1
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 On the same day the AP poll, much anticipated, came out. Let's go ahead and kind of spoil it a little bit. I'm thinking about it. He's shocked. Ohio State's got the big target on their back. Before we get into some of the other specifics, Adam, what's your first takeaway from the first AP poll of the season?

2
00:00:18,160 --> 00:00:45,760
 Yeah, I mean, I think it's a pretty good representation of, you know, what we can kind of expect this year. You know, I think that the three Big Ten powerhouses being in the top six, you know, Georgia, Texas, Notre Dame also being in that top six. I mean, it just shows that, you know, the Big Ten has the big three, but then the SEC has the overall depth. You know, they have the run from eight to 11 there with A&M and Oklahoma LSU won't miss, not in that order.

3
00:00:45,760 --> 00:01:04,640
 But, you know, the SEC is a deeper league, you know, a lot tougher of talented, a lot tougher week to week. But the Big Ten has those top teams that are going to be a beast to try to stop them from winning their fourth straight championship as a conference.

4
00:01:05,520 --> 00:01:12,360
 Adam, obviously, you know where we are and folks are going to say, OK, what about Alabama, given our zip code?

5
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 Back in the years past, is Alabama going to be one or two in the country?

6
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 Adam, I'm looking at it here. Alabama is not only not one and two in the country, they're sixth in the SEC, 13 overall.

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 That's the lowest number coming into a season since 08 when a guy named Nick Saban was in his second season.

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00:01:32,120 --> 00:01:33,240
 We know how that turned out.

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 Your thoughts about where Alabama is at the Baker's dozen spot?

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00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:41,340
 Yeah, you know, I think it just seems pretty fair.

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00:01:42,180 --> 00:01:47,140
 You know, when you have questions at every spot on offense, the defense is really good.

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00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:48,120
 The defense is solid.

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00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:53,660
 The secondary is probably either the best in the country or the second best in the country.

14
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 So, you know, the back end of the defense is loaded.

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 They have some talent up front.

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 The linebacking core is a question.

17
00:02:00,260 --> 00:02:03,100
 But on offense, you have questions at quarterback.

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 I mean, there's two solid options there, right, with Keelan Russell and Austin Mack.

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00:02:07,520 --> 00:02:15,840
 It's really like to see one of those guys start separating now, start pulling away, really make it an easy choice for Jimmy Grubb and Kalen Vore there.

20
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 You have questions at running back after last year when Jan Miller couldn't stay healthy and the guys who are now expected to take over the top spot just, you know, didn't necessarily look that great.

21
00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:32,480
 You know, the offensive line needs to show that it can block for whoever gets the bulk of the carries.

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00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:41,160
 And then even the wide receiver position, you lose Isaiah Horton and, you know, Brooks is already dealing with some sort of injury that doesn't seem like it'll be too serious.

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00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:46,500
 But, you know, there's some concern about who will step up alongside Ryan Colvin-Williams.

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00:02:46,680 --> 00:02:53,560
 So, when you have that many question marks on offense, I think 13 is more than fair for Alabama this year.

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 They're exactly where I thought they would be, Adam.

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00:02:56,860 --> 00:02:58,520
 I thought it would be 11 through 13.

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 Just to reiterate your point, the SEC and the Big Ten, first of all, have 17 of the 25 teams.

28
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 The SEC has nine.

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 The Big Ten has eight, which is your point, was well made.

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 The SEC's got more depth.

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 Georgia three, Texas five, and then you've got Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, LSU, literally eight through 11 with Alabama 13.

32
00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:30,360
 But, yeah, nine SEC teams in the top 25.

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 Yeah, and, you know, I just think that just with that group, that's the group that's really key, is that Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, LSU.

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 Because one or two of those teams is going to need to emerge as a real title contender.

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00:03:46,640 --> 00:03:51,760
 You can throw Alabama into that mix, too, if they find a special quarterback out of one of those guys.

36
00:03:52,420 --> 00:03:54,360
 You've got to get another title contender in there.

37
00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:56,000
 Texas and Georgia are going to be there.

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00:03:56,820 --> 00:03:59,260
 You know, we know Ohio State and Oregon are going to be there.

39
00:03:59,620 --> 00:04:01,680
 Indiana at number six, I thought, was a little low.

40
00:04:01,820 --> 00:04:04,400
 I mean, what more does Indiana have to do?

41
00:04:04,460 --> 00:04:10,120
 I know they lost the Heisman Trophy winner, but, I mean, my goodness, that is still a machine there under Cignetti.

42
00:04:10,320 --> 00:04:15,120
 So, yeah, you need that eight to 11 group and Alabama at number 13.

43
00:04:15,380 --> 00:04:20,840
 Two of those teams have got to turn into title contenders, and that's one of the key takeaways that I have there.

44
00:04:20,960 --> 00:04:22,900
 And I would predict LSU from that group.

45
00:04:22,900 --> 00:04:25,660
 I'm really high on what Lane Kiffin has done this offseason.

46
00:04:26,660 --> 00:04:28,760
 Adam Spencer, busy there Saturday down south.

47
00:04:29,180 --> 00:04:31,180
 Brad mentioned nine teams in the SEC.

48
00:04:32,480 --> 00:04:37,420
 And the ninth team, Kareem, if I'm wrong, is number 25 in the country.

49
00:04:37,560 --> 00:04:40,180
 Do you know anything about the Missouri Tigers, Adam?

50
00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:41,920
 I sure do.

51
00:04:42,100 --> 00:04:43,540
 And it's just nice to be included.

52
00:04:43,800 --> 00:04:45,900
 You know, there's been years where...

53
00:04:45,900 --> 00:04:47,180
 Nice to be loved.

54
00:04:48,180 --> 00:04:51,740
 Where Mizzou should probably have been a top 20 team.

55
00:04:51,960 --> 00:04:56,760
 And, frankly, if this was the year that they got left out of the top 25, I wouldn't have had much of an issue with it.

56
00:04:56,820 --> 00:05:00,040
 But, you know, it's nice to have them kind of making up for...

57
00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:00,920
 You know, just say...

58
00:05:00,920 --> 00:05:04,900
 That's kind of like a vote of confidence in what Eli Drinkwood has built to me.

59
00:05:05,040 --> 00:05:07,800
 You know, they're saying, hey, you know, this is a pretty good team.

60
00:05:07,900 --> 00:05:09,060
 Look at this roster.

61
00:05:09,220 --> 00:05:10,100
 Look at these running backs.

62
00:05:10,320 --> 00:05:11,120
 You know, Austin Simmons.

63
00:05:11,740 --> 00:05:16,320
 Yeah, he lost his job last year, but he lost his job to a Heisman Trophy contender.

64
00:05:16,320 --> 00:05:19,860
 So, you know, I like what Eli's done there in Columbia.

65
00:05:20,100 --> 00:05:24,060
 And I was glad to see them crack the top 25 there in that last spot.

66
00:05:24,860 --> 00:05:30,580
 You mentioned to us last Monday that you would begin this week in alphabetical order, I believe,

67
00:05:30,740 --> 00:05:35,880
 predicting the season records for every SEC team.

68
00:05:35,980 --> 00:05:38,520
 And as you know, our audience loves you.

69
00:05:38,520 --> 00:05:46,700
 But after predicting Alabama to go 10-2, 7-2 in the conference and making the 12-team playoff,

70
00:05:47,120 --> 00:05:50,520
 I think those love hugs are going to increase even more.

71
00:05:51,540 --> 00:05:53,920
 You've got Alabama winning, Adam.

72
00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:58,700
 In fact, I think Georgia was the first loss.

73
00:05:58,800 --> 00:06:03,940
 Right now, I think a lot of Alabama fans would take this before they played the season.

74
00:06:03,940 --> 00:06:09,480
 But you've got Alabama 10-2 making the college football playoff.

75
00:06:10,300 --> 00:06:12,660
 Yeah, I think that the schedule breaks pretty well for them.

76
00:06:12,980 --> 00:06:15,720
 You know, I think that Baton Rouge is going to be a really tough place to play.

77
00:06:15,880 --> 00:06:20,020
 I have that being, you know, I think that Kiffin is going to really want that one.

78
00:06:20,100 --> 00:06:21,820
 I think that that atmosphere is going to be crazy.

79
00:06:22,460 --> 00:06:27,560
 And then Georgia, you know, I just think that, you know, the Alabama defense, you know,

80
00:06:27,580 --> 00:06:30,560
 they're not built to take advantage of Alabama's secondary.

81
00:06:30,720 --> 00:06:32,840
 So they're not even really going to try, would be my guess.

82
00:06:32,940 --> 00:06:37,040
 They're just going to, you know, it's going to be a battle of defense and running game.

83
00:06:37,040 --> 00:06:42,980
 And I think that the running game edge goes to Georgia in a pretty major way there.

84
00:06:43,120 --> 00:06:46,460
 So, you know, I would expect that one, even though it's in Tuscaloosa.

85
00:06:46,660 --> 00:06:50,820
 You know, I think that Kirby Smart got the monkey off of his back, so to speak,

86
00:06:51,260 --> 00:06:54,320
 in that SEC championship game this past season.

87
00:06:54,540 --> 00:06:58,660
 So, you know, I think that he carries that momentum into Tuscaloosa, and they pull out,

88
00:06:58,720 --> 00:07:02,800
 you know, something like a 17-14 or 17-13 win, something like that.

89
00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:07,600
 It's low scoring and just, you know, not a lot of movement through the air.

90
00:07:08,540 --> 00:07:11,900
 Adam, obviously, where we are, we're kind of in a vortex here.

91
00:07:11,980 --> 00:07:16,980
 To our west, we have two teams within spint and distance called Mississippi State and Ole Miss.

92
00:07:17,620 --> 00:07:21,760
 And to me, Ole Miss has one of the more under-radar opening games of the season.

93
00:07:22,060 --> 00:07:26,140
 They're highly ranked, as we just talked about there, up there at number nine.

94
00:07:26,760 --> 00:07:28,980
 But it's going to be a battle of top 25 teams.

95
00:07:28,980 --> 00:07:34,080
 They're opening opponents, Louisville, at number 24, and it's going to be on a neutral side.

96
00:07:34,200 --> 00:07:37,300
 To me, that's kind of an under-radar opening game for the season.

97
00:07:38,200 --> 00:07:42,080
 Yeah, and I honestly think that that Louisville squad is a little bit underrated.

98
00:07:42,700 --> 00:07:45,680
 You know, I would have maybe around 20, probably.

99
00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:49,560
 So, you know, they're going to be a little bit motivated there, too,

100
00:07:49,660 --> 00:07:54,300
 because 24 just seemed a little bit low to me for what they have.

101
00:07:54,600 --> 00:08:00,120
 And, you know, they bring in the guys, the kind holes from Ohio State to be their quarterback.

102
00:08:00,440 --> 00:08:02,180
 They've got their running back back.

103
00:08:03,160 --> 00:08:05,680
 They've rebuilt their defense in a lot of ways.

104
00:08:05,820 --> 00:08:08,720
 So, you know, I think that Louisville is going to be a very dangerous squad.

105
00:08:08,720 --> 00:08:22,060
 And, you know, this is not like one of those neutral side games where, you know, if LSU and USC are playing and their two neutral side games are New Orleans and Las Vegas, you know, this is Nashville.

106
00:08:22,060 --> 00:08:26,560
 And that's actually, like, pretty fair for a distance between two of those schools.

107
00:08:26,700 --> 00:08:28,620
 It's a pretty easy trip for both schools.

108
00:08:28,820 --> 00:08:31,740
 So, you know, I expect it to be pretty much a 50-50 split.

109
00:08:31,860 --> 00:08:33,180
 So that is definitely one.

110
00:08:33,280 --> 00:08:37,920
 You know, LSU-Clemson is going to get all the highlights or headlines from week one and for good reason.

111
00:08:38,080 --> 00:08:41,080
 But, yeah, don't sleep on that Ole Miss-Louisville game.

112
00:08:41,140 --> 00:08:42,040
 That's going to be a really good one.

113
00:08:42,640 --> 00:08:43,000
 Absolutely.

114
00:08:43,340 --> 00:08:45,880
 Adam, just to close, we mentioned this a little bit earlier.

115
00:08:46,040 --> 00:08:48,820
 Two SEC legends passing away.

116
00:08:48,940 --> 00:08:58,460
 Friday, Skip Burtman, the former LSU legendary baseball coach, athletic director, won five national championships.

117
00:08:59,360 --> 00:09:02,880
 Ron Pope really, to me, put the SEC baseball on the map.

118
00:09:02,880 --> 00:09:09,420
 And then Skip Burtman took it to another level as far as making it a national power.

119
00:09:10,040 --> 00:09:17,280
 And our good friend, Jodine Jr., of course, the son of string music, Jodine Sr., passed away yesterday.

120
00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:22,940
 He had dementia and had a stroke and had been in bad health for a while.

121
00:09:23,100 --> 00:09:25,620
 But he was an absolute delight to talk with.

122
00:09:25,780 --> 00:09:27,700
 We had him as a guest for years.

123
00:09:27,700 --> 00:09:32,660
 But two SEC legends we lost over the weekend.

124
00:09:33,900 --> 00:09:40,020
 Yeah, I mean, it's coming up to that time where some of these guys who have really helped the SEC,

125
00:09:40,040 --> 00:09:44,940
 take off back a couple decades ago or starting to get up there in age.

126
00:09:45,200 --> 00:09:47,100
 And, you know, so that's sad to see.

127
00:09:47,280 --> 00:09:50,500
 Burtman, you know, he really put LSU baseball on the map.

128
00:09:50,700 --> 00:09:58,840
 And, you know, a lot of the foundation that that school still enjoys today can be traced directly back to him

129
00:09:58,840 --> 00:10:04,060
 and his efforts with the national championships and, you know, just recruiting all those players.

130
00:10:04,240 --> 00:10:06,440
 I mean, LSU is a destination now.

131
00:10:06,520 --> 00:10:08,840
 Their fans are absolutely crazy about baseball.

132
00:10:09,100 --> 00:10:11,320
 And he deserves a ton of credit for that.

133
00:10:13,420 --> 00:10:13,820
 Absolutely.

134
00:10:14,120 --> 00:10:16,220
 Adam, always enjoy beginning of the week.

135
00:10:16,420 --> 00:10:19,020
 High school football, I know, begins in the state of Alabama.

136
00:10:19,200 --> 00:10:22,060
 It started, I believe, in Georgia last week in a round.

137
00:10:22,180 --> 00:10:25,180
 But next time we turn around, it is going to be here.

138
00:10:25,560 --> 00:10:36,600
 But I know you can have a continue with your predictions for SEC teams, a lot of preseason content on the online.

139
00:10:36,720 --> 00:10:39,480
 Adam, where can we get online to get your stuff in the teams?

140
00:10:40,140 --> 00:10:41,980
 Yeah, SaturdayDownSouth.com.

141
00:10:42,060 --> 00:10:44,740
 We got the Saturday football newsletter coming out tomorrow.

142
00:10:44,740 --> 00:10:51,200
 And then right after I get done here, I'm going to finish up a takeaways column from the AP poll.

143
00:10:51,320 --> 00:10:53,280
 So be sure to check that out, Saturday DownSouth.

144
00:10:54,620 --> 00:11:00,480
 And also make a run to Walmart and get some tissue paper, I'm sure, as you pick up your kid today from preschool.

145
00:11:00,680 --> 00:11:01,160
 Right, Adam?

146
00:11:02,100 --> 00:11:02,940
 Yeah, absolutely.

147
00:11:03,100 --> 00:11:06,340
 That's going to be, you know, count down the hours until I get to pick her up.

148
00:11:06,560 --> 00:11:07,200
 There you go.

149
00:11:07,720 --> 00:11:08,680
 Listen, good luck, man.

150
00:11:08,900 --> 00:11:09,500
 Thanks for your time.

151
00:11:09,560 --> 00:11:10,180
 Have a great week.

152
00:11:10,280 --> 00:11:11,560
 Adam Spencer looking up with us.

153
00:11:11,600 --> 00:11:13,480
 He's there at Saturday DownSouth.

154
00:11:13,680 --> 00:11:17,320
 What do you say we head south of the shoals to Aggie country?

155
00:11:17,460 --> 00:11:19,600
 Hamilton High coach Evan Schiff on deck.

156
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 Stay with us.

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 I think Rafa Hodar is on upset alert.

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 The Spanish team has produced an unbelievable rise to number 11 in the world, but he's running

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199
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201
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202
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220
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 The score.

221
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 That's G-U-S-T-O dot com.

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 Gusto dot com.

229
00:14:25,320 --> 00:14:28,060
 Shohei Otani's interpreter was fired today.

230
00:14:28,220 --> 00:14:33,240
 Ipe Mitsuhara ran up gambling debts to a Southern California bookmaking operation.

231
00:14:33,720 --> 00:14:38,040
 The inside story of the biggest scandal in modern baseball.

232
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 He was absolutely bananas, the amount of bets he was making.

233
00:14:41,160 --> 00:14:42,460
 I've never seen anything like it.

234
00:14:42,460 --> 00:14:47,800
 From 30 for 30 Podcasts, this is The Betrayal of Shohei Otani.

235
00:14:48,220 --> 00:14:49,480
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236
00:14:49,800 --> 00:14:51,500
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237
00:14:52,060 --> 00:14:53,940
 Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

238
00:14:56,320 --> 00:14:59,700
 From the University of Alabama, this is Crimson Tide Today.

239
00:15:00,060 --> 00:15:04,240
 It's a daily update on Bama sports and it's brought to you by Alabama Professional Services.

240
00:15:04,700 --> 00:15:06,960
 Protect your home from the ground up with APS.

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242
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243
00:15:13,940 --> 00:15:14,620
 Hello again, everybody.

244
00:15:14,900 --> 00:15:15,720
 I'm Roger Hoover.

245
00:15:16,100 --> 00:15:20,280
 Here are thoughts from Alabama football head coach Kalen DeBoer following last Thursday's

246
00:15:20,280 --> 00:15:24,100
 scrimmage for the Crimson Tide at Saban Field at Bryant-Deddy Stadium.

247
00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:28,560
 Good to get out there, get in the stadium, have scrimmage, try to make a game like as possible.

248
00:15:29,500 --> 00:15:36,280
 Just a lot of new faces that need to make sure that that feels like that's our home place and home turf.

249
00:15:36,960 --> 00:15:40,760
 And so even wearing game jerseys today, we didn't get a chance to wear those in the spring.

250
00:15:41,140 --> 00:15:43,160
 Just outside factors.

251
00:15:43,160 --> 00:15:46,440
 But it was good to get the guys a lot of reps.

252
00:15:47,560 --> 00:15:49,600
 Defense did a nice job coming out, setting the tone.

253
00:15:50,140 --> 00:15:53,220
 Could execute a little bit better offensively, but led to a couple of takeaways.

254
00:15:53,840 --> 00:15:56,580
 And that's always great to see because they were advantageous.

255
00:15:56,820 --> 00:15:58,860
 Guys making plays, love to see that.

256
00:15:59,400 --> 00:16:02,960
 And then the offense did a nice job of just slowly responding, coming back.

257
00:16:03,020 --> 00:16:04,580
 And as the scrimmage went on, it became very balanced.

258
00:16:04,900 --> 00:16:05,780
 I'll have more in a moment.

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 Visit alabamaprofessionals.com.

266
00:16:35,860 --> 00:16:39,580
 Join us on Thursday afternoon for Crimson Drive, driven by NASCAR.

267
00:16:39,760 --> 00:16:46,260
 Streaming live at 2 p.m. Central on all CTSN social media platforms at UA underscore CTSN.

268
00:16:46,700 --> 00:16:50,480
 Crimson Tide Today is brought to you by Alabama Professional Services.

269
00:16:50,900 --> 00:16:54,760
 Crimson Tide Today is a production of the Crimson Tide Sports Network from Learfield.

270
00:16:55,400 --> 00:16:56,560
 The score.

271
00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:01,600
 Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score.

272
00:17:02,140 --> 00:17:02,880
 Welcome back in.

273
00:17:02,920 --> 00:17:08,580
 It is an absolute pleasure for us to head on down to Hamblin High and say hello to head football coach Evan Schiff.

274
00:17:08,700 --> 00:17:10,000
 Coach, welcome in.

275
00:17:10,080 --> 00:17:10,740
 How are you?

276
00:17:11,420 --> 00:17:12,280
 I'm doing good.

277
00:17:12,380 --> 00:17:13,280
 I appreciate you all having us on.

278
00:17:13,280 --> 00:17:13,680
 Hey, Coach.

279
00:17:13,780 --> 00:17:14,800
 Man, we appreciate you.

280
00:17:14,900 --> 00:17:18,060
 We better be good because it's almost showtime, is it not, Coach?

281
00:17:18,780 --> 00:17:20,880
 Yeah, it's getting close.

282
00:17:21,120 --> 00:17:22,020
 It's here.

283
00:17:22,180 --> 00:17:23,440
 So we're excited about it.

284
00:17:23,660 --> 00:17:31,380
 And it's ready to get on the field and, you know, get somebody other than our own guys.

285
00:17:32,580 --> 00:17:36,420
 Every time I think about Hamblin High, I'm going to date myself here a little bit.

286
00:17:36,620 --> 00:17:39,240
 Gary Hollinsworth's name comes to mind.

287
00:17:39,660 --> 00:17:42,200
 To me, he still has Hamilton on the map.

288
00:17:42,560 --> 00:17:49,500
 To do what he did, to come out of Hamilton High and lead Alabama to the Sugar Bowl, I mean, that has to be a...

289
00:17:49,500 --> 00:17:53,160
 I would imagine Gary's legacy still lives on at Hamblin High.

290
00:17:53,840 --> 00:17:54,660
 Oh, yeah, definitely.

291
00:17:54,840 --> 00:18:01,320
 We actually had a little meet the Aggies night a couple weeks ago.

292
00:18:01,440 --> 00:18:04,660
 He was one of our guest speakers, so he got to talk to the guys.

293
00:18:05,100 --> 00:18:07,680
 That was good hearing all the stories and everything.

294
00:18:09,720 --> 00:18:11,240
 He's still around a little bit.

295
00:18:11,240 --> 00:18:19,120
 So it's definitely good to have a guy make that kind of impact on the national stage from Hamilton.

296
00:18:19,500 --> 00:18:22,240
 So let's talk about this year's team, Coach.

297
00:18:22,300 --> 00:18:24,120
 Obviously, coming in every year.

298
00:18:24,220 --> 00:18:26,440
 It's a brand new, if you will, kind of deck to shuffle.

299
00:18:26,620 --> 00:18:28,100
 You got some coming, some going.

300
00:18:28,260 --> 00:18:31,780
 Talk to us about Hamilton High 2026 team.

301
00:18:33,860 --> 00:18:34,500
 I'm sorry.

302
00:18:34,660 --> 00:18:35,780
 It cut out on me.

303
00:18:36,260 --> 00:18:40,820
 No, we said, obviously, you got folks coming and going with every year, every class.

304
00:18:41,000 --> 00:18:47,420
 If you will, start talking to us a little bit about the personality and some of the guys you got coming back on this roster.

305
00:18:48,300 --> 00:18:54,800
 Well, we lost the majority of our offensive line last year.

306
00:18:55,700 --> 00:18:59,120
 Got our quarterback and our receivers back.

307
00:18:59,820 --> 00:19:05,340
 So our skill guys are back, which is always good, especially at the quarterback position.

308
00:19:05,340 --> 00:19:11,760
 Having a quarterback this year will be the same guy we've had for five years now.

309
00:19:12,060 --> 00:19:13,180
 So he's got a lot of experience.

310
00:19:14,340 --> 00:19:17,600
 Our receivers are three- and four-year starters.

311
00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:19,780
 So a lot of experience there.

312
00:19:20,260 --> 00:19:23,580
 So, you know, just been able to do a lot of different things with those guys.

313
00:19:23,840 --> 00:19:30,080
 And, you know, there's not a lot that people can throw with them defensively that they haven't seen before.

314
00:19:31,240 --> 00:19:36,580
 Now, just on the opposite side with our offensive line, not a lot of experience there.

315
00:19:36,800 --> 00:19:41,380
 We have some guys that have varsity experience, just not at the offensive line.

316
00:19:41,620 --> 00:19:45,100
 So, you know, we're working through that.

317
00:19:45,220 --> 00:19:46,880
 And, you know, they're getting better every day.

318
00:19:47,140 --> 00:19:53,020
 So, you know, offensively, you know, we still feel good about what we're doing.

319
00:19:53,920 --> 00:19:58,260
 Defensively, we actually have a lot of experience coming back.

320
00:19:58,960 --> 00:20:02,220
 We've got 10 of our 11 starters coming back from last year.

321
00:20:02,460 --> 00:20:07,720
 So, you know, they've, you know, shown growth as well.

322
00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:13,920
 But just that experience is going to be really key for us going into this season.

323
00:20:14,740 --> 00:20:19,620
 You know, with the region changes, a little bit tougher region than what we were in last year.

324
00:20:19,760 --> 00:20:22,600
 So, you know, we're kind of excited about that as well.

325
00:20:22,920 --> 00:20:31,960
 Yeah, in fact, Dastler, Brooks, Priceful, and West Morgan, I think last year, you're in Class 4A Region 7.

326
00:20:32,100 --> 00:20:37,820
 This year, it is with the reclassification, Class 4A Region 5 last year.

327
00:20:37,840 --> 00:20:39,780
 And this year, it's Region 7.

328
00:20:40,380 --> 00:20:44,560
 When you first came to Hamilton, this is your first year, your fourth year.

329
00:20:45,040 --> 00:20:46,360
 Your team was 1-9.

330
00:20:46,360 --> 00:20:48,360
 You had a lot of very young players.

331
00:20:48,580 --> 00:20:55,140
 As you mentioned, Mason Holloway, who threw for 2,400 yards and 30 touchdowns last year.

332
00:20:55,760 --> 00:20:56,740
 He is coming back.

333
00:20:56,880 --> 00:21:04,480
 You were 1-9 in 2023, 9-3 in 2024, and last year, 11-1.

334
00:21:04,980 --> 00:21:09,440
 That team scored 519 points, averaging 43 a game.

335
00:21:10,100 --> 00:21:17,340
 In fact, your only loss was to Dastler in the second round of the playoffs, 31-30.

336
00:21:17,340 --> 00:21:24,820
 Speaking of Gary Hollingsworth having an impact, Evan Schill has had a major impact on Hamilton football.

337
00:21:26,140 --> 00:21:28,140
 Well, it's not just me.

338
00:21:28,320 --> 00:21:30,320
 We have a lot of really good coaches.

339
00:21:31,500 --> 00:21:36,880
 You know, when we first got here, we had a lot of young guys that were talented.

340
00:21:37,120 --> 00:21:38,320
 It's not a lot of experience.

341
00:21:38,320 --> 00:21:47,600
 So, to see those guys really grow and buy into what we do and how we do things has been really rewarding.

342
00:21:47,900 --> 00:21:49,980
 It kind of makes it easy to come to work every day.

343
00:21:50,340 --> 00:21:59,620
 And, you know, when I first took the jobs, you know, it was kind of one of those things where I knew there was young talent here.

344
00:21:59,920 --> 00:22:03,400
 And it just, it's worked out really well.

345
00:22:03,400 --> 00:22:07,320
 And they've, you know, they bought in and they've worked really hard.

346
00:22:07,520 --> 00:22:11,060
 And, you know, we've been able to kind of show that on the field.

347
00:22:11,280 --> 00:22:27,140
 And, you know, it's a lot of four-year starters on this senior class that, you know, were young and weren't quite ready when we came here to play on Friday nights.

348
00:22:27,140 --> 00:22:29,280
 But that's just the hand we were dealt.

349
00:22:29,560 --> 00:22:32,740
 And, you know, we took our lumps with it for a couple years.

350
00:22:32,740 --> 00:22:37,260
 And now it's really paid off just getting that experience for those guys.

351
00:22:37,740 --> 00:22:39,200
 Coach, talk to us about that.

352
00:22:39,440 --> 00:22:43,220
 Every coach listening right now can say amen, I'll assume, to this.

353
00:22:43,220 --> 00:22:45,740
 Because what's the modern phrase of putting it?

354
00:22:45,740 --> 00:22:48,900
 We live in a microwave world where people want instant success.

355
00:22:49,360 --> 00:22:54,400
 And it doesn't matter if it's at the NFL level, collegiate level, or at the high school level.

356
00:22:54,720 --> 00:22:57,480
 Talk to us just about the message you can tell fans.

357
00:22:57,660 --> 00:23:01,220
 Sometimes, especially in high school, you've got to recruit what's in the hallways.

358
00:23:01,300 --> 00:23:03,560
 You don't go out and recruit like the NFL.

359
00:23:03,820 --> 00:23:06,900
 You don't do like even colleges now where they go buy their talent, basically.

360
00:23:07,380 --> 00:23:13,460
 Talk to us about the message that you can tell fans, especially younger fans who live in a world where if they want something,

361
00:23:13,460 --> 00:23:15,360
 they just Google it and they got it in two seconds.

362
00:23:15,660 --> 00:23:18,560
 It takes time to plant the seed and make it grow, does it not?

363
00:23:19,200 --> 00:23:19,820
 It does.

364
00:23:20,100 --> 00:23:32,900
 And, you know, when you put a 15-year-old out there that's a freshman, there's a big difference between a 15-year-old and a 19-year-old.

365
00:23:33,160 --> 00:23:33,340
 Oh, yeah.

366
00:23:34,240 --> 00:23:39,400
 And so, just, you know, fans just have to understand that.

367
00:23:39,680 --> 00:23:42,660
 And, you know, there's injuries happen where you've got to play young guys.

368
00:23:42,760 --> 00:23:45,020
 It's not ideal, but it happens.

369
00:23:45,400 --> 00:23:45,760
 It happens.

370
00:23:46,480 --> 00:23:50,300
 You know, it's just something you deal with in high school athletics.

371
00:23:50,660 --> 00:24:00,100
 You just got to develop what you've got and, you know, hopefully you do things the right way and don't just go out and try to recruit other people's players.

372
00:24:00,380 --> 00:24:04,000
 But, you know, that's something we deal with today as well.

373
00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:16,420
 But, you know, to see those young guys really grow up is what, you know, makes coaching high school athletics gratifying.

374
00:24:16,820 --> 00:24:22,500
 And why we do what we do is to see those young people mature and grow up.

375
00:24:22,740 --> 00:24:26,780
 And, you know, that's why we do what we do.

376
00:24:27,560 --> 00:24:31,780
 I'm amazed you mentioned 10 returning starters on defense.

377
00:24:31,780 --> 00:24:34,300
 How many coaches would like to have that?

378
00:24:34,880 --> 00:24:40,560
 Coming back, your defensive front, DJ Simmons, Colby Lackey, Dyson Ayers.

379
00:24:42,460 --> 00:24:46,760
 And you've got a tremendous skill position players.

380
00:24:47,060 --> 00:24:48,360
 We talked about Mason.

381
00:24:48,520 --> 00:24:54,640
 Houston Tibbs caught 41 passes for nearly 1,000 yards and 13 touchdowns.

382
00:24:54,700 --> 00:24:57,740
 Jet Weghorst, I believe, is going to be your running back.

383
00:24:57,740 --> 00:25:04,040
 But as much as you guys pass and catch so well, it's still about winning the line of scrimmage.

384
00:25:04,200 --> 00:25:07,200
 Talk about your defensive front and your offensive line.

385
00:25:07,300 --> 00:25:14,200
 Even though experience, you know, no matter what level it is, that's how you win games is winning the line of scrimmage.

386
00:25:14,500 --> 00:25:14,600
 Right.

387
00:25:15,200 --> 00:25:16,420
 Yeah, definitely no doubt.

388
00:25:16,940 --> 00:25:23,740
 You know, as fun as it looks on the stat sheets to see us throw it all over the field, you know, you still got to run the ball eventually.

389
00:25:23,740 --> 00:25:27,640
 And, you know, there were games last year where, yeah, we could throw it.

390
00:25:27,940 --> 00:25:30,360
 But to close out a game, we had to run the football.

391
00:25:30,740 --> 00:25:34,060
 And so you still have to win the line of scrimmage.

392
00:25:34,800 --> 00:25:43,340
 And the defensive front, you know, we're a three-man front team, do a lot of different things defensively.

393
00:25:43,500 --> 00:25:49,920
 But, you know, we pride ourselves on being able to stop the run and make people throw it defensively.

394
00:25:50,160 --> 00:25:55,840
 And, you know, in our league, a lot of people, you know, kind of hang their hat on running the football.

395
00:25:56,120 --> 00:26:00,680
 And so if you can stop the run, you get them out of what they're comfortable doing, what they want to do.

396
00:26:00,820 --> 00:26:07,340
 And our defensive front seven does a really good job and a really physical stop in the run.

397
00:26:07,460 --> 00:26:09,500
 So excited to have all those guys back.

398
00:26:10,080 --> 00:26:15,640
 You had, I mentioned this earlier, you've got a tough schedule now in Class 4A Region 7.

399
00:26:15,640 --> 00:26:20,800
 And you add, Dessler, we talked to Coach Malone last week.

400
00:26:20,940 --> 00:26:24,700
 Brooks, they've been averaging about 38 to 40 points a game.

401
00:26:24,860 --> 00:26:27,840
 Seth Parker left to go to Bob Jones.

402
00:26:28,060 --> 00:26:32,880
 Priceful, Wes Morgan's got a 30-something game regular season winning streak.

403
00:26:33,120 --> 00:26:36,820
 You've got a 13-game regular winning streak.

404
00:26:37,120 --> 00:26:39,500
 But I tell you what, you begin with Soligent.

405
00:26:39,700 --> 00:26:41,940
 You're open this weekend, begin with Soligent.

406
00:26:41,940 --> 00:26:47,640
 The 90th meeting of those two teams, you still have got a tough, challenging schedule this year.

407
00:26:48,340 --> 00:26:48,580
 Right.

408
00:26:49,140 --> 00:26:55,680
 Yeah, and the region is tough and, you know, travels.

409
00:26:56,340 --> 00:26:59,600
 And our region is pretty widespread as well.

410
00:26:59,720 --> 00:27:01,900
 Our closest region game is over an hour away.

411
00:27:02,360 --> 00:27:11,100
 So, you know, we were able to schedule a couple close games with our non-region that are rivalry games.

412
00:27:11,100 --> 00:27:16,840
 We've got Soligent, Winfield, and Hayleville, which are, you know, have always been big rivals over the years.

413
00:27:17,300 --> 00:27:20,000
 So, you know, those games will be fun.

414
00:27:21,040 --> 00:27:27,140
 Which, you know, those teams are traditionally pretty tough.

415
00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:30,580
 So, you know, it's going to be a tough schedule.

416
00:27:31,040 --> 00:27:36,560
 But our guys are, you know, they're excited about it and up for the challenge.

417
00:27:36,560 --> 00:27:42,400
 So, you know, the big thing is just, you know, staying healthy and getting ready to play every week.

418
00:27:42,800 --> 00:27:43,460
 That's it.

419
00:27:43,600 --> 00:27:45,660
 Listen, we always enjoy talking with you.

420
00:27:45,720 --> 00:27:50,440
 Hamilton, to me, is one of the most underrated teams in North Alabama.

421
00:27:50,440 --> 00:27:53,300
 You've done a tremendous job of bringing this program along.

422
00:27:53,380 --> 00:27:54,920
 Again, 11-1 last year.

423
00:27:55,000 --> 00:27:57,220
 We were losing that heartache game, too.

424
00:27:57,480 --> 00:28:03,020
 Dan, so listen, much success this year to the players, coaches, fans.

425
00:28:03,200 --> 00:28:05,460
 Hopefully, we can do this again with you real soon.

426
00:28:06,080 --> 00:28:06,520
 All right.

427
00:28:06,560 --> 00:28:07,800
 Well, I appreciate you having us.

428
00:28:07,920 --> 00:28:15,440
 And thank you all for supporting our guys and, you know, getting information out there about us.

429
00:28:15,700 --> 00:28:17,440
 So, it's always good talking to you.

430
00:28:18,160 --> 00:28:19,820
 Absolutely proud to do it, Coach.

431
00:28:19,880 --> 00:28:20,540
 There you have it, Coach.

432
00:28:20,680 --> 00:28:24,600
 Adam and Shep hooking up with us down at Hamilton High.

433
00:28:24,720 --> 00:28:27,780
 Coming up, time to talk Auburn Tigers with Brian Matthews on deck.

434
00:28:27,840 --> 00:28:28,340
 Stay with us.

435
00:28:32,060 --> 00:28:32,860
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470
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471
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 The Score.

472
00:30:49,040 --> 00:30:50,960
 Atlanta Braves were winners yesterday at home.

473
00:30:51,060 --> 00:30:52,900
 They beat the Diamondbacks 5-3.

474
00:30:53,040 --> 00:30:56,140
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475
00:30:56,320 --> 00:30:59,600
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476
00:31:00,160 --> 00:31:01,200
 Take on the Twins.

477
00:31:01,320 --> 00:31:03,220
 Martin Perez will get the start for Atlanta.

478
00:31:03,560 --> 00:31:06,820
 He's currently 8-6 on the season.

479
00:31:07,360 --> 00:31:12,020
 Atlanta Falcons drop their preseason opener on Friday night at home as the Falcons fill

480
00:31:12,020 --> 00:31:15,060
 to the Denver Broncos 27-7.

481
00:31:15,440 --> 00:31:20,040
 The Falcons will be back in action this Saturday in Indianapolis against the Colts.

482
00:31:20,340 --> 00:31:22,660
 NASCAR Cup Series on Saturday in Richmond.

483
00:31:22,820 --> 00:31:23,880
 Joey Logano the winner.

484
00:31:24,000 --> 00:31:25,080
 Chase Briscoe was second.

485
00:31:25,560 --> 00:31:27,380
 And Austin Sendrick was third.

486
00:31:27,820 --> 00:31:31,420
 Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott rounded out the top five.

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498
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 The Score.

499
00:32:47,880 --> 00:32:52,700
 Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score.

500
00:32:53,200 --> 00:32:53,960
 Welcome back in.

501
00:32:54,040 --> 00:32:59,220
 Time to say hello to the man who's got the Auburn Tigers covered like the morning dew.

502
00:32:59,340 --> 00:33:02,120
 Brian Matthews, Senior Editor, AuburnSports.com.

503
00:33:02,180 --> 00:33:03,100
 Brian, welcome in.

504
00:33:03,180 --> 00:33:03,680
 How are you?

505
00:33:04,440 --> 00:33:05,360
 I'm great, guys.

506
00:33:05,420 --> 00:33:05,800
 How are y'all?

507
00:33:05,860 --> 00:33:06,060
 I'm good.

508
00:33:06,600 --> 00:33:08,900
 I bet you've got a lot of sad people in your backyard.

509
00:33:09,080 --> 00:33:10,300
 Day one of classes.

510
00:33:10,980 --> 00:33:15,180
 Did you ever, I mean, did you have perfect attendance when you went to school, Brian?

511
00:33:16,140 --> 00:33:20,280
 Not when I got to college, no, but maybe way back in the day.

512
00:33:22,320 --> 00:33:23,320
 What was your nickname?

513
00:33:23,460 --> 00:33:24,280
 Like, mine, Skilt?

514
00:33:25,560 --> 00:33:26,680
 Yeah, mine.

515
00:33:28,140 --> 00:33:31,120
 Brian, obviously, it means something for the football team.

516
00:33:31,120 --> 00:33:35,640
 I guess it's safe to say the true camp portion of the preseason has ended.

517
00:33:35,840 --> 00:33:36,840
 Time to shift gears.

518
00:33:37,420 --> 00:33:38,860
 Let's start with first things first.

519
00:33:38,940 --> 00:33:40,580
 Brian, where are you as far as your gut?

520
00:33:40,700 --> 00:33:42,600
 You've been following this program a long time.

521
00:33:43,200 --> 00:33:46,780
 Where are you with this team this year at this point under the new regime?

522
00:33:47,920 --> 00:33:53,520
 I think things are starting to come together, and I think the actual fall camp is going to last through this week.

523
00:33:53,580 --> 00:33:57,380
 They're going to have another scrimmage on Wednesday.

524
00:33:57,380 --> 00:34:02,360
 They have one on Friday and maybe a practice trip after that.

525
00:34:02,540 --> 00:34:09,020
 But then the following week, I think they're going to do a simulated, simulated game week.

526
00:34:09,100 --> 00:34:10,860
 And then the next week will be the actual game week.

527
00:34:11,040 --> 00:34:15,360
 So I think they've got just a few, several more days of fall camp to go here.

528
00:34:16,080 --> 00:34:17,860
 I think some things are coming together.

529
00:34:18,080 --> 00:34:19,980
 I really like what's happening on the defensive line.

530
00:34:20,100 --> 00:34:25,440
 I think that's an area of concern going into camp about the depth there, and I think the depth is really stepping up.

531
00:34:25,620 --> 00:34:37,080
 I think several players there behind the starters like Jordan Crawford had pretty good scrimmages on Friday, and I think that's come along.

532
00:34:37,080 --> 00:34:48,100
 And I think we're still trying to figure out things at cornerback and an offensive line, but I also think we've got a pretty good idea who the top seven or eight guys there on the offensive line are, which is really important.

533
00:34:48,780 --> 00:34:55,580
 Let me ask you about the money musings, and you basically titled it Attention to Detail.

534
00:34:56,060 --> 00:35:06,700
 I can't exactly describe the previous two coaches at Auburn for attention to detail, but as you mentioned, they had a surprise last week.

535
00:35:07,200 --> 00:35:23,680
 Nobody knew, but what the players didn't know about it, 11-on-11 short scrimmage, and also, as you mentioned, the scrimmage, the actual scrimmage was a full-game simulation, warm-ups, coaches in the box, TV timeouts.

536
00:35:23,680 --> 00:35:33,900
 That's pretty good, but again, the accountability, attention to detail, and that's something you haven't seen in a long time.

537
00:35:34,860 --> 00:35:47,520
 Yeah, and every coach I've had, I'm sure every coach across the country is going to simulate a game with one of their scrimmages, but most of the time, since I've covered Auburn, it's been that last scrimmage, or maybe the last two.

538
00:35:47,920 --> 00:36:03,800
 I don't recall it ever being that first scrimmage, so that tells me a little bit about the staffs and our scholarship attention to detail, and as I mentioned, having a simulated game week before the actual game week is another thing that I've never heard of.

539
00:36:04,460 --> 00:36:07,940
 So that's kind of, you know, just one little thing.

540
00:36:08,040 --> 00:36:16,860
 There's a lot of little things that kind of, I think, add up to this team, you know, maybe finding some ways to win within the margins, which is kind of what I wrote about this week.

541
00:36:16,860 --> 00:36:20,620
 It's kind of almost the same thing, the little things, attention to detail.

542
00:36:20,900 --> 00:36:26,360
 So, yeah, I think the staff is doing a lot of that right now, and I think it makes a difference.

543
00:36:27,360 --> 00:36:34,480
 The thing is, we know that Golesh is earning his stripes because it's almost like Hollywood's script.

544
00:36:34,620 --> 00:36:39,980
 After the first scrimmage, I don't care how well it goes in trueness, a coach is supposed to say it was sloppy.

545
00:36:40,140 --> 00:36:42,700
 And true to form, he said the opening scrimmage was sloppy.

546
00:36:42,820 --> 00:36:44,160
 What else is the coach going to do?

547
00:36:44,460 --> 00:36:47,780
 Say, well, game ready, we're going to win a national championship back on one scrimmage.

548
00:36:47,880 --> 00:36:52,260
 But how do you break down the speech from the coach after the first scrimmage?

549
00:36:53,040 --> 00:36:54,360
 No, you're exactly right.

550
00:36:54,440 --> 00:37:02,560
 I think I would be very, very concerned if he came out of a first scrimmage talking about how great it was and how great we're going to be this season.

551
00:37:02,720 --> 00:37:02,840
 Right.

552
00:37:03,680 --> 00:37:08,360
 So, yes, he did have some issues with it.

553
00:37:08,680 --> 00:37:16,980
 I think, you know, a lot of it offensively was some mistakes early with penalties and such, which, again, is not surprising at all.

554
00:37:17,020 --> 00:37:19,700
 It happens all the time in these early scrimmages.

555
00:37:20,700 --> 00:37:22,040
 You know, there are some turnovers.

556
00:37:22,860 --> 00:37:26,580
 So, that's great for the defense, but not so good for the offense.

557
00:37:26,840 --> 00:37:30,060
 But I think some other things went well.

558
00:37:30,140 --> 00:37:32,220
 I think Byron Brown played really, really well offensively.

559
00:37:32,800 --> 00:37:38,560
 I think they're happy with his leadership and his play so far during fall camp.

560
00:37:38,560 --> 00:37:41,860
 I think the receiving core had a good day, including Keyshawn Singleton.

561
00:37:42,040 --> 00:37:43,980
 I know he had a big catch for a touchdown, at least one.

562
00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:47,000
 I think they ran the ball pretty effectively.

563
00:37:47,440 --> 00:37:52,400
 You know, not perfect, but I know Byron probably had the longest run of the scrimmage.

564
00:37:52,860 --> 00:37:58,040
 Early on, I think it was the first play or the first series, did quite well there.

565
00:37:59,900 --> 00:38:09,800
 And, yeah, I think he was pleased overall with the running backs and the defense and the red zone work on both sides.

566
00:38:10,160 --> 00:38:14,660
 So, you know, it's hard to say, you know, the offense did well, the defense did bad.

567
00:38:14,740 --> 00:38:19,860
 I think there was enough good stuff on both sides that he felt pretty good about certain things coming out of the scrimmage.

568
00:38:20,240 --> 00:38:27,060
 Brian, it's safe to say that this coach and staff, I think you mentioned something there to follow up on at this point, Brown running the ball.

569
00:38:27,720 --> 00:38:32,880
 That's great as long as the injury bug stays away, but there's a flip side of that.

570
00:38:32,960 --> 00:38:35,440
 You increase the chances, heaven forbid.

571
00:38:35,920 --> 00:38:39,100
 But your thoughts just how they're preparing for that as far as the backup quarterback.

572
00:38:40,420 --> 00:38:41,940
 Yeah, I think Tristan T is that guy.

573
00:38:42,160 --> 00:38:44,280
 I think he's got a ton of reps as the backup.

574
00:38:44,640 --> 00:38:46,340
 We saw him have a really nice spring game.

575
00:38:46,820 --> 00:39:02,060
 I think he threw a couple of interceptions in the scrimmage, but this is just him, you know, getting put in a tough situation by the defense by having to, you know, master a brand new offense for him as a transfer from Oregon State, I believe.

576
00:39:02,300 --> 00:39:06,860
 So, you know, he's still going through that process, but I think he's definitely stepped forward and taken that number two spot.

577
00:39:07,280 --> 00:39:10,620
 I think he'll definitely compete for that number one spot next year.

578
00:39:10,740 --> 00:39:15,080
 But I think they feel very good about the quarterback position at the moment.

579
00:39:15,240 --> 00:39:17,880
 I think they feel very, very good about the running back position.

580
00:39:18,700 --> 00:39:21,600
 I think that's an area where some guys are starting to step up now.

581
00:39:22,440 --> 00:39:24,580
 You know, you've had Jeremiah Cobb, who's a starter.

582
00:39:25,600 --> 00:39:32,640
 Omar Matson has been a guy that's stepped up since he's stepped on campus as a 17-year-old freshman, you know, over a year ago.

583
00:39:33,280 --> 00:39:39,740
 But I think some other guys, like Bryson Washington, has finally gotten healthy and is starting to get the feel that's offense.

584
00:39:40,260 --> 00:39:49,480
 Yet a good scrimmage, and even Alvin Henderson was mentioned by this coaching staff, is having a pretty good day on Friday there and also helping out a lot on special teams.

585
00:39:49,840 --> 00:40:03,260
 Let me ask you about the offensive line, and I'll throw this out here, but from left to right, Joe Simmons, left guard, is a tremendous competition between Jacob Strand and Derek Plot.

586
00:40:03,760 --> 00:40:12,080
 Cole Best is the center, Cole Skinner, the two co-boys, right guard, and Stanton Ramil is the right tackle.

587
00:40:12,300 --> 00:40:28,260
 I've heard some good things about Jacoby Ward, and there may be seven or eight offensive linemen that are SEC-worthy, but Simmons, Strand, Bass, Skinner, and Ramil, is that right now going into the Baylor game?

588
00:40:28,680 --> 00:40:31,600
 If you had to say who the O-line is, would that be it?

589
00:40:32,340 --> 00:40:36,700
 Yeah, you mentioned Jacoby Ward and Derek Plot too.

590
00:40:36,860 --> 00:40:43,880
 I think they're certainly in the mix there, but I think all those guys will probably make up your top seven or eight, right, for sure.

591
00:40:44,540 --> 00:40:50,340
 I don't think both guard positions have been completely settled as far as who the starter is.

592
00:40:50,340 --> 00:40:52,800
 Really, I think Cole Best is starting at center.

593
00:40:53,060 --> 00:40:57,400
 I think Joe Simmons and Stanton Ramil are starting at tackle position.

594
00:40:57,580 --> 00:41:01,920
 I'm not 100% sure which ones they'll be at, but it could be right or left.

595
00:41:02,020 --> 00:41:05,320
 I think they've both worked at both, so I think that's good.

596
00:41:06,000 --> 00:41:16,160
 And then I think those guard positions are open, and I think guys like Jacob Strand could also play some tackle for you too, provide some depth there, which is important too.

597
00:41:17,660 --> 00:41:20,560
 Brian Matthews, again, auburnsports.com.

598
00:41:20,640 --> 00:41:24,460
 Brian, obviously the AP much-anticipated poll is out.

599
00:41:25,400 --> 00:41:28,900
 I don't think anyone's shocked that Auburn's not in the top 25 right now.

600
00:41:28,960 --> 00:41:30,000
 That's not a knock on this team.

601
00:41:30,080 --> 00:41:33,500
 That's just based on last year's performance and the year before that and the year before that.

602
00:41:34,020 --> 00:41:34,820
 Different era.

603
00:41:35,400 --> 00:41:36,300
 Did get some mentions.

604
00:41:36,300 --> 00:41:38,900
 Your thoughts about where Auburn is right now.

605
00:41:39,100 --> 00:41:42,760
 If I'm going to, I don't really care where I am in August.

606
00:41:42,900 --> 00:41:44,760
 I am concerned come December or January.

607
00:41:44,900 --> 00:41:47,880
 But your thoughts just about the potential of this team is surprising some folks.

608
00:41:49,460 --> 00:41:50,520
 I mean, I think it's possible.

609
00:41:50,820 --> 00:41:57,340
 I think September is really, really important for this team to get off to a good start and to win those games against Vanderbilt and Florida at home.

610
00:41:57,940 --> 00:41:59,220
 Those are key, key games.

611
00:41:59,220 --> 00:42:04,760
 You know, if Auburn drops one of those games, you know, it's going to be tough to get to that seven-win plateau.

612
00:42:05,160 --> 00:42:10,780
 So, you know, as far as rankings go, I think Auburn's getting mentioned in the top 25.

613
00:42:11,000 --> 00:42:14,380
 I know they're not in there yet, but I think they're getting mentions there.

614
00:42:14,600 --> 00:42:17,240
 You know, there's a team that could possibly be in there.

615
00:42:17,300 --> 00:42:19,240
 If they get up to a good start in September, they'll probably be in there.

616
00:42:19,280 --> 00:42:21,580
 I'm not sure that they'll finish the season there.

617
00:42:22,120 --> 00:42:27,920
 I think the first step is seven wins, and, you know, we'll see how it goes from there.

618
00:42:28,020 --> 00:42:30,120
 I believe Auburn got three votes in the AP poll.

619
00:42:31,000 --> 00:42:32,780
 But that can change pretty quickly.

620
00:42:33,260 --> 00:42:33,960
 We'll see.

621
00:42:33,960 --> 00:42:37,400
 But I think it's important to keep things in perspective.

622
00:42:37,600 --> 00:42:40,480
 This program has lost five straight losing seasons.

623
00:42:40,840 --> 00:42:44,040
 I think having a winning season is a big, big step forward.

624
00:42:45,520 --> 00:42:51,780
 Number three running back, Cobb and Mampson, Omar Mampson, has had a tremendous summer camp.

625
00:42:52,120 --> 00:42:55,000
 Who's number three, Washington or Devenport?

626
00:42:56,740 --> 00:42:58,180
 I think that's up for grabs.

627
00:42:58,280 --> 00:42:58,780
 I really do.

628
00:42:58,940 --> 00:43:00,360
 I think Tay Meadows is in there, too.

629
00:43:01,220 --> 00:43:06,200
 And even though Alvin Henderson, of course, has been mentioned, I don't think he's necessarily in the mix for number three.

630
00:43:07,240 --> 00:43:11,180
 But I think Bryson Washington, with the way he's coming on lately, watch out for him,

631
00:43:11,240 --> 00:43:18,100
 because he's certainly proven on the field in college at Baylor that he could be a very dynamic, very successful back.

632
00:43:18,100 --> 00:43:22,700
 So he's the one I've watched, but I wouldn't rule out Tay Meadows or Nakai Davenport either.

633
00:43:23,700 --> 00:43:27,060
 Brad, before you jump off, obviously, what, the next scrimmage is Friday.

634
00:43:27,420 --> 00:43:30,340
 As far as the injury report, any significant injuries?

635
00:43:30,480 --> 00:43:32,280
 And what's the approach of this coaching staff?

636
00:43:32,360 --> 00:43:33,720
 Do they bubble wrap their guys?

637
00:43:33,800 --> 00:43:38,320
 The guys that they know has earned their stripes, so they're going to kind of put them in bubble wrap for the real deal?

638
00:43:38,420 --> 00:43:40,640
 Or do they say forget about it?

639
00:43:40,700 --> 00:43:42,300
 It's just, you know what, to the walls here.

640
00:43:42,540 --> 00:43:47,240
 What is their strategy as far as scrimmages and exposure to injuries?

641
00:43:48,080 --> 00:43:49,680
 Well, their next scrimmage is actually Wednesday.

642
00:43:50,340 --> 00:43:50,900
 Wednesday, okay.

643
00:43:51,580 --> 00:43:54,400
 Yeah, and I think they'll have a couple of practices after that.

644
00:43:54,460 --> 00:43:55,580
 I think that'll close out camp.

645
00:43:55,840 --> 00:44:04,400
 So that'll be the last, I think, chance for guys competing to be in the playing rotation and to earn that spot, really, in a lot of ways.

646
00:44:04,640 --> 00:44:13,500
 And, you know, a couple of days after that, they'll probably have to break up into scout teams, although, you know, you're not red-shirting players anymore, so I think it's a little bit more back and forth there, right?

647
00:44:13,520 --> 00:44:14,700
 It's not set in stone.

648
00:44:14,840 --> 00:44:21,000
 If you get put on a scout team, you know, in August, it doesn't mean you have to be on that scout team come October or November.

649
00:44:21,600 --> 00:44:23,140
 It doesn't mean you won't play a lot.

650
00:44:23,140 --> 00:44:45,040
 But, yeah, I think as far as injuries go, other than Devin Williams, who injured his knee again at surgery, that was before camp started, I think Auburn's made it through this portion so far without any major injuries, just your normal guys getting banged up through camp, being careful, coming back from surgery, those type of things.

651
00:44:45,040 --> 00:44:57,480
 But nothing major has happened so far, which is good for this team, because I don't think this team is a team with a whole lot of depth and probably needs some injury luck, good luck, to get through the season and have a chance to get to seven-plus wins.

652
00:44:57,840 --> 00:44:59,380
 Let me ask you about tied-in.

653
00:44:59,560 --> 00:45:03,380
 Jake Johnson, a lot of people feel good about him.

654
00:45:03,380 --> 00:45:09,440
 Arliss Bordingham, Jonathan Echols, who is a NFL-type looking kid.

655
00:45:12,320 --> 00:45:20,480
 What's on tied-in, and how does Heupel's offense utilize tied-ins besides blocking?

656
00:45:21,500 --> 00:45:31,600
 Well, you know, I think Golesh is very excited about his tied-ins, and he's talked about how their versatility is the key to this offense being going from good to great.

657
00:45:31,600 --> 00:45:35,880
 I guess you could say that's not the words he used or phrase, but that's the way he kind of said it.

658
00:45:35,880 --> 00:45:36,800
 I think he loves Jake Johnson.

659
00:45:36,960 --> 00:45:41,020
 He's talked about him in very high praise.

660
00:45:41,420 --> 00:45:47,260
 And, you know, I think he's had a great camp, and I think they're going to depend on him to do a lot of things in the blocking and receiving game.

661
00:45:47,740 --> 00:45:54,380
 Arliss Bordingham, I think, stepped up here and had a pretty good scrimmage, and he's a guy that's coming on, a guy that struggles at times.

662
00:45:55,600 --> 00:45:57,240
 Jonathan Echols was bagged out for the scrimmage.

663
00:45:57,300 --> 00:46:02,240
 I don't think he's anything major, and he should be back at practice here really, really soon.

664
00:46:03,100 --> 00:46:06,040
 Hunter Herring also held out, but is expected back soon.

665
00:46:06,040 --> 00:46:17,200
 I think Xavier Newsome is a really athletic kid who's just a second-year guy, a sophomore, but a guy they have a really high opinion on as far as his upside.

666
00:46:17,640 --> 00:46:20,960
 I think he'll definitely play, but a guy that's still learning his way.

667
00:46:21,420 --> 00:46:24,780
 And, you know, transferred from Howard, so this is a big adjustment for him.

668
00:46:25,220 --> 00:46:28,500
 Well, as you mentioned, class begins today.

669
00:46:28,640 --> 00:46:31,420
 I don't know if your journalism class begins today.

670
00:46:31,540 --> 00:46:33,720
 You should be a professor at Auburn by now.

671
00:46:34,520 --> 00:46:36,960
 A lot of stuff going on.

672
00:46:37,640 --> 00:46:38,700
 Preseason camp.

673
00:46:39,120 --> 00:46:45,280
 Basketball actually had an addition, which Stephen Pearl, I'm sure, was glad to bring in.

674
00:46:45,720 --> 00:46:49,700
 Tell us what you got going on and what else have you got lined up for later this week.

675
00:46:50,000 --> 00:46:54,340
 Yes, so we'll have an open viewing period for Tuesday's practice, so we'll be there for that.

676
00:46:54,400 --> 00:46:57,760
 And afterwards, we'll talk to Larry Scott and Coleman Hutzler.

677
00:46:58,360 --> 00:47:00,820
 It'll be great to get an update on the edge position.

678
00:47:00,940 --> 00:47:05,620
 That's a position that, you know, I know Jared Smith's having a really good camp from what we've been told, what I've seen.

679
00:47:06,200 --> 00:47:10,600
 But excited to hear about some of the younger guys at that position, see how they're coming along.

680
00:47:10,720 --> 00:47:13,340
 And then Wednesday is another scrimmage at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

681
00:47:13,760 --> 00:47:16,980
 We will speak to Coach Golesh afterwards and have many, many updates,

682
00:47:16,980 --> 00:47:19,360
 and hopefully some inside intel from that, too.

683
00:47:20,120 --> 00:47:27,180
 And then Friday, we get another practice with talking to the cornerbacks, coach DeMarcus Van Dyck and Brad Wilson also.

684
00:47:27,760 --> 00:47:34,080
 So plenty of updates on football team and camp as it winds up this week.

685
00:47:34,520 --> 00:47:36,020
 Tons of recruiting information.

686
00:47:36,480 --> 00:47:38,260
 Could be some news there fairly soon.

687
00:47:38,760 --> 00:47:39,860
 Stay tuned for that.

688
00:47:40,000 --> 00:47:42,700
 And you mentioned the basketball edition there.

689
00:47:42,740 --> 00:47:48,720
 We had a couple updates on that, of course, and just everything, anything going on with Auburn Athletics will be on top of it.

690
00:47:49,080 --> 00:47:53,500
 And we're running a terrific deal right now, 75% off an annual subscription.

691
00:47:53,920 --> 00:47:55,680
 So check us out, AuburnSports.com.

692
00:47:55,760 --> 00:47:58,300
 You can follow me on Twitter, social X at BMATAU.

693
00:47:59,300 --> 00:48:01,860
 And find a shade down there to do it all, okay, Brian?

694
00:48:02,560 --> 00:48:03,440
 Yeah, it's hot, no doubt.

695
00:48:03,540 --> 00:48:03,820
 Oh, yeah.

696
00:48:03,980 --> 00:48:04,380
 Absolutely.

697
00:48:04,560 --> 00:48:05,940
 Brian Matthews, pick it up with us.

698
00:48:06,140 --> 00:48:07,760
 He's there at AuburnSports.com.

699
00:48:07,840 --> 00:48:10,820
 Brian, pretty good, kind of split there, Dylan, the Braves.

700
00:48:10,980 --> 00:48:13,600
 All's well, I guess it ends well for the Braves over the weekend.

701
00:48:13,740 --> 00:48:16,120
 Yeah, they came back and savaged the game yesterday.

702
00:48:16,300 --> 00:48:22,600
 Matt Olsen, who's been red hot, I think that's his 37th home run, hit a three-run shot.

703
00:48:22,780 --> 00:48:32,420
 Bryce Allender pitched well, and the Braves beat Arizona 5-3, and they head to Minnesota open a three-game series tonight.

704
00:48:32,580 --> 00:48:39,920
 Martin Perez, who has got 18 consecutive scoreless innings, going to try to extend that tonight.

705
00:48:40,500 --> 00:48:44,720
 Yeah, and see if they get the win, they get the twins, right here on 939, the score later on tonight.

706
00:48:44,820 --> 00:48:48,800
 But first, coming up the next hour, I'm going to be taking you down and checking in with the Redfish.

707
00:48:48,800 --> 00:48:51,440
 William Barger talking Alabama Crimson Tide.

708
00:48:51,580 --> 00:48:52,900
 Ben Serrar talking Big Orange.

709
00:48:53,000 --> 00:48:57,600
 Ben Thomas, he says it's curtain time for high school football across the state.

710
00:48:57,660 --> 00:49:00,120
 He's checking in from AL.com, and it's all straight ahead.

711
00:49:00,440 --> 00:49:01,020
 Stay with us.

712
00:49:07,240 --> 00:49:11,420
 Bush Light is cold and smooth and waiting for you to get out there.

713
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714
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 So before cracking open your next adventure, grab a case of Bush Light.

715
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 Because nature is even cooler.

716
00:49:26,020 --> 00:49:29,800
 With Bush Light in your cooler, head for the mountains of Bush.

717
00:49:30,660 --> 00:49:31,600
 Enjoy responsibly.

718
00:49:31,760 --> 00:49:34,660
 Copyright 2026, Sennheiser Bush Bush Light Beer, St. Louis, Missouri.

719
00:49:35,360 --> 00:49:38,440
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720
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721
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722
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 So pack your sunscreen, your shades, and your Aleve.

723
00:49:53,380 --> 00:49:56,900
 No matter where your final stop, Aleve will keep you moving.

724
00:50:05,360 --> 00:50:33,080
 Count subject to approval.

725
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726
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727
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734
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 Sketchers elite athlete, OG Ananobi, has been making history on the basketball court.

735
00:51:10,280 --> 00:51:11,560
 Ananobi tips it in.

736
00:51:11,940 --> 00:51:12,460
 Unbelievable.

737
00:51:12,780 --> 00:51:13,500
 What a shot.

738
00:51:13,620 --> 00:51:18,440
 He's been balling out in Sketchers high-performance basketball sneakers, and the world is noticed.

739
00:51:18,680 --> 00:51:21,680
 But how does OG train off the court to keep in peak physical condition?

740
00:51:21,920 --> 00:51:23,840
 Hands-free Sketchers slip-ins Arrowburst.

741
00:51:24,040 --> 00:51:27,760
 They help prepare OG for the physical demands of playing at a championship level.

742
00:51:27,960 --> 00:51:35,100
 Get your pair of Arrowbursts for only $165 at a Sketchers store, Sketchers.com, or wherever high-performance running cheese are sold.

743
00:51:35,620 --> 00:51:37,760
 All sports, all the time.

744
00:51:38,560 --> 00:51:40,440
 Sports Radio 93.9.

745
00:51:40,860 --> 00:51:41,820
 The score.

746
00:51:43,740 --> 00:51:44,980
 1819 News.

747
00:51:45,400 --> 00:51:50,080
 A Shelby County man continues his fight against Alabama power when it comes to eminent domain.

748
00:51:50,260 --> 00:51:58,300
 Fenn Church is pulling on all of his past political connections as he seeks to not have Alabama power lines placed so close to his home.

749
00:51:58,440 --> 00:52:03,440
 Church was on FM Talk 99.5 to give an update with April Marie Fogle.

750
00:52:03,440 --> 00:52:08,000
 Have you talked to your state representatives or any of the lawmakers about this?

751
00:52:08,080 --> 00:52:09,060
 I sure have.

752
00:52:09,240 --> 00:52:09,360
 Okay.

753
00:52:10,200 --> 00:52:14,960
 And my Senator Lance Bell has been the one most vocal in helping me with this.

754
00:52:14,960 --> 00:52:15,460
 Okay, most responsive.

755
00:52:15,860 --> 00:52:18,100
 Talked to Senator Britt this morning.

756
00:52:18,300 --> 00:52:20,440
 That's a big, important phone caller to have there.

757
00:52:20,580 --> 00:52:22,820
 She and I go way back.

758
00:52:22,920 --> 00:52:24,640
 We have a family history together.

759
00:52:25,000 --> 00:52:29,680
 Country music star John Rich has also got in on the fight here in the state of Alabama.

760
00:52:29,680 --> 00:52:33,240
 Recently became President Trump's special envoy for American landowners.

761
00:52:33,440 --> 00:52:35,240
 But he is the real deal.

762
00:52:35,360 --> 00:52:36,500
 He is so sincere.

763
00:52:36,680 --> 00:52:49,380
 He is a true-blooded American that wants to stand up for farmers, ranchers, or any kind of landowners against frivolous, eminent domain from data centers or transmission lines.

764
00:52:49,440 --> 00:52:51,840
 I'll be back with more Alabama stories after this.

765
00:52:52,080 --> 00:52:54,440
 Are you enjoying 1819 News?

766
00:52:54,620 --> 00:52:57,820
 If so, consider joining 1819 News as a member.

767
00:52:58,140 --> 00:53:02,540
 As a nonprofit news organization, we depend on the support of Alabamians like you.

768
00:53:02,760 --> 00:53:08,580
 Memberships start out as little as $5 a month, and you'll get access to exclusive content only offered to our members.

769
00:53:09,000 --> 00:53:13,220
 You'll be supporting independent journalism done by people who cherish Alabama values.

770
00:53:13,220 --> 00:53:17,420
 Become a member today by visiting 1819news.com and clicking Become a Member.

771
00:53:17,620 --> 00:53:20,960
 That's 1819news.com and click Become a Member today.

772
00:53:21,840 --> 00:53:25,620
 A series of drug raids in Geneva County resulted in the arrest of five people.

773
00:53:25,820 --> 00:53:31,160
 Authorities also seized 1.2 pounds of marijuana, along with hemp, kratom, meth, and oxycodone.

774
00:53:31,560 --> 00:53:32,400
 I'm Andrea Theis.

775
00:53:33,180 --> 00:53:37,780
 For more news affecting Alabamians, go to 1819news.com.

776
00:53:37,960 --> 00:53:40,820
 And while you're there, subscribe to the daily newsletter.

777
00:53:42,200 --> 00:53:45,020
 Previously on the Atlanta Braves Radio Network.

778
00:53:45,620 --> 00:53:46,340
 2-1 pitch.

779
00:53:46,600 --> 00:53:48,120
 Line drive into right field.

780
00:53:48,600 --> 00:53:50,140
 Dom Smith will be waved home.

781
00:53:50,260 --> 00:53:55,640
 The throw from Carroll is going over to third, and it's an RBI single for Drake Baldwin.

782
00:53:55,640 --> 00:53:57,800
 And the veteran pulls this one down the line.

783
00:53:57,980 --> 00:53:59,220
 Smothering stop by Riley.

784
00:53:59,380 --> 00:54:03,140
 From his knees, he pushes it across, and Olsen has the glove tag.

785
00:54:03,540 --> 00:54:05,420
 What a play by Austin Riley.

786
00:54:06,340 --> 00:54:06,960
 3-0 pitch.

787
00:54:07,160 --> 00:54:07,960
 Swing and a drive.

788
00:54:08,040 --> 00:54:08,940
 Deep center field.

789
00:54:09,100 --> 00:54:10,940
 Barossa back to the track.

790
00:54:11,200 --> 00:54:12,860
 It is gone!

791
00:54:13,780 --> 00:54:16,580
 Matt Olsen with a three-run home run.

792
00:54:17,200 --> 00:54:19,060
 Grace L. Iglesias comes set.

793
00:54:19,140 --> 00:54:20,300
 Here's the 1-0 to McCann.

794
00:54:20,480 --> 00:54:22,080
 Swing and a fly ball center field.

795
00:54:22,200 --> 00:54:23,520
 Michael Harris drifts back.

796
00:54:23,520 --> 00:54:24,380
 This should do it.

797
00:54:24,960 --> 00:54:28,400
 And Harris makes a catch over his shoulder to end the game.

798
00:54:28,920 --> 00:54:31,860
 A little bit of trauma in the ninth, but the Braves pull it out.

799
00:54:32,400 --> 00:54:35,120
 And the Braves take game three of this series.

800
00:54:35,940 --> 00:54:38,360
 Atlanta 5, Diamondbacks 3.

801
00:54:38,760 --> 00:54:43,160
 Join us tonight as the Braves take on the Minnesota Twins right here on 93.9 The Score.

802
00:54:43,560 --> 00:54:48,020
 This is Sports Radio 93.9 The Score.

803
00:54:52,020 --> 00:54:53,880
 You know all the cheers.

804
00:54:54,480 --> 00:54:56,620
 You go to all of the games.

805
00:54:56,620 --> 00:54:58,500
 This is your team.

806
00:54:58,620 --> 00:55:05,120
 And there's one guy you trust to make sure they're putting the best team possible out on the field every week.

807
00:55:05,480 --> 00:55:09,100
 Now you can get closer to your team than ever before.

808
00:55:09,100 --> 00:55:09,740
 Here we go.

809
00:55:09,740 --> 00:55:09,860
 Here we go.

810
00:55:09,980 --> 00:55:11,240
 On Hey Coach.

811
00:55:11,580 --> 00:55:14,420
 Begins this Wednesday night at 6 on 93.9 The Score.

812
00:55:14,860 --> 00:55:17,380
 Friday night football is something special around the South.

813
00:55:17,580 --> 00:55:21,740
 And on Saturday mornings, we'll tell you all about the high school football action in this area.

814
00:55:21,740 --> 00:55:24,520
 Here on 93.9 The Score, it's The Coach's Breakfast.

815
00:55:24,920 --> 00:55:30,560
 As we join high school coaches from around the area breaking down Friday night games and talking about future schedules as well.

816
00:55:30,960 --> 00:55:35,420
 Join host Kevin Johnson as he talks with coaches from around the area on The Coach's Breakfast.

817
00:55:35,820 --> 00:55:38,180
 Saturday mornings throughout this football season.

818
00:55:38,340 --> 00:55:46,540
 Brought to you locally by Lost Pizza, John C. Saylor, Attorney at Law, The Courier-Journal, North Alabama Bone and Joint Clinic, Southern Pride Pest Control, and Bank Independent.

819
00:55:47,040 --> 00:55:50,180
 Begins Saturday, August 22nd on 93.9 The Score.

820
00:55:51,660 --> 00:55:59,480
 Valley Broadcasting Corporation, WITK-FM, Rogersville, Athens, Decatur, The Shores, Sports Radio 93.9 The Score.

821
00:55:59,720 --> 00:56:03,500
 It's time to kick off the 2026 high school football season.

822
00:56:03,680 --> 00:56:08,620
 And this Friday night, the Florence Falcons are on the road to take on the Pinson Valley Indians.

823
00:56:09,200 --> 00:56:16,220
 Join me, Kevin Johnson, along with Mike Albertson, Jeffrey Jones, and John McDaniel as we bring you Florence at Pinson Valley.

824
00:56:16,380 --> 00:56:18,940
 The TNT fireworks pregame will begin at 6.

825
00:56:19,320 --> 00:56:24,340
 Kickoff at 7 on your home for Florence Falcons football, 93.9 The Score.

826
00:56:25,040 --> 00:56:51,260
 Florence Falcons football is brought to you by Florence Utilities, Florence City Schools, the law firm of Johnson Pesher, Medley, and Birchall, the North Alabama Bone and Joint Clinic, TNT Fireworks, Yogurt Mountain, Whataburger, Singing River Dentistry, Village Discount Drug, Hugo's Mexican Restaurant, Irons Electric, Cypress Creek Indoor Range, Lost Pizza, Hedeker Johnson & Layton Insurance, Carbine Construction, and Birch Wholesale Tackle.

827
00:56:52,040 --> 00:56:58,100
 Florence and Pinson Valley, this Friday night at 6, right here on Sports Radio 93.9 The Score.

828
00:57:01,600 --> 00:57:03,100
 93.9 The Score weather.

829
00:57:03,360 --> 00:57:11,300
 For today, a 20% chance of afternoon showers and thunderstorms, high around 100, heat index around 110, a heat advisory in effect until 7 o'clock tonight.

830
00:57:11,820 --> 00:57:14,140
 Tonight, partly cloudy skies, low near 75.

831
00:57:14,440 --> 00:57:17,520
 Tomorrow, sunny skies, high around 95, heat index around 100.

832
00:57:17,720 --> 00:57:24,340
 Tomorrow night, mainly clear skies, low near 70, and Wednesday, sunny skies, hot, high around 95.

833
00:57:25,140 --> 00:57:27,420
 Your weather from 93.9 The Score.

834
00:57:28,780 --> 00:57:37,400
 Now, get ready to roll, Shoals, Decatur, Athens, and all of Northwest Alabama and Southern Tennessee.

835
00:57:38,060 --> 00:57:41,400
 It's time for the Valley's exclusive FM Sports Voice.

836
00:57:44,400 --> 00:57:46,700
 The Boomo Bugg Show.

837
00:57:47,220 --> 00:57:52,480
 Your exclusive inside track to the Tide, Tigers, Tennessee, and the rest of the SEC.

838
00:57:53,280 --> 00:57:58,700
 Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9 The Score.

839
00:57:59,400 --> 00:58:01,420
 Welcome back in, hour two to the Boomo Bugg Show.

840
00:58:01,500 --> 00:58:03,200
 I'm Harold Bugg, alongside Brett Beaird.

841
00:58:03,300 --> 00:58:06,280
 Thank you so much for giving us free ride around the Tennessee Valley.

842
00:58:06,280 --> 00:58:13,040
 And for Ben Thomas, and we mean this, taking time out of his very busy schedule there at AL.com.

843
00:58:13,080 --> 00:58:14,020
 BT, welcome in.

844
00:58:14,080 --> 00:58:19,780
 You're always busy, but a little birdie tells me you're about to ramp it up into turbo mode this week.

845
00:58:19,840 --> 00:58:20,500
 Would you agree?

846
00:58:20,660 --> 00:58:21,380
 How are you?

847
00:58:22,420 --> 00:58:24,900
 I think I hit that mode about three weeks ago.

848
00:58:26,060 --> 00:58:31,960
 You know, I feel like I've been able to, you feel like you get ahead, and then you look at your list of things to do,

849
00:58:32,060 --> 00:58:33,920
 and instead of getting smaller, it gets longer.

850
00:58:33,920 --> 00:58:43,860
 I remember back in the day, trying to cover high school football, and to me, it is one of the most challenging jobs to do,

851
00:58:43,940 --> 00:58:50,180
 because colleges, number one, there are fewer college teams, a tremendous number of high school teams,

852
00:58:50,260 --> 00:58:55,560
 and every school believes if you cover school A and not school B, then you're biased.

853
00:58:55,700 --> 00:58:56,540
 No, you're human.

854
00:58:56,620 --> 00:58:58,620
 You can only do so much in length of time.

855
00:58:58,620 --> 00:59:03,840
 I mean, as far as from one end of the state, you cover it all, from the state line here all the way down,

856
00:59:03,920 --> 00:59:06,220
 and to your backyard with the white sand and the beaches.

857
00:59:06,640 --> 00:59:12,500
 Is there any idea, how do you get organized to cover all these high school games on a weekly basis?

858
00:59:13,540 --> 00:59:17,280
 Yeah, it's not an easy task, but it's not the hardest thing.

859
00:59:17,420 --> 00:59:21,840
 You know, you can only do so much, and only the winning teams want coverage.

860
00:59:22,020 --> 00:59:25,240
 If they're struggling, they don't want the coverage.

861
00:59:25,240 --> 00:59:33,980
 You know, I'm fortunate to have some people that work around me, work with me, to cover, you know, obviously, Thomas Ashworth, and y'all.

862
00:59:34,200 --> 00:59:36,120
 He does a great job for us.

863
00:59:36,740 --> 00:59:42,700
 We've got some folks in Birmingham, Dennis Victory and Mike Perrin, that do a good job there.

864
00:59:42,780 --> 00:59:48,240
 And then, you know, honestly, a lot of people that have other jobs, but just like to cover high school football,

865
00:59:48,420 --> 00:59:51,960
 or get a lot of extra money, or whatever, in each market.

866
00:59:52,180 --> 00:59:53,260
 So we're blessed there.

867
00:59:53,280 --> 00:59:54,440
 You can only do so much.

868
00:59:54,500 --> 01:00:03,000
 You just try and pick out the top games each week, and the top moments, the top players, and do the best you can.

869
01:00:03,000 --> 01:00:08,660
 And I think we, you know, a lot of people talk about, you know, when we used to have the papers,

870
01:00:08,820 --> 01:00:11,860
 the Huntsville Times, and the Birmingham News, and the Mobile Press Register.

871
01:00:12,900 --> 01:00:14,500
 Everybody loved those times.

872
01:00:15,240 --> 01:00:16,780
 I certainly, that's how I grew up.

873
01:00:16,940 --> 01:00:25,400
 But if you look at what we're doing now on AL.com, there's much more content than there ever was in those newspaper days.

874
01:00:25,600 --> 01:00:30,220
 So we do our best and take criticism when we need to and move forward.

875
01:00:30,440 --> 01:00:31,160
 There you go.

876
01:00:31,660 --> 01:00:34,500
 Let me ask you about some of the, you had a good article.

877
01:00:34,500 --> 01:00:36,680
 Well, in fact, I think you've done this twice.

878
01:00:37,160 --> 01:00:44,860
 Ten key questions, or ten more key questions, for the upcoming high school football season.

879
01:00:45,000 --> 01:00:46,820
 Can anyone dethrone Thompson?

880
01:00:47,800 --> 01:00:48,940
 Well, we'll see.

881
01:00:49,080 --> 01:00:50,260
 There are certainly some.

882
01:00:50,700 --> 01:00:52,080
 Phoenix City has won.

883
01:00:52,220 --> 01:00:53,440
 Auburn, Spain Park.

884
01:00:53,440 --> 01:00:58,220
 But they have won six out of seven state championships, which is incredible.

885
01:00:58,920 --> 01:01:00,520
 Dale Pruitt at Plainview.

886
01:01:00,680 --> 01:01:03,020
 Can he finally win a state title?

887
01:01:03,600 --> 01:01:07,920
 Thomas Ashworth, that's one of his top teams, I believe.

888
01:01:08,680 --> 01:01:11,240
 Can a defensive player win Mr. Football?

889
01:01:11,940 --> 01:01:19,140
 Very hard to do with all the stats that some of these guys, Gunnar Rivers, and that cat at Thompson,

890
01:01:19,420 --> 01:01:20,980
 some of these other guys put up.

891
01:01:21,660 --> 01:01:26,660
 But Junior Tupo, Carlos May, Kim Pritchett may be able to do that.

892
01:01:27,140 --> 01:01:30,500
 In our neck of the woods, can Columbia win a game this year?

893
01:01:30,540 --> 01:01:31,520
 And I'm going to say yes.

894
01:01:31,520 --> 01:01:36,280
 They start Saturday night, I believe, at Milton Frank against Douglas.

895
01:01:37,300 --> 01:01:38,940
 They've got 60 players out.

896
01:01:39,000 --> 01:01:43,000
 We talked to Sammy Coates a couple weeks ago, and boy, is he fired up.

897
01:01:44,200 --> 01:01:47,340
 Two or three of your top questions going into the season.

898
01:01:48,760 --> 01:01:50,380
 Yeah, I mean, it's going to be a fun year.

899
01:01:50,580 --> 01:01:54,080
 I mean, like you, I think Columbia will win this year.

900
01:01:54,120 --> 01:01:55,660
 I don't know if it will be this week or not.

901
01:01:56,640 --> 01:01:57,780
 And I sure hope they do.

902
01:01:57,900 --> 01:02:00,980
 I mean, I think it's been since, what, 2015, since they won a game.

903
01:02:00,980 --> 01:02:01,860
 It's hard to believe.

904
01:02:03,140 --> 01:02:05,320
 But I think they'll win.

905
01:02:05,400 --> 01:02:06,520
 Sammy's doing a good job there.

906
01:02:06,560 --> 01:02:09,840
 They've got some transfers in, a good running back transferred in there.

907
01:02:10,340 --> 01:02:14,680
 From James Clemens, whose dad happens to be the principal of Columbia.

908
01:02:14,900 --> 01:02:17,140
 So, I'm not accusing him of anything.

909
01:02:17,300 --> 01:02:19,100
 That's clearly where he needs to be.

910
01:02:20,480 --> 01:02:22,940
 You know, Mr. Football is always going to be a big talk.

911
01:02:23,040 --> 01:02:29,440
 I mean, obviously, and Thomas had a post yesterday about how many contenders for Mr. Football.

912
01:02:29,740 --> 01:02:32,220
 I mean, I think, can a defensive guy win it?

913
01:02:32,300 --> 01:02:33,400
 It's happened once before.

914
01:02:33,520 --> 01:02:35,460
 DeMarco McNeil won it at Blunt.

915
01:02:35,540 --> 01:02:39,820
 And there's been some guys that play defense, like Kool-Aid McKinstry,

916
01:02:40,420 --> 01:02:44,620
 and some guys like that who were also used in a starring role on offense.

917
01:02:45,260 --> 01:02:47,300
 So, you know, it depends on how you look at that.

918
01:02:47,380 --> 01:02:51,480
 I mean, obviously, when we go into the season, we've got two quarterbacks,

919
01:02:51,480 --> 01:02:52,780
 and a bunch of good quarterbacks.

920
01:02:52,960 --> 01:02:55,260
 It's probably the year of quarterbacks in the state.

921
01:02:55,480 --> 01:02:59,420
 But two of them, Gunnar Rivers at St. Michael, as you guys mentioned,

922
01:02:59,420 --> 01:03:01,080
 and then Trent Seaborn at Thompson,

923
01:03:01,260 --> 01:03:04,340
 they both already have passed from more than 10,000 yards.

924
01:03:05,140 --> 01:03:07,100
 And they're probably going to be one, two,

925
01:03:07,200 --> 01:03:10,780
 in the all-time HSA records when the season is over with.

926
01:03:11,200 --> 01:03:13,260
 Who's one and who's two, who knows?

927
01:03:13,700 --> 01:03:15,880
 But I think those two guys are at the head of the list.

928
01:03:16,420 --> 01:03:19,320
 The young man from Viger, Jabaris Garrar,

929
01:03:19,320 --> 01:03:22,200
 who used to be committed to Alabama and now is committed to Texas.

930
01:03:22,860 --> 01:03:24,580
 His stats are unbelievable.

931
01:03:24,780 --> 01:03:28,580
 If anybody could win, a football player could win Mr. Football, it might be him.

932
01:03:28,640 --> 01:03:32,560
 But it could be hard this year with all the quarterback stars we have.

933
01:03:33,480 --> 01:03:36,240
 Ben Thomas hooking up with us at AL.com.

934
01:03:36,280 --> 01:03:38,200
 Ben, let's talk a little bit about two of our neighbors.

935
01:03:38,320 --> 01:03:41,160
 A lot of key games coming up across our neck of the woods.

936
01:03:41,760 --> 01:03:44,560
 But Florence, obviously, reclassed.

937
01:03:44,560 --> 01:03:45,500
 They're looking forward to that.

938
01:03:45,600 --> 01:03:46,980
 Taking on Pinson Valley.

939
01:03:46,980 --> 01:03:50,300
 And then you've got Muscle Shoals, new regime, taking on Hoover.

940
01:03:50,660 --> 01:03:52,500
 We were talking the other day with some of our friends.

941
01:03:52,660 --> 01:03:56,380
 And, yes, Thompson is still a tremendous powerhouse.

942
01:03:56,500 --> 01:03:59,680
 But Hoover has that brand of being kind of the gold standard of the state.

943
01:04:00,240 --> 01:04:04,900
 Your thoughts, are you hearing anything about the respective opponents there for Florence being Pinson?

944
01:04:04,900 --> 01:04:07,580
 And, obviously, Muscle Shoals taking on Hoover.

945
01:04:08,820 --> 01:04:09,220
 Yeah.

946
01:04:09,400 --> 01:04:12,140
 You know, I think Muscle Shoals' Hoover game is going to be interesting.

947
01:04:13,620 --> 01:04:15,340
 You know, Hoover is still Hoover, I think.

948
01:04:15,420 --> 01:04:22,400
 I mean, although Thompson, it seems like it's been a long time since we thought of Hoover as being the state championship contender.

949
01:04:22,500 --> 01:04:27,980
 And that's because Thompson has won, what, five out of the last six championships in that division.

950
01:04:27,980 --> 01:04:34,980
 And they're in the same region, even though Hoover beat them in the states in the regular season last year.

951
01:04:35,140 --> 01:04:37,340
 So, that'll be an interesting game.

952
01:04:37,440 --> 01:04:39,120
 A new coach at Muscle Shoals.

953
01:04:39,300 --> 01:04:40,980
 It'll be interesting to see what that looks like.

954
01:04:40,980 --> 01:04:44,320
 It's been a long time since there's been a new coach at Muscle Shoals.

955
01:04:44,600 --> 01:04:47,560
 And then, you know, Florence had a good year last year.

956
01:04:47,700 --> 01:04:51,180
 I think what, you know, one of the interesting questions is going to be how this,

957
01:04:51,600 --> 01:04:57,380
 I keep wanting to call it 7A, but now 6A, the largest class in Alabama public schools,

958
01:04:57,480 --> 01:05:01,080
 you know, with 24 of the 32 teams now going to the playoffs.

959
01:05:01,240 --> 01:05:05,720
 So, you'll have six teams from each region in the playoffs, which I think is good.

960
01:05:05,800 --> 01:05:07,340
 I mean, it gives more teams a chance.

961
01:05:07,340 --> 01:05:15,240
 And will it give more North Alabama or South Alabama teams a chance to advance to play these Birmingham and Auburn teams?

962
01:05:15,440 --> 01:05:16,420
 I think it will.

963
01:05:16,560 --> 01:05:19,200
 But, you know, will they be able to make any headway?

964
01:05:19,260 --> 01:05:19,720
 Who knows?

965
01:05:20,700 --> 01:05:24,380
 Some of the games this weekend, must well watch.

966
01:05:24,460 --> 01:05:26,720
 I think you did this one, too, or Thomas did.

967
01:05:27,360 --> 01:05:29,980
 Thursday, and a lot of action on Thursday.

968
01:05:30,200 --> 01:05:32,980
 In fact, Langston, Lauderdale County, play here locally.

969
01:05:33,680 --> 01:05:35,300
 Parker at Vestavia Hills.

970
01:05:35,780 --> 01:05:37,920
 Thompson at Central Phoenix City.

971
01:05:38,020 --> 01:05:40,680
 Boy, we get to know pretty quick how those two teams are.

972
01:05:41,480 --> 01:05:47,260
 Clay Chalkville, Danny Horn again, and Paul Benefit.

973
01:05:47,260 --> 01:05:49,360
 We talked about them a couple weeks ago.

974
01:05:49,920 --> 01:05:51,360
 Sarah Lynn at Mary Montgomery.

975
01:05:52,000 --> 01:05:56,620
 And if you've never seen Phillip Rivers play, you can see him on ESPN Saturday.

976
01:05:57,160 --> 01:06:02,320
 Battleground, Tennessee at St. Michael, which is going to be interesting.

977
01:06:02,500 --> 01:06:05,320
 And then we mentioned the Greensboro-Columbia game.

978
01:06:06,320 --> 01:06:08,820
 Russellville, of course, in our neck of the woods.

979
01:06:09,160 --> 01:06:11,920
 Desire at Russellville, the 100th meeting.

980
01:06:13,060 --> 01:06:14,740
 Bob Jones at Hartzell.

981
01:06:14,880 --> 01:06:16,320
 That's Seth Parker's debut.

982
01:06:16,880 --> 01:06:18,860
 BT, some very good games this week.

983
01:06:19,640 --> 01:06:20,680
 It's really a good week.

984
01:06:20,780 --> 01:06:24,640
 You know, I did a separate list of good games in the first week

985
01:06:24,640 --> 01:06:26,020
 because there are so many of them.

986
01:06:26,200 --> 01:06:28,560
 And I did some good games the rest of the year.

987
01:06:28,820 --> 01:06:33,200
 But, you know, if Benjamin Russell comes to play Mae Jemison on Thursday,

988
01:06:33,620 --> 01:06:38,680
 that's interesting because King's three-year is the Alabama commit at quarterback.

989
01:06:38,980 --> 01:06:42,440
 He's another Mr. Football contender there for Benjamin Russell.

990
01:06:43,000 --> 01:06:46,100
 Bob Jones, Hartzell, Thomas, will be covering that game on Friday.

991
01:06:46,100 --> 01:06:49,340
 We should find out a lot more about those two teams, I think.

992
01:06:50,240 --> 01:06:54,020
 Thompson-Central Phoenix City is the HSA kickoff classic,

993
01:06:54,160 --> 01:06:56,620
 but it's not in Montgomery as those games usually are.

994
01:06:56,680 --> 01:06:58,340
 It's actually at Central Phoenix City.

995
01:06:59,220 --> 01:07:02,520
 And that was scheduled by the two coaches there.

996
01:07:02,640 --> 01:07:04,920
 And then I think the HSA said, hey, look at that.

997
01:07:04,940 --> 01:07:05,580
 That's a good game.

998
01:07:05,660 --> 01:07:07,080
 Let's make it the kickoff classic.

999
01:07:08,300 --> 01:07:12,140
 And Cody Flornoy, the new Central coach, I talked to him last week.

1000
01:07:12,220 --> 01:07:14,820
 He's very, I don't know who's confident to win this game,

1001
01:07:14,820 --> 01:07:16,500
 but he's confident in his team.

1002
01:07:17,020 --> 01:07:20,200
 And you guys will remember they played in the state semifinals.

1003
01:07:20,240 --> 01:07:26,480
 Last year, and it was a 35-34 Thompson win when Central went for two at the end and didn't get it.

1004
01:07:26,620 --> 01:07:28,940
 So we'll know a lot about those teams.

1005
01:07:29,280 --> 01:07:35,100
 And we'll know a lot about the condition of Ben Thomas Saturday about mid-afternoon

1006
01:07:35,100 --> 01:07:38,160
 because I'm planning to go to that battleground cycle game,

1007
01:07:38,160 --> 01:07:44,140
 which is going to be on at 12.30 p.m. on ESPN2 on Saturday.

1008
01:07:45,140 --> 01:07:49,860
 Guys, this past Saturday I went out and I was sitting on my back porch and I was thinking, man, it is hot.

1009
01:07:50,280 --> 01:07:53,520
 It's 12.30 and I think next week it's going to be even hotter.

1010
01:07:53,940 --> 01:07:58,840
 So, and the heat, there's supposed to be a heat wave all over the state this week.

1011
01:07:59,180 --> 01:08:01,900
 So praying for all those football players.

1012
01:08:02,600 --> 01:08:04,980
 Yeah, it's three letters, SPF.

1013
01:08:05,040 --> 01:08:05,960
 Make sure you got it.

1014
01:08:06,440 --> 01:08:09,740
 There's a school up here I need to ask you about, Ben, if you don't mind.

1015
01:08:09,840 --> 01:08:10,580
 It's called Mars Hill.

1016
01:08:11,080 --> 01:08:17,140
 They got a brand-new coach and they're taking on another powerhouse over the years, Madison Academy.

1017
01:08:17,140 --> 01:08:20,760
 This is one way to spice up the beginning kickoff of the season.

1018
01:08:20,860 --> 01:08:24,440
 Your thoughts about a very intriguing matchup, Madison Academy.

1019
01:08:24,560 --> 01:08:29,560
 They're trying to get their legs back under them and Mars Hill under a brand-new head coach.

1020
01:08:30,960 --> 01:08:32,880
 Yeah, I mean, you know, it's going to be interesting.

1021
01:08:33,080 --> 01:08:35,820
 Not only did they lose their head coach, they lost a lot of good players.

1022
01:08:35,940 --> 01:08:36,180
 Yeah.

1023
01:08:36,180 --> 01:08:38,780
 A year ago.

1024
01:08:38,780 --> 01:08:43,760
 Of course, this is kind of an early-season matchup in that private school division.

1025
01:08:44,700 --> 01:08:49,180
 Bob Godsey at Madison Academy, I think we'll find out a lot about both those teams.

1026
01:08:49,460 --> 01:08:56,080
 It's kind of like Madison Academy in this game just because I don't know a lot about what this Mars Hill is going to do under the new coaching staff.

1027
01:08:56,360 --> 01:08:58,240
 But we'll be able to see.

1028
01:08:58,320 --> 01:09:03,700
 And I think, you know, this whole private school division, say what you will about it, whether you're a fan or not a fan,

1029
01:09:04,180 --> 01:09:06,400
 it's going to make for some interesting matchups this year.

1030
01:09:06,520 --> 01:09:10,100
 Matchups we haven't seen in the playoffs are going to be really interesting.

1031
01:09:11,080 --> 01:09:14,900
 Talk to us about that because folks don't follow what will as the season gets underway.

1032
01:09:15,040 --> 01:09:15,980
 They'll start taking shape.

1033
01:09:16,060 --> 01:09:17,060
 We'll understand it more.

1034
01:09:17,060 --> 01:09:19,600
 But right now, it's such a change and people stay busy.

1035
01:09:20,360 --> 01:09:24,020
 We know where it's been with private schools up to this point.

1036
01:09:24,460 --> 01:09:28,720
 How will this impact schools like Mars Hill, like Madison Academy, et cetera, going forward?

1037
01:09:30,000 --> 01:09:31,620
 Well, I think only time will tell.

1038
01:09:31,720 --> 01:09:36,800
 I mean, obviously, you know, there's a new league being developed for independent schools.

1039
01:09:36,800 --> 01:09:41,660
 As I understand it, it'll start out mostly with the current AISA teams.

1040
01:09:41,920 --> 01:09:48,420
 But then, you know, will any HSA private school teams jump over there and be a part of that league?

1041
01:09:49,120 --> 01:09:50,580
 You know, we'll have to see.

1042
01:09:50,700 --> 01:09:54,980
 It may depend on, you know, what the next year or two looks like in the HSA.

1043
01:09:56,140 --> 01:10:00,440
 I think it's interesting in the upper school, private school division, they call it the double-A.

1044
01:10:00,540 --> 01:10:03,200
 All 16 of those football teams will be in the playoffs.

1045
01:10:03,440 --> 01:10:07,080
 So you're basically playing for proceeding in the regular season.

1046
01:10:07,500 --> 01:10:12,560
 And then in the lower division, I think, what, 16 of the 29 or whatever.

1047
01:10:13,020 --> 01:10:15,660
 So there's going to be some fun match-ups.

1048
01:10:15,800 --> 01:10:22,780
 I mean, in that upper school, I mean, you've got St. Michael and Madison Academy and McGill and, you know,

1049
01:10:22,860 --> 01:10:24,940
 UMS Wright, St. Paul's, all those teams.

1050
01:10:25,120 --> 01:10:27,860
 It's easy to pick Thompson to win the Classics many times.

1051
01:10:27,960 --> 01:10:30,000
 But it's a lot harder when you get down to those levels.

1052
01:10:30,380 --> 01:10:38,600
 I was going to ask you, as far as the agenda for this week, but you've had previews for two months,

1053
01:10:39,160 --> 01:10:41,320
 much less the week of the schedule.

1054
01:10:41,580 --> 01:10:46,420
 Will Thomas Ashworth have the top five games in North Alabama?

1055
01:10:46,420 --> 01:10:52,080
 I know they'd have been on Tuesday during the season and, of course, in Birmingham, Mobile, et cetera.

1056
01:10:52,660 --> 01:10:54,860
 I thought that might drop tomorrow.

1057
01:10:54,860 --> 01:10:59,740
 And what else have you got this week leading up to game day on Thursday?

1058
01:11:00,520 --> 01:11:02,820
 Yeah, so we're changing it up a little bit.

1059
01:11:03,400 --> 01:11:07,580
 On Tuesdays, we'll have a list of the games in each market, the schedules.

1060
01:11:07,860 --> 01:11:13,600
 And then on Wednesday, that's when we'll do our five games to watch, although it's going to be a part of,

1061
01:11:13,600 --> 01:11:19,220
 we're going to call it five things to know about week one in Huntsville, week one in Birmingham, et cetera.

1062
01:11:19,420 --> 01:11:21,360
 And so it'll have a game of the week.

1063
01:11:21,460 --> 01:11:23,000
 What's the game of the week in that market?

1064
01:11:23,140 --> 01:11:25,800
 It'll have five games in that market.

1065
01:11:25,800 --> 01:11:30,260
 It'll have, you know, some did you know and stuff for players to watch and that type of stuff.

1066
01:11:30,340 --> 01:11:37,760
 I'm hoping it makes it a little bit more readable for everybody and includes more teams and more games as well.

1067
01:11:37,840 --> 01:11:40,100
 So that'll be on Wednesday in each of our markets.

1068
01:11:40,660 --> 01:11:44,040
 We're also, I'd like to point you to a series we're doing right now.

1069
01:11:44,080 --> 01:11:45,260
 We're kind of in the middle of it.

1070
01:11:45,360 --> 01:11:52,780
 We polled all the high school players who came to media days in Huntsville, Birmingham, and Mobile on five different questions.

1071
01:11:53,440 --> 01:12:00,180
 We actually started that yesterday with that, you know, and the question was, have you ever been contacted about transferring schools?

1072
01:12:01,540 --> 01:12:08,440
 And it was anonymous, so, and I think 27% or something like that said they had been contacted about transferring schools.

1073
01:12:08,740 --> 01:12:10,380
 I thought that was interesting.

1074
01:12:10,580 --> 01:12:18,300
 But today, if you go on ale.com, the question is the best player you've ever faced in high school in each market.

1075
01:12:18,480 --> 01:12:20,500
 And so we'll have that series running through Thursday.

1076
01:12:20,760 --> 01:12:24,440
 On Thursday, we'll have our high school picks and all that good stuff.

1077
01:12:24,440 --> 01:12:30,660
 And then, like you guys said, a lot of good games Thursday, Friday, and a pretty good amount of games on Saturday.

1078
01:12:31,540 --> 01:12:33,580
 As they say in Hollywood, it's back.

1079
01:12:33,720 --> 01:12:35,660
 Get the sunscreen and get ready, Ben.

1080
01:12:35,700 --> 01:12:37,480
 And thanks so much for your time today, buddy.

1081
01:12:38,100 --> 01:12:38,440
 All right.

1082
01:12:38,500 --> 01:12:39,260
 Y'all have a good week.

1083
01:12:39,260 --> 01:12:39,700
 You too, bud.

1084
01:12:39,760 --> 01:12:40,900
 Stay cool up there.

1085
01:12:41,120 --> 01:12:41,720
 Oh, man.

1086
01:12:42,080 --> 01:12:43,240
 We'll give it our best shot.

1087
01:12:43,300 --> 01:12:48,280
 You do the same on the other end of the state as well, benthomasal.com.

1088
01:12:48,660 --> 01:12:52,440
 Coming up, let's talk a little Big Orange Talk with the V-Man, Vince Terraro on deck.

1089
01:12:52,520 --> 01:12:53,020
 Stay with us.

1090
01:12:56,820 --> 01:12:58,920
 All right, grab some buds and listen up.

1091
01:12:59,720 --> 01:13:00,860
 Grilling season's here.

1092
01:13:01,440 --> 01:13:03,480
 Now we find out what we're made of.

1093
01:13:03,900 --> 01:13:06,300
 Are we going to fold under pressure and overcook the burgers?

1094
01:13:06,660 --> 01:13:12,240
 Or are we going to nail the carne asada and the brisket and pack the coolers with ice-cold Budweiser and Bud Light?

1095
01:13:12,400 --> 01:13:18,960
 Because that's the difference between winning and losing, between flipping burgers and grilling like a pro.

1096
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1099
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1100
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 And Abdallah.

1101
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 If you ride, you already know, it only takes a second for things to go wrong out there.

1102
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 Often riders don't realize it only takes one drink to change your whole life.

1103
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 Alcohol slows your reaction time, throws off your balance, and gives you a false sense of confidence.

1104
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 That combination on a motorcycle?

1105
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1106
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 If you hit the bottle, don't roll the throttle.

1107
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 Plan ahead.

1108
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 Ride with a clear head.

1109
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 Call a ride.

1110
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 Stay over.

1111
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 Or hand the keys to someone sober.

1112
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1113
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 Ride sober or get pulled over.

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1118
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1128
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1129
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 ESPN Radio for the Shoals.

1130
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 Sports Radio 93.9.

1131
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1148
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1149
01:15:34,380 --> 01:15:37,360
 Evan Canty and Michelle are Unsportsmanlike.

1150
01:15:37,560 --> 01:15:42,340
 Chador is somebody that showed you some signs last year and that people are excited about.

1151
01:15:42,540 --> 01:15:45,900
 And yet you're bringing the pass with Deshaun Watson back into the fold here.

1152
01:15:46,000 --> 01:15:49,460
 The only thing I can think is that they're thinking, let's just throw him out there.

1153
01:15:49,600 --> 01:15:56,580
 We're already paying him and try to lose as many games as possible in order to make sure that we secure the best possible draft position that we can.

1154
01:15:57,080 --> 01:15:57,640
 Sportsmanlike.

1155
01:15:58,020 --> 01:16:02,400
 Weekday mornings starting at 6 Eastern on ESPN Radio and on ESPN2.

1156
01:16:04,740 --> 01:16:08,380
 This is Jerome from Birmingham, previously from the Paul Feinbaum Show.

1157
01:16:08,540 --> 01:16:11,020
 Chris is up next from South Carolina.

1158
01:16:11,180 --> 01:16:12,680
 But you're a bold-faced liar.

1159
01:16:13,040 --> 01:16:15,880
 You're going to get on TV yesterday and say, I quit this show.

1160
01:16:16,000 --> 01:16:16,900
 I ain't quitting nothing.

1161
01:16:16,980 --> 01:16:18,800
 I don't know where I want to do what I want to do.

1162
01:16:18,840 --> 01:16:21,560
 You can quit taking my calls, but you can never make me quit, Paul.

1163
01:16:21,720 --> 01:16:22,540
 I'm sorry, Chris.

1164
01:16:22,560 --> 01:16:23,380
 I do apologize.

1165
01:16:23,380 --> 01:16:25,840
 It was wishful thinking, thinking you would quit.

1166
01:16:26,000 --> 01:16:27,760
 The Paul Feinbaum Show.

1167
01:16:28,300 --> 01:16:34,360
 Weekdays at 3 Eastern on the ESPN app and on the SEC network.

1168
01:16:37,740 --> 01:16:38,960
 The Score.

1169
01:16:39,380 --> 01:16:44,140
 Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score.

1170
01:16:44,640 --> 01:16:45,300
 Welcome back in.

1171
01:16:45,360 --> 01:16:48,740
 The aforementioned Paul Feinbaum coming up right after the Boomo Bugg Show.

1172
01:16:49,060 --> 01:16:50,740
 And let's go back to his roots.

1173
01:16:51,300 --> 01:16:52,320
 The Tennessee boy.

1174
01:16:52,720 --> 01:16:54,920
 Let's go now to the Tennessee boy, Vince Ferrara.

1175
01:16:54,920 --> 01:16:56,300
 He's there at UT Country.

1176
01:16:56,680 --> 01:16:57,940
 Busy on 99.1.

1177
01:16:58,000 --> 01:17:00,860
 The Sports Animal in Knoxville and the Ball Radio Network.

1178
01:17:00,980 --> 01:17:01,980
 V-Man, welcome in.

1179
01:17:02,040 --> 01:17:02,600
 How are you?

1180
01:17:03,360 --> 01:17:04,160
 I'm good, gentlemen.

1181
01:17:04,260 --> 01:17:04,680
 How are we doing?

1182
01:17:04,780 --> 01:17:05,020
 Hey, bud.

1183
01:17:05,340 --> 01:17:06,360
 And we're doing all right.

1184
01:17:06,720 --> 01:17:07,740
 Scrimmage time.

1185
01:17:07,860 --> 01:17:08,360
 V-Man.

1186
01:17:08,520 --> 01:17:09,540
 Talk to us about it.

1187
01:17:09,580 --> 01:17:09,940
 Tennessee.

1188
01:17:10,100 --> 01:17:11,880
 They've had themselves a scrimmage.

1189
01:17:12,620 --> 01:17:17,220
 And I would imagine, like a lot of folks in Tuscaloosa, the one thing that you dread did happen.

1190
01:17:17,340 --> 01:17:20,480
 That is the I-word, biting the injuries.

1191
01:17:20,660 --> 01:17:25,900
 Talk to us, V-Man, about the scrimmage and about the key loss.

1192
01:17:26,900 --> 01:17:32,360
 Yeah, and this one, this is the third player that they've lost to a season-ending injury.

1193
01:17:32,360 --> 01:17:36,820
 And he is, by far, the most significant and the first starter.

1194
01:17:37,320 --> 01:17:42,420
 Idris Farouk, who was a starter last year for Tennessee as a safety.

1195
01:17:42,740 --> 01:17:50,120
 And he was really their, you know, their brightest spot, their brightest safety last year.

1196
01:17:50,780 --> 01:17:52,480
 And his first year as a starter.

1197
01:17:52,980 --> 01:17:54,740
 And really made a big jump.

1198
01:17:54,740 --> 01:18:04,380
 And when, you know, the coaching staff brought in a bunch of players in the portal, including in the secondary, you know, he could have taken off.

1199
01:18:04,480 --> 01:18:08,220
 When there were the changes in the defensive staff, he could have taken off.

1200
01:18:08,260 --> 01:18:18,560
 But he did not, decided to stay and compete, had a great spring, and honestly earned what was unofficially a starting spot.

1201
01:18:18,680 --> 01:18:20,320
 We all anticipated him getting that.

1202
01:18:20,700 --> 01:18:25,100
 Earned praise, definitely from his teammates, but from Jim Knowles as well.

1203
01:18:25,100 --> 01:18:32,120
 And how smart he was, a hard worker he was, how he influences other guys around him.

1204
01:18:32,820 --> 01:18:43,260
 And, you know, it was, it's just, it hurts because when you interview these kids, he is about as likable as you can get.

1205
01:18:43,760 --> 01:18:49,260
 Just a real pleasure to talk to, and one that, you know, puts in the work for football.

1206
01:18:49,760 --> 01:18:54,280
 And it is just a real positive influence on guys around him.

1207
01:18:54,280 --> 01:19:03,240
 And so, it is a deeper position for Tennessee because Farouk had held off DeJuan Lane, who came in as a transfer from Penn State.

1208
01:19:03,560 --> 01:19:11,760
 And despite his knowledge and his size and experience, Lane, you know, he hasn't been bad by any means.

1209
01:19:11,860 --> 01:19:13,800
 It's just Farouk had been that good.

1210
01:19:13,960 --> 01:19:16,280
 So, you had some depth at that spot.

1211
01:19:16,480 --> 01:19:17,760
 So, that limits that.

1212
01:19:18,300 --> 01:19:20,260
 You know, it's next man up.

1213
01:19:20,440 --> 01:19:26,180
 And so, the potential of Dylan Lewis, who's a sophomore, getting on the field more.

1214
01:19:26,280 --> 01:19:32,760
 Now, the good news is, is Lewis is kind of viewed as the fourth guy, the one that may have worked his way into a rotation.

1215
01:19:33,160 --> 01:19:38,160
 And also, Jim Knowles went out of his way to mention him when he was talking about Farouk.

1216
01:19:38,340 --> 01:19:46,400
 And how impressive he was to Jim Knowles when he didn't really know much about, you know, any of these guys.

1217
01:19:46,860 --> 01:19:49,680
 So, you know, we'll see if Lewis is ready to go.

1218
01:19:49,820 --> 01:19:56,820
 We'll see if more creativity is going to be required for Jim Knowles to kind of work his way around some of these injuries.

1219
01:19:56,960 --> 01:20:04,520
 The other two, Jadis Richard, who we talked about last week as a power four corner with experience,

1220
01:20:04,640 --> 01:20:07,540
 probably would have been the third or fourth corner he's out for the year.

1221
01:20:07,540 --> 01:20:13,400
 And the other one that happened earlier in the week was Jadon Harmon, who probably was the sixth linebacker in the pecking order.

1222
01:20:13,860 --> 01:20:15,600
 So, those are depth pieces that hurt.

1223
01:20:15,760 --> 01:20:19,840
 This one is one of your starting 11 on defense.

1224
01:20:20,140 --> 01:20:21,620
 So, it is more impactful.

1225
01:20:22,240 --> 01:20:27,080
 Be a positive for Tennessee, according to reports, they were able to run the ball.

1226
01:20:27,280 --> 01:20:32,980
 We've talked all summer about four or five teams in the SEC struggling to run the ball last year.

1227
01:20:32,980 --> 01:20:39,940
 Everybody knows that Sean Bishop is the starter, but a lot of praise for the backup running backs.

1228
01:20:40,040 --> 01:20:43,640
 Dwayne Morris reportedly had a 95-yard-plus run.

1229
01:20:44,840 --> 01:20:49,760
 Javon Gordon, Justin Banker also drew praise from Josh Heupel.

1230
01:20:49,840 --> 01:20:54,060
 Now, I don't know if they were going against the first team or the second team.

1231
01:20:54,140 --> 01:21:01,280
 And the offensive line obviously opened some holes, but for any coach, if you can run the ball early, that's pretty encouraging.

1232
01:21:02,200 --> 01:21:03,320
 Yeah, there's no doubt.

1233
01:21:03,520 --> 01:21:13,680
 And that was viewed as a really solid position, didn't know, going in to spring, and then they had a really good spring, and then going into preseason camp.

1234
01:21:13,880 --> 01:21:15,060
 And they have been outstanding.

1235
01:21:15,260 --> 01:21:25,300
 And for Josh Heupel to point out that a position group is playing really good football, and he normally doesn't do that kind of stuff,

1236
01:21:26,660 --> 01:21:37,220
 It tells you they have been, and even some videos that they put out, they put out some highlights and stuff, and you can really see them have explosive runs.

1237
01:21:37,540 --> 01:21:40,300
 And people have gone out of their way to mention Justin Baker.

1238
01:21:41,580 --> 01:21:48,140
 In fact, Heupel did as well, when everyone would talk about, you know, Gordon and Morris.

1239
01:21:49,220 --> 01:21:53,860
 He and other players have gone out of their way to mention Baker.

1240
01:21:54,180 --> 01:22:02,260
 So, I think there's four guys that could give him some good snaps, and Tennessee is probably going to be one of the better running teams in the league.

1241
01:22:02,940 --> 01:22:14,000
 Obviously, you're going to need to stay healthy because then you start cutting into that, but I think it's one of the stronger units on this team and in this league.

1242
01:22:14,000 --> 01:22:22,240
 Now, the flip side of that, as you guys know, is once you start, whatever you do good on one side of the ball is an issue on the other side of the ball.

1243
01:22:22,240 --> 01:22:22,560
 Exactly.

1244
01:22:23,380 --> 01:22:23,620
 Right.

1245
01:22:24,060 --> 01:22:27,840
 So, with all these backs, someone had to work with the first team.

1246
01:22:28,440 --> 01:22:40,520
 And I know Rodney Garner, when we spoke to him last week, had not been happy about the inconsistencies on the D-line from his unit.

1247
01:22:40,520 --> 01:22:53,420
 Now, they got, after the quarterback, it sounded like somewhat, but there were a lot of explosive plays in the pass game and in the run game for some of those running backs, whether it's, you know, first, second, or third units.

1248
01:22:54,120 --> 01:22:58,460
 The V-man, Vince Roy, 99-1, the sports animal in Knoxville.

1249
01:22:58,640 --> 01:22:59,820
 AP pull out.

1250
01:23:00,180 --> 01:23:02,520
 The good news, Tennessee cracks the top 20.

1251
01:23:02,640 --> 01:23:04,700
 The bad news for Tennessee, Fanny, you're at 20.

1252
01:23:04,780 --> 01:23:05,820
 Why aren't we number one?

1253
01:23:06,320 --> 01:23:10,120
 V-man, your thoughts on where the AP folks put Tennessee in this first big poll?

1254
01:23:10,520 --> 01:23:13,520
 Yeah, and they're eighth in the SEC.

1255
01:23:14,040 --> 01:23:21,840
 So, I think it's pretty consistent with what we've seen, especially with some of the more recent polls, including the coaches' poll.

1256
01:23:21,920 --> 01:23:23,160
 Coaches' poll had them at 18.

1257
01:23:23,500 --> 01:23:26,600
 So, 18-20, it's in that general area.

1258
01:23:27,080 --> 01:23:28,200
 Not a big deal.

1259
01:23:29,380 --> 01:23:32,740
 I, you know, definitely middle of the pack in terms of the SEC.

1260
01:23:33,260 --> 01:23:35,260
 And that's about an eight-and-four record.

1261
01:23:35,540 --> 01:23:37,220
 So, I think that is fair.

1262
01:23:37,840 --> 01:23:41,340
 I don't think that fans would love them to be higher.

1263
01:23:42,040 --> 01:23:49,140
 I don't think people are unrealistic as, you know, compared to typical fan bases.

1264
01:23:49,720 --> 01:23:53,480
 I don't think they've been as unrealistic about what this team can do.

1265
01:23:53,900 --> 01:23:55,020
 I think fans have been encouraged.

1266
01:23:55,020 --> 01:24:00,640
 Josh Heupel is, you know, he's cracking jokes and just his demeanor.

1267
01:24:01,020 --> 01:24:05,520
 I think people have interpreted it as being confident in what he's said, quietly confident in what he's got.

1268
01:24:06,500 --> 01:24:12,060
 He even joked that, oh, I already told the guys on the field where the quarterback was, you guys weren't paying attention.

1269
01:24:12,800 --> 01:24:21,300
 So, you know, that kind of stuff, you know, gives people, I think, some subtle encouragement and excitement.

1270
01:24:21,520 --> 01:24:27,760
 But I don't think people are, you know, so upset or expecting them to be all that much higher.

1271
01:24:27,880 --> 01:24:32,380
 They know there's still, you know, some big questions to be answered about this team.

1272
01:24:32,660 --> 01:24:38,100
 V-Man, who's the third receiver behind Mike Matthews, Braylon Staley?

1273
01:24:38,280 --> 01:24:42,380
 Is it Radarius Jackson or Travis Smith, Jr.?

1274
01:24:42,800 --> 01:24:44,700
 It could be T.K. Keyes also.

1275
01:24:46,040 --> 01:24:50,100
 Kelsey Pope, wide receivers coach and pastor coordinator, was asked that last week.

1276
01:24:50,160 --> 01:24:53,220
 And he said, well, we don't know yet.

1277
01:24:53,320 --> 01:24:59,900
 He said, if you have a pulse and you're in that room, you've got a shot to be the number three receiver right now.

1278
01:25:00,260 --> 01:25:04,920
 So he said, you know, one day it's one guy, one day it's another guy.

1279
01:25:04,920 --> 01:25:09,640
 And, you know, that day somebody else will have an inconsistent and off day.

1280
01:25:10,940 --> 01:25:12,680
 I'm a big fan of Kelsey Pope.

1281
01:25:13,140 --> 01:25:16,120
 He's really developed the guys at that position.

1282
01:25:17,000 --> 01:25:18,340
 Guys have come in the portal.

1283
01:25:18,500 --> 01:25:20,040
 Guys have been there multiple years.

1284
01:25:20,680 --> 01:25:25,340
 Can they get a freshman to finally have an impact the first year in this system?

1285
01:25:25,500 --> 01:25:25,960
 We'll see.

1286
01:25:26,520 --> 01:25:28,720
 I think eventually it'll be T.K. Keyes.

1287
01:25:28,800 --> 01:25:34,960
 I think he still has some up and down days where he looks like a freshman right now with lean towards Radarius Jackson,

1288
01:25:35,740 --> 01:25:38,540
 with Keyes second and Travis Smith third.

1289
01:25:38,940 --> 01:25:42,660
 But they all have things that they need to improve on.

1290
01:25:43,000 --> 01:25:48,080
 But there's definitely talent there for when it really clicks and that consistency comes in.

1291
01:25:48,080 --> 01:25:59,420
 And, you know, look, this team can put, whether it's running backs, tight ends, they can compensate in other ways if they don't feel great about having three receivers.

1292
01:25:59,920 --> 01:26:02,760
 And also the good news is they're two established guys.

1293
01:26:02,960 --> 01:26:09,080
 In their third year, Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley are having tremendous camps, especially Mike Matthews,

1294
01:26:09,080 --> 01:26:15,680
 who has caught everything that I've seen thrown his way and had a really good scrimmage again on Saturday.

1295
01:26:16,220 --> 01:26:20,740
 When is the next scrimmage for Tennessee this week?

1296
01:26:20,820 --> 01:26:25,120
 And where can we get online and get all of the great V-man stuff?

1297
01:26:25,840 --> 01:26:27,260
 Yeah, I appreciate it to this Saturday.

1298
01:26:27,260 --> 01:26:31,780
 And really that could be the deciding factor in this quarterback race.

1299
01:26:32,100 --> 01:26:35,120
 In my opinion, it's Faison Brandon's to lose.

1300
01:26:36,100 --> 01:26:39,100
 They were talking about George McIntyre a lot last week.

1301
01:26:39,180 --> 01:26:44,880
 I didn't necessarily buy into being even racer back towards McIntyre.

1302
01:26:45,040 --> 01:26:52,920
 I think the coaches know they just need validity and they need to see how guys handle the 11-on-11 stuff.

1303
01:26:53,200 --> 01:26:59,140
 So that second scrimmage will be important to either give them answers or more questions to keep that race going.

1304
01:26:59,140 --> 01:27:01,260
 And you can follow me on all the socials.

1305
01:27:01,400 --> 01:27:06,080
 It's Vince Sports, V-I-N-C-E Sports, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

1306
01:27:06,640 --> 01:27:12,780
 And I've got a TV on the SportsSource digital network on YouTube if you want to check that out.

1307
01:27:13,660 --> 01:27:15,160
 You sound busy, V-Man.

1308
01:27:15,320 --> 01:27:18,420
 Load up on your monster drinks up there and let's do it again soon, okay?

1309
01:27:19,060 --> 01:27:20,660
 Yeah, I make time for you guys.

1310
01:27:20,740 --> 01:27:22,620
 I make time to eat Mama's cooking.

1311
01:27:22,780 --> 01:27:25,540
 And I make time for Daphne, my mini golden doodle.

1312
01:27:25,640 --> 01:27:27,040
 So you guys are in that priority.

1313
01:27:27,080 --> 01:27:27,800
 Thank you, bud.

1314
01:27:27,840 --> 01:27:28,760
 Man, we feel the love.

1315
01:27:28,820 --> 01:27:29,620
 Right back at you.

1316
01:27:29,680 --> 01:27:30,220
 There you have it.

1317
01:27:30,220 --> 01:27:34,980
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 Rich Eisen here.

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 Progressive Insurance presents the Sports Flash on 93.9 The Score.

1366
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 NASCAR Cup Series on Saturday in Richmond.

1367
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 Joey Logano the winner.

1368
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 Chief Briscoe was second.

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 Atlanta Braves were winners yesterday at home.

1372
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 They beat the Diamondbacks 5-3.

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 The Braves with the victory are now 74-50.

1374
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 The Braves are back in action tonight at Target Field in Minneapolis.

1375
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 Take on the Twins.

1376
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 Martin Perez will get the start for Atlanta.

1377
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 He's currently 8-6 on the season.

1378
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 Atlanta Falcons drop their preseason opener on Friday night at home as the Falcons fill

1379
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 to the Denver Broncos 27-7.

1380
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 The Falcons will be back in action this Saturday in Indianapolis against the Colts.

1381
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 The score.

1403
01:32:28,800 --> 01:32:33,700
 Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Scores.

1404
01:32:34,260 --> 01:32:34,920
 Welcome back in.

1405
01:32:34,940 --> 01:32:41,320
 It is a privilege to say hello to William Redfish Barter, former University of Alabama offensive lineman

1406
01:32:41,320 --> 01:32:44,820
 and now behind the microphone as co-hosts of BAMS Radio.

1407
01:32:45,020 --> 01:32:45,800
 William, welcome in.

1408
01:32:45,880 --> 01:32:46,420
 How are you?

1409
01:32:47,460 --> 01:32:48,320
 I'm doing good, guys.

1410
01:32:48,500 --> 01:32:49,080
 I'm doing good.

1411
01:32:49,740 --> 01:32:54,520
 And we are, as usual, confused, William, because the first scrimmage is in the books.

1412
01:32:54,520 --> 01:32:57,360
 And we were joking earlier, what coach is going to come out and say anything?

1413
01:32:57,680 --> 01:32:59,140
 Wow, we've got a lot of work to do.

1414
01:32:59,300 --> 01:33:00,340
 Sometimes they're telling the truth.

1415
01:33:00,700 --> 01:33:02,580
 Sometimes they're playing games with you.

1416
01:33:02,700 --> 01:33:07,440
 William, you've got a better eye for talent and evaluation than anybody in this huddle.

1417
01:33:07,560 --> 01:33:10,160
 What are you hearing after the first scrimmage?

1418
01:33:10,380 --> 01:33:15,500
 Are you up, down, or pretty much right where you were before the scrimmage with this team going forward?

1419
01:33:16,920 --> 01:33:23,500
 Well, no, look, I think there's, you know, a lot of reasons for, you know, cautious optimism,

1420
01:33:23,500 --> 01:33:25,240
 you know, by Alabama fans.

1421
01:33:25,280 --> 01:33:29,220
 I think this team, you know, has the pieces.

1422
01:33:30,760 --> 01:33:35,680
 If the pieces can stay healthy, to be a really good football team.

1423
01:33:36,600 --> 01:33:41,340
 And, you know, I don't think they've, you know, they've been lucky so far through fall camp.

1424
01:33:41,420 --> 01:33:44,720
 They've had some injuries, but nobody that's going to miss the season.

1425
01:33:45,240 --> 01:33:47,420
 And hopefully it stays that way.

1426
01:33:47,940 --> 01:33:51,260
 But, no, I think there's, you know, some legit optimism.

1427
01:33:51,860 --> 01:33:58,840
 You know, I think they, you know, feel good about their defensive line and where they're at there.

1428
01:33:58,980 --> 01:34:07,580
 And I think they're a little bit closer to, you know, nailing down the two inside linebackers that are going to be playing behind that defensive line.

1429
01:34:07,740 --> 01:34:15,220
 You know, it's starting to look more and more like it's going to be the transfer Woodson from Virginia Tech and possibly Luke Metz.

1430
01:34:16,740 --> 01:34:35,680
 You know, there was some, you know, after some early struggles against this, you know, getting to be touted defensive line by the offensive line, you know, they were able to, you know, piece together some, you know, some really good run plays with AK Deer prior to his ankle injury.

1431
01:34:35,680 --> 01:34:51,240
 So, you know, I think as we, you know, get closer to scrimmage two here later this week, you know, they're going to be looking at, you know, who's the left guard going to be?

1432
01:34:51,340 --> 01:34:52,660
 Is it going to be Mal Waldrop?

1433
01:34:52,860 --> 01:34:54,420
 Is it going to be William Sanders?

1434
01:34:54,420 --> 01:35:20,020
 And, you know, I think the question that's on everybody's mind, you know, despite me getting the same kind of reports out of scrimmage one that I got from scrimmage both one and two, and then, you know, even more so from the A-Day game in the spring, you know, what the decision is going to be on the quarterback race.

1435
01:35:21,380 --> 01:35:28,980
 Your observations on that, William, if you will, but also back to AK Deer, this is a spot that had a question mark coming in.

1436
01:35:29,100 --> 01:35:30,940
 Everybody said, well, it looks pretty good.

1437
01:35:31,000 --> 01:35:33,280
 The room has got a lot of potential talent there.

1438
01:35:33,840 --> 01:35:40,160
 AK Deer was making probably as many headlines as anybody in the spring and the fall camp so far, and then we know what happened.

1439
01:35:40,660 --> 01:35:44,440
 And then you got the promising Crowell if he can get on the field.

1440
01:35:46,080 --> 01:35:54,580
 Your thoughts just about the impact that Deer may have, and are they just basically bubble wrapping Crowell, or what are you hearing there?

1441
01:35:55,860 --> 01:36:04,240
 You know, I would certainly say there's, you know, some durability questions there, you know, with Crowell.

1442
01:36:04,240 --> 01:36:13,940
 And then, you know, sometimes that, you know, comes into play when somebody makes the transition from, you know, high school competition to SEC competition.

1443
01:36:14,140 --> 01:36:25,340
 I mean, none of his injuries have been severe, but, you know, he's got a, you know, his body, his mind, maybe a combination of both, you know,

1444
01:36:25,360 --> 01:36:28,920
 I think is probably still adjusting to the level of physicality.

1445
01:36:29,660 --> 01:36:42,200
 You know, there's a big difference in being, you know, having your soul taken out of your body on a hit from an SEC defense lineman or a linebacker, you know,

1446
01:36:42,220 --> 01:36:45,620
 than what you see on a common Friday night in South Alabama.

1447
01:36:45,620 --> 01:36:50,880
 So, you know, and that happens with a lot of players at different positions.

1448
01:36:51,320 --> 01:36:58,380
 So, and, you know, I do think it's unfortunate, you know, with Deer, you know, possibly missing six to eight weeks.

1449
01:36:58,440 --> 01:37:01,160
 I mean, that's not a season ender.

1450
01:37:01,700 --> 01:37:10,020
 But, you know, at the same time, this gives more opportunities to the true freshman, Treshawn Brown.

1451
01:37:10,040 --> 01:37:10,440
 Absolutely.

1452
01:37:11,180 --> 01:37:15,380
 You know, who did a lot with those opportunities due to injuries in the spring.

1453
01:37:15,720 --> 01:37:18,820
 And so, you know, he's a dynamic young man.

1454
01:37:19,320 --> 01:37:27,760
 I think he's a guy that's going to surprise a lot of people, you know, when they do finally see him against East Carolina here in a couple of weeks.

1455
01:37:27,760 --> 01:37:36,480
 So, you know, I think as long as Deer is the lone loss heading into the season in that running back room,

1456
01:37:36,580 --> 01:37:40,080
 it's still a pretty talented, albeit inexperienced, running back room.

1457
01:37:40,520 --> 01:37:41,540
 Yeah, I agree with you.

1458
01:37:41,620 --> 01:37:45,500
 How key was it to pick up Treshawn Brown out of Huntsville, Texas?

1459
01:37:45,680 --> 01:37:47,640
 A lot of people just overlook that.

1460
01:37:48,220 --> 01:37:55,660
 Ryan Grubb mentioned today in his press conference that we may be ready to name a quarterback in about another week.

1461
01:37:55,660 --> 01:37:58,120
 I thought it would be after the second scrimmage.

1462
01:37:58,760 --> 01:38:00,620
 You've got impeccable sources.

1463
01:38:01,120 --> 01:38:04,400
 How would you access the quarterbacks in the first scrimmage?

1464
01:38:05,740 --> 01:38:14,740
 You know, and I haven't seen it with my own two eyes, but I'm basing this on, you know, eyewitness reports from people that I trust.

1465
01:38:14,740 --> 01:38:24,300
 It's one of them being a former teammate that's done both scrimmages in the spring, the eight-day game in person, and then the one last week.

1466
01:38:25,120 --> 01:38:32,620
 But it's a consistent theme over multiple people that, you know, Austin Mack's pretty good.

1467
01:38:33,700 --> 01:38:38,160
 A lot of people would be happy with Austin Mack as their starting quarterback.

1468
01:38:39,160 --> 01:38:47,920
 But, you know, Keylon Russell is just so dynamic in his post, but both with his arm and with his feet.

1469
01:38:48,720 --> 01:39:01,160
 You know, I would say that based on the three scrimmage reports that I've gotten in the last six months, Keylon Russell was the better quarterback on all three of those days.

1470
01:39:02,580 --> 01:39:13,880
 And really, I think at this stage, the differentiator between the two of them is the explosiveness with his arm and his feet.

1471
01:39:14,840 --> 01:39:20,700
 And I'll be interested to see, you know, what the final decision is.

1472
01:39:20,840 --> 01:39:29,480
 But, you know, I know if these people that are telling me this can see it with their eyes, that Keylon DeBoer can see it as well.

1473
01:39:29,820 --> 01:39:33,540
 So, you know, we'll just have to wait and see what that decision is.

1474
01:39:34,040 --> 01:39:42,640
 You know, because, you know, I think some people would say, well, you know, if it's even, then you go with the more experienced guy.

1475
01:39:43,360 --> 01:39:55,840
 And, you know, even though Austin Mack has more experience in this offense, he doesn't really have any tangible, you know, playing experience at the SEC level.

1476
01:39:55,840 --> 01:40:04,840
 So, you know, I just feel like right now, barring a collapse on Thursday, I've just got a sneaking suspicion that it's going to be Keylon Russell.

1477
01:40:05,360 --> 01:40:10,020
 And you know something else, William, too, you're right, that formula has always been pretty much in the book.

1478
01:40:10,100 --> 01:40:18,820
 But in the modern era, all things being equal, which one of these guys has a better future for you at that school and which one's going to hit the portal that can hurt you down the road in more ways than one.

1479
01:40:18,880 --> 01:40:23,140
 So, you know, they're never going to verbalize that, but that's got to be a factor in the back of their minds.

1480
01:40:23,380 --> 01:40:24,120
 Let me ask you this.

1481
01:40:24,220 --> 01:40:27,600
 Everybody's focusing on what didn't happen with the offense, it seems.

1482
01:40:28,300 --> 01:40:34,560
 But the other thing that's kind of quiet here is, from everything we're able to gather, and again, you've got great sources, Redfish.

1483
01:40:34,720 --> 01:40:37,220
 Is this defense as good as advertised?

1484
01:40:38,780 --> 01:40:47,940
 Well, you need to ask somebody that question that kind of was being led down that path last year prior to the Florida State.

1485
01:40:47,940 --> 01:40:59,020
 I've still got PTSD from that game, so I want to see it across multiple games before I get too excited about it.

1486
01:40:59,060 --> 01:41:11,400
 But I do think that they did a really good job with their portal addition, not just on defense, but on both sides of the ball, primarily along the line of scrimmage.

1487
01:41:11,400 --> 01:41:26,820
 And, you know, I'll continue to say that, you know, picking up the in-line block or the extra offensive tackle in Josh Ford at the tight end position could exactly be what the doctor ordered, you know,

1488
01:41:26,820 --> 01:41:33,320
 to help that struggle and run game from last season, you know, get off to a quicker start, you know, this year.

1489
01:41:33,760 --> 01:41:42,740
 There was a lot of inconsistencies and, you know, missed assignments, missed blocks at that position last year.

1490
01:41:42,820 --> 01:41:47,560
 So that's something else to, you know, kind of pencil in to keep your eye on.

1491
01:41:47,680 --> 01:41:56,300
 I think this young man's going to prove to be, you know, he may not be the guy that's catching the number of passes that Quavers had last year.

1492
01:41:56,400 --> 01:42:03,620
 But I do think he has a chance to make probably an even bigger impact in what we hope is going to be an improved ground game.

1493
01:42:04,120 --> 01:42:11,000
 Speaking of the defense, I think everybody knows this is one of the top secondaries, not only in the SEC, but in the country.

1494
01:42:11,560 --> 01:42:14,100
 A lot of optimism for the defensive front.

1495
01:42:14,200 --> 01:42:20,080
 But you mentioned Caleb Woodson, Luke Mance, as far as inside linebacker are concerned.

1496
01:42:20,780 --> 01:42:28,280
 I've thrown out Abdul Sanders Jr., QB Reese, Caden Jones, and we've got a few other there.

1497
01:42:28,420 --> 01:42:33,860
 I still think Xavier Griffin may actually have something to say here before the end of the season.

1498
01:42:34,380 --> 01:42:36,900
 Do you feel a little bit better about the linebackers?

1499
01:42:38,300 --> 01:42:44,260
 No, and I think you could probably say that across multiple position rooms now, you know,

1500
01:42:44,260 --> 01:42:53,060
 with these portal additions and with some younger guys, you know, that are, you know, just because somebody isn't being talked about, you know,

1501
01:42:53,060 --> 01:43:00,500
 on August the 17th, you know, doesn't mean they're not going to be, you know, Ty Simpson was kind of a, you know,

1502
01:43:00,520 --> 01:43:07,060
 after you saw what he did Saturday in the first NFL game, you kind of scratch your head why he wasn't a three-year starter.

1503
01:43:07,320 --> 01:43:15,360
 Yeah, I think they all of a sudden they've got good depth at that inside linebacker spot.

1504
01:43:15,840 --> 01:43:24,540
 You know, I would not be surprised if at least early in the season, if you don't see Xavier Griffin used as an edge rusher

1505
01:43:24,540 --> 01:43:31,760
 in obvious passing situations, you know, his body is kind of more ready for that at this point

1506
01:43:31,760 --> 01:43:36,000
 than it is being an every-down, you know, inside linebacker.

1507
01:43:36,160 --> 01:43:41,040
 And there is, you know, there has been some depth developed, you know, in front of him at that position.

1508
01:43:41,940 --> 01:43:49,780
 So, you know, like I said, I think this program, you know, fingers crossed, let's get out of this final scrimmage Thursday

1509
01:43:49,780 --> 01:43:51,620
 without any more bad news.

1510
01:43:52,460 --> 01:43:58,200
 You know, I think, like I said, I think they've got the pieces to have a pretty good season

1511
01:43:58,200 --> 01:44:04,240
 if some personnel decisions are made in the right way, and, you know, the injury luck continues.

1512
01:44:05,180 --> 01:44:07,100
 William, the AP poll is out.

1513
01:44:07,200 --> 01:44:09,380
 They've got Alabama at 13th.

1514
01:44:09,400 --> 01:44:15,580
 That's the lowest preseason rankings from the AP folks since 2008, second year for one Nick Saban.

1515
01:44:16,180 --> 01:44:20,140
 As long as you're in the top 14, you're going to have a chance to redeem yourself in the postseason.

1516
01:44:20,140 --> 01:44:23,220
 And Phil Steele says, don't panic Alabama fans.

1517
01:44:23,880 --> 01:44:29,860
 His team, as far as the top 10, the best team outside the top 10 that has the potential to make noise

1518
01:44:29,860 --> 01:44:32,300
 once the postseason starts is Alabama.

1519
01:44:32,440 --> 01:44:34,680
 Do you agree with Phil Steele?

1520
01:44:36,160 --> 01:44:42,020
 Well, I do, and I don't have a problem with the ranking being outside the top 10 with, you know,

1521
01:44:42,060 --> 01:44:44,640
 the up-and-down season that they had last year.

1522
01:44:44,640 --> 01:44:49,520
 You know, there were some losses that probably shouldn't have happened,

1523
01:44:49,720 --> 01:44:56,940
 and certainly that final, you know, the game against Georgia and, you know, the Indiana game.

1524
01:44:56,980 --> 01:44:58,380
 I don't have a problem with that.

1525
01:44:58,500 --> 01:45:05,620
 And I think it works to, you know, Kalen DeBoer's advantage, you know, from a motivational standpoint.

1526
01:45:05,620 --> 01:45:12,640
 This is, you know, the first time in a decade and a half, maybe, that maybe even longer,

1527
01:45:12,820 --> 01:45:18,200
 that, you know, Alabama, you know, isn't being picked to be one of the best teams in the country.

1528
01:45:18,380 --> 01:45:22,560
 And so, you know, let's give the guys some things to strive for.

1529
01:45:22,640 --> 01:45:28,840
 Let's have some hunger there, and let's not have any more hiccups like the Florida State opener last year.

1530
01:45:30,140 --> 01:45:31,220
 Surprise players.

1531
01:45:32,020 --> 01:45:33,360
 We've talked about a few.

1532
01:45:33,500 --> 01:45:36,000
 Mel Waltrip's had a tremendous summer camp.

1533
01:45:36,160 --> 01:45:42,320
 You and I have talked about Carmelo O'Neal, who gave Derek Mandis, who I think is going to have a tremendous year,

1534
01:45:42,400 --> 01:45:44,920
 some issues in the scrimmage.

1535
01:45:45,640 --> 01:45:49,800
 Any other players from your sources who have been a surprise to you?

1536
01:45:52,180 --> 01:46:02,380
 You know, I think whoever ends up winning that other inside linebacker position, you know, I don't think it's a loserly town type of match.

1537
01:46:02,540 --> 01:46:08,320
 You know, whether it's Luke Metz or QB Reese, you're still going to have some good depth behind them.

1538
01:46:09,320 --> 01:46:16,920
 You know, we've talked about him, but I really do think people are going to be shocked when they see how dynamic Trey Sean Brown really is.

1539
01:46:16,920 --> 01:46:25,740
 I'm interested in seeing what a, you know, a peeled down, more svelte version of Daniel Hill looks like running the football.

1540
01:46:26,000 --> 01:46:26,160
 Yep.

1541
01:46:26,840 --> 01:46:30,100
 You know, there's going to be a new punter and a new place kicker.

1542
01:46:31,140 --> 01:46:33,820
 So, you know, there's a lot of people out there.

1543
01:46:34,640 --> 01:46:41,360
 You know, I'll be interested to see what that wide receiver room looks like when Noah Rogers is 100%, you know, in a month or so.

1544
01:46:41,360 --> 01:46:55,080
 So, you know, and again, I think really probably what's going to pleasantly surprise most people is when they see what these big-bodied defensive linemen looks like, you know,

1545
01:46:55,080 --> 01:47:03,600
 against East Carolina, you know, talking specifically about Tompkins and Green, you know, I think that that probably might just be what, you know,

1546
01:47:03,640 --> 01:47:12,180
 Alabama fans want to see more than anything is obviously a improved running game on the offensive side of the line of scrimmage.

1547
01:47:12,340 --> 01:47:17,000
 They want to see a run-stopping defense, too, on the other side of the football.

1548
01:47:17,360 --> 01:47:20,140
 I got amused at your comment about Ty Simpson.

1549
01:47:20,300 --> 01:47:23,340
 I was watching some of the highlights late Saturday night.

1550
01:47:23,840 --> 01:47:31,400
 I'm thinking to myself, and he only started one year at Alabama after carving up, and again, let me preface this,

1551
01:47:31,500 --> 01:47:37,820
 and it's an exhibition game, and I get all that stuff, but I'll tell you one thing, for a debut in the NFL,

1552
01:47:38,640 --> 01:47:41,120
 that was pretty impressive, wasn't it, William?

1553
01:47:42,200 --> 01:47:48,400
 It was very impressive, and, you know, he showed glimpses of that kind of play, you know,

1554
01:47:48,420 --> 01:47:54,880
 in the two seasons that he wasn't the starter prior to 2025, and then, you know,

1555
01:47:54,900 --> 01:48:03,520
 he kind of had the Mac Jones, the early Mac Jones syndrome of when a turnover was made or a bad play was made,

1556
01:48:03,520 --> 01:48:11,120
 he would kind of go inside himself and not be able to put that bad play in his back pocket and move on,

1557
01:48:11,740 --> 01:48:14,600
 but, no, the young man is definitely talented.

1558
01:48:15,420 --> 01:48:22,500
 You know, I think that he was handicapped last year with a subpar offensive line, you know,

1559
01:48:22,560 --> 01:48:28,880
 with some inconsistent play in the wide receiver room, you know, with a run game that was struggling,

1560
01:48:29,160 --> 01:48:34,280
 you know, the fact that they had to get cued as often as they did third and short, fourth and short,

1561
01:48:34,820 --> 01:48:39,360
 you know, put a lot of pressure on that young man, so wish him nothing but the best.

1562
01:48:39,360 --> 01:48:44,640
 I thought he was a fantastic teammate, a fantastic representative of the university,

1563
01:48:44,640 --> 01:48:50,840
 and, you know, he's getting paid handily for it, and he's in a perfect position, you know,

1564
01:48:50,860 --> 01:48:56,600
 whether it's one year, two years, three years down the road when Matthew Stafford finally ready to call it quits,

1565
01:48:56,680 --> 01:49:01,960
 man, he's going to be healthy and seasoned and ready to explode on the NFL scene.

1566
01:49:01,960 --> 01:49:04,000
 I got tickled at that.

1567
01:49:04,160 --> 01:49:09,560
 In fact, Rich Davis was talking to Kurt Signetti about Alabama, and he said, look,

1568
01:49:09,640 --> 01:49:16,560
 they're a great team with a great coach, but why in the world do they run some jet sweep on fourth and less than a yard?

1569
01:49:16,820 --> 01:49:21,720
 He said, after that, we just kind of took over the game, but yeah, that's a good description.

1570
01:49:21,920 --> 01:49:25,040
 They got too cute sometimes on fourth and short.

1571
01:49:25,160 --> 01:49:27,140
 Listen, always enjoy the conversation.

1572
01:49:27,320 --> 01:49:28,880
 We're getting even more closer.

1573
01:49:29,540 --> 01:49:30,580
 Have a great week.

1574
01:49:30,660 --> 01:49:32,060
 Let's do this again next week.

1575
01:49:32,920 --> 01:49:33,740
 Sounds good, guys.

1576
01:49:33,840 --> 01:49:34,600
 Talk to you all soon.

1577
01:49:35,160 --> 01:49:35,560
 Absolutely.

1578
01:49:35,740 --> 01:49:36,820
 Stay as cool as you can.

1579
01:49:36,900 --> 01:49:37,540
 The Redfish.

1580
01:49:37,660 --> 01:49:38,840
 Talking about Ty Simpson, baby.

1581
01:49:38,980 --> 01:49:42,780
 Remember, in all due respect, back when he came out of high school and committed to Alabama,

1582
01:49:43,240 --> 01:49:49,200
 remember we got some folks saying he'll never make it at Alabama, and now look what he's doing in L.A.,

1583
01:49:49,200 --> 01:49:52,360
 and the fact that he helped his team win 11 ballgames last season,

1584
01:49:52,360 --> 01:49:54,980
 maybe that should be his testimony of how good he was, B.B.,

1585
01:49:54,980 --> 01:49:57,300
 given all the stuff he had around him on that offense.

1586
01:49:57,520 --> 01:50:03,000
 Harold, if he had an average offensive line last year and would have stayed healthy,

1587
01:50:03,560 --> 01:50:07,440
 you never know what Alabama could have done, and they went pretty far.

1588
01:50:07,620 --> 01:50:12,320
 Last year, Braves tonight with Minnesota, Martin Perez on the mound.

1589
01:50:12,920 --> 01:50:15,800
 You can hear that game again on 93.9, the score.

1590
01:50:16,360 --> 01:50:17,940
 That's going to take care of business for now.

1591
01:50:18,100 --> 01:50:20,660
 On behalf of B.B., Greg, James Blair, the entire crew here.

1592
01:50:20,740 --> 01:50:22,820
 Harold Buck, thank you so much for your time today.

1593
01:50:23,320 --> 01:50:25,580
 Let's do it again tomorrow, noon to two, for the Boom on Buck Show,

1594
01:50:25,660 --> 01:50:27,820
 back here on Sports Radio, 93.9, the score.