Tennessee Valley. Huge weekend of college action on tap. But Brett Beaird, isn't it time for us to hit the pause button and say, has it really been 25 years since the world changed?

Good afternoon, welcome in and how are you? Yeah, excuse me, bud. Happy Friday to you and the listeners. 9-11, 2001, 25 years later, our nation reflects on the worst day in American history. But never forget those who lost their lives that day and the true heroes, and particularly the first responders who went in the building as everybody else was trying to get out. Caleb Suggs and Zach Pounders previewed the top high school games in North Alabama. Bill Shanks previews a huge matchup with the Braves and Phillies. But Larry is here right now to talk about a very confident Kentucky media and fan base entering tomorrow's game with Alabama.

Larry is all over the Cats. That is the Kentucky Cats, part of Vault's Views. Get this, in 30 newspapers with his columns up in the bluegrass state, on WP, BKFM, UK Sports Minute, on radio stations for Edge Media, on WLAP. And also with Topps Magazine. He is busy. Larry, we thank you so much for carving out time to be with us today with that busy schedule. How are you? I'm doing fine. I'm dealing with a few little health issues. But when you get older, you just have to deal with those things.

Oh, man. And your mention there of the 9-11, I can still remember that so vividly. It's just hard to believe it's been 25 years. I was just at the memorial up in New York not too long ago with some of my grandchildren. And none of them, you know, were alive. That's right. And I don't think they can still quite, even at the memorial, they still can't quite comprehend what it was like. And I understand that. But it's just such a day that for those of us that were around, I don't guess, hopefully we never will forget that.

I don't think you could if you tried. I saw a stat, Larry, where since then to now, 100 million people have been born since then around the globe. That's a lot of people who don't have – it'd be like people being born in the 50s and 60s couldn't remember World War II, you know, and for that matter, even World War I. But do you remember the first game you went to before we get into the obvious topic here? Do you remember the first game you went to after 9-11 and he had all the checks and balances and just – it was an eerie feel, was it not?

Yeah, the first one I went to is really easy for me to remember because my son's high school football team went ahead and played on Friday night because their coach and the opposing coach up in northern Kentucky where they were going to play decided it would be better to play than not play. And they went up to play up there and the place where they went to play had a large – a pretty good group of older veterans who brought the flags and stuff out before the game.

And it was just really, really emotional to be there and even to watch the high school kids who were still pretty emotional. But it was really good that they got to go ahead and play. So, yeah, I remember that for a long, long time. And I kind of had mixed feelings where the coach was doing the right thing but going ahead and playing. And after I got up there, yeah, they did exactly the right thing because that's what we needed to do was try to keep living our lives.

Larry, I mentioned in the opening, Kentucky fans, media, coaches are extremely confident of Kentucky getting a W tomorrow in Lexington after – and particularly after beating Youngstown State, 45-13. Larry, why are so many Kentucky nation, so to speak, so confident? Because when you give us a blue Kool-Aid to drink, they don't just sip it. They just gulp it down by the gallon. You give them a chance to want to believe, they're going to believe. And Will Stein is a lot like Hal Mummey when he came in here.

He's a very confident young man, and he's preaching a different tune than what Mark Stoops did. He's a more excitable, dynamic young guy, and fans are just wanting to believe so bad. I mean, I've got chewed out a couple times on radio shows I do here because I won't pick Kentucky to win the game. I keep reminding people, I say, wasn't Alabama a playoff team last year? Yeah, they're not that good this year. Oh, well, you know, and then they've got a new quarterback. They've got this.

[5:17] I said, doesn't Kentucky have a new quarterback? But facts are just optional up here. Just optional this week. And I know Kentucky fans – and it's good to see everybody so excited talking about, well, they only cost $500,000 to storm the field and send that money to Alabama. They can use it next year. I mean, it's just bizarre. And to think that Kentucky's beat Alabama twice in history. And since they beat them in 97, the last few games hadn't really been very close. But, again, that's just kind of all out the window.

And maybe Will Stein's team can do it. I don't know. They're going to be fun to watch. I do think, unlike some past games, I think if Alabama scores 17 points, it's not a guaranteed win. This time for them, I do think Kentucky has an offense that can score points on the majority of teams that play because they're pretty creative with how they do things. They've got some adequate playmakers and good schemes. But I don't – just how they will hold up overall against what is still a very good Alabama team.

I know it's getting a lot of – they're not getting a lot of c*** thrown its way. And I don't really know why when you – you would think Alabama was 0-33 last year or something. And also, part of me just doesn't quite get it. But it's got to be a great atmosphere, hopefully. Now, I will warn your folks, if they haven't been paying attention, there's a pretty heavy forecast as of right now for not just rain but for lightning several times during the game. So, I wouldn't be stunned if we end up with either a delay starting the game or maybe even a delay during the game if the weather forecasts are right.

Appreciate the heads up for the folks heading up. Larry, we've been around this thing called college football a while. And gone are the days when coaches would sit here and talk about how great the other team was and never meeting you, but they'd talk about it. You've got a different breed out there now, do you not? You've got Lane down in LSU. You mentioned, Will. I saw where he's wanting people to get to cussing and drinking. Yeah. What about that? Encouraging you to speak up all into the game.

What are we missing, Larry? Gosh. I've got to feel his athletic director might have had a little sit down with him today saying it's okay to feel that way. But, you know, maybe we've got a word dish that's a little bit different in this day and age that they encourage them to get drunk, shout obscenities at the fans, or opposing players. And that's just the people in the second grade. Yeah. It's going to be pretty wild. I mean, not something that I don't think Alabama's probably seen before, or hadn't seen before, but it's got to be pretty wild for a U.K. game.

Larry, let me ask you about this team. Kenny Menchie coming in, a lot of questions. Was the backup at Notre Dame. What a lot of people don't realize, that was a great competition with C.J. Carr. He, of course, beat them out. Kentucky's got some tremendous tight ends. Willie Rodriguez, one of the best in the SEC. Skinner, Javante Barnes came over from Oklahoma. Nick Anderson joined him from Oklahoma. They're trying to rebuild the blue wall. Lance Hurd from Tennessee. Ola Salinan from Alabama. Shabala from Ohio State.

Tell us a little bit more about this team. They've gone out and invested in a lot of free agents. And so far, it looks like maybe the majority of them are going to hit and be pretty successful players for them. I think Baxter's a very good running back. He's had some injury problems in the past. They've been really careful with him since they've got him. He's probably the biggest key for Kentucky tomorrow. If that line can give him some room and he can run and run successfully, then I think they've got maybe a chance to hang into the game.

But I think they've got to be able to run the ball. You mentioned the tight end. Willie Rodriguez is terrific. Everybody knew that coming in. But I think Mikel Skinner is just as good, maybe even better. He's a little bit more athletic at all of what Willie is. And they used him a couple different ways last week. And I keep hearing they might even line him up and do a few different things with him this week. So just kind of look for what they do with him.

But they'll have a lot of sets where they have three tight ends in the game because I feel like they've got guys, especially Skinner, can kind of split out and create problems. So it depends on how the defense decides to adjust. Do they go heavy when Kentucky does that? And they put Skinner out wide and Rodriguez out wide. And they've got a big, heavy guy trying to chase them. So I don't know. But that's a big matchup for Kentucky. And then they've got one or two really look like dynamic freshmen, but they're true freshman receivers.

And one of them is Kenny Darby, who looked great last week. But I know Alabama is pretty strong in the secondary. So we'll see how he can match up with those older defensive backs. And then on the defensive side, Kentucky's got a lot of players that kind of look good on paper, but you're still hoping what they're going to be able to do as a unit. Last week, Bo Barnes, the transfer from Texas, looked really good. And I think they're going to have Alex Safari back in there now, his fifth year that seems to have gone through the courts, and he's okay.

[10:29] He's a guy that's been there and played for four years. So that certainly gives their defense a whole different look down with those two guys to anchor that defense at that linebacker spot. So a lot of other places, they're pretty untested. Cornerbacks are still a question right now. Defensive line has got some depth, but do they have a big-time playmaker in a game like this? That's what we'll find out Saturday. Check out Larry's work there, both views. Larry, I think both fan bases right now are kind of sitting here with a wait-and-see attitude because Alabama played East Carolina.

We'll see how good they are. In other words, the first game, a lot of times, the score doesn't always tell you a whole lot. It's relative to how good that competition is down the road. Your thoughts about that, as far as the MASH report, how healthy are the Cats coming in? I think Kentucky's got to be pretty much at full strength. They had a few guys that didn't play last week that maybe could have, but they just went ahead and held them out. They didn't really get anybody hurt in the game.

So unless something comes out, an availability report tonight that hasn't come out yet, I think everybody they've got on the roster is pretty much going to be available, which, again, the second week of the season you would hope that, but that's still a really good sign for them. And I think what Kentucky did last week is just against a pretty good Youngstown State team, but did what they needed. They scored points early, they scored points in a variety of ways and showed that they could score, that Kenny Minchia could complete passes, that they could get people open.

Now, again, doing it against SEC teams is a little bit different, but so many times we've saw Mark Stoops' teams couldn't do it against the lower-level teams. You didn't figure they were going to get better when they play Georgia's, Texas, and Alabama's, but at least Will Stein's team put up over 500 yards, 300 yards passing, 200 rushing, the kind of balance that you want to have if you're going to have a chance to be successful. So they passed the look test last week. What is Larry Vaughn's final prediction, the final score, and where can we get online to get all of the great stuff?

Well, you can read me online at vaultsfuse.com or you can follow me on x at vaultsfuse. I've kind of gone along with the 28-24 Alabama. I hope it'll, I just still have to see it to believe me. They won in 1922, I didn't see that game. I was there in 97 when they tore the goalpost down and celebrated and all, but since then I do remember there's been a lot of, once or twice, Kentucky played Alabama close, but most of the time they didn't. So I still kind of got to see it to believe it.

But I do think the one thing different, this does remind me a lot of the 1997 season. There wasn't any real reason for Kentucky to believe they were going to win that year either, but how Mommy just thought he was going to have to score 70, score 70 to win. And that belief went that way and they made enough defensive plays to make it work. This team, I think the players believe they're going to win just as much as the fans do. I think that part of it, they have, they do have that box checked and believing that they can win.

Now, where they can do it, we'll see. But if they lose, I don't think it's going to be because they don't believe they can win. And a lot of years they play Alabama, I don't think they thought they had a chance. Well, with that prediction, and we know that you live in Kentucky, we will give you the witness protection program, Larry. Yeah, because if it happens to go the other way, the radio show tomorrow morning or Sunday morning, I will be eat alive. Because one of my co-hosts played on the 1997 game that beat Alabama and ran for like 130 yards or something like Anthony White, so he had a big role in winning that game.

So, if Kentucky beats Alabama, I'll have to sit there in silence. Just call in sick. That's the key to that one. That's the idea. I make, I make. There you go. Yeah, I'm real. Yeah. Larry, thanks for your time today. And keep that bad weather away, okay? Yeah, I hope so. But it's just kind of warm people. Don't be surprised if we end up in some delay, mainly because of the lightning. Yeah, I appreciate the heads out. Larry LaValle took a look with us. Larry Bison there at LaValle's Views.

Coming up, a full plate of high school ice cream coming up across our neck of the woods. Caleb Suggs sitting at the table next. Stay with us for the good one. Game day's coming, and your tailgate crew is counting on you. That's why Lost Pizza Company Shoals put together the tailgate playbook specialty pizzas, wing trays, and subplatters, all built to feed a crowd. It's why we're the go-to pizza place in Florence, Alabama. Now bringing that same lineup straight to your tailgate. Order for pickup or delivery to UNA tailgate only.

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I honestly hope it's Tua, because I think he stinks. No surprise, though, this line has moved two points in favor of the Steelers, but it's still under six for now. Smells like a week one beatdown for Rodgers and McCarthy. I'll lay the points with the Steelers. I'm Pat Boyle, Betts Mortar, Beat the Bucks. Download the BetMGM app today. My name is Amanda Klutz, and I'm a widow. You enter a different reality when you lose your husband, especially as a parent. Life insurance doesn't fix it, and it helps.

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Safe Step walk-in tubs. Safety never felt so good. From the heart of the SEC to the national stage. No filters, no fluff. Get the real story and all the hard-hitting analysis on AP as we see it. Saturday mornings at 7 a.m. Sports Radio 93.9. The Score. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. What will be the score of your favorite high school team in our neck of the woods tonight to get the latest? Caleb Suggs all over that and more with the Decatur Daily.

[21:11] Caleb, welcome in. How are you? I'm doing good, guys. How are you all? Hey, bud. Man, we're doing all right. Let's kind of kick things off here with a very interesting matchup. I don't know that anybody at one time would have said when Muscle Shoals and Austin gets together, Muscle Shoals will be 0-2. Austin will be 1-2. If you don't mind, Caleb, let's start with your thoughts on that matchup tonight. Yeah, well, you guys aren't the first person to say that to me. It's very odd to think that this is where they are.

And, you know, I think it's just taken some time to, you know, obviously Muscle Shoals has a new coach. And Austin took some time in the first couple games that needed to kind of find their identity. And they have a lot of young players. So I think this will still be a great game. It may not be the records coming in that people expected. But, you know, I still think it will be, you know, one of the better games here in North Alabama. I mean, Muscle Shoals' defense is elite right now.

They just got to figure out how to score. So when they do that, they'll be just as good as everybody thought they'd be. And I think Austin's kind of finding their identity, too, as well. They had a great game last week defensively. Offense is coming along. I think this will be a great game. It will be really tough. And it could be one that, you know, I know they're 0-2 and, you know, 1-2. But, you know, this is still a very important region game that could decide, you know, some important region playoff matchups later.

Yeah. And to your point, Muscle Shoals' defense gave up 14 to Hoover and 7 to Florence and lost both games. Wow. Athens at Decatur, the 95th meeting of this series. John Ritter, Cody Gross, two of the best coaches in North Alabama. Athens is playing well, averaging 30 points a game, only giving up 11. Cain Bledsoe's had a very good year, ran for 400 yards. As you mentioned in your preview, Isaiah Allen's got to get going. The 95th, but Athens has had a hammerlock on this series, seven of the last nine games.

Key game, Athens at Decatur. Yeah, I mean, you really are talking about key game and you're talking about this region because there's a lot of good teams in only four playoff spots. And, you know, Athens is playing. They've been solid so far. You know, even though they're pretty young, I think, you know, the schedule has favored them early to kind of let them work out some of the kinks. And Cain Bledsoe has emerged. He's been a great, you know, running back there. And then their quarterback's been a lot better than I thought he'd be.

And, you know, a lot of their young players are coming along. So it's been a good start. Probably one of the best, you know, other than being 3-0, one of the best starts Athens could have hoped for with such a young team. And then Decatur, you know, last week going into the Austin game, I thought this was going to be their breakout game offensively. And they end up, you know, with zero points. You know, had a couple goals to go and just some key penalties that were just really killed some drives and also some key penalties on a touchdown drive for Austin.

And they were, you know, unsportsmanlike conduct penalties too. And so you just can't have that. So, you know, it feels like, you know, it's now or never for Decatur. They've got to get a signature win here or there. So maybe it'll be tonight. But, you know, if it's not tonight, I don't know when it's going to be. Caleb Suggs, the Decatur daily. It'd be hard to get off to a better start than the Golden Bears out at Lexington 3-0 and the home cooking night against Falkville.

Yeah, I think, you know, a new coach came in a couple years ago. He's kind of, you know, built on what Lexington had done there and they continue to have success. You know, Falkville had a really rough first game against Viemont, but they've bounced back the last two weeks. They also know the team that's really young, so they've got a lot of players that are kind of having to grow up pretty fast. And they're coming along pretty good. I think just the improvements they've made from week one to two to three has been great.

I think it's going to be really tough to go on the road. The Lexington didn't get a win, but it should be a competitive game. Hanton is one of the more impressive teams in our area. 3-0, they're traveling to Winfield. Nikita Stover is a very good coach. They have outscored opponents 115-38. Kate Porum is completing 70% of his passes, thrown for nearly 600 yards. Severus Evans, Nazi Gamble have combined for 541. Will the Hanton Hornets continue to roll tonight? Absolutely. I believe. I've seen it a lot. You have teams that have a good season, and they're bringing so many back, and they have so many expectations.

Usually, one of two things happens. One, they completely fall on their face. Or two, they completely live up and exceed those expectations. And so far, Hanton has done the latter. They've been even better than I thought they would be offensively, defensively. They're throwing it. They're running it. Their defense is swarming people. I mean, right now, I'm struggling to find a team that, at least in their regular season schedule, is going to be to keep up with them, and I don't think it's going to be tonight either.

They're really good. East limestone at Hartzell. Hartzell coming off a loss to Russell. And as you mentioned, they couldn't handle Russell's winged tee attack. But I think Hartzell gets back on track tonight against East limestone. Yeah, absolutely. I think, you know, an opponent, you know, if you want to bounce back game, this is the best one. And no offense to East limestone, but obviously a new head coach and stuff. They're kind of growing up. But, yeah, I think last week, you know, Hartzell's got a young team, and it's probably been, honestly, 10 years since they played a team that ran up winged tee.

[26:33] So, I'm sure they weren't quite prepared for it. And we know Russellville and Coach Higgins runs it very well. So, I think, you know, not to take anything from Russellville, they obviously earned that win. But, you know, I think, you know, they caught off guard. They're a young team. They'll bounce back. And I think that tonight will be a big win for them. Absolutely. Great stuff. Standing, stance, previews, predictions. Where can we get online and get before game, after game, recal? Yeah, you can get online at decadedaily.com.

We'll have, we've had plenty of stuff going up to this week, and we'll have tons of game stuff tonight. Thank you so much, Caleb. Caleb Suggs, the Decatur Daily, coming up a little bit later on, the latest on the Florence High Falcons. And just a short, Bill Shanks says only Bill can do it. But first, the latest from the U.S. Open here on 93.9, the score. Westwood One Sports presents this special tennis update. There was a chance for an All-American women's singles final at the U.S. Open, but both Coco Gauff and Jess Pagula lost in last night's semifinals.

So it'll be, instead, Irina Sabalenka and Elena Rabacana tomorrow. Sabalenka going for a U.S. Open three-peat, the last to do that for the women's Serena Williams in 2014. Hot ticket tonight for the men's semi between Ben Shelton and Francis Tiafoe. Alex Zverev and Karen Ketchinov played this afternoon. Zverev began this tournament with two wins that took five sets. He was glad he had a chance to prevail. You know, you saw that in the first two rounds when I really didn't play well. I can rely on my physicality a bit more in majors than I can in other tournaments.

You know, in other tournaments, I would have been out of the first round, but here I can fight back and play best of five, play for four and a half hours. Since then, he's won three matches in a row in straight sets. With this tennis update, John Stanshower, Westwood One Sports. A prescription medicine like Creon, pancrelipase, is used to treat people who can't digest food normally because their pancreas doesn't make enough enzymes. Creon is the number one prescribed treatment for EPI. Creon may increase your chance of fibrosing colonopathy, a rare bowel disorder.

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And the best part? Call 888-665-0696 and we'll give you a free insurance benefits check today. So call 888-665-0696 today. That's 888-665-0696. And manage your diabetes as easy as… Progressive presents the Sports Flash on 93.9 The Score. The Atlanta Braves were winners yesterday as they beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1. The Braves had seven hits in the victory. Atlanta's 86-61. Braves are back home tonight. They'll take on the Philadelphia Phillies. Chris Sale starts for Atlanta. Aaron Nola on the bump for Philadelphia. The Falcons are set to play on Sunday as the Falcons head to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers.

[31:58] To a tongue of Iloa, the quarterback for the Falcons injured his oblique yesterday. New Orleans Saints will open up the season. And Detroit, they'll take on the Lions at Ford Field on Sunday afternoon. In college football action tomorrow, Alabama's on the road. They'll travel to play the Kentucky Wildcats, Auburn's at home as they play host to Southern Miss. North Alabama is at Southeastern Louisiana. 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.

Hey, it's Flo here to say drivers who switch and save with Progressive could save hundreds. Nice. With my new savings, I'll get some hiking gear. It'll be great for my outdoor era. I don't know if it counts as an era if you just buy stuff. Um, I got a cute hiking backpack. It's an outdoor era. Well, you only bought one thing. I don't think it's an era. Well, I think we're in a agree to disagree era. Yeah, sure. You're probably right. Anyway, with the money you could save by switching to Progressive, you can afford to switch to other things in life.

It's my savings era. Also, everything you do is not an era. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates. Hey, it's Evan Cohen coming up Monday. We'll recap a jam-packed football weekend and look ahead to a huge AFC West matchup as Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs take on the Broncos. It's on Sportsman 9, 6 a.m. Eastern right here on ESPN Radio, ESPN2, and ESPNU. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in. He's always got a full plate in the Peachtree State this time of the year.

Bill Shanks is the man as host of the Bill Shanks Show on 93.1 FM in Macon, online at thesesuperstations.com, and on TV at 41NBC. Bill, welcome in. How are you? I'm good. How are y'all? Hey, Bill. Two weeks to go in this crazy season, the Atlanta Braves. Bill, what kind of adjectives would you put on this season for the Braves? Rollercoaster may be up, down, sideways. Two weeks to go, any combination of 11 wins and fields losses and the Braves get the title. What better way to start on that tonight?

They could chop two off, taking on the fields tonight. Your thoughts about the Braves down the stretch here? Well, they need to have a good weekend to kind of get this out of the way, if you will. They're not done yet. I mean, they have a four-game lead to 15 to play, and they hold the tiebreaker over the Phillies, so it's really a five-game lead to 15 to play. Yep. If you look at it like that. So they're in the driver's seat. They don't want any catastrophe to happen, like a sweep, because if that were to go on, then you'd be screwed, and you'd be in big trouble Monday morning with a one-game lead with about 12 to play, and then all bets are off.

So you've got to take care of business and do what you're supposed to do, which is win series, you win series, you get another game on the standings, and you're in really good shape. So they've got to play well this weekend, and they have not hit very well at all. It's been rough the last six games, six, seven games. It's been really, really bad, and they are getting ready to face three good pitchers here, so it's not going to be an easy series for them, especially with the offense struggling as a hash.

No question. The ironic thing about it is they've outscored the Phillies 44 to 27 while winning seven of the ten matchups. Matt Olsen, who I thought could have an MVP year. It's certainly tailed off, and manufacturing runs, hitting with runners in scoring position. We talk about starting pitching to the point of nauseam, but you brought it up on your Twitter post earlier this week. Can they hit well enough the last two weeks of the season to win the division? Well, these are the pitchers that they're facing, like they faced last weekend in Philadelphia.

I know they split the series, but they didn't hit the ball very well. And so it's like these are the kind of pitchers, like the pitchers they faced against Tampa Bay. These are the people that you're going to have to face in the postseason. Well, you know, can you do well against those kind of pitchers? It's one thing to do well against the Mets or the Nationals or the Marlins. You've got to do well against top-tier pitching that's going to be keyed up for October, and that's what you've got to prepare for.

So I'm kind of skeptical about that, to be honest with you. I don't know how well they can do in that situation because I do think they are inconsistent. And when you're inconsistent offensively, you open yourself up to get shut down like they have the last seven games. So they've been very fortunate. The pitching overall has been very good for the most part, and the bullpen continues to be a strength of this team. But they've got to hit. I mean, in 2023, they had the best offense in 96 years, going back to the 1927 Yankees.

They averaged 5.85 runs per game. And then they got into four-game series, best-of-five-game series of the Phillies, and they scored eight runs. And they lost the series three games to one. You can't do that. You know, you can't have that happen again. And so the pitching, I don't think it's the problem. It's the hitting. And can they hit this weekend? Can they hit the rest of the year? And can they get hot going into October? They've got to get Matt Olsen right because he's had a bad month of September.

[37:22] He had a bad 30 games, to be honest with you. Bill, it comes down to this, too, how the two respective schedules stack up for, let's face it, you can't overemphasize the importance of winning tonight for many reasons. It sets the tone. And no matter what happens, the worst that could happen is the Phillies will only pick up one game, even if they win Saturday and Sunday, if the Braves can take care of business tonight. Only two weeks to go. But here's the deal. After that, they've got to go on the road to Wrigley, to the Chicago Cubs.

And the Cubs are competitive. They're going to be in the playoffs. An off day. And then Houston, they're doing all right in the American League Central. And then Cincinnati and Miami to close things out. I haven't seen the field schedule. But your thoughts about how the Braves schedule stacks up down the stretch here? Well, it's tough. I mean, the next week is, I mean, the final six games, Marlins are struggling and the Reds are struggling. So, I mean, you've got to take care of business with them.

It's good that it's there in case you need it. And if you're in a bind there at the end of the season where you've got to win, hopefully you can beat those two teams that aren't having winning seasons. But, I mean, you've got to play three teams here with Philadelphia and Chicago and Houston who are getting ready for the playoffs. And they're all over. That's it. You've got to be at the top. Playoffs are already underway, right? You can't say, well, the playoffs start in October or this, that, you know, the playoffs have already began.

And so, you've got to play at a high level. And they're going to have to do that in this next week against those three teams who are getting ready for the postseason. Okay, the starting rotation for the postseason, Sale, Malley, Holmes, Martín, Perez. Yeah, and if they have to be in a best of three series, you know, it'll be interesting to see how they would do and how they would construct that, obviously. Would they go with Sale in game two? If they, you know, were, you know, if they got, if they lost the first game, then Sale could save the season.

Would they put him in game two? Because if they won the first game, they could have him try to clinch that series. I mean, there's strategy in that. Plus, you know, the series are so close together that you've got to think, or if we win the series, what's going to be the deal for the best of five series? So, there's a lot to kind of think about. But I think, in general, Sale, Malley, and Perez probably, because I think he can go deeper than Holmes, and especially with Elder out now with a knee injury.

I would probably say Perez, but of course, you know, you have the ability to have Holmes there as either an opener or a middle guy who can go, you know, three or four innings, which would be very beneficial to them. But I would think Perez, who's been really good since the All-Star break, like sub two and a half ERA since the All-Star break, I would think he would be the number three right now. Well, Shane, check him out online at thesesuperstations.com. Bill, let's shift gears, talk football, a lot of good games this weekend.

I think we can all agree Georgia won't be a part of one of them. Taking on the Mighty Hilltoppers from Western Kentucky, it is what it is. Your thoughts, what did you learn about the Georgia boys in the opener? They're very deep. Kind of confirmed why I believe that they have perhaps the deepest roster since they won the national championship, that if certain players on the first team go down, they have people on the second team that can step up and they're not be that big of a drop-off, which is what you have to hope with your depth, that when you lose a player, the drop-off is not substantial to where you're screwed.

That happens a lot of times with college football teams with certain players that get hurt and like, oh God, we don't have a backup right tackle, or we don't have a backup safety or something like that where they can really get in the bind, Georgia's not in that situation at all. They are very deep, and even though it was a cash-for-clucker game, and we've been putting the disclaimer on it all week long, it was the most impressive cash-for-clucker performance they've ever had. A lot of times you come out and you look sluggish or you don't do well or you're going through the motions.

They came out to kick a**, and that's what they did. We talked about this yesterday on your award-winning show. Can the SEC set the tone for the year? This is a big weekend for the SEC to make a statement. They play three Big Ten teams, Michigan, Ohio State, Minnesota. They play three Big 12 teams, Kansas, Arizona State, and Utah. Tennessee plays Georgia Tech from the ACC. Can Texas, can Sark finally get the monkey off its back? Can Oklahoma beat a reeling Michigan team? Can the SEC make a statement tomorrow?

Well, I think it can. I think Texas and Ohio State will obviously be very, very interesting, and I think Texas has something to prove. I mean, there's a lot of light on Texas, and they've got a lot of publicity about Sark and Arch and all of the defense and all the players they brought in, and ones that are trying to make a difference to get to that next level. So, you know, I think they need to prove something tomorrow, and I think they can. I don't know if they will or not.

[42:31] I mean, I think Julian Sane versus Arch Manning is going to be a very interesting matchup there of which quarterback has the most success against the opposing team's defense. I think Oklahoma should take care of Michigan. I mean, Michigan obviously showed that they weren't very good, and it may be a little bit of a transition for Kyle as he gets into that job, which is customary with a lot of first-year coaches. So, you know, I think they should win those games and do the – I'm just worried about Alabama, Hanley, Kentucky, to be honest with you, Brett.

You don't have to expand on that, Bill, because, Brett, that's not breaking news. Sure, absolutely. If you can expand on that, please, because Brett needs that. I mean, Will Stein's a great coach, and Menchie's a great quarterback, and you can't beat the powers of the blue, so we'll see what both of those teams can do in a conference game tomorrow. I'm looking forward to that one, too. Speaking of conference, Bill, any message to Lane Kiffin and the SEC? They went to divorce court this week, or they got to the steps, and then they said, I, Chuck, we're just kidding, guys.

Well, I mean, you know, nobody should be surprised. Lane's going to be Lane, and that's customary with him. He's kind of a – I don't know. He – look, he wants to win. He wants to be Mr. Big Shot. Yeah. He wants to be Mr. Slick. And so nobody should be surprised, again, of what he did. And if anybody was going to do it, it would probably be him. And look, he was trying to get an advantage and take it as far as he could, and they did, and they backed up.

And I'm glad the conference kind of called their bluff and shut them up a little bit. Yeah. Absolutely. Listen, I liked your text this morning about 9-11. You're at home in your apartment and talked about – the media actually did their job that day. It's an emotional day for a lot of people for 9-11, and I appreciate you putting that on the post. One of you – who have you got on the show today? Can our callers call in and make predictions? Well, they can. And we're going to have Tua Tangelo over to talk about his transition to a female.

So, you know, we like to discuss those kind of topics. Oh, man. Nothing like being woke. And so, we're going to talk a little bit about the games tomorrow and may take some predictions and get you ready for the Braves, the Phillies, tonight at 7-15. Breaking news there with Tua. We didn't know that, but I guess we'll have to listen to your show today, Bill. Listen, man, have a great weekend and stay safe, okay? All right, guys. Thank you. See you, buddy. The one and the only, Bill Shanks.

He's there at thesesuperstations.com. Coming up, he's ready to play. He's KJ. He's next. Stay with us. Florence Utilities offers several ways to view and pay your utility bill. Log into your account to sign up for paperless, auto-pay, text-pay to make your life easier. When you go green and go paperless, you will no longer have paper bills to fill up your mailbox, and you'll be helping the environment. To continue receiving a paper bill and an electronic bill notification, sign up for text-pay. Add your email address to your account.

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Valley Credit Union, rooted in community, committed to you. Let's win together. All sports, all the time. Sports Radio 93.9, The Score. Onyx, I keep having stomach issues. Please make me a doctor's appointment. Okay, are you suffering from diarrhea, bloating, gas, or oily stools? If so, you may want to ask your doctor if it could actually be a problem with your pancreas, called exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, or EPI. My pancreas? How is EPI treated? A prescription medicine like Creon, pancrelipase, is used to treat people who can't digest food normally because their pancreas doesn't make enough enzymes.

Creon is the number one prescribed treatment for EPI. Creon may increase your chance of fibrosing colonopathy, a rare bowel disorder. Tell your doctor if you have a history of intestinal blockage or scarring or thickening of your bowel wall, if you are allergic to pork, or if you have gout, kidney problems, or worsening of painful, swollen joints. Call your doctor if you have any unusual or severe gastrointestinal symptoms or allergic reactions. Take Creon as directed by your doctor and always with food. Do not chew capsules, as this may cause mouth irritation.

[47:50] Other side effects may include blood sugar changes, gas, dizziness, sore throat, and cough. These are not all the side effects of Creon. You can learn more at 1-800-633-9110. Before your appointment, visit creoninfo.com. That's C-R-E-O-N-Info.com. Individuals and businesses with tax problems. Listen carefully. Do you feel like you're losing control of your finances? If you owe over $10,000 in back taxes or have unfiled tax returns, we can help you take back control. The IRS is the largest and most aggressive collection agency in the world.

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Boy, Florence and Russellville. Kevin Johnson is the fine voice of the Falcons. Welcome in, KJ. How are you? Doing well. Hard to believe it's already the fourth Friday night of the football season. As we say always, it's the fastest 10 or 11 weeks of the year. I'm looking at the numbers here. 3-0 for the Florence High Falcons. You are a student of history. Kevin, when's the last time we've been able to say we're sitting here talking about a 3-0 Falcons team? Sean Southwood was playing running back, if I'm not mistaken.

And I think it goes all the way back to 2007, if I'm not mistaken on that. And that tells you a little bit about the history of this. And that was the first region championship team, by the way, in 0-7. So, maybe a little foreshadowing. I don't know. We would take that. But it has been a while since start out 3-0. But it's been a good start. August was good. Last week was real good. But tonight is a huge win for the Falcons. Ken Williams was the star against Muscle Shoals.

Had, of course, the winning touchdown, 56-yard scamper. But to me, the play of the game, and Kenny Morrison talked a little bit about this, was a high snap that went back to the end zone. And Williams somehow got back to the end zone, scooped it up, and came out of the end zone in what probably should have been a safety and then a free kick to Muscle Shoals. Was that the key play in the game? I'd say no doubt. It was one of the more amazing plays I've seen in my 23 years of covering Clarks High School.

And I really mean that. The kid went and picked it up on the very end line after the snap went to the end zone. So, he was 109 yards away from the other end zone. And six or seven Trojans were right there. He raced to the right. It was like he was trying to dive across the goal line for a touchdown. He dives and gets the football just about a foot outside the goal line. It was a distinctive play. It was an athletic play. And I thought for just a moment I was going to be able to say, there goes Williams.

Like, there goes Davis 109 yards because he was a step away. That's a pretty amazing play. And what it does is it shows the resilience of this team. And it really shows the heart of this team. They don't take anything for granted. They're going to play every play. Obviously, they've got to have all their plays in the deck tonight. You're taking on Russellville. It's almost like a combination of Marsh Hill coming down to Franklin County. A very interesting matchup, Florence and Russellville tonight. Well, I mean, Darryl Higgins is a great coach.

And I have so much respect for him and Kenny and Morrison. You know, Kenny Morrison and Darryl Higgins played on the same high school team at Coffey High School. And Kenny Morrison was the quarterback. And Darryl Higgins was, I think, defensive back and return punts. Wow. That gives you a little bit about those two. So they know each other well and their respect is there. But it's not Kenny Morrison versus Darryl Higgins tonight. It's Florence versus Russellville. And two really good teams. Russellville and Sho, they've got a tremendous running back again.

Taurus Davis threw 250-something yards last week, four touchdowns. The wing tee is something you don't see at this level as much. But nobody runs it better than Coach Higgins' team. So it's going to be an absolute dogfight. And there's no doubt about it. This Florence defense has been outstanding for three games. But tonight might be the most difficult test they've faced all season. All season because it's such a unique offense. Yeah. Such a well-coached offense. And Russellville is playing with a ton of confidence. So two confident teams.

[53:16] And going in tonight and thinking, hey, either one of us can come through this thing and win it. I think it could come down to the simple thing of turnovers, especially if it's a rainy night. It could come down to just taking care of the football or maybe who asked the football last. You're exactly right. Pre-game, kickoff, and then the coach's breakfast Saturday morning. Tell us about it. I'll go coach's breakfast from the North Alabama Bona Joint Clinic at 8 a.m. excuse me, 8 a.m. right here on 93.9 The Score.

And then tonight, 6 o'clock pre-game on the TNT fireworks pre-game, 7 o'clock kickoff from Russell High School. And I also want to say, just for a moment, that tonight, 194 high school games will be played in the state of Alabama. Wow. And that means there's 194 renditions of the national anthem, small bands to large bands will be played tonight. Yep. And tonight, these young kids that are playing, hey, they weren't born, you know, 25 years ago. Yeah, that's a great point. Tonight is a history lesson for them in many ways.

But it's also a life lesson. If there was ever a night to go to support high school football and bring yourself together as a community in the city, tonight's that night. These kids deserve it. But some of them are going to trade in those uniforms they're wearing tonight one day for uniforms to protect us as soldiers or as first responders. So we need to understand we're continually pouring into young people because of this great country. And tonight, it's a very special night to be at a high school football game.

Absolutely well put, KJ. Thanks for sharing that. We can do what we do now because of what they did then, the ultimate sacrifice. KJ, safe travels and another good call tonight, okay? Thank you, my friends. Thank you, bud. Damian Johnson getting ready for the call tonight here on 93.9. The score very, very well put. Coming up in the next hour, we're going to be talking to the Auburn Tigers with Justin Ferguson. More high school stuff throughout the shows with Zach Pounders and Mike Huguenen. He's the A&P Atlantic to Pacific guy when he comes talking college football this weekend across the country.

That and more straight ahead here at the Boomo Bugg Show. A questionable record of behavior has now come to light when it comes to a candidate who is running for the Alabama State Legislature. Democrat Rudolph Drake is running in the District 2 state Senate race. He's accused by a woman in Florida of blackmail, stalking, and domestic abuse. The accuser, Runeisha Guess, says the threats and physical violence occurred back in November of 2021 and May of 2022. Court documents show that Guess claims Drake told her he would put a bullet in her head after first making verbal threats and text threats to her and threatened to share private health information along with videos and pictures to her family and friends.

This case that is being brought against Drake is a civil case. He's up against Republican John Roberts in the general election here in Alabama. I'll be back with more Alabama stories after this. Do you believe the marketplace is a mission field? Come to the Lion's Den. For over 12 years, business owners have come to Birmingham from 37 states and 42 countries for the Lion's Den. Founders walk onto a stage. They pitch live about their social, spiritual, and financial impact. A panel asks the hard questions. If you have capital to put to work, interest in exploring business as mission, or a business already built for more than money, you need to be in that room.

Put your capital behind your convictions. Get tickets at thelionsden.us. A jury has rendered a guilty verdict against Brian Martin for the shooting death of Sergeant Nick Reisner in October of 2021 in Colbert County. The jury found Martin to be guilty on all counts. His attorneys had argued that Martin should be found guilty by reason of insanity and mental defect. An inmate and a correctional officer have been charged in the death of an inmate at the Donaldson Correctional Facility in Bessemer. 45-year-old Antoine Webb died from an assault that occurred last year.

Now an inmate is being charged with that assault, and a corrections officer is being charged with failure to render aid to the victim. I'm Andrea Theis. For more news affecting Alabamians, go to 1819news.com. And while you're there, subscribe to the daily newsletter. Valley Broadcasting Corporation, WITK-FM, Rogersville, Athens, Decatur, The Shores, Sports Radio 93.9, The Score. DJ K-Durk checking in, previously on the Feinbaum Show. If somebody wants to pay him, let him get paid. It's a free country. It's called free enterprise. Paul, you're doing a great job.

I'd like to talk to you more, but I have a meeting with my parole officer that I have to go to. Listen, we don't brag here. We just take calls. But I still maintain we are the number one show in America when it comes to people out on parole. The Paul Feinbaum Show, weekdays at 3 Eastern on the ESPN app and on the SEC network. This is Graham Dunn and Michael Butler. Get ready for your college football weekend with the Lindy's Football Report. Whatever you're looking for, interviews, analysis, or predictions.

[58:18] The Lindy's Football Report is the most complete 30 minutes for all college football fans. In-depth and complete. It's the Lindy's Football Report every week. Saturday mornings at 6.30 beginning September 5th on 93.9 The Score. 93.9 The Score weather. Today a 30% chance of afternoon showers and thunderstorms with a high around 95 and heat index values as high as 100. Tonight mostly cloudy with a 50% chance of showers overnight, possibly a thunderstorm, low near 70. Tomorrow cloudy with an 80% chance of showers and thunderstorms with a high around 90. Tomorrow night partly cloudy with a 20% chance of showers overnight and a low near 70.

And for your Sunday sunny with a high around 95. 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 tour of the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving us free ride around the Tennessee Valley.

And for Mike Huguenen taking time out of his busy schedule down in the sunshine state of Florida. He's got it all covered there. National College football slash basketball analyst. Mike, welcome in. How are you? Yeah, doing well. And looking forward to what should be a very interesting weekend. Matt, where do you… I think it's safe to say where we start, but I won't sit here and take anything for granted. Let's face it. A lot of football fans have been waiting for a marquee matchup, although there have been some surprises along the way already.

Your thoughts on that. But before we get back to that, your thoughts about where do you start talking about this weekend's menu? I think there's a heck of a lot of pressure tomorrow on the entire Texas program, specifically Sarkeesian and Arch Manning. I think there's also a ton of pressure on Michigan, on Bryce Underwood. So, I think there are potentially, clearly, big winners or big losers from those two games tomorrow. I don't think it's a stretch to say that if Texas loses, you're going to have people wondering if Sarkeesian is the answer.

That is an extremely expensive roster. And at Michigan, I think you're going to have, if Michigan were to lose at home, you're going to have people saying, why is Bryce Underwood making seven figures, or eight figures, rather? So, it's going to be, I think, a bit… And you've also got Mississippi State-Minnesota, which I think is a fascinating game. So, three really interesting Big Ten SEC games. But I think Ohio State-Texas, two top five teams, that's the marquee game for a bunch of reasons. Mike, just quickly, as far as the X's and O's in a second, but you bring up a good point.

Because, let's face it, the pressure's there because Michigan should expect a return on their investment with Underwood, and Texas should expect a return on their investment. The question is, what message does that send across college football? Because, up to this point, a lot of folks think, well, if I just write a check, it's almost automatic, not so fast, my friend. And for Texas, if they can't win with this roster now, with a second coming of who-knows-who at Texas with Arch Manning, when will they ever win one?

Yeah, I think that's the interesting aspect to me. You look at Sayan versus Arch Manning. Sayan's been the better player. I think Arch Manning still has a higher ceiling, but if Sayan now plays in tomorrow, I think people are going to say, you know, for all the plot it's thrown Manning's way, maybe this kid is not, like you said, the second coming. And as good as Cam Coleman is, he's not as good as Jeremiah Smith. But Jeremiah Smith, in two games against Texas, only has four catches.

But the flip side of that is, he hasn't been productive, and Ohio State still has won. So, and tomorrow, for me, it comes down to who runs the ball better, Ohio State with Bo Jackson, or Texas with Hollywood Smothers. And Smothers is getting paid more than Bo Jackson. They're also paying Relique Brown a heck of a lot of money. So, yeah, in a lot of ways, it's a referendum on Sarkeesian and a referendum on Arch Manning. Ohio State's a higher-ranked team, but I really don't think there's that much pressure on Ohio State.

[1:03:24] I think everybody's watching tomorrow to see if Texas' roster is worth all this money. And, you know, Sarkeesian, he is a very good offensive mind, but you look through his coaching career, he's never had a great team. And this potentially can be a great team, but I would argue that if they lose at home to Ohio State, no, this is not going to be a great team. And the Michigan, the way they won last week lends itself to conspiracy theories, and that's never a good thing.

But the idea that Kyle Whittingham, who's been there not even eight months, basically is saying that, yeah, the $10 million quarterback, he's our quarterback for now. And, you know, I don't think you would have heard Sharon Moore saying that, but I think Whittingham comes in and looks around and goes, this dude isn't even as good as the guy I had last year at Utah. And I think there's a lot of truth in that. Devin Dampere was phenomenal in the Utah offense last year. And maybe they let Bryce Underwood run the ball more, because that's certainly…

Nothing he has shown in his 14 college games leads you to think that Bryce Underwood's an effective pocket passer. So maybe they do put him on the move more tomorrow, run him more. But who knows the back story? Maybe he wants to prove he's a pocket passer. I don't know. But there's a lot of pressure on the two home teams tomorrow. Mike, you mentioned the three games with the Big Ten. And I know SEC fans are nauseated with hearing for the last three years the SEC's reign is over.

But the opportunity is there. They've also got three games with the Big 12. Kansas, Arizona State, and Utah. They got one with the ACC, Tennessee, and Georgia Tech. Can the SEC go 6-1 or 5-2 tomorrow? Well, I think Oklahoma's winning. I don't think Tech… I'll be honest. I think Ohio State's going to beat Tech. Missouri should beat Kansas. The game's at Kansas. I don't think people understand how. That is really nasty. That's a nasty rivalry. It's really bad in football, but the campuses are about two and a half hours apart.

Mississippi State, Minnesota. Mississippi State's supposed to be horrible. Minnesota's supposed to be, I don't know, the eighth or ninth best team in the Big Ten. That's got some intrigue. Georgia Tech was a massive disappointment last week. I don't know how you can get your lines to improve in a week enough to beat Tennessee. So I think Tennessee wins that game. Utah, that's… I don't think the SEC is going 6-1. I think 5-2 or 4-3 is more likely. But if the SEC comes out of this weekend with a losing record, that bodes ill for, I'll be honest, the rest of the season.

I don't think Arkansas is beating Utah either, so I think that's a loss for sure. So that right there is 5-2. But Tennessee should win. I don't know. That's a phenomenal question. I think it's more likely to be 5-2 or 4-3 at best. Mike, you're going to huddle with us. Mike, obviously you know our zip code. We saw what they did against East Carolina this weekend. They are not going to be facing East Carolina. They're going to be facing an SEC foe on the road with a coach who says, Kentucky's going to be good because of me.

Will Stein does not back down. He's telling the fans to cuss and drink early. It's a hostile environment. What's going to happen in Lexington tomorrow? I know that the weather could be nasty up there, so what's going to happen, Mike? Alabama wins comfortably. Kentucky looked relatively impressive in its first game. Competition level was obviously not good. Kenny Menchie, highly hyped, threw four touchdown passes, threw for 300. I think the Alabama defense is going to provide a much tougher opponent than Youngstown State did. Yeah, and Keelan Russell looked exceedingly comfortable in the board's offense.

Let's put it this way. I think if Alabama struggles tomorrow to put away Kentucky, they're both ill for the season. I don't think Kentucky's that good. Will Stein, this is a guy who in 2019 was the offensive coordinator at Westlake High School in Austin, Texas. Sometimes I think younger guys tend to right-check or right-check with their mouths that their bodies don't cash. And I'm putting a lot on the line for a team that I don't think is overly talented. Mike, I think one of the more interesting games tomorrow is Arizona at number 15, BYU.

[1:08:56] The Cougars, 7-and-point favorite for Fiesta and Bear at Bunker-Meyer might be an interesting quarterback match. Right, and here's a guy who easily could have left Arizona twice. He could have left when Jed Fish left, and he could have left after last season, too. But he decided his stay is going to be a four-year starter. He's not a great pro prospect because he's listed at six-foot. He ain't six-foot. Arizona's a fun team to watch. They had a really bad first season under Brennan. They retrenched and were quite good last year.

Fiesta makes them that good. Bear Bachmeier is really good. BYU, I think, is more physical than Arizona. But this is – you look at the Big 12, okay? Texas Tech and BYU considered the top two teams. I think there's legit reasons for that. If Arizona can win tomorrow or make this a game that BYU has to win late in the fourth quarter, I think Arizona says, don't forget us. We're legitimate here as well. And if Arizona wins, I don't think they're going to, but if Arizona wins, that means they're a contender for the Big 12, which means they're a contender to get in the playoffs.

So that's an important early-season game in the Big 12, no question. Mike, obviously everybody in the off-season is pumping up. Notre Dame, you look at all the pieces, the potential is there now that we've got at least one episode in the books. Your thoughts about – I don't think they'll get much of a contest this weekend with the Mighty Owls and Rice, but your thoughts about Notre Dame so far. Last week made you appreciate what those running backs meant to the offense because the passing game was not very good.

Notre Dame got sort of on track second half, blew Wisconsin's doors in, but I still think there are concerns about the passing attack. I don't know how good their receiving core is. They have a really good offensive line. They don't have a stud running back, but I think they're comfortable with the committee approach and all those guys bring something different to the table. I think Carr's a pretty good quarterback. I don't think he's a Heisman-winning quarterback because I don't think he's – I'm not sure he's one of the most – well, let's put it this way.

He might have the sheer innate talent. I don't think he's going to have the numbers that are good enough to be a Heisman-winning quarterback. And, you know, their schedule is exceedingly easy. They should crush Rice. But you do want to see them throw the ball better. And maybe they start doing that tomorrow against a vastly over-matched opponent. But, yeah, for the first half last week, I'm thinking, oh, Notre Dame, this is going to be – they're not as good as people thought. And the second half, I'm like, well, yeah, they are.

And their schedule is a joke. Yes. But, yeah, they're going to be in the playoff. I'm convinced of that because the schedule is not that hard. But I still think that's a team that has a lot of question marks offensively. Absolutely. Listen, great stuff. As always, we really enjoy breaking down games. You're right. It's a great slate tomorrow, particularly with the SEC and the Big Ten. Listen, enjoy every minute of it. Let's do this again next Friday. Excellent. Thanks, guys. Have a good weekend yourself. Thank you so much, Mike.

You too. Mike, you're going to check it in from Orlando. Time to check out a lot of high school action nights throughout the entire Shoals area. The Zexter is next. Stay with us for the Boobo Bug Show. 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. Because nature is even cooler. With bush light in your cooler.

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I feel like that wood position is just perfect. You know, you're able to showcase everything, whether it's rushing, setting edge, playing off-ball in our ball alignments, and even, you know, dropping and playing flat coverage. You know, I get the chance to even play to the field as, like, the outside linebacker in our gator package. So, like, you know, just being able to line up outside of two in the slide and, you know, work to the flat and play hook and, you know, showcase my zone ability while also being able to play off-ball and then pass rush when the time is needed for sure is great.

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The show starts at 6 p.m., and you don't want to miss it. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back, and he's busy gearing up for another busy night of high school gridiron action here near the neck of the woods. He is Zach Panner. He's got it all covered there. He's founder and editor of Shoals Sports Report. Zach, welcome in. Happy Friday to you. How are you? Doing good. How are y'all? Hey, man. We're doing all right. A heck of a headliner tonight.

Zach, Florence, Russellville, what they've got in common, both 3-0 overall, 1-0 in the region. Your thoughts about the meeting of the Bulls, if you will, tonight? You know, one-minute phrase. I would say the winner of this game is in the driver's seat for Region 7 championship, and possibly join that club of Clay Charlottesville and that crew of 5A competitors in the north. Let me ask you about what I think is another great game, too. Russellville and Florence. It's going to be tough for Florence to get ready for that wing-T offense in a couple of days, but another great game, Hamilton. 2-0, 1-0 in the region at Dessler. 2-1. Dessler, of course, lost to Russellville.

[1:19:47] You and I saw that game. The first game of the year, failed two-point conversion. These are two teams that are really playing well. Hamilton's 2-0. They're averaging 49 points a game, only allowing eight. Dessler is averaging 46 points a game, back-to-back 50-point performances. In fact, they led Calvert County 52-0 at half, and I think Lawrence County about 49 is just about as bad. Bryson Williams has played really well for Dessler, but Hamilton's got two guys. Mason Holloway, their quarterback. Houston-Tilbs, their wide receiver. This should be a dandy of a game at Dessler.

Yeah, if you can't get in the roster, we'll get to Dessler or not. This is going to be one of those games where it's high school football at its peak. It's not a rivalry game like Dessler-Carvert County or Florence, Muscle Shoals, but it doesn't have history in this matchup. They've met about 20 times. Dessler has won 17 straight in this matchup, and the last time Hamilton beat Dessler was 101 years ago. I think it was 19.5. My goodness. So you're talking about the streak of streaks in this season so far.

You've got two tonight. Dessler 101 years straight to beat Hamilton in theory. My goodness. And then Russellville has coach Higgins with 23 straight wins. And his time at Russellville. If you've been doing something 101 years, that means there's a lot of injuries out there. It never gets boring. Let's talk about two teams that have had a tremendous run here of late, but basically trying to get their legs on them right now, and that's Muscle Shoals at Austin. Yeah, Muscle Shoals had a rough start so far, but he played Hoover in Florence, which doesn't need that.

And Austin got to win last week at Cater. But Muscle Shoals, you've got Hoover in Florence. That's like playing an Alabama and a Tennessee or whatever in college. You can't find each other's opponents to have early out of the gate with a rivalry game and one of the top programs in the state regardless of classification. Muscle Shoals, I think it's about to get late quick. If they don't get a win tonight, they get a hard score next week before a bye week on the 25th. If they don't win tonight or next week, I don't know how they recover after they go over and forward to start the season or 1-3 even.

If they don't get back on track tonight with a win. The exact thing is, you look at this team, if you don't follow them, it isn't an enigma. It just shows you, they say you win with defense. That's true, but you've got to have offense. Muscle Shoals' defense, they're showing up, they're looking for some help with their offense. Right. If they can use a score in 10, 12 points a game, I think they have a chance. Yeah. But it's hard to win a score in seven points. Yes.

Or eight points in eight quarters. Yeah, yeah. Their defense has only given up 14 in seven points. Of course, that was to Hoover and to Florence. The Lexington Golden Bears are 3-0. They're hosting Folkville, who's a really good team. They're 2-1. Reed Dillard is a good quarterback for Folkville. Boy, you're talking about battle-tested. Brett Mask and Lacington, they have won 20-19 over Lauderdale County and won last week 20-18 over Phil Campbell. Came back and won both of those games. Zane Kilburn is a very good quarterback. Another very interesting game, kind of flying under the radar.

Folkville at Lacington. Yeah, he's only a sophomore, too, as Zane Kilburn is. But battle-tested, you won't find a coach around here that has more of a battle-test mindset. Then Coach Mask, because he realizes it's a serious time in the Carpenter County and Florence. You've got to have those battle-tested games to get deep in the playoffs. That's it, yeah. And this is another game, that Florence-Roseville game, I think, where the winner is in the driver's seat for that region 7-2-8. Because that region, respectfully, is so down as you're looking at the standard so far.

It's not going to pay 10-0 in that region. You can be 9-1, lose to a higher-classification team in that region. But if you lose to Pauville or Carpenter County, it's going to be tougher to climb out. L.A. has a showdown possibly October 2nd coming over Carpenter County. If they win this tonight and Carpenter County keep us winning out, October 2nd, that's why it's going to be a region 7 championship game on October 2nd with L.A. and Carpenter County. Zach Panners again, founder and editor of the show's sports report.

Zach, you mentioned Lauderdale County earlier. They're on the road tonight to Central. Central trying to preserve their unbeaten slate today. They're 2-0, taking on 1-2, Lauderdale County. Yeah, they've had some battles the last couple of years in non-region play, but now it's a region game and a new coach for Lauderdale County. Interesting for Lauderdale County if they respond tonight with a win or a loss. If they win, they're 2-2, back to .500. If they lose, they're 1-3. And this region is one of those interesting ones where it could be, it could wind up being three teams for two spots or three teams for one spot waiting for the season on playoffs.

[1:24:51] So you can't ever look too far ahead, but you can already look at position or sale for October. Absolutely. Central is undefeated. Going to be interesting to see if Central and Rogers can improve to 3-0. Yeah, Lauderdale County at Central. Rogers 2-0 at Clemens. Rogers had a good year. Bell Green 2-1 at Red Bay 3-0. So it's going to be interesting to see if Central, Rogers, and Red Bay can remain undefeated going into Week 5. Yes, I would expect Red Bay to win that game. Not a Bell Green on the pure fact of just a billion in the program.

And if you look at the recent results, Bell Green and Red Bay is a great matchup in basketball. But that football, Red Bay is too much. And Central and Rogers, you're right, if they keep winning, there's a short answer between the third and coming. Yep. And Wilson is also sitting there who could shake things up. Also, they had to play Rogers before that and Lauderdale County before that game on the 23rd. So it could get fun real quick in that region 7-3-8. It could turn into five or six teams for four spots.

That's exactly right. Central beat Wilson last week. And I know you mentioned to us they were one of the more improved teams. Lucas Price has been running wild for Heath Wood. And Central. Listen, great stuff. As always, your game of the week, of course, is Florence at Russellville. You've got standings. You've got predictions. You've got scores. You've got flag football. You've got it right now. You name it and you've got it. Where can we get online to get all the great stuff? On Facebook, show, sports report, show, sports report, three words.

And on Twitter, at lowercase, S-H-O-A-L-S-P-O-R-T-F. And on Twitter, if you'll follow us and turn on post notifications, it will send our updates to your phone, like it was ESPN app, Fox, ESPN app, whatever app. Sounds great as that. Safe travels out there and have some fun, okay? Thank you, y'all too. Thank you, buddy. Zach Pounder, show, sports report. Coming up, I know they don't follow tennis a whole lot, but the semifinals are now set. And his dad is from Huntsville. Ben Shelton in the final four of the U.S. Open.

What's the latest? Stay with us. You're on 93.9 The Score. Listen to the Crimson Tide Sports Network for Crimson Tide Rewind. Live from Baumhauer's Victory Grill in the Stavie Hills, Monday nights at 6 p.m. Tune in and roll tide. Westwood One Sports presents this special tennis update. It's been a good few months for Alex Zverev. He won the French Open, losing the moniker that he was the best player to have never won a grand slam. Then he made it to the finals at Wimbledon, lost to Yannick Sinner.

And now the 29-year-old from Germany is in the U.S. Open semifinals. He's getting ready to take on Karen Kachanov, the 30-year-old Russian who makes it to the semis as an unseeded player. Tonight, it's the two Americans, Ben Shelton and Francis Tiafoe. When Tiafoe reached the Open semis two years ago, he beat Shelton along the way. And when Shelton got this far as a 20-year-old in 2023, he beat Tiafoe along the way. Irina Sabalenka and Elena Rabakina have played 23 times. Sabalenka leads the head-to-head 16-7. But when they met early this year in the Australian Open final, Rabakina won in three sets.

They meet tomorrow at 4 p.m. Eastern in the winning singles final. John Stanchet, Westwood One Sports. And Doug. What a horrible call. Hey, Raph, open your eyes! Raph, you're really not going to call that? Come on! Hey, Raph, why don't you customize your car insurance with Liberty Mutual and save money? I, uh, don't think you get what we're doing. Sure I do. We're all just giving him advice. You guys on sports? Me? On saving money. Nope, that's not it. Only pay for what you need at LibertyMutual.com.

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Chris Sayles starts for Atlanta. Aaron Nola on the bump for Philadelphia. The Falcons are set to play on Sunday as the Falcons head to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers. Tuatunga-Vailoa, the quarterback for the Falcons, injured his oblique yesterday. New Orleans Saints will open up the season and Detroit will take on the Lions at Ford Field on Sunday afternoon. 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. This Labor Day at Lowe's, get up to 45% off select major appliances.

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Accurate. With opinions thrown in from some of the most knowledgeable reporters in the business. The Lindy's Football Report. Check it out. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in. It is a pleasure for us to open the door and say hello to Justin Ferguson. Got the Auburn Tigers coverage for you there. The Auburn Observer. Justin, welcome in. How are you? I'm doing all right. How are y'all? Hey, bud. Well, we're doing all very well. Justin, appreciate you asking. Is it safe to say that maybe some Auburn fans are starting to grow back their fingernails from the opening act against Baylor?

[1:35:26] Yeah, I don't know if you could have a closer win than that. You know, literally inches away from a loss. Incredible tackle there at the end by, you know, by Eric Winters. He's just been, had a phenomenal game and, you know, got a deserved play there at the end. But interesting note, that was the first one-point win Auburn has had since the 2010 Iron Bowl. 2010. That's amazing. Yeah, it's been a long time since Auburn's had a game quite that close. But, you know, I think there were a lot of things to clean up, a lot of things you've got to fix.

And that's going to be the key, obviously, tomorrow when they play Southern Miss. But, you know, Auburn was 2-12 under Hugh Freeze in one-score games. And now a goal is 1-0. And I thought that team, for as bad as things win in that game, the fact that they were able to walk down the field in the fourth quarter, get that game-winning touchdown, and then get that game-winning stop at the end, I think that just showed a lot of fight and a lot of finishing power from a team that just hadn't done a whole lot of winning close games in the last few years.

Let me ask you about the offensive line. They get a lot of the criticism, certainly the quarterback does, when you have three interceptions. And the coaches took responsibility for one of it. Five sacks, 11 tackles, four loss. Auburn ran for 3.2 yards. But I keep saying it's the first game of the year. You've got a lot in you guys. It takes a while for an offensive line to jail. Will there be any changes on the offensive line tomorrow? I think you're going to have to see some different guys up there up front, especially in the middle.

Auburn cannot run the ball down the middle at all. And that's kind of the building block of this entire offense is, you know, if you can't run the ball up the middle, you really can't run Byron Brown as effectively. You can't, you know, throw it deep off of that as much as you want to. So it really just put a hindrance on everything. And I thought, you know, Auburn struggled at left guard last week. It was just a really bad game there. I think the center and right guard had some good moments.

And, you know, you're looking at a lot of inconsistency there. So, you know, tomorrow against Southern Miss might be an opportunity for them to change some things up. Use some different guys up front. I thought both tackles played fairly well in the game. Auburn didn't really give up a lot on the edges. And their better runs were on the perimeter. So I think that said a little something about, you know, the tackle play. But, yeah, I mean, I think tomorrow is a really good opportunity to try some other guards out there, see who, you know, does better.

Because you've got to play a lot better than that on the interior of your offensive line if you want to win in the SEC. And what they showed last week against Baylor is just not good enough. Justin Ferguson, the Auburn Observer, all eyes on the quarterback spot. Obviously, it's a marriage. The Lions got to do their job. Running back's got to hit the holes and break that first tackle. Wide receiver's got to catch. But the quarterback is the straw that serves the drink. What's your critique of Chapter 1 of Mr. Brown's era?

Yeah, I thought when he took what the defense gave him, he looked really good. You know, he had 26-35 is the type of passing performance that Auburn would have killed for a lot of the last few years. Was really good on third down. A lot of third down conversions through the air. Auburn, it's been a long time since Auburn's had that, you know, through the air on third down. So, a really good, you know, game in that regard. But three interceptions, I mean, that overshadows everything.

Those are killers. And that's a big reason why Auburn only scored 17 points is, you know, they forced things too much. I thought, you know, just a couple of bad reads, mad decisions there. There was one where they really threw out a shot. And Baylor guy on the backside made a really good play. It was a little too aggressive of a call. So, I think it's a combination of factors. You know, I don't think, you know, one of the interceptions came on a deflection at the line when they gave up too much, you know, kind of pressure inside.

So, you know, Auburn can definitely play a lot better in those regards. But, like, I think, you know, those are three really bad throws, really bad plays, really bad interceptions. The rest of his game, throwing the ball, I thought he did pretty well. So, you know, just if you clean up those mistakes there, don't force it as much. Take what the defense gives you. Play your strengths. I thought he had a really good game. So, he's going to have to do more of that. And, you know, there might be some stuff, you know, that he threw against Baylor that he might have been able to get away with in the AAC.

Might not be as much when you've got, you know, power conference defenders there. So, that was definitely a learning experience. I think if he looks more like the guy who went 26 to 35, he looked pretty good. You've just got to cut down those terms. You can't have those. Just to reiterate your point, Baylor gave Auburn the ball five times between failed, fourth down conversions, a missed field goal, a fumble, and an interception. How many points did Auburn generate from all of that? Three. Well, when you have those opportunities, you know this better than anybody else.

You've got to take advantage of some of them. Yeah, 100%. And it goes back to not being able to run the ball effectively, right? Like, that's, you know, it's a key to finishing drives in this sport. You can't just throw it up and down the field and expect to, you know, eventually, you know, things are going to kind of run out there. So, the fact that Auburn wasn't able to run the ball really, really hurt them. On the flip side, the fact that Baylor wasn't able to run the ball really hurt them when they had their opportunity.

[1:40:34] So, like, it was very much a kind of telltale sign of, like, okay, throwing the ball is good. You can get some explosive plays off of that. But, hey, how did Auburn win that game, you know, in the fourth quarter? How did Auburn get that, you know, game-winning touchdown? They ran the ball. They ran the ball by Brown. And so, finished in the red zone. They didn't do that enough. And so, they've got to get back to doing that. They've got to get back to finding a win.

That's why I said fixing that interior offensive line could do a world of good if they could do it because everything comes off of that. But, you know, Jeremiah Cobb, I thought, looked good when he ran the ball. Omar Madison, you know, Bryson Washington as well. The problem is that they couldn't get very many opportunities because, you know, they weren't getting much push up front. So, you've got to do that. You've got to be able to run the ball to finish drives. Alex Gulloch knows that.

This team knows that. They've been preaching the importance of that. So, they really got to get that cleaned up here in the next week. Justin, in some ways, tomorrow's a no-win game. Obviously, I'm not talking about the scoreboard because you're favored to win. I think the line is 32-and-a-half Auburn. If you do that, people are going to say, well, they're supposed to. And if you don't, it's like, oh, my gosh, here we go again. At the end of the day, what are you trying to find out tomorrow against, let's face it, an overmatch Southern Miss team?

Yeah, you're just trying to clean up the mistakes you had last week, right? You know, I think one of the big problems Auburn had on defense, for example, is they just gave up easy stuff, right? You know, they had bad leverage and you couldn't get off the field on third downs and fourth downs. That was, if you go back to last season, Auburn had a game against South Alabama where it ended up being closer than it should have been because they were giving up a lot of the same stuff on third and fourth down.

And that ended up being like a telltale sign that that was going to be an issue later in the year. So, clean it up. Control what you can control. Look, the guys on the other side of the ball, you know, they're going to be fighting hard. They're going to be playing hard. But this is a brand new Southern Miss team. It's a lot of guys who have never been in this spot before. They played Alcorn State last week. Like, you know, you should be able to take care of business.

And so, nothing you do this week can win you the game next week against Florida. But, it's about, hey, did we learn from our mistakes last week? Can we operate better? Can we control what we can control? And then just take care of business, put on a show, send the fans home happy, and get people excited again for, you know, next Saturday against Florida at home. So, you know, I think, yeah, you know, nothing you do in this game is going to blow anybody away. Nothing you're going to do is going to say, okay, all of our problems are fixed.

But, you need to go out there and just play clean. You don't want to give any more causes for concern. I still say Auburn learned a lot more about their team by winning a close game, and you've already mentioned that, than beating a team 50 to nothing. I don't know what you learned with that. Now, the defense, I think, is very good. They gave up 333 passing yards, five passing plays of 20 or more yards. But I'll be honest with you, after DJ Langway did his Superman routine, he got hurt, he made some incredible throws, and they've got some good receivers.

Baylor surprised me at how much improved they were on offense. Oh, they were. I mean, you know, I think that just goes back. Jake Spavitol is a great offense coordinator. And I think Langway is going to be a perfect fit for that system. I think he's going to do better there than he ever did in Florida. I think it's just a better fit for his skill set. And then I was also really impressed with Baylor's defense. You know, last year, Auburn just got to do whatever it wanted on the ground.

Obviously, they weren't able to do that. They go get, you know, Joe Klanimer from Kansas State. I think the scheme was really, really good. I think their interior presence gave Auburn a lot of fits, and it changed the game because of that. So, I'm very interested to see what Baylor does this season. I think they've got the ability in that Big 12 to make a little noise. And I don't think that's going to end up being like, you know, at the end of the year, it'll be like, oh, Auburn only beat Baylor by one.

They're going to be like, oh, Baylor's a pretty good team. Like, you know, I think that is, you know, more likely than what we saw last season where both those teams ended up, you know, finishing with a losing record. So, yeah, I think Baylor's improved. You learn a lot about your team, especially. And I think, you know, Alex Golesh was really, really adamant, and he's been adamant all this week. He's like, look, we've got a lot to work on. We've got a lot to clean up.

We've got a lot to fix. Disappointed with the way we played. But if we, you know, what a brand-new team, a brand-new team may show me is that they will fight for each other, and they will finish next to each other and play hard for one another. And that's a really good sign. That's a really good sign to have early in the season that you don't know, hey, what's going to happen when adversity? Well, there's a lot of teams in the SEC. We don't know what's going to look like when adversity strikes because they didn't get to face any of it at all in week one.

Auburn at least got to see some of that. Yeah, I guarantee you that that game's going to come back to help Auburn in a close game in the SEC. 6 a.m. emails, Friday mailbag, the podcast, a lot of great pregame, a lot of great postgame. Where can we find all of it? Yep, auburnobserver.com. Check it out there. Seven bucks a month for a subscription. Or you can pay $70 and get a full year so you get two months free with that. So, yeah, we email everything out to you, like you said.

Got a mailbag out today previewing this game, podcast previewing this game. We'll have coverage all this weekend from the home opener against Southern Miss. So plenty of stuff on the website to check out right now. And if you subscribe today, you'll get everything that we do this weekend sent straight in your email inbox. So good time to sign up. Go to auburnobserver.com and check it all out. Justin, appreciate your time. Have a safe weekend, all right? Yeah, y'all too. Thank you. Thank you, bud. Justin Ferguson, the Auburn Observer.

[1:45:51] Coming up is those crazy, stupid underdog picks and more. Straight ahead, stay with us. All right, grab some buds and listen up. Grilling season's here. Now we find out what we're made of. Are we going to fold under pressure and overcook the burgers? Or are we going to nail the carne asada and the brisket and pack the coolers with ice cold Budweiser and Bud Light? Because that's the difference between winning and losing, between flipping burgers and grilling like a pro. This summer, grill like a pro with Bud and Bud Light.

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Roll Tide. The score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in. Brett Beaird, the light just turned green. Go. UNA at Southeastern Louisiana. Louisiana 5.5 point favorite. But UNA has got, they're in the top 10 in three defensive rankings. UNA 28, Southeast Louisiana 17. There he is again. Tennessee a 12.5 point favorite at Georgia Tech. I think Brandon has a good game. Tennessee runs the ball. Tennessee 35, Georgia Tech 20. Southern Miss at Auburn. The Tigers a 33-point favorite, 645 on the SEC Network. Auburn plays a much cleaner game. Byron Brown is a good game.

[1:51:07] Tigers runs for over 200 yards. Setting up that big game against Florida next week. Auburn 34, Harold Bugg. The Southern Miss 10. Alabama. And Ric Flair agrees with me. Alabama a 10-point favorite over at Kentucky. If Michael Carroll can't play because of a concussion, Mel Waltrip starts a left tackle. Will Smith, Will Sanders will start at right guard. Alabama must get off to a fast start. Grab the ball for under 50 yards. I think they will. Alabama 35, Kentucky 17. And the stupid underdog pick. Rick likes that one. Rutgers at Boston College.

The Eagles 3.5 point favorite. Uh-uh. Rutgers rebounds from losing to UMass 37-21 and beats Boston College. Woo! Yeah, there you go. I think it's 5 o'clock somewhere. I still think Will Smith would be a more interesting matchup there than anybody else in that matchup. Anytime you play at a stadium called Strawberry Fields, the Beatles look like this, which is what you're going to do tomorrow night at 6.02, not to be specific. Uh, this is not the first time these two have met about 14 times over the years, uh, southeastern Louisiana.

They've, they've dominated 10-1 and 2 over the years. I still got to go with my lines and getting ready for a heck of a homecoming next weekend. 31-28. Let's go with an upset there over the mighty 5.5 point favorite down in Hammond, Louisiana. Georgia Tech and Tennessee. Tennessee should have their way with this one. 31-18 Auburn. If they don't cover this one in style, then it's going to be a long year for the Tigers because Southern Miss, basically, all their team went to Memphis from last year's team.

44-14 in that one. You mentioned missing a key offensive lineman for Alabama. That's going to be interesting, but I still think they've got enough to prevail. They favored by 10.5. Uh, last point was 10. Still think Alabama's going to pull it out. 28-21. And the stupid underdog pick. Sorry, Dan Mullin. North Texas. Hmm. Take care of UNLV 30-28. Dan Mullin, a long year out in Vegas. Woo! B.B. There we go. I was wondering who he was. He just got back from the bathroom, I think. B.B., quickly, quickly, we got football tonight with the Falcons and the Tide coming up tomorrow right here on 93-9, the score.

Yeah, pregame at 6, Florence at Russell should be a dynamic game. Battle of the Unbeatens, kickoff at 7 o'clock with Kevin Johnson, the crew. Yeah. Coaches breakfast in the morning at 8. Alabama, again, going to be kicking off approximately 2-30. You can hear that game on 93-9, the score. A lot of great high school games. Bell Green at Red Bay, Haleville at Danville, Hamilton-Dasser. If the weather cooperates, go out and see a great high school game. Have a safe and fun football weekend. Quickly, Rick, how was the show today, Rick?

Rick has gone to the bathroom again. That's going to take care of this for now on behalf of B.B., Greg, James, and Eric, the entire crew here. Harold Buck, thank you so much for your time today. Let's do it again Monday, noon to 2, with the Bermode Bug Show, back here on Sports Radio 93-9, the score. We'll be right back.

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