Speaker 1: Hello, already to the facilities of the iHeartMedia Megaplex. This
Speaker 1: is Dick Gabriel. This is the inaugural state wide edition
Speaker 1: of The Big Blue Insider, Aaron Gershawan and Billy Rutledge
Speaker 1: alongside the kick off the Kentucky football season. It is
Speaker 1: going to be one like no other. You already know why.
Speaker 1: You've already heard Mark Stoops talking about it, and Logan Stenberg,
Speaker 1: Christy Thomas, Keith Farmer, Darren Hedrick and we will chop
Speaker 1: it up as well coming up here on the state
Speaker 1: wide edition of the BBI Border to Border. It is
Speaker 1: the Big Blue Insider. Dick Gabriel, Aeron Gershaw and Billy Rutliss.
Speaker 1: We got the band back together. I missed a few
Speaker 1: weeks last year. I had a good excuse, got a
Speaker 1: visit from doctor Bonesaw, but Billy and Aaron held things down.
Speaker 1: But we finished. We finished the year strong and we
Speaker 1: expect to get out early this year. Let me throw
Speaker 1: this at both of you and Aaron. You were at
Speaker 1: the news conference today and Billy you listened to sound
Speaker 1: bites from the Stoops press conference, and of course he
Speaker 1: was on tonight with Tom Leach. Somebody asked stoops today
Speaker 1: about all the excitement surrounding the team this year, And
Speaker 1: I got to be honest with you, I think Kentucky
Speaker 1: fans are kind of holding a lot of that in
Speaker 1: the bands right now, Aaron. I think they're just it's
Speaker 1: a real wait and see. Not only back to back
Speaker 1: seven and six seasons, which, believe it or not, in
Speaker 1: the big plaination now was disappointing, but also there's just
Speaker 1: there's just so many unknowns, starting with the schedule and
Speaker 1: the QB and the new OC and all that stuff.
Speaker 1: You get talking to your mic, it's right over.
Speaker 2: There with a turnover here, little rusty, aren't you the producer?
Speaker 2: Little rusty on me?
Speaker 3: Sure?
Speaker 2: Just used to podcasting at home and not just talking
Speaker 2: to the headphones. Sorry about that, but I would say, yeah,
Speaker 2: I think it's the schedule. I mean, you're gonna know
Speaker 2: kind of the trajectory of this season in three weeks, right,
Speaker 2: if they lose the South Carolina, Oh boy, if then
Speaker 2: it's too late, Yeah, it's already probably.
Speaker 1: Oh it's great.
Speaker 2: It might be over next week if they lose, But
Speaker 2: besides the point, now we'll see what happens. But if
Speaker 2: they go too and one play Georgia pretty tight. You
Speaker 2: feel pretty good. The fans are back in it. If
Speaker 2: you somehow start three and oh, the fans are all
Speaker 2: the way in it. You start two and one, lousy
Speaker 2: win over South Carolina like close game, we'll wait more,
Speaker 2: wait and see. So I think it's really the schedule,
Speaker 2: And like you said, two seven and six seasons, which
Speaker 2: would have been celebrated this time six seven years ago,
Speaker 2: that's just now. The fan base expects more and it
Speaker 2: is a wait and see mode, and there's a lot
Speaker 2: of new pieces. A lot of people just don't know
Speaker 2: what to expect, honestly.
Speaker 4: Yeah, and piggybacking on that, I don't know what to
Speaker 4: expect from Brock Vandergriff. I heard he doesn't cuss. I
Speaker 4: heard he has a cell phone clip that he wears
Speaker 4: and he likes to shoot deer. Besides that, I don't
Speaker 4: know much about the guy.
Speaker 1: Oh, those pluses are minus well, I.
Speaker 3: Think summer pluses.
Speaker 4: I couldn't pull off the cell phone clips, so yeah,
Speaker 4: it more power to him. I also don't know who's
Speaker 4: going to be playing a lot of running back.
Speaker 3: I guess it's d DSK DKs, one of those two there.
Speaker 4: Yeah, and He's been serviceable in the past, but you've
Speaker 4: expected Chip train him to be there, and now he's
Speaker 4: got a broken hand. And if he misses that South
Speaker 4: Carolina game, kind of like Aaron said, you lose that game,
Speaker 4: the trajectory of the season really changes. So, you know,
Speaker 4: cautiously optimistic is the term I've used a couple of
Speaker 4: times now. But you know, I think people are in
Speaker 4: Kentucky are still excited to get this thing going.
Speaker 3: And plus they're going to see.
Speaker 4: Those new lights on that night game versus Southern miss
Speaker 4: and that's going to bring even more excitement.
Speaker 1: Yeah. And I think that people who follow this program
Speaker 1: for so long they know now that it's okay to
Speaker 1: get excited because they have a right to get excited.
Speaker 1: You know, even if their team only wins seven. I
Speaker 1: think eight games, eight wins is a great season this year.
Speaker 2: Nine eight is a great season.
Speaker 1: Nine you're flirting with the playoffs, yes, right, yes, ending
Speaker 1: on your nine depending on your wins.
Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly, and assuming that everyone stacks up how they're
Speaker 2: supposed to.
Speaker 1: I got a chance to go to the scrimmage two
Speaker 1: saturdays back, and then the agreement is you don't report
Speaker 1: on what you see but all I will say about
Speaker 1: Demi Sumacarmby is just having seen him there and in
Speaker 1: the pub a practice where you were aaron, get him
Speaker 1: in space, you're gonna like what you see. Yeah, because
Speaker 1: he is fast, he's nimble, he's a good broken field
Speaker 1: and open field runner. He's not chip training, but that's
Speaker 1: why they went in and got chip trained.
Speaker 2: And when they used you know, when NC State used
Speaker 2: Simil Karmbay is a traditional back in twenty two average
Speaker 2: five and a half yards from marry and a couple
Speaker 2: of yards after contact. So you know, the hope is
Speaker 2: he can discover that last year Mark Stoops either I
Speaker 2: think he said on the radio show, like last year
Speaker 2: they were they were the numbers that wide receiver weren't
Speaker 2: there and they needed help there, so they put them
Speaker 2: in the slot. This year, numbers at running back aren't there,
Speaker 2: so he's gonna be playing his natural position.
Speaker 4: Here's another thing I don't know, another offensive coordinator, is
Speaker 4: this the sixth the one under Mark Stoops?
Speaker 3: Are they going to continue to run the ball to.
Speaker 5: Do so much?
Speaker 2: Or four and four years technically?
Speaker 1: Right? Yeah?
Speaker 4: Four and four years if you counting him twice, right,
Speaker 4: I would definitely count it.
Speaker 3: So as much as we.
Speaker 4: Talked about Stoops being the elder statesman and a symbol
Speaker 4: of continuity in the SEC, you also have some issues there.
Speaker 4: Eighth receivers coach, eighth receivers coach, something like that. Brad White,
Speaker 4: I think took some heat at the end of the
Speaker 4: year for the way that they played defense.
Speaker 3: But they've also death second.
Speaker 4: Yeah, so we'll see, I mean, we'll see if these
Speaker 4: guys have changed or if we're going to see the
Speaker 4: same old Kentucky back out there again.
Speaker 3: And I don't want to see another seven and sixth season.
Speaker 1: Well who does well?
Speaker 3: I think some things well.
Speaker 4: Some people say that that used to be good for Kentucky.
Speaker 1: Did not trust me, look at me, look look at
Speaker 1: this gray hair. That used to be good. That was
Speaker 1: the cause for parties and parades and talk of a
Speaker 1: statue of Mark Stewson that he's but somebody I didn't.
Speaker 1: I didn't. I think Freddy I heard Freddy Magers say
Speaker 1: this first. But he'll tell you didn't invent it. But
Speaker 1: he didn't just raise the ceiling. He raised the floor,
Speaker 1: you know, I mean it used to be six wins.
Speaker 1: I can't tell you. And this is before you got
Speaker 1: here admittally. That's what makes it interesting. How long have
Speaker 1: you been to this.
Speaker 4: Mart Lexington specifically since twenty nineteen and in Kentucky, uh,
Speaker 4: well since like eight.
Speaker 1: But because you went to Western Kentucky, right, did you
Speaker 1: hear much talk about UK back then?
Speaker 3: Not as much?
Speaker 5: Right?
Speaker 3: No? Not basketball down.
Speaker 1: Plus that was the toward the end of the rich
Speaker 1: Brooks era and then Joker everything kind of fell apart.
Speaker 1: But my point is that when you got to Kentucky,
Speaker 1: when you especially when you got to Lexington, UK football
Speaker 1: right and higher when you got to Louisville, I should say,
Speaker 1: you know. And so now you have every right as
Speaker 1: someone who follows UK football to be unhappy with a
Speaker 1: seven and six record because that's not the standard. It's not.
Speaker 4: And look at who Kentucky's brought in. I mean, they've
Speaker 4: got an All American at linebacker, Yeah, from Georgia. They
Speaker 4: have Georgia's backup quarterback, they had Ohio States running back.
Speaker 4: I mean these are I mean, these are crazy programs
Speaker 4: that you're getting players from.
Speaker 3: So I think naturally expectations should be higher.
Speaker 1: Does anybody worked the portal as well or better than stoops?
Speaker 2: Not many, not many. I mean, obviously can argue some
Speaker 2: of the top Alabamas and Ohio states of the world,
Speaker 2: but just no, I mean Mark Stoops. The percentage guys
Speaker 2: that have hit as much higher than the guys who
Speaker 2: have busted out of the portal. Like I can name
Speaker 2: just a handful of bus off the top of my hand,
Speaker 2: and I could go through ten to fifteen.
Speaker 1: I think they they fill their needs as well as
Speaker 1: they do it, and they might not be the greatest talent,
Speaker 1: but they feel their.
Speaker 2: Needs and I think they did it again this off season.
Speaker 2: The guys Billy mentioned. I think Jamary Macklin's a guy
Speaker 2: just because you have Barryon Brown and Dan Keyes flying
Speaker 2: under the radar a little bit.
Speaker 5: Uh.
Speaker 2: Dj Waller, I think is the guy they really liked.
Speaker 2: He just hasn't been healthy or consistent. They loved. When
Speaker 2: a guy's not doing exactly what they want, they always
Speaker 2: mention consistency, and he's kind of in that in that boat.
Speaker 1: Is that the code word?
Speaker 2: I think that Jeff German and I were talking about
Speaker 2: that at a practice last week, like, all right, if
Speaker 2: we hear this guy needs to be more consistent, they're
Speaker 2: not quite ready for fully unleashing. That's like the Jamarian
Speaker 2: Wilcox every time he was brought up the last couple
Speaker 2: of weeks, it's been consistency low Behold. Though Mark Sus
Speaker 2: didn't make a comment heul play he wasn't on the
Speaker 2: death start today.
Speaker 1: Well, to me, that simply means there's some plays he's.
Speaker 2: Just not very good, you know. I mean, that's that's fair.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, it's not a knock on any of them.
Speaker 2: But when when you hear those that word from Bradley
Speaker 2: Mark Stukes rush hand and that's usually, yeah, we're not
Speaker 2: totally sold dead. If they don't use that word or
Speaker 2: they say they are being consistent, like Fred Ferrier is
Speaker 2: the guy that keeps saying is making a play every practice,
Speaker 2: they feel good about that.
Speaker 1: In fact, it's not just the coaches, it's the other
Speaker 1: receivers talking.
Speaker 2: Out the receivers. Yes, and corners, Oh yeah, in the corners.
Speaker 1: Who's giving you trouble? Fred Ferrier? Billy, you mentioned Brad
Speaker 1: White and yeah he did take some heat and it
Speaker 1: wasn't just him. It was stoops down the stretch in
Speaker 1: the bowl game. But all they did was underscore what
Speaker 1: happens when your best d backs get hurt and leave
Speaker 1: the game, but it also underscored their lack of depth
Speaker 1: because nobody back there really could make a play. They
Speaker 1: weren't in a position though they had him playing soft
Speaker 1: coverage in the ball game, but they had opportunities to
Speaker 1: make plays. So now you have to wonder, especially, I
Speaker 1: think it's safety. You know, do they have enough depth
Speaker 1: back there because they've got to rotate them. I think
Speaker 1: as good as the defense looks right now, I think
Speaker 1: that's a question mark, sure.
Speaker 4: And the secondary's best friend is a good pass rush,
Speaker 4: and they should have plenty of that this year, right, So,
Speaker 4: I mean, I think you got to be optimistic about that,
Speaker 4: and you completely change your perception on the end of
Speaker 4: last year if they would have got to the quarterback
Speaker 4: a couple seconds sooner, and you know, maybe that debacle
Speaker 4: doesn't happen.
Speaker 3: So it's a little give and take there.
Speaker 4: But you know what, Maxwell Harrison ain't going to have
Speaker 4: that many interceptions again this year because you know, when
Speaker 4: a defensive back gets good, they don't throw it towards
Speaker 4: that defensive back, right, So I just don't think he'll
Speaker 4: have the same opportunities to lead the sec and interceptions.
Speaker 4: But I mean him and Dion you got to think
Speaker 4: probably two first round picks on this defense, right.
Speaker 1: You would think if he does follow up that way,
Speaker 1: And yeah, you could if you're playing and a man
Speaker 1: and they're good enough to play man, you can put
Speaker 1: Harriston on the other team's best receiver. But to your point,
Speaker 1: you know, if they see Maxwell over there, they're gonna
Speaker 1: look elsewhere. He's not Dean Sanders, but he's gifted.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and that's why and Mark SUPs suction it both
Speaker 2: in the press conference in this radio show today. They
Speaker 2: got to figure out who that guy across the field
Speaker 2: is going to be. I mean, I know they're gonna
Speaker 2: try to rotate guys out and they're still evaluating. You
Speaker 2: got to find a true cornerback too. You've got to
Speaker 2: find a guy that you feel comfortable down in and
Speaker 2: down out across the field. That's when we've seen Kentucky
Speaker 2: at their best. Honestly, we've seen him at their best
Speaker 2: with three or four deep. But you look twenty eighteen,
Speaker 2: you had Bady and Lonnie always out there, and then
Speaker 2: Chris Westker you playing a lot as well. Nineteen the
Speaker 2: year after that, Cedric Dort played a lot. Trying to
Speaker 2: think Brandon Eckles was outstanding for two years. Here trying
Speaker 2: to think of the other corner on that team, Pologuice,
Speaker 2: whoever that is. I can't think off the top of
Speaker 2: what in Kelvin Joseph.
Speaker 1: You no, that was the year after they were gonna
Speaker 1: say Kelvin Joseph is now walking through that door.
Speaker 2: Right, Yeah, So you got to find someone, whether it's
Speaker 2: j Q, Hardaway, Jansen, Dunn, DJ Waller, to step up
Speaker 2: as that CB two. I think that that would unlock
Speaker 2: the entire defense because.
Speaker 1: Even as good or as well I should say, as
Speaker 1: the defense might play, the schedule is going to challenge
Speaker 1: them every week. And I've said all summer long on
Speaker 1: my show. I don't know about you, but to me,
Speaker 1: it's the calendar. I mean, it's not the teams they're playing,
Speaker 1: and it's formidable. You've got Ole miss rolling on, You've
Speaker 1: got Texas rolling on. But it's when they play them.
Speaker 1: As Aaron just mentioned, second week, you've got South Carolina.
Speaker 1: There's no easing into it by playing East Nowhere State
Speaker 1: and Georgia right after. That could be a good thing,
Speaker 1: could be a bad thing, but you you better be ready.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, if you want to put yourself in
Speaker 4: the playoff consideration. You've got to win at Ole Miss,
Speaker 4: You've got to win at Texas, You've got to beat Tennessee, something.
Speaker 3: You haven't done a lot of in the last three decades.
Speaker 4: I mean, you've got to take care of business and
Speaker 4: win at Florida. And if you're talking about schedules, they've
Speaker 4: got probably the hard.
Speaker 2: Oh my gosh. Ever, yeah, I think so, though maybe
Speaker 2: Florida State's not as good as we thought.
Speaker 3: But that's just the new SEC, though, is it not.
Speaker 4: I mean, and I mean you've still got to take
Speaker 4: care of business against Louisville, who just had their best
Speaker 4: season in decades and had the number one I think
Speaker 4: transfer portal class this year, so that's never easy. I
Speaker 4: think that went over Louisville kind of dictated how you
Speaker 4: looked at the season last year.
Speaker 1: Not just did Louisville have the number one, but it
Speaker 1: had it might have had the biggest. They have like
Speaker 1: twenty five kids.
Speaker 2: Yeah, they're kind of the portal they're like ditching the
Speaker 2: high school recruit not quite, but they're taking very small
Speaker 2: high school numbers and being there a portal program and
Speaker 2: that works for something play it worked. It's working wonders
Speaker 2: in Old Miss. Now we'll see if it works for them.
Speaker 4: I will say one benefit of the schedule is that
Speaker 4: you do get some non conference games later in the year,
Speaker 4: so it's not just a gauntlet of all SEC games.
Speaker 4: I think you get into a stretch of when you've
Speaker 4: got to play all those in a row and the
Speaker 4: last two you're beat up. I mean, there's no other
Speaker 4: way around it. So I think I actually like that
Speaker 4: they're getting into conference play a little bit sooner. But man,
Speaker 4: they lose that game versus down South Carolina team week
Speaker 4: two at home, when you're already two and six.
Speaker 1: I didn't think they were that good lass South Carolina.
Speaker 2: And the thing about South Carolina last year, they at
Speaker 2: least they had a first round and bide receiver and
Speaker 2: Zavil that he basically.
Speaker 1: Beat Kentucky, and they had a decent quarterback.
Speaker 2: Sure they don't have. Well this year, they have a
Speaker 2: quarterback just like Kentucky's never started before, even is less
Speaker 2: experience than Rock Vander Griffin. Two. If you look at
Speaker 2: their wide receiver rooms, they're all either fcs or group
Speaker 2: of five transfers. They don't have a single experience. Our
Speaker 2: five guy in that room.
Speaker 1: By the way, Billy were talking about u of L.
Speaker 1: And I went on a trip up east up to
Speaker 1: Saratoga with some friends and my brother and their U
Speaker 1: of L fans, and I went to school there. They
Speaker 1: could not stand their quarterback last year, and I'd watch
Speaker 1: them every now and then, I know this guy's met oops.
Speaker 1: You know, he make a play and then he make
Speaker 1: a mistake, and that's what he did against Kentucky. But
Speaker 1: they flat out did not like him. But evidently the
Speaker 1: kid they're going to start this year is a seven
Speaker 1: to You're a guy.
Speaker 2: Who has never made it through a full season healthy.
Speaker 5: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Once. I don't think he's played more than seven.
Speaker 1: That's why they my friends are are just a little
Speaker 1: confused about what they're looking at. But on the other hand,
Speaker 1: preseason way too soon. Top twenty five's Top thirties, Top
Speaker 1: fifties have UFL way ahead of Kentucky. But I think
Speaker 1: that's the mystery factor, don't you, Because of the new QB,
Speaker 1: the new OC and coming off a Bowl game loss.
Speaker 4: Yeah, And I think Jeff Brom is the darling of
Speaker 4: the media. I love myself little.
Speaker 1: Jeff Brom proudly Trinity Shamrock that.
Speaker 4: In Western Kentucky hilltop or conference championships back to back years.
Speaker 3: But it's also a rivalry game.
Speaker 4: And even though Kentucky I believe is won the last five,
Speaker 4: it's you got to throw that out the window to
Speaker 4: a degree. I know these guys like to get up
Speaker 4: for that game. I even saw Mark Pope throwing L's
Speaker 4: down in a video.
Speaker 2: I was surprised by that. He said, no horns down
Speaker 2: last year? Remember that?
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, yeah, sure did so.
Speaker 4: I don't know, we'll see, but you've got to take
Speaker 4: care of business away before that Louisville game.
Speaker 1: We'll take a break, come back and talk more Kentucky football.
Speaker 1: The opener is right on top of us. It's a
Speaker 1: state wide edition of the BBI. Stay with us from
Speaker 1: Pike Lie to Paduca. It is the Big Blue and
Speaker 1: Sider Dick Gabriel, Billy rud Lyitch Aeron Gershan. Of course,
Speaker 1: talking about Kentucky football is the Wildcats kicked things off
Speaker 1: on Saturday. Well here on most of these same stations,
Speaker 1: the Wildcats and Southern Miss. And yeah, they've got a
Speaker 1: history these two teams. Were you there during the comeback
Speaker 1: year before year before you got the campus year here was.
Speaker 2: The they won in Hattiesburg.
Speaker 1: Okay, uh, I don't have to mind you folks that yes,
Speaker 1: Southern miss came in and it was we thought the
Speaker 1: launching of the Drew Barker era when the Wildcats just
Speaker 1: ran and threw all over.
Speaker 2: Have you done research on the I've watched the game,
Speaker 2: Oh have you?
Speaker 5: Yeah?
Speaker 1: All right, well do you know the numbers off the
Speaker 1: top of your head.
Speaker 2: For all of the numbers, but they it looked like
Speaker 2: Tim Couch. The first half was thirty five points. Yeah, yeah,
Speaker 2: Well they had got outscored twenty seven zip a second half.
Speaker 1: I don't know what was worse.
Speaker 2: Shannon Dawson revenge game.
Speaker 1: He had fired Shannon Dawson Soups had just because he
Speaker 1: wasn't Stoops, wasn't comfortable with that offense. It was a
Speaker 1: jail break offense. And Shannon Dawson said all the right things,
Speaker 1: you know, we want to balance, we want to run
Speaker 1: the ball, blah blah blah. He was at a function
Speaker 1: with a buddy of mine in the off season and
Speaker 1: it was late in the evening, if you know what
Speaker 1: I'm saying, And at one point he said to my buddy,
Speaker 1: I would throw it on every down if I could. Uh,
Speaker 1: And that's the way he called plays at Southern Miss,
Speaker 1: wasn't it?
Speaker 2: Man? He had an NFL quarterback in news.
Speaker 1: They sure did. But yeah, I don't, I don't. I
Speaker 1: just remember watching that game unfold, thinking how is this happening?
Speaker 1: How is Kentucky not moving the ball? And how is
Speaker 1: Southern Miss dicing them up? But yeah, and then the
Speaker 1: following year to your point one, Yeah, but and it
Speaker 1: was the debut for Josh Pascal's when they had the
Speaker 1: Megahito ended up in the NFL for a little while,
Speaker 1: and Pascal destroyed him inside the five yard line. So yeah,
Speaker 1: these teams go back and forth. You might have. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I think you do. That's a good good memories.
Speaker 4: They're also getting paid, right, Southern Miss gets paid to
Speaker 4: play Kentucky.
Speaker 2: Oh sure, Remember this game was supposed to be an act.
Speaker 2: Remember remember the whole.
Speaker 1: I think I think Southern Miss is getting paid by
Speaker 1: both Kentucky and Ohio State.
Speaker 2: Yes, because they were supposed to go to Ohio State
Speaker 2: and Kentucky was supposed to be playing at Accron.
Speaker 4: That seems odd that you got to pay opponent like
Speaker 4: Southern Miss because they're not like low level.
Speaker 2: The sun Belt.
Speaker 1: You pay every knock came, do.
Speaker 3: You every knock? Of course, there's no benefit for the
Speaker 3: other team. I guess to play.
Speaker 1: Money, that's the benefit. It helps their budget.
Speaker 3: And they take a loss most of the time usually.
Speaker 1: But as we found out, what ten years ago, you
Speaker 1: don't have to take app State found.
Speaker 2: That New Mexico State wouldn't beat Auburn last year.
Speaker 1: And that's true. But yeah, it's uh. And I remember
Speaker 1: Rob Mullen, who's now the AD at Oregon, was the
Speaker 1: deputy here for a few years under Mitch Barnard, and
Speaker 1: he once told me, he said, the non conference team
Speaker 1: such as Southern miss or Ekau or whoever comes in
Speaker 1: and doesn't return a game, said, they have us over
Speaker 1: a barrel, and they know it because schools like Kentucky
Speaker 1: are like really any Power five school or is it
Speaker 1: Power four? Now they need these games and the other
Speaker 1: schools know it. So I come in here, take your
Speaker 1: l and have a nice check. Here's fifty thousand. Now
Speaker 1: that's not going to do it anymore. You used to
Speaker 1: be fifty grand, and now what.
Speaker 3: Is it mill?
Speaker 1: Close to a million? That's right. So that's the cost
Speaker 1: of doing business. But as I said, I've said one
Speaker 1: hundred times. The day Mitch Barnard told me he has
Speaker 1: to keep an eye on the price of jet fuel,
Speaker 1: I'm like what he said. I've got teams flying charters
Speaker 1: all over the country. And I remember Delta Airlines got
Speaker 1: out of the charter business for a couple of years,
Speaker 1: and every team that flew Delta charters scrambled to find
Speaker 1: another airline to fly, not just their football teams, but
Speaker 1: all the teams that were used to chartering and all
Speaker 1: these other outline airlines that weren't used to chartering. They
Speaker 1: had the teams over a barrel.
Speaker 4: So how does like USC and U C, l A
Speaker 4: and Stanford survive in the Big ten?
Speaker 3: In the ACC they.
Speaker 1: Took massive losses and that's why they're changing conferences. Remember
Speaker 1: we talked about it when you were on my show,
Speaker 1: when you coasted my show about how poor a job
Speaker 1: that PAC twelve was doing, right and their commissioner was doing.
Speaker 1: The teams those teams you asked about were hemorrhaging money.
Speaker 1: And the Big Ten came to the Rescue TV deal. Yeah, buddy,
Speaker 1: that's gonna pay for all your jet fuel.
Speaker 4: It's gonna pay for it better for all your sports,
Speaker 4: all your secondary sports too, that have to travel to New.
Speaker 3: Jersey and played the US on a Tuesday night.
Speaker 1: First thing Aaron said about being an East Coast kid,
Speaker 1: about all those schools that have to come into its Piscataway.
Speaker 2: Right, Scatoway, New Jersey.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and now you come from your stomping grounds.
Speaker 2: Talking Big twelve. Yeah, yeah, they'll conference matches of Arizona
Speaker 2: and Arizona State. Super about Boston Conference at Stanford. The
Speaker 2: conference travels, you know, but they they let it happen.
Speaker 4: Well, how about Florida State sue in the conference because
Speaker 4: they can't get out and then they lose to Georgia.
Speaker 1: About that? Did you watch any of that game? Yeah?
Speaker 3: Most of it.
Speaker 1: I watched the whole thing. Florida State cuts right through
Speaker 1: I'm like, gonna be a long day in Dublin, and
Speaker 1: then in Georgia Tech comes back yep and cuts right
Speaker 1: through Florida State. I thought, Okay, this will be interesting.
Speaker 2: Florida's off Florida State, rather they're off into line was yeah,
Speaker 2: and dj or they didn't trust them. They didn't let
Speaker 2: him throw.
Speaker 1: I couldn't he was on, That's true, but actually I
Speaker 1: thought he was. I thought he played better than the
Speaker 1: kid from Georgia Tech. The quarterback he had been a
Speaker 1: Texas Texas A and M or Texas A and M
Speaker 1: and then one other spot of course, but made big
Speaker 1: plays when he had to and that was that was
Speaker 1: just it was fun.
Speaker 2: It was fun.
Speaker 1: It was fun. And yeah, Florida State. But then again,
Speaker 1: when you lose ten players, ten players to the NFL,
Speaker 1: it's hard to say, yeah, we're gonna be better this year.
Speaker 3: Is that what happened to Florida?
Speaker 1: Say?
Speaker 2: Yep, yeah, ten Well I.
Speaker 1: Know they made the league, but they ended up in camps.
Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, well, not to mention the kids had quit
Speaker 1: before the bowl game.
Speaker 2: The whole team basically, so whole team. I mean the
Speaker 2: quarterback that Kentucky's going to play Saturday quit before the
Speaker 2: bowl game. Tate Road to Maker, that's true.
Speaker 3: That's who Southern Missus quarterback.
Speaker 2: Is, right, Yeah, Florida. He beat Florida Swamp last year
Speaker 2: and then he got a concussion, missed the Aces' championship game,
Speaker 2: and then he hit the portal.
Speaker 1: All right, we're going to step out and come back
Speaker 1: and talk with Jeff Pecorro of the UK Sports Network.
Speaker 1: You already heard from Logan Stenberg and Christy And now
Speaker 1: Jeff's going to chime in. He's got his preseason TV
Speaker 1: special in the can at WTVQ, so we'll find out
Speaker 1: what's on his mind. Dick Gabriel, Eron Gershawn Billy Rutledge
Speaker 1: on the state Wide BBI from Border to Border It
Speaker 1: is the Big Blue Insider or state Wide Edition. Dick Gabriel,
Speaker 1: Billy Rutledge, Eron Gershan joined now by a member of
Speaker 1: the UK Radio network who is in his Jeff, is
Speaker 1: this your third decade now? Is that right? Jeff pecorro Man,
Speaker 1: you're old. It's only my thirty fifth year on the network,
Speaker 1: so uh for me? By ten you were alongside today
Speaker 1: when Mark stoop spoke. Did anything jump off that podium
Speaker 1: at you or was it basically business as usual with
Speaker 1: the UK coach?
Speaker 5: Yeah? I just think that, you know, Mark plays it
Speaker 5: so close to the best, you know, it's kind of
Speaker 5: hard to hard to tell he doesn't. I think that
Speaker 5: he's cautiously optimistic. Is that a good word to you? Okay?
Speaker 5: Well good, Yeah, I just so don't see him getting
Speaker 5: up there going this is the best team I've ever had.
Speaker 5: You know, our defense is going to be now if
Speaker 5: we did, you know, someone scores fourteen points on us,
Speaker 5: I'll be upset. Yeah, that's just not him.
Speaker 1: You know what coach is though, especially in the SEC.
Speaker 5: Spurrier was.
Speaker 1: That's very well, at least when they were playing Kentucky.
Speaker 5: Keep trying to score on us.
Speaker 1: You you presented uh preseason, specially on WDTVQ over the weekend.
Speaker 1: Was there anything in particular that you guys highlighted in
Speaker 1: your show that you needed to share with your Well, yeah,
Speaker 1: that's true too. You can at the garage. I mean, uh,
Speaker 1: did you lean into any particular topic more than any other?
Speaker 5: Uh? Yeah, Aaron's attire. I thought that was I thought
Speaker 5: that was pretty good. Right.
Speaker 2: What was I wearing that day?
Speaker 5: A T shirt?
Speaker 1: Right now?
Speaker 5: Well?
Speaker 2: It was it wasn't like a graphic T shirt. It
Speaker 2: was like from old Navy. It was more more like
Speaker 2: more work business casual.
Speaker 1: Okay, I bet you hit the wide receivers.
Speaker 2: Have khaki shorts on that day.
Speaker 5: No. I really think if if you want to, you know,
Speaker 5: if you're going to say, what do we got to
Speaker 5: look at this year? I think that in all honesty,
Speaker 5: it's it's the offensive line, now the defensive line is deep,
Speaker 5: the linebackers are deep, the receivers are deep, the tight
Speaker 5: ends are deep. But I still think that the offensive
Speaker 5: line is the question mark. I really do. I mean, you,
Speaker 5: you've got two guys coming in and that you are
Speaker 5: banking on being starters from the get go. Yeah, that
Speaker 5: are transfers. And you know, this is a weird world
Speaker 5: we're in now with this transfer portal, but it's gonna
Speaker 5: be really interesting to see how they mesh with the
Speaker 5: guys that are there. I like Malachi. I think that
Speaker 5: Malachi is put on great weight. You know, they're not
Speaker 5: gonna be the Courtland Ford's not gonna play. He's still
Speaker 5: banged up. I don't know what it is, but coach
Speaker 5: said that today. But to me, that's that's the biggest
Speaker 5: question mark, is the offensive line. And I don't think
Speaker 5: it's gonna I don't think it's gonna be a problem
Speaker 5: this Saturday, but certainly the next two weeks after that,
Speaker 5: I think it's gonna you know, we're gonna find out
Speaker 5: just how good they are.
Speaker 4: Jeff, it's another year, it's another new quarterback from the
Speaker 4: transfer portal, and it's another new offensive coordinator for Kentucky's
Speaker 4: what's the biggest difference that we're gonna see on the
Speaker 4: field from Bush Hampden's offense to what we saw with
Speaker 4: Liam and and Rich in the past.
Speaker 5: Well, I think the biggest thing is that it's simply
Speaker 5: the COMM system that they use now. So the plays
Speaker 5: are going to get in quicker. I mean even with Liam.
Speaker 5: I mean it was really dragged out with Ganguerello, but
Speaker 5: even with Liam there's a lot of verbiage, and that
Speaker 5: verbage has to be relayed twice and that just takes
Speaker 5: a while. But now you know, the COMM system is
Speaker 5: the players have it in their house or the quarterback
Speaker 5: and the linebacker has it in their helmet and at
Speaker 5: fifteen seconds it turns off. But in that twenty five second,
Speaker 5: so coach could tell you a lot. You know, hey,
Speaker 5: look they've been playing this. They're playing you know whatever,
Speaker 5: a Tampa two, they're playing a three DP whatever. Look
Speaker 5: for this guy in this play. Blah blah blah blah blah.
Speaker 5: And it's just a lot quicker. So they'll be able
Speaker 5: to get more plays. Now. They're going to be Tennessee,
Speaker 5: They're not going to be sprinting up to the ball
Speaker 5: and stuff like that. But you're going to see. I
Speaker 5: would say that if they don't break fifty five plays
Speaker 5: every game and then there's a problem.
Speaker 2: Jeff flipping over the other side of the ball. How
Speaker 2: comfortable you're with that? We were talking about it earlier
Speaker 2: here and Mark Stubs hasn't exactly I wouldn't say given
Speaker 2: a boat of confidence, but isn't pessimistic either. But how
Speaker 2: do you feeling about that second cornerback spot across the
Speaker 2: field from Max?
Speaker 5: Well, I think that it's gonna be like, man, you
Speaker 5: better be ready because if they those thirty passes, twenty
Speaker 5: eight of them are going to come your way.
Speaker 2: That's right, you know.
Speaker 5: I think whoever that is is going to be you know,
Speaker 5: you call it an island, but I really think that
Speaker 5: diff Brad will have probably shade that way. Maybe play
Speaker 5: a guy over the top to that side. You know,
Speaker 5: I'm not saying that that Max Is is Dion Sanders
Speaker 5: or anything like that, but he's really good and he's
Speaker 5: he's Heck, you remember last year he played half the
Speaker 5: season with the cast on. It's still had what five interceptions,
Speaker 5: So I think he's a ballhawk. He's he goes after
Speaker 5: the ball like a receiver does. He doesn't play it
Speaker 5: like a defensive back. So I think the other corner
Speaker 5: is gonna at tested until they prove that they can
Speaker 5: stand up to the sec receivers they're going to be facing.
Speaker 5: They got good size. I mean, Jake, Jake, Jake Q Hardaway, Yep,
Speaker 5: thank you. I'm trying to think of as GQ or Jay.
Speaker 5: You know, they've got good size. And that's one thing
Speaker 5: that Stoops has done since he got here. And Dick
Speaker 5: will tell you, guys, I think this is the funniest
Speaker 5: story of ever with Stoops. Is the first the first practice,
Speaker 5: he gets out there and he's talking to Neil Brown
Speaker 5: and and talking about how smallest receivers are. And then
Speaker 5: he goes over to the defensive side and uh, he's
Speaker 5: talking to Steve Brown. Was it Steve Brown? Whoever the
Speaker 5: defensive back coach was, And he says, where the safeties
Speaker 5: it's usually safeties are bigger than quarterbacks, right, and he goes, uh,
Speaker 5: he goes, yeah, coach, this is it. He goes where
Speaker 5: like the varsity guys, He's like, this is what we got.
Speaker 5: He's like, oh my god, we got get some We
Speaker 5: got to get some size, you know, because they were all.
Speaker 1: I remember, Jeff when they brought in Chris Westry. He
Speaker 1: was six three, Yeah, you know, and it was up
Speaker 1: in the NFL for a little while, so you just
Speaker 1: don't see that very often. But yeah, he said, he
Speaker 1: told Vince maryl we got to get longer and more athletic,
Speaker 1: and they did that. As we talked with Jeff picaor
Speaker 1: or the UK radio network. Uh so we're seeing that
Speaker 1: in the secondary and the other thing too, Jeff, I
Speaker 1: get to thinking last year I think we all did
Speaker 1: about Hairston. Was he was in for like one play
Speaker 1: the year beforeenty two and got roasted.
Speaker 2: Yep.
Speaker 1: And it reminded you of the Tennessee game when Tennessee
Speaker 1: attacked Carrington Valentine h three or four years ago and
Speaker 1: destroyed him. And he came back the following year. And
Speaker 1: I've told this story before. I asked him media day,
Speaker 1: you know, what do you expect and he said, you're
Speaker 1: just gonna have to wait and see. And he puts
Speaker 1: together a season of landing him a year early in
Speaker 1: the NFL. So that tells you two things. You got
Speaker 1: to have a short memory. We all knew that to
Speaker 1: be a cornerback. But also, Jeff, they teach cornerbacks and
Speaker 1: d backs really well at Kentucky, don't they.
Speaker 5: Yeah, you know, Marcus is really good at that, and
Speaker 5: Chris Collins is really good at that, and I really
Speaker 5: Frank mafano. All three of those guys have done a
Speaker 5: fantastic job. I mean, you just look at the safeties
Speaker 5: that bifano Is has coached and put in the NFL.
Speaker 5: I mean, you're like, good gracious. This year, They've got
Speaker 5: really four guys that are starters, and and I don't
Speaker 5: think that they're if they have to put ty Bryant
Speaker 5: at strong safety for Zion, I don't think that they
Speaker 5: lose anything. I think tye Is is going to be
Speaker 5: a great player, you know. If they have to go
Speaker 5: love it in Childress, which they probably will start with,
Speaker 5: I don't think they've got a problem, you got. I mean,
Speaker 5: it's just there's a lot of guys back there, there
Speaker 5: really is. It's just it's just getting them to Mesh.
Speaker 5: I mean, is a nice player. I think he's a
Speaker 5: couple of steps ahead of Waller. DJ has been nicked
Speaker 5: up a little bit, and I still don't I think
Speaker 5: he's a little behind the other guys, But you know,
Speaker 5: he's a guy that was they said, was was, you know,
Speaker 5: gonna be in a battle at Michigan if he stayed
Speaker 5: to actually start, So you know you've got some quality
Speaker 5: depth there.
Speaker 4: Jeff, It's a pretty tough schedule for the Cats this year.
Speaker 4: I mean, it's gonna be tough slotting to get to
Speaker 4: that eight to nine win mark. But would you like
Speaker 4: the inverse of being in a different conference and having
Speaker 4: an easier schedule like Louisville or do you like that
Speaker 4: you're in the best conference despite it being a challenge
Speaker 4: to get to a seven eight win mark every year?
Speaker 5: No? You SEC, There's no question about it because you
Speaker 5: can't look at it as just one sport. So when
Speaker 5: you ask that question, you know, Kentucky basketball, you know,
Speaker 5: supposedly rules the SEC. You know, Kentucky baseball has become
Speaker 5: a power in the SEC. You know, they're the upper echelon.
Speaker 5: Kentucky gymnastics is in the upper echelon. So volleyball want
Speaker 5: to go to the other conference? Yeah, volleyball has been sensational.
Speaker 5: I wouldn't want to go to any other conference. I
Speaker 5: think this. You know, you you really have two conferences
Speaker 5: that are steering everything in sports, and that's the big
Speaker 5: ten in the SEC, and it's going to remain that
Speaker 5: way for you know, for the rest of our lifetimes.
Speaker 1: You know. CM Newton actually investigated the ACC and of
Speaker 1: course this was back when the ACC was stronger in
Speaker 1: both sports and the SEC wasn't quite the monster it
Speaker 1: is now. But CM just thought I'm going to check
Speaker 1: this out and ultimately obviously did not do it. But
Speaker 1: and I think for a lot of that, jeffis for
Speaker 1: the reason you just said, the tradition and all because
Speaker 1: if Kentucky had joined the ACC when it came to
Speaker 1: basketball tradition big picture, yeah maybe, but in the conference,
Speaker 1: it would have been the little brother to North Carolina
Speaker 1: and Duke, you know, and so case.
Speaker 5: Well, that's what I was gonna ask. Do you want
Speaker 5: to and do you want to bang hints with Duke
Speaker 5: in North Carolina twice a year? Uh?
Speaker 1: Well, UK fans will say yeah, But then if they
Speaker 1: didn't win every game, they'd go nuts. Well, let me
Speaker 1: let me throw this at you. Let me throw this
Speaker 1: at you. Jeff, having grown up in Lexingon, but you've
Speaker 1: lived around the country. Here's my argument against it. With
Speaker 1: the people that be so much easier to win at
Speaker 1: football you're not going to get the same recruits to
Speaker 1: come to Kentucky Party of recruitings, come and play in
Speaker 1: the SEC.
Speaker 5: Yes, that is a stational point because what Vince Morrow
Speaker 5: did and this is something I tried. And you know this, Dick.
Speaker 5: I told Joker. I told rich guys, you've got to
Speaker 5: get in a high. You've got getten a high. Joker
Speaker 5: just simply said, I can't. They're not going to come here.
Speaker 1: Yeah, And he was wrong.
Speaker 5: They will And and look what Vince has done. I mean,
Speaker 5: and now if you're gonna say, hey, come come to
Speaker 5: the a SEC. You get to play Wake Forest and
Speaker 5: you get to they're gonna go what Yeah, And we
Speaker 5: get to play where campus? Yeah? Yeah, No, I want
Speaker 5: to play Georgia, Alabama and Florida and Tennessee. I mean,
Speaker 5: it's for people who've never been there. And and I
Speaker 5: can't wait to go to Texas, Dick, to tell you
Speaker 5: the truth, you know, the the Red River rivalry has
Speaker 5: been so good. I've been to Ohio State and I've
Speaker 5: been in Notre d.
Speaker 1: And m was pretty cool. Was pretty cool, wasn't.
Speaker 5: That was awesome? But we guys, Billy and Aaron, I
Speaker 5: don't know if you knew that. So I'm sitting in
Speaker 5: my room. We come back from dinner and it sounds
Speaker 5: like there's like a high school game going on next door.
Speaker 5: And I walked downstairs and it's coming from like down
Speaker 5: the street. And I asked, I go to the what
Speaker 5: in the heck is going on here? And they go, oh,
Speaker 5: that's that's the yell. I go what? He goes this?
Speaker 5: Twenty five thousand people at the stadium.
Speaker 2: Right now, Yep, going over there.
Speaker 5: There yells the cheers because you know, they have all
Speaker 5: boys and they do the yell stuff and they're going
Speaker 5: over there, you know, two bits, four bits and all that,
Speaker 5: kind of like you gotta be kidding me. And there
Speaker 5: were sixty five thousand people there the night before the
Speaker 5: game with the band and the cheerleader guys and nuts. Nuts.
Speaker 5: They used to have the big bonfire too.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Jeff, how do you feel about the situation? I'm
Speaker 2: running back. Obviously we talked about a little bit on
Speaker 2: the show we did with Me, You and Dick a
Speaker 2: few weeks ago, but now that may be more in
Speaker 2: telling what Demi's watch at the table. Patterson Wilcoff, just
Speaker 2: how do you think Kentucky survives without Chip the first
Speaker 2: couple of weeks.
Speaker 5: Well, you know what I say to that is and
Speaker 5: you guys, I don't even think we're born when this happened.
Speaker 5: But when I was at UK, Dick will remember this.
Speaker 5: There were two kids that came up by the names
Speaker 5: of Mark Higgs and Mark Logan, and they're pretty good
Speaker 5: guys as freshmen.
Speaker 4: Not bad those two guys.
Speaker 5: Those two guys led the team Logan and Hicke and
Speaker 5: Mark Higgs were sensational and played his freshmen. And I
Speaker 5: look at these two guys and both of them are there.
Speaker 5: They're not slight, they can run between the tackles. They've
Speaker 5: got great peripherial vision, which is exactly what you need.
Speaker 5: They have a good lean. I look what I like
Speaker 5: to see Chip train them in there. Yes, I think
Speaker 5: he'd be fantastic, especially on third downs. But I'm excited
Speaker 5: to see these young kids and what they can do.
Speaker 5: You know, why can you play a freshman at Ohio
Speaker 5: State and nobody bothers them. Why can't you play Korum
Speaker 5: as a freshman in Michigan? Nobody says anything. You get
Speaker 5: a freshman that led Texas last year. Why does nobody
Speaker 5: say anything about that, But Kentucky has to play a
Speaker 5: freshman and oh my god, there's holes in the dike.
Speaker 5: What are we gonna do? Well?
Speaker 1: Because you were, for one thing, those particular schools, their
Speaker 1: old line is better established than Kentucky. If you had
Speaker 1: played those freshmen behind you know, Drake and those other
Speaker 1: guys in the big blue wall some years ago, it
Speaker 1: wouldn't have been a problem. But they got a chance.
Speaker 1: The blue wall has a chance this year. Let me
Speaker 1: ask you this, though, Is this finally the year, Jeff,
Speaker 1: that we see the tight ends catch the football?
Speaker 5: Sorry, yeah, I know, Aaron, that's what you should hear
Speaker 5: me and Dick and that during the game yelling at
Speaker 5: each other. Because what people don't know is our microphones.
Speaker 5: He and I can talk to each other and no
Speaker 5: one else can hear. Like you guys can't hear it
Speaker 5: over there. Billy can't hear. But we just it's crazy.
Speaker 5: I just think the situation they had last year with Devin.
Speaker 5: He was a little guy. He's like my size. You know,
Speaker 5: you've got to roll him, you had to move the pocket.
Speaker 5: I just don't think he could see over the middle. Seriously,
Speaker 5: because now you're looking at offensive and defensive Lineman. Now
Speaker 5: every one of them are six four or six five plus.
Speaker 1: They didn't run enough. They didn't run enough plays either,
Speaker 1: they ran fifty play You can't get the ball to
Speaker 1: everybody like that exactly.
Speaker 5: Well, but the one thing that Bush, the one thing
Speaker 5: Bush has done with that like h bac which you
Speaker 5: call a tight end, you know that, that little like
Speaker 5: James Whaling, I think you're gonna yeah, I think you're
Speaker 5: going to see that a lot more and hopefully that
Speaker 5: means maybe you'll get thirty receptions by a tight end
Speaker 5: this year.
Speaker 1: Okay, well from your mouth, you know, uh, Well, we
Speaker 1: ran out of time. We don't have time to talk
Speaker 1: about Gavin Wimsy. We'll talk about that next week when
Speaker 1: we see what the running quarterback does against Soutthern Mess,
Speaker 1: whatever happens. Jeff Picorrol will be alongside Tom Leach describing
Speaker 1: the action high atop the press box at Crogerfield. Thank
Speaker 1: your brother, see at the ball game.
Speaker 5: All right? Boys.
Speaker 1: That is Jeff Pecorrol WTVQ and Network in his twenty
Speaker 1: fifth year amazing back in a minute to wrap this
Speaker 1: up on the state wide BBI. Oh, here off, Mike,
Speaker 1: we're playing athletic director for a day billy would not
Speaker 1: be a benevolent.
Speaker 2: I'd be a fine ad might be on probation for
Speaker 2: a little while.
Speaker 3: It would be a heartless a d Yeah, maybe so.
Speaker 1: Off for their heads. Now we're just talking kicking around
Speaker 1: about you know, is the playoff better? It's one of
Speaker 1: those deals in expanding the leagues. Uh, better for college football,
Speaker 1: but not better for the SEC or better the other
Speaker 1: way around.
Speaker 2: Better for the football. It's great for you say it's
Speaker 2: fine because it makes sense geographically.
Speaker 1: Well, but if you're a Kentucky fan as well, if
Speaker 1: you're a Kentucky you know, out of the one at
Speaker 1: the one side of your matter's saying, hey, we get
Speaker 1: to go to Texas, we get to watch them come here,
Speaker 1: we get to see all the teams in the league.
Speaker 1: We might go six years. It was amazing to me
Speaker 1: how many people on our side of the street. Maybe
Speaker 1: you feel this way, and you know it's it's a
Speaker 1: Kentucky doesn't play Texas and for another six years or so.
Speaker 1: My reaction was, yeah, so you know, reason being and
Speaker 1: I know I'm an outlier on a lot of things,
Speaker 1: this is one of them. I want to see Kentucky
Speaker 1: in the SEC. Championship game. And I've told you guys
Speaker 1: before I did it. For fifteen years I covered that
Speaker 1: event for the SEC Radio network. There's nothing like it.
Speaker 1: I wish you guys could experience it. I got to
Speaker 1: go back to the College World Series. You know that
Speaker 1: was a blast. Ye didn't know if I'd ever get back.
Speaker 1: Don't know that Kentucky now will ever get And you
Speaker 1: said before we went on the air, Billy, it's going
Speaker 1: to be easier is not the right term, but more
Speaker 1: realistic to get to a playoff game than to get
Speaker 1: to the SEC Championship.
Speaker 3: Game, right right?
Speaker 1: I mean, but see now it's going to be even
Speaker 1: harder for Kentucky to do that. So all these folks
Speaker 1: that wanted this to happen, well, you know, if you're Kentucky,
Speaker 1: even that's great. But now you're you're I'm not gonna
Speaker 1: say you're cheating yourself, but you're not going to get
Speaker 1: to see one of the great moments in all of
Speaker 1: college football.
Speaker 2: Well, I'll tell you, I'm so I hate to be
Speaker 2: this play, but I'm so confident that Kentucky won't make
Speaker 2: the twenty five SEC Championship game. My fiance and I
Speaker 2: just booked our wedding for the day of the SEC
Speaker 2: championship next December. So, uh, Mark Soup's proved me wrong.
Speaker 2: But yeah, it's good. Well you can have it and
Speaker 2: you can move it to Atlanta. Yeah, we can move
Speaker 2: it to Atlanta. I was born in Atlanta, so there
Speaker 2: you go.
Speaker 1: But did we know that?
Speaker 3: But I did not know that now.
Speaker 2: But the college, Yeah, the playoff is definitely more attainable.
Speaker 2: Like we just said, if they go nine to three
Speaker 2: and they have the right ninth win.
Speaker 1: Right, they have a case and it also could happen
Speaker 1: every who else loses? What games?
Speaker 2: And what what's for example, I'm just throwing Louisville out there.
Speaker 2: First ACC team to come to mind. What is there
Speaker 2: ten and two look like to Kentucky's nine in three?
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 4: So, and kind of piggybacking off of the comment I
Speaker 4: made to Jeff, would you rather be in a different
Speaker 4: conference and make these title games instead of not making
Speaker 4: it and being in the SEC? Well, you know, the
Speaker 4: ACC title games like being the president of a home school, Dick.
Speaker 4: I mean, you can call yourself a champion, but you
Speaker 4: know what, you're not playing in the SEC, and that's
Speaker 4: what it means. It just means more in this conference,
Speaker 4: and so that's why it's probably a much more special
Speaker 4: moment for you to eventually make that season.
Speaker 1: I wonder what U of L fans would say about that. Well,
Speaker 1: I've been and what was the crowd like? It's in Charlotte, right.
Speaker 3: Yeah, Charlotte at the Panther Stadium.
Speaker 1: I'd love to know what that game is like. And
Speaker 1: I'm not being disrespectful. I can tell you what the
Speaker 1: SEC Championship games like. It's insane.
Speaker 2: Especially Georgia is there every year and eighty miles from campus.
Speaker 3: You know what, though one game and they missed the playoffs.
Speaker 1: Well, but here's anything more. It's it's actually, as I said,
Speaker 1: I've covered every school but Vanny Kentucky's been there. It's
Speaker 1: almost crazier when George is not there, you know what
Speaker 1: I mean, because they're only you know, there's Georgia fans
Speaker 1: don't move to Atlanta and run a hotel room and
Speaker 1: party all night and all that. They party day of
Speaker 1: the game. But it's not I would get there on Thursday.
Speaker 2: Can either y'all remember the last one that wasn't either
Speaker 2: Georgia or Alabama.
Speaker 1: I haven't I haven't worked at event and al I'm just.
Speaker 2: Trying to think of the last SEC championship game period
Speaker 2: that didn't feature Georgia or Alabama.
Speaker 1: Oh no, I think it's it's at least eight years
Speaker 1: at least, but at least when Alabama gets there, they
Speaker 1: move into Yeah, Tennessee, unbelievable.
Speaker 2: It one year job when they get there too.
Speaker 1: All right, that'll do it. Thanks for joining us CE
Speaker 1: you next week.
Speaker 2: That's it.
Speaker 1: Good night from Lexington.