Boomo Bugg Show 110526
93.9 The Score WYTK - November 5, 2026
https://www.939thescore.com/boomo-bugg-show-110526/

This transcript was generated automatically from the broadcast audio. Names and some words may be misspelt; the audio is the official record.

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Now, get ready to roll, Shoals, Decatur, Athens and all of Northwest Alabama and Southern Tennessee. It's time for the Valley's exclusive FM Sports Voice.
The Boomo Bugg Show. Your exclusive inside track to the Tigers, Tennessee and the rest of the SEC.
Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9, The Score.
Good afternoon and welcome here to the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving us a free ride around the Tennessee Valley.
Brett Beaird, welcome in where Vegas speaks for Auburn. The odds go down for Alabama. The odds go up for their battle to buy you.
Good afternoon, welcome in and how are you?
Happy Thursday to you and the listeners. Caleb Suggs looks at the top first-round playoff games in the Decatur daily area.
But before that happens, BB is here to predict the winners of one of the best college football Saturdays this season.
Well, has Bill ever missed one? I mean, he's better than Babe Ruth.
I mean, base is loaded. It doesn't matter. Home run. Four for four every game.
Bill Bender, the national voice of the Sporting News. Bill, welcome in. How does it feel to be perfect? How are you?
I don't think so. No, I'm doing well. It's quite the oversell, Harold.
I am excited. When you've done it, as long as the three of us have done it, you know, you get special weekends coming along.
This feels like one of them. There's just too many good games on the schedule.
Bill, obviously, time, time, time, but that much on the menu. It's hard to see. It's like a buffet.
Where do you start? And overall, is this the weekend? It says we're going to find out the contenders as opposed to the pretenders.
Yeah, I mean, everybody got upset about the rankings on Tuesday. I mean, it was probably a futile exercise because we're going to sort it all out.
LSU and Alabama are going to sort it out. Notre Dame and Miami, BYU-Utah, Oregon-Ohio State.
I mean, there's so many good games on the schedule.
And I said this earlier this week, we're going to argue more than we ever have because we're going to say this three-loss team is better than a two-loss team.
And the two-loss team is better than the one-loss team. And why is there a group of six teams in here?
That's all coming over the next four weeks.
Absolutely. Let's start with the Bayou, Alabama, and LSU.
The Tigers were a five-and-half-point favorite. That's the 2-30 game on ABC.
And I see why. LSU's rushing attack, 192 yards, average a game, fourth in the SEC.
They've got 34 sacks. Sam Leavitt has really improved.
But he does have a tendency for the turnover.
Lane Kiffin's record against Alabama is 0-5.
Helen DeBoer, after a bye week, is 8-0.
Lane Kiffin, after a bye week, is 9-6.
Really, five or six of Alabama's top players return after missing two games.
Bill Benders got LSU winning the battle in Red Stick, 31-23.
It could be tight.
I mean, all of those trends you point out, I am leery of it.
I do think if Sam Leavitt protects the football, and if Alabama cannot run the football,
which they did not do well in their last two games, it could be some problems.
You know, one thing, working in their favor, it's not a night game.
I mean, that helps.
But as my editor, Bill Trocci, pointed out, LSU hasn't really beat Alabama by more than a touchdown
since 2007.
So that just says we'll probably get a close game.
And, yeah, I think LSU, but I do think it'll be a good back and forth.
Bill Bender, the sporting news.
Talk about the border war between Kentucky and Tennessee.
It's amazing how things go from the post-preseason to now,
because most folks have had this penciled in for, okay, that's a Tennessee win.
Let's talk about something else.
But the Cats come in twice as good if you go by the ratings.
They're number eight.
Tennessee's number 16.
Your thoughts about the border war?
Yeah, you know, a chance for Kentucky to prove it against a Tennessee defense
that gets after it, because I think they have, if he's not the best defensive player
in the country, he's close, Xavier Gilliam, he just gets after it.
They lead the SEC in sacks, and in the two games he struggled, Harold,
he got sacked four times.
So, you know, but it's a tremendous opportunity for Kentucky.
I think they should be ranked ahead of Alabama in the rankings.
You know, I know Alabama beat them, but it's close, right?
Yeah.
Let me ask you this, Bill.
Since you brought that up, a fun question.
We know where the numbers are, but let's just say Alabama wins
and Tennessee wins.
What do they do as far as putting Alabama and Tennessee with an updated poll
coming out this coming week?
See, that head-to-head, we're going to do this all year.
Tennessee fans can make, the reason I would have Kentucky over Alabama,
they haven't lost twice.
And they're both playing in the SEC schedule.
I didn't really, when Alabama and Tennessee, the big disparity between those two,
it doesn't bother me as much.
I don't know why it's not a metric thing.
I just know, I know Alabama lost the game, but I think with the schedule that they've played,
they have beat Kentucky, they have beat South Carolina,
they have a tremendous opportunity to beat LSU,
they played Georgia to the final drive.
Alabama's probably going to be near the front of that two-loss line.
If it comes down to a three-loss SEC team, and people aren't going to want to hear this,
but it's true, it'll become a helmet game.
I think the three-loss teams in the SEC that would have a little better treatment than everybody else,
and a lot of it based on their resume, would be LSU, Alabama, Texas.
Georgia and Ole Miss, the Ole Miss Rebel Black Bears beat Georgia not once, but twice last year.
Trended at Chambliss, only averaged 340 yards in those two games.
Georgia is the more complete team.
They've got the better defense, but we saw last week against Auburn,
when Chambliss turns it loose, he's one of the best players in the country
as they came back and outscored Auburn 28-2, nothing.
Great game in Oxford.
Bill Bender has got Georgia winning 30-23 and covering a 3.5-point spread.
Yeah, it should be a fun game.
You know, the Bulldogs, what do they do differently against Trinidad this time?
And like I said in that article, the second matchup last time, he had 225 passing yards on passes of 10 yards or more.
And I don't want to say he has Kirby's number, but he definitely has their full attention, that's the question.
Now, Georgia needs to run the ball effectively.
I think their defense flexed again last week and keep it basic and try to get after Bull-Miss and caught some turnovers.
It is on the road.
You know, one thing, I've said this all week, the TV schedule could have been better where they put these games.
This is the noon game.
They should have made this the noon game, and they should have made LSU-Alabama the primetime game.
They should have Notre Dame-Miami at 3.30, and they should have BYU-Utah in primetime, if not the 10 o'clock game.
Yeah.
Next week, it'll be Bill Bennett from ESPN, because you've got a handle on it, Bill.
Let's talk about a very interesting matchup, and the drama took another turn this week.
Number one, Miami, formerly known as the Convicts, taking on number four, Notre Dame, also known as the Catholics, Miami-Notre Dame.
And about that interesting twist, looks like Miami will be without their top catcher.
Yeah, that's terrible.
I mean, I hate that he's out, because it does take away from the game when the best player on the field is not going to be there.
It's going to bring back a lot of 1980s nostalgia, obviously, for me.
I have a big article coming out tomorrow.
Talk to Brett Musburger, some of those 80s games, like Bernie Kosar and Steve Walsh.
It was Alonzo Highsmith.
It was a really fun article to write.
I can't wait for you guys to read it.
It means something to Miami.
They haven't won at Notre Dame since 84.
So it's a big game, a big opportunity for them.
Also, the Irish need this one.
I do think, and this is that Catholic bias coming in, they shouldn't be ranked number 11.
What are we doing?
What are we doing?
Definitely, if you want to say seven or eight, that's fine.
There's no way in the world the Irish should be at number 11 right now.
It's going to be interesting.
Miami, after only giving up an average of 9.8 points their first five games, they've allowed
93 points combined.
Their defense has been shook up a little bit in the last three games.
Florida State should probably won that game against Miami.
The Holy War, which is on a ridiculous time, it's 11 a.m. Eastern.
It's 10 o'clock in the morning in Utah.
Two very good teams, a top seven matchup.
Dampierre and Bachmeier are the stars, but can L.J. Martin come back?
You've got Utah, and they've got a 14-game winning streak, best in the nation.
You've got the Utes winning 23-20.
Yeah, I think it'll be tight.
You know, L.J. Martin sounds like he'll be back.
He's one of the toughest running backs in the country, running through contact.
Utah's looked pretty good.
BYU's won the last three meetings.
I can't believe this is the first time they've both been in the top ten when they've played.
But it is a more modern rivalry.
This is, in terms of intensity, and we don't feel it as much, but this has the Auburn-Alabama,
Ohio State-Michigan intensity about it.
They really don't like it.
They absolutely don't like each other.
And I think that adds to it.
I like Utah to win, but I think it'll be a close game.
As they say, brother against brother in the holy war out there.
Let's talk about your neighbors down the street there in Columbus, Ohio.
The Ohio State University taking on the other big O, Oregon.
Two things on that.
Is this it for Ohio State?
You've got to win if you've got to keep your hand in the game here.
And what in the heck went wrong at Oregon this season?
I just think that Oklahoma State game didn't go well.
They had some injuries.
Dante Moore, obviously, that didn't help, you know, in the UCLA game or in the USC game
that led to the UCLA loss.
But they've kind of found their footing a little bit.
And now the shoe's on the other foot.
I mean, up here in Big Ten country, we've got backup quarterbacks everywhere.
Ohio State, Michigan, Oregon, Indiana, Iowa.
It's been wild.
And I do think that Oregon has a chance there.
I, you know, watching Ohio State last week, I know they lost, but Stahey played all right.
He played like a freshman on the road, but he didn't play terrible.
And they missed a lot of opportunities to put points on the board that I think they will recalibrate
and do this week against the Ducks.
Let me ask you about an interesting game.
Number 10, Texas.
They're a 10-half-point favorite traveling to Como with Missouri.
You made up, you pointed out something.
Missouri plus five turnover, Texas minus five.
Colin Simmons has been out for two weeks.
Trevor Goosby's out for the rest of the year.
Missouri's defense better than a lot of folks think it is.
They rank 23rd, and they've been running the ball for 167 yards.
And Austin Simmons has played well.
Now, you've got the Texas Longhorns beating Missouri 27-21.
This is a tricky game, Bill Bender.
Yeah, you know, it is.
Austin, I think both of those teams, it's a really tricky game for Texas.
Because Austin Simmons has been balling for the Tigers, and they can run the ball.
And I think they're the SEC team.
When they're ranked, we just kind of dismiss, whereas Texas has been glamorous.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Tigers won.
I did pick Texas.
I think Arch has been more controlled the last three weeks.
The Longhorns have everything in front of them.
By the injury, by the little bit.
But I think they get through this one.
You know, who knows?
These SEC games, you guys are killing me.
They're killing me because they've become really unpredictable.
Yes, they are.
It's the NFL and the SEC, Bill Bender.
Bill, your thoughts about Shane Beamer.
Is he shooing away the two men in a truck crew in his driveway and maybe sending them to College Station and Mike Elko?
Your thoughts about South Carolina, really one of the hottest teams in the country right now, and Texas A&M is anything but what happens if the Aggies lay an egg in Columbia?
You know, I think Beamer, that's a great example of the NFL environment we live in now, where he was going to get fired.
Now, all of a sudden, they're hot, and Lenore Sellers looks pretty good, and, you know, the Aggies have been a major disappointment.
But I really have been impressed with the way that South Carolina has shifted their season.
The Tennessee win really helped, and I think they continue rolling against the Aggies.
I was surprised, not that they won at Oklahoma last week, but by the score that they won by.
But, like I said, Sellers is starting to get some NFL draft attention again.
That's right.
He looks like he did two years ago.
I've been impressed with how he has played.
But Bill Bender brings it every day on the Sporting News, pre-game, post-game.
You look at the brackets, playoff brackets on Sunday and Monday.
Where can we get an old line to get all the great stuff?
Yeah, I'm at BillBender92SportingNews.com.
We'll be in South Bend over the weekend.
Like I said, guys, you should check out that story we have coming tomorrow.
It had really good insight from those that were around.
And the interview with Brett Musburger, you know, he's one of those guys we all admire and love.
It was a lot of fun.
You're looking live at Bill Bender and Brett Musburger.
It's must-read internet stuff there.
Bill, as always, good to hook up with you.
Thanks so much.
Enjoy tradition up there by the lake, okay?
Well, thanks, guys.
Thank you, bud.
Bill Bender hooking up with us.
Got it all covered there with the Sporting News.
Coming up, time to open up the can in the playoffs.
Caleb Suggs on deck.
Stay with us.
Hello, this is Kevin Arnold with Village Discount Drugs.
We've been in the Shoals since 1979.
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From our playbook to your plate.
The Sports Voice of Northwest Alabama and Southern Tennessee.
Sports Radio 93.9.
The Score.
Pat Boyle here to help you beat the books.
Lesson 1 Sports.
Ravens and Jacks kick off Week 9.
I think Parker Washington has a big game.
The Ravens' secondary has been mediocre all season, allowing the 12th most passing yards per game
and the 7th most yards per target to opposing wide receivers.
Marlon Humphrey looks completely washed, and no matter who covers Parker Washington, I think he goes off.
Only had one catch in the blowout win over the Colts on Sunday.
He's well-rested.
I think Washington goes over 62.5 receiving yards.
I'm Pat Boyle, BetSmarter, and Beat the Books.
Download the BetMGM app today.
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Basketball fans, get ready.
The Shoals is making history with its first-ever Shoals Hoops High School Basketball Media Day.
Join us November 20th at the Lauderdale County Workforce Development Center in Florence as local high school teams and coaches take the spotlight.
The day also features an FCA breakfast and special coaching clinic with college coaches and championship-winning legends.
And the best part?
The public is invited to come out and be a part of the excitement.
Presented by Turbo Coffee, FCA, and the Triple Threat Podcast.
Don't miss it.
From the University of Alabama, this is Crimson Tide Today.
It's a daily update on Bama sports, and it's brought to you by Crimson Drive, driven by NASCAR.
Streaming live on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2 p.m. Central on all CTSN social media platforms at UA underscore CTSN.
Hello again, everybody.
I'm Roger Hoover.
Here are thoughts from Alabama men's basketball head coach Nate Oates following Alabama's season-opening victory
on Tuesday against Sam Houston.
Sam Houston State gave us good tests tonight.
You know, they ended up beating us on the glass by three, which is a little disappointing.
You know, we've been emphasizing the rebounding.
We just still, for whatever reason, we're not doing a very good job of it.
The thing we did do well on defense, we forced 23 turnovers.
So, I think it's the most, Stephen told me it's the most since 2012 around here.
I was coaching Romulus at the time.
So, it's been a long time since we forced that many turnovers, which is great.
I thought it was led by Brandon Garrison's pressure on their bigs, kind of the way they play through the bigs at the top.
And Brandon's athleticism and defensive intensity.
I'll have more in a moment.
Hey, Bama fans, it's Ron Coleman-Williams.
It's Tuesday and Thursday at 2 p.m. Central.
Join Roger Hoover live for Crimson Drive Driven by NASCAR.
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We put the ball on the ground four times.
We were out, our number one and number two running back.
And you know what?
We still hate to beat down and teach out.
Call Fun Bomb, weekdays at 3 Eastern on the ESPN app and the SEC Network.
The Score.
Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score.
Welcome back in.
Brett Beaird, you ready for some playoff football?
I am ready for first-round action.
So it's Caleb Suggs.
Got it all covered with the Decatur Daily.
Caleb, welcome in.
How are you?
I'm doing good, guys.
How are y'all?
Hey, bud.
I appreciate you asking.
We're doing fine, Caleb.
Before we get into the match-ups, let's talk about some news literally coming out of your
backyard there at Decatur High with now former head coach John Ritter.
Caleb, what's your take on the story?
Well, you know, I've been around it this season, so I kind of expected it.
You know, obviously Coach Ritter is a great coach.
We know his track record before he took that job.
I think the simplest way to put it is, I don't know if Coach Ritter at this point in his career
was the guy that Decatur needed at this point in their program.
I think that's, you know, sometimes that happens.
You can be the best coach and not be the right guy for a certain place.
You know, it's not a slight on Coach Ritter.
It's just, you know, the way things happen.
And I think, and I also think that they could never get that signature win.
Yeah, and I think if they had, you know, got one of those wins, had some success, I think
it might have been different.
But, you know, the losses just kind of started stacking.
And when you get that, it's just hard to keep the morale going.
So I hate it for Coach Ritter because he's a great coach and people are going to look at
it and think, you know, he did a terrible job.
But also, you know, I feel like it's good for Decatur to get a breath of fresh air.
I think people are going to look at that job and think it's not a good job.
I don't believe that.
I think there's some good talent there.
It pays well.
I know that, and they're about to build an indoor facility.
So I think if they can get the right coach in, they can flip it pretty quickly.
I'll say this.
Since Coach Kenny Morrison left, he was offensive coordinator there for about two decades.
If he left in 2018, since then, their offensive numbers have been pretty abysmal.
So if I'm making the hire, the first thing I'm asking to any candidate is what you're going
to do if it's the offense.
So I think if they can get somebody in that can do that, you can go a long way in helping.
Absolutely.
Austin Black Bears at 6-4 at the Clay Chalkville Cougars.
Clay Chalkville actually lost last week to Central Florida.
Clay Chalkville has really been the standard.
I know they've had quite a rivalry with Muscle Shoals in the last three or four years.
They played for five state championships and won four since 2012.
Three of those coming since 2021.
They're averaging nearly 50 points a game.
But as we've talked about, and you put in your preview, if Austin can score, limit mistakes,
which has hurt them this year, and their defense can make some stomps, this could be a very
interesting game.
Donovan Jarman, the quarterback, has thrown for 1,300 yards.
We've talked a lot about Aiden Davis, who's now up to nearly 1,600 yards running the ball.
This is a big challenge for Austin, but if they play well, they've got an opportunity.
Yeah.
First off, I will say, Clay gave up 64 points to Central Florida, like you said last week,
instead of Central Phoenix City.
I think that would have been, people would be a more understanding of a D-1 college football
program.
Well, I'm sorry, did they say Central Florida?
Excuse me, I'm sorry.
Where did that come from?
If they were playing Central Florida, they gave up 64 to them.
I understand.
Exactly.
But no, I think you look at it, I mean, those kids at Austin, those coaches, they're not stupid.
They know the challenge that they face, and they know that they want to win.
They're going to have to play pretty much perfect football.
But I think you look at it, I mean, Clay is hard to judge.
Obviously, they're really good.
They're quite strong.
But you look at their schedule, you know, they played the team from Georgia, I don't
know much about them.
And then they played Thompson and Central, you know, the 68 teams, didn't do very well
against them.
And then their region was just really bad this year.
So they kind of dominated the region.
The only really good team was Oxford, and the Oxford quarterback got hurt the first drive,
so we don't really know.
So, you know, you look at Clay, as good as they've been winning state championships, they've
also had some playoff letdowns.
So it's possible.
But like you said, I mean, Austin, they know they have to go on the road and score.
They know an offense is too good.
You're not going to hold them.
You know, you're going to have to score at least 35 points.
That's with control and the time of possession and everything.
But the good news for Austin is they're clicking.
Their offense is playing really well.
And, you know, they've got the guys.
And I think, you know, last week seeing Clay give up 64 points gave them a lot of hope
that they can go on.
You know, they're not going to go score 64 on Clay, but I think, you know, they feel
like if they can go and control the time of possession, which they can do.
I mean, you go back to that Florence game.
You know, Florence in that second half only had two drives, and one of them only lasted
four plays.
So Austin can definitely control with that run game, control the time of possession, and the
quarterback's playing well.
So we'll see.
I'm definitely not going to pick this upset to happen.
But, you know, it's firmly possible.
I wouldn't be surprised if Austin does go on the road and flow, man.
Caleb Suggs, the Decatur Daily, you know that Trinity is going to be rocking coming up
tomorrow night there at Rebel Stadium.
West Morgan, 73, at least on paper, a chance to move on, taking on 5-5 Moody.
Yeah, I think you look at it, obviously this is not the Jake Gannis-led Moody of the last
four years.
But that being said, they've still got some dudes on that team.
They've still got some talent.
Yeah.
So I think if West Morgan were to come in and sleepwalk through this game or be unfocused
or take them lightly, they, you know, this could get ugly.
That being said, I don't think that's going to happen.
You know, it just, it doesn't happen very much when you have a coach like Drew Phillips.
He's going to make sure his team is ready to play.
And I think this is a good matchup for them because just kind of watching them, you know,
on tape a little bit, Moody's a little undisciplined on defense.
But I think when you're playing a team like West Morgan that throws so many motions and
eye candy and stuff that you, you know, that really bodes well for them.
And West Morgan's just getting better every week.
You know, since Kelly Phillips took over, I mean, he's thrown almost 20 touchdowns.
And, you know, it didn't start until week three.
He's an eighth grader.
So they're getting better.
I mean, they're a complete team.
So I think if they play pretty good, I don't think they have to play their best game.
If they just play their mostly pretty good game, they should win this pretty comfortably.
Isn't that amazing?
He's an eighth grader.
And since he took over as starting quarterback, West Morgan scored 51 points a game.
These young guys amaze me.
New Hope has had a really good year.
They're seven and three.
They've lost to three of the top teams in the region, Plainview, Geraldine, and North Jackson.
But they're playing the undefeated Hatton Hornets.
And you told us in September you thought Hatton could go a long way in the playoffs.
And I agree with you.
Averaging 38 points a game.
Nausee Gamble's kind of taken over for Severius Evans, who got hurt.
He's ran for nearly 900k parham.
Their quarterback is really good.
New Hope's had a good year.
But I think you'd end tomorrow night with Hatton.
Yeah, I mean, you know, just to put it in perspective, you know, of the four teams my teams are playing this week.
I've watched three of them, you know, on film, as you can call it.
You know, I like to, when I'm riding, know what my teams are playing.
And the one team I didn't watch is New Hope.
And that's nothing against them.
Sure.
I just think Hatton is too much right now.
I mean, you look at last week.
You know, they went on the road against an 8-1 Central Florence team that was a region chick
and just pounded them, 35-9.
It wasn't even close.
So, you know, I think Hatton is just, you know, they're really good.
I think they're going to roll.
You know, the caveat here, if you want one, you know, as good as Coach Stover has been,
he's never actually won a playoff team.
You know, so he had, you know, Heritage had a little playoff letdowns.
Last year, they went on the road to Madison Academy and lost five points.
So, that one's understandable.
So, maybe in terms of caveat, there's a hope there.
You can say that.
But I think, again, kind of like West Morgan, if Hatton plays a pretty good game,
they're going to win this pretty comfortably.
Caleb, if you want to take a road trip, go to Rainsville, Alabama,
home of the Bears at Plainview High.
That's right up the hill there from a place called Fort Payne.
And it is a road trip.
They're pretty good, 10-0.
East Lawrence going to fly their Eagles in at 6-4.
I'm going to go out on a limb here, Caleb,
and I'm just going to say I know which team you're rooting for in that matchup.
You know, I don't like to say rooting for it because I like to say pretty unbiased.
But, you know.
In this case.
I will say, you know, I've talked to Dad a lot this week.
You know, they feel like they have a chance, and I think that's pretty good.
I think that's, you know, if you're going to go on the road, you have to believe you can win.
So I think that's good.
And you look at Plainview, I think I had someone tell me yesterday that they reminded him of,
and this wasn't Dad, this was just somebody else,
they reminded him of some of the really good Hartfield teams.
And, you know, what they mean by that is when you look at them,
they don't jump off the screen at you just from their athleticism or talent.
But they're so well coached, and they're so disciplined.
And especially in 3A, that's a big deal.
But I will say, I know from firsthand experience, you know,
weakness to some of those really good Hartfield teams is if you get a team
that has some really good athletes, they can cause some trouble.
And at least Lawrence has those.
They have that stage, really.
So I think if they can go in, hit some big plays, find some success early,
they can make Plainview sweat.
But like I said, I mean, Plainview is so good.
They're so disciplined.
And in 3A, I mean, you just don't see that very often.
It's a tough task, but either way, you know, winning season for East Lawrence
this year is, you know, they're playing with house money at this point.
So any success they have would just be a good thing going forward.
Absolutely.
Again, Plainview is coached by the iconic Dale Pruitt,
and his defensive coordinator is Jeremy Pruitt,
the former Alabama defensive coordinator and Tennessee head coach.
Thank you.
But I agree with you.
Bryce Young, Chandler Bowling, and Kay McClure make East Limestone a tough out.
And again, congratulations to your dad.
And congratulations to you.
You've done an incredible job.
The previews, the stats, the standings, the performers of the week,
you've got it all in the Decatur Daily.
Where can we get online to get you previews and all the post-game stuff?
Yeah, you can get online at DecaturDaily.com.
You can find all the previews for that stuff.
And then we'll have coverage of, I think, all four games tomorrow,
you know, but at least three of them.
So, you know, I'll have plenty of coverage on that tomorrow night,
so you can check that out.
You might want to break out the Woolies, too.
Could get some serious football weather.
Safe travels for you to wind up, Caleb,
and thanks so much for your time today.
Thanks, guys.
Thanks for having me.
Thank you, buddy.
Caleb Sucks, the Decatur Daily.
Coming up, speaking of Tennessee,
they tell me that they're still doing business without Jeremy Pruitt.
We'll take you there next with Ryan Callahan.
Stay with us.
All right, grab some buds and listen up.
Grilling season's here.
Now we find out what we're made of.
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It's our schools, our teams, our bands, our cheerleaders, and everybody in the stands.
It's good times, and that's what Friday Night Football is all about.
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Having insurance isn't the same as having State Farm.
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The Florence Beautification Board invites you to a Florence holiday tradition.
The North Court Street tree lighting will take place on Sunday, November 22nd at 5 p.m.
This festive evening will feature treats from U&A culinary and joyful music from community carolers.
Gather with family and friends as we light the tree and welcome in the holiday season to downtown Florence.
That's the North Court Street tree lighting, November 22nd at 5 p.m.
For board information or project details, visit the Beautification Board at the City of Florence page at FlorenceAL.org.
Tis the season.
We hope to see you there.
Progressive presents the Sports Flash on 93-9, The Score.
It's best collection last night.
The Auburn Tigers were a winner as they beat Southeastern Louisiana 92-59 in the victory for the Tigers.
Colby King had 12 points and 7 rebounds.
Auburn is 1-0 to start the season.
They'll host App State Monday night.
Men's Hoops tonight.
North Alabama will play host to Union.
And South Alabama is set to host Jacksonville State.
New Orleans Saints are back in action on Sunday as they take on the Cleveland Browns at home.
The Saints are 2-5.
They're looking for their first home victory.
Browns are currently 5-3.
In college football this week, Auburn will host Arkansas.
Fifth-ranked Alabama will play at LSU.
Troy is home to host Louisiana Tech.
South Alabama at Louisiana.
Tonight, catch Alabama women's basketball as they take on Alabama A&M.
Joined in progress after Florida's football night.
I'm John Thayer with the Sports Flash presented by Progressive on 93-9, The Score.
Oh, hey, happy holidays from me, the half-eaten gingerbread man on the floor of your car.
Someone ate my leg and dropped me down here on what appears to be a really neato WeatherTech floor liner.
Why, this thing fits the floor of the car snugger than a gumdrop button.
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Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile with a message for everyone paying big wireless way too much.
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The Score.
Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score.
Welcome back in.
It is a pleasure for a cello to Ryan Callahan.
He's got the big orange cover there, Go Balls 24-7.
Ryan, welcome in.
You look rested.
How was your pit stop over the weekend?
Well, I wish there were some better games last weekend.
That's how it goes.
You get one weekend off to actually watch some football
and, you know, not a lot of classics last weekend in the SEC at least.
But, yeah, it was a good weekend, and I enjoyed some trick-or-treating on a rare Saturday
Halloween, so it was fun.
Hey, Dennis loves you for that.
And last week might have been off, but guess what?
It's back on this weekend, including the Border War.
You want to call it the Whiskey War.
Who's got the better whiskey, Tennessee or Kentucky?
And who's got the better football team?
We'll let the other one take care of itself.
Your thoughts about this matchup this weekend.
Very interesting.
Number eight, Kentucky, number 16, Tennessee.
Yeah, we're not used to seeing this.
And even if you use the playoff rankings, it's number six against number 13.
So, highest stakes.
More what we're used to seeing when these two teams meet up in basketball in recent years.
But, yeah, it's definitely a tough game for Tennessee, and they've got a couple big ones
at home this final month of the regular season, LSU in a couple weeks.
Those games are going to go a long way, obviously, toward deciding who makes the playoff from
the SEC.
And this one, you know, Tennessee's dominated this series, so I think there are a lot of
Tennessee fans who assume slash hope Tennessee just kind of takes care of this game as they
often do.
But this is not your uncle's Kentucky team that they saw years ago, and certainly this
is the game Tennessee's got to be really ready for.
It's going to be a night game, dark mode uniforms, the black alternate uniforms, and that's usually
a pretty jacked-up crowd.
So, I'm sure it'll be a tough environment for Kentucky to play in, and they've maybe not
won a game on the road in a place quite like that this year.
But even with that, working in its favor, Tennessee's got its work cut out for it this
weekend.
Kentucky's a good team.
No question about it.
And again, it's the great example.
The sum is greater than the parts.
Kentucky does do a lot of things great.
But turnover margin, they're plus 13, and Mincy's only thrown incredibly one interception
the entire year.
We talked with you about the clinic, defensive clinic Jim Knowles put on in the Alabama game.
Two stats stood out to me as I was looking at this game.
Tennessee on the season has 35 sacks, LSU second in the league with 34.
That's only too short of the 20-25 combined season, the total season.
Wow.
And one that's even more impressive to me, in this day and age of offensive football,
Tennessee's defense has only allowed 12 pass plays of 20-plus yards.
Wow.
Last year, their defense gave up 45.
Two great examples of Jim Knowles coming in and improving this defense.
Yeah, no question.
The sack total is still mind-blowing to me, given that Tennessee didn't go into this season
really with a true edge rusher.
You know, they've got some guys playing end-up speed rusher type that we see in this day
and age.
Tennessee went for Chaz Coleman, the Penn State transfer, and never got a snap out of him
this season before he left the program.
So, to make do with what they had, to have Jeremiah Tealander, a linebacker, lining up
on the edge in a lot of situations, and to have that sack total, still pretty mind-blowing.
And Rodney Gardner's done a great job with that defensive line.
He's done breakout years for Tyree Weathersby, Marion Dye, and obviously Xavier Gilliam's
been one of the best stories in college football with the jump he's taken after transferring
from Penn State.
So, they've got to keep that up this week.
Kentucky's given up some sacks.
That's one of the few areas where they've had some maybe mistakes here and there.
Because like you said, he's not throwing interceptions, and Kentucky's winning the turnover
battle just about every week.
Multiple turnovers forced in seven of their eight games.
So, Tennessee's got to be smart offensively, no question.
And yeah, that Jim Knowles defense, I think that's the key, the one you touched on, the
20-yard plus play.
They've kept everything in front of them this year, and I think that's a sign of what I've
said about this defense from the start.
It seems like just a well-coached bunch that knows where to be.
They've got some veterans throughout the defense, and that makes a big difference.
But yeah, teams have not had the 40- and 50-yard plays, and they made them drive the length
of the field, and they haven't done that very often against Tennessee.
That's a coaching staff, right?
Those who take five stars and turn them into three stars.
Those who take three stars and turn them into five stars.
That is coaching.
Ryan, let's talk about another question, Mark, and that's quarterback.
What's the latest member of the UO Abbott Costello routine?
Who's on first when it comes to UT's QB?
Yeah, Josh Heupel, still not saying much of anything about that situation as far as who's
going to start.
That being said, I don't think it's a huge mystery.
I think you're going to see George McIntyre continue to be the starter for the time being,
and I think it would take a poor performance from him to result in a change at this point.
Faison Brandon really struggled, the five-star freshman earlier this year in terms of seeing the
field, getting rid of the ball on time, avoiding sacks, took a bunch of sacks, and sometimes
ran himself into them.
And Tennessee's passing game, while not putting up huge numbers, that's partly because of penalties
lately.
Again, they had three touchdown passes by George McIntyre, wiped off by penalties at South Carolina
a couple weeks ago, and had some other plays knocked out by drops.
He's had nine drop passes in his four games this year, so not ideal that Tennessee's receivers
have let him down in some spots, and the penalties have wiped off some big gains, but I think when
you look at the film, coaches are seeing this passing game for Tennessee has been a lot better
with George McIntyre in there.
They're not taking nearly as many sacks.
A costly one in the final moments against South Carolina a couple weeks ago, but one that you
probably can't fault George McIntyre for because he just didn't have a lot of time.
So yeah, I think it's going to be McIntyre, but Josh Heifel, again, remains mum, not saying
anything about it.
Asked about whether he's going to let things play out this week in practice before naming
a starter, and essentially said nothing, just about ten words of word salad.
So we'll see how they handle that going forward, but it's kind of a lot like 2021, where Joe
Milton won the starting job, got hurt early in the season, Hendon Hooker took the job, and
it took several weeks for Josh Heifel to acknowledge what everyone had already seen had
happened, Hendon Hooker had taken the job and run with it.
In this case, it looks like it's McIntyre doing the same thing, and because of the long-term
implications, he's not willing to make any statements about what that means for this
team.
You alluded to something I was going to ask you about, was the offensive line improvement
since giving up ten sacks against Texas.
And again, Texas had won the best, when they were healthy, had won the best defensive front
sevens in the country.
McIntyre seems to get the ball out quickly.
He certainly did against Alabama.
They were not able to get much pressure on him.
Has there been significant improvements, certainly since that Texas game?
I think there have been some improvements on the offensive line.
It would be overstating it to say they've fixed it, I think, but by and large, they've
gotten at least more solid play.
And then on the flip side, I think that sack total might have been inflated a bit against
Texas by some of the poor decisions that Faison Brandon was making in terms of holding onto
the ball and running out clean pockets and running into sacks in a few cases.
So it's been a little bit of both, and so with a different quarterback in there, the results
have been a lot better.
Pass protection still a little shaky at times, but McIntyre, to your point, getting rid of
the ball pretty quickly, keeping Tennessee's passing game kind of on time, doing a good job of
throwing it away several times, too, to make sure he doesn't take a big loss on a sack.
So he's done a much better job there, but they have solidified things a bit.
Donovan Haslam stepping in at right guard.
West Virginia transfer has been really good in a lot of ways.
He was kind of hyped even before the season as maybe the most physical lineman Tennessee had
despite opening the season as a backup.
And he's been a solid addition there to the lineup at right guard.
Nick Moore has stabilized things a bit at left guard.
He was banged up a little bit in the last game and missed some time against South Carolina.
But when he's been in there, he's been pretty good at least.
So in pass protection, they're a little bit better.
And amazingly, they continue to kind of line up and run right at people with this offensive line,
a little bit better run blocking-wise.
And on fourth and one and things like that, they just kind of go two tight ends or sometimes even three
and just ram it right up the middle and manage to get a yard or two whenever they need to.
So they've had a better offensive line lately, and certainly they've continued to thrive in the run game in particular.
But the pass protection, I think, has been a little bit improved.
Ryan Callahan, Goval, 24-7.
Ryan, this week the college football poll came out.
I can tell you on this side of the state line, Alabama fans pretty much like it.
How are Tennessee fans reacting to the latest poll?
Yeah, not as happy on this side of the state line.
You really?
Yeah.
So I'll say this, though.
You know, I kind of pointed this out in our podcast that we recorded earlier.
The Tennessee side of the equation, I don't think Tennessee fans have much reason to complain.
They're ranked 16th in the AP poll and 13th in the playoff.
You're right.
We're going to have the AP people, right?
Yeah, so they're getting a good bit of respect.
They're actually ahead of another two-loss team in LSU that a lot of people might not think they're ahead of.
So they're getting a decent amount of respect.
It's just that Alabama is so high compared to some of the other two-loss teams.
And, look, that will mostly be taken care of itself over the next few weeks.
If Alabama takes care of business at LSU, they're obviously going to be up there either way.
But, yeah, it's a head-scratcher for a lot of people,
especially given the 16-point win Tennessee had against Alabama.
But that's not the end-all, be-all.
And the message from the committee chair, Hunter Juracek, was,
hey, Tennessee doesn't have really a signature win to hang its hat on besides that Alabama game.
That's really their one quality win.
So when you look at it, their resume is a little bit thinner than Alabama's.
Alabama's had not just high-quality losses but some quality wins on top of that.
They even gave them credit for the Mississippi State win
because, obviously, that was a better Mississippi State team with Camario Taylor.
So it's an interesting dynamic.
I don't think we're going to get much consensus on the two sides of the state line on that.
Hey, it's one of those things that, again, will take care of itself.
And if anything I took from that, it's that Tennessee maybe has some room to move up.
It seemed like this committee is giving a lot of respect to teams with quality wins.
Tennessee could really help itself by knocking off Kentucky and LSU the next few weeks.
All right, recruiting guru.
Let me ask you a couple of recruiting things.
Preston Glasgow, Loganville, Georgia commits to Tennessee over Alabama and Georgia recently.
I was looking at a clip of the two-million-dollar man, David Gabriel George, running for 247 yards against Knoxville Catholic High School.
I saw a clip.
When I got to six, I quit counting.
That was the number of tackles that I counted, and he kept going.
This guy is just an absolute monster running the ball.
You know that because I know you have seen him.
But talk a little bit about Tennessee's recent commitment and another awesome performance by George.
Yeah, so Preston Glasgow, definitely a nice pickup there for Tennessee.
Kind of a late push there from the Vols where Alabama looked like it had been in pretty good shape with them for a while.
And one visit to Tennessee actually for the Alabama game a few weeks ago.
I don't know for the Vols to win that one, not in that one down the stretch.
They had a neat quarterback in there.
They had not stick in this class, so they really needed someone in Glasgow.
Kind of a late rise, a really interesting prospect.
Six-foot-two-and-a-half, 190 pounds, really impressive build.
And just missed most of his junior and sophomore seasons because of injuries.
So didn't have a lot of film out there to speak of going into this season.
Commits to UConn early, and by this fall it's down to Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia, and Tennessee wins out.
So a nice pickup there late from a guy whose stock has kind of taken off the past couple months.
David Gabriel George, there's not much I can say about him that nobody else has said at this point.
He's the best high school running back I've seen in person.
I didn't get to see Derrick Henry and Adrian Peterson and some of those other guys in person.
But I've not seen one with quite the combination of power, speed, agility, balance.
You touched on the broken tackle.
The balance is what's remarkable with him.
He's a man among boys, it looks like, on the field and just continues to, when he gets carried, put up impressive numbers.
That was the thing about Friday night.
And they played that game at a minor league baseball stadium in Knoxville, the home of the Tennessee Smokies,
because of the level of interest in people in Knoxville seeing him play in person.
They moved that game from Knoxville Catholic and they sold it out every seat and they set a venue record with a crowd of 7,300 plus.
And they put on a show of 12 carries, 247 yards, and averaging more than 20 yards a carry, three touchdowns.
That's two other touchdowns called back.
Yeah, he did.
He's an 88 yarder, so just a remarkable talent.
And if he's not an All-America level player at Tennessee, honestly, it's going to be a disappointment at this point with the level of height going in.
Yeah, Herschel Walker, Travis Henry, Derek Henry, I mean, you're just going down the line.
We'll see where that goes.
All right, young man, your prediction for Kentucky and Tennessee.
By the way, you had a great article about summing up recruiting, hard to believe we're a month away from National Signing Day.
Great job going position by position.
Your prediction and where can we get on line and get everything?
This is a tough one to call.
I'm going to give Tennessee the benefit of the doubt being at home just because Neyland Stadium at night especially is such a tough place to play.
And I'm not sure Kentucky has quite the defense to slow down Tennessee.
They've been kind of just okay on defense.
It feels like a game where Tennessee might be able to pound this one out on the ground.
I'll say Tennessee by seven, but I'm not extremely confident in that because the Vols still have to show they can score maybe a few more points in this game with the way Kentucky has scored.
As we saw against South Carolina a couple weeks ago, that cost them.
So, yeah, we'll see.
It's going to be a fun weekend, fun game, and certainly a big one for Tennessee with playoff implications for both teams.
So we'll have full coverage throughout the weekend.
Big recruiting weekend as well for Tennessee.
A few official visitors.
A lot of unofficial visitors at Signing Day approaches.
So, great time to check out GoVols247.com and sign up right now for 50% off an annual subscription.
Ryan, thanks so much for your time today.
Stay safe out there and as warm as you can this weekend, okay?
We'll do our best.
I think the high is 59 Saturday, so it'll be a chilly Saturday night for that game for sure.
But, yeah, looking forward to it, and you guys have a good weekend.
Thank you, bud.
You do the same.
Ryan Callahan, Go Vols 24-7.
Coming up next time, going to be ticking all over the place in Alabama, packing it for the bayou.
Ryan Fowler on that KJ.
Ryan Boyce, the Falcons.
He's gearing up for the call later on here on 93.9 The Score this week.
And we'll take you to the UNA Nets with Tristan Johnson.
That and Morris right ahead.
Stay with us.
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This is an important notice to all U.S. taxpayers.
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1819 News.
Good afternoon, I'm Carl Brady for Andrea Tice.
Alabama is preparing to execute 54-year-old Michael Shannon Taylor on Thursday evening
for the 1991 murders of an elderly Etowah County couple.
Taylor is scheduled to die by lethal injection at Holman Correctional Facility in Admore,
although he had selected nitrogen gas as his preferred execution method.
His attorneys are asking the Alabama Supreme Court to delay the execution,
arguing that the state should honor that original choice.
An Etowah County judge rejected the challenge earlier this week.
Taylor was convicted of beating to death 83-year-old Ivan Moore
and his 79-year-old wife Lucille inside their home in November of 1991.
The Supreme Court had not ruled on the request for a stay at the time of this report.
More news coming up after this.
Did you know that 70% of people experience a potentially traumatic event in their lifetime
and that 6 out of every 100 adults face PTSD every day?
Help us bring hope to these survivors by signing up for your Alabama distinctive PTSD awareness license plate today.
The great thing is you can sign up no matter when your current plate renews
and the first year is complimentary.
All you need is your VIN number on hand.
Alabama restaurants are reporting shortages of popular liquor brands at state ABC wholesale stores.
Industry leaders are blaming distribution problems
as the ABC board transitions to a new Montgomery warehouse.
State Senator April Weaver is reportedly seeking to become Alabama's Senate Majority Leader.
Career Majority Leader Steve Livingston has confirmed he's also running for another term.
Senate Republicans are scheduled to vote on leadership positions today in Birmingham.
For 1819 News, I'm Carl Brady.
For more news affecting Alabamians, go to 1819news.com.
And while you're there, subscribe to the daily newsletter.
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Now, get ready to roll, Shoals, Decatur, Athens, and all of northwest Alabama and southern Tennessee.
It's time for the Valley's exclusive FM sports voice.
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Your exclusive inside track to the Tide, Tigers, Tennessee, and the rest of the SEC.
Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9 The Score.
Welcome back in our tour of the Boomo Bugg Show.
I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird.
Thank you so much for giving us a free ride around the Tennessee Valley.
I'll tell you one thing, BB.
The folks at UNA are hopping all over the place like a popcorn machine at the movie house.
Coming up this weekend, UNA football taking on West Florida.
That game sixth on the Bobby Wallace Field.
Coming up at 6.30 tonight, the men's basketball team taking on the guys from Union.
That is again at 6.30 out at the vault.
And the UNA volleyball team, BB, also busy these days taking their show on the road.
In the state of Arkansas tonight, Little Rock, and then tomorrow, Friday, Central Arkansas.
As you mentioned, UNA just finished playing in football.
Always delighted to have, in fact, we talked with him at UNA Media Days at Lost Pizza.
Pizza, coach, welcome into the show today.
How are you doing?
I'm good, guys.
Appreciate you having me today.
And, yeah, excited for the opportunity to be on here with you.
Well, it's a good thing because you're rocking and rolling, coach.
Tristan Johnson in the huddle with us.
Coach, talk to us about this team.
Right now, the numbers are good.
So, what has been the secret of the sauce so far for your team?
Yeah, it's been quite the year.
I mean, you know, we started the year off really hot.
I mean, we won our first 24 sets and set a program record for the entire D2 and D1 era.
And at one point, us and Nebraska were the only two teams in the nation that hadn't dropped a set.
And so, you know, it was a tremendous start to the season.
And then we were 10-0 going into Florida State and ran into a buzzsaw down there.
But, you know, had a great start to the season.
And then going into conference play really felt good about things.
And, you know, it's just been rolling ever since.
And to your point, it's been a great season.
You know, really proud of the team.
I think we've bumped in a little bit of adversity with some injury bug as we got into conference,
into the middle part of conference play.
And so, you know, the girls have been really resilient in terms of just having to step up and take advantage of opportunities.
We've had some girls playing in some different positions.
We've had to change our lineup.
I think I talked with my staff actually earlier today.
I think we've had seven different lineups in the last eight matches.
More so due to, you know, injury and things like that.
And so we'll have another new one tonight that we've never done before.
But, you know, just really, you know, I talk to the girls a lot.
And we had a conversation at UT Arlington a few weeks ago.
And, you know, I've been telling them all season that we're 17 strong.
And that's really been a big motto for this group even before we started was that we were 17 strong.
And that's been something we've really carried.
And then the other thing that I tell them all the time is find a way to win.
And so, you know, that's been a big theme for us as we've had to battle through some of this adversity is just find a way to win.
There's a way.
You've got to be tough enough and stubborn enough to want it more than the other team and figure it out.
So it hasn't been the smoothest ride in terms of that.
But, you know, nothing worth getting done that's worth it.
It's easy.
Absolutely.
Tell us about some of your top players.
I know Junior Reese Ricketts is having a great year.
She leads the conference in keels per set.
Junior Kinsley McGowan is second in assist.
And also we'll get into some of your younger players.
You've got two sophomores, two freshmen.
We're having a really good year.
But talk about some of the girls.
Yeah, I mean, Reese has done a tremendous job.
I mean, she has ever since she got here.
I mean, she was the conference freshman of the year, her freshman year, and has been all-conference every year since.
And obviously I have a strong hope that won't change this year.
Obviously, I think she's put herself in a position to compete for player of the year and, you know, has just grown so much off the court, really.
I mean, in her role as a leader and as a competitor.
And then Kinsley McGowan, same thing.
I mean, she really has matured a ton.
She took a huge step forward this spring as a leader and having much more of a court presence.
You know, last season she led the A-sun in assists.
And so on the court she's kind of picked up where she left off.
And due to some injuries, we actually ended up having to change our lineup to where she has to split time at that position because of some injury situations.
And so, you know, I think one of the great signs of a leader is someone that can just understand they have to do what's best for the team.
And she did that.
I mean, she went from, in essence, being the starting quarterback to having to split time at quarterback and, you know, was the first person to go, okay, what do we got to do to win?
Let's do it.
And so, you know, for someone that, you know, is used to being the one and being the main one and for her to be as humble as she is to go, all right, what do we got to do to change that?
Even though it's not something that makes me shine the brightest, it's definitely something that helps put our team in the best position to win.
So, really proud of her for that.
And I think really, I've said this all season, but probably our unsung hero this season has been Dylan Garner.
I mean, you know, Dylan last season was on the right side for us.
You know, we returned both Kendall Barnes and Reese Ricketts, and unfortunately Kendall tore her ACL in March during practice in the offseason.
So we immediately pivoted Dylan over to the outside, and all she did was just step up and produce numbers that were very similar to Kendall.
She was top three in the league in kills per set for most of the year.
And then due to an injury, we had to move her to the middle, which she's never played before in her life.
So we literally took our shortstop and moved her to first base.
A good analogy.
Yeah, and has literally just produced every match.
I mean, she's putting up numbers that are all conference at that position.
And so, you know, again, just, you know, in the recruiting process, that's something that I really look for is just, you know, selfless players that are just interested in what's best for the team and winning.
And she's one of those kids, similarly to Kinsley, and, you know, she's just been such a tremendous asset for us.
And quite frankly, you know, players like that are how you go through adversity and still come out on top.
You and they had volleyball coach Tristan Johnson.
Coach, talk to us about the mix of this team.
You look at it, and I think any coach wants a good mix of upperclassmen and young guys.
And I'm looking at a couple of names here on the front end of that as far as the freshmen, Kaylee and Anna.
Your thoughts about the modern era.
We see this now seem like more than back in the day.
Kids coming in, they're freshmen phenom.
Maybe it's social media.
Maybe it's exposure.
Maybe a combination of things.
But your thoughts about the mix on the team, and is that a fair observation now?
These kids come in out of high school.
A lot of times, they're ready to hit the ground running.
Yeah, for sure.
I mean, I think, you know, I think it's a testament to the growth of the game.
I think it's a testament to the growth of how much better coaching is, you know, at the youth level in this sport.
But, you know, kids like Anna and Kaylee.
I mean, Anna came in.
I knew she was going to be a tremendous player for us, and she has.
I mean, she's just done such a good job.
I think she has a chance.
You know, she's one of the most blue-collar, I mean, roll-your-sleeves-up kind of kids that you're ever going to find,
and especially in her position.
And, you know, just have been so pleased with her and who she is on and off the court.
And then Kaylee's the same way.
I mean, she's a coach's kid, and, you know, she's come in kind of similarly.
She used to be in the one her whole career as a starting libero,
and then came in and has played behind Ava Martindale, who, you know, is a senior
and came to us from UTEP and is a tremendous player.
And Kaylee's kind of had to wait her turn a little bit, and then due to some injuries,
was able to get into that role and stepped up and was able to produce some victories for us in a big role.
And so, yeah, I mean, I think they've done such a good job.
And to your point about the balance, I mean, I think, you know, in this day and age with, you know,
kids that find success at a young age and leave, you know, for whatever reason,
I think the fact that we were able to hang on to a Reese Ricketts and a Kendrick McGowan and kids like that that, you know,
have produced at a high level for us and want to stick around, I think that's a great sign for the young kids that we have right now to just,
you know, I think it's a testament to the culture and what we're building here and also our athletic department and what they do to support our program.
But it's great to have mixed because you want that veteran presence, but you also, with that veteran presence,
come some bodies that have got some miles on the tires.
And so to have some young kids that can step up and produce and still have a little more juice in the tank is always nice.
Tristan, talk about the growth and development of college basketball.
I mean, a college volleyball.
I kind of equate this to college basketball.
Pat Summitt was such a trendsetter for college basketball.
It used to have 500 people at a game.
Now you've got tens of thousands.
It's on national TV every night.
And I noticed you mentioned Nebraska earlier.
They set an attendance record.
They've got tens of thousands of fans there.
It's on the SEC network now every week.
Talk about the growth of college volleyball.
Yeah, it's been pretty tremendous.
I mean, you know, they're truly, you know, and I'd even say this,
given the parody of college football with all the brackets crazy and all the money and everything,
I think college volleyball may be the best sport to be a part of right now.
And I mean that genuinely.
I mean, you know, it's a sport that is the fastest growing sport in the nation for young women.
It is a, you know, it's a sport that, I mean, no kidding, last Sunday I turned on my TV at 2 p.m.
On a Sunday afternoon, Texas A&M was playing Texas on ABC, not on SEC Plus, not on ESP, on ABC on a Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. in the afternoon.
And I think that's just a testament to, again, the growth in the sport, the investment that the ABCAR Coaches Association has made in trying to get us on TV more.
I think another thing that our sport is doing that's really, really is exciting is the best teams are playing the best teams.
You know, I think you run into that a little bit with basketball and football at the beginning of their seasons where they're trying to feel things out a little bit.
In our sport, the number, the first four matches of the season were the top five teams in the nation playing each other.
And so I think that in and of itself just creates a lot of excitement because it's an exciting thing to watch, right?
And, you know, the sport in and of itself is trying to find ways to make it more enjoyable to watch on TV.
And so to your point, I mean, you know, there's not a night of the week where it's not on the SEC Network, on ABC, on ESPN, ESPN2.
I mean, I can remember, you know, five or so years ago, and I'm not kidding, the Final Four was the only thing on ESPN.
You're right.
Finals were on ESPN, and now you can't really go a night without watching college volleyball on a mainstream channel.
And so, you know, the sport is getting more exciting.
I think we're getting a lot more.
We're getting a lot of athletes that used to go to basketball and softball that are really, really dynamic kids that are playing our sport.
And I think that's an exciting thing.
And so, you know, I think for us as coaches, we're just trying to seize that opportunity and continue to grow it and not let it eat itself at the same time.
Well, you're a tremendous spokesman for the sport and getting off to an 18-7 overall record, 8-4 in UAC.
Again, you've got practice coming up in 15 minutes.
Little Rock tonight, Central Arkansas tomorrow.
We really enjoy talking with you about the girls and the team.
But, listen, bring back two W's to Florence when you get through.
Yes, sir.
That's the plan.
Hey, I appreciate you guys.
Appreciate you covering us.
And, you know, appreciate what you all do for UNA in the Shoals area.
And it's an exciting time to be at UNA in general, whether it's our amazing football stadium and the growth it's having, our men and women's basketball programs, volleyball.
It's just an exciting time to be at UNA.
So, just blessed to be a part of it and appreciate your support.
Thank you so much, Coach, for your kind words.
And all the best at the Rock tonight.
Coach Tristan Johnson, UNA Volleyball.
Coming up, he has got Florence High football on his mind.
KJ, next.
Stay with us.
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Sports Radio 93.9, The Score.
Scott Graham here from Westwood One.
Coming up on Thursday night primetime, an AFC matchup between the 5-2 Jaguars and the 4-4 Ravens.
Trevor Lawrence and Jacksonville are coming off a big win, scoring 42 points last week.
Now they face Baltimore with Derrick Henry, but without the injured Lamar Jackson.
John Sadak and Ross Tucker will call the action of the Jags at the Ravens on Thursday night football.
Right here on 93.9, The Score.
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Calling all Shoals basketball fans.
Something exciting is coming to the Shoals.
On November 20th, join us for the first ever Shoals Hoops High School Basketball Media Day.
For the first time, high school basketball programs from across the Shoals will come together under one roof
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Come watch your favorite local teams and coaches take the spotlight
with media interviews, team introductions, and plenty of basketball excitement.
The day also features an FCA breakfast
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And we want you to be a part of it.
The entire community is invited to come out, support our local athletes,
and help make this inaugural event something special.
That's November 20th from 7.30 a.m. to 2.30 p.m.
at the Lauderdale County Workforce Development Center, 250 Career Drive in Florence.
Presented by Turbo Coffee, SCA, and the Triple Threat Podcast.
Shoals Hoops Media Day, where our basketball stars take center court.
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No filters, no fluff.
Get the real story and all the hard-hitting analysis on AP as we see it.
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Sports Radio 93.9.
The Score.
The Score.
Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score.
Welcome back in.
The man who knows the score is K.J.
Kevin Johnson, fine voice to the Florence High Falcons,
right here on 93.9 The Score.
K.J., welcome in.
How are you?
Doing well, guys.
A beautiful weekend coming up.
Most of the high school football.
Get out and support wherever you are to go see these high school kids play.
Absolutely.
Let me ask you this, Kevin.
Did you guys just get in about 10 minutes to go from your last road trip?
That was a road trip, was it not?
I think we have found where Fort Payne is.
And once we found it, getting back was, I had to leave crumbs to get back, but we did.
But the big thing, we came back with a victory for Florence Falcons.
We went home over there, got a victory in Kappa 9-1 season.
And by the way, it's a great school over at Fort Payne and a great facility.
It's a beautiful setting there.
But the Falcons took care of business, and now they're getting ready for the new season playoffs around the corner.
Let's talk about that.
You're right.
Randy and that group, they poured a lot of money into that community over there, and that's one of the fruits of it.
But let's talk about this season before we jump ahead, because I guess you can come up with a lot of adjectives,
but special might be an understatement for this season.
It has been a dream.
Before we talk about what it means going forward, let's talk about what has been achieved to date, KJ.
Well, historical.
That would be probably the word I would use with this team.
How about nine wins in a regular season?
You know, the school is only 23 years old, and it's the first time in 23 seasons that any school,
as far as high school football team, has garnered nine wins.
That is a huge accomplishment.
And then to win the region championship for the first time in 12 years,
another feather at the cap there.
So this team has set some bars high.
They've taken it to two levels, and it's been impressive.
It's been impressive to watch what they've done week in and week out.
And they're a business-like team.
I mean, they just show up, take care of business, and don't matter who's on the other side.
They are a team that knows who they are, and they have confidence without arrogance.
And I love this about that team.
One of the reasons this team's 9-1 is the improvement in offense, literally in scoring 20-25,
20.7 points a game, 20-26, 34.7.
That's quite an increase.
Carson Johnson is one of the reasons.
He's run for 1,300 yards.
Colston Mahan, of course, the quarterback, Goolsby.
There are a lot of guys, but offensive line, execution, limit turnovers.
Talk about the improvement not only in scoring but in production offensively.
Yeah, I go back to maybe last season where they started to click a little bit.
But there was some graduation happens.
You had new guys move in.
And you've got two sophomores on the offensive line, a junior at center, a sophomore at quarterback.
I mean, you've got youngsters all over the place, but you just have the right mix.
You have enough seniors at the right place.
I'm more of an older veteran defense, I would say, on the other side.
And then the good mix on the offensive side.
You know, this team has just clicked.
And I think a lot of it has to do with balance.
They can run it when they want to, and they can throw it when they have to.
And that's what you want.
Boy, if you can do that as a team, you're going to be successful.
And they have found that rhythm in doing that.
And a sophomore quarterback who takes care of the football, who is just a leader.
I mean, he's just a winner.
I mean, a caution man is just a winner.
He's done it on the baseball field.
He's done it in football.
And his leadership, even as a sophomore, I see.
And then to Carson Johnson, I don't know what to say about the goose.
He wears number zero.
And I give him the nickname Goose because he wears a goose egg on his jersey.
And he's been phenomenal this year in carrying the ball, but the past four or five games,
going over 100 yards each game, catches the ball out of the backfield well,
and has become a real weapon.
So this team just has chemistry.
That's the way I would say it.
I like what I see in them.
By the way, speaking of offense, how about scored, I think they've scored 34 points or more in eight games.
That's pretty good on the offensive side.
If you can do that, then you're going to win a lot of games.
And on the defensive side, they've not given up more than 21 points a game.
That's the remedy for being 9-1 on the season.
Kevin Johnson, voice to the Florida side, Falcons.
Something else that you want is what you just mentioned there,
the upperclassmen experience heading into the postseason.
Something else you better have is a head coach who's been there and done that.
And I think Florida can check that box as well.
Talk to us about the importance of that,
and particularly trying to make sure these guys get it.
First round sometimes, when you've got the season Florida's working on,
you take on that opening round.
Sometimes the numbers from that team is not as good.
But just ask the Georgia Bulldogs what can happen.
You can be number one, take on a team that was not on the radar from Auburn.
You saw what happened there.
Talk to us about the importance of having those upperclassmen
and kind of bring everybody back to the middle and a head coach
and a coaching staff who's been there and done that.
Well, 2019, Florence went down to Thompson,
and we've been to Thompson way too many times over the years, by the way.
But in that year, we had them on the ropes and had a chance to knock them off.
It ended up being a loss at 38-31,
but we were driving to midfield late in the last two minutes
and had a chance to win the game.
And I still remember that game because I think it's one of those times
where that team realized, hey, we can play with anybody.
Right.
And you have a cycle of kids graduating, others coming up.
This team has had success and realized what it means to face the big battles.
And I think, you know,
the reclassification has been something that's really important to this too
because the reclassification, I interviewed Heath Harmon,
the executive director of the HSA, a few weeks ago,
and he said, we just want the playing field to be as level as possible.
And I know there's some critics maybe said, no, it's not that,
but for the most part, I think it has been.
I think it's really leveled the playing field across the board.
And most coaches I've talked to are very pleased with it, how it's worked out.
And for Florence, it's worked out well.
For years, we were the smallest 7A school.
Now we're the largest 5A school.
And being that largest 5A school, that's a big difference
that we don't have to go play teams that pull players from 2,000 students.
We're now the largest school.
And we need to act like it too, and they have.
They act like a team that says, hey, we're the bigger school.
We're the ones that are going to have the target on the back.
And you have to be ready for that.
I guarantee you, St. Clair County hasn't been to Florence, Alabama.
But they're coming with the idea of pulling the biggest upset in playoffs
in Alabama this week.
So you better be ready and put your A game on because the Saints are real.
They have talent.
They have a kid that's going to Notre Dame, are committed to Notre Dame.
And so it's a really good team there.
So Florence will have to play their best right out of the chute.
But this Florence Falcons team, I think, has enjoyed wearing that favorite
moniker a little bit, and they've worn it well.
Kevin, your point's well made.
We talk to Brent Dierman about this all the time when he's playing teams in his conference.
St. Clair County's record is 5-5.
And people look at that on the survey and say, well, they're probably not very good.
Yeah, they are.
They've had key losses to Oxford, 28-21.
In fact, Moses Jones is traveling to Oxford.
Pell City in two overtimes.
Moody is traveling to West Morgan, 20-17.
And Central Clay County, 30-27.
All of the losses to playoff teams.
Yeah, and how about this?
The only team that's really blown them out was Clay Choffel.
No shame in that.
Clay Choffel is the standard in 5-8.
But all the other losses, by 7-3, 3-1.
Yes, this team can play.
They're a dangerous team.
I know Kenny Morrison this week has slept like a baby.
He wakes up every two hours crying, thinking, oh, my goodness.
This team is a lot better than we realize.
But I like Coach Kenny Morrison.
You mentioned him a minute ago, Harold, and I like this staff.
I've been around this program since the very beginning.
And I've seen all the coaches come through and all.
This may be one of my favorite staffs.
And that goes back to the head coach, Kenny Morrison, who put this staff together.
They are just a good chemistry.
They understand it.
It's a good mix of veteran coaches and younger coaches.
And it's just really fun to watch them coach as a unit.
And they enjoy one another.
And I've said this often.
When I look at successful teams, the coaches enjoy one another.
And when the coaches enjoy coaching together, the team picks up on that.
And that's to say, we want to enjoy one another as well.
Kenny Morrison has done a great job of assembling the staff that the kids realize they can relate to.
They are really good coaches.
And these kids have been coachable.
And that says a lot about Kenny Morrison.
You know, I'm a big fan of him.
I've seen him since his days at Decatur.
And I've seen him take a lot of the teams that did not have the same talent level and get them in the playoffs.
But this Falcons team, as he said quite a few times to them and to the media, he said, this is a good team.
This team can go as far as they want to.
Got a lot of stuff coming up.
Florence football tonight.
And then the pregame tomorrow at 6.
Kickoff at 7.
Tell us about it.
Yeah, the playoff edition of the Florence Falcons football night live from Las Vegas, 6 to 7.
We invite all the Falcon fans to come.
And the players and coaches will be there.
And we do a live show from 6 to 7.
And you'll hear it right here on 93.9 The Score.
And it's a lot of fun.
And we're looking forward to that.
And we'll follow that up, obviously, Friday night, 6 o'clock pregame with the TNT fireworks pregame, 7 o'clock kickoff.
And our crew will be together.
We're excited about that.
And there's something special about the lights being on at Brawley Stadium on a Friday night in November.
And we're excited about what's going to happen.
You know, one game at a time.
This is the round of 32.
We're just hoping to get to number 16.
Pizza and pig skins.
Life is good, KJ.
Thanks so much.
And stay safe out there, okay?
Thank you, guys.
And hopefully we'll get to talk to you next week.
Absolutely.
Got the door open for you.
Kevin Johnson, fine voice of the Florence High Falcons.
Coming up, the Crimson Tide, ready to leave town for the Battle of the Bayou.
The latest next with Ryan Fowler.
Stay with us.
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Aggressive presents the sports flash on 93-9, the score.
In college football action this week, the Auburn Tigers will play at home.
They'll take on Arkansas, Auburn 4-4 on the year, 2-4 in the SEC.
Fifth-ranked Alabama's on the road.
They'll play in Baton Rouge against number 14 LSU.
Both teams are 6-2 on the season.
Alabama 4-2 in the SEC.
LSU is 3-2 in conference play.
Troy's back home to host Louisiana Tech this week.
The Trojans 4-4 on the year, 2-2 in the Sun Belt.
Louisiana Tech is unbeaten in conference play, 6-2 overall.
South Alabama on the road this week.
They'll play at Louisiana.
Both teams are 2-2 in the conference.
Jaguars 4-4 overall.
Louisiana is 5-3 on the season.
North Alabama's at home this week.
They'll take on West Florida.
Tonight, catch Alabama women's basketball as they take on Alabama A&M.
Joined in progress after Florida's football night.
I'm John Thayer with the sports flash presented by Progressive on 93-9, the score.
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Coming up Friday, we'll react to Jags, Ravens, plus get you ready for a jam-packed week nine, as well as look ahead to the best weekend of the college football season.
It's Unsportsmanlike, 6 a.m. Eastern, right here on ESPN Radio, ESPN2, and ESPNU.
The Score.
Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9, The Score.
Welcome back again.
Time to head on down to T-Town.
Say hello to Ryan Fowler.
He's hosting the game there on Tide 109 FM.
Ryan, welcome in.
How are you?
Good.
Good.
Getting ready for this big LSU game.
I'm excited.
It's been a lot of great conversation in Tuscaloosa.
You know, we've been talking about running the football and getting healthy.
Football, getting healthy.
That's been the entire show this week.
Getting healthy, running the football.
Getting healthy, running the football.
Just nonstop.
Let's talk about the interverse order.
First, to run the ball, you probably need to get healthy.
We'll get him back and forth.
In the modern era, you get the probables.
You get the questionables.
You get the outs.
I'm not smart enough to interpret that always.
Ryan, at the end of the day, how many of the key guys will – two things on this.
How many of those key guys will play, and how much on as far as 100% will they be?
Well, I think you're going to get a lot of these guys back.
There's still some questions, and I think – speaking of the question, there were a lot of questionable guys yesterday.
But Alabama has concluded their practice today, and a lot of these guys were able to make it throughout the week.
And, you know, I think you're going to see guys like Rayson Delgotti be back, so that'll slide Mal Waldrop over to William Sanders vacated spot because of the injury.
I don't think William Sanders is going to be a couple of weeks before he's ready.
And then, you know, trying to figure out, you know, some backup options there because, you know, you've got to prepare other guys.
I keep hearing the name Tyrell Miller for the guard spot.
And you say, Tyrell Miller, but he's still in a tackle.
He was your backup left tackle if something ever happens there.
But he's also having to learn right tackle because he's your backup there.
And, you know, it's kind of like the NFL.
You've got to play multiple different positions, and Tyrell Miller's kind of being that guy that can help out a lot of different situations.
So you look at that.
You look at the running back.
I'm not as confident on EJ Crowell.
He has not progressed maybe at the level that I thought he was going to throughout the week.
I keep hearing that maybe he's the guy that is a little bit late.
It's Thursday.
It's Thursday.
Jeff Alley can still pull some magic between now and then, but not a lot of practice reps for EJ Crowell.
Zabian Brown, I think, is probably going to be good to go.
You know, just getting some bumps and bruises, many things that we didn't even really know about this team was still dealing with.
You know, when you play eight weeks straight and then you include the fall camp into that, that's a lot of grind on the body.
Absolutely.
Ryan, besides running the ball, something else, if Alabama could duplicate the fourth quarter against Texas A&M, where A&M did not even gain a first down, the defense got pressure on the quarterback.
Ryan Grubb put Russell in much easier positions to make plays.
Take what the defense gives them, quick short throws to the backs, Daniel Hill for one, and the two tight ends who have had a marvelous year.
Ryan, most Alabama fans keep saying, let's don't have a first quarter replay of Kentucky and Tennessee.
Can Ryan Grubb do that?
You know, and you almost wonder if they did a lot of self-scouting this week.
You know, by week, you spend a lot of time trying to get out of your tendencies, out of your predictable areas.
I hope that that was the case because, you know, you kind of look back at, hey, what worked and what did not work.
And how will teams defend this Alabama Crimson side football team?
And you even reach out sometimes to some of your coaching friends and say, guys, you know, what would, you know, what is our tendencies?
What are we doing too much of?
You know, the continuation of that fourth quarter would be incredible.
You know, if they're able to do something like that.
I think that would be, you know, pretty awesome.
And this team has showed you that they can be one of the better teams in the country, but they've also showed you that they can be, you know, one of the most disappointing teams too.
So it's which team will show up, which coordinator will show up.
And I hope that, you know, if you look back at the design runs, when they run the football, design runs and be balanced.
And I'm not saying that you have to run three yards in a cloud of dust and 250 yards right at them.
But if you showed that you can be productive in that rushing attack, it opens up that play action so much more.
And it doesn't put as much pressure on that, you know, Keelan Russell.
But, you know, I would love to see Alabama win the toss and take the football.
I know we defer and I know that's the tendencies and that's what analytics tell you to do.
But to me, man, wouldn't it be nice that this confidence, you know, because that crowd is going to be crazy.
And, you know, you don't want to give them, but, you know, who knows?
But this defense, I think, is also taking some steps in the right direction.
You know, you might force them in a situation.
And, you know, Sam Leavitt is a guy that, you know, he can throw some turnovers.
He can give you the football.
So we'll see.
And, you know, this is probably going to be one of the most difficult defenses, you know, he's faced because it's going to be a lot of different multiple looks.
They're going to give you a lot of different things.
You know, they're going to throw this at you.
They're going to throw this at you.
And, you know, we'll see what Alabama, but Alabama's traveling there as a six-point underdog.
And, man, you don't see Alabama as a big underdog.
And that's a lot of points.
A lot of points.
Well, it started out at four.
Now it's at six.
So what Vegas is saying is we're looking at that injured list as well.
You mentioned throw at.
How much are they going to throw at Dijon Lee?
Yeah.
You know, if you're an Alabama guy, to me, that's your nervous part.
Yeah.
That's where the angst is for me is Lane Kiffin always takes the strengths of his team and puts it up against your weaknesses.
Thank you.
His play calling design is one of the best.
He's one of the elite of the elite.
And that scares you a little bit when you look at Lane Kiffin and, you know, they're going to have to find a way to, you know, Dijon Lee.
Maybe he answers the bell.
He has the potential to do it.
But maybe that mind reset of the bye week, you know, getting away, shutting down physically, you know, getting a couple of days to kind of reset that.
Because he had been a little bit of a funk, and it's been there.
And if that shows up, it could be a long afternoon in Tiger Stadium because Lane Kiffin is not going to let you off the ropes.
I mean, he is going to keep, if he finds a weakness.
Punch, punch.
Yeah.
And you almost wonder if that happens, do they have other options?
As long as somebody gets in, you know, targeting trouble and, you know, maybe you see a Chuck McDonald out there if Dijon Lee got in a little bit of trouble.
Ryan, stop the run, run the ball.
You mentioned you've been talking.
That's been one of your themes this year.
Against Georgia in the first half, Alabama held Georgia to 50 yards.
They more than gained 150 in the second half.
One of the reasons why Terrence Green went out, and when Terrence Green went out, Alabama's rush defense went out too.
But with him back and healthy, can Alabama stop this LSU rushing attack, which is fourth in the SEC, averaging 192 yards per game?
And heaven forbid, can they duplicate what they did in the fourth quarter, and particularly with Henry, and get after the quarterback?
Now, Leavitt will tuck it and run.
He has no problem doing that.
But, Ryan, if they can stop the run and get pressure on the quarterback, they'd go a long way in getting a win.
Yeah.
No, no.
And this is, you know, it's a big test.
And you almost wonder how much Lane Kiffin has made it bigger than the game.
Understanding that, listen, I mean, the part of this, and this is where you're hoping that he's confused his quarterback, that he's overcoached these guys.
And understanding, I mean, you know, I was told that after the Auburn game, immediately after the Auburn game for LSU, you could hear it inside the locker room that they were chanting,
Bama, it's Bama week, it's Bama week, it's Bama week.
Now, you say, man, that's awesome.
That is awesome from an LSU perspective.
Because everybody looks at Alabama as their Super Bowl.
I don't care who you're playing.
Alabama, you know, is the big game.
And so, when you think about that, you can also stress that too much.
And it can become bigger than the game itself.
And, you know, it can motivate you, but it can also be one of those that you've locked in.
And we've seen teams peak too early.
You know, I will say sometimes Alabama did it against Tennessee.
You know, throughout the week, you were hearing all this energy.
And then when you get to the game, it's like, it's flat.
Because you've left it on empty all week.
So, you almost wonder sometimes if Lane Kiffin overcoaches.
I mean, he overthinks things.
Remember when he, what was it, the Ole Miss game?
Yep.
Over there, he warmed them up in the warm-up facility.
Over in the, you know, indoor facility.
I mean, stuff like that.
I mean, yeah, I understand you're trying to play mind games.
But when you get out of rhythm, you know, he's talking about the 2.30 games.
So much 2.30, 2.30.
We're a better night game.
We wanted the night game.
SEC screwed us.
All those different stuff.
To me, if you do that, that's making it bigger than what it is.
Because if your head coach is emphasizing, your players begin to stress about it.
That's why you just, hey, listen, we're going to play at 11.
We'll play at 2.30.
We'll play at 1.15.
Whatever it is.
But instead, you've made it a bigger deal than what it is.
I mean, it's the popcorn game.
It's, you know, hold your popcorn.
Yep.
Sometimes that kind of comes back to get him, and you almost wonder if he's going to overcoach
this team.
And we'll see what Kalen Hoar's got in store for these guys.
Well, Lane loves to make it about Lane.
He's number one.
Everybody else is on the other side.
Put the spotlight on me.
Texas is small compared to that boy's ego.
But your thoughts just about Keelan Russell.
What are we going to see here?
We saw him on the road to Kentucky, how that started.
Saw him on the road to Tennessee, saw how that went, at least early on.
And even back home against Texas A&M had his moments.
This is deep into the season.
Started out, he's still a freshman.
But at this point, how much has this freshman learned, especially on the road in this environment?
It goes back to rushing the football.
And I hate to be like a broken record, but if they at least show, it's not about,
you've got to at least allow the other team to make you respect that.
Because this offense, if you go out there and try to throw against a lot of defensive backs
where they don't respect your rushing attack, that's why you need to run the football early
to show them if you're willing to do it.
Grab the football with that three or four plays and see if you can pick up a couple of first downs.
But to me, that's the part when you look at this game is, you know what, you're asking me about Keelan Russell.
But to me, it's about taking pressure off of him.
Take pressure.
Short passes, running.
Get him some confidence.
Get him some of these things.
And, you know, to me, if that happens, then we're talking about a different top game.
If we don't, we could be sitting here talking about Alabama getting blown out.
And, you know, I don't, I mean, there's so much riding on this game from a, you know, a future standpoint,
you know, what this team is going to look like.
I mean, it is, there is a lot riding on this football game.
And, I mean, you could see the, you know, if you, you know, and I understand the fifth ranking,
but there's something I still don't trust about that committee.
I don't, I mean, Alabama goes down and gets blown out.
I can tell you where they're going to drop them out.
But if you go down and play a solid game, maybe you could find a way to backdoor this thing.
The problem is, you know, I'll say this, now Auburn's got a chance to have a winning season.
You know, they've got Arkansas, Michigan State, they've got Aquario Taylor.
Samford.
You've got a team there.
Yeah. So, so there's three wins and that'll put you, what about seven, is that right?
Yeah.
So you, you would have, you know, seven wins and you'd be fighting for the eight coming to Fuscaloosa,
you know, and, and for a program that's has many, that's success under Alice Dozen.
I forget about you took advantage, but she had also one of the biggest wins in the country.
So maybe that would give you a little something for the Iron Bowl, but it's just not that you can make up a lot of ground
because Auburn's not going to be a top 25 team.
Neither is Vanderbilt. So, and, and Chattanooga's nowhere near. I mean, I know they're a good FCS team,
but it's, you know, it's, it's, they are who they are. And, um, that's where, when, when you look at this,
this game, there is a lot riding. Uh, the committee has backed you up and said, Hey, we believe that you're
one of the top teams in the country. Now, if you're Alabama, yeah, go, go provide some validity, uh, to that
measurement. And, uh, that's where they put you and we'll see what Alabama is able to, how to respond.
Lane Kiffin's record against Alabama is 0-5. Uh, coming, yeah, coming off a bike, Helen DeBoer's 8-0 and Lane Kiffin's 9-6.
That doesn't win games, but that's kind of interesting, uh, historical perspective there.
Who have you got on the show today? And where can we get online to listen?
We're going to do our parlay pick day. So, uh, we're going to do it today and tomorrow.
We'll talk to Rodney Orr. We'll talk to Brett Norsworthy. We'll talk to Aaron Torres and Bruce Marshall.
So a little bit guest heavy today, uh, in Tuscaloosa, have a lot of time, time calls today and tomorrow.
And, but listen, we've talked about it for two weeks, injuries, rushing the football, injuries, rushing the football.
We'll do it for four hours this afternoon. I appreciate you guys so much. I hope you have a great rest of your day.
Right back at you. Thanks Ryan. Ryan Feller with us, host of the game on Tide 109 FM in Tuscaloosa.
BB, are you ready for some UNA basketball against Union tonight?
Yeah, I got that. And then on 93.9, the score, Florence football live at Los Pichos at seven o'clock.
Alabama women joined in progress. And even after that, Jacksonville Ravens on the NFL.
Where's all that stuff going to be? Right here on 93.9, the score.
Just another busy night here. That's going to take care of biz for now.
On behalf of BB, Greg, James Blair, the entire crew here, Harold Bogd, thank you so much for your time today.
Let's do it again tomorrow, noon to two for the Benoit Bug Show.
Back here on Sports Radio 93.9, the score.