Speaker 1: Good morning at seven am here on Friday, October seventeenth.
Today and Ben Rude, you can expect sunny skies with
a eighty eight. In our one of today's show, we'll
give you a recap of Thursday night football as the
Cincinnati Bengals take down the Pittsburgh Steelers, and we'll talk
about some key matchups between LSU and Vanderbilt coming up
this Saturday. You can follow us on Twitter or Instagram
at a TV underscore ESPN and watch us on YouTube
at the one of four five ESPN channel. Our number
one of Off the Bench live from Rouses on Burbank
and Lee starts now all.
Speaker 2: Start Toyota presents Off the Bench with Jacob Hester and
Matt Flynn. Let's go, Let's grove from a championship backfield
to your morning drive.
Speaker 3: Hamsday, Hester and Hester got it five at a.
Speaker 2: Far Your locks in to Off the Bench.
Speaker 4: Well control for the five.
Speaker 2: From the Raising Knees Studio. Here's Jacob Vesser.
Speaker 3: And Messlin.
Speaker 5: Yo and welcome in to OTB here live from Rous's
on Burbank and Lee.
Speaker 3: It is another football Friday here.
Speaker 5: Excited to be here, Jake and Flynn here Musso and
Tata back in studio.
Speaker 4: There, booze, what's up, buddy? Haven't heard out tm OTV today?
It is Yeah, we do it. Fantastic. Happy to be
here at Rawse's right here on Burbank. We will be
here all morning from seven to ten. So come join us,
come say hi. We have I think a little few
more people every single week, kind of trickling through coming
to say hi, coming to get a little breakfast right here.
They don't have it out just yet. I think I
think the doors are opening. They're starting to put it out.
We got the hot bar back here, some eggs, some grits,
some bacon, sauce, everything you want. But every single week
we are here throughout the season, fired up. I get here,
I get here about six thirty five this morning, and
again I'm like the fortieth person into the store because
everybody that works for Elses is here. They are getting
ready for you. They're getting ready for you to come
pick up your weekend groceries, your tailgating groceries. And shout
out to Cassie too. I walked into six thirty five,
everything was set up ready to roll. Shout out Cassie,
crushing it. What are you laughing at now?
Speaker 3: They just laughing in Storre is already getting full. You're
right about it.
Speaker 5: I'm watching highlights of two geriatric quarterbacks absolutely put on
a banger on a Thursday night.
Speaker 3: The Ben gab All turned into a hell of a game.
Speaker 4: A hell of a game, I mean, well, the best
ones of the year, one of the best ones of
the year. It's the game that we didn't need, we
didn't know we needed as football fans, and my god,
just football rocks man. Football is just incredible. And the
Thursday night games just to continue to perform. And last
week we had the the meathead Ball the Giants. We
did beating the Eagles with Jackson Dart and Scataboo, Brian
day Ball yelling at doctors all over the place, trying
to get people out of the injury tent, trying to
get people out of the injury tent. We've had the
Packers Commanders, we had the Eagles Cowboys first game of
the season. We've had some We've had some bangers on
Thursday night, but none better than last night. Combined eighty
two years of quarterback life, who knows how much experience,
eighteen and almost.
Speaker 3: A couple of Super Bowls.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I think, I think combined forty years of experience
VET experience there, so it's uh, yeah, a couple of
sewer rows. So Joe Flaka, how your knees feel right now?
He was our draft class. How your knees fell?
Speaker 3: Poor?
Speaker 4: Poor poor poor to quite poor quite horrible. Yeah, so
it's really impressive. A lot of highlights from the game
last night, both quarterbacks making plays when they had to.
Zach Taylor's call sheet I think throughout the game yesterday
was inside run, screen pass, Jamar. Those are the three
plays he ran. Yeah, inside run, screen pass and Jamar
and Joe Flacco is I think he kind of got
the memo when he got there. He's like, hey, man,
if you're like in trouble, like if we got a
passing play, if he's just one on one or two
on one, sometimes just like you don't have to make
a perfect throw, just throw it at the defender.
Speaker 5: Yeah, and he got you throw it in his catch
radius and he's gonna go probably make a play. Like
if you're wondering, and I know that Jamar Chase is
the best receiver in the league, but if.
Speaker 3: You're wondering, like all week.
Speaker 5: What we were talking about with your receiver one having
to go help out your quarterback.
Speaker 4: That's what we're talking about. Yeah, put it in and
you don't have to be Jamar Chase. There's there's one
of those, right, and but help your quarterback out. Be
friendly to your quarterback, make a play, make a make
it to where it doesn't The ball doesn't have to
catch you every time. Sometimes you got to go catch
the ball. And that's what we used to say. Like
when you saw a pass down the sideline yesterday, or
like Aaron Rodgers DK metcalf on a go route, that
ball caught him. Like that ball was like you couldn't
have ran up there and handed it to him any better.
And that's what I had. A lot of NFL quarterbacks
make those throws all the time. But sometimes it's a
little behind you, sometimes it's a little out in front
of you. Sometimes you got to catch the back third
of the ball. Tampa Bay. Yeah, it just go make
a play. And it's fun when you see a primetime
game like that where everyone's excited to watch it. You
know it's the one game that's on and players, the
best players in the world, go out and make the
best plays in the world, and it's fun to watch
as fans and then also like for the football nerds
like myself. The end of the game, t Higgins catches
a ball, a deep ball down the sideline in a
four minute situation. Under two minutes in the game. He
catches the ball down the sideline, has a path to score,
and operates the smart one of the smartest plays in football,
a no moss situation. I don't know what y'all caught it.
We called it no moss, we called it no more,
no more points, no more or anything. Yeah, slides down
instead of going ahead because they were down by points.
So if you go ahead, you got to go for two.
You might end up being up by five points or
you might be up by seven. Like it doesn't you
don't really know what's going to happen. But you give
time to the other team. You slide down, give yourself
a chance to center it, knee it, kick a field
goal in no time left. So yeah, they did it.
And then it's a little bit of risk, but it's
a small.
Speaker 5: I mean, but you look, I mean, if if a
kicker misses that, you'll take that chance.
Speaker 3: I mean, it's an extra point, you'd rather take the chance.
Speaker 4: I'd rather take the chance of my kicker making a
really short field goal. So it's a small percentage he's
going to miss it. It's a higher percentage that Aaron
Rodgers and the Steelers drive down to score touchdown to
win it.
Speaker 5: Aaron Rodgers on the last play of the game, had
the longest air throw since twenty seventeen.
Speaker 3: And are you serious? Yeah, good stat pool. I knew
it was awesome.
Speaker 4: Like I watched it and I saw him throw it, and.
Speaker 5: I was like, holy hell, Yeah since twenty seventeen is
the farthest ball it's traveled in the air.
Speaker 4: Yeah, that's one thing that I do it like he
do it seventy years. Like there's quarterbacks, you know, there's quarterbacks.
I think like when I was a senior in high
school or freshman, I think I chunked one that might
have gone seventy yards or like at least someone told
me it did right, Like I didn't see it, but.
Speaker 3: Little helium in that ball, huh Yeah.
Speaker 4: But to be able to do it in a game
like with pads, pads and a helmet, shoulder pads on
that with bad you know, intention rushers coming towards you
as well. Yeah, and I think he's I got to
look this up. I should have. I should have done
this before the show, but I didn't think about it
until right this second. I think he's the most successful
hell Mary quarterback in the history of the NFL. I
said that yesterday. Yeah, And I don't know what that
stat is, but I know there's a lot of hell
Mary highlights for that guy. And that's the reason because
he throws it high and gives us, you know, he's
and gives us guys an opportunity, and he's played in
a lot of games, so he's he's Uh, we almost
saw it. I was hoping we'd see it. I was
cheering for my guy, you know, if he's gonna get
out dueled. You know what I was like, you know
what Flacco? I was like, Man, I was like, screw it, dude,
put Flacco in the Hall of Fame too, whatever, go ahead, Okay,
amazing not hurting himself.
Speaker 3: So it's funny.
Speaker 5: We were all watching the game last night and it
was Me, Katie and Memphis, and Memphis is kind of like,
you know, he always asks like, hey, who do we
go for?
Speaker 3: Who do we go for?
Speaker 5: In this game and we were trying to figure it out.
We were like, do we go for the Steelers because
coach Matt and Aaron her friends? Or do we go
for Jamar Chase? Where do we Where do we go here?
It's funny he was like asking back and forth. I
don't know if there's any wrong answer on that. That's
what That's kind of what Katie said, you know, I
think either way.
Speaker 4: I was so happy just watching how the game unfolded.
Of course, I was like cheering for for the Steelers.
But Flack is awesome man to do what he's He
has done over such an extended period of time, just
been consistent and good, and you can you could tell
the hurt and the anger and Tomlin's voice last week when.
Speaker 3: Oh yeah he got traded when the Browns.
Speaker 4: Yeah, like that. You just don't you don't do that.
You don't trade within the division for a guy that
you thought so much of that he was your opening
day starter. Yeah, and you trade him to somebody in
the division. And you can see the paint because Tomlin
has the utmost respect, Like, is there any coach out
there that respects quarterbacks that have he's played against more
than Mike Tomlin. I remember last year when people were
comparing Jane Daniels as a rookie to Lamar Jackson and
he tom was like, hold up, now, yeah, you're talking
about mister Jackson. Like, let's let's be very careful, let's
tread lightly when we make comparisons. Of course that comparison
is Jadon's that dude. Yeah, but like he was just saying, hey,
let's pump the brakes when we start comparing guys to
the guys that I respect, right, And I think he
has the utmost respect for Flaco because he's played them
and he knew.
Speaker 5: And they yeah, they gave last night. He knew what
he knew that that was J and T. Yeah, makes
it a dangerous group if you haven't had some of
the you know, the third and fourth receivers make a
play like that was that was like that game?
Speaker 4: Was that third and fourth receivers They can make plays. Yes,
that that you're allowed to.
Speaker 5: Great example of guys going out and wanting the football,
not being denied and just being aggressive towards.
Speaker 4: The ball blows my mind. Man, they're allowed to.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I mean, did you see the Joe Flako's face whatever,
Jamar like actually dropped one.
Speaker 4: Yeah, he did, was wide open. Okay, So I don't
remember the exact number. It was either one hundred and
sixty one or one hundred and eighty one million is
the payroll for the Steelers defense this year. Okay, that's
a big number. If you're wondering at home, it's a
big number. So their defense, they bring in Jayalen Ramsey,
they bring in Jayleen. Rams was getting cooked. He was
worked last night. A couple of pass interferences you could
you could sometimes you call him, sometimes you don't. But
they got called and he got cooked. He got cooked
on the t Higgins won late in the game that
he did the no Mo situation on touchdown to Jamar. Yeah,
he was getting worked a little bit, but a big
salary to get to go in there and get throttled
and looked like Swiss cheese. The forty one year old
Joe Flacca that just learned the snap counts seven days ago.
So I don't know if it's unimpressive or impressive Bill
Placo on that. But there was a I think there
was a play the Steelers who just scored the go
ahead touchdown an incredible like third down play and rolls
out to his left, scrambles out. They just got a
holding call. I think goes second to twenty. Take that,
then go second second and twenty second and twenty, rolls out,
throws a dot over down the field, touchdown to friar Mouth.
Second touch on the day for friar Mouth, and he
he was the race. But the Bengals get the ball
back like the first play, jamorro ros As shall across
and catches it and there's no one within fifteen yards
of him, right, Like, what do we do? What are
we doing?
Speaker 3: So?
Speaker 5: Yeah, I might want to make sure that you cover
him like you can blop some other guys.
Speaker 4: Yeah, but let's make sure we get him.
Speaker 5: Uh, I mean a flack go with the wheels as
well when he pulled it.
Speaker 4: Dude, So did you you heard you hear the g
year the after the post game stuff where he took
the stand they had asked him. I think Fitzpatrick could
ask him about that. He's like, so, is that like
a called situation? He's like no, He's like, I got
the play call and it was like one of the
few calls, like I had to read that one off
the rist, Like I didn't I didn't have that one memorized.
I had to read that play off the wrist and
I I can't remember who the receiver was. I think
he said T was supposed to do a counter motion
from the outside countermotion, come and seal the end. He's
going to hand the zone off. He's like, but the
play call is running down, and I just told him.
I was like, chill, just chill out there, don't come
in motion because I had to get the I had
to get the stap off. So the wide receiver is
supposed to come down and block the end right, So
there's no one blocking the end at this point. So
he hands he's going to hand the ball off, and
he just sees the guy crashing down and he was like, well,
screw it, let's just do it. Yeah, and he pulls
it and just totally ad lived it and he's like yeah, man,
He's like it felt really fun. Yeah. I hadn't done
that since like probably my second or third year in
the league.
Speaker 3: Yeah, you know, running zone reads with Joe Fla.
Speaker 4: Yeah, so second or third year in the league if
you're count, that's an over a decade and a half ago.
Speaker 3: Yeah, that was twenty ten.
Speaker 4: Yeah, so he Yeah, he just pulled and it was
kind of an ad lib crazy situation.
Speaker 5: But I think he got about fifteen on it. Well done,
well done, Well done, Joe too much. Great game, great game,
very exciting.
Speaker 4: Gotta love the NFL. I love it.
Speaker 5: Even between two forty one year old quarterbacks, you can
get a product.
Speaker 4: Like we have a quarterback controversy and sincy.
Speaker 5: People are asking just first time I've actually seen Burrow
on the sideline and the look when you have a
foot toe injury, you don't want your guys standing on
the sideline for four hours. So I get that, but
it's the first time I had chanced to actually see
him there with the team, and it was so weird
seeing Joe like with like the headset on talking to
Joe Flacco.
Speaker 3: I know, right, his crew is pretty wild.
Speaker 4: Joe. You see with the DoD the long hair, the
wispy bangs. Yeah, kind of looked like like a punk
rocker a little bit. I saw a good post yesterday
on the old Twitter machine, said my chemical Joe Mance.
Speaker 3: I think, hey, everybody goes to their emo face.
Speaker 4: Joe looked a little little, a little sad. Yesterday was
playing which not playing a game is like the worst
villain of the world.
Speaker 3: It is.
Speaker 5: It is all right, we're gonna take our first break,
but we've got so much more coming your way. Of course,
we'll play all our favorite games that we do here
on Friday. We'll have a pontoon parlay, a party bars parlay,
we'll play what's the ticket? All that's still coming your way.
Stay locked in here to otb.
Speaker 2: Off the bench, all right.
Speaker 5: It is always a great time to go for dose.
So if you're getting your tailgate ready, Hey, maybe you're
traveling right now to Nashville to go watch the Tigers
play Vanderbilt there on the road, and you gotta fill
up the ice chest, go ahead and fill it up
with some ice cold dose sequis, or hopefully you just
went ahead and did it before you went. Or if
you're hosting a watch party right and you're not going
to the game, but you're gonna have people over, well
be the hit of the party because you brought the
dose sekies.
Speaker 3: It's always a great time to go for dose.
Speaker 4: As right. Are you a can guy or a bottle guy?
Speaker 3: Ooh, I like a can?
Speaker 4: Actually, come on, I'm a big bottle guy. When it
comes to dose secids. That a green glass bottle, cut open,
a fresh line. You can get anything. That rouse is
right here as well. But it gets you. Get ready
for the weekend, Get ready for tailgating, Get ready for
a trip. If maybe you're going for a little fall
break whatever. Get that cooler ready, get that fridge ready,
go for dose dose secies.
Speaker 3: I start walking, lady, start walking.
Speaker 2: Man.
Speaker 3: We met.
Speaker 4: That of George bind We gain on the ground.
Speaker 3: To long.
Speaker 2: Tigers turn talkers. This is off the bench.
Speaker 3: Seven years tomorrow since we set our back under that
old pine tree.
Speaker 5: All right, welcome back in it is otb here on
a football Friday. LSU traveling later today to Nashville to
take on Vanderbilt, where they are a two and a
half point favorite.
Speaker 3: Are sorry, yeah, Bady Bills two and a half point favorite.
LSU two and a half point dog.
Speaker 2: Er.
Speaker 5: A lot of people, a lot of people in the
Vandy betting train.
Speaker 4: He because of mood from a point or a point
and a.
Speaker 5: Half, Dave Portnoy of Varstool put over two hundred thousand
dollars on Vanderbilt to cover this game.
Speaker 4: He must not like money, he must hate it.
Speaker 5: So there's a lot of people that favor this matchup
for Vandy what they do, well, what LSU struggle with
and I Matt, I mean honest with you, Like on
off campus when people start talking about this game, they're like, yeah,
I think I think Vanderbilt covers pretty easy. I'm like, wait, what,
Like what matchup are we talking about here? You know,
it's the offensive struggles for LSU. It's not being able
to run the football for l s U. Now with
Weeks potentially being out, it's something people are certainly paying
attention to because if you face a Digo Pavia, who
would you want chasing that guy round with Weeks?
Speaker 3: Right, So he's going to be a game.
Speaker 4: A couple of guys going against each other's growling the
whole time at each other. Quarterback's throwing up puke and rally.
I know, I know. And speaking of with well, we
could talk about his injury all we want to. Yeah,
but the big news coming out of the wit Week's
story is he shaved his head. He did, so, there's
a story of.
Speaker 3: The Bible, Samson and Delilah.
Speaker 4: Yeah, his power came from his hair bud. Yeah, A
little bit nervous about this one. So I think you
see some live line movement based on that's not.
Speaker 3: That you know, not that crazy.
Speaker 4: Okay, So what it is his ankle? It is a
bone bruise on his ankle, Is that what I read? So?
Speaker 3: I think what I read was so I've seen the
Bowl game.
Speaker 5: He had a major injury, yeah, and required surgery, and
I saw that it was soreness related to that injury.
Now I know there was some reporters that saw with
in a walking boot. I believe it was yesterday and
that was reported. I do want to and look, this
isn't me speaking on WIT's injury because I truly don't know.
I won't see what until later on a couple of
hours on the plane. But I will say this, this
medical group is very cautious with any ankle injury, with
any shin, with any you'll see somebody in a boot
as a precautionary measure, like that's kind of what they do.
I've seen guys with bradla Moore when he had his
sprained ankle, he went directly in to a boot. When
west Weeks had his his calf.
Speaker 4: Boom, because there's no reason not to get in a
boot because you can walk with it.
Speaker 3: You can you're like, I'll tell you this.
Speaker 5: I've seen guys that have had boots on after a
road game and played in the in the game the
next week and practice the next week. It is something
that they do. Like you said, why wouldn't you just
throw it on? Protect yourself?
Speaker 3: Rest it?
Speaker 5: So the boot portion of this, I wouldn't look too
much into that because again, you know this medical team,
that's what they do. They've always done it, and that's
just kind of part of the everyday injury precaution type stuff.
Speaker 3: Not to say he's gonna play, because I really truly
don't know.
Speaker 4: But yep, I mean all I get my news from
I get my news from Twitter, So you know, I
just saw that potential bone bridge potential like boot, you'd
never know. I agree with you, though, Like the boot
isn't like an end all be Now, if you see
someone crutching around, that's a different thing.
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, yeah, crutches a red flag.
Speaker 5: Yeah.
Speaker 4: I had like uh foot thing in high school and
I wore boot everywhere just because I didn't want I
didn't want people to good one, good one. All right, Okay,
this is a different type of boot though. Okay, all right,
but I wore just because I didn't want people to
step on it or like I didn't want to like
accidentally hit it against the table or a chair. So
I just wore boot and you can walk around. Your
mobility is fine. So someone in the chat here say,
I know that Landry Kiffen is Delilah, but I can't
prove it yet.
Speaker 3: Oh oh oh mm, hmm hmm.
Speaker 4: I feel about that. I mean, I've never seen him
puke in the game or you know, we're walking boot
until Landry. People are talking.
Speaker 3: Don't love that.
Speaker 5: Look at if Wit doesn't play in this game. I
do when we talked about it yesterday. I do think
Yellow Shoe's very deep at linebacker. But I'm not going
to be foolish enough to say that an All American
linebacker being out of the game is not something that
is going to, you know, help you in any way
if he's out. If an All American linebackers out of
the game, it's something that you have to make up for.
Speaker 3: It's not something you handwave.
Speaker 4: Yep.
Speaker 5: There's certainly one in this game where you're playing against
a Diego Pavia that likes to improvise, likes to you know,
when nothing's there, try to create a play and you know,
he'll wave the football around, he'll pull a spin move out,
and all of a sudden you look down the field
and he's got seventeen yards right. Well, in a game
like this, that's where you want a wit week. So again,
game time decision. He is, you know, a fellow meathead.
So I would assume he's going to give you everything.
He's got to be able to be out there on
the field, yeah, for sure.
Speaker 4: But and look from the silver lining for LSU fans
and LSU defense is that they already have the experience.
They played in the Florida game. Was got kicked out
of the game three three plays in, so they have
they they've been able to go and they've been able
to play at a high level without him already this season,
So they know they can do it. They know they
can create chaos and Diego Pavea. He's a he is
the heart of that team. He's the heart of that offense.
He is the engine that makes it go. But let's
not get it twisted that he's like this explosive, like
four to three guy, that he's a guy that does everything,
does a little bit of everything. He can throw it,
he can run it. He's tough, he's gritty. He's not
gonna slide. He's gonna dive at your knees, trying to
take your knees out. As a ball carrier, he's going
to try to push the pile. If his ball carrier
is getting held up and defenders are trying to come
in and hit, he's gonna come in from twenty yards
and try to clean someone out like while there he does.
He plays like an offensive lineman. He plays quarterback like
a linebacker. But yeah, the team speed for LSU is
going to nullify, like the potential for you know, unless
there's missed assignments, unless there's some sort of trick and
dick and play that gets him out in the open.
He's not going to like just outrun people to the
sideline or outrun people for a long game. He's it's
I said it two days ago. It's death by a
thousand cuts with Diego Pavia. So of course you want
your all American linebacker out there. But I think there's
people that can make up within that LSU roster to
keep us competitive, to keep our defensive elite. And we
did it again. I go back to the Florida game.
He was hurt or not. He wouldn't hurt. He got
kicked out of the game for a crap call. Feelings
were hurt, the referees ears were hurt because he was
screaming so much on the sideline, but he was out
of the game. They found a way to stay elite
on defense. They had five interceptions on DJ Lagway. I
would expect this defense, whether it's wit wit Weeks is
out there or not, I would expect this defense to
give Vanderbilt all that they want.
Speaker 3: All right.
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So stop by a branch near you are, visit Campusfederal
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and your finances come first. All right, we'll continue diving
into some of the matchup. You know, we've talked a
lot about Diego Papa. He's the star for Vanderbilt. We
all know that Elis Stowers is a star tied end
for them, but the Vandy defense is one that's probably
under value, you'd doesn't get talked about enough, and it's
really one of the reasons why they've been able to
change who they are. So we'll break down some of
the Vandy defense for LSU's offense and what does the
LSU offense do to try to continue some of the
success they had on the ground against South Carolina from
a week ago, And we'll have that for you when
we jump back here.
Speaker 3: Live from Rouses off the Bench. Are you good to all.
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Speaker 5: Rook into the stadium and I rolled you nine on
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Speaker 3: You were always a perfect can in a ballot Edictorium.
Speaker 2: Blocked in ULSU football twenty four to seven. You're listening
to off the Bench, all.
Speaker 3: Right, welcome back in.
Speaker 5: TV here live from Rouses on this Football Friday talking
a little LSU and Vanderbilt. Now, one of the things
that we haven't gotten into too much, Matthew, is the
Vanderbilt defense against the LSU offense. Because we've talked about,
you know, the stars for Vanderbilt. Obviously for LSU, the
defense has been a star as well. Not the star position,
don't worry, don't get upset.
Speaker 4: That's not a position. But it's a mindset, you know that.
Speaker 5: Sure, So let's go look at some of the Vanderbilt
defense against this LSU offense. Now, real quick, before we
get to Vanderbilt LSU's offense a week ago, did you
think that you saw the improvements?
Speaker 3: I know, you had to turnovers on the goal line.
Speaker 5: You had the interception, you were on the one yard
line two different times and didn't score. That's troublesome, we
know that part. But some of the other things. Did
you see some growth after the bye week within the
LSU offense to make you believe that it can go
up from where it was?
Speaker 4: Yeah, we talked about this earlier this week, like we
you had a week to improve, you had a week
to to and maybe potentially add some wrinkles in there
and of course, like the big thing that everybody was
worried about, that we were worried about, is the running
game for the LSU Tigers that was very for two
years now been very vanilla, very bland. We have struggled
in short yarded situations. The versatility is just not there,
the creativity is not there. Like we said, we hadn't
run a power all season. Well, this past week you
saw them trying to do things. They pulled the guard
five times in the game. Yeah, holy moly, five times.
If you would have told me they were going to
pull the guard five times earlier in the season, I
would have said you were a liar, because it's it
might as well be five hundred times because it's not happening. Sure,
I don't think any of them were traditional powers. I
think we're giving them the benefit of the doubt on
a quarterback power saying it's a power, not a counter
But it was a counterplay. But so what we're moving
the lot, we're moving pulling guards, we're pulling tight end.
We're being able to wash down one side of the
running game, and then we get under center. I think
the first play the game was under center. The running
game was under the center. So they're trying to do things.
They put a fullback in a short yard of situation
and the hole was there. Okay, never missed the read,
but you know what, you really haven't done it. Like
reading behind a full back is way different than just
like a normal gun rate. Your keys are different, you're reading,
you're reading different things. You got to you gotta not
only read the line, but you got to follow your
fullback and read his cues. So I hope that they
don't just say, well, you know, we tried to do it.
We tried to go you know, twelve personnel or twenty
one personnel or twenty two personnel. We tried to run
it with a fullback and some tight ends and it
just didn't work.
Speaker 3: So let's let's scrap that and go back.
Speaker 4: To our gun inside run inside zones with some RPOs
behind it. I hope they don't do that, because it's coming.
Speaker 3: It was there, it.
Speaker 5: Was there, and on the broadcast I kept saying, I
was like, it's close, it's close, Keep running it, keep
running it, don't get away from it. And then you
had Juwan Johnson, he had a big run. Caden Durham
started to hit like eleven twelve yard runs because in
the running game, if it's not hitting in the first
seven runs, you can't get away from it because it
is a part of the game. It adds to the
pace of the game, and you're leaning on the defense
every time you do it. It might not hit for thirty,
but if it's hitting for three and you're doing it
the right way, that three is going to turn into thirteen.
That thirteen is going to turn into twenty eight. The
twenty eight is going to turn into eight fifty something yarder. Right,
you had your longest run of the year, and so
it was good to see them continue to lean on
it a little bit because it was so close in
that game.
Speaker 3: Now, this Vanderbilt run defense is good.
Speaker 5: They only give up one hundred and two point five
yards per game, that's fifth best in the SEC. Now,
through the air, they give up two hundred and twenty
two point seven that's twelve in the SEC. So they
give up more through the air than they do on
the ground. But that does not mean that you don't
try to establish a running game. No, Like you still
you can't allow like those stats to dictate who you are.
Like you got to be yourself and then look if
the plays show up in the passing game because you're
running the football, that's what complimentary offense is supposed to be.
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's I was actually kind of surprised during my
film review from my film my film study this this
this week. I was kind of surprised when you told
when I was texting the group chat about you know,
different different things, different ways, Vanderbilt's getting beat right now,
and you're like, well, there, it's kind of surprising because
they're one of the best running defenses in the SEC.
And I was like, it's kind of shocking to me
because against Alabama, Alabama kicked their tails from left to
right in the running game. I mean they were pushing
the line of scrimmage and they had committed to it. Now,
I don't think they ended up with like a ton
of yards. I think it was like one hundred and
they're I think they're running back out over. I think
the Alabama's running back had over one hundred yards rushing
in that game. But their strength to schedule, it's kind
of played a little part of that. Of course, they
had a game against South Carolina that they did well
that they wanted. At South Carolina didn't have a good
running game either, so I think they've benefited from that.
You know, they played their strength to schedule hasn't probably
not the best running teams, and there's probably a talent deficit.
So but they played Alabama, who of course has a
better roster for like from a talent perspective, and they
ran the ball on them pretty pretty well. So I
would expect LSU to have the opportunities to be successful
on the ground. Yeah, now we saw some improvement last
week with LSU's running a game. Can they continue that.
It's a much better run defense that they're facing this week.
But I could tell you I don't care what the
stats show. Their strength to schedule is going to put
them at the top of the list in the SEC,
just because they really haven't played much, especially in the
running game they've played. They played two big opponents. They
played South Carolina, they played Alabama. Alabama kick their tails
in the running game. South Carolina stinks it running, So
I think the I think the stats are a little
bit skewed there. But from a secondary perspective, they do
everything we've talked about how this team is very well coached,
very versatile on offense, and defense. But let's stick on
the defensive side of the ball. They're gonna show you there.
I don't think they're gonna Their stats are probably very
balanced in the percentages from zone to man to They're
gonna run cover one, They're gonna run cover two, three, four,
they're gonna renc cover six, they're gonna run cover eight.
They'll throw some zero pressures at you and the just
they're very sound.
Speaker 3: What do you consider cover eight? So quarter quarter.
Speaker 4: Halves is six eight? Quarters are halves quarter quarter? Okay,
so it'd be like it'd be like havel but you
know some people call a quarter quarter halfs eight. Yeah,
so you always count from strong, So quarter quarter halves
would be you got on the strong side of the field,
which is usually the wide side of the field. You
got corner has one quarter, a safety's got a quarter
of the field, and then the backside so the weak
side safety has the other half of the field. So
a quarter quarter half. Now if it's flip if to
the wide side of the field, you got the cover two.
The class it's a much more rare coverage might see
it a little bit more like in the red zone.
But you go half, so two to the field and
then quarters of the backside. Yeah.
Speaker 5: I just make sure that we're on the same page
because some people call cover eight quarter quarter half because
they because it's four and two and they just times it.
I just added some coaches do it differently.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 3: I think Jimbo was.
Speaker 4: He's to call it quarters. Jimbo called the quarter seven.
Especially the reds, they called it red seven. It was
just quarter, just quarters in the red zone. Yeah. And
then if it's a Nickel personnel, everything's got a double digit,
so it's twenty two, thirty.
Speaker 3: Three, forty four.
Speaker 5: I loved I loved my guy Jimbo, and he taught
me so much and got me ready for the NFL.
But he had some food bars and he would always say,
now this is gonna be a food bar.
Speaker 3: I'm like, coach, you said that seven times in this meeting.
Speaker 4: Are we'll just make it normal bars.
Speaker 5: It's like, hey, uh, why are we doing this while
we calling this what we're calling this right now?
Speaker 4: I know, but look so on the second they're gonna
be vend but it's gonna be very balanced. They're gonna
show you all sorts of different types of coverages. So
you're gonna have chances at big plays, then you're gonna
have chances with times where you're just gonna have to
take the check down, take what's given to you. But
when they do play zone, especially when they play cover two,
their safeties get so deep. Every time they're safe, their
safeties are coached and preached. They're getting told, do not
get beat, beat deep. But that creates opportunity. And I
saw Ty Simpson for Alabama do it. I saw the
door sellers for South Carolina. Do it. Take advantage of
whole shots down the sideline, take advantage of underneath like
DIGG I'm not even talking about underneath, like short routes,
like dig routes, in routes, PRUURL routes deep. Their safeties
get so deep, there's lots of opportunity. There are a
lot of windows for the LSU Tigers for the LSU
receiver to get.
Speaker 5: Open, all right, without cheating here, So I've got their
coverage stats right in front of me without cheating. I
know you haven't watched every game. You've watched South Carolina
and Alabama. Which coverage do you think is Vanderbilt's lead coverage?
Speaker 4: I would say most teams lead coverage is going to
be some sort of.
Speaker 5: Three cover three thirty five percent and go well done.
Speaker 4: How much zero they run, I'm gonna say about ten percent,
thirteen thirteen.
Speaker 5: Percent, which is a big number for zero, A big
number for zero.
Speaker 4: Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 3: Now usually see around like six or seven percent.
Speaker 4: Yeah, And a lot of that is you got to
look at schedules as well.
Speaker 3: True, they knew they could get away with it.
Speaker 4: You play high run teams like Alabama when they were
run they seemed like they were running every play. Yeah,
and it looked like they were averaging seven eight nine
yards or run for in the first half. So they
probably played a little zero there. You know, when you
play a team like Charleston Southern, you get some.
Speaker 5: I told you the Buccaneers dangerous. It's good for him,
I don't know.
Speaker 4: Hit the portal pretty hard, pretty hard, pretty old buds.
They got thousands of nil dollars to spend, yes, not tens,
just thousands. Yes.
Speaker 5: So uh, it's a good point bringing up who they've
played and where those teams are rushing. That probably has
added to the stats because even though we are into
the SEC schedule, you know, South Carolina was dead last
in rushing before they played LSU.
Speaker 3: Now LSU's last in South Carolina's.
Speaker 4: Fished to win that game at South Carolina, which is impressive,
but yeah, Carolina, we're not real high on them.
Speaker 3: That's the game Leonora Sellers went out though with.
Speaker 4: The cancushion, went out either late in the first or
second quarter.
Speaker 5: Yeah, and look, South Carolina's not yelling. South Carolina is
not a not a good football team. But there's certainly
not a good football team without Leonora Sellers.
Speaker 3: Like he is all of their offense. He's the offense
like he was. It's one versus eleven.
Speaker 5: Yep, it's like did you not feel like that?
Speaker 4: Oh my god? Yeah, Like without Lenora Sellers, they are
absolutely not good. I agree now, especially if you turn
the ball over twice in the red zone. Yes they're
a little bit better, right, yes, but you don't do
that then it's.
Speaker 3: Not just the red zone, the one one one all right.
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Speaker 3: All right.
Speaker 5: When we come back, we and take a look around
the SEC. Take a look at some of the matchups.
There's five ranked matchups in college football this weekend. Three
of those are in the Southeastern Conference. It is going
to be a tier system week moving up? Are you
moving down? Are you staying in the same tier? You've
got opportunity. Where do we think these teams are going
to go? We'll have that for you when we jump
back here. It is OTB Live from Rouses on Burbank and.
Speaker 3: League off the Bench.
Speaker 4: All right.
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Speaker 4: Yeah, I can tell you, sir, someone that has printers
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Speaker 5: Hard nothing hay for any lady.
Speaker 3: I want you to give me a sign I'm giving.
Speaker 5: I believe in if you Yeah, I've never seen anyone
looking so fine, man, I gotta haven't see some one
of them.
Speaker 2: I'm going two thousand and seven Champs, Purple and Gold
to the core. This is Off the Bench with Hester
and Flynn, Baton Rouge's go to for all things Louisiana sports.
Speaker 3: You're back, oh Moose.
Speaker 5: I know I'm back, but you know what, I'm going
to enjoy this song. If that's okay with you, Moose.
Speaker 4: We're about to give you a compliment.
Speaker 3: Geez compliment.
Speaker 4: Okay, go ahead. It's a great song, little John.
Speaker 5: You're back. I mean sitting here and enjoying it. I
can hear myself now, Yeah, I can hear the music.
I can hear Flynn now, and I can hear the music.
I don't think we've ever been able to hear the music.
Speaker 3: I don't know what.
Speaker 4: No, there you go.
Speaker 5: So if you're wondering why my my headphone was off
my ear for the first hour of the show, that's
why I couldn't hear Flynn through the.
Speaker 4: Job.
Speaker 3: Paul. We just want to see you, Bud. We just
want to see you. You don't need to do it,
We just want to see you.
Speaker 4: Very handsome.
Speaker 5: All right, well done, well done? Okay, Oh my gosh,
that's so much better. I can hear myself, I can
hear Flynn, I can hear the music. Oh, we're here.
It's good, it's good. Okay, everybody, all right, let's go
around the sec like we teased, because you've got old
Miss traveling Athens to take on the jou Jab Bulldogs.
Speaker 3: How you feeling about that one?
Speaker 4: I feel like George is gonna win that one, So
I feel I feel like ole Miss is a uh.
I hate to use this term because nobody knows what
their mascot is, but paper tiger. They are a paper tiger.
I don't think they are as good as their ranking.
I didn't think they were very that good. When I'm
not gonna say very good. I didn't think they were
that good when LSU went there to take them take
them month.
Speaker 5: I thought they were a nine and three football team.
Speaker 4: And you still feel that way, Yeah, yeah, nine and three? Yeah, okay,
I could see that. Uh. They just I underestimated how
much the tempo of their offense would neutralize the creativity
of the defense. And it probably shouldn't have been a surprise.
I guess when I'm watching film of a team, it's
hard to tell on the game film like the.
Speaker 3: All twenty two, like the tempo, Yeah, because you don't have.
Speaker 4: The entertwe Yeah, probably should have watched a little TV
copy on that. Yeah, because you don't get the in
between of the plays. So I underestimated that portion. Now,
of course the Yels defense played still like the end
of the game. They played great for the amount of
plays that they had to, but they neutralized them in
the way that they couldn't get off the field, like
the third third down efficiency was very high for Ole Miss.
I did not think that Old Missus secondary was very good,
and I just didn't think their defense tot we just
didn't play well enough on offense, and creativity wasn't there.
NUSS didn't play well enough. I mean, you can beat
on the road in an SEC game, but I just
don't think they are as complete of a team as
what they're ranking is telling us that they could be.
So I think they go and I think they go
down to Georgia, and I don't know if it's going
to be particularly close enough.
Speaker 5: Now, I do think Georgia has some deficiencies as well.
Sure they're not the Georgia where it's just like rolled
the helmet out there. They're going to run the football
and play incredible elite defense and get some play from
their quarterback. I still think yeah, and they still need
to learn how to clap.
Speaker 4: They haven't figured the clip figured out the clap portion
of It's actually pretty tough if you think about it.
Speaker 3: So they got to show me how to do it.
So everybody wanted to make fun of coach Miles. He
knew what he was doing. He knew to clap, he
knew he knew how to clap, He knew how to
do it.
Speaker 4: It does not know how to clap. He is pretty
remedial too. You gotta start wondering. They still got it.
Speaker 3: So tebow dused to call him Kirby dumb dumb, So
I think.
Speaker 4: What did so? What did Lane Kiffin say earlier this
week about Lane? It was a great clip, uh talking
about I don't think it doesn't look like Kirby's been
excuse Yeah.
Speaker 5: Some a reporter asked him, like, who burns more calories
on the side line?
Speaker 3: You were, Kurby because you're always moving energy. Yeah.
Speaker 5: Yeah, it's like you're always moving always. He's like, I
don't know, if you look at Kirby didn't look at
he's burned many calories.
Speaker 3: I get on him by his weight all the time.
Speaker 5: I was like, geez, I know you are boys, but man,
this guy's got a family.
Speaker 4: So good, so good. And it is funny how all those
coaches that went through the the Saban tree of coaching
are all friends.
Speaker 5: Yeah, oh yeah, for sure. Oh yeah, even when they fight,
like Jimbo and Nick did a couple of years ago.
Speaker 3: But they're good. They're back now, we're back. They're back.
Speaker 4: All right.
Speaker 5: So we got Tennessee and Alabama, which we'll get to
later on in the show.
Speaker 3: Georgia, ol miss you like Georgia. I like Georgia to
cover just to win.
Speaker 4: What's the one?
Speaker 3: Uh, we'll look at that coming up.
Speaker 5: It's more in a touchdown once going twice, Power too
OTV coming back.
Speaker 3: Live from Rouses Off the Bench.
Speaker 4: All right.
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