Boomo Bugg Show 102926

[0:00] Now, get ready to roll, Shoals, Decatur, Athens and all of Northwest Alabama and Southern Tennessee. It's time for the Valley's exclusive FM Sports Voice. The Boomo Bugg Show. New exclusive inside track to the Tigers, Tennessee and the rest of the SEC. Now your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Good afternoon and welcome into the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving us your ride around the Tennessee Valley. Brett Beaird, welcome in where? Alabama fans with a close eye on the latest news out of Trojan country. Good afternoon, welcome in and how are you?

Happy Thursday to you and the listeners. Congratulations to the Milwaukee Brewers for winning the World Series four games to one over Tampa, which is quite frankly a victory for small market teams. Yes. Telling people you don't have to have the Yankees and the Dodgers payroll to win a World Series. Caleb Suggs of the Decatur Daily will preview the top games tonight and Friday for the final week of the regular season. But BB is here right now to preview and predict the top games for college football this weekend.

He's made it this far with a perfect record. We can confirm or deny that next with the man, Bill Bender, the national voice with the Sporting News. Bill, welcome in. How are you? There certainly was not a perfect record last weekend. There were a lot of upsets in college football last weekend, but it was a fun weekend. And now the challenge is to get through Halloween without looking ahead to next week. Next week, holy moly. I know. That's an old-timer. Before we get to that, Bill, how do you explain college football across the landscape to date?

Yeah, you know, I think there's no dominant team. There's a lot of two-loss teams that are going to have a playoff case. There's a lot of three-loss teams that might have a playoff case. And I think, you know, as you get into that, you know, we're going to get kind of an idea next week with the first set of rankings. I know LSU-Alabama is one of those games that sticks out as maybe a little bit different than the rest next weekend. No question about it. Auburn and Ole Miss, both of these teams' defensive, quite frankly, have been disappointing.

The Rebels are a 13-and-a-half point favorite over Auburn. In fact, Ole Miss has given up 161 yards, rushing a game. You predict Ole Miss to win this game 38-24 and cover the spread. Yeah, I have a hard one. That's a hard one to figure out, Brad, because I think Ole Miss should win that game. But, I mean, how hungover are they going to be? And that is the operative. Well, you mentioned the Milwaukee Brewers. I'm sure there's a couple hangovers in Milwaukee today. But which teams get past last week?

Agreed. And last weekend, a lot of these teams had hangovers. I'll tell you what, if Ole Miss comes out, throws the ball around, does what they're supposed to do, like their chances to blow out victory there and get right. And then, again, not peeking ahead to Georgia. That's a huge game on November 7th. Huge game. Basically, you're going to have a close eye with a team down the road from you there in Columbus, Ohio. The Ohio State University taking on USC. Before we get into the X's and the O's and the Jimmy's and Joe's, let's talk about the Lincolns.

News from Lincoln Riley publicly dismissing exit rumors, stating he is in the right place as the Trojans prepare for a massive showdown against the Ohio State University Buckeyes. The reason that's relevant, obviously, across college football, there's been rumblings that if he leaves, the fellow down in Tuscaloosa by the name of DeBoer might be interested in his mutual interest in going west, young man. Your thoughts about the news from Lincoln Riley? Is it entirely his call and your thoughts as far as the off the steel field news before we get into what's going on with USC this weekend against the team from your backyard?

The relationship appears to be strained, and I think it comes down to the big game. You know, here's one thing worth knowing that since Lincoln Riley took over at USC, they are 0-5 against top 10 teams. Three of those games were in the Coliseum, and they have three top 10 opponents in their last four games. My goodness. You've got to win the big game at some point, right? And, you know, by happenstance, Kaelin DeBoer was the coach of Washington in one of those top 10 games. So his name's going to come up, but I just have a hard time believing that Kaelin DeBoer would leave, knowing that we went through this song and dance last year.

[5:04] He signed a seven-year extension. Alabama's in the playoff time. There are a lot of names that are going to pop up for that USC job if Lincoln Riley is. It's not about him going somewhere else. I mean, at this point, if it goes really south, he might be asked to leave, like not on his own accord. Yeah. Let me ask you this. I mean, especially when you look at DeBoer, if you're objective, and it's rare for a fan to be that way, but this team this year for DeBoer is young.

They've got a lot of talent. Right now, it looks like the only major loss they're going to have would be Ryan Coleman-Williams, and who knows that now with the injury. But in other words, what I'm trying to say is, this year, they've gone to school, including Russell. They've gone and got a lot of the studies out of the way. Next year, they're going to have an experience out of the belt, returning pretty much a nucleus of what should be on paper in a way a good team.

How big of a factor would that play in DeBoer's decision? I know a fan's not always going to look at that because they won't win now, even if it's I Love Lucy playing. Yeah, I think I was talking to our mutual friend Ryan Fowler yesterday, and he was mentioning how beat up Alabama's been on the offensive line and those kind of things. So, yeah, you've got to be healthy, and that's part of the story. Oregon, for example, Harold, they fired an offensive coordinator who didn't have a quarterback.

And I'm not going to fire your coordinator when, of course, that's what I would have said if I was him. I'd be like, what do you want me to do? I mean, we lost our starting quarterback. So, I think health will have something to do to it. I think Hale and DeBoer's had success. You know, the one thing, the one sore thumb from this year is how they looked against Tennessee. There's no question. But they still head into November 7th in that matchup against LSU I just talked about.

If they win there, they're looking pretty good for a playoff spot. Right. Let me ask you about the game itself. USC's offense is obviously pretty good, but Wisconsin did an incredible job. Luke Fickle has really turned that program around. They've got a lot more physical. If Wisconsin can hold USC to negative 17 yards, I shudder to think what the Ohio State defense could do. And it's not as good as last year, but it's still really good. Ohio State going to probably be starting freshman Luke Fahey. You've got the Buckeyes winning 27-20.

I think it's going to be tight game. You know, I do. I do think USC's going to play a little back against the wall. It is on the West Coast. Ohio State does have a new quarterback. All that comes into play. It definitely, for USC, like I said, it's about the big game, and here's a chance to do it. For Ohio State, I mean, how do you go into this game? Cardale Jones is getting a lot of run this week. The quarterbacks, you guys know him.

He started against Alabama way back in 2014. But that Ohio State offense at the time changed because Cardale's ability to throw it long opened up running lanes for Ezekiel Elliott. Ezekiel Elliott had a ridiculous playoff. So how does Luke Fahey or Avian St. Clair, whoever gets the majority of the snaps, which Ryan Day hasn't said yet, how do they get the ball to Jeremiah Smith? That's the big question. If they can do that and lean on their defense, Buckeyes are going to be fine. A big GFI game.

It looks good on paper or video games, but in reality, it's a different story. Bill, Ben to the Sporting News. Here we are this late in the interview, and have we talked about Florida and Georgia yet, Bill? Well, I think, you know, I'm looking to see what Jon Sumrall adds to the rivalry, right? Like, I didn't realize this until I was doing some research last night, and Spurrier 11-1 against Georgia. Wow. Herb and I are 11-1, or 5-1. Kirby's 7-2 against Florida. The last five meetings, most of them haven't been all that close.

It was close last year. And they're coming off their bye week and their loss. So, to me, it really comes down to, does Georgia play clean? They have three turnovers in their last loss against Auburn. They play clean. It's at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Something's a little bit off about that. But I think the Bulldogs will cruise in that one by a couple touchdowns if Gunnar Stockton doesn't turn the ball over. I agree with you. I think that's the key. Georgia fumbled four times against Alabama and did not lose one of them.

And Stockton should have thrown three interceptions. Buster Faulkner, when he was the offensive coordinator at Georgia Tech, gave Georgia's defense fits several times. I'm going to be curious to see what he can do now with Florida. Arizona, Texas Tech. We were talking to Bruce Marshall, a Las Vegas dude, earlier this week. Texas Tech got upset last week. Noah Fifeda is going wild. 34 more points, five straight games. He picked Arizona straight up. Texas Tech wins 31-28, according to Bill Bender. I don't hate that pick, though, if you want to just go ahead and pick Arizona.

[10:17] I know, I know. Fifeda's hot. He is. And Brent Brennan's coaching really well. Their offense is on fire, and it adds up to what could be a really fun Big 12 game. But keep an eye on that. How much Big 12 chaos do we have this week? Because, you know, the SEC's eyeballing that because they're just dying to say, hey, our three-loss teams are better than your two-loss teams. Our two-loss teams are better than your one-loss team. And that's coming next Tuesday. Let me ask you this, Bill.

With one of those two-loss teams beat Indiana by then, they got Minnesota. No one's giving the Gophers much of a chance. But let's face it, the 2026 Hoosiers are not looking like the 2025 Hoosiers either. No, and they need to get to their bye week. Josh Hoover's beat up. They're not quite what they were last year, but they're a very solid team. I was impressed with they got out of Michigan with the win last week because they didn't, again, they didn't. Hoover threw one pass in the second half, an interception, and then the first play of overtime, Cignetti lets them rip it to a tight end that sets up the game-winning score.

So, I mean, that's coaching. Kurt Cignetti continues to prove that he is an elite coach. And I think they win running away against the Gophers before they get into their bye week. By the way, Bill Bender, one more upset predicted by Brett Beaird, Northwestern and Oregon. The Ducks are three and a half. Northwestern is much improved. Oregon fired. Dan Lanning fired his offensive coordinator. They've been having issues at quarterback Dylan Ruella and Brock Thomas. Northwestern's running for 204 yards a game. Northwestern looks more like Oregon than Oregon does.

I know you've got Oregon winning 27-24. That's another one. And I think Northwestern goes in there and pretty much finishes off Oregon for the year. Bill Bender, talk about NFL picks, college picks, pre-game, post-game. You got it all covered, my friend. Where can we get online to do it? Hey, trick-or-treat on top of that. There you go, bud. All your listeners out there, make sure my kids bring me home plenty of candy for the weekend. And, you know, we're going to have a lot of fun.

Check us out at Sporting News. We've got all that content. We'll have a lot from the weekend. And like I said, we've already got some things in the work for November 7th. That's going to just be a fantastic weekend. I can't wait. Always good to talk to you guys. Thank you, bud. You too. No one wants those kids to bring candy home more to Bill than his favorite dentist. Bill Bender, the Sporting News. Coming up. As I say on the corner, the end is near. Caleb Suggs to tell us next.

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Panthers and Packers kick off week eight. I think Marshawn Lloyd is the running back to target for Green Bay. Yes, Josh Jacobs made his return on Sunday. Total nearly 100 yards from scrimmage, but only 36 on the ground. And now it's an immediate short week. I think Lloyd, the backup, will continue to get a healthy amount of touches. He had six carries on Sunday. Now the Pack go against Carolina's sieve run defense, which ranks dead last in rushing yards allowed per game. Give me Marshawn Lloyd. Over 17 and a half rushing yards.

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From the University of Alabama, this is Crimson Tide Today. It's a daily update on Bama sports and it's brought to you by Crimson Drive, driven by NASCAR. Streaming live each Tuesday and Thursday at 2 p.m. Central on all CTSN social media platforms at UA underscore CTSN. Hello again, everybody. I'm Roger Hoover. On Thursday's Crimson Drive, we'll hear from Women's Basketball Associate Head Coach Amy Wright. What'd you like the most about tonight's effort from Alabama? Yeah, roll tide. I think we had a couple of goals that we had coming in.

We wanted to keep them to 10 points every single quarter. It was second, third, and fourth, obviously we did that. First quarter, you know, hopefully chalk it up to some jitters. Maybe some bad game planning by me defensively. But, you know, we bounced back. So those were really good. I think you saw a lot of fight with the girl. You know, Ace has been consistent. So that was good to see her continue to be consistent. I think she was at 17 and a half. So really didn't need her to score.

Just needed her to control the team. I thought she did a great job of that. You know, Tiana getting out on the brink. We had, you know, almost five in double figures, which is what you want with this style of play. So just happy for the girls. You know, Mississippi, they reloaded. They really reloaded from last year. I'll have more in a moment. Hey, Bama fans, it's Ron Coleman-Williams. Each Tuesday and Thursday at 2 p.m. Central, join Roger Hoover live for Crimson Drive, driven by NASCAR.

This live streaming talk show features the latest on Alabama athletics with exclusive conversations with Bama student-athletes, coaches, and media members. Given their perspective on Crimson Tide, you can watch on YouTube, Facebook, and Ace. Roll Tide with Crimson Drive, driven by NASCAR. 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 a production of the Crimson Tide Sports Network from Learfield. This is Roger Hoover with the Crimson Tide Sports Network.

Join me and Tyler Walk this fall on Monday nights at 6 p.m. for Crimson Tide Rewind. Live from Baumhauer's Victory Grill in Vestavia Hills and on this great station. Tune in and roll Tide. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in. It is a pleasure for us to open the door and say hello to Caleb Suggs. He's got it all covered when it comes to high school football. They're at the Decatur Daily. Caleb, welcome in. How are you? I'm doing good, guys.

How are y'all? Hey, Boom. Kind of frustrated and confused here, Caleb. Are we the only ones, Brent and I, and a lot of other folks listening right now? But it seems like just yesterday that this thing was beginning, and now coming up starting that, it is ending a thing called the regular season. It goes by fast, is it not, Caleb? Yeah, unfortunately. I know some sportswriters, they love basketball season, so they look forward to that. But I always love football season. To me, there's nothing like it.

So, yeah, it goes by real fast. But like I said last week, I'm trying to manifest at least a few more weeks of it. Absolutely. Talk about the headliner for tonight, in your opinion, because traditionally, on the last regular season of the schedule, a lot of teams play. You get this at the beginning of the season. You get it at the end of the season. A lot of teams just want to go ahead, especially those getting ready for the playoffs, get an extra day in there.

But what is your headliner for tonight's Thursday night menu? Yeah, well, obviously, I think you look at Austin and Bob Jones. You know, Austin had a tough loss last week, you know, where they had a chance to win the region, but they lost another fourth, and they have to go play Clay Chauvel in the first round. That's a pretty all-or-nothing game. So I know that was tough. So, you know, I think they can. Their offense is really good. I think they can score with Clay. Are they probably going to go on the road and upset them?

Probably not. But they have a chance. But I think to have a chance, they need to play clean football. And I think that needs to start tonight. The last few weeks, they just had, you know, crucial mistakes, you know, just little things that can make a huge difference in a close game. And against Lawrence, against Hartzell, they overcame them. They couldn't overcome them against Russell. So they need to figure out a way to play clean football going into Clay Chauvel if they want to have any chance to win.

[20:58] And I think that should start tonight. So hopefully they'll cut down on those mistakes, get some momentum, and then maybe go on a chance to have a chance to pull an upset. We'll see. Let me ask you about what I think is the best game Thursday and Friday night in our area. Undefeated Hatton at 9-0, trying to reach 10-0 for the first time in the history of the school against a very much improved Central Florence team. Heath Woods has got Central Florence at 8-1. And we've talked about Hatton all year long, and I'm like you.

I think they can make a deep run in the playoffs. Cade Parham, nearly 1,800 yards throwing. Nassie Gamble, 800 yards running. He's taken over for an injury at Severius Evans. Lucas Price has been running well for Central. Ja'Corey Brown. This is a tremendous game tonight. Undefeated Hatton at Central. Yeah, I think, you know, a big-time game, especially when you have a team that, like you said, trying to go 10-0 for the first time, you know, that's always a cool moment just to see if that can happen. So Hatton's been really good this year.

I mean, they've only had, you know, two one-score games against Brooks and against Cease Lawrence. So against everybody else, they've been dominant. And despite losing Severius, they've haven't, you know, they've been the same. Nassie Gamble's played really well, and they've got talent all over the place. And Cade Parham's really good. I'm interested to see, you know, Central Florence, I mean, they're consistent. Coach Wood is very consistent with that program. They're always good. It's good to see how they handle the athletes of Hatton. You know, I look at the kind of the similar games.

You know, they've, you know, Hatton beat Brooks by a touchdown in the first game. And then you look at Central Florence lost to Brooks by two touchdowns. And I think Brooks has, you know, some similar, you know, really good athletes on there. So I'm interested to see how Hatton, they'll handle that with Hatton. I think Hatton will get it, probably get it done tonight, get that 10-0 and go into the playoffs with a lot of momentum. Caleb Suggs, Decatur Daily. Let's talk about the East Lawrence, East Limestone, the Battle of the East tonight.

On paper, we know how it should go. East Lawrence, five and four. You've got to feel for the kids over at East Limestone, oh and nine. Still looking for that first win of the season. But it could be a special season. If you don't mind, talk about the significance of this. And who, by the way, is the head coach at East Lawrence? And what's on the line tonight in terms of turning in a great season? Probably, what, since 1997? Help us out with some of the particulars there, Caleb.

Yeah, so obviously head coach Jamie Suggs, you know, his first year. My dad. It's going to be a big game, you know, tonight. I'll be there. It'll be my first chance I got to see him this year. And my whole family will be there. And, you know, it'll, yeah, I mean, you know, you look at, you know, I know it was disappointing last week you lose the Fed and kind of drop to fourth. And now you've got to go play Plainview. But, I mean, you go out there and get a win.

You know, it'll be a winning season. It'll be the first since 2020. They did have one with the Culver season when Bo Culver was there. But just, I mean, just first since 2020 and then only the second since 1997, like you said. So if you're, you know, you get hired till May. So if you're able to go out there and get a winning season for a program that's been starving of winning seasons in your first year, I think that's a huge accomplishment. And then they'll get to go to the playoffs.

Kids will get to experience that. So, yeah, it's a big game. There's a lot on the line. And I don't think they're taking it lightly. I know East Limestone has had a rough year. I'm sure those kids are a little beaten down. You know, they were pretty competitive early on, even though they were losing. You know, I think the season has worn on them. So we'll see how they handle it. But you're still talking about a team that's a 5A team playing a team that's a 3A team.

So you never know how that's going to handle. So it'll be interesting to see. But, yeah, a lot on the line for East Lawrence. And I think a win would be huge for that program. Every week when we talk with you sooner or later, we talk about West Morgan. They got off to a slow start. They're hosting Coleman tonight. Coleman got off to a good start, and they've lost five in a row. West Morgan now 6-3. Things really turned for West Morgan when they went to an eighth grader at quarterback, Brantley Phillips, who is Drew Phillips' son.

Ever since he took over at quarterback, they're averaging 53 points a game. Jabari Wiggins, the running back, helps them out. He ran for 106 last week. Colby Jones is really good. Again, they are a much better team than the one we talked about in September. They'll win this game tonight. I think they may make a deep run in the playoffs themselves. It'll actually be tomorrow night. Well, I'm sorry. Yeah, that's what I meant. They'll be a game on Friday. But, yeah, I mean, Brantley, you know, the quarterback has been a game-changer for them.

And he didn't start until the third game. Drew, understandably, especially against Athens, didn't want to throw him out. You know, not just being his son, but he's an eighth grader. I mean, he's really young. But you just see him getting more comfortable every week. And I think Caleb Graham, the offensive coordinator, early on, he tried to protect him. But the last four weeks, he's really let it loose and opened the offense up. And he is just thriving in it. He made, and I'll watch the video back from last week, he made one pass in between two defenders.

[26:03] I'm like, that's a junior-senior type pass that the eighth grader is making. So, it's made a difference. Like you said, 53 points per game. That's actually two points more than the 23 team that led the state in scoring. So, I would say they're doing pretty good. So, yeah, I think they're going to come out and make a statement against Coleman, a 5A team. It's kind of a good benchmark because it's kind of booked, you know, you open the season with Athens. It was a tough loss. And now you close with Coleman.

So, I think they feel a chance to prove themselves, show how far they've come, and then get ready for a postseason run with a lot of – that has a 4A north that has a lot of good teams in it. Can't imagine, some of these teams get out hot and they get cold as the season wears on. And conversely, some start out slow and catch heat at the right time. Is anyone doing that better than Lauderdale County? Correct us if we're wrong. They got off to a 1-3 start.

They have won their last five in a row. Now they're taking on Ardmore. Lauderdale County 6-3, Ardmore 2-7. Yeah, not surprising to me. Actually, I felt like this was coming. You know, no offense to Central Florence either, but I think they caught them at the right time. I feel like if that game was played again, it would probably go differently. Lauderdale County is just playing really good right now. They're going to win this game easily, and they're going to be a team to watch out for in the playoffs.

Yeah, Curtis Ritter is playing really, really well. Listen, the great previews, a lot of games tonight, as Harold mentioned earlier, and, of course, tomorrow night. You've got the stance. You've got previews of three of the top games in the Decatur Daily area. Twitter, pre-game, post-game, you've got it all covered. Where can we get online to get all the great stuff? Yeah, you can get online at DecaturDaily.com, and then my Twitter is at CalebSucks2, and we'll have all those updates and stuff that you mentioned. And we'll be listening for that song, We Are Family, tonight.

Good luck to your dad and the family. Okay, Caleb? Thanks, guys. Thanks, guys. Thank you, bud. Caleb Sucks, the Decatur Daily. Coming up, oh, how fast a worm can turn. Just ask the Tennessee fans and Ryan Callahan next. Stay with us. Well, the days are getting cooler, and the smell of fall is in the air. What a perfect time to go explore the great outdoors, and Longshore Cycle Center has what you need. Stop in today and take advantage of the huge discounts that are available from the top five brands that they carry.

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[31:38] From hospitals and college campuses to stores and factories. Clean, quiet power that uses little water right where it's needed. So communities can keep moving forward. Bloom Energy, power America relies on. The United Way of North Alabama invites the community to dust off their brooms and join the annual Witch's Ride. On Thursday, October 29th, the Whimsical Parade will once again take flight through downtown Florence, bringing together costumes, candy, and community spirit, all in support of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. Registration begins at 5 p.m. on the corner of Mobile and Seminary Street, with the parade beginning at 6.

Participants are encouraged to dress in their spookiest, silliest, or most creative costumes. Tickets are $35 with under 12 free of charge. Also, a limited number of VIP tickets are available for $100. An included admission to an exclusive adults-only VIP afterparty featuring heavy work herbs from baking and events by Jack. All proceeds to benefit Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, helping provide free books to children in Lauderdale, Calvert, Franklin, and Marion counties. For more information, call the United Way of Northwest Alabama at 256-764-5892. That's the annual Witch's Ride, Thursday, October 29th.

Progressive presents the Sports Flash on 93-9, The Score. In college football tonight, Troy is set to play on the road to James Madison. The Trojans are 3-4 on the year 1 and 2 in the Sunbelt. James Madison is 7-1. On Saturday, Auburn's on the road as they travel to play number 12 Ole Miss. The Tigers 4-3 on the year 2 and 3 in the SEC. Ole Miss 3-2 in the conference. And South Alabama will host Louisiana Tech on Saturday. Jaguars are 4-3 on the year 2 and 1 in the Sunbelt. Saints are off on Sunday.

The Falcons head to Tampa. They'll take on the Buccaneers. The Falcons 3-4. The Buccaneers are 2-5. Milwaukee Brewers were winners last night over the race 4-1. They cap off the World Series, a first in franchise history. They win the World Series four games to one. Tune in tonight for high school football as Florence plays at Fort Payne. Pre-game at 6. Kickoff at 7 o'clock. 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.

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Ooh, he's licking it. Super gross, dude. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates not available in all states or situations. Coverage subject to policy terms. From the heart of the SEC to the national stage. No filters. No fluff. Get the real story and all the hard-hitting analysis on AP as we see it. Saturday mornings at 7 a.m. Sports Radio 93.9. The Score. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in. Really appreciate the free ride around the Tennessee Valley. And with that, why don't we go to the states of Tennessee and say hello to R.C.

Ryan Callahan. Ryan got it all covered when it comes to Big Orange at Go Vols 24-7. Ryan, welcome in. How are you? Hey, guys. Doing well. How are you? Hey, man. Well, we've come to the conclusion, Ryan. See if you agree that Josh Heupel does not listen to Ryan Callahan at Go Vols 24-7. You said last week, Josh, this is, as the Greeks would say, Hades for Tennessee playing at this place. And by golly, Gile, Ryan Callahan was right. When is Josh going to listen to you?

I'm not sure he needs to listen to me on too much. But, you know, all we do is read the history. And, man, there was a lot of history that suggested last Saturday might happen the way it did. And, obviously, some tea leaves about that Tennessee team that hinted they might be in some trouble against a team that could score some points. And South Carolina finally was the first team to score more than 24 against Tennessee this season. So, an impressive game by South Carolina at times, but certainly a game that Tennessee is going to look back on and say, man, how did we let that one slip away?

Because they were sitting there with a seven-point lead in less than four minutes to go. Had a chance to maybe put away the game and had a kind of head-scratching mistake in a big spot on fourth and one that ultimately let South Carolina back in it and made it a just gut-wrenching loss for them at the end of that game. Brian, what did South Carolina and that coaching staff do that Alabama and Ken and DeBoer's staff did not do? Yeah, great question. You know, I'm not sure we'll ever have a great answer for why Keelan Russell and Alabama had so much trouble that day.

[37:09] You know, I'm sure some of that, you know, Tennessee just dialed up a great game plan for Alabama. Maybe, you know, players always motivated to play against Alabama. You know, maybe that has something to do with it. And also, let's not diminish the factor that Alabama might have been in that game because when you're coming off a physical, demanding rivalry game, it's sometimes hard to get back up the next week. So maybe Tennessee not quite at the same level. For that matter, South Carolina was coming off an open date itself and had extra time to prepare for Tennessee.

So certainly those first two drives of the game, Kendall Bryles had drawn up some good stuff and they went straight down the field, took a 14-0 lead early in that game. They had Tennessee really on its heels and they adjusted and settled in and played really well from there until the final minutes of the game, giving up only three points until those last two drives. So they did a good job after they got past the stuff that South Carolina had probably scripted out a little bit.

But clearly they caught Tennessee off guard with some of the things they threw at them early. And Lenore Sellers, when he's on, you guys have seen it before. He can be very up and down, but he had some moments in that game last weekend where he kind of took over single-handedly and was really good. And with some of those top players in the SEC, and he's one of them when he's at his best, there's only so much you can do to slow them down. He certainly had some of those moments that reminded you, man, this is why they were talking about him as a possible early first-round pick going into last season.

I'll tell you one thing, penalties played a key role last weekend. Texas and Ole Miss, Texas had 14 penalties for I think 120 yards. There were 22 flags thrown in the game, and I know you've heard this all week. Tennessee committed 12 penalties for 90 yards, and of those 12, three negated touchdowns, touchdown passes. And we were talking to our good friend Vince Rohr about this on Monday, and Vince said all three of them, at least to him, look legitimate. But this is not the first time Tennessee's had a lot of penalties in the Josh Heupel era.

Heupel does a lot of great things, including running the ball very effectively. But your thoughts on penalties? Yeah, you said it. I mean, it's been a common theme throughout Josh Heupel's tenure as a head coach, even going back to his days at UCF. His teams just tend to be more heavily penalized than a lot of other teams. It's not every year that they rank in the bottom 20 or 30 in college football, but some years they are down there in penalties. And at best, they tend to be middle of the pack.

So that's kind of a recurring issue there. And we've wondered, you know, for years when tempo was a big part of Tennessee's offense, you certainly wondered if penalties are just one of the side effects that come with running at that pace. But Tennessee's not doing that this year. They've been slowing it down, running the ball more. And so that makes the penalties a bit more of a head-scratcher as to why they continue to happen and why they might be just sort of baked into a Josh Heupel offense and Josh Heupel team.

It's hard to change that mid-season. You know, people have asked us this week, of course, what can be done to sort of reverse that trend and instill a bit more discipline and get players a little more on the same page and prevent some of those penalties. And there's only so much you can do. That's one of those things that can be kind of a long-term thing. It kind of goes from the top down in how you handle penalties in practice. And they have officials there and do all the things they can.

And you guys know this, too. SEC officiating crews vary so much one week to the next. I thought one of the holding penalties that went against Tennessee late in that game on wide receiver Rodarius Jackson was a tough call. Not that it wasn't maybe a legitimate holding call, but it was one of those holding calls that a hand just got too high up on the shoulder. You could call that 80% of the time in college football. You get some of those kind of, not say ticky-tacky, but borderline calls.

Go against you, and it can change the game. But, yeah, those three touchdown passes being wiped off changed the game completely. And look at George McIntyre's stat line. People are kind of wondering after his fourth-and-one head-scratcher where he didn't hand off to the sign brain on what looked like a designed full-back run that could have converted on fourth down. Instead, he stopped in the backfield for a loss, and South Carolina takes over with less than four minutes to go. After that mistake, people are saying, man, McIntyre only threw for 136 yards, no touchdowns, and has a bad turnover, and then gets sacked later and fumbles.

Put three touchdowns to 200-plus yards on the stat. It looks like a different day. So it changed the day completely, those three plays being wiped off. I'm just looking at you from Greg Sanky. I think they're called judgment calls. So what you have with the commission on that? Your thoughts, Tennessee fans saying conspiracy theory. Who was the referee in that game with Carroll? Can you help us out with that, Ryan? This is my biggest eye roll of the week here. I've heard this ad nauseum. I mean, I understand why fans latch onto this stuff.

[42:14] And look, just the fact that you even have the appearance of a potential conflict of interest on the surface, sure, it's not ideal. But this is a guy who's officiated SEC games for years. We've heard this about Tennessee-Alabama games in the past. I mean, the bottom line is the referee, the head of an officiating crew, does not make every call. And even if other guys are making calls and he has the ability to maybe steer things a certain way and overrule them, that's not really your job.

Your job is to listen to what the other officials on the crew say and make sure they feel confident in the call. And if they do, you go with it. So it's not like the head official is responsible for all of that. So just one of those things fans are going to latch onto. But, again, you touched on it there a minute ago. Three touchdowns wiped off by penalties, but they all appear to be legitimate penalties. So unless you're talking about a bunch of phantom calls, I don't think there's anything there.

Yeah, you're talking about former Alabama quarterback David Smith, who is now an official with the SEC, who, quite frankly, I think is a very good official. But, yeah, boy, I bet you've heard that all week long. Injuries, Tennessee and Alabama mercifully have a bye week. Alabama's got about six or seven key players out against Texas A&M, lost a few more during the game. And we've talked about this with Tennessee. They've got six players, and correct me if you've added to that, but that's enough. Six players out for the season.

And I'm sure Tennessee's beat up, too, with the hottest team in the SEC coming up November 7th with those Kentucky Wildcats. Yeah, the open date, as it turned out, probably came at a pretty good time for Tennessee. They did pick up a few more bumps and bruises last week at South Carolina. Deshaun Bishop, their star running back, being one of them, left that game briefly and had Javen Gordon in to replace him for a key stretch in that game, including that failed fourth down play where he was the running back that was kind of the decoy that went off to the side on that play.

So, you know, Bishop banged up. Sounds like he'll be fine for next week, but certainly could use the rest, especially after the heavy workload he's gotten in the past four games. He's had 30-plus carries in some games. They also lost one of their starting linemen, offensive linemen, last week. Donovan Haslam was out of that game. They had Nick Moore out for a stretch of that game as well, the starting left guard. So, a little bit banged up now on the offensive line. So, yeah, they had done a good job, aside from those six or seven season-ending injuries, of avoiding, you know, kind of the minor bumps and bruises that don't cause guys to miss the rest of the season.

Now they've got a few more of those, like a lot of teams, eight consecutive games in eight weeks. You're going to pick up some of those in SEC plays. So, probably a good time for them to lick their wounds and coming off a loss as well, to regroup. And like you said, get ready for a Kentucky team. Now, this is crazy to think. I haven't looked back to confirm this, but this might be the first top ten matchup if the rankings fall just right. Tennessee would have to move up a little bit.

But it has the potential to be the first top ten matchup in the history of that series. I think you're right. It goes back more than 100 years. So, it would be pretty remarkable. But either way, there's going to be a ton at stake for both of those teams. Not a playoff elimination game, but Kentucky wins that one next week. They're in great shape. Absolutely. Tennessee has to win that one to stay in the playoff race. Right. Catalan, go ball is 24-7. Let's talk about the balance of the season.

It looked like Tennessee was in the driver's seat, control your own destiny after the Alabama game. And now, we've been talking about what it is. It's up to you. You talked about the Kentucky game. You know, in the preseason, everybody says, it's going to be a tough stretch. After they knock off Kentucky at home, they've got Texas A&M. My, oh, my, how that narrative has changed. You go on the road to College Station. And then, a very interesting close. Vanderbilt, of course, is the end.

That's going to be in Nashville. But before that, you've got the mustard-bottle game with Lane Kiffin returning to Tennessee. Your thoughts about the balance of the schedule for the Vols. Yeah, we knew from the start of the season that this was a back-loaded schedule for Tennessee. And the only thing fortunate for them, I guess, is that Texas A&M game looks a little bit more winnable than it did at the start of the season. But still, you've got to go on the road and win a tough place to play in the SEC.

We'll see what A&M looks like by the time you get to that game. But it certainly looks like Tennessee's got a more realistic chance of winning that game. I thought that was one of their more likely losses going into the season. I wouldn't say that now. And if there's anything working in Tennessee's favor where, again, your backs to the wall now, you've probably got to win out down the stretch to have a good chance of making the playoff. They get the two toughest games left in their schedule probably at home in Kentucky and LSU.

And as we've seen with the home-field advantage Tennessee can have, especially with it being a night game against Kentucky next weekend, the LSU game could be a night game as well. Those will be some pretty charged-up crowds that will give Tennessee a noticeable advantage in those games. So I still think this is kind of a flawed Tennessee team. Their offense is still not producing a ton of points. They've got to live with their defense in their run game. But if they keep playing the way they're capable of, there's no game left on their schedule.

[47:36] They can't win. So it's a difficult stretch, but the fact that they do play those two tough games at home gives them a manageable path where I wouldn't rule out they could win out. They've just got to play really well, and the margin for error is pretty slim with this team. Well, I would also guess that the media welcomed the bye week, too, and particularly Ryan Callahan this weekend. Maybe get a chance to do a few things around the house, et cetera. A lot of things going on, basketball gets started next week, recruiting, baseball exhibition games going on, pre-game, post-game.

It is going to be nice to get a break. Where can we get an old line to get all the good stuff? Yeah, GoVols247.com. You can sign up right now for 50% off an annual subscription. Got updates now on where Tennessee's coaches are recruiting ahead of the open date this weekend. So full coverage there and plenty more coming up throughout the weekend as we get ready to turn the page to this pivotal stretch run of Tennessee's schedule. So great time to check out GoVols247.com. Good luck with getting candy this weekend, okay, door-to-door.

Yeah, appreciate that. You're going to need it. Ryan Callahan, Higgins, GoVols247. B.B., before we jump off, you brought up a good point, the head of the show. Good fortune for Milwaukee. They give inspiration to a lot of folks. You realize, in terms of market size, Milwaukee is the smallest market in all of Major League Baseball, so congratulations. It shows you what happens when you put smart people in management and knows how to recognize talent and motivate and delegate. Good fortunes for the Milwaukee Brewers World Series champs.

Yes, they did a tremendous job. They've got a great manager in Pent Murphy. And what about the MVP, Harold Bugg, William Contreras, the bull, who Atlanta traded, which did not make Bill Shanks very happy. I can't win. Eight of 21, four RBIs and threw out four attempted base runners. And also, congratulations to Tampa Bay. They're a small market, too. That's right. You can win a World Series if you budget your money. Way to go. And know how to recognize talent and keep them happy. Coming up, the next time, I'm going to be taking you all over the place.

How happy are Tide fans? Ryan Feller on that. Also going to be checking in with Mark McLeod, Token Gators. And KJ, Kevin Johnson says it's curtains on the regular season of the Forenside Falcons. More straight ahead. Stay with us. I've always felt that sports imitate life. And in both arenas, everyone loves a good comeback story. I sold my dynasty almost three years ago and have missed coming to the ballpark every day since. Once my old team dispersed and our fan base hinted about wanting to come back, we built a new stadium, made some calls to our old players, and signed some new ones off of waivers and trades.

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He has also spoken out against the AEA and the National Education Association for influencing public schools with liberal ideology. Yarbrough calls the NEA a vile and evil organization that is completely opposed to Christians, Alabama, and American values. House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter has announced his full support of Yarbrough in this political race, saying he looks forward to having Yarbrough back in the House next year. I'll be back with more Alabama stories after this. For over five years, 1819 News has given Alabama something it needed. Honest reporting that pursues the truth, wherever it leads.

Real news about the issues that shape your life and our state. And right now, your gift goes twice as far. A generous supporter has pledged a $250,000 match through December 31st. Every dollar you give is doubled. Give today at 1819news.com slash give. That's 1819news.com slash give. Hyundai Motor Manufacturing is going to be investing close to $450 million for future vehicle production in Montgomery. The new production of engines will involve the extended range electric vehicle that will be coming to future Hyundai vehicles. The Hyundai Manufacturing Plant in Montgomery first started production in 2005.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency has graduated 44 new graduates from its training class. The training of the candidates took 24 weeks. These 44 graduates will now be placed throughout ALEA troops that are stationed across the state. I'm Andrea Tyson. For more news affecting Alabamians, go to 1819news.com. And while you're there, subscribe to the daily newsletter. Valley Broadcasting Corporation, WITK-FM, Rogersville, Athens, Decatur, The Shores, Sports Radio 93.9, The Score. J.J. Jeffcoat here with the AHSAA Radio Network, inviting you to join us for another fantastic season of high school football on the AHSAA Radio Network Scoreboard Show.

Every Friday from 10 to midnight, we'll bring you all the scores and analysis from our team of experts across the state. Presented by the Alabama Department of Transportation, Russell DeWitt Center, the Alabama Community College System, the Alabama National Guard, and Southeastern Land Group and the Southeastern Land Show. Join us Friday nights for the AHSAA Radio Network Scoreboard Show, right here. Brought to you locally by Lost Pizza, John C. Saylor, Attorney at Law, The Courier Journal, Southern Pride Pest Control, Bank Independent, and Miller's Place. It's the NFL on Sports USA, and we're in Wing City as the Baltimore Ravens fly into Buffalo to battle the Bills.

[58:12] Josh Allen and the Bills have a new home, but get the same results, wins. The Ravens have a fast-moving offense, and near the goal line, everything is possible. The handoff goes to Henry, he bounces it left, stumbles over a tackler, and gets in for a touchdown. It's the Ravens at the Bills, this Sunday on Sports USA. 93.9, the score weather. Today's sunny with a high around 80. Tonight, partly cloudy with a low near 50. Tomorrow, patchy morning fog, otherwise mostly cloudy with a high around 80. Tomorrow night, mostly cloudy with a low near 60.

Ampere Saturday, cloudy with a 30%. With a 90% chance of afternoon showers and a high around 75. 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. The Boomo Bugg Show. Your exclusive inside track to the Tide, Tigers, Tennessee, and the rest of the SEC. Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9, the score. Welcome back in hour two to the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Britt Beard.

Thank you so much for giving us the ride around the Tennessee Valley. And speaking of rides, I want to head on down to the Sunshine State and say hello to Double M. Mark McLeod. He's the host of The Blitz with Mark McLeod and the Gator Blitz podcast. Mark, welcome in. How are you? Hey, doing well, Harold. Good to be on with you guys. Hey, Benny. You too. Mark, Brent and I want to know if we might get together and have a pickleball game Saturday about, say, starting at 3.30 Eastern time.

Have you got anything on your agenda that might prevent that, Mark? I just can't make it, guys. I'm sorry. Hey, just a point, Mark. What could be more important? A wee little cocktail party. There you go. A wee little cocktail party. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa. Whatever happens to the world's largest outdoor cocktail party? Is it going to be the world's largest indoor cocktail party this weekend at the Dome? Well played. Well played, Harold. Yes, it is. You're right. Yeah. And look, you know, go back 10 years ago, seven years, nobody saw this coming.

You know, we're thinking, you know, Jacksonville's kind of hit or miss with a lot of miss as a pro football franchise. And let's face it, guys, they're in a college town. We all know it. They're in a college town trying to make it work. So, you know, I didn't see this happening, but here we are. We were going to be in Atlanta this year and then the following year down in Tampa. Let me ask you a couple of things. That's one starter at quarterback. I know nobody's mentioned that this week.

Aaron, Aaron Philo, who's been hurt. I thought Tremell Jones played exceptionally well against Texas and something else that is easy to overlook. Buster Faulkner was the offensive coordinator at Georgia Tech several times when Tech gave Georgia fits. They had an overtime game a couple years ago that, quite frankly, Georgia Tech should have won the game. Now, again, he's got to have the horses to be able to do that. And Florida Steel still has a good roster. Who starts at quarterback? And how much of an impact will Buster Faulkner have on this game?

Wow, huge, absolutely huge impact on this game. I've got to believe, Brett. I really do. And, you know, also the quarterback situation, I mean, he refused to answer it. I mean, you know, John Summerall was asked in the Monday presser repeatedly about the quarterback situation, as you guys will expect. And, no, he was not going to bite on it. And, you know, I think there's some, you know, I get it, but here's what we didn't know. We didn't know Tremell Jones Jr. was banged up. But he's on the list now, too.

I'm sorry, Summerall explained that, look, he and Buster, they're going to have a decision to make. But, obviously, he said he looks at Tremell Jones Jr. last week in practice during the bye week and said, you don't look exactly right. You doing all right? He said, no, sir. He goes, I'm a little, I got this going on with me, I got that going on with me. So, he had to hit the training room as well. Checking in with Mark McLeod. Mark, which Georgia team is going to show up?

I mean, this is, you can't, this is just a fact straight up. They've had seven, if you will, basically boo-boos over the last two games. Four against Alabama. Three against South Carolina. The difference, they recovered every one of their boo-boos, all four of them against Alabama. We saw what happened in that game as far as an outcome. From a Georgia perspective, not as lucky against Carolina. Your thoughts, you've got to believe, this Florida coaching staff says that may be one of the sheets in their armors right there, is if we can force turnovers because they are prone to do it.

[1:03:26] Yeah, you're right. Turnovers, and you know, when I was kind of digging into this game, Harold, a little bit, I started looking at how many times, when I went back and watched that Auburn-Georgia game, good grief, how many times did they run up the middle? So, I went back to the report, and I looked, goodness gracious, Auburn gashed Georgia up the middle, which you wouldn't expect. Because, guys, I have not been impressed with that Auburn offensive line, and, you know, they did, though. Byron Brown ran 15 of 21 carries, of the 21 carries that Auburn ran up the middle.

21 times they went up the middle, got 138 yards against Georgia. Of course, we noticed that they ran for 192 in the game. So, that was a significant part of the Auburn success was going up the middle, apparently, as I watched that game. And particularly in the second quarter, I had a few good runs in the fourth quarter as well. But, in the second quarter, they really started gashing them in the middle. But, you're right. Also, Kirby talked about that, Harold, to your point, and talked about the turnovers.

And, look, guys, we've got to do a better job of taking care of the football. He goes, this is something that no team in the SEC is able to go on and win. You're going to make it awfully tough on yourself if you are going to hope to win, if you're going to keep turning the ball over. Mark, whoever the quarterback is going to be under center against Georgia, good news, Vernell Brown III practiced last week and looked, quote, normal after missing three games. Mark, if he comes back and he's the Vernell Brown of old, that is a huge plus for the Gators.

Spot on, Brett. It really is. Because, Brett, do you realize, you guys realize, this is the first game, maybe, that Vernell Brown III, Dallas Wilson, and Eric Singleton Jr. actually line up for more than six minutes? Because in the first six minutes of the game of the season opener, when they did, Singleton went out with an ankle injury. So, they got a whole six minutes with him. Amazing. This will be the first time. Yeah, that's a very important point. And whoever starts, be it Trammell Jones Jr., which I agree with your point.

If it were me, I'd start him. I just think the offense, you know, first-time starter away from Florida in Austin, Texas, and he seemed to grow in confidence throughout that game. And I think a key point, guys, is what John Summerall told us in the postgame. He said, you know, in the second half, Florida had a big run by Trammell Jones over the left side for a big first down. I believe he picked up 11 on the play. But he told, he said, I went to him in the huddle.

We had a timeout call, and I went to him. I said, you know, they're going to be keying on ball. He goes, you need to take the ball, fake it. You need to take the ball, and you need to make that happen and make that run. There you go. And he did. And, guys, I think that's huge for a coach, for a first-time starter, a kid who, you know, by that point, they had done a few good things, but he had made a lot of mistakes.

And to give that kid that confidence, and the kid did it, and then he made a beautiful throw later in the game on a 15-yard out to Dallas Wilson that was with phenomenal coverage by Jelani McDonald, the All-American from Texas. So, I mean, you could just see that kid's confidence grow throughout the game, Brett, and I think that's kind of what you alluded to earlier. Mark McLeod in the huddle with us. You mentioned first. Let's talk about the chess masters here, the brain trust. You got first-year coach John Somerol, full of moxie against the old grizzly veteran by now, Kirby Smart, dean of the class when it comes to coaches.

Your thoughts about that matchup? Because sometimes Kirby's very good, taking nothing away from him, but he has a tendency sometimes in games like this to maybe go in a different mode, if you will. And I think Georgia fans say, why are you doing this? Just let it go. Your thoughts about basically a guy that could be cast in one of those old westerns, Somerol has to shoot from the hip and do the wild, wild west thing. He's already proven he can do it on the road.

Your thoughts about the coaching matchup? Yeah, that's a very interesting take, isn't it? And, of course, as you guys mentioned, Buster Faulkner earlier. Yeah, of course, Faulkner was under Kirby at Georgia. He was a goal coach on that offensive team. And Kirby said in his Monday pressure, Tuesday pressure, whenever Georgia does it, he said, you know, he goes, Buster Faulkner is one of my really good friends. He goes, I'm good friends with him. I think the guy's a phenomenal offensive coordinator. He will design some things and do some things and really try to get you going one way, and then he's going to go another way with the ball.

He goes, he just really has a lot, ton of respect for Buster. So, to your point, Harold, there you go. And you talk about Somerol. Isn't he the wild card in all this? Sure he is. You don't know what to expect. Yeah. As far as a couple, a box of chocolates. Exactly. And, Harold, what he said on Monday was very interesting. I know Brett will find it interesting. Somerol said, you know, during the bye week, I went back and I started looking more at Kirby Smart and what he does and what he likes to do.

[1:08:31] I started really digging into his roster and how he does things. And he goes, he manages that roster so well. He does. He talks about his use of a transfer portal, his use in recruiting. The fact that they don't lose a lot of key guys. They just don't under him. And he said, we very much want to build our roster that way. But you're right. He really had a lot of praise for Kirby. And, you know, I think that's going to be a phenomenal matchup because you've got two coaches that it's a capital P in physical when they want their teams to step on the field.

You had a great article earlier this week. I sent it out to some of my folks. Takeaways and turnovers. You want to know why Kentucky's number nine in the nation? They have 18 takeaways. They've only turned the ball over five times. That's a plus 13. They're third in the nation in takeaway turnovers. Mincy, their quarterback, who transferred from Notre Dame, he's thrown one interception the entire season. No wonder they're number nine in the nation. Missouri only has four turnovers. Alabama's got 12 interceptions. Five they've taken to the house.

Nineteen turnovers, which leads the SEC. That was an eye-opening. If you want to know why teams are successful, look at the plus-minus turnovers, and you can figure some of it out. You really can. Yeah, you really can. And kind of a thorn in Gators, the Gators side. Brett, is the fact that Jordan Castell is one of the top safeties in the SEC right now over at Kentucky. And he and Ty Bryant had five picks in the last two games. Five picks. And Castell, he was on my mid-season LACC team.

Saturday down south had him on theirs, and he played for the Gators for three years before leaving this year. And then, of course, you've got Alabama. And Alabama, Ty, because, goodness gracious, with the Alabama defense, they're just gobbling up turnovers. And they're turning him into touchdowns. And you look at what they're doing there. If they could stop turning the ball over, I think that would certainly help Alabama, as well as a few other things. I like that observation, Mark. Let me ask you this. Who wins Saturday in this neutral site game?

Well, you know, Harold, I'm doing my preview right now. I'm wrapping it up on the Florida-Georgia game so we can post it in a few minutes. But, you know, one of the interesting things I found was, guys, we've had a lot of three-point games in recent weeks. You know, Oklahoma, Texas, Florida, Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, and last week, South Carolina, Tennessee. So I'm sitting here saying, I would love to see another three-point game between these two teams. But, you know, I think the Florida quarterback situation is dicey.

But both have been starting with the first and second unit. Both have taken time. So I've got to believe they're going to be just fine. But we'll have to see. And, look, I think Georgia's a beat-up football team as well. They're often beat up. So this bye week couldn't have come at a better time. I think Georgia should get the win. They should be angry. I mean, Kirby hasn't lost back-to-back game since 2016, his first year. Wow. Ten years. I'll give it to Georgia on this one, Harold.

But I think Florida can keep it somewhat close. By the way, Mark, don't try to tell me that the Mercedes Dome is a neutral site for Georgia. That's one of the biggest crocs in football. I've seen about six Alabama-Georgia games there. And it's about 75-25 Georgia. Go, Doc. As far as the crowd is concerned. That's one of the biggest crocs in football. Great stuff, my friend. Where can we get online and get all the great stuff? Yeah, well, they sent out the email earlier this week and said it was 50-50.

Oh, give me a break. Yeah, at blitzsportsradio.com and on Twitter, on X-whatever, at McLeodLive, M-C-L-E-O-D-Live. Well, speaking of crocs, I got a feeling, Mark, you hope your crocs come out on top of that neutral site game this weekend. Good luck if you're heading up and back home. Thanks so much, my friend. Thank you, guys. Thank you, buddy. WL, Mark McLeod, the blitz with Mark McLeod. KJ, getting ready for the call later on tonight. You're on 93-9. The score details next. Stay with us. Game day's coming, and your tailgate crew is counting on you.

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The Florence Beautification Board invites you to a Florence holiday tradition. The North Court Street Tree Lighting will take place on Sunday, November 22nd at 5 p.m. This festive evening will feature treats from U&A Culinary and joyful music from community carolers. Gather with family and friends as we light the tree and welcome in the holiday season to downtown Florence. That's the North Court Street Tree Lighting, November 22nd at 5 p.m. For board information or project details, visit the Beautification Board at the City of Florence page at FlorenceAL.org.

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[1:18:52] Hey, it's Michelle Swalman, and coming up Friday, my Packers sit in last place in the NFC North, so what a loss to the Panthers mean it's time for everyone to panic in Green Bay? It's on Sportsman Lake, 6 a.m. Eastern, right here on ESPN Radio, ESPN2, and ESPNU. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back, Ken. It is hard to believe to say this, but the end is near for the regular season in high school football for our neighbors throughout the entire North Alabama area, and for that matter, the state.

No one weeping more than K.J., Kevin Johnson getting ready for the call, the Florentide Falcons and Fort Payne Wildcats. Kevin, welcome in. Boy, I tell you what, when the Falcons take a road trip, they take a road trip, don't they? I'm not sure if there's a team in the state of Alabama that has traveled more in the past five years than the Florence Falcons. They have taken a lot of road trips, and I've been with every one of them, so I would say we're in the top ten, that's for sure.

Interesting road trip to Fort Payne. It is a trip. It's one of the most interesting places in the entire state of Alabama, and I go back every time I hear Fort Payne, people don't realize what a jewel, the number one fan over there is, and that's Randy Owen. This is a true story. When his kids played ball, this is the guy who had 41 number one hits in country music, and every time he had a daughter named Miranda, that was her name. She played basketball. Randy sometimes would get to the officials, and they didn't want to throw him out of the game, but after every game, Randy Owens calling a station with a final score before the internet, it just tells you what that means to that town and what this football team means to this town.

So, I know Florence High is looking at the record. A lot of folks are, but this is a proud program, a proud town, and I know Florence wants to go out on a high note. Well, tonight, the whole goal is just not let Randy Owens' band play mountain music for Florence. That's right. And, you know, let's get that fight song for Florence to play a lot. It is a great place. It's a great facility. It is. You can see the mountains, look out mountain, sand mountain around the stadium, and it's just a really neat facility, and I think the folks from Florence are going to really enjoy tonight, and I've been there a couple of times.

It's been a while, but Fort Payne's a great, great place. It has great football for history, and so it'll be a tough game tonight, no matter the records. Yeah, I think the record is deceiving. They've lost four games by less than the touchdown. Vincent is their quarterback. Lane Vincent Boggs is their running back. Chris Elmore has been there nine seasons, and I believe this is the first time they have missed the playoffs in 10 years. So, this may be their Super Bowl, so to speak. I was looking at some of your talking points.

This is a defense. We talked a lot about the front seven, the linebackers, and the secondary, but when you know you can lean on a defense that hasn't given up more than 21 points in a game all season, that's a good thing. It really is, this defense, and honestly, some of those 21 points, not all, but a couple of them were with backups in there, so getting a lot of kids some looks, but they've only surrendered really 21 points in two games that were really, where they were starters in the whole time.

And they play together. They love each other. They play together, and they've grown, and they're a mature group. It's a mature group, and I think that's part of it, too. And they have shown that they are definitely the centerpiece of this Falcons team. Over the years, there have been times where Florence has had a good defense, or maybe even had a good offense, but not in the same year. But this year, I think Florence is well-versed, so they have a pretty good defense and a good offense as well.

But that defense has definitely carried the load. Kevin, obviously, you want to go out on a winning note for more reasons. One, there's pride, but you also want to keep the momentum going into the playoffs. Talk to us about this team from that standpoint. It's easy to sit here and take your foot off the pedal and lose that momentum just from an intangible standpoint, and how things are setting up heading into it. First things first, I know they've got the game with the Wildcats, but also setting up for the playoffs.

Well, first and foremost, you want to stay healthy. That's probably the biggest thing, is you want to stay healthy as much as possible. But the second thing is, I do think you want to send a little message. You want momentum. You want your team to come out playing well, playing confident, and that does carry over in high school kids, especially. It does with college and NFL. I know it does with high school for sure. And so if you get the confidence, then a lot of it's not just putting points on the board.

It's just being consistent, you know, taking care of the football, no penalties, just being who you're supposed to be. And I think this Florence team will do this, and they sense what they've got the potential to do. And Coach Kenny Marson is a veteran coach that understands that. So I feel like they can do that. But tonight's a good chance for them to do anything they need to do to clean up on all one before they get ready for the playoffs. We have talked about a lot of positions, as I mentioned earlier.

But talk about tight ends. In high school, it is severely overlooked. You know, when the teams line up in 12 or 13 personnel or they don't use their tight ends very much, it is so critical to the success of an offense. Well, Mitch Boyd is one of the tight ends that does a great job. He was an offensive lineman, moves a tight end just out of necessity. And then Kirkland Blank as well. And I'll tell you a funny story. Kirkland Blank got his first touchdown catch of the year last year.

[1:24:13] And you know it's your year when things like this happen. But last week against Hartsell, it's fourth and 20. And our quarterback rolls out left and throws it towards the end zone. And Kirkland Blank catches it at the two and walks into the end zone for his first touchdown. Later to find out, though, that he was supposed to stay at the end and block, and he didn't get the signal. And so the reason the quarterback had to scramble is because the kid he was supposed to block, he let go.

And he ends up catching the pass. The story gets even better when the head coach talks to the quarterback and he says, you know, the funny thing is, he said, I'll be honest with you, I wasn't throwing it to him. It just slipped out of my hand. Oh, my goodness. So that's when you know it's being your year. Yes, it is. That's why you're 8-1 and chance to go 9-1. But those tie-ins, they're secret weapons on this Falcons team, no doubt about it. It's like, too, when he took the big sack in the championship game with Georgia, he said it just gave me more room to work with to Nick.

I don't think that was the truthful, if you will, verdict of that. But, Kevin, you've seen this program, the good, the bad, and the ugly. How special is this team to Kevin Johnson? Got a chance to be pretty special. Already are. I love their chemistry. I love the coaching staff. I think the coaching staff gets underrated, too. Coach Kenny Morrison's got veterans on this coaching staff, but he's got some young coaches that really are going to be superstars, I think, in the coaching field in the years to come.

And I think it's great they're getting mentored by him. But I think the other thing is, is this team has a chance to make some noise. They're going to have to bring their A game every week. And then we'll find out. We'll find out where they stand in competition as the weeks go by. But I think a deep run is very possible, and I think this team knows that. It's just the mentality, will they be able to pull that off, is the next question. Kevin, they've got to focus on Fort Payne, obviously, tonight.

But right now, and again, a lot of these, the playoff seedings, some teams are still working on that, even though it's a non-region for most teams. Right now, first round of the playoffs for Florence, they would host St. Clair. They're 5-4. Is that correct? In two weeks, Florence would host St. Clair County? Yes, they'll play St. Clair County. The Saints will come marching into Brawley Stadium. And so it'll be a fun game. First time these two have ever met. They end up being the fourth seed, Florence the one seed.

And that's a tough region. I mean, any time you're in Clay, Chalkville region, Oxford, Pell City, I mean, they've played a good team. So they're not going to be big guys playing Florence. It'll be a tough first-round game. And Florence will have to bring their best. This is a team that took Pell City to double overtime. And Pell City is a really good team. So St. Clair County can really play. But I expect the home field to help. I think the home field will be a big part of it.

And I think this Falcons team is ready to make things happen. Yeah, most of the shows is traveling to Oxford in the first round. Yeah, that's quite a region. Pre-game kickoff, I know the coach's breakfast is done for the year. But it's a Thursday night game. A lot of games being played tonight give everybody a lot of teams that extra day leading the playoffs. Tell us about pre-game and kickoff. Well, we're loading up the truck. My guys are loading up as I talk to you right now.

So we're about to head out and excited about 6 o'clock. The TNT fireworks pre-game, 7 o'clock kickoff from Wildcats Stadium, Fort Wayne. And just so thankful for these guys and all my crew. This crew's been together 10 years. That's Jeffrey Jones on the sideline. John McDaniels, our statistician. And Mike Albertson's been with me forever and ever, it seems like. So it's a great crew. We get compliments a lot of times. But the reason we really enjoy it, I think that's one thing. But the compliments really go back to people like Greg Thornton, James Moody, and others that are really carried behind the scenes.

And we appreciate them. So we're looking forward to a great game. And let's go down there and see if we can play some Dixieland delight. Amen and amen. Safe travels to and from, KJ. We look forward to your call tonight. Safe travels, my friend. Thank you, sir. Thank you, bud. Thank you, guys. If you're looking at your original schedule, it says tomorrow night for this game. But keep in mind, it is tonight. And you don't have to travel halfway around to the moon. You can stay right there and listen to it right here on 93.9 The Score a little bit later on.

Coming up, what's the moves out in Tiantown? Mr. Fowler next. Stay with us. Hey, Falcon fans. This is Keith. Cypress Creek Indoor Range. We know great defense starts up front. And the Falcons start with Jaden White, your defensive tackle. Whether stopping the run or disrupting that quarterback, Jaden has the right tools, puts in the hard work, and has the right training to stop the offensive threat of opposing teams. Let Cypress Creek Indoor Range provide you with the tools, training, and resources to defend your family. We're the biggest gun store in the Shoals and the only indoor shooting range and training center to provide everything you need to have the best defense for your family.

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[1:29:39] Learn more at nabjc.com. Start your day at Milla's Place. Where French toast, fluffy pancakes, and all your breakfast favorites are served fresh and hot. Weekday mornings starting at 6 a.m. Come back for lunch or dinner and enjoy our meat and three meals cooked with southern flair. Or dig into a juicy burger, crispy chicken tenders, or our popular fried catfish served every day. Whether it's dine-in or carry-out, come see us at Milla's Place, locally owned and operated in downtown Florence, Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

This is Miranda Haddock with the Florence Education Foundation. We invite you to support our Friends of the Foundation campaign. As a Friend of the Foundation, you can contribute any amount to help fund classroom needs in Florence City schools. Please visit our website at FlorenceEducationFoundation.org to explore our new giving levels and the added perks available. We would like to wish Coach Morrison and the entire Falcon football team good luck this season. Hello, this is Kevin Arnold from Village Discount Drugs. A lot of people today have prescription insurance to pay for their medications.

Did you know that with prescription insurance, you have the same copay, whichever pharmacy you choose? That's right. You're going to pay the same $10 there as you would here. It's a fact that big chain drug stores can't match our local hometown service. So if the price is the same, why settle for inferior service? So make the switch to Village Discount Drugs, where we are always the show's problem solvers and people pleasers. Sports Radio 93.9 The Score The holidays will be here before you know it. And Aleve is there for all the extra hustle and bustle and the pain that comes along with it.

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Chris Kennedy here to tell you about sugar-free fall treats straight from the orchard. All new Caramel Apple 5-Hour Energy shots are available now. Fall is back, which means those sugary fall treats are too. Thankfully, 5-Hour Energy just dropped their new Caramel Apple flavor so you can get that fall flavor fix without the sugar. Enjoy refreshing Apple and sweet Caramel comfort in every sip. Use promo code CANTEE for 15% off any energy shot at 5HourEnergy.com. Progressive presents the Sports Flash on 93.9, The Score. Milwaukee Brewers were winners last night over the race 4-1.

They cap off the World Series, the first in franchise history. They win the World Series 4 games to 1. In college football tonight, Troy is set to play on the road to James Madison. The Trojans are 3-4 on the year 1-2 in the Sun Belt. James Madison is 7-1. On Saturday, Auburn's on the road as they travel to play number 12 Ole Miss. The Tigers 4-3 on the year 2-3 in the SEC. Ole Miss 3-2 in the conference. And South Alabama will host Louisiana Tech on Saturday. Jaguars are 4-3 on the year 2-1 in the Sun Belt.

Saints are off on Sunday. The Falcons head to Tampa. They'll take on the Buccaneers. The Falcons 3-4. The Buccaneers are 2-5. Tune in tonight for high school football as Florence plays at Fort Payne. Pre-game at 6. Kickoff at 7 o'clock. I'm John Thayer with the Sports Flash presented by Progressive on 93.9, The Score. With DraftKings, you can follow election season in a new way. Make predictions on the races you're watching from control of Congress and governor races to the local contests getting attention where you live. As new polls come out and headlines develop, you can follow the percentages and price charts to see how the conversation is shifting.

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[1:35:11] Terms at dkng.co slash predictions promo. Limited time offer. The Alabama defensive line isn't the only one with skills. Ask your Amazon Alexa devices to tune in to 93.9 The Score. Listen to The Score streaming live anywhere on Alexa-enabled devices. All of your favorite shows and teams are waiting. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in time to head on down to Tide Town. Ryan Fowler is host of the game there at Tide 109 FM. Ryan, welcome in. How's life, I would assume, all along the western front of the state of Alabama today?

How are you? It's good. It's good. It's a lot just good. It's a bye week, and we're trying to, you know, still, I guess, spend a little time talking about Alabama, Texas, A&M, but looking ahead to this big, feel like a playoff elimination game with LSU. Yeah. You know, it's a big week. It's a big week. And, you know, I know SEC is still continuing. And what a chaotic world of college football that we live in. We spent a lot of time discussing that this week.

Ryan, are fans fair to coaches now in the modern era, given the fact that it's, I mean, it's easy to sit here and say, well, he's not doing what Nick did. The question, I guess, the other way of asking, could Nick do now what he did then if he had to play with the same rules that these coaches do now with a lot of, let's face it, prima donnas, kids making money, more money than some of these assistant coaches on the South. They're 18, they're 22. They got chicks digging them.

Your thoughts just about, you mentioned college football. It's a different world than what Nick left. I think it's why he left. I think he saw this coming. You know, if Nick Saban, no doubt he was a national championship caliber coach. But one of the things that I always laughed at is I'd be in a room and he would say something and he would grab my attention of looking ahead. He could see, you know, the car rounding the corner way out there when most of us took it a little bit closer to see and we were trying to, he could, he could see it and he would predict things that would happen.

That world would change around college football. Sometimes I'd sit in the front room and I'd be like, okay, what's he really saying here? Well then three or four years later, you're like, he told us then that it was going to happen. I think he saw this, this ball rolling down a hill. And many of the things that he coached with and used as a part of, you know, quote, the process, he, it was going away. Whether we're talking about, you know, the incentives to be able to, you know, to get to the NFL was the big carrot that he would dangle out in front of their face and say, guys, if you show up and do this and this and this and this, then I'm going to get you here.

Well, the problem is now is you've already got that. I mean, a lot of these guys have already seen more money than they've ever seen. And someone, you know, never had this much, but you, I mean, think about an average job in the state of Alabama, many average jobs make seven or $800,000 a year doing anything. I mean, there's not many that's in this state that, that, I mean, you know, you can talk about your best trauma surgeon. Well, he's, he's probably not making $800,000 a year. Well, you can, and you can do it playing football.

And, and that to me, it has to lessen the motivation to, if, if, if you're, I mean, think about us, if, if the first day of college, if we were given million dollars, would we have finished college or no, I mean, I mean, yeah, I mean, I mean, we would have probably took our time, uh, probably wouldn't have been as motivated because the motivation was that you wanted to earn, uh, a living. You wanted to be able to get to a certain level. Well, many of these players, they've already arrived at that level.

They've already driving the luxury vehicle. I mean, go around to these college campuses and look, I mean, heck, they've got necklaces on that are more expensive than any item that I own. I mean, maybe it's so the motivation is different and I don't think we're fair to coaches to go back and answer your original question. I think we've put a lofty expectation on them. And I did it yesterday. I, this was part of my show yesterday is how do you watch college football? Because we keep saying you should recalibrate, but then here comes Saturday and none of us really recalibrate, recalibrate.

And we talk about it Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. But then when Saturday gets here, we spend all day griping and complaining, but college football has changed. And I don't think it's ever going back, you know, I tell Alabama fans this often, your record of 18 national titles, that is secure. Most of the people that are living, you will die as Alabama, the king of college football because nobody's going to be able to catch it. And now it's just a big old job. I mean, whoever thought we'd be going to the last weekend of November, excuse me, of October.

[1:40:31] And you would literally have what? 10 to 12 teams that have a chance to win a national title. I mean, there's probably, what, how many teams that more than half have a chance at the playoffs in the SEC? Yeah. I mean, but it makes it, I'm sure, great for TV ratings. And it's very popular. You know, it engages other fan bases. To your point, Ryan. Go ahead, Brett. Go ahead. Let me ask you about the bye week, trying to get some of these guys well. Ryan, every team, and Harold, I talk about this.

Every team has injuries in mid-season. But this team has had very significant injuries. Their starting left guard is out for probably another month. And Will Sanders, the starting center, the starting cornerback, the top receiver in Coleman Williams. The top two defensive tackles in Terrence Green and Desmond Zulu. Most dynamic running back in EJ Crowell. Red Morgan missed half the game because of targeting. Yonsei Pierre has been beat up even though he's played. And, of course, Drake Kirkpatrick Jr. is dismissed. Will everybody but Will Sanders be available for LSU?

I think that is a question that I don't know if Thursday coming, today was their final day of practice. And they're going to take a couple of days and try to get their legs back under them. I think that's a question that we probably will not know the answer for until this time next week. That, you know, it's probably, you know, I think Ryan Coleman Williams is a guy that you could probably bank on. That he's going to be, you know, headed in the right direction.

Rayson Delgatti is a guy that I think is pacing. That he should be, you know, able to give it a go. And then when you look at, you know, Terrence Green is another one. As you said, William Sanders is going to be. But, I mean, you look back at that injury list. I mean, this explains college football. It does, yeah. Your guard goes to center and plays there. Your left guard goes down. And then you have to replace him with a guy that you recruited as a center.

Now, listen, they practiced him at guard. I mean, he didn't walk in there cold, but straight on. If you'd asked me one month ago, I told you, man, it's going to be a long time before that young man hits the field. Because he was still progressing as a player, right? He wasn't where he needed to be. But he did come on in the last couple of weeks because probably he had to. He started getting a lot of reps. And, you know, credit to him. Because I thought he played well.

But, I mean, that's the world that we live in. And you've got to have a – and you say the next man up. But it's not the next man of, hey, there's another five-star here that we have to play. Thank you. Play him on in. No, I mean, he may be a guy that you didn't expect to make a contribution because of injuries. But it's happening. Look at the injury report that we get from the SEC. You know, go to the SEC availability page and you just look at it.

I mean, it looks like – listen, I've said it, the playoffs, I mean, they need to be presented by, like, the Walking Dead or something. I mean, it's – I mean, think about what we get to the playoffs. And, I mean, it's – and I know that coaches manipulate these failability. I get that. When they put a lot of guys on the, you know, probable and questionable side of things. But the world that we know of of college football, I mean, it is full of injuries. And I just wonder when we add these 24, you say, well, it's only – it's only a couple of more games.

Well, it's only a couple of more games. But we never went through this with the depth issues that you have in college football. It's called money. I mean, to illustrate your point, what happened when Waddle went down against Tennessee? They brought in this kid named Devontae Smith, and what happened? He won the Heisman. And that's another reason why Nick saw this. To win, you've got to have the best coaches, and you've got to have depth. And I think that goes back to our original point. But, Ryan, be that as it may, you can make all the excuses in the world.

And to your point, on game day, fans, forget all about it. You've got to win in spite of it. Your thoughts about the matchup with LSU? What is your gut tell you now? We'll talk about it, obviously, more in earnest next week. But a couple of things. Will they go to a more manageable game for Russell to keep that defense off of him? And will the defense stop being the Red Cross and give them these soft patterns? Because you know Lane is a master of mismatches.

You know the name Dejan Lee is on his mind. And your thoughts, the early thoughts about the game with LSU? I mean, Alabama is going to have to play their best football. But to me, it goes down. It definitely goes down to the defense. And I think you look at it there, but you also look at Keelan Russell. He's got to go to Baton Rouge. And you say, Greg, thank you. I know we pick on him a lot in Tuscaloosa. But I know Lane Kiffin was upset about the 2.30 game.

[1:45:48] He was disappointed. You know, it's an advantage for Alabama to play at 2.30 and not in the evening. I mean, look, there's nobody in Tuscaloosa upset that they've got to play at 2.30. But Keelan Russell's got to go down to Baton Rouge, the game of his life, and play out of his mind. Because, really, if you think about the road game so far, Mississippi State was okay, but they ran the football to take pressure off of him, which is good. They need to do that. But Tennessee, Kentucky, he did not get off to a good start.

And, you know, if you look at Tennessee, he really didn't have a good game overall. But getting off to a good start is going to be key. Because that stadium down there, it's crazy. You know, I mean, you know, the stadium is loud, and rightfully so. But, man, you go down there and give those guys some confidence. And Lane Kiffin, you almost wonder, if given the opportunity, and listen, I expect that it's going to be a very competitive game. I think it's going to be, you know, it's going to be a one-score possession.

But if he's given the opportunity, he's probably going to try to run it up as much as he possibly can in Alabama. Because this is his dream job. He wanted this job. And I'm sure in his eyes, you know, he looks at Kayla DeBoer going, man, he got the opportunity, and I did not. Didn't get the phone call. Kayla DeBoer did. I'm going to show Greg Byrne. And, look, there was no way Lane Kiffin was ever going to be hired in the U.S. No way.

No way. But in his eyes, I'm sure he thinks that way. Yeah, he burned that bridge a long time ago when he was the offensive coordinator. Everybody, including the media, Ryan Fowler, look forward to a bye weekend. Who have you got on the show today, and where can we get online and listen? Well, we're going to go down to Baton Rouge. We've got Matt Muscona coming up by 2.15. We've got our friend Rodney Orr, tighterinsider.com. We've got Bruce Marshall coming up, and we'll kick off a little parlay pick contest that we'll do every day, every Thursday, excuse me, every Friday.

We'll kind of back that up, and we'll do Thursday and Friday this week. But, hey, always enjoy being on with you guys, and let's get through this five weeks. Let's enjoy some college football, a little stretch-free. Yes, it is. Lower the corner for this weekend. You guys have a great weekend. You too, buddy. Ryan, thanks so much, buddy. You do the same. Ryan Fowler, host of the game, Tide 109 FM in T-Town. BB, the final word goes to you. Yes, it is going to be an enjoyable weekend, and Bill Bender alluded to November the 7th.

If you have not taken a look at the games, the slate of college football games for November the 7th, it will take your breath away because it, again, may be right. It may be one of the greatest slates in the history of college football. But first, how about a little Florence Fort Payne action tonight right here on 93-9 to score pregame, kicking off around six. The boys on the road, even as we speak, over to DeKalb County, Alabama. That's going to take care of us for now on behalf of BB, Greg, James Blair, the entire crew here.

Parole Buck, thank you so much for your time today. Let's do it again tomorrow, noon to two, for the Bermode Buck Show back here on Sports Radio 93-9 to score.