Speaker 1: I'll start to it. You to present Off the Bench
with Jacob Hester and T Bob Abert. Yeah yeah, yeah,
yeah yeah, Off the Bench with Jacob Hester and C
Bob aber.
Speaker 2: I gotta come off the pitch now.
Speaker 1: Here's Jacob Hester and T Bob Abert.
Speaker 3: What up y'all?
Speaker 4: Welcome back cow number two of bo TV. We are
rolling running along here in studio. I hope you're all
having an excellent morning.
Speaker 2: Gin you're and it Tony.
Speaker 4: Remember you ever missed anything, you can catch it on
the man on our Off the Bench podcast feed. Uh,
you can always go to otbl you to be Saints
if you want the more focused stuff, or if you
ever want to just catch a show, you go to
the YouTube dot com slash one on four five ESPN,
click on the live tab though, actually that gets demonetized
so much, or take it down.
Speaker 2: So let's say, probably your best bet is the podcast,
so go check that out.
Speaker 4: Uh all right, let's go ahead then and dive straight
in to the playoffs as we are kicking off five
days of playoffs here. As we said, a final four
that features four teams that are traditionally great but have
not been great as of late. And it starts tonight
with Penn State in Notre Dame, and I mean again,
just think about the brands here. Penn State eighth all
time in wins for college football, Notre Dame fourth all
time in wins. Interestingly, these are two teams that used
to play each other quite a bit. The all time
series and what is narratively perfect here?
Speaker 2: I love this so much.
Speaker 4: The all time series is nine nine and one, so
a perfect even nine wins and nine losses and even
a tie on top for these two teams, whoever wins
will not just gain the advantage of the all time series,
but we'll move on to play for national championship. Both
teams for the first national championship in over thirty years.
And when I'm about to say here, you some of
your are gonna be like, right, that's matter, get like
angry about it, but like ask yourself why you're angry
about this, because it's crazy for that. But both teams
led by black head coaches. And despite college football being
a sport and what's the majority of the labor's always
been black, there has never been a black head coach
that has won a football national championship. So one of
these men is going to get an opportunity, and I
think that's great.
Speaker 2: I think that's very cool. I think repsentation matters.
Speaker 4: I think if you don't think it matters, and ask
yourself why you love Riley.
Speaker 2: Moss so much.
Speaker 4: You know, because it's white corner and you never see it,
and you think it's awesome because you never see it,
Okay and so, and you hope that maybe there'll be
more in the future.
Speaker 2: Right, Well, same thing here.
Speaker 4: What's interesting about these playoffs is I would say the
theme of the playoffs in kind of a a in
a rejection of modern football as we have known it
as of late. The theme is not quarterback. This playoff season,
it's not offense. It has been defense and running the ball.
And when you look at these two teams in Penn State,
Notre Dame, I mean, my god, these are two teams
that are defined by defense and running the ball. I mean,
for Penn State, you have Singleton and Allen, very good
running back combo where both guys are nearly averaging seven
yards of carry. You have Drew Aller, who's kind of
like a worst Josh Allen type, which is funny, he's
better than Josh Allen. Was in college, right, but he's
not like he's not nearly as effective as a passer
as of yet, but he's giant. He can use his
arm well, he can run it well. Also, not as
good as Ry Leonard. So so that's a pen State
for Notre Dame. You have Jeremiah Love, you have Price,
you have Ry Leonard, who, as we've seen, running is
his best ability. He could throw it enough when you
need him to. But ultimately Mike Denbrock has made this
offense effective with the legs of Riley Leonard. It's how
they were able to do enough to close out Georgia
last week. And then you get into the defenses and
there's just superstars and draft picks all over the place.
I mean these two defenses that every single level front seven,
defensive backfield, where at every single level these two defenses
have NFL players. Now one key difference, and interestingly it's
kind of a difference in.
Speaker 2: It's potentially the thing that could hold.
Speaker 4: Notre Dame back more than anything is it looks like
Penn State will have Abdull Carter. If you don't know
who that is, that is the Big Ten defensive player
of the Year twenty two tipfles eleven sacks. He is
an incredible player. Unfortunately, four Notre Dame their best at
Rusher Riley Mills. They lost against Indiana Hell they lost
their best corner, probably the best quarterback in the entire
country halfway through this football season, and yet here they are.
They also largest to starting no linemen against Indiana, so
Notre Dame is dealing with injury, and unfortunately for Notre Dame,
they ended up with two less days of preparation and
recovery versus Penn State. Now, they still got a full week,
which is not bad because you can hit the rhythm
of a normal game week, but because that game was
delayed because of the tragedy in New Orleans and because
of just how the schedule worked, Penn State's gonna come
off of a full nine days of rest verse seven
for that of Notre Dame. Could be interesting to see
if that comes into play. I think one of the
key questions when you look at this game that you
have to ask is how much do the quarterbacks actually matter?
Speaker 2: Here?
Speaker 4: And it doesn't feel too dissimilar from how I felt
about Notre Dame and Uga playing last week with gunners
Doctor and Ryan Leonard Like, obviously, the quarterbacks are big
elements the same way they were in that game. But
I would not say that either quarterback was the reason
that their team won or lost the game. Like the
main driving force of the outcome, It is the defense
in both of these regards, Now, which quarterback can manage
to have enough success against it? Even there in lies
the question one separation point that it feels like on
paper that I think Penn State has here would be
Tyler Warren the tight end. I don't think Notre Dame
has anybody like. Okay, they've got Love and Price to
kind of counter Singleton and Allen. I'm fine with Leonard
countering Drew Aller. I don't know that you have a
playmaker like Penn State doesn't Tyler Ward. But herein lies
what I think is the most confusing part about this game.
On paper, I do think that Penn State looks like
they have the clear advantages. As I just said, I
believe them to be basically as talented as Notre Dame,
only I think they have more of their superstars still available.
If I'll do a Carter plays Like I said, I
don't think they have a Warren. I don't think No
Dame does. Like I said, I think Drew Rowler is
a more complete quarterback than that of Riley Leonard. But
I don't think Penn State's looked nearly as good in
the playoffs this far. I mean, beating SMU sure, you
had a quarterback through your two pick sixes right at
the beginning of the game, and you were just markedly bigger, stronger,
and faster s of you the worst team in this field.
Then you beat Boise State and the final score looks nice,
but the game was a bit closer than you would think.
I mean, it's the hands of the face penalty away
for being twenty four to twenty one late. And then
on the other side, you have a Notre Dame team
who's maybe looked the best out of anybody in the
playoffs safe for Ahio State offense, but a Nur Dame
team that has the two most impressive wins. I mean,
you beat Indiana in a way that only Ohio State
beat Indiana Lite.
Speaker 2: But he didn't ever play anybody well. Look at Indiana Michigan.
Speaker 4: It's a Michigan team that was playing very well by
the end of the year, Michigan team that beat Ohouse,
State of Michigan team that were going to beat Alabama. Well,
just a couple weeks before those games, they played Indiana
and Indiana won. Also, we learned the other day did
you know this about Curtis rurt played the entire season
on the tourn acl thumb on his throwing finger shattered.
Speaker 2: He was putting it all out.
Speaker 4: But the point of it is that Indiana team, I
think is a bit better than what people think, and
Notre Dame made them.
Speaker 2: Look absolutely pedestrian.
Speaker 4: Then they took down the SEC champion Georgia Bulldogs by
a wide margin and made them look pedestrian. And look,
if Carson Beck plays, I think that's a closer game.
I still think Notre Dame wins because, as I said,
this Not Dame team is incredibly talented, even post injury.
But there's my problem though, is that I feel like
Notre Dame's put the better games on tape, beating the
better opponent. It's by more impressive margins. But Penn State
on paper looks better and has superstars than maybe Notre
Dame doesn't.
Speaker 2: Coaching advantage tough to say.
Speaker 4: I'm gonna go with Marcus Freeman simply because we've seen
James Frankin kind of struggle in these spots, and because
I think that Marcus Freeman, for as much as you
want to talk about losing north of and Nooil, losing
to Marshall, whatever, this is only his third year on
the job, guys, and it has been a consistent climb.
And if you look at last year where you only
have ten men on the field against Ohio State, they
run where your guy is missing. You still almost stop them,
but you don't to go from one of the most
major coaching gaffes I've ever seen there to then pulling
the galaxy brained full eleven man substitution on fourth and
one against Georgia to get the first down, take five
more minutes.
Speaker 2: Eventually off of the clock. That's growth, and then speaks
to a man who is on the rise.
Speaker 4: So despite the fact that I think Notre Penn State
looks better on paper, I think Notre Dame wins this game.
I'm just going cut feeling now to be fair. Last time,
when cut feeling was I said Oregon was gonna be
a ho state. So maybe I'm completely wrong here, right,
But that is my read on a bit of a
weird but sexy, old school defense, run the ball sort
of matchup. Would y'all like to add any thoughts before
you get to Texas House State.
Speaker 5: I think Notre Dame wins this game as well. I'm
with you, you know, I've been kind of going back and
forth on it, and if it comes down to having
to make a throw, I do favor Penn State in
that game.
Speaker 3: Drew Allery has been so good.
Speaker 5: But see Buba, I'm glad you mentioned Notre Dame has
just looked like the better team so far in the playoffs.
Penn State also played SMU and Boise State. Notre Dame
played Indiana and Georgia looked really good. I heard a
stat this morning driving in Notre Dame after beating Indiana,
and Georgia has eight top twenty five wins this year.
That's more than any game in the college football playoffs.
So yeah, I get it. They lost to Northern Nillan early.
And what did we talk about coming into the playoffs.
Marcus Freeman's only big games last year, he kind of
faltered a little bit. We know about the ten men
on the field two plays in a row against Ohio State,
but he's completely flipped that this year. I trust Marcus Freeman,
as young as he is, to win this game more
than James Franklin. I get it. Both teams are so similar.
Penn State's defense is really good. But I don't know,
it's just something about this Notre Dame team, and I'm
kind of feeling it.
Speaker 3: It's just it's just kind of like a vibe check.
Speaker 5: It's just I think that that Notre Dame, what they've
done in the playoffs, what they did in the regular season,
I trust them one.
Speaker 4: I think they may have the best defense in the
entire tournament. Zimmer Texas Noah, No, I think they're better
than Texas. I got major questions about Texas after what
they allowed Kate Club nicking those fresh and wide receivers
to do them too, that's the I agree. I agree,
But Notre Dame doesn't turn the ball over. Yeah, I
think Ryan Leonard has done a very good job of
after Alan. I think Notre Dame has the best defense,
and I think that they have an offense that knows himself, uh,
for whatever that is worth. So I'm kind of with
you in the vibe check. Will y'all allow me a
little room to repeat a very uncouth joke that I heard.
Speaker 2: Yeah, in some ways, so I think Notre Dame takes
this one. I don't love this. I don't like this
at all. I don't because we all picked that. Yeah,
because we all picked that.
Speaker 6: Well, it's what Taylor said though, Like after that win
over Georgia, it just feels like they're the better team.
Speaker 2: I know, I know, and I get it.
Speaker 5: You can look at the final score and say, oh, well,
Indiana was at ten point game. That game was twenty
four to three late in the third quarter, like that.
Speaker 3: Was No, yeah, well that was that was not a game.
Speaker 2: It wasn't close. It wasn't close. Uh.
Speaker 6: They had a tougher path than Penn State.
Speaker 2: No, they definitely did.
Speaker 4: But that sees such what I'm saying though, right, Like,
I agree that that's why it's given us more confidence
because what they've done. But also they've gone through a
tougher path and they have two days less from which
are covered, so they're like, there's a lot more and
more injured. There's a lot working inst Notre Dame here.
But I'm I think we're all we're all saying the
same thing. We agree we're feeling, we're feeling the same thing.
Speaker 5: Any anytime there's a game that I think is gonna
come down to the wire, I kind of sit there
and I'm like, if there's a blowout, which team do
I think would do it?
Speaker 3: And I could.
Speaker 5: I could see a Notre Dame blowout more than the
Penn State blowout just because of the way Notre Dame
has been.
Speaker 3: Playing, so that that's ultimately why I pick them. I
don't think that's going to happen.
Speaker 5: I don't think these teams are really really similar, but
that's just that's how I see it.
Speaker 4: So somebody mentioned Catholics versus Convicts. This game in many
ways could be considered, Uh, pedophiles versus pedophiles could be yep,
I could. I know, I know, okay, okay, I know
you're going to get mad. Some of you'all gonna get mad.
Speaker 2: But that's that's funny. Okay.
Speaker 4: That that that that is dark, darkly funny. Don't get
mad about it. Just chuckle and move on or change
the channel if you don't like it. Did you see
the shirts? So people are pretty sure to say petosor's
petos with the uh with the colors.
Speaker 2: Of the of the schools.
Speaker 7: Uh?
Speaker 4: Anyway, uh, Derek says, I really can't believe you're positive
talking Notre Dame. I mean, I'm not cheering for anyone here.
I'm trying to give objective analysis of how i feel
about the game.
Speaker 2: Also, I don't hate. I don't hate Notre Dame.
Speaker 3: See I do.
Speaker 5: I Openn State crushes them in this game. I just
don't think they will.
Speaker 7: I don't.
Speaker 2: I don't hate Notre Dame.
Speaker 4: I uh like, it's not Notre Dame's fault that Brian
Kelly hasn't done what you wanted him to do the
first three years here. You know, I don't care their
media wants to talk crap, their fans to talk I
I I don't care. I just need Brian Kelly and
Elis you to beat Clipson. Like I'm already thinking about it.
I've already been talking about it. I was on with
that SEC podcast, my guy SEC Mike yesterday, And that's
another stuff like that.
Speaker 2: That is the.
Speaker 4: Bottom line, number one with the bullet goal for the
entirety of this LSU football program is beat Clemson. Literally,
nothing else matters. Nothing else matters if you lose to
Clemson to start next season, which again I just mentioned
Kate Klubnick and those freshman receivers, they're gonna be very good.
You're going into their death valley if you lose to
Clemson to start the year. Next year, you want to
talk about a disaster, throw your hands up.
Speaker 2: Oh crap, here we go again. I mean, that's that.
Speaker 4: Daniel Bluntz's teap episodes, a long dramatic pause that I'm
assuming I'm having streaming trouble.
Speaker 2: You know what it honestly is. There's a.
Speaker 4: Streamer that I really like. It's got Josh Streife Hayes.
He does a lot of MMO content.
Speaker 2: He's great whatever. He's an Englishman with a beautiful voice.
But he was talking about publics speaking and.
Speaker 4: Ums and ohs and how he forced himself to take
them out of it. And it's okay to pause and
collect your thought rather than to use a filler word
like like or U or uh or you know. And
so I'm trying to be much more cognizant of the
ms and the odds. But what that is leading to
are some pauses where I'm trying to collect my thoughts
instead of filling it with uh.
Speaker 2: So there you go. When we get back. That's uh.
Speaker 4: The game tonight coming up on Friday. We got Texas
and Ohio State. Let's break it down next here o
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Speaker 1: Welcome in to the best morning sports. This show around
off the bench with Hester and T Bob can sleep.
Speaker 8: We don't know the stammesepiso. A little down drivels.
Speaker 2: Get a lightningingle so you can sleep.
Speaker 8: We don't know the stammesepis, so I can't really to
desperation mikes it our own vacation and I got the
spoon boy, anyone stop calling when I walk this way
and oh God, so bad ex don't do for your watching,
dreaming tru for your slask and enough fueling afo. Yes
I'm knowing nothing to something affee root for your don't
touch enough brand for your nice thinking about me, my
hose that's sweet like your sol.
Speaker 1: So you can sleep.
Speaker 5: We don't know Stammes episode.
Speaker 2: Shut up the brain heard Barry Keegan broke up though, right,
I believe so, my brother.
Speaker 4: I'm not gonna cry that it's over. I'm just gonna smile.
That's such a hot couple.
Speaker 5: Ever happened?
Speaker 6: Is he hot?
Speaker 4: I think if you were to, I think you would
look at pictures of him and think, wow, he's a
little androdging his I feel like if you saw him
in real life you would probably be a bit and
source old type. Yes, without a doubt, without a doubt.
Speaker 3: So did you ever did you watch else?
Speaker 2: Are you gonna land Sabrina? You know you ain't. Just
half step in.
Speaker 3: And you'll know why. T Bob Blake spirit cute?
Speaker 2: I mean he is, he's he's got well.
Speaker 4: First of you got either got the very blue eyes,
good body or whatever. So here's what I was alluding
to the n hour one when I bungled Hi but
tonight inviting everybody to join me at the Cavalier Cavalier
House Books in Denhim Springs. So I played Dungeon Dragons
for years. We filmed a show called The Night Shift.
It was very fun. Unfortunately the finale episode, which was incredible,
got deleted. I don't want to talk about it. It's awful,
bums me out, makes me sick to my stomach.
Speaker 2: Whatever.
Speaker 4: But one of my partners on the Night Shift, somebody
who I traveled and ventured with for years, is Lindsay Duga.
Speaker 2: Lindsay do you guys?
Speaker 4: Also a young adult author and she has her brand
new book that just came out yesterday and it is
called Royal Airs Academy it's great all I mean, I've
been ready.
Speaker 2: I'm going to pick it up tonight and go read it.
But the premise is.
Speaker 4: A bunch of like, you know, it's kind of like,
it's kind of a bit hogwartsy, a bunch of young
royals at a school together going in to this competition.
Speaker 2: Whoever wins, I think wins the Kingdom.
Speaker 4: But either way, if you're looking for some fun to
night five to seven pm, Cavalier book House in Denham Springs,
I'll be out there celebrating. Lindsay Heliak. Congratulations man dropping
yet another book.
Speaker 2: It's fantastic. What are you giggling about?
Speaker 6: No, sorry, it's just a comment. Barry Keegan looks like
looks sick with aids M.
Speaker 2: I think I don't think that's agriate.
Speaker 3: I don't think he's quite skinny enough.
Speaker 4: Yeah, because he's pretty jacked. I think I think he
more just he more just looks a little alien. He
looks a little androgynist, a little disconcerted.
Speaker 2: He dresses that way too.
Speaker 4: He's got like a little bit of like uh Willem
Dafoe as some of the androgyny like and France McDermot
are actually the same people.
Speaker 6: I have a crush on Willem Dafoe.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I guess so, like like you have the crush.
Speaker 5: On Wilhemdafoe, but he's not like like not everybody.
Speaker 3: Would, you know what I mean. I guess that's what
t Bump's gett now with Barry.
Speaker 6: Yeah, that's true.
Speaker 4: What I'm mainly saying about Barry is that I just
believe that if you were to see him in real life,
that there would just be a that he would. I
think he would 'ensorcell men and and Women, one of
one of those Aura.
Speaker 2: Type of deals.
Speaker 3: What's time you gonna be a Keviller?
Speaker 4: I think I'm gonna get there on six because I
got to get the girls home from dance first.
Speaker 2: But yeah, come on out doing me a good time.
Speaker 4: If I've read Kiss by the Royal, Kiss by Royal
one of Lindsay's other books, very good, very fun, but
I'm especially excited for this one.
Speaker 2: I love.
Speaker 4: I love a magic school, you know, I love a
fantasy school ever since Hogwarts, King Killer Chronicles has it
as well, my favorite fantasy I've ever read as an adult,
So I'm really good forward to it. But if you
got like a teen daughter or something, like that. They
could be really into this. Go check it out. All right,
let's get into Texas Ohio State, and again, speaking of brands,
are you.
Speaker 2: Kidding me here?
Speaker 4: These are two teams that are top five all time
in wins. These are two teams that started in the
top four this season, and here we are there.
Speaker 2: In the final four.
Speaker 1: Uh.
Speaker 4: What I find to be interesting is despite these two
teams being so successful throughout the history of the sport,
they've only played each other three times, only Texas and
Ohio State. So this is only four times love matching up.
And well, the other three times they played were all
very big deals. In five so five was six. They
did a home and home in five Vince Young won
in Columbus before going on to win national championship. In six,
Texas won excuse me clip it and six Ohio State
one in Austin before going.
Speaker 2: On to lose international championship.
Speaker 4: The next time and last time they would play was
the eight FS The Bowl, in which Colt McCoy through
a game winning touchdown with just sixteen seconds left in
an instant classic. So when they've matched up, there have
been fireworks and there have been major results produced, and
this should be no different as from a pure talent perspective,
these are the two most talented teams left in this playoff,
And when you think about the theme of this playoffs,
defense and running the ball, Ohio State is maybe the
outlier here because when you look at their ability to throw,
the weapons that they have in Jeremiah Smith and Ameca
Buka and then those two running backs and everybody else
on the team, they have weapons that are not represented
anywhere else in the Final four. And in fact, they
are the only team that doesn't want to run two
set up the pass. They want to pass to set
up the run. And so it begs the question is
will Howard actually the biggest key to the entirety of
this playoff? And although it takes on Howard have been
varied at times this year, I myself have waffled back
and forth. He's truly only had one bad game. He
is clearly and objectively the best quarterback left in the playoff.
Through two playoff games in which he played, they played
what were supposed to be the best teams or the
best matchups for that round. In terms of tennessee a
two loss SEC team to get two lost Big ten
team and then Oregon many people treat as a de
facto championship, and they absolutely dominated both. Why Will Howard
hasn't been sacked? And against Tennessee Will Howard completes eighty
two percent of his passes three to eleven through the air,
ten point seven yards per a tempt, two touchdowns, one pick.
Against ore again seventeen to twenty six three nineteen a
mind boggling twelve point three yards per attempt, three touchdowns,
no picks. And in Jeremiah Smith, you have a player
that Dan Rolovski said if he came out today he
would be the number one overall pick, who through two
games has thirteen catches, two hundred and niney yards, four touchdowns.
I mean, you are talking about a Megatron level player here,
Julio Jones, whoever you want to say, that's Jeremiah Smith. Now,
this is where this game becomes interesting because, as Taylor
was alluding to, this Texas secondary is the most talented
one that Ohio State will have faced all year long,
and so in theory, they should be best suited to
dealing or challenging Smith in these weapons. And if you
can slow down the passing attack, well, Ohio State has
struggled when they have to stand and bang and try
to run the ball in a more traditional sense. Again,
they want to throw to unlock the run, whereas a
team like Texas and everybody else in the playoff wants
to run to unlock play action and unlock the pass.
So it's an elite Texas secondary. But they haven face
nobody like this, and I am a bit concerned about
some of the success I saw Clemson and those receivers
had a couple of games ago. Because Jeremiah Smith is
the final boss. So that's a matchup to watch texagarry
against Ohio State's weapons. I'll take Ohio States weapons just
because I can't get away from out dominant they've looked
thus far. But the other matchup comes back once again
to can Texas run the ball? And that's the problem
with Texas. They're a great team. They are a great team,
and they are dominant and nearly every since except for
running the ball run game efficiency. Now, it's not they're
bad at running the ball. In fact, most teams can't
stop them. But if you can, they get into trouble.
Look at the three games in which they lost or
got into trouble. Two games against Georgia and which Georgia
completely shut down the run to the two of less
than two yards of carry and then it gets Arizona
State less than two yards a carry. And so that's
what I was sitting as to dude, it's very clear now,
how State, it's a bit interesting they have. You know,
they're like fifth and kind of traditional run defense. But
then if you look at like analytics, they're more maybe
in like fifteen to twenty range. So they're good, maybe
not the most elite of the elite, but if they stop.
If you can stop Jayden Blue, you can stop Wiser.
For Texas, you put the game into Quinn, youew Wever's hands,
he will struggle a bit. So unfortunately for your long
Horns laundry, I think that's how it plays out. I
think Texas doesn't have the success on the ground they need.
I think that ultimately, in a battle of good on good,
the Ohio State weapons win, and I think Will Howard
and the Buck guys carry the day into the national
championship as Ryan Day continues his Paula trades, navigating of
the one path that can save him when we get back.
Got Jake Hester now and I'll let you guys waiting
down the game as well. Keep it locked right here on.
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Speaker 1: See you, welcome back to the best morning sports show
around sort of. It's off the bench with Hester and
t Bob.
Speaker 7: We just can't it's done. It don't just it.
Speaker 4: Quarterback guy Jake Kester check it in live from the
Cotton Bowl. Jake's up, man, what's going on down there
in Deetown?
Speaker 7: How we doing?
Speaker 9: Everything's okay right now? Got some you know, some ice
ish type stuff on the ground, so nothing like snow
or anything just yet. So hopefully that's all that it
does and it stays that way and doesn't turn into
what maybe they're fearing it's going to, which is a
bunch of the stuff that we don't want on the ground.
Speaker 4: All right, Jake, So we we we were just discussing
Texas Ohio State.
Speaker 2: You were covering Texas Ohio State.
Speaker 4: I don't know if you've done anything yet in that regard.
What are your thoughts on Friday night's game.
Speaker 9: Yeah, we did a couple things early this morning. We'll
continue that. We'll have a full show eleven to two,
I believe today and get a chance hopefully to speak
to some of the players and coaches after that. I
was kind of listening to you, and look, there's there's
a lot of ways that Ohio State I think can
win this game, but there's only a few how Texas
can win this game. So Texas certainly has to play
their style of game. Their stars have to be stars.
Their defensive backs who have been really good all season long.
I mean, you've even got the thorpe winder over there.
They've got to play their best game. It is going
to be a challenge. And there's a lot of good
with like quinn Ewers, Like we've talked about eighty five
percent of the time he's really really good. It's that
fifteen percent of the time that he kind of just
he disappears or he makes a bad play. And same thing,
you know for this offense in general. He did it
against their on a state. They've kind of done it
in a lot of big games this year, and they
can't have that. They just they cannot have that, not
with the way Ohio State's playing right now. So if
you're playing, you know, the Texas defense, how do you
attack Ohio State? Do you say, hey, we're going to
take away Jeremiah Smith, or we're gonna try to slow
him down. I'm not sure that you can take him
away right now, but if you do that, like that
two headed monster running back, that can make you pay.
If you try to take away the run, Jeremia Smith
can beat you over the top. Now, I will say
this for Texas, mentioning those three defensive backs that they have,
They've got probably the best opportunity to try to single
up Jeremiah Smith if they wanted to try to stop
the run first, or maybe they can single him up
a little bit with maybe some help at times.
Speaker 7: I mean, they have the athletes to do it.
Speaker 9: They've got first round picks in the defensive backfield and
so like how they play, this game is.
Speaker 7: Going to be, you know, very important.
Speaker 9: And then for me, can Texas and that offense, can
they not disappear? Because again I can give you a
lot of ways Ohio State can win this game. I
only have a few for Texas, and Texas has to
make sure that their stars play their best game of
the year.
Speaker 7: I think to be victorious.
Speaker 4: Landra, we haven't let you weigh in on this yet.
As our resident Texas fan with your SEC Network hat
on carrying the water for Greg Sankey's conference.
Speaker 2: Uh, how are we feeling about today's game?
Speaker 6: Shout out Kevin Wagner, who gave me this hat. He's
super nice for that saying I'm carrying water for great.
Speaker 4: No, I'm just saying that, like a lot of people
are saying, Texas is the hope for the SEC here down.
Speaker 3: I never said that.
Speaker 9: So you're putting words in saying it's factual they're the
only team left.
Speaker 2: See's exactly there you go.
Speaker 6: Yeah, but I never said that.
Speaker 2: It is true, but I never said it. Okay, Okay,
well let's.
Speaker 4: Let's not get we're getting we're getting distracted by the
by the I just noticed you had.
Speaker 6: Okay, So I don't think I can really add more
to the conversation that y'all haven't already touched on. My
biggest worry is the run game, though, because it's been
pretty mid and Ohio State is good at stopping the run.
So that's where I like, my biggest concern is, and
y'all already touched on that. So I don't know what
more I could add.
Speaker 9: Yeah, Matthew Golden's going to get his on offense, I
think for Texas he has to Gunner Helm's going to
get his Elana's right about like who is going which
running back is going to be able to step up?
I mean Texas, look, they can run them. Their offensive
line can give them the opportunity to run the football.
We've seen them go for two hundred plus in this playoffs.
And I know Clemson is not great, you know, run defense,
but I mean they have the ability.
Speaker 7: They've got to Jamies and Joe's to do it. You
know how much of it is going to be enough?
Speaker 9: Because I still think you have to make so many
explosive plays through the air. And look, Matthew Goldin's made
a ton of those, Like can Isaiah Bond give you
anything to you?
Speaker 6: Like?
Speaker 9: Can he show up and give you what we were
all told that he was going to give you this
entire season? Like that's a guy Like when we talk
about stars, like, it doesn't mean stars that have been
here lately.
Speaker 7: It's guys that you brought in to try to be stars.
Speaker 9: So like a guy like that, can he make two
plays in this game and be the difference?
Speaker 6: Well, you also got to there. RB One was out
for the season before the season even started, So this
isn't like their core.
Speaker 2: I mean, I guess it is, but like at this point,
at this point is yeah, I mean.
Speaker 3: They're doing what they can with what they have.
Speaker 6: And also, like y'all were saying earlier, Notre Dame has
the best defense and Texas.
Speaker 2: Is right up there with them, and.
Speaker 6: Sure, I just hope that they can get after Ohio
State and Howard.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, nobody's done it yet through two games.
Speaker 4: Nobody's unable to get after zero sacks in the playoffs
on Will Howard.
Speaker 2: Thus far ta ta, What is your to take on
this good game?
Speaker 5: Well, first off, I think the winner of this game
is winning the national championship, because coming into the playoff,
Texas was my pick to win the whole thing. Now
Ohio State has completely blown me away in their two games.
I think they lived by far looked like the best team.
But I really do think this is going to be
a battle. You know, the more I think about that
Arizona State game, because we had talked about it a
little bit last week and everybody was like, hey, look,
you were outgained. They tripled your number of rushing yards
Arizona State two to fourteen, Texas only fifty three. Arizona
State ran ninety seven plays. Texas ran like.
Speaker 2: Texas got dominated in the bucks.
Speaker 5: Yeah, and then time of possession thirty seven minutes to
twenty two.
Speaker 3: But Texas found a way to win that game.
Speaker 5: I think that actually makes you a better team because
up to this point we had always talked about if
Texas can run the ball, they could beat anybody they play.
If they can't, they're going to struggle. They couldn't run
the ball. Quinn you or has found a way to
make plays. My only concern is that Ohio State secondary
because great dealing with Caleb down Golden's great, Home's great.
I just think Ohio State has more weapons. And like
I was critical of Will Howard coming into the season,
I didn't I didn't understand the move from McCord to Howard.
Speaker 3: Howard's been phenomenal. He can run the ball as well.
Speaker 5: I just think that even if you even if you
shut down Jeremiah Smith, you have egg Buca there, you
got the guys Henderson and Judkins can catch the ball
out of the backfield too. I mean that's that's a
lot of people don't point out. I just think Ohio
State has a little bit too many weapons.
Speaker 4: One thing that I do think works in Texas favor
here or something they've been good at this year that
they have used to great effect to win big games,
and maybe it rears its head here again is Texas
red zone defense has been great. I think by the
Arkansas game, very close game, what's.
Speaker 2: Are on the road? They need a big win.
Speaker 4: It was a late fourth and goal stop that put
that game away. You think about why did you beat
Arizona State despite the fact that you got so statistically dominated.
It's because you had Arizona State come up empty in
the red zone so many times.
Speaker 2: So there is a bit of a bind. But don't break.
Speaker 4: Element to this Texas defense where if Ohio State manages
to get down there and they can flex and bow
up and stop them, well maybe that's uh.
Speaker 2: They'll have to win that again.
Speaker 4: Given that it's been a string of them in big
moments this year, They'll have to win that again if
they're going to win this game.
Speaker 2: That's a skill. I mean, being great at red zone
defense is a skill and something that text has been
good even the A and M game. Yeah, yes, true, true.
Speaker 4: Anythink about four to Yeah, So that's it's been it's
been a consistent theme with them to the season, something
to watch going forward. So in the end, out look,
I think I think Notre Dame wins, and I think
Ohio State wins.
Speaker 2: You got chick.
Speaker 7: Oh, I think I'll do the same.
Speaker 9: I mean, I wanted to say somebody different, so you know,
give a little bit of spies, we're all on Notre Dame.
Speaker 4: Then that's that that that may be concern for me.
Speaker 9: I just I just saw Notre Dame in person, So
obviously you're gonna be maybe a little biased towards your
answer because you just saw them bully a bully that
never gets bullied at Georgia, and so like I'm like,
oh my gosh, that's really impressive.
Speaker 7: Riley Leonard doesn't even have to throw for one hundred
yards and they can still find a way to win.
Speaker 2: Uh.
Speaker 9: They you know, they just got different looking guys on
that defense and they've had in the past. They got
Sunday players littered throughout and like Jeremiah Love didn't even
do anything against Georgia and they still dominated the game.
Speaker 7: So Penn State's got weapons.
Speaker 9: I could certainly make a case for Penn State, but yeah,
I'm gonna go Notre Dame, and I really want to
go to Texas because, like I before the playoff on
off campus, like, hey, choose three teams you think can
go win this deal. And I went Oregon Notre Dame
in Texas, so like I had belief in them. But
I think it's more about Ohio State Tea than it
is about Texas right now, Yeah, and.
Speaker 4: Agree with that. I'd agree with that all right, when
we get back there, it is, I gotta cut him out.
When we bet back, we'll close that hour number two
of OTB off.
Speaker 1: The bench, back to sports talk, maybe off the bench.
Speaker 4: So LSU will have thirteen early enroll leaves moved to
ben Rouge. This weekend, we got DJ Picktt, Harlan Berry,
Dame Shanklin, Charles Ross, Toron Francis, J. D.
Speaker 2: Lefier, Solomon dis missed up man.
Speaker 4: They sink all the O linemen together, all those other
guys get their own line in the formatting of this tweet.
Then it's O Lineman Solomon, Tomas Cary's current Tyler Miller,
borderl On d Lyman Design, Williams, Brandon Brown.
Speaker 7: D Battle.
Speaker 2: Pretty good hole.
Speaker 4: There a lot of early en roll leaves who do
we expect will have the biggest impact immediately on this
L Shoe football team?
Speaker 9: Be picky, right, I mean that that'd be the obvious answer,
seems I mean, yes, yessociated do just rate a player
kind of a position that's not you know, solidified and
nailed down by a bunch of veteran players.
Speaker 2: Very true?
Speaker 7: Very true? Do we do this?
Speaker 2: And sorry if you're still talking, Jake actually unplugged my headphones.
Uh do we do this though?
Speaker 6: Then?
Speaker 4: Maybe because I agree with you for everything you said,
so maybe we framed this in outside of DJ Pickett,
who do we think will have the biggest impact?
Speaker 7: Certainly?
Speaker 2: I mean we've seen what freshman running backs can do.
Speaker 9: Yeah, I was about to say that position. And I'm
not trying to tell them my own position here, but
there's not a lot of overthinking that can happen at
that position certainly. Now, Like maybe back in the day
a little bit with pass protection, if you had like
a pro style offense and you had to have scan
protection where you got to if a backside corner's coming,
that's your guy, Like, you don't really see that anymore.
Speaker 7: It's like you check your will linebacker.
Speaker 9: And you get out now, so with that being said,
and you've heard me say this a thousand times, you
can either run the football or you can't.
Speaker 7: You're born with it or you're not. And so like
that translates, I think pretty well.
Speaker 9: So I think running back's probably the easiest position to
be able to walk on to campus and make an
impact of any of the positions outside of you know,
certainly like special teams guys.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean you.
Speaker 4: Look at Charles Ross at linebacker. You're so set at
that position right now that roads along to the field.
Same thing for Tron Francis, their wide receiver Jamie Lafleur
tight in. It feels like you've got options now there
that he'd have to fight through. Maybe one of these
old linemen finds their way in into an offensive line
that'll be working in new positions. The d line did
play some freshmen last year, maybe, but I don't know.
Maybe is Dame Shanklin maybe next in this list defensive end,
one of the top players in Indiana coming in here.
It's not an easy position to play right away, but
when you look at who you lost, the path to
the field may be a bit more open than some
of the these other positions. Is there another name besides
the big names of Picking and Berry that you think
could potentially emerge out of this group?
Speaker 2: T tech.
Speaker 5: I actually think to Ron Francis, just because I think
he's that good. He's six to around two hundred pounds already.
I mean, he had an excellent senior season here when
he was.
Speaker 3: In high school.
Speaker 5: And then Zion Williams and Brandon Brown at D line.
So Brandon Brown, he was the guy that was trending
into Texas for a long time from from Florida.
Speaker 3: You got him to ultimately flip.
Speaker 5: He's six two about two eighty five, so she could
play inside and outside.
Speaker 3: And then Zion Williams.
Speaker 5: I understood, I just can't every time Williams he's about
he's about the size of Zion Williamson because he's six four,
three hundred and forty two pounds.
Speaker 3: So I get it. You have Jacoby and Gillery.
Speaker 5: He's battled injuries his whole career, and you don't have
anybody else that size, So I mean you need to
run stuffer like you don't have anybody the size of
Zion Williams. So those three guys, like if taking away
DJ Pickett, yeah, uh.
Speaker 2: Damn, that's crazy.
Speaker 4: I didn't know Zion Williams is that big. Uh, maybe
he can start to heal heal the heal the pain.
Speaker 7: See what about the uh, the offensive lineman. I mean
we'll obviously throw that one to you.
Speaker 9: Now, we have seen in recent years a left tackle
will go out there and from day one be the starter.
And Will Campbell yeah, like Con Solomon times, like I
don't know, I mean, can he now? We know like
Will is kind of different and we talked about him
like we used to have him on when he was
in high school. It's like, all right, this guy's gonna
play pretty quick, Like can that happen?
Speaker 4: Maybe so, but I can't predict it. You know, that's
gonna be something that you just got to cross that
bridge when you get there. So we'll see talented class though.
Our three O TB coming up next off the bench.