Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
We continue here on sports Radio AM thirteen hundred of
the Zone. Well, Cameron mentioned Sark, and last night we
aired Longhorn Weekly with Coach Sark from Pluckers the West
Campus location.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Course. We record the show on Wednesdays, and that's when we.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Did this recording on Wednesday, but it aired last night
and late in the show. Every week we'd take one
full segment of the show and devoted just to the
matchup with the opponent. So here was the conversation that
we had last night in matching up Texas and Vanderbilt
for the borrow afternoon, I was visiting with Andrew Alligrette,
(00:34):
he's the play by play voice for Vanderbilt, and he
reminded me of something I've forgotten about this that you
and Clark Lee had matched wits when you were at Alabama.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
He was at Notre Dame there in that Rose.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Bowl exactly right, exactly right.
Speaker 4 (00:48):
Both of us had accepted jobs, or I hadn't quite
got I hadn't gotten this job, but I think the.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Next day I'd end up taking the job, whatever it was.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
And he had already accepted this job, and Clark said, great,
coach man, he's a really good defensive coach.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
Very bright guy.
Speaker 4 (01:04):
You know, I think anytime you're building this program right,
just like we were in and there's a lot of
work that goes into it. I think he's found their
niche offensively, and now it's allowing him more time with
the defensive side of the football.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
He's calling the defense again.
Speaker 4 (01:17):
And you can feel you can feel it on the
defensive side of the ball, but you can feel the
personality of this roster, the way they play the game.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Yeah, I drew some and I was thinking about this.
There are some definite.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
Parallels between what you've built and continue to build at
Texas and what he's trying to build at Vanderbilt, both
in your fourth year, both coming off being top assistance,
and both working specifically with your area of expertise, you
as the play caller on offense and what he's doing
in taking over the defensive coordinator duties.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Very similar, very similar.
Speaker 4 (01:49):
And you know, half the battle, as you know, is
building your culture, recruiting the types of players that fit,
you know, the persona of what you're looking for out
of a team. And I think, like I said, Clark's
done a great job. I think they've done a nice
job of in the transfer portal finding some pieces.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
Obviously with the quarterback.
Speaker 4 (02:06):
That have that is I think instilled a ton into
this team. And you know, the tight ends a heck
of a players that you know another transfer. So a
lot of these a lot of these guys that have
come in, you know, have taken what they've had and
elevated it to a point to where, like I've talked
about our players, you know, you have an idea of
what you want to look like, and then they take
it and they run with it and make it even
(02:27):
better than you think.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
And I think they've done a great job.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
A lot of Texas high school products on this team.
Diego Poppy of the quarterback is not but he's from
New Mexico.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
But I watched him play for Jerry Kill.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
At New Mexico State and what he did and they
had a landmark moment and getting too a bowl game
and winning a bowl game, and then he goes in.
Eli Stowers, for folks who don't know, was an outstanding
quarterback at Denton. Geyer went down in the first quarter
of the state championship game against Westlake and Jackson Arnold,
as a freshman, had to replace it.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
In the State championship game.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
But he has found a home as the tight end
in a big reis target and Povey is just a
He's just an all out baller.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Isn't he.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Pavia.
Speaker 4 (03:03):
I admire this guy, you know, I just I like
the way he plays the game.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
He's tough, he's tough minded.
Speaker 4 (03:09):
Uh, you know, he leads him in rushing as well
as you know what he does throwing the football. And
they do what they got a lot of triple options
to what they do for those out there, it's similar
to you know, Kansas the last couple of years is
a very similar type offense. The tight end is a
huge component if you think about Kansas to what they
do in the passing game. The running back Alexander Local
(03:30):
product to you know, tough, hard nosed, physical guy watching block.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
It's incredible.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
So this is a really good football team on the
offensive side of the ball and the defensive side of
the ball. So, uh, the record is real, you know,
and and them beating Alabama is real. Them beating Kentucky's real.
This is a good football team. Yeah, being that being
ranked twenty fifth in the country is real. This is
a good football team.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
No doubt about it, and you brought Cedric Alexander, who
of course is the all time leading rushery in the
Austin Independent School District history. Did a great job playing
for the man on your staff as well in elevating
LBJ all the way to a state championship game appearance.
Speaker 4 (04:08):
Yes, I mean, and this guy's versatile. Man Like he
he's five. He'll said a five to nine to two hundred,
but when he hits people, he looks like he's about
six five two fifty.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
I mean he he really is a physical player. And
I was joking with coach Fenner about that.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
Man.
Speaker 4 (04:23):
I guess that's how you all practice at LBJ man,
because he uh, this kid is tough.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
On the defensive side, you mentioned what Clark Lee has
had in calling the defenses. Again, how about your thoughts
on what he does with his defense?
Speaker 4 (04:36):
Well, I think the thing that they do is one
if you just look at him across the board, they've
got great length, you know. I mean, de Ricky right
is six ' four, safety CJ. Taylor six to one,
the star the Nickel Fontinette is six ' to two.
The corner over here Martell Hydas six foot Tyson Russells
five to eleven.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
Colby Taylor six y three.
Speaker 4 (04:57):
So he did a really nice job of recruiting length
at the skill position. They've got length on the defensive line,
and then the two backers are athletic, that guys that
can run, and so it allows him to play really versatile.
When you look at just Cover's numbers, they play, they'll
play quarters, they'll play cover two, they'll play three D,
they'll play some man to man and so that's what
Clark specialized in, the versatility of which he can attack you,
(05:19):
and the pressure packages to go with it.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
All Right.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
So there it is Logorn's head coach Steve Sarkeshan with
his breakdown of this matchup with Vanderbilt. I am really
curious cam to see who emerges from the questionable or
below side of the student athlete availability report to be
(05:43):
available for this game tomorrow. We know that yesterday Isaiah
Bama was downgraded from questionable to doubtful for the game,
and I think it's every bit of doubtful that he'll
see action tomorrow. And I think the same holds true
for Andrew mccooba. I think that there's a good chance
they may both wind up being out. In addition to
the players who are already listed out, but on the
(06:04):
Vanderbilt side, Cedric Alexander's list of this question well and
Eli Stowers was listed as questionable. Two of the guys
that we just mentioned in that segment there. Those are
big pieces. Not to say that what Texas may have
to do without isn't big, because it is. But they
do have some depth they can fill in admirably. You know,
there's a big difference. I'm gonna tell you. The tight
(06:25):
end between Eli Stowers and Cole Spence and AJ Newberry
is I think doubtful for the game to back up
to Alexander. If neither of those guys are able to go,
then it's a real problem.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Out there below that. So I'm kind of curious to
see how how those guys.
Speaker 5 (06:43):
Line up, Well, Craig, looking looking at that SEC injury
report that was updated late last night, they have changed
Eli Stowers and AJ Newberry and a lot of other
players from doubt for questionable to probable. Okay, looking at
it now, Stours Langston, Patterson, AJ new Berry, Martel Heights,
Cedric Alexander, Miles, Keeper's and Lina Sunker all now probable
(07:05):
with Colby Taylor being listed as questionable and then salein
wood Mark Davis and Grayson Morgan, the three players who
were out so huge to see Stours and Newberry now
upgraded to probable for Vanderbilt.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
For those men for those reasons you just mentioned.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
Yeah, they'll see action and kind of expected them to anyway,
even when they were listened to this question. Well, the
key thing happens from Thursday to Friday, is he just outlined,
because yesterday afternoon those guys were listed as questionable, but
Isaiah bomb was also listed this question and then last night,
as you pointed out, Bond was you know, bonb was
(07:40):
downgraded to doubtful last night, and on that Vanderbilt side,
those guys have been upgraded from questionable to probable.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
I didn't think Eli Stowers would miss this game.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
I didn't.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
I certainly didn't think that Cedria Alexander would miss this game.
And I'm not expecting that to be the case. I'm
expecting both of those guys to to be there and
uh and to be big contributors, just as Pavia is
and the log runs will have to be ready for
what for what they do. And there's been so much
said about the ball control side.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Of things and how you do it.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
Well, the easiest way to keep that from becoming a
factor is twofold one. You keep scoring points, whether you're
doing it with a lot of clock time running off,
or even even if you're scoring quickly. Uh, you know
that old thing about well, you know, maybe somebody scored
too quickly. No, if if your defense does its job,
(08:36):
you're fine with your offense scoring pretty quickly because it's
points in the bank. You're already on the board there
and and so it's important to have that.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
That's that's one thing.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
But then the other thing, it does fall to the
defense on limiting the run. You know, Vanderbilt did a
fabulous job in looking back at.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
The video that of that contest with Alabama, as I did.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
They just did a great job of doing about three
point three three three three nine yards per carry. That
would go three point three three three three then and
then to be and then they would have like a
short Uh.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
They would get a similar thing on second down, and they.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Would have a short third down and four and get
enough to move the chains. Then they might hit one
for six and then come back with two and then
three and move the chains again, and then they might
hit a screen out of the backfield for four, and
then a run up the middle from Alexander for four,
and then and then Pavia keeping on an option pick
(09:37):
up just enough for the first time. That's what they
do death by a thousand paper cuts. They just kind
of slowly try to bleed you that way. And the
long worns really have to be disciplined in the run
fits and and make sure that they're stopping the holes
and they're they're getting good penetration off the ball and
getting past the offensive line them. That's that's going to
(09:58):
be a really crucial element in the game. And then
and then I know a lot of folks have mentioned
the turnover element as well, because Vanderbilt does a fabulous
job of taking care of the football.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
What is it, only two turnovers and the entire season,
and so they turned the country.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Yeah, and they lead the SEC in that category and
not turning over the ball. They lead the SEC in
third down conversions, they lead the SEC in time of possition.
We just heard Sark mentioned all of those things as well.
So if you have one, maybe two of those elements,
it might be a factor, but usually you need more
(10:35):
than that, and they've got those three big factors going
in their favor.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
So how do you combat it. You do it with
your defense.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
You make big plays, and we've seen the Long Words
have big plays against the run this season. They even
did against Georgia in a fourth down situation where hurt
Texas obviously, and Sark brought it up on the show.
Was after the second touchdown, after the water by is
being thrown on the field, after the call was reversed
(11:03):
on the field and the Jade Baron interception was allowed
to stand, Texas takes an end. They score on the
pass to Jayden Blue. So now it's twenty three to fifteen.
They kick off, they tackle the returner for Georgia at
the eleven yard line. They have two incomplete passes and
it's third and ten at the eleven. Nobody I think
(11:25):
would have known or could have known that a lot
of the game hung in the balance right then in
that moment. But Georgia did what Georgia has done these
past several years. They find a way to convert in
on third and eleven. They have twenty one yard pass
for a first down. Then the very next play was
the forty four yard fleet flicker. It opened the door
to the touchdown and bam, Georgia had opened it back
(11:46):
up to fifteen points and the long Horns couldn't respond
after that. So there are key moments in games. Sometimes
you don't know when they're coming. But the Loghorns need
to have the defensive response for Vanderbilt tomorrow that they
couldn't have in some of the key moments against Georgia.
Up next, we turn our attention to the NFL. We'll
do that when we continue here on a Friday afternoon
(12:08):
from Nashville, Tennessee, on Sports Radio AM thirteen under the
zone of the iHeartRadio app.