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Speaker 1: Let's go.

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Speaker 2: Let I'll start to it. You to present Off the

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Bench with Jacob Hester and T Bob Abert.

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Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.

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Speaker 2: Off the Bench with Jacob Hester and T Bob Abert.

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Speaker 3: Come off the pitch.

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Speaker 2: Now here's Jacob Hester and T Bob Abert.

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Speaker 4: All right, Welcome into a Monday edition of Off the Bench.

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One hour in the books, two more hours to go,

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and then we can see the holiday on the horizon. Well,

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Musso and Cassie can't quite see it on there as

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and it's staring me right in the face. We get

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through this day, we are off for two more days.

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Hester out doing his serious XM duties covering some of

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these college football playoff games. And T Bob well, does

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anybody ever really know where T Bob aber is at

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any given moment? Right now, though, I want to talk

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LSU versus Baylor in the Texas Bowl. It is coming

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up tomorrow two thirty, kickoff out there in Houston, and

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depending on where you look, you will get a little

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bit different a lines. But for the most part right now,

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Baylor Bears are favored by three and a half and

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you've seen the money kind of trend to them a

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lot here in the coming weeks, and it makes a

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lot of sense. Baylor comes into this game red hot.

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So if you haven't followed Baylor a lot this year,

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they started the season two and four, and if you remember,

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Dave Randa had a disappointing season last year, a lot

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of people at the halfway point of this year said

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Aranda's not going to survive this. They're going to move

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on after the year. They've rattled off six straight wins.

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So they come into this game riding a six game

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winning streak. In terms of quarterbacks in the Big Twelve,

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you you look at the teams that were at the

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top of the conference, right, everybody's going to look at

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Schador Sanders. They're gonna look at Sam Levitt from Arizona State.

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You're gonna look at Jake Rhet's laugh with BYU saw

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your Robertson has quietly been really, really good this season.

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He's completing arown sixty two percent of his passes, twenty

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six hundred yards, twenty six touchdowns, only seven turnovers. Now

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you may look at that and say, well, hell, that's

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a big mismatch for the LSU defense. They're probably cooked.

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There is some good news for Lshue. What is LSU's

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biggest weakness been this year? It's been shutting down a

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opposing quarterback that can take off and run. Sorry, Robertson

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about two hundred and fifty yards rushing on the entire season.

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He is not much of a runner, at least not

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from the likes of you know, Jalen Milroe, Diego Pavia,

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Marcel Reed. Guys like that you really really struggled against.

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They do have quite the running game, though, it's just

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not gonna come from the quarterback spot. They have a

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two headed monster running back with bryceon Washington and Dalton Pendergas.

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Those two guys are going to give you problems because

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you have been susceptible of giving up big plays in

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the running game.

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Speaker 5: We've seen it all year long.

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Speaker 6: Now.

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Speaker 4: On the other side of things, their defense has been

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pretty hid and miss. But you know Dave Randa is

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going to have them ready for this game. He's a

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great defensive mind. He's had multiple weeks to prepare for

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this game, and he's going against his old team. You know,

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he really wants to win this game. So while their

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defense maybe up and down, I would imagine you're going

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to get the best possible version of a Baylor Bears

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defense in this game. LSU comes into this game a

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little bit different than Baylor. They had that awful three

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game losing streak in the middle of the season where

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you drop games to A and M, Alabama and Florida

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back to back weeks. But you won your last two

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SEC games. You beat Vanderbilt at home, you take down Oklahoma,

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so you're you're feeling good for the most part as well.

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Speaker 5: LSU's had a ton of opt outs, though.

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Speaker 4: If you look at the defensive set the ball, though,

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you're still pretty well put to get as far as defense, say,

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Ryan's not going to be there, JVR Suggs is not

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going to be there, and reports are that Major Burns

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may not play in this Bowl game as well. Outside

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of those three guys, you're pretty healthy for the most part,

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and you have most of your guys. Your big issue

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on defense is going to be depth. For example, when

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you look at the safety spot, that's obviously the biggest

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hole on your team, and you can say, okay, well,

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JV and Toviano has been moved to safety, you have

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de Shaun Spears, you still have Joel Rogers. What are

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they going to do with him. But behind those guys,

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there's not a ton of depth. So you may have

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your your top two or three guys that you're gonna

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roll out there and see what they can do, not

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a ton behind them. And if JV and Toviano has

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to play that star position in place of a appsent

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major Burns, then you're really in trouble at the safety spot.

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I think the key to this game for me is

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going to be can the D line shut down the

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running back duo of Washington and Pendergrass. If you can

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do that, you might be okay again. Sawyer Robertson has

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been very solid throwing the football all year long. But

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make no mistake about it, this is a run first team.

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You go look, both of these guys get a lot

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of carries. It's pretty much a fifty to fifty split

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between them. They've both been excellent on the offensive side

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of the ball is where I'm really worried about LSU.

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Speaker 5: I think this game is going to be tight either way.

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Speaker 4: But offensively, no Kyron Lacy, no Mason Taylor.

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Speaker 5: You still have a lot of weapons though.

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Speaker 4: You have Xavi on Thomas, you have Aaron Anderson, you

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have Jilannie Watkins. Everybody's been excited to see what he

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can do. You have receivers for the most part on

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the outside. All of your backs are available. Josh Williams

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is playing in this game. Caden Durham is going to

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be playing in this game. Caleb Jackson is available. Even

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though he hasn't had a ton of run as of

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right now, he is still on this football team. Your

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biggest issue is the offensive line. You're going to be

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without Will Campbell, Emrie Jones, and Garrett Dellinger. Those guys

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have been staples on your offensive line now for three years.

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A couple of weeks ago, everyone was wondering what is

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Emory Jones going to do? He was kind of the

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key to keeping this offensive line together, not just for

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this game, but for next season. He ultimately announced he's

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not gonna play in this game. He's preparing for the

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NFL Draft. Video its surface, reports, its surface out of

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bowl practice. Here's your starting lineup right now in bowl practice.

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From left to right on the offensive line, Tyree Adams

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left tackle, Paul mcbeinga left guard, Dj Chester at center.

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Then you have bow Board a line at right guard.

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Miles Frazier moves from right guard to right tackle. So

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your most experienced guy is Miles Fraser, but he's not

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even playing the position that he's been starting at at

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this school for the past two years. DJ Chester's obviously there,

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but he's had an up and down season to begin with.

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And then Paul mcbinga has played in four games now.

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He's graded out a little bit higher in each game.

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His worst game is A and M. He got a

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little bit better against Alabama and so on and so forth,

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but he's still not one of those guys where you're like,

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he's a plug and play, we can count on him

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to make plays down in and down out.

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Speaker 5: He's still leaving a lot to be desired.

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Speaker 4: So when you take into consideration the opt outs for LSU,

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the makeshift offensive line that I mean, you have two

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starters from this season one and one of them is

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playing out of position. You look at Baylor for the

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most part, they're very limited on their number of opt outs.

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The two headed monster in bryceon Washington and Dawson pinder Gass.

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Sawyer Robertson, who has I mentioned twenty six hundred yards,

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twenty six touchdowns, seven interceptions, quietly been one of the

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better and more efficient quarterbacks in the Big Twelve, which

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is a conference that actually features a lot of really

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good quarterbacks, is up and down as that conference has

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been a lot of people have a lot of opinions

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on whether or not that is still a quote unquote

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elite power conference in college football. They've been really good

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at the quarterback position pretty much top to bottom in

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that league. Sawyer Robertson has been one of the better ones.

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I think this is going to be a back and

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forth game. Now as far as who I want to

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pick in this game, you know, Baylor comes into this

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game the six game winning streak. LSU comes in they've

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won two in a row, but they're not far removed

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from that awful three game skid that tanked your entire seies.

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For that reason, I want to lean Baylor right. They're

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the hotter team, they have less opt outs, they have

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a lot more depth coming into this game, both established

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quarterbacks and Nelsemeyers obviously playing for LSU. Sorry Robertson for Baylor,

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but when I look at LSU, sometimes a positive trend

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doesn't even have to be on the field. And I'll

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explain what I mean. You were on that three game skid.

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You beat Vanderbilt, you beat Oklahoma, but neither of them

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were e lead football teams this year. When you lost

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out on Bryce Underwood, it seemed like for most LSU fans,

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this is the lowest of the low it can possibly

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get new worse.

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Speaker 5: Something happened with LSU.

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Speaker 4: Whether it was Brian Kelly, whether it was the coaching

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staff as a whole, whether it was the donors that

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are donating money for nil and your recruiting budget. A

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switch was flipped after that, Bryce under would be commit.

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Speaker 5: What did you do?

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Speaker 4: You win and got every single player you were targeting

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for National Signing Day. During that early signing period, you

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have dominated in the transfer portal. You ranked number one

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or number two, depending on which recruiting service you look at,

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but you are, without a doubt a top two transfer

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portal class. You have the number seven recruiting class in

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the country. It just seems like LSU's done a lot

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of winning recently, and not even necessarily on the field.

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So while Baylor comes in they're hot, You're on a

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two game winning streak as well, and this program is

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certainly trending in the right direction. So regardless of the

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outcome of this bowl game, It does not take away

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from all the positives that has happened the last month. Right,

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You're still going to go into the offseason with a

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returning quarterback, which is the biggest thing you can do.

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In the SEC. You still have Cayden Durham back, you

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still have a lot of weapons. Offensive line is going

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to be an issue. But I trust this coaching staff

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to get it right. I trust Brian Kelly, I trust

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Brad Davis to evaluate you guys. You brought in a

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lot of guys, whether it's transfer a portal or in

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high school recruiting, that you think could potentially play right away,

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A lot like a Will Campbell and an Emory Jones.

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Did I desperately want to pick LSU to win this

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game because I think that Again, I don't think losing

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this game is going to necessarily take away from the

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momentum you have going into the offseason. But a win

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in this game really establishes that this program is heading

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into the right direction. You win your last two SEC games,

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you dominate high school recruiting, you dominate in the transfer portal,

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and you get a win over a really good Baylor

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football team in the bowl game. You head into the offseason.

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You don't have that bad taste in your mouth. You're

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feeling good going into spring football. However, with all the

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opt outs, with the injuries, Baylor coming into this game

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having a lot of depth, I think this game is

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going to come down to depth as far as your

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frontline starters go. Outside of the offensive line. For LSU,

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I think you're okay. Offensive line is a big question mark,

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but I mean I just mentioned it. On defense, most

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of your starters are back, you just don't have a

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ton of depth behind them. Baylor, on the other hand,

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they pretty much have their full team available in this game.

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So for that reason, unfortunately, I am going to pick

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the Baylor Bears to win this game. I think it's

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gonna be close to I'm thinking, you know, thirty five,

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thirty one, thirty seven, thirty four, somewhere along those lines.

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But I do think that the Baylor Bears are going

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to win this game. However, I hope that I am wrong.

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Not just from someone who's a fan of LSU who

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covers his team all the time, but I really think

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that all the positive momentum you built up in recruiting

232
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and the transfer portal, paired with a bowl win in

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the Texas Bowl over a good team like Baylor can

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really catapult you into spring and really get you feeling

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good about the twenty twenty five season. So the game

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obviously coming up tomorrow two thirty kickoff out there in Houston,

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ALISU Tigers Baylor Bears is doing battle. I am picking

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Baylor to win this game in a close one. But

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we'll see what happens. All right, Look, we're going to

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step aside when we get back, Me and Musso, we're

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gonna kind of give one final preview of Round two

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of the college football Playoff. There are four big games

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coming up. As far as those final eight teams, we'll

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talk about it. We'll break it down. We'll make our

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pick's neck here on off the bench, top.

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Speaker 1: The bench, go to All Star Toyota of Baton Rouge

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dot com. All Star Toyota of Baton Rouge your one

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stop baker shop.

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Speaker 5: You need to buy new. You want a Toyota s

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Uzic or you so get excellent warranty. You need a rinse.

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What about Lee scene?

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Speaker 1: I never thought it would leave, you know, And then

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I went in there and I had a number. So

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just the budgets that I can afford right now. I

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had a police and Camry for three years and it

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was great. It was great andn't even better. I upgraded

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to another seeing the minivan. If you have not seen

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the Cena minivan, guys, you need to so whatever it is, though,

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you want to truck, hybrid anything, go to All Star Toyota.

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Speaker 5: Baton Rouge today.

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Speaker 7: If you're going to watch the Tigers play in College

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Station in Colombia and Fayetteville in Gainesville. I don't know

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why you choose Gainesville, but if you did, you could

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rent a Toyota for that trip, something bigger than you

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currently have, something smaller, something better on gas mileage.

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Speaker 5: Whatever it is, they have it available.

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Speaker 8: Check it out online All Star toylet at vanerus dot com.

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Speaker 2: Back to sports talk maybe Off the Bench?

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Speaker 4: All right, Welcome back into a Monday edition of Off

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the Bench. Taylor Sharp sitting in the host chair for

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an absent Jacob Ester and tibab Abear.

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Speaker 5: All right, right now, I want to look at.

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Speaker 4: The college football playoff because we got some big games

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coming up in the next two days. The first games

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will begin tomorrow. I want to bring in Musso here,

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Mussar want me and you to kind of go head

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to head. Here, we're gonna we're gonna pick these games.

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We're gonna see who's right, who's wrong. And right now

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we're just gonna start Penn State Boise State. Now you know,

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I've gone back and forth on this game a lot.

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I look at Ashton gent and everyone says, okay, well,

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we haven't seen him do it against power for opponents.

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The one time we did was against Oregon, the number

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one team in the country, the team that is undefeated.

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He ran for two hundred yards and three touchdowns, and

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he did it on about seven and a half yards

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per car. On the flip side of things, Penn State's

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defense has been really good, and it's the it's the

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play of everyone around Ashing Genty that worries me. Nobody's

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been able to bottle up Genty. That's obviously easier said

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than done. But if Penn State is able to do it,

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I don't really trust Maddox Mattson to do it because

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everyone's going to say, okay, well, they performed really well

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in that game against Oregon.

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Speaker 5: It was a three point game.

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Speaker 4: Maddox Madson was seventeen to forty in that football game.

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That may have been the difference between them winning or

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losing that game. Uh, I'll make my pick in just

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a minute of Moose. Where you feeling in this game?

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You think Penn State is a better defense than Oregon,

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00:15:50,559 --> 00:15:54,480
I don't know. Well, if you do, I tend to

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00:15:54,519 --> 00:15:57,639
say no. But they've looked really good the past few weeks.

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Speaker 6: They've looked really really good the last CD. So I

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00:15:59,399 --> 00:16:02,480
was gonna say, if you do, then this is gonna

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00:16:02,480 --> 00:16:05,320
be the best defense Ashing Genty and Boise State faces

306
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all season long. He's gonna get his The problem is

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00:16:10,480 --> 00:16:12,360
kind of what you said. Everyone around him. This is

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what I will tell you. Drew lar hasn't been a

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00:16:16,240 --> 00:16:20,559
world beater this year, but he's been incredibly more efficient

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00:16:20,919 --> 00:16:23,480
and more impactful than he was a year ago. I mean,

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it's over three thousand yards, it's almost seventy percent completion.

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He's got great weapons around him. I mean Tyler Warren

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at tight ends, one of the best in the country.

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Boise State has to avoid the fate of an SMU.

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They can't start slow in the game because they rely

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so heavily on Ashton Genty. Yes, that's one reason, but

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00:16:43,600 --> 00:16:46,759
more so is Nick Singleton and k Tron Allen. For me,

318
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those are two bruising backs who behind that offensive line

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00:16:51,159 --> 00:16:53,039
from Penn State can just chew up the rest of

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the game. They can really grind it out when they

321
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get a lead of two three scores. So I mean

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that's I think Boise State will put up a fight early,

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00:17:04,799 --> 00:17:07,599
but once Penn State gets up by two scores, I

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think that's all she wrote in this ball game.

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Speaker 4: Well yeah, I mean, and that's that's kind of my

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00:17:10,960 --> 00:17:13,319
main point, right because it's not like you could say, oh,

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00:17:13,359 --> 00:17:15,960
Boise State has no shot in this game, they're completely overmatch.

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To your point, if they can get ahead and they

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can run the ball and they can lean on gent,

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they got a shot to win this game.

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Speaker 5: I just don't know if they can do it.

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Speaker 4: To your point about Drew Aller, he obviously hasn't been great,

333
00:17:26,799 --> 00:17:29,480
but he's won close games this year. I mean, you

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go look at the game against Minnesota. Should that have

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been a one point game? No, But he does what

336
00:17:34,079 --> 00:17:35,960
he needs to do. They win that game twenty six

337
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to twenty five. At a close game against USC in

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early October, a thirty three to thirty game, he even

339
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brought his team back when they were trailing big against

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Oregon and really made that a game. I mean, Oregon

341
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won that game by eight points. Not to say that

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00:17:48,519 --> 00:17:51,400
Maddox Madson can't do it, we just haven't seen him

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have to do it. Drew Aller has had to do it,

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and he's done it successfully. So yeah, for that reason,

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I'm picking Penn State. I'm actually bicking Penn State pretty

346
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close in this game. I think Boise State does keep

347
00:18:02,319 --> 00:18:04,200
it close. I think their defense is a little underrated,

348
00:18:04,599 --> 00:18:06,799
but I do like the Nitney Lions. All right, next game.

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Speaker 5: One other thing.

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Speaker 6: Inn State statistically as the best defense in the Big Ten.

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Speaker 5: There you go, So they are.

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00:18:12,279 --> 00:18:14,440
Speaker 4: Better than they are better than organ and especially last

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couple of weeks, like you know, earlier in the season,

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because like, okay, if you look at it earlier in

355
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the season, they were giving up Okay, so they gave

356
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up thirty to Oregon, they gave up thirteen to Wisconsin,

357
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but then in their big games they give up twenty

358
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to Ohio State.

359
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Speaker 5: Twenty Ein't that.

360
00:18:32,039 --> 00:18:34,200
Speaker 4: Bad, No, that's what That's what I'm saying in their

361
00:18:34,200 --> 00:18:36,559
big games and then ten to SMU. They did give

362
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up the forty five Oregon, But I mean that game

363
00:18:40,079 --> 00:18:41,880
they buckled down in the second half. I mean they

364
00:18:41,920 --> 00:18:43,279
were better in the second half of that game than

365
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the first half. Down the stretch that de I mean

366
00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:48,640
seven points to Maryland, ten points to SMU. That defense

367
00:18:48,680 --> 00:18:50,519
has been really good. So yeah, your point, that's going

368
00:18:50,559 --> 00:18:52,799
to be the best defense that Ash and Gendy has

369
00:18:52,839 --> 00:18:56,000
faced all year long. Texas Arizona States the next one.

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00:18:56,039 --> 00:18:56,680
I want to look.

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Speaker 5: At every part of me.

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00:18:59,400 --> 00:19:01,519
Speaker 4: Wance Arizona State to win this game so bad, not

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00:19:01,680 --> 00:19:04,200
just because Texas is coming into the SEC and they've

374
00:19:04,200 --> 00:19:05,079
had a lot of success.

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00:19:06,480 --> 00:19:08,319
Speaker 5: Cams Kataboo plays this game.

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00:19:08,160 --> 00:19:11,119
Speaker 4: The right way. He's a hard runner. I love everything

377
00:19:11,200 --> 00:19:14,079
Kenny Dillingham's doing. He's the youngest coach in terms of

378
00:19:14,079 --> 00:19:17,720
the power for I don't know if Texas covers the

379
00:19:17,720 --> 00:19:21,039
big spread, but I don't see how Texas doesn't win

380
00:19:21,119 --> 00:19:24,279
this game. Their running game has just been too good

381
00:19:24,400 --> 00:19:26,400
right now. I mean as good as Kim's Kataboo has been.

382
00:19:26,640 --> 00:19:30,880
You have Wisner, you have Jayden Blue. Even when quinn

383
00:19:30,880 --> 00:19:33,920
Ewers has not been efficient, You've had that running game

384
00:19:33,960 --> 00:19:36,160
to lean on. And then we talked about it against Clemson,

385
00:19:36,440 --> 00:19:39,480
their starting center Jake Majors left that game with a concussion.

386
00:19:39,839 --> 00:19:42,319
It didn't matter. They slid over their left guard to center.

387
00:19:42,359 --> 00:19:44,480
They put in a backup. They are so deep on

388
00:19:44,519 --> 00:19:47,640
the offensive and defensive lines. They are the only defense

389
00:19:47,720 --> 00:19:50,200
this season in all of college football to not give

390
00:19:50,279 --> 00:19:52,039
up over three hundred and fifty yards against them in

391
00:19:52,079 --> 00:19:55,839
a game, the only one Arizona State has not played

392
00:19:55,839 --> 00:19:59,240
a defense like that. Sam Levick can make throws, however,

393
00:19:59,279 --> 00:20:01,359
he's not what you would call an elite quarterback. So

394
00:20:01,400 --> 00:20:04,039
this is a very similar to the Penn State Boise

395
00:20:04,079 --> 00:20:06,200
State game. To me, you have an elite running back,

396
00:20:06,200 --> 00:20:08,119
one of the best running backs in college football, You're

397
00:20:08,160 --> 00:20:10,799
going up against the best defense you have played, and

398
00:20:10,839 --> 00:20:13,640
you're going to be deficient on both the offensive and

399
00:20:13,759 --> 00:20:14,720
defensive lines.

400
00:20:15,279 --> 00:20:18,240
Speaker 6: That's where Texas thrives. I like Texas in this game

401
00:20:18,279 --> 00:20:20,680
moves No, I'm the same way. I think what you

402
00:20:20,720 --> 00:20:22,319
said at the end is what I was going to say.

403
00:20:22,400 --> 00:20:24,720
I think it's very similar. It might actually be the

404
00:20:24,720 --> 00:20:28,680
same game as Penn State Boise State Gamskataboo great player,

405
00:20:28,799 --> 00:20:30,400
a lot of fun to watch, has had a hell

406
00:20:30,440 --> 00:20:32,920
of a season. I think Arizona State's a good team.

407
00:20:33,839 --> 00:20:36,559
I think texas Is defense is obviously the best that

408
00:20:36,559 --> 00:20:39,240
they've seen, and I actually think Texas will cover this bread.

409
00:20:39,279 --> 00:20:40,160
I like Texas big here.

410
00:20:41,759 --> 00:20:43,160
Speaker 5: Texas is one of those teams.

411
00:20:43,240 --> 00:20:44,799
Speaker 4: When I look at Texas, I'm like, if they can

412
00:20:44,880 --> 00:20:47,000
run the ball and control the clock, they can win

413
00:20:47,039 --> 00:20:50,359
the national championship. If they can't, then they might be

414
00:20:50,400 --> 00:20:53,200
in trouble. What is quinn Ewers going to do win

415
00:20:53,240 --> 00:20:55,359
the games on the line. We've seen him make the ball, Yeah,

416
00:20:55,359 --> 00:20:58,359
we've seen him make We see quinn Ewers make throws

417
00:20:58,400 --> 00:21:00,079
that you're like, there are not five guys in the

418
00:21:00,119 --> 00:21:02,400
country that can make that throw. We also see him

419
00:21:02,400 --> 00:21:04,480
throw it to a linebacker straight in his chest at

420
00:21:04,480 --> 00:21:06,480
his standing flat foot. It as many great plays as

421
00:21:06,480 --> 00:21:09,200
he makes, he is way too careless with the football.

422
00:21:09,240 --> 00:21:10,799
But if you can run the ball, which I think

423
00:21:10,839 --> 00:21:14,079
they'll be able to do against Arizona State, Texas is

424
00:21:14,119 --> 00:21:15,359
going to be fine. And that's why I think they

425
00:21:15,400 --> 00:21:17,759
win this game. And I agree with you. I don't

426
00:21:17,759 --> 00:21:19,519
think this game is going to be quite as close,

427
00:21:20,880 --> 00:21:23,599
maybe as some people think it could be. Maybe the

428
00:21:24,559 --> 00:21:26,359
I wanted to save these two games because I think

429
00:21:26,400 --> 00:21:29,240
they're going to be the two most hoighly contested games

430
00:21:29,319 --> 00:21:33,079
over the next two days. Georgia Notre Dame. You've seen

431
00:21:33,079 --> 00:21:34,720
this line kind of fluctuate. George has been in a

432
00:21:34,759 --> 00:21:36,519
one and a half point favorite, Notre Dame has been

433
00:21:36,559 --> 00:21:38,440
a favorite. The Lions have kind of been all over

434
00:21:38,440 --> 00:21:43,440
the place. Notre Dame is coming into this game, and

435
00:21:43,480 --> 00:21:47,039
it's a really bad matchup for Georgia because George's defense.

436
00:21:47,200 --> 00:21:50,960
While they've been good, they have not been that typical

437
00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:53,200
dominant Kirby Smarten defense you've seen in the past. They've

438
00:21:53,200 --> 00:21:57,440
still been very good offensively, though they don't have the

439
00:21:57,480 --> 00:21:59,319
weapons that they've had in the past. Right, they don't

440
00:21:59,359 --> 00:22:02,400
have a maconk they don't have a brock Bowers, and

441
00:22:02,440 --> 00:22:05,240
you also lose Carson Beck. Now, Carson Beck's performance had

442
00:22:05,279 --> 00:22:06,920
been up and down for the most part this year,

443
00:22:06,920 --> 00:22:09,240
and Gunner Stockton credit to him. He had to come

444
00:22:09,279 --> 00:22:11,079
in there at halftime. He led him on a scoring

445
00:22:11,160 --> 00:22:14,440
drive and ultimately won that game. But he left a

446
00:22:14,480 --> 00:22:16,039
lot to be desired in the game. He looked like

447
00:22:16,079 --> 00:22:18,880
a guy that it had his first real action. How

448
00:22:18,960 --> 00:22:21,839
is he going to do when a guy who is

449
00:22:21,880 --> 00:22:24,039
as good of a defensive mind as Marcus Freeman has

450
00:22:24,119 --> 00:22:27,039
multiple weeks to prepare for him as the quarterback. Everyone

451
00:22:27,079 --> 00:22:29,319
says he can run better than Carson Beck. That's fine.

452
00:22:29,359 --> 00:22:31,839
Notre Dame's defense has been really good against the run.

453
00:22:32,519 --> 00:22:37,599
Oh your long, But George is still George. They're still

454
00:22:37,640 --> 00:22:39,480
going to have an elite defense. They're still going to

455
00:22:39,519 --> 00:22:42,200
be physical upfront. Kirby Smart's been there, done that. He's

456
00:22:42,200 --> 00:22:45,359
got the championship pedigree. Moose, who do you like? Is

457
00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:46,119
Irish or the bulle?

458
00:22:46,279 --> 00:22:49,640
Speaker 6: This is the hardest one for me. Championship pedigree does matter.

459
00:22:49,640 --> 00:22:51,799
There's key injuries on both sides. I mean, no Riley

460
00:22:51,799 --> 00:22:55,119
Mills for Notre Dame is very significant. It just for me,

461
00:22:55,160 --> 00:22:57,480
it depends on which Georgia defense shows up. I mean,

462
00:22:57,519 --> 00:22:59,319
you're gonna get the Georgia defense it showed up against

463
00:22:59,319 --> 00:23:03,599
Clemson and h and and UH earlier in the year

464
00:23:03,599 --> 00:23:06,799
as well, you know, in the against Tennessee. Or are

465
00:23:06,839 --> 00:23:08,880
you gonna get the Georgia defense that showed up against

466
00:23:08,920 --> 00:23:12,599
Alabama and against Georgia Tech UH and against you know,

467
00:23:12,799 --> 00:23:15,119
Ole miss to some extent, that's the question. If you

468
00:23:15,119 --> 00:23:17,240
get the Georgia defensive showed against Texas, I like that.

469
00:23:17,319 --> 00:23:19,839
For me, it's it's it's just all in the Georgia defense.

470
00:23:20,359 --> 00:23:22,960
They have to be the salty unit that we all

471
00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:25,160
know they can be and have been under Kirby Smart.

472
00:23:25,400 --> 00:23:28,240
Because no, Carson Beck does matter a lot. I get it.

473
00:23:28,319 --> 00:23:31,400
Guy's been a turnover machine. He's also a veteran quarterback

474
00:23:32,200 --> 00:23:34,519
that matters at this level. That's one think Notre Dame

475
00:23:34,559 --> 00:23:37,440
has going for them, is a veteran quarterback in the playoffs.

476
00:23:38,039 --> 00:23:42,079
I can't help but look at it and think, man,

477
00:23:42,079 --> 00:23:44,480
there's some reason Notre Dame is a favorite. But if

478
00:23:44,480 --> 00:23:47,480
you're gonnna give me points with Georgia, I'm I'm just

479
00:23:47,559 --> 00:23:50,039
always gonna take Kirby Smart's team as the underdogs. I'll

480
00:23:50,039 --> 00:23:50,839
take the bulldogs.

481
00:23:50,880 --> 00:23:54,680
Speaker 4: I'm actually picking Georgia to win this game out right. Again,

482
00:23:55,920 --> 00:23:59,519
Notre Dame comes into this game and on paper it

483
00:23:59,519 --> 00:24:01,680
looks like they have the matchup advantage. I'm not picking

484
00:24:01,680 --> 00:24:04,279
against Kirby Smart. I'm not picking against this this Georgia

485
00:24:04,319 --> 00:24:07,480
football program. And then so many people this year, all

486
00:24:07,480 --> 00:24:09,440
of a sudden, for some reason, have said, well, Marcus

487
00:24:09,480 --> 00:24:11,920
Freeman knows how to win big games. Well, he won

488
00:24:12,240 --> 00:24:14,720
the Round one game against Indiana. Depending on what you

489
00:24:14,759 --> 00:24:17,079
think of Indiana, that may not have been a big game.

490
00:24:17,519 --> 00:24:20,240
He really hasn't. I mean, sure he beat Arnie, but

491
00:24:20,319 --> 00:24:22,400
they were overmatched. We saw what Navy did to them

492
00:24:22,440 --> 00:24:26,559
in the bowl game. Outside of that, their best win

493
00:24:26,680 --> 00:24:30,319
this year Texas A and M Week one, and neither

494
00:24:30,359 --> 00:24:31,240
team looked great.

495
00:24:32,039 --> 00:24:33,079
Speaker 5: It's a Week one game.

496
00:24:33,279 --> 00:24:35,000
Speaker 4: I don't know how big of a game you call

497
00:24:35,079 --> 00:24:38,359
that now, considering well Texas A and M ended their season.

498
00:24:38,720 --> 00:24:41,720
And then if you go look last year, the big

499
00:24:41,759 --> 00:24:44,640
games they played last season, he lost. He lost to Clemson,

500
00:24:44,759 --> 00:24:47,240
he lost to Ohio State. If you remember the Ohio

501
00:24:47,240 --> 00:24:50,880
State game, it was gold to go situation. Notre Dame

502
00:24:51,240 --> 00:24:53,640
two plays in a row, had too many guys on

503
00:24:53,680 --> 00:24:57,079
the field, gave Ohio State two untied downs. Ohio State

504
00:24:57,119 --> 00:24:59,119
wins that game seventeen to fourteen. That was a major

505
00:24:59,160 --> 00:25:02,640
coaching blunder. Now, Marcus Freeman's a year older, He's got

506
00:25:02,640 --> 00:25:04,720
a year more experience under his belt. Don't take too

507
00:25:04,799 --> 00:25:07,079
much stock into that. But so far, there's so many

508
00:25:07,119 --> 00:25:08,960
people saying, oh, well, he knows how to win close games.

509
00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:11,240
He's won one, He's won one big game. He's also

510
00:25:11,400 --> 00:25:14,359
lost a handful of big games. I've seen Kirby Smart

511
00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:16,759
do it. He's been there, He's done that. He has

512
00:25:16,839 --> 00:25:20,440
multiple national championship wins, and I know he consistently can

513
00:25:20,559 --> 00:25:22,759
win big games. I'm gonna pick the Georgia Bulldogs in

514
00:25:22,799 --> 00:25:26,240
this game and the final game maybe the matchup between

515
00:25:26,279 --> 00:25:29,519
the two best teams left remaining, depending on who you ask.

516
00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:33,039
The Oregon Ducks versus the Ohio State Buckeyes. Obviously, Oregon

517
00:25:33,079 --> 00:25:36,599
won this game at home and a nailbier earlier this year.

518
00:25:36,640 --> 00:25:38,640
They're the number one team in the country. They're the

519
00:25:38,640 --> 00:25:41,480
only team in this field that was undefeated. They earned

520
00:25:41,480 --> 00:25:43,319
that number one spot. But now they have to play

521
00:25:43,319 --> 00:25:45,799
a team they already beat in Ohio State, and instead

522
00:25:45,839 --> 00:25:48,440
of playing them at home in Autsin Stadium, they're going

523
00:25:48,480 --> 00:25:52,920
to be in a neutral site in Los Angeles. Ohio

524
00:25:52,920 --> 00:25:54,720
State has played really good football, and you know, we

525
00:25:54,759 --> 00:25:56,000
talked about Texas earlier.

526
00:25:56,119 --> 00:25:57,559
Speaker 5: They're two headed monster running back.

527
00:25:57,559 --> 00:25:59,880
Speaker 4: Their ability to run the football, it's not much different

528
00:25:59,880 --> 00:26:02,640
than Ohio State. Mean, Ohio State has Trevion Henderson, they

529
00:26:02,680 --> 00:26:05,359
have Quinn John Judkins. They are able to run the

530
00:26:05,359 --> 00:26:08,079
football at will. And then when you look, because when

531
00:26:08,119 --> 00:26:11,119
we got to the college Football Playoff, what did everybody say?

532
00:26:11,160 --> 00:26:14,799
This is not a quarterback playoff. There's not a ton

533
00:26:14,839 --> 00:26:19,319
of elite quarterbacks, maybe outside of Dylan Gabriel, but there's

534
00:26:19,440 --> 00:26:22,960
one weapon for me on offense. If you take running

535
00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:25,160
backs out of the equation, there is one weapon in

536
00:26:25,200 --> 00:26:27,519
this college football playoff remaining that stands above the rest,

537
00:26:27,519 --> 00:26:29,480
and to me, it's Jeremiah Smith for Ohio State. I

538
00:26:29,480 --> 00:26:32,440
don't think there's a receiver in this college football playoff

539
00:26:32,559 --> 00:26:34,599
that comes close to what Jeremiah Smith can do. He

540
00:26:34,680 --> 00:26:37,440
is that big of a game changer. Oregon can run

541
00:26:37,440 --> 00:26:40,039
the football, they can play good defense. Ohio State can

542
00:26:40,079 --> 00:26:42,559
run the football, they can play good defense. Will Howard

543
00:26:42,599 --> 00:26:44,640
has played above his head. He's been a lot better

544
00:26:44,640 --> 00:26:45,880
than I thought he was going to be this year.

545
00:26:45,920 --> 00:26:49,240
We know how good of a player Dylan Gabriel is,

546
00:26:49,519 --> 00:26:51,720
but if somebody has to make a play on the outside,

547
00:26:51,799 --> 00:26:54,599
Oregon does not have a Jeremiah Smith.

548
00:26:55,680 --> 00:26:55,920
Speaker 5: Moose.

549
00:26:55,960 --> 00:26:58,119
Speaker 4: I'm actually picking Ohio State to win this game. I

550
00:26:58,160 --> 00:26:59,960
know you, you and I have had kind of similar

551
00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:01,720
feeling on this game. What's your feeling going into.

552
00:27:01,599 --> 00:27:03,880
Speaker 6: Yeah, like Ohio State, I've actually had on this one

553
00:27:03,880 --> 00:27:05,799
for a long time. I thought we would get it

554
00:27:05,839 --> 00:27:07,000
in the Big Ten championship.

555
00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:07,480
Speaker 5: We didn't.

556
00:27:08,240 --> 00:27:10,440
Speaker 6: Ohio State top to bottom, is the most talented team

557
00:27:10,480 --> 00:27:12,599
in the country. I don't really think that's I mean,

558
00:27:12,640 --> 00:27:14,960
I guess you can always make an argument, but I mean,

559
00:27:15,039 --> 00:27:16,880
top to bottom, I think they're the most talented team

560
00:27:16,880 --> 00:27:19,880
in the country. Oregon won the home game. Oregon was

561
00:27:19,880 --> 00:27:22,160
a three point favorite in that game. That's home field advantage.

562
00:27:22,200 --> 00:27:24,319
You knew looking at that line that if this game

563
00:27:24,359 --> 00:27:26,559
would be played on a neutral field, Ohio State would

564
00:27:26,599 --> 00:27:28,759
be a favorite. And ultimately they are, and I think

565
00:27:28,759 --> 00:27:31,119
that they should be. They were the most impressive team

566
00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:33,839
in Week one of the playoffs or the opening round,

567
00:27:33,839 --> 00:27:36,119
I guess I should say, and they did it at

568
00:27:36,200 --> 00:27:38,759
all in all phases, offense, defense, and special teams. Will

569
00:27:38,759 --> 00:27:41,480
Howard's not gonna set the world on fire, but he's

570
00:27:41,519 --> 00:27:44,599
a really good veteran quarterback who knows where to go

571
00:27:44,640 --> 00:27:46,680
at the football. He knows how to operate in this

572
00:27:46,759 --> 00:27:49,799
Ohio State offense. Yes, the two headed monster at running back.

573
00:27:49,799 --> 00:27:52,039
When we talked about Singleton and Allen, we talked about

574
00:27:52,039 --> 00:27:55,039
Wisner and Blue Judkins and Henderson might be better than

575
00:27:55,039 --> 00:27:58,000
both of those. So yeah, Jeremiah Smith and oh, by

576
00:27:58,000 --> 00:27:59,799
the way, they still have a Mecca Abuka two who

577
00:28:00,119 --> 00:28:03,400
in stink the defense is playing really well? Yeah, I

578
00:28:03,759 --> 00:28:05,880
like Ohio State win to win this game. Like I said,

579
00:28:05,920 --> 00:28:07,559
I've had my on that one for a while.

580
00:28:07,920 --> 00:28:10,240
Speaker 4: We did all this discussion, all this debating to come

581
00:28:10,279 --> 00:28:12,480
up with the exact same picks, been all four of

582
00:28:12,519 --> 00:28:12,880
these games.

583
00:28:12,920 --> 00:28:14,079
Speaker 6: But you know what, like nobody to go back and

584
00:28:14,079 --> 00:28:14,720
pick Notre Dame.

585
00:28:14,839 --> 00:28:18,039
Speaker 4: Now that's fine, but to your point, like, sure, we

586
00:28:18,400 --> 00:28:21,559
all picked the four same teams, but we could go

587
00:28:21,599 --> 00:28:24,079
four and oh we could go oh to four. It

588
00:28:24,200 --> 00:28:26,400
really just depends on how these teams get started. Like

589
00:28:26,440 --> 00:28:28,359
for an Arizona State and a Boise State, is when

590
00:28:28,400 --> 00:28:30,559
to be so important for them to start fast so

591
00:28:30,599 --> 00:28:32,839
they can lean on their running game. And really that's

592
00:28:32,880 --> 00:28:34,640
across the board. But look, we'll see what happens to

593
00:28:34,680 --> 00:28:36,039
me and mus go four and oh do we go

594
00:28:36,079 --> 00:28:38,400
two and two? Do we go oh to four? We'll

595
00:28:38,440 --> 00:28:41,519
find out when we get back from the New year.

596
00:28:41,960 --> 00:28:43,839
All right, we're gonna take a quick time out. When

597
00:28:43,839 --> 00:28:45,960
we get back, Zach Naggy's gonna hop on. We're gonna

598
00:28:45,960 --> 00:28:48,559
talk LSU recruiting what the Tigers need in the transfer portal,

599
00:28:48,640 --> 00:28:50,440
and we're gonna get his thoughts on the Texas Ball

600
00:28:50,480 --> 00:28:52,039
between LSU and Baylor that's coming up.

601
00:28:52,160 --> 00:29:09,079
Speaker 2: They're on Off the bench, Off the bench, Welcome in

602
00:29:09,160 --> 00:29:12,240
to the best morning sports this show around Off the

603
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604
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605
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606
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607
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608
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609
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610
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611
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612
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613
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617
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618
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620
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621
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622
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623
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Speaker 5: It covers it.

624
00:30:10,039 --> 00:30:14,000
Speaker 4: While all right, welcome back into a Monday edition of

625
00:30:14,000 --> 00:30:14,599
Off the Bench.

626
00:30:14,680 --> 00:30:16,400
Speaker 5: Right now, I want to bring in Zach Naggi.

627
00:30:16,200 --> 00:30:18,640
Speaker 4: Covers the LG taggers for s high Zach, what's going

628
00:30:18,640 --> 00:30:19,200
on this morning?

629
00:30:20,039 --> 00:30:20,240
Speaker 1: Man?

630
00:30:20,319 --> 00:30:22,160
Speaker 3: Not too much? Ready to talk to melochie football?

631
00:30:22,240 --> 00:30:22,440
Speaker 5: Yeah?

632
00:30:22,480 --> 00:30:25,240
Speaker 4: Absolutely, we'll get into the transfer port a little bit later.

633
00:30:25,319 --> 00:30:27,200
But uh, you know, kind of the news that everyone's

634
00:30:27,240 --> 00:30:30,240
talking about right now, it broke on Friday. Hadn't not

635
00:30:30,279 --> 00:30:31,759
a chance to talk about it yet. What are your

636
00:30:31,759 --> 00:30:33,119
thoughts on Harold Perkins coming back?

637
00:30:34,119 --> 00:30:36,680
Speaker 3: Yeah, man, I love the return. Obviously. Harold is an

638
00:30:36,680 --> 00:30:39,599
elite athlete that provides kind of a different element to

639
00:30:39,640 --> 00:30:42,640
this LSUE defense, So it's exciting to get him back

640
00:30:42,640 --> 00:30:44,799
in the mix and even more exciting to see how

641
00:30:44,799 --> 00:30:47,160
they're going to utilize this skill set. We know that

642
00:30:47,160 --> 00:30:50,759
there's been some kind of different, kind of different uses

643
00:30:51,039 --> 00:30:52,400
of him when it comes to where he's at on

644
00:30:52,400 --> 00:30:54,480
the field. So for me, I'm excited to see how

645
00:30:54,519 --> 00:30:57,160
they use his skill set, see how they can maximize

646
00:30:57,160 --> 00:30:59,599
his potential and if anybody's gonna be able to do it.

647
00:30:59,599 --> 00:31:02,160
I feel like it's going to be defensive coordinator Blake Baker,

648
00:31:02,200 --> 00:31:04,400
and we've seen how kind of talented he is with

649
00:31:04,480 --> 00:31:06,640
his s teams and putting players in the right position

650
00:31:06,680 --> 00:31:09,319
to be successful. So now it's kind of a matter

651
00:31:09,359 --> 00:31:11,759
of where do you put Perkins in order to maximize

652
00:31:11,799 --> 00:31:14,640
that potential. So it's exciting. It adds a new look

653
00:31:14,680 --> 00:31:16,640
to this defense, and you know a lot of the

654
00:31:16,640 --> 00:31:18,720
players are excited to have him back as well. So

655
00:31:19,160 --> 00:31:21,119
I couldn't be more ecstatic to have him back on

656
00:31:21,119 --> 00:31:22,240
the field in twenty twenty five.

657
00:31:22,440 --> 00:31:23,759
Speaker 4: What do you where do you want to see him?

658
00:31:23,759 --> 00:31:25,440
You know, because I was talking about a lot. You

659
00:31:25,440 --> 00:31:27,759
can put him at linebacker at age a star. What

660
00:31:27,839 --> 00:31:29,440
do you like Harold Perkins next year?

661
00:31:30,400 --> 00:31:32,039
Speaker 3: I think when you have a guy like wit Weeks

662
00:31:32,079 --> 00:31:35,759
who's really thriving at that linebacker slot, West Weeks comes

663
00:31:35,759 --> 00:31:38,200
back as well, you got a youngster and Devon he's

664
00:31:38,279 --> 00:31:41,119
that linebacker as well. I think that bread and butter

665
00:31:41,160 --> 00:31:43,440
spot for Harold Perkins could be at that star role.

666
00:31:43,920 --> 00:31:46,400
We saw Major Burns struggle to a certain degree this

667
00:31:46,440 --> 00:31:48,799
season at that spot, and there's gonna be some times

668
00:31:48,799 --> 00:31:50,799
where Harold Perkins is gonna have to drop back in coverage,

669
00:31:50,799 --> 00:31:53,000
where it's going to be exciting to see if he

670
00:31:53,039 --> 00:31:56,200
can kind of get that get comfortable and whatnot back there.

671
00:31:56,240 --> 00:31:58,039
But for me, I think they're going to try to

672
00:31:58,039 --> 00:32:00,160
put him at the star spot and see what he

673
00:32:00,200 --> 00:32:01,880
can do from there. I think it's going to be

674
00:32:01,920 --> 00:32:04,759
worth the kind of trial and error, but I certainly

675
00:32:04,759 --> 00:32:06,200
think that that's where they could put him at the

676
00:32:06,240 --> 00:32:08,359
start off kind of this twenty twenty five season.

677
00:32:08,599 --> 00:32:10,400
Speaker 4: All right, Zach, I want to shift to the transfer

678
00:32:10,519 --> 00:32:12,640
portal right now. Right after the news of Harold Perkins

679
00:32:12,680 --> 00:32:15,920
broke on Friday, it was also reported that LSU landed

680
00:32:16,279 --> 00:32:19,759
offensive line with Josh Thompson from Northwestern. What can he

681
00:32:19,839 --> 00:32:21,640
bring to this team and where do you see him

682
00:32:21,640 --> 00:32:24,079
playing because he's a lot of people have them listened

683
00:32:24,079 --> 00:32:26,400
as an interior lineman, but obviously LSU has a big

684
00:32:26,440 --> 00:32:28,480
needed tackle. Where do you see him lining up?

685
00:32:29,640 --> 00:32:31,759
Speaker 3: Yeah, Josh Thompson has a lot of versatility of this

686
00:32:31,839 --> 00:32:35,279
offensive line moving forward, and you already brought in Brailan Moore,

687
00:32:35,359 --> 00:32:38,720
the Virginia Tech transfer, and that's the number one interior

688
00:32:38,759 --> 00:32:42,119
offensive lineman in the portal once he committed. So for me,

689
00:32:42,200 --> 00:32:44,400
when you look at a guy like Josh Thompson, I

690
00:32:44,440 --> 00:32:46,160
think he can be used as a tackle. I think

691
00:32:46,160 --> 00:32:48,640
he can be used inside. You're gonna want to probably

692
00:32:48,640 --> 00:32:50,559
put him at tackle to start off his time in

693
00:32:50,640 --> 00:32:53,519
bat and rouge, just because you're obviously losing Will Campbell,

694
00:32:53,759 --> 00:32:55,880
you're losing Emory Jones, You're losing four out of your

695
00:32:55,920 --> 00:32:59,039
five starters from the twenty twenty five seasons. So LSU

696
00:32:59,079 --> 00:33:00,960
went out and made a splash to get him. Tennessee

697
00:33:01,000 --> 00:33:04,400
was trending heavily, and then that's kind of the eleventh hour.

698
00:33:04,839 --> 00:33:07,519
LSU came in and made an offer and continue to

699
00:33:07,519 --> 00:33:09,880
recruit him heavily and ultimately got him to steal the deal.

700
00:33:09,960 --> 00:33:13,279
But it's a player that provides tremendous versatility. Was about

701
00:33:13,279 --> 00:33:15,440
as coveted as they come in the portal, and now

702
00:33:15,440 --> 00:33:17,400
you can have him come in and kind of test

703
00:33:17,400 --> 00:33:19,079
out where you want to put him. For me, I

704
00:33:19,079 --> 00:33:21,000
think tackle could be a spot where he could come

705
00:33:21,000 --> 00:33:22,960
in and make an immediate impact. But it's gonna be

706
00:33:22,960 --> 00:33:26,000
fun to see how Brad Davis utilizes Josh Thompson because

707
00:33:26,079 --> 00:33:27,920
he's just a player that can do it all in Tide,

708
00:33:28,480 --> 00:33:29,720
stick with the offensive line.

709
00:33:29,720 --> 00:33:32,160
Speaker 4: Do you think they're done with O line and the

710
00:33:32,160 --> 00:33:34,200
transfer portal because we've been talking about it right, Like

711
00:33:34,240 --> 00:33:37,559
Thompson can play guard and tackle, whether it's Carrie's current,

712
00:33:37,599 --> 00:33:39,880
whether it's Solomon Thomas, they're kind of guys that can

713
00:33:39,920 --> 00:33:42,599
do both. You don't really have that pure tackle Like

714
00:33:42,640 --> 00:33:44,480
are they done or did they like the guys that

715
00:33:44,480 --> 00:33:45,880
they've recruited moving them to tackle.

716
00:33:46,720 --> 00:33:48,440
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's exciting because I think you have a lot

717
00:33:48,440 --> 00:33:50,400
of youngsters that can step in the mix as well

718
00:33:50,920 --> 00:33:54,799
and ride kind of an instant impact piece. You highlighted

719
00:33:54,839 --> 00:33:56,720
Carrius Kern just now, and that's a player that I

720
00:33:56,759 --> 00:33:59,079
think is a Day one player who can jump in

721
00:33:59,119 --> 00:34:01,720
the mix immediately and compete for a starting job. And

722
00:34:02,039 --> 00:34:04,440
Brian Kelly alluded to that on National Signing Day that

723
00:34:04,519 --> 00:34:08,119
this is a player that really has that sec build already.

724
00:34:08,199 --> 00:34:10,360
So for me, when it comes to the transfer portal,

725
00:34:10,519 --> 00:34:13,360
I couldn't imagine them kind of going out and getting

726
00:34:13,360 --> 00:34:16,840
another guy. Would I be surprised? No, just because they've

727
00:34:16,880 --> 00:34:19,440
proven that they're willing to go outside the box and

728
00:34:19,480 --> 00:34:22,320
get just about anybody they want, So if they want

729
00:34:22,400 --> 00:34:24,719
another offensive lineman, they'll certainly go and do that. But

730
00:34:24,840 --> 00:34:27,400
right now, I think after going and getting Braylen Moore,

731
00:34:27,679 --> 00:34:31,719
getting Josh Thompson, you have Tyrie Adams, pau Mbango, Weston Davis,

732
00:34:32,079 --> 00:34:35,119
Carus Current coming in Plomon Thomas. I mean, the list

733
00:34:35,159 --> 00:34:37,400
goes on and on. Brad Davis has an embarrassment of

734
00:34:37,480 --> 00:34:40,000
riches to work with. I think they have the guys

735
00:34:40,039 --> 00:34:42,960
that they need right now, But again, kind of circling back.

736
00:34:43,199 --> 00:34:46,000
Wouldn't be surprised. I just don't think that's the route

737
00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:47,199
that they're going to go in right now.

738
00:34:47,719 --> 00:34:50,559
Speaker 4: As far as big as needs remaining for this team,

739
00:34:50,639 --> 00:34:53,239
the position everyone's keeping an eye on right now is

740
00:34:53,320 --> 00:34:55,679
the safety spot for the Tigers. Are there any names

741
00:34:55,760 --> 00:34:56,920
l Yuvan should keep an eye on.

742
00:34:57,760 --> 00:35:00,199
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's an exciting one. And I think ultimately to

743
00:35:00,280 --> 00:35:03,039
come down to that quote unquote second portal window where

744
00:35:03,079 --> 00:35:05,719
you start to see players from college football playoff teams

745
00:35:05,800 --> 00:35:08,320
enter the portal and whatnot. When it comes to names

746
00:35:08,400 --> 00:35:09,920
right now, I don't think there's that many you can

747
00:35:10,000 --> 00:35:13,280
say right now, just because players are still actively kind

748
00:35:13,320 --> 00:35:16,079
of going through bowl games, going through playoff games, et cetera.

749
00:35:16,400 --> 00:35:18,360
But there are gonna be some guys to keep tabs

750
00:35:18,360 --> 00:35:21,480
on in the next five to six days, especially with

751
00:35:21,599 --> 00:35:24,239
the window kind of the portals now closed. Now when

752
00:35:24,320 --> 00:35:26,800
teams kind of end their season, they have a five

753
00:35:26,880 --> 00:35:29,599
day window to enter the portals, So we're gonna see

754
00:35:29,599 --> 00:35:32,360
some names under the mix very very soon. I'd expect

755
00:35:32,519 --> 00:35:35,159
LSU to take two safeties here. You got to add

756
00:35:35,159 --> 00:35:37,800
some depth there. Right now, you're really only working with

757
00:35:37,880 --> 00:35:41,599
Javi and Tooviano, Jardan Gilbert, to Sean Spears. You're very

758
00:35:41,639 --> 00:35:44,599
limited your razor sin in that safety room. So i'd

759
00:35:44,599 --> 00:35:47,239
expect them to take two guys. It's gonna be exciting

760
00:35:47,280 --> 00:35:49,599
to see the options that they have because I mean, man,

761
00:35:49,639 --> 00:35:51,719
it seems like everybody that comes down to campus for

762
00:35:51,760 --> 00:35:54,760
a visit, they ultimately steal the deal for So when

763
00:35:54,760 --> 00:35:57,679
it comes to safety, certainly a position of need, you're

764
00:35:57,719 --> 00:35:59,440
gonna have to knock it out of the park. And

765
00:35:59,519 --> 00:36:03,039
once they do that, I mean you're looking at a reloaded, retooled,

766
00:36:03,280 --> 00:36:07,039
and re energized defensive backfield and just the whole defense

767
00:36:07,159 --> 00:36:08,599
moving forward, All.

768
00:36:08,599 --> 00:36:11,000
Speaker 4: Right, Zach switching from Zach Maggie our guest right now,

769
00:36:11,000 --> 00:36:13,679
switching from transfer portal to this bowl game we got

770
00:36:13,679 --> 00:36:16,239
coming up tomorrow. LSU Versus Baylor. What do you want

771
00:36:16,239 --> 00:36:17,880
to see from the Tigers in the Texas.

772
00:36:17,519 --> 00:36:20,360
Speaker 3: Ball Yeah, I want to see some youngsters step in

773
00:36:20,400 --> 00:36:22,719
the mix and make an impact. Really excited to see

774
00:36:22,760 --> 00:36:25,079
the receiver rotation that they throw out there. I think

775
00:36:25,079 --> 00:36:27,400
the names that everybody's excited to see is going to

776
00:36:27,440 --> 00:36:29,920
be Aaron Anderson, Zavian Thomas, and Chris Hilton of course,

777
00:36:30,199 --> 00:36:32,880
but that wide receiver four spot, the guy to come

778
00:36:32,920 --> 00:36:35,000
in is going to be where I'm kind of shifting

779
00:36:35,039 --> 00:36:37,519
focus towards. I want to see if they putting Kylon Billiott,

780
00:36:37,719 --> 00:36:40,679
Jelannie Watkins, etc. Excited to see where they go in

781
00:36:40,719 --> 00:36:43,239
the wide receiver room moving forward, because you got Barrion

782
00:36:43,280 --> 00:36:45,400
Brown coming and you got Nick Anderson coming in. But

783
00:36:45,440 --> 00:36:48,159
I want to see some youngsters also become impactful moving

784
00:36:48,159 --> 00:36:51,119
forward in the receiving game with Garrett Nusmyer, So for me,

785
00:36:51,159 --> 00:36:54,280
I'm really just looking at youngsters, true freshman etc. Stepping

786
00:36:54,280 --> 00:36:57,039
in the mix and moving forward, and that also highlights

787
00:36:57,119 --> 00:36:59,119
golphensive line. I don't want to beat a dead horse

788
00:36:59,159 --> 00:37:00,920
here because we just talked about the offensive line, but

789
00:37:01,639 --> 00:37:04,480
I'd like to see guys like Weston Davis, Tyree Adams

790
00:37:04,480 --> 00:37:07,880
Paul Mabenga, etc. Get some significant run in this Bowl game,

791
00:37:08,159 --> 00:37:10,800
Joe Brad Davis that they can come out and really

792
00:37:10,880 --> 00:37:13,320
kind of carry the torch moving on to next season.

793
00:37:13,320 --> 00:37:17,280
Because we already know Emery Jones, Bill Campbell, Dellinger, Miles Frasier, etc.

794
00:37:17,880 --> 00:37:20,559
Those are some elite offensive linemen. Now it's time for

795
00:37:20,599 --> 00:37:23,679
that next wave of LSU offensive lineman to carry the torch.

796
00:37:23,960 --> 00:37:26,280
Excited to see what youngsters can step in on Tuesday

797
00:37:26,320 --> 00:37:27,760
and really just carry that momentum.

798
00:37:28,000 --> 00:37:29,800
Speaker 5: All right, Zach, you got a final pick for us

799
00:37:29,800 --> 00:37:30,679
who wins this game?

800
00:37:31,639 --> 00:37:34,440
Speaker 3: Look, man, you look at all the sports books right now,

801
00:37:34,480 --> 00:37:37,000
and everybody's favoring Baylor two and a half, three and

802
00:37:37,039 --> 00:37:39,000
a half points. And then you go and look at

803
00:37:39,000 --> 00:37:42,679
the ESPN FPI and they've got LSU at the heavy favorites.

804
00:37:42,719 --> 00:37:45,880
So it's split in a bunch of different aspects. For me,

805
00:37:45,920 --> 00:37:48,159
I'm gonna ride with Garrett Nusmeyer. And I know it's

806
00:37:48,159 --> 00:37:50,480
a home or take not of being a guy that

807
00:37:50,559 --> 00:37:53,760
covers LSU. But for me, I just think garrettnus Meyer

808
00:37:53,840 --> 00:37:56,360
is this severe weapon that's gonna give that defense trouble

809
00:37:56,639 --> 00:37:58,679
when it comes to LSU's defense, I know that they're

810
00:37:58,760 --> 00:38:02,199
lacking depth there just because the portal opt outs, et cetera.

811
00:38:02,519 --> 00:38:04,000
But I think they can get the job done. I

812
00:38:04,039 --> 00:38:06,440
believe in Blake Baker and having it kind of a

813
00:38:06,480 --> 00:38:09,199
whole month to game plan for the most part. For

814
00:38:09,280 --> 00:38:11,400
this Bowl game, I think they're gonna come out fire

815
00:38:11,440 --> 00:38:13,719
on all cylinders, get that ninth win of the year,

816
00:38:13,880 --> 00:38:16,320
and carry that momentum into the off season, because that's

817
00:38:16,360 --> 00:38:18,400
such a luxury when you have a new look team.

818
00:38:18,679 --> 00:38:21,280
Jaren Nutmeyer's coming back, you want to carry that momentum.

819
00:38:21,519 --> 00:38:22,960
Speaker 4: I hope you're right, Zach. That would give him so

820
00:38:23,079 --> 00:38:25,679
much momentum heading into the off season. Zach Naggy weathers

821
00:38:25,760 --> 00:38:27,480
right now, Zach, I'm gonna go ahead and let you go.

822
00:38:27,559 --> 00:38:27,760
Speaker 3: Man.

823
00:38:27,960 --> 00:38:29,920
Speaker 5: Thanks so much for hopping on. I've kept you too long.

824
00:38:31,119 --> 00:38:32,599
Speaker 3: Thank you so much. Man, I appreciate you.

825
00:38:32,639 --> 00:38:36,480
Speaker 4: But going absolutely, that's Zach Naggy right there. Covers the

826
00:38:36,599 --> 00:38:40,400
LSU Tigers, Sports Illustrated and LSU Country. All right, Look,

827
00:38:40,400 --> 00:38:41,920
we're going to take a quick time out when we

828
00:38:41,960 --> 00:38:45,480
get back. LSU men's and women's basketball both played yesterday

829
00:38:45,559 --> 00:38:47,679
and SEC played nearing for both of them, We're gonna

830
00:38:47,679 --> 00:38:49,559
break it down on the other side here on off

831
00:38:49,559 --> 00:38:51,920
the bench, off the bench.

832
00:38:54,800 --> 00:38:57,920
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833
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834
00:39:01,559 --> 00:39:07,920
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835
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Speaker 5: Uh?

836
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Speaker 1: Is it?

837
00:39:09,760 --> 00:39:09,920
Speaker 3: Hey?

838
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839
00:39:16,559 --> 00:39:19,719
you so you sich a plum dot Org nine two

840
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841
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842
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843
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844
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know once stop plumbing shop Central plumbing dot Org. Go

845
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846
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847
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848
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849
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850
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852
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853
00:40:04,480 --> 00:40:07,400
Speaker 2: Welcome back to more sports talk. What's some other stuff

854
00:40:07,480 --> 00:40:11,639
mixed in Off the bench with Hester and t Bob All.

855
00:40:11,599 --> 00:40:14,760
Speaker 4: Right, Welcome back into the final segment of hour number two.

856
00:40:14,840 --> 00:40:18,199
Here on a Monday edition of Off the Bench, Taylor

857
00:40:18,239 --> 00:40:21,440
Sharp filling in for Jacob Hester and Tea Ba Ba

858
00:40:21,519 --> 00:40:25,360
Bear who t Bob will be back on Thursday as

859
00:40:25,400 --> 00:40:28,719
we kick off the new year. If you didn't watch

860
00:40:28,880 --> 00:40:32,679
LSU men's and women's basketball yesterday, well I can't blame

861
00:40:32,679 --> 00:40:34,480
you because they both played really bad teams and there

862
00:40:34,519 --> 00:40:37,000
was a lot better things going on. But both teams

863
00:40:37,039 --> 00:40:39,159
did play yesterday. We'll start with the women first. The

864
00:40:39,159 --> 00:40:41,199
game is a little bit more competitive. They took on

865
00:40:41,239 --> 00:40:43,079
the ALBNY Great Danes. They get an eighty three to

866
00:40:43,159 --> 00:40:45,800
sixty one victory. And look ALLBNY was a team that

867
00:40:45,880 --> 00:40:46,880
came into this game.

868
00:40:46,679 --> 00:40:47,159
Speaker 5: Ten and two.

869
00:40:47,280 --> 00:40:49,840
Speaker 4: They're one of the lower tier schools, but they're a

870
00:40:49,880 --> 00:40:53,199
solid team. And when you look at LSU, it was

871
00:40:53,239 --> 00:40:55,599
more of the same, right. Anissa Morrow a double double,

872
00:40:55,639 --> 00:40:58,960
twenty points, eighteen rebounds. Fla Je Johnson poured in fifteen,

873
00:40:59,519 --> 00:41:03,159
Mikayla Williams she had eighteen points. It was your usual

874
00:41:03,199 --> 00:41:08,039
suspects that led this LSU women's basketball team. And as

875
00:41:08,079 --> 00:41:10,760
far as the women go, because both of these teams

876
00:41:11,119 --> 00:41:15,559
this week are going to begin SEC play. Obviously, this

877
00:41:15,760 --> 00:41:18,199
LSU women's basketball team under Kim Moulkey is going to

878
00:41:18,199 --> 00:41:21,400
be one of the better women's teams in the SEC.

879
00:41:21,440 --> 00:41:23,559
They're going to be ranked towards the top at pretty

880
00:41:23,639 --> 00:41:27,639
much every preseason SEC poll. You see their biggest issue

881
00:41:27,719 --> 00:41:30,880
they haven't been tested a ton in pre conference. That's

882
00:41:30,880 --> 00:41:33,000
why when you look at this team and you say,

883
00:41:33,039 --> 00:41:35,400
this is an undefeated team that was ranked four two

884
00:41:35,400 --> 00:41:38,440
weeks ago, now the rank six, why is that? It's

885
00:41:38,519 --> 00:41:41,559
because they haven't exactly played the cream of the crop

886
00:41:41,639 --> 00:41:45,719
out of conference. But that's typical for a Kim Molkey team.

887
00:41:45,719 --> 00:41:47,360
This is the way she likes to schedule. Looks she

888
00:41:47,400 --> 00:41:51,639
knows way more about this than I do. So they're

889
00:41:51,639 --> 00:41:53,199
gonna be one of the top teams in the SEZ

890
00:41:53,519 --> 00:41:57,039
they haven't been tested. Will that impact them negatively early

891
00:41:57,079 --> 00:42:00,000
in SEC play? Look as the season goes along, is

892
00:42:00,159 --> 00:42:02,400
as tournament talks come up, this team's going to have

893
00:42:02,400 --> 00:42:03,400
played in a ton of big games.

894
00:42:03,400 --> 00:42:04,280
Speaker 5: They're going to be fine.

895
00:42:04,280 --> 00:42:06,320
Speaker 4: But I'll see if they aren't a little bit slow

896
00:42:06,360 --> 00:42:09,000
to start out the gate just because they're week out

897
00:42:09,000 --> 00:42:13,239
of conference schedule. For the men, they dominate Mississippi Valley. Look,

898
00:42:13,239 --> 00:42:14,920
there's not a ton to take away from this game.

899
00:42:15,320 --> 00:42:19,559
They win one, ten to forty five. Mississippi Valley had

900
00:42:19,639 --> 00:42:24,039
five assists the entire game, and all of it came

901
00:42:24,079 --> 00:42:25,880
from one player, Donovan Sanders.

902
00:42:25,880 --> 00:42:28,039
Speaker 5: He had five assists. Nobody else on the team did anything.

903
00:42:28,840 --> 00:42:30,880
Speaker 4: This team, out of the three hundred and sixty four

904
00:42:30,880 --> 00:42:34,559
teams in debt rankings, ranked three sixty four, and thanks

905
00:42:34,559 --> 00:42:36,639
to Hunt Palmer, we know they ranked three sixty four

906
00:42:36,679 --> 00:42:41,079
in offensive efficiency and defensive efficiency. So by every metric,

907
00:42:41,559 --> 00:42:44,360
this is the worst team in college basketball. So there's

908
00:42:44,360 --> 00:42:46,239
not a ton to take away from this game. I mean, sure,

909
00:42:46,639 --> 00:42:50,440
Cam Carter was good. He had twenty three points, Damian

910
00:42:50,480 --> 00:42:54,400
Collins had fifteen, Jordan Sears had fifteen. Victoria's Miller is

911
00:42:54,440 --> 00:42:56,800
your great scorer off the bench. He poured in twenty.

912
00:42:57,440 --> 00:42:59,400
It's the guys, you know, they stepped up.

913
00:42:59,440 --> 00:43:03,039
Speaker 5: They did their thing. The big thing with LSU is.

914
00:43:04,920 --> 00:43:07,800
Speaker 4: Last year they went nine and nine in conference play,

915
00:43:08,199 --> 00:43:12,159
and Matt McMahon in the offseason he said it numerous

916
00:43:12,199 --> 00:43:14,559
times when he's come on this exact ship. He said

917
00:43:14,599 --> 00:43:18,320
he thought they did enough in conference last season to

918
00:43:18,480 --> 00:43:21,360
make the NCAA Tournament at nine and nine. He thought

919
00:43:21,639 --> 00:43:23,880
they did not do enough out of conference and he

920
00:43:23,920 --> 00:43:26,320
believes that's what hurt them. Well, I mean, the men's

921
00:43:26,320 --> 00:43:28,840
team right now is eleven and two. They have some

922
00:43:28,920 --> 00:43:31,159
big wins. You know, they have a couple losses in there,

923
00:43:31,239 --> 00:43:33,800
but they have some big time wins. I mean, the

924
00:43:33,880 --> 00:43:37,480
Kansas State win is one that stands out. The problem

925
00:43:37,920 --> 00:43:42,320
for LSU men's it's kind of the inverse of of

926
00:43:42,360 --> 00:43:44,599
what we looked at with the women. The women weren't

927
00:43:44,639 --> 00:43:46,559
really battle tested, but they're gonna be at the top

928
00:43:46,599 --> 00:43:49,119
of the SEC. The men they played a pretty tough

929
00:43:49,119 --> 00:43:54,440
hat of conference schedule, but the SEC men's conference right

930
00:43:54,480 --> 00:43:58,280
now is loaded. The worst team right now in the

931
00:43:58,320 --> 00:44:03,400
SEC is No. South Carolina at nine and three overall.

932
00:44:03,719 --> 00:44:05,880
That is the worst team in the SEC record wise,

933
00:44:06,760 --> 00:44:08,519
and it shows Look if you want to go look

934
00:44:08,599 --> 00:44:11,679
at the updated top twenty five rankings and men's college

935
00:44:11,719 --> 00:44:17,280
basketball Tennessee one, Auburn two, Alabama five, Florida six, Kentucky ten.

936
00:44:17,840 --> 00:44:22,000
That's five of the top ten teams are in the SEC.

937
00:44:22,800 --> 00:44:26,519
And then right after that Oklahoma twelve, A and M thirteen, Ole,

938
00:44:26,559 --> 00:44:33,599
Miss sixteen, Mississippi State nineteen, Arkansas twenty three. There are

939
00:44:33,639 --> 00:44:36,440
ten SEC teams ranked in the top twenty five, five

940
00:44:36,480 --> 00:44:39,679
in the top ten. That's going to be LSU's biggest issue.

941
00:44:39,800 --> 00:44:42,760
I think they've done enough in out of conference, but

942
00:44:42,840 --> 00:44:44,840
unlike last year. Look they went nine to nine in

943
00:44:45,119 --> 00:44:47,960
conference played this year last season. If they can do that,

944
00:44:48,440 --> 00:44:51,079
if they can finish as kind of a middle of

945
00:44:51,119 --> 00:44:54,199
the road SEC team this year, I think this is

946
00:44:54,239 --> 00:44:57,480
a league that's going to get probably eight or nine

947
00:44:57,559 --> 00:44:59,960
bids for the SEC Tournament because I think this conference

948
00:45:00,280 --> 00:45:02,960
is that good this season. Can ill as you stay

949
00:45:03,639 --> 00:45:05,760
in that seven to nine range. Can they be just

950
00:45:05,800 --> 00:45:08,159
a middle of the road SEC team. If they can

951
00:45:08,239 --> 00:45:10,679
do that, they're going to be fine. There's certainly a

952
00:45:10,840 --> 00:45:13,320
much improved team. Didn't they worry a year ago. The

953
00:45:13,360 --> 00:45:15,320
problem is the conference as a whole is as well.

954
00:45:15,320 --> 00:45:18,719
They certainly have an uphill battle. But Matt McMahon has

955
00:45:18,760 --> 00:45:20,920
kind of built this team in his own way. He

956
00:45:21,119 --> 00:45:23,280
likes his squad, he said, he feels confident in squad.

957
00:45:23,440 --> 00:45:25,639
We'll see, it'll be interesting to watch his SEC play

958
00:45:25,719 --> 00:45:29,199
gets started. LSU men's will start with Vanderbilt. The women

959
00:45:29,519 --> 00:45:32,159
will open with the Arkansas Razorbacks. That's going to do

960
00:45:32,199 --> 00:45:34,400
it for hour number two. In hour three, we're gonna

961
00:45:34,400 --> 00:45:36,599
have weekend winners at nine am, Devin snow hoops on

962
00:45:36,639 --> 00:45:38,320
at nine to fifteen, and we close it out with

963
00:45:38,440 --> 00:45:41,800
ask the Bench here on, Off the bench, Off the bench,