Speaker 1: Merry Christmas from Off the Bench, presented by All Star Toyota.
Join Jacob Hester and t Bob Avery as we spread
some holidays year and talk all things sports live from
the Mercedes Benz of Baton Bruge Studio. Let's get this
Christmas party started, Santa.
Speaker 2: Tell me if you feel it is impossible for anybody
to create such good intros as.
Speaker 3: You did for every hour of the show and not
be confused with the Christmas spirit, I'm proud of it.
Speaker 4: I'm in the Christmas spirit.
Speaker 5: Good.
Speaker 6: Sabotage good, great, It'll be back Sanday.
Speaker 3: There's a sad look. We can use sabotage in the
twenty six.
Speaker 4: You know, well, I won't be here the twenty six.
Speaker 3: So well, any of us to be working twenty six.
Speaker 4: Probably do have to work. But I'm I'm not going.
Speaker 3: To be here, lame.
Speaker 4: I'm going to be in Texas for like nine days, so.
Speaker 3: We're working on Boxing Day. I'm not well, I might
be here.
Speaker 4: I'm not worried. The boxing is on Saturday and I'm
not gonna be here either.
Speaker 6: Boxing Day, there's going to be a lot of Mere
League for your boys.
Speaker 3: What that's gonna be Hmmm? I don't know. I got
the Sugar Bowl and I got the Texas Bowl of Balls. Sugar, sugar, sugar.
That's that's good to Jake.
Speaker 7: If you ever need like a personal assistant to go
with you to these places.
Speaker 6: I might need for the Sugar Bowl, like I am
han solo because there's so many news, Like there's so
many games now that would they've put us all Like
it used to be like we have two people, but
now because there's you know, more quarterfinals in first round,
like all that stuff that you know, I get Sugar Bowl.
This person is the Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl. And after
the game, it's like a scrum and so like I'm
gonna have to be grabbing players and interviewing them and
like run try to grab other ones where typically like
I have a player and then I'm feeling while the
other guy or girl gets somebody and then like I
toss it to them.
Speaker 2: Sounds like it may be worth your time to throw
a little throw a little side cash.
Speaker 3: A Launde's way. It had to get a credential. That'd
be the only hard part. Sugar Bowl. I feel like
we could.
Speaker 2: Mean so what I'm saying due pitch the serious guys
I'm sure we could scream jumps.
Speaker 6: I wouldn't even go to serious. I would just like
try to call the sugar Yeah, I'm sure we can
scrounge up some sugar Bowl connects.
Speaker 4: Use some social media while I'm there.
Speaker 6: Yeah, hey, Sugar Bowl, if you're listening, I need a
credential for a Landra.
Speaker 4: We got bull connects.
Speaker 5: Uh.
Speaker 2: Johnathan even says, what is Boxing Day? I know it's
a Canadian holiday. I was being the UK thing too.
Speaker 8: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Does it have something to do with the boxes from
the presence, I know they play a lot of epl
and it's the day after Christmas.
Speaker 7: I just really thought that you knew that fury you
sick was this weekend and I was really proud of you.
Speaker 6: But this is just like a boxing Like I thought
Boxing Day was so like in the UK and end
the day like so like the servants had to be
there on Christmas, but the next day they got to
go be with their family because they weren't having to
serve on Christmas.
Speaker 3: That makes sense.
Speaker 9: It was like like the twenty six was there there Christmas.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 7: It also called boxing Day because the employers would give
each servant a box to take home containing gifts, bonuses
and leftover food.
Speaker 3: I just looked it up.
Speaker 2: Okay, yeah, it's smart too.
Speaker 3: Like heady play by the UK there to make the day.
Speaker 2: And granted not that they planned it in the beginning,
because honestly, if the beginning is the workers having to
work on Christmas, it defeats it.
Speaker 3: I'm about to say. But in a modern sense.
Speaker 2: It's it's beneficial or it's paid dividends because now you
have a built in holiday the day after Christmas, which
of course you want because on Christmas you want to
be able to not have it. You don't want Christmas
feel like Sunday. Yeah, you and Christmas feel like Saturday.
Very heady Play the UK there where we'll probably be
up here. I'll be up here, you know, whatever time,
but we're gonna phone that show in, just letting y'all know.
Speaker 3: At the college football playoffs, we're gonna have.
Speaker 10: What's going on on the Pits.
Speaker 2: College wall playoffs coming up this weekend though, guys, they
vhting that And look at this schedule. So Friday night
on ABC, you're gonna have Indiana Notre Dame at seven
pm nighttime. Cold Saturday, you got a full slate at
eleven am, SMU at Penn State at three pm on
T and T actually, which.
Speaker 3: I've been interesting.
Speaker 2: Tn T get involved here and oh sorry the eleven
am also on T and T. Then at three pm
Clemson at Texas and at seven pm, UH Tennessee at
Ohio State and that'll be on ABC. Oh my god,
what a weekend of football. This is going to be, guys.
See some quick thoughts in each game here, Uh, Indiana
at Notre Dame. I know Notre Dame is gotta be
amongst the favorites of the field, without a doubt. They
have an uber elite defense. They have an offense that
was struggling early on, but Ryan Leonard has continued to
get better and better better. It's a very solid offense,
not not maybe not the most explosive, but very good
and grindy, and they can go. Notre Dame is built
to control and strangle a football game, right. But Indiana
has an elite offense mixed with a defense that I
think is severely underappreciated. Kamara leaving the big ten and
sacks Uh. I like Indiana's chances here. My one question is, Jake,
how is Notre Dame's pass rushed, you know, because like honestly,
that's where Indiana got most outclassed in that Ohio State
game was edge defenders just dominating the Indiana offensive line.
They couldn't keep up, and that's how they were able
to stop Curtis Working company.
Speaker 3: They I mean, they got a couple of guys.
Speaker 6: I know, mills Is, I think he's seven and a
half sacks maybe on the year. Howard Cross is somebody
that's a pretty good pass rusher as well as a
team I think they have. I looked at this Yesterday's
one reason I no like thirty sacks. I think is
a team so somewhere in the middle, middle of where
some of the other teams would be. Certainly, I mean,
not one that's going to be the Jimmies and Joe's
that Ohio State had, in my opinion, I mean, those
are two edge rushers that are gonna play on Sundays.
Speaker 3: So it's not.
Speaker 6: Something that I think is going to be such a
strength for Notre Day in the Indiana can't stop it.
I think the matchup for me, and we talked about
it last week, is Indiana's got the top ranked rush
defense in the country and Notre Dame runs it about
as well as anybody in the country, So it's going
to be strength on strength, which one's going to win out.
And Jeremiah Love You've heard me say this for like
four weeks, is maybe the most undervalued player in the country.
He's a running back four Notre Dame. He is, He's different.
And then if they pair that with what Riley Leonard
can do, and they've got a good game plan, you know,
with some of his own read game or some of
their Q runs. With Riley Leonard, he doesn't have to
do a ton passing the football like he just needs
to make five plays, probably through the air to be enough.
Speaker 2: You mentioned game plan though, and that's what's fascinating to
me because as good as Marcus Freeman is, by the way,
Marcus Freman is getting extended, which I'm sure he's got
to be making at least like eleven mil Now. It's
a private school, so we don't know, but I would imagine.
Speaker 3: So I'm gonna ask him if they make it down
the Sugar Bowl. Yeah maybe no, right, h let me
hold something.
Speaker 2: But look, as good as Freeman is, like Kurt Signetti,
everybody who's worked with them describes his ability to game
plan and find angles as a superpower basically, So like
I got to imagine that Signetti. It's kind of like
what Georgia does right and where Pelichick's always subscribe to WHI.
It's like, you're not gonna beat us with your best thing.
If you get us with if you get us with
the other thing, credit to you. Okay, can but of
course Notre Dame knows this well. Like, can Indiana come
up with a plan to stop that run? Can Indiana
find success against what is one of the best defenses
in the entire country, including that Notre Dame secondary, which
is fantastic.
Speaker 3: We'll see, we'll see.
Speaker 2: I think Notre Dame probably wins, but I think it's
going to be very close, and I give Indiana big
time fighting.
Speaker 3: Remember most expensive ticket out there.
Speaker 6: Oh yeah, and it's not even now, it's not even
remotely close. I mean it's come down come down to
four hundred and seventy nine dollars to get in. It
was six hundred on fridayesh. So yeah, it's an expensive
ticket there in South Bend where it's going to be
twenty five degrees, But both teams are from the same state.
That's a big advantage for Indiana that that's not going
to affect them. It's not the advantage that Notre Dame
thought maybe it would have over over someone else, maybe
an SMU or somebody they had to come well.
Speaker 2: So okay, so yeah, exactly right. Getting into our next game.
I hate SMU's draw here. SMU is a team that's
a bit flashier, a bit more finesse, and they have
to play a Penn State team that might as well
be like like a like a bulldozer of a team,
I mean.
Speaker 3: Just big strong.
Speaker 6: It does feel like whenever their offense is on the
field and they're moving the ball, it's like you hear it, Yeah,
I mean.
Speaker 3: Just just methodical construction work. It's exactly what. Yeah, It's
like It's like how.
Speaker 2: My old man used to describe the the offense that
his team won state with at Telfus.
Speaker 3: They used to listen to Pink Floyd's the Machine Welcome.
Speaker 2: Because they just wanted to be like yeah, and I
don't know in the cold how these flashy cats from.
Speaker 3: Dallas is it kicking that one is are gonna hold up?
Speaker 2: I think this is a bad draw for SMU and
I and I'm gonna I'm gonna extra love it because
an SMU loses big, all the Alabama fans are gonna
be a corrip So.
Speaker 3: Are cann out? Wait? Get out? Wait?
Speaker 9: Oh my god, especially if Penn State wins that by
like fourteen.
Speaker 3: That's what I'm saying. No, I think Penn State is
gonna win by double Digitsate ALBA.
Speaker 10: So much better.
Speaker 3: You should have won your games.
Speaker 2: Sorry guy, but yeah, I think I I don't. I mean,
I think Penn State wins big.
Speaker 7: Well.
Speaker 3: Also Drew Aller coming back next.
Speaker 6: Year, Yeah, that's big. A lot of people had him
as a top thirty guy. One of the things that
when it's cold like that is the teams that are
north south teams do better, yeah than the East west.
Speaker 3: And I'm not talking about snow. Just when it's.
Speaker 6: Cold, you got more gear on, you're a little bit tighter,
you're not as loose as you typically would be. You're
a little bit slower when you have cold weather. It's
just that's the way it is, right. Your cleats don't
get in the ground the same way. It makes sense,
So when you go east west, it's not good for you.
North south is what you want. Well, Penn State's north
and south, SMU's east and west. It's just a really
bad matchup.
Speaker 3: I think for SMU.
Speaker 6: I think Penn State just leans on the Ponies all
game long and just takes their will out and poses
their will on them, and not even like in a
flashy way like this game could be like seventeen to three,
but Penn State was never in trouble.
Speaker 2: Kind of like the Texas Texa A and M game
a couple of weeks ago where kind of close final
score but not really. All right, let's push mailbag back
to next hour, and then coming up next segment, we'll
get into the final two playoff games and then we
get into coach Mulkey real quick though, guys, I do
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Speaker 5: Off the Bench.
Speaker 11: The Phase Day Christmas, my mama gave to me a
craw fish.
Speaker 10: They caught an arab in that Christmas picky You not
seen it dance section e chie Jack's recipe for the
craw fish. They caught an arab.
Speaker 5: Sports sock maybe off the bench.
Speaker 10: Mackenzie for tree, French breads, jackassa pey for the craw fish.
They caught Arabic on.
Speaker 2: Your fourth day, I said, okay, let's get up Christmas
tree before your driving.
Speaker 11: Nuts, tree French bread jack for the craw fish.
Speaker 10: They caught Arabic.
Speaker 2: Fifty of Christmas Wisdom, thirty young gee for.
Speaker 10: All for your dropping nuts, tree French breads.
Speaker 3: Jacksci for the craw fish. They caught Arabe On a
six day Christmas.
Speaker 9: We stopped at KMB's for a six pack of Dixie.
Speaker 11: Driving not three French bridge for the craw fish.
Speaker 3: They caught an Arab oh man they cross.
Speaker 2: They caught theirs so so so good.
Speaker 10: Six pack of Dixie.
Speaker 11: My three French bridge for the craw.
Speaker 10: Fish they caught in Arabic.
Speaker 3: I'm gonna be singing fraud on ye the rest of
the them. I think I do actually know this song.
Speaker 10: Six pack of Dixies.
Speaker 3: That kind of sounds like death. That's like the closest
to death right there.
Speaker 10: Not three French bridge for the crawfish. They caught an Arabic.
Speaker 3: On the ninth day of Christmas, we go down Delaware
in the lower nine.
Speaker 2: Eight by your mama's streaker, Now, six pack of Dixie,
leave it alone.
Speaker 3: You'll make men free.
Speaker 11: French Bridge for the crows fish they caught, Araby.
Speaker 9: What I used to be at Kaiser Now I'm working
down the street at the tenor coach.
Speaker 2: This is Benny crunching the bunch eight by your mama's.
Speaker 4: That's what it says.
Speaker 3: Yeah, what do I mean.
Speaker 10: When he likes two three french Bridge?
Speaker 3: How do you put this song together? From writing? The execution?
Speaker 5: Cross straight?
Speaker 2: Well bags, that's it sounds like six packs of six
pack of Dixie.
Speaker 3: Sounds like, yeah, I'm live saker Dick's pack of sixty,
Pack of sixty now for now?
Speaker 11: Four three french Bridge Jack for the cow fish they caught, Araby, Chris.
Speaker 4: You really are gonna let this just keep going.
Speaker 2: We're up to twelve already, Mama.
Speaker 3: The next thing, I got too drunk.
Speaker 2: Again Bridge, Oh, bra what a masterpiece.
Speaker 3: Ah, I know there's a video. Oh I gotta watch
this music video. I've only ever heard it. We've watched
the video we did I don't remember.
Speaker 9: Yeah, it remots me when they had Colby Dela who's
he read the Cajun night before Christmas to the football
team that time video.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's so crazy, man. The one accident that I
just can barely do at can't do at all.
Speaker 3: Really.
Speaker 2: I mean, you know, I guess I can't do a
lot of accents, but I do a lot of accents,
but the one that I really just don't feel common
enough to every I can't do a Cajun.
Speaker 3: Accent, which is just really surprised. I know it's a
big failing on my part.
Speaker 2: Anyway, Okay, other playoff games, so as you pensate eleven,
like I said, probably not gonna be the best game,
so kind of a good appetizer there. Then three pm
Clemson at Texas, And uh, let's be clear about this.
Speaker 3: When I look at Texas, I've seen an elite team.
Speaker 2: You see a team that is, with the injuries to Georgia,
arguably the favorite right behind Oregon. But you also see
a team that, like has been offensively flawed.
Speaker 3: In a lot of games this year.
Speaker 2: And you see a team that in it's two biggest
tests got out classed. Now on the other side of
the docket with Clemson, I mean, look, Clemson lost some
bad games this year. Credit to them for finding a
way to win the ACC. I like, okay, club Nick
has played this year. The offense has gotten better, but like,
clearly I think Texas is better than Clemson.
Speaker 3: But there's been just enough.
Speaker 2: There's like just enough lack of evidence of Texas against
great teams and maybe just enough of a door open
at times where I think this will be close and
maybe Clemson sneaks out a win. Or maybe this is
just wishful thinking because I would be clowning Texas fans
so unbelievably hard if little old Clemson and Dabo were
able to go into Austin and emerge the playoff win.
Speaker 3: I just think the matchup of Georgia for Texas is
more of the bugaboo than them just not being able
to go out there and win a big game. It's fair.
This Clemson team had to.
Speaker 6: Get a little luck, which you know there's team's in here,
but that to get a little luck just to even
get in the situation to have the opportunity, yeah, fran Brown,
to get into the playoff. You know, Phil Offfa's availability
and his health is going to be crucial for Clemson.
He's been banged up if they can't run the football,
they got to put it all on k Club.
Speaker 3: Now, who's been really good this year.
Speaker 6: But if you become one dimensional and Texas kind of
knows what you've got to get done, I actually think
Texas is going to win this one. Now, eleven and
a half seems like a lot of points, but Texas
at home against a Clemson team that certainly has deficiencies.
Speaker 3: I think Texas will. Yeah, do you think do you
think they cover well?
Speaker 6: I mean, I see it between ten and fourteen, so maybe.
I mean, I think rolling in a playoff game at
ten point victories?
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, no, no, no doubt, no doubt about that.
Speaker 2: Again, it's tough for me to separate what I want
to happen from actual analysis because it would be so
deeply funny if he No, I mean again, the troll
of me actually kind of wants Clemson win the national
championship and for David to just be able to just
victory laugh all over everybody, myself included, because I want
to tell.
Speaker 4: Him what you said during the break that you were
gonna do.
Speaker 3: No, no, no, no no.
Speaker 2: I hit a Landra with what could be considered a
major HR violation just.
Speaker 12: Know if h could, if if Clinson does beat Texas,
I will not let a landra hear the end of it.
Speaker 3: Uh, just know that it'll be a bad couple of weeks.
Speaker 2: If you're there via real, I mean.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I do. I do think.
Speaker 2: I think Texas wins this game. I think it's gonna
be close, but I think Texas wins. Uh and then
probably game uh oh.
Speaker 3: What like what it's gonna be?
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah, the big ten teams getting all the
all the home games. Uh, and then maybe what's considered
to be the best game. It's either Indiana No to
Dame or Tennessee Ohio State. But Tennessee, Ohio State, seven pm,
Prime time, Saturday night in the Shoe to very good
teams and Ryan day on just like an impossibly aggressive
I mean, he has to win this game. If he
doesn't win this game in the Shoe right after losing
to Michigan in the manner that they did, I feel
as if you may witness a public execution right there,
Like make sure there's nobody named Luigi in the stands,
because Ryan day is in some hot water going into
a cold Saturday night.
Speaker 6: Yeah, this is this is maybe the best game and
it should be I guess with eight to nine. Yeah,
like eight nine, I guess should be the most competitive game.
But you're talking about two big brands, Big ten versus SEC,
two teams that want to run the football right, two
teams that do it in a different way, but at
the end of the day, that's what they want to
get done.
Speaker 3: I look, I don't know how this one's going to go.
Like this is a straight up toss up for me.
Speaker 6: I know Ohio State's favored by seven, but I think
Tennessee is gonna be highly competitive in this game. We
had we had on Desmond Howard, like I think it
was last week. Maybe he's like, you know, and Tennessee's
got to go up to that cold I said, Daz.
Speaker 3: It's currently snowing in Knoxville.
Speaker 6: Yeah, yeah, like last week it snowed multiple days like that.
That that to me, is not gonna be anything that's
you know, affecting this game in such a way where
it decides the outcome.
Speaker 3: This is going to be a really good game.
Speaker 6: It's gonna come down to who is able to you know,
get it done as far as running the football, living
in the trenches offense and defensive linemen, and again, can
you make enough pass plays when it presents itself? Can
Howard make the play? There's been times that he has,
and certainly there's been times that he has not. Like
he's played well in you know, the Oregon game, but
he's played not so on some of their other big games.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean that's what's crazy about Howard is every
any thinks he sucks, but like kind of that that
that Michigan game is kind of the exception of the rule.
Speaker 3: He's been pretty good. I think it was like one
other game maybe bigger, oh.
Speaker 2: Nebraska, is that what it was? Yeah, twenty four to seventeen,
very close game. They kind of barely barely survived that
when he was not good that game.
Speaker 6: But you know, I mean there's been some ups and downs.
But I agree with you too, it's been more ups
than it has been downs. But you know, I mean,
him Nico, like they've been okay, okay, Yeah, can they make.
Speaker 3: The play when it presents itself.
Speaker 2: I think also what's gotten O how stayed into trouble
a bit has been that offensive line at times, pass
protection especially and kind of inability to run the ball.
And I think that plays into Tennessee's hands quite nicely.
You know what travels defense and running the ball. Yeah,
so and so Tennessee is gonna seek to do I
would take Tennessee in a up upset here. I think
their house State vibes are so bad that Tennessee actually
goes in and and and Luigi's Ryan Day.
Speaker 6: If if that happens, is Ryan Day coaching the Buckeyes.
Speaker 3: Now, I don't know, I don't know.
Speaker 6: I don't think, but he's gonna replace him that I
was about to say, we're late in the process. Yeah,
you're gonna have to go steal somebody.
Speaker 3: I mean, you could probably get anybody you want it.
But I don't know. That's that's that's tough. I don't
think he is.
Speaker 9: Yeah, I mean there's a lot of buzz around that run,
especially Will Howard goes in there. There's three interceptions because
the door is blown off of them. Because there's a
lot of High State fans that were like, you went
and got Will Howard, like there were better guys in
the portal, at least they thought so at the time.
So like he doesn't play well in a big game,
you don't win this big game. There's a lot of
people that are gonna be calling for that.
Speaker 3: All right, let's talk to coach Kim Mulkey next here
on No TV.
Speaker 5: Off the Bench.
Speaker 1: Welcome in to the best morning sports this show around
Off the Bench with Hester and T Bob.
Speaker 2: Kettles and Woollen, Mitt Brown, tape for packages, tied.
Speaker 1: Up with streams, a few of my favorite things.
Speaker 5: Cream.
Speaker 3: Welcome back.
Speaker 2: Okay, right now, it is Tuesday at eight thirty, which
means we are the luckiest radio show in the country
as we are joined by LSU women's head basketball coach,
coach Kim.
Speaker 3: Mulkey, Legend Hall of Famer.
Speaker 2: A couple of Hall of famers on the staff, which
is especially appropriate given that LSU will be taking on
and seen Halliday at the Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase
at the Mahigan Sun. That game is gonna be on
FS one tonight. Make sure to check it out seeing
Hall eight and two, LSU twelve and zero, seventh time
in school history.
Speaker 3: Coach Mulkey, what's going on? How we feeling?
Speaker 8: Thanks all, I'm walking through the casino. Guys, you wanted
to put one of these little level on this slot machine? Yeah?
Speaker 3: Put it on black? Yeah, Coach, just go put like
five bucks on red eighteen. It's going to hit.
Speaker 8: That's what that's what you want. I stay away from
all this stuff because I guess I'm just frugal with
my money. I work too hard for it. I don't
want to give it away. But now I'll sit and
watch people gamble.
Speaker 2: That's quite interesting, Look, coach, I mean nil, Maybe just
grab a couple hundred grand put it on black and
you know, maybe that's another player out of the portal.
Speaker 8: You ever know, well, you know we're used to seeing
casinos in Louisiana, but if he's not ever been to
the Mohegan Sun. It's in Uncasville, Connecticut. And actually I
was inducted into the Nasmith Hall of Fame here. He
had a big this is where they held it. And
so this event with the four teams here, I want
to say, it's the first inaugural event. And they ask
if we would, you know, be a part of it.
So I agreed, and we play Seaton Hall and then
right after US Yukon will play Iowa State well, and and.
Speaker 2: It's it's crazy, coach uh speaking of the Hall of
Fame ties because again, you yourself in the Nations of
the Hall of Fame. Simona Augustus also going to the
Hall of Fame earlier this year, and from what I understand,
they're actually planning on honoring Simon augusta Is at halftime.
Speaker 8: Well you know more than I do.
Speaker 2: I just it must be exceedingly rare for two Hall
of Famers to be on one staff.
Speaker 8: Well, we're blessed, aren't we. And Geno of courses in
the Hall of Fame. Because I tell people this all
the time. If you look at our small state geographically,
we're small, right wear the boot. You think about all
the great athletes men that come out of our state,
It's it's really amazing, both in basketball, football, baseball, from
North Louisiana to South Louisiana. I just I sit sometimes
and go, I think people just realize how many we
do in our state.
Speaker 3: No, you're right about that, coach.
Speaker 6: I mean, per capita, I know in the NFL that
is always one of the leaders.
Speaker 3: Yeah. Uh, in all of the states. In the New
Orleans area.
Speaker 6: You're right though, it's like from New Orleans all the
way to Shreveport everywhere in between. And so that's one
of those good things though, because I mean, you can
stay in state and recruit and state big.
Speaker 8: It's you know we're young. Can y'all hear me if
you lose you because I'm walking through this place heading
to our shoot around at ten o'clock our time. I
just think back to North Louisiana, the little small towns,
you know, and you think of Willis Reed, and you
think of Robert Parrish from Shreveport, and then you go
to football with Terry Bradshaw Joe Ferguson. I mean it's crazy.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Uh, coach, how about this? So the UL game
the other day, a sawid win. I know you're under
the weather, but did it look Coach Starkey did not
mince war after the game, highly critical of the offensive
sloppiness in the first craft half, highly critical of a
lack of defensive focus in the second half.
Speaker 3: Now, if you just.
Speaker 2: Listened to coach Argu's words, you would have thought it
would have was a loss, right, not another dominant when.
But that's the standard they all hold yourselves to. What
do you think is holding the team back from a
full sixty minutes right now?
Speaker 8: The good thing, coach, it's a good thing. Coach Starkey
filled in for me and I I wasn't feeling good,
and probably the way we played had a lot to
do with it as well. So he was very blunt
as I am. And it's turnovers. Guys. Bill, you played
on the line. Weren't you a center at some point,
t Bob, they move you around on that line. You know,
I'll turn the ball over offensively all the time. The
defense gets frustrated with you. You can't win ball games.
You can't beat anybody good if you turn the ball over.
We had seventeen turnovers in the first half. Now, I'm
also one give credit to the opponent when those turnovers
happen where they careless? Are they on our part or
is it something the defense and the opposing team did.
It wasn't what you ever did. We just lopped around
And we can make excuses. We can talk about finals,
we can talk about focus, we can talk about, hey,
Christmas is coming, we're not focused on basketball. You can
talk about all you want. At the end of the day,
you got to clean it up. And sadly, you're having
to have this conversation when you're ranking top time in
the country, you're undefeated, and it's like, you know, well,
they're not pleased with anything. We know the game. Bob's
coached it on all levels. I've coached it a long time,
and if you don't clean it up, you're going to
get beat by people you shouldn't lose too.
Speaker 2: And look right now, to be clear, you know twelve
and oh seven time in school history that's been done.
Lead the nation with fifty two boards a game plus
eighteen margin. Also leads the country number three in scoring.
But again, the standard is a standard and it doesn't
matter where you rank if you're not living up to
the standard. He had one answer that I found to
be very interesting talking about he feels there's a bit
of a leadership void that at times there are people
stepping up and leading but missing a bit.
Speaker 3: Of consistent leadership.
Speaker 2: Do you agree, and if so, how do you how
do you look to rectify that?
Speaker 8: I agree totally. You guys know, Saban came to my
practice a month or so ago. That's all we talked about, guys.
It was leadership. And I said, Coach, why doesn't this generation,
these young people want to lead? He said, because they
want to be liked, and when you're a leader, you're
not going to be liked all the time. And I said,
I just don't get that. And I said, some people
lead by example, some people lead with their verbal, with
their mouth. I don't care what it takes. I just
feel like that when things go south on that floor,
A coach can lead you so far, but you're not
on that floor with them. You're not in that huddle
at the foul line to tell them what they need
to do, to list them to pick them up. And
I just I struggle with leadership. That doesn't mean we
don't have wonderful players, wonderful kids, good kids, but it's like, no,
I don't want to do it today. Maybe tomorrow. Oh
I had a good game, so I'll lead today. I
want to be that font hunner today. Well, guess what
you got to lead when you have a bad game.
You gotta lead at all times. I can't go to
work and have a bad day. Do I have bad days?
Absolutely I do, but I have to hide it. And
that's what leaders have to do. You have to hide
your bad days and you just got to bring it.
Speaker 6: We'll coach, you have, you know, three games left before
you get to conference play, and you talked about a
couple of things that you're looking for from your team.
You got Seaton Hall, then you got a trip to
Chicago and then Aubuny before you get to the SEC,
play on the road against Arkansas. But what is something
that you want to get done in these next three
non conference games, or maybe what do you want to
see from your team before you get into conference play?
Speaker 8: Take care of the basketball. We can score the ball,
and even if we don't score the ball, you know,
I want us to be a team as I always
have been through my career. Multi's teams are going to
rebound the ball. Maulty's teams are going to defend you
on their worst offensive night. They're gonna be able to
stay in ball games because they do those two things.
So as we play tonight, play two more days in Chicago,
we're going to take care of the basketball. And if
we can do that and not look sloppy and get better,
then you go into the Christmas break happy. You know,
I get Peter Fellow. A win is a win, an
ugly win. Nobody knows I get all that. But why
do I know what we're talking about? Yeah, We've been
around this game a long time, and you just you
got to do things the right way all the time.
Speaker 2: And Seaton Hall is going to test the time. I
mean LSU three of the last five games over twenty turnovers.
Seaton Hall one of the top seams of country four
seen twenty one point seven per game, so definitely something
to watch on FS one night.
Speaker 3: Coach.
Speaker 2: One great element of the UL game was Jersey. Wolfenbarger
Kevin a really big game. Enjoyed her comments postgame. Do
you howl when Jersey scores? Do you howl on the
sideline or do you lead that to the fans?
Speaker 8: Well, you want all your players to do good, you
want them all to have good games. That's not always
going to happen. Jersey set out for a year. She
never played after the first part of the season last
year at Arkansas, so she's been away from the game,
and I thought she did some really good things. We
started her in that game. Jersey for a tall, big girl.
She moves her feet well defensively, she helps the perimeter
players when their man drives. She's tall enough to get
the rebound, and what we work on with her is
just making her more physical. When you get that rebound,
don't let people knock it out of your hands. And
then you know if you score the ball. Then that's
icing on the cake. And that's what she did the
other day against ul she scored the ball.
Speaker 2: And then, coach, what about Anissamorrow, currently leading the nation
with ten double doubles, the nation's leading rebounder as well,
what have you seen out of Anissa's continue growth? And like,
what more do you want to try to get out
of her?
Speaker 8: Well, Nissa's starting to see double teams like Angel Reese
did last year, So listen, I'm surprised and he gets
the ball out of her hands and let somebody else
beat you. But it's not going to keep her from
having her double doubles because you can't block her out.
When a SHOT's taken, niece is going to position herself
to get an offensive board and that's just work. That
young lady is one of the hardest workers I've ever coached,
and she'll be rewarded for it. She'll get her chance
to play at the next level. She's an undersized post
player and doesn't mind banging in there with them, and
she never stops playing hard no matter how good or
how bad she's playing.
Speaker 2: Coach, we can't thank you enough last week taking the
time out of your walk to join us. Now it's
game day practice coming up right around the corner.
Speaker 3: Best of luck.
Speaker 2: That's today five pm, FS one LSU Seaton Hall, the
Hall of Fame Classic Simon August is going to be
honored at halftime, multiple Hall of Famers at the event.
Speaker 3: Coach, you're the absolute best. Thank you so much.
Speaker 8: Hey, guys, you'll be.
Speaker 2: How about that again to be a fly on the
wall for the saving coach multi conversations. Oh my god,
it's an interesting it's an interesting theory on the younger generation.
Some interesting insight from again two people that would know right,
Like you can disagree with it, but you cannot deny
the life experience that has led to the formation of
that opinion.
Speaker 3: Yeah, And it's like.
Speaker 6: Demanding something from somebody is like almost something you just
don't see.
Speaker 3: And we talk about all the time, you know, repairing
our kids, Like could you could you do this? You
could you put that away? Put that away? Yeah, trust me,
I'm still gritting teeth. But it's like paid manning Man.
Speaker 6: He demanded so much from us, but he gave everything
he had, Like he wasn't asking us to do something
that he didn't do, you know, like he was there
for all of the things he would put into Like
I always talk about the two man route combinations we
did for an hour every single day. Well, that was
something that was important to him, so he put in
everything into that period. And you know, I played with
some really good ones that they could demand that because
they showed it as well.
Speaker 3: But they were still well liked.
Speaker 6: Like there's a way to do it, but it seems
like nobody still wants to do it.
Speaker 3: Maybe that way. I don't think I hanged done it
that way.
Speaker 2: All right, when we get back, let's go ahead and
close out hour two of Off the Bench, Off the.
Speaker 5: Bench, Off the hell Lane, Jerousy.
Speaker 3: Region.
Speaker 1: Welcome back to the ninth ranked morning sports show in America,
Off the Bench.
Speaker 3: See my oh God, Sin there we go, Landro.
Speaker 2: The song has a real rumph, you know, a real
august nature.
Speaker 3: Madly with Jorn.
Speaker 2: Would you rather be a fly on the wall for
Nick Saban and Coach Molky talking or a fly on
the wall in the manger?
Speaker 3: Manger would have been a scene.
Speaker 4: It would have been a scene, for.
Speaker 3: Sure, would have been a scene.
Speaker 7: But I don't know if I'd get as much knowledge
from the manger as I would from Nick Saban.
Speaker 3: And Kim. Yeah, at the time of God just born.
Don't know.
Speaker 9: A baby, and you don't know about the accomplishments you
already know Saban and Monkey's accomplished.
Speaker 3: Very interesting to think about.
Speaker 2: Baby Jesus couldn't talk, No, huh.
Speaker 3: Like that's that's weird.
Speaker 7: You would think he would just be able to just talk,
right because he's could you.
Speaker 2: Tell that he had like a divine energy? Like did
he have a mature ty a maturity around him?
Speaker 1: Yeah?
Speaker 7: When you're praying the Rosary, They're like, now, imagine yourself
in this scene.
Speaker 4: Feel how it is. You do feel it.
Speaker 2: I've just been snorting frankinsense in the back sounds like you. Yeah,
I was the fourth wise Man. They cut me out
the story. I got too drunk and I passed out and.
Speaker 3: Like one wise man was doing coke behind them.
Speaker 2: No frankincense. Okay, Taylor, relax, no murph for you, you.
Speaker 5: Know, Okay.
Speaker 7: Yeah, it's the birth of Christ. But he's not telling
me anything. I'm not learning anything.
Speaker 3: You can't talk, That's what I'm saying. You don't know saying.
Speaker 7: They're like, not as much knowledge, just the birth of
Christ's dummy, Like yeah, but what is he He's not
telling me anything.
Speaker 9: And you don't know everything he's going to accomplish yet
at that point.
Speaker 2: No, no, you know, it's a very shiny stars.
Speaker 4: To tell you that she didn't have sex before.
Speaker 2: Marriage, which admittedly, you know a hard it would be
hard not.
Speaker 7: To be skeptical at that time at that time, right,
But now we know the story and we know everything,
and I yeah.
Speaker 2: Thankfully it worked out. Ls you men's basketball play tonight,
so ye, well, yes, yes we did. You know, we
just talked about that one.
Speaker 7: Yeah.
Speaker 2: But the reason why I bring it up is actually
a very good cause being celebrated by LSU basketball night.
As if you go to the game, it's in the
p MAC. Uh, they're playing Stetson, who's not very good.
I think there're one nine season els you should absolutely roll.
But if you go watch a t you can donate
a toy to Toys or Tots and you get a
ticket for just five dollars WBRZ sponsor, and they're gonna
be out there handing out t shirts to all those
who bring said toy and remember over the entirety of
the holidays. At the p MAC, you can get a
student section ticket for just ten dollars general Mission. So
you want to get back to a good cause, you
want to watch your favorite basketball team, a great opportunity
to do so tonight in the PMAC. Bring a toy
for toys or tots, feel good about yourself, give back
to your fellow man, and help those who need it
most during this Christmas season to have some of that
Christmas joy. Also, Sunday at two they play You and
O in the PMC as well, so check it out
all right, coming up next hour, we're gonna start with
Nick Underhill. Then we'll get into OGB mailbag. We got
Taytay's story of the NFL dayDay kip Alock here.
Speaker 3: On O t B.
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