Boomo Bugg Show 110625

[0:00] Now, get ready to roll Shoals, Decatur, Athens, and all of Northwest Alabama and Southern Tennessee. It's time for the Valley's exclusive FM Sports Voice. The Boomo Bugg Show. Your exclusive inside track to the Tigers, Tennessee, and the rest of the SEC. Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9. The Score. Good afternoon and welcome in to the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving us a free ride around the Tennessee Valley. Brett Beaird, welcome in where? A very interesting night for UNA to take the lid off the hardwood season.

And the Alabama slash college football world is mourning the passing of a legend. Good afternoon, welcome in, and how are you? Happy Thursday to you and the listeners. You're right, UNA men's basketball gave Mississippi State a tough battle for about 30 minutes before the Bulldogs, SEC, all-SEC guard Josh Hubbard took over, and then they pulled away 86-62. Caleb Suggs of the Decatur Daily and Zach Pounders of the Shell Sports Report will preview the top games in North Alabama in the first round of the high school football playoffs.

BB is here right now to preview and predict the top games in college football Saturday. BB is Bill Bennett, the National Voice of the Sporting News. And quickly, Bill, I'm sure your thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Woodrow Lowe, truly the passing of a legend, a former Alabama linebacker and, of course, the late great Paul Bear Bryant, one of only two three-time All-Americans at Alabama, Cornelius Biscuit Bennett, the other pretty high lofty praise there, Woodrow Lowe passing away at the age of 71. Bill, truly a pioneer, one of the first African-Americans to create the Bear Bryant legend back in the 70s, Bill Bennett.

Welcome in. How are you? Well, I mean, I wish on better terms, but like you said, you know, once Alabama integrated black players, obviously, yeah, and you look at where the program is. I know that USC-Alabama game went a long way in that, and I know you guys know the story behind that. So, you know, between that and Marshawn Nealon, not a great morning at all. So, you know, prayers, condolences, all those things, and puts a little bit of a damper on the football weekend, there's no question.

Bill, since you brought that up, obviously, I've always been wondering what happened there, and I think a lot of other people are, too. All we've got is scattered reports. It looks like at the age of 24, he's gone. There are reports out there from the parents' suicide, and this came just two days after the Dallas Star scored his first career touchdown. So, tragedy indeed. Yeah, you know, and obviously, your hearts go out. I mean, there were bound to be more details to come there. I know he was a player that we keyed in on when he was in college as well.

So, to have that happen and a tremendous talent cut short at a young age is just hard, man. It's hard to wrestle your mind around those kind of things. It is. Here we go. Time to get the party started in earnest. The first big poll is out before we get into this weekend's matchups. Any surprises because you look at it and shock, shock, it could be that it could be an all-Big Ten national championship showdown. It could be an all-SEC national championship showdown. Of course, that's based on the early returns from the first poll.

We know things are going to change. But, Bill, being that as it may, any surprises in the first big poll of the season? No. You know, and the fact that there isn't tells me the committee did okay. You know, you could make a case that Alabama could be ahead of A&M, but that'll play itself out. You could make a case that Indiana could be ahead of Ohio State. I don't think it should be, but you can make those cases. But I just don't subscribe to that.

And I think, you know, Alabama, the strength of their resume is they did beat four ranked teams. They're the only team in the top 25 that has four victories against top 25 victories, or top 25 schools at the time. That Texas A&M team hasn't lost yet. So, I think one, man, looks about right. Maybe Oregon might be a little low, but that's it. Yeah, and there were some wailing and gnashing of teeth of Notre Dame being eight spots ahead of Miami since Miami beat them. And that was two months ago.

So, things do change. Diego Pavia, the quarterback at Vanderbilt, is one of the reasons why Hugh Freeze is going to be playing golf this weekend. Incidentally, accompanying the team to Nashville. The Commodores, a seven-point favorite. In fact, Diego Pavia has beaten Hugh Freeze twice. I agree with you. Will there be a little bit of emotional bump? I think it will. It also helps that one coach is going to be calling plays instead of three. I think the Auburn defense is going to be, will play well again.

[5:14] But, and I agree with you, you've got Vandy winning 24-14 and covering the touchdown spread. Yeah, you know, Auburn got a tough defense, though. And that's probably the frustration. When you have a defense of that caliber that doesn't allow a ton of points, you want to close out some of these close games. Vanderbilt showed me a lot last week. You know, they get off to a 34-10 gap against the Longhorns, and it could have been a blowout. And then Diego Pavia throws three-fourth quarter touchdown drives.

You know, he got them going. And he is a fantastic player. Alabama found out. He can play. Yes, he can. So, this is a, if Vanderbilt wants to get into the college football playoff, they have no margin for error from here on out. And we're going to see what they're made of. I do like them to win the game, though. Bill Bender with eSporting News. College football with interim coach you in the SEC this season. Four of the 16 shopping for a coach. One of them, LSU, Alabama hosting the Frank Wilson Bayou Tigers this weekend.

Bill, what's going to happen Saturday night in Tuscaloosa? Well, you know, I like Alabama to win the game. But again, you know, another school, LSU, had two weeks to have a coach transition and all those things. And you don't know what that emotional bump is. I think Auburn could have that. I think LSU could have that this weekend. Florida kind of played that way last week against Georgia. You know, they only lost 24 to 20. So, you know, we'll see how they handle it. I still like this Alabama team at home, though.

4-0 against spread at home. And Ty Simpson, you know, kind of out of sight, out of mind in that Heisman race because they had a bye last weekend. So, we'll see if he can get back in the mix there. I do like this Alabama team. I think it'll be relatively tight. But I think for my final score, it's something like 29-17. So, I like Crimson Tide to continue their winning leg. Mississippi State's a little bit of a trendy pick is a wild upset over Georgia, who's a 7.5-point spread going to Starkville.

And the Cowbells will once again be a factor here. Will Georgia get off to another slow start? Mississippi State should probably beat Tennessee and Texas. There, Jeff Lebby certainly got this team much improved. But unlike you, at some point, Georgia will settle down, take over the game. You've got Georgia winning 31-19 and covering that 7-point spread. Yeah, Mississippi State's been great at home. They are a more competitive team. Georgia's kind of walking that tightrope back to the playoffs. A little bit last week. You know, I actually thought that Florida guy caught the ball.

So, but it's a way to win, and this is another way to stay and keep the pressure on Alabama and Texas A&M. And I don't think Georgia's going to be looking ahead to Texas at all. Mississippi State will not allow for that at home. But I do like the Bulldogs, Gunner, Stocks, and that running game. They're fine in ways, guys. And I think they're fine in the game. Bill, you invoked the name of Texas A&M, so let's go there. Is it Texas A&M's year?

They're number three in the country. Solid in the playoff picture right now. And they're on the road to number 19, Missouri. A couple or so weeks ago, this has probably been said, okay, this game could be interesting. It's still a matter who knows. But Missouri is a different situation at the quarterback spot. What's going to happen this weekend in the show-me state? I like Texas A&M to win. You're asking a backup quarterback a lot in that spot. The Bulldogs did play well late in the Vanderbilt game.

Made a couple plays. And, you know, he's a freshman, all those things. But I think the real story is this Texas A&M defense around Cassius Howell, Marcel Reed, like Ty Simpson, can push into the Heisman Trophy mix. He's been fantastic. So I think the Aggies win here. One thing that I've been saying this all week, as we get into next week and the week after, get used to the term cumulative conference winning percentage. And sort out some of these tiebreakers. Texas A&M's cumulative conference winning percentage among the SEC contenders is the worst.

So there is that little notion of who they really played. And that's something that can catch up with them. And that's why they have very little margin for error. Let me ask you about the big national game. And most people can't even tell you this. It is number eight BYU at number nine Texas Tech. The Red Raiders, a 10.5 point favorite. In fact, Reese and the circus is going to be in, of game day, will be in Lubbock. Saturday morning, that's 11 a.m. kickoff. First time BYU's been there since I think FDR was president.

They've got a very good offense, 48 points a game. Morton has come back from an injury. Listen, if you want to see some guy's tenacity, Bayer, Bachmeier, the quarterback of the freshman at BYU, could be Pavia's younger brother. But you've got Texas Tech winning 34-27, but failing to cover that 10-point spread. I don't feel great about it either way because I really like this Texas Tech team around Barron Morton when he's healthy. Their defense is very good. I think if you're an SEC fan, you're watching this game thinking, if I were an SEC fan looking for that fifth team to squeeze in the playoff, you want Texas Tech to win here.

[10:53] As strange as that sounds, because I think they're the better team anyway, and then if they were able to, if BYU lost another game and then Texas Tech just won the Big 12, they could be the only bid. I know the SEC's really trying hard to get that fifth team in, whether it's a Vanderbilt or a Texas or whoever. But I like the Red Raiders in the game. That said, Bayer, Bachmeier, LJ, Martin, that BYU running game is very strong. They will hang in this game, but hard to pick against Texas Tech at hand.

Bill Bender, the Sporting News. Bill, did you think we'd ever live long enough to talk about Indiana and Penn State with the underdog, the two-touchdown underdog being Penn State in November? How good are those Hoosiers? I mean, they're crushing teams. But again, it's kind of like Texas A&M. You look at their cumulative conference winning percentage, it's the lowest among the Big Ten contenders. So, I didn't think we'd be living in a world where Penn State had lost five straight games and, you know, two-touchdown underdogs at home.

To Indiana! Right. And I think part of that is obviously, you know, you lose your quarterback, you lose your coach, and things go awry. I do think Indiana takes care of business here, but Penn State's defense will, it depends on what their headspace is, right? Are they up for this game? And if they are, they can hang. Indiana's strength is that, as good as Fernando Mendoza's been with those receivers, their running game's relentless. They've got three guys that can hit you in the running attack, and it's just overwhelming teams so far.

They've been very good. Let me ask you about a game flying under the radar, but it's big for both coaches. Number 22, Memphis, is a seven-point favorite. At Tulane, Ryan Silverfield is a hot commodity for a coach. I've heard he may be on Arkansas's short list. At Tulane, John Summerall may be on Auburn's short list and about three other schools. I know you've got Memphis winning 28-24. Both of these coaches may be somewhere else in about five weeks. Right, and just five or so. I mean, you guys, we've talked about Summerall on here for years and the work he's been able to do.

And Troy and Tulane, he's been nothing but good. Kind of an audition to some of these jobs I might be calling him. And then Ryan Silverfield, they've been an offense who's been in the 40-point range a couple times with him. And I think he's about ready to take that next step. Well, as far as the playoff race goes, this is for Memphis. I think one of the things everybody noticed was the group of five didn't have a team in the top 25. So, to me, it's still Memphis is that team to watch with that 8-1 record.

Great stuff, as always, predictions from the one and only Bill Bender. I know there's a lot of pre-game, post-game stuff. You also do NFL picks. Just a smorgasbord of football on the sporting news. B.B., where can we get online to get yours and the team's great stuff? Yeah, it's sportingnews.com and Bill Bender. We have a feature on Navy quarterback Blake Horvath today, too. What a good kid. Talked about Jalen Mill Rowe, the Campbell Trophy winner last year. And Blake's one of the finalists for that award.

So, give that a read. It's a pretty good story. Bill, as always, good to catch up with you. If your weather's like ours, 23-24 in Alabama, I'm sure it's going to be even colder in your backyard. So, beware of frosting the pumpkin up there in the next few days, okay? All right, we will. Thanks so much for having me on, guys. Have a great weekend. Thank you, Bill. That will be Bill Bender, the National Voice, with these sporting news. It's here, the playoff party on the high school of gridirons.

Caleb Suggs, setting the table next. Stay with us. Get us to the next level through our extensive training classes or private lessons. At Cypress Creek Indoor Range, your safety is our number one priority. 50-60, Highway 157, or on the web at cypresscreekrange.com. Cashback is not available on gas in New Jersey and Wisconsin. Billy, your gas light's on. We need to stop and fill up. No way, Jen. Gas around here is too expensive. We can make it a little further. Billy, listen to your big sister. You don't need to drive all over searching for the lowest gas prices.

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Navy Federal Credit Union, our members are the mission. Navy Federal is insured by NCUA. This Thanksgiving morning, move your feet before you eat. Join us for the Tracks for Max 5K and 1 Mile Fun Run, honoring longtime YMCA supporter Max Barnett and benefiting children's programs at the YMCA of the Shoals. The race kicks off at 8 a.m. Thanksgiving Day, November 27th at First Baptist Church in downtown Florence. Bring the family and start a new Thanksgiving tradition. Register online at Tracks4Max.com or call the Y at 256-246-9622.

Sponsors are welcome. Lace up, show up, and celebrate the season of thanks at Tracks for Max. Move your feet before you eat. United Way of Northwest Alabama is thrilled to announce the return of its signature fundraising gala, Shoals Royale, on Saturday, February 21st, 2026 at the Renaissance Shoals Conference Center. This black-tie optional casino-themed event brings all the glitz and excitement of Las Vegas to the Shoals, complete with live entertainment, gaming tables, prices, hors d'oeuvres, and a cash bar, and all for a great cause. Now in its fourth year, Shoals Royale has become one of Northwest Alabama's premier charity events, uniting local businesses, community leaders, and residents for a night of luxury and purpose.

Proceeds directly benefit United Way of Northwest Alabama and the 12 local nonprofit partners and 22 community programs and funds. Individual tickets are $125 or $200 per couple, or go in VIP style for $350, or $600 per couple. Shoals Royale, 2026, Saturday, February 21st at 7 p.m. at the Renaissance Shoals Conference Center. Tickets are available now at givebutter.com slash Shoals Royale 2026. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. The Score. Welcome back in. It is a pleasure for us to say hello to Caleb Suggs. He's got the high school team covered for us there at the Decatur Daily.

Caleb, welcome in. How are you? I'm doing good, guys. Sorry, y'all. Hey, bro. You're doing all right. Well, one season is done, the regular season. Now the second season, the playoff party is about to begin. And, Caleb, it looks like a crowded Thursday night menu there for a lot of our local teams. Where do you start? Well, I guess we start with, you know, you've got West Morgan playing Randolph coming off a huge win. Last week against Eschler, I don't really think it's going to be much of a challenge.

They've already played Randolph once this year. They've won that 41-14. I expect it to be much the same, but, I mean, this is going to be a kickoff for what West Morgan hopes will finally be a push to the state finals. That's what they've been building towards the last three years, and that's what they hope. But 4A North is pretty stacked, so it's going to be a tough road to get there. But I think you have to be pleased with how the game went last week, you know, against a really good national team, undefeated national team.

[21:13] They went out by two touchdowns and then didn't get overly aggressive. They ran the ball, chewed the block, and trusted their defense. And I feel like that kind of coaching, they're just well-coached. That's going to play off well. It's going to be playing a lot of good teams in the playoffs. Let's talk about the folks up in Limestone County there. Coach Cody Gross is Athens-high Golden Eagles. They make the playoffs, 6-4. They're slate. They've got to hit the road for the long trip to Alabama country, Fort Payne.

The Wildcats are 8-1. How do you see Athens on the long road to Fort Payne? You know, it's kind of disappointing the season for Athens, but I don't think you can sugarcoat that. I think they thought that they were going to have a better year, you know, have a chance to contend for a home playoff game. And here they are, just barely making some playoffs. But at the same time, I think this is still a team that has a lot of talent. And so, you know, I feel like they're definitely a team that could go and win a game at Fort Payne.

Fort Payne, I think, is always a sneaky team. And 6-8, they were, you know, a couple points away from making the teammates last year. But at the same time, they don't seem as daunting as some of the other teams are going to face in 6-8, you know, like some of the teams in Birmingham. So, like you said, though, it's a long trip to go out there. I mean, it really comes down to can Athens, you know, control the ground game like they've done. And when they do that, when they're very successful running football and play good defense, you know, they've been pretty good this year.

It's just if they're forced to pass, that's really when the issues arise. So, that will be what to watch out for. Like you said, it's a long trip. That's a tough place to go play in the row. But Athens, I mean, it would surprise me to see them get a win. I think one of the best games tonight, it was moved to Thursday night, Priceful in Class 5-8, Priceful at 7-3 at Guntersville. And we've talked about Priceful nearly every week with you this fall. Seth Parker came in last year, went 2-8, but went back to more of a running game.

But boy, have they ever. Priceful scored 323 points to 135. Sheldon Graham, their quarterbacks, thrown for nearly 1,000 yards. We've talked a lot about Bronson Carroll, Colton Madwell. They've got a combined nearly 1,500 yards. Guntersville's Lance Reese is the coach there, been there 16 years, been in the playoffs 15. They were in the semifinals a couple years ago. Guntersville is a very good team. Two good coaches here. Priceful on the roll, trying to see if they can go. And maybe upset might be too much of a term. But this should be a good game, Priceful at Guntersville.

You know, you have to know that Guntersville has been a very good team the past 15 years. Several 9-10 win seasons in there. And, you know, for them to be hosting a first-round playoff game is definitely not the team they would like to play in the first round. And then you look at Priceful, obviously, Seth Parker has done an amazing job in his second year turning around the program after going 2-8 last year. But it's kind of been a pill of two seasons, you know, against all their wins, against teams that they're clearly better than.

They've dominated, but then in their losses, they, you know, they struggled. They lost to West Morgan by a point, but then they lost to Fairview and Russellville by 14 or more. So, you know, the young team, they struggled to rise up to the challenge when the lights got the brightest. So that's kind of what you worry about this time going on the road in the playoffs. The young teams, so this will be a lot of time. A lot of these starters are starting in the playoffs for the first time.

So how do they handle that, especially going on the road against a really good Guntersville team? That's going to be, you know, something to watch out for. But at the same time, like you said, it's a good Priceful team. If they were to play their best ball, they could absolutely upset Guntersville. That's a good point, too. Sometimes the intangibles don't get talked up enough about, can you handle this? You put it through bright lights. In the huddle, Caleb Suggs, the Decatur Daily. You know, let's face it, sometimes, especially in the opening round of the playoffs, you get mismatches.

One game would not be classified as that, I would imagine, in 4A. Hatton is 7-3. Madison Academy is 8-2. Your thoughts about the Hornets and the Mustangs? I think that's going to be a really fun game. I think, at least out of our 8 playoff teams, this is probably going to be the best game out of the 8. Just because you're looking at two teams that are so similar. I mean, I think Coach Stover told our writer this week, it's like looking in a mirror. They have amazing athletes on both sides of the ball from both teams.

They have great quarterbacks. And they like to score a lot of points. Both teams do that. I think that's what you're going to see. I think you're going to see a lot of points scored in this game. It's going to be one of those, you know, one of those type Big 12, you know, old Big 12 showdowns you used to see. And those are always a lot of fun, especially in the playoffs. So, with the teams, you have teams that are so similar. You know, it just comes down to who can get a turnover here.

Sometimes it comes down to who has the ball last. And I honestly think that's what this game is going to come down to. And then you've got playoff experience. Coach Stover is only coaching his third playoff game. Coach Gossi is coaching in his 56th playoff game, I think. That's not right. Obviously, there's a little bit of a difference in the experience there. So, that gets way a part two, as well as being at home from Madison Academy. But I really think this is a toss-up. I think it's going to be a fun game.

[26:34] If you're looking for one to go to, I think that around here, that would be one to go watch. I think it should be pretty fun. Let me ask you about Alston and Mary Montgomery. Alston, 6-4, Mary Montgomery, 9-1. I know we started the season with Hartzell beating Alston. And as the Jeremy Perkins teams do, they developed, they matured, got on a winning streak. Kadir Lyle, the Alston quarterback, was hurt last week against Muscle Shoals. He got sandwiched and taken off on the ambulance. I hope he's doing better.

Thrown for over 1,500 yards. We've talked about Aiden Davis, who's had a very good year, ran for nearly 1,200 yards. Channing Patton, 564 yards. D.J. Orr also limped off the field against Muscle Shoals. If Lyle and D.J. Orr are healthy and ready to play tonight, it will certainly be a much closer game. This is another long trip, four, five hours to Mary Montgomery. Your thoughts, Alston, 6-4 at Mary Montgomery, 9-1. Yeah, you know, I talked to Coach Perkins over the weekend. They said that it was nothing serious for Lyle, just a precaution taken in there.

So I'm not sure what his status is, though. They were unsure at the time if he was going to play or not. Obviously, that's a huge deal. I think if he doesn't play, I don't see much of a path to victory. If he does, I think they have a chance. You know, he's been good at stretching the field to those receivers, you know, and then they have a good running game as well. So it'll be a tough challenge because Mary Montgomery is really good. But, you know, maybe not as tough a challenge as if they're going on the road to play a Thompson or a Hewitt or anything.

But then, like you said, though, five hours is a long way to go to a high school playoff game. You know, I don't really know if the way we're doing it right now is the best way to do it as much as scheduling goes. I don't know what the answer is, but that's probably not it. I mean, no high school team should be trying to travel five hours unless it's a state game or something. But this is what they have to do, and, you know, that's just the way the cards stand.

They've been built, you know, with the tie. It's funny, you know, you get a four-way tie from first, and you finish third. Now you've got to go drive five hours. I mean, that's a tough coin flip draw. But, you know, are they probably going to go down there and win? Probably not. Mary Montgomery is really good. But at the same time, while it's healthy, there's a lot of talent there. It may be young talent, but there's still a lot of talent. So it wouldn't surprise – like Priceville, it wouldn't surprise we didn't see if they went in on the road and it pulled upset.

It's not only five hours. It's five hours there and five hours back. So it's basically a minimum of ten hours as far as just travel time to and from. Your thoughts not only about the matchup but the timing. Tonight the weather is promising to be nice, almost like football weather, certainly for November. But tomorrow night some fans, coaches, players, et cetera, got some concerns. The local weather folks are forecasting the possibility, and I use that word in here. Maybe some rough, bumpy weather. Buckhorn and Hartzell, the thoughts about the matchup and overall about the games tomorrow night and the influence the weather may play if these forecasters are spot on.

Yeah, you know, I look at Hartzell and Buckhorn. Obviously, Buckhorn's had a good year, seven wins. I think that's what they've had, 0-7 or something. So a really good season for them. And, you know, I'm not surprised. I think there's some good athletes in that school. So they've got a first-year head coach. So I'm interested to see what he can do in the future. I don't really think they're on Hartzell's level yet, especially if they're playing in a monsoon, which is possible tomorrow. I think that just plays to Hartzell's advantage.

So I can tell I expect Hartzell to win that game. As far as the weather, yeah, I mean, you know, look, it's just a tough situation, especially if you look at these 7-8 teams. They just can't really move the game to Thursday because they're having to travel so many hours, and most of them are playing overnight, so you're doing hotels. It's not like you can just change that on a whim. So that's just tough for them. And then it's a tough thing in the playoffs because it's one thing in the regular season to move the game to a Thursday, but in the playoffs you want to get as much prep as you can and everything.

So it's tough for some of these teams to move to Thursday. Some have, some haven't, and the ones that are going to play on Friday are probably going to be playing in the rain. And that's going to be an advantage for some teams, and it's going to be a disadvantage for others. But at the same time, that's just part of football. You have to deal with that sometimes, and if you want to win, you'll just have to find a way to fight through those elements. Let me ask you about another game flying on the radar.

Very good. Falkville, 8-2 at Vincent. Same record, they're 8-2. Vincent scoring 33 points a game, but as you noted in your notes, only 15 points a game allowed by this Falkville defense. And we've talked about some of these guys throughout the season. Eli Harris, seven catches for 96 yards last week against Cole Springs. Reed Dillard, quarterback, very solid. Samuel Jacobs, et cetera. Brody Bennett played very well against Winston County last week. Interesting game. Falkville on the road to Vincent. Yeah. You know, I look at it. Coaches say all the time that you want to be playing, you know, peaking at the right time, playing your best ball when November rolls around.

[31:56] Falkville seems to fit that deal. They've won six in a row, won their last six games, and they've played, seemingly played better every week. I know we've talked a lot about Hartzell and how many turnovers they forced this year, but Falkville's defense is right there with them. They've forced 21, I think. They've been really good at that. I mean, when you can force that many turnovers, you're just creating more opportunities for your offense while you're taking away opportunities for another team's offense. If they continue to do that against Vincent, Vincent's going to have a tough time.

And I think the big thing, Falkville's defense has been good all year. I mean, they held Kusa to 26 points, which I think is an incredible feat, just going off how good Kusa Christian is. And so their defense has been really good all year. I think the offense has kind of been the difference maker. They've kind of come along late in the season. They've figured out a two-man quarterback rotation that's seemingly working for them with Reed Dillard and Samuel Jacobs, Eli Harris, who's great on defense, has been great on offense too.

They've run the ball well. I think they're going to win. I'm just being completely honest with you. I think that Falkville is a sneaky good team in 2A. I think they're going to win this game. Unfortunately, if they do, they're going to have to play Pisgah next week. That's a tough matchup. But you play the game, you've got to play first. And I really think they're going to go on the road to get this win tonight. I think that'll be a huge win for that program.

That's phenomenal for two high school teams to have 20-plus turnovers. I knew Hartzell had 19 or 20 turnovers about a month ago. But that's amazing for Falkville to have that. Listen, that's good for a college team. Great job. I know you do the stats. You've got the previews of each game. You've got who or how far a lot of these teams may go, and that depends upon the matchups. It's going to be interesting if Wes Morgan plays Cherokee County again. And you're right. Class 4A, we were talking about Hamilton.

Coach Shilt the other day, Dessler, Hamilton, Wes Morgan, and Dessler, and you just go on and on and on. I know you're covering one tonight and tomorrow night. Where can we get online and read all the pregame stuff and postgame? Yeah, it's funny you mentioned that Cherokee County. If I had a dollar for everybody who's asked me if I think they're going to play Cherokee County, I wouldn't be rich. I would have a lot more dollars than I have right now. Everybody's kind of on it and see if that's going to happen.

But, yeah, you can go online to DecaturDaily.com and find all that stuff. We'll have playoff football going full force this week and for the rest of November, hopefully all the way through December. And then, obviously, basketball starts soon, too. So, it really is. First things first, Caleb, enjoy tonight. Let's hope the forecasters are wrong about tomorrow night and you can stay dry. Thanks so much and stay safe out there, okay? All right. Thanks, guys. Thanks for having me. Thank you, bud. Caleb Suggs. They're going to put this there with the Decatur Daily.

Coming up, what's going on? The big talk in Big Orange Country. Ryan Callahan on that and more. Straight ahead of the Boom on Buck Show on 93.9 The Score. Hi, I'm Dr. Brady Citizen with Treehouse Children's Dentistry. Our teens in Tuscumbia, Killen, and Madison are so excited to welcome you and your family to our treehouse. We know that choosing a dental home can be a stressful experience. That's why at Treehouse Children's Dentistry, we've created an environment that kids and parents love. Our team is experienced in caring for every child, from infants to teenagers to children with special needs.

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The score. North Alabama men's basketball fell last night at Mississippi State, 86-62. Cornelius Williams had eight points, 14 rebounds, and four blocked shots. Men's basketball action tonight, 20th-ranked Auburn is home to host Merrimack. The Tigers open the season with a win while Merrimack is 0-1. Tune in tomorrow night, it's high school football. State playoffs, round number one. Florence heads to Baker, kickoff at 7. Progressive is helping veterans drive their lives forward with its Keys to Progress program. Online at keystoprogress.com. I'm John Thayer with the Sports Flash presented by Progressive on 93-9, the score.

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Got you covered there at Go Vols 24-7. Ryan, welcome in. How are you? Hey, guys. Doing well. How are you? Hey, bud. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to make this statement. It's always tough to lose, but when you lose to the team that you've got roots to, it has to really, really hit you hard. Coach Josh Heupel and the Tennessee fans this past weekend. Your thoughts about the dust settling from the Oklahoma loss, Ryan? Yeah, that was a tough one for Josh Heupel for a few reasons, but obviously his ties to Oklahoma, I'm sure, made that one even tougher to swallow.

So, you know, season-saving kind of win for Oklahoma gives them a chance to keep playing for a college football playoff first. If they could somehow win out down the stretch, they've got a tough schedule, but now that's still in play for them. And for Tennessee, their playoff hopes are all but dashed with that loss now, three losses on the season. So, even though they're still ranked 25th in the initial college football playoff rankings, they would need a lot of help to have any shot at making the playoff at this point.

So, yeah, that's a tough one. And, you know, this was a team that not a lot of people were expecting to get back to the playoff this year going into the season. So, there's that. But I think once you see it play out during the season, it's always different for fans. And they saw a pretty dynamic Tennessee offense that had Tennessee, you know, right there at the end of the game against Georgia back in September with a chance to win on a last-second field goal that they missed and ended up losing in overtime.

Lose a tough one to Oklahoma with the help of a couple of interceptions and a fumble return for a touchdown. Their tough loss is to swallow. So, even though the expectations weren't through the roof going into the season, I think this still looks like a missed opportunity to a lot of Tennessee fans. And now, a tough task for Tennessee to make sure this season doesn't spiral downward here at the end because you've got a couple tough games left at Florida and at home against Vanderbilt that could make this even worse.

Brian, it's obviously when you win, you're a hero, when you're not, you're a goat, not that good kind of goat. Your thoughts about, you can't give a team, any team, especially one at the upper tier, three turnovers and expect realistically to win. Your thoughts about the play of Aguilar this year? I mean, when he's good, he's good. You saw it, like you mentioned, two interceptions against the Sooners, that key interception in the first half against Alabama. Your thoughts about basically a rollercoaster season for Tennessee's quarterback?

[42:33] Yeah, Joey Aguilar has turned out to be, you know, in a lot of ways, the player he was advertised to be coming from Appalachian State. He's a gunslinger. He can make a lot of good throws, and he's made this offense for Tennessee fun to watch again and explosive, and they throw for a bunch of yards, even against Oklahoma, threw for 393 against a good defense that was ranked third in the country in pass defense going into the game. So he's making plays, but it's just the one or two throws here or there in a couple big games that really cost Tennessee, and that's what showed up, as you alluded to, in the Alabama game and in the Arkansas or in the Oklahoma game, for Tennessee to have critical turnovers and just kind of head-scratching plays in the Alabama game.

And the safety in particular in the Alabama game, a really bad play. Obviously, the pick-six before halftime was killer, but just a misplaced throw on a call that was kind of forced, I felt like. But, you know, the Oklahoma game, you miss a safety and just kind of hovering in the middle of the field and throwing easy interception, getting a little greedy there, probably forcing the ball down the field in a situation where you didn't have to. So, yeah, just some plays like that where you see that gunslinger mindset kind of coming into play again.

It's a guy taking a chance that he doesn't have to. And the flip side is, you know, Nico Iamaliava last year for Tennessee, probably a bit too conservative, didn't push the ball down the field enough. This year, you know, Joey Aguilar has made Tennessee's offense fun to watch again, but the flip side of that is he's been a little too reckless with the ball at times, and it's really cost Tennessee, and you can really point to that as the difference in at least a couple of Tennessee's games this year.

I know you've heard this on Nauseam, and I've asked you repeatedly throughout the season. It's obvious Ricky Gibson is not going to be able to play. Jamod McCoy, there is some thought that, you know, would he come back after the bye and play against New Mexico just to get some stuff on tape and say, look, I'm healthy, and then go on to the NFL, try to get through the NFL draft. But Colton Hood stepped up. Farroke has made some big plays. Again, players do step up, but we've talked about it the entire season.

Those two losses at corners have really hurt. It has, and I'll give Tennessee credit. Their defense did play better against Oklahoma. It did. It was incremental progress, but it was progress, and Oklahoma's offense, to be fair, hasn't been very explosive this season. So, on one hand, they did better, but Oklahoma's also done a team that's put up a ton of points and gained a ton of yards throughout the season. So, a little bit of a mixed bag for Tennessee's defense last week, but, yeah, they played a little bit better.

And, yeah, those losses at cornerback have definitely hurt. I don't think that's the only thing that has plagued Tennessee's defense, but when you're getting picked apart in the passing game, you have to start there. And, you know, as Kirk Herbstreet laid out earlier this week in talking about Tennessee's season and kind of, you know, kind of going off on some Tennessee fans maybe not happy with Josh Heifel, he pointed out that Tennessee's lost two corners that might have been the best cornerback tandem that anybody had returning to the country in Jermaud McCoy and Ricky Gibson, both guys that look like future NFL players, and McCoy, a guy that's had some first-round projections even without taking a snap this year.

So, yeah, those have been tough losses for Tennessee, and they've definitely hurt, but they've had some other issues. The defense line that played as well as it did last year. Some of those losses from last year's team were probably bigger deals than we realized at the time, and we maybe overestimated Tennessee's ability to replace those guys. And at linebacker, they've been, you know, just okay at times, and Arian Carter playing through an injury last week wasn't as good, and that made a difference in the game, too, playing at less than 100%.

So, you know, multiple things that have played into that, but, yeah, certainly those losses at cornerback have definitely hurt. Fans have short memories, do they not? Ryan Callahan, Go Vols 24-7. Ryan, basically we're now technically less than four weeks away, but let's face it, the only national signing day out there anymore. Your thoughts where Tennessee is and where will they be four weeks from yesterday on national signing day when it comes to recruiting? Yeah, they've got a nice class, still a top-ten class, still ranked number eight in the 24-7 sports composite team rankings, which would be their highest-ranked class under Josh Heupel, headlined by three five-stars, according to 24-7 sports.

Faison Brandon, the number-one quarterback, obviously, and number-one overall player in our rankings. And then Tristan Keyes, the number-one wide receiver in the class. So, some big names and a pretty strong class top to bottom, but Tennessee's still looking to add some additional pieces, still trying to hold on to a commitment or two. Legend Bay, a Tennessee commitment athlete out of Texas who's being recruited by Tennessee as a projected wide receiver, just visited Ohio State last weekend, and that one has gotten pretty serious with the Buckeyes pretty quickly.

You know, they flew up the radar a little bit, kept that one quiet, and then he ended up at Columbus this past weekend, and that's one to certainly watch now as Tennessee looks to hold on to him. And then they hosted a few official visitors last weekend for the Oklahoma game, landed one of them, Luka Wolfe, a tight end who's originally from Austria, playing at the NFL Academy in England, flipped him from California, and still looking to add some additional guys on the defensive line, on the offensive line, at running back.

[47:51] They hosted four-star running back, Amari Latimer, who's committed to Wisconsin, four-star UCLA offensive line commitment, Micah Smith, also took an official visit to Tennessee last weekend, still going after a few defensive linemen, including Alabama commitment, J.J. Finch. He was in Knoxville on Saturday. So, definitely some irons in the fire that Tennessee's still hoping to will turn into some additional pickups here down the stretch, but they're definitely not done at 24 commitments and still have a few needs they would like to address further if they can without having to just rely on the transfer portal.

Ryan, I mentioned this to you before, and Harold and I have listened to fans vent for years. In fact, I was listening to Tony Basilio with his post-game show, his fifth quarter show, and they were just off the rails after losing to Alabama. Heupel's, you know, this is the ceiling. He's never going to take them all the way, et cetera, et cetera. Fifteen years of going through the wilderness with Daryl Dickey and Butch Jones and others. He comes in, beats Alabama twice, takes Tennessee to a playoff game, and yes, like you mentioned, they've had key mistakes in big games that basically have lost them, but compared to where Tennessee was for 15 years and what he's done in the last three or four, and this is the most competitive SEC I believe we've ever seen.

Every game seems to come down to one score. I still say Tennessee's got a pretty good coach. I think so, too. Now, I think a couple things have hurt Tennessee. One is that Josh Heupel, in some ways, is dealing with the fallout of his own success because in year two he vastly exceeded expectations, and so fans are looking at that and saying, okay, where's the progress in year five compared to where you were in year two, and so he is a product of that, and that's something that fans are struggling with, and the SEC's changed since then.

NIL has changed things, the transfer portal, so a lot of things are different that have presented some challenges there, and then, yeah, at the end of the day, like you said, every game's close in the SEC. There are a lot of programs that have the resources to win and good rosters, and there are 12 or 14 teams in the SEC who are on any given day capable of beating a really good team, and the Tennessee's obviously, they've lost to three ranked opponents. They don't have a bad loss, really.

They just, they've lost to three pretty good teams, and two of them are close games that you could say flipped away from Tennessee, so that's hard for fans to stomach. Basically, what we're talking about is what every SEC fan base deals with. Hardly any loss at the close game is acceptable. There's always something a coaching staff could have done better, something a player could have done to prevent the loss, and as long as that's the case, fans are going to go nuts about it, but I think that's the reality, and I think most fans, to be fair, are still thinking Josh Heupel's done a pretty good job at Tennessee, but there is that vocal minority that wants to see a new defensive coordinator this offseason, isn't sure if Josh Heupel is anything beyond Tennessee's Martin Rick.

There's been all sorts of that stuff this week, and that's going to happen anytime you're not out of the playoff race these days. You get Mulligans in golf, not in football. Ryan, quickly, your thoughts about not this week, but the following weekend. You've seen them both now. When Alabama takes on Oklahoma, what's going to happen there? Yeah, I mean, I think Alabama's the better team, clearly, in my mind, but Oklahoma has, you know, give them credit for being the best version of what they are, at least in Saturday's game.

I thought they did a nice job against Tennessee. They let Tennessee beat itself, and that's maybe the best thing they did. They do have a good defense. Probably where Tennessee lost the game that not enough people are talking about is they couldn't run the ball. They had a costly fourth-and-one miss where a pass hit Jack Van Dorsalier, a freshman tight end in the space mass, and you're throwing it there because you weren't confident in your ability to line up and get a yard. So Oklahoma only allowed 65 rushing yards in that game, a season low for Tennessee.

That's at least something you've got to worry about if you're Alabama, and they've not run the ball well this year. So that's certainly worth noting. But at the same time, I just think Alabama's the more well-rounded team. So Oklahoma's not going to go out and score a ton of points. So if Alabama's offense does what it has been doing most of the season since that Florida State game to open the year, I think they're going to be fine. Ty Simpson obviously playing well. But Oklahoma, they're a feisty team.

They'll hang around if you give them an opening. They're probably not right now the way John Mateer's playing, and at least they found some things in the run game. But they're not capable of throwing it well enough to probably put up a lot of points against a team like Alabama. Ron, great stuff as usual, my friend. Recruiting, basketball started. You know, this is overlap season. It's fun, but tiresome also. Coaching interviews, player interviews, pre-game, post-game. I know you're looking forward to a bye weekend. But where can we get online to get all the good stuff?

[53:00] Yeah, lots of recruiting coverage this week since there's not a game to discuss. And Tennessee had a big visit weekend last week, too. So, yeah, lots to check out this week still at GoBall247.com. And plenty of discussion, as you said, basketball, football, lots going on right now. Fun time of year, but a quiet weekend, at least for Tennessee, to sit back and relax. Absolutely great stuff. Ryan, have a good weekend. Let's do this again next week, buddy. Sounds good. Thanks a lot. Ryan Kelly, how's it going to win this visit there at GoBall247?

Coming up in the second hour, what's going on before Oklahoma, Alabama getting ready for LSU. We'll take you to T-Town, check in with Ryan Fowler. And also more of the playoff party on the high school gridirons. We'll talk about our neighbors from Zach Pounders next. Stay with us. On the basketball court, the soccer pitch, or even the golf course, your crew brings their best not just for the win, but for that post-game celebration. When victory tastes like Michelob Ultra, it's worth every drop of sweat. And if you don't win, you'll still get the beer.

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For instance, TCU walked into the locker room at halftime in the 2016 Alamo Bowl, down 31-0. The Horned Frogs stormed into the second half and he raised a 31-point deficit to force overtime and eventually won it in the third overtime, 47-41. ServPro, like it never even happened. 1819 News. Neville Arena at Auburn University had about 6,000 people attending an event on Wednesday night for Turning Point USA. Eric and Laura Trump were part of the lineup of speakers, and while the couple was on stage, there was a surprise phone call from President Trump with a message to the Auburn students as well as the state of Alabama.

And Auburn's a special place. I've been there many times. I know many people from that area, number one, and from that school. It's a great school. And we love Alabama. We won Alabama by 45 points. I'll be back with more Alabama stories after this. Did you know that 70% of people experience a potentially traumatic event in their lifetime, and that 6 out of every 100 adults face PTSD every day? Help us bring hope to these survivors by signing up for your Alabama distinctive PTSD awareness license plate today. The great thing is you can sign up no matter when your current plate renews, and the first year is complimentary.

[58:16] All you need is your VIN number on hand. Drive awareness, drive hope, and customize your plate today at atease.org. On the topic of Auburn University, the administration has started to take additional steps to ensure that state law is being followed in the classrooms there. The Auburn University administration has sent out emails to various departments at the university with guidance and deadlines on how to make sure the teaching curriculum is compliant with state law when it comes to removing divisive concepts and a DEI agenda. The Alabama State Board of Education has now launched a teacher recruitment campaign.

There is a need in the state for early childhood, elementary, and special education teachers, especially in rural parts of the state. The program was launched by the State Board of Education on the same day that Alabama School Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey held the sixth annual Thank Alabama Teachers Month that occurred this past Wednesday. 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. Hi everybody, it's J. Jeff Goe with the AHSAA Radio Network, inviting you to join myself, Luke Robinson, and our cast of characters for another season of the AHSAA Radio Network Scoreboard Show.

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The Lions have top talent on both sides, like Hutchinson on D and Gibbs on the ground. Washington can lead the troops downfield with either Ertz or Debo snapping it out of the air. He's going to throw, got a man in the right corner of the end zone. Touchdown, who else? Debo Samuel. It's the Lions at the commanders, this Sunday on Sports USA. 93.9, The Score weather. Today, mostly sunny with a high around 75. Tonight, mostly clear with a low near 55. Tomorrow, partly sunny with a 50% chance of afternoon showers and thunderstorms, high around 75.

Tomorrow night, mostly cloudy with a 70% chance of showers overnight and a low near 55. And for your Saturday, mostly sunny with a 20% chance of 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. Your exclusive inside track to the Tide. Tigers, Tennessee, and the rest of the SEC. Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9, The Score. Welcome back in our Tiddly Boomo Bugg Show.

I'm Harold Bugg, alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving us free ride around the Tennessee Valley. Boy, it is a full slate. I'm sitting here looking at, let's see, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 games that were moved to Thursday night. Now, most of Shoals was going to play Thursday night all along. They were the only ones playing on Thursday night. Now, I think they're about 22 to 26 games tonight. Translated to busy night for Zach Pounder. He's got the entire Shoals covered there. Where else? At the Shoals Sports Report. Zach, welcome in.

Are you ready for some football tonight? Yeah, doing good. How about y'all? Hey, man. Hey, we're doing all right. Let's start with the headliner there. Obviously, a great year for Muscle Shoals. If you have a great regular season, they put the ball literally in your court. It's a reward. You get the opening round at home. The opponent is Jimison Huntsville. For a long time, folks in this area, that's a high school that used to be known as Johnson High over in Huntsville. What do you see when Muscle Shoals, which has been a juggernaut so far, talk to us about Muscle Shoals and Jimison out of Huntsville in the opening round of the playoffs tonight.

I see a very big mismatch with this game. Yeah. Mays Jimison in the fourth season and the score in seven, allowing seven minutes to have a defense. On the score about 16, Muscle Shoals has allowed at the most this year, 17 in the game. And that was Hartzell. They only had a double job twice with Jasmine Hartzell. It's a big mismatch. They had common opponents. They showed three of them. We'll show us three and O, a combined score of like 100 plus to six. Where it made a difference, it was one and two beating Cater.

[1:03:25] And it was very close to their head-to-head, their combined score. It's a big mismatch, but for Muscle Shoals, it's looking to Parker next week more likely. And Oxford Parker was going to play tomorrow night. Was going to play tomorrow night. So they moved to Thursday, out of the weather. So to Muscle Shoals, I thought at first they had moved. It was one guy Scott Parker on Friday until about yesterday or Tuesday. I saw the forecast. I was like, oh gosh, I bet it rained on Friday.

Not only it rained, it could be some storms associated with it too. Zach, your thoughts about Muscle Shoals? I mean, if you're just a casual follow the program, you say maybe their biggest enemy right now is Muscle Shoals. But we know Coach Scott Bayston. He has been there. He's done that. He knows how to pace the team. He knows about the tangibles. But also about this, the intangible, not letting a team get ahead of their skis. Your thoughts just about the experience factor of having somebody like Coach Bayston who's been there and done that with a team that right now on paper, at least in the early part of the playoff picture, is going to be the favorite.

They've been here before in the playoff deep run, so the kids that are seniors now have not won the playoffs before. They have, I think, three straight years winning the playoff game or third-round appearances. Yeah, the last three years, third-round appearances, so the seniors have been in the third round or deeper every year as a freshman on. And they've lost to Parker and Clay, and they probably get Parker around, too, and Clay around before they get there, one lot. Or Hart's on for the second round.

But Muscle Shoals, that defense is so tall this year that it's about rain, snow, sleet, whatever, being anywhere and search you out or shut out second half and win a game, whether it's 31-17, 28-0, 34-15, 42-0, 66-0, or whatever. Absolutely. I still think Muscle Shoals is the best team in North Alabama. Florence and Baker's had about as much attention off the field as it has previewing the game. Once the Alabama High School Athletic Association figured out their convoluted tiebreaker system, the Falcons tumbled down to the fourth seed, which the three and four in the region's travel, and they've got to travel five and a half hours to Mobile, and they've got to play a very good Baker's team.

Hopefully, the High School Athletic Association will look at that tiebreaker system. But anyway, Baker is really good. Take Graham, their quarterback, 2,100 yards. Jalen Speedy Wheeler, their running back. Brooks has got a speedy, too, 865 yards. Florence has had some good years. Jimmy, another weapon for him. So, Martin's had 106 tackles already. Long trip down there, and I'm glad to see the Florence community stepped up to help subsidize the majority of the expenses to spend the night, et cetera. Florence and Baker. With this game, I look at the strength of schedule, strength of the record a lot in playoffs, because you can't always look at 10-0, 9-1, 8-2, and invite the teams off the top.

I look at the strength of schedule. Baker has one of the best strength of schedule I've been called State this year. They're strength of schedule a 6-30 Wimbledon finish. They've played, I think, two teams under $500 all season. And it was Robert Estelle. Robert Estelle and Foley have both at 4-6. All of Ryan have a third win, 3-7. But since then, it's full of nine winning teams, seven winning teams, eight winning teams. Their strength of record is 585 in percentage, only comparable to the most of the shows in nine games, and Martin's Hill in 10 games locally.

For some of the tough games, Florence, I'll say the black part out loud for the state. It's a tiebreaker, but there's too much confusion every year with this, because it's all sports. It's basketball, baseball, softball, football. If the state put out a little excitement, they'll have a lot too every week. They'll say, hey, this is the scenario, this is the first playoff. But they don't, and that's the sad part too. We had to figure out our own as media and coaches. But for a part of the tough game, I'm glad it's been the night down there, one of the nights at least.

I take a long drive for one day, much less two days for a playoff game. I think already today, it's like the third longest trip they could take possibly, with like Foley, Orange Beach, and I think one more down there, but it's like minutes apart from being the longest one that could take possibly. I mean, you've got to think, you can go to the beach every year, and it's an all-day trip down to the beach, down to 65 or in the state line of Mississippi. It's certainly from Florence here, but it's not for a weekend, it's for a day.

Well put, Zach. Zach Patterson, show sports report. It's basically a lot of teams. It's Northwest Alabama versus Northeast Alabama. You've got Brooks at Plainview, Lauderdale County at five, Rogers at Geraldine. Let's start with Brooks at Plainview. What do you see there, Zach? I've heard that Brooks matches up well at Plainview, and they have a chance, what other people think, probably. Brooks has a better schedule, but a worse record on this game. But Plainview is 10-0. They've played that region with Madison County, North Jackson, Madocad, and Ransom.

[1:08:43] So, very tough region for them as well. And that's just played with lots of West Morgan, Dutch, Lauderdale, Hatton, Lauderdale County all year. Two alien-matched teams, two passionate fan bases. Also, it should be a packed house over Plainview. The other one we mentioned, Lauderdale County at five. We know about their legacy. Always a fun matchup. Lauderdale County's got their own, but this is a long road trip also for Lauderdale County. Your thoughts about a perennial powerhouse in five? Yeah, this is an interesting game. The last playoff loss in the first round for both teams, Lauderdale County's not lost in the first round games in 2020.

So, Hattie and Fyfe not lost in the first round games in 2010. So, the streak will end at five regardless. And it's two of the better programs across the state, all scores in 3-8. And it's going to be a really interesting game out there. It's a long road trip, but Fyfe's going to run the ball. Lauderdale County's going to run the ball. This game's going to be over by nine o'clock. If they weren't beat, they both run at 7-0-X. And also, two good head coaches, and Coach Bennettfield, and Coach Mason, Florida County.

It's going to be a fun game. The other one you mentioned, Rodgers on the road to Geraldine. While we're on that roll to northeast Alabama, let's talk about the Pirates' long voyage to northeast Alabama. Yeah, ironically enough, Florida County, Brooks, and Rodgers are all playing schools on the same road, basically, in a sense. Thank you. Highway 75, it's like one, two, three up the road. Yep. And the three-ironic lands happen because they're all the hosts over here. But for Rodgers, it's a very tough game. Rodgers kind of stuck in the playoffs.

They could have been in three seed going five. They could have been in two seed. Hosting Collinville by the tip of the ball and the spot situation. But for Rodgers, it's a very tough game. I think Rodgers, Geraldine. I think Geraldine wins this one. And as I look forward to Mars Hill for round three, possibly at Mars Hill in a couple weeks. North Jackson and Dastler, 7-3 for the Chiefs, 9-1 for the Tigers. Dastler is at 7-1 in the last eight games against North Jackson. North Jackson, Plainview, and Madison Academy had some interesting games this year.

North Jackson's got a running back by the name of Nick Price, Jr., who's their biggest offensive weapon. 2,100 yards, 23 touchdowns. Obviously, Patrick Malone has got his defense going to zero in on him. They've got some other good players, too. Dastler lost last week, Wes Morgan. And we've been looking forward to that game and talking with you about it for months. Kendrick Gunn, the running back for Dastler. Bryson Williams, very good. Garrett Reed, three-sport athlete. Very interesting game tonight in Tuscumbia. Tomorrow night, I'm sorry. North Jackson and Dastler.

Yeah, this is a very interesting game. I'll tell you, North Jackson, Plainview, and Madison Academy lost both of those games for about 5-12 points. It's about to be back to back. So, they could easily be the one-seed, two-seed hosting tonight, but they're not. And there's three-seed coming to Dastler. I think that BK in this game is going to be not any of the players. It's going to be the possible weather impact. Yeah. I hope the weather is off. If it does delay it, how long does it get delayed?

And if it gets delayed, North Jackson's got on a bus about 12 o'clock. It's getting on a bus about 12 o'clock tomorrow coming over here. Where Dastler's got to sit around all day over here. Yeah. All right. And I trust the situation. They've played five times in the playoffs, I think. And Dastler's won all but one. They've played the clock in the regular season. And it's a very interesting game. Two powerhouse programs. There's ways to be a good matchup this week with teams that could play around two or three most years.

But because of teams that are down this year or whatever, it's in round one and the way the draws work. So this first round is a very interesting first round for the Shoals area as a whole. And you're going to find out who. That's for real this week. No pun intended. But whoever wins could have an easier road next week going to either Oxford or the Jackson area. Yeah, you're right. Whitesburg Christian, 5-5, Ed Morris Hill, 10-0. It's not going to take a football rocket scientist to figure out who's going to probably win this game.

We have a lot of respect for Jerry Adcock. He did a tremendous job for over 20 years at Decatur. Now it's taking over that Whitesburg Christian program, a fledgling program. He is bringing them along slowly. Boy, what a first-round matchup. And you saw Morris Hill against Madison Academy the first game of the year. I saw Morris Hill beat Jeff Mason in Lauderdale County earlier this year. Hudson Higgins, Jackson Penn now have ran for a combined 2,400 yards. Isaiah Owens and all these other guys. Weapons everywhere. I certainly wish Jerry a lot of luck in putting the Whitesburg Christian program tonight.

[1:13:58] But it's going to be a tough night for him at Morris Hill. Yeah, Whitesburg started their football program in 2020, I think. So two of the younger programs. But for the more still, the question is going to be, how much do you score tonight? Do you score over 41, your season later for now, or do you score under 41? And you guys are running back on Jackson Penn, Hudson Diggins, they're a most committed to play FBS football. It's a very tough team to beat. And lastly, the Scottsboro, they've got to face a university.

They haven't faced all year with weather, with a wet field. And if you saw the highlights, you'd just say the white dirties were full of grass stains, the paint of things from the Scottsboro field. One of those teams also sprinting to record the schedule. Marty Field, a 520 sprinting to schedule and sprinting to record compared to Lardot County and Rogers, who are a little bit less than the schedule. But Marty Field went out non-regents, thousand sales, played Madagascar, 8-2, Russell, 6-4, Scottsboro, 6-4, all playoff teams, all hosting first-round playoff games also.

So very good schedule for Marty Field. And they win tonight, they've got to 4-8 next year. So that'll be next year when they're up there, Deschler, Brooks, West Morgan, whoever stays and comes up and down from 4-8. But they get to 4-8, it's going to be really fun next year to watch, I'll do it. Zach Paner, Show Sports Report. Zach, let's talk a little bit about, we talked about teams from here going over there to northeast Alabama. Let's face it, the road goes both ways. North Sand Mount, which basically is a good two-iron from the Georgia state line to Lexington, which is right on the Tennessee line.

And then you've got Sand Rock, and it may even be just a wedge into Georgia there, to Red Bay, which is knocking on Mississippi's door. Your thoughts about two interesting match-ups where travel, I would assume, would come into play. North Sand Mountain at Lexington and Sand Rock at Red Bay. Yeah, there's one of these games I told somebody, it's like you looking at it on a map. And look where Cherokee is over here. If you mirror that on the other side of the state, that's about where the schools are coming over there here.

Exactly. But, yeah, that Red Bay is standing on the game. That's a big mismatch, I think, as well. Standing on the four seed. But I'll move on to Lexington real quick. This game might be the game of the night, basically, in the Scholes area. I agree. Both teams average 40 points a game. Lexington right at 40. North Sand Mountain, 42-3 a game. Both defense are really good as well. North Sand Mountain, 13.4 points a game. Lexington is 20 points a game allowed. Now, on North Sand Mountain, their defense had either allowed seven or less in the first eight games, seven games of the season.

Until they played a bunch of value in Pittsburgh. Two points at 42 on them. But North Sand Mountain, their schedule this year is a lot of luck. Three winning teams, two winning teams, one winning teams. Until the end of the season, they played a bunch of guys in Pittsburgh. And they got dropped. Lexington, however, went to play Lardot County. Could have won that game. Five turnovers. I think five interceptions. And was down by seven. With four minutes to go, had a chance to go tie that game.

Lost the red bay by double digits. Had a lead at half-term, I think, in that game. And played Brooks, who, that Brooks game, drove their defensive average up this year. Outside of that game, they're allowing 20 points a game right at 20, 18, 26, 28, and all that. It's going to be a very interesting game tonight in Lexington. I'll be there here at Lexington. It's going to be a really fun game, I think, as well. And they've played four times in the playoffs before, or four times before in the history, all since 2016.

Lexington, a 3-1 against Northside Mount. Go ahead with Red Bay. Yeah, Red Bay, Sandrock, they played about 40 years ago in the playoffs when Red Bay was 13-1 to the second round. But for Coach Jeffries, Coach Tyler Jeffries, actually, it's going to be a really fun game also. Coach Dale Jeffries is that, that's 17. And for Red Bay, it's supposed to be a do what you did all year and put up points, go win, and get on to Southern Southeastern next week, whoever wins that game. Sandrock 3-7, that's the same reason that has been on that mountain.

But for Sandrock, they're allowing 40 points a game. Red Bay is scoring 40 points a game. Sandrock scores 22 a game. Red Bay allows, it's not in a game. But the numbers are playing right in each other. And it's one of those games. Sandrock's not won our first round game since 2017 with Mark Hill. And Red Bay has not won our first round game since 2020 with Winston County. Let me ask you about Collinsville 8-2 and Conbert County 7-3. Conbert County may be one of the pleasant surprises in the shows this season.

I've seen them with two games. I watched them play Sheffield a couple weeks ago, and unfortunately, that game got away from Sheffield. Well, in fact, Lauderdale County led, believe it or not, 60-7 at halftime. Big tradition at Conbert County, Oscar Bonds has come in, done a good job. Money Horton, they've got some interesting names for their backs. Money Horton and Sir Miller, they both combined for about 1,300 yards. Sean Blevins has had a very good year, too. A very interesting game tonight at Conbert County, who has not lost a first round.

[1:19:26] I think the last time they lost a first round home game was 1998. Collinsville and Conbert County. Yeah, I'm looking at how it's fine right now about the last home loss. Yeah, it was like the 98. But, yeah, this game might break the scoreboard down late. Tomorrow night, both teams score 40 points a game. Both teams score 20 points a game. This game's going to be over 10, 30, or 11. Both teams have scored 50, 60 multiple times. Conbert County has scored no less than 60 in their last three games. Since that death row loss, they scored 32, 52, 72, and 60 against Conbert Heights, Clemens, Elmont, Sheffield.

Collinsville has not scored less than 28, except by Geraldine, he got beat. Right in a 48 win streak, scoring 28, 52, 45, 49. Conbert County has had their best offensive season in school history. If there's 10 games this season, I think it's 400 points. 406 points is their most points scored through 10-game season in school history, which is very impressive with that school and their history of football out there. But this game, a streak will end. And Conbert County has not won a playoff game since 2022, lost two straight playoff games to Winfield, ironically, both years, in 2023 and 2024.

And Collinsville has not won a first-round playoff game since 2019 against Conbert County, but at Collinsville, ironically. Great stuff. Should be a fun night with so many games moving from Friday to Thursday, and I'll try to go over those before the end of the show. I know you can enjoy the trip to Lexington. Follow you as far as pregame, as far as previewing the games. After the game, you will have the round two scheduled just as soon as all the games are over with. Where can we get online?

Follow you and get all the good stuff. On Facebook, Shola Sports Report. And on Twitter, at lowercase, S-H-O-A-L-S-T-O-R-T-S. And tonight, we'll have recaps of all the games around 11 o'clock. And that's a video recap, actually. And tomorrow, we'll have a graphic for the particular matchup and all the types of stuff. We'll have home-away destinations, whoever's traveling next week, whoever's home next week. Should be a fun weekend as well. Pack the rain gear for tomorrow night. In the meantime, Zach, thanks so much for your time today, buddy.

Thank you. Thank you, bud. Pack the rain gear for the show, Sports Report. BB, quickly, we would be remiss if we did not mention the passing of truly, I mean truly, a legend. And that's Jackie first. And we lost to Jackie over the last week or so. You talk about a legend. I had the pleasure of working with him over the years at different stops. He started actually, now this is not a UNA guy. This was a Florence State guy, okay? His first job was at Muscle Shoes, I think, junior high out there.

At a number of stops, he went on and coached at West Morgan, Athens High, Brooks High School as well. Of course, he made his mark there at Hazelwood. All those state championship teams back in the day with the good boys. And, of course, Tarrant Lynch and all those guys. Antonio Langham and all those guys. But the passing of truly a legend in the coaching ranks over the past few days, BB. Yeah, I saw it on Facebook, Harold, and so many people messaging, saying quite a great coach.

They saw all of his games. Their streak at Hazelwood is one of the greatest in the history of high school football. You covered a lot of their games. We joke about this sometimes. I remember you interviewed some of the players, and you asked them about that night's game. And they literally said, look, we really don't know who. We don't care. We just go out on the field and play because we know we're going to win. Well, what was also amazing about it during that streak, you go out and do a story, and you look up at the scoreboard, and it says, you know, mostly schools, if you ever win a state championship, there's one little sign out somewhere on the fence.

They had this year, this year, this year, this year. And I looked up at Coach. I said, Jackie, what about the last few? He says, we ran out of room, and then we'll give us a new scoreboard. I don't get that at all. Jackie Ferguson, true to the passing of a legend at the much too young age of 81. Coming up, a quiet week over the past weekend, but I don't think that's going to be the case this weekend in Tide Town. We'll take you there and set the stage next with Ryan Feller on the Boomo Bugg Show.

Stay with us. Hey, Scholes. I know you do anything for a win on game day and for an ice-cold Bud Light. Because whether you're tailgating in the parking lot or parked on the couch, sitting on your lucky stool at the bar, or standing in the fan section all game long. A win isn't a win without the clean, crisp taste of Bud Light. And there's nothing easier to enjoy than that. Bud Light. Easy to drink. Easy to enjoy. Enjoy responsibly. Anheuser-Busch, Bud Lightbury, St. Louis, Missouri. The season of sparkle is almost here.

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So call 800-494-6139. U.S. Tax Shield. 800-494-6139. Progressive presents the Sports Flash on 93.9. The score. In college football this weekend, the Auburn Tigers head to Nashville. They'll take on Vanderbilt. The Tigers are 4-5 on the year and 1-5 in the SEC. Vanderbilt is 3-2 in the conference and 7-2 overall. Fourth-ranked Alabama is home this week to play host to LSU. The Tigers are 5-3 on the season and 2-3 in SEC play, while Alabama is not lost in the conference. They are 7-1 overall. North Alabama is home this week as they play host to West Georgia.

The Lions are 2-7 on the year, 1-4 in the conference, while West Georgia is currently 3-3 in the UAC. Progressive is helping veterans drive their lives forward with its Keys to Progress program. Online at keystoprogress.com. I'm John Thayer with the Sports Flash, presented by Progressive on 93.9. The score. At Lowe's, this Veterans Day and every day, verified military members, veterans, and their spouses get automatic silver status in MyLowe's Rewards with free standard shipping, plus 10% off eligible purchases with no annual limit. It's one way we honor and give back to those who have served and still do.

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Financing available. Gage Diamonds dot com. We're engagement's middle name. The score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in. Really appreciate free ride around the Tennessee Valley. And for the pride of Tuscaloosa to take time out of his busy schedule and join out of the huddle here in North Alabama, Ryan Fowler drives you home every afternoon as the host of the game on Tide 109 FM in T-Town. Ryan, welcome in. How are you? Doing good. Doing good. It's, you know, it's been one of those weeks.

We lost a big community member down here that was a gigantic supporter of the University of Alabama. And, you know, if you were doing top five booster in Tuscaloosa, our good friend Brian Harden passing away unexpectedly. So it will be a funeral later today. And, you know, you'll have – that's one of Coach Saban's buddies. That's one of his buddies. I expect that – I know Kirby Smart. Nate Oates. I mean, you'll have a lot of people coming in to Tuscaloosa to honor this guy that was so good to the University of Alabama.

[1:30:12] You know, because, you know, we think about Alabama. We think about financially. You know, one of the reasons they're able to put that product on the field is because people like Brian Harden that give money to the University to be able to, you know, build facilities and tickets and all these different things. And, you know, you try to honor the legacy of those. And that's what we'll try to do in the next couple of days. The thing is, Ryan, it also shows just how brief this little journey called life is.

You've got to learn to stop and smell the roses along the way. It sounds like you had a very fulfilling life. But also, at the same time, another guy who made his mark in Tuscaloosa finding out about the news of Woodrow Lowe. You're talking about a trailblazer, one of the early African-Americans to cut a trail under Coach Paul Bear Bryant, came on in 72 and never looked back. One of only people to be a three-time All-American, a guy by the name of Cornelius Bennett, a.k.a. Biscuit, the other.

And Woodrow passing away at 71. So, not exactly a good week for the Alabama family, Ryan. No, it's not. And, you know, we lost Leroy Jordan a few months ago. I mean, it just, you know, Bill Oliver. I mean, think about Bill Oliver passing away right before the season got started. I mean, so it's been a, you know, I told a friend of mine, and I was super, super close to Brian. Brian and I, we'd hunt together and, you know, did all kind of stuff of just, you know, over the course of time.

And I got to think, and I said, you know, is this just a byproduct of getting older? You know what I mean? I mean, is it just a byproduct of getting older that you start to lose your buddies? Because, you know, as you do travel up, I guess you know more people, right? Because this thing we call life, you build friendships, you build relationships, you continue to get to know people. And so I guess maybe your circle of friends becomes larger. And so maybe that's part of it.

But it's just, you know, you're more connected. But, I mean, think about Woodrow Lowe, a three-time All-American at the University of Alabama. And, wow. I mean, what a – you guys know that. I was born in 78, but it don't take much reading to understand the impact that he was able to make at the University of Alabama. I guarantee nobody appreciate it more than Coach Paul Bear Bryant. He helped build that dynasty there in the 70s. I'm now depressed, right? My goodness gracious. So let's talk a little touch-off here.

Your thoughts. Let me ask you this. Have Alabama fans changed their tune? Speaking of down and out, have they changed their tune about this guy named DeBoer since the first game of the season? Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They have. They have. And rightfully so. I mean, you think about it. I mean, think about this little roller coaster that kind of got started. And now here he is, number four in the country. Got a chance to, you know, go win an SEC title. But, listen, nothing – it's only going to get harder.

It's not going to get easier. This is only going to get harder. This is one of those things that, you know, when you really look at it and you really think about it, it's only going to get harder because everybody now is going to try to take you off that perch. I mean, you're on that perch, and here we are. I mean, that's the big thing when you look at this game and you look at any game from here on. I mean, listen, and I get it.

You know, Auburn looks at Alabama as their Super Bowl. That game will be tough. It always is. I mean, I don't care if Auburn loses, you know, to Vanderbilt and Mercer. They'll play their best football game against Alabama because, you know, it is their Super Bowl. And rightfully so. You know, when you've got a big brother in the state and you look up to them, you want to take them down. And it would – you know, who knows at that point. They may be fighting for a chance to go to a bowl game, you know, if they're able to win a couple of games.

Ryan, I really think this bye we came in at a very good time. They're going to get back two receivers. Isaiah Horton, who was injured in the first quarter against South Carolina. Lots there. Brooks did not play. And Brooks, to me, is really developing. He's got an incredible future. Vandermark, from what we hear, probably is much healthier than he's been in weeks. Danny Lewis is still a little bit questionable or doubtful. We'll see what happens there. Quay Russo coming back from, according to the assistant of the coordinators, will be back sooner than later.

And, quite frankly, I think this bye week helped Cam Miller to hopefully completely get over the concussion. And Ty Simpson has taken some shots in the last month. And I think you may see him a little more crisp come Saturday night. Bye week came in a good time. No, it did. It did. I mean, he'd find a way to get healthy. And I think the Salabont football team has been able to do that. And, you know, I think it was, when you look at this, it set it up where, yes, you went through seven games.

[1:35:15] But it wasn't just seven games. I mean, you went through the majority of those teams were ranked at the top 25. Right. Right. You played some difficult games. Missouri, South Carolina, Georgia on the road. Yes, you got some games at home. But now, you know, you're setting up. But you cannot be lulled to sleep. Nope. You cannot be lulled to sleep. Okay, just because everything's clicking, this college football now, and I don't think you have to look, but just a couple of weekends, and you see, you know, what's happened, this has been one of those that when you step back a little bit and you begin to analyze it, begin to think about it, this is one of those that you step up and you think about, you know, this game here, LSU.

Yes. And I also think about it, I think somebody else said this, I'm not even sure who to give credit, but because of the transfer portal, it's not like the players are just going to mail it in and go, well, guys, we lost a coach, we're beat, we're not doing this, we're not doing this, we're out of the playoffs. No, because you're earning money for that next salary. I mean, who else, you know, who's going to ever offer you something, it may be either a chance to go to the NFL or it may be a chance to go to the portal and get a bigger, bigger payday.

So players are going to give, now listen, you can't take a magic wand and wave over, you know, the LSU offensive line and automatically make them better. It's just not going to happen. But I think when you look at playing with a different attitude, effort, I think they'll play for Frank Wilson pretty tough. And we had Matt Muscona on yesterday, he thinks that the guy may have a shot to, not like the front runner, but he could be a guy that they consider as a head coaching spot.

So, you know, he's going to be coaching his butt off. And that came straight from Matt Muscona, which does it in Baton Rouge. And when he said it, I kind of like, really? I mean, is he really an option? Because he said, you know, if you look at Lane Kiffin, he said, if he's off the board, it's the same thing we've been talking about, quality head coaches. They're not around right now. I mean, you're either going to have to go steal somebodies or you're going to have to develop your own.

Or you've got to have somebody who is willing to take that mess down there and try to make it their own. Ryan Fowler, host of the game on Tide 109 in Tuscaloosa. You're exactly right, Ryan. I look at this matchup, and in some ways, this is a coach's nightmare. Because statistically, Alabama has the edge in just about every major area. They've got an interim coach. They're down some coordinators. Translated, don't sit here. And, oh, by the way, you've got Oklahoma and then Auburn after that down the road.

From an intangible standpoint, this is a coach's nightmare. Your thoughts about that. And I will say this. One thing that was refreshing that I saw this week, Ty Simpson basically has become, at least from our vantage point, at the alpha male in the room, I won't use his exact language, but he said, don't bring this opportunity away. You've got to have that kind of leadership because at that age, it's easy to say, we're Alabama, they're LSU, they're down, they don't have their boss in town. We're just going to cakewalk through this one and then get busy against Oklahoma and then down the road, Auburn.

Your thoughts just about the intangibles coming in. Well, and I think he said it, yeah, he said that word that we can't say on the SEC side of things. But, yeah, and it wasn't like a bad word. You know, most people use it, but I think it's one of the seven words we can't use on the air. That's one of those words that, you know, I may even have to remind my audience you can't say that. They'll be like, what did I say? Well, I can't repeat what you just said.

I can't repeat it. Yes, yes. I mean, he was just, he was ticked off. And that other word that you use when you say ticked off. So, anyway, I think when you look at it and you do look at this opportunity, take what Ty Simpson said a couple of weeks ago. It's not about what they do. It's about what we do. You do. Yeah, well, they, them, you know, yeah, he said it's not about what they do. It's about what we do. It's about what we do.

It's about what we are able to do, you know, at a level. And I think that's when you, when you look at it, it is, Ty Simpson is no doubt the leader. That's probably the same message that he's given to that team over the last course of, you know, the last couple of days. And even in the bye week, because I know we use this quote week. It was an off week from the game. But preparation, it was still there at a big time, big time, big time level.

They got after it and had some really difficult workouts. So, it was a week that they knew they needed to get better. And one of the areas that they need to get better in is running the football. Because if you can get that rushing attack cranked up just a little bit. Yes. There, Kenry, or 225 a game. I'm just talking about getting 175, 155. And then you can add a little bit of deep ball in there. And that play action starts working just a little bit more. Guys, we're talking about the potential of a word that we rarely ever use.

[1:40:44] We've seen this Alabama offense at times look unstoppable. If they're able to get that rushing attack, I mean, just a little bit like a threat of running the football. And Daniel Hill, remember the last couple of weeks, we've started to kind of see him take advantage of some of those opportunities. Is he that next big time back in Tuscaloosa? And it was never about running the football. It was about the pass protection. We've seen him miss on a few of those. We're going to see. You know, that's one of those that we're going to watch and we're going to see.

I'm not sitting here saying Alabama's going to go for 225 against LSU. But, you know, LSU has showed you they can be run upon. Ryan, if they run for 130 a game, it's going to make that passing attack even more lethal. What do you want to see from this team in the next four weeks? You mentioned the bye week. I'm sure they've been working on a lot of things in special teams. Can they block a punt? Can they return a punt or a kickoff for a touchdown? Will the non-offensive touchdown trends continue, and particularly the pick six and the scoop and scores?

I know a lot of people, you mentioned run the ball, stop the run. Can they do a better job with the run fits and stop these 40-yard bursts up the middle when you've got a run blitz coming on? When do you want to see this team do, Ryan, in the next four games? You know, and the other part, I need to go back, but I feel like that they really cut down the number of penalties in the last couple of weeks. I think that trend would continue, right?

To be able to see them play, and this is what I want to see, but I'm not going to get it. So I'm going to speak something. But I'd love for them to settle on five offensive lines and run with it. But DeBoer explained on the SEC teleconference one of the reasons why they've not done that. So I get why they've not done it. I do. So I look, I mean, I think that would be a nice area. But also, to be fair, when you get to the playoffs, you're probably going to be a little fresher because you've not had to play so many guys.

So I think that's one of the things that I would like to see. And then just see them, you know, continue. You know, when you've got such an explosive offense, you do wonder if a bye week, yes, it came at the right time. But sometimes you can see it slow down a little bit, right? You can see it, you know, almost like get out of rhythm. Like I said, the game, sometimes a halftime will give you, it'll get you out of rhythm just a little bit.

I'll be curious to see if Alabama jumps right back into it. You know, I also, we haven't really done a lot coming out of the second half. I almost wonder another thing, if you do, if you win the football, would you take the ball? Because it really hasn't done you a lot of good to defer it. Have you guys noticed that? I mean, they've deferred quite often. And it's, yeah, it's almost like, okay, anyway, just something to kind of think about is, you know, really they've deferred and it really hasn't done a lot of things for them.

I think one thing that might help is not be so predictable on first down, don't run inside, do some swing passes, something just to give the other team something to kind of sit here and shuffle the deck about. Your thoughts, Ryan, what are you hearing about a guy that Alabama, I think college football as a whole, has been waiting for him to live up to his potential, and that's Ryan Williams. Obviously, since the Georgia game, he's been up, he's been down, he's been sideways, he's been injured.

Your thoughts about the deuce? You know, it's just, I think it's just something that this season, injury-wise, it's just something they're going to have to live with. And I think they're willing to say, you know, we'll take a 70-80% Ryan Williams, you know, over somebody else. But I think Brooks getting back, you know, being able to go is going to take some pressure off of that. Because, you know, Ryan, you know, was listed on the probable side of things, and I do know, and I was going to tell my audience here in a couple of minutes, he has been able to do some things today in practice.

And I think that's a, you know, that's a situation, but, you know, it's just something that keeps aggravating whatever it is. And that's, you know, and for the offseason, he's going to have to gain some, a few pounds. He's going to, and I know he did that. I mean, it wasn't like he didn't do it throughout the offseason to get stronger and start all these different things. But he's going to have to put on some bulk. He's going to have to because, you know, going across the middle is not easy.

[1:45:54] And he, the injuries to me are related to his size. Yeah. But, I mean, you look back at the games, I could probably count on a couple of fingers the number of games that he has not taken a hit that he had to come out for just a second. Remember Florida State? I mean, I could go back, I mean, I'm trying to think of the games where he didn't look like he got banged up. And I think a lot of that is he plays to the potential.

He's going to, you know, he's going to risk his body and he takes the punishment there. So it's, you know, that's one of the big things when you look at it is, is Ryan Williams going to be able to go? I think he'll be able to go. But I don't think this happened in the South Carolina game. I was told that it happened in practice, this particular injury that he was listening on the injury report late last night about. Ryan, I'm going to be curious to see another receiver.

And I think Lontzer Brooks is a future star. Derek Mattis. He went out for the pass and got the targeting injury against Missouri. He came back. I noticed him in the South Carolina game for a couple of plays. Now, with the bye week, I'm going to be curious to see if they work him in a little bit more. But another trend that we've been talking about is playing players. Nobody can argue about Nick Saban playing the GOAT, but he basically used that roster as an NFL roster.

And particularly on the defensive side, you've seen a lot of players. Kelby Collins now begin to make some plays from Gardendale. Keon Keeley. London Simmons. You've been able to see. Andrick Hill. Pierre is there. I think we're going to see a little bit more of QB Reese moving forward. As you mentioned and alluded to, the more players you play, the fresher you're going to be in the postseason. Well, you mentioned Keon Keeley. What will that confidence do for him? Mm-hmm. You know, because, I mean, think about the confidence that he's got to have.

Guys, this is a chance here to really start. I mean, they've had some talent that needed to step up, and you're starting to see that. That's where I think this coaching staff is a little different than Coach Saban's coaching staff is. They develop those back-end guys. I'm not saying Coach Saban and his staff didn't do that because they didn't. But it seems like they don't give up on anybody. So, that's the part because, you know, this fan base has been screaming, Keon Keeley, Keon Keeley, Keon Keeley.

Well, I mean, you're seeing Keon Keeley. I mean, you're starting to see him play in significant roles. And, hey, it's going to be one of those things that, you know, it's pretty awesome to see him maybe taking that big step. That's another one. You mentioned Kelby Collins. And also, don't forget, now, Quay Russo is going to be a guy. That is, at some point, they're going to get him back. He was told by Oklahoma is what they were thinking that he was going to be. Because I believe, was he still listed as out last night?

I believe he was. Yeah, he was. He was still listed as out. I'd keep an eye on that Oklahoma as a possibility. But if you don't ever, you know, but I think you're going to get it back this month. I think you're going to get Quay back at some point this month. And, you know, the way that Yonzi's been able to play, you start to, you know, start to look at maybe that edge becoming a strength for Alabama. Absolutely. Great stuff. As always, look forward to seeing you Saturday.

Who have you got on the show and where can we get online and listen? Yeah, and I definitely want to wish my Auburn friends best of luck in the coaching search. I hope everything works out for you guys across the state. Cornelius Bennett. Cornelius Bennett is going to be with us. He's an honorary captain with Bobby Humphrey on Saturday. We'll talk with him, Josh from College Football Nerds, Aaron Torres, and big Rodney Orr coming up in just a couple of minutes here on Tide 100.9 in Tuscaloosa.

I appreciate you guys as always. Right back at you, Ryan. That's Ryan Feller with us, host of the game on Tide 100.9 FM down in Tuscaloosa. B.B., what's coming up tonight? Do you have anything there in front of you as far as playoff games in the neck of the woods? Yeah, one game is nearly morphed into 10 in the shows. Mae Jemison at Muscle Shoals was already scheduled, but Asheville at Hamilton moved to tonight. Brooks in Plainview, Lauderdale County at Fife, Phil Campbell at Piedmont, Rogers at Geraldine, White's Bird Christian at Morris Hill, North Sound Mountain at Lexington, Sand Rock at Red Bay, Spring Garden at Echelberg.

[1:51:01] Those are the games that have moved from Friday to Thursday. And here are the games that still will be played tomorrow night. Florence at Baker, of course, in Mobile. Boaz at Russellville, Hanton at Madison Academy, North Jackson at Dassler, Collinsville at Colbert County. If you're planning on going to a game, you may want to call the school ahead of time, mid-afternoon. I just wanted to check if you're playing tonight or tomorrow night. That's off to producer James telling us UNA's women just knocked off Fisk 75-42.

Congratulations, UNA there. Speaking of UNA, home game tomorrow night. As the UNA men, their game is against Lane coming up tomorrow night out at the gym. That's going to take care of bids for now. On behalf of BB, Greg, James Blair, the entire crew here, Peril Buck. Thank you so much for your time today. Let's do it again tomorrow. Noon to tune for the Boomer Buck Show back here on Sports Radio 93.9 The Score.