Boomo Bugg Show 1211252

[0:00] Now, get ready to roll Shoals, Decatur, Athens, and all of Northwest Alabama and Southern Tennessee. It's time for the Valley's exclusive FM Sports Voice. The Boomo Bugg Show. Your exclusive inside track to the Tigers, Tennessee and the rest of the SEC. Now your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Good afternoon and welcome here to the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving us free ride around the Tennessee Valley. Brett Beaird, welcome in. And can you believe there is a big scandal at the big house and why it's got the rumor mills working big time in our neck of the woods? Plus, good news for UNA football's future schedule. Good afternoon, welcome in and how are you?

Happy Thursday to you and the listeners. Yeah, we'll be talking about UNA playing Auburn not once but twice in the future, a little bit later in the show. Former Auburn quarterback Charlie Trotman is going to be talking about Auburn here in about 20 minutes and three former defensive coordinators now on goalage staff including former Tennessee defensive coordinator Tim Banks, Martin Newton, the athletic director at Samford and son of legendary Alabama coach Sam Newton We'll preview number one Arizona and number 12 Alabama in the Sam Newton classic Saturday today at one o'clock.

And BB is here right now to talk about what you just alluded to, major questions for the Michigan football program. And that ain't all we start talking to Bill Bender. He's the national voice of the Sporting News and the big story that we're not mentioning here with Bill Bender. Welcome in tucks boy. You clean up well. Congratulations. Yeah, that was quite the honor to present the jersey trophy on Monday and I appreciate it. Uh, yeah, I had a little trouble figuring out the bow tie, but I'll tell you what, uh, Jacob Rodriguez and his family. Good people. He, that is a, uh, one student athlete, uh, highly deserving of everything he's getting right now.

Bill, anything going on in the big 10 these days? Well, I mean, well, so I, I don't want to make light of the situation. Obviously Sharon Moore is being detained and some serious allegations there. Um, where that leads for him, I don't know, but it's ugly on that end. You know, uh, as far as Michigan's concerned, there's yet another black eye on a school that's really dealt with scandals each of the last three seasons. This one's obviously a little bit different because it has less to do with on the field than, you know, personal stuff. And, uh, I know what you guys just said, and that's probably going to be rumored that perhaps they take a run at killing the boar. And if you're Michigan, that, that would be a home run swing that would really shake things up.

The question is, we know Michigan would have an interest certainly in the board with everybody else. Pretty much as far as the A-list off the board by now, he'd be there anyway, but certainly now the question is, in your opinion, does the board have any mutual interest? Well, I mean, he'll be asked that question. You have reporters down there that have the willingness to ask him about the Penn state job, which they did a week ago. Uh, was that, uh, that Charlie that asked that question?

Yeah, Charlie Potter. That's correct. He's doing his job. He's a man because he's doing his job like a good journalist does. Um, but, uh, another one, because that's going to be, uh, ahead of that Oklahoma game. That's certainly going to be one of the names. I think Brian Kelly will be another name that comes up. Uh, and then you get into, uh, you know, here's the name that I'm going to throw out there and just keep an eye on it. And I have nothing behind it yet because they don't, but Dan Mullen would be interesting there.

And I think Dan Mullen could fit. Some of the home run swings don't. Uh, I've seen five lists today and they're about, uh, with 10 names and about seven of, of them are on every list. And we've got a copycat, not saying everybody does it, but I've seen these names for some of these names, certainly for six weeks. Uh, Bill, the other issue you've got at Michigan is who's going to be making the decision on hiring him. Will it be Ward Manuel who's been behind the scenes with all of this mess that has been going on back to Connor Stallions with the, the, uh, uh, sign stealing and the impermissible contact with recruits and all the other mess.

Will Michigan allow him to actually make the decision who's going to be the next athletic director. And also whoever this is to replace more, they're not going to be replacing a football coach. They've got to replace a culture. They've got to go back and clean a lot of mess out. I completely agree with all of that. You know, I completely agree with the, uh, the culture. Um, you know, Matt Campbell's a guy that would have fit really well in this spot and Penn State hired him last Friday.

[5:24] Um, you know, and we'll go from there. So I do think whoever they hire next, it has to move away from the hardball era. The hardball era is kind of like two different stories on the field, you know, especially in the back half, very successful. Uh, you win a national title, but the, the, the, you know, the phrase selling your soul or whatever you guys want to use kind of happened with Michigan here. And now they're paying, I think this is all more damaging than anything.

The NCA could have done with like a, uh, a hammer or post-season ban, whatever, because now your reputation, it's your reputation. You guys know that we're, we're only as good as our reputation. And, you know, you guys have been pretty good with me because you have a good reputation, right? Well, right back at you, Bill, I can't tell you that was, like you said, you got to go and wear a tux. We, we haven't got to your level yet. So we're still working to get there.

Bill Bender with the Sporting News, another name that I, I don't see enough, but he's, he expressed an interest. He's sitting by the phone. It's John Gruden. What's he doing these days? I think he, he didn't have a lot of baggage to get rid of to get on the job tomorrow, but talk to us about the culture there at Michigan. We, we see it from afar. You're closer to it, by the way, if you're brand new to the show, Bill lives on the other side of the state line, the place called Ohio.

So I want to ask you how you feel about Michigan Mets standpoint, but I've been watching some of the media reports from the Michigan media. And it said, here's what I thought was interesting. Kind of the board should jump all over this. This is a big job. So, Amy, if I'm wrong, the job at Alabama is pretty big too, isn't it, Bill? Somebody asked me this morning to rank, and it was without any data, just silly, just give me your list of what you think the top 10 jobs are in college football.

Without, you know me, I like to break down data and all that kind of stuff. If it were, if I were grading the best jobs in college football, I think the top three are Ohio State, Texas, and Alabama. I think those are the three best jobs in the sport. Then you get into that next clump, and it's probably LSU, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame. That's my top seven. Then you get into Oklahoma, USC. The other one I put on there, I can't remember now. It's not in front of me.

But, you know, then you get into the Florida school. And Penn State's a big name. I mean, you know. I put Oregon. Oregon because of what they have now. So that's around the top 10. That's what makes it so interesting to me is, like, I'm not going to sit here on your show and say Michigan's a better job than Alabama. I think they're comparable from what Michigan offers from a resource standpoint. But from a success standpoint, there's no question Alabama's been more successful in the 21st century.

How do you think? Go ahead. No, you go ahead, Bill. Please go ahead. And I just think that's the value decision DeBoer would have to do if it came to it. It's like, which one do you want? And right now, you're in a pretty good situation with Alabama. There's no reputational Alabama right now. Whoever takes that Michigan job has to clean up the school's reputation, not just the football. That's it. Yes. Yeah. Well, and the thing is, DeBoer just came off the number two signing class.

And if USC hadn't signed 1,000 people, he would have been number one in the 24-7. But here's the thing about it. I will say this in defense of those who are saying, why are you talking about DeBoer? If DeBoer doesn't want this to be out there, stand up to the microphone, look in the camera and say, guys, I'm telling you right now, I ain't going to go. And you can believe me now or time will tell you. And to me, that's how you squash this. Until he comes out and takes whatever view he's going to say, if he's going to decline it, to me, the best thing he could do to get ready for the playoff against Oklahoma and perhaps beyond is to come out and, like Barney told Andy, nip in the bud.

I don't disagree with you at all, Harold. I think that would be one way. It would be like the last time this happened with an SEC coach in Michigan. There was a really famous press conference involving Lance Miles. So that's the one way to say, okay, we're not doing this. And then if Kellen squashes it, I want to say one more thing about Brian Kelly. A lot of people rip on him and this or that. But he has proven he can run two of those top ten jobs we just talked about.

Right. He might not win a national title. He doesn't have to run a program like that. And I think if Michigan were in a pinch, he did start his career at Saginaw Valley State, maybe he's the guy. Yeah. And he'd be a better fit. I think Coltrane, he was never a fit at LSU. And that's not knocking LSU. It's not knocking him. It's just sometimes reality is what it is. You can't put a square peg in a round hole. And I think that's what he would.

I think he'd be a natural fit culture-wise if they're more so than LSU. I put a square peg in a round hole when I was trying to put that darn bow tie on. But, you know, I had to call Kimberly for like assistance. Yeah. But I get what you're saying. Yeah. Fit matters. And it does and it doesn't. You know, I had that conversation with Jacob Hester a while back about how, well, he always says, you know, like Nick Saban, you know, he fit at Michigan, or I mean at Alabama, because he won a bunch of games.

[10:53] The LSU baseball coach is from California. You win and you work hard, you can fit anywhere. That's right. Exactly right. In fact, Harold and I met Brian Kelly at the Harlan Hill Trophy presentation in Florence 15 years ago when he was at Grand Valley. Very nice to us. Very genial. And believe me, he's been through the wars in the last 20, 15 years. But before we let you go, let's look at some of the first round games. Let's look at two. Alabama to Oklahoma, 2.0. Friday night, 7 o'clock Central on ABC.

We know the challenges with the Alabama offense after the Georgia game and eight starters being out. Bill Bender has got Alabama winning that game 22 to 17. And Miami at Texas A&M, the Aggies a four-point favorite. This is going to be a very interesting game. Wouldn't that be something for Carson Beck to have to face Georgia in the second round? And you've got Texas A&M beating Miami 24-21. Your thoughts on both games? Well, I mean, you know, I think Alabama is going to hear for a month that they shouldn't really be in in the playoff.

And when they do that, they tend to do well. I think it'll be a defensive kind of slugfest type game like the first one. We've got to run the ball better. Can't turn the ball over. But they can get it done in that game. I can see Miami beating Texas A&M. I can with that head drive. And then we get Carson Beck versus Georgia in the second round. That'd be a lot of fun. Absolutely. Now, we're not going to let you go without asking you about spending some time with the Boz.

Ron Bonsworth, former Oklahoma legend, now the sheriff on the Dr. Pepper commercials. People have told me when you meet him in person, he's one of the nicest congenial guys you can talk to. What was your experience with him? Oh, you know, I was scared. That's one of the few people I'm scared of because Brady's going to tackle me or something. But everything you just said, true. He had a great speech. Such good contributions to the game of football. Best part for me is, you know, you have a kid that, or as a kid, when you watch a guy like that, you get to meet him and then you find out they're a pretty awesome human being too, who not even owned up.

He's like, knows it was different when he was a kid versus now. And, you know, that's kids being kids, as he was saying. And what a wonderful person, wonderful human being. And a great event, like I said, Jacob Rodriguez and this award season, to be able to present something like that meant a lot to me, no question. Congratulations. I'm delighted to be a member of the Football Riders Association. We're proud of you because you've done a tremendous job as president this year and well deserved. You may be on the awards banquet here a few more before it's over with.

Where can we get online and get all of Bill Bender's great stuff? Yeah, we have the latest on Michigan at sportingnews.com. We'll have more on the Sharon Moore situation as it evolves. And I really appreciate coming on with you guys. I'll talk to you. We'll get on. We have playoff games next week. We'll get into those next week. In the meantime, listen, if you'll let us borrow that tux, we'll dry clean it. We'll pick up the bill on that next time we need it. Okay, Bill?

Hey, no problem. Thank you so much for having me on. Have a great day. Thanks, buddy. Mr. Tuxboy, Bill Bender, the sporting news coming up. Boy, I tell you what, things are changing fast down the plains. Former Auburn quarterback, Charlie Trotman, tells on that and more straight ahead. Stay with us. At North Alabama Bone and Joint Clinic, our Shoals roots run deep. We provide quick access and familiar, friendly faces so you never have to feel just like a number. From sports medicine to joint replacement, expert care happens right here at home.

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Welcome back here. Well, we can't let a week go by without saying hello to Charlie Trotman, former Auburn quarterback. Charlie, welcome into the huddle. How are you? Doing great, guys. Excited about this playoff that we got coming up. It's going to be a lot of fun. And you know what else? It's going to be a lot of fun, Charlie. For you in a fans, we've been preaching, and lots of folks have been listening. I know that the folks at the UNA are excited. Mark it down, UNA, Auburn football.

They announced that last year they'll be playing in 2028. It was in September of that year. Now, that game is now on top for November 4th, 2028, and October 30th, 2032. So, not one, but two chances to see Auburn and UNA lock horns in the gridiron. That's big news, Charlie. I know for both sides, certainly the Lions family. Oh, yeah. No doubt about it. North Alabama, you know, I like the fact that Auburn plays the in-state teams. And so, Auburn hadn't really played Troy very often, or maybe not at all.

And that's the only team that they really haven't played. I mean, they played UAB, and they played Alabama State, and Alabama A&M. And it just seems natural that they would play North Alabama as well. Charlie, it's amazing to me. Alex Golich goes from one defensive, former defensive coordinator, now to three. Till Banks is fired Sunday or Monday morning at Tennessee and hired at Auburn on Wednesday, yesterday. Coleman Butzler, who was in Alabama, then he was at Mississippi State, is the outside linebacker coach at Auburn.

[21:19] Of course, D.J. Durkin didn't have to move. He's still going to be there. But, Charlie, what about three former defensive coordinators in the SEC now coaching the Auburn defense? Well, you know, I can't say that that's a bad thing. I mean, you know, one thing you may worry about is that there are a lot of different philosophies that would be involved in that. D.J. Durkin is going to be the defensive coordinator, of course, and then he'll have some associate or assistant defensive coordinators like Hutzler and so forth.

But, you know, I think with Brad Wilson and Hutzler and, you know, we've got this DeMarcus Van Dyke who's really a rising star in the coaching ranks as far as being a great recruiter as well. He's the cornerback's coach. And we still have to get a defensive back and safety coach. But, you know, I like the fact that you bring that much experience in. And, I mean, gosh, you know, Hutzler's been the outside linebacker coach at Florida under Urban Meyer. He was at Alabama under Saban.

And, you know, so, yeah, all that sounds, you know, promising to me that Auburn could continue to have a solid defense. I think Auburn was fifth in the conference this year in defense and 30th in number of points allowed. And, you know, maybe we can improve on that. But, you know, the main thing I think that the people are worried about is the offense. And that's where, you know, Auburn got offensive coordinator Joel Gordon. He's coming in, and the offensive line coach is going to be Tyler Hudnick.

And I think those guys who have been with Alex Golesh for three years at South Florida, you know, they're keeping the same group together that has done extraordinarily well on offense, you know, that had the nation's second leading offense in terms of yards per game this year. And he had, you know, great offenses when he was at Tennessee. And I just think that that's a good thing that Joel Gordon, you know, he worked with Golesh at Iowa State. And he was, you know, again, the guy that he calls the plays.

I like that, that Alex Golesh is not having to call the plays. So, yeah, I mean, this coaching staff is shaping up, guys. It's amazing how this goes with the coaches, is it not? Sooner or later, they're either going to coach with or against everybody. I always compare it to Charlie to someone who grew up in a small town. Everybody's going to marry one another before it's all said and done. That's kind of the way it is with some of these coaches. Sooner or later, I was at Alabama, now I'm at Auburn.

I was at Tennessee, et cetera. But, Johnny, talk to us as a former Auburn quarterback. What are they going to do there? Because they had two pretty good ones down the stretch. They made a decision to basically guarantee that Daniels could come back. And now you've got all this ceremony that maybe he'll bring his boys in from South Florida. You've worn that helmet before as a quarterback. What would be the wise thing there at that position? Well, let's look at it two different ways. What's wise for Alex Golesh and what's wise for the Auburn fans or what's wise for two quarterbacks that are there at Auburn?

It's really two different things because I know that Ashton Daniels and Deuce Knight want to be able to battle it out themselves. But then when you look at what Byron Brown did at South Florida, I mean, he is only the 12th quarterback in the history of college football to throw for $3,000 and rush for $1,000 in the same year. So, you know, I mean, from a goalie standpoint, why not bring him in, let them all three compete and see who wins the job, let it be an open competition.

But, you know, if you're Deuce Knight, you sure don't want to see that because you feel like, well, guys, this guy's played for a goalie for two years. That's right. He's going to favor him. You know, he may favor him and not us. And so, you know, I think it's a little bit of a different look depending on who you are. Absolutely. Let me ask your advice on something from a quarterback standpoint. You played the position so well. A.J. McCarron, Alabama's former quarterback, does a podcast, pretty popular.

[26:20] And he was talking about Ty Simpson and his issues. Ty Simpson's been injured. The guy is playing. I appreciate and respect his guts because this guy has got a back injury. He got hurt at Missouri and South Carolina. A.J. McCarron's comment was, well, Ty's problem is his feet are messed up, is the way you put it. In other words, Charlie, his fundamentals are off. And I was listening to the Alabama broadcast Saturday, and Tyler Watt mentioned the same thing. He said one of the issues Ty has, he's throwing off his back foot.

As a former quarterback, you know how important this is. Charlie, talk about a quarterback's footwork and the fundamentals of that. Well, they're extremely important because you have to have balance when you throw the football. And, you know, if your footwork is not good and you're a right-handed quarterback, you know, you push off your right foot and your plant leg is your left leg, and it's got to be in the right place depending on where you're throwing the football. But you've got to have enough room to do that, guys.

I mean, if your offensive line is not giving you time, I mean, Ty Simpson threw a pass against Auburn where Auburn almost had him on his back, and he was throwing off his back foot, and it was a beautiful touchdown. So, I understand what A.J. is saying, but A.J., he's got to realize that, you know, you have to improvise some as a quarterback as well. And, you know, the one thing I will say about Stimson is that when he's on the run, he likes to stop and throw the football.

He doesn't like to run. I mean, you may remember the Georgia play where he was rolling out to his right, and most people would continue rolling and throw on the run, but he stopped and planted, and then he threw a strike into the end zone for a touchdown against Georgia in that first game that they played. He is, to me, he's got, you know, he's a young quarterback, I mean, in terms of experience. And I would say that, you know, his mechanics are, if I gave him a grade on mechanics, I would give him a B.

Maybe not an A, because I think A.J.'s got a point, but I think the majority of the time that I've seen him throw off his back foot, he had to. Johnny, talk to us about the modern era, something that you didn't, and a lot of folks have not still trying to learn, that's the NIL. How will Auburn learn from what they did under you? Because they put a lot of money in the quarterback and wide receiver room, and I think most folks would agree they didn't get a return on their investment.

How will Auburn sit here and budget the NIL going forward? Well, it's going to be interesting, because you've got a different guy who's going to be goaling out the money and goalish. And, you know, he may see things differently. I know that skilled position players are still the guys that are going to get paid the most, and they're the guys, along with maybe, you know, your left tackle and a few other guys. You know, maybe a couple of guys on defense that are edge rushers and so forth are going to be the guys that are paid the most.

But you've got to be careful how you do that, because I think in the locker room, if you overpay a guy and he's not performing at a high level, it could be a problem in the locker room. Because you've got these offensive guards that are maybe making $100,000, whereas you've got a quarterback that may be making $1,000,000, and, you know, the quarterback's not really doing his job. And, you know, it's just human nature to question that when you're, you know, an offensive guard up there, bloody in your nose and getting banged around.

So, you know, I don't know. I don't know enough about Alex Golesh to tell you how he's going to divvy it out. But I do know this. I know Cody Burns, who's going to be the wide receiver coach, he's got to pay Cam Coleman, because I know Cam Coleman is being offered a lot of money by other schools. And if Auburn wants to keep him, that's one you've got to pay. There's no question. And I think Eric Singleton and also Malcolm Simmons are two guys that need to be paid as well.

I mean, Malcolm Simmons had two touchdown catches, one called back against Alabama, and he started playing great football at the end of the year. So, yeah, I mean, guys, we're in that time in the college football game where you have to pay the guys that are productive. It is amazing, Charlie, at how much it has changed even the last two or three years. We always appreciate your great insight into individual positions in Auburn and the SEC, Bud, and everything else. Listen, have a great week and glad you got back safe.

[31:46] We talked two or three times yesterday trying to get the right time for you. Good luck on that conference call later. Harold, he had one with Walmart a couple weeks ago, so he's going big time on us now. That's better than calling Michigan. Guys, you've got to do what you've got to do. There you go. That's right. Listen, buddy, have a great week. Thanks for having me, guys. Always, Charlie. There you have your former Auburn quarterback, Charlie Trumman. Coming up, things are changing up in East Tennessee as well.

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And right now at Target, you can save 20% on the Lawn Mower 4 and 3 kits, Handyman, and the Beard Hedger. Hurry up. Supplies won't last long. Progressive presents the Sports Flash on 93.9 The Score. The Atlanta Falcons are set to play tonight in Tampa as they take on the Buccaneers. The Falcons committed the matchup at 4-9 on the season, while Tampa Bay is currently 7-6 on the year. Tampa coming off a loss. They've dropped four of their last five. Falcons have lost two in a row and have also lost four of the last five contests.

[36:56] Hear all the action right here tonight. Pre-game coverage at 6.30. Kickoff is set for 7.15. Bundle auto and home, renters, or condo. And save with Progressive. I'm John Thayer with the Sports Flash, presented by Progressive on 93.9 The Score. Kohl's customer appreciation event is here, right in time for the gift exchange. Even though everyone pretends gifting isn't a competition, it kind of is. At Kohl's, save on gifts everyone will fight over. From sweaters and flannels to air fryers, toaster ovens, and more. Because deep down, the gift exchange isn't just about giving.

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So next time, you can take your pet with you. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates not available in all states. Coverage for dogs and cats is included with the purchase of collision coverage and subject to policy terms. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in with a coaching shuffle going on here in the off-season. This segment needs to be brought to you by Two Men in a Truck. Maybe we can work on that. In the meantime, we sell it to Ryan Callahan.

He's got it all covered when it comes to Tennessee at Go Balls 24-7. Ryan, welcome in. How are you? Hey, guys. Doing well. How are you? Hey, bud. Man, the national media says big news in big orange country with a hire as defensive coordinator. Ryan, what should we know about Jim Knowles? Yeah, this is going to be a really well-received hire, I think, for most Tennessee fans, just knowing that he's one of the highest-regarded defensive coordinators out there on the market. It certainly looked like he was going to be looking for a new job with things ending the way they did at Penn State and Matt Campbell coming in with his own defensive coordinator that he wanted to bring with him.

So, one of those situations where a really good candidate kind of falls right in your lap and seems like a natural fit. He's 60 years old, so veteran coach has been around a long time, very proven, has been at several places. But, you know, interesting history that might have been relevant, might not have in this case, but has worked for David Cutcliffe for a number of years. They've done time together at Duke and even with Ole Miss before that. So, having some of that history there. You know, Cutcliffe, obviously a guy that has multiple ties at Tennessee right now, you know, has plenty of history there.

And, you know, not sure how much they might have leaned on that recommendation, but that's something that could have come into play. But certainly a guy that has had good defenses at several different places and, you know, is known for having a bit of a complex system. Now, that is one thing about this that Tennessee fans have worried about a little bit. In year one, sometimes it's a system that takes a minute to sort of get everybody up to speed and make for a smooth transition.

That's an interesting piece of this, going into a really critical 2026 where Tennessee needs to show some improvement coming off an eight- and four-season this year. But I think everybody on the surface, you know, really likes the sound of this hire and feels like this is the type of move Josh Heifel needed to make, obviously, after parting ways with Tim Banks. Yeah, you brought it up. Jim Knowles is in because Tim Banks is out. Took him about three or four days to get a new job. He's now on this side of the state line at Auburn.

What can you tell Auburn fans about Tim Banks, Ryan? Yeah, he did a really good job at Tennessee, really, until this year. You know, he really improved each year during his first four years under Josh Heifel. And they had not worked together previously. There wasn't really a strong connection there between Heifel and Banks. There were some common ties between Banks and some guys on Tennessee's staff, including Willie Martinez, who's been the secondary coach throughout Heifel's tenure at Tennessee. So there were some relationships that made that easier in the beginning, but they didn't go way back.

And it worked out well, again, for four years. You know, it seems to be, as a play caller, pretty solid as a position coach. I think that's a really good hire, especially, to have a guy like that with that kind of experience in the Big Ten and elsewhere, and have a guy like that in the back end of your defense. You know, position coach-wise, you might ask a little bit more of him as a recruiter than what Tennessee got out of him there, because you don't usually ask your coordinators to do a lot of heavy lifting and recruiting.

But he does have some ties in some different areas that could help Auburn a little bit outside its typical recruiting footprint. He's from Detroit, so has some ties in Michigan that could pay off, and also did a lot of recruiting for Tennessee in the Northeast in places like New Jersey. So if they're looking to go much outside the Southeast, he's a guy that certainly could help with that, at least. And obviously, you know, did plenty of recruiting in the Southeast during his time at Tennessee as well, so we'll have some ties that should help out there in addition to that.

[42:22] You're right. Jim Knowles has a great reputation. Two years ago at Ohio State, the number one-ranked defense in the country, only giving up 13 points a game, 254 yards. What do you know about him? Does he blitz a lot? Does he play a 3-4, 4-3? Do they play zone, play man? You'll learn more about him as we go along. What have you heard about his philosophy on defense? Yeah, he tends to – there's an aggressive nature to his defenses, and that's not surprising, knowing what Josh Heifel kind of looked for in Tim Banks and what they tended to do.

You know, Josh Heifel's approach has always been sort of aggression on both sides of the ball and trying to just make big plays, make things happen. And so that's in fitting with his general philosophy, and yeah, I think that's definitely what you see with Jim Knowles. There are some differences, it sounds like, maybe some subtle ones, but some things that are different from what Tennessee did under Tim Banks that I think will be at least a little bit of an adjustment for them with Jim Knowles' system.

And, you know, much in line with what you see these days, not too dramatically different. Even where you see these days the differences in 3-4s versus 4-3s, everyone's in so much nickel these days that there's often not a lot of variation there. You know, I think a lot of the distinction is sometimes in how you use your edge rushers, how many of those guys you have out there at one time. But, yeah, a little bit of a difference there in terms of system. Tennessee's old system with Tim Banks was, you know, kind of based on some three-man front principles that played as almost a four-man front.

So it really is, you know, sometimes just a matter of terminology, differences, and things like that. But Knowles likes to be able to have, you know, multiple different answers for everything. So he's all about, you know, it sounds like preparing his players for everything they're going to see, and that's where I think some of the complexity comes in. He doesn't like to, you know, just be rigid about playing things one way. He wants to be able to read and react and things like that. And so he does ask a lot of his players, it sounds like, and that's one thing that will be interesting to see, again, with one offseason.

You know, how much can he sort of get everyone up to speed on doing things his way and help players understand a system that's going to be new to pretty much everyone. But, yeah, everyone that's worked with him in the past, you know, really speaks highly of him. And the big thing is, it sounds like he's just a good football coach, and there's, you know, obviously a lot to be said for that. That's usually what you're looking for in a defensive coordinator. You don't have to have a big-time recruiter.

You don't have to have anything else. You've got to have a guy that just knows how to coach football. And it sounds like Jim Knowles has that and certainly has a good reputation that's gotten him to this point in his career where he's, you know, 60 years old and still getting this kind of job. Not many guys can do that. Absolutely. Tennessee, Illinois, and the Music City Bowl. It's not a playoff. It's not a Florida Bowl. We talked to our good friend Vince Farrar about that on Monday.

He said Tennessee fans have grumbled about that a little bit. Your thoughts against Illinois, a Big Ten team in Nashville. Yeah, you know, not the sexiest matchup for Tennessee fans probably. You know, you're not dying to play Illinois, you know, among other Big Ten teams or as much as other Big Ten programs maybe. But not the way anyone envisioned this season ending for Tennessee, certainly when they got off to a pretty good start with Joey Aguilar and that offense putting up some big numbers. But, you know, at the end of the day, I don't think many people are too worried about bowl games one way or the other.

If it's not part of the college football playoff, you know, it's not as big of a deal probably as it was five years ago. And that's unfortunate a little bit because, you know, bowl games have been such a big part of the Mavericks of college football. But, you know, these days is there a big difference in most fans' minds between, say, a trip to Jacksonville and a trip down the road to Nashville. So they've always drawn well when they play in the Music City Bowl. They've lost a couple times in that one, but they have always drawn a good crowd there.

And I would imagine they'll be that way again since it's such an easy trip. For so many fans in state and then obviously plenty of plenty of Tennessee fans in middle Tennessee. So that fan base, you know, enjoys having the chance to see Tennessee play in a game like that. So, yeah, it should be a home field advantage for them. And, you know, again, not the not the most exciting matchup when it comes to the Big Ten program they could have drawn. But it's definitely not a not a not a bad way to end the season when you get to stay in state and in fans not having to travel, you know, 10, 12 hours somewhere that they weren't necessarily fired up about for a game that probably isn't as high stakes as it would have been seen as five years ago fans fussed, but give it a couple of weeks.

And by the end, they'll still say I'm mad, but I'll still lay down the cash to go see the game football hungry. Right. Ryan, your thoughts, the pressure on Josh Heupel, let's face it. Going to the Music City Bowl is about as exciting as toilet paper at the courthouse for fans. That is not going to cut it at the end of the day. He's got to move his game up. That's I think that's safe to say your thoughts about the pressure on Heupel as you close the curtain on this season as we get ready for next season.

[47:30] Yeah. You know, the way this season went, it's put everyone at Tennessee in a more uncomfortable position than they wanted to be. I think going into the end of 2026, you know, I've had some people sort of asking me about about that a little bit today on our message board on Go Vols 24-7. And, you know, I don't know that you can put a number on it right now. I don't know if there's a magic number of wins Josh Heupel needs to not be in any serious danger after next season.

But it's a, you know, with as tough of a schedule as Tennessee has next year, I think that's what people keep coming back to is, you know, that you play Alabama, Auburn, Texas, Texas A&M, and LSU. You know, you got this loaded schedule all in the same year, you know, Lane Kiffin at LSU now, and you're facing Alex Golesh, Josh Heupel's former assistant at Auburn. So, you know, it's not going to be an easy schedule, and I think people see that, plus you're breaking in.

Potentially a new quarterback, we'll see if Joey Aguilar gets any extra eligibility with that junior college case. He's got kind of riding Diego Pavia's coattails and seeing if he can get another year at Tennessee, but if he doesn't, potentially a new young quarterback. You know, there's some real challenges involved, and everyone kind of looks at that and says, is he expected to win more than eight games next year with that schedule? And maybe, I don't know. I'm not sure what the magic number is, but, you know, that's the tricky part about this hire, bringing in a guy like Jim Knowles, is you need immediate results.

You do. I don't think it's going to be a very comfortable season for anyone if Tennessee has a similar season and ends up with, you know, eight wins again or something like that next year. So it's a tough place to have the bar set that high. But the other reality to that is I think there's going to be some recalibration for everyone across the SEC. Yeah, that's it. It's a new nine-game conference schedule. It's going to be so much tougher than what we're used to seeing on an annual basis.

And what I just described for Tennessee's schedule next year is going to be more the norm year to year. And so I think you're going to see a lot of teams, some really good teams, probably go eight and four and potentially even seven and five. And that won't mean that you're a bad team or that you had a bad season. It'll just mean you played a really tough schedule in the best conference in college football. And everyone's going to have to get used to that. So what that means for Tennessee going forward and how they'll handle it, we'll see.

But Tennessee knows it's got an uphill battle next year with that schedule. And they've got to be ready to try to win more games than they did this year. Absolutely. If fans are going to have to adjust their expectations, the team's not going to be playing Charlotte or Eastern Illinois. No. That's the 11th game of the season next year. They're going to be playing an SEC opponent. By the way, speaking of schedules, that will be unveiled tonight on the SEC network, the 20-26 schedule for all teams in the SEC.

I believe that's 6 Central, 7 Eastern time. I'll try to double-check that. Recruiting, I thought, went well. We talked about that. Tennessee, I know, last week was seventh and on three in rivals. And Rick Barnes is itching to get a win because Tennessee's lost three basketball games. And I know he ain't happy with that. Wouldn't be it. They've got Louisville coming up, I believe, on December the 16th. A lot of teams now with finals this week. I always enjoyed the conversation with you. Where can we find out the latest about recruiting?

Lord, the transfer portal is going to open up next time we turn around after the bowl games. Where can we get online to get all your stuff? Yeah, already a few Tennessee players have announced their intentions to head for the portal. Some NFL draft decisions coming down. I think more expected in the near future. So, plenty to keep track of right now. And obviously, plenty of coverage of the Jim Knoll tire, which just became official about a little more than an hour ago. So, a lot of coverage up on the site, including some recruit reaction and things like that.

So, lots of good stuff. Good time to join Go Vols 24-7 and sign up for 50% off an annual subscription at GoVols247.com. Thanks. Still isn't dried on that news. We appreciate you sharing. Listen, Ryan, it's always good to hook up with you. Thanks so much. Have a good day and a great weekend ahead, okay? You guys do the same. Thanks a lot. Thank you, bud. Ryan Kellyanne, heckin' up with us to be there at Go Vols 24-7. Quickly, BB, your thoughts about all this rambling. I thought it was interesting.

We found out the news yesterday right after the show about Michigan. And within an hour, they already had DeBoer's name linked to it. What is your initial reaction to this? Harold, again, I know what any coach going in there is going into a hornet's nest. Now, Alabama has not practiced this week. They've got – they practiced tomorrow, and I believe DeBoer is going to meet with the media, and he'll have the opportunity to discuss this, whether Charlie Potter or Bama Online or somebody else will ask him the question, but he certainly is going to be asked about it tomorrow.

Again, the Penn State, several people, when they put out their list, and like I said, I've seen five today, he was not in contention at Penn State. Several – Bruce Feldman of The Athletic actually admitted that. I can understand why he's named linked with it. And we'll talk to Ryan Fowler, who's got impeccable contacts in Tuscaloosa at 155. When everything's said and done, I think he stays in Alabama. Well, the one who's counting the nickels right now is Jimmy Sexton. What's going on in his mind? That's a big question to answer as well.

[52:52] You mentioned Ryan Fowler heading in the next hour. Also going to be checking in with Craig Stevenson. If you like Alabama taking on number one team in the state, Martin Newton's got to tell us all that and more straight ahead. There'll be more bug shows. Stay with us. May the spirit of Christmas bring you and your family hope, happiness, and love. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the staff of Parks Mechanical. Getting the kids to practice on time. Remembering if it's your day to bring snacks.

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Choose a future with Gusto and get more time for what matters. For a limited time, get 50% off your first six months at gusto.com slash radio. 1819 News. Governor Ivey announced this week that an assembly plant for tractors will be built in Monroeville. The Bad Boy Mowers Company will be investing $10 million to renovate the former Vanity Fair Distribution Center into an assembly plant. 9,000 tractors are expected to be rolled out from this new plant. About 50 jobs will be created for the area. Bad Boy Mowers is based out of Arkansas and first created the zero-turn mower for landowners.

The company is now expanding into manufacturing of tractors and UTVs. I'll be back with more Alabama stories after this. Are you enjoying 1819 News? If so, consider joining 1819 News as a member. As a non-profit news organization, we depend on the support of Alabamians like you. Memberships start out as little as $5 a month and you'll get access to exclusive content only offered to our members. You'll be supporting independent journalism done by people who cherish Alabama values. Become a member today by visiting 1819news.com and clicking Become a Member.

[58:17] That's 1819news.com and click Become a Member today. A scholastic book fair held this week at the Liberty Park Middle School in Vestavia Hills is now raising some concerns after three books were offered to the students with LGBTQ-themed content. The book's storylines promoted both homosexual and lesbian relationships among young children. Students told their parents of the books and then parents notified 1819news with one father saying there is no acceptable reason for these books to be offered at a middle school book fair. The Vestavia Hills School Board has not responded to multiple messages left by 1819news reporter April Marie Fogel about this issue.

Parents here in Alabama are not notified of what books their children are being exposed to at these scholastic book fairs, unlike the state of Florida, which does have a new law requiring parental notification. I'm Andrea Theis. 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 Shore. Sports Radio, 93.9 The Score. Missed the Boomo Bugg Show today? Or Bill King or Paul Feinbaum? Missed the last Florence Falcons game? You can access the latest episodes and game broadcasts at our website, 939thescore.com.

Click on Podcast and then All Podcasts to access the latest Bumo, Feinbaum, Bill King, and Florence broadcast. That's 939thescore.com. 939thescore.com. Boom-O Bug on 93.9 The Score. This is Joe Cox, and he is busy as a columnist there at Saturday Down South. Welcome in. How are you, and have you thawed out, or has it been as cold where you are as where we are? It's been cold. Today, I've been running my daughter around. She's 16, and she was job shadowing. So, off of half a day, she could tell me that work is fairly tedious and fairly boring, and I could have saved her half a day and just told her that myself.

But you know how it is. Yep. The Boomo Bugg Show, weekdays, noon to 2, on 93.9 The Score. 93.9 The Score weather. Today, sunny with a high around 50. Tonight, mostly clear with possible gusty winds overnight and a low near 35. Tomorrow, sunny with possible wind gusts up to 15 miles an hour and a high around 60. Tomorrow night, mostly clear with a low near 30. And for your Saturday, sunny with a high around 55. 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. I want to do the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg, alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving us free ride around the Tennessee Valley. You know, BB, it's not often we get a chance to invite the vice president onto our show. We're honored. We are very honored.

Listen, my brother and I, we attended back in the 70s an Alabama basketball game. We hung around at the end of the game, and Sam Newton was there, and my brother and I walked up to him. He didn't know us from Adams Housecat. Right. And he talked to us for 30 minutes after that basketball game. What I remember about it is he said, you know, guys, I know we can fill this arena for Auburn and Kentucky, but I want to get more people involved here. And he did that, but Harold, I was looking again.

You and I both know him. Six times SEC coach of the year. 72, 73, 75, 76, 88, 89. Transylvania, Alabama, Vanderbilt, of course, at Kentucky with an athletic director. Now, we are very honored to have his son, Martin Newton, in with us today. Move over, Kentucky Derby. The bloodline runs deep. He is Martin Newton, vice president for intercollision athletics at Stemford University. Martin, welcome in. It's an honor. How are you? Guys, I'm doing fantastic, and thanks for having me, and I love to hear those old stories about my dad. He was a remarkable guy.

Talk to us about, you know, the thing is, what was it? Tom Brokaw came out and talked about the greatest generation. Of course, it was a different theme, but my old mind, all these coaches making millions of dollars, and some of them with mediocre records. They're on the backs of guys like your dad. And talk to us about, before we get into the specifics here, and what a special weekend it is for you and families and fans all over the state. But talk to us about your dad and the legacy that he left that a lot of these coaches now are still reaping benefits from.

[1:03:23] Well, I'll tell you a funny story talking about money. So, I told this story to somebody the other day. When he left Transylvania University in 1968, Coach Bryant called him to come be the head coach at Alabama. He just assumed he would be making an increase in pay. He was making $15,000 a year to go to Transylvania. And he got to Tuscaloosa, and his contract was for $12,500. And he was, he didn't have the, he wasn't going to say anything to Coach Bryant. He was scared to death of Coach Bryant, so he wasn't going to say anything.

But the hardest conversation he ever had with my mom was telling her that they were moving to Tuscaloosa to take a pay cut. To take a pay cut? Are you crazy? She said. Think about that, though. $12,500 a year. $150,000 a month. Yeah. You got guys today that are making $12,500 a day or maybe even an hour. Or more. Yeah. Exactly. Well, obviously, you know, we appreciate you sharing that story. I think a lot of folks listening right now, they can relate to that. And it's like I'm getting a promotion, but I'm taking the pay cut.

That's right. And I do remember that. I remember, you know, him talking to you guys, telling that story about him talking to you. I do remember the first time we were sitting up. I was a little kid, about eight years old. We're sitting up in Memorial Coliseum, and he's at the very top where the office is where he goes. And he said, there's 15,043 seats that we've got to figure out how to fill. I may have bit off a little bit more than I can chew, but I tell you what, what they did then and what they continue to do now with Alabama basketball is just, it's remarkable.

Tell us about Saturday night. Number 12, Alabama hosting number one, Arizona. Tip off at approximately 830. This is the number one team in the country. You know Arizona. You know both of these teams very well. Pete is very good. Braden. Jane Bradley, who played for Alabama. We want to try to sell some tickets for you. I know three people who are going right now. Are tickets available, number one, and how can they do it? And talk a little bit about the game itself. Yeah, there are some tickets available.

I think most of them are good tickets up in the upper bowl. I think most of the lower bowl is sold out, if I'm not mistaken. But it's going to be an unbelievable atmosphere. And I've got to give Greg Byrne at Alabama and Coach Jones a lot of credit for this. You know, these guys, when my dad passed, we went to him and said, look, we want to do something to honor his legacy with Alabama basketball. He was living in Tuscaloosa when he passed, and it was just the fondness he had in his heart for the university.

And so Greg was so gracious to, we kind of came up with this idea. My buddies at Night Eady, who are great marketing guys, came up with an idea of promoting this game. And I said, look, my dad never wanted attention. He didn't want it to be about him. So if we could do something to honor what I think is the greatest part of his legacy really was integrating the Southeastern Conference with Wendell Hudson. And to do something to honor that, I think it would benefit the university as well as I think it would benefit and honor his legacy.

And, man, Greg Byrne just jumped all over it. And then Nate Oates has continued. And we've had some really good games. You think of Gonzaga a couple, several years ago that came in here, Illinois. And now you've got Arizona, Tommy Lloyd, who's a dude. I've known Tommy from back in my Nike days when he was an assistant at Gonzaga with Mark Few. Tommy's got a really good basketball team. But guess what? So does Nate Oates. And these could be two teams that you're going to see playing in Indianapolis in April.

They are both that good. Martin Newton hooking up with us, vice president for intercollegiate athletics down at Sanford University. Martin, talk to us about Coach Oates and the job he has done. I mean, when he comes in there, this guy, Nick Saban, he was hitting on all eight cylinders across the hall in the football office. And he said, I'm going to take basketball up there with you guys. Talk to us about the job he's done and what it means not only for Tuscaloosa, but let's face it, to you there in Birmingham and the Southeastern Conference.

Well, you know, it's interesting because Coach Oates is a lot like the guy that I hired here at Sanford, Bucky McMillan. My goodness. High school roots. Now, he had the opportunity to go to Buffalo and coach and have some success there. But what I love about Coach Oates is that he knows who he is, how he wants to play, and he's not waiving from that. He's very steeped in his identity, and boy, they play a style of basketball that's very analytical-driven, very exciting to watch, and it's proven to be very successful.

And I just think what he's done at Alabama, yes, he recruits. He does a great job of getting players. But what he's done in putting them on the map, and not just in Alabama. Think about the state of Alabama, guys. Thank you. In relation to college basketball, what Auburn has done, what UAB has done, what Sanford has done. UNA has done. You know, we've got Lenny Acuff, who spent a lot of time up there in Hudsonville as our basketball coach now. I mean, you've got some great coaches in this state, and Division I basketball in this state is about as good as it gets right now.

[1:08:46] I agree with you. Listen, you know, we've known Lenny for decades. Again, was incredibly successful at UAH, won 437 games, had an incredible career at Lipscomb. In fact, they put UNA out. Now, with you trying to get that program off the ground, he is one of the, as far as integrity and basketball fundamentals, one of the best we've ever seen. Talk about Lenny. And, oh, by the way, you, in your spare time in the last week or so, you've hired a new football coach. Yeah, I've hired, I hope, my last three coaches.

I'm getting too old to do this. But Lenny is a phenomenal, phenomenal human being, first and foremost. Yes. I mean, such a great fit for our institution. And on top of that, he is a phenomenal basketball coach. The guy who may be one of the best offensive basketball coaches in the country. The number of coaches that reach out to Lenny nationwide to talk about, you know, his system offensively. So he reminds me, and a lot of my dad, quite frankly. Now, my dad was my hero, so you have to understand that.

But the one thing that people talked about with my dad was class and integrity and character. And that's Lenny Acuff. That is Lenny Acuff through and through. So I couldn't be more thrilled to have him as our basketball coach. And then we just hired a football coach that a lot of people in the state of Alabama are familiar with, is John Gross, who was the head coach of Jacksonville State for a while. He's been a high school coach for 22 years in the state. And he was at Clemson with Dabo Sweeney.

And so John's coming in as well. And he's, I would say those same things, character, class, and integrity with him as well. So very blessed to have some really good coaches down here at Sanford. And a pretty good AD who's built a heck of a program down there. How many times does a powerhouse, a money bank like Texas A&M come to your backyard and say, Coach, what about this guy named Bucky? Talk to us about Bucky. Now he's stepped it up to the SEC and the program Martin Newton's built there on the hardwoods.

Well, Martin Newton didn't have anything to do with it. We've got really good people here. I've got a great president. We've got great coaches and a beautiful campus. And Bucky was just, you know, that was one of those. I told Bucky when I hired him, I said, Bucky, either we're going to do well, you're going to do well, and we're both going to look like we know what we're doing, or you're going to fail and I'm going to get fired. So either way, we're going to do well, but I tell you, Bucky, what he did for this program and getting us on the map and really getting us to where we thought we could be, it was remarkable.

And the fact that he did it and drew national attention, and I'll never forget the AD at Texas A&M calling me. I was at the Final Four, and I really didn't want to lose him, obviously, but I couldn't say anything negative about him. He's just such a – he's brilliant. He's a lot like Nate. They're very similar, the analytical part of the game, the way they want to play. And so I think Bucky's destined for great things, and I'm just so thankful that I got to be a part of that journey with him for a small time.

Listen, you've got to run. I know you've got another 1.30 meeting. Tell us again how fans can purchase tickets through Ticketmaster or Contanting Samford or the University of Alabama. And, by the way, you're in the middle of a five-year appointment with the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee. Can you give the college football playoff committee some advice on how to put a tournament together? Everybody would appreciate that, Martin. You know, I'm going to remember when you say that. So I literally today, I've been on three conference calls today, and all three of them were men's basketball.

I'm the vice chair this year, and I'll be the chairman of the committee next year. So I'm going to get you to remember that next year when I'm on television and your team didn't get where you thought they should be, but you said, hey. No, I tell you what, it is a tough, tough task. It's a tough job. They've really got a tough job in that, you know, you're talking about 12 teams, and so you're going to leave somebody out. I mean, you know, we're talking with the men's basketball tournament.

We've got 68 teams, and yet you still have people that get upset and mad when their team doesn't get in. And so it's a tough job, but I tell you what, I've enjoyed it. And for me, again, I keep talking about my dad, but the honor that I have, we're the only father-son duo that has been on the committee and the only father-son duo that has chaired the committee. So I'm really proud of that. That was kind of the feather in my cap. Martin, before we jump off, we've got folks driving through the drive-thru and just now tuning in.

Quickly, give us the location, because we assume everybody knows what are the big dates coming up this weekend, number 12, Alabama, number 1, Arizona. Quickly, talk to us about some of the particulars, the folks who want to make it down from our neck of the woods. Yeah, you know, it's at Legacy Arena at 8.30 Central Time. It's a late game because it's a nationally televised game. But still, that's an easy drive down 65, so not a big deal there. It's a ticket. You can get them at the Legacy Arena.

[1:13:51] You can go to Alabama's website and get them, the University of Alabama's website or Ticketmaster. And there's still some tickets available. I know the good folks at Night Eady would love to hear from you as well. They've got tickets available to sell as well. But, man, I just appreciate people coming out. And, again, it's to not only honor his legacy, but see some really, really, really good basketball. We appreciate you, all the hard work there. I know you're looking forward to this weekend. Thanks so much and all the best this weekend, Martin.

Well, guys, I appreciate you all. Have a great week. You know, I used to spend a lot of time up in that neck of the woods during the summer in basketball camp. So, I guess Lawrence and Huntsville is near and dear to my heart. So, we appreciate you having us on and promoting this event. Absolutely. And the fish are still biting down the river, too. Martin Newton, looking at the vice president for intercollegiate athletics. Thank you, Martin. Stamford University, number one, Arizona, taking on number 12, Alabama this weekend in Beham.

Coming up, what in the heck is going on in Michigan? And why are folks trying to tie Alabama into it? Craig Stevenson on that and more straight ahead of the Bumult Bug Show. Stay with us. Even now, it's auction time again. Rogersville, Alabama. It's the Phillips Brothers Auctions. Grand opening and absolute live auction. Phillips Brothers Auctions invites you to join us Saturday, December the 13th, as we celebrate the grand opening of our new auction facility with the Great American Auction. Join us this Saturday with doors opening at 10 a.m.

as we celebrate with refreshments, free caps, strongs for prizes, live music from two local artists, a grand opening ceremony, and more. And then at high noon, 12 p.m., it's the Great American Auction. With 70 firearms and over 70 knives, all from one estate selling at absolute auction. You can see more online right now at www.phillipsbrothersauctions.com or call Ben Phillips or Terrell Phillips at 256-567-4070. The Phillips Brothers Auctions facility is located at 2100 Alabama Highway 101, Rogersville, Alabama, just south of Highway 72 at Elgin Crossroads. Join us Saturday, December the 13th, for this grand opening celebration and high noon Great American Firearm and Knife Auction.

Phillips Brothers Auctions, Alabama License 328. phillipsbrothersauctions.com. This football season, bring the flavor that wins every time. Champy's world-famous fried chicken. Tailgate like a champ with our legendary fried chicken, award-winning smoked hot wings, and don't forget those Mississippi Delta hot tamales that will light up your taste buds. Feed your whole crew with a Champy's tailgate pack. Packed, stacked, and ready for kickoff. Champy's chicken, East 2nd Street and Muscle Shoals. World-famous for a reason. Let the million-dollar band, including six Muscle Shoals high school grads, get you ready for Champy's chicken and the game.

Hello, folks. Mark Humphrey, new car sales manager at Ray Miller GMC, where we treat you like family. We understand that buying an automobile is the second largest purchase you'll do in your lifetime. And just like all the Alabama athletic programs, we take pride in what we do. So, if you're looking for a new or pre-owned automobile, we have you covered. Also, don't forget to schedule your next oil change or any of your mechanical issues with our award-winning service and parts department. So, remember, folks, we're at 246 Cox Creek Parkway, Florence, Alabama, right underneath that big and mega flag.

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U.S. Tax Shield, 800-494-6139. From the University of Alabama, this is Crimson Tide Today. It's a daily update on Bama sports, and it's brought to you by Crimson Drive, driven by NASCAR. Streaming live on Thursday at 2 p.m. Central on all CTSN social media platforms at UA underscore CTSN. Hello again, everybody. I'm Roger Hoover. On Thursday's edition of Crimson Drive, we'll be joined by our radio sideline reporter for Alabama football, Corey Reamer. Trying to figure out how we can get both sides of the football to play their best at the same time.

We've had offense really carry the team during parts of the season, defense carry it through the other parts. How do we put it all together? You never know what is going to happen right now. You can find a rhythm, get everybody on the same page, and you go out there and you take care of business next Friday. What that does from a confidence standpoint, you know, leading into the next game. You know, it's just these are little building blocks, and I think it's, you know, imperative for us to get off to a good start in each of these games.

[1:19:12] We've had some games where we've been a little bit slow coming out of the gate, and if we can have some early success, this team can really build off of that momentum. I'll have more in a moment. Hey, Bama fans, each Tuesday and Thursday at 2 p.m. Central, join us live for Crimson Drive, driven by NASCAR. This live streaming talk show features the latest on Alabama athletics with exclusive conversations with Tide student athletes, coaches, and media members giving their perspective on the Crimson Tide. You can watch on YouTube, Facebook, and X with all conversations archived as well on the Alabama Insider Podcast.

Roll Tide with Crimson Drive, driven by NASCAR. Join us this afternoon for Crimson Drive, driven by NASCAR, streaming live at 2 p.m. Central on all CTSN social media platforms at UA underscore CTSN. Crimson Tide Today is brought to you by Crimson Drive, driven by NASCAR. Crimson Tide Today is a production of the Crimson Tide Sports Network from Learfield. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in. It is a pleasure for us to say hello to Craig Stevenson. He's got it all covered there at AL.com.

Craig, welcome in. How are you? Hopefully we'll be able to hook up with Craig here in a moment. Baby, obviously one of the things we want to get to is the rumblings going on in Michigan and the impact it's having as far as the rumor mill here in Tuscaloosa. I guess there's two ways of looking at it. If you've got a coach that's, you know, that's popular out there, that's got a lot of equity, anytime there's a big opening, they're going to come knocking. I guess the other side of the coin is if nobody's knocking, that means nobody has a lot of respect for your coach.

So it depends on how you look at it, I guess, huh? Yeah, it is. I think he's rejoined us, but you're exactly right. Let's see if Craig is there now. Well, this is Craig Stevenson at AL.com. Craig, we're knocking on door number two. Are you with us now? Can you hear me? There you go, baby. There we go. Can you hear me? I was here the whole time. Well, we were. We were out to lunch, Craig. We stay out there. Craig, talk to us about what, talk about more mess at Michigan, literally a more mess at Michigan.

Where do you start in breaking this down? I don't think anybody saw this in the comment. And, boy, does it, it not only affects Michigan, it knocks down potentially a lot of dominoes all over the college football world. Where do you start in breaking it down? Geez, yeah. I know. The news broke yesterday afternoon. And, you know, just that he had been fired for an off-the-field situation. And then I left and went home. And by the time I got home, there was a whole escalation in terms of him being wanted by the police and eventually arrested and all that.

I mean, it was a really unfortunate, sad situation. Yeah. But it opens up a huge job after we thought the coaching carousel was more or less done. I mean, there were a couple of group of five jobs still open. But all the big jobs had been filled by that point. And, you know, there are some guys who probably may be regretting taking the jobs that they did because they were not aware the Michigan job was going to come open. Well, let's talk about the obvious here, Craig.

And let's just cut to the chase here. If money is the reason you're going to leave where you are and go, Michigan can hang with anybody, including Texas. I mean, they grow money on trees up there. Look at the portal. So if money is the issue, it's a done deal. But obviously, there's more to it with these coaches. They got families. And we can go on and on as far as other reasons. But let's talk about the part of the pond, the elephant in the room here.

You mentioned getting home within an hour yesterday. I always saw it was almost like DeBoer was already packing his clothes and heading to Michigan. If you go to the Michigan media up there, maybe we're missing something. But your thoughts, let's start with that because that's the one that impacts the most as far as closest to us here. Yeah. Your thoughts about how much teeth does it have with DeBoer going to Michigan? We know they'd love to have Michigan. The question is, does he want Michigan? Yeah, I'm kind of of two minds.

It doesn't make a ton of sense right now. But if they go and get their butts beat by Oklahoma, they've lost to Oklahoma three times in the last 13 months. And he's kind of looking for a soft place to land. Maybe so. At some point, does it become a Ray Perkins and Bill Curry type situation where, man, I can't hack it. I've got to get out of here. And Michigan would certainly be a soft spot to land. And I thought that was the Penn State thing. Apparently, nothing to it.

But there may be at Michigan, he's from that part of the country. He's from South Dakota, which is not too far away from Michigan. He's coached in Michigan, at Eastern Michigan, coached at Indiana, so he's coached in the Big Ten. I doubt it happens, but I wouldn't put a 0.0 chance on it. It's like I say, if it's money, then I think it's going to be, not that Alabama doesn't have money, but Michigan's got money on steroids up there. Let's talk about this. In that case, and you'll never guess what question I'm going to ask you next, Craig.

[1:24:24] I don't know. Does this involve Lane Kiffin? Is that what you're talking about? Can you imagine what would happen if, talk to us about, in that scenario, what would happen in Tuscaloosa? Yeah, I don't know. I mean, that's the question, and is how lead pipe is Lane Kiffin's deal at LSU. You know, because you remember Bobby Petrino was at Arkansas, and he had a clause in his contract that he was not allowed to leave for anywhere else in the SEC without paying an enormous buyout. And I don't know there's anything like that in Kiffin's deal.

I know the Alabama job is the one he has always wanted. The want has not been mutual between the athletic director and some of the money people at Alabama. Don't trust Kiffin for a lot of reasons, and part of what he showed when he was leaving Ole Miss, I think it's part of that. Yeah, Craig. Yeah. Go ahead, Craig. No, I was just going to say, so if it comes down to it, would he be interested? Probably. Wow. Can you imagine? Can you imagine the LSU-Alabama game in that case?

Yeah, Craig, I just don't, after the circus that we've gone through for a month with him, I just can't see that happening. I think another situation in Michigan is, will Ward Manuel, the current athletic director, be allowed to make the next hire? This has been, quote, rumored, and I'm not going to get into the tabloid part of this, which we saw unfold throughout the course of the night. Supposedly, rumors about this have been going on for weeks or months, and this is behind the Harbaugh situation, the sun stealing, all of the other mess that has been going on there for years, and I wonder if Ward Manuel is going to be allowed to make the next hire, and the next person who comes in, whoever it is, they're not going to have to win games.

They're going to have to change a culture. Yeah, that's a good point. They're going to have to get out the Harbaugh stink, if you will, out of that place, because it, you know, not just, you know, all the coaches suspended and people on the staff arrested and, you know, charged with major crimes. There was like a cyber crime going on with one of the staffers a few years ago, the offensive coordinator, and I mean, yeah, it's a mess up there, but you may be right. It may be like a Scott Woodward situation at LSU where somebody takes over and says, man, you're out.

We're not, we don't trust you to make this hire, and so I don't know. I'm not really plugged in at Michigan, but certainly it seems like they've got a lot of work to do up there to clean it up. Craig Stevenson, AL.com. Craig, obviously, if DeBoer wants to sit here and squash all this, he's going to have an opportunity here shortly because they get back out of the practice field and with that media opportunities, will the media do the job and ask him directly that question?

If so, will he give you, well, I have, I'm concentrating on Oklahoma now, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, bleak, coach speak. It's a good question. Now, he was asked before the SEC championship game about Penn State, and he said there was never any interest there. Right. And I don't, I'm trying to remember the timeline. I think that was before they had hired Matt Campbell, so the job was to live in that one. But with Michigan, it may be a little bit different with Michigan. I don't know.

I mean, you know, certainly his agents have probably had some conversations. Thank you. Again, I don't know, I don't know if he's, I doubt he does leave, but again, if he loses to Oklahoma, it may be a situation where he decides he wants a soft spot to land, and Michigan would be a great spot for that. Craig, the other big story this week has been Notre Dame's hissy fit when they got left out of the college football playoff selection committee. Again, Alabama, Miami beat Notre Dame head-to-head.

Alabama had a better resume, significantly better than the athletic director, Bacharach, pitched a fit, then got mad at the ACC. Dan Wolkin of ESPN now, he's there now, sent a tweet earlier today. Athletic directors in other leagues are threatening to freeze Notre Dame out of future schedules. Notre Dame's had a pretty tough week themselves. Yeah, they have, and I will say this, I thought the committee did them a little dirty by keeping them behind, ahead of Miami, and then all of a sudden flipping them to the end.

I don't know why they couldn't have done that several weeks ago, and it may lead to a situation where we no longer have the weekly selection show, because it does seem to create more controversy than we really need. But yeah, Notre Dame has not handled it well, although, you know, they are, even though they're not a full member of the ACC, they certainly have a partnership with the ACC, and it was a tough needle to thread for the ACC to be able to back Miami at the expense of Notre Dame, but it seems like that's what they did.

[1:29:35] Yeah, it's not, I think this, I will say this, though, you know, for the people that want to blow up the bowl system and blow up the way things are done at certain levels, Notre Dame backing out of the Pop-Tarts Bowl certainly created a lot of mess for the bowls. And I think we've seen today that the LA Bowl is not coming back next year, and I, you know, I just think that we may see a lot of these smaller bowls cease to exist just because they're not able to get the teams, get teams or the teams that they want, you know, good teams.

Absolutely. We mentioned this a couple of times, announced earlier today, that Auburn is going to be playing UNA not once but twice in 2028 and 2032. And I've asked you this twice this year about Alabama playing in in-state school. Isn't it interesting? Auburn is adding one more game. Yeah, it is. The notable one today of Auburn is, I mean, that's big for UNA, obviously, but Auburn playing Troy is massive just from a perspective situation. It was one of those situations. And as much as, you know, the way that Alabama views UAB, Auburn views Troy in a lot of ways, and nobody thought they would, quote, unquote, stoop to play Troy.

Well, they're doing it now, which is big, and it's big for Troy, and it's not, you know, it's good for Auburn to do it. In terms of Alabama, as long as the current AD is there, Greg Byrne, it doesn't seem like there's going to be any change in that philosophy. It's a shame, and obviously scheduling is going to be a little tougher now with the nine SEC games. But, yeah, I still don't understand why you're playing, you know, Mercer and Eastern Illinois when you could be playing North Alabama and Alabama State.

And, again, I get why Alabama doesn't want to play UAB. They've got nothing to lose from playing, you know, North Alabama and Jacksonville State as far as I'm concerned. Yeah, or South Alabama, and I thought they'd do that when Saban was there with Joey Jones. Always enjoy the conversation with you, Craig. We certainly enjoy talking to Thomas Ashworth, Ben Thomas, Randy Kennedy, and the crew. Where can we get online to get your stuff and the teams? Yeah, al.com slash sports, al.com slash SEC slash USA, whatever, slash Troy.

We've got it all covered. Thanks a lot. Hey, we've got Al's right there, Craig. Thanks so much, and have a great week, okay? All right, guys. Take care. Thank you, bud. Craig Stevenson hooking up with us from al.com. So, all eyes on Tuscaloosa for more reasons than one. We'll take you there next with Ryan Fowler. Stay with us. Good call or bad call, officials always have the final say in sports. And at Alpha Insurance, we know it's important for you to have the final say on the insurance plan we build for you.

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2-5-6-7-4-0-0-6-9-0. Scott Graham here from Thursday Night Football on Westwood One. Jason Benetti and Kyle Rudolph have the call this week when the Buccaneers host the Falcons. Baker Mayfield and Tampa Bay are 7-6 and share the NFC South lead with Carolina. But they're coming off a loss to the division rival Saints. And now face another. Join us for Atlanta at Tampa Bay on Thursday Night Football. Right here on 93.9 The Score. This is the story of the one. As the purchasing manager at a manufacturing plant, she knows the only thing more important than having the right safety gear is having it there when you need it.

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Cincinnati comes into the matchup at 6-3. 12th-ranked Alabama back in action Saturday night. They'll play in Birmingham as they take on top-ranked Arizona. The Wildcats are 8-0 on the season, while Alabama comes into the matchup at 7-2. Tune in tonight for all the action on Thursday night football as the Falcons. Play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Pregame at 6-30. Kickoff at 7-15. Bundle auto and home, renters, or condo, and save with Progressive. I'm John Thayer with the Sports Flash, presented by Progressive on 93-9. The score. Find the most wonderful gifts at Macy's Friends and Family Sale with incredible deals on our best brands like Donna Karan, Yvette Lafie, Calvin Klein, and more, all at 30% off.

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Ryan, welcome in. It never gets boring, does it? How are you? Oh, Lord have mercy. What a meltdown. What a meltdown. Wow. I don't even know what to say. Yeah. I mean, it's, yeah. I mean, like, literally, my phone is just, just, just, like, text messages every, every second. I was cutting it off just to make sure it didn't come to interfere with the interview. But it's been the, not quite 24 hours yet. But, yeah, it's been a, yeah, it's been a big, big part of the conversation.

And, you know, talking to a lot of different people and trying to get the, the, you know, the pulse or the vibe, just a, you know, a feeling and trying to analyze everything and all the above. It's, it's no doubt a conversation. And I think this one's a little bit different because, um, yeah. So I think this one's a big job. And I think that's what has created some angst in this Alabama fan base. Well, the thing is, we don't know what road, Jimmy, Jimmy, Texas is obviously doing his job and trying to help him win no matter what decision he makes.

[1:40:10] But, you know, whatever's going to happen there at Michigan is going to happen. We're on this end of the narrative right now. And I thought this was an interesting, uh, share from a guy that I think a lot of folks respect in the business, Chris Lowe. They eat meat out there these days, but here's this quote and see what you think, Ryan. It's obviously regarding DeBoer. I do not believe he's the kind of person or competitor that would run to a challenge like Alabama and replace an icon like Nick Saban and then run away after two years.

What is your response to Chris Lowe? I think a lot of folks respect in the fraternity. No, absolutely. Listen, um, I, I do know, uh, you know, obviously Chris and I have some of the same sources. So, uh, that quote has been, uh, uh, uh, one that's, that's, that's been passed a couple of times. So, yes, I, listen, let me tell you what I do know about Kalen DeBoer. I think he accepted this job based on understanding the challenge and the challenge is that this Alabama fan base is, is obviously demanding, you know, yes.

I mean, it's, it's hard to deal, you know, to the standard, but the problem is, and I think this is where Saban got out is he knew that he couldn't maintain the standard because based on what coach Saban had said is when I can no longer maintain the standard that I've been able to create, that's the day that I'll retire. Okay. That's, that's his words. Okay. So then when you, when you back up and, and you really, really get to thinking about it, um, um, um, I think when you, when you spend time looking at Kalen DeBoer, he raised his hand when very few people were going to raise their hand to be able to say, I'm your guy.

And I don't think DeBoer, from the people that I spoke to the Penn state job, yes, they had an interest. He never had an interest in them. That's great. And I think, and I think one of the reasons why he did not is because it's, you know, you, you have to analyze who you're working for, the climate that you're working for and to understand, you know, Greg Byrne is the guy that has, has hired Kalen DeBoer. And, and I think that's the part, when you look at it, he's going to be the guy that's going to make sure that he gets everything he needs to be successful because if he's not, then that's a reflection on Greg Byrne.

So it's Greg Byrne. It's, it's very similar to, you know, across the state with John Cohen, trying to make sure that Hugh Brees had every opportunity to be successful, making sure it's, it's very similar, right? You don't want your head coach to fall on your watch if you're the guy that hired him. And I think it's why Greg Byrne, and I do think that there is an alignment. I think you used that word a couple of minutes ago. You know, I, I think that's another feeling here is that this fan base understands DeBoer, President, AD.

They're all on the same page. And many times that is not the way that it goes in athletic departments. And I think that's, that's where, where, where this is, that is that, I think when you look at Taylor DeBoer, I think he's building something. And I think a lot of people are looking at it going, hold on a minute. He followed Nick Saban. Right. He, he didn't back down from that. He's been able to manage it. He's got Alabama in the college football playoffs. And you guys may discount me for saying this.

I don't think this is a very talented football team, top to bottom. I think he's been able to coach around some of these obstacles, weaknesses. And I think that's what grabs people. I'm talking about people in the know that know football. I think this is one of those things that grabs. And I think. Sure. Because I think the job that he's done is simply, it's, it's, it's out of this world. Right. I mean, for him, yes, the Oklahoma loss hurts, the Florida State loss hurts, the Georgia loss hurts, but this is the new college football.

You're not going to run this thing undefeated. That day, those, that day has happened. They're gone. It's not going to happen. So here we are in the world of college athletics and as the day turns in Tuscaloosa. Ryan, I'm glad Harold read that because I was about to read that tweet in, and Chris Lowe told that to Charlie Potter, Alabama has been off this week. They're back tomorrow to practice. And I'm sure he'll be asked that question. Chris Lowe would not let that out publicly unless he knew what he was talking about.

And I thought about calling you last night. And I said, no, no, he's got a text every 10 minutes. And you've got, I'm not going to divulge what it is, but you've got impeccable sources for this information. Let me ask you about the short term as far as Oklahoma is concerned. I'm sure the bye week has helped. What are you hearing about the health? When you've got eight starters out by the start of the fourth quarter, you are going to have issues even though Alabama got outplayed and outcoached.

[1:45:26] What are you hearing about the health of this team, their mind frame? What do you expect, Norman, a week from tomorrow night? Yeah, I think they're on their way. I think the health of this team is probably going to be as good as you could probably ask for at, you know, the game number 14 of the college season. So I think when you look at the health overall, I think they're making some progress. I think they've got to feel, you know, pretty good from what I'm able to hear about Jam Miller.

I think he's on his way. Now, listen, anything can happen. I mean, there could be setback. I think Cam Newberry is going to be okay. I think Justin Jefferson is going to be okay. I think Xavier Brown is going to be okay. But then I also look at it and I look at other possibilities. You know, can you get a Josh Cuavers back? I don't think that's too predetermined at this point. And that's the part that I just don't know if anybody, you know, truly knows, you know, other than him.

And, you know, we're going to find out. You know, we're going to find out if that, because it's a big part of the puzzle, right, to be able to find out. And, you know, that's where we're at, is trying to figure out, you know, where we're at with Josh Cuavers, because I think he's such an important part. And if he's not able to go, can you get Danny Lewis back? Because I saw him on the field. He didn't look healthy. And you need that other weapon here.

And, you know, and so, but I think just a couple of days to reset is, I think, the very important thing that is going to be able to be. It will be created. Ryan Fowler hooking up with us. He's the host of the game, Tide 109 FM. That game is so huge in so many ways, is it not, Ryan? Obviously, you win. You keep your hopes alive of the national championship in year two of DeBoer. The question is, what happens if they lose and have that influence the decision?

And the question we're talking about here going forward, to me, that game has so many tentacles to it. You know, I do think that there's quite a few, but, you know, I think Alabama's the favorite for a reason, right? I mean, they got the better football team. This is a distraction of what's happening right now, because Caleb DeBoer may not address it, you know, into the media until Monday, but he will be forced to address this on Monday and probably even sooner with his team, right?

He's going to be asked to make some type of comment because you can't even open Twitter. You can't turn on the television. It's all over the place when you look at this, and it's going to be a distraction. I mean, I don't know if there's any way to put it out there. I mean, it will be, but I look at Oklahoma. Their team is probably not going to score, you know, a ton of points, so I'm not a betting guy, but I'd probably take the under in this situation.

Ryan, he is not going to, if Alabama does lose to Oklahoma, again, you call it a hunch or whatever you want to, but I've had a couple of people tell me, and you know who they are in the last month, he's not a quitter, and if he loses to Oklahoma, well, he's going to tuck his tail and run to Ann Arbor. I just don't see that happening, but, Ryan, everyone knows during the winter conditioning, during the spring, I hope the first thing he says in the team meeting is, guys, we're going to run the ball in 2026 one way or the other, and everybody knows Alabama's mantra is run the dadgum ball, and we all know that after 17 years of Nick Saban.

Ryan, what do you feel in the spring when they've got much more time to sit down? You may have a lighter offensive line. You've got what William Barge or Redfish mentioned may be the best running back coming in since Cornell Williams, and again, we'll see where all this stuff goes, but the spring, what changes will you think he makes beginning in the winter conditioning and also the spring? You know, I think you've got to feel comfortable with that position. See, I don't think that position is one of those that really jumps out to me as just being an over-talented group, right?

I just don't feel that that's an A-plus room. I think it's probably a – I'm not even sure I'd call it average. I think it's probably slightly below average in the SEC. I just don't feel that that room – so I think that's the first step is, do you look at AK Deer and say that that's enough? Do you look at Xavier Crowell? Do you feel that you can be there? Or do you have to go to the portal and go get you a big-time back? That is, you know, that's a question at this point, you know, is a debate.

[1:50:34] I don't have the answer to that because I'm not in that quarterback – excuse me, that running back room. But I think it's a depleted room at this point because of injuries, but do you feel there's enough talent to be able to do what you're saying that they need to do? I don't disagree with you. I mean, they're going to have to run the football. Absolutely. They've got to run it to a level that's a pretty level of effectiveness because you can't be pass-happy here. That's one of the things that I look at.

Can't be one-dimensional taking on guys like Venable's defense either, right? Quickly, how healthy is Ty Simpson? Well, I mean, I have to base it on, you know, what he has to say. I mean, he says that he feels good, so you have to base it on that. Yeah, I mean, I've heard all kind of different buzz. Oh, yeah. You know, we can't do our job based on buzz. I mean, because if I did buzz, my Lord, I can't even imagine what I showed. But, I mean, I've heard all the stuff.

I saw the 10s unit at Auburn. I think you've got to look at it and say, well, what was that for? Was that a muscle tightness? Was that because of the cold weather? Because it was a cold, right? I mean, it was super, super cold. You know, did something. Nobody's healthy. You know, that was game number 12. 12 games then. So, I mean, he's taking a beating. I mean, look, this offensive line is not able to protect him. So, I would say, you know, at this point, probably everybody's 80%, 85%.

I don't think ties that far off. I do know that, you know, he's probably battled some things. But, I don't think he's in a situation that it's going to, you know, interfere this game. Because I think he's been able to grind through several games. I don't think he needed a little bit of time to reset. And I hope he's been able to do that. Well, we'll certainly see. Listen, I'm sure you're going to have quite a show this afternoon with the questions about the future of Kellen DeBoer and this football team.

And only you can answer them. Where can we get online? And if somebody will up to listen or call in, where can they get online? Yeah, and we've got Chris Lowe coming up at 2.15. He's going to be a part of the show. I've talked with him a couple times today. So, he's going to be at 2.15. And then we'll talk to Alex Scarborough coming up in the 3 o'clock hour. Bruce Marshall. Todd109.com. Todd109.com. I always appreciate you guys. Hope you guys have a great rest of your day.

You too, buddy. Thank you so much, Ryan. Buckle up. Baby, you know, a lot of folks say, well, you look at this Venables defense. If you're Alabama, you're one-dimensional. Wah, wah, wah. What happened the last time? Alabama basically had the same running game. They still ran up over 400 yards. The question is, hang on to the ball and don't throw interceptions and fumble, baby. Well, that's going to be the key, Harold. They had three turnovers. And again, the same situation with Georgia. And Alabama got outplayed and outcoached against Georgia.

But when you're scoring, when you've got 25-yard drives, it's a lot easier. One week, one night away, Alabama and Oklahoma. Where in the world would they be then? And where in the world would this topic be tomorrow? Stay tuned. We'll check that out. But in the meantime, on behalf of BB, Greg, James Blair, the entire crew here. Harold Black, thank you so much for your time today. Let's do it again tomorrow. Noon to two for the Boom Up Buck Show. Back here on Sports Radio 93.9. the score.