September 25, 2024 • 19 mins
Brian Jones, a lifetime Longhorn, CBS Sports Analyst, and former sideline reporter for the Longhorn Radio Network, joins the show to retell some of his favorite broadcast moments with Craig Way. They revisit the past and talk about the current college football season, his role at CBS, and this year's Texas Longhorns team.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Maybe there's a theme because our next guest at one
time was actually an employee of this company of a
thirteen under the zone, and we just kind of let
him drift away, you know.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
He.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Drifted away to the larger, more lucrative and attention grabbing
venue that is network television. But we'll always have a
special place in our hearts, not only for his time
as our sideline reporter on the Long Horn football broadcast,
but going all the way back. My first contact with
(00:36):
Brian Jones was actually when he was a senior linebacker
at the University of Texas in nineteen ninety and I
was the studio anchor in the Longhorn Radio Network and
Brian Jones, on a postgame interview, told then play by
play voice Brad Sham about their season opening Winever Penn State.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
It was just good to get out.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
There and hit somebody of another color. And Brad said,
you mean Jersey color, right, Jersey color. Yeah, Brian Jones
is with us.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Now.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
You remember that day, You remember that beating Penn State
there that day back in nineteen ninety.
Speaker 4 (01:14):
Man, I'll never forget that day. Come on, I cannot
forget that day. No one gave.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Us a shot.
Speaker 4 (01:20):
We weren't ranked, and nor should anyone have given us
a shot, considering the season. We were embarking from what
five and six to the previous season, and we go
up there and that started to shock the nation tour.
But I don't recall saying hitting someone of a different color,
but yes, that is exactly what I meant, a different
(01:41):
color jersey.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
And what a heck of a game. It was a
physical game, Craig.
Speaker 4 (01:46):
I remember the opening kickoff, and I'm sure you recall
them running the ball back to about the two yard line,
and the first play I hit Sam Gash. They run
an io there on the goal line, my whole right
side with and you just had to stay out there, baby.
They ended up scoring, but we ended up winning the game.
(02:06):
But it was a physical affairs the point I was
trying to make, and we had lost to him the
year before with Blurt Thomas who had gone on to
the NFL. They're running back and then you had Lee
Roy Thompson and say I Gash in that backfield, and
it was so much fun to shut that big old
crowd up there in in Happy Valley, man.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
And great to join you.
Speaker 4 (02:26):
I tell you what I look forward to Craig, people
gonna have to drift away after my loud ass gets
off your radio show. But I love when we showed
Texas highlights and I get to hear touchdown Texas, touchdown Texas.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
I said, that's my boy.
Speaker 4 (02:43):
That man, Folks, Craig. Craig is telling you all the
good stuff. We want to tell you the bad stuff.
When I was sidlighted, actually I wasn't even silided reporter yet.
I my first gig was carrying the parabolic mic. Kids,
Just remember that you talk about starting at the bottom.
Now we hear I was the dude on the sideline
with that little satellite dish that was my travel partner
(03:05):
wherever we went. And I remember our former producer Bill
all bless his hard rested peace, kept telling me we
just shut the hell up because they couldn't hear the
game broadcast.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
All they could hear was me yelling.
Speaker 4 (03:17):
At my fellow lonemoars after on the field, trying to
coach them up. And unfortunately I wasn't using the ideal
language for the broadcast.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
Did you ever? I mean, I can remember. I can
remember there was a game in.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
College Station and Reverie actually took a nip at you
and and you said, you said, and actually kind of
leaked over the air.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
That little bitch just bit me.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
Remember that, I.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
Do recall that that little yes, yeah, trying to nip me.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Man, Yeah, because I just put the mic up.
Speaker 4 (03:54):
I was just having a little fun with the aggies
and they don't smile too much because we always whipping
the ass.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (04:00):
And then they tried to seek redly on me, that
little rat with a bunch of hair. It looked like,
get a big dog, Get a real dog. I got
husky and a mallebu get your real doll.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
The the the string of memories also extends to and including, uh.
Some of the best stuff was the Texas ou Weekend
because because.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
Almost got fired.
Speaker 4 (04:22):
Yeah, thank you, Dusty Black, thank you Mama check right
at least Hudson.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
Yeah, it almost happened.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Brian was up there and and we were doing the show.
We used to do it there at the Hot Brow
on the West End, and it was great because there
was a lot of foot traffic people walking by, and
there was a lot of you know, a lot of
flipping off and this and that, and you were you
were more than eager to engage in the conversation with
the fans that were walking by.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
There was that sort of thing, and then.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
You actually dropped an F bomb on the air on
the air, and we said, uh, when we got to
the break, we said, you can't do that, man, you
can't do that.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
It's FCC rules, you can't you can't do that.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
We come out of the break and we said, Brian.
Brian said he was sorry about that, and you actually said.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
No, I'm not.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
And I'm going to say it again right now. You ready,
right now? And he didn't say if.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
He just said to that, oh you Fortunately we hit
the dump button in time, but there was uh, yeah,
there were proof cushions.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
You don't forget anything, do you.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
I remember the most memorable things I can tell you that.
I can remember that. I also remember this, and I'll
bet you remember this. This was after you left us
and you were at the time working for uh Fox Sports.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
I guess.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
And this, of course was the national championship year two
thousand and five and moments after Vinjonk crosses the goal line,
moments after I say, thirty five years in the waiting,
in eight years in the building under Mac Brown, the
Texas long runs and one college or college Football's national champions.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
Moments after that, in the post game.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
We get off the air, I'm walking that one press
box elevator opens up. You were on your way back up.
You see me and you bear hug me. Almost broke
a rib and bear hug me, and you look at
me and go, how about that? And I look at
you straight faced, and I said, it's interesting. Back in
two thousand and three, after we lost sixty five to thirteen,
(06:16):
oh you you said this team will.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
Never win under mac breast. Shut up, man, you said.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
And then.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
We had a good time. We had a good time.
We always had a good time.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
I was waiting for me why to get their takeover.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
That's why I said, I know, I know that.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
And I'm always grateful to you because you were always
very very generous. You know, when my son Andy first
started spotting, he was thirteen fourteen years old, and he
always remembers, is there you come up to the broadcast
booth and the Cotton Bowl there, Texas Ou and you've
got a turkey leg about as long as your arm,
and you're just and you're just you're just diving into it.
(06:55):
And Andy, youthful guy, he just looks over at you.
He's kind of amazed by it, and you're just chomping
a When you stop, you look at me, go turkey
leg and you offered.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
He's like, thank you, sir. You're always heavy.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
You know you have to go Captain k Man with you.
Speaker 4 (07:09):
Stay fair, baby, you gotta get your turkey lan, you
gotta get your corn doll.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Top it off with a funnel k Man. That's that.
That that was a great time.
Speaker 4 (07:18):
But unfortunately we did witness some of the worst defeats
in that ball game my my sideline days, so those
were rough, but more than made up for when they
won the national title. But I just got to say, man,
I learned so much from you and and and and
shown it. Man. I had a blast you guys help
(07:40):
foster where I am now. And and unbeknownst to you,
there's so many things I've taken from you, Craig. You're
such a professional, and I borrowed from you is for
certain terms and and and just the way you've going
about your business. And you, guys, I can't appreciate and
thank you enough for helping me learn learn how to
(08:01):
how to excel in this business. And you still allowed
me to be me. But you did help timper me somewhat.
And and and I, even all these years later, so
thankful that I got to start the business with some
guys such as.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Y'all and and uh, you're you're one of the best.
Speaker 4 (08:21):
And congrats on your your Hall of Fame status is
more than deserving. And once again, love hearing your calls
anytime we get a chance to shine the light on
you and your.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Calls and our loan pins.
Speaker 4 (08:32):
Uh, it's a treat for me sitting there in that studio.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
And you did bring up you did.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
Bring up the fact that I used to go drag
guys out of the shower.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
This was that was.
Speaker 4 (08:45):
I have conducted more neked interviews than anybody.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
No doubt, no doubt.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
And and and you'll have to you say, I remember everything.
I was trying to remember, whether it was Lubbock as
a freshman in one UH or or UH at Chapel
Hill in O two. In both cases, Cedric Benson had
big games and we're trying to get him, and we're
trying to get him, and we were told we were
(09:10):
going to have him for post game, and then we
were told, uh, somebody else that was down there in
the locker room with you. One of our liaisons down
there was told, no, he's already in the shower by then.
And when you heard that, I think you I think
you saw red at that point. And he said, hold on,
hold on. And this is during a commercial break, folks.
(09:31):
It wasn't on the air, but we hear him. We
hear to hear this headset and the headsets off, but
your hear and you hear the shower in the background
because the area where we did the interviews was not
far from it, and we're just here at the top
of his lungs.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
Cedric, Cedric, get.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
Your knicking ass out here.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
Hey, that's that's broadcasting one on one.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
That's what I learned from the Moody College and communication.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
That's how you grab it.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Man.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
It was whatever, and it was fun beyond going.
Speaker 4 (10:04):
I would always go ahead and like, no, I don't
want that guy had half of time.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
This guy over here, so I just go grab guys.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
And you did it, and Cedric, yeah, you did it.
And Cedric came out because they all respected you, uh
you know, even as you know every now and then
you'd have an unhinged moment here or there, but they
respected you.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
And that was that was that was what was really cool.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
So my question to you is this, and we're visiting
with Brian Jones, a lifetime Longhorn, and uh he did
he did a talk show on this station back in
the day.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
I know you enjoyed that as well.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
And then and and then of course our sideline reporter
on the long Horn Radio Network. Now with CBS, how
much fun is doing football commentary on television?
Speaker 2 (10:48):
Dude, I am half him. A blessed I've been so blessed.
Speaker 4 (10:50):
I was blessed when I worked there with you guys
and we were colleagues at thirteen hundred to Zone. I've
been so blessed at CBS Sports and it's it's just
wonderful the guys I get an opportunity to work with,
and I think it's more comedy than sports man. It
is a treat. We added Aaron Taylor to the mix
on Saturdays this year and that's even brought.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
More joy to the broadcast.
Speaker 4 (11:16):
A producer just gives us so much freedom and they
want our input and that's what I love about it.
You know, they still have to rain us in at times.
Being former athletes, we can get get a little loose,
but it's a blessing. It is, truly, you know, a blessing.
And people always ask me, did you always want to
(11:37):
do this? And yeah, to a certain stint.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (11:41):
And I just remember when I first started our thirteen
hundred design and I was going to a UT basketball game.
I remember when our listeners came up to me, this
older white gentlemen. He said, boy, you got some good
bull you know the rest Okay, I.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
Will leverage that, babe. And that's what I've tried to do. Craig.
Just maintain who I am through and through.
Speaker 4 (12:05):
And I remember a good friend of mine, love to death,
he gave me a book a long long time ago,
how to be a statesman. I said, man, you must
be crazy. I ain't no dang statesman. I'm gonna be me.
I'm gonna be professional and I'm gonna do my homework
and my research, but I'm gonna have a dang good
time doing it. I'm not here to to be the
you know, the educated, proper storial guy. I love having
(12:28):
a good time, as you know. And and so that's
how I convey and present the information that that I
shared to our audience. And you're gonna have those that
don't like it, fine, and you're gonna have those that do.
And unfortunately, you know, I don't have an endo voice
from West Texas. And for some reason, that loudness I
(12:49):
called it passion comes out because I love college football.
And last week was a great indication just being there
on site where you were a few weeks ago in
Ann Arbor for the mission in USC game and being
amongst the crowd.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
So whether we're on site or we're in studio, I
just love it.
Speaker 4 (13:07):
I love being around it, and and it just brings
something out of all of us who have played this great,
wonderful game. And although it's changed over the years, it's
still a beautiful sport. And to have the opportunity and
to be involved as long as I have and come
up the ranks, and it's I'm blessed, and it's it's
(13:30):
it's I'm beyond blessed, to tell you the truth, and
and so grateful for the opportunity.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
Fill in the blank here the best I'm not asking
for pole rankings. I'm asking for Brian Jones' opinion. The
best team in college football right now is.
Speaker 4 (13:48):
I go with the number one team in the land
and I look at how they're playing on defense. We
had this conversation on our show last night Inside College
Football the best defense in the SEC, and Texas is
tie with Tennessee, I believe, and George is right there
as well. But going on the road and knocking off
Michigan in the fashion in which they did eighty yards rush.
(14:10):
In the last two ball games since that Texas defeat,
they've gained three hundred and almost three hundred.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
Two ninety something last week versus USC. So that's not
easy to do.
Speaker 4 (14:21):
Uh, what they're giving up about five five points per game,
holding ULM to one hundred and eleven yards. Not taking
anything away from Tennessee and what they did on the
road versus OU.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
I think it's Texas right now.
Speaker 4 (14:35):
And are they gonna be challenged, Yes, they're gonna They're
gonna get challenged this weekend because Jeff Levy wants to
run the rock and they got a mouthful of him
a year ago and that loss versus OU, and they're
gonna come in and want to run the rock. They've
got a new starting quarterback in this Van Buren kid,
and so you know he's gonna use his legs when
opportunities are there, but that rush defis is gonna get
(14:58):
tested more and more. I love the way the secondary
flies around. They were just superb in that Michigan ball game.
And you can say, well, you look at Michigan's quarterback
there and they're great. True, but you still have to
go out there and make plays. So I'm going to
say it is Texas as we currently sit here, but
you know, bigger tests are coming down the.
Speaker 3 (15:16):
Road, no doubt. Do you like the twelve team playoffs?
Speaker 2 (15:20):
Love it. I've been a big proponent.
Speaker 4 (15:22):
I've been advocating for them to expand from four to
eight or twelve.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
I would have been fine with a twelve. Great.
Speaker 4 (15:30):
It's interesting you hear college football fans upset and crying
and wanting.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
More football during the offseason.
Speaker 4 (15:40):
Now we have it, and now the argument will be, well,
these matchups they won't be sufficient enough, they won't be
dramatic enough. Quit lamenting the fact that you're getting what
you want, which is more football.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
We didn't have.
Speaker 4 (15:55):
Not every contest in the fourteen playoff was compelling. I
mean there's been some, probably, I remember what Alabama did
to Michigan State. Was it forty nine or nothing? Yeah,
you know, early in the I think that was the
first year of the college football playoff. And you've had
others where Notre Dame in Clinton Boat or a Notre
(16:15):
Dame for sure has been waxed in the playoffs. So
I love the fact we're gonna have more football. And
you what's even more cool is you're gonna have games
at the home site of certain teams. Can you imagine, say,
let's say God forbid Texas that's in the SEC and
they don't get the first round by they can have
(16:37):
a home game here in DKR Man. That is cool
for a playoff atmosphere. I love it. I'm all for it.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
Yeah, I listen.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
I was gonna be okay if they wanted to go
to sixteen then not have any buys and then let
the top eight have home games.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
I have it on campus. I would have been okay
with that.
Speaker 2 (16:54):
All right.
Speaker 3 (16:54):
I want to ask you one other thing as well.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
If there is a dark course this year that not
only can get in the playoff, but can make a run,
maybe get to the semi final, maybe the national championship.
If there's a dark horse or at least a program
that folks aren't really discussing in great length, who do
you think that would be?
Speaker 2 (17:17):
Wow, what a wonderful question.
Speaker 4 (17:18):
There's so many in that group of five right now,
especially jmu what they did to the aforementioned mcbrown all
as posting seventy on them.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
I'm still hanging my hat on Poise State.
Speaker 4 (17:32):
You know, Memphis was the bell Cow a week ago
until they go and lose to Navy. What a wonderful job.
Blake Horbat did a quarterback for the midshipman. But just
asking Genty, if he's not on your Heisman list, he
should be because he is an all purpose wonder there
for Poise and they've got a tough one versus Washington
State and this John Mattier who's tearing it up. Texas
(17:54):
tech folks know about his game. So I'm leaning towards Poise.
A close low at Oregon losing by three to Dylan
Gable and those guys. Washington State comes to town this weekend,
So if they can get that one and roll on
to a Mountain West championship of back to back years,
I think they could be in that number and they
could cause some noise because we've seen them in the past.
(18:16):
History has shown us that they don't care. They have
a little time to prepare. Oklahoma.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
Hey, they can come up and jump up and beat you.
Speaker 4 (18:23):
And that's a team with name recognition because they have
gone anywhere on this planet to play anybody, big boy
or not. They don't care, and so they have that
in their back pocket. And I think that would be
my dark horse.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
He's Brian Jones. You see him on television. He sports
a beard thicker and whiter than Santa Claus.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
We call that black of Clause Craig.
Speaker 3 (18:49):
I love it.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
Hey, it's great to visit with you. I appreciate you
taking some time. Maybe we'll do it again when we
get the playoff time.
Speaker 2 (18:55):
My man, I love you to death.
Speaker 4 (18:57):
Thank you for all you've done to help further my
career and appreciate you. And I can't wait to hear
it this weekend touchdown Texas.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
I hope we're calling those thank you, BJA. Look look
that's Brian Jones. Yes, a lifetime longhorn and now he
and he is a network television personnal. You need to
check him out on CBS and see all the the
fine work he does with that curve.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
All right.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
Up next is inconceivable here on sports Radio, A'm thirteen
under the Zone and where you always listen to us
for free on the iHeartRadio app.
Maybe there's a theme because our next guest at one
time was actually an employee of this company of a
thirteen under the zone, and we just kind of let
him drift away, you know.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
He.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Drifted away to the larger, more lucrative and attention grabbing
venue that is network television. But we'll always have a
special place in our hearts, not only for his time
as our sideline reporter on the Long Horn football broadcast,
but going all the way back. My first contact with
(00:36):
Brian Jones was actually when he was a senior linebacker
at the University of Texas in nineteen ninety and I
was the studio anchor in the Longhorn Radio Network and
Brian Jones, on a postgame interview, told then play by
play voice Brad Sham about their season opening Winever Penn State.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
It was just good to get out.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
There and hit somebody of another color. And Brad said,
you mean Jersey color, right, Jersey color. Yeah, Brian Jones
is with us.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Now.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
You remember that day, You remember that beating Penn State
there that day back in nineteen ninety.
Speaker 4 (01:14):
Man, I'll never forget that day. Come on, I cannot
forget that day. No one gave.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Us a shot.
Speaker 4 (01:20):
We weren't ranked, and nor should anyone have given us
a shot, considering the season. We were embarking from what
five and six to the previous season, and we go
up there and that started to shock the nation tour.
But I don't recall saying hitting someone of a different color,
but yes, that is exactly what I meant, a different
(01:41):
color jersey.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
And what a heck of a game. It was a
physical game, Craig.
Speaker 4 (01:46):
I remember the opening kickoff, and I'm sure you recall
them running the ball back to about the two yard line,
and the first play I hit Sam Gash. They run
an io there on the goal line, my whole right
side with and you just had to stay out there, baby.
They ended up scoring, but we ended up winning the game.
(02:06):
But it was a physical affairs the point I was
trying to make, and we had lost to him the
year before with Blurt Thomas who had gone on to
the NFL. They're running back and then you had Lee
Roy Thompson and say I Gash in that backfield, and
it was so much fun to shut that big old
crowd up there in in Happy Valley, man.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
And great to join you.
Speaker 4 (02:26):
I tell you what I look forward to Craig, people
gonna have to drift away after my loud ass gets
off your radio show. But I love when we showed
Texas highlights and I get to hear touchdown Texas, touchdown Texas.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
I said, that's my boy.
Speaker 4 (02:43):
That man, Folks, Craig. Craig is telling you all the
good stuff. We want to tell you the bad stuff.
When I was sidlighted, actually I wasn't even silided reporter yet.
I my first gig was carrying the parabolic mic. Kids,
Just remember that you talk about starting at the bottom.
Now we hear I was the dude on the sideline
with that little satellite dish that was my travel partner
(03:05):
wherever we went. And I remember our former producer Bill
all bless his hard rested peace, kept telling me we
just shut the hell up because they couldn't hear the
game broadcast.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
All they could hear was me yelling.
Speaker 4 (03:17):
At my fellow lonemoars after on the field, trying to
coach them up. And unfortunately I wasn't using the ideal
language for the broadcast.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
Did you ever? I mean, I can remember. I can
remember there was a game in.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
College Station and Reverie actually took a nip at you
and and you said, you said, and actually kind of
leaked over the air.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
That little bitch just bit me.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
Remember that, I.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
Do recall that that little yes, yeah, trying to nip me.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Man, Yeah, because I just put the mic up.
Speaker 4 (03:54):
I was just having a little fun with the aggies
and they don't smile too much because we always whipping
the ass.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (04:00):
And then they tried to seek redly on me, that
little rat with a bunch of hair. It looked like,
get a big dog, Get a real dog. I got
husky and a mallebu get your real doll.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
The the the string of memories also extends to and including, uh.
Some of the best stuff was the Texas ou Weekend
because because.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
Almost got fired.
Speaker 4 (04:22):
Yeah, thank you, Dusty Black, thank you Mama check right
at least Hudson.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
Yeah, it almost happened.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Brian was up there and and we were doing the show.
We used to do it there at the Hot Brow
on the West End, and it was great because there
was a lot of foot traffic people walking by, and
there was a lot of you know, a lot of
flipping off and this and that, and you were you
were more than eager to engage in the conversation with
the fans that were walking by.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
There was that sort of thing, and then.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
You actually dropped an F bomb on the air on
the air, and we said, uh, when we got to
the break, we said, you can't do that, man, you
can't do that.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
It's FCC rules, you can't you can't do that.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
We come out of the break and we said, Brian.
Brian said he was sorry about that, and you actually said.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
No, I'm not.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
And I'm going to say it again right now. You ready,
right now? And he didn't say if.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
He just said to that, oh you Fortunately we hit
the dump button in time, but there was uh, yeah,
there were proof cushions.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
You don't forget anything, do you.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
I remember the most memorable things I can tell you that.
I can remember that. I also remember this, and I'll
bet you remember this. This was after you left us
and you were at the time working for uh Fox Sports.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
I guess.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
And this, of course was the national championship year two
thousand and five and moments after Vinjonk crosses the goal line,
moments after I say, thirty five years in the waiting,
in eight years in the building under Mac Brown, the
Texas long runs and one college or college Football's national champions.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
Moments after that, in the post game.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
We get off the air, I'm walking that one press
box elevator opens up. You were on your way back up.
You see me and you bear hug me. Almost broke
a rib and bear hug me, and you look at
me and go, how about that? And I look at
you straight faced, and I said, it's interesting. Back in
two thousand and three, after we lost sixty five to thirteen,
(06:16):
oh you you said this team will.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
Never win under mac breast. Shut up, man, you said.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
And then.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
We had a good time. We had a good time.
We always had a good time.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
I was waiting for me why to get their takeover.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
That's why I said, I know, I know that.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
And I'm always grateful to you because you were always
very very generous. You know, when my son Andy first
started spotting, he was thirteen fourteen years old, and he
always remembers, is there you come up to the broadcast
booth and the Cotton Bowl there, Texas Ou and you've
got a turkey leg about as long as your arm,
and you're just and you're just you're just diving into it.
(06:55):
And Andy, youthful guy, he just looks over at you.
He's kind of amazed by it, and you're just chomping
a When you stop, you look at me, go turkey
leg and you offered.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
He's like, thank you, sir. You're always heavy.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
You know you have to go Captain k Man with you.
Speaker 4 (07:09):
Stay fair, baby, you gotta get your turkey lan, you
gotta get your corn doll.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Top it off with a funnel k Man. That's that.
That that was a great time.
Speaker 4 (07:18):
But unfortunately we did witness some of the worst defeats
in that ball game my my sideline days, so those
were rough, but more than made up for when they
won the national title. But I just got to say, man,
I learned so much from you and and and and
shown it. Man. I had a blast you guys help
(07:40):
foster where I am now. And and unbeknownst to you,
there's so many things I've taken from you, Craig. You're
such a professional, and I borrowed from you is for
certain terms and and and just the way you've going
about your business. And you, guys, I can't appreciate and
thank you enough for helping me learn learn how to
(08:01):
how to excel in this business. And you still allowed
me to be me. But you did help timper me somewhat.
And and and I, even all these years later, so
thankful that I got to start the business with some
guys such as.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Y'all and and uh, you're you're one of the best.
Speaker 4 (08:21):
And congrats on your your Hall of Fame status is
more than deserving. And once again, love hearing your calls
anytime we get a chance to shine the light on
you and your.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Calls and our loan pins.
Speaker 4 (08:32):
Uh, it's a treat for me sitting there in that studio.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
And you did bring up you did.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
Bring up the fact that I used to go drag
guys out of the shower.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
This was that was.
Speaker 4 (08:45):
I have conducted more neked interviews than anybody.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
No doubt, no doubt.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
And and and you'll have to you say, I remember everything.
I was trying to remember, whether it was Lubbock as
a freshman in one UH or or UH at Chapel
Hill in O two. In both cases, Cedric Benson had
big games and we're trying to get him, and we're
trying to get him, and we were told we were
(09:10):
going to have him for post game, and then we
were told, uh, somebody else that was down there in
the locker room with you. One of our liaisons down
there was told, no, he's already in the shower by then.
And when you heard that, I think you I think
you saw red at that point. And he said, hold on,
hold on. And this is during a commercial break, folks.
(09:31):
It wasn't on the air, but we hear him. We
hear to hear this headset and the headsets off, but
your hear and you hear the shower in the background
because the area where we did the interviews was not
far from it, and we're just here at the top
of his lungs.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
Cedric, Cedric, get.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
Your knicking ass out here.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
Hey, that's that's broadcasting one on one.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
That's what I learned from the Moody College and communication.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
That's how you grab it.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Man.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
It was whatever, and it was fun beyond going.
Speaker 4 (10:04):
I would always go ahead and like, no, I don't
want that guy had half of time.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
This guy over here, so I just go grab guys.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
And you did it, and Cedric, yeah, you did it.
And Cedric came out because they all respected you, uh
you know, even as you know every now and then
you'd have an unhinged moment here or there, but they
respected you.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
And that was that was that was what was really cool.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
So my question to you is this, and we're visiting
with Brian Jones, a lifetime Longhorn, and uh he did
he did a talk show on this station back in
the day.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
I know you enjoyed that as well.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
And then and and then of course our sideline reporter
on the long Horn Radio Network. Now with CBS, how
much fun is doing football commentary on television?
Speaker 2 (10:48):
Dude, I am half him. A blessed I've been so blessed.
Speaker 4 (10:50):
I was blessed when I worked there with you guys
and we were colleagues at thirteen hundred to Zone. I've
been so blessed at CBS Sports and it's it's just
wonderful the guys I get an opportunity to work with,
and I think it's more comedy than sports man. It
is a treat. We added Aaron Taylor to the mix
on Saturdays this year and that's even brought.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
More joy to the broadcast.
Speaker 4 (11:16):
A producer just gives us so much freedom and they
want our input and that's what I love about it.
You know, they still have to rain us in at times.
Being former athletes, we can get get a little loose,
but it's a blessing. It is, truly, you know, a blessing.
And people always ask me, did you always want to
(11:37):
do this? And yeah, to a certain stint.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (11:41):
And I just remember when I first started our thirteen
hundred design and I was going to a UT basketball game.
I remember when our listeners came up to me, this
older white gentlemen. He said, boy, you got some good
bull you know the rest Okay, I.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
Will leverage that, babe. And that's what I've tried to do. Craig.
Just maintain who I am through and through.
Speaker 4 (12:05):
And I remember a good friend of mine, love to death,
he gave me a book a long long time ago,
how to be a statesman. I said, man, you must
be crazy. I ain't no dang statesman. I'm gonna be me.
I'm gonna be professional and I'm gonna do my homework
and my research, but I'm gonna have a dang good
time doing it. I'm not here to to be the
you know, the educated, proper storial guy. I love having
(12:28):
a good time, as you know. And and so that's
how I convey and present the information that that I
shared to our audience. And you're gonna have those that
don't like it, fine, and you're gonna have those that do.
And unfortunately, you know, I don't have an endo voice
from West Texas. And for some reason, that loudness I
(12:49):
called it passion comes out because I love college football.
And last week was a great indication just being there
on site where you were a few weeks ago in
Ann Arbor for the mission in USC game and being
amongst the crowd.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
So whether we're on site or we're in studio, I
just love it.
Speaker 4 (13:07):
I love being around it, and and it just brings
something out of all of us who have played this great,
wonderful game. And although it's changed over the years, it's
still a beautiful sport. And to have the opportunity and
to be involved as long as I have and come
up the ranks, and it's I'm blessed, and it's it's
(13:30):
it's I'm beyond blessed, to tell you the truth, and
and so grateful for the opportunity.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
Fill in the blank here the best I'm not asking
for pole rankings. I'm asking for Brian Jones' opinion. The
best team in college football right now is.
Speaker 4 (13:48):
I go with the number one team in the land
and I look at how they're playing on defense. We
had this conversation on our show last night Inside College
Football the best defense in the SEC, and Texas is
tie with Tennessee, I believe, and George is right there
as well. But going on the road and knocking off
Michigan in the fashion in which they did eighty yards rush.
(14:10):
In the last two ball games since that Texas defeat,
they've gained three hundred and almost three hundred.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
Two ninety something last week versus USC. So that's not
easy to do.
Speaker 4 (14:21):
Uh, what they're giving up about five five points per game,
holding ULM to one hundred and eleven yards. Not taking
anything away from Tennessee and what they did on the
road versus OU.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
I think it's Texas right now.
Speaker 4 (14:35):
And are they gonna be challenged, Yes, they're gonna They're
gonna get challenged this weekend because Jeff Levy wants to
run the rock and they got a mouthful of him
a year ago and that loss versus OU, and they're
gonna come in and want to run the rock. They've
got a new starting quarterback in this Van Buren kid,
and so you know he's gonna use his legs when
opportunities are there, but that rush defis is gonna get
(14:58):
tested more and more. I love the way the secondary
flies around. They were just superb in that Michigan ball game.
And you can say, well, you look at Michigan's quarterback
there and they're great. True, but you still have to
go out there and make plays. So I'm going to
say it is Texas as we currently sit here, but
you know, bigger tests are coming down the.
Speaker 3 (15:16):
Road, no doubt. Do you like the twelve team playoffs?
Speaker 2 (15:20):
Love it. I've been a big proponent.
Speaker 4 (15:22):
I've been advocating for them to expand from four to
eight or twelve.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
I would have been fine with a twelve. Great.
Speaker 4 (15:30):
It's interesting you hear college football fans upset and crying
and wanting.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
More football during the offseason.
Speaker 4 (15:40):
Now we have it, and now the argument will be, well,
these matchups they won't be sufficient enough, they won't be
dramatic enough. Quit lamenting the fact that you're getting what
you want, which is more football.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
We didn't have.
Speaker 4 (15:55):
Not every contest in the fourteen playoff was compelling. I
mean there's been some, probably, I remember what Alabama did
to Michigan State. Was it forty nine or nothing? Yeah,
you know, early in the I think that was the
first year of the college football playoff. And you've had
others where Notre Dame in Clinton Boat or a Notre
(16:15):
Dame for sure has been waxed in the playoffs. So
I love the fact we're gonna have more football. And
you what's even more cool is you're gonna have games
at the home site of certain teams. Can you imagine, say,
let's say God forbid Texas that's in the SEC and
they don't get the first round by they can have
(16:37):
a home game here in DKR Man. That is cool
for a playoff atmosphere. I love it. I'm all for it.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
Yeah, I listen.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
I was gonna be okay if they wanted to go
to sixteen then not have any buys and then let
the top eight have home games.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
I have it on campus. I would have been okay
with that.
Speaker 2 (16:54):
All right.
Speaker 3 (16:54):
I want to ask you one other thing as well.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
If there is a dark course this year that not
only can get in the playoff, but can make a run,
maybe get to the semi final, maybe the national championship.
If there's a dark horse or at least a program
that folks aren't really discussing in great length, who do
you think that would be?
Speaker 2 (17:17):
Wow, what a wonderful question.
Speaker 4 (17:18):
There's so many in that group of five right now,
especially jmu what they did to the aforementioned mcbrown all
as posting seventy on them.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
I'm still hanging my hat on Poise State.
Speaker 4 (17:32):
You know, Memphis was the bell Cow a week ago
until they go and lose to Navy. What a wonderful job.
Blake Horbat did a quarterback for the midshipman. But just
asking Genty, if he's not on your Heisman list, he
should be because he is an all purpose wonder there
for Poise and they've got a tough one versus Washington
State and this John Mattier who's tearing it up. Texas
(17:54):
tech folks know about his game. So I'm leaning towards Poise.
A close low at Oregon losing by three to Dylan
Gable and those guys. Washington State comes to town this weekend,
So if they can get that one and roll on
to a Mountain West championship of back to back years,
I think they could be in that number and they
could cause some noise because we've seen them in the past.
(18:16):
History has shown us that they don't care. They have
a little time to prepare. Oklahoma.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
Hey, they can come up and jump up and beat you.
Speaker 4 (18:23):
And that's a team with name recognition because they have
gone anywhere on this planet to play anybody, big boy
or not. They don't care, and so they have that
in their back pocket. And I think that would be
my dark horse.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
He's Brian Jones. You see him on television. He sports
a beard thicker and whiter than Santa Claus.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
We call that black of Clause Craig.
Speaker 3 (18:49):
I love it.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
Hey, it's great to visit with you. I appreciate you
taking some time. Maybe we'll do it again when we
get the playoff time.
Speaker 2 (18:55):
My man, I love you to death.
Speaker 4 (18:57):
Thank you for all you've done to help further my
career and appreciate you. And I can't wait to hear
it this weekend touchdown Texas.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
I hope we're calling those thank you, BJA. Look look
that's Brian Jones. Yes, a lifetime longhorn and now he
and he is a network television personnal. You need to
check him out on CBS and see all the the
fine work he does with that curve.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
All right.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
Up next is inconceivable here on sports Radio, A'm thirteen
under the Zone and where you always listen to us
for free on the iHeartRadio app.
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