Boomo Bugg Show 091526

[0:00] Now, get ready to roll, Shoals, Decatur, Athens, and all of Northwest Alabama and Southern Tennessee. It's time for the Valley's exclusive FM Sports Voice. The Boomo Bugg Show. Your exclusive inside track to the Tide, Tigers, Tennessee and the rest of the SEC. Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9, The Score. We're going to prepare the right way this week and get locked in and get focused. A lot going on. You got LL Angley, you got game day, you got so much other stuff. But to me, it's like high school homecoming for these dudes.

Like if you focus on the wrong s***, right, that homecoming dance ain't very fun after you get your butt beat on a Friday night. So we got to make sure we're doing everything right throughout the week to get the outcome that we want. Hey, Hammett, the boss of the Rams, Pete Golden, talking about a game. And we kid you not, my friend, they are bringing in the Horse County Police from Mobile and New Orleans for Lane's return to Oxford. Good afternoon. Welcome in. I'm Harold Bugg. That's Fred Beard.

How you doing, my friend? Happy Tuesday to you and the listeners. Pete Golding is a football coach, isn't he? We'll be talking about this game throughout the day and the week. But Andre Adelson of ESPN will give us some more insight into the FSU Athletic Director Change. Las Vegas insider Bruce Marshall recamps week two and previews week three in college football. But Roger is here right now to recamp a big second half for the Alabama Crimson Tide in Lexington. Roger Hoover is on the Alabama Crimson Tide Network.

Or put it another way, he gets that kind of security every time he does the walk up to do a game with the Alabama Crimson Tide Network. Roger, welcome in. How are you? Doing my bug. Doing really well. Hope you guys are. Hey, bud. Yeah, we're doing all right. Thank goodness we're not in Oxford. There's going to be enough madness in your backyard this weekend. It is the rematch, FSU. And, boy, I tell you what, where are we in the world now, Roger? FSU dismisses their AD.

What a difference that your mates about a year ago, he was walking on water in Tallahassee. Now it's like, get out of here. Roger, your thoughts, a couple of things before we get into what's going on this weekend. Where were your emotions for the Alabama game at Kentucky over this past weekend? Yeah, I really liked it. I liked the fact more that it was a tough first half followed by a great second half. I think some adversity is good. Anytime you have adversity and still win the ballgame, that's a great lesson you can take a lot from.

So, I think this was an Alabama football team that needed to be punched in the mouth a little bit after things pretty much went to plan against East Carolina. And we found out what they were made of. We found out that this defense is rock solid. Only giving up one offensive touchdown in the ballgame. No points in the second half. And just playing fast and physical. Just the speed of Alabama's defense is on display. And I know they'll face some faster offenses in the future. But this is one thing I don't think is going to slump.

Speed doesn't slump. And Alabama's defense is going to be in really good shape there all throughout the rest of the season. And Keelan Russell got better as the game went along after some mistakes. Three turnovers in the first half. None in the second half. And the running game really took over. Speed Daniel Hill. He can take it. He's ready for a big meal. And we saw that with over 100 yards. But getting into the end zone once again. Just love what he is able to do along with EJ Crowell and everybody that cycles in.

Treshawn Brown, another touchdown for him. So, I think Alabama is in really good shape. You are 2-0 of the season. And you took what was a very nervy first half. Being down by four on the road. Hostile environment at halftime. Into a blowout win where you empty the stadium. It was a little bit of a throwback. I thought all of a sudden that was back in 2016 or 2017. That's how that ball game felt at the end. You know, Roger, I was thinking about this as far as Keelan Russell.

It goes back to when, remember when you were a kid trying to get your driver's license. You could read the manual. And you could sit here and answer every question. You aced it. But until you got behind the wheel and you had the pressure of the one that was going to say you either failed or passed. What happens the first time you run over the curb? The question is, do you keep running over the curb or not? And to me, my point being, you can sit here and read the manual.

Russell has all this potential. And you can see it oozing out of every pore. But until you go into that environment on the road as a teenager and then see how you respond. To me, you couldn't put a value as far as paying for that kind of experience that you hope the kid got Saturday. Yeah, absolutely. And it's not just trying to learn from the turnovers or things that really didn't go well. Sometimes it's just as easy as learning, you know, going back and looking at the film saying, all right, on this run, pass, option, play, this RPO, should I have handed it off?

[5:04] You know, should I have waited a half second longer before I began my run or went back to pack? I think all those things are going to be very valuable and help his decision making this week against Florida State and just in general moving forward. I think it was a very valuable week for him. He's talked about his leadership and other players, talked about the fact that Keelan was cool as a cucumber all throughout that first half and the halftime and in the second half, even when things are going against him.

I think that's a really good sign. Absolutely. The SEC agrees with Roger Hoover about a rock-solid defense. They named Luke Matts, Kelly Woodson, the co-defensive players of the week. Devin Tompkins named co-defensive lineman of the week. Roger, they have allowed just 19 first downs for two opponents through two games. That ranks fifth in the nation, but one that blows my mind, the Alabama defense leads the nation in third down conversions. Two opponents have gained one. One first down in two games, one out of 23. Yeah, that's remarkable, especially considering Kentucky had some pretty manageable third and threes or less, you know, third and two, third and one, with a really good running back in C.J. Baxter and then another good option in Jason Patterson and just could not convert on the ground or mention when he went back to pass.

So, I love the way the defense was fast and physical to the ball, and I think Mets and Woodson is good. They're getting some flowers right now because I think they're still going to be overshadowed postseason by how good the secondary is going to be and how good that deep lineman rotation is going to be. Led by Devin Tompkins, as you mentioned, one of the players the week, but Kedrick Bingley-Jones, Terrence Green, who I have an interview coming out with on Thursday. Like, those guys are playing at such a high level, and then you almost forget about Yonsei Pierre flying off the edge, Justin Hill in Missoulu.

I mean, there's playmakers all over the place on this defense, and I think that should give Alabama fans a lot of reason for optimism when we do get to the tougher parts of the schedule. And, Roger, again, to your point, I mean, looking at Saturday's forecast, it is going to be in a neighborhood between 100 and 105, and depth is going to be a factor. You look at FSU, can they sit here in the second half, particularly you saw last week at Kentucky with the Wildcats' depth. Can they match that kind of depth?

Because you've got to believe, with the competition being what it is, you come out like two boxers, you trade blows, but in the second half, the late rounds in boxing, you see the cream come to the top. And, especially in these early games, that depth does pay dividends, does it not? It really does, and for us, we have so many unknowns about Florida State's depth. Right. On the first game, pretty handily against New Mexico State, and then it seemed like in that ballgame, they faded down the stretch against the Southern Rangers on Labor Day night.

So, after playing pretty well, I think there were some really good playmakers on the defense for Florida State, and guys that anybody in the SEC or ACC would love to have on their team. But, that's a group that had a really tough night against the pass as that game went along against Kevin Jennings, leading that Mustang offense for SMU. So, I think if you're an Alabama fan, kind of with that in mind, you've got to feel good about the number of bodies Alabama has healthy and able to go in a matchup like this.

On what we know, like you said, will be a very hot day in Tuscaloosa on Saturday. Roger, let's give special teams a pat on the back. Connor Talty, to his credit, he could have left after the Oklahoma game, and a lot of fans would have probably helped him pack. But, going back to last year, he has now hit 10 consecutive field goals, which is a real credit to him. Quinn keeps kicking off into the end zone. And, what about that special teams play on the fake punt?

QB Reese and Ivan Taylor sniff that out, kept Kentucky from getting a first down. Special teams so far have been special. Absolutely. Yeah, Connor Talty, I mean, kept Alabama in the football game when he was able to convert those field goals. I know it's tough for fans not to get touchdowns getting to the Reds a few times. But, kept you in the ballgame, kept whittling away at that Kentucky advantage, and he's been doing that even going back to the Oklahoma playoff game last year. He had some key early kicks that if Alabama doesn't get, you know, could we have seen that dramatic comeback on the road in Norman?

So, a great performer. I love what Lorcan Quinn is doing, his booming kickoff downfield. It's going to be exciting to see if this group can stay as consistent as they have been through the first two games. Roger, Hoover, Alabama Crimson Tide Network. Let's give a shout-out to some of the young bloomers coming up. It was almost like in the modern era where somebody hits a speed button. You can sit here and go video games. You can fast-forward, double speed, triple speed. Did you kind of get that impression, particularly one play there by Jaira Edwards.

It's almost like, is this in real time, or is someone speeding this kid up? Yeah, no, great to see him make a huge play, as you mentioned. And great to see him just back on the field after that injury that he suffered. In preseason camp, you're thinking, oh, well, maybe we won't get to see him until October. Well, Jeff Allen, the magic man, Alabama's athletic trainer, got him back on the field ready to go. So, we're thrilled about Jaira's progress because we heard the buzz in spring and in preseason that he can be an impact guy as a true freshman.

[10:24] And one healthy game in, he certainly looks like he can be that way. I can't wait to see him play the rest of the season. Roger, I thought Kalen DeBoer had a very promising or optimistic report as far as the injuries. He insinuated Michael Carroll should be back at right guard for the Florida State game. And A.K. Deer, as he put it, he's making good progress, getting closer. Noah Rogers actually went on the trip, which I thought was interesting. I would guess by the South Carolina game or certainly the Mississippi State game in Starkville, a lot of these guys are going to be back.

But the doubt that running back some of the other positions, Noah Rogers is going to be as far as solidifying the receivers, certainly some positive news on future injuries. Yeah, absolutely. Especially considering, you know, when we heard about those injuries in the preseason, and definitely with Rogers going back in spring as well, you thought, well, I mean, that's a starter you've lost. How are you going to be able to make up more? Well, now the wide receiver unit has looked better than I thought they would throughout the year.

It's going to be hard to take somebody like Rico Scott off the field after he had a great touchdown this past week. But we know Noah as a special player can do special things. But that's only going to make everybody, along with Ryan Coleman, Williams, Wild Deerbrook, even better, along with Rico, trying to hang on to those spots on the field. And then the running back room. I don't know how Alabama tries to dole out the carries moving forward. It kind of reminds me of the old days when you had three or four future NFL running backs.

You're like, you know, it feels like we're barely using Josh Jenkins. But we have Najee Harris. We've got to beat him. And, you know, Damian Harris. All these things. So, I think it's a good problem to have. Depth is going to be important, especially if this season turns out to be what we hope it is. And that's for Alabama playing beyond January 1 and going all the way to, like, January, what, 25th, when the championship game is played this year in Las Vegas. So, bring on the healthy bodies that we're going to need as this season goes along.

Roger, obviously, what was it? The late John Lennon said they're playing those mind games again. At the first half, I think a lot of Alabama fans were saying, oh, boy, here we go again. On the road, boom, let down. And then the second half, here comes Lazarus, 32 to nothing. This coaching staff has to sit here and go, whew, thank you. A heavy lift off the shoulders of being able to go on the road after the history of the last couple of years in similar situations and come away with the final score they came away with.

Yeah, I think the game that really exercised a lot of those demons last year was that Oklahoma playoff game. Again, you kind of linted in that ball game with how poorly the game in Atlanta went against Georgia for the SEC championship. And all of a sudden, you're down 17-0. And, you know, it would have been easy for this team to be like, all right, season's done. I'm going to hit the portal. I'm out of Tuscaloosa, blah, blah, blah. They never did that. They found a way to play hard and win that ball game when there was a lot of outside chatter about, you know, what would a loss mean for Kalen DeBoer if Michigan wanted to pursue him.

And in the ball game that night, they found a way to get it done, get Kalen DeBoer, his contract extension, and I think get this program some solid footing, which a lot of programs around the country would love to have right now. So I think that was the one game that kind of showed that, all right, enough of the Florida State performance, Vanderbilt the year before that, a very winnable Tennessee game before that. You know, this is a football team that wants to move in a different direction.

And I think we saw a great example of that Saturday, and hopefully that continues. So we've got nothing but tough places to play coming up after that with Mississippi State, Tennessee, and LSU being our next three games on the road. Absolutely. Monday night, Crimson Rewind with Tyler Watts and Roger Hoover. You've got Caleb Edwards on Crimson Drive, I know, today, and some other guests later this week. Hey, Coach, on Wednesday night and a week from tonight, young man, you're going to be in the Tennessee Valley at Greenbrier meeting with the North Alabama Tider and Sider group talking about the Crimson Tide.

Then, of course, Saturday, 1130, broadcast for radio. Tell us about your week. Yeah, you laid it out perfectly. Really looking forward to getting up there next week to see all you guys in person. A lot of Alabama fans hopefully will come out to the Greenbrier and have a really good time. Just looking forward to seeing what's coming up this week for Alabama against Florida State. As you mentioned, Crimson Drive driven by NASCAR at 2 o'clock today and Thursday with our interviews, getting you prepared on that ball game.

And then Friday night, I'm back to work on the soccer side with Alabama against Arkansas on SEC Network Plus. So after beating Auburn last week, we'll see the Crimson Tide at home for the first time in SEC play, hoping to keep their winning ways going. And that's the top ten program that we have in Tuscaloosa as well in the other football. So we're doing very well right now. Off to a very good start this year in T-Town. Roger, all the best this weekend. Safe travels up to Greenbrier.

[15:27] Two words coming in. Hush puppies. Okay, you've been warned. There we go. I'll have seven, please. There you go. That's a good start. All right, you have it. Roger Hoover on the Alabama Crimson Tide Network. He's on a network called ESPN-AA. Andrew Adelson next. Stay with us. At CB&S Bank, tradition runs deep. Since 1906, we've been serving families and communities with stability you can count on. And today, that legacy of service continues. Recognized by American Banker as the 16th best performing bank nationally in their asset category.

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[20:52] Double A, Andrea Adelson there at ESPN. Andrea, welcome in. How are you? I'm doing great, fellas. How are y'all doing today? Yeah, we're doing all right. We know you've interviewed a lot of folks. Have you interviewed Steve Sarkeesian this week by chance? Not this week, fellas, but I feel like I have a few words to say to him if I can. This is kind of family radio, but if you want to take an exception here, the stage is all yours, Andrea. Well, it is family radio, so I'm going to be measured in my comments, but I just didn't think it was a good look the way that he blew off Holly, and I understand that there were technical difficulties during halftime that prevented his halftime interview, and I believe there were some postgame.

But the thing is, he was standing right there, right? It's not as if she had to go and he was waiting. I mean, she was there and asked a question, and he responded in that manner. I don't think it would have – I get he was annoyed, but what does it hurt if you stand there and answer two questions when you know you want to celebrate? So there's a lot of folks who are defending him. I just don't think it was the best look, and as a result of the way he handled that, there have now been these terrible AI videos that have been made that depict him slapping her, and then that leads to a question at a press conference yesterday with Arch Manning laughing at it, and so the whole thing could have been prevented if he had simply said, I'm so happy, Arch did great, we believed in him this whole time, what a win, and then you get to go and celebrate.

The aftermath of it is what really makes me upset, because I get that AI images are fake, but if you're laughing at something that is depicting a woman who's getting hit, that hits home, and I would think that would hit home to a lot of people when they see that. Well, it's class, it's what it is, and to me, I haven't seen it, maybe he has, if he has, I haven't seen it. Let's just say that people being human, that in the heat of the moment he did that, what would be wrong later saying, you know what, it was the heat of the moment I did that, I apologize?

Nothing wrong with giving an apology ever, and I know it's hard sometimes to admit that you didn't handle things in the right way, or that you wish you could have done something different, we're all human, we make mistakes, and sometimes when you've made a mistake, it's okay to apologize, he has not apologized, and I understand Holly keeping a low profile because of the absolute garbage that has been posted on social media as a result of her just trying to do her job. I mean, she wasn't doing anything different than any other sideline reporter after a game.

Every sideline reporter in America after a game tries to find the head coach to get two or three questions, so she wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary, that's what she was supposed to do, and the heat that she's taken for that because of the way Sarkeesian responded, I can't get past that, right? I mean, she is getting flack for something the coach did when she was just trying to do her job. If he had done his job and answered the question, then we wouldn't still be talking about this on a Tuesday afternoon.

Double A, he's making $10 to $11 million a year. He can handle standing there for 90 seconds answering two questions. If he would have even said, Holly, excuse me, but I'm going to go talk for 90 seconds and say, excuse me, I'm going to go celebrate with my team. Even that would have been something that you could agree with, but you've had a long week herself. Florida State's had a long couple of years. You wrote the article for ESPN. Michael Alford, who was actually at the University of Alabama, I think from 2004 to 2008, with the Crimson Tide Sports Network, fired yesterday the athlector at Florida State.

Your thoughts on this, and is it leading to another dismissal later this fall? Well, that's the exact question that I asked school president Richard McCullough when I had a chance to talk to him yesterday, and he was like, well, we're not here to talk about Mike Norvell. I said, but you realize that that's the question everybody wants answered, and I'm just doing my job by asking you that question. So, you know, he gave the typical, we love Mike, and we want to give him every opportunity to succeed.

I do think that's true. I do think they really do like Mike Norvell, and they don't want to spend whatever it's going to cost to not only fire him, but then hire a new staff, spend more money on football. You get what I'm saying. But the first step, though, if they are going to make a change at football coach, and I still leave that up in the air as an if, he hasn't been fired yet, is to kind of get the athletics department house in order.

[26:12] And there was a lot of frustration building over the way Michael Alford kind of underestimated what would happen with over-the-cap spending and football budgets and rev share and all of that that has put Florida State at a disadvantage compared to some others, in particular their rival, Miami. And so that frustration just kind of led to a boiling over point in which they felt the need to make this move now because I don't think the president and the board or even Seminole Boosters, the fundraising arm, wanted to have Michael Alford hire the next football coach, right?

So if you're going to make a change in football, then you kind of have to start at the top where the administration felt there were some missteps that were made. Now, on the whole, I feel like Michael Alford did a terrific job at Florida State. When he took that program over, it was an absolute disaster. I mean, they had spent however much money to fire Willie Taggart. They had no money for football. They had no standalone football facility. Doak had not been touched in decades. And so he comes in there.

He puts them on a much better financial path. They get the standalone football. They get the upgrades to the football stadium. He changes the revenue distribution in the ACC to benefit Florida State in terms of the uneven with the getting more money if you're highly rated on TV, the success initiatives, and all of that. So I think he was proactive in a lot of ways. The problem is that Red Share came along at a time when they were doing all these facility improvements, and that rubbed the fan base the wrong way because they would have rather spent the money on football players.

And his stubbornness over not wanting to spend over the cap when everyone else was doing it led to more frustration. And there was a lot of frustration over the way they handled their battles and NIL because he didn't want to spend over the cap. And then the Seminole Boosters felt like, well, we can't raise money. And then it got harder to raise money on the university side because you have all of these different pieces that are not united, and you don't have the alignment that you need.

So it reached a breaking point. I thought the timing was a little weird to do it this week. They had an open date last week where maybe it would have been a little bit better from a timing perspective that this is something that had been in the works and kind of a long time coming. Nonetheless, I think people are right to believe that this is the first step along the way towards figuring out what is football going to look like. Offer may not be making it to Tuscaloosa, but the team will.

As far as the X's and O's and Jimmy's and Joe's, what's going to happen this weekend in Tuscaloosa, Andrea? You know, I don't have high hopes for Florida State going into this game. Now, I will say I didn't have high hopes for them going into the game last year, and the performance was the best performance of the year in week one. I feel like it's a little bit different right now because both teams have played a game under their belt, and Florida State simply doesn't have a passing offense right now.

And when you're going against this defense, obviously you want to try and keep them a little bit off balance. And the only thing Florida State can do right now is run. And they've got some terrific runners. Usman Kroma has had a terrific start to the year. They're averaging over 200 yards on the ground. And they ran the ball against SMU. The problem was on third down, when they absolutely needed to complete some passes, they either didn't throw and they still tried to run, or they threw incomplete.

And so that's where Ashton Daniels' inability to be effective as a passer really hurt them against SMU because the defense created some turnovers, put them in some great spots. They just couldn't do anything with it. And a lot of that falls at the feet of Ashton Daniels. And Mike Norvell is the play caller now, by the way, since Gus stepped down. So I think it's going to be really tough flooding against this defense, and Florida State's defense has been an absolute disaster on third down. And they can't really stop the run either.

So I think it's going to be a long day for Florida State. Double A, I agree with you. New Mexico State embarrassed the FSU secondary. And they've got some players. I think the best chance for FSU to keep this game close is do what they did against SMU, run the ball, control the clock, shorten the game. I think that's the only chance they've got. And you bring up a good point with the Florida State AD. Jeremy Foley had this same problem. He never upgraded the facilities out of arrogance more than anything else.

But that's one thing that you've got to do. We've got to run to a break, dear. But I always wanted to catch up with you and get your thoughts on FSU. Should be a very interesting game. Where can we get your article about the athletic director firing and yours and the team's good stuff? Appreciate that, fellas. It's on ESPN.com. Just click on the college football page and you'll see it up there. And, guys, I will be coming to your city, not where you guys are actually based out of, but Alabama.

[31:19] I will be at the game on Saturday. Oh, good. If y'all are there, we'd love to see you. Absolutely. Just bring a ton of SPF temperatures between 100 and 105. I have a hot time in your town, Andrea. Yes. Yes, it is. Yes, it is. I'm going to throw you some shade, okay? All right. Going to hydrate now, fellas. That's right. There you go. Safe travels, Andrea. Thanks so much for your time today. Double A, Andrea Adelson. ESPN on her way to see FSU and Alabama play. Coming up, let's go to another hot place called Vegas, the Desert, and Bruce Marshall on deck.

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Shohei Otani's interpreter was fired today. Ipe Mitsuhara ran up gambling debts to a Southern California bookmaking operation. The inside story of the biggest scandal in modern baseball. He was absolutely bananas, the amount of bets he was making. I've never seen anything like it. From 30 for 30 Podcasts, this is The Betrayal of Shohei Otani. Presented by Gusto. New episodes available now. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. ESPN Radio for the show. Sports Radio 93.9. The Score. Football's back, so whatever plans you have this weekend, say goodbye to them.

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YouTube TV required. Availability varies. Terms, restrictions, and embargoes apply. Commercial use excluded. Progressive presents the Sports Flash on 93.9. The score. The Atlanta Braves lost yesterday. They've called Wrigley Field in Chicago to the Cubs. Seven to three. The Braves had eight hits in the loss. Ronaldo Lopez took the loss. He's now four and five. Braves are 88 and 63. Braves and Cubs back at Wrigley tonight. Martin Perez will start for Atlanta. He's eight and nine. The Cubs will send out Kevin Gausman, who is nine and 12. In the latest college football top 25 polls, Alabama moved up two spots this week to number 10 in both the AP poll and the coaches poll.

Auburn Tigers are receiving votes in the latest coaches poll. Texas is the new number one, while Georgia is number two. Notre Dame is number three. Indiana and Miami round out the top five. Tune in tonight for Braves baseball as a take on the Cubs in Chicago. I'm John Thayer with the Sports Flash presented by Progressive on 93.9 The Score. Business moves fast. Orders roll in. Deadlines close in. When you ship with USPS Ground Advantage, you can keep up with confidence. Every package stays in our secure network from dock to door.

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Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Not available in all states or situations. Coverage subject to policy terms. Listen to the Crimson Tide Sports Network for Crimson Tide Rewind. Live from Baumhauer's Victory Grill in the Stavie Hills, Monday nights at 6 p.m. Tune in and roll tide. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in. He is always busy. He's Bruce Marshall. Busy there to Las Vegas Insider for the gold sheet. Wagers, winners, and winers. Picks and parlays. And the traveling man. Bruce, welcome in.

How are you? Hey, I'm pretty good. By the way, I just wanted to acknowledge the passing of my favorite boxer of all time, George Chavala, who passed yesterday. So, it's a sad day for those of us who were big Chavala fans. I'm sorry to hear. I appreciate you sharing that, Bruce. I do. Listen, man. You cover it all. You've got boxing. You've got every sport in the world. But college football. Before we get into what's coming up this weekend, quickly, your thoughts about the Texas and Ohio State.

I know you are, let me say this with tongue-in-cheek, a big Ryan Day fan. Did it break your heart on the weekend to see the ZZ Top Special, Teos, holding court? Something must be happening to me, because, I mean, I was actually sort of cheering for Ohio State in that game. Oh, no? Really? I don't know. Maybe it's just when I go to SEC media days, if I put that Texas shirt on, I get so much grief. So maybe I'm starting to see why. But I, you know, I actually, I kind of like, I don't mind Sarkeesian.

He always, he's usually really good answering questions and things like that. My thought was, I, the first thing that hit me after the game is this stuff about Julian Sand. And all of these, and the prognosticators, okay, he's a definite top, high pick in the NFL draft. Please. He is nowhere near that. He has got a perfect, I mean, and by the way, he's losing a lot of these games now. You know, Indiana last year, Miami last year, now Texas. Close games, the offense doesn't do anything.

He is a product of that offense. And whatever he's done is because he generally has time to throw. And he's got, like, Jeremiah Smith, who can, nobody in the NFL could guard him. But when he has to, when the plays break down a little bit, it just goes sour for him. He can't move out of the pocket. And I thought, as the game went on, Arch did a better job. So, that wasn't as much Archer's show as it was Texas got the running game going. And Hollywood Smothers, maybe, was a really nice portal ad for them.

They really didn't run that great in the opener against Texas State. You know, after Smothers had a big run on the first play, they only gained about three yards per carry on the runs the rest of the night in the opener. But they were running rather effectively. And I think Sark can pat himself on the back because the play calling. I mean, he was just taking what Ohio State was giving him. And I thought Ohio State sort of wore down late in that game. And it was just very sort of methodical.

And it was also like Sark had planned this out. We're going to have three possessions. And I think, after they scored the first time, he said, you know, we're going to get the ball back again because I don't think Ohio State's going to move. And let's just be patient about it. We can work our way downfield against these guys. But that was also happening because Ohio State wasn't going anywhere. Because Sam cannot get off script and do much at all. He is very overrated. And this could be another one of these cases of, you know, the talking heads just convincing themselves that somebody is great, just like they did in the NFL.

How many of these guys who were talking up Cam Ward two years ago would take him over Jackson Dart right now? They're doing the same thing as Sam. And I just don't think he's that good. And I think this is going to keep Ohio State back. They just don't have a playmaker at quarterback. Bruce, you bring up a good point. You're very insightful. You know our zip code here. Sam came from Alabama. He was all that in the bag of chips coming out of high school.

So were Smith and Roussall coming out of high school in Montgomery, committed to Alabama. They had more stars in the heavens. And basically, Alabama couldn't do anything with them. Say and jump ship early. We saw what happened last year with Smith and Roussall. It was like Swiss cheese, very holy. They let Ohio State pick up that payroll. They go out and get two guys right now that's lining it up. So to me, this kind of illustrates the power of people who know how to evaluate and spend money wisely.

[42:13] Absolutely. And even, you know, college football, no different than anything else, like the pros and these guys who are the general managers and all. You know, you want to fit the guys in where you think they can work and you get selective about it. Although, I guess this is enlightening. And all the media days I went to in the summer, the one quote that stuck with me was what Bill O'Brien at Boston College said. And somebody, we asked him what was the hardest thing about recruiting and, you know, the portal and all that.

And he said, the hardest thing is, I don't know what the other guys are offering. And he said, I know what I can offer. He said, but there's no stick. It's not like a real estate listing. You've got a price on the house. He said, you just don't know who. And you don't know who to believe. He said, it's a big game of chicken out there. So, boy, I feel for these coaches having to go out there and not spending. And then they have to find the right guys, too.

And I think that the schools that do that best and the general managers that do that best, those are the ones who work the portal the best. We want to get into as many games as we can. But just very quickly, I got laughed at when I told people I thought Oklahoma State was going to be the most improved team in the country or one of them. Eric Morris coming from North Texas. They got Drew Mestermaker. Dan Lanning has not been able to replace Will Stein or Tosh LaPoi.

That was not an upset. They got their butt handed to them. 554 yards to 281. And I'll be curious to see where Oregon goes from here after that embarrassing loss. But we've got to ask you about LSU and Ole Miss to begin with. You know, the emotions, all the other stuff going on, game day. LSU leads the nation, though, in total defense with all their issues. 42-12 sacks. Ole Miss is a very good team. LSU is a three-and-a-point favorite in Oxford. Your thoughts? I just hope there's no casualties there.

And I'm being serious about that this week because the emotions are so high both ways there. And with Lane coming back. And I was actually kind of scared. Brett wanted me to come to this game. He wanted me to go to my Ole Miss game this year. And he said, come to this one. And I said, I'm a little scared. Really, I was a little. I thought it would be just a little too much going on there. So I said, no, I'll catch you, Missouri, or one of the other games later in the year.

I think Lane's going to get this game. And you brought up the point why. Because I think Wake Baker's defense is real. And maybe Clemson ain't that much. But, I mean, they couldn't move an inch in that first game. And not for that mistake, Leavitt made that 100-yard pick six late in the first half. La Tech, which scored 80 points its first game. Might not have done anything. Got on the board even last week. Their defense looks like it's playing pretty well. And Leavitt, though, he did make a couple mistakes last week.

I think you can see the way he can run out of the pocket. What he can do. And he has that sort of sidearm delivery a bit. But that's what, to get the ball out, release the ball quick, you almost have to have that sort of whip-like delivery. And I think that will end up working real well for Lane. The question I have about Ole Miss is the defense. Because, you know, Keene Holtz we saw in the opener. And Louisville was moving. Once that game got going, I mean, Ole Miss wasn't stopping Louisville.

And I think if Louisville could move like that, LSU probably will too. And, you know, can they win it by more than three, three and a half? I think so. It might be work in a little higher scoring. And Ole Miss will do some damage with Chambliss. But it's just so many elements there. Lane and Lane's going up against Chambliss and the connections on the staff and all that. 31-24 LSU, I think they win. I think they cover on Saturday. You bring up a good point, Bruce, because we saw the story today where they're bringing in Mounted Police from Mobile and New Orleans.

And if you've ever been to Oxford, it's a different beast down there. They can get liquored up and the Whiskey River can get flowing pretty early. So I think you've got a legitimate point. Something to keep an eye on there. And Tallahassee's dropping the axe on their AD, FSU, coming to Tuscaloosa. I don't think the boys from Alabama need to be told about this game from last year. Your thoughts about the showdown in T-Town? Yes, and that AD story is very interesting. And Brett commented to me yesterday on a text.

It's almost like FSU doesn't want the AD Alfred to be the guy picking Norvell's successor. It also suggests to me that the wheels are turning there in Tallahassee to figure out how they're going to handle this buyout with Norvell, which is a little north of $50 million, I think, and how they're going to structure that. And Jimmy Sexton wins again with another one of his deals. I don't think Norvell may not last past Halloween if you look at their schedule. Now, that's the day I think they play Clemson.

[47:37] Maybe that's the day they could win, the way Clemson looks. I think it's remote that he laughs to the end of the season because I just don't think Florida State's that good. They shouldn't have been within two touchdowns of SMU in that open. I was completely down to some bonehead moves by SMU and muffing punts and missing short field goals and, you know, bad penalties. And they still won the game. This has turned into a mediocre average ACC team in just short order. And I think you guys mentioned the portal at the top of the segment here.

And I think, and you talk to people down there, this is what Norvell has missed the last couple of years. He worked the portal pretty hard. In mass, two years ago, it didn't work for him. Not just DJ Ugalalia quarterback, but the whole offensive line was a mess. And it just sort of fell apart. Marginally better last year. And I'm not sure it's any better this year. They just don't look that good. And it goes back to me saying that 2023 team was the biggest fluke of my lifetime, all of the fact that team got through the regular season unbeaten.

Alabama, the second half last week, that was one of the better halves. And I didn't see that coming at halftime. Kentucky looked like they had a shot. But, boy, that second half, once they figured some things out. And now Russell maybe is getting on the same page with DeBoer. Alabama was just, they looked like the Chiefs last night against the Broncos. They were just rolling. I think Florida stays in big trouble. And Norvell is at risk of a really bad loss of not lasting to Halloween.

I'd be worried about that if I were him this week. Florida and Auburn. Florida hasn't played anybody. They played the Soup Company last week. Auburn had a tough game with Baylor. But Florida is much improved. The Gators, a one-and-a-half point favorite going into a raucous environment at Auburn. Did they win and cover the one-and-a-half? I think it's going to be tough. And I'm still sort of waiting and seeing on both of these. And you mentioned the reason that we're all waiting on Florida a bit. We want to see who they're going to play.

You can see them play somebody. I mean, it does look, they looked as good as you could look for some role early. But, you know, it would be hard not to. And actually, the Florida Atlantic, what they did to them, Florida Atlantic might not be that bad. They beat Navy last week, which is surprising. But they were moving up and down the field like a hot knife through butter against Florida Atlantic. So it looks like Buster Faulkner, who came along from, who brought in, came from Georgia Tech.

We saw Georgia Tech's missing him, too. He's a very clever offensive coordinator. And Jaden Baugh might be one of the better running backs in the country. So this could be, something might be going on there. But I would be reluctant to lay points into Jordan Hare. You know, Baylor had a good scheme, and that was, you know, Golesh's first game. And I can sort of excuse that, but they found a way to win. Byron Brown's looking a little more comfortable now. They got the running game going against Southern Miss last week.

They won that thing very handily. So I might lean a little bit to Auburn just at home. But this is only because I just haven't seen enough of Florida against, you know, FAU and Campbell. Now you're really stepping up, and you've got to go on the road. It's going to be tough. So I might lean a little bit to Auburn. But that is going to be sort of a barometer game for both of them in the SEC. Let me ask you about one of the more intriguing games, not only in the SEC, but the nation.

Mississippi State, South Carolina, the Gamecocks, a seven-and-a-half-point favorite. Camario Taylor looks like a Heisman Trophy candidate. They went to Minnesota and just spanked the Gophers, 581 yards. South Carolina hasn't played anybody either with this. Who wins? What's your prediction for this? And what's your under-the-radar game this week? I think that South Carolina might get them here. And I'm high on Camario Taylor. And they were just faster across the field. Not just Camario. The whole team was just faster than Minnesota. That's what jumped out at me from that game last week.

And they, Minnesota just couldn't keep pace. And they just could not run with Mississippi State. So Jeff Webby has something going there. And Bothell, I love that name, Fluff Bothell. And I think it's a great name for running back. My thought about Shane Beamer, though, is that a lot of last year's problems were because he made a very bad hire as his offensive coordinator. He hired Mike Shula. And he was past his sell-by date. And that effectively wrecked the season. And it wrecked Lenore Sellers last year.

[52:52] And they got rid of Shula before the end of the season. He rectified that. The offense looks in much better shape. We've seen Sellers, who two years ago looked like they were talking about him as a first-round NFL pick and what he can do. And they have looked as good as you could look their first two weeks. The latest this spread is now, I'm seeing only four. That's the latest number I saw. So there's some people obviously jumping on Mississippi State bandwagon after that win. And that looked good against Minnesota.

But I'm going to lean to Shane Beamer a little bit here. That they got rid of the problem last year. Sellers has done more in his career still than Camario. And South Carolina is not going to get overrun and outrun by Mississippi State like Minnesota did last week. A little bit to the Gamecocks for me there. Great stuff. You covered all NFL, college, football. Where can we get online and get this is just a few. I wish we had another 30 minutes with you. But how can we get online and get all the good stuff?

Okay. Oh, by the way, one extra one this week. I'm going to take Northwestern against Colorado at home. By the way, their last game in that little lakeside stadium. They move into the refurbished Ryan Field for October 2nd. But they get Deion. I'm not sure Deion's got Colorado where people think they are. I think Northwestern gets them in Evanston this week. Yes, it is a Super Tuesday. And it means $5 picks on all the games. That includes a Syracuse pit Thursday night college game and all the Tuesday baseball picks.

That's up right now at wagertalk.com. You can also go up there at Get the Gold Sheet, which is going to be ready this afternoon at Wager Talk. Fix and Parley's Winners and Winers.com is also up there. We also have a 5% play on an NFL game Thursday night. Lions and Bills, first regular season game at that new stadium in Buffalo. All up there now for me at wagertalk.com. Should be an interesting weekend for a mutual friend, Brent Norsworthy, for the return of the lane game.

In the meantime, Bruce, it's always good to catch you with you. And thank you so much for your time today. Okay, gentlemen, have a good week. You too, bud. You do the same. Bruce Marshall hooking up with us, amongst other places, visiting there at the Gold Sheet. Coming up, Matt Merchel got everything covered from one coach to the next. Cole Peaks says, what about that game on the plains with John Summerall coming in and Ben Thomas from one in the state of Alabama to the next when it comes to the high school story.

And more straight ahead. Stay with us. At North Alabama Bone and Joint Clinic, our Shoals roots run deep. We provide quick access and familiar, friendly faces so you never have to feel just like a number. From sports medicine to joint replacement, expert care happens right here at home. As UNA Athletics' choice for orthopedics and the trusted orthopedic team of the Shoals' families for over 30 years. North Alabama Bone and Joint Clinic is here for you. Learn more at nabjc.com. This football season, bring the flavor that wins every time.

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Now we find out what we're made of. Are we going to fold under pressure and overcook the burgers? Or are we going to nail the carne asada and the brisket and pack the coolers with ice-cold Budweiser and Bud Light? Because that's the difference between winning and losing, between flipping burgers and grilling like a pro. This summer, grill like a pro with Bud and Bud Light. Stock up today. Anheuser-Busch, Budweiser, and Bud Light Beer, St. Louis, Missouri. Sports Radio 93.9, The Score. I felt a jackhammering pain in my jaw.

Like someone sawing my bones, barbed wire in my shoulder. Like a cattle prod in my hip. Like I put my foot in a blender. Pain is different for everyone. But 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. Before those signals tell the brain to feel… Like I punched an angry beehive. And pain reduction can finally begin. 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. To learn more about Gernavix, ask your doctor. Call 1-833-589-PAIN or visit Gernavix.com. Rich Eisen here. Running a small business means every hire matters. A bad hire costs time and money, but the right one helps your business grow. The challenge? Finding that person without sorting through resumes. That's where LinkedIn Hiring Pro comes in.

[58:15] It screens candidates so you can focus on conversations with qualified talent. With Hiring Pro, you can hire with confidence and build the team you need. Join the 2.7 million small businesses using LinkedIn to hire. Get started by posting your job for free at linkedin.com slash Eisen. Terms and conditions apply. Professional Power Plays brought to you by Propane. Okay, team. America's energy security is on thin ice. Overburdened electric grid. Rising costs. Severe weather. You could stick with the grid and ride it out. Do nothing and hope the problems go away.

Or here's your power play. Propane. Affordable, abundant, safe. Propane is reliable energy even when the grid isn't. Advantage Propane. Learn more at propane.com slash power play. 1819 News. A recent report by the Heartland Institute has some good news for the state of Alabama when it comes to its decision to not expand the Medicaid program. The Heartland Institute Medicaid report card for all 50 states has ranked Alabama as 14th, showing it outperformed dozens of other states who did expand Medicaid. The scorecard was based on four categories, fiscal sustainability, enrollment and program design, program integrity, as well as market structure.

This report shows that the top 18 states on the list are all states that resisted the call from liberals for the expansion of Medicaid. The report also noted that there is no single method being used by these states to govern Medicaid well, but rather that the states high in these rankings are doing several things well all at once. An interesting fact to add on, as Alabamians will be electing a new governor this November, Democrat Doug Jones was in favor of expanding Medicaid when he was a U.S. Senator, while current U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville is running as the Republican to be Alabama's governor, and he did not.

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

Put your capital behind your convictions. Get tickets at thelionsden.us. More details are emerging when it comes to a man found shot to death in a cemetery on September 3rd in Mobile County. Mobile County Sheriff Paul Birch says this case is being looked at as a murder for hire. The victim has been identified as 22-year-old Van Alllucky. Police continue to search for the murder suspect. I'm Andrea Tice. For more news affecting Alabamians, go to 1819news.com. And while you're there, subscribe to the daily newsletter. What's happening this week in college football?

The Lindy's Football Report has the answers. 30 minutes of college football discussion on the biggest matchups of the week. Concise, engaging, accurate. With opinions thrown in from some of the most knowledgeable reporters in the business. The Lindy's Football Report. Check it out. Association WITKFM, Rogersville, Athens, Decatur, The Shores. Sports Radio 93.9, The Score. Hey everybody, Bill King, Bill King Show. Listen to me. 9 until noon. 93.9, The Score. Monday through Friday as we talk college football like nobody else does. Because he listens in Florence. Our show's, Charlie, our show's on down there.

Bill King Show. Monday through Friday. 9 until noon. Every league, every big topic is covered. 93.9. The Score. Evan Canty and Michelle are unsportsmanlike. We always are going to compare him to his predecessors, that being Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. Brett Favre won MVP in year four as a starter in Green Bay. Aaron Rodgers won a Super Bowl in year three as the full-time starter in Green Bay. We're going into year four of the full-time starter for Jordan Love, year seven in the national football. It's time on Sportsmanlike.

Weekday mornings starting at 6 Eastern on ESPN Radio and on ESPN2. 93.9, The Score weather. Today, sunny and hot with a high around 100. Heat index values as high as 102. Heat advisory is in effect. Tonight, mostly clear with a low near 75. Tomorrow, sunny and hot with a high around 100. Tomorrow, night, mostly clear with a low near 75. And for your Thursday, sunny and hot with a high around 95. Your weather from 93.9, The Score. Now, get ready to roll, Shoals, Decatur, Athens, and all of northwest Alabama and southern Tennessee. It's time for the Valley's exclusive FM Sports Voice.

The Boomo Bugg Show. New exclusive inside track to the Tide. Tigers, Tennessee, and the rest of the SEC. Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9, The Score. Welcome back in. Welcome back to the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brad Beard. Thank you so much for giving us a free ride around the Tennessee Valley. And for BT, bringing his express to the table. BT is Ben Thomas. Got it all covered there at AL.com. Ben, welcome in. How are you? How you doing? Great. How you guys doing?

[1:03:39] Hey, bud. You got to put on your professor hat, Ben. I'm looking at the schedule here and looking at the number of wins. And correct me if I'm wrong, but after this week, it's time to hand out the mid-term grades. It's hard to believe. On the regular season slate, we're coming up on the halfway mark. Is it week five or week four, Ben? Who is correct here? Oh, you know, Harold, you're getting me started on that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Look, we at AL.com call it week five because we start with week one.

Thank you. If they're playing real games, it should be week one and not week zero. But the high school association has a week zero, and they're one week behind. Yeah, well. This is week five. I mean, next week probably is truly the halfway point. My teams are off next week. They'll probably be about half the games as normal on a Friday night, next week. But, yeah, you know, and we've talked about it. Once we get started, it goes pretty quick. I'm old-fashioned. If you play five games, that's week five.

I agree with you. Ben, if you're going to put on your professor hat and hand out grades, who's getting A's and A-pluses, and who's with Brett and I at the back of the room trying to get a D? Wow. Yeah. Well, I'm probably going to get a D with my picks lately. Yep. No, I actually had a good week last week. I went 17-3, and I'm on the second place. Even though Brett had, you know, Brett promised me on the air last week that he would send me some tips for a couple of games up that way.

I never got any of those. Yeah. Well, put it spread. But I still went 17-3, so I'll take it. That's good. That's why you went 17-3, Ben. Yeah. I mean, if you talk about grades, I think, first of all, you know, in the A category, obviously you got Thompson there. I mean, I don't even know if we need to talk about that. I mean, they're just every week. This week they don't play a ranked team, but the previous four they did, and they squashed them all.

They seem to be taking a lot of the suspense out of that Class 6A race. Of your way, I mean, I think we need to give an A for the Florent Falcons. There you go. That's right. I mean, 4-0 for the first time since, I believe, Alvin Briggs was the coach up there in 2007. Wow. That's correct. That seems like a long time ago. We've been executive directors since then, so I don't know that they've ever been 5-0. Of course, those two schools consolidated a win in 2020.

Was it 2004 or something like that? They consolidated Coffey and Bradshaw, so I don't know if they've ever been 5-0. It was a good win over Russell. That was one of my three losses last week. I had faith in Russell, and I think it was kind of back and forth there for a while before Florence pulled away. And then they get Decatur this week, which has struggled. So they're likely to be 5-0 at the midpoint. So I think we've got to give them an A as well.

And then, you know, obviously some other teams, you know, play Chalk was really good. They would get an A. I don't know who gets a D. I mean, there's some teams struggling, obviously, across the state. But we're trying to be positive here. There you go. Absolutely. I think Dasher gets a B-plus or A-minus. They had a tremendous game, won 35-33 over Hamilton. Holloway for Hamilton is an incredible quarterback. Hence 10, the most impactful statewide players in week four. I won't go through all of them, but some of them caught my eye.

And that's the point. You even had a kicker. Ali Perrault, Peru, and I'll let you correct me, of McGill Tulin, wasn't even on the team two weeks ago. And then kicks a field goal to beat St. Michael to win the game. That was quite a feat. M.J. Gidding of James Clemens on Randy Kennedy's best Obama fast risers. Five touchdowns, 200 yards. The Auburn commit to Sean Hall. But B.T., one of them that really caught my eye was Jordan McClain. He is a pure freshman at Madison Academy.

He ran for 204 yards, three touchdowns, and they beat Westminster Christian. 52 to nothing. He's got an older brother by the name of Micaiah who is a defensive end. Who is Jordy and Micaiah's father? Rolando McClain. Believe it or not, he is the former Alabama legend, Decatur, the Cowboys. One of your bench top ten makes us feel a little bit old. Man, you're right about that. But, yeah, Jordan, big game for Madison Academy. And, you know, huge game for them this week. They play Briarwood Christian, which is right now the number one team in that AA private school division.

Of course, you know, that division is going to be interesting because, as Phillip Rivers call it, they're all playing pool play right now, which is basically getting seated for the playoffs because they're all going to get into the playoffs. So, I'm having fun with the Ben's 10. It comes out Monday morning on AL.com. As you mentioned, Ali Peru with a soccer player who just came out to the football team at McGill two weeks ago. And he kicks a 32-yard field goal at the buzzer to beat St. Michael.

[1:09:05] St. Michael now 0-3 for Phillip Rivers. I think Phillip's only lost three straight games once in his tenure as head coach, and that was over two seasons, the last two games of one season and the first one of the next. But, you know, obviously an asterisk beside that because Gunner has not played yet other than the first quarter of the first game. He's looking a little bit better. We're talking about Gunner Rivers, the NC State commit. He looked a little bit better moving on the sidelines.

Still not dressed out, obviously, but I think he'll be back probably after the midseason point. And I think there'll be a state title threat still when he comes back because they're losing close games without him. I mean, 20-17 to McGill, 17-14 or 17-13 to UMS the week before. So, it'll be fun to see him come back. Yeah, I hope everybody's enjoying being seeing MJ Gideon, as you mentioned, with five touchdowns for Juan Johnson's team. And, you know, I think James Clements could get maybe an A- so far this season.

They lost to Parker, obviously a good Parker team, but I really like what he's doing up there at James Clements. Man, I think one thing that's great about high school football is, especially the smaller markets, is a high school team is all that in a bag of chips. And any time you get to this point in the season, and here's what's amazing about it. It's Central, Lexington, Hatton, Hackleburg, Red Bay, and Rogers. Great high school towns. And while they all got in common, they're all unbeaten at this point.

It's electric for those respective campuses. Yeah, of course, Lexington, our buddy, Brett Madsen's coach up there. I've talked to his dad a little bit about it. He's really proud of what the Bears are doing up there 4-0 after their big win over Falkville. They did the next and then an open week. And they got some tougher games down the stretch at Colbert County. I know on October 2nd to, I think, for their last five games, in fact, are on the road. So, I do think, but what you said, Harold, I mean, those small towns, I mean.

Oh, that's everything. Nothing against the bigger teams, obviously, the bigger schools like the Thompson's of the world. But, you know, when you go to one of those places or you go to a five, you know, down here you talk about Jackson and Leroy and Sweetwater, Thomasville. By the way, Thomasville's got a big game this week against Laverne, two undefeated teams. Those are, I mean, you know, look, when I judge it by if they close the grocery store and all the stores downtown, and you can walk down there and see Go Bears painted on the window, that's Alabama small town high school football.

There's just not a lot better than that. I mean, I think that's why, at age 58, I still like covering it because, you know, at that level particularly, it's the last pure sports that we have, I think. Those guys are playing for their schools and not much else, and a lot of times their dads played for that school and all that type thing, and that's really what it's all about. BT, congratulations to Murphy. They ended a 24-game losing streak. They beat Alberta 23-6. Alabama star Sherry Williams is the coach, and a lot of people remember last year when they got beat 100-0.

Yes, it was 100-0, and congratulations to finally end that. The Pruitt boys keep winning at Plainville. Dale Pruitt won his 304th game. They beat D.A.R. 49-0. And, by the way, who's their defensive coordinator? Jeremy Pruitt. So, they've got a little bit of an advantage there, my friend. Ben's 10 on Monday. Thomas Ashworth had a list of all the games, five questions, the state rankings tomorrow. You're lousy, sometimes good picks on Thursday, and then you've got everything covered Friday. Where can we get online and get all that stuff?

Yeah, of course, Plainville's also got Kylan Johnson, one of the top prospects. Yes, they do. Transferred up there from Coosa. That's a big help for Dale. And, Murphy, I mean, you know, Sherman's still there. I wouldn't turn, you know, Alberta's now lost 14 straight. So, I don't know that we've seen them turning the page. They've got Gulf Shores this week. Oh, boy. So, yeah, we'll see. But I was happy for Sherman to get a win there. But, yeah, all that stuff, Randy's best in band will be coming out Thursday at 2 o'clock.

I think he's teasing a big change in best in band. So, I'm wondering if Gunnar Rivers, who's been number one, may not stay there. But check that out. Obviously, on Friday nights, we do football high live all during the night, updating scores around the state. So, you can find all that stuff on AL.com. Check out our newsletter on Thursdays if you're not a subscriber there. Hope you'll subscribe to us. And hope you guys have a good week. Stay cool up there. I know Harold needs a fan in there or something.

[1:14:13] I appreciate the shout-out, Ben. Listen, one of these days, the temperature would dip under 100 degrees for these high school games. In the meantime, find the shade and stay safe down there, okay? All right. Thanks, guys. Thank you, bud. The BT Express, Ben Thomas, AL.com. Pretty big game down the plains this weekend. We'll set the stable from cold pinks to neck. Stay with us. It doesn't matter if you're running drills at the park, playing pickup on a Saturday, or sinking the final putt. When you compete with your friends with Michelob Ultra on the line, competition isn't that friendly.

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Hello again, everybody. I'm Roger Hoover. Here are thoughts from Alabama football head coach, Kalen DeBoer, after Alabama's win last Saturday against Kentucky. We've got a lot of tough dudes, and that's toughness physically, that's toughness mentally. I think there's some emotional maturity. You know, we had some penalties, but it wasn't, I have to think back, but I don't think it was anything as far as just foolish late hits and things like that. So we're going to get better as we keep playing. And, you know, even just, you know, getting young guys out there, snaps, offensively probably in particular, getting guys those reps, getting familiar with everything.

[1:19:13] That's just going to be part of where we're at right now, early part in the season. So doing what we did and winning the second half builds belief, builds trust. You've got to go through those experiences really for it to shape and build your team. I'll have more in a moment. Are you ready for game day in Tuscaloosa? Don't miss the ultimate pregame experience this season at Vector Security Champions Lane. Opening four hours before each home game, this fan fest has everything. Located next to the Walk of Champions, you'll enjoy live music with our great concert series.

Plus, player autographs, food trucks, giant LED video boards to watch games, and ice cold beer at Legends Lounge, where there is never a cover charge. Check out ChampionsLane.com each week for the latest updates. Roll Tide. Join us this afternoon for Crimson Drive, driven by NASCAR, streaming live at 2 p.m. Central on all CTSN social media platforms at UA underscore CTSN. Crimson Tide Today is brought to you by Vector Security Champions Lane. Crimson Tide Today is a production of the Crimson Tide Sports Network from Learfield.

Tide fans, join the Crimson Tide Sports Network this fall on Wednesday nights for Hey Coach and the Kalen DeVore Show, presented by Alpha Insurance, live from Baumhauer's Victory Grill in Tuscaloosa. The show starts at 6 p.m. and you don't want to miss it. Roll Tide. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in. There's a rumor going around that Cole Pinkston has a big Saturday night date. He can confirm or deny when he's not busy there at AuburnSports.com, part of the On3.com family.

Cole, welcome in. How are you? I'm doing good, and the rumor's true. If you will expand on it, Cole, this is one of those that, to me, this is one of the most intriguing matchups in a long time down the plains. I mean, you've got all the drama in the world. I think John Summerall kind of added some, sprinkled some sauce. Everybody's talking about the LSU Ole Miss game, but Summerall coming out this week and saying, you know, yeah, I'm from Alabama, was born and raised in Huntsville.

My wife's an Auburn grad. When asked about his family members saying, well, is anybody going to be rooting for Auburn against you? And he said, if they do, I don't know them. This one has some drama on and off the field, does it not? Yeah, it does. We've had this one circled for a while, just from our standpoint, and how big of a week it is for us, because we know Auburn fans are as engaged as they will be all season this week. And it's because John Summerall's name came up so much in Auburn's coaching search, and there's a reason for that.

I think they were definitely in communication with him and loved him. And now he's at Florida, which is a program that's in the same shape, sort of, as Auburn. So, really, whoever wins this game, it's a great litmus test to see where these programs are at. It could be a really, really tight game, and if that's the case, you know they're both on similar ground. But if one of these teams pulls away in this game, you start to look at the other program and go, huh, interesting.

Yeah. Tell us about the offensive line progress. Wilson Zaire came in at left guard and played the majority of the snaps. So, we talked about Joe Simmons and Skinner and Best and Rameel. Where's the Auburn offensive line going into Florida? I think you're going to see probably more rotation, whereas I'm really looking at the Baylor game. They didn't rotate at all. They had an injury or two at the end of that game and ended up having to put two different guys in the game late who only played three snaps, I think.

But in this Southern Miss game, they rotated on purpose. They wanted to get guys like Wilson Zerer, Jack Lehrer. They wanted to get both of those guys some significant reps and see what that looks like. And I think that was very strategic for this week because they know they're going to need, you know, some depth in case of injury or just in general. They might need the depth in general. So, I think Wilson Zerer is the guy to watch this week. He could end up being a starter or he plays a lot.

Cole Payson again at auburnsports.com. Cole, I equate these two teams kind of with a baseball pitcher who his record as far as wins and losses may be 0-20, but every game was 1-0. He got no support. The other guy who's won 20 ballgames, but he won 20-19. So, the one loss record doesn't always tell what's going on. I think you know where I'm going with this right now. Certainly with Florida, I don't know how any word you can say this team is good, bad, or ugly relative to their competition.

They've handled business. I'll give you that. Let's face it, Southern Miss was an overmatched team. Baylor, not so much. But to me, this is a very instant ballgame because right now, I think both fan bases are wondering just how good are we? Yeah, like I said, it's a great litmus test to find out where you're at. But I think even more so for Florida, I guess, because Auburn has had a pretty good game, pretty good matchup. But I think you can look at Florida and say they've got a lot of talent on offense.

[1:24:25] It's going to depend a lot on how ready Aaron Filo is for the big moment because this is one of his first. He's had moments, I guess, at Georgia Tech. But this is a big one right here. You're coming into a hostile environment. At night. But you know, Buster Faulkner, their offensive coordinator is really good. They've got talent on offense. I think their offensive line is pretty decent. I've actually been watching them a little bit this morning. And then I think their defense has a lot of stars on it.

I'm not sure how well they performed at this point. I'm going to look at them later today. But, again, like you said, they played Campbell and they played FAU. It's really hard to get a grasp on where they're at. And Auburn's played Baylor and found a way to win that game. So, there's – it's the back and forth thing when you try to predict this game, really. Mm-hmm. Who caught your eye? I know Andre Jordan Jr., a pair of interceptions. Elijah Melendez, six tackles, et cetera. And we could probably mention 10 players.

But who caught your eye in the game? I'd say Auburn's running backs, aside from Jeremiah Cobb, Omar Mabson, Bryson Washington. Every time he gets a touch, I think it's electric so far. And I'd like to see more of him. And then I would say, obviously, Wilson Zier is somebody who stood out to me a little bit. He had some really nice blocks. He's still a little bit – there was a couple snaps where I was like, yeah, you might not know exactly what to do there. So, that's what they're trying to figure out, to get him worked in as fast as possible.

On defense, I thought it was Cody Sigler and Elijah Melendez. And, obviously, Andre Jordan, who had the two picks. Talk to us about it. I think Alex Goldish said it best after the game. I mean, everybody sits here, and if you win, it's like, okay, all sins are forgiven. But I think a good coach is always polishing, especially at this point in the season. Your thoughts about things they can't correct, like foolish penalties. Yeah. Again, I go back to the Baylor game here more so than the Southern Miss game.

And they had six penalties in that game. So, relatively clean. The turnovers were not clean in that game. They had three interceptions. So, that's – you know, I think they've got to – here's the thing. You know, last year, they kind of cleaned it up on the turnovers last year as compared to Hugh Freeze's first year. But they became more conservative in doing that. And I just don't think that fits Alex Goldish's style. I think he's okay with a few turnovers here and there if it means they're pushing the envelope and giving themselves more chances at points.

Right. So, I really don't think he frets too much over the interceptions total. I think he frets about how it happened, but maybe not the number. So, they're going to push the envelope. They're going to be aggressive. I've never seen an Alex Goldish team not attack a game that way. I really like that style. Byron Brown had a much cleaner game. 18-29, 226. The Auburn offense, 6-13, obviously. The game got away in the second half with them. But your thoughts on Byron Brown, his progress from Baylor to Southern Miss?

I'm just – the thing I keep coming back to with Brown, it may not always look pretty. His throw in motion is strange. You put all that together and you sometimes come away going, huh, I just don't know if that's how it was supposed to look. But I come away looking at both these games and everything I've seen from him before and go, you know, I just think they're in pretty good hands with him in control. They're probably a lot better off than they have been in several years and I think he's a smart football player.

There's a lot of times when he held the ball a little bit too long and maybe got caught between trying to make the play or scramble out of the pocket. But I just think he's a smart football player and he keeps the offense's head above water more times than not, which is more that can be said than the previous quarterbacks and the previous offense, really. So I just – I don't – I think they're in good hands with him. I think they can win a game like this with him in charge.

Well, coming in, the monkey is on the back of the Gators. They've got Florida favored by two and a half on Auburn's home turf. Do you agree or disagree with that, Cole? Uh, yeah, I don't know. It's close. It is. I would always put it at a pick-em, right? Just make your pick. Who do you think wins the game? Uh, but I think they do that just because of the points Florida has scored. I think that's been pretty impressive even though their cronets haven't been all that great.

Um, and then Auburn's had trouble scoring points. Even against Southern Miss, it took a little while to get going. I think they're maybe basing it on that and they think it could be a low-scoring game that's decided by a field goal. I don't disagree with that at all. Well, you're right. It's going to be one of the more intriguing games, uh, in the country. Boy, the SEC's got some great games. This weekend, you got great stuff all the time. Where can we get online and get your stuff and the teams?

[1:29:40] Yes, sir. Uh, AuburnSports.com, part of the On 3 Rivals network. We got a lot of stuff going on. I'm breaking down that Florida film right now, if you're interested in that. Um, and of course, we have the coverage of everything. Recruiting's kind of picking up a little bit. So, come check us out there. Sounds great, Cole. Thank goodness it's a night game. I think the temperatures might even jump into the 90s for that game. So, be careful down there, okay? Yes, sir. Will do. Thank you, bud.

Cole Pease. Hook it up with us. We'll see you there with AuburnSports.com. While that's saying coast-to-coast, Matt, Michelle, and that and more straight ahead, you know, the Boomo Bugg Show. Hungry for something big? Head to Mugshot's Grill & Bar. Our famous dogs and smash burgers are here to stay, and you must try the new Mug's Fried Chicken Sandwich or the Caesar's Lemon Blackout Wrap. It wouldn't be game day without loaded nachos with jalapenos and buckets of cold beer. Also, every Saturday, enjoy $3.00 Mimosas and $5.00 Bloody Marys from 11 to 3.

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The score. In the latest college football top 25 polls, Alabama moved up two spots this week to number 10 in both the AP poll and the coaches poll. Auburn Tigers are receiving votes in the latest coaches poll. Texas is the new number one, while Georgia is number two. Notre Dame is number three. Indiana and Miami round out the top five. The Atlanta Braves lost yesterday as they fell at Wrigley Field in Chicago to the Cubs. Seven to three. The Braves had eight hits in the loss. Ronaldo Lopez took the loss.

[1:34:41] He's now four and five. Braves are 88 and 63. Braves and Cubs back at Wrigley tonight. Martin Perez will start for Atlanta. He's eight and nine. The Cubs will send out Kevin Gaussman, who is nine and 12. Tune in tonight for Braves baseball as a take on the Cubs in Chicago. I'm John Thayer with the Sports Flash presented by Progressive on 93.9. The score. The Colonel's cooked up a new $10 bucket of the day just for you. Monday, 10 wings for $10. Tuesday, eight-piece fried chicken for $10. Wednesday, eight tenders for $10. Thursday, 10 wings for $10.

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The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in. What do you say? We take a little road trip down to the big O, Orlando, and Sailor Double M, Matt Michelle, College Insider for the Orlando Center. His podcast is called Gridiron 365 Double M. Welcome in. How are you? I'm doing well. How are you guys doing today? Man, we're doing all right. Our hearts go out to the team that you follow, Matt. I won't steal your thunder, but is it safe to say, by the way, if you're just a first-timer, thank you for joining us.

Hope you stay with us. You cover Central Florida. Is the motto when it comes to quarterbacks snake-bitten? Yeah, it seems to have been, especially over the last close to a decade. This program has struggled to get any sort of consistency out of the quarterback position. They thought going out and getting Alonzo Barnett III from James Madison that they had solved that problem. They thought this was the guy that was going to be able to come in. He was going to be able to help lead them.

You know, they haven't had a quarterback who had played a full or started a full season since Dylan Gabriel in 2020. And, you know, they've gone through eight different quarterbacks that have taken snaps over the last two years. So they felt like Barnett was going to be this guy who could maybe alleviate that problem. And instead, you know, here we are in the Pittsburgh game, late in the game. He comes up limping with a hamstring injury. And now, according to Scott Frost, the head coach, it's a significant injury.

And he's probably going to be out for several weeks. Wow. It's a huge blow for this team. I mean, they thought that this was going to be the guy who was going to lead this offense and get them maybe to contend in the Big 12. And now they've got to hope that maybe some of the bench that they rebuilt in the offseason is strong enough to maybe get them along until they can get Barnett back, hopefully, in the next few weeks. The SEC is beating their chest a little bit.

Their non-conference record against our four teams. And impressed of 8-2, the Big 10, 3-7. And you can imagine that resonates in the South after listening for the last three years. Still very early in the season. I think the SEC's only two losses are to Michigan beating Oklahoma. And then Utah routed Arkansas 43-10 Saturday night. We've got a long way to go here. But your thoughts on the SEC leading all the conferences? Yeah, I think it's a good, strong showcase for them. But this is something that, as much as you want to pump your chest out about this, there's still plenty of work that needs to be done.

You've got to go out there and win some games. So, I think there's going to be some challenges over the next few weeks. And I think, again, then what happens is you get into conference play, and that's where you start eating on yourself. Then you've got a chance to beat up some teams. Look at this weekend. You've got LSU taking on Ole Miss. That's a game that one of those two teams is obviously going to come away with a loss. And it's going to kind of maybe start to bring the conference back down.

But considering the offseason with the SEC worried about looking at the Big Ten and seeing the Big Ten win the last three college football championships, I think it's a good start for them. And I think it should showcase that maybe some of these programs are starting to figure some things out in this new era of college football. Let's talk a little bit more about that Ole Miss-LSU game. I saw today where LSU and Ole Miss are bringing in mounted police on horseback from Mobile and New Orleans for security.

[1:39:56] You get the impression sometimes, as far as just taking a step back, Lane basically wears Gucci slippers, and Pete Golding is the guy that can't even afford anything past half a case of Pats Blue Ribbon beer. You couldn't have a greater contrast as far as just how these people approach the game. But at some point, that's going to burn off. Hopefully, everything will be safe. What's going to happen at the end of the game? Well, this is going to be a soap opera. I mean, this is the one that everyone's had circled for months, right?

I mean, this was the game that they wanted to see what's happening. And I think there are a lot of people that are going to be behind Ole Miss this weekend. You're not a fan of Ole Miss, but you may be a fan of this weekend because they want to see Lane Kiffin kind of get his comeuppance. You know what I mean? And they would love to see it happen on national television. I was telling someone earlier today, this, to me, is the game to watch.

I mean, all eyes are going to be on this. I guarantee this will be the highest watched game in college football this season because everyone wants to see what happens. Now, we don't know what's going to happen on the field. I mean, LSU's obviously played really well, and I know Ole Miss has too. But, you know, this is about really kind of getting some comeuppance. You know, this is about coming in. And, you know, you came and left here. You came and decided you wanted to go somewhere better.

You thought you want to go to LSU. You want to go try to win a national championship at LSU. We're going to prove to you that we're just as good. And like you said, you've got Lane Kiffin who rides in sports cars and wears Gucci slippers. And you've got Pete Golding, who's a blue-collar guy, that kind of fits in the idea of, like, you know, he's the kind of guy you could see out in the parking lot having a throwdown with somebody. So, I mean, that's what this game is basically going to come down to.

It's just who can win this game, who can be more physical. And you hope everyone stays safe. I mean, you know, there's going to be a lot of emotions. This will be an emotional game. A lot of emotions will be high. You know, you hope the players kind of control their emotions, don't get out of, you know, start swinging or anything. And then, you know, we'll see what happens at the end of the game. I don't think rankings have anything to do with this weekend's game.

I think it's going to come down to who wants it more. Let me ask you about two games before we look at some more of the game. Saturday, Texas had an incredibly impressive rebound in a rally against Ohio State, overcoming a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit. Steve Sarkeesian's biggest win in his career. Now, he may not have handled the interviews very well, but his team handled Ohio State. And then Oregon should be 0-2. They probably should have lost to Boise the first game of the year. And then Oklahoma State with Eric Morris and Mestermaker just took them to the cleaners.

It was 39-31. It wasn't nearly that close. Your thoughts on Texas and Ohio State and what an impressive win for Oklahoma State. Yeah, you know, I think Texas-Oklahoma or Texas-Ohio State was, you know, that was the kind of game that everyone was expecting. You know, I think if you're Texas, yes, you know, it was something that validates Steve Sarkeesian and says, listen, you know, look at some of the things we're trying to do. You would like to see that happen earlier. You don't want to have to rally back.

But, you know, I mean, I think the opportunity to do that, Mark Spanning hasn't had that game, that memorable game that his family has had over the years. You know, Peyton and Eli and Archie, you know, he was looking for that game. I think that game puts him in that, starts to pull him back in that realm of being along with his family. And I think it's going to be interesting to see if Texas kind of keeps their focus and continue to run through everything the way they are, you know, at number one.

I thought Oregon, listen, Oregon's problems are its defense. And that's surprising considering Dan Lanning is a defensive-minded guy. Their defense can't stop anybody. And I think that's a problem. And I think people overlook that going into the season, saying that, you know, this team was going to be better, and it's not. And I think they're going to have to have some serious questions coming up. Over the next couple of weeks, I thought Eric Morris, listen, he brought in all his talent, you know, from North Texas.

They brought in the quarterback, their running back, their receivers. You know, it was going to take a little bit of time. I thought that Tulsa win was a wake-up call. And they turned around and came out and responded. And you've got to give them credit for that. Because I think that's something that a lot of teams probably wouldn't have done with everything that was going on. Yeah, Michelle, the Orlando Sentinel Man. Let's talk about a couple of teams from our neck of the woods, taking on a couple of teams from your neck of the woods this weekend.

Let's start with a game of the Plains, Auburn and Florida. Florida fans thought John Somerhal was going to be in this game, but as the head coach of Auburn at one time. Instead, he will be at the game, but he's the head coach of Florida. What's going to happen there? Well, you know, Auburn's got to find a way to slow down, you know, Florida's offense. Don't get me wrong. I know Florida's only played FAU and Campbell, but they've put up 118 points, you know, those two games.

And that's something that, you know, Florida fans have been looking for, is this Gators offense to start to kick off. And it's done a really good job. Now, can they continue that? Can they go and play a Power 4 program, an SEC program, and put up big points? That's going to be the test. I know Auburn has had, you know, a hard-fought win, you know, against Baylor early on. This is the challenge right now, is, you know, who's going to come out there and be able to stop them?

[1:45:16] Florida's defense has played better in the second game than it did maybe in the first, but, you know, those two teams have got to come down to defense. Who could slow someone down? Who could make sure they get the points? You know, for Florida, this would be huge. If John Somerhal could get a win at Auburn, open up his SEC, you know, time, I think it would be huge for them. And I think it would be a huge statement for Florida, which wants to continue to build off of the success they've had so far early on.

Matt, has anything happened this week up in the state capsule of the Sunshine State that would add some spice to this rematch between Alabama and FSU? I don't think this is going to add any spice. Listen, Florida State fired its athletic director on Monday. That was probably a long time coming. You know, this program has been in disarray. The athletic department has been in disarray for a while. Now, I think this was, I was telling someone earlier today that this is a Florida State program that kind of leaned on its history and its brand for way too long and felt like just because they were Florida State, things would fall their way.

And I don't think that's what needed to happen. You know, they're deeply in debt right now. They spent a lot of money and accumulated a lot of debt for projects around their athletic department, including updating their football stadium. And now they've got a coach in Mike Norvell with his A's who was fired on Monday. Mike Norvell is a dead man walking right now. I mean, there is no way that Mike Norvell survives this. And they're looking at having to pay him $48 million to fire him at the end of the season.

So Norvell, who normally on Monday would have been having a press conference talking about this Alabama game, instead had to talk about them firing his athletic director. So it's not a good look. I think going into this game, I'm not sure he gets fired after the game. I still think that it's going to happen at the end of the year. But I think this is going to be, if you're an Alabama fan, take the over. Because I think Alabama is going to put a hurting on Florida State.

I just don't think Florida State has the mindset right now to come out there and challenge Alabama. I think you're exactly right. Very intriguing game. Alabama plays South Carolina in two weeks. Then they play Mississippi State in three weeks. These two teams meet in Columbia. Camario Taylor is one of the darlings of the first two weeks of college football. He's had an incredible, already thrown for 581 yards, ran for 145. Dylan Stewart's coming back for South Carolina. They, of course, have got Lenore Sellers, Nick Harbor, and a bunch of talented guys.

They're a 7.5 point, well, actually, I think now it's down to four. Your thoughts on an intriguing game, Mississippi State at South Carolina. Well, you know, I think for me, you know, South Carolina's played really, really good defense. Now, again, their opponents have been top stellar, Kent State and Calvin. But, you know, this is a team right now that's playing, that's focused on defense. They figured a way to kind of go out there and stop some teams. They're going to have to do that against Mississippi State.

That's the challenge. You know, can you slow down Mississippi State's offense? Can you make sure that you can handle business? You know, again, these are early games, matchups that can kind of start to move the standings around in the SEC. And I think if you're South Carolina and you're Shane Beamer, there's a lot of preseason scuttle that maybe he's on the hot seat. You know, well, you know, this is an opportunity to go out there and take your name out of that listing. If you can beat a Mississippi State and move forward, because it's going to be a challenge the rest of the way.

And you need to continue to play at that elite level. And I think that's something right now that Shane has been trying to do with this program. But it's difficult when you're in the SEC. If you don't have elite pieces, it's going to be challenging. You know, they play Mississippi State, as you mentioned. Then they're at Alabama. Then they get Kentucky. Then they get Florida. I mean, there's no easy way for South Carolina to roll up eight or nine wins this season. Let me close with SMU at Louisville.

SMU, of course, beat Florida State in the night. The light went off. Kevin Jennings, they had four turnovers in that game. Louisville, Lincoln Conholtz, who everybody saw him in the second half against Ole Miss, having an incredible year. 3-19 passing, 55 rushing. Louisville is a two-and-a-point favorite. Very interesting game. I think this is a 2-30 game on ESPN, too. Yeah, very much so. For Louisville, this is a must-win. You're 1-1. You can't fall to 1-2. Not in the ACC. I think you're going to have to find a way to win.

For SMU, this is their chance. Remember, they're trailing Miami. They're the ones that feel like they should win the ACC this year. So they've got to continue to play well. They've got to find a way to beat teams like this. The ACC needs these kind of games, much like the Big 12 needs their games, you know, to compete with the Big Ten and the SEC. They've got to showcase some strong talent in their conference. So, for me, it looks like I would take SMU in this game.

I mean, I feel like SMU is playing really well. I know they have some turnovers. I feel like this is a team right now that can really kind of surprise some people. If they get beat, you know, it says a lot about the ACC, and it may open the door for Virginia to maybe make a push. And it continues to pave the way for Miami to try to win its first ACC championship. Yeah, Virginia's got an interesting game with West Virginia. That's always quite a rivalry.

[1:50:37] Great stuff going on. You're coming to Central Florida, as Harold mentioned, and everything else. But where can we get online and get you great stuff? You can go to OrlandoSentinel.com to check out the latest or follow me on social media. I'm with Matt Merchel. Sounds great, WM. Listen, man, thanks for your time today, and stay as cool as you can down there, okay? All right. Thanks a lot, guys. Thank you, buddy. Matt Merchel, the Orlando Sentinel-VB. We've been talking about this Holly Rose, Steve Sarkeesian thing.

Arch Manning got caught up in it. They just kind of asked a question. I think in the context, he was just kind of responding. He has apologized for joking about the AI-altered Sarkeesian Holly Rose video. This is a lesson for these kids. The media would bait you, so I think this is a very important lesson for this kid. Yeah, I'm going to be curious to see if Steve Sarkeesian apologizes to Holly. Look, I understand he waited around at halftime, got a little mad about that, and wanted to go celebrate with the team, but he should have handled that a little bit better.

Cubs beat the Braves last night. Harold Buggs 7-3. Lopez is not a starting pitcher. He's going on the injured reserve. Martin Perez and Kevin Guzman, who was rumored to go into the Braves a little bit earlier. But the Braves need to win tonight or certainly savage one game out of this series. You can certainly hear it tonight on 93-9, the score. The numbers, the Braves, four and a half up on the field, seven the magic number. By the way, speaking of the fields, they're on the road to the Nationals, so the Braves are a little bit tougher task tonight.

And again, catching you on 93-9, the score. It's going to take care of this for now. On behalf of BB, Greg, James Blair, the entire crew here. Harold Buggs, thank you so much for your time today. Let's do it again tomorrow, noon to two for the Bumult Buggs show, back here on Sports Radio 93-9, the score. We'll see you next time on Sports Radio 93-9, the Bumult Buggs show,