WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.440 --> 00:00:00.600 Uh. 2 00:00:00.640 --> 00:00:02.680 Oh, guess what day it is? 3 00:00:03.240 --> 00:00:04.919 Guess what day it is? 4 00:00:05.440 --> 00:00:11.919 Huh anybody, It's hump day. 5 00:00:11.839 --> 00:00:14.240 Yes, it is hump Day. Dick Gabrielle with you on 6 00:00:14.279 --> 00:00:16.839 a Wednesday edition of The Big Bloon Sider. Glad to 7 00:00:16.879 --> 00:00:20.719 have you along. It is game night Kentucky volleyball tonight 8 00:00:20.760 --> 00:00:24.120 against Louisville. It's on ESPN. You'll also hear it right 9 00:00:24.120 --> 00:00:27.160 here on six thirty WLAP at seven o'clock, so we're 10 00:00:27.199 --> 00:00:29.760 going to be with you for just an hour. And 11 00:00:29.800 --> 00:00:33.119 then tomorrow night it's game night as well for UK 12 00:00:33.560 --> 00:00:36.880 women's soccer. Off to a great start eight and oh 13 00:00:36.920 --> 00:00:40.000 they be an sec play at the bell seven point 14 00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:44.520 thirty against the Florida Gators who are three one and four. 15 00:00:45.079 --> 00:00:49.039 It is Ohio you week for the football Wildcats, and 16 00:00:49.320 --> 00:00:51.399 coming up a little bit later on bush Ham Dan 17 00:00:51.479 --> 00:00:55.039 will give us a progress report on the offense and 18 00:00:55.039 --> 00:00:59.240 what he saw after that disappointing loss to the Georgia Bulldogs. 19 00:00:59.240 --> 00:01:01.759 But there's a lot of good things to like in 20 00:01:01.799 --> 00:01:03.799 that game, so we'll hear from him coming up a 21 00:01:03.840 --> 00:01:05.840 little bit later on, and of course at the twelve 22 00:01:05.959 --> 00:01:10.760 forty five kickoff ten thirty airtime for countdown to kickoff 23 00:01:10.760 --> 00:01:14.400 with Christy and Jeremy and Logan and then Tom, Jeff 24 00:01:14.439 --> 00:01:16.480 and I will have the call for the Cats and 25 00:01:16.519 --> 00:01:19.959 the Bobcats. They have played six times, all of them 26 00:01:20.000 --> 00:01:23.519 in Lexington, Ohio. You has won twice. First time they 27 00:01:23.519 --> 00:01:26.840 ever played nineteen seventy one, one of those John Ray 28 00:01:26.920 --> 00:01:32.359 teams miserable afternoon. Wildcats lost that one, but then one 29 00:01:33.000 --> 00:01:35.719 the next three before Ohio you came in in twenty 30 00:01:35.799 --> 00:01:40.719 oh four, spoiled homecoming when Rich Brooks was here and 31 00:01:40.920 --> 00:01:44.319 upset the Cats. And then most recently Kentucky beat Ohio. 32 00:01:44.359 --> 00:01:46.959 You think it was ten years ago when the Wildcats 33 00:01:46.959 --> 00:01:50.560 beat the Bobcats. So Kentucky looking to snap a two 34 00:01:50.560 --> 00:01:53.120 game losing skid, and you'll hear it right here on 35 00:01:53.200 --> 00:01:57.120 six thirty WLAP. Biggest game in the conference, if not 36 00:01:57.280 --> 00:02:01.280 the country. Well, it's the highest profile game simply because 37 00:02:01.640 --> 00:02:07.000 Tennessee plays at Oklahoma. It is the Sooners opening up 38 00:02:07.200 --> 00:02:12.879 SEC play. And there's such a great backstory there because 39 00:02:13.000 --> 00:02:15.719 Josh Hipel the Tennessee head coach and he's done a 40 00:02:15.719 --> 00:02:19.800 good job. Man, He's got Tennessee back and relevant. He 41 00:02:19.879 --> 00:02:25.680 of course is part of Oklahoma University football tradition the 42 00:02:25.840 --> 00:02:30.039 lore of the Sooners because he helped lead them to 43 00:02:30.120 --> 00:02:37.639 a national championship under Bob Stoops, Mark's brother, but he 44 00:02:37.759 --> 00:02:42.360 came back as an assistant coach and at one point 45 00:02:42.919 --> 00:02:47.240 was fired. Hypel came to Norman in nineteen ninety nine, 46 00:02:47.319 --> 00:02:52.080 right after Stoops took over at OU. Now, since World 47 00:02:52.120 --> 00:02:55.199 War Two, Oklahoma won four hundred and forty three games, 48 00:02:55.199 --> 00:02:59.639 more than any other school. But when Stoops got there 49 00:03:00.039 --> 00:03:03.280 in ninety nine, they hadn't had winning season since ninety three. 50 00:03:04.000 --> 00:03:06.280 So one of the first things he did. You remember 51 00:03:06.360 --> 00:03:10.280 this is hire Mike Leach. Stoops had been to DC 52 00:03:10.479 --> 00:03:15.199 at Florida. He helped Florida become successful under Steve Spurrier 53 00:03:15.240 --> 00:03:19.879 because Stoops coached the defense. Florida was always potent offensively, 54 00:03:20.159 --> 00:03:23.439 but their defense stunk. Well. Stoops made it a championship 55 00:03:23.520 --> 00:03:27.319 level defense before he got the head coaching job at Oklahoma, 56 00:03:27.400 --> 00:03:29.879 and he thought, back, you've heard the story who gave 57 00:03:30.039 --> 00:03:33.439 us the most trouble offensively when I was at Florida. 58 00:03:34.080 --> 00:03:37.520 Well it was Kentucky, and of course how Mummy called 59 00:03:37.560 --> 00:03:40.199 the plays. But Mike Leach, who had the title of 60 00:03:40.199 --> 00:03:45.080 offensive coordinator, heavily involved in coaching quarterbacks and drawing up 61 00:03:45.120 --> 00:03:47.400 the air raid game plan, creating the air Raid along 62 00:03:47.439 --> 00:03:51.560 with Mummy. So he hires Mike Leach away from Kentucky, 63 00:03:51.599 --> 00:03:55.599 and that only gives him the offensive coordinator title, lets 64 00:03:55.680 --> 00:03:58.479 him call the place because Stoops wasn't gonna call offensive plays, 65 00:03:58.639 --> 00:04:01.240 so Mike Leach did it. So they started looking for 66 00:04:01.280 --> 00:04:04.879 a quarterback and they're bringing in people. They're bringing in 67 00:04:04.960 --> 00:04:10.400 Jucos and Brent Venables, now the head coach at Oklahoma, 68 00:04:10.560 --> 00:04:15.400 admits that they wanted somebody else. They wanted a ki 69 00:04:15.479 --> 00:04:17.720 Lee Smith, who ended up going to Oregon and became 70 00:04:17.720 --> 00:04:21.519 the third player, no second player taken in the draft 71 00:04:21.680 --> 00:04:24.319 behind Tim Couch. He was a bus with the Bengals, 72 00:04:24.639 --> 00:04:28.759 but a great college quarterback. But that's not who Mike 73 00:04:28.879 --> 00:04:32.839 Leach wanted. Mike Leach wanted a kid named Josh Hipel, 74 00:04:32.879 --> 00:04:36.879 a junior college kid from California. And Venables remembers the 75 00:04:36.959 --> 00:04:40.920 day that they first set eyes on Josh Hipel, who 76 00:04:41.000 --> 00:04:43.319 was in for a visit with the Sooners. 77 00:04:43.639 --> 00:04:46.720 We didn't know anything about Josh and but truth serum here, 78 00:04:47.120 --> 00:04:49.920 we wanted a Kiley Smith. Mike and I we we 79 00:04:50.439 --> 00:04:53.240 were only here for a couple of days and we 80 00:04:53.240 --> 00:04:57.519 were at Kansas State and we knew Mike recruited California 81 00:04:58.480 --> 00:05:02.199 in a A. Keeley was coming out of whatever junior college, 82 00:05:02.439 --> 00:05:08.560 Mount sacer somewhere, uh. And he was the prototypical dude. 83 00:05:08.560 --> 00:05:10.160 I can't remember how big he was, but he was 84 00:05:10.199 --> 00:05:14.199 a big, strong, strapping dude that could spind it. He 85 00:05:14.279 --> 00:05:17.439 looked the park, could run, could pass. And we didn't 86 00:05:17.439 --> 00:05:20.480 know anything about Josh. And but he was outside of 87 00:05:20.519 --> 00:05:23.079 the office windows. There's a quarterback. He's on a visit, 88 00:05:23.360 --> 00:05:25.439 and there was maybe two guys on a visit and 89 00:05:25.480 --> 00:05:28.680 he was one of them. And he was outside on 90 00:05:28.720 --> 00:05:31.199 the We had an old turf field down there and 91 00:05:31.240 --> 00:05:34.600 he was playing catch. And again I'm saying this with 92 00:05:34.879 --> 00:05:38.800 incredible appreciation and respect for Josh. Couldn't have been more wrong. 93 00:05:39.360 --> 00:05:42.439 Don't judge a book by its cover. And he was 94 00:05:42.480 --> 00:05:47.040 skinny and just frail, and it was in the middle 95 00:05:47.040 --> 00:05:52.519 of winter, just kind of pasty, and the ball was 96 00:05:52.519 --> 00:05:55.040 coming on. It was south Paul probably hadn't played and 97 00:05:55.120 --> 00:05:57.560 you know, a couple of months and the ball was 98 00:05:57.560 --> 00:06:03.199 wildly you know, Josh could occasionally do that, and we're like. 99 00:06:03.480 --> 00:06:04.160 That, ain't hit. 100 00:06:05.680 --> 00:06:06.199 And Leech. 101 00:06:06.720 --> 00:06:08.319 He didn't want to bring a Keithley Smith in on 102 00:06:08.360 --> 00:06:08.720 a visit. 103 00:06:09.480 --> 00:06:12.800 No, not interested, and so a lesson learned. 104 00:06:13.839 --> 00:06:16.879 Yeah, it was because all Hypel did was help lead 105 00:06:17.040 --> 00:06:22.040 the Sooners to a national championship. And you know, wasn't 106 00:06:22.040 --> 00:06:25.680 a big arm guy, wasn't an NFL prospect, but he 107 00:06:25.759 --> 00:06:27.920 was accurate. He could put the ball on the money, 108 00:06:28.360 --> 00:06:32.360 and that's what Leech wanted from somebody who needed to 109 00:06:32.439 --> 00:06:37.959 trigger the air raid. And it worked, and Josh Hipel 110 00:06:38.240 --> 00:06:42.560 was obviously a hero, came back as an assistant coach, 111 00:06:42.639 --> 00:06:47.160 came back as the OC. But and he also you know, 112 00:06:47.240 --> 00:06:50.920 he mentored Jason White who won the Heisman, Sam Bradford, 113 00:06:51.279 --> 00:06:55.680 who won the Heisman at Oklahoma. And when he became 114 00:06:55.720 --> 00:06:58.199 the OC, they averaged four hundred and seventy five yards 115 00:06:58.199 --> 00:07:01.959 per game, tenth best in college football during that span. 116 00:07:02.079 --> 00:07:08.680 But the offense went sour, so Stoops had to fire him, 117 00:07:09.600 --> 00:07:11.800 and he later called it the worst day in his 118 00:07:11.839 --> 00:07:16.360 eighteen years as the OU head coach. Well, now Hypel 119 00:07:16.360 --> 00:07:22.040 coming back with those Tennessee volunteers and a chance to 120 00:07:22.399 --> 00:07:24.439 get a weird kind of I don't know if you 121 00:07:24.480 --> 00:07:27.600 want to call it revenge. Maybe satisfaction he's done a 122 00:07:27.639 --> 00:07:37.079 good job at Tennessee. Speaking of Tennessee, big story came 123 00:07:37.079 --> 00:07:39.639 out Adam Sparks from one of the newspapers, The Knoxville 124 00:07:39.639 --> 00:07:46.120 News Sentinel broke the story yesterday that Tennessee football tickets 125 00:07:46.519 --> 00:07:50.439 will be more expensive next year and the cost most 126 00:07:50.439 --> 00:07:54.519 of the cost will be going to a talent fee 127 00:07:55.160 --> 00:08:00.600 to pay players. That's right. This is basically building up 128 00:08:00.680 --> 00:08:05.759 the war chest for nil money. I don't know what 129 00:08:05.800 --> 00:08:08.079 the rules exactly are on that. I didn't know if 130 00:08:08.079 --> 00:08:12.000 the schools could actually do this, but that's what's happening 131 00:08:12.079 --> 00:08:15.839 in Knoxville, and you better believe other schools will follow suit. 132 00:08:16.759 --> 00:08:21.240 But now the backlash is already starting for obvious reasons. 133 00:08:21.240 --> 00:08:23.920 We're already paying so much for our tickets. But Dan 134 00:08:24.040 --> 00:08:30.079 Murphy of ESPN reported to Tennessee last year in revenue 135 00:08:30.279 --> 00:08:34.720 for twenty twenty three, reported one hundred and thirty four 136 00:08:35.320 --> 00:08:42.559 million in football, fifty nine million on expenses, seventy five 137 00:08:42.840 --> 00:08:49.279 million surplus. They've got seventy five million in surplus from 138 00:08:49.320 --> 00:08:53.519 last year alone, and yet they're adding a ten percent 139 00:08:53.720 --> 00:08:58.159 talent fee to ticket prices to raise the money. It's 140 00:08:58.200 --> 00:09:05.399 already giving it's players. So now you've got administrators being overpaid, 141 00:09:05.440 --> 00:09:11.559 coaches being overpaid, opulent facilities that have cost incredible amounts 142 00:09:11.559 --> 00:09:18.440 of money, but now the labor force needs more. But 143 00:09:18.600 --> 00:09:23.799 instead of curbing expenses elsewhere, the fans will pay for it. 144 00:09:23.879 --> 00:09:27.360 And this has come as no surprise. And like I said, 145 00:09:28.120 --> 00:09:32.399 they'll make it work because fans really won't have any 146 00:09:32.519 --> 00:09:35.240 choice if they want to go, and right now they 147 00:09:35.240 --> 00:09:40.840 are successful. So you'll see other schools following suit before long, 148 00:09:41.320 --> 00:09:45.279 no doubt about that. There's another big story in the 149 00:09:45.279 --> 00:09:49.480 news involving college athletics, and of course it's the ACC naturally, 150 00:09:49.600 --> 00:09:55.080 Florida State and Clemson trying to leave the conference suing 151 00:09:55.960 --> 00:09:59.679 over there what they think is a right to leave 152 00:09:59.799 --> 00:10:03.399 the conference. But now the ACC has come up with 153 00:10:03.519 --> 00:10:07.039 a different plan. They're trying to hang on to the 154 00:10:07.080 --> 00:10:10.840 Seminoles and the Tigers, And yeah, I know Clemson's football 155 00:10:10.879 --> 00:10:12.840 programs are wreck right now, but I got to think 156 00:10:13.120 --> 00:10:16.960 that's temporary. But what the ACC has come up with 157 00:10:18.000 --> 00:10:22.200 is a plan and this just might work. They're looking 158 00:10:22.200 --> 00:10:25.679 at shortening the current grant of rights agreement that's on 159 00:10:25.759 --> 00:10:29.399 the table with the ESPN. It runs through twenty thirty 160 00:10:29.440 --> 00:10:33.279 six under the new proposal would be set to end 161 00:10:33.279 --> 00:10:38.080 at twenty thirty. And what they're looking at is a 162 00:10:38.120 --> 00:10:43.000 plan essentially where the money you make from the conference, 163 00:10:43.000 --> 00:10:46.000 if you're an ACC member, part of it would hinge 164 00:10:46.240 --> 00:10:50.480 on television ratings. So really, what they're doing, I think 165 00:10:50.519 --> 00:10:53.639 in a way they wouldn't characterize it this way. They're 166 00:10:53.639 --> 00:10:56.639 calling the bluff. Clemson and Florida State have said, look, 167 00:10:57.120 --> 00:11:00.720 we drive the bus in college football, so we drive 168 00:11:00.799 --> 00:11:04.120 the bus period in the ACC. And they're probably not wrong. 169 00:11:05.240 --> 00:11:09.759 But now here's a plan that would allow the conference 170 00:11:10.799 --> 00:11:14.919 to say, all right, if that's the case, if you're 171 00:11:15.000 --> 00:11:17.919 making more money for the league and everybody else, you'll 172 00:11:17.919 --> 00:11:21.159 get a bigger slice of the pie. And if it works, 173 00:11:21.200 --> 00:11:24.679 it works, And if you're another ACC member, you really 174 00:11:24.759 --> 00:11:28.399 can't complain because if those two schools are right, if 175 00:11:28.399 --> 00:11:32.679 they're bringing in more money combined than anybody else, you're benefiting, 176 00:11:33.720 --> 00:11:37.279 that tide is raising your boat, and so maybe they 177 00:11:37.320 --> 00:11:39.320 should get a bigger slice of the pie. But you 178 00:11:39.399 --> 00:11:45.519 know what, Clemson in that part of South Carolina, Spartanburg area, 179 00:11:45.639 --> 00:11:49.159 that's not the biggest TV market there is, and the 180 00:11:49.200 --> 00:11:53.240 Florida Panhandle isn't either, So they're going to be looking at, 181 00:11:53.360 --> 00:11:58.120 of course, the national ratings and maybe it'll work out. 182 00:11:58.879 --> 00:12:00.840 Maybe they'll be able to say, look, here are the 183 00:12:00.919 --> 00:12:04.600 numbers that indicate you're not as important as you think 184 00:12:04.639 --> 00:12:08.360 you are. So stay tuned for that up next. UK 185 00:12:08.480 --> 00:12:10.840 offensive coordinator bush ham Dan a little bit later on 186 00:12:10.919 --> 00:12:15.039 Sean Woods here on six thirty WLAP, Welcome back to 187 00:12:15.080 --> 00:12:17.440 the Big Blue Sider abbreviated program. We're going to make 188 00:12:17.440 --> 00:12:19.600 way at the top of the hour for Kentucky Volleyball 189 00:12:19.720 --> 00:12:23.720 Wildcats taking on those Louisville Cardinals, and of course this 190 00:12:23.799 --> 00:12:27.720 weekend it's the Wildcats and the Ohio Bobcats playing football 191 00:12:28.200 --> 00:12:30.399 and we'll have it for you right here ten thirty 192 00:12:30.440 --> 00:12:33.600 pre game twelve forty five kickoff on your number one 193 00:12:33.639 --> 00:12:37.559 spot for sports. Kentucky needs to bounce back in a 194 00:12:37.559 --> 00:12:40.759 big way. Needs a win, needs to try to match 195 00:12:40.799 --> 00:12:44.480 that intensity that the Wildcats had against the Georgia Bulldogs. 196 00:12:44.639 --> 00:12:46.480 They also need to run the football the way they 197 00:12:46.519 --> 00:12:50.799 did against Uga, and the biggest reason for that was 198 00:12:50.879 --> 00:12:55.159 the o line blocking for Demi Sumo. Carnbay and bush 199 00:12:55.159 --> 00:12:59.000 ham Dan talked about how they're pleasantly surprised a little 200 00:12:59.039 --> 00:13:02.120 bit by how well Demi has run the ball between 201 00:13:02.120 --> 00:13:02.759 the tackles. 202 00:13:03.039 --> 00:13:05.200 Yeah, there's probably a little bit of a surprise, you know. 203 00:13:05.240 --> 00:13:08.960 I mean, obviously you just well, we certainly think. 204 00:13:08.840 --> 00:13:10.559 Highly of them. He thought highly of Demi. 205 00:13:10.639 --> 00:13:13.519 But anytime you go in the SEC, you play against 206 00:13:13.519 --> 00:13:15.480 two good defenses and do what he did, and the 207 00:13:15.559 --> 00:13:19.200 toughness he's running with again, it's kind of like that quarterback, 208 00:13:19.240 --> 00:13:21.440 you know, you just never know what to expect until 209 00:13:21.440 --> 00:13:22.840 they actually get those opportunities. 210 00:13:22.879 --> 00:13:24.919 And he's not a really nice shot. 211 00:13:25.240 --> 00:13:28.159 Of course, the triggerman on the offense, Rock Vandergrift, has 212 00:13:28.240 --> 00:13:31.200 not yet had that super game. He puts some good 213 00:13:31.279 --> 00:13:35.679 numbers together in the rain game against USM, and then 214 00:13:35.720 --> 00:13:39.519 of course ran for his life against South Carolina, played 215 00:13:39.919 --> 00:13:43.000 solid football against Georgia, made that big mistake that cost 216 00:13:43.039 --> 00:13:47.840 the Wildcats three incredibly important points when he tossed one up, 217 00:13:48.200 --> 00:13:53.679 But all things considered, has played solidly, according to ham Dan, 218 00:13:54.200 --> 00:13:56.320 with more room for improvement. Obviously. 219 00:13:56.799 --> 00:13:59.919 I think we know we got extremely tough, accurate player. 220 00:14:00.120 --> 00:14:00.720 We really do. 221 00:14:00.759 --> 00:14:05.279 And I've just been I've been really impressed with not 222 00:14:05.320 --> 00:14:07.639 being too high, not too low. I mean, we think 223 00:14:07.720 --> 00:14:11.159 we all got up, got to rise up, and this 224 00:14:11.360 --> 00:14:14.039 is a quarterback driven system and making things easier on 225 00:14:14.159 --> 00:14:16.399 him and all that. But you know, you look at 226 00:14:16.720 --> 00:14:19.440 you know how he rebounded maybe from that South Carolina 227 00:14:19.519 --> 00:14:22.360 game to play the school he was at previously, and 228 00:14:23.159 --> 00:14:25.320 how bad you want to play well in a game 229 00:14:25.480 --> 00:14:28.360 like that, And he was pretty steady, and I felt 230 00:14:28.399 --> 00:14:30.240 played well enough to go win that football game. 231 00:14:30.320 --> 00:14:32.840 So I think, what we know what we have there 232 00:14:32.919 --> 00:14:33.600 from a from a. 233 00:14:33.519 --> 00:14:37.559 Toughness standpoint, from a person standpoint, never a finished product. 234 00:14:37.639 --> 00:14:39.360 Just got to keep walking one day at a time 235 00:14:39.399 --> 00:14:40.799 and keep taking the next step. 236 00:14:40.960 --> 00:14:44.480 Mentioned earlier, Kentucky's got to match the effort and match 237 00:14:44.559 --> 00:14:48.879 if it possibly can, the emotional levels, the focus, all 238 00:14:48.919 --> 00:14:51.519 of that stuff this week, prepping for all how are 239 00:14:51.519 --> 00:14:54.320 you It's going to be tough, but him Dame was 240 00:14:54.360 --> 00:14:58.559 asked about morale coming in off that close loss to 241 00:14:58.639 --> 00:15:02.240 Georgia and and he pointed out that the Wildcats can 242 00:15:02.279 --> 00:15:06.440 take away from the prep for that game some incredibly 243 00:15:06.440 --> 00:15:09.519 important lessons and make it work this week. 244 00:15:09.879 --> 00:15:12.440 I think the thing we all realized was again the 245 00:15:12.480 --> 00:15:17.879 attention to detail, getting lined up, playing fast, eliminating penalties. 246 00:15:17.919 --> 00:15:20.120 All those things made us drastically better. 247 00:15:20.279 --> 00:15:20.480 You know. 248 00:15:20.600 --> 00:15:23.159 Now, did the scoreboard show it? Absolutely not? 249 00:15:23.360 --> 00:15:23.600 You know? 250 00:15:23.679 --> 00:15:26.279 And so but I think when you go through a 251 00:15:26.279 --> 00:15:28.960 week like we did through South Carolina, where the second 252 00:15:29.000 --> 00:15:32.679 half is just penalties, self inflicted wounds, and then you 253 00:15:32.720 --> 00:15:34.360 go and play then one team in the country and 254 00:15:35.000 --> 00:15:37.039 you play relatively clean and have a chance at the 255 00:15:37.120 --> 00:15:39.960 end to win the football game, I think that is 256 00:15:40.600 --> 00:15:42.720 that practice executioners. 257 00:15:42.000 --> 00:15:42.799 Game day reality. 258 00:15:42.840 --> 00:15:44.799 I think that focus has been turned up and we 259 00:15:44.879 --> 00:15:45.799 got to keep it there. 260 00:15:46.720 --> 00:15:48.720 And that's the challenge. They got to keep it there. 261 00:15:49.519 --> 00:15:52.559 And you know, kids are kids, nineteen year olds or 262 00:15:52.639 --> 00:15:57.879 nineteen year olds, so it's just tough to match the 263 00:15:58.000 --> 00:16:01.879 kind of intensity on a week basis that it takes 264 00:16:01.919 --> 00:16:04.360 to be successful. And you've got a veteran team and 265 00:16:04.399 --> 00:16:08.159 that's going to help. We heard Zion Childress talk about 266 00:16:08.200 --> 00:16:11.840 what it took to bring his team back off that 267 00:16:11.919 --> 00:16:15.799 South Carolina game and give maximum effort against Georgia, and 268 00:16:15.840 --> 00:16:18.639 it's up to the leaders to do it again this week. 269 00:16:19.519 --> 00:16:22.240 Before the break, we talked in our last segment about 270 00:16:22.279 --> 00:16:25.639 Mike Leach, the former Kentucky assistant who of course went 271 00:16:25.679 --> 00:16:28.879 on the Great Things Greater Things with Oklahoma as an 272 00:16:28.919 --> 00:16:33.720 assistant and a head coach, an incredibly popular and funny, controversial, 273 00:16:34.320 --> 00:16:37.080 but it was five years ago yesterday. This got passed 274 00:16:37.080 --> 00:16:39.480 me yesterday as I was putting a show together. But 275 00:16:39.519 --> 00:16:41.960 since we talked about Leach in the first segment, you 276 00:16:42.000 --> 00:16:47.919 might remember this. Somebody at a news conference asked Leach about, 277 00:16:48.080 --> 00:16:51.000 and I'm paraphrasing the question, but what might be the 278 00:16:51.080 --> 00:16:55.519 toughest mascot in what was then the PAC twelve to 279 00:16:55.639 --> 00:16:58.799 do battle against? And at one point, of course, he 280 00:16:58.879 --> 00:17:03.000 talked about the Washington State he was at WSU. He 281 00:17:03.039 --> 00:17:05.480 talked about Butch the Cougar, but he kind of went 282 00:17:05.519 --> 00:17:09.960 through virtually every mascot in the PAC twelve at the time. 283 00:17:10.119 --> 00:17:13.759 I'm gonna say the Wildcats out. Well, first of all, 284 00:17:14.200 --> 00:17:16.440 what kind of mythical powers does the sun devil have? 285 00:17:16.559 --> 00:17:19.279 We've got to consider that. I'm going to say the 286 00:17:19.319 --> 00:17:23.680 Wildcats out. The Trojan is does he have a horse 287 00:17:23.759 --> 00:17:25.359 or is he on foot? Does he have a bow 288 00:17:25.440 --> 00:17:30.480 and arrow or just his sword? The brewin definitely formidable. 289 00:17:30.839 --> 00:17:35.039 Another bear up there, cow the tree. I mengine that 290 00:17:35.119 --> 00:17:38.240 trees can get chopped down unless we're going to go 291 00:17:38.279 --> 00:17:40.799 with the bird, and somebody might get picked or something 292 00:17:40.839 --> 00:17:45.839 I don't know, and then the duck might lose interest 293 00:17:45.920 --> 00:17:48.000 in just fly away and get out of there, which 294 00:17:48.039 --> 00:17:53.279 may be good advice under the circumstances. The husky, no chance. 295 00:17:55.720 --> 00:17:58.920 The beaver, well, we'll see how long that beaver can 296 00:17:58.960 --> 00:18:05.240 hold his breath. The uh the ute again, we're back 297 00:18:05.279 --> 00:18:08.839 to is he on horseback? Does he have a bow 298 00:18:08.880 --> 00:18:11.960 and arrow? Did he trade for a rifle? I mean, 299 00:18:12.279 --> 00:18:14.799 you know, because the that you's got a rifle, there's 300 00:18:14.839 --> 00:18:17.680 some definite problems. You know, you'd have to get one 301 00:18:17.720 --> 00:18:20.039 of those Harry Potter activists to read up on how 302 00:18:20.079 --> 00:18:22.240 you kill a sun devil, because there's a lot of 303 00:18:22.400 --> 00:18:27.960 uh outside stuff there. Just as far as a beast alone, 304 00:18:29.240 --> 00:18:31.519 a buffalo is going to be pretty hard to tangle with. 305 00:18:31.680 --> 00:18:35.920 I mean, a buffalo is utterly outstanding. Well, but butch, 306 00:18:36.000 --> 00:18:39.200 Butch is gonna have to be clear minded and crafty. 307 00:18:39.559 --> 00:18:41.559 I mean, butcher, but you'll find a way, There's no 308 00:18:41.720 --> 00:18:45.759 question the google find a way, uh, clear minded and crafty. 309 00:18:45.759 --> 00:18:48.960 A combination of stay out of arms way and and 310 00:18:49.039 --> 00:18:52.839 uh in attack when you get your your chances or 311 00:18:52.880 --> 00:18:53.599 your openings. 312 00:18:54.640 --> 00:18:57.279 That is the late Great Mike Leitch. Hard to believe 313 00:18:57.359 --> 00:19:01.720 it's been five years since he delivered that monologue to 314 00:19:01.799 --> 00:19:04.400 the assembled media. I'd love to know who asked the question, 315 00:19:05.039 --> 00:19:08.720 and I think it's cool that they were relaxed enough 316 00:19:08.759 --> 00:19:10.680 to be able to ask that question of Leach and 317 00:19:10.759 --> 00:19:13.039 they just got what they got from him as gold 318 00:19:13.079 --> 00:19:17.079 and it usually was coming up next Unforgettable Guard Sewn Woods. 319 00:19:17.079 --> 00:19:19.799 We're gonna talk about coaching, not just basketball, but football 320 00:19:19.839 --> 00:19:23.680 as well. At the top of the hour, UK Louisville Volleyball. 321 00:19:23.680 --> 00:19:25.480 That's all I had here on The Big Blue Sider 322 00:19:25.599 --> 00:19:30.200 six thirty WLAP Welcome back to the Big Blueing Sider 323 00:19:30.319 --> 00:19:33.400 and joining us now as he does every Wednesday, is 324 00:19:33.759 --> 00:19:36.480 the Unforgettable Guard. Sean Woods is Jersey hangs in the 325 00:19:36.599 --> 00:19:40.440 rafters of RUP. We talked primarily about basketball, but Sean 326 00:19:40.480 --> 00:19:43.519 being a coach, we also talk about other sports. Sean, 327 00:19:43.599 --> 00:19:45.559 we talk a lot of football too here on the show. 328 00:19:45.599 --> 00:19:49.359 You're a football fan, You're a UK fan. You've watched 329 00:19:49.359 --> 00:19:52.599 the struggles of this Kentucky football team, and Mark Toops 330 00:19:52.640 --> 00:19:54.920 has really taking a lot of flak right now. People 331 00:19:54.920 --> 00:19:57.920 have kind of turned on him. What are your thoughts 332 00:19:58.559 --> 00:20:01.799 when you see that hear your fan base whether it's 333 00:20:01.839 --> 00:20:05.359 Kentucky brothers. I gotta think as a as a professional coach, 334 00:20:05.400 --> 00:20:07.640 you must just kind of shake your head and rub 335 00:20:07.680 --> 00:20:11.480 your chin a little. Fans will be fans, right, no 336 00:20:11.559 --> 00:20:12.200 doubt about it. 337 00:20:12.319 --> 00:20:19.359 You know, everybody wants to win, and you know it 338 00:20:19.440 --> 00:20:24.160 comes to a point to where you know, there's no understanding. 339 00:20:24.240 --> 00:20:28.039 They just see that whatever is going on in a program, 340 00:20:29.440 --> 00:20:32.559 no matter if it's good, bad, or different, the coach 341 00:20:32.599 --> 00:20:36.599 gets all the credit and that goes with the territory. 342 00:20:36.680 --> 00:20:40.079 That's why coaches make the big bucks. But you know, 343 00:20:40.240 --> 00:20:45.559 it's it's unfortunate. You know, everybody's on stoof right now, 344 00:20:45.599 --> 00:20:48.240 but they should be on the people who actually invited 345 00:20:48.279 --> 00:20:51.000 all these teams to come into the SEC. You know, 346 00:20:52.079 --> 00:20:54.559 that's what they should be be mad at. You know 347 00:20:54.559 --> 00:20:57.640 what I mean, because you know you're asking for something. 348 00:20:57.839 --> 00:21:01.640 You know, Kentucky's never been better than Georgia on a 349 00:21:01.640 --> 00:21:05.319 regular basis. Kentucky's never been better than Tennessee on a 350 00:21:05.359 --> 00:21:08.559 regular basis. Kentucky's never been better than a lot of 351 00:21:08.559 --> 00:21:12.759 these SEC teams. You know, our thing is, you know 352 00:21:13.279 --> 00:21:17.640 it's unfortunate, but it's just reality. You know, Kentucky football, 353 00:21:18.119 --> 00:21:21.240 if you get to a Bowl. You know, you've done 354 00:21:21.240 --> 00:21:24.880 a good job. And Stup's has done that every single year. 355 00:21:24.960 --> 00:21:28.440 That's just like you know, Mike Tomlin at Pittsburgh. You know, 356 00:21:29.039 --> 00:21:31.119 he's had some great years, made to the Super Bowl. 357 00:21:31.119 --> 00:21:33.480 I actually won a couple, but then he's had some 358 00:21:33.480 --> 00:21:36.759 some some average, you know years a lie here lately, 359 00:21:37.200 --> 00:21:39.880 but he's still the coach of Pittsburgh and he still 360 00:21:39.880 --> 00:21:43.039 has the longest tenure in the in the NFL. I 361 00:21:43.079 --> 00:21:45.839 think Stupid is in the same position. You know, Are 362 00:21:45.880 --> 00:21:47.640 we ever gonna win an SEC title? 363 00:21:47.880 --> 00:21:48.079 Yeah? 364 00:21:48.400 --> 00:21:51.440 I don't know. You know that that's a lot. You know, 365 00:21:51.599 --> 00:21:54.880 Kentucky football, Kentucky basketball from a comparison standpoint in the 366 00:21:54.920 --> 00:21:59.160 conference is not the same. It's not you know, all 367 00:21:59.240 --> 00:22:01.880 these other sports. Yeah, we want it to be, no 368 00:22:01.960 --> 00:22:04.720 doubt about it. But you got to be realistic about 369 00:22:04.759 --> 00:22:05.440 a lot of things. 370 00:22:05.440 --> 00:22:05.680 Now. 371 00:22:06.000 --> 00:22:09.039 You know, you got soccer who's never been a major player, 372 00:22:09.079 --> 00:22:11.319 who's a major player now, who's having the best season 373 00:22:11.319 --> 00:22:13.799 in history. You had baseball who went to the World 374 00:22:13.920 --> 00:22:17.119 Series last year. You know, can we consistently do that? 375 00:22:17.400 --> 00:22:20.960 I don't know. Yeah, you know, and I know steps 376 00:22:21.039 --> 00:22:23.880 is kind of you know, because it's hard he's looking 377 00:22:23.920 --> 00:22:27.960 around the rest of the athletic department. Besides basketball, who's 378 00:22:28.039 --> 00:22:31.519 underachieved in the last two years. Everybody else is coming up. 379 00:22:31.720 --> 00:22:33.519 But you know, you got to look at it from 380 00:22:33.559 --> 00:22:38.480 a comparison standpoint. You know what's important at these schools. 381 00:22:39.039 --> 00:22:42.039 You know, basketball is important on the North Carolina. Basketball 382 00:22:42.079 --> 00:22:45.160 is important at Duke. Basketball is important at Kentucky. You 383 00:22:45.200 --> 00:22:48.119 know how important is Kentucky. But football, you know, we 384 00:22:48.200 --> 00:22:50.799 get a lot of fans. We get for an average 385 00:22:50.960 --> 00:22:56.079 SEC team on paper and in history, we still have 386 00:22:56.160 --> 00:23:02.119 a major fan base for college football. And for that, 387 00:23:02.839 --> 00:23:06.920 the more people that are in tune, the more unrealistic 388 00:23:07.000 --> 00:23:10.480 expectations start to take fun because as a coach, when 389 00:23:10.480 --> 00:23:13.960 you come in and you start doing great, expectations rise 390 00:23:14.000 --> 00:23:14.839 through the rooms. 391 00:23:14.880 --> 00:23:18.359 That's right. What you're talking about are standards, and the 392 00:23:18.400 --> 00:23:21.839 standard for Kentucky basketball, which you were a big part, 393 00:23:23.079 --> 00:23:27.240 have been high for a long long time. And so, yeah, 394 00:23:27.279 --> 00:23:30.359 you mentioned underachieving the last couple of years. You know, people, 395 00:23:30.400 --> 00:23:32.519 I've heard some Kentucky fans say, well, you know what 396 00:23:32.640 --> 00:23:34.680 other schools we would celebrate, you know, but yeah, but 397 00:23:34.720 --> 00:23:39.000 you're not another school. You're Kentucky basketball, and it took 398 00:23:39.039 --> 00:23:41.920 a while for to get that way. Stupis has been 399 00:23:41.920 --> 00:23:45.480 there for twelve years. Half of his time. The first 400 00:23:45.519 --> 00:23:50.799 half of his period here, Kentucky struggled below five hundred, 401 00:23:50.960 --> 00:23:53.119