WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.520 --> 00:00:02.560 Welcome to the Big Blue and Cider. Dick Gabriel with 2 00:00:02.600 --> 00:00:06.240 your Thursday edition of our show, One day Closer to 3 00:00:06.360 --> 00:00:09.000 College Football. For the Wildcats, you know this, they take 4 00:00:09.039 --> 00:00:13.480 on the Old Miss Rebels down in Oxford. Noon kickoff, Yeah, 5 00:00:13.519 --> 00:00:16.039 eleven am local, but noon kickoff. That means we're on 6 00:00:16.079 --> 00:00:19.480 the air at ten am with Logan Stenberg, Jeremy Jarman, 7 00:00:19.559 --> 00:00:22.559 and Christy Thomas, and then Tom Leitch, Jeff mccor and 8 00:00:22.559 --> 00:00:25.000 I will have the action for you. It's going to 9 00:00:25.039 --> 00:00:27.239 be a tough one and we're gonna hear from Brad 10 00:00:27.280 --> 00:00:29.719 White here in just a minute, because man, what a 11 00:00:29.839 --> 00:00:32.560 challenge for the Kentucky defense, but a challenge for Old 12 00:00:32.600 --> 00:00:37.840 Miss as well, because the Rebels have stocked their schedule 13 00:00:38.359 --> 00:00:41.359 early with the eminently winnable games and they have been 14 00:00:41.399 --> 00:00:45.280 impressive in doing so. But based on the performances we've 15 00:00:45.320 --> 00:00:48.359 seen the last couple of weeks where the Kentucky defense 16 00:00:48.600 --> 00:00:51.799 was so good against Georgia and the offense of course 17 00:00:51.840 --> 00:00:55.759 comes alive against a weaker Ohio You team, this will 18 00:00:55.799 --> 00:00:58.320 be the best team that Mississippi will have faced. Can 19 00:00:58.399 --> 00:01:01.159 Kentucky hold them off? Well, we're gonna find out. But 20 00:01:01.280 --> 00:01:05.319 keep in mind. Two years ago, Wildcats came back and 21 00:01:05.359 --> 00:01:07.760 turned things around at halftime. You know what happened down 22 00:01:07.799 --> 00:01:10.599 the stretch. They scored to go ahead touchdown but had 23 00:01:10.599 --> 00:01:13.079 it taken off the board, and then a fumble by 24 00:01:13.120 --> 00:01:15.120 Will Levis when the O line broke down. Of course, 25 00:01:15.200 --> 00:01:18.879 Levis was hurt at the time. But this is a 26 00:01:18.920 --> 00:01:22.799 better Ole Miss team. I do believe this Kentucky O 27 00:01:23.000 --> 00:01:27.239 line is better than clearly than that one two years ago. 28 00:01:27.519 --> 00:01:31.319 And some of the guys are the same people, same players, 29 00:01:31.319 --> 00:01:35.439 They're just more experienced and better at their jobs. I 30 00:01:35.480 --> 00:01:38.359 can't say Brock vandergriff is better than Will Levis, but 31 00:01:38.359 --> 00:01:42.120 at least he's healthier than Levis was in that game. 32 00:01:42.280 --> 00:01:44.599 So it's gonna be fun. We'll have it for you 33 00:01:44.680 --> 00:01:48.200 right here on six thirty wlap coming up at the 34 00:01:48.200 --> 00:01:50.640 bottom of the hour. Cameron Mills will join us here 35 00:01:50.640 --> 00:01:53.239 in the garage. Cameron, of course, the two time national 36 00:01:53.319 --> 00:01:58.959 champion and a guy who insists on coming to the garage. 37 00:01:59.519 --> 00:02:01.760 I'd have been on the phone with me once or twice, 38 00:02:01.760 --> 00:02:04.159 like at the last minute, but he didn't live too 39 00:02:04.200 --> 00:02:07.359 far away, and he is right, he goes it'll sound 40 00:02:07.400 --> 00:02:09.800 better if I'm there and he likes doing radio with 41 00:02:09.840 --> 00:02:12.599 me and I with him, so and of course Cameron 42 00:02:12.719 --> 00:02:15.680 is the co host of part of our pregame coverage 43 00:02:15.680 --> 00:02:19.120 for Kentucky basketball on the UK Network. But Cameron has 44 00:02:19.159 --> 00:02:23.680 been going to practice and watching the Wildcats and reporting 45 00:02:23.759 --> 00:02:27.800 via the UK Sports Network social media platforms. So we're 46 00:02:27.800 --> 00:02:31.000 going to get direct first hand reports of what is 47 00:02:31.080 --> 00:02:35.319 going on with Mark Pope, Cameron's former teammate. I think 48 00:02:35.319 --> 00:02:37.360 I said once upon a time that they were roommates. 49 00:02:37.360 --> 00:02:39.840 At one point they were not, but they're good buddies. 50 00:02:40.360 --> 00:02:45.680 And Cameron, of course knows the game and knows how 51 00:02:45.960 --> 00:02:49.840 Mark Pope was taught and trained under Rick Patino, among 52 00:02:49.879 --> 00:02:52.840 other coaches, but he'll be able to tell us what 53 00:02:53.000 --> 00:02:57.560 kind of Patino type qualities that Mark Pope has as 54 00:02:57.560 --> 00:02:59.919 a coach. I'm really curious about this, not that he 55 00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:02.240 he's going to scream and holler the way Patino did, 56 00:03:03.120 --> 00:03:05.599 but just the way he reaches players and what he 57 00:03:05.719 --> 00:03:08.319 teaches and how he teaches it. So that's coming up 58 00:03:08.599 --> 00:03:10.879 at the bottom of the hour. But I do want 59 00:03:10.919 --> 00:03:14.400 to get back to the UK football. Brad White, defensive coordinator, 60 00:03:14.400 --> 00:03:17.039 one of the best in the country, has had trouble 61 00:03:17.080 --> 00:03:20.439 at times with jail break offenses. It of course depends 62 00:03:20.439 --> 00:03:23.879 on his personnel, not just how they execute, but just 63 00:03:23.879 --> 00:03:26.520 how good are they. And he's got some good ones. 64 00:03:26.599 --> 00:03:28.919 That is the strength of this Kentucky team is defense. 65 00:03:29.680 --> 00:03:33.360 And yesterday after practice he talked about the fact that 66 00:03:33.400 --> 00:03:35.000 it's an early game. You got to get up and 67 00:03:35.000 --> 00:03:36.520 at him, and there's a lot to deal with. 68 00:03:36.960 --> 00:03:39.400 You know, the goal is just like we talked about 69 00:03:39.520 --> 00:03:42.360 going into that, you want to go into every game, 70 00:03:42.400 --> 00:03:44.680 but you know, we specifically talked about going to Georgia 71 00:03:44.680 --> 00:03:47.520 game and say just that focused execution all the way 72 00:03:47.560 --> 00:03:50.560 through practice in the meeting rooms, take it out, you know, 73 00:03:50.599 --> 00:03:51.759 on waivering effort. 74 00:03:51.560 --> 00:03:53.960 And take it serious by series. 75 00:03:54.000 --> 00:03:55.680 We did that in Georgia. I thought we did a 76 00:03:55.759 --> 00:03:59.360 nice job sort of carrying that over last week against Ohio. 77 00:03:59.400 --> 00:04:01.759 I need to continue to do that. It's going to 78 00:04:01.800 --> 00:04:04.560 be a tough environment. We were down there two years ago. 79 00:04:04.639 --> 00:04:07.000 We understand. You know, you get up. You know it's 80 00:04:07.000 --> 00:04:11.039 eleven o'clock Central time. You got to get geared up 81 00:04:11.039 --> 00:04:12.120 and ready to rock and roll. 82 00:04:12.520 --> 00:04:14.680 And kids, when he says ready to rock and roll, 83 00:04:14.840 --> 00:04:17.560 just use your urban dictionary and find out exactly what 84 00:04:17.560 --> 00:04:21.360 he means. You probably have a pretty good idea. It 85 00:04:21.439 --> 00:04:24.240 is so tough to prepare for a team like ole 86 00:04:24.319 --> 00:04:26.720 Mester or a team like Tennessee that runs the jail 87 00:04:26.759 --> 00:04:29.759 break and runs it well, because how do you do that. 88 00:04:29.839 --> 00:04:32.120 You can study video all you want, but on the 89 00:04:32.199 --> 00:04:35.319 practice field, of course, that's what the scout team is for, 90 00:04:35.439 --> 00:04:39.000 to run the other team's stuff. And what they do 91 00:04:39.120 --> 00:04:41.319 is they stand in a huddle. Usually what they do 92 00:04:41.439 --> 00:04:43.639 is because I don't get to go to practice unless 93 00:04:43.680 --> 00:04:46.879 I get special permission. But what they'll do, for the 94 00:04:46.920 --> 00:04:49.360 most part most teams is the stand in a huddle 95 00:04:49.639 --> 00:04:51.920 and a GA or somebody will hold up a playbook 96 00:04:52.399 --> 00:04:54.600 in the huddle say, okay, here's the play we're running. 97 00:04:54.920 --> 00:04:57.319 Here's what you need to do, what you need to do. 98 00:04:57.920 --> 00:05:01.319 But the key with old miss simple stuff. They're running, 99 00:05:01.319 --> 00:05:04.000 but they're doing it so fast. They're running to the 100 00:05:04.040 --> 00:05:06.959 line of scrimmage, getting set up and then boom, there 101 00:05:07.000 --> 00:05:10.480 they go again. They test your mental capacity, they test 102 00:05:10.759 --> 00:05:15.759 your conditioning, and there's no scout team in the country 103 00:05:15.959 --> 00:05:20.399 that can replicate that on a given practice day. And 104 00:05:20.439 --> 00:05:22.040 that's that's part of the big challenge. 105 00:05:22.160 --> 00:05:24.920 Yeah, it's impossible to simulate it. You know, you just 106 00:05:24.959 --> 00:05:28.079 try to do the best you can to to try 107 00:05:28.079 --> 00:05:30.639 to get as many quality reps in as you can. 108 00:05:30.720 --> 00:05:34.920 But you know, it's I mean, it's it's hard for 109 00:05:36.199 --> 00:05:39.639 anybody in the country to simulate, you know, what they do, 110 00:05:40.040 --> 00:05:42.600 and especially at the efficiency that they do it at. 111 00:05:42.720 --> 00:05:45.560 I mean they've got you know, eight seniors, two juniors, 112 00:05:45.560 --> 00:05:47.199 you know, guys that have been in the system for 113 00:05:47.279 --> 00:05:51.360 a long time. They understand how to operate, they understand, 114 00:05:51.720 --> 00:05:53.800 you know, what they're trying to get done on each 115 00:05:53.839 --> 00:05:58.839 play call, and so then to add the pace on 116 00:05:59.000 --> 00:06:02.480 top of it is why they're so effective and efficient, 117 00:06:02.560 --> 00:06:06.240 and they're going to give you know, anybody they face 118 00:06:06.319 --> 00:06:07.680 all kinds problem. 119 00:06:07.879 --> 00:06:10.000 And not only do they have talented players, they have 120 00:06:10.079 --> 00:06:13.600 talented experienced players. So it's going to be a heck 121 00:06:13.639 --> 00:06:15.319 of a challenge and you'll hear it right here on 122 00:06:15.360 --> 00:06:19.240 six thirty WLAP. Reds lose to the Indians last night. 123 00:06:19.319 --> 00:06:21.199 No shocker there, and of course they have fired their 124 00:06:21.240 --> 00:06:26.199 manager have the Reds. Last night's game, though not without controversy. 125 00:06:27.279 --> 00:06:30.879 Guardians starter Tim Herron had a perfect game, going not 126 00:06:31.000 --> 00:06:34.079 just a no hitter, but a perfect game and Tim 127 00:06:34.120 --> 00:06:37.199 Friedel decided, in a two nothing ballgame, still a game, 128 00:06:37.800 --> 00:06:39.560 that he had to get on base, and so here's 129 00:06:39.560 --> 00:06:43.519 what he did. Here is Indians TV call of the play. 130 00:06:45.160 --> 00:06:49.040 Little pun attempt, Aaron grabs it, fires it not in time, 131 00:06:49.079 --> 00:06:50.680 and that'll be the first hit of the night. 132 00:06:50.720 --> 00:06:53.519 And listen to the booze. 133 00:06:53.240 --> 00:06:56.560 An all two typical call TV announcer telling you exactly 134 00:06:56.600 --> 00:06:59.639 what you're seeing. It drives me nuts. But that's a 135 00:06:59.639 --> 00:07:02.959 different topic. Now here's John Sadok in the reds Net. 136 00:07:03.000 --> 00:07:05.399 We're calling it the way a TV announcer should call it, 137 00:07:05.639 --> 00:07:09.800 just basically supplementing what happens, but also with the comment 138 00:07:10.199 --> 00:07:12.560 from his color commentator about the fact that it's a 139 00:07:12.639 --> 00:07:13.319 legit play. 140 00:07:13.720 --> 00:07:19.959 Here's Tim Herron fun try Aaron flip is late and 141 00:07:20.120 --> 00:07:24.199 the perfecto spoiled on a bug base hit by TJ. Friedel, 142 00:07:25.079 --> 00:07:27.480 go ahead and boom, it's still a game. It's two nothing. 143 00:07:27.959 --> 00:07:30.480 I love this play. Freedom is the one guy on 144 00:07:30.600 --> 00:07:34.680 this robster that'll use it from time to time. Yeah, 145 00:07:34.680 --> 00:07:37.120 they were booing, but as he said, look, it's a 146 00:07:37.240 --> 00:07:39.480 it's a ball game. If it's seven or eight nothing 147 00:07:39.560 --> 00:07:42.120 or whatever, and it's late eighth or ninth inning. I 148 00:07:42.240 --> 00:07:45.600 get it. You know, that's baseball protocol says you don't 149 00:07:45.680 --> 00:07:47.639 lay down a bun at that stage. And some of 150 00:07:47.680 --> 00:07:50.879 you think that the unwritten rules of baseball are stupid. 151 00:07:50.959 --> 00:07:53.079 But here's a guy in the seventh inning in a game, 152 00:07:53.199 --> 00:07:56.879 still trying, you know. I mean, yeah, their season's been 153 00:07:57.040 --> 00:08:01.600 cooked for a long time, but you try. You got 154 00:08:01.639 --> 00:08:03.800 to get out there and give effort. And then Friedo 155 00:08:03.879 --> 00:08:06.319 is one of those players. So the fact that they 156 00:08:06.360 --> 00:08:10.800 were booing about that is ridiculous. What was funny not ridiculous, 157 00:08:10.920 --> 00:08:13.480 I guess it should is to be expected, but come on. 158 00:08:14.279 --> 00:08:16.800 What was also funny was White Sox fans last night 159 00:08:16.839 --> 00:08:19.360 booed because their team won. They beat the Angels three 160 00:08:19.399 --> 00:08:23.040 to two and avoided a record setting loss. Fans wanted 161 00:08:23.079 --> 00:08:26.720 to be there, but it didn't happen, and when they won, 162 00:08:27.560 --> 00:08:32.200 fans booed up. Next controversy with UNLV football takes another 163 00:08:32.320 --> 00:08:37.679 step forward or backward here on six thirty WLAP Welcome 164 00:08:37.679 --> 00:08:39.720 back to the Big Blue Insider. Coming up at the 165 00:08:39.720 --> 00:08:42.039 bottom of the hour just a few minutes, Cameron Mills 166 00:08:42.480 --> 00:08:45.000 will join us here in the garage, and as it 167 00:08:45.080 --> 00:08:48.480 often happens, he will basically fill the rest of the show. 168 00:08:48.639 --> 00:08:51.240 So that's why we talked a lot of football in 169 00:08:51.320 --> 00:08:53.600 segment one, because there's going to be a lot of 170 00:08:53.600 --> 00:08:56.200 basketball chatter from the bottom of the hour on not 171 00:08:56.279 --> 00:08:58.799 giving up on the football season. But Cameron has actually 172 00:08:59.240 --> 00:09:02.879 been to practice, so now I don't need to talk 173 00:09:03.000 --> 00:09:06.279 and speculate about what we might see and who might 174 00:09:06.320 --> 00:09:08.720 be doing what and what Mark Pope might be doing 175 00:09:09.039 --> 00:09:11.559 in practice. I've got an eyewitness and you do too, 176 00:09:11.639 --> 00:09:15.559 because you can see Cameron's practice reports on social media. 177 00:09:15.679 --> 00:09:18.840 Just follow the UK Sports Network and his practice reports 178 00:09:18.879 --> 00:09:22.639 will pop up from time to time. There is a 179 00:09:22.639 --> 00:09:26.840 little more football to talk about, and yesterday I mentioned 180 00:09:27.120 --> 00:09:31.879 the UNLV story where their quarterback, the Rebels quarterback Matthew Sluka, 181 00:09:32.919 --> 00:09:35.320 announced he was not going to play in any more 182 00:09:35.399 --> 00:09:40.159 games this season, citing missed opportunities, and we'll come back 183 00:09:40.200 --> 00:09:44.320 to that. But now they've lost another player, running back 184 00:09:44.360 --> 00:09:50.360 Michael Allen, who transferred in from NC State and he 185 00:09:50.519 --> 00:09:54.600 is leaving. He released on Twitter that he would not 186 00:09:54.679 --> 00:09:56.919 be playing any more games, and the reason is, of course, 187 00:09:56.960 --> 00:10:00.279 you can protect your red shirt year after three game, 188 00:10:00.320 --> 00:10:04.320 you can play up to four games. So he said 189 00:10:04.440 --> 00:10:09.000 I'm done, thank you and all that stuff. Looking for opportunities, 190 00:10:09.519 --> 00:10:13.600 but he said opportunities, unfortunately were not met. I'm excited 191 00:10:13.639 --> 00:10:17.000 to continue my footballer. But he also said this has 192 00:10:17.120 --> 00:10:20.679 nothing to do with money. This is nothing. He said, 193 00:10:20.679 --> 00:10:24.600 I did not receive a dime from any UNLV collective. 194 00:10:25.519 --> 00:10:28.360 But by that he met this isn't money related. This 195 00:10:28.440 --> 00:10:32.720 is about playing time. And this probably has happened before, 196 00:10:33.200 --> 00:10:35.200 but you know, I haven't been really paying that much 197 00:10:35.200 --> 00:10:38.200 attention to it at other schools. This has not yet 198 00:10:38.240 --> 00:10:43.360 happened at Kentucky, where somebody comes in, doesn't get to 199 00:10:43.360 --> 00:10:46.799 play the way he wants and leaves before he burns 200 00:10:46.799 --> 00:10:50.600 the red shirt or the red shirt potential. This guy, 201 00:10:50.679 --> 00:10:53.279 he's a junior. In the first game of the year, 202 00:10:53.320 --> 00:10:56.600 ten carries for sixty five yards, but in each of 203 00:10:56.639 --> 00:11:00.240 the next two games one carry for three yards in 204 00:11:00.279 --> 00:11:05.879 a win over Kansas last week. So apparently he was 205 00:11:05.919 --> 00:11:09.879 in their plans and then no longer in their plans. 206 00:11:10.240 --> 00:11:12.440 But it had nothing to do with money the way 207 00:11:12.480 --> 00:11:16.000 Sluka's deal allegedly did. This is a guy what a 208 00:11:16.000 --> 00:11:19.240 big year's big career really At holy Cross, he was 209 00:11:19.279 --> 00:11:22.759 an FCS third team All American in twenty twenty three, 210 00:11:22.879 --> 00:11:30.080 transferred to UNLV and then announces quite publicly that he 211 00:11:30.559 --> 00:11:33.159 essentially reading between the lines, is not getting the money 212 00:11:33.519 --> 00:11:36.799 he was promised, and as we reported yesterday, his family 213 00:11:36.840 --> 00:11:40.559 has hired an agent. This guy named Marcus Cruelmarty told 214 00:11:40.799 --> 00:11:45.159 ESPN Unov did not come through a verbal offer of 215 00:11:45.240 --> 00:11:51.039 one hundred thousand dollars from an assistant coach. Now, the 216 00:11:51.120 --> 00:11:55.000 kid's father says that head coach Barry otom later told 217 00:11:55.039 --> 00:11:58.720 him in a phone conversation the offer wasn't valid because it 218 00:11:58.759 --> 00:12:04.039 didn't come from him, but rather from offensive coordinator Brennan Marion, 219 00:12:04.679 --> 00:12:09.639 who wouldn't talk to ESPN. And UNLV said that sluca's 220 00:12:09.679 --> 00:12:14.399 representative made financial demands upon the university and it's nil 221 00:12:14.440 --> 00:12:18.320 collective in order to continue playing. Here's the thing. Schools 222 00:12:18.360 --> 00:12:22.000 can't make big money offers. I know it's a technicality, 223 00:12:22.039 --> 00:12:25.480 but it's got to come from a collective that is 224 00:12:25.600 --> 00:12:29.559 not owned and operated by the school. Why that's the 225 00:12:29.639 --> 00:12:32.720 rule they set up. You might think that that's petty 226 00:12:32.879 --> 00:12:36.919 or whatever, but of the few guardrails that are out there, 227 00:12:37.039 --> 00:12:41.480 that's the big one. And UNLV said in a statement 228 00:12:41.879 --> 00:12:45.159 that the school interpreted demands from the agent as a 229 00:12:45.279 --> 00:12:48.440 violation of the NCAA pay for play rules. Of course, 230 00:12:48.480 --> 00:12:51.360 this is what it is, but also a violation, it 231 00:12:51.440 --> 00:12:56.559 said of Nevada state law. Said UNLV does not engage 232 00:12:56.600 --> 00:12:59.879 in such activity, nor does its respond to implied threats. 233 00:13:00.720 --> 00:13:04.879 UNLV has honored all previously agreed upon scholarships for Matthew 234 00:13:04.919 --> 00:13:07.879 Sluga goes on to talk about due diligence, working within 235 00:13:07.919 --> 00:13:11.519 the framework at the NCAA and all that. But what's 236 00:13:11.559 --> 00:13:17.240 troubling if you're UNLV is that Barry Odom allegedly said, oh, 237 00:13:17.279 --> 00:13:19.200 the offer didn't come from me, came from an assistant, 238 00:13:19.240 --> 00:13:21.279 as though to say, if it came from me, the 239 00:13:21.279 --> 00:13:24.440 offer would be valid. And Shawn Woods and I were 240 00:13:24.440 --> 00:13:26.759 talking about this yesterday on the show and Sean as 241 00:13:26.799 --> 00:13:31.600 Sean pointed out, if it's verbal doesn't mean anything. I 242 00:13:31.600 --> 00:13:34.159 mean it should in terms of are you going to 243 00:13:34.240 --> 00:13:38.120 honor what you said to the guy? But legally no, no, 244 00:13:38.759 --> 00:13:42.600 if it's not in writing, it's not happening. So what 245 00:13:42.720 --> 00:13:46.440 a mess at UNLV, which, by the way, decided to 246 00:13:46.480 --> 00:13:49.759 remain in the Mountain West Conference after it negotiated a 247 00:13:49.840 --> 00:13:53.120 re signing bonus with the league they were getting interested in. 248 00:13:53.200 --> 00:13:57.039 The PAC twelve. Air Force made the same decision, signing 249 00:13:57.080 --> 00:13:59.679 bonus staying in the Mountain West. Air Force had been 250 00:13:59.679 --> 00:14:04.159 speaking with the AAC, but they're going to remain in 251 00:14:04.200 --> 00:14:08.240 the Mountain West. So the PAC twelve trying to stay alive. 252 00:14:09.000 --> 00:14:11.480 Biggest game of the country this weekend is of course 253 00:14:11.519 --> 00:14:13.799 in the SEC. We'll say that a lot this season 254 00:14:14.440 --> 00:14:18.559 and for years to come. But it's Alabama Georgia, and 255 00:14:18.600 --> 00:14:21.159 it's not Kirby Smart against Nick Saban, but it's against 256 00:14:21.159 --> 00:14:25.559 the legacy of Nick Saban. But Kirby Smart is now 257 00:14:25.600 --> 00:14:29.320 the man in the SEC. I know Mark Stoops is 258 00:14:29.399 --> 00:14:34.600 the Dean, but in terms of accomplishments, Kirby Smart is 259 00:14:34.879 --> 00:14:38.840 the man. And I always think back to a conversation 260 00:14:38.919 --> 00:14:42.639 I have with Chris Hatcher, the former Kentucky assistant coach 261 00:14:43.080 --> 00:14:46.879 now the head coach at Samford down in Birmingham. But 262 00:14:47.080 --> 00:14:51.080 Chris went from here to Valdosta State, became the head 263 00:14:51.120 --> 00:14:56.240 coach at Valdosta State, and at one point Kirby Smart 264 00:14:56.559 --> 00:15:00.679 was first his defensive backs coach, then his defensive cord 265 00:15:01.399 --> 00:15:04.440 and he also Chris also had an assistant by the 266 00:15:04.519 --> 00:15:08.000 name of Will Muschamp, who went on to head up 267 00:15:08.039 --> 00:15:12.039 a couple of SEC football programs. He's an assistant coach now, 268 00:15:12.639 --> 00:15:14.600 but remember he was the head coach at Florida and 269 00:15:14.639 --> 00:15:18.679 in South Carolina. But Kirby went from Valdosta's well, started 270 00:15:18.720 --> 00:15:23.320 at Georgia, where he played a defensive back of course, 271 00:15:23.879 --> 00:15:26.639 picked off Tim Couch once by a time, but was 272 00:15:26.679 --> 00:15:31.360 a administrative assistant at Georgia, then Valdosta, GA at Florida State, 273 00:15:32.399 --> 00:15:36.799 then LSU defensive backs at Georgia and five E coach 274 00:15:36.919 --> 00:15:40.559 running backs. Left with Saban, went to or went with 275 00:15:40.639 --> 00:15:46.080 Saban to Miami and coached the secondary there. Then left 276 00:15:46.120 --> 00:15:50.600 with Saban, came to Alabama as the assistant head coach 277 00:15:50.720 --> 00:15:55.399 DB's and added the decoordinator title in twenty eight and 278 00:15:55.480 --> 00:15:59.120 after the twenty fifteen season headed for Georgia, where he 279 00:15:59.159 --> 00:16:03.600 has won ninety seven games, ninety seven and sixteen, looking 280 00:16:03.600 --> 00:16:07.600 to make it ninety eight Saturday Night against Alabama. Of course, 281 00:16:07.639 --> 00:16:12.480 those two national championships, along with two SEC titles and 282 00:16:12.559 --> 00:16:15.919 six East Division titles, and at least for the time being, 283 00:16:16.639 --> 00:16:19.679 that's gonna do it for the East again. I was 284 00:16:19.720 --> 00:16:23.159 opposed to that, not that anybody Cares in the SEC 285 00:16:23.200 --> 00:16:26.200 office what I think. But I did like the fact 286 00:16:26.240 --> 00:16:30.399 that Kentucky had a better shot of getting to Atlanta 287 00:16:30.440 --> 00:16:34.159 for the SEC title game when there were divisions in play. 288 00:16:34.240 --> 00:16:39.639 I understand the scheduling challenges, but just selfishly wanting to cover. 289 00:16:39.720 --> 00:16:43.720 And I've been again. I've been to fifteen SEC Football 290 00:16:43.799 --> 00:16:46.639 Championship games when I was with the SEC radio network. 291 00:16:47.240 --> 00:16:52.480 I so want that for Kentucky fans, coaches, players, the program. 292 00:16:52.720 --> 00:16:56.720 It's so much fun and it's gonna be so much 293 00:16:56.759 --> 00:17:00.519 harder to do now. Not impossible, but really tough to 294 00:17:00.519 --> 00:17:03.840 do now. So yeah, Kirby Smart with a big opportunity 295 00:17:04.920 --> 00:17:09.759 this weekend against Alabama, and conversely Alabama, same thing, Kalen 296 00:17:09.799 --> 00:17:12.200 de Boor. This would be huge if his team can 297 00:17:12.240 --> 00:17:16.119 pull things off. So it's gonna be fun, all right. 298 00:17:16.119 --> 00:17:18.279 When we come back, Cameron Mills will join us here 299 00:17:18.279 --> 00:17:19.960 in the garage and we're gonna talk a lot of 300 00:17:20.000 --> 00:17:22.759 Kentucky basketball, but you and I are going to learn 301 00:17:22.799 --> 00:17:26.000 a lot about what's going on in practice, how Mark 302 00:17:26.039 --> 00:17:30.200 Pope is coaching, and what kind of basketball that we 303 00:17:30.279 --> 00:17:34.000 will all see coming up very shortly. That's next year 304 00:17:34.039 --> 00:17:37.519 on the Big Moon Sider six thirty WLAP welcome back, 305 00:17:37.599 --> 00:17:39.440 joining us in the garage as he does every once 306 00:17:39.519 --> 00:17:41.599 in a while. He's a very busy man. Cameron Mills 307 00:17:41.599 --> 00:17:46.000 with us, of course, a two time national champion and 308 00:17:46.319 --> 00:17:49.880 former host of his own radio show. Do you miss that? 309 00:17:50.599 --> 00:17:53.119 I know you don't miss the stress? No, and you 310 00:17:53.240 --> 00:17:55.279 made it too more difficult than it needed to be. 311 00:17:57.079 --> 00:17:59.680 I didn't know what I was doing you in seven years. 312 00:18:00.079 --> 00:18:02.319 In years, well, I eventually learned what I was doing, 313 00:18:02.559 --> 00:18:04.960 but I never got over the stress of And here's 314 00:18:04.960 --> 00:18:07.839 the thing, this is this show. Now, that's what I 315 00:18:07.839 --> 00:18:09.359 think about you and you and I know that Tony 316 00:18:09.400 --> 00:18:12.000 corneyser joke of anybody can do a show on Monday, 317 00:18:12.200 --> 00:18:17.279 what's your Thursday show? What's your Thursday show? Thursday? What's 318 00:18:17.279 --> 00:18:20.960 your Thursday show? You bring on has been's? Oh no, no, 319 00:18:21.119 --> 00:18:21.839 I don't miss. 320 00:18:21.680 --> 00:18:24.319 Your terribly relevant now we'll get to that in a moment. 321 00:18:24.400 --> 00:18:26.920 I do miss I do. Yeah, I get to go 322 00:18:27.000 --> 00:18:30.440 to practice a lot. I do miss the guys I 323 00:18:30.519 --> 00:18:33.200 did the show with. I miss hanging out with them 324 00:18:33.240 --> 00:18:35.759 because the show. As you and I've talked about so 325 00:18:35.799 --> 00:18:39.400 many times, we both like sports, and I would say 326 00:18:39.400 --> 00:18:42.960 we both love sports but we don't, and I don't 327 00:18:42.960 --> 00:18:44.920 think we If we had our drouthers, we would do 328 00:18:45.039 --> 00:18:48.400 much more than just sports, because there's so much stuff 329 00:18:48.559 --> 00:18:50.920 like Shorsy that you and I want to talk about, 330 00:18:50.960 --> 00:18:53.079 like letter like letter Kitty, that you and I want 331 00:18:53.119 --> 00:18:57.200 to talk about. So that's what I tried, because that's 332 00:18:57.200 --> 00:18:58.880 what I turned my show into. Look if I had 333 00:18:58.880 --> 00:19:01.079 my brothers when I did my show, i'd barely talk 334 00:19:01.119 --> 00:19:04.039 to UK sports. But as I was reminded by my 335 00:19:04.880 --> 00:19:09.680 staff of interns, Cameron, nobody cares what you think about Seinfeld. 336 00:19:09.400 --> 00:19:11.960 Nobody wants to hear anything other than UK stuff. And 337 00:19:11.960 --> 00:19:14.000 I'm like, all right. So we did an hour UK 338 00:19:14.079 --> 00:19:16.640 stuff and then second hour was what I thoroughly enjoyed. 339 00:19:17.319 --> 00:19:20.240 But the planning man the planning and I did it 340 00:19:20.279 --> 00:19:22.839 one day a week and it was on Sunday. And Susan, 341 00:19:22.880 --> 00:19:26.920 my wife, she was like, sweetie, you're just gone on Sunday. 342 00:19:26.920 --> 00:19:27.880 And I said, what do you mean, I'm right here 343 00:19:27.880 --> 00:19:30.079 in the house. She goes, mentally, you're not here because 344 00:19:30.119 --> 00:19:33.000 you're either stressing or planning, and you're just not here. 345 00:19:33.519 --> 00:19:35.599 And so it was at that point where because you know, 346 00:19:35.599 --> 00:19:37.960 this the reason I did the show was to get 347 00:19:37.960 --> 00:19:41.279 my ten thousand hours right. We've had this conversation. Don't 348 00:19:41.279 --> 00:19:44.480 give me a blank look. Basically, get the practice of hosting, 349 00:19:45.319 --> 00:19:47.839 getting in and out of breaks so that I would 350 00:19:47.920 --> 00:19:50.039 have the background of hopefully getting the job that I 351 00:19:50.079 --> 00:19:52.759 now have and being comfortable with the job. 352 00:19:52.599 --> 00:19:54.400 That I neronically enough, you don't have to get in 353 00:19:54.400 --> 00:19:54.759 and out of. 354 00:19:54.759 --> 00:19:56.319 Break No, I don't know. I've got to. I've got to. 355 00:19:56.359 --> 00:19:58.519 I've got a co host who does that for me. So, 356 00:19:59.039 --> 00:20:01.200 but I still will feel much more comfortable on that 357 00:20:01.200 --> 00:20:02.400 show than I would have if I had not had 358 00:20:02.440 --> 00:20:03.599 seven years of hosting a show. 359 00:20:03.680 --> 00:20:06.599 Yeah, no, I get that. Uh No, I can obviously 360 00:20:06.599 --> 00:20:09.319 empathize because I'm always wondering. You know who can I get? 361 00:20:09.920 --> 00:20:12.680 Uh? Surprises me. I've not been called in a while. 362 00:20:12.839 --> 00:20:14.640 You know, well, I know you're a busy man. I'm 363 00:20:14.640 --> 00:20:15.279 always good. 364 00:20:15.160 --> 00:20:17.440 For I'm always good for an hour of just talking. 365 00:20:17.880 --> 00:20:19.960 Just I mean, look, I'm at home talking. As my 366 00:20:19.960 --> 00:20:22.119 wife said to me recently, you've got the knack of 367 00:20:22.160 --> 00:20:27.200 turning a ten second conversation into a ten minute one. Well, 368 00:20:27.240 --> 00:20:29.559 and the way I took it as I took it 369 00:20:29.559 --> 00:20:31.799 as a compliment. I'm like that sounds like my stories 370 00:20:31.799 --> 00:20:34.000 are interesting, and she was like, no, this is not 371 00:20:34.079 --> 00:20:34.920 this is not a compliment. 372 00:20:34.920 --> 00:20:37.240 Sweet. I've been told my better half that I talk 373 00:20:37.319 --> 00:20:40.319 too much. So uh yeah, my job and they get 374 00:20:40.359 --> 00:20:41.480 it for free, that's the thing. 375 00:20:41.559 --> 00:20:45.400 Yeah, they get the round the dinner table TV. We 376 00:20:45.519 --> 00:20:48.119 just I do. I've caught myself so many times, especially 377 00:20:48.160 --> 00:20:50.839 since I've been married last four years, of just like 378 00:20:50.920 --> 00:20:52.559 I'll talk and talk and I'll get up on a 379 00:20:52.599 --> 00:20:54.720 tangent and then I'll say, what were we What was 380 00:20:54.720 --> 00:20:56.839 I telling you about? And she'd look at me, she goes, 381 00:20:57.079 --> 00:20:58.839 I have no idea. I stopped listening ten minutes ago. 382 00:20:58.880 --> 00:21:01.799 It's like the opposite of what I hear most marriages, alike. 383 00:21:02.079 --> 00:21:04.640 Usually it's the man tunes out the woman. Now this 384 00:21:04.680 --> 00:21:06.279 is the woman that tunes out the man in my. 385 00:21:06.640 --> 00:21:09.400 Life, and the standard responses. 386 00:21:10.000 --> 00:21:11.559 I don't know, I didn't know you were talking. 387 00:21:11.559 --> 00:21:15.759 To be honest, Well, whenever you and I are together, 388 00:21:15.799 --> 00:21:18.720 we get off on tangents like let me hold you 389 00:21:20.119 --> 00:21:23.839 on the first topic. You have a project going now 390 00:21:23.839 --> 00:21:28.240 with the UK Sports Network where you were basically reporting 391 00:21:28.279 --> 00:21:33.799 on practice the and it hits social media Wednesday Thursday. 392 00:21:33.599 --> 00:21:36.720 Well, so what it is is it's UK Healthcare sponsors it. 393 00:21:37.319 --> 00:21:39.119 I didn't set it up. It was set up by JMI, 394 00:21:39.920 --> 00:21:44.240 who of course is the UK Sports Network. And I 395 00:21:44.400 --> 00:21:46.799 was asked because and we started doing this a little 396 00:21:46.799 --> 00:21:50.000 bit last year. But of course when and look, this 397 00:21:50.039 --> 00:21:52.279 isn't a shot at cal caw wasn't my coach and 398 00:21:52.359 --> 00:21:54.880 cal bing cal as every coach should be. And I 399 00:21:54.920 --> 00:21:57.599 get this. They're leary about who comes to their practice. 400 00:21:57.640 --> 00:22:00.079 They're leary about what is said about what goes on 401 00:22:00.119 --> 00:22:02.640