Boomo Bugg Show 091426

[0:00] Now, get ready to roll Shoals, Decatur, Athens, and all of Northwest Alabama and Southern Tennessee. It's time for the Valley's exclusive FM Sports Voice. The Boomo Bugg Show. Your exclusive inside track to the Tigers, Tennessee and the rest of the SEC. Now your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Good afternoon and welcome here to the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brad Beard. Thank you so much for giving us free ride around the Tennessee Valley. Brad Beard, welcome in to the good, the bad, the ugly Monday after and a show of hands, Alabama fans. How many of you went from a first half cussing to a second half crushing? Good afternoon, welcome in and how are you?

Happy Monday to you and the listeners. We'll review Alabama, Auburn, and Tennessee's impressive wins during the course of the show. Matt St. Charles of the Times daily recups UNA's loss in Louisiana and some high school football results. But Adam is here right now to recap a very interesting week two in the SEC. I bet he also got some details of a border war early in the season. Adam Spencer is the man there at Saturday Down South. Adam, welcome in. How are you? Hey guys, I'm doing pretty well. That was a fun border war. So, yeah. How are you guys?

We're doing fine, man. If you're just joining us, what is Adam talking about? Adam is from the Show Me State of Missouri. And let's start there. Let's indulge you, Adam. You showed your buddies from across the state line there, Kansas. The people in this neck of the woods, they realize how much you guys love each other. Yeah, I mean, I think that hopefully some of the discourse around that ridiculous video that Kansas sent out, hopefully that is the discourse around that. Hopefully it showed people just like how intense this rivalry actually is and how little it has to do with actual football sometimes. So, yeah, I mean, this is, that was nice to shut them up a little bit.

You know, it used to be the game played at the end of the year in rivalry week. But, you know, no matter when you play, the Jayhawks, it's always nice to make them eat crow a little bit. Let's talk about Bama and Kentucky, Adam. Obviously, you saw, we saw. When's the last time you've seen a game like that one where Kentucky, they led for over 40 minutes of the game and they end up losing by four touchdowns, 28 points. That game was weird, was it not? Yeah, it was. I mean, you know, Alabama's defense played pretty well all day.

The offense just took a while to get going. But, yeah, I mean, that was just a classic situation there where, you know, one pick six just snowballs. And, you know, you get a score from your defense and then, you know, you get another stop. It just feels like an avalanche to Kentucky. So, yeah, once that got out of hand, it was over. Yeah, that was impressive. You know, that's the first-time starting quarterback going into his first true hostile SEC remote environment. And, you know, he had some early struggles. That's to be expected.

But then he righted the ship and figured some things out and the offense took off from there. Absolutely. Adam, the marquee win over the weekend. Texas rallies in the fourth quarter with three touchdowns. Ended up being the biggest win in Steve Sarkeesian's coaching career. Down 24-3 and then, or 23-3 and then come back late in the game. Three long drives. Arch Manning in control of the offense. Ohio State looks like they were going to win a yawner. But the fourth quarter happened and Texas gets a huge win.

Yeah, I mean, in credit to, you know, they made second-half adjustments, clearly. One of the big ones on defense there was that Will Muschamp moved his corners up and stopped letting Jeremiah Smith get a free release, which was just a terrible game plan going into it. So, yeah, once that got sorted out and Jeremiah Smith, you know, you can't stop him. You can only hope to contain him. And once he was a little bit more contained, then, you know, that's when, you know, Ohio State only scored three points in the second half.

And that gave the defense, time and time again, gave the offense a chance to get it together. So, like, credit to the defense for figuring stuff out at halftime. And then credit to the offense for getting it going finally in the fourth quarter there. I thought that was really impressive. Adam Spencer, Saturday down south. Overall, the SEC, pretty impressive. Are they riding the ship? Because, let's face it, pretty much going as scripted, except Oklahoma not bearing up under their burden there with Michigan. Overall, right now, the top two teams, the poll out, top two teams, no surprise, Texas and Georgia heavily dominated in the top ten.

[5:17] So, your thoughts overall, what do we know now about the SEC through the second week? Yeah, I think that the SEC is proving that it does have some championship contenders in Texas, especially. I mean, we'll see. Georgia hasn't really been tested yet. But, like, they haven't looked this good against similar opponents in years past. Well, I mean, this is, you've got to be encouraged there from Georgia. You know, and then they get a trip to Arkansas this week. So, that's a little step up in competition.

But, yeah, I mean, I think that, you know, Ohio State probably is still one of the best two teams in the country. You know, they went into Austin and dominated the first half and the first three quarters until that late comeback. So, I'm not panicking on Ohio State at all here yet. But, yeah, Texas definitely proved that it's a championship contender. And, you know, just wait until Ryan Wingo and Cam Coleman get going a little bit. Let me ask you this. As far as sleepers, are people sleeping on that team from Starkville, Mississippi, and that quarterback?

I mean, they're definitely sleeping on that quarterback. I think he's made a name for himself now, Kamario Taylor. Man, like, I could just watch that guy play football seven days a week, you know, if that was possible. But, yeah, he's making a name for himself. You know, I thought that Minnesota was getting hyped up a little too much here. I think that what we're seeing is the bottom tier of the SEC is better than the bottom tier of the Big Ten, which we kind of already knew.

You know, but I'm definitely more curious now as we move into week three and more conference games start getting played. You know, I'm excited to see what happens with Mississippi State when they head to South Carolina for what should be a thrilling game on Saturday. I think Kamario Taylor is not going to be intimidated at all by that atmosphere, will he be? Absolutely. I was really impressed with some of the highlights I saw of him. Adam, I was disappointed in Oklahoma. Michigan played much better after, again, that first, should have lost the first game of the season.

John Mateer was 17-33 for 189, but in the fourth quarter he was 3 of 10. They could not run the ball. Michigan, Bryce Underwood played a better game. His legs are more impressive than his arms. The Sooners, again, last year struggled offensively. They've got a very good defense, finished 79th last year. But Michigan holds on to win 17-10. Tough loss for Oklahoma in the big house. Yeah, they didn't look good at all. I thought they were definitely disappointing. You know, we could be sitting here with just one SEC team with a non-conference loss, and that would have been Arkansas.

But, yeah, I mean, Oklahoma didn't deserve to win that game. Mateer was bad. You know, the defense played well, but lost, you know, lost Kip Lewis, which is big moving forward. So there's some definite cracks in the armor there at Oklahoma, and that's not what you want to see with a trip to Georgia coming up in a couple weeks. So, yeah, panic time in Norman, they need to figure out some answers with this offense. Speaking of coming up, Adam, what do we know about Auburn, and what do we know about Florida?

I think we're going to find out to answer both those questions this weekend. The two shall come together, and I think the quote of the week is going to be hard to beat. I don't know if you saw it or not today from John Somrall. Quote, grew up in Huntsville, which is obviously Alabama. His wife is an Auburn grad. He was asked, does anybody in your family, are they going to be rooting against you, being, you know, given that background? He said, look, Florida pays my mortgage.

Anybody in my family that roots against me this weekend is not a part of my family. I don't care what their last name is. John Somrall doesn't beat around the bush, does he? No, he does not. He's delivered some good quotes here, too. You know, I like what he's said. You know, I think that, you know, he said he wasn't happy with the offense in the second half of this past weekend's game. And, you know, I think that there's, you know, you've got to like what the intensity that he brings to that job.

And, yeah, I think we're going to see that on Saturday. You know, I think that we haven't learned too much about Florida yet. Like, you know, there, it seems like they have, they've got a good quarterback. Scrimmages. Running back, they, and then they have, Burnell Brown has been really exciting so far this year. But, yeah, we haven't, Auburn, we've, we've learned that maybe they're not quite as, like, I, we talked on this show ahead of week one that if, if Auburn didn't beat Baylor by two scores, that I was going to consider that a red flag.

[10:18] And, yeah, I think I'm there with that. So, yeah, I think that they could be in for a rude awakening against Florida if Florida plays the way that it has so far this year. You know, so we'll see. But that's going to be the game of the week, probably in the SEC there. Adam, Ole Miss beats Charlotte 41-9. Trinidad Chambliss has another impressive game. 225, two touchdowns. Deuce Alexander, one of the best receivers in the country. LSU wins 45-14 over Louisiana Tech. But they had four turnovers, 10 penalties for 101 yards.

They kind of need to work out some of the bugs with this. Now, their defense is really good. They lead the nation in total defense and sacks. But what's coming up Saturday? LSU traveling to Ole Miss, game day. It should be an incredible atmosphere in Oxford. Yeah, I mean, it's going to be, yeah, they're already getting ready for that game. Oh, yeah. So, yeah, this is, you know, it's just a shame that this one goes up against Florida Auburn, you know, because I think Florida Auburn is going to get overshadowed a little bit there, clearly, because, you know, the Lane Kiffin Bowl.

But, yeah, I mean, LSU, you know, we talked about John Mateer not looking good. Well, Sam Levitt's got some stuff to iron out of his game, too. You know, he's been a little bit better as a runner than Mateer. But, yeah, he's got to take care of the football. You know, I'll chalk up a lot of that last week to just some, you know, overlooking that game a little bit, which is a little bit worrying. But, like, there's so much hype around this Ole Miss game already that, yeah, I mean, it's going to be tough to stay focused for anybody.

But, yeah, that's, if Sam Levitt plays like he did this past week, then they're going to lose by, like, three touchdowns in Oxford. Wow. Guaranteed, speaking of Oxford, Whiskey River's already flowing down there. Your thoughts about the rematch between Alabama and Florida State and some breaking news this morning. Michael offered the AD will not be making the trip because he was fired. Bruce Warwick is the interim FSU AD. Your thoughts about the scene from FSU coming into Tuscaloosa this weekend? Yeah, I mean, I think that it's not, you know, you don't want to be firing your AD right before a big game like this.

But, you know, I think that that probably speaks more to where the future is pointing for Mike Norvell. So, you know, I don't expect him to be back next year now. And, you know, this could get pretty ugly. Like, you know, I think that the football team will be fine. You know, it's not like any play callers or anything like that got fired. But it's a distraction. You don't want a distraction going into a game like this because I guarantee you Kalen DeBoer has his guys locked in and ready for this one because of the week one loss last year.

So, you know, Gus Malzahn isn't calling the plays there anymore. And, you know, some of those guys, Tommy Castellanos is elsewhere now. So, yeah, this is going to be – this could get ugly in Tuscaloosa. And, yeah, they – you know, the future of the football program is very much up in the air right now with Mike Norvell, probably a lame duck this rest of the year. Adam, great stuff. Always enjoy beginning the week with you, bud. I know you've got your power rankings for the SEC coming out probably a little bit later today.

A lot of pregame coverage. Some great games on town for Saturday. But where can we get online to get your stuff and the teams? Yeah, SaturdayDownSouth.com. We've got plenty of reactions and we're going to start getting the preview stuff up. Yes, I'll have my power rankings and we have our newsletter coming out tomorrow. So, yeah, Saturday Down South. Adam, as always, great way to kick off the week. Have a good week and thank you so much for your time today. Yeah, thanks for having me, guys.

Thank you, bud. Adam Spencer, Saturday Down South. History in the making this week at UNA. Matt St. Charles next. Stay with us. 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 Boulevard or give us a call at 256-648-5710. Again, that's 256-648-5710.

Game day's coming and your tailgate crew is counting on you. That's why Lost Pizza Company Shoals put together the tailgate playbook specialty pizzas, wing trays, and subplatters, all built to feed a crowd. It's why we're the go-to pizza place in Florence, Alabama, now bringing that same lineup straight to your tailgate. Order for pickup or delivery to UNA tailgate only. Call 256-415-8693 or order online at lostpizza.com front slash shoals. From our playbook to your plate. Monday Night Football is on, Westwood One Sports. He's backpedaling and throws a pass to the end zone.

[15:27] Caught! Touchdown! Coming up, it's the Denver Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs. Kevin Harlan and Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner will have the call from Arrowhead Stadium on Monday Night Football. Right here on 93.9 The Score. Starting slow? Heat can damage your battery. Get a free battery test at AutoZone and get back on the road. Get in the zone. AutoZone. Restrictions apply. This is the story of the one. The shipping manager who's there before the first truck backs in and the first pallet is loaded. Coordinating schedules.

Clearing bottlenecks. Keeping freight moving. He counts on Grainger for the industrial-grade products he needs to stay ready. From shipping supplies to PPE to hand tools. So when the doors roll up, he's ready to roll. Call 1-800-GRAINGER, click grainger.com, or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done. Get big deals for a short time at the end of summer sale. Save on car wash, brakes, oil, and more at AutoZone. Get in the zone. AutoZone. Restrictions apply. The home of the Florence High School Falcons.

Sports Radio 93.9, The Score. Pat Boyle here to help you beat the most in question one sport. Chiefs and the Broncos finish off week one, and I think we're in store for a slow start to this one. Patrick Mahomes coming off the torn ACL, and he'll have an undrafted rookie in Khalil Benson playing left tackle. Meanwhile, for Denver, first real game for Davis Webb calling the place for the offense, and the Broncos got off to a slow start in what felt like every game last year. Add in a divisional battle in prime time, and I think both the first half under and game total under would be wise plays.

I'm Pat Boyle. Bet smart or beat the books. Download the BetMGM app today. My name is Whitney Allen, and I'm a widow. My husband, Ryan, died. We never thought we'd ever have to use life insurance, but the unexpected happened. With Ethos, signing up was fast and 100% online. You can get a quote in seconds, apply in minutes, and get same-day coverage. No medical exams, and you can get up to $3 million worth of coverage. I'm grateful we were prepared. Get your free quote at ethos.com slash play.

That's ethos.com slash play. Paid spokesperson. Time spent on application may vary. Online health questions required. Do you have trouble getting in and out of the bathtub? Are you afraid you'll slip and fall entering or exiting a tub? Safe Step walk-in tubs can transform your bathtub from an area of concern to a calming refuge. Call them today at 1-800-731-4558 and save $1,600. Safe Step walk-in tubs and showers are proudly made in Tennessee and offer an ultra-low step-in, avoiding that difficult climb over a traditional bathtub wall.

They also offer a variety of therapeutic benefits that may help soothe your aching muscles and joints, increasing your mobility, boosting your energy, and improving your sleep. Safe Step walk-in tubs are designed to easily fit your existing tub space and are often installed in as little as one day. Just dial 1-800-731-4558 today to save $1,600 and receive a free shower package. That's 1-800-731-4558 for a free no-obligation consultation and to save $1,600. Safe Step walk-in tubs. Safety never felt so good. I'm still going for it.

Even with higher stroke risk from atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat not caused by a heart valve problem. In a clinical study, Eliquis Apixaban reduces stroke risk and has less major bleeding than warfarin. Don't stop prescription Eliquis without asking your doctor. Stroke risk may increase. Eliquis can cause serious and potentially fatal bleeding. Don't take if you have an artificial heart valve, abnormal bleeding, or antiphospholipid syndrome. While taking, you may bruise more easily or bleed longer. A spinal injection increases blood clot risk, which may cause paralysis. Get medical help right away for unexpected bleeding or bruising, or back pain, tingling, numbness, muscle weakness, or incontinence.

Aspirin products, NSAIDs, SSRIs, SNRIs, and blood thinners increase bleeding risk. Tell your doctor about planned medical or dental procedures. Learn more at Eliquis.com or call 1-855-ELIQUIS. Ask your doctor about the number one cardiologist-prescribed blood thinner, Eliquis. This is Roger Huber with the Crimson Tide Sports Network. Join me and Tyler Walk this fall on Monday nights at 6 p.m. for Crimson Tide Rewind, live from Baumhauer's Victory Grill in Vestavia Hills, and on this great station. Tune in and roll time. The score. Now, back with Bumo Bug on 93.9 The Score.

From the back end, quick, with some breaking news. A chance for us each Monday as we get it to share with you starting times, not for this weekend, we know that, but for the following weekend, that Bama-South Carolina game will be with a moonshade on, so 6 o'clock kick on ESPN. The Auburn game hosting Vanderbilt would be at 315 on the SEC Network, and they will actually get started with the Brunt Special, Tennessee and Texas BBM Surprise, 11 o'clock on ABC for that game. That's a ridiculous time for that.

[20:50] Maybe the South Carolina kickoff, the temperature will be below 98 by kickoff. I got a feeling that I don't know what the thermometer is going to say this weekend of the shows, but I know that that and the spirits are going to be high for UNA, not only football, but for the program. Matt St. Charles, I think, would agree with that. He follows UNA there. With the Times Daily, Matt, welcome in. How are you? Hey, guys. Thanks for having me back. I'm doing pretty good. How's it going?

I appreciate it. Yeah, it's doing fine. Before we talk about, obviously, history and the making, I think by now we know what's going on. Let's talk about the journey of UNA to this point. They've been all over the place, been on the road. The bags have been packed to Huntsville, to Fayetteville this past weekend down to Louisiana. Matt, your thoughts about this team so far? Yeah, I think, you know, there's certainly some mixed feelings to be had with a few of these results you can look at.

Obviously, the Sanford win can only really be looked at as a positive. You can take some good things away from the Arkansas loss, but I think the overall sentiment at this point definitely took a dip on Saturday with that loss to Southeast Louisiana, but you know, I would tell you, and I think Brent Dierman would tell you the same, is that this program is still trending in the right direction compared to the last few years, but definitely wasn't a fun Sunday for this group, I would say.

Let me ask you about some of the missed opportunities. You do a really good job. Three things of note, then you do the grades, then you do the recap of the story, but anytime you lose a game like this, when you've got a lead, it should have been a larger lead. If you make some plays, UNA got down to the five-yard line, but a high snap gave Southeast or Louisiana the ball back. A missed field goal would have put UNA up 21-7. A missed pass on third and seven.

Jalen Cowan was open over the middle. And it's just a lot of little things, unfortunately, Matt, as you chronicled, that lead to losses. Yeah, I think there's a lot to be said for that. Number one is those are mostly fixable things, in all honesty. I think some of the trickery that they wanted to get into paid dividends in the beginning. I mean, they did jump out to a big lead, but that Wildcat set with Camor Harris in the shotgun at the one-yard line on the first drive.

I mean, you can look at that and think that they were trying to get a little too fancy, but they needed one yard, and they had 900 pounds of man there to get that one yard. And I would tell you, Destin Wade isn't catching that snap. I mean, that thing sailed over Camor Harris' head. When it comes to the field goal, the missed field goal by Vashon, it was simply a couple of penalties that stalled the drive and pushed that field goal back way farther than it should have been.

But I think the biggest takeaway that I wrote a little bit about is the inaccuracies of Destin Wade, especially when it comes to big moments. You mentioned the one to Calhoun. There was one to Snap Reid on the third down that he would have had a chance to convert. And I think it all kind of starts with his feet and kind of just wanting to hang in the pocket. And I think that's something that he and Partridge have kind of drilled in the one day since the loss, and you'll see a lot of that throughout practice this week.

And then another big thing on the defensive side was tackling. Like Brent Dierman was very vocal about how poor the tackling was, and he would tell you that a p*****-off Clint Bowen is probably good for this defense at this point in time. Matt St. Charles got it covered there with the Times Daily. Matt, the good news is after the start of the season with three road games, finally coming home, and I won't steal your thunder, coming home is one thing. Coming home to this first game of the season has a little bit different feel.

So, Matt, where are you starting talking about this weekend's matchup with Alcorn State? Yeah, I mean, I haven't looked a lot at Alcorn State so far. I'll do some prep on them today and see what they're all about. I've heard they're certainly better than they were expected to be, but the North Alabama Braffs would tell you that this is their first home game in school history. So, it's definitely trending to be one of the more, I guess, consequential or monumental games in the school's history. This is a huge investment from a lot of donors and other people that have interest in this program, and Alcorn State is certainly a winnable game, as improved as they are, and you definitely don't want to see this team kind of, A, come out flat in this new stadium that they'll have two weeks to practice in.

[26:04] You definitely don't want to see some three and outs and things like that out of the gate, and then you also don't want to see them kind of repeat the sins of Saturday, where, you know, in a lot of ways, they kind of gave the game away when they had it. So, definitely want to get out to a good start here at Bank Independent Stadium. Absolutely, and I think you made a good point. All of the mistakes they made are correctable. The Florence Falcons did not make many mistakes Friday night.

You covered that game. Undefeated teams going in with Russellville and Florence. It was tied for a long time, and then the Falcon defense shut out Russellville for 23 minutes until Taurus Davis, who's a really good running back, ran for 161 for Russellville. But this is a much better Florence program. Excellent leadership as far as administratively. The guys have been in the weight room. A big win for Florence to remain unbeaten in Class 5A Region 7. Yeah, I would tell you this is a – I've been very, very impressed with this Florence team, especially when it comes to those two running backs, and the Carson Johnson and Kion Williams.

You know, I was walking back and forth on the Russellville sideline when it was tied 14-14, and Florence started to kind of hand the ball off to those two guys and get them going, and I heard one of the assistant coaches say, they're going thunder and lightning. And that's certainly what they did for the rest of the half. I think they had almost 300 total rushing yards. And then, you know, something I mentioned in my article is the quarterback, Mahan, has just – has really, really accepted his role as a game manager and made some big throws when they needed him.

But, I mean, that defense really, really stepped up in the second half. They've got some big boys up front that can definitely make an impact when it comes to stopping Higgins' kind of funky offense. And they kind of just put everything together in the second half and ran away with it. Yeah, he still runs that wing T very well, but Florence shut it down. Also a tip of the count to some undefeated teams in the show. Central 3-0, Langston 4-0, Hanton 4-0, Hackerberg 3-0, Red Bay 3-0, and Rodgers 3-0 and undefeated on the season.

Matt, great stuff. Should be a lot of fun Saturday night with the first game ever for Florence, first home game ever. And I know you'll be covering a high school game Friday night. Where can we get online to get all the good stuff? Online, you can find us at timesdaily.com. I'm not sure where I'll be Friday night, but I'm sure it'll be a good one. Looking forward to Saturday as well. Hard to believe half of the regular season of the books after this week's games.

Matt, enjoy, and thank you so much for your time today. Yeah, thanks, guys, for having me. Thank you, bud. Absolutely. Matt St. Charles, taking up with us, follows UNA and high school football with the Times data. Coming up, he's followed a lot of sports over the year. One of the pioneers of a thing called Sports Talk in the entire Southeast. The Max next. Stay with us. Bush light is cold and smooth. I'm waiting for you to get out there. Everyone knows that the classic taste of bush light is brewed for the outdoors.

So before cracking open your next adventure, grab a case of bush light. Because nature is even cooler with bush light in your cooler. Head for the mountains of bush. Enjoy responsibly. Copyright 2026 Sennheiser Bush Bush Light Beer, St. Louis, Missouri. Since 1952, J.C. Hammond Sons has been keeping the Shoals comfortable year-round. As the oldest family-owned heating and air business in the Shoals area, they've built a reputation for a reliable service you can trust, whether it's for your home or your business. Need insulation, repair, or maintenance? The experienced team at J.C. Hammond Sons is ready to help with all your residential and commercial heating and cooling needs.

Visit them at 2536 Florence Boulevard or call 256-764-7386 today. J.C. Hammond Sons, serving the Shoals with dependable comfort since 1952. Alabama license number 12179. There's a pill version of Ozempic! Hello, I'm Ozempic. And I'm other GLP-1s kind of like him. Hey, did I hear there's a pill version of Ozempic? Yep, you sure did. Ask your doctor about which FDA-approved uses of the Ozempic pen or pill may be right for you. Call 1-833-OZEMPIC or visit Ozempic.com to view the medication guide and learn more about Ozempic semaglutide tablets 9mg and Ozempic semaglutide injection 2mg.

There's a pill version of Ozempic! There's a pill version of Ozempic! Hello, I'm Ozempic. And I'm other GLP-1s kind of like him. Hey, did I hear there's a pill version of Ozempic? Yep, you sure did. Ask your doctor about which FDA-approved uses of the Ozempic pen or pill may be right for you. Call 1-833-OZEMPIC or visit Ozempic.com to view the medication guide and learn more about Ozempic semaglutide tablets 9mg and Ozempic semaglutide injection 2mg. There's a pill version of Ozempic! All sports, all the time.

[31:33] Sports Radio 93.9, The Score. That's the ease at which you get information. You want it? You get it. Like that. Ask your phone. Group chat. Smartphone. You're always connected and informed in real time. No waiting. So if you're diabetic and still using finger sticks to read your blood sugar, what are you waiting for? Knowing your blood sugar levels instantly is important for managing diabetes. Call US Med at 888-665-0696. To learn more about continuous glucose monitors, a real-time, instant method to track your blood glucose, US Med is an approved provider for Medicare and over 1,000 private insurers.

And the best part? Call 888-665-0696 and we'll give you a free insurance benefits check today. So call 888-665-0696 today. That's 888-665-0696. And manage your diabetes as easy as… My name is Amanda Klutz and I'm a widow. You enter a different reality when you lose your husband, especially as a parent. Life insurance doesn't fix it. It helps. With Ethos, you can get covered in minutes. No medical exams, up to $3 million in coverage, and it's all online. Get your free quote at ethos.com slash game.

That's ethos.com slash game. Paid spokesperson. Time span on application may vary. Online health questions required. Aggressive presents the sports flash on 93-9, the score. The Atlanta Braves fell yesterday at home. They lost to the Phillies 9-4. The two teams combined for 28 hits in the ballgame. The Braves with the loss are now 88-62 on the season. The Braves are back in action tonight. In Chicago, they'll take on the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Atlanta Falcons dropped their season opener yesterday on the road in Pittsburgh. They fell to the Steelers 20-13.

B. John Robinson had 90 yards, receiving the touchdown rush for 83 more. Falcons are 0-1. In college football action this weekend, Alabama was the winner on the road at Kentucky 45-17. The Tide now 2-0. Auburn, a winner at home. They beat Southern Miss 43-8. The Auburn Tigers are 2-0. Bundle auto and home. Renters or condo and save with Progressive. I'm John Thayer with the Sports Flash, presented by Progressive on 93-9, the score. And Doug. Oh, what a horrible call. Hey, Ref, open your eyes! Ref, you're really not going to call that?

Come on! Hey, Ref, why don't you customize your car insurance with Liberty Mutual and save money? I, uh, don't think you get what we're doing. Sure I do. We're all just giving him advice. You guys on sports? Me? I'm saving money. Nope, that's not it. Only pay for what you need at LibertyMutual.com. Liberty, Liberty, Liberty, Liberty. Leon was about to leave the military. My biggest concern was, what am I going to do next? He found out about my computer career and their military transition program.

The Cyber Warrior program takes you from not knowing anything about a computer at all to being a subject matter expert. How long is that going to take? In the span of four months, I was able to get four different certifications. Four months? Leon's advice? Highly recommended. Become a certified Cyber Warrior in just months at mycomputercareer.edu. This is one student's experience. Individual results for ABA education benefits available to those who qualify. From the heart of the SEC to the national stage. No filters. No fluff. Get the real story and all the hard-hitting analysis on AP as we see it.

Saturday mornings at 7 a.m. Sports Radio 93.9. The Score. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9. The Score. Welcome back in. He has been there. He has done that, that, and that. Max Howell, former assistant coach at Ole Miss and Florida State. Retired sports personnel. He has been pioneering a thing called Sports Talk in the entire Southeast. Max Howell, welcome in. How are you? Well, it's college football season, guys. I mean, what do you think? We saw some warm-up games the last couple of weeks. But, guys, coming up this week, you know where I am.

We're sitting over here just 50 miles outside Oxford, Mississippi. And that's going to be the football capital of the world Saturday night. Let me ask you this, Max. It's known for the Grove and Chandeliers and Southern Bales. But Lane is coming to Oxford. Is this enough to make a Southern Bale cuss in your backyard this week, Max? Well, you know, a lot of people have all kinds of opinions about Lane giving. But, you know, here's the thing, particularly for the Ole Miss fans. You know, Ole Miss would not be in a position as they are in right now had it not been for Lane giving.

[36:37] I mean, they tried 60 years since Johnny Ball. They finally got there. And I understand leaving at the time he left. But he left half his coaching staff there. And so, you know, I get a little confused sometimes if where all the lower teams lie when it comes down to it. I understand game time. Don't get me wrong. I'll be really anxious. That team's going to fly in here on Friday. And they're going to land in Tupelo. And they're going to stay in Tupelo. It's going to kickoff time.

I'll tell you that. You've been five minutes before game time, right? That's right. And that's 50 miles away. So, I mean, we all know what's going to happen. I mean, look, if you recall, he was welcome with mustard, you know, with mustard ball and golf ball when he went to Tennessee. What you can imagine? That game's been sold out. I'll just give you a little insight quickly on this. That game has been sold out since mid-summer. The cheapest ticket to get in on the top row, at the top, was $650 a ticket.

The tickets behind the box on the field, behind the beach, is $1,450 a week. Oh, my gosh. And they sold it. It's the biggest gate they've ever had. And probably the biggest gate ever seen in the state of Mississippi. Yeah. Max, I thought LSU, it was the proverbial, we're looking forward or overlooking Louisiana Tech. LSU turned the ball over four times, 10 penalties for 101 yards. A lot of people are overlooking the LSU defense. It leads the nation in total defense, giving up only 142 yards, ranked second in rush defense.

Yeah, they were looking forward to Ole Miss and still won 45-14. I guarantee you, they did not run a snap for Louisiana Tech all week. Yeah. All they want to go was Ole Miss. And Ole Miss did the same thing. I mean, they beat Charleston, you know, about the same thing. And look, that's the way you do it. That's the intricacies of college football. If you've got a big one coming up, you try to schedule something before so you can get by. Don't matter about mistakes and all that stuff.

Because I can guarantee you, they will do walk-throughs after the film on Sunday morning. I can promise you that. They're ready. I mean, they come into town. It's going to be probably one of the best football games we'll see this season. Without a doubt. Max, let's talk about a weird game over the weekend up in Lexington, Kentucky. It was the Charles Dickens special. Not a tale of two cities, but proverbially a tale of two halves. Your thoughts, what was your takeaway from basically Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde at K.A. Alabama?

I think what's happened, basically, is everybody at Alabama is used to just be in Kentucky year in and year out. I think they're much better. I think they're better coached. And I think they're better prepared. And Alabama with him with kind of a lackadaisical attitude. Again. You know, that's to be expected. But on the other side of that, you're right. That's kind of a tendency sometimes that's going to get you beat down the road when you come out there and your kids can't catch up. So, you know, I was pleased to see Alabama improve and get a win out of that.

But I think everybody that's got to play Kentucky also watch that Kentucky is going to be prepared. They will come to play this whole season. So, it was an entertaining game. But we saw some entertaining football, guys, this past weekend, I'm going to tell you. Let's talk about what's coming up this weekend because you know FSU. You've been there and done that. They fired their AD this morning. And what a way to get ready for a game to Tuscaloosa, Max. Well, I mean, look, they did very well last year against Alabama in the opening game, if you recall.

But I'll tell you guys, I haven't been there, done that, and kind of kept my fingers in contacts in Tallahassee since then. They don't, first of all, they don't have the financial backing that the major universities do. It's really a weird, here's something most people don't know. Florida State was a girls' college up to about 10 to 15 years before Coach Bass got there. And people don't realize how long it takes to, you know, create and build. I was very fortunate to get there after about six or seven years that he had on the staff.

We were rolling. I came right off of a high school staff with Emmitt Smith, where we sent 17 players to Division I school in high school. We went straight to Florida State, where we had down first and second-round draft picks at D.U. and Leroy Butler at the corners, and two safeties that went in the second round, one to Dallas, one to the 49ers. So I'm just saying, I was fortunate enough to see really, really good high school and college football at the end of my career.

Now, back to them. Coach Bowden had a system that what he did when we signed a kid, we assigned an alumni to that family. If they needed outside stuff, the family could go to this alumni and he would take care of it. They did not have an NIL situation where they could reach in and get $10 million and buy a quarterback. And they still don't. They don't have that kind of backing. A lot of people don't realize that. All that big facility that they've got down there with the office complex that sits on top of the stadium and all, that was all paid by state money.

[42:01] That had nothing to do with Florida State, the university itself. So, I mean, there's a lot of things that have gone on in that system. And I firmly believe that they'd have had a coaching change last year if they'd have had $57 million to buy him out. Of course, that has fallen to 40, I think it's in 45 or 46 now. They still don't have enough. And I know the word got out last weekend when they were supposed to be on national TV. They didn't have enough to pay the power bill to get the lights turned over on quick.

Now, that's just a poke at them. But the fact is, that's some things that are happening internally that a lot of people just pulled their finger and said, Hey, I watched that game last week, guys. They don't have the talent to compete. They don't have the offensive and defensive front. I can tell you that right now. They're going to get their head handled to them coming up this week in Tuscaloosa. I can tell you that also. Max, a lot of people were wondering, could Steve Sarkeesian win a big game?

And entering the fourth quarter, when they were down by 20 points, a lot of people started clicking and looking at some of the other games. But Arch Manning has some other ideals. They come back with a tremendous comeback. Three long drives. Win the game at the end. Max, your thoughts on Texas rallying to beat number one Ohio State? I think they've pulled the waters, is what I'm thinking. I don't say it's all the questions have gone away. I think Arch Manning has still got some development to do.

And I think that has to come from practice and influence from the coaching staff. And I'm hoping they've got the guys that can do that. I don't think there's any doubt about the kids' talent. I mean, look at what the first two touchdowns scored was on picks. It was interceptions. And they, you know, they just, but coach, well, let me say this for you. They've only won one national championship in 20 years. And that's, quote, that's supposed to be the most affluent university in America as far as academics and already more than money, more than anything else, or access to that.

Well, why don't they use it? That's all I'm saying. You know, I can't quite put my finger on where it's the organization or it's the rich alumni behind them that's calling some opportunities or darn opportunities that they have, or Sarkeesian just can't step up to the plate and get it done. I can't put my finger on all of that. But, hey, they won the ball game at the end. And you know, guys, when it's all over, that game's in the record books now. And Texas is rolling.

You know, we'll be interested to see how they finish the season now. Max, you know Auburn inside and out. They've answered the bell through the first two games. Florida, who knows what they've got. They look good on paper relative to their competition. But one thing I think we're going to find out, how good is Auburn, how good is Florida after this weekend? I don't think it's in a doubt about that. Now, guys, I've heard a rumor. I can't confirm it, but it came from pretty good sources that Auburn has stepped out and taken a consultant way down the line.

He don't go in the field. He may go in the operating room and so forth. But I heard Gus Mazal is coming back just as a consultant. I don't know that to be fact or not. But that's a rumor in the media right now going around the media. It's a lower level. I can tell you that. So, I don't know why that will help him or not right now. I'm a big Summerall fan. I saw him at Troy. I saw him, you know, two seasons. He only lost two ballgames.

He went to Tulane, only lost two ballgames. He comes in with a glowing track record. And he would have been at Auburn if it had some things that they wouldn't have done or that they put stipulations on him to keep a couple of coaches. Because that's one thing about him. They didn't know much about it. John goes based on what he can do, not somebody else telling him what needs to be done. But I think it's going to be a good ballgame. It'll be 95,000 people there.

They'll be screaming and hollering. And I know that's going to help. I'll be really interested to see that and see part of that ballgame. I've got two TVs, split-screen TV in my bin. And I'll be watching that game with whatever else is on and certainly waiting more than anything else to see. That's what goes on in Auburn, Mississippi. There you go. Unless the National Guard is down there trying to keep the crowd control, your thoughts about Auburn's offensive line and the penalties. That was the big takeaway from this past weekend.

Right. How is this old line stack up against Florida? Well, see, here we are the second week of the season. You know that. The team's going to get better. And Auburn, Tony's brought 16 players from his previous program. So he should have known all those. I don't know how many coaches he brought, but I can guarantee you probably two or three at least. All they did, they just stepped up in a different environment is what they've stepped up. However, it's going to be interesting to see if those starters off of that program that he brought in and had to rebuild, if they could adjust to a lot of pressure.

[47:11] This game for Auburn, at Auburn right now, is as big as the one with Ole Miss and LSU. That's right. I mean, it's a huge ballgame for them. It could be a turning point. If Auburn can win it, it'll be a turning point for the season. Most people don't. I mean, I'm being the first to tell you. It took me a while to wrap my head around seven consecutive years of losing season. Well, I'm going to tell you, that's something that's just unheard of, in my opinion.

And I always point, when things like that happen, I stay on a college campus long enough to go. Normally, there's some outside influence going on with that athletic department that's never revealed. And I'm not sure that that's not to happen with Auburn. But that's neither said or done. The fact is that they've got to play. The kids have to get ready. They've got to play when they line them up and blow a whistle. And we'll evaluate them based on the outcome of that ballgame. Max, one of the more interesting games flying under the radar to me, Saturday is going to be Mississippi State at South Carolina.

Listen, Mississippi State went to Minnesota and just cleaned their clock. 38-13, Camario Taylor is an incredible quarterback. Just a dynamic player. Fluff Boswell added 113 yards. Anthony Evans had 121 yards and a touchdown. Way too early to get too excited, Max. But is Jeff Lebby and Mississippi State going in the right direction? Well, you know, what I think right now about Mississippi State is that he knows he he had to win six or more this year. He was going as hard to have written in the contract. I mean, if they won two, they won four in the first two years he was here.

He had to break that six or seven game mark. And I think he showed some promise with that kid. The kid's 6'4", 230 pounds. I mean, he's legit. I don't think he's in a doubt. I think he was a project coming out of high school. Big kid. They knew he had some talent, but kind of went overlooked with a lot of the major schools, but kind of an in-state kid, family, really family-oriented from all I can tell. But he stepped up and getting the job done. If they could just maintain that.

Sometimes when you have a big jump in your program like that, a lot of kids can't hang on. They can't get accustomed to the bright lights, so to speak. I'm certainly hoping that Coach Libby's got them lined up to do that and keep the beater out of there and let him go by. I don't have any doubt about coaching the team, but I think there's been some lovely influences over there. And I think that we had probably weeded some of that out. That's what my observation has been, what I've heard.

So I hope so. He's a good, solid football coach. But I can tell you guys, the point today has gone way beyond just what you see on the field is the end result of a lot of other things that's happening. And with the money thing like it is, Mississippi State's got a few good people, guys, but they don't have the money, the LSUs. And even the old businesses, they don't have it, but they're raising it. Those schools have got the men's school and the legal system behind them, the law school, turnout lawyers and doctors.

That's where the money is. But you've got to have something to present to them that's realistic to go get the money. That's where it amounts to some of these schools don't have the leadership and that ability. Just to give you just one other point, I know for a fact, Tuesday night of this past week, the LSU people had 40 of the biggest contributors in the state in the governor's office Tuesday night for a meeting. You know how much they raised? 100 million out of that group. See, so to me, that's an endless pipeline down there.

And that's the reason Kiffin went. And I understand all that. And you can question how he left and why and all that. But you also have to give him the benefit of the doubt. Leaving it at any time at the college level is different. At the NFL level, the way he was raised, that's common. I mean, they fire people at halftime. I mean, the NFL, they didn't pack them up and have them gone by the end of the ballgame. That's just commonplace up there. Well, guys, hold on and get ready because the college game is going to get just like that over the next few years.

Yeah, absolutely. Listen, have a great week. We always appreciate it. You've been on the road the last couple of weeks working for some folks. And, listen, if you're in their corner, they're going to be very successful. Should be a fun Saturday, Max Howell. Listen, have a great week. Let's do this again next Monday. All you've got to do, bud, is just tack me in and you know I'll be here. Thank you, guys. Absolutely. Thank you, Max. Max Howell, hooking up with us for the Magnolia State.

BB, your thoughts about the weekend and the Braves? The Braves really took advantage, Harold, winning two out of three. They lost yesterday, nine to four, and gave up eight runs or seven runs in the eighth inning. Again, they're in the catbird seed, but they are facing the Cubs at Wrigley for the next three days. And then they got Houston this weekend. Just because they had a great series with Philadelphia, they've got to keep winning. I think they're certainly in much better shape than they were, but they've still got to close out.

[52:44] Two weeks. I'm going to bring James Moody in here, our esteemed producer. We can talk about lost speech in a minute, but a few changes to the schedule tonight. If you would, I know Crimson Rewind, UNA night, and then it may be Braves after that. What's the schedule change tonight? 6 p.m., Crimson Tide Rewind, 7 p.m., UNA football night, and then at 8 o'clock, we'll join the Braves in progress. And what did we have just a few minutes ago for a little snack? We had sliders from Lost Pizza.

They were good. They are part of their tailgate playbook menu. They're having a tailgating menu. And also, when they have tailgating at UNA, because the new Spirit Hill is Pine Street near the stadium, they will deliver to the UNA tailgate from this playbook menu. And so we had some sliders, and they were excellent. I mean, you can't go wrong at Lost Pizza. They provide pizza for the scoreboard show and for the stadium crew, and they gave us some sliders. And so it's wonderful. You can't go wrong at Lost Pizza.

They're on historic downtown Florence, across from the Shoals Theater, on Mobile Plaza. There you go. That slider was a 10 on a scale of 10. By the way, you and Blair, I don't believe he was there Friday night. Y'all do a great job at the scoreboard show. Thank you. The Florence Games do a great job, but we are very lucky that Harold Bugg to have James Moody as our future. Absolutely. I'll just ask one thing. Slide some of those sliders this way you don't mind here. Okay, so we will do the magician's trick and make them disappear again to you.

Coming up in the next hour, speaking of disappearing, those folks who will be appearing will be the Redfish Barger. His critique on Bama's Wild Weekend in Wildcat Country. V-Man talking Tennessee in Charlie Trotman. Did I say more Auburn fans while he's going to talk about it? So I'll start to handle it. There'll be more bug shows. Stay with us. The Sundays just got better at Sam's Florence. Catch all the football action while enjoying our new all-you-can-eat Sunday brunch buffet, Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Fill your plate with French toast, shrimp creole, scrambled eggs, and more. All for just $16.95 for adults and $7.95 for kids. And while you're here, add an order of our chicken and waffles. You won't be disappointed. Great food, cold drinks, and football all Sunday long. Sam's Florence. Make our place your place. Imagine a bank where you feel at home. Real people living right here in your community are the heart of Bank Independent and everything we do. You have our commitment to bring the people, ideas, and resources together that create a stronger community full of endless potential.

For over 75 years, we've served this place we all call home. Bank Independent. We're invested in you. Member FDIC. Carbine Construction is honored to be a part of building projects with the Florence City School System. We're also glad to cheer on the Falcons as they celebrate milestone achievements as well. Good luck to head coach Kenny Morrison and the Florence Falcons football team on building a special season to remember as Carbine Construction wishes you the very best this season. Remember, at Carbine Construction, we build trust, we build relationships, and like the Florence Falcons football team, at Carbine Construction, we continue to build.

All sports, all the time. Sports Radio 93.9, The Score. Individuals and businesses with tax problems, listen carefully. Do you feel like you're losing control of your finances? If you owe over $10,000 in back taxes or have unfiled tax returns, we can help you take back control. The IRS is the largest and most aggressive collection agency in the world, and they can seize your bank accounts, garnish your paycheck, close your business, and file criminal charges. Take control of your tax problem now by calling the experts at U.S. Tax Shield and take advantage of the Fresh Start program and new laws that may allow us to negotiate a settlement for the lowest amount possible.

Our team of tax attorneys and enrolled agents can stop collections and get you protected so you can take control of your financial future. U.S. Tax Shield offers a price protection guaranteed quote to get you protected today. U.S. Tax Shield is A-plus rated with the Better Business Bureau, so call now. 800-687-5192. That's 800-687-5192. U.S. Tax Shield. 800-687-5192. The management of the Montgomery Whitewater Park has confirmed over the weekend that the park is closed indefinitely. The posting of this closure says that it's for the season, but there are no reopening dates given.

Also, the comment section of the Whitewater Park social media pages have been turned off. All of these moves come after the Montgomery County Commission criticized the Whitewater Park for its lack of accountability when it comes to finances and had questions about its business model and future plans. An audit of the Whitewater Park is going to be completed and released this coming October. I'll be back with more Alabama stories after this. Do you believe the marketplace is a mission field? Come to the Lion's Den. For over 12 years, business owners have come to Birmingham from 37 states and 42 countries for the Lion's Den.

[58:02] Founders walk onto a stage. They pitch live about their social, spiritual, and financial impact. A panel asks the hard questions. If you have capital to put to work, interest in exploring business as mission, or a business already built for more than money, you need to be in that room. Put your capital behind your convictions. Get tickets at thelionsden.us. A pedestrian and vehicle accident occurred in Birmingham and claimed the life of a father and son. The victims have been identified as 56-year-old Cornelius Dixon and 22-year-old Jamari Dixon.

Both men lived in Birmingham and were walking on the northbound lanes of Interstate 65 when they were hit by an oncoming vehicle. The Macon County school system has canceled its classes for Monday after a student within their district was shot and is currently in critical condition. Tuskegee police say that an adult and a teenager got into an argument that led to the shooting of each other. The 19-year-old adult has died from those injuries while the teen remains hospitalized. The mayor of Tuskegee told WSFA News that it's been a heartbreaking night for that community.

I'm Andrea Tice. For more news affecting Alabamians, go to 1819news.com. And while you're there, subscribe to the daily newsletter. Valley Broadcasting Corporation, WITK-FM, Rogersville, Athens, Decatur, The Shores. Sports Radio 93.9, The Score. Miss the Boomo Bugg show today? Or Bill King or Paul Feinbaum? Miss the last Florence Falcons game? You can access the latest episodes and game broadcasts at our website, 939thescore.com. Click on podcast and then all podcasts to access the latest Boom-O, Feinbaum, Bill King, and Florence broadcasts. That's 939thescore.com. That's 939thescore.com.

939thescore.com. The Paul Feinbaum Show, weekdays at 3 Eastern on the ESPN app and on the SEC network. 93.9thescore.com. 93.9thescore.com. The score of weather. For today, a 20% chance of afternoon showers and thunderstorms. High around 100. Heat index around 105. Tonight, mainly clear, low near 75. Tomorrow, sunny, hot. High around 100. Heat index around 105. Heat advisory in effect for tomorrow. Tomorrow night, mainly clear, low near 75. And for Wednesday, sunny, hot, high around 95. Your weather from 93.9thescore.com. 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 Bumo Bug Show. Your exclusive inside track to the Tide. Tigers, Tennessee, and the rest of the SEC. Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9thescore.com. Welcome back in our tour to the Bumo Bug Show. I'm Harold Bugg, alongside Brett Beard. Thank you so much for giving us free ride around the Tennessee Valley. And for Charlie Truck, taking time out of his busy schedule there. Charlie, former Auburn quarterback. Now, doing his thing when it comes to analyzing Auburn football and radio with his buddy, Doug Adams.

Charlie, welcome in. How are you? I'm doing great. Wish I was up there in the Tennessee Valley, the beautiful Valley. It would be nice. We're down here in the plains of Montgomery where it's really, really hot. You know what, Charlie? This weekend is going to be a special weekend. I'm proud you brought that up. We'll get to the obvious topic here in a second. But UNA is going to open up a brand new stadium. This is their first really true home game in the history of that program.

This atmosphere is going to be electric this weekend, this neck of the woods. Charlie, I appreciate you bringing up this region. Yeah, absolutely. My wife's from Florence and North Alabama. You know, a lot of famous people have come out of North Alabama and that program. You know, I've always enjoyed it up there. You know, what do they call it? The Quad Cities, Muscle Shoes. Yeah. Yeah. Florence and Tuscumbia and so forth. Yeah. It's a great area. You, I assume, it's going to be a great weekend this weekend in Florence.

I would assume you're having, what, back-to-back good weekends following this Auburn program. Charlie, what have you learned about this latest chapter of Auburn football? Well, we are a little bit better running the football than we were the week against Baylor. That may be because Baylor's defense is a little bit better than Southern Miss' defense. I don't know, but, you know, to run the football is really important against, you know, a team like Florida and the people that they're going to put up and on that defensive line and linebackers.

[1:03:18] You know, I think it's important to be able to throw the football, that you run it well, that you get the play action going and things like that. It's going to be a difficult situation if Auburn can't run the football against Florida. They haven't played really anybody yet either. So, it's a, I think this is a flip-em game, you know, it's a toss-up because whichever team, you know, the old Maximo, whoever takes care of the football, doesn't have turnovers and plays good defense and runs the football probably wins the game.

Charlie, I agree with you. I think that's going to be one of the keys. Run the ball, stop the run. Florida, Jayden Ball, their all-SEC running back, ran for 136 yards against Campbell. And that's not the soup company. Aaron Philo was 16-21 for 242. Dallas Wilson, 5 for 104. Vernell Brown, the third, scored three touchdowns himself. Charlie, John Summerall has brought a tough, mentally tough, physicality mantra to this Florida team. And again, you're exactly right. They haven't played anybody yet. They will Saturday night. But I'll tell you what, I think Summerall's got this Florida program going in the right direction.

Well, you know, my radio co-host, Doug Amos, has made the saying, he said it over and over and over, that he thinks whoever did not get John Summerall as a coach three years from now is going to regret it. So he really thinks a lot of Coach Summerall. And I do, too. I think he did a great job at Troy. You know, he obviously did a really nice job down at Tulane. And, you know, he's just a good football coach. And he's going to have his team prepared.

They know how big this game is. Of course, you know, Alex Golesh and all of Auburn knows how big this game is. This could be the difference, guys, between an 8-4 or even a 9-3 season and a 6-6 and a 7-5 season. So, you know, it's that important an outing for Auburn. It is at home. That gives us a big advantage. You know, I liked what Byron Brown did last week. I thought that he ran the ball well. I thought that he made good decisions. He threw a beautiful pass for a touchdown that was called back that, you know, was probably his best pass of the year.

You know, if they can put together a good offensive performance, because I like this Auburn defense. I think the Auburn defense is going to play well. Now, you know, Florida's got a great running game. And Fowler, I know he's throwing the ball well. And, you know, they've got good receivers. And so Jon Sumrall is going to have them playing, in my opinion, some very, you know, they're going to execute well, let's just say it that way. And Auburn's going to have to play their best game.

There's no question. If they play like they did offensively against Baylor, if they play, you know, and make mistakes, they had a lot of holding calls and things like that this past weekend. If they had those kind of, you know, mistakes, it's going to be a long night. So, but what a great opportunity for Alex Goalish and the Tigers. In the huddle with Charlie Trotman, let's talk a little bit about that, because I like what Coach Goalish did. He didn't come out and do the verbal bouquets.

He told it like it was. And I think Sumrall is equal at Florida. They don't mind taking off the coach speaking, speaking their minds. Upset with the penalties. Yeah, you're facing Southern Miss. And let's be honest, that is not a sterling team at Southern Miss. All those guys last year now in Memphis. And they have no budget down there. But you've got to take care of business. That's not Auburn's fault. They did what they had to do. But your thoughts about that, and conversely, who has Florida played?

So how do we know where these two teams stack up? Your thoughts, diving a little deeper into it, Charlie, you know offensive lines better than us. Your thoughts, what kind of critique would you give this O-line for Auburn so far? I would say probably a C+. I wouldn't go any higher than that, because, you know, we had, what, five, maybe six sacks against Baylor that they gave up. And Baylor put pressure on the quarterback even when he didn't get sacked. So they didn't have much of a running game.

And we did run for 130 yards against Baylor, but they were hard yards, and they didn't come with any consistency. And so, you know, I think they did better. They probably played at maybe a B-, something like that. You know, I think against Baylor it was probably a D. And, you know, and then against a team like Southern Miss, you should play well. It was probably a B-, and, you know, you take that whole thing together. And I would grade them, you know, a little bit on the south side of a level C.

[1:08:44] So it remains to be seen. And, you know, a team like Auburn, when you have transfer, Cole Best is the center from south Florida that has to gel. He has to gel with that offensive line. And it takes you maybe a couple of games to get your sea legs under you and to feel like you're going to perform well as a unit. And I think the litmus test is this Saturday night at Jordan-Hare where they're going to go up against some defensive players that, you know, maybe even including Baylor, you're not going to see the talent level that you see that Jon Sumrall is going to bring on the, you know, the edge rushers they have and the defensive tackles, the linebackers, and DBs are going to be better athletes than Auburn has faced this year.

Charlie, let me ask you about Auburn's defense. Cody Sigler is from New Hope High School in our neck of the woods. Dallas Walker, Jared Smith, Womack. I think Auburn's got one of the best linebacker rooms in the country with Atkins, Diaz, Melendez, et cetera. I know they were a little bit concerned about the secondary. Charlie, your thoughts on this defense maturing? I think they played well. You know, I think to hold Baylor and DJ Lagway, even though he was injured in the game, to 16 points, you know, I feel good about that.

Now, you know, they only gave up eight points against Southern Miss, but Southern Miss is, again, you know, not the kind of offense that is going to really test a defense like Auburn. But they're going to be tested this weekend. If Auburn holds up defensively against a team like Florida and holds Florida to, say, 21 or less points, they've got to win the football game. They cannot allow Florida's defense to dictate everything to our offense. Because, you know, Auburn had, what, six games last year that were one-score games that they lost.

And, you know, if you get into a one-score game against Florida, you've got to come out with a win just like they did against Baylor. And that's going to be the difference in the record this year. You know, whether Auburn goes to a bowl game or whether you stay home, you know, in December, that is really the mark of a great team is defensively, if you can hold a team to a certain number of points, and then if your offense takes advantage of the opportunities that your defense gives you.

Charlie, you mentioned staying home. This is the third straight week Auburn stays home. They'll stay home next week. How critical were the way the schedule is cranking right now for this? We know that there's a lot of ramifications for this game for obvious reasons, but especially given the timing of it. You've got Florida this week at home, Vanderbilt, who knows? I call that the Forrest Gump special there. It's like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get with the Commodores. But we do know after that, you have got a heck of a challenge on the road to now number 13, Tennessee.

And after that, over the way, on the road to the South's oldest rivalry to Georgia. That makes this game even more important to get in a W column without what's facing you down the road here quickly. Yeah, no doubt about those two games. But then think about going to Ole Miss and then you're going to go to Alabama. So, you know, I mean, and I think it's critically important to win this game for Auburn. And I think the game against Vanderbilt is critically important because Auburn has not had success against Vanderbilt in the last couple of years.

And I know they had Pavia as their quarterback, and that was kind of an ace in the hole for them. But still, you should beat Vanderbilt if you're Auburn or Alabama. You just should. And, you know, that's a big game. I mean, again, the record is going to depend on games like that. Even the Arkansas game, you know, you've got to beat Arkansas. Arkansas played poorly against Utah, but you never know. They've done the same thing before and come into Jordan-Hare and won. So, you know, this year is going to be really critically important, these games that we have at home.

That's exactly right. In fact, Charlie, we're going to find out a lot more about the SEC this weekend. Some big conference games. I cannot think of a better way to begin Monday than talking to Charlie Trotman about football and life. Nobody does a better job of it. Charlie, have a great week. Hopefully, we can do this with you again maybe next Monday. Thank you, Brett. I appreciate it, guys. Harold, y'all are the best. Hey, listen, I think that girl from Florence says you're the best too, Charlie.

[1:13:55] So, keep up the good word down there, okay? All right. See you guys. Thank you, buddy. Former Auburn quarterback, Charlie Trotman. Coming up, we mentioned Tennessee. More big talk about the big orange with the big beast. Right ahead. Stay with us. Summer has a way of feeling like a fresh start. Summer begins to slow down. Routines settle back in. And before we know it, the holidays will be right around the corner. Hi, I'm Brandi Hammack with Creative Jewelers. And if there's something you've been thinking about when it comes to your jewelry, now is a great time to come see us.

Maybe you have a piece tucked away that needs to be repaired. Maybe there's jewelry you no longer wear that could be redesigned into something completely new. Or maybe you're ready to start thinking about a special gift, an anniversary, or even an engagement ring. At Creative Jewelers, we're here to help you find the right piece, create something personal, or bring new life to the jewelry that already means something to you. Because jewelry isn't just something you wear. So often it holds a piece of your story. This September, come see us at Creative Jewelers and let us help you with whatever chapter comes next.

Creative Jewelers and historic downtown Florence, just look for the big purple awning. 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 Suzetrogene 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. My name is Amanda Klutz and I'm a widow. You enter a different reality when you lose your husband, especially as a parent.

Life insurance doesn't fix it. It helps. With Ethos, you can get covered in minutes. No medical exams. Up to $3 million in coverage. And it's all online. Get your free quote at ethos.com slash game. That's ethos.com slash game. Paid spokesperson. Time span on application may vary. Online health questions required. This is the story of the one. The shipping manager who's there before the first truck backs in and the first pallet is loaded. Coordinating schedules. Clearing bottlenecks. Keeping freight moving. He counts on Grainger for the industrial grade products he needs to stay ready.

From shipping supplies to PPE to hand tools. So when the doors roll up, he's ready to roll. Call 1-800-GRAINGER, click grainger.com, or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done. Sports Radio 93.9. The score. That's the ease at which you get information. You want it, you get it. Like that. Ask your phone. Group chat. Smartphone. You're always connected and informed in real time. No waiting. So if you're diabetic and still using finger sticks to read your blood sugar, what are you waiting for?

Knowing your blood sugar levels instantly is important for managing diabetes. Call US Med at 888-665-0696. To learn more about Continuous Glucose Monitors, a real-time, instant method to track your blood glucose, US Med is an approved provider for Medicare and over 1,000 private insurers. And the best part? Call 888-665-0696 and we'll give you a free insurance benefits check today. So call 888-665-0696 today. That's 888-665-0696. And manage your diabetes as easy as… 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 APS.

Protect your home from the ground up with Alabama professional services. From pest and termite protection to lawn care, foundation repair, and waterproofing. APS covers your whole home. Hello again, everybody. I'm Roger Hoover. Here are post-game thoughts from Alabama football head coach Kalen DeBoer after Alabama defeated Kentucky 45-17 on Saturday. Far from perfect game, but one of those games that just I'm really proud of the guys and just told them that. And again, it's not indicative of the things that we got to clean up, but we face a lot of resiliency in different ways.

[1:19:01] A lot of things, just stuff you don't expect to come up and losing comms even in the third quarter from coordinator to quarterback. Just, you know, about everything you had to face was thrown at us. So just really proud of the way the guys fought. I felt at a halftime, you know, it wasn't this crazy energy that we had to have. I'll have more in a moment. Protect your home from the ground up with Alabama Professional Services. Whether it's pest control, termite protection, keeping your lawn looking its best, waterproofing, or foundation repair, APS is the one company you can call to help protect your entire home.

Family-owned and serving Alabama since 1977, APS has taken care of Alabama homeowners for nearly 50 years. Alabama Professional Services, protecting your home from the ground up. Visit alabamaprofessionals.com. Join us tonight for Crimson Tide Rewind, live from Baumhauer's Victory Grill in Vestavia Hills, starting at 6 p.m. Central. You can listen on our full radio network and the Varsity Network app. Crimson Tide Today is brought to you by Alabama Professional Services. Crimson Tide Today is a production of the Crimson Tide Sports Network from Learfield. Hey, it's Evan Cohen coming up Tuesday.

Patrick Mahomes is back and ready to go. But will Bo Nix and the Broncos prove they're still the best team in the AFC West? It's unsportsmanlike, 6 a.m. Eastern, right here on ESPN Radio, ESPN2, and ESPNU. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in. He's got the big story with the big orange any day of the week. The big V, Vince Rara on 99.1 The Sports Animal. Drives to work their air every morning up in a place called Knoxville, Tennessee. V-Man, welcome in.

How are you? What's up, boys? How we doing? I listen to V-Man. I can tell it in your voice. You're almost to the point of hyperventilating, getting ready for that big showdown this weekend with Kennesaw State. Go ahead and admit it, Vance. Well, it's the first of three coaches going to Neyland Stadium this year that coached at Tennessee. And Jerry Mack, the head coach, is running back's coach under Josh Heupel for a couple of years. And got them massive turnaround last year to up to 10 wins.

So, won the conference. And, you know, they have a much different team this year. But, you know, Tennessee's open is a 35-and-a-half point favorite. So, it is what it is. And Tennessee typically takes care of business in these kind of games. So, yeah, I think there'll be a little look-ahead this week from the fan base to who's looming on deck after that. We'll talk about it after that. But let's, in the meantime, take a sneak peek back at Kennesaw State's neighbors, Georgia Tech. Tennessee wrecking the Ramblin' Wreck this weekend.

Your thoughts, what was your takeaway from UT's win this past weekend? Yeah, I had a firsthand look. I made the drive to Atlanta. And the first time I had been to on campus and had been to Georgia Tech. I was obviously driven by it a zillion and three times. But it was a cool venue. A really cool tailgating set up through, you know, through kind of the neighborhoods right there on downtown. And they did a nice job. They had, like, a shuttle, like golf cart shuttles to the stadium from the parking that was quite a ways away.

And just really cool to kind of see, you know, all the whole layout and everything. And there were so many Tennessee fans. That was just incredible. That was supposed to be part of the point of having it on campus, right? And so they wouldn't, Tennessee fans wouldn't take over at Mercedes-Benz. And apparently Georgia Tech fans were willing to sell their tickets to Tennessee fans. In fact, Georgia Tech got booed. Mike Keith mentioned that on our show this morning. They got booed when they came out in their own stadium because of all the fans in orange.

But Tennessee started out strong in the first drive. And then kind of like in game one, had a little bit of a lull. But, man, the running game is outstanding. And it was a better performance overall by the offensive line. Had a couple guys banged up, but both of them came back. Their two tackles. And Tennessee ran for just under 300 yards, 299. So it was, you know, that's kind of their deal is their run-first team, weigh-down. And then suddenly the three, four-yard gains turn in the 6-7 or explosive runs in the fourth quarter in the second half.

And that's what happened. There's things to correct. There's no doubt about it. They give up nine catches to their three of their tight ends in the game. And so they had a tough time defending that. And then, you know, they had some drops on offense, which impacted Paisal Brandon's numbers. He was 10-21, but he had two touchdowns. You know, a lot of his incompletions were not his fault. And they handled things with poise, didn't put the ball in harm's way or turn it over. First road start.

[1:24:19] I think he was excellent in the game. Not perfect, but excellent. And just kind of continues to show that maturity and that kind of, you know, level, you know, emotion that you like to see from your QB1. V, I know Josh Heupel wasn't happy about 14 penalties for 142 yards. Georgia Tech blocked a punt. But let me reiterate a point you made. That 299 yards rushing, that is the 37th game in Josh Heupel's career where Tennessee ran for 200 yards or more. Deshaun Bishop won 47, Dwayne Morris in for 98. So many people think, well, you know, with Heupel, he throws the ball 60 times a game.

No, he doesn't. That's something about him. If you don't follow Tennessee closely, Tennessee's one of the best teams in the league and the nation running the ball. No, you're absolutely right. And they're 35-2 in those 37 games. They've rushed for 200-plus yards. That's quite the recipe. And, you know, if you still don't realize that Tennessee is a run-first offense, you know, six years at the University of Tennessee, three years at UCF, like, how much longer does he need to coach before you figure that out? And then another thing that numerically leads to winning is Tennessee has had 15 defensive touchdowns in the Josh Heupel era.

They're 13-0 when they have at least one defensive score. So people talk about the turnovers, but when you turn the turnovers or at least one into points directly, that leads to winning also. Tennessee had two huge interceptions, the Dajon Lane was what Jeremiah Tilland called their bread-and-butter play on defense, where he was showing blitz off the edge of the safety, backed out, kind of they call it pulling the pin, but then he jumped the flat route, the wide receiver screen, while Spillman, another linebacker, was in the quarterback's face, didn't see Lane, and he jumped it and housed it.

And then Georgia Tech was driving to try to get it to within seven in the second quarter, and Jeremiah T. Lander dropped back in coverage, and he intercepted Mendoza. So, you know, if you're going to give up some yards and some catches, you've got to be able to turn opponents over, and they certainly did that. But you mentioned the penalties, man. That tied, you know, that was the most yards in penalties they've allowed under Heupel, tied the most in total penalties. It has always been a topic of conversation with Josh Heupel teams, and eventually that's going to get you beat, because there were 15-yarders and false starts and things like that against the really good teams.

You may not be able to overcome those in other ways. B-Man, as far as the MASH report after two games, and one thing about it, the SEC has got some young quarterbacks in the hopper, did they not? We've seen what's going on in Tuscaloosa, Mississippi State, and Faison Brandon named the SEC Freshman of the Week. He's pretty good, isn't he? He is, and, you know, mature and wants to be great, isn't an ego guy, wasn't motivated by NIL. He doesn't act like a five-star freshman. And, you know, we were standing there in the media room at Georgia Tech, and Brandon was up first after Heupel, and when he was leaving, Jeremiah Thielander was taking his place at the podium, so they crossed paths and they hugged out.

And Thielander was like, great job, man, so proud of you. And, you know, Brandon was just, you know, really, you know, really thankful and appreciative of that. And, you know, they know he's super talented. He gives them a chance on every play, even as when Deshaun Bishop called sticky situations, he can get them out of it. And, you know, he's one where his stats, I think, outshine his performance, outshines his stats in some times. And that was the case in this game. So glad people looked past just the numbers to recognize just how impressive it was for him to win on the road in his first-ever road start as a quarterback.

Absolutely. Tennessee, what, a 35.5-point favorite over Kennesaw State. Saturday night, I think that's 6.45 on NCC Network Central Time. V-Man, great stuff. You've got it covered. You've got the videocast after the game normally, this time in Atlanta. Where else can we get online, get all the good stuff, and give Daphne Wonder Dog a pet for Harold and I when you get home? I will do that. I'm actually here now. She was asking to go outside and then looked at me like, okay, I guess he's busy. So I'll ask her again in a moment.

[1:29:38] So I will do that for you guys. There is a video from the field there at BobbyDot Stadium afterwards. If you want to check that recap out. And on all the socials, it's at VinceSports, V-I-N-T, sports, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter slash X. And we're going to have Kennesaw State head coach Jerry Mack on our show at 7.20 Eastern, 6.20 Central Thursday morning for an opponent preview. So it's always cool when we get to talk to the opposing head coach, including one this time, the coach of Tennessee. That's great.

V-Man is always a great job. What do you say next week? We talk about UT facing UT. Will that work for you? Yeah, that's right. We'll see if Josh Heupel has got any jabs at the other. Well, great to talk to you guys. Have a great week. You do the same. Obviously, UT Tennessee, UT Texas. That's next week. First, mighty Kennesaw State. Coming up, what do the Vets say about Alabama's performance in Kentucky? The man who's been there and done it, the Redfish. Next. Stay with us.

At Valley Credit Union, we believe every great team starts with a strong community. We're proud to help our neighbors save, borrow, and build brighter futures together. Whether you're planning for your first home, growing your family, or supporting local dreams, we're here with personalized service and competitive rates. Stop by any of our convenient locations, Tuscumbia, Sheffield, Muscle Shoals, Florence, Russellville, Cherokee, and Killen, or visit us on the web at ValleyCreditUnion.net. Valley Credit Union. Rooted in community, committed to you. Let's win together. Irons Electric has been family-owned and operated for over 65 years.

Irons Electric is deeply rooted in the Florence High School tradition and is happy to be a part of many past projects, including the band room. Irons Electric Company was voted the number one electrical contractor in 2023. Our professional team-owned staff and master electricians provide the expertise to make sure your project is installed per code to operate safely and flawlessly. From small residential jobs to large commercial projects, call Irons Electric at 256-766-3870. You won't be shocked by their reputation. Hey, Shoals. Fuller Services here. Our Beat the Heat countdown has officially started.

Just a few more days until our $1,600 rebate program ends September 30th. You heard me. $1,600 rebate on a fantastic system to keep you comfortable all year long. Don't sweat the record-breaking heat. Call Fuller Heating, Air Conditioning, Electrical, and Plumbing today. 256-381-7195. Alabama HVAC, license 9-1-1-1-4. The home of the Atlanta Braves for Northwest Alabama and Southern Tennessee. 93-9. The score. Do you have trouble getting in and out of the bathtub? Are you afraid you'll slip and fall entering or exiting a tub? Safe Step walk-in tubs can transform your bathtub from an area of concern to a calming refuge.

Call them today at 1-800-731-4558 and save $1,600. Safe Step walk-in tubs and showers are proudly made in Tennessee and offer an ultra-low step-in, avoiding that difficult climb over a traditional bathtub wall. They also offer a variety of therapeutic benefits that may help soothe your aching muscles and joints, increasing your mobility, boosting your energy, and improving your sleep. Safe Step walk-in tubs are designed to easily fit your existing tub space and are often installed in as little as one day. Just dial 1-800-731-4558 today to save $1,600 and receive a free shower package.

That's 1-800-731-4558 for a free no-obligation consultation and to save $1,600. Safe Step walk-in tubs, safety never felt so good. The best time to recommit to your gut health goals? Right now. Take charge of your gut with NatureMade. Our clinically studied ingredients support digestive health. Digestive enzymes break down nutrients. Probiotic and prebiotic fiber nourish good gut bacteria. And super greens with probiotics empower daily digestive health. Try the full lineup of gut health support from NatureMade, the number one pharmacist-recommended vitamin and supplement brand. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. There's only one Ozempic. Hello, I'm Ozempic. Because this ad is 30 seconds, I can't get into everything I'm FDA-approved to do, so I'm just going to play my jingle again. But first, ask your doctor about which FDA-approved uses of me, the Ozempic pen, may be right for you. Call 1-833-OZEMPIC or visit Ozempic.com to view the medication guide and learn more about Ozempic semaglutide injection, 2 milligrams. Only Novo Nordisk makes FDA-approved Ozempic. Now here's that jingle again.

There's only one Ozempic. Progressive presents The Sports Flash on 93.9 The Score. In college football action this weekend, the Auburn Tigers beat Southern Miss 43-8 to improve to 2-0. Byron Brown threw two touchdown passes in the victory. Alabama shut out Kentucky in the second half. The Tide pulled away for a 45-17 victory. Alabama is 1-0 in the SEC, 2-0 on the season. Detroit was a winner over Alabama State, 34-17. The Trojans now 2-0. South Alabama fell to 1-1. They were edged at Tulane, 28-24. North Alabama fell at Southeastern Louisiana, 30-25.

[1:35:04] Lions are now 1-2. NASCAR Cup Series yesterday in Illinois. Kyle Larson was the winner. Alex Bowman second. Joey Logano third. Bundle auto and home. Red Tercer condo and save with Progressive. I'm John Thayer with the Sports Flash presented by Progressive on 93.9 The Score. Shop the Sherwin-Williams Fall Sale and get 35% off paints and stains September 15th through the 21st with prices starting at $29.86. Whether you're refreshing your interior or exterior, we've got the colors to bring your vision to life. And with delivery, getting everything to your door is easier than ever.

Shop online to have it delivered or visit your neighborhood Sherwin-Williams store. Retail sales only. Some exclusions apply. See store for details. Delivery available on qualifying orders. Some interesting facts about the vehicles sharing the road with you. The most popular car color is white. About 30% of vehicles have bumper stickers. Only 1% are actually funny. Most drivers choose Rain-X wiper blades, the number one wiper blades in America. 0% of drivers listen to this station for the ads. So we'll just tell you one more time that Rain-X is the number one brand of wiper blades and we'll be done.

We're done. 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. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in. When you and James was good, BB, we didn't know he was that good. He just got done talking about the defensive line. Everybody's talking about the rough start for Alabama's offense and his new camp sugarcoat.

It was absolutely beyond horrible. Thank goodness they're starting it out. But on the other side of that coin, I tell you what, BB, whoever identified Devin Tompkins coming in with a portal, they did a pretty doggone good job, did they not? Harold, I think you can break down Alabama. And by the way, William Redfish Barger will join us here in a couple of minutes. He's getting out of a meeting. Transfer home runs on defense. Devin Tompkins, as you mentioned, Terrence Green, Bingley Jones, Caleb Woodson, who had 12 tackles.

The defense is elite. Special teams is very good. Tall teams have been a very pleasant surprise. And they snuffed out or sniffed out that fake punt. The offense is a work in progress. Again, you've got what I call a freshman quarterback who is learning and growing, but he's going to continue to make mistakes. Again, the pick six for them, if you call it a pick six, was awful. You also, Harold, this is one of my bugaboos, don't get down to third and gold at the two-yard line and call a pass and get in the tight end, miss the block, and he got sacked, put the pullback in front of the tailback and run the dadgum ball into the end zone.

Yeah, a lot of folks, and I think it's rightful, too, Ryan Grubb, this is not his first year. He knows these guys, and I think that's, to me, that's constructive criticism. It's merited. But before we get off on that stuff, we're going to get Redfish here in a second. Yeah, he's on now, Harold. Oh, okay. Well, I'll just shut up and say hello to William Redfish Barger. He's been there and done it for Alabama offensive linemen now to call their bounds radio. William, welcome in. How are you?

Well, I'll tell you what, after the d*** Monday morning I've had so far, I think I might have been more willing to go through that first-half struggle Saturday. What's wrong, William? How's your morning been, buddy? I'm going to be bold and ask. How's your morning been, William? H***, it might have been a simpler outcome for me. Did Ryan Grubb call your Monday morning? Oh, my goodness. Well, you know, my Monday morning was already somewhat dysfunctional. I wouldn't want to add Ryan to the mid-day party. William, honestly.

I did a poor job of scripting my Monday morning job. I didn't do as bad a job as Ryan did scripting the first half. I'm getting a lot of myself. Your thoughts overall. To me, this is a perfect game if you're a coach because the kid, this is his first road game. He's a teenager. This coach up there, he's full of moxie and hormones. He had that fan base ramped up. It's still football season in Kentucky. They ain't got around to basketball yet. The weather was great.

It was a perfect environment for Kentucky to do it, to go into that, do what they did. To me, these are learning moments. Thank goodness they got the ship right. Before we get into the good on the defense, what did you take away overall? Let's not sugarcoat it. That was as absolutely a terrible first half as first quarter as you could get. What did you learn from it, Redfish? It's not what I learned from it. I think as long as an organization, they can hold each other accountable.

[1:40:18] The players weren't properly prepared. Thank you. The staff had a poor plan. But at the end of the day, they're both going to, if they handle it the right way, they're both going to be better coaches and better players for being able to go into that locker room at halftime and figuring out a way to right the ship and dig their way out of the hole that they dug themselves. And, you know, they were fortunate to not have much, you know, a much bigger hole to dig themselves out of.

They can thank those guys on the other side of the ball for that. But I really do, I think, you know, a young quarterback is going to learn from this. Yeah. You know, if I'd have been, you know, I'm trying to think who is the most veteran guy on that offensive line that was out there. They're all brand new with Mike Carroll being gone. You know, Jarvin James, I guess at this point, he's got the most experience. You know, at some point, you know, if you go to your position, Coach Adrian Clemens, say, Coach, you know, stop this nonsense.

Tell them let's just start running the ball. Yes, thank you. And to be honest with you, stop the slow to develop outside zone plays and let's run it between the tackles. And I don't know if y'all saw it or not, but Cole Kubelik put up a play, tweeted out a play over the weekend down there on the goal line. And I mean, from the center going to the right all the way to, you know, Jackson Lloyd and Josh Ford out at tight end and even Caleb Edwards.

It was a thing of beauty. Jackson Lloyd drove the five technique defensive end so far down the line of scrimmage. He put them over where William Sanders had been in his stance before the ball was snapped. You know, Josh Ford KO'd the linebacker down. Caleb Edwards cut the outside linebacker off. And lo and behold, a running back named Danny Hill, there's one guy that's left unblocked and unaccounted for. He met Danny at the three-yard line and Danny drug him into the end zone. And that's how a running play is drawn up.

The running back's responsible for, in this case, running the guy over. But in a perfect case, you want to make one guy miss. But there's some really good stuff developing along that offensive line as far as it pertains to run block. And I've been, you know, pleased with the pass pros so far. You know, but lean on that stuff to give your young quarterback time to get comfortable. And, you know, this isn't trying to bisect the nucleus of an atom. You know, football's a simple game played by simple-minded people for the most part.

So, you know, let's just don't make it harder than it needs to be. Well, the numbers sometimes lie, but I don't think in this case, if you look at the rushing yards at the half, and you look at the scoreboard, look at that, with three turnovers, and then you go to the second half and you look at the rushing yards, what amazing things happened there, Redfish. They picked up the running game. First time in a long time you saw, like you said, the guy running over somebody and topping 100 yards against a worthy opponent.

It's common sense. What is going on, in your opinion, with Ryan Grubb? At what point does he get the memo? He may have gotten it, you know, after the first drive of the second half. At least it appeared to me that he did. But, you know, if you want to move on past that first half, you know, something that I haven't seen in years, maybe going as far back as 2020, but, you know, that offense collectively, I'm not going to just give the offensive line credit for this because the running backs played a part in it, the wide receivers played a part in it, and the tight ends played a part in it.

That's the first time I've seen Alabama's offense make an opposing team's defense at their place late in the game to steal the old quote from Nick Saban. That's the first time in a long time I've seen Alabama's offense make the other team's a** quit. That's right. There you go! That's right. And so, that erases the bad taste in my mouth from the first half. I mean, them making that breakthrough, and, you know, so many different people contributed to it. So, you know, that's a big positive.

Yeah. You know, the defense did their part all day long. You know, I've got a, you know, Jay Nunez is running away after two games for the most improved position coach on the team. Yes. You know, that's two games in a row that the special teams were perfect. So, you know, man, there's positive signs here. It's not all doom and gloom. And, you know, there's other pieces other than this wonderful defense through two games, which, you know, the best stat you can say about this defense, it just blows my mind.

[1:45:27] Yeah. This is hard to do against Ayer. Yeah. They've had 23 third-down attempts through two games. That's right. Only one of them. That's right. I mean, that's big time right there. They lead the nation in that incredible third-down stat, and they're in the top five to ten in about three or four others. Talent evaluation is something we've talked with you about the last couple of years. I would say this stay-off, Courtney Morgan, et cetera, did a pretty good job in hitting home runs with Devin Tompkins, Terrence Green, Bingley Jones, Caleb Woodson, all the 12 tackles, and a couple of sacks.

William, I'm like you, throwing out the verbal buquets. I don't know where to stop with this defense. I mean, if they stay healthy, this could be an elite defense. You know, I'll say this, and people are going to get tired of me saying it, because if this season continues to go the way I think it has a chance to, I think there was a distinct decision made after that Georgia performance in the SEC championship game and the Indiana performance in the playoffs. They sat there as a staff and watched themselves get out-physicaled, and let's just call it what it was, dominated on both sides of the line of scrimmage.

They made a calculated decision to not renew contracts with some overrated five-star players and told them to go get their checks elsewhere. And they went out to the portal and upgraded their roster on both sides of the line of scrimmage. And through the first two games, it's been an obvious good decision, and one that I think is going to bode well for them as the season goes deeper and deeper. You know, to your point, evaluation this day and time is the key. You look at a couple of guys standing in some thunder right now.

Brown running the ball a three-star. You go to the other side of the ball, Mets a three-star, and you can't underrate what he's doing. But your thoughts just about the potential from Jaira Edwards. I don't remember the last time I've seen someone with that kind of speed, with first-step speed, do what he did Saturday. Well, I think he's just kind of the cherry on top of the sundae. But this staff has done such a great job moving away from the portal. You know, with high school recruiting as well, they've got so much young talent on this roster.

You know, Ivan Taylor, you know, you're getting to see a top-15 draft pick blossoming three years from now, and Jackson Lloyd, you know, Caleb Woodson. I mean, I know he's not a young player, but, you know, there's just so many of them that we don't get to see because they've got more experienced, older players in front of them. Chuck McDonald. Absolutely. You know, the list goes on and on and on. And so that just, you know, and there again, you look at they bring in a punter and a place kicker in the portal that pretty much were probably told, yeah, you're going to have to go out there and earn it, but we expect you to be the starting kicker and the punter going into 2026.

And the two incumbents ended up keeping their jobs. So that tells me that that locker room is bought in across the board. It tells me that you've got good position coaches to develop those guys because, you know, if you'd have asked me February 1st who the punter and the kicker were going to be for this year, it would not have been whatever eight days last did in the totality. I promise you that. William, does your impeccable sources tell you that Michael Carroll will make a return to the offensive line for Florida State?

Yes. And, you know, a free, unimpeccable source said it, basically hinted to that in his press conference earlier today. So, you know, again, I still want to know when Michael Carroll got this concussion, you know, was it in the last 10 minutes of the East Carolina game, was it in practice? But, you know, like I said, I felt good about, you know, how they were going to go about replacing him. You know, again, both Sanders and Waldrop had rough first halves. But, man, when it came down to crunch time in the second half, when they needed those, you know, four- to six-yard games on running calls and stuff, man, that offensive line responded.

You know, I think one thing that they need to work on over the next three games going into the bye week is, you know, let's get Keelan Russell more comfortable with the RPO game. You know, he needs to start. You know, we're not paying him that kind of money to run RPOs like Cooper Bateman did against Ole Miss, you know, back in the day. We want that to be a successful facet of the offense, not something that gets negative yards. A flash in the past. All right, let's talk about the past.

[1:50:41] Let's talk about this weekend. What's going to be the final score, Redfish? Man, you know, I'm all over the place with this. You know, what happened this morning with the athletic director at FSU getting fired. I mean, we all know who's next when that happens. They get rid of the guy that hired you, and guess what? You're the next one up in the batter's box. So, I mean, I'll say this. I do think if Alabama jumps up to an early lead, I wouldn't be shocked to see Florida State lay down.

You know, outside of a couple of skilled players, I don't think this is a very talented football team. You know, maybe it's – let's take out how the Kentucky game went to the half. I could see this being a game, you know, for the first half. But I think Alabama will pull away in the second. You know, that wouldn't surprise me either to see them, you know, go into halftime winning, you know, 17-3 or something like that. But this is just not, you know, they know what they're going to get from, you know, Ashton Daniels, the quarterback.

They've seen him before, you know, outside of that, you know, those two or three home run balls that he threw to Cam Coleman against Vanderbilt last year when he was at Auburn. It's been a pretty unflattering, you know, body of work on tape. So, you know, Florida State does have some decent skilled players, not at the quarterback position. But they're pretty inadequate on both sides of the line of scrimmage. So, I mean, I really like Alabama in this matchup. Yeah, their secondary is terrible. Now, their running back, Croma, is pretty good.

Yes. He's the best player on the team that I've seen to this point. That's exactly right. Well, listen, I hope your afternoon and night's a h*** of a lot better than you watch this morning. Hey, you know what? I guess, as it turns out, I'm just a masochist. I have a rough morning, and then I call into y'all thinking it's going to change, and y'all make me realize the first half of the contestant game. I should have just stayed in bed this morning. I'm sorry, man.

It would have been better. We'll try to do better going forward. Thank you, bud. Have a great week. Here's how we have a better day. Okay. A better day first when we get through the week. Oh, my goodness. Maybe let's hope the Braves have a better night than they did in the last game of the fields. Overall, a good weekend for the Braves. They won two out of three from the Phillies. They're in better shape, but I tell you, they got three with the Cubs at Ripley.

Then they got Houston. You need to keep winning. Dozen games to go. Five up on the fields heading into the ninth. The Magic number seven. If they win tonight, that goes to six and takes another game off the schedule. How will it go? Of course. Check it out later on tonight here on 93.9 The Score. It's going to take care of business for now on behalf of BB, Greg, James Blair, and the entire crew here. Peril Bug, thank you so much for your time today. Let's do it again tomorrow, noon to two, for the Boomo Bugg Show, back here on Sports Radio, 93.9 The Score.