Episode summary
This episode of the Boomo Bugg Show featured in-depth discussions on Alabama's upcoming game against East Carolina, SEC football outlook, and local high school sports highlights. Notable topics included personnel changes at Alabama, Vegas lines for key matchups, and predictions for under-the-radar games, with a focus on player performances and team dynamics.
Highlights
- Roger Hoover discusses Alabama's preparation for East Carolina, emphasizing physicality and the importance of avoiding past mistakes in their 1998 rivalry game.
- William Sanders beats Mal Waltrip at left guard, Jevin James starts at right tackle, and Connor Talti wins the kicker position over Lorcan Quinn.
- Jim Gomb predicts Ole Miss has the edge over Louisville in a neutral-site game, while LSU's game at Death Valley is highlighted as a historic rivalry matchup.
- Bruce Marshall notes Oklahoma is a 41-point favorite over UTEP, expressing skepticism about their ability to cover such a large spread.
- The show speculates on LSU's quarterback Leavitt and Auburn's potential win against Baylor, citing strong defense and familiarity with new coach Golesh.
- Trent Seaborn of Thompson High is on track to become the Alabama High School Athletic Association's all-time leading passer.
- B.T. and Ben highlight Zane Kilbourne's 355-yard passing performance for Lexington and UMS Wright's game turnaround due to Colby Weaver's touchdown return.
Full show transcript (text version of the audio, for readers who are deaf or hard of hearing)
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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 Tide, Tigers, Tennessee and the rest of the SEC. Now your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Good afternoon and welcome in to the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving us free ride around the Tennessee Valley. Brett Beaird, welcome in where? One line is up, one line is down. The latest on the Tide and Tigers' respected season with lifters coming up. In the meantime, welcome in and how are you?
Happy a Tuesday to you and the listeners. We will talk about the lines of quite a few games with Las Vegas insider Bruce Marshall, who's going to preview the top games of the week in college football. Ben Thomas of AL.com is going to recap week two of the high school football schedule. But right now, Roger Hoover is going to get us ready for East Carolina, Alabama, Saturday kickoff, Harold Bugg, 1107, to be exact, a.m. Saturday morning. Why took you so long to say that? We've been waiting a while, Brett Beaird. You know you could have done this before now.
So says Roger Hoover, who says a lot of the Alabama Crimson Tide Network. Roger, welcome in. Are you ready for some bacon and eggs football? How are you? Um-o-bug. I am ready for some football. I'm always ready for breakfast. Been a long off-season. It is finally here. Roger, where do you start as far as the gut coming in? I know across the respective fan bases right now, every fan base is fired up. They're never going to lose a ball game. The offense is going to score a minimum of 50.
The defense is not going to let up a point until the year 30-30. Realistically, where are you with this team coming in? I'm in a good spot, especially with what we just have in front of us this week alone. East Carolina. You know, I don't want to think too much about Kentucky and Florida State and South Carolina, Mississippi State, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas A&M. You can go crazy. You can go too far down the road. Who knows about LSU? But anyway, we have East Carolina coming up this week.
And I think it's just a great time for Alabama, as Kalen DeBoer talked about. Go play somebody in a different colored jersey. Go hit somebody and just try and figure out how physical this football team can be. Because with the weather forecast, it's going to be a long time, truly morning into afternoon. So who's the tougher team? That's the team that's going to win this game, regardless of talent. Alabama's four and five stars versus three stars for ECU. None of that really matters. Who's tougher in the moment?
And I just can't wait to see Keelan Russell for the first time wearing his Crimson jersey instead of that non-contact jersey. You know, can't he extend plays? Can't he make plays at his feet? We believe that he certainly can. And now we're really going to get to see it, first of all, this week. Roger, you know, on paper, on paper, and they tell me they don't play games on paper. But if this team lives up to the expectations, could it be said that they could surprise some teams?
Because you don't know what you're going to get. Anytime you get a quarterback, again, with his potential on paper, and Crowell, who lives up to his expectations on paper, and the offensive line just basically shows up and does anything at all, could they surprise some people, especially across the country, with these national so-called experts? I believe so. I don't think they're going to surprise many people early in the season just based on the way the schedule sets up, because I think a lot of people around the country expect Alabama to get off to a relatively good start with the schedule that's ahead of them in September.
But I think it's going to be more, how does this team improve from week one to week two? And then what do they look like on the road against Kentucky? I'm not looking too far ahead, but I think that's probably when you're going to see more people around the country take notice for us in Alabama. I think it's just, can they play a clean football game? Can we make sure penalties are to a minimum? Turnovers are to a minimum on offense. And then if you're the defense, turnovers to the maximum.
How many turnovers can you force? Alabama was so good doing that. Last year under Coach Womack on the defensive side of the ball, and that swarm defense is always his mentality. How can this group be good about that? Starting with week one, I think it's going to be most important. I agree with you. We have actually found out a few things this week. William Sanders right now has beaten out Mal Waltrip, who had a tremendous summer camp at left guard. Jevin James seems to be beginning the majority of the ramps at right tackle over Nick Brooks.
Connor Talti. And I give a lot of credit to him, because there are a lot of kickers after that Oklahoma game last year who would have probably packed their bags and went home. He stuck it out and won the job. And kudos to him. And Alabama's got a punter. A lot of people in North Alabama in the shows thought it might be Adam Watford who transferred from UNA. But it's Alex Asperoff, and I'll let you help me with that. We have found out a few personnel items this week.
[5:26] Yeah, we certainly have. And I think it's exciting to see that the kicker competition went even deeper than the quarterback situation. That means that these guys, Talti versus Quinn, was a really good battle. And then from everything we've heard, and what I've gotten to see a couple times in the scrimmage situation, Alex Asperoff has looked really good punting the football coming in after Blake Dowd was certainly good a year ago. So I think Alabama is in really good shape there. Jay Nunez is a special team coach that really knew what he was looking for going into the offseason.
And I think the competition he was able to add, especially with the punter coming in from UNA, and then obviously Lorcan Quinn, who is very decorated at Marshall, he really pushed Talti to the next level. I think both of those guys pushed each other, and you'll probably still see Lorcan Quinn on kickoff. And who knows, as we get through this long season, how many can be needed in those spots. So that's good to see. The competition was good with the specialists along with that offensive line.
But I still think you're going to see some rotation. I don't think we've heard the last of Mal Walter playing next to Jackson Lloyd on the left side of the line. And then on the right side of the line, I think you're still going to see some rotation there too. But Javon James clearly has had a very good camp, and he will be that stalwart right tackle that you're hoping provides the same kind of protection we expect from Jackson Lloyd on that left side. Roger Hoover, Crimson Ties Sports Network.
This time of the year, you've got your fans who see the glass half full and half empty. Half full means, you know, we're going to sit here and we're going to storm East Carolina because of the name on the jersey. They have empty. It says, not so fast, my friend. That's what they said last year before the FSU opener. And you say, yeah, but this is East Carolina. Correct me if I'm wrong, Roger. The long time these two teams played, each other was the 1998 season, and the Crimson Tide won that ballgame 23-22 the Pirates missed two extra points, including one that was returned for two points.
So you hope history does not repeat itself in this weekend's game with the Pirates. Yeah, absolutely not. I actually watched some highlights of that game just a day or so ago to get myself kind of familiar with that history because I was only 10 years old at that time. We were 11, by the way. Oh, of course. Of course. I was always looking up to you guys. All right. That's right. But, no, it's definitely – ECU is an interesting program because they are dealing with the constant roster churn of the transfer portal, and that's kind of a double-edged sword.
You know, they lose a lot of good players to Power 4 programs, but then they're always kind of getting guys from either Division II schools or really small Division I programs that have been overlooked. Usually those players, at least recently in college football, and this will maybe change with the Protect College Sports Act down the road, but, you know, a lot of those guys come to an East Carolina as their second school, and then their next school, they find their way to an Ohio State, a Georgia, a Clemson.
Like, they are always on the move up. So, Alabama's going to be facing some talent on the other side of the ball, and it's just the same challenge that Alabama's got to deal with. How do you get a team really built out of a lot of individual players who are all coming in, playing their first year at their respective schools? So, there's a lot of what we don't know when we talk about East Carolina, but I do think fans need to keep that in mind, you know, even though these guys may be coming in from some really small schools, junior colleges, again, again, two in some cases, through this ECU roster, they're probably going to be, you know, playing towards the Big 12, the SEC, the Big 10 in a year.
That's just the trajectory we're seeing right now with the best players at that school like ECU playing at a high level in the American. Roger, I know everybody's looking forward to seeing E.J. Crowell, but I think a lot of people want to see more of Treshaun Brown. He was really spectacular at times. He's a very good change of pace back. Daniel Hill has lost 15 pounds. Kevin Riley seems to have a little bit more wiggle. Again, everybody wants to know, can Alabama run the ball more effectively?
I think they can with this offensive line, but if these backs stay healthy, this could be a very good running back room at the end of the year. Yeah, I totally agree, starting with Daniel Hill, who's my guest later today on Crimson Drive, driven by NASCAR at 2 o'clock on all of our social media platforms. At UA underscore CTSN, you mentioned that he's lost weight, but also he's just healthy. That was one of the questions I asked him. He was able to do a lot of good things for Alabama last year, but he was never 100% throughout the course of the season.
I think that was kind of the theme in the running back room a little bit last year. Jan Miller was never quite fully healthy after his preseason injury and then concussion down the road. So, you know, we didn't really get to see what a healthy Alabama running back room looked like. I think we're going to see it starting with Daniel Hill, and he may be counted on a little bit more than Alabama anticipated going into the season because of the injuries you mentioned and just trying to work in freshmen like D.J. Crowell and then Treshawn Brown, who I think is going to be dynamic when his number is called, not just running the football, but hopefully he's back there returning some kicks because we hear he can be a real difference maker in the return game.
[10:36] So it's exciting to see the talent in that room. But I would just caution fans a little bit. You may be seeing a larger role for Daniel Hill than we anticipated going into the season. Roger, obviously Vegas says Bama's going to win. They do this because they said the money line is $8,000 for Alabama, so that tells you something right there. But they have shaved some of it off. They were at 28.5 point favorite. They're now at 27.5. They said the over-under was 54.5. It's down to 52.5. Obviously, that's still a healthy margin, but your thoughts just about coming in and playing with that kind of love from Vegas.
Well, I don't understand any of the numbers you just said. That's why you got money in your pocket. Yeah, that's why you're talking to Bruce Marshall later. That's right. You know, I just think people are probably looking at maybe the forecast or maybe just some of the unknowns around both of these teams, and that could be an impact. But other than that, I have no clue what any of that just meant. Listen, tell us about your week. I know Crimson Tide Rewind with you and Tyler Watts, Baumhauers in Vestavia.
Hey, coach, is tomorrow night. Soccer undefeated Alabama soccer. In fact, three consecutive shutouts. Pre-game starting, I know, at 8. We've got a show here that starts at 8 to 9, the coach's show. But listen, tell us about your week, and particularly Saturday, the broadcast lineup. Yeah, you broke it down really well. We kick it off at 8 a.m. coming up on Saturday morning after we have a coach tomorrow, Crimson Drive, Tuesday and Thursday on the CBS and YouTube channel as well. But 8 o'clock, Christian Miller and I will be breaking down this matchup to get everything going.
And we'll work in Damian Square, Tyler Watts, and Chris Stewart as we get closer to kickoff. And we're just excited to have our crew back together along with our spotter, Butch Owens, our longtime producer, Tom Stipe, who was recently inducted to the Alabama Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame. A great honor for Tom, who has been behind the board for, I believe, every Alabama game since maybe 84, maybe 85. It's remarkable what he has done. So we are thrilled that our crew is ready to start a new season, and we know there's a lot of optimism for this football team, and we just can't wait to have fans connect with us all throughout the season.
Break out the bacon, the eggs, and the sunscreen for Saturday's lid lifter. Okay, Roger? And we'll do that, and also a lot of water. I mean, if you do that on Saturday morning, you will get dehydrated. They may have to carry you out of state and field. No question. Start drinking water now. You are wise, my son. Roger Hoover, Crimson Ties Sports Network, and a very smart man. Coming up, so is Jim Gomb all over. Not only SEC, but college football coast-to-coast. Stay with us. It doesn't matter if you're running grills at the park, playing pickup on a Saturday, or sinking the final putt.
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Remember when he said, if you didn't get the first edition of the Blitz Sports Report, he will make sure that you got it. Well, guess who got it? Would you agree that Jim is a man of his word, so please tell him to stay out of politics? You know, yeah, number one, you're correct. Number two, I did not realize I was honored to be a guest on his show. Jim and Jack Ambling co-host The Drive. Listen, we knew that Jim Gomm was a talented man. Right.
Listen, print, radio, whatever, Jim Gomm can do it. Anything but politics, Jim. Jim, I hope he agrees. Jim Gomm is the owner and editor of theblitzsports.com and the fine author of Conference Pride. Jim, welcome in. How are you? I'm doing good. How about you guys? Man, we're doing better now that we've got the Blitz Sports Report. How much time do you put into this, BFI? You're talking, you put a whole new minute of comprehensive, do you not? I do a lot of research during the summer for the bragging rights section.
I do lots of research, very time-consuming. So, you know, I'm like, you know, I've got to do this for at least 20 weeks, come up with something. And it's very, very, and it's so fun. What I love about it is I learned stuff about college football that I didn't even know. And so that's what I love about it. It's kind of like, you know, anytime you're doing a report for anything and you're doing research, you become more knowledgeable than maybe what you need to be, but you feel like you have to do this.
So it's a labor of love. I love it. Good job by you, Jim. Obviously, week one, they tell me, for the SEC teams, it all starts, what, Friday night as far as the SEC is concerned are in Oklahoma taking on UTEP. It shouldn't be much of a game if it goes as scripted. I think a lot of folks are looking at Oklahoma and saying, are they going to be as good as people say they are? And then, ironically, it's one of those teams. I don't know about you, Jim, but we get some folks saying maybe they're overrated.
It's going to be an interesting little intro for the Sooners coming up on Friday night. Yeah, Brett Venables, I think is, and I hate to use the word hot seat, but let's say it's just a little warm because he's had a couple sub, you know, standard seasons there, Norman, and the expectations there are very similar to where they are in, you know, Tuscaloosa, Baton Rouge, Austin. You know, they expect to be in the mix every year, so he's had a couple dead seasons, but, you know, they're coming off of a playoff season last year.
[21:40] They've got the quarterback. He looks like he's been working out a lot. He looks bigger, thicker, but you know what? They've got a tough schedule, man. So I think Oklahoma's going to be, and like I said, there's very few quality games this first weekend, but, man, starting week two, man, it all starts to ramp up because you're getting some really nice games, but, I mean, we've got a few good games coming up, but I think Oklahoma's going to be just fine, but I know how to, I used to live in Oklahoma, okay, and I know what the people there, the expectations, they feel like they should be competing for a national championship every single year.
And, you know, Bob Stoops, you know, he, you know, the standard was, you know, put in place by, you know, Barry Switzer, Bud Wilkinson, all those guys, Bob Stoops, and so the expectations are not to have any type of sub, you know, substandard season, and we'll see what they, see what they do in 2026. Jim, let me ask you about one of those good games. In fact, it's Sunday night, number nine, Ole Miss, six and a half point favorite, versus number 24, Louisville. This is, I believe, a 630 ABC game in Nashville, which is interesting.
Louisville's a pretty good team. they've got the Ohio State transfer, Kahn Holtz. They've got two running backs by the name of Brown, but Ole Miss has got Trinidad Chambliss and Keywon Lacey and Pete Golding's already shown he can coach a little bit. Jim, your thoughts on one of the best games in the SEC? Yeah, you know, the fact that Pete Golding's got some games under his belt there in Oxford, I think that bodes well and obviously they've got just a tremendous quarterback. I think Ole Miss has got more weapons than Louisville does, but the fact that that game's being played at a neutral site, you're going to have a lot of Louisville fans who come down to Nashville, a lot of fans come up from Oxford, so it's kind of like a halfway point between those two schools.
I don't, you know, if this was in Oxford, I'd feel a lot more confident. I think it's going to be a competitive game, but I think at the end of the day, you've got to give the edge to Ole Miss. Here's an interesting matchup. The Tigers are at Death Valley. How ironic is that? Who do you like with the Tigers at Death Valley, Jim? Well, I think the Tigers are going to be tough, but those Tigers, those other Tigers are pretty good too. You know, it's so cool.
You know, Death Valley, both stadiums, you know, they both claim Death Valley. Now, I'll tell you what's interesting. I don't know if you know this, but Frank Howard, who was the former coach at Clemson, actually had a rock. He uses a doorstop, and that rock came from the actual Death Valley in California. That's the rock that they rub when they go down a hill. That same rock used to be, he used it as a doorstop, believe it or not. It's a big door. Yeah. But no, listen, we all know what's been going on there in Baton Rouge with Lane Kiffin and getting some guys that have been in camp with some NFL teams.
I don't know what's all going to happen, but I do know this. We're going to have a lot of athletes on the field for both Clemson and LSU. It should be fun. I mean, anytime you get a night game in Baton Rouge, you know it's going to be exciting and fun and everything. So that is the game that I'm most looking forward to to be honest with you. And even before all this stuff with the guys possibly playing that were in camp with the NFL teams, I just love the fact that you've got Clemson and LSU and I think it's going to be a fun, fun game.
I agree with you entirely. We've got, I know, a tennis open coming up. But Jim, tell us a little bit more about your radio show and also the Blitz. What are some of the categories? What are some of the great things you've got for the next edition? Yeah, the next edition could be cool. I do research on every 12-win season. You know, everyone talks about 10-win seasons. Well, I went two steps further. I said, well, how many 12-win seasons? So that one was really neat. But I tell you what, anyone that's listening to you, all you've got to do is just go to theblitzsports.com.
You can check it out there or email me direct and I'll shoot you the issue once. You can check out what's going on there too. But yeah, I'm excited about the radio show I'm doing. It's about a year into it. So I'm enjoying it a lot. Absolutely. Gentlemen, listen, Bud, have a great week. We look forward to the next edition. What I really enjoyed, Jim, was some of the pictures of the SEC stadiums back in the 60s. I remember Brunt Denny was about 60,000 capacity. It's grown a little bit since then.
But some of the pictures of the stadiums are awesome. Yeah, I love doing stuff like that. I love, I love researching stuff like that. It's really cool. Well, anybody that can survive Legion Field, a parking lot, you're a tough cookie. That says it all right there. Jim, listen, man, keep up the good work and let's do it again soon. Good luck this weekend, okay? All right, same to y'all. Thank you, Jim. Jim Gomb, we're going to win this with Sports Splits. Phoebe, obviously, the line which we mentioned is the top of the show, as far as Vegas, Alabama, they shaved one off since the opening of the week.
[27:03] They've actually added one to the Auburn Tigers. They went from six and a half to seven. Auburn now to seven and a half point favorite over Baylor Saturday at a cooler dome in Atlanta. Yeah, it's going to be 72 degrees. It's going to be 172 in Tuscaloosa Saturday afternoon. Coming up as the college football season opens, coming up, the very latest on the U.S. Open and the guy with Huntsville Roots, Vince Shelton, he won last night. What's going on in the very latest next from New York here on Sports Radio 93.9, the score.
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We like Lane. I don't know about that one, Paul. You would be surprised, Sean. Whether I like him or not has nothing to do with an opinion on what is going on down there. All find on. Weekdays at 3 Eastern on the ESPN app and the SEC network. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in, Brad. If you look very carefully, you'll see a big smile starting to form on Bruce Marshall's face. Do you have any reason or any reason why that may be the case?
Well, it's week one, but Harold, I saw, if I'm not mistaken, I saw a smile on his face last week for week zero. Yeah. Well, you've never been mistaken, so we're not going to doubt you nor Bruce Marshall. He's got it all figured out in a place called Las Vegas. They're with a Las Vegas insider. Gold sheet wager, winners and whiners, picks and parlays. Vegas insider. Bruce Marshall, welcome in. How are you? Well, I'll tell you, my smile is six times bigger this week because we've got about six times more.
Yeah, you know. And you know in football season if Texas A&M's quarterback comes out and says how much he hates Texas. Now you know we're ready to go. Oklahoma is one of the big headliners early on. Bruce, if you will, indulge us. Let's start. A lot of folks say Oklahoma's good. A lot of folks say they're overrated. I don't know what we're going to find out this week because it's not the biggest matchup in the world, but at least we get somewhat of an idea about this team.
Where do we start Friday night with the Sooners? Well, that's a good question, you know, and I'll tell you what, the happiest guy in Norman is Brent Venables. He just got a really nice contract. I'm all for guys over 50 getting, you know, big contracts. Finally getting paid. Finally getting paid. Here's the deal with Oklahoma. I don't think we saw the Sooners last year with John Mateer running full capacity except the first couple weeks because he had the hand injury. He had the surgery. And I don't think he was the same coming back the whole way last year.
[37:31] I mean, this is a guy, if he's healthy, should be in the Heisman conversation. And I don't think we saw him there last year because of the injury. Yet they still made the playoff. And frankly, I'm still kind of surprised they lost that game to Alabama because, you know, they had beaten them in the regular season and then they had them on the ropes and then all of a sudden big plays for Bama were so good for him. That was maybe Kellen DeBoer's, you know, one of his high moments last year.
But I think they're being a little bit overlooked. I think Mateer could get into the Heisman mix. You know, Brent Venables is a defensive whiz. They should be great on the defensive side. Now, Friday night, UTEP. By the way, UTEP is in the Mountain West now. They are back reunited with them. But Scotty Walton is having a lot of trouble getting that thing on track. Oklahoma's a 41-point favorite. I mean, if they don't cover that number, I mean, all those boosters are going to be kind of upset because nobody's betting on UTEP as far as I can see.
But I think Oklahoma's a team we have to watch because we're going to have probably a healthier material unless it gets re-hurt. And we just didn't see that last year. I mean, for your quarterback, if you have a hand surgery, I mean, you're not going to be good the whole year after that. So, I think we'll see the real material this year and maybe a better Oklahoma. We'll see. Bruce, obviously Oklahoma is the Friday night date. Saturday as far as the SEC kicks off with a team from Tuscaloosa in Tuscaloosa.
Got a brand new can opening up at quarterback. Questions about the offensive line. Will they have a running game? Vegas says it should be okay. The money line has minus 8,000 for Alabama, so that should tell you something there. But it's been kind of all over the place. I think it went to high was 28 and a half. I saw a low of 25 and a half. Last time I looked, Bruce, Alabama 27 and a half. Too much, too little, or just about right? I think it's probably too much.
By the way, the interesting thing here is a quarterback the other way for East Carolina looks like Mitch Griffiths. And I am shocked he's still got eligibility because he's about 30 years old. He's been everywhere. He started from Wake Forest about five years ago, and he was Texas Tech last year. He's been all around. Here's my thought here. I think it's probably too many points. I don't think Alabama is going to have trouble here, but maybe they'll break in gangbusters and maybe Keele and Russell will have big and we know what they did to Western Kentucky a couple years ago.
But I think that was sort of the outlier there. East Carolina is not that bad. You have a veteran quarterback in there. I think Blake Harrell, their coach, he's sort of like their version of what Georgia Tech did with Brent Key a few years ago. Key, of course, had those Georgia Tech roots. But as soon as they made that change from Jeff Collins to Key, I mean, immediately the next week, the team got better. This is what happened at East Carolina in the 2024 season. As soon as they moved Mike Houston out and Harrell took over, they started to play better immediately.
And I think Harrell is a guy we want to watch as somebody who could move up from East Carolina. He got him to nine wins last year. out. They got to hit the portal pretty hard because most of the team left from last year. But I think this guy knows what he's doing. He's brought some experienced guys in like Griffiths. So I think they'll probably stay within four TDs. I wouldn't panic on that if I'm on the Alabama side because I don't think this is a bad team you're playing.
But at this point, you know, we saw a couple of USC last week. You put these huge numbers up there in week one. It's hard. You know, you've got a lot tougher games coming. So I'm not sure Alabama covers that number this week. Auburn is a seven-point favorite over Baylor. This is the rematch. Last year started the season in Waco when Auburn ran for over 300 yards, which may happen again. But the Tigers have got 61 new players. But one thing they've got is Byron Brown, who may be their best quarterback since Bo Nix.
I think the defense is going to be solid again. For Florida transfer, D.J. Lagway is really a talented kid, but he's thrown 23 interceptions the last two years. They got a new offensive coordinator in Spavida. But the better defense defense is atrocious, which with Dave Aranda, that's been his specialty for years, and particularly when he's at LSU, gave up 197 yards rushing last year. They got a new defensive coordinator in Klanderman, Joe Klanderman, has come in. This is an intriguing game for a lot of people. Auburn, of course, will have 40,000 or 50,000 fans in the Mercedes Dome.
[42:32] Does Auburn cover the seven? I think they will, Brett. You're right. In Atlanta, that's not a long ride from Auburn. There's Auburn people in Atlanta, too, so they will have the majority of the crowd. These schools are where Auburn was last year with trees at this point. Now with Aranda, now he is under the gun. Here is what intrigues me. I'd be really worried if I'm on Baylor. They're making a big deal about bringing Lagway in. There was nothing wrong with Sawyer Robertson last year, quarterback for Baylor.
He threw 31 touchdown passes. That was not a problem for them at quarterback last year. What I would be worried about if I'm a Baylor fan is Lagway, who has been like you cited his interception numbers. He was very hot and cold at Florida. Is he really an upgrade from Robertson? I don't think so. He might be a downgrade. If that's the case, Baylor's got some problems. You're right, the defense had issues. Auburn, that was probably the best we saw Auburn's offense last year in the opener.
One thing about a new coach coming in like Golesh, yeah, new, but it's sort of like that Charles Huff thing at Memphis we saw last week. He's got a lot of familiar faces around him. He brought a lot of his staff with him. In Huff's case, up from Southern Miss and players. Same thing with Golesh. A lot of his staff from South Florida, a lot of his players, including his quarterback, who is electric. I think he's also got his receivers up there. There's a lot of familiarity with Auburn from Golesh's point of view, players and coaches.
He knows. I do think, and we might have talked about this before, boys, the best thing that Golesh might have done taking this job was keeping D.J. Durkin as the defensive coordinator. He is well-regarded, and he stepped in there for freeze late last season. Darnier won the Iron Bowl. There was nothing wrong with Auburn's defense last year. It was pretty high nationally, and Auburn lost a lot of close games with an offense that wasn't working. I have a feeling it's going to work this year, and this is a game Auburn is going to win and cover.
As far as Randa goes, we'll see if he survives the season, because I could see this going sideways. Would Baylor fire a coach before the season is over? Maybe. If they lose this game, I think they're going to start talking about it. Auburn wins and covers on Sunday. University of North Florida, a.k. Auburn, pretty much the same team, different jersey than last year. By the way, check out Bruce Marshall. The Gold Sheets is the place to do it. Does anyone ask you about this game coming up between Clemson and LSU?
Yeah, boy, I'd like to see Dabo win this game. I bet you would. I don't think he is. And Kiffin, they're still digging in their heels about these NFL players. We talked about that last week, that he would be right in the middle, Kiffin of all this stuff. But I kind of fear LSU here. It's sort of the team to watch, I think, if he is indeed beyond the injury last year at Arizona State. And we talked about him a few times here in the last few months, guys.
Last year, you know, coming into the season, he was sort of on the Heisen watch list. They thought he'd be a first-round pick if he came out last year. He's mobile. He can throw well. He really had a breakthrough season for ASU in 2024. He was doing well last year before he got hurt in October and he missed the rest of the way. Having him and marrying him with Kiffin, considering all the quarterbacks Lane has had in the past who he has coached up, and that would include Chambliss last year, or it would include Jackson Dart, it would include Matt Corral, all sorts of guys he's had, and now you get a talent like Leavitt.
I think it's kind of scary. What Dabo didn't do, and I thought he would, now Dabo has decided he can use the portal now, and he was like the last pull-down. He didn't like the portal, didn't like Neal. He's finally doing it. He did not go after a quarterback in the portal. Last year was a disappointment a bit, but if you saw the news, Kovic has won the backup job with the Jets. I think he may end up starting for the Jets before the season is done.
So he leaves some pretty big shoes to fill. It looks like Vazina, who was the backup last year, who I saw a little bit, I wasn't sold on him. That's who Dabo is going with. He did not go in the portal. There were a lot of quarterbacks in the portal he could have got. Was this Dabo just being stubborn like before, or did he really like Vazina? I don't know. I think it was big shoes to fill. I kind of think Lane gets in it's down and got in rouge.
I probably laid the points here with LSU, although I would love to see Dabo get the win. Isn't it also amazing, I want to ask you about Ole Miss and Louisville. Clemson had nine players drafted in the NFL draft and won seven games. Think about that for a minute. That's absolutely I'm glad you brought that up because one thing I talked to some guys in Charlotte last month or two months ago for ACC media days but that was the one Clemson team that Dabo kind of lost last year.
[48:03] I mean internal because all this NFL talk and they were talking about those guys all year and those guys lost their focus. They were just looking at the draft and they looking at where they're going to position and I think they took their eye off the ball and that usually doesn't happen to a Dabo team. So maybe that was an outlier last year but I think the players they had the NFL turned into a curse sort of that team last year because that's all those guys were thinking about all the way we'll see.
What may be the best most competitive game Ole Miss 6.5 favorite against Louisville Sunday night game in Nashville I like this Louisville team and I've heard that quite a few people say they potentially could make the playoffs kind holds the transfer from Ohio State the Brown boys at running back Ole Miss again if Chambliss plays the way he did in playoffs they may go 11 and one but we got a long way to go Ole Miss 6.5 points against Louisville yeah you know the fact we saw Chambliss play well with Golding a couple of games in the playoffs I still want to see this happen now because that was still Lane's offense last year and his footprints and fingerprints were all over that offense I want to see Chambliss do something like that again now that Lane is out of there and Golding seems to be able to push a lot of right buttons but everything is different now that was still Lane's team last year we'll see about Ole Miss I'm not totally convinced they're not going to have a drop-off this year which they might if Klein is as good as people say I think Louisville is going to be fine we know Jeff Brown is kind of a quarterback whisperer and he's got some weapons there I mean I think Brown is a dangerous running back I could see Louisville making this thing very very competitive they're going to have a lot of fans at Nashville too so this has a bowl game feel to it I think it's a dangerous game for Ole Miss they might I think Ole Miss can pull out a tight decision here but plus points I think I'd rather take Louisville plus especially if Kleinholz and the Brahm history here he's got a proof of concept that his stuff works and I think this is going to be a very close game in Nashville who is Bruce Marshall's under the radar game for this weekend Central Michigan they're playing New Mexico on Saturday in Albuquerque and the news this week from New Mexico which is by the way was favored in the West their quarterback Jack Lane out for the season they just announced he re-injured his elbow in practice and so he was good and Jason Eck the coach really and he brought him with him from Idaho but now he was the only guy who could pass the guy they're talking about to replace him Lobstein by the way the only football player who does not wear socks so that's a mark against him but he does not like to throw at all he just runs and so now New Mexico turns into sort of an air force and Central Michigan is not that bad Matt Drinkle got into a bowl game last year they run a lot their quarterback Flores likes to run Drinkle came from the Army staff there so they're running something with Army but not quite the same but some of the same concepts it'll slow this game down I don't think there's going to be a lot of scoring so I might look under as well but you're still getting double digits here with Central Michigan I think they stick within the numbers so how about that Matt team action right off the bat for me on Saturday we'll see what happens Two things tell us where we can find the gold standard and if Florida State plays the way they did against New Mexico State SMU may beat them by two touchdowns the Mustangs a three point favorite depends on how well Kevin Jennings plays Florida State still has a lot of problems does SMU win this game?
Yes as long as Jennings is okay and I know he had a little injury problem in fall camp but if he's there no I think SMU does win unlike you Brett I was not impressed with Florida State against New Mexico State I mean they really didn't put New Mexico State away until right near the end Ash and Daniels did something they just looked like an ordinary team and they didn't come close to covering the point spread last week if SMU wins then the war drums really start beating in Tallahassee and that's what I think is going to happen but for all of these picks for me this week go up online wagertalk.com picks there we got $5 Tuesday today got some picks college football is here got some college football up there as well so get my picks there also the gold sheet get it up there the first issue is up there ready now and also under that umbrella and picks and farleys winners and winers dot com they're both up there as well Bruce busy boy as they say in Hollywood it's back enjoy and let's do it again soon okay let's have fun watching these games boys absolutely buddy thank you back at you Bruce Bruce Marshall busy there amongst other places the gold sheet coming out of the next hour Matt Michelle is going to be on board Ben Thomas it's hard to believe already two of the books of the high school gridirons Ben's going to be wrapping that up and Auburn Tiger Top with a coaster it's all straight ahead stay with us it's summertime in the shoals which means sunshine hot weather and a lot more bugs ants mosquitoes termites they love this time of year just as much as we do that's why so many homeowners and businesses trust Southern Pride Pest Control locally owned and operated right here in Muscle Shoals with years of experience honest service and a commitment to doing the job right our team doesn't walk away until you're completely satisfied let us help you take back your home this summer call Southern Pride Pest Control today to schedule an appointment when you have pests we have 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thing they actually hired you to fix you will also feel at peace after switching to Progressive America's number one commercial auto insurer see if you can save in as little as 8 minutes at progressivecommercial.com produce a casualty insurance company and affiliates number one commercial auto insurer from the NAIC's 2024 national premium data Rich Eisen here running a small business means every hire matters a bad hire costs time and money but the right one helps your business grow the challenge finding that person without sorting through resumes that's where LinkedIn Hiring Pro comes in it screens candidates so you can focus on conversations with qualified talent with Hiring Pro you can hire with confidence and build the team you need join the 2.7 million small businesses using LinkedIn to hire get started by posting your job for free at linkedin.com slash Eisen terms and conditions apply 1819 news a deadline is fast approaching for libraries throughout Alabama to get in line with a new state code or risk the loss of state funding the new state code addresses books for children and teens that contain sexually explicit and transgender ideology the new state code was voted on this past March with the deadline for libraries to implement the new code set for September 30th local libraries do not have to comply with these new policies if they don't want to but they will not receive taxpayer money through state quarterly funding if they decide not to comply one member of the Alabama Public Library Service Amy Minton told 1819 News that there are over 8,000 titles that fall within the new state code of unacceptable content for minors this code was created in response to Alabama citizens and parents who expressed concern for these books being accessed by children and teens in the libraries APLS chairman John Wall says that the board listened to the families here in Alabama and is not backing down on the enforcement of this new state code which he says is designed to protect children from sexually explicit content I'll be back with more Alabama stories after this Brian Dawson here CEO of 1819 News I'm also the host of 1819 News the podcast and we'd love for you to join us by listening to our weekly show on all the top podcast apps both in audio and video format at 1819 News the podcast we are in pursuit of a free and flourishing Alabama every week we're having important conversations with guests from across this great state all with the goal of equipping Alabamians to be in pursuit of a free and flourishing Alabama with us new episodes are released weekly I hope you'll join us two people were killed in Clay County in an ATV crash 34 year old Brock Rourke was driving the ATV which left the roadway and hit a tree a 13 year old juvenile was a passenger with Rourke and was also killed in this accident I'm Andrea Tyson for more news affecting Alabamians go to 1819news.com and while you're there subscribe to the daily newsletter this is Roger Huber with the Crimson Tide Sports Network join me and Tyler Watts this fall on Monday nights at 6pm for Crimson Tide Rewind live from Baumhauer's Victory Grill in Vestavia Hills and on this great station tune in and roll tide Valley Broadcasting Corporation WITK-FM Rogersville Athens Decatur The Shores Sports Radio 93.9 The Score If you missed Florence Falcons football last Friday night you missed this Hines off the left side cuts it back out great cover back 20, 10, 5 he will score and the Falcons strike again on their home opener quickly great drop want to throw blitz coming hit from behind ball loose ball down at the 37 Florence can scoop it and they do down the sideline is Martinez to the 50 to the 15 10, 5 and he's brought down at the 2 Williams gets away at the 40 45 50 down the sideline 45 cuts back spins to the 40 spins again stays on his feet he's in the spin cycle he made 2 or 3 moves that was unbelievable that looked like a video game right there Florence goes to 2-0 of the season and the Falcons are happy in their all black uniforms they knock off a good Jasper team 50 to 21 the Falcons go on the road to take on the Muscle Shoals Trojans this Friday night for game 6 kickoff 7 here on 93.9 the score 93.9 the score weather today sunny and hot with a high around 97 and heated next values as high as 105 tonight mostly clear with a low near 75 tomorrow sunny and hot with a high around 95 tomorrow night mostly clear with a low near 75 and for your Thursday sunny and hot 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 boom bug show new exclusive inside track to the tide Tigers Tennessee and the rest of the SEC now your host Harold Bugg on 93.9 the score welcome back in hour two of the boom old bug show I'm Harold Bugg alongside Redbeard thank you so much for giving us your ride around the Tennessee Valley and with that what do you say we kick off this second hour by going to the man on the other end of the state of Alabama that's Ben Thomas down in a place called the greater mobile area he's got it all covered though at AL.com BT welcome in how are you doing good how you guys doing almost as well as the Columbia Eagles one thing about this team Ben they love to streak do they not whether it's a losing streak or a winning streak they're now riding a two game winning streak how about that maybe they can win 101 games there you go at just the own pace yeah I mean I hate to brag Brett you know I don't but that was my surprise you're right you're correct and again I'm not saying we're going to make a run to the Eagles we're going to make a run to the state championship or anything but two wins is monumental for this team that lost 101 straight games and Sammy Coast has done a great job there yes so it's a good story I mean obviously you know breaking the streak was huge but you know there's some more games you know May Jemison this week it could be another chance to get a victory obviously May Jemison has got one of the top offensive line prospects Bayley but we'll see I like what they have going there and obviously some tough games down the road but congratulations to Coach Coates and the Eagles absolutely how do you stomp a Mars Hill 21 game winning streak you have the former coach of Mars Hill in the streak and Russellville did just that trip Cleveland 11 to 15 for 179 this is very good Chris Hill is the new coach of course at Mars Hill and Daryl Higgins is going to Russellville but that was quite a night as you can imagine in particularly for Daryl Higgins he's coached these guys for 10 years and now he's beating them and ending their 21 game winning streak yeah I would assume it was probably emotional for Coach Higgins it was that team to such great heights there at Mars Hill and then gets to play them again I think when the coaches always tell me when they go up against their former teams that when the game is going on it's just a matter of coaching your team but there's got to be a little bit more going into it and coming out of it for that but you know that long winning streak comes to an end and now you know I think it's really interesting this week because we're in region play and you know Marshall going to Westbrook Christian I think Steve Smith feels like he's got one of his better teams at Westbrook since he left Piedmont and that's going to be an interesting game and judging by my picks Brett I haven't quite got a handle on this new reclassification yet so I'm hoping to improve as the season goes on don't ever judge a book by its cover at this point Ben Thomas AL.com a lot of folks around this neck of the woods saying what about Florence High well they go on the road get a road win in Pensil Valley in week one and everybody's talking about this kid it's basically being looked at Ohio State out of Jasper and what does Florence do they not only shut down the show but they win again in a convincing matter 50-21 what about the high flying Falcons yeah so they're averaging what about 50 points a game 48 45 or something in the first round against Pensil Valley which Pensil's probably not really good so you didn't know what to make of that but yeah Zion Coker has gotten a lot of attention Randy Kennedy wrote about him the running back for Jasper last week and so Florence is looking like the real deal we'll see this week again opening of region play I guess the good muscle show team that's on our pick that's on our 20th good good one and I'm struggling with it I'm struggling with it but we'll see you know three so three of their first four are on the road already having played Penson and then Russell will speak of Darrell Higgins Russell will up next so you know if they can get through these next two games you know we'll see what happens at Florence let me ask you about Trent Seaborn I think we've been talking about him for 10 years the quarterback at Thompson he was only 22 of 26 for 292 yards and four touchdowns as Thompson beat Clay Chalkville 37 to 13 BT maybe this week he may become the Alabama Alabama High School Athletic Association's all-time leading passer we were looking at him and Gunnar Rivers as a possibility and of course we know Gunnar got hurt in that first game Thompson continues to do Thompson things and just win week after week but as far as someone who is consistent he has grown the last couple of years on and off the field but Trent Seaborn continues to do Trent Seaborn things yeah I think he's Dennis Victory is working on a story about that for tomorrow I think he's like 252 yards shy or something like that right in that neighborhood of Jack Hayes all-time passing record so he's going to get it this week or next week inevitably unless there's an injury and hopefully there won't be that it's pretty amazing and this Thompson team it almost seems like you know for all the success Mark Freeman has had at Thompson I think they've only had one undefeated season because of the tough schedule they play incredible teams from across the south and this team has got a chance to do that they beat Clay Chalkville last week Clay Chalkville kind of had their number had beaten them in three straight close games but Thompson poured it on Clay Chalkville last week and now they get another good team in Vestavia Hills in that region you know there's not a whole lot of breathers but this is in fact we posted our power 25 rankings yesterday and Thompson is number one and Vestavia Hills is number two and this will be the third straight week that we've had a one versus two matchup Thompson played Central Phoenix City the first week they were number two they played Clay Chalkville last week they were number two and now they get number two Vestavia Hills so no fair dodging anybody for Thompson but they look really good and like you said Seaborn on the verge of history seems like just a couple years ago it was just a couple years ago we were following Alvin Henderson's quest to break the all-time rushing record which he did and now we're about to have an all-time leading passer pretty cool you know let's kind of expand a little bit on Seaborn because we in all due respect we've seen kids perform at a certain level in high school and they got talent but they also got a lot of talent around them your thoughts about the next level for Seaborn now obviously this kid does not back down from a challenge if you go in as an eighth grader in that program and do what he did and has been consistent since that tells you that he's got some grit but when he gets to Tuscaloosa that thing you got to step it up the room itself is going to be tough the competition is going to be tough your thoughts what do you know about as far as that aspect we know he's got the physical talent he's got the it factor but your thoughts about Seaborn because right now let's face it no one's giving him much of a chance it's almost like well that's a sweet story but when he gets to Tuscaloosa he'll have to take a number to get his number called as a starting quarterback your thoughts about Seaborn as a college quarterback yeah I think I think it's kind of flipped a little bit in the last couple of years I mean I think you're right Harold in the fact that I think a lot of people think he's an Alabama guy yeah we're going to get a scholarship but he's probably not going to be the Crimson Tide quarterback in the future now I've kind of changed my mind and I'm not so sure that can't happen you know obviously they've got some young quarterbacks now and Keelan Russell gets the starting job but you know I've gotten to the point where I'm not going to underestimate Trent Seaborn in any way he does you know I talked to Mark Freeman about this at the kickoff luncheon a couple of weeks ago and he said look and part of it is you know you just don't know how much who's getting what NIL and is that a factor are we going to because this guy is making more money does he get a more equal shot than this guy I mean we don't talk about that much but honestly that's probably a factor in a lot of situations just like it would be in pro football you know if you're paying the starter X amount of million dollars and then the back at that not even close the guy who's making the most money is probably going to start but what Coach Freeman told me was that nobody is going to outwork Trent he's going to study he's going to know the playbook and he's going to be ready for his chance and he's very accurate obviously he's got a great quarterback coach in Mark Freeman and he's a good young man with good parents and that doesn't always mean you're going to be a great college player I realize that but one thing I can say for sure he'll be a first class representative of the Alabama Crimson Tide for his tenure there and if and if he ends up being the quarterback it won't be oh my gosh we've got to go with that guy I mean he'll be a winner you do a new feature this year in your opinion the 10 best performances of the week and one of them was a young man in our neck of the woods Zane Kilbourne from Lexington now Brett Mask is the coach at Lexington of course he is the iconic Steve Mask son who is a good friend of yours why did he make your top 10 355 yards passing in five touchdowns as Lexington they're off to a 2-0 start beat Clemens 46-7 congratulations to him and something else Parker beat James Clemens 34-7 Parker is number five in class 5A James Clemens started the season beat Austin who is a little surprising 0-2 MJ Gideon had five touchdowns in that game but they just shut them down I tell you what BT Parker has a college defensive front they've got three we talked to Randy Kennedy about this one's an Arkansas State commit the other in Western Kentucky and they got a two-lane commit and those guys were not even the leading tacklers Malik Hardy and Nathan Holmes were but I tell you what that Parker team is tough tell us about your top 10 players and Parker obviously is a good team yeah I would say that if you've seen the class 6A championship game the last two years Parker won it two years ago against Sarah Land Clay Chalk won it last year against Sarah Land and the difference was the defensive line in both cases Sarah Land couldn't block them and again Parker's got some of those studs from two years ago are not there but there's some studs who are there now and they're hard to block James Clemens interesting game this week against Bob Jones in the Madison Bowl Bob Jones really throttled them last year which is kind of a surprise I would expect the Jets to play a spirited game this week but yeah Ben's 10 so I like this this is my top 10 impact performances of the week it runs on Monday morning and a lot of big stats in there guys but I also want it to be something where it could be the key play of the game and the guy may not have big stats that type thing you know just 10 performances I really like for instance in addition to Zane and I'll have to tell the older coach you call him the mechanic he'll appreciate that but two special team plays that really made a difference I had this week Colby Weaver from UMS Wright Mountbrook had the game won they interestingly guys they took a 9-0 lead in the second half but there was a penalty on that field goal and they took the points off the board and then UMS had a goal line stand and then they blocked the next field goal and ran it back Colby Weaver ran it back 85 yards for a touchdown turned the whole game around UMS Wright goes on to win and then similar thing at Briarwood Christian where John Campbell returned the second half kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown and a big 17-14 win over Homewood so just some things from around the nation you get a certificate with my shining face on it that people can remember for always they can either name it or they can put it on their dartboard if I pick against them whatever they want to do but yeah I enjoy doing that and it comes out on Monday morning Now tell us about the rest of the week I believe the five questions Huntsville Birmingham Mobile Thomas Ashworth has really done a very good job he covered the UNA Sanford game by the way in his spare time over the weekend you've got the lousy your lousy picks again tell us about the week and where can we get on line to get all the great stuff Thomas is doing a great job up there really proud of him up in the north part of the state not just covering high schools Brett like you said but doing a lot of different things covering colleges as well so he and I are neck and neck into picks neither one of us is great and we're behind the leader Randy Kennedy which is I've got to get him out of there or we'll never hear the end of it he's a ringer we only into week three so hopefully we'll get it going but we have on Wednesday we have our five things to know in each market about those games which I really like and on Thursdays we have the picks and also Randy Kennedy's updated best in band recruiting rankings will be out that afternoon and of course Friday night we have football high live which is one of our more popular features following the game from all across the state all night long so you just go to al.com and you can dial all that good stuff up sounds great Ben send Randy to Canada and cover hockey okay yeah I don't know about that that way he can catch you up in the stand that's right get him away for a couple of weeks well I'm I'm the one that entered the picks I might just switch his school there you go there you go deal with a pencil and a big eraser Ben listen man have a great week and thanks for your time today buddy B.T. Ben Thomas AL.com coming up finally the curtain coming up on a brand new era for the game on the planes called Pinkston the latest next stay with us you got a craving they won't quit lost pizza company shows just dropped something new and it's only around for a limited time say hello to our jalapeno mac and cheese bites crispy cheesy packed with a little kick and serve with our house made ranch for dipping paired with the Philly y'all our loaded Philly cheesesteak pizza that's quickly becoming a fan favorite this is for a limited time only so don't wait come dine in or call ahead for to go lost pizza company shows 201 north seminary street in florence dine in or to go hi this is Ike Fowler with alabama health guidance whether you are looking for a medicare health plan or you are under 65 and exploring individual health care options alabama health guidance can help you find the plan that fits your needs our local agents make it simple so stop by our office at 885 Florence Blvd or give us a call at 256-648-5710 again that's 256-648-5710 All right grab some buds and listen up grilling season's here now we find out what we're made of are we gonna fold under pressure and overcook the burgers or are we gonna 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 stock up today Anheuser-Busch Budweiser and Bud Light beer St. Louis Missouri At North Alabama Bone and Joint Clinic our Shoals roots run deep we provide quick access and familiar friendly faces so you never have to feel just like a number from sports medicine to joint replacement expert care happens right here at home as UNA Athletics choice for orthopedics and the trusted orthopedic team of the Shoals families for over 30 years North Alabama Bone and Joint Clinic is here for you learn more at nabjc.com sprained wrist ankle twist broken thumb can't make a fist busted knee surgery that patch of ice you didn't see where pain starts Gernavix Suzetrogine begins Gernavix is a non-opioid 50 milligram prescription tablet for adults with moderate to severe acute pain that reduces pain signals before they reach the brain tendon tear nose repair tripping on that broken stair dislocation operation moped crash while on vacation do not take Gernavix with CYP3A inhibitors avoid use with grapefruit or liver problems as these may increase side effects tell your doctor about all your medicines if you are pregnant or breastfeeding Gernavix may make certain medicines and birth control less effective side effects include itching muscle spasms rash and elevated muscle enzymes joint displacement knee replacement fell on marbles in the basement bladder slip broken hip that rock climb where you lost your grip to learn more about Gernavix ask your doctor call 1-833-589-PAIN or visit Gernavix.com from the University of Alabama this is Crimson Tide today it's a daily update on Bama sports and it's brought to you by Vector Security Champions Lane the best pregame fan fest in college football for more information visit championslane.com hello again everybody I'm Roger Hoover on Tuesday's edition of Crimson Drive driven by NASCAR we'll be joined by Alabama volleyball freshman Josie Ives I think where our pivot has been is like you actually have to believe in them and you have to believe that you can actually achieve them and like in practice and stuff like that like in club and high school and stuff like there's like some certain things that like work and stuff like you kind of find like your bread and butter and like here it's just like I've been like challenged in so many ways because like I've got to find ways to score like I've got to find ways to put the ball down and like the defense is constantly making the offense better because the defense picks everything up and then the offense like responds and they're like let me challenge the defense like I'm going to come at you with this and this and then like the serving and the passers like every single day we're coming to the gym we're making everybody better because like the play just elevates another level like literally every single practice it's really cool I'll have more in a moment are you ready for game day in Tuscaloosa don't miss the ultimate pre-game experience this season at Vector Security Champions Lane opening four hours before each home game this fan fest has everything located next to the walk champions you'll enjoy live music with our great concert series plus player autographs food trucks giant LED video boards to watch games and ice cold beer at Legends Lounge where there is never a cover charge check out championslane.com each week for the latest updates roll tide join us tomorrow night for Hey Coach and the Kalen DeBoer Show presented by Alpha Insurance live at 6 p.m. Central from Baumhauer's Victory Grill in Tuscaloosa you can listen to the show on our full radio network the Varsity Network app as well as watch a video stream on all Alabama Athletics social media platforms Crimson Tide Today is brought to you by Vector Security Champions Lane Crimson Tide Today is a production of the Crimson Tide Sports Network from Learfield Hey it's Michelle Smallman and coming up Wednesday we ask Mel Kuyper Jr.
[1:20:44] who his QB1 is as we head into the college football season when he joins us at 8.30 a.m. Eastern it's on Sportsman like 6 a.m. Eastern right here on ESPN Radio ESPN2 and ESPNU the score the score now back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 the score Welcome back in I would imagine he cannot wait until Saturday in hot Atlanta Cole Pinkston's got the Auburn Tigers covered there at auburnsports.com part of the on3e.com family Cole welcome in how are you? Doing great doing great thanks for having me again At this point Cole I mean is there anything left to be said about this team getting ready to take the lid off the season?
Yeah you know this week's always a struggle for me like we said everything that I know to say Go play Go play Yeah let's it's time to see it I mean I you know the best thing I can do is just talk about what was said yesterday from Alex Golesh and the coordinators and try to put it all together and at least give a couple predictions of the way I see it going this year and that's about all you can do this week but yeah I'm ready four days let's go I saw some of the stuff the coaches were saying in the offensive line as they put it put through the gauntlet you might want to help us understand what exactly the gauntlet means in this case we know the word but what does it mean here and I mean let's face it these coaches they have a hard time at this point because they know what they got they also know what they don't have and sometimes it's a tight rope decision here and articulate that to the fan base because two things can happen at this point you can overdo it which means it's impossible to meet the standard or you can sit here and walk away and say this guy is just bad mouthing it's just coach speak where is this coach as far as just being transparent with the fan base I actually think I actually told someone this yesterday the depth chart they put out in my opinion is the closest thing to the truth that I've seen because I'll give you an example so Champ Anthony is on there about three different times on three different positions usually in my experience and he's near the top of every one I'm like he's starting at least twice so we'll see where he starts but usually they don't do that because we'll move around well at least they're showing you what he's going to be he's going to be here he's going to be here he's going to be here I actually really like that I think the transparency about he said yesterday I actually just put this on our board and we're discussing it now with the members of Auburn Sports like he made the comment I just don't know if we have the leadership we need to actually have a huge season really and what about talent it's never about talent if you ask two frees it was always we need one more class of players with goal assists we need more leadership you know and I've been on some teams you have too and if you've never played sports is there any way you cannot overestimate how important that is because I think we've seen the Atlanta Braves this year at times that they missed some leadership in their locker room or in their dressing room if you will it's one of those things you can't manufacture you either have natural leadership skills you have you know what or you don't but you cannot overestimate how important that is especially when the chips are down as long as you're winning it doesn't really matter it's on autopilot it's when things are down that's when you're going to have somebody to grab somebody by the collar and say I'm going to do to you if you don't get your act right I think he's got some old school to him even though he is a younger guy where he's looking at it and going you know I know the 13 players I brought over I know what they're about that's why I brought them I recruited a lot of these guys didn't recruit every single one of them probably recruited 75% of the roster that's currently there but he's looking at it and going I just you know I don't trust everybody yet and I think that's pretty transparent to say and I think he would tell them the same way maybe not in those words just I got to see what you can do I haven't seen it yet under fire until you show that to me I don't know how to feel exactly we've done all we can to this point but let's see what it looks like by the way I enjoyed reading your article about unexpected and expected questions about Auburn this year and two of them caught my eye there's not a clear starter opposite of cornerback Andre Jordan could that be Gavin Jenkins only time will tell and one that I'm like you I was really surprised at this I heard the entire offseason how the expectations for Jordan Crawford would be on the defensive line well where is he he's on the scout team that surprised me a lot your thoughts on Andre Jordan and where Jordan Crawford is right now yes I wrote that Friday and coming out with the depth chart and just a couple days later that's how fast things move when you're getting towards the season here I actually do think we have a little more clarity about corner I do think Rayshon Pleasant is the next guy there but you know it took a while why did it take so long you asked that question and he was the guy that was coming back and had the experience so it probably shouldn't have taken so long but we'll see maybe that'll be a great thing for him that he had to earn it that way and then Jordan Crawford was actually on the depth chart but he was lower on the depth chart but he was there so I one of my suspicions was it was just surprising to see him with the scout team guys but a good point was made to me by a subscriber at Auburn Sports hey you know they don't really have walk-ons anymore somebody's got to do scout team I didn't think about it that way it's probably a little bit of that I think Frank Farrier is a guy that's also going to play but was on scout team at least once last week so they're doing a little bit of that I think they want guys on scout team that are actually going to give them some challenges so that's part of it but you know I thought he'd be a little higher I'm curious to see what his snap count looks like in this Baylor game Yeah and scout teams the definition of the scout teams changed it used to be you're in the coach's doghouse and you've got to work your way out of it or you've got a bad attitude but you're exactly right that has changed some we've got to go to a US Open tennis update always enjoy the conversation have a great trip to Atlanta where can we get on line to get your stuff Brian Matthews and the whole game Yes sir Auburn Sports on three rivals you can still get us up until the first game for just four days now 75% off for an annual subscription so come join us Cole Peekston hooking up with us AuburnSports.com part of the On3.com family time to go to court and the very latest from the US Open stay with us here on Sports Radio 93.9 the score The Alabama defensive line isn't the only one with skills ask your Amazon Alexa devices to tune in to 93.9 the score listen to the score streaming live anywhere on Alexa enabled devices all of your favorite shows and teams are waiting Westwood One Sports presents this special tennis update brought to you by Fisher Investments only one match complete on day three so far because of rain Madison Keys kicked off her 15th US Open with a 7-5-6-4 win over 19 year old Alina Kornieva under the roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium I think I'm still a teenager so looking across the net and seeing a teenager doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me but it's always such an honor to be on Arthur Ashe and to be out here again all these years later is incredible right now nine-seed Taylor Fritz is off to a good start against fellow American Darwin Blanche Fritz crushed six aces on the way to taking the first set 6-3 they're on serve early in the second five-seed Flavio Caboli has rallied from two sets to none down he's forced a fifth set against Francisco Comasanya of Argentina tonight 2023 champ Coco Goff and men's top seed Alexander Zverev will be in action with this tennis update Brad Heller Westwood One Sports at Fisher Investments we may seem like other money managers but we're different what makes you so different than the rest of us we ensure clients receive unparalleled service at every step of the relationship tell me more our investment counselors focus on service over sales prioritizing clients needs how do you make money we don't sell any commission-based products we have a simple management fee based on the value of our client's portfolio so we do better when our clients do better what 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weather is still pretending it's July and somehow Christmas is already staring at us from around the corner hi I'm Brandi Hammock with Creative Jewelers and before the holiday rush gets here September is a great time to come see us if you've got a birthday or anniversary coming up we can help you find the perfect gift if you're thinking about getting engaged we can help with that too and gentlemen just a friendly reminder I forgot it's not considered a gift we also specialize in custom jewelry design so if you have an idea for something you can't find anywhere else let's create it and don't forget about those jewelry repairs you've been meaning to bring in you know the ones they've been sitting in that little box for six months waiting patiently come see us this September at Creative Jewelers because there's always a good reason for jewelry and sometimes the best reason is simply I want it Creative Jewelers and historic downtown Florence just look for the big purple awning the YMCA of the Shoals would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the generous sponsors of our annual benefit golf tournament special thanks to our platinum sponsors Legacy Park Homes and the Long Lewis Foundation our silver sponsor T&T Fireworks and our corporate sponsors American Paper Entwine and Lister Hill Credit Union your support helps provide financial assistance to ensure that no one is turned away from the YMCA due to inability to pay together you're helping strengthen our community thank you for making a difference the Colonel's cooked up a new $10 bucket of the day just for you Monday 10 wings for $10 Tuesday 8 piece fried chicken for $10 Wednesday 8 tenders for $10 Thursday 10 wings for $10 Friday 24 nuggets for ooh you guessed it didn't you $10 the $10 bucket of the day deal every weekday only at KFC it's finger licking good prices and participation very well supplies last not available on third party ordering platforms tax extra you like saving money right we all do that's why Allstate just lowered the price of car insurance not but wait there's a catch lower actually lower so if you're shopping around or just want to see how much you can save check Allstate first for a new lower auto rate that could save you hundreds you're in good hands with Allstate not available in every state only applicable for new auto insurance business rates will vary by several factors including how you purchase the policy potential savings vary Allstate North American Insurance company and affiliates Northbrook, Illinois Rich Eisen here running a small business means every hire matters a bad hire costs time and money but the right one helps your business grow the challenge finding that person without sorting through resumes that's where LinkedIn Hiring Pro comes in it screens candidates so you can focus on conversations with qualified talent with Hiring Pro you can hire with confidence and build the team you need join the 2.7 million small businesses using LinkedIn to hire get started by posting your job for free at linkedin.com slash Eisen terms and conditions apply football is almost back you did the homework now put it to use where it counts join the Polymarket community where you can trade live in-game and exit when you want see what other fans think find the predictions you think they've got wrong and take your position just download the Polymarket app and use promo code linebacker deposit $10 and get $20 to trade instantly 18 plus only see Polymarket's terms of service for more information about restrictions and eligibility the Polymarket app is an independent affiliate of Polymarket US and not CFTC regulated trading always involves risk complete loss can occur progressive presents the sports flash on 93.9 the score good college football action this weekend 13th ranked Alabama's at home they'll kick off the season Saturday against East Carolina Auburn Tigers head to Atlanta and Mercedes-Benz Stadium they'll take on Baylor Saturday in the Aflac kickoff North Alabama's on the road this week the Lions will play Arkansas Fayetteville North Alabama is 1-0 South Alabama opens the season Saturday against Southeastern Louisiana while Troy will open at home against Sam Houston the Braves dropped a game yesterday to the San Francisco Giants 7-3 Bryce Elder took the loss he's now 8-8 Braves dropped to 82-56 the Braves will be on the road tonight they'll play the Washington Nationals A.J. Smith Chauver will get the start for Atlanta tune in tonight for Braves baseball to take on the Nationals on the road first pitch is set for 545 I'm John Thayer with the Sports Flash presented by Progressive on 93.9 the score it just smells like nostalgic breakfast memories hey I'm Ellie hey I'm Taylor and a little thing we love about the Chick-fil-A chicken and waffles breakfast sandwich is it's the perfect mix of sweet and savory the combination of crispy juicy savory chicken with the sweetness and fluffy softness of a waffle and the bacon just makes it better plus the fact that it's handheld 10 out of 10 every bite is at home run order the Chick-fil-A chicken and waffles breakfast sandwich with a caramel cream cold brew on the Chick-fil-A app today real guests paid for their testimonials you know what you can trust the protection you get when you bundle home and auto insurance with Progressive you know what you can't trust everything else apparently like when you saw that article that said that thing you eat every day is a super food and great for your gut health but then 30 seconds later a different article warns you to avoid it and it's taking years off your life well which is it kind of a big difference there anyway bundle home and auto insurance with Progressive for reliable coverage in a reliably unreliable world Progressive Casualty Insurance Company affiliates and third party insurers not available in all states or situations join us this fall on Wednesday nights for Hey Coach and the Kalen DeBoer Show presented by Alpha Insurance live from Baumhauer's Victory Grill in Tuscaloosa the show starts at 6pm and you don't want to miss it The Score now back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score Welcome back in it is always a pleasure for us to say hello to Double M Matt Mischel got it all covered there with the Orlando Center on his podcast it's called Gridiron 365 Matt welcome in how are you?
[1:36:27] I'm doing well how are you guys doing? Hey buddy time to go Jeopardy with you Matt with an enrollment of right at 70,000 name the biggest college in terms of enrollment in the state of Florida Matt Mischel that would be UCF yep yes amazing is it not I saw like 14,000-15,000 more than the University of Florida which leads us to the next question when is UCF's next football game Matt? that would be Thursday night believe me it's coming it's coming quicker than I I spent most of my morning working on stories and stuff like that for this week we have a special section wrap on it so I've been working on that as well so I'm eager to go listen I've spent enough time researching court cases I don't want to hear about more eligibility I want to talk actual football let's get the ball kicked off okay we're going to take it we're going to take it to your word let's start with the SEC Oklahoma Thursday night they actually take the lid off the SEC season welcome to 2026 remember when it used to be Saturday with Keith Jackson that's Thursday before long they'll start having games on Tuesday but be that as it may now we got what Thursday through Monday so this is the college football's dream week let's start with first things first your thoughts about Oklahoma forget about the game we pretty much know who's going to win there's always a craziness out there but let's be honest here overall what are you looking for in this Sooners team this season well you know I think you've got to see improvement I think the quarterback position has been kind of a carousel for the last 4 or 5 years I think John Mateers is probably a guy that they feel very comfortable in you know I think it's someone that Brent Venables feels like they can come off of last year and build off of him maybe and try to see if they can show some improvement you know this is a team that's going to bring back 11 starters you know have 6 on offense particularly they've got to put some points up but I also think too more importantly they've got to play some defense that's been Venables forte hey this is a team that's got to be better there's a lot of high expectations for Oklahoma I think people want to see Oklahoma play a lot better than they did last year and now you're a top 10 team there's no reason why you feel like you shouldn't be able to do that this is an interesting schedule for them they open up with UTEP as you mentioned and then turn around and have to go to Michigan so it's not going to be easy right off the bat for Oklahoma they're going to have to find a way to get out there get what they need to get done this weekend and then prepare themselves for a big showdown against Michigan which can do a lot for not only just Oklahoma but also for the SEC that want to help improve their brand let me ask you about your game real quick it's Bethune Cookman at of course UCA Thursday night in the bounce house and I can pretty much guess UCF is a 42 and a half point favorite if things go well it should not be close Barnett the quarterback is back I think he's one of the best players in the Big 12 and people forget 5 and 7 last year they lost two close games one 30 to 27 to Houston lost to Kansas by 7 points this team could have been 75 last year I think they've got a little bit more manageable schedule Scott Frost of course is back Matt your gut on this UCF team this year yeah I agree with you you think about that you mentioned that Kansas game they had first and goal and had four opportunities and didn't get it in the end zone at the end of the game they could have won that game very easily so again I think this is going to be a much better team one of the things that Scott has talked about over the last eight months is the idea of being more comfortable when he first arrived it was really just running around trying to get guys to throw a loss now he's been able to get the guys he'd like to get in there they got more mature experienced veteran players that basically he feels like they didn't have to spend so much time holding their hand on how to practice when they got to the field and instead could get out there and learn things and do things quickly that's something that's helped them out and I think to me the biggest factor is going to be quarterback Alonzo Barnett UCF has had four quarterbacks play the last three or four years if Barnett plays like he did last year this team is bound to win more games I think to me the floor is seven they've got to get to seven wins this year and I think that if they can do that I think they get themselves in a bowl game and then we'll see what happens from there and that can build a foundation going into next season which I think will help them benefit making a push in the Big 12 we obviously want to talk about Alabama but let's talk about one of their opponents that's coming up very soon and that is Florida State they were the heavy favorites over this past weekend and I think if you look at the reviews if the late Roger Ebert was here writing a review it wouldn't be very nice they won yes but your thoughts just about what you're gleaning from this Florida State program this season because again a lot of Alabama fans know what happened last year and before you know it these two should come together again this time in Tuscaloosa shortly well you know you've got to feel for Mike Norvell in some ways this is the guy right now who starts the season with a win and it feels like a loss Florida State fans are pointing around going we should have won bigger we should look and it didn't happen and I think part of it is yeah I saw a lot of things on Saturday that Florida State you know did this past season you know they're bad with penalties the offensive line wasn't as dominant as it should have been the defense allowed New Mexico State to get back in it in the second half a little bit and so those are concerns if you're Mike Norvell listen I was at a touchdown club meeting last night and someone asked how many people thought that Mike Norvell would be back next year and no one raised their hand a Florida State fan and that's exactly what's going on and I think the fan base is tuning out and also tuning away their checkbooks you know because I think about them they understand that if Mike Norvell is not going to be there next year why would I give the school money to go out and get players to have them win I'd rather watch them lose so this is a guy right now who's going to be perpetually on the hot seat after every game and you look at their schedule and they get SMU this coming week that's a huge game for them they've got to find a way to win that game and then they go to Alabama there's a possibility they could be one and two going into that and that's just not where I think Mike Norvell wants to be but this is a program right now that is desperately trying to find a way to get back on track I'm just not sure if they're going to be able to do it Matt you mentioned Alabama you know where we are what's your gut feeling I'm one of those let's just wait and see because things are so fresh things are so new anytime you break in a brand new quarterback especially a young one like that who knows you've got questions and they'll start answering them on Saturday against East Carolina but what does your gut tell you about this Alabama team well you know again I think you're right I think quarterback is going to be the key how do you take a little time to develop the quarterback you know this is a team that offensively is going to have to look a little different than last I think that Ryan Grubb is the guy who came in and they got to find a way to get the offense working defensively Alabama's always been pretty solid on the defensive side of the ball but can they get back to that it's going to be a challenge a little bit and it's not like unfortunately that Alabama can walk in and say okay we're going to we got East Carolina this week yeah that's great you know we got maybe two other weak opponents you know they go to Kentucky the next week Kentucky you never know what you're going to get out of Kentucky and then you can go to Florida State and who knows exactly so it's going to be a little bit of a challenge and I think this is where you know I think some pressure is going to fall and kill on the ball but listen because Alabama is not highly thought of right now or highly ranked in the SEC I think that helps them a little bit I do too pressure off them I think mainly you can go out there and play football you don't have to worry about are you the top team in the SEC right now are you the number one team in the SEC right now you can just go out there and play football and let all that noise go and fall and then just worry about what happens on the field instead of focusing on all the chatter that's going out around the program man I know a lot of our listeners and your subscribers are not used to watching college football on Sunday afternoon and Sunday night but that's what Labor Day weekend brings the Apple Cup is on Sunday afternoon on NBC at 4 o'clock Washington to 23 and a point favorite but from Lambeau Field beginning at 730 I think that may be a 630 game central time Notre Dame a 20 point favorite over Wisconsin at Lambeau Field and then at the same time Ole Miss and Louisville on ABC I'm sorry I believe on ESPN but that's going to be fascinating Matt Notre Dame bringing back a secondary that's got had 21 interceptions CJ Carr has been favorite and at quarterback I keep hearing Luke Fickle is going to have a better year at Wisconsin your thoughts on both games Notre Dame Wisconsin Ole Miss Louisville well Luke Fickle better have a better season at Wisconsin because he's right behind Mike Norvell he is they're both front and center when it comes to the hot seat yeah I think Notre Dame this is an interesting year for them a lot of buzz surrounding this program a lot of people believe this is a team that can contend for the national championship this year have enough pieces coming back you mentioned the defense it's going to be a challenge obviously in Lambeau Field it's not the blustery Lambeau Field in the winter but I think you're in hostile territory but I think this is a good opportunity for Notre Dame to make their chase on a Sunday night I think the Ole Miss Louisville game is really going to be fast both these two teams expect a lot of expectations for these programs both teams have an opportunity to really showcase themselves on a Sunday night where really there's a limited amount of games I mean I just think Ole Miss can make a statement with this win that just sets them up they'd love to be undefeated going into the LSU game believe me no one wants to suffer a lot before they get it TV executives would love that too Matt Merchelle with the Orlando Sentinel the reason we say that that way you're kind of in a sandwich position between Florida and Florida Atlantic I think most of us know he's going to win the football game at least we think we do but more than that your thoughts about the beginning of a brand new era we know that Sam Raul he's been doing a lot of talking how is he going to do as far as walking with this Gator team this season Matt yeah you know I think that's going to be the challenge people are excited about he's done a lot over the last few months of kind of calling a media tour he went around talking to everyone trying to really raise back up the visibility of this program he understood that when he took this job that Florida was not a premier program as it had been over the last few decades you know I think he felt like it was time to go out there and try to stuff for the Gators and try to say that there's a chance for them to do some things it is going to be kind of a challenge I mean listen I think what helps them out is they've got a decent offensive line you know I think Aaron Philo is going to be interesting in quarterback they can get him out there he's familiar with the system you know obviously that Buster Faulkner's run he ran it at Georgia Tech I think that helps them out Jaden Ball you know running back his amazing year last year I think they have a chance for him to have a big year running the football and then defensively they've got lots of great people I think they can they can come out there and you know really kind of help themselves out what I like about Florida is they've got two really good cupcake games FAU and Campbell coming up and then they go to Auburn so they've got a chance to kind of get themselves figured out before they hit the road at Auburn and then they host Ole Miss so maybe they can kind of get themselves situated better than they would have been if let's say they had to face Auburn in week two or Ole Miss in week two so I like what you know John's done it'll be interesting to see if they can kind of when things get a little tight here and there if they lose the game here and there what's his mentality what's the mentality of the team how do you get them to bounce back that's the thing yeah absolutely Fresno State in USC is going to be interesting to game the Trojans 22 and a point favorite that's a Fox night that may be a little bit too much even though the USC offense looked awfully good with their freshman receivers Trent Mosley and Dixon Wyatt in France it's going to be interesting to see if Lincoln Riley can get over some demons and get them to the playoffs well listen good luck Thursday night it's going to be here for you next time you turn around where can we get online and get your great stuff as far as pregame and all the college football stuff yeah you can go to orlandosetinal.com to check out the latest or follow the social media OS Matt Michelle I think for Lincoln Riley he just wants to make sure he gets more than 600 fans in the stands yes it's not a good look when you're no it wasn't and your stands are basically empty on a Saturday spring game exactly and it's game one I think the flag football team that's about right Matt Michelle he's busy there with the Orlando Cinellum BB obviously the Braves they don't want to take too much for granted the lead now fourth spot over the Philadelphia Fields going into tonight's showdown yeah they got two games with the Nationals night game of course then the day game tomorrow they lost to the Giants in a make up game yesterday 7-2-3 Bryce Elder did not have one of his better performances but they go back to the Nationals tonight and of course you can hear that game right here on 93-9 good opportunity for the Braves to pick up a win they're in first place one of the best records in all of baseball the Nationals 17 games at a first place behind the first place Braves check it out again later on here on 93-9 the score gonna take care of guys for now on behalf of BB Greg James Blair the entire crew here Harold Buck thank you so much for your time today let's do it again next time noon to two for the BMO Buck show back here on sports radio 93-9 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