Boomo Bugg Show 110926

[0:00] Now, get ready to roll Shoals, Decatur, Athens and all of Northwest Alabama and Southern Tennessee. It's time for the Valley's exclusive FM Sports Voice. The Boomo Bugg Show. Your exclusive inside track to the Tide, Tigers, Tennessee and the rest of the SEC. Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Good afternoon and welcome in to the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving us free ride around the Tennessee Valley. Brett Beaird, welcome in where UNA and Auburn finished with a wild thing and Kevin Costner goes from a field of dreams to a field of screams.

Good afternoon. Welcome in. How are you? And is it true that Lane entered the stadium with an angel and, left with a devil, went down to Batam Booze? Good afternoon. Welcome in. And how are you? Happy Football Monday to you. Yeah, we'll be talking about Lane's adventure Saturday afternoon throughout the show. For a little bit of breaking news, ESPN and College Football Playoff Committee announced details. It is officially official in 2027, college football going to a 2014 playoff, including the end of conference championship games. Matt St. John of the Times Daily recaps UNH's 28-21 win over West Florida and some high school football first-round action.

But Adam is here right now to recap another fascinating Saturday in the SEC. Oh, what a week it's been. Since the last time we talked to Adam Spencer, how much has changed, including the color of Lane's hair. Adam Spencer is busy there. It's Saturday down south. Adam, welcome in. How are you? Hey, guys. I'm doing pretty well over here. How are you? Man, we're sitting here trying to figure it out. Let's start with the latest bit there, because obviously the weekend, we kind of have a handle on it.

But this is a live show, and that is big news. I don't think anybody is shocked, but now that, as they say in song, it's signed, sealed, and all but delivered. Two things. Number one, 12-24, and no more conference championship games. Your initial reaction to that news? Yeah, I'm not surprised that they went to 24. I mean, we've seen the writing on the wall there for a while, and there's just too much money to be made by the network and the teams and the conferences for that to stand in the way of expansion there.

So I've made my peace with it. I think it's the wrong move, and I think it's happening too fast. I think that, you know, like from 4 to 12 right away, like they didn't do 8 or anything like that. In between now 12, you go to 24 instead of like 16 for a couple years. And then, you know, so I think that they're making it pretty clear where their priorities are, and their priority is the almighty dollar. So that's where we're going. I'm glad that they announced it now, though, so that we get a chance to appreciate this year's conference championship games, you know, the final iterations of them across the board for what it seems.

And, you know, I think that it gives them time to iron out some more of the logistical stuff, too, so that we're not scrambling this time next year. You know, the thing is, Adam, a lot of us were there for the first championship game of the SEC. The guys over in Town Creek remember it. Antonio Langham putting a nail in Steve Spurrier's heart. Alabama beating Florida in that one. And now there is a path. They could be the bookend. They could be there for the final one, but they don't want to go for the most part.

And, in fact, no team really wants to go given the scenario of where we are because you risk a third loss. You risk injury. Basically, you have to sit here and give up a bye week. That you pretty much have secured already if you finish out the regular season okay. We'll talk about that in a second, but let's start with the weekend that was down in Baton Rouge. Lang gets off. He gets off with Kevin Costner, the Shaq, Angel Reese. The question is, did Lang spend too much time putting together his entourage and not end up on trying to beat Alabama on the field?

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, that sort of stuff looks great when you win. You know, there was all the – like Miami does. It's cool right now because they're winning. Cool, yeah. But when you lose and you have, you know, you have all these celebrities walking behind you, like that, that, you know, that gets people asking questions that you don't want asked about your program. And, you know, Paul Feinbaum has been all over Lane Kiff in the past couple of days, all sizzle, no steak, basically. And, I mean, that's what Saturday was in Baton Rouge.

That was all sizzle and no steak from LSU. And, you know, Alabama came in and, you know, it was close there for a little bit. But then, you know, this has been – this Alabama team has been a second-half team all year. And, you know, they just continue to wear things down. And I know you said they don't want to go back to Atlanta and risk a third loss. But, you know, somebody's going to have to go get beaten up for three hours by Georgia. And, you know, I think if it's Alabama, then, you know, I don't think that that third loss would hurt them in the way that it would some of these other teams.

[5:32] Adam, speaking of Georgia, they showed why they are the number one team in the nation and would be named that. They were in the AP poll and would be probably tomorrow night, 42-7 over the Ole Miss Rebels. What impressed me was the Georgia defense. Ole Miss only gained 66 yards rushing. Of course, having Keywon Lacy out hurts them. But Trinidad Chambliss only threw for 170. But Georgia just controlled the line of scrimmage, went up and down the field, and amazingly had a quite easy 42-7 win. Yeah, they just, you know, I mean, Deuce Alexander was on the sideline with issue two.

So, I mean, this is a really beaten up Ole Miss offense here. But, I mean, yeah, they had Trinidad Chambliss' number all game long. You know, he looked pretty mediocre against them. And that's tough to do because, I mean, this result aside, he is one heck of a quarterback. So, you know, that's a credit to Kirby Smart and that defense. And, you know, like I said last week after that beatdown that they had of Florida and Atlanta, I mean, that Auburn loss, we might look back at that and be like, that was the best thing that could have ever happened to the team.

You know, they got to refocus. Kirby Smart got to be like, I'm sure, you know, I can't say probably even a third of what he said on the radio here. You know, so I'll censor myself. But I'm sure that those practice sessions during the bye week were not fun to be at. And it looks like it really refocused this team. And, you know, they're continuing to roll. And, yeah, they're maybe the one team that probably wants to go back to Atlanta for the SEC championship. Because I bet you that they're going to be rolling in there with one loss.

So, they'll be locked into a spot. I totally, that's exactly what I was thinking about. The best thing that happened for Georgia was Auburn beating them. Because I got a feeling Kirby's going to send Auburn some Christmas cards. Thanking him so much for humbling these kids. Because, let's face it, they're still kids. They read all the clippings. And sometimes they buy too much into that. The big poll is coming out tomorrow. Circling back quickly to Bama. Will they move up one? They were at five last week.

And, by the way, I guess the committee is saying I told you so. What will happen now that Miami lost? Will Alabama sneak into the top four? Will they drop Miami down that number four spot? That's big because you want to be in that top four to give you some extra risk, if possible. Yeah, I mean, I think that some of the results that we've seen, you know, Tennessee beating up on Kentucky. Well, you know, Alabama went into Tennessee and lost. So, I think that Tennessee has shown that, like, you can't just come there and win.

I mean, that Texas win looks really good for Tennessee right now. Or, you know, for Texas at home or at Tennessee. So, I mean, this is, you know, this is a situation where I would bump Alabama up. You know, I think that, you know, Miami's been playing with its food for a few weeks now. Like, they needed double overtime, I think, to beat Florida State. You know, they barely held on against Bill Belichick's UNC team. So, yeah, I mean, I think that there's been some cracks in the foundation for Miami for a while now.

And now, you know, they went on the road without their best right wide receiver and, you know, competed pretty well against Notre Dame. So, that's not a bad team by any means. But, you know, I would punish them a little bit and drop them down maybe to five and bump Alabama into that top four for sure. Adam, Arch Manning's received a lot of criticism the last two years. And certainly a lot of it is merited. But they beat Missouri 34-2-20. And I actually thought Missouri played a good game for three quarters.

Now, there was some interesting, once again, with SEC officials, you've always got one head-scratching call. But Manning was 22 at 28 or 38 for 297. They also held Roberts, I believe, to below 70 yards. And Texas, with wins now over Ole Miss, Ohio State, Tennessee, and Missouri, I think, are assured to get into the college football playoff. But in the fourth quarter, as he did against Ohio State, Marnie, Manning sparkled. Yeah, I mean, I think that the first three quarters that you mentioned, like, yeah, there was some very questionable officiating.

Like, even Jesse Palmer on the call was saying, oh, there's another call that went against Mizzou. So it did seem like there for a while that the fix was in and that, you know, the SEC offices there in Birmingham made the call and said, you know, hey, we want Texas to keep its playoff hopes alive. But, yeah, I mean, the bigger story is that they, like you said, they limited Jamal Roberts and Mizzou struggles when the running game isn't dominant. You know, Matt Hardy is still a shell of what he was last year.

You know, hopefully he continues to get healthier as the year goes on. But, yeah, I mean, this is, you know, the Tigers were in that game in the fourth quarter and they didn't make the plays and Texas did. So, I mean, that's the difference. You know, they got to the fourth quarter with the game tied and had chances and Texas took advantage of their chances and Mizzou didn't. And you can't blame the refs for that part of it. You know, it's arguable, you know, maybe Mizzou should have been ahead by a touchdown or two going into that fourth quarter.

[10:45] But Texas finished and Mizzou didn't, so here we are. With Adam Spencer, Saturday down south. Your thoughts about the Auburn Tigers. It ain't been pretty, but here they are as far as compared to last year and the year before. They're in a much better position. All things are relative. Taking on Arkansas, they were the double-digit favorites coming in. And then have to hang on to beat the Razorbacks by three, but a win is a win. Your thoughts about Auburn 26-23 over Arkansas. And basically a program that's trying to get some foundation back.

Yeah, I mean, the best thing that I can say for Auburn is that this is a game that they would have lost in years past. You know, they would have blown that one and the pressure would have gotten to them. They would have made the critical error at home. You know, so the best thing I can say about that is that this team won the game. You know, they struggled and they know that and they should have won by a lot more. And they know that and, you know, Alex Golesh has plenty of work to do to, you know, get this team going.

But they have, you know, a manageable last three games here. And, you know, I mean, the Iron Bowl is going to be tough, but, you know, crazy things happen in the Iron Bowl usually. So, you know, if they can go 2-1 down the stretch here and then win their bowl game, I mean, that's a pretty decent year one for Alex Golesh. So, I mean, that's the goal right now. And, you know, you just try your best to pull off an upset in the Iron Bowl where, you know, they don't usually, crazy things don't usually happen in this rivalry in Bryant-Denny.

But, you know, we'll see. Kentucky's had a marvelous year, 7-1 coming in to Knoxville. They were a plus 13. Now they're a plus 10 after three turnovers in that game, which really helped Tennessee with short fields. Bishop becomes the second Tennessee player to run for 1,000 yards in two consecutive years. But the turnovers were just too much. Will Stein has really done a marvelous job. But Tennessee took advantage of it, pulled away at the end 34-6. Yeah, I mean, the one thing that you can't do because, I mean, Tennessee isn't really built to sustain long drives against good defenses because they still have plenty of question marks with McIntyre, the quarterback position.

But, you know, when you get short fields, that's the one thing that you can't do with your Kentucky. And they've been good at that. You mentioned plus 13. You know, Finchie had, like, two turnovers all year. You know, then they come in there. And credit to Jim Knowles for having a great game plan. I mean, that hire looks better and better every week. And Josh Eiple deserves credit for that. You know, for this team, the volunteers just finally had a game where they didn't beat themselves. You know, I saw a tweet during the game, like, after they scored a touchdown.

They're like, wait, where's the – a fan was like, wait, where's the flag? I'm not used to this. You know, we just run into the end zone and there's no penalty. It's okay. So, yeah, I mean, Tennessee is getting hot at the right time, it seems. I mean, that was a dominant win that you can carry into a manageable stretch run for them, too. So, now I think that, you know, it would be almost a disappointment if they didn't make the playoff at this point. Yeah, isn't it amazing how things change if you just let it play out?

At one point, Jon Sumrall at Florida was going to be named maybe the coach of the year in the SEC. And South Carolina was packing up and calling two men in the truck for Shane Beamer to get out of there. My, oh, my, how things have changed for South Carolina and on the other side of the coin for the Florida Gators. Yeah, I mean, this is, you know, he's hit a tough spot. I mean, when you, you know, allow that many points to an Oklahoma offense that was searching for its identity all year and had a first-time, you know, college-level offensive coordinator call and plays, I mean, that is not a good look to get blown out like that.

I mean, we've known all year Oklahoma's defense is good, but to only score seven points at home against a defense like that is definitely disappointing. So, you know, they have a lot of work to do. You know, I think that they can still pull off a win or two down the stretch here. They have Florida State, which, you know, they should get up for that game. Yeah, this is, the hype train has kind of fallen off, and, you know, if it wasn't for Mississippi State and the disaster that that's been since they lost Kamario Taylor, I mean, I think we'd be talking even more about, you know, Jaden Baugh and the John Summerall experience and just how inconsistent it's been these past few weeks.

Yeah, Lenore Sellers puts on his Superman cape and leads South Carolina in an ugly win, but it was the fourth consecutive win for South Carolina. So the moving vans are going to be in cold storage for another year in Columbia. Adam, great stuff. Fascinating weekend. I know you can have your power rankings out probably later today. Joe Cox always has great stuff. Where can we get online and get yours, Joe's, and the teams? Yeah, SaturdayDownSouth.com. We've got a newsletter that went out today, a power rankings went live an hour ago or so.

[15:46] So, yeah, we're loaded on the site, and with basketball starting, we've got more basketball content coming your way, too. So check that out. Ten pounds of sugar and a five-pound sack. Adam, thanks for your time, Dane. Have a great week, my friend. Yeah, thanks a lot, guys. Thank you, bud. Adam, Spencer Saturday Down South. Quick, look, quick notes to the MASH report on the Monday after. Bad news for Alabama. Josh Ford tied in out for the season, banged-up need. And as far as Keelan Russell, the late word is day-to-day, Brett Beaird.

Russell's going to be fine, Harold. I thought that Josh Ford was probably going to be out, unfortunately, when you walk off the field with an ACL, and that's been reported. That's the issue. But, again, tied in's one position. Alabama's got four or five tied in, so that's the optimistic viewpoint. You and A fans are lucky to have a heart after that finish. Matt St. Charles, the tale is next. Stay with us. With locations in Tuscumbia, Florence, Muscle Shoals, Russell, Killen, Madison, and Athens, Singing River Dentistry provides the most advanced dental care, including same-day crowns and implants, in a compassionate and friendly atmosphere.

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We'll have a good one score. Bills and Vikings finish off week nine. I think Josh Allen gets it done with his legs. We all know by now Brian Flores is going to blitz almost every play. Is he going to change now? I doubt it. And even if they use a spy or a deep robber, who's better at beating that than Josh Allen? He's averaging close to 40 rushing yards per game, and his prop for tonight is at 30 and a half. I'd like Josh Allen to go over his rushing yards.

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[20:50] Don't miss it. The score. We're now back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in. What a night in the Shoals, says Matt St. Charles. He follows the UNA football team and everything else when it comes to UNA athletics at the Times Daily. Matt, welcome in. How are you? Hey, guys. I'm doing good. How are y'all? Hey, bud. Man, one thing about going to a game at Bank Independent Stadium, do not leave early, right? Yeah, good God. You're going to get your money's worth every single time.

I'll tell you that. Talk to us about that. The game. But let's just fast forward to the finish. Have you ever seen a finish like that? Yeah, I have the previous week over at Central Arkansas. And the week before that and the week before that, right? That's right. Yeah. I mean, Dierman said it after Central Arkansas by the hair of their chinny-chin-chin, and they just keep pulling that off somehow. You'd definitely like to see them. I mean, they had two different 14-point leads in that game.

You'd like to see them put them away. But as a sports writer, I can't argue with the content I've been getting with these dramatic finishes. That's for sure. Let me ask you about the run game. It was actually working Saturday night. UNA racks up 244 yards. Destin Wade, 16 carries for 101. Broderick Taylor is 15 for 101. I know Destin Wade also nearly threw for 200 yards. But again, when you can run the ball on any team, it just opens up an offense. Yeah, I think there's a couple things I would touch on there.

Number one, Rod Taylor has certainly emerged as the lead back in that room, I think, for the first few weeks. They were definitely searching. You know, gave Chris McMillan a lot of opportunities. But as time has gone on, I think with what Roderick Taylor does, just kind of putting his head down, I'll get you four or five yards a carry. And then, you know, as an extra hat in the quarterback running game for Destin Wade, I mean, Roderick Taylor is a phenomenal run blocker as a running back.

So that's really become UNA's strength. And I think the interesting part about that is that in short yardage situations, they really struggled in that one against West Florida. And I think, you know, something that everybody kind of thought about was that fourth and one there at the 43 was about three minutes to go. And when UNA ended up punting, you know, that goes back to that, those two plays on the one yard line earlier in the game where, you know, Destin Wade got stuffed the first time and then barely got the tush push in for a touchdown.

And then, you know, that third and two right before that, they got, you know, half a yard and it was a long fourth and one. And I think Dierman obviously punted because, you know, they had failed to get that short yardage situation a few times before. And, you know, that's certainly something when they do that heavy personnel, you'd like to see them get one yard a bit easier. But, you know, for the large majority of the game, the running game has been their strength the past few weeks.

Matt St. Charles, the Times Daily, where would this team be without the X factor? This is amazing. He's not Xavier Johnson just picked up the UAC Freshman of the Week Award for the sixth time in 10 weeks. That's incredible. Yeah, it's certainly phenomenal for the time being for UNA. I think all the attention on X has certainly opened things up for Snap Reed, who had 117 yards in that game. And, you know, I said it a few times during the game, sometimes Dustin Wade's first read isn't there and he does the X's down there somewhere and just kind of lets it fly to him because he's that great of a weapon.

It worked on the 45-yard touchdown. It didn't work on Wade's second interception of the game. But, you know, this was – Johnson was certainly a really good find for UNA in the portal. And we'll see if he's able to inch closer to that single-season receiving yards record in the next two weeks. I'll tell you what, I know defensive coordinator Clint Bowen was not happy giving up 23 first downs, 413 yards. What does make him happy are these two-yard line stops. Raylan Sims did that maybe at the six-inch line last week.

Dallas Johnson with another one. Boy, I tell you one thing, once again, bend but don't break, and they make a crucial stop inside the five-yard line. Yeah, I think Clint Bowen is a stressed-out human being in his own right. And I think it coming down to those plays certainly doesn't help that for him. But, you know, he hasn't been happy with the yardage that the defense has been giving up, I think. I think part of the game plan was to make Tyray Davis throw the ball, and he did 35 times, which is the most he's thrown the ball this season.

[26:18] And the secondary kind of struggled to make some plays. Obviously, Tay Martin made a great play on the ball for his interception, which for a slot cornerback to be stride for stride downfield with a receiver is pretty impressive. But Dallas Johnson, who made the game-winning tackle there, had a PI earlier in the game. I think there's some things that need to get cleaned up, especially on the outside, that I would trust Clint Bowen to do so. But you certainly can't argue with the result on the scoreboard.

So, coming up Saturday, the final road game of the regular season, taking on Opo West Georgia over at Carrollton. The Lions come in 6-4. They want to stay above water. Your thoughts about the matchup for the final road game this season for the Lions, at least in the regular season. Yeah, West Georgia is certainly an interesting one, I would say. Sort of similar to EKU in a few ways, but definitely a weirder season for them. I think their coach was suspended for six games earlier in the year for some kind of violation.

I can't remember. And, you know, not a lot of film on what they are right now. This is a group that did a lot of really good things when they were at Presbyterian and maybe just trying to get their feet under them here this late in the season. But certainly not an opponent that UNA can overlook if they want to have any kind of playoff hopes going into the Tarleton State game. And, you know, look, on the road, they have not been great lately. UNA, obviously, they're finding ways to win.

But you've got to put 60 minutes of good football together. And you don't want to, you don't want to, you'd like to get guys some rest heading into a matchup with the number one team in the country as much as you can. Absolutely. You do a great job also on Friday nights. Eight Scholes teams advance to the second round. I'm going to get to your game in a minute. Dessler beat Central Clay 24-7. I saw that game. Danny Horn, his last career final for Central Clay. Just a legendary coach.

Florence spots St. Clair County 14-0. Devs have come back to win 35-21. Muscle Shoals beats Oxford 31-14. Lexington moves on over Ohatchee 28-21. Lauderdale County beats Holtz Bluff 49-14. Hanton beats New Hope 46-8. Morris Hill beats Beacons Academy 57-0. Quite a win. And you saw quite a performance. And speaking of a Davis, Taurus Davis runs for 300 yards on 30 carries, scores six touchdowns in a game that you covered with Russellville winning a tight game 35-33. Yeah, I couldn't help but think during watching that game, it was like, you know, me and a buddy playing Madden or playing EA College football.

Like, you got a guy going for 300 yards and six touchdowns. We got eight turnovers in the game. Just a lot of drama going on there that, you know, kind of reminded me of UNA a little bit. I think Russellville had the game sort of in hand a few different times and could have put it away with another touchdown and randomly fumbled the ball and obviously left the door open a little bit but made the big plays when they had to move on. Absolutely. Yeah, I saw Taurus Davis wrestle for 28-27, first game of the year, and he had 160 in that game.

Matt, I always enjoyed the recap with UNA and a little high school football, but where can we get online to get all your good stuff? Yeah, you can find everything on timesdaily.com. On Thursday, actually, this week, I'll have a story out on Taurus Davis, so be sure to go read that one. And then you can find me on Twitter at Matt underscore St. Charles. Matt, it's always good to kick off the week with you. Thanks so much, and stay safe out there, okay? Thanks, guys.

Thank you, bud. You too. That's St. Charles. Follows UNA for the Times Daily. Speaking of UNA, what a week for the UNA men's basketball team. Tonight, taking on the big boys at the OK Corral. They take on Oklahoma tonight at 7, and then Friday afternoon, they go the other way down to Miami and take on the boys down there at Cora Gables, Florida. So big boy basketball for UNA this week. Coming up, he's pretty big when it comes to Sports Talk. The Max next. Stay with us.

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Auburn beat Arkansas 26-23. Auburn improved to 5-4 on the year, 3-4 in SEC play. Troy was blown out at home by Louisiana Tech, 41-17. The Trojans 2-3 in the Sun Belt. South Alabama also 2-3 in the Sun Belt after a 28-26 loss on the road at Louisiana. North Alabama beat West Florida, 28-21. North Alabama's 3-2 in the UAC. Norwich Saints got a stop in overtime yesterday. They beat the Browns 23-22. The Saints, with the victory, improved to 3-5. Tune in tonight for Alabama men's basketball as they take on Oakland.

Pre-game at 5-30. Tip-off at 6-30. I'm John Thayer with the Sports Flash, presented by Progressive on 93-9. The score. Run! Pro safe big with early Black Friday deals at Lowe's. Shop new select DeWalt 20-volt max nailers under $350 for a limited time, like the 18-gauge Brad nailer. Now just $269. Plus, get up to 50% off select ladders. With deals like these, it's easy to keep your jobs moving all season long. Get Black Friday deals early at Lowe's, in-store and online. Valid through 1118, while supplies last. Selection varies by location.

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Limited availability in California. Drivers responsible for emergency and towing charges not covered by the policy. The score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in. It is a pleasure for us to go to the Max. Max H***, he is the man when he comes. He's talking to the Southeast. Back in the day, Max H*** Pioneer in sports talk in the entire Southeast. Also on the sideline at Florida State and Ole Miss. Max H***, welcome in. Were you on the sideline? Were you on the bus in Baton Rouge this weekend?

How are you? No, I wasn't in Baton Rouge this weekend, but had a lot of friends that were. I think they were some of those that you can't leave it early. You know, after the halftime, they started to spread. And I love the camera angle. You know, that fourth quarter, boy, those cameras, they're going to spin it. They're going to spin those seats is what they do. Is it true? You've got to give it to them. Alabama played by far their best football game. Absolutely. They were well prepared.

[37:20] And whatever that formula was, they better, you know, they better bottle that and keep moving with it. Because they just announced today, of course, that I'm assuming it's going to probably be Alabama-Georgia for the SEC championship. And if that be the case, then maybe the formula's working, if they can win that one. You know, the thing is, wouldn't it be amazing if that does play out, Max? That means that of all the teams that's been consistent since they started this in 1992. And a lot of us were there for that first one.

It's hard to believe. Legion Field. Steve Spurgeon's favorite place to play. And Antonio Lang in the Prada Town Creek and Hazelwood put the nail in that coffee. But wouldn't it be amazing that of all the teams in the SEC, and they've expanded to 16 now, Alabama would have played the first. They would have played the last. And ironically, if this comes to be, Ole Miss never made it from 1992 to now. It's amazing, is it not? It is. Well, I mean, look, how many times have we seen the whole game that's changing?

And I think with the change comes these, you know, these ups and downs that we're not accustomed to. I mean, you know, the Southeastern Conference has been pretty consistent through the years. Of course, the big move of bringing Texas and Oklahoma and that group in, I think, you know, that started it, really. And, of course, all the NIL and all the money situations has gone in. I just had a very interesting conversation on Saturday afternoon with some guys that coached about the same time I did.

And we were talking about how we started off as assistant coaches and what the salary was and what it is today. I mean, today it's generational wealth. It's what it is if you're a head football coach at the Southeastern Conference. Max, I hear all the criticism of this Cale and DeBoer staff, and some of it is certainly merited. But, once again, we talked about this last week. He was 8-0 after a bye week. They went back and self-scouted, and one of the most critical things, they went down to kick the field goal on the first drive and set the tone for the game.

They were much more physical. But one of the other things I said two or three times last week, Lane Kiffin beats himself. He does. He went for fourth down four times, never made it one time, made some other interesting decisions. Lane Kiffin is a very good coach. But, again, and I know he's a big analytics guy, but, Max, at some point you've got to know, well, maybe we need to kick the field goal here. Well, you know what I really do, and I understand that thoroughly.

I never got to know him, but I know a lot of people that have worked with him and some of them are working for him. Now, and I think their interpretation of that is when he does some of that stuff, in the back of his mind, it's almost a last resort. He's already broken the field down, and he knows if he doesn't get the most out of his players every snap, that he's going to lose anyway. And I think he's a gambler. He rolls with ice.

He is. You know, to see, and hoping that, you know, by him continuing to do situations like that, it will put him in a position to win. Even though in that ballgame, they were favored again, playing at home. And I know he was, you know, kind of discouraged about the time, and we heard all that stuff last week. And I understand that because they seem to do better when the fans are drunker. I mean, for the lack of a better term. But the fact is, Alabama's controlled that going to Baton Rouge more so than LSU has over the past 10 years.

So, you know, sometimes I don't understand why our coaches get so caught up in the game itself without taking time to look at all the trends and everything else that's happened to them through the years. It's just, I think it's the emotional thing. And I think when we've talked about coaches and coaching in today's marketplace, I think they have to pay more attention now to the emotions of the kids in the dressing room right now. It's no more wrong with just whatever the coaches said you do, that's gone out the window.

It's like almost like an appeasement now from the coaches and the players because they got so much money invested in the players today, of course, as well as the coaches staff. But it's a big business is what it is. And guessing sometimes it comes back to bite you. And I think Lane Kiff is one of those guys that he hadn't quite gotten to that point yet as far as his maturity is concerned. Well, I saw a stat that they've been, Alabama and LSU have been playing since 1895.

And Alabama, only 13 times has LSU beaten Alabama at Baton Rouge. And since 1895, the difference now is, Max, that's one of the poorest states in the union. They're pouring all this money. They got the governor saying, sign the check, give him what he wants. At what point, if they'll run off Ed Orgeron, one of their own, what are they going to do to Pretty Boy? Well, they'll have to go out there and find some of the new old wheels they just dug and pay him off. Because, I mean, you're right.

[42:49] And in all fairness, I think that may happen. And I've gotten to know because I've traveled so much and been around so many different programs. And one of my best friends is a big-time LSU guy. And we've talked about that. They don't care what they'll have to do if it comes time to make that decision. They'll sell something off if they had to put a mortgage on the capital bill in downtown. It doesn't matter. They will do whatever it takes to make it because you've all heard that in Louisiana, the most important thing in Louisiana is LSU football.

And I do believe that. I really do believe that. That's why they, you know, that's why when they play at night, they all show up, you know, Thursday afternoon, they start drinking until Sunday. And that's, you know, they seem to think that's the carryover part from the fans and the identification that they have with the team. And so, and again, even not disregarding the scores that come through the years. I don't think the majority of those guys that get so torn up about it, most of those are the ones that they can't even remember if they stayed at the game or not.

So, it's a unique, different situation than we have in any other school than at the Southeast Conference. Max, let me ask you about another team that's kind of flown under the radar this week with Georgia and Ole Miss and Alabama and LSU getting the headlines. Tennessee and Kentucky. Kentucky comes into this game in Knoxville, plus 13 in turnover margin. I give Will Stein, even though they lost the game, he's done an amazing job turning that Kentucky program around. But it's been interesting to me at how Josh Heupel has changed.

And four years ago, when he beat Nick Saban with Hendon Hooker, they were spread out sideline to sideline, throwing the ball. Now they've tightened up and compressed 12 or 13 personnel. They run the ball, lean on their defense, which was the best hire in the country, bringing in Jim Knowles to coach their defense. And then Kentucky had three turnovers. Tennessee took advantage of it and won the game 34-6. Well, I think a lot of Josh Heupel's success has been, when the Haslunds sold pilot truck shops for about $400 million or whatever it was, a lot of that money came back to Tennessee.

And I think maybe that's been funneled into the NIL program and in other places. I think Coach Heupel's been a good football coach all along. I do think he's, I think they've made some bad choices sometimes on recruiting. And they hadn't got the right players for his system. But I do think that's, if you've noticed, particularly in the last year, coming into this year, there was some question marks early about him, about what's here. But it's kind of settled in now. And you're right, they've settled in on a system now with where they could be successful and what he knows.

And he knows the passing game as good as anybody in the country. But I think he's had the wrong, you know, they've recruited the wrong people. And let's say it this way, just didn't get the right people in their slots to make it work. But they've got it now. And look, I'm happy to see the success for many of these programs. Because the more of these teams that can come up and win on a Saturday, particularly when they're playing another conference game, that's just more publicity for the Southeastern Conference.

And I think, hopefully, it will reflect in the number of teams that the conference gets in the national playoff. Well, one thing about his best hire was that defensive coordinator as well, Max Howell, in the huddle with us. Max, your thoughts about two things, the Auburn Tigers rallying to beat Arkansas. And nobody knows the matchup better than you. You know Auburn. And, by the way, you live in Mississippi. It's Auburn and Mississippi State this weekend. Your thoughts, Max? Well, I think Auburn, I think they finally put some things together and they're going to be okay.

They're headed toward a winning season, first time in eight years. It's time for that to happen. I think I'm still in awe in my mind when I say that because I never could conceive of going that long without a successful program. But somebody was making the decisions up there that probably didn't have as much clue as others did. But that's another day. But the fact is, I think the big Mississippi State, they were the athlete's starting quarterback, the big kid that was going to take them to the promised land.

And I think it's pretty well over here. Coaching change is coming. And I think that they'll be some – I don't think they'll cut and dry it before the season's over. But the overall, because they didn't have somebody ready in the backup quarterback situation, that's just another mark against him. And I think he's a pretty good – he's a pretty good football coach. But I think he's found himself in a situation that – guys, it's probably – I think Mississippi State, in relationship to the other 15 schools in the conference, they're probably at the bottom.

[48:21] They're not withstanding Vanderbilt. But Vanderbilt's a different situation. Vanderbilt has all the big academics and all that stuff behind them. Mississippi State doesn't have that. They don't have the alumni base. They can afford to compete. Mississippi – remember, you guys understand Mississippi. Ole Miss has got the law school, the medical school, accounting school. They got all the high-end stuff that when these guys come out of school, they're making pretty big money in the first two or three years. When you got to – you know, when you got to – the engineering degrees and all those guys that come out, they're eventually going to make big money.

But they don't start off that way. They've got to start off, you know, some kind of assistant in an office and work themselves up. And maybe before they get to the top, somebody's got to die in those businesses. And that's a fact. And so it takes them longer to get there, is my point, financially. That's where they are right now. They found themselves in a – you know, they thought it was a wading pool, but now it's become, you know, become a river in a pond that's 40 feet deep that they can't get out of.

So, I think – I think back to your question, I think Auburn, you know, has gotten some things put together. And I don't – I'm hoping they can get it – you know, they can get that – I don't care what kind of bowl game it is. It might be going to Memphis or wherever. But just so they can get some recognition and hopefully they can take that and move up another notch or two over the next couple of years. The coach, I think, is going to be okay. But they've got to have some more talent.

They're settling right now for what they can get. And, again, I think that's a decision that's being made by some people that's not quite as qualified as some other schools that have their people in the same position. Max, we'll close with Texas. We talked about them a little bit earlier. They had an impressive win over Missouri. Missouri played well for three quarters, but they couldn't get Roberts going. The SEC's second-leading rusher, he only hit 66 yards. Manny was really good, and particularly in the fourth quarter, finished with 300 yards, three touchdowns.

With all their issues and injuries, they have beaten four top 20 teams, and I think they're now going to playoffs. But an impressive performance. I know at times he's been up and down, but Manny looked pretty good in the fourth quarter. Well, if you notice, though, that, guys, he's never started off that way, though. Every game that he's won and got credit for the win like he did, it's always, you know, in the fourth quarter almost. And I think the question for the people that try to analyze what's going on, they can't put a rap on that.

They don't understand why it's taking him that long. And first of all, my first opinion is that he's not getting coached during the week, not to the level that it's going to take, the level that that kid has talent-wise. Evidently, they aren't showing the right pitchers who practice during the week because he looks, you know, how many times has he dropped back there? If one of the offensive linemen happens to miss a block, he's got to get out of the pocket. He's going to throw it most of the time.

He's got good running skills, but he'd rather throw the ball down the field. And when that line breaks down with one guy, it fleshes him out of the pocket. And I know he can take advantage of that, but something is missing in either the play calling versus the team that have a defense that they got to, you know, down the distance that they're doing, or he's not getting enough reps to make him be consistent throughout the whole ballgame. And because of that, I'll just say the word's out that he may be playing somewhere else next year.

He's got two years eligibility left. And he may, you know, his family may say, hey, you know, let's take a look somewhere else where you can get, you know, where you get ready to go to the NFL. And I'll be curious, Max, if that other place is Ole Miss. I've heard that two or three times from a lot of people. But I always enjoyed the conversation. Glad you survived the election last week. I know you spent a lot of time trying to help folks get that done.

Max, I always enjoyed the conversation, my friend. Have a great week. Let's do this again next Monday. I'd love to do it, Brad. Always my pleasure. Thank you, guys. Thank you so much, Max. Right back at you. We can confirm that apparently the SEC office did not find LSU $175 for fans rushing to the parking lot before the end of that game. BB, coming up, the next time I'm going to be taking it all over the place. I wonder if the Redfish is having a better Monday after that outcome in Baton Rouge.

We'll check on that. V-Man says life is good in East Tennessee. And Charlie Trotman hits thoughts on the Auburn Tigers all straight ahead. Stay with us. Playing grills at the park, playing pickup on a Saturday, or sinking the final putt. When you compete with your friends with Michelob Ultra on the line, competition isn't that friendly. The trash talk, next level, and the stakes, oh, those are crystal clear. With only 95 calories and superior smooth taste, it's the ultimate trophy. Superior is worth playing for. Michelob Ultra, superior light beer.

[53:57] Enjoy responsibly, covered by 2025, Anheuser-Busch, Michelob Ultra, light beer, St. Louis, Missouri. Carbine Construction is honored to be a part of building projects with the Florence City School System. We're also glad to cheer on the Falcons as they celebrate milestone achievements as well. Good luck to head coach Kenny Morrison and the Florence Falcons football team on building a special season to remember as Carbine Construction wishes you the very best this season. Remember, at Carbine Construction, we build trust, we build relationships, and like the Florence Falcons football team, at Carbine Construction, we continue to build.

Jamie Erdahl here from Monday Night Football on Westwood One, a marquee matchup of 6-1 teams this week when Kyler Murray and the Minnesota Vikings, coming off their first loss of the season, host Josh Allen and the red-hot Buffalo Bills. Super Bowl winning head coach Doug Peterson and I will get our coverage started, and then Kevin Harlan and Hall of Famer Kurt Warner call the action on Monday Night Football. Right here on 93.9 The Score. Right now at O'Reilly Auto Parts, get one free set of Brake Best Select brake pads when you buy two Brake Best Select brake rotors.

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[59:11] Blair is up next in Birmingham. Hey, Blair. Hey, Paul. Why are you thankful for this next year? Blair, I'm thankful that all of us on this program get to do this every day. It's not something that I take for granted. It's something that's very important to me and hopefully to all of you. The Paul Feinbaum Show. Weekdays at 3 Eastern on the ESPN app and on the SEC network. 93.9 The Score weather. Today sunny with a high around 70. Tonight mostly clear with a low near 40. Tomorrow mostly sunny with a high around 70.

Tomorrow night mostly clear with a low near 40. And for your Veterans Day mostly sunny with a high around 70. 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 tour of the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird.

Thank you so much for giving us free ride around the Tennessee Valley and for Charlie Trotman taking time out of his busy schedule. Look with us. Of course, Charlie, former Auburn quarterback and a man who knows his Tigers inside and out. Charlie, happy Monday to you. How are you? Doing great, guys. Hope y'all are. Hey, bud. Man, we are. Charlie, obviously, as they say, it doesn't matter as long as you come away with the win. You'll take it, whether it's good, bad, or ugly. Charlie, where do you start in breaking down Auburn's win over the Razorbacks?

Well, I thought it was a tremendously important game for Auburn. Luckily, we were playing Arkansas. If we had been playing anybody else, I'm not sure what would have happened, guys, because we are notorious this year for getting off to slow starts. And boy, did we get off to a slow start against Arkansas. You know, it was 10-3 at halftime. And my goodness, you know, we were offensively just, you know, doing three and outs, three and outs, and just punting the ball away and not getting any first downs.

It was very frustrating, but they got it together a little bit in the second half and were able to put some drives together. And Byron Brown kind of put the team on his shoulders and just did what he had to do to win the game. But it was a very hard-fought win. You know, the one good thing, we had, you know, a couple of sacks, key sacks in the game that kept some drives that Arkansas may have been able to kick a field goal or scored on, keep them at bay.

So, you know, we did a nice job of putting pressure on their quarterback, who, by the way, is from here in Montgomery, Alabama, in K.J. Jackson. Anyway, I felt like the defense played a pretty good game, a better game than they played, obviously, against LSU or Ole Miss. But then again, you're not playing an offense that's as potent as either one of those either. So, you know, mixed bag, you know, I give Auburn probably a C on the day as a grade. I don't think that we were outstanding in any, you know, part of the game.

But I felt like, you know, when we had to have it, they did what it took to get the W. And as you said, Harold, that was really critical. Charlie, I'm sure no one's asked you, Charlie, what the heck is it going to take these guys to get the coffee early and try to get the ball rolling? That's an easier question to ask than it is to answer. But is it fair to say, if you want to sit here and utilize this Auburn offense right now, right now until they come up with a B plan, you just bird dog Byron Brown and force them to go to that B plan?

Yeah, I mean, that's what I would do if I was looking at defending Auburn. I would put a spy on Byron Brown and, you know, I would load up to stop the running game and make Auburn, you know, beat us throwing the football. So, but, you know, Auburn's one of three teams in all of football, all of college football right now, that has not scored on an opening drive all year. And the other two are like Southern Miss and New Mexico or New Mexico State or somebody like that.

[1:04:22] And, you know, it's just, it almost, it almost is unheard of that you would think that at some point you'd have a big play or chunk yardage play that puts you in position to score a touchdown. So, I would, I would say that, you know, in this game against Mississippi State coming up, you know, their quarterback is out and everybody thinks, well, Mississippi State's not potent anymore, but heck, their backup quarterback threw for 260 yards against Vanderbilt. Yeah, that's one. Yeah. So, you know, I think, I think it's, you know, it could be a very tough day over in Starkville and, and especially if, you know, Auburn is scoring in either the low 20s or the teens.

And, you know, they're, they're not getting any, you know, big chunk yards plays and things like they were doing. They, they, there were a couple of games in there that Auburn, you know, was successful offensively and, and, you know, doing good things. But I don't know if it's, if, if it's the fact that we just, you know, the play calling, Joel Gordon is an experienced play caller, but, you know, sometimes, you know, we'll get out and we'll throw a ball on first down and only get a couple yards and then we run the ball and don't do it successfully and, and just inevitably we're third and 11, third and 16, third and 14, third and 12, you know, it's just, you can't live like that, you know, on offense, trying to go up against defenses that lay their ears back and know you're going to have to throw the football.

And it's just, you know, you, you put yourself in the bind when you, when you were, you're having third and long. Charlie, I watched the first half of the game and I thought Arkansas outplayed Auburn. They just couldn't, as you mentioned, couldn't get anything going, but the defense really helped. I know they've had some issues. I still think DJ Durkin is a good defensive coordinator. The defense gave up 179 yards rushing, but Riddick, 11 tackles, three sacks. Shadarius Toodle, where in the world did that come from? 11 tackles and four sacks.

It's like you mentioned, every time Arkansas was about ready to put the game away, Auburn got a key sack. In fact, they had 12 tackles, four loss, and six sacks. That's going to disrupt any offense. Yeah, and I think Ladarius Toodle is a really good football player. Now, I don't know why he wasn't playing. He's got the size and the speed to really, you know, make a lot of hay on defense. And, you know, that we had that was an All-American that, you know, is off the team now, you need to have somebody step up.

And he finally, that's the first playing time he's really gotten this year. So, it was great to see him come out and have a big game. And, you know, the other thing that Melendez, our other linebacker, is really playing outstanding football. And our linebackers have been the strength of our defense. The defensive backs are still not fine in the football on deep passes. You probably saw that a couple of times against Arkansas. Arkansas threw some back shoulder deep passes that our defensive backs didn't have any clue as to where the ball was.

And they were completed for one was completed for a touchdown that tied the game. And, you know, it's just frustrating to, you know, have the plays there to be made. But then the guys that are out there on the field are not making them. Charlie, talk to us about, let's face it, I think right now folks who are objective, obviously want to win every ballgame. That's every fan base. But being realistic, what's the word, relative? If they win at least two of these next three, that's going to be by, in comparison to the last two or three seasons, they success.

But where are you as far as, you know this program better than us. Is the program, in your view, where you want it to be at this point or is it a little bit disappointing? Because in the preseason, I don't think any objective fan, I knew this team was going to go unbeaten. But where are you as far as the overall point of where this program is right now? Well, there have been some positives. I mean, of course, the Georgia game and, you know, being able to, you know, win at different times.

And, you know, Auburn's five and four. Those four losses have come to pretty good teams. You know, Tennessee and LSU and Ole Miss. And, you know, I think that, you know, if I said it wasn't a disappointment, I would be, you know, misquoted or misstating the fact. Because I think it is. I think that right now, if I was talking to Coach Golesh and got his, you know, his real feelings about the season, he'd have to say that right now it's been a disappointment. I think what happened at Tennessee, you know, was certainly a game that Auburn was in.

[1:09:53] It could have. But, again, the offense was just not able to, you know, do anything. So, you know, I would hope that Auburn, you know, can beat Mississippi State and Sanford. And, you know, you get to seven wins, you're going to go to a bowl game. And then, you know, you load up to Bear and go to Tuscaloosa and just, you know, lay it out there and see what happens. But, you know, Auburn's going to be probably a double-digit underdog in Tuscaloosa. And, you know, the way Alabama played Saturday night, that's appropriate.

We've talked about the offensive line changes. They had some more. Jacob Strand re-ended the lineup at right tackle in place of Wilson Zyer. Now, Jacoby Ward started again at right guard. Charlie, in your opinion, how did the offensive line play against Arkansas? So, I thought they played fairly well. Now, you know, there were a couple of sacks that Arkansas got. You know, this line has been very inconsistent. That's the best way you can put it. Because they do really well on some plays. And then they'll give up a sack on the next play.

So, they're just inconsistent. But I think they're giving great effort. I do believe that. I think that, you know, the mistakes that they made are full-speed mistakes. And they're giving, you know, everything that they've got to put this, the chemistry for that offensive line together and to be productive. But, you know, they have, they've been, it's been a difficult season for the offensive line. You know, no doubt about it. You can say a lot of things. And, obviously, fans, they want perfection. But if you take a step back, does anybody, anywhere, have a better personal story than Auburn's place kicker?

What can you say about Alex? Wow. That kid has got more just character and, you know, has got the heart of a lion. I mean, you know, he at one point was down to, you know, 120, maybe 115 pounds, trying to do everything he could to survive. And I'm talking about to live, not to kick football. Exactly, to live. And, you know, to come back and be able to do the things that he's done. He's kicked two winning field goals against Georgia and against Arkansas. You know, he's a miracle.

He really is. He is a walking miracle. Well, Charlie, tell me he has a bag, a special bag, and he had the doctors put it on the opposite side so it wouldn't interfere with his kick in motion. That's right. He does. And, you know, it's going to be something that he probably is going to have to have the majority of his life if they can't find another way to rearrange, you know, the intestines. But, you know, Alex McPherson is a gamer. I mean, you know, that kid, I remember last year when he was trying to come back and he first started kicking, he was barely able to kick a 35-yard field goal.

And he got stronger and stronger and stronger as the year progressed. And then this year, you know, before the game, they showed a little clip of him kicking a 60-yard field goal. And it made it by three or four yards. I mean, it was a monster kick. And he is a small kid. You know, he's not a big guy. So, you know, he generates a lot of leg power and he's a tremendous asset to the Auburn program. Absolutely. Well, Charlie Trotman is a tremendous asset to our program every Monday.

Charlie, always enjoy the conversation, my friend. Have a great week. Let's do this again next Monday if you can. We'll do it, guys. Thank you so much. War Eagle. Thank you, bud. Have a great week, Charlie. Charlie Trotman, former Auburn quarterback. They say life is good in East Tennessee these days. Vince Ferrara to tell us next. Stay with us. I've always felt that sports imitate life. And in both arenas, everyone loves a good comeback story. I sold my dynasty almost three years ago and have missed coming to the ballpark every day since.

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On November 20th, join us for the first ever Shoals Hoops High School Basketball Media Day. For the first time, high school basketball programs from across the Shoals will come together under one roof to celebrate our local teams, players, and coaches as they gear up for another exciting basketball season. Come watch your favorite local teams and coaches take the spotlight with media interviews, team introductions, and plenty of basketball excitement. The day also features an FCA breakfast and a special Learn From the Best coaching clinic featuring college coaches and championship winning coaching legends.

And we want you to be a part of it. The entire community is invited to come out, support our local athletes, and help make this inaugural event something special. That's November 20th from 7.30 a.m. to 2.30 p.m. at the Lauderdale County Workforce Development Center, 250 Career Drive in Florence. Presented by Turbo Coffee, SCA, and the Triple Threat Podcast. Shoals Hoops Media Day, where our basketball stars take center court. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in. It's Monday. Time to head to East Tennessee and say hello to the boys.

Vince Ferraro hooking up with us. They're a 99.1, the sports animal in Knoxville. V-Man, welcome in. How are you? I'm good, gentlemen. How are we doing? Hey, bud. And I would imagine almost as good as Vince Ferraro. I would guess that the fans in your neck of the woods are in a pretty good mood to kick off the week after winning the big border war with Kentucky. Vince, where do you start putting this baby in perspective? Well, it made everyone feel, you know, validated that, you know, the college football playoff rankings were what they were.

And they were so far behind Alabama. And, you know, Tennessee fans weren't happy about it, of course. And a lot of national people were on Tennessee's side, which Tennessee fans feel like they're not used to. But, yeah, I mean, Tennessee, with an opportunity to prove any doubters wrong, did so. And exploding there in that fourth quarter, they, you know, play, do what they do. Ran the ball great, 240 yards, dominant defense, and good enough in the passing game. And, you know, it's wrestling and turning Kentucky over, which is something that had not happened a lot.

[1:19:54] So, yeah, they're feeling really good about it. You can't be all in anymore in college football. It's so week to week that you can't assume anything the following week, even though you feel good about it. But it's kind of like cautious excitement. And that's kind of how I would describe things around here, probably just like a lot of other places that had a good weekend. Let's talk about what you touched on there, V-Man. Obviously, you see why Tennessee fans have been upset with the first thing report from the college football poll.

But Alabama also sat here and said, believe us, we're number five in the country. They go on the road and knock off Lane Kiffin in his backyard by double digits after being the six-point underdog. So, that being the case, you listen to Tennessee fans, they're going to tell you one thing. You listen to Alabama fans, they're going to tell you another thing. And now the national media, they try to be objective, but we know how that goes. That goes, too. So, where do you put Alabama and Tennessee coming up tomorrow night?

Well, I think Tennessee will still be behind Alabama. I mean, they were fifth, and they won running away from LSU on the road. So, that's going to give them another quality win. The committee clearly looked at those two teams in different pods or whatever, different tiers. And so, they didn't, the head-to-head didn't come into play. I don't know. I wish they would show us what these tiers are so people, so they could be a little bit more accountable for what they are. But just like last year, you know, Notre Dame and Miami weren't in the same tier until they were.

And then suddenly, the head-to-head mattered. So, just that leaving it unknown, and then it can just change week to week. I don't know. Maybe Tennessee was impressive enough to where they worked their way into the same tier as Alabama. Or maybe they're still below it. They'll be behind Alabama. There's no doubt about that. But, you know, it's just a matter of, you know, where Tennessee is in the rankings. They will be, I think, within the top 11 is what you need. When Notre Dame is included in there, and you only have a group of six outside of it, they need to be in the top 11.

And they'll definitely be in the top 11, I would think. But they'll be closer to Alabama, but still behind them, I think. B, two things. I thought Kentucky comes in that game plus 13 in turnovers. Had not had a turnover in, what, nearly over a month. And then had two in the first half, ended up with three, and Tennessee took advantage of that. Deshaun Bishop joins Johnny Jones as the only two-time 1,000-yard running back. And also, he had a little bit of help from Dwayne Morris, who popped one.

Early in the game, he ran for 98 yards. On the negative side, I know Alabama, of course, a lot of teams are beat up this time of the year. But defensive end Tyree Weathersby becomes the eighth Tennessee player lost to season-ending injuries. He was number three in sacks in the SEC, eight-and-a-half tackles for loss. It's amazing to me. Tennessee has been able to, again, compensate for eight players being lost for the season. Yeah, it's been seven for a while, and then he went down in the second half.

So, you know, they had him up until this point. And, you know, you mentioned how, you know, where he was in the SEC. Even he had more sacks than Zabry Gilliam was getting a lot of national attention. Yeah. Just outstanding. And this is the year where he made that big jump and stayed in the program, didn't bail and run to the portal. And he's continued to develop, and it clicked with Jim Knowles' defense. So, they have some other guys because they do have depth on that D-line and at defensive end.

Marion Dye hadn't even really started, and he's right there with right behind Weathersby and sacks. And quarterback pressure is among the best in the SEC, too. So, he'll slide into his starting spot, but then they're going to have to go a little bit deeper into the bench. And guys that give very limited snaps will have to get more. Jordan Norman will get a bigger bunch of snaps. Carson Gentle has played a little bit here and there, game to game. And they may need a true freshman, Hezekiah Harris, to, you know, get some increased snaps, maybe even double-digit in the game.

So, it really tests your depth, although they haven't had to use Jim Knowles hasn't gone deep into his bench. But they have used some reserves on the D-line and at linebackers because of the talent they have there. You know, it's a bummer because they have been clean in the availability report. And also, you know, we'll see on the status of DeSombray, and he went down on that play in the end zone, too. We'll see what – they don't have a ton of depth at that position either.

[1:25:08] B-Man 99-1, the sports animal entryway, the way the schedule closes out for Tennessee. They probably won't get a lot of love this weekend if things go as scripted, taking on Texas A&M. It's on the road. But here's what's interesting about it. But after that, they take on LSU. LSU, after getting beat by Alabama, is coming off a game against Texas. And you say, okay, here's a chance for common opponents to come into play. And that's true, except Alabama played Kentucky at Kentucky. They played LSU at LSU.

Both Kentucky and LSU will give Tennessee a home game. Your thoughts, the way the schedule pans out here for Tennessee. Well, we'll see what kind of status LSU was in at the time. I mean, they have a few losses now. They really don't have a great win. I mean, Auburn is probably their best win, home or away. Wow. And then they have to play Texas this week. Does Texas tag them with their fourth loss? Could Tennessee give LSU their fifth loss of the year with Lane Kiffin?

And, I mean, I think the rest of the SEC in the country would love to see that. You know, wishing that on Lane. And certainly 102,000-plus will in Neyland Stadium. With mustard? Yeah, with mustard bottles and golf balls. And, yeah, the night pool joked about it at media days. And no one ran it back to him then. Maybe that'll happen this week. But, yeah, you just don't know what kind of mental state LSU is going to be in. Or, if LSU was to beat Texas, they could be revitalized and say, hey, we just beat Texas.

We could get another good win against Tennessee. Why can't we get back in the playoff hunt with three losses when we have two wins like that? So, you just never know week to week. And, yeah, Vandy in the final week. This week is a just survive. And don't worry about style points this week. Just survive it against that A&M group that is below .500. Yeah, that's Alabama's motto this week. Vince, why don't we go ahead and save some time and give the assistant coach of the year award to Jim Nose.

Eight tackles, four loss, four sacks, 3.7 yards per carry for Kentucky. It's just absolutely incredible at how he has improved this Tennessee defense. I told you guys, I told people, I told John Pennington on his show, when people doubted, you know, the impact that Jim Nose could make in one year. I've said it on my show, you know, countless times in the offseason, Jim Nose is going to improve this defense a lot. They're even better than that. And, you know, he's just, you know, such an adaptable coach.

People look at his age and think he's just set in his ways. No way. And he has talent. He has coaches. He has players that have been there with the system helping now. And the returning guys all have flourished in his system, too. So, doesn't have a serious amount of depth. But, man, he is getting the most out of this group and just scheming it so well. It's very impressive how they adjust in-game also. So, I agree with you. Hard to find an assistant that's done a better job.

Well, the V-man's very impressive, too. I saw you and Josh had your post-game wrap-up on the field in Knoxville for the Kentucky game. V, where can we get online and get that incredible piece of information and all the other stuff that you do? Yeah, I appreciate it. To find that video and all the post-game wrap-ups and other stuff that we do, just look for 99.1 vSportsAnimal on YouTube. Find the channel. You can subscribe, like, share there. And you can see that should be the latest video or one of them there.

And then you can follow me on all the socials. It's at VinceSports, V-I-N-C-E Sports. It's always a good job. By the way, say hello to the star of the show, Daphne, for us, okay? She's about to do a TV podcast with me when I get on with you. Good. It's about time. They book her, and then I also chime in with a little bit of all stock. So, smartly done. But I'll pass it along. It's a dog-eat-dog world out there. V-Man somehow survived, okay? Sure will.

Thanks, guys, for having me. Always a pleasure. Thank you, buddy. The V-Man 99.1, the eSports Animal. From the big orange to the red fish. Details on deck. Stay with us. Sound familiar? At Mattress Firm, we understand there are many problems that can keep you up at night, like snoring, aches and pains, or sleeping hot. Our sleep experts have the unrivaled know-how to match you with a mattress that can help. And now at Mattress Firm, save up to $700, plus get a free adjustable base with select Sealy Posturepedic mattresses.

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Visit HyundaiUSA.com for details. Progressive presents the Sports Flash on 93.9 The Score. On the NASCAR Cup Series in the championship race at Homestead, Miami yesterday, Ryan Blaney was the race winner. Tyler Reddick was second. William Byron third. Christopher Bell and Bubba Wallace rounded out the top five in the final race of the season. Kyle Larson clinched his third cup title, his second consecutive championship. It's the first back-to-back winner since the remarkable run of Jimmy Johnson at a five-title run in 2010. Men's basketball election tonight. Alabama's at home.

They'll take on Oakland. Alabama is 2-0. North Alabama's 2-0. They'll play on the road at Oklahoma. And Auburn is home tonight. They're 1-0. They'll host App State. Tune in tonight for Alabama men's basketball as they take on Oakland. Pre-game at 5.30. Tip-off at 6.30. I'm John Thayer with the Sports Flash presented by Progressive on 93.9 The Score. You know, chicken and a waffle making that a sandwich, you can't go wrong. Hey, hey, I am Jamia. And I'm Erica. And a little thing we love about the Chick-fil-A Chicken and Waffles Breakfast Sandwiches is the maple flavor in every bite.

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Yes. Yes. William, obviously you've got all kinds. The thing about Lane, he gives us plenty to work with, does he not? So from that standpoint, he's a great coach. But is there any way of putting this in perspective, all the pressure on this staff, all the pressure on these players, you go into one of the most hostile environments, or is it, is that Bryant-Denny West? When you go back and look at history, your thoughts about just how crazy this game is when you're playing as a visitor, as a visitor, and the importance, can we put it in perspective how big this win was for Alabama this season and going forward?

Yeah, no, it was absolutely a big win. And, you know, can't say enough good things about the players. You know, they played, you know, physical and, you know, you saw, you know, Keelan Russell and multiple other players, you know, fighting through mild injuries. You know, you hate to lose, you know, who, in my opinion, is the heart and soul of that offense and Josh Ford. You know, he'll come back stronger next year. But, no, I thought it was a really good team win, you know, all three phases contributed to that victory.

[1:35:39] And, you know, now they've got a chance to, you know, if they take care of business and win these last three games, I may be in the minority, but I'm hoping that Tennessee and Texas both win out as well. So, maybe give us a vacation from that meaningless SEC championship game. The Bimba don't break defense drives most fans crazy and former players. I'm one of them. And I know you're at the top of that list, but let me single out some guys. Four sacks, five tackles for a loss.

Devin Tompkins, two sacks. Pierre had a big one. And Red Morgan was just all over the place. Nine tackles, five solos, should have had an interception in the end zone. Chuck McDonald, Mads with 11 tackles, the interception. Caleb Woodson doing his thing with eight tackles and a pass to break up. And, no, I agree with you entirely. And LSU went from the 20 to 20 like a knife through hot butter. But, give this defense a lot of credit. When they bowed their hand, it was effective. No, it absolutely was.

And, you know, they were disruptive. You know, it was either the first or second defensive play where you saw Terrence Green. Yep. His presence, you know, being back in there. And, you know, I think that really led to, you know, Tompkins having a big game again. You know, Luke Metz, I mean, Reuben Foster, you know, nailed it back in the summertime when he said he was going to be a problem. Yep. And so, you know, like I said, we could sit on here the rest of the day and name names.

You know, it was, you know, the defense was disruptive. They, you know, played a huge hand in that victory on Saturday. But, you know, the biggest thing to me was, you know, this was probably the first game that I've seen since probably September where I didn't really have, you know, some overt criticism of the way Ryan Grubb called the game. But, you know, the first series, that's the best opening script I've seen out of him. And, you know, there were several plays, you know, that long run on the first drive that Treshawn Brown had.

If, you know, one offensive lineman makes his block, that thing's a touchdown. So, you know, I think that, and again, we talked last week about my hope of Ryan Grubb building on, you know, what he found successful in the fourth quarter against Texas A&M. And that's exactly what he did. The running backs and the tight ends had 10 touches, you know, in the passing game. I'd like to see that go up even further, you know, going forward, just because I think we've got some really good players that can work, you know, different areas and angles of the route tree.

You know, Caleb Edwards is really becoming a nice target at that position, obviously, Marshall Pritchett. But, you know, you saw Daniel Hill and Brown get involved in that, too. So, you know, there's just, you know, so many things and so many different, you know, parts of this team that contributed to that victory. And, you know, obviously, you know, I'm going to, you know, give them the business when they deserve it, but I'm going to give them, you know, praise when they deserve it. And Ryan Grubb and Kane Womack's plans on both sides of the ball played a big part of this win as well.

Brad Fish, do you think we'll see more bootleg play? To me, that was very effective. They totally, they put LSU on the shelf on the first touchdown there from Ryan Williams. And you look at Sidereon Morgan, he's batting 1,000 when it comes to catching touchdowns. He's caught two balls, both of them for touchdowns. This kid, to me, all spring, all offseason, watch out for Sidereon Morgan, who should be playing high school ball right now. But your thoughts, maybe we'll see more bootleg play and your thoughts about the potential of, look, a 19-year-old throwing the ball to an 18-year-old catching the ball at Baton Rouge.

Well, you know, if it were me, you know, it's not, you know, there would be a lot more, you know, bootleg action and rolling Keelan Russell out. You know, mixing that in with those tight ends and the running backs in a short, you know, kind of a West Coast style offense, you know, where you've got, you know, two quick, easy reads. You know, if the force man to the side you're rolling out to drops into coverage, you take off and run. If he comes up to defend the quarterback, you drop it over his head.

[1:40:42] And, you know, Keelan is, you know, so athletic and dynamic with the ball in his hand. I mean, it wouldn't take but, you know, a pump and you make the guy leave his feet and he's off to the races. But, you know, there's just so many weapons at this, you know, offense's disposal and, you know, obviously Crowell's battling a knee injury and, you know, they're getting Ryan Williams. You know, I think, you know, you can't discount, you know, getting Ryan Williams, Delgatti and Terrence Green back and healthy for this game.

You know, it's a different team, you know, when those three guys are in their respected positions. And, you know, even though Ryan, you could tell, still isn't 100%, you know, the end-around touchdown and the punt return were big games. He had some other, you know, shorter catches where he gained, you know, good yards after the catch. So, you know, there's just a lot of things to build on. And I'll be honest with you, those three names that I mentioned, nobody's paying me $10 million a year to make this call.

But those three players that I just mentioned would be on a pitch count for the next two ballgames. Yep, yep, yep. You know, to try and protect whatever, you know, percentage of 100% they're all free at right now. Absolutely. I mentioned this at the end of our conversation last Monday about special teams. They profoundly outplayed LSU's special teams. Williams, you mentioned on the punt return. Talty on the opening field goal. I thought that was huge as far as the tone. The drive was nice, but to be able to make that.

And Esperruhoff, five punts for 49.8 yards a punt. I would say that Alabama won the special teams battle. Well, I mean, I'll take it one step further than that. I think Jay Nunez and the special teams unit, you know, has to be the leader in the clubhouse for this season. Yeah, absolutely. For the most improved unit on this team over last year. They've been very consistent. You know, you haven't seen any, you know, from the coverage teams to the return teams setting up some nice kickoff and punt returns at times.

You know, to the place kicker and the punter. You know, and there again, you know, we talked about Sundari and Morgan. You know, that was the mystery man. I guess they just fly him in on Saturdays for the games. The NC State transfer wide receiver, Noah Rodgers, recovering that fumble punt. Yes. You know, he's another one. He's gotten very few touches or looks this year, but he's made the most of his reps, you know, when he has been highlighted. So, like I said, they've got plenty of weapons.

And, you know, the good news is, I mean, there's going to have to be some young players step up and maybe some portal additions to patch the defense back up after this season. But, you know, that offense, you know, I think James is out of eligibility. And, you know, we have to wait and see what, you know, Ryan Williams' NFL status is. You know, they're returning everybody on that offense. Well, on defense, there's two names that have come to mind. Luke Metz. I mean, do you think that the LSU quarterback will remember that name?

You talk about old school. In a day and time, a lot of folks say these kids don't want to hit because they want to risk NIL money. Metz is definitely old school, is he not? Yeah, he is. But, you know, he's kind of got the new age athleticism for a linebacker. You know, he's not somebody that you have to substitute on, you know, when you play a spread team with a dual threat quarterback. You know, he's not somebody that you have to bring off the field because he can't cover.

I mean, we've seen what this is his second interception. And he's had, you know, had close calls with some more. So, you know, he's a great, great all-around, you know, athletic linebacker for this era of college football. And, you know, he's still got two years of eligibility left. I know. Listen, run the dadgum ball is what we all hear every day to the point of nauseam. And I get it. But the LSU defense was sixth in the country. In fact, Alabama's played in the last four games, eighth, 18th, 28th, and sixth, which is pretty impressive.

Talk about the offensive line. Obviously, some of them played well, others did not. But if you were grading the offensive line, what kind of grade would you give them? You know, I would say it was probably a solid B to a B+. You know, we knew how good LSU's run defense was. We knew that, you know, they had some good edge rushers that can affect the quarterback. But, you know, when it got down into, you know, gut check time there in the fourth quarter, they kept Keylon Russell protected.

[1:46:02] And, you know, that was, you know, some issues there in the first half when LSU was, you know, selling out to stop the run as well. And, you know, there's no harm when a quarterback steps up to the line of scrimmage and, you know, they've got too many men in the box to the side of the player that the run plays called on. You know, they've got an audible system called Check With Me, and he can check to the other side with the same play. Or, you know, just do a, you know, a full-blown, you know, red alert and audible to a pass play.

And so, you know, we don't know how much of that freedom at this stage that Keylon Russell has. But, you know, I think he is, you know, for his inexperience level, you know, I think he's doing a fantastic job of managing this offense. You know, it's the first game in a while where he hasn't had a turnover. That's it. And so, you know, he was under some duress in that game at times with that pass rush and, you know, playing on a bum ankle. So, you know, I mean, I think, you know, of all the people that we've mentioned, there's still, you know, probably some other ones that deserve attaboys.

But it was just a good, old-fashioned team win. You know, every part of the game contributed to that victory. Redfish, what is Kellen DeBoer telling this team about their next game and where they're playing it? I would think the message is, look, guys, you've got yourself in the position that you worked all winter and all summer for. It's right there in front of you over the next three weeks. You know, don't allow, you know, any hiccups. You know, you've got to go to Nashville this weekend and, you know, take care of business and then turn around, you know, the following week for, you know, UT Chattanooga and then you've got, you know, the Iron Bowl, you know, three weeks from now.

So, you know, it's all laid out there in front of them. They've got a chance to, you know, turn what was a, you know, a really rough October schedule-wise. You know, and I think the goal most people saw for this team, I know that wasn't the goal for the players or the coaching staff. They're going to want to win every one of them. But I think most people felt like if Alabama could split that gauntlet that they had and come out of the back end of it, two and two, that was going to be considered a victory.

Well, Harold kind of alluded to this as far as Russell's legs. I listened to the radio broadcast on the away games and Tyler Watch mentioned a couple of times on RPOs. One time he said if Russell would have kept the ball, he had 20 yards in front of him. And I know they're trying to protect him more. Do you think he needs to keep the ball and go around in on the RPOs more? You know, I think that's something that they're still probably working with him on because, you know, you see some hesitancy and some awkwardness at times when they go to run those plays.

You know, if the fluidity's not there, it's a lot more difficult to hoodwink the defense with it. But, you know, when you've got a quarterback that's, you know, as good of a runner as he is passer, man, there's all kinds of stuff you can do with a player like that. And, you know, and again, the one guy that I think has really won me over to the point to where I'm glad, you know, he's got some more eligibility left because two years ago I was ready to ship him off to UT Chattanooga.

But, man, what a season Rico Scott has had. You know, just – it really took advantage of the enhanced reps that he got in Ryan Williams' absence. And so, you know, now when they come up against an evenly matched opponent, you know, especially as it gets deeper into the season and, you know, Ryan's more healthy than he is now, you know, you've got two, actually even three when you count in Lottie Brooks' legitimate deep threats at wide receiver. I really didn't have any idea until probably October that Rico Scott is one of the fastest players on the team.

Yeah. And physical. Absolutely. Absolutely. Listen, I know you get texts from your former buddies, former players. I got a couple of texts at the end of the first quarter. Two of them said, is Ryan Grove calling the place? I mean, it literally – I thought I was going to fall off the couch. You made that statement about the first game you haven't wanted to throw something at the TV. I had several guys ask me if he was literally calling the place. Well, I mean, you know, you never know when Kaelin DeBoer might just, you know, cut his list set off and take that over himself.

[1:51:12] And like I said, man, that was magical on that first drive. It was. The way they were mixing it up. And, you know, there again, it wasn't like Ryan Grubb just, you know, stopped that during the game. It came down to just, you know, poor execution at times by certain players on certain plays. But like I said, man, when they needed it, you know, there was some great stuff dialed up. And, again, you know, the players executed it. I thought Sendarian Morgan did a h*** of a job on his touchdown pass, you know, selling that fake.

Boy, boy, he did. Well, listen, I hope this Monday, as Harold alluded to, was a lot better than what was it, four weeks ago from the Monday from h***? Oh, this one has been. Now, you know what? See, now you got my d*** PTSD clicking off. Because now I'm like, oh, wait a minute. What happened the last time we went to Nashville and played Vanderbilt? Exactly. That's what I'm talking about. Have a great week, William. Thanks, guys. Talk to you soon. All right, buddy. I guarantee you, Kellen DeBoer is going to remind him about the last trip up there after a big win.

Remember, it was Georgia then, LSU now. Speaking of Alabama, are you ready for some Bama basketball later on tonight right here? Yeah, starting at 5.30 pregame against Oakland. The tip-off at 6.30. Then after that, UNA football night sometime after that Alabama basketball win. And guess what else? It's Holloway's first game back for Alabama here, how he does, later on right here on 93.9 The Score. It's going to take care of business for now. On behalf of B.B., Greg, James Blair, the entire crew here. Carol Buck, thank you so much for your time today.

Let's do it again tomorrow noon to 2 for the Bama Buck Show back here on Sports Radio 93.9 The Score.