Sark Clarifies Future, Longhorns Prepare for Arkansas

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
On the Thursday, we move here and headed very much
closer to the weekend. Glad to have you with us
this afternoon on sports Radio AM thirteen hundred of the Zone.
My name is Craig Way. Thank you very much for
joining us. We do appreciate that, and we're with you
each and every weekday afternoon Monday through Friday from two
pm to five pm. We of course includes the producer

(00:33):
of this program, Jay Carman, who is nearly as busy
these days as I am. And that's a good thing.
If you haven't already figured that out, and I think
you probably have it. If you haven't already figured that out,
it's good to have a lot of things on your plate.
Put it that way.

Speaker 2 (00:50):
Yeah, that's right, that's right.

Speaker 3 (00:52):
And you know, I'm not quite at the levels of
you know, Craigway travel and obligation commitment.

Speaker 1 (01:00):
I don't wish that on anybody right now.

Speaker 3 (01:02):
Well I'm sure I might not be ready to wish
it up myself either, But it's great to have opportunities
to go out and get involved in a lot of
different cool things in just a short time since getting
down here.

Speaker 1 (01:13):
How you feel about this bast drop wayco You playoff
game on Saturday. Man, I'm pumped up. Yeah, I am
pumped You like the Bears' chances?

Speaker 4 (01:20):
I do.

Speaker 3 (01:21):
I think the Bears probably come in as a as
a slight favorite.

Speaker 5 (01:26):
M hm.

Speaker 2 (01:27):
They certainly have.

Speaker 3 (01:31):
To hope that if Savoy Nichols, the quarterback for Waco
University who left early in their win over for Ben Marshall.

Speaker 1 (01:40):
I have to hope that if he is ready, they
are ready. Yeah, right, and I have a feeling he
might be. Unless it's something pretty serious, we'll find out.
That's part of the overall high school playoff scene. We'll
get to that coming up. We've got a lot of
things to get to. We're going to visit with Roger
Wallace to talk about that. They they're busy speaking to busy.

(02:01):
They have a high school playoff game tonight on KBVO,
vandergriff against brandeis from the north side of San Antonio,
playing at Bobcats Stadium in San Marcos on the Texas
State campus. So they have that game tonight. Tomorrow night,
they have Georgetown against the number two team in the
state in five A Division one, Frisco lone Star. These
are second round playoff games. In fact, I have a

(02:25):
second round five A Division one playoff game tonight that
I'm calling on Victory Plus on the Victory Plus app,
which is free to watch. That Highland Park the number
sixteen in the state, the all time winning his program
in Texas high school football history, Highland Park is and
they're playing Frisco ready and that game will be at

(02:45):
the Star in Frisco. They're at the Ford Center, So
I'm doing that one tonight. But anyway, this is second
round playoff weekend, and we'll run down some of the
matchups involving the area schools. We'll do that in a
little bit. Also, Chuck Behar, play by play voice of
the Arkansas Razorbacks, will join us. We'll visit with Chuck
in the three o'clock hour to talk about this matchup

(03:06):
between Jaxas and Arkansas and also some hog hoops. John
Calipari in his second season there, so we'll get his
thoughts on how things going. They barely won the other night,
They had a one point decision in getting a win
over Winthrop. But we'll some controversy late in that one. Yeah, yeah,
So we'll visit with Chuck to talk about that. But

(03:28):
a lot of what we're going to spend or at
least a representative portion of this first hour and the
third hour of the program, we'll be hearing from long
orange Head football coach Steve Sarkisia now Thursdays or the
day that we always bring you the Sark Media Zoom.

(03:52):
It's his third and final media availability with local and
regional and even some NACK meetia on it, but they're
mainly on the SEC teleconference that it's on Wednesdays. So
we're gonna we'll have that for you broken down into
his answers to the questions that'll be coming up at
four o'clock hour. I mentioned yesterday's SEC teleconference by now, certainly,

(04:16):
if you're following the Long Ornes closely, if you're listening
to this program regularly, you know what happened yesterday. Sark
on the SEC teleconference with a very definite adamant re rebuttal,
a rebuke, a refute of those reports and missives and

(04:43):
musings by people thinking that he is going to leave
Texas at the end of the year and go to
either do another college job or the NFL or something
like that. So Sark delivered about a two and a
half minute talk on that two and a half minute
take on how he's not leaving, and imagine you're going

(05:05):
to hear maybe some reference to it again coming up
on the SEC teleconference. But what we have for you
is the first hand conversation that I had with Sark
last night as we were recording Longhorn Weekly, which you
can hear in its entirety tonight at seven o'clock. So
we'll bring that to you tonight, and it's a great program.

(05:28):
We have Michael Hoffu's going into the College Football Hall
of Fame on with us. We have Cameron Dicker the
Chargers kicker. It's the bye week on the schedule for
the Chargers. That reminds me of going to make a
change on my fantasy football kicker thing. I got to
do that anyway, So we have Cameron Dicker on. That's great.

(05:49):
But also the first segment of the program, Sark wanted
to take that opportunity to further explain this whole deal
about why folks are saying things what they're saying, and
why it's not going to be that way for him
and that he's staying. So we're going to bring that
to you right now. This is a little further extrapolation
of what he said on the SEC teleconference, but it's

(06:11):
got some more depth, it's got some more clarity, it
has some more reasoning and his thoughts on it. So
here's Stark from last night's episode of Longhorn Weekly before
we get started. I know you kind of had something
that you felt important to say, and I wanted to
give you the floor and let you speak to Longhorn

(06:32):
Nation and anybody else who's wanting to listen to this.

Speaker 5 (06:36):
Yeah, I felt like I had to get a few
things off my chest on our SEC conference call, and
part of it was, you know, and it's and I
get it. We're in this day and age of a
college football has become such a business, and there's been
a lot of coaches getting moved in a lot of
schools creating opportunities and coaches moving and contemplating taking new

(06:59):
jobs and things. And my name had been kind of
thrown into this hat without me even knowing that my
name had been thrown into the hat. And and so
I wanted to kind of clear the air earlier about Hey,
I'm not going anywhere, and and and part of that
not going anywhere, and that's I guess an easy thing
to say was that I've never had a discussion with
anybody about even going anywhere, whether it be CDC in

(07:22):
the university, whether it was you know, Ca and Jimmy
Sexton my agency, whether it be with another university or
another university's representatives, whether it be an NFL team. But somehow,
you know, some of the pundits out there can kind
of throw that out there. And we also live in
a time in society to where if somebody you know,

(07:43):
pushes send on Twitter or on somewhere on social media that, well,
it must be true because this person said that. And
so I wanted to be very clear and adamant about
a I'm not going anywhere, but be I also wanted
to talk a little bit about why why am I
not going anywhere? You know, when we came here and
we took this job at the University of Texas, I

(08:03):
had turned down numerous head coaching jobs to take this job.

Speaker 4 (08:07):
Why did I want this job?

Speaker 5 (08:09):
I think this is the premier job in America when
it comes to coaching football at this level. We have
an amazing resource base, We have unbelievable leadership at this university.
We can recruit the best very best players in the
country to an academic institution.

Speaker 4 (08:25):
And to me, I said, I point.

Speaker 5 (08:28):
Out there because I see downtown Austin right there in
the one of the most beautiful, greatest cities in America.
And so for my wife and I have for our family,
this is our home. I've got two kids that go
to the University of Texas. My daughter's in the law
school right now that I don't know if many people
know that my son is on the team.

Speaker 4 (08:46):
We just welcomed a son seven months ago, that this
is his home.

Speaker 5 (08:50):
And my daughter who is deciding where to go to
school next year, I have a pretty good I think
hopes and chance that she's gonna call this where she
wants to go to school to think that. But I'm
gonna have all four of my children here in Austin
going to the University of Texas. We've built a program
to where we started from five to seven to Big
twelve champs, to two time College Football Playoff appearances, two

(09:13):
semi final appearances, to a team that's battling its tailoff
right now, to try to find a way back in
this year to how young we are as one of
the youngest football teams in the country of how good
we're going to be in the future, Like it can't
get better than what I got. And so the idea
that man, we're speculating on what might occur, speculate on

(09:33):
my two feet on the ground in Austin, Texas and
me putting the burn orange and white on every day
us building a program that is going to be sustainable
for years to come. As I said time and time again,
I don't ever want to build a one hit wonder.
One year we're good, the next year we're not, and
build something sustainable. And so I'm pumped at who I
get to work with every day. Our staff are players,

(09:55):
everybody in the North End zone starting with CDC, our donors,
the support we get. So I just want to be
really clear to everybody out there, like hook them horns, like.

Speaker 4 (10:04):
This is where I want to be.

Speaker 5 (10:05):
Uh, we are not going anywhere and forever grateful and
thankful for all that do support what we do every day.
And this is not a one man show, and it
takes a lot of people to get done what we
want to get done every single day, and from the
people on the forty acres to people on the outside
that that support the program, uh, forever grateful for them.
And so we got a lot more games to go win.

(10:26):
We we got more trophies to to put up here,
uh in in in not only the South end zone,
but in the North end zone. So uh hopefully that
can kind of calm the waters. And again that doesn't
mean a pundit out there is not going to say something.
But let's make sure if they say something, just come
ask me, Come ask CDC. We don't have to flame

(10:48):
that fire every time somebody says something that. Let's let's uh,
let's focus on what we can do here to to
continue to build this program. Because the other side of this,
to Craig, I'll say this, the one guy was taking
trash out and you know, I have this random thought,
what if I think Texas job, what are you talking about?

Speaker 6 (11:07):
Right?

Speaker 5 (11:07):
Like, really, what are we talking about? And so you know,
Longhorn Nation has been too good to us, been too
good to me. But I also know this is a
polarizing brand. Sure, you know this is a very polarizing brand,
you know, and you talk about the Yankees, the Lakers,
the Dodgers, and some of the professional that the Cowboys,
the Dallas Cowboys star those are polarizing brands in the

(11:28):
professional sport world. And there's a reason when you turn
on any show in the morning, they're talking you know,
you know the NFL, the Cowboys are probably in the
first second, third conversation, they talk about the NBA. They're
probably talking about the Lakers. First second conversation. You bring
up Major League Baseball, it's the Dodgers.

Speaker 6 (11:45):
It is what.

Speaker 5 (11:45):
You bring up college football, they're gonna talk about the
Texas Longhorns. And so part of that is that, right,
do you can get some clicks, you can get some
attention by bringing us up, But to be sure to
know for Longhorn Nation, like we're good, we're here, right,
And there's never been a thought or a talk of
going somewhere else. And so I know in years past,
I feel like I've kind of brushed it on the

(12:06):
right because why would I go anywhere else?

Speaker 7 (12:08):
Right?

Speaker 5 (12:08):
But I felt like in this moment it was needed
to kind of ease and calm the waters a little
bit of where we're at.

Speaker 1 (12:14):
What's it also important, even going as far as contacting
some of your recruits out there to say, hey, I'm here,
I'm not going.

Speaker 5 (12:20):
Anywhere, never mind contacting our recruits contacting our players when
other schools are already contacting players on our team as
we're in the midst of playing right now. But that's
the world of college football we're in right now. But
to be reaching out to players on our team that, hey,
Sarks leaving, he's doing that. Hold on a minute, No,
I'm not. No, I'm not so, so stop kind of
bringing those types of things up. And again, are we

(12:43):
probably going to have a few players on our team
decide to transfer. Sure, that's the nature of the of
the of the temperature in college football today. But I
surely don't want a kid thinking about leaving because he
thinks his head coach is leaving. So hey, if you
might leave because of another reason, that's that's okay, But
don't do it because you think I'm leaving.

Speaker 4 (13:01):
I'm not going anywhere, baby. This is where I show
up every day at six thirty in the morning.

Speaker 1 (13:05):
I take it all Your players were happy with.

Speaker 4 (13:08):
I think so. I think so.

Speaker 5 (13:09):
Like I said, I think every kind of there was
a little sigh of relief of kind of the direction
and where we're headed as a program. And again, I
don't like to do that because I think the moment
I start talking about me, then it's about me.

Speaker 4 (13:20):
But I felt like this was not about me.

Speaker 5 (13:22):
This was about our program and the state of the
program and where we're headed as we continue to grow
into the future.

Speaker 1 (13:27):
Hopefully that settles it and we're going to move on
with the program. Hey, long Worm fans, it is time
to get your horns up. Play the Texas Lottery today
for your chance to win exciting prizes. And remember, luck
happens to people like Mark Rehnquist and James Phillips who
keep a lookout for chances to win from the Texas Lottery.
Mark and James won Long Worn prizes and Texas Lottery
scratch tickets took him warns and scratch somem tickets the

(13:50):
first of our special guests, and he is pretty special.
Coming up when Long Worn Weekly with Coach Sark from
the forty Acres presented by the Texas Lottery continues from
lear Field. So there it is U Sark with more depth,
more explanation of this whole thing, how he is fully
committed to the University of Texas and his family, fully

(14:10):
committed to living here in Austin and his kids going
to ut and all that sort of stuff.

Speaker 3 (14:16):
Those are things that people just commenting on a tweet
don't think about.

Speaker 1 (14:19):
Right exactly. I like the part when he made reference
to Desmond Howard without saying his name. He says, this
guy's taking out his trash. Remember that the video. That's
what Desmond Howerd was doing. He was walking outside of
his trash and making sure we see his house. Yeah, right,
right exactly. So all right, up next, we're going to
visit with Roger Wallace from a sports director at k

(14:40):
x A N and talk from college football, high school football,
and all of that when we continue on Sports Radio
AM thirteen under the zone of the iHeartRadio app.

Speaker 8 (14:51):
I took over a week and last month just trying
to call the whole, the faces and all the please
is wondering where they all this?

Speaker 4 (15:07):
I wonder the question too long.

Speaker 6 (15:10):
That was hungry.

Speaker 8 (15:11):
I run out for ever by, ran into a chum
with Rum and we wound the dragon.

Speaker 6 (15:20):
All let's do it.

Speaker 1 (15:22):
Okay uh here on Sports Radio AM thirteen under the
signer for bouncing back obviously with Buffett. And it shouldn't
just be like that because I'm a big fan and
devotee of his music as well. I pale by comparison
to our regular weekly conversation with Roger Wallas. I've never
asked you this before. I don't think I have favorite

(15:44):
buffet album and favorite buffet song.

Speaker 9 (15:49):
Yeah that that that kind of changes because I'm so
loyal that the next thing is the best thing. And
so you know, some some music officionados.

Speaker 7 (15:59):
Would would you know, scoff at me for that.

Speaker 9 (16:01):
Because you know there they know music so well. Favorite
song is probably one particular harbor. Okay, favorite album probably
Son of a Son of a Sailor.

Speaker 1 (16:11):
Yep, yep, it's that's my favorite one as well. Yeah, okay,
so we're into our favorite time.

Speaker 9 (16:17):
We've got to recalibrate. After hearing you know, changes for
thirty seconds, I know.

Speaker 7 (16:22):
I'm in a different place now.

Speaker 1 (16:24):
Yeah, because that's the album with Margaritaville on it too,
isn't it? Yeah?

Speaker 7 (16:28):
Exactly?

Speaker 6 (16:29):
Yeah?

Speaker 9 (16:29):
That song there, that that's that's I love the line
reading departure sons in some of the airports because how
many times do we do that and go, man, I
wish I was going there?

Speaker 1 (16:38):
Uh huh below, But anyway, I digress you yeah below indeed,
all right, let me get your thoughts first, all I mean,
obviously it's the hot button topic. Sart the statement he
had yesterday on the sec Telet conference. Uh, last night
a Longhorn Weekly, we had a ten minute conversation about it.

(16:59):
And then of course earlier today this morning he had
the conversation that he had again on the media Zoom
about why he said what he said about his future.
How about your take on that?

Speaker 9 (17:12):
Yeah, And I think what he said was, you know,
it was for a little bit of everything he needed
to say it for his team.

Speaker 7 (17:20):
He's got a locker.

Speaker 9 (17:22):
Room that hears and reads and sees everything. And you've
got a transfer portal world we're living in now, You've
got Campering, You've got other coaches trying to get an
edge in recruiting with the signing day coming up here
next month. So all of the above, and you know,
it's just it's a helpless situation.

Speaker 7 (17:43):
When you have to deny something that you can.

Speaker 9 (17:46):
Actually for you know, basically forever. You're not necessarily right
because there's always that chance down the road, right, So
it's so difficult to deny it to the point where,
you know, in twenty twenty nine, soar it takes another job.
See told you, you know, five years four years ago.
But yeah, I think I think it's a move mostly

(18:06):
for his locker room though.

Speaker 1 (18:08):
Yeah, and and uh, what is it you like to say,
proven untruth? What's what's the phrase you used?

Speaker 6 (18:14):
That's exactly right?

Speaker 9 (18:15):
Yeah, yeah, I mean that goes back to the Roger
Clemens UH situation. Right, Yeah, that was his line other
than misremembering it was proven untruth.

Speaker 1 (18:25):
Yeah, yeah, exactly. So, Uh, you know, we we we
saw what happened obviously last week in Georgia. And and
and I'm not surprised by this, not even necessarily dismayed
by this. Uh. I did take note of the fact
that almost every single pundit that I read and National

(18:46):
UH analyst or whatever looked at it as like, well, if
Texas UH had any hopes of getting into the playoffs,
they got shot by being blown out at Georgia or
routed at Georgia. And and no mention of the fact
that it's a fourteen to ten game in the fourth quarter.
I wouldn't. I wasn't surprised by any of that, because
folks look at the final number and the old parcels

(19:08):
thing about you are, which your record says you are.
That kind of thing, but you just get the vibe.
The team is much more competitive than that. It's just that,
you know they Sark points out those three those critical
moments that right after they got it to fourteen to ten,
where Georgia converts the third down and they get the
and then there's gonna be the measurement they were gonna punt.
Then they decide to go forward and Colin Simmons comes across,

(19:31):
and then they and then they go down and then
they get the on side kick, and so its snowballs
from there and it and I was asking him, and
I know it's it's going to be difficult for a
football team to overcome something like that mentally to get
yourself in a position to contend again.

Speaker 7 (19:47):
Yeah, And I was I was listening to you, guys.

Speaker 9 (19:49):
I was back here doing the men's game with basketball
on Saturday, but I was listening to you and Keith
and Will after the game, and your point was so
well taken. To start, Usually it doesn't come down to
one or two plays, but you're right, that was an
avalanche that we haven't seen very often, where you have
the touchdown and the on side kick and then the
touchdown and it's pretty.

Speaker 7 (20:10):
Much lights out.

Speaker 9 (20:10):
How do you you know you can't recover from that
realistically win. They might be punting the ball had they not,
you know, stopped and gave Kirby smart chance to maybe
rethink it. They go for it, then they get the
off sides on another fourth down. And obviously all the
ifs right with this season of Ohio State, if they
get on the goal line Florida, if they get the

(20:31):
first fumble the first play of the game.

Speaker 7 (20:34):
But certainly that score it was bad.

Speaker 9 (20:37):
But if you watch the entire game, you say, yeah,
this was a ball game until the fourth quarter, you know,
ten minutes ago or so in the fourth quarter.

Speaker 1 (20:44):
Yeah. So now there's two games left, and again I understand,
I understand fans being the way they are thinking and
trying to count on all of this stuff about you know,
fingers and toes, about what if and can they get
in and blah blah blah and the playoff and all
other the kind of stuff. Obviously the football team just
has to go back to work and play the two games.

(21:05):
But I think the odds are so steep right now.
Even with a win over Texas A and M, which
would go a long way in the committee's mind, But
you got all these other ones in front of you,
like Vanderbilt and Oklahoma. In other words, it looks like
they're going to have to have some losses coming from
areas where you might not expect, especially Oklahoma with two
home games left against Missoo and LSU, and Alabama probably

(21:29):
not gonna lose to Auburn and h and Notre Dame
is Syracuse and Stanford. I mean, all of that kind
of stuff just seems like a little too much to
count on.

Speaker 6 (21:36):
Now.

Speaker 9 (21:37):
The Oklahoma one, Craig was to me when that happened,
I said, Okay, their margin for hair just got a
lot smaller because and I know.

Speaker 7 (21:45):
People will say, well, the committee.

Speaker 9 (21:47):
Doesn't necessarily base it on three losses versus two losses
because of who they played with Ohio State. But they're
all human in that room, and they see a three
loss Texas and a two loss Oklahoma, who had a
nicked up quarterback when they play Texas, and human nature
tells me they're going to keep Texas in front of Oklahoma.
So yeah, to me, that was the That was really

(22:08):
the tough one over the weekend. If Texas had not one,
where would that one loss or one win really affect him.
To me, it was Oklahoma. The other part of it is,
I know, you know.

Speaker 7 (22:19):
Texas got to be rooting for Texas Tech to run
the table, right, you can't.

Speaker 9 (22:23):
They can't have a second Big twelve team get into
the playoff.

Speaker 7 (22:26):
I would think it realistically.

Speaker 1 (22:28):
Yep, yeah, exactly right. This is and it all comes back.
You know, you and I were talking about this in Gainsville.
This is where the Florida loss really hurts. That and
that and a win for Oklahoma at Alabama. I think
those two things carry the day for the Sooners.

Speaker 6 (22:44):
Yep.

Speaker 9 (22:45):
And you know, boy, that Ohio State game was right there. Yeah, yeah,
that changes everything for a couple of reasons.

Speaker 7 (22:53):
First of all, they.

Speaker 9 (22:54):
Once you if you win that game, you don't know
what the mentality, you don't know if if you know,
some of the issues came up might not have had
come up just because winning.

Speaker 7 (23:04):
You know, I know they say you can learn.

Speaker 9 (23:05):
More from a loss and win, but winning is more
important than learning from a loss, I think in some
respects in college football, because it is you know, it's
not about the standings.

Speaker 7 (23:16):
It's about what a group of people think.

Speaker 1 (23:17):
Of you, no doubt about it. Roger Rablis with us
here on thirteen hunder the Zoner. Right, let's jump to
high school. You guys are keeping busy breath. I yeah, right, Well,
we'll all hope for good weather, no doubt about it.
Down to Bobcat tonight in San Marcus for what should
be a really good second round matchup. But Vandergriff really
does courry a lot of favor now with what they

(23:40):
got in the way they managed to come back and
win that game against Westlake was something else. And now
they get a good brandied team tonight.

Speaker 9 (23:47):
Amazing what they did in that game because they had
one chance and they throw a pick down by one,
and then they get that second chance, and it was
really breezy during that game, and they hit a big
one to get kind of off the goal line and
get in a position to win.

Speaker 7 (24:03):
And then how about the young man.

Speaker 9 (24:04):
Wilie Olsen, talk about a moment in your life that
you'll never forget kicking that field goal to win it.
It's not like the game was tied and you got
a chance to go to overtime. That was that was
all on that kick and he, I mean.

Speaker 7 (24:17):
He split it to beat Westlake.

Speaker 9 (24:20):
And now Yeah, I think they're getting a little healthier, Craig.
I think that was one of the issues the middle
of the season. Their quarterback's been a little banged up
to a DECKI I think he's getting healthier. They're still
a little bit banged up in some important spots, but
also might be getting some guys back, and then they
have a really good defense.

Speaker 1 (24:34):
Yeah, the and that that's what seven o'clock tonight right
on KBVO.

Speaker 9 (24:40):
Yep, seven o'clock from UFCU Stadium now, but.

Speaker 1 (24:44):
Yeah, that's it. That's exactly right at UFCU Stadium there.
That's right before I jumped to five A in your
game tomorrow night. The rest of Division or of six A.
First of all, I want to stay in Division two
for a moment because quietly John Watsh has turned things
around at San Marcus and they have a decent shot

(25:06):
to be Edinburgh. At Vandergriff wins, You've got a Vandergriff
San Marcus Sweet sixteen game, and then maybe on down
the road a rematch would Drip in the quarterfinals, where
San Marcus against Drip in the quarterfinals. Dripping Springs has
a tough one against Harlan, But I think if they
win that, then they can they can take care of
them in the Ena Valley Harlingen Winter, but you could

(25:26):
wind up with an all Greater Austin Area quarterfinal when
all of a sudden done.

Speaker 9 (25:33):
Yeah that's Sam Marcus. It's been you know, a roller
coaster since he arrived. And you know, they went through
the issues with the UIL with players and they all
had to play JV last year and they all became
the ones that were you know, still around that had eligibility,
were not seniors, and.

Speaker 7 (25:49):
He knew they'd have a good team.

Speaker 9 (25:51):
We went down there and did a story with him
and sure enough, you know, it's now we're seeing what
he can do with with all those players.

Speaker 7 (25:59):
On his team.

Speaker 9 (25:59):
And yeah, they're also you know a little bit out
of side, out of mind down there with their district
compared to you know, they're not lumped in with the
Austin Area teams in district play, so it's not quite
as they don't get quite as much attention. But be
interesting to see if they run up against I think
Vandergriff will win tonight if unless something unusual happens, I

(26:21):
think they're probably the better team.

Speaker 7 (26:22):
But yeah, that you can have three.

Speaker 9 (26:25):
Out of the four semi final teams.

Speaker 7 (26:27):
In the region all from the Austin area.

Speaker 1 (26:31):
Let me go ahead and jump to five AD one,
get your thoughts on this Georgetown matchup you had, you
guys have on the Marrow night against a second ranked
team in the state firstc go lone Star.

Speaker 9 (26:40):
Well, you know, as well as anybody, Lone Star is
really good and they're undefeated. They've got a dynamic sophomore
quarterback runs it, throws it over thirty four hundred total yards. Georgetown,
you know, they have a really good offense, but they
give up points and so you know, they give up
sixty to Cedar Park in the final game that them
from being the outright district champs. But they get them

(27:03):
at home, and you know, we'll we'll see if if
that running get Walker and Zack Geydon can can get
it going against a loan Star team that hasn't other
than Week ten, hasn't really even been challenged that much
U this season.

Speaker 1 (27:19):
Yeah. Uh, back to six that you like Lake, Travis
and and well Hudder's got a tough assignment obviously against
an unbeaten Johnson team. But your thoughts on those.

Speaker 9 (27:27):
Two, Yeah, Lake and Lake Travis. You know they they
were without two running backs. I mean they sure Hank
Carter rolled Van Hopping out there for a couple of
plays and and he's just not ready to go.

Speaker 7 (27:38):
So they're going with a three runner, his son.

Speaker 9 (27:40):
They put his son in the backfield, Jason, who's their
backup quarterback.

Speaker 7 (27:43):
He got some carries.

Speaker 1 (27:45):
Uh.

Speaker 7 (27:45):
But again their.

Speaker 9 (27:46):
Defense and there's you know, those bookend defensive ends were
held somewhat in check by round Rock. Round Rock did
a pretty good job early against him. But I think
that defense is so good and if they get by
this one, I think I think, you know, they'll circle
back and certainly make it to the quarterfinals, no doubt
about it.

Speaker 1 (28:04):
Hey, I appreciate the time. Hope you stay dry tonight,
and I'll see you at the stadium on Saturday.

Speaker 6 (28:11):
Right on.

Speaker 7 (28:11):
Enjoy the Star by the way, Yeah.

Speaker 1 (28:13):
Up and frist go. I'll tell you how that rolls out.
That's Roger Willis, sports director k k x A N
And of course he'll have the call on KBVO tonight
with Keith Morland. Second hour of the program here on

(28:43):
sports Radio AM thirteen hundred of the Zone, Craig Way
alongside the producer Jay Kerman, glad to have you with
us here. In hour number two coming up in a
few minutes, we're going to visit with Chuck Barrett, the
play by play voice of the Arkansas Razorbacks, and get
his thoughts on this team. That's This can sound weird,

(29:05):
but I think it's apropos the most dangerous two and eighteen.
Ye see, yeah, yeah, you look at you look at
what they've done.

Speaker 2 (29:12):
That's probably right.

Speaker 1 (29:15):
So you know, you know, given the fact that they've
played so many close games, have been able to close
the deal. But they played so many close games week
after week after week giving them an operated including last
week and lost on the last second to LSU. They
had whle Miss on the ropes, they had Texas A

(29:37):
and m ow nerves. Is not just the bottom feeders
of the SEC, you know, it's it's you know, contenders.
The one contending team that they did not play well
against was Notre Dame and that brought about the coaching change.

Speaker 3 (29:51):
To your point, Craig Fpi, Arkansas forty first, best team
in the country.

Speaker 2 (29:55):
They played the ninth hardest schedule this year, forty first.

Speaker 1 (29:59):
Not bad for a two eighteen, you know, So anyway,
we'll visit with Chuck to talk about well, to ask
him a little bit about razorback basketball, because they're supposed
to be good. Their only losses to a really good
Michigan State team. That loss is aging really well after
what Michigan State did at Kentucky the other night. So
we'll visit with him. Coming up in a few minutes.

(30:22):
The Texans have a huge game tonight. They have finally
made it back to the five hundred mark, So now
what do you do with that? Can you go beyond
and prove yourself a contender? And I said that these
next few weeks will tell us a lot about both
the Texans and the Cowboys, whether they're playoff contenders or not.

(30:43):
Starting tonight with the Texans playing the Buffalo Bills. So
Dimiko Ryans yesterday was asked, what is it, first of all,
looking at the Buffalo defense that it does that can
trouble your offense.

Speaker 10 (30:57):
With their defense, they play fast, They're going to have
a lot of change ups, a lot of different calls.
They do a good job of mixing things very well
making it look the same. So they do a good
job at disguising their calls. But those guys they play fast,
good guys on the edges with Bosa Russo and then
inside their nickel the Packers. They're smaller guys, but they

(31:18):
play fast, they play physical, they attack the football really well.

Speaker 1 (31:21):
As a defense, they've.

Speaker 10 (31:22):
Done a really nice job of forcing fumbles, but we
have to do a really even better job of protecting
the ball.

Speaker 1 (31:27):
Whoever touches it all right, and toward that end, touching
it means the importance of the running game for Houston
in this.

Speaker 4 (31:34):
One, they're running the ball.

Speaker 10 (31:35):
For me, it's always a key no matter who you're playing,
who's your opponent, you gotta run it well. That just
you know, when you can dictate and control the line
of scrimmage just opens up your playbook.

Speaker 4 (31:45):
A lot more so. The run game is vital.

Speaker 10 (31:48):
Of course, is going to take all eleven guys blocking
really well, being detailed in.

Speaker 11 (31:52):
What we're doing in our backs, just finishing with CJ.

Speaker 1 (31:56):
Stroud out of the lineup, Davis Mills has been playing
well a lake and that's why they've been able to
climb back to the five hundred mark. What has impressed
Demiko Ryan's most about his backup quarterback who's been thrust
into the starting role if.

Speaker 6 (32:07):
He's just doing his job.

Speaker 10 (32:09):
I know it gets heightened with the quarterback position, but
it's no different than any other position. Right, you got
to go out, you got to execute the fundamentals the
details of your job the right way.

Speaker 4 (32:18):
And that's what he's done. That's all we're asking him
to do.

Speaker 1 (32:20):
Okay, and then you know, whenever you're dealing with Buffalo
and dealing with the Bills offense, job number one is
being able to you know, contain limit. I don't know,
you pick your word about trying to handcuff Josh Allen

(32:41):
a little bit. That's hard to do, not only obviously
with what he doesn't throwing the football, but the way
that he can extend places. And what did that? What
was the number I saw last week? The Josh Allen
became only the second quarterback in NFL history to have
free rushing touchdowns and three passing touchdowns in the same

(33:05):
game with that big blowout when they had a week
ago with something like that. Otto Graham I think was
the other one. So he had he had some stupendous numbers.
And so Ryan's was asked about the defensive keys that
need to account for Josh Allen and his ability to
extend plays, and.

Speaker 10 (33:26):
We understand Josh is one of the most dynamic quarterbacks
when it comes to like buying time and being able
to escape the rush like.

Speaker 4 (33:33):
He's he's a big, physical guy.

Speaker 10 (33:36):
He can ward off defenders like and he can he
can throw the ball as far as he needs to
throw it like such an awesome, awesome arm talent, smart player,
knows how to buy time.

Speaker 4 (33:46):
And it's not just him buying time.

Speaker 10 (33:47):
I think schematically they've done a good job of their
receivers being tied into a right when he scrambles right
where they're going, So it's not just backyard ball, right.
He's very coordinated in what they do and where they are.
So defensively, for our guys, just you have to keep rushing,
you have to keep covering, however long it takes. You
gotta keep going right. We know it's gonna be extended plays.

(34:10):
He's gonna take time, He's gonna buy time no matter
what you do. You just have to be able to
close it out by the d lin If not, then
if he pushed the ball up, we expect our secondary
guys to close it out and go up and make.

Speaker 1 (34:21):
A play, all right, So there it is, and you know,
I like to have Jake fact check me make sure
it's right, so that Devil's correct that number. What I said,
that's right.

Speaker 3 (34:30):
And Josh Allen, so that was only the third time
in league history of a quarterback has run for three
and thrown for three. You got Josh Allen last year
against the Rams.

Speaker 1 (34:39):
Yeah, I remember, and the Rams won the game, yep,
forty four to forty two. It's and what they scored
forty four the other day, right, that's right against the Bucks. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (34:48):
And then Auto Graham did it in nineteen fifty four
the NFL championship game at the time against the Lions.

Speaker 6 (34:54):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (34:55):
They blew out the Lions fifty six to ten in
that one, and then he had a big part to that. Okay.
So yeah, that's the task that they're going to have
to deal with. They're going to have to find a
way to do that, all right. Coming up next, we'll
have Chuck Barrett, play by play voice of the Arkansas Razorbacks,

(35:16):
joining us to talk about this Saturday's matchup between the
Horns and the Hogs. We know that there's all that
history between the two and inclusive of that, the nineteen
sixty nine shootout one versus two in Fayetville for the
national championship. Texas down fourteen nothing in the third quarter
and they come back and they win fifteen fourteen and

(35:38):
President Nixon in the locker room presenting the plaque to
Coach Royal and saying you're gonna win. I'm declaring Yule
the national champion or something like that, and it didn't.
Penn State was upset about that they were unbeaten, but
Penn State turned down an invitation come to the Cotton Bow.
They could have done that. They went to the Orange
Ball instead of beating Missouri, and Texas finished as the

(35:59):
consensus number one. And then, of course they played the
rematch here in Austin the next year in nineteen seventy
and Texas buried them forty two to seven. That made
it back to back national titles. Now, that was a
split national championship for the Long Warns. They won that
game forty two to seven, and they finished the regular
season ten and oh that was a ten game regular season,
and they were declared national champions in the Coaches Poll UPI,

(36:23):
which took its final poll before the bowl games. It's
important to remember because Long Horns had several players injured.
They went in the Cotton Bowl rematch with Notre Dame.
Joe Fisman had a big game for the Irish and
Notre Dame won that game twenty four to eleven. That
opened the door for Nebraska by virtue of its Orange
Bowl win over LSU and Ohio State's upset loss to

(36:44):
Stanford and the rose ball quarterback by Jim Plunkett to
make Nebraska the eight p national champion. Texas had the
UPI National Championship its third national title, and then, of
course it would be thirty five years before the Long
Horns would win another one, and that would be in
twenty five, twenty years ago. All right, up next, we
visit with Chuck Barrett right here on Sports Radio AM

(37:05):
thirteen under the zone of the Ieartradio app.

Speaker 8 (37:09):
I keep a close watch on this heart of mine.
I keep my wide open all the time. I keep
the ends up on the pilot. Fine, they call it
your mind.

Speaker 1 (37:25):
I will okay, the great Johnny Cash bring us back
here on this Thursday afternoon. And one guy that I
know who can probably sing Johnny Cash for the best
of them as their next guest. He's the play by
play voice of the Arkansas Razorbacks. That's Chuck Barrett. I've
never heard you sing, but I have a feeling with
your With your baritone, you could probably belt out a

(37:47):
tune or two. Am I right?

Speaker 6 (37:49):
I can? I could? I would be good on the
volume part. I don't know if it would be on
key or anything like that, but but Johnny Cash is
one that You're right, I could. I could probably bolt
out a verse or two.

Speaker 1 (38:03):
Hey, in the Bible it says it says make a
joyful noise unto the Lord. It doesn't necessarily have to
be on key. It didn't say anything about that.

Speaker 6 (38:11):
That's right. Mine would be joyful. That's about as party
would go.

Speaker 1 (38:17):
It's always a joy to visit with you. Let me
get you thought. The one unifying comment that has come
at of long worn players and when I did Steve
Sarkesian's show last night, and I understand everything about coach
beak and player saying the right things and all that
other kind of stuff, but the one comment that was

(38:37):
a common thread that came through is Okay, Yeah, anybody
can look at the record and see Arkansas two and
eight coming in, but take a closer look. See how
close it's been game after game after game with a realistic,
if not a reasonable, shot to win the football game.
And they said, in what you see as a talented
team with some dangerous elements that had had to undergo

(38:59):
a coaching chain on this and while it has brought
its disappointments in the change this season in mid season,
how about your thoughts overall and when you when you
step back and take that thirty thousand foot view look
at this Arkansas team and what they have and what
they'll be bringing into Austin on Saturday.

Speaker 6 (39:16):
You know, when you do step back and you do
take that big picture view, they're seventeen points away from
being eight and two, and they're two and eight. Sometimes
you get so caught up in the disappointment, and I mean,
I've been there, because every game seems to turn out
just about the same. You know, you lose sight of
the fact that you're really not that far away. Even

(39:40):
though people are sick of hearing that, I completely understand.
There's not been one time this year, with the exception
of portions of the Notre Dame game, where I felt
like they let go of the rope. They did to
a degree in that game, and That's why I change
was maybe next day. But in the other ball games,

(40:01):
there's there's not been one time when I felt like
they've stopped. They've quit, and that's not an easy thing
to pull off, and I give them credit for that.
So I would expect Saturday's game to be very similar
from very similar to what we've seen in the other
Arkansas games. I'd be very surprised if they stopped competing

(40:23):
by the same token, They've just not found a way
to win a game.

Speaker 1 (40:27):
Yeah, Chuck, is there anything noticeable that that's caught your
attention about how this team is, uh, you know, going
about its business since Bobby Petrino moved in the interim
head coaching job. Like we said, there were close losses
before the change was made from Sam Pittman and and

(40:48):
moving Petrino into the interim job. But have you have
you noticed anything different? Is it we hear sometimes that
just change for the sake of change. Sometimes it's good
that sometimes it's not. But have you noticed anything different?
Have you heard anything different from the players as to
how they've had to adapt once the change was made?

Speaker 6 (41:09):
You know, it's been interesting. Patrino when he was a
head coach here before. You know, it was a little
bit different era, but he was probably a little bit tougher,
particularly verbally than the perception is now his approach when
he took over, and in retrospect it was one hundred
percent the way to go about it was. You know,

(41:33):
this has not turned out the way any of us
thought that it was going to turn out. But you've
got to, you know, in the case of when he
took over seven games remaining to essentially put your resume
on tape, and we're going to enjoy being football players.
I'm lucky to be a coach. You're lucky to be players.

(41:54):
Put your resume on tape, whether it's for Arkansas, whether
it's the next school, whether it's the NFL, whatever it
is you're doing. And they've managed to keep it together
enough to be competitive and have a chance to win
in every game. In other words, he's been much more
of a player's coach this time around. And I think that,

(42:15):
you know, the way he related to the players in
terms of this happening in the middle of the season,
I think went a long way in terms of keeping
you know, just keeping the guys playing for one another.
You know, he's some younger players are getting a little
bit more playing time now and they've had some success,

(42:36):
and I think that's that's given everyone a little shot
in the arm. Bottom line is they've not found a
way to win a football game though, since early September,
and but it's been interesting. You know, from a fans perspective,
it's easy to walk away and call the season a wash.
Players got to keep playing, coaches got to keep coaching,
and for the most part, it seems like they've been

(42:58):
able to pull that off.

Speaker 1 (43:00):
You know, Chuck. One thing also is that coach Patrino,
there was no denying it, there was no mystery about it.
When he stepped back into the interim job, he made
no bones about the fact he certainly would like to
be considered to be reinstalled as the permanent head coach.
At the time, when he said that Arkansas fans, it

(43:24):
sounded like there was real unanimity among Razorback fans that yes,
we'd like to have coach Patrino back. A string of close,
tough losses I know can change some folks mind, but
do you still get the feeling that a lot of
Arkansas fans would like Coach Patrino to be the quote
unquote permanent or the full time installed head coach win

(43:44):
this season is over, or do you think they want
to look out they would like somebody different, in which
I know obviously is different than those who are making
the actual decision on this.

Speaker 6 (43:56):
I think he has a certain number of people and
it's a pretty good number of people that are in
his camp that are firmly in his camp and are
not going to waiver and have not been affected by
what's happened since he took over as the interim coach.
I think there are some who were very hopeful that
he would be able to immediately turn back the clock.

(44:16):
That's not a realistic expectation, but I think some people
were hopeful of that. I think maybe those people perhaps
have moved away, but no, I think there's a significant
number of people who are still very firmly in his camp,
and you know, they feel like that, you know, he's
fought this fight with one hand tied behind his back,

(44:38):
and they've given an opportunity to, you know, put his
program in place that he would have success. The one
thing that I will say about coach Patrina that's been
interesting to me. You know, lots of times most of
the time. You know, until this year, when there's been
an interim coach, it's been for a game or two.
This time it was for seven games. He came in

(44:59):
and I mean he became the head coach. The next
day he moved into the head coach's office, furniture got
moved around, things looked a lot different. The next day
he assumed the role of the head coach. He's done
the television show every week, he's done the radio show
every week. He's done He's basically done it the way
he did it when he was here before, and he

(45:23):
assumed the head coach's job, and he did not make
any bones about the fact that he wanted to be
the head coach. Now, ultimately, what they decide, I have
no idea. I think the decision is going to come
fairly soon. But it's been interesting to watch how all
this has evolved, because this year, more than any other,

(45:44):
we're seeing coaches. I mean, Arkansas fired their first coach
before September was over, So you know, that leaves a
lot of the football season left to play out.

Speaker 1 (45:55):
Visiting with Chuck Barrett play by play voice of the
Arkansas Race back right, let me let me let me
get your thoughts on some of the specific fix of
this team, because like I said, everybody looks at it
then see the talent. I'll start with Taylor Green simply
because the long ones know him. They've they've gone up
against him, and so they understand him how you know,
and he's posted some really impressive numbers. How about your

(46:15):
thoughts on the season that the Razorbacks quarterback has had.

Speaker 6 (46:19):
Taylor's had a good year. Unfortunately for Taylor with this team,
it's been however, Taylor goes, so go the Razorbacks that day.
There are times when I see the weight of the
season doing just that weighing on him. He didn't have
his best game Black and but still Taylan has the

(46:41):
ability to change a game. He has that type of
talent and he's done that this year. And a lot
of the games that Arkansas has lost that have been
close is because you know, Taylor's kept it close. You
know he's performed above and beyond. So you know, Taylor's
a lot of responsibility since he got here. He's been

(47:03):
the best player on a team that wasn't all that great,
and he's been called upon to do some things that
you know, sometimes you can pull off, and sometimes you can't.
But Taylor's been I mean, when he leaves here, he's
going to hold a lot of records, and you know
they don't just pass those out, so you've got to

(47:24):
give him credit for that. I think people look at
the one lost record sometimes and that's how they determine
success or failure. But Taylor's a really, really good football player,
and he's given Arkansas a chance to win a lot
of games, and he's still their best chance to win.

Speaker 1 (47:41):
The one thing that I was going to ask you
about the wide receivers, and I am. And you've got
Omega Blake with fifty one catches in CG. Brown with
twenty four, and Raylan Sharp with thirty four, and so
there's there's good stuff there. But I got to tell
you when I was recording Sark Show last night, he
continues to be amazed by Rohan Jones the tight end,
because he says, here's a guy that's got thirteen catches

(48:04):
for four hundred and eleven yards and four touchdowns this year,
a Montana State transfer as well, tell folks a little
bit about that the two tight ends between him and
Jaydon Platt.

Speaker 6 (48:16):
You know, Jones is an interesting guy. He averages that
as you alluded to their thirty one yards plus for
cats thirteen catches. You know, the logic says, man, maybe
you ought to throw him the ball a little bit more. Uh,
but you know Platts got good numbers two. You know,
Jones is an interesting stories from Montreal. Uh beats both

(48:38):
you know, French and English obviously, and started his football
career in Maine, went to Montana State where he was
part of a national championship or a team that played
for the national championship there, and then he comes to Arkansas.
He is freakishly good in terms of being an athlete fast.

(48:59):
You know, he's a good blocker. You know, you need
more than just a pass catcher out of that position,
and he's been so good at that, you know, the blocking,
all the all the things that come with that position.
When they've gone with two tight ends, Dan Flatt had
been on the field a lot flat played at A

(49:19):
and M and both of them have been really, really
good players. When Arkansas throws to the tight end, generally
at the big play, there's a big play coming and yeah,
Jones is Uh, it's pretty special, no doubt about it.

Speaker 1 (49:34):
If there's one thing that we've learned I think chuck
out of this transfer portal era is that there are
good players to be found at virtually any school across
the country. You mentioned Jones of course coming from Montana
State at the FCS level, and then I look at
the running back Mike Washington, who was nine hundred and
fifteen yards And if nothing else, New Mexico State has

(49:57):
given us Diego Pavia, like Tours and Mike Washington, three
big time producers, Pavia and Stours for Vanderbilt in Washington
for the Razorbacks.

Speaker 6 (50:09):
They all come from that Jerry Killtree. Yeah, Uh, Jerry
Jerry Kills the guy he's on Vanderbilt staff. Now he's
become a denominator and all those guys. Jerry kill is
a great football coach and a great evaluator of talent.
And you know Washington, he started out at Buffalo and

(50:30):
had a couple of really I guess two or three
really good years at Buffalo. He's from New York State
and he and and again it's kind of like Jones.
It's the modern college football player. He goes from his
home state, you know, two thirds of the way across
the country. Uh, ends up in New Mexico and then
ends up at Arkansas. And I'll tell you, Mike Washington's

(50:51):
become an NFL prospect this year not just because of
the way he runs the ball, but the way he
protects the quarterbacks. If if you can protect a quarterback, well,
let me put it this way, you can be a
great running back. But if you can't protect the quarterback,
you have no shot to be a pro. You get
your quarterback hurt, you're gonna be able to streak the
next day. He's gotten so good at all the aspects

(51:16):
of being a running back, catching the swing pass obviously,
you know, being one who understands blocking and how to
playoff blocks. But just his ability to protect his all
around game has made him a true NFL prospect. But yeah,
New Mexico State, whatever they had cooken out there was

(51:36):
prett the recipe, because those are some good players.

Speaker 1 (51:39):
Good water in Las Cruses, I suppose. Yeah, there's two
guys on the defense I want to ask you about.
And again I'll defer to Sark because he immediately went
to these guys when we were talking about Quincy Roads
coming off the edge with his eight sacks and what
he's done at the defensive end spot fifteen tackles for
losses and then Exavien sorry at linebackers seventy one tackles

(52:03):
and a pick, and then two and a half sacks
and all the and filling up the number charts. It
looks like these two guys, if they're not the leaders
of the Arkansas defense, are certainly among them, aren't they.

Speaker 6 (52:16):
Well they are, in fact, I would say they probably
are the two. You know, Story is an interesting guy.
You know, when when they changed head coaches, they also
you know, changed some guys on the defensive staff, and
Story was for the most part, you know, he was
an inside guy. Uh they line him up some on
the edge now and uh they'll go with three down

(52:38):
linemen and have Story stand up. They they've changed some
of the things that they do. And I'm sure you
know that's been reflecting on film when the coaches Texas
have looked at it. And and so he's he's doing,
you know a little bit more. They tried to free
him up maybe to do a few more things, uh
than than than maybe he was doing before. But he's

(52:58):
been the leading tackler pretty much he got here. Eroades
is a guy that early in the season really flashed
and then he kind of went through a period there
where you know, there's an ebb and a flow to
the season and he kind of, you know, it wasn't
flowing quite so good. But the last month or so,
he's really become, you know, an effective pass rusher. And

(53:22):
when you know Arkansau has been able to you know,
the improvements on defense have been you know, they've been
small steps, they've been incremental. It doesn't always involve all
eleven guys, but he's one guy that has really made
improvement in terms of getting to the quarterback and has
really made himself into more of a pro prospect than

(53:43):
he was maybe at the start of the year.

Speaker 1 (53:47):
I think I know the answer this question, but I'd
love to hear it from you. We know what the
history and the rivalry between these two means to Razorback fans,
and when they get together in Fayetteville, as they have
the last couple of times, it's been pretty spirited. And uh,
this will be the first time Arkansas has come to
Austin since two thousand and eight. How even in the

(54:08):
midst of Or headed down the home stretch of a
two and eight season, what he's safe to say Arkansas
fans are looking forward to this one, a chance to
go after the Longhorns in Austin.

Speaker 6 (54:18):
You know, it's interesting, Craig. The coaching search is what's
dominated the discussion here. I'm not gonna lie to the
fact that there two and eight does take some of
the shine off of it. This is a generational thing.
People who are old enough to remember Arkansas and Texas
on the third Saturday every October. They're excited about this game.

(54:39):
People that aren't want to know who the new coach
is going to be. So that's that's that's kind of
where the dividing line draws. Sure, but yes, I mean
when you talk about the history of this rivalry, the
history of you know, Arkansas and Texas, and you know
you've got to go back a few years honestly, you
know for it, you know, to find a really meaningful game.

(55:03):
But for those who are old enough to remember, they
remember very well. But for the guys who who don't remember,
they're just trying to find out who the new coach
is gonna be.

Speaker 1 (55:16):
It's just a sign of the time, sure it is.
Before I let you go in, ask you a little
bit about John Caliparties group. Let's let's talk about the
razorback basketball. Now, Texas fans are familiar in SEC fans
with Travon Brazil. But these two freshmen, Malik Thomas and
Darius Acuff. How about they're the two leading scores right
now in this four and one start for the Hogs.

(55:37):
How about your early impressions of what you've seen on
the hardwood.

Speaker 6 (55:42):
They're really good, you know, for those enough, for those
old enough to remember when Arkansas and Texas was a
big basketball thing every year. Acups, Lee Mayberry and Thomas
is Todd Deck. Oh good power to their style of games.
I'm not staying they're that good or you know they're
gonna be just like them. I'm just saying in terms
of what they do on the floor, Acup's what Mayberry

(56:05):
was and Thomas is what Day was. Wow, these these
these guys have a chance to be really, really good. Now. Look,
this is a team right now that's going through some
growing pains. We have all seen what they can do
with the ball. They got to get more connected on defense.
That's why the last two ball games have been a

(56:25):
little bit closer than people thought they would be. Uh,
they got to get more connected there. They got to
work on setting harder screens on the offensive end, freeing one.

Speaker 1 (56:34):
Another up for shots.

Speaker 6 (56:36):
But there's a lot of talent on this team. There's
just a there's an abundance of talent. And they've got
four returnees from a year ago. All of them were good,
not just guys that were, you know, sitting on the
end of the bench. They were contributors then and they're
back now. So he's got a good team. It's just
a question of how it comes together when we get

(56:58):
to the time after the first of the year and
where they are in March.

Speaker 1 (57:02):
I hear you, Yeah, it makes sense. Chuck Barrett does
an outstanding job as the play by play voice of
the Arkansas Razorbacks. It's always great to visit with you,
and it'll be cool to see you on Saturday. Safe
travel and look forward to seeing you down here for
a chance.

Speaker 7 (57:14):
Yeah.

Speaker 6 (57:15):
Hey, I love coming to Austin, so I'm looking forward
to being down there. Thank you.

Speaker 1 (57:19):
All right, Thanks, that's Chuck Barrett joining us here in
the Arkansas Razorbacks play by play voice. We will be
back with more right here on Sports Radio Am thirteen,
Taking Away.

Speaker 12 (57:31):
My Heart here's where he bounce pass to a cunning
Pattison Booker stores with a foul great bread that needle
pass on the mounts from herman when you to a
Booker and Mattie puts no one little unck and amy
from him.

Speaker 13 (57:42):
And you're welcome back to the Craig Wait Show with
the Voice of the law Cords. Craig what mono praybount
social media or voice.

Speaker 1 (57:54):
A command performance? Last night for the Texas women's basketball team,
winning handle It ninety five sixty six was their victory
over James Madison. It didn't really damage their over one
hundred point per game average that much. They've out of
five games, three have been over one hundred and two

(58:15):
have been up that they had eighty five against Richmond
in ninety five. In this one, so they look really good.
Madison Booker looked like her preseason Player of the Year
form and preseason All American form. She had eighteen points.
Here's the other thing. The Long Words are down a
couple of guards right now. They're gonna be without Brionna

(58:36):
Preston for a little bit. She had an ankle injury
in the game against Texas Southern last Sunday, and she
may be out a bit, like a couple of weeks
or something like that. I don't know. She was on
crutches last night, so I'm not sure how long she'll
be out. Sarah Graves was in protocol yesterday. I think
she'll be fine for the tournament in Las Vegas next week.

(59:00):
What we're waiting to hear, obviously, will be for Kyla
Oldacre at the post, because Kyla stepped on Taa Sidbury's
foot in the fourth quarter and had to be helped
from the floor afterwards. And it might have been that
same ankle that she injured in Toronto back in August
when they had that exhibition series up there. We'll know
more about that when next week rolls around. But as

(59:21):
I mentioned, they've been a little short at the guard spots,
so you win sirt. Madison Booker right back at the point,
and that was something she was forced into playing as
a freshman because of the season ending knee injury to
Roy Harmon, and she learned it well and did all that,
so she just kind of slipped right back. She looked

(59:42):
pretty natural at it, although you he'll tell by our
conversation here it wasn't necessarily feeling so natural to her.
Let me ask you something about it. I recalled that
when you had to go back out and run the
point I said it was like putting on a comfortable
pair of old shoes.

Speaker 14 (01:00:02):
Did it feel that natural to you? You know, it's
still I know, you know rusty a little bit. I
got to pull it out, you know, far in the past.
But I mean, when one person goes down, you gotta
step up, and three is being out right now, we
have to step up. I mean not just me, but
everybody does. Is she has some big some big shoes
to feel. So I like to compete and I want

(01:00:22):
to win. So I mean, like I have to do it.

Speaker 1 (01:00:23):
How to do what's the most challenging part of that
when you're doing that instead of playing off the ball.

Speaker 14 (01:00:28):
I think it's just a mental aspect of it of
make sure everybody's in a right spire. I knows their plays,
the pace of the game. It dictates from you yourself.
So I think that's kind of the hardest part.

Speaker 1 (01:00:40):
First time we visit on the post came after our
game this season. So how do you feel things have
gone for you? As well as obviously a five and
zero starts good for the team. I mean I think
things stuff going great.

Speaker 14 (01:00:49):
I mean I played good, My team plays good, so
we're playing great.

Speaker 6 (01:00:53):
So I think I'm playing great.

Speaker 1 (01:00:55):
Yes, Is that how it works? One feeds off the other,
team feeds off of you. You feed off the team.

Speaker 6 (01:01:00):
For sure.

Speaker 1 (01:01:00):
I think we're we're in it together.

Speaker 14 (01:01:02):
We're being in our commissary on the court together on
both ends, and I mean that's how we gonna operate
like for rest of the season.

Speaker 1 (01:01:07):
You're looking forward to Vegas, I am indeed, yep. You
don't have any particular things that you like to do
in Las Vegas, not at all.

Speaker 6 (01:01:15):
Astley.

Speaker 1 (01:01:15):
I know you're all about basketball, about basketball. Thanksbook appreciate,
appreciate Texas with the win, and then after the game,
visited with long words associated coach Alenda Lovado to get
her thoughts not only on how Booker played the point,
but the overall where Texas is after five games. Lena,
let me get your thought. You know, I got a

(01:01:37):
good vibe from everybody to shoot around the day. Seem
like that went well and that doesn't always go well,
or the way the coaches won. Got a good vibe
out of that. And then obviously good things tonight on
the floor.

Speaker 15 (01:01:46):
One percent. I think our defense is finally getting better.
I thought the girls were really elected in on that
in and I think that pushed us through our first quarter.
I mean, twenty five to nine, holding them to nine points.
That's a good group. They're veterans, are ticked to win
the Suthing Belt like a player of the year on
their team, so I didn't expect to blow them out
like that early in the first half.

Speaker 1 (01:02:05):
But I thought our girls, we came ready to play
when you are down two guards, and one thing Coach
Shaver talked about today, we just got to go into
our bench and our and our starters have to go. Well,
how much of is it a comfort? Knowing Madison Booker
played the point a couple of years ago. She looked
like you were just putting on a comfortable pair of
shoes when she stepped out here to run the point.

Speaker 15 (01:02:27):
When you had her out there doing that, Yeah, I
think Coach has a good like next man up mentality,
and the girls take that on.

Speaker 6 (01:02:32):
As well, So Booker, Jordan.

Speaker 15 (01:02:35):
They all run the point at practice sometimes because Coach
is like always in the Coach against the ghost, and
he puts them in that position. So Booker's been getting
wraps all season this year at the one. We haven't
had to do it too much. But yeah, that's a
that's a lot of versatile players on our teams. So
I mean we do have eight, but we got a
grade eight and I'm I'm excited about you know what

(01:02:56):
we got going on right now?

Speaker 1 (01:02:57):
What will the next few days be like before where
the team leads up to Vegas? Can you tell Alburn
fans a little bit how the run up feels to
this tournament out in Vegas.

Speaker 15 (01:03:06):
Yes, we'll give them off tomorrow, which they need dusk
release so they can recover, and then we'll work really
hard on Friday and Saturday. We'll start implementing the UCLA scout,
so we'll guard some of their sets and watch a
lot of film on them. Then we give them Sunday
off and then we leave Monday. We'll head out to
Vegas and you usually don't get a whole lot of
time on the court out there, so we need to

(01:03:27):
have two really good days on Friday and Saturday, and
then Monday we'll probably got an hour or so, and
then Tuesday at like an hour and a half in
Who's room, I believe, and then we'll tip it up
on Wednesday.

Speaker 1 (01:03:38):
How many times in your coaching career have you had
Thanksgiving dinner in Las Vegas?

Speaker 15 (01:03:45):
I want to say this is the second time, so in.

Speaker 1 (01:03:48):
A lot of times in other places.

Speaker 15 (01:03:49):
Right, Yes, we're Unfortunately we don't get to have a
Thanksgiving very often with our families, but this is our
other families, so we're excited. I think the girls have
been looking forward to these matchups and it's unfortunate that
we don't have the full roster, but we're going to
give it our best shot. And it's still early, which
is good. We'll learn a lot regardless win or lose,
and we're excited about it.

Speaker 1 (01:04:10):
Thanks Helene, appreciate it.

Speaker 15 (01:04:11):
Thank you.

Speaker 1 (01:04:13):
Next action for the Loghorns and they do step up
in competition. They go to Las Vegas. They'll play UCLA
final fourteen from a year ago, unbeaten. They'll play them
next Wednesday afternoon at one o'clock there at the michelob
Ultra Arena that's inside of the man La Bay Hotel.

(01:04:34):
So they'll play them there next Wednesday. You'll hear it
here on thirteen under the Zone. Roger Wallace and Kathy
Arston want the call of that. I'll be out in
Mali with the Long Worn men's team and then they'll
play either Duke or South Carolina on Thanksgiving Night. So yes,
they do step up in competition. We'll be back to
wrap up Hour number two. I'm thirteen under the Zone,

(01:04:55):
third and final hour of the program a year on
sports Radio AM thirteen under the I'm glad to have
you with us on this Thursday afternoon Craig Way, the
producer Ja Kerman, alongside earlier in the program, we brought
you Steve Sarkisa the first segment, it was kind of
a sneak preview of tonight's edition of Longhorn Weekly with
Coach sark from on campus. And it's going to be

(01:05:21):
a fun show. If you get a chance to tune
in tonight at seven o'clock or tomorrow night, it'll reair
tomorrow night at seven as well. There's also the televised
version of it our friends they're at KBVO now that
will air on Saturday about It'll be like a couple
hours before kick. I believe you check your local listings
on that. But on the show that's coming up tonight

(01:05:45):
you'll hear from Michael Huff or a award winner captain
in that two thousand and five National Championship season, played
the NFL for eight years with the Raiders. Now is
the assistant director of player development and a great dude,
and he's going into the College Football Hall of Fame
next month. So they're doing the on campus salute for

(01:06:10):
Huff and they'll be doing that tomorrow or of Saturday
during the Arkansas game. So there's that. Then in addition
to that, we had Cameron Dicker on with us. Dicker
was in town because the Chargers have their bye week
their open date on the schedule, so Cam came by
and we had a good chat with him. But obviously

(01:06:33):
there was a lot of conversation about what Sark had
to say on the SEC teleconference yesterday, where he categorically
refuted and denied and said was completely untrue any speculation
and rumors about him looking at other jobs. He was
really really adamant about it. Now, that's what he did

(01:06:55):
on the conference call. In the first segment of the
program that comes on tonight, and we aired it earlier
in the two o'clock hour, Sark, in a more extrapolated
version of it, it was about ten minutes in length,
explained in more methodical detail why the importance was there

(01:07:16):
to address it for the health and well being of
his football program, for himself, for the university, and for
Long Woorn Nation, for the Texas fans. So again, if
you missed it earlier, it'll be on tonight at seven
o'clock on Long Worn Weekly, and the show will air
again tomorrow night at seven o'clock. But you're going to

(01:07:36):
hear this is from today's SEC excuse me, today's Sark
media Zoom. It's his final media availability of the week.
As we know obviously, what he does is he does
three media availabilities a week, the main press conference on Monday,
which we bring to you a live here on thirteen
under the Zone. Then he does the SEC teleconference, we

(01:07:57):
bring you his comments from that, and then on Thursdays, uh,
the media zoom that he does, so we always bring
that to you as well. So we're gonna jump right
in because there's a good bit of it and I
want to give you some now and then some coming
up in the next segment. Starting off with starts opening
comments in the zoom.

Speaker 5 (01:08:17):
Alrighty, you know what a great opportunity for our team.

Speaker 4 (01:08:21):
You know, anytime you you you.

Speaker 5 (01:08:23):
You lose a ballgame, especially on the road, and a
Calbery game that we were in, I think you can
really test your character and test your culture. And you know,
one thing that this team has shown me throughout this
season is the resiliency that they that they possess, and
this week has been no difference. And I I give

(01:08:44):
our our players and our staff a ton of credit
for the way that they've come right back to work
understanding there's a lot of football left to be played
and we've got a great opportunity to be back in
dk R. We've played here once since September, so to
be back in DKR should.

Speaker 4 (01:09:01):
Be a great environment.

Speaker 5 (01:09:03):
And I know our team, our coaches, everybody involved in
our organization is looking forward to the opportunity of of
playing a long standing rival in Arkansas. Some of the
team who hadn't been here nearly twenty years. But I
know how much this game means to long Longhorn Nation,
and so we're excited about the opportunity. I'll tell you what,
our guys have been working really hard. They got great energy,

(01:09:25):
they're detailed and what they're trying to get done, so
looking forward to it.

Speaker 1 (01:09:30):
Texas of course is playing Arkansas. There's a lot of
history between these teams and the rivalry and all that
other kind of stuff. But Sark was asked, do his
players understand what this rivalry is all about.

Speaker 5 (01:09:44):
I don't know if they completely understand it all. You know,
we're fortunate we have a visitor at practice every day
in ted Koy, so he gives them. He gives them
a great reminder of what this game meant and in
that era, and and some of those you know, fantastic
matchups one versus two, things of that nature. But when
you have the break and the lull in the action,

(01:10:07):
I think for so many of our players, what they
know of a rivalry is what they've seen on TV
or the games that they went to during recruiting. I
know for some of our current players and our current
staff members. You know, we went to Arkansas in twenty
twenty one and that was not a very friendly welcome
that we received that first time going there. And so
we understand that the magnitude of the rivalry that way. Obviously,

(01:10:30):
going back last year was helpful for us. But at
the end of the day, you know, a lot of
our younger players. They're gonna get introduced to that rivalry quickly.
You know, when this ball, when this ball gets gets
kicked off Saturary. But it's a great game. I'm so
glad that we get to play this game. You know,
so many times, you know over the last few years
when people were talking about conference realignment. With conference realignment,

(01:10:53):
that so many of these rivalries kind of fell off
and people aren't playing some of the great games that
they played historically. Well, we picked two back up, and
I think that sometimes that gets overlooked.

Speaker 4 (01:11:04):
And the fact that.

Speaker 5 (01:11:05):
We're playing both of these rival games at the end
of the season to go along with OU in the
middle of the season. These are special opportunities that our
players are gonna remember for a lifetime. So we're gonna
embrace it, We're gonna enjoy it, and we're gonna we're
gonna fight our tails off.

Speaker 1 (01:11:19):
Seal goes next. There was obviously the concern about Anthony Hill,
linebacker injured the hand last Saturday in the loss at Georgia.
So the question for Sark has Anthony Hill been able
to participate. His thoughts on Leong La foll Ands by
Anthony Smith having to step up if Hill was indeed
unable to play on Saturday.

Speaker 4 (01:11:39):
He's been limited obviously.

Speaker 5 (01:11:41):
You guys have seen he's questionable for Saturday, and he'll
probably be questionable again tonight. We're kind of taking this
day by day with him to see, you know, kind
of how he feels towards the end of the week.

Speaker 4 (01:11:51):
The beauty of it.

Speaker 5 (01:11:52):
For aunt, he's played so much football for US, you know,
and you know that he can get a lot of
reps done throughout a walkthrough to see if he's healthy
enough to go that the walkthrough reps I think can
carry over into a ballgame. But as far as Leonga
and ty Anthony go, those guys, again, Lion has played
a ton of football for US, and he's played multiple
positions for US. Ty Anthony has really come on and

(01:12:16):
I'm really proud of him of how far he's come
in our program and the impact that he's had at linebacker.
So we feel very comfortable with those two guys, whoel
very comfortable to trade Moore as well. So Trey Moore
obviously provides a little bit more stature, I guess, if
you want to call it that at linebacker, where Lyon
gives us so much versatility playing multiple spots, and to

(01:12:36):
Anthony gives us that speed factor that you have to
have at the dime position for us. So I think
between all three of those guys, we're in pretty good
shape at the position if Anthony can't go.

Speaker 1 (01:12:46):
Next, Stark was asked has he addressed the college football
playoff rankings with his team and the ramifications and what
their hope is if they have hope left to get
into the playoff?

Speaker 4 (01:12:57):
I did not.

Speaker 5 (01:12:58):
You know, we addressed kind of where we were on
Monday morning and what it was going to take. And
I think that the messages control we can control, and
what we can control is what's right in front of us,
and that's Arkansas this week at two thirty. Let's stay
focused on the task at hand and quiet the noise
and make sure that we're doing the work necessary on

(01:13:19):
a daily basis to put ourselves in the best position
to have some success Saturday. And so, you know, as always,
those things take care of themselves. We've got to take
care of our business and control we can control.

Speaker 1 (01:13:32):
So with Sark's need as he felt to address the
team about all this other kind of stuff, has he
been surprised by the outside noise this year.

Speaker 4 (01:13:41):
I don't know. That's probably a better question for you guys.

Speaker 5 (01:13:44):
You're the ones that are writing about it and talking
about it, not really for me.

Speaker 1 (01:13:47):
Okay. So has he seen his team grow through the
adversity like he has with some of his teams in
the past.

Speaker 5 (01:13:55):
Yeah, yeah, And I'm sorry Danny if I didn't answer
what you were looking for there, and then if you
fire another one at me late, or if you if
you got one, But I would say, yes, you know,
we were I think we are one of the younger
teams in the country, and we were pretty dramatically young
on the offensive side of the ball. And so when
you're growing through adversity and you get on the other

(01:14:19):
side of one piece of adversity and another and another
and another, I think you do mature naturally as we go.
And you know, the story of this season that this
juncture could be very different than it is today. But
this is our story, this is our journey, this is
where we are, and so how we respond to the

(01:14:39):
adversity I think not only serves to who we are
today and the resiliency that we show today and the
maturity that we show today, but it's also going to
serve well for our future because a lot of these
same guys are going to be back in that locker
room again next year and the year after that and
possibly the year after that. And so they've got a

(01:15:00):
great foundation of how to deal with adversity and how
to grow collectively. And I think that that's a key
component too. And so, like I said, I'm really proud
of our team because they haven't not not not for
a moment have they become divisive. Not for a moment
has there been bickering. It's been picking each other up,
supporting one another. Uh, And that's a sign of a

(01:15:22):
great team. Sure, we want to win every game.

Speaker 4 (01:15:24):
That don't.

Speaker 5 (01:15:24):
Don't get me wrong. We want to win every game,
and we want to win convincingly and all that stuff.
But sometimes adversity can bring us closer together if you
can do it the right way. And I think that's
that's probably the story of this season for this team,
is that we've grown closer together. This group and that
locker room has grown closer together through some of the

(01:15:45):
adversity that they've faced. And I've been very proud of
them for that that they've they've they've hung together, they've
continued to pick one each other up, and they showed
a great deal of resiliency.

Speaker 1 (01:15:55):
So there's the first part of that. Sark Media zoom.
As we say, we always bring you all of us
comments on that so you can hear exactly where he stands.
And of course, throughout the course of this season, you
know what we've been talking about is, you know, preparing
for a game, getting arch manning acclimated the things, getting
ready for big opponents, all this kind of stuff. Now,

(01:16:20):
and I have to say, if Texas had not lost
to Georgia, we would not have seen a selfie video
from Desmond Howard taking out his trash saying, don't be
surprised if there's an opening at Texas next year. He
wouldn't have said that if Texas had won. Because Texas
had lost, he felt the need to do that as
he was putting his recyclables in one man or his

(01:16:40):
trash and the other whatever he was doing to make
the comments.

Speaker 6 (01:16:44):
Man.

Speaker 1 (01:16:44):
So now all this attention and conversation has turned to that.
That's why Sark had the comments that he had yesterday
on the SEC teleconference. That's why we took the entire
first segment of Long Worn Weekly for tonight and had
him address the whole thing. That's why he's dealing with
a lot of that. We'll hear some more from him

(01:17:06):
about that, because the reporters are continuing to ask him,
how do you position this? Where are you going with
all that other kind of stuff while they're trying to
get ready to play the Arkansas razorback. So we'll hear
more from Sart coming up a little later on. We'll
hear from Brian Schotneimer, the Cowboys head coach. All that
is more here on thirteen under the Zone and oh,

(01:17:31):
he's loved this song from the Almond Brothers nineteen seventy
thirty Ramblin Man. And sometimes songs you remember exactly where
you were when you heard it, if not for the
first time, the time that really resonated with you, and
that this is one of those songs nineteen seventy for
him thirteen years old. I had a cousin who was

(01:17:53):
a starting wide receiver and a pump returner for Richmond,
and they were Division one at the time FBS at
the time, and the Southern Conference was Division one FBS,
and they were playing what had become really kind of
an arts rival East Carolina for the conference championship and
the right to go to a bowl game. So there

(01:18:15):
was a lot riding on it. And so my dad
and I drove from Greensboro to Greenville, North Carolina in
early December, second of December to see this conference championship matchup,
and it was frigid cold. That day was clear, but
it was cold. It was like high thirties, I'd say
it was cold. And we were bundled up and we

(01:18:36):
went to see Richmond play ECU and we were up
in Richmond, would do well. East Carolina destroyed them. They
beat him. I think it was forty to six, and
ironically it was my cousin who scored the only touchdown
on the punt return in the game. Now he got
his revenge a year later up in Richmond, same type

(01:18:56):
deal and Richmond beat East Carolina up in Richmond. We
didn't go to that game, but there was a big
picture of him in the newspaper catching a touchdown pass.
His name, my cousin's name is Nick Rucci r u
c Ci. My mom's maid name was Rouchie. The Italian
Italian Italian immigrants to the Rucci family came over from
Italy in the twenties on my mom's side of the family.

Speaker 7 (01:19:19):
The caption on.

Speaker 1 (01:19:21):
The newspaper headline said Richmond's Nick Fucci catches sixty two
yard touchdown pass had his name is spelled. I joked
with my cousin about that later. But the reason why
I think of rambler Man is my dad and I
went to Greenville to see that game, and on the
way back, the long drive back, I just remember that
song because I think because we heard it twice once

(01:19:42):
we were pulling out of the parking lot or waiting
in the traffic line to get out, and then when
we are all down the road later.

Speaker 2 (01:19:48):
It's a great road song.

Speaker 3 (01:19:49):
Well, the reason Craig that I came back with that
song out of the break was because Dwayne Allman would
have been seventy nine today.

Speaker 1 (01:19:55):
Wow. Wow, how about that?

Speaker 3 (01:19:58):
And I think of that song on the buck U
with the wasaw Woodchucks North Woods League Baseball our driver
as one of those songs that you'd hear it on
the way there, you'd also hear it on the way back.

Speaker 1 (01:20:07):
Very nice. Uh. Okay, long ones aren't rambling this week.
They're at home. Uh, And they'll be taking on, obviously,
the Arkansas Razorbacks. And here's some more comments from head
coach Steve Sarkishan, and we'll hear him talk about Arkansas,
but he continues to be asked by reporters about other things.
For example, were there other programs using speculation about your

(01:20:31):
job to tamper with contact players on his roster, whether
it be through players on their own teams or by
some other means?

Speaker 4 (01:20:41):
For sure?

Speaker 1 (01:20:42):
Yes, yeah, okay, yeah, so it had happened. So that's
another reason why I felt the need to do it. Okay,
back to the recruiting thing. He was asked, what do
these next couple of weeks look like from a recruiting
perspective and when does he begin to assess his portal needs.

Speaker 5 (01:21:00):
The first is, we really have to maximize this weekend.
This weekend is really important for us from a recruiting standpoint. Again,
and again I'm not trying to complain, but we didn't
have a home game since September twentieth, and then our
first game back in DKR was an eleven am kickoff
the day after Halloween, and so it's very difficult for

(01:21:22):
high school kids, especially if they're not within about a
three hour radius to drive down, and a lot of
those kids they play Friday night, they've got practice and
walk through and meetings on Saturday mornings, and so we
just didn't get we didn't get a great hand hand
dealt to us with our schedule from a recruiting standpoint.
So we have really got to maximize Saturday with a

(01:21:44):
two point thirty kick of bringing in visitors and unofficial
visitors and really spending time from a recruiting standpoint, because
in all reality, next Friday night, that's not the ideal
time to have, you know, a bunch of visitors in
because a lot of the kids where recruiting are still
in the playoffs and so they don't get to come
to games on Friday night. So we got to do

(01:22:05):
a great job maximizing this weekend and then do the
best we can with next Friday night, and then and
then try to close really well recruiting, which you know
historically we've done pretty well with that, and then when
when the season, when the regular season is done, them
will assess the roster, the portal, the direction we're trying
to go in feud from a future standpoint of Okay,

(01:22:26):
we just signed this high school class, here's our current roster,
where do we think our needs are and then try
to figure out, Okay, what do we need position specific.

Speaker 4 (01:22:36):
What style of player?

Speaker 5 (01:22:37):
We really don't know who's in the portal and so
it's hard to start to evaluate players because we really
don't know yet. I think, like anything, some flayers are
going to get thrown up throughout December of guys that
you're hearing might go in uh, and then you try
to figure out do they do they fit what we're
looking for.

Speaker 1 (01:22:57):
Well? With what many would describe as a roller coach,
they weren't seven of ten ball games, but obviously not
exactly where they want to be, so many have called
it that. He was asked what he has learned about
his coaching staff in a roller coaster type season.

Speaker 5 (01:23:11):
The biggest thing about our coaches that I love that
they support the message, you know, and you know, I'm
you know, I've got really key points to messages that
I like to have every week.

Speaker 4 (01:23:25):
And I'm a big.

Speaker 5 (01:23:27):
Believer in positive energy. I'm a big believer in, you know,
being very intentional. I'm a big believer in picking people up.
I'm a big believer in details, and so you know,
you come off of losses along the way, and you
got to improve. You come off of a win. A
lot of times you come off of a win. What
we won, So we don't have things to fix, That's
not true. We got we got to fix issues. And
so the biggest thing about our coaches to me is that, man,

(01:23:50):
they've supported my message and it's been a very consistent message,
and I think that that helps the players respond the
way that our players have responded this season, and that's
a sign of a really good staff.

Speaker 4 (01:24:02):
You know, we in all three.

Speaker 5 (01:24:03):
Phases, we have things that hey, we're not perfect at
and we need to continue to try to get better at.
The season is not over and we got to try
to improve. We've got areas this offseason that we're going
to have to address as a staff. But in the moment, man,
these guys have been working their tailoff to try to
be the best that we can be as a team.
And that's staying as a team and not becoming divisive

(01:24:25):
one side of the ball or the other side of
the ball or.

Speaker 4 (01:24:28):
Different position groups.

Speaker 5 (01:24:29):
It's hanging together because I think that that shows the
players how to do it in the locker room, right,
we can be models for them of our approach, our mentality,
the way we stick together. I think it serves as
a great model, as I said, for the players and
how to deal with each other in that locker room.

Speaker 1 (01:24:48):
Sark was then asked about It was a question similar
to what I asked Chuck Barrett, the Razorbacks play by
play voice last hour, about nuances, differences wrinkles in the
Arkansas attack, especially on the offensive side. Now with Bobby
Patrino the offensive coordinator, now being the interim head coach,
with the dismissal of Sam Pittman following the loss of

(01:25:10):
Notre Dame, so Sark was asked, has Patrino's offense evolved
and in what way?

Speaker 7 (01:25:16):
Uh?

Speaker 1 (01:25:17):
Since the days of Darren McFadden there and then then
when he was at Louisville and had Lamar Jackson and
all that kind of stuff. As this offense evolved for
Patrino from where he was at Arkansas the first time,
through Louisville and out back to Arkansas.

Speaker 4 (01:25:33):
I would say.

Speaker 5 (01:25:36):
Probably his best coaching job he's ever done, and and
and and again.

Speaker 4 (01:25:41):
It's easy to.

Speaker 5 (01:25:41):
Look at the player, but when he pivoted, he really pivoted.
When he got Lamar because that was He's a unicorn.
It's like Lamar Jackson. It's okay. People hadn't been doing
that type of stuff with a true dual threat what
he did and why I appreciate Bobby in the way
that he did it. You know, Bobby's got a pro

(01:26:02):
style approach to multiple personnel groupings, run schemes, past schemes.
But then he incorporated the running back into all of that,
and that was very new for football because a lot
of people when they thought dual threat at that time,
it was spread, it was zone read, it was your

(01:26:22):
typical you know, incorporating the quarterback into a dual threat system.
He took a pro style offense and incorporated and maybe
the best athlete we've ever seen at quarterback, you know,
and incorporated the two. And you saw the numbers, I mean,
his most gaudy numbers anyone's probably ever had at the
quarterback position.

Speaker 4 (01:26:40):
And now he's doing the same thing.

Speaker 5 (01:26:42):
You know, he's doing the same thing with Green, you know,
and I think that's where, you know, you talk about
a coach's versatility.

Speaker 4 (01:26:48):
And is willing to evolve.

Speaker 5 (01:26:50):
I give him a ton of credit on that because
he was not stuck in his ways, and we're going
to line up under center and turn around and hand
off the g lead play.

Speaker 4 (01:26:58):
Now I got Lamar Jackson.

Speaker 5 (01:26:59):
I'm gonna find a way to run quarterback, power, quarterback counter,
quarterback sweeps. I'm still going to call the pro style
pass game. I'm still going to call pro style run games.
So he forces you to defend a lot of different things.

Speaker 1 (01:27:13):
Next, Stark was asked about, uh, the concept of playing
more press man coverage. So I'd think that guy's banged
up obviously, as we know in the secondary, especially at
the safety spots. Michael chaff at the miss time, Jelina
McDonald missed time. The corners been banged up. Both Malink
Mohammad and Jalen Gilbo have been banged up as well.

(01:27:34):
But he was asked about the need or necessity or
the concept of playing more press man coverage and how
it has impacted his corners as he evaluates recruiting.

Speaker 5 (01:27:47):
You know, I think we would obviously like to play
more man. You know, I think playing man to man
comes with it comes with a lot of confidence and
and and you earn confidence through positive play, and you know,
I think sometimes we haven't been as confidence confident as
we would like to be, and so we've got to
continue to help those guys grow into that mold of

(01:28:09):
believing in their ability to play tighter coverage. And you know,
we've had some unfortunate plays for some younger players that
have gotten beat in tight coverage, and so that causes
you to maybe not be as confident to do that.
But I think for us to be at our best,
we're going to have to do that, you know, as
we continue to grow as a program, because I think
denying the easy passes is one of the traits of

(01:28:34):
a really good defense that you make people really earn
the yards that they get. And so we got to
continue to work down that path, and I think we've
got some young players that are going to allow us
to do that in the future.

Speaker 1 (01:28:45):
Next, Sark was asked, is back to the tampering thing,
back to that whole deal. Does he feel that this
is a big problem now that you have Nil exploding
out the big mon in the The portal is the
haven for a lot of guys who if they don't
get the playing time they wanted or the starting position

(01:29:06):
they wanted or whatever, and they jumped right into the portal.
So all of that wrapped into the tampering question. Sarcus says,
how big of a problem is tampering and is there
a solution for this thing?

Speaker 5 (01:29:18):
I think it's a major problem, you know. I just again,
we live in a world right now of instant gratification, okay,
And so like, we've got players on our roster right
now who are highly recruited, very good football players who
are in the developmental stage of their career, and well,

(01:29:39):
the family back home or the agent representing him or
the high school coach doesn't know that. He's just saying,
Billy's not playing. I need to find him a home
where they're going to play him. And so it's not
necessarily the kid that's out there trying to find somewhere
to go. Sometimes it's people that are that are in
his circle that are looking and conversations begin and next
thing you know, people are throwing numbers out there at

(01:30:01):
families and at agents that are unrealistic, and so you
have to kind of reel.

Speaker 4 (01:30:05):
It all back in.

Speaker 5 (01:30:07):
And there's a reason like today I had Michael Huff
talk to the team at the end of practice, and
Michael Huff obviously is getting honored Saturday at DKR and
he's getting inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame,
and I had him tell his story, and you know,
he goes through the Thorpe Award, National Championship, seventh overall pick,
eight years in the NFL, all pro in the NFL,

(01:30:29):
and then he tells him and I red shirted my
freshman year, and they all like were startled, like you
can still do all that and you red shirt? And
so I think it's a friendly reminder that we're not
finished products, that these guys have to develop over time.
And so I think that's our first part. What can
we do to manage that. We got to manage our
own locker room and not get so consumed with what's

(01:30:52):
going on outside and focus on our current players. So
we've got a lot of really good players in our program.
They aren't there yet, but they're going to be if
we continue to pour into them and continue to develop them.

Speaker 1 (01:31:04):
And finally, Sark was asked one more time about the
statement yesterday. Who was it for? Was it for his players?
Was it for his program? Was it for himself? Who
was yesterday's statement for?

Speaker 4 (01:31:24):
I use for everybody. It might have just been for me.

Speaker 6 (01:31:27):
I don't know.

Speaker 5 (01:31:28):
You know, the thing about yesterday was this, Okay, Like,
at the end of the day, I've got a locker
room full of players who give me everything they have
every day, and the last thing I want to be
is for them to feel as though what people are
saying about me outside of our building serving as a
distraction for them and or their families. But also I
wanted to say that for Longhorn Nation, because I don't

(01:31:50):
want them anybody here to feel like, boy, you know,
Sark's you know, window shopping and maybe he's trying to go.

Speaker 4 (01:31:56):
I'm not trying to go anywhere.

Speaker 5 (01:31:58):
And I think it's also for some of our opponents
that you know, hey, I'm not going anywhere.

Speaker 4 (01:32:04):
Stay out of our locker room.

Speaker 5 (01:32:06):
And maybe for some of the pundits out there that
don't cover me and cover our program on a regular basis,
so that they can understand that they can't just take
their trash out and then have a thought to think that, hey,
I think the Texas is going to have a job opening,
so don't think about something else when you're taking a
trash out.

Speaker 1 (01:32:24):
So there it is. Log Worton's head coach, Steve Sarksian
from that media zoom. That's the last conversation he'll have
with anyone prior to kick off, up to the time
that I do the pregame interview with him about an
hour forty five before kick and of course our coverage
on Saturday here on thirteen hunderd The Zone. We'll begin

(01:32:46):
at ten thirty Saturday morning with the third and long
worn podcast guys their preview of the game at ten thirty,
then at eleven thirty at Bevo Boulevard in the Windship Circle.
There the hook of hangouts is long Orange Game Day,
where my Cardball hard will host. Cameron Parker will be
on a charter flight headed to Maui with the men's

(01:33:08):
basketball team. I will join them out of Maui on Sunday,
but obviously there's a football game to broadcast here, so
Cam will not be on Beaver Boulevard, but Mike Hardball
Harg will be also, Mark Henry certainly will be there,
and then who else they have with them.

Speaker 3 (01:33:25):
I think Eric Henry is going to step on set
for a while. I don't know if he's fully hosting
with them or just a guest, okay, and then antone
like him will be in for me as the engineer.

Speaker 1 (01:33:34):
Oh well, yeah, that's right, because you got a little
bit of a playoff game to get to. So Eric
Henry from will be on yep. Okay, so there it is.
That will be Saturday with our coverage coming up. We'll
hear from Brian Schottenheimer, the Cowboys head coach when we
continue on thirteen under the Zone. You know, the further

(01:33:58):
wait I get away from it, the more I'm thinking
that I still need to see the Eagles at the
Sphere now. Lynn and I saw them at Moody Center
with Steely Danne the lead in a couple of years ago.
It was great, great show. But you know, everybody that's
seen him at the Sphere says you other day. Of
course this Joe Walls from his solo album Life's Been Good.

(01:34:21):
But he plays this in the set with the Eagles.
He plays a couple of his hits.

Speaker 2 (01:34:26):
He's seventy eight today, another birthday.

Speaker 1 (01:34:28):
I went back with Yeah, wow, And he's still going
strong as they play at the Sphere. Brian Schotneimer is
still going strong as well. Dak Prescott's been kind of
banged up, but he's been playing at a high level
and Shoddy and starting to preview the Cowboys matchup with
the Eagles, was asked, how hard is it for Dak
to sustain this high level of play throughout the season.

Speaker 16 (01:34:51):
It's definitely hard, man, But that's what the great ones do,
and there's a consistency about it, and I think that's
the thing that I think when you look at quarterbacks
that are playing good. There's stats that you can always
look at, Hey, four touchdowns here or whatever it is,
but the consistency of what Dak's really done over the
course of the year is what I think is so
impressive and against some really good competition, and he's given
us the chance in every game to put ourselves for

(01:35:13):
the most part.

Speaker 11 (01:35:13):
And the chance to win. And just proud of him.

Speaker 16 (01:35:16):
But again, I always go back to the work ethic
and the stuff that he puts into it during the
week which allows him to go out there and play
that way. It's not something where you just wake up
on Sunday or Monday and go out there and sling
it around and put up the kind of number he's
putting up. It's, you know, the process of Monday, getting
in here, watching the game film, then moving into the
new team that you're playing in the prep for that

(01:35:36):
and then taking care of.

Speaker 11 (01:35:37):
His body and all that stuff.

Speaker 16 (01:35:39):
It's it's hard and it's a grind, and I think
he's not mastered his routine, but I think he's very
comfortable with his routine and how he preps and takes.

Speaker 11 (01:35:48):
Care of his body.

Speaker 1 (01:35:50):
So since we're talking about that being a leader of
the football team and directing the offense, and I've heard
this mentioned quite a bit. When they basketball parlance, they
refer to the point guard is kind of a quarterback
of the team. So if you flip it around, why
then the Schottenheimer compare Dak to a point guard.

Speaker 16 (01:36:13):
I think that's the evolution of Dak. It's a maturing process.
I mean, all quarterbacks want to throw at forty fifty
yards down the field. You obviously saw him launch one
on after the sudden change down there. GP did a
great job breaking up a potential PI but interception.

Speaker 1 (01:36:26):
But yeah, he is.

Speaker 16 (01:36:27):
I mean, your job as that position is to spread
the ball around, get the ball out of your hand,
let guys create. And we have guys that can do that,
which is no different than you know, some of the
greatest point guards in the world. Man, you know, they
just magic Johnson dishes it off the Worthy and guys
like that, and he's he's he.

Speaker 11 (01:36:45):
And we are all very blessed to have the guys
that we have.

Speaker 1 (01:36:48):
Look at Chotty going to old school there with magic
and Worthy.

Speaker 3 (01:36:52):
He talked about it. He holds courting there. You know,
we started that press conference yesterday. He walked in and
he said, hey, you know to my wife that there's
a gift coming.

Speaker 2 (01:37:00):
I didn't know what it is. And he'd ask these guys,
what should I get you. He's got those guys in
the palm of his hand.

Speaker 1 (01:37:05):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (01:37:06):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (01:37:07):
With the defensive line editions, adding Clark before the season started,
and obviously in uh in in the trade with Green Bay,
uh in in uh adding Quinn Williams. We saw him
get a sack last week. Will these defensive line editions
help give the Cowboys a better shot? When the Eagles

(01:37:29):
employed the toush push.

Speaker 16 (01:37:31):
Yeah, I mean again, they uh, they were the ones
that started it, so they get to name it, and
uh they.

Speaker 11 (01:37:37):
Still do a very good job of it.

Speaker 1 (01:37:38):
But uh, we've got we've.

Speaker 16 (01:37:40):
Got some reinforcements in there and guys that have seen it,
and it's a game of leverage.

Speaker 1 (01:37:44):
It really is.

Speaker 16 (01:37:45):
And I do think that you know, the league is
trying to, you know, make sure that it's a legal play,
you know, in terms of everybody getting off on the
snap and stuff like that.

Speaker 11 (01:37:54):
But they're still really good at it. We'll still see it.

Speaker 16 (01:37:56):
And but we've definitely got some reinforcements in there that
give you a chance to win the leverage game.

Speaker 1 (01:38:01):
All right, And it is all about the leverage there.
Remember the first meeting, the Sunday night game, Jalen Carter
got kicked out of the game before the game because
the spinning incident thing. So he was asked, what difference
can Jalen Carter make for the Eagles being in the lineup,
assuming he doesn't spit again in the pre game by
warm ups, that's a big difference.

Speaker 16 (01:38:19):
He's a really good player, and uh again, he's uh,
you know, he's packaged in there with some really good players,
and you know, Jordan Davis is obviously an incredible player
as well. And yet Jalen Phillips, I mean, the front,
it's the hell of a defense. I think they're best
in the league, I think, and uh again, it's gonna
be really, really tough, but Uh, we love that challenge,

(01:38:41):
and uh we think we're pretty.

Speaker 1 (01:38:42):
Good too, all right. Uh and then finally he was asked, uh,
what kinds of problems do great interior defensive lines present
for play callers like himself.

Speaker 16 (01:38:54):
It's hard just because you know, when you try to,
you know, run the ball up the middle, it's hard,
you know.

Speaker 11 (01:38:59):
And what these guys do a great job.

Speaker 16 (01:39:01):
Of on both sides, you know, whether you're talking about
you know, Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, you know, whether you're
talking about Quinn and Osa, Kenny Sally, whatever, they they
put the pressure on the offensive line to feel like
they have to use combination blocks. Well, then when the linebackers,
which again Philly's got you know, Zach and.

Speaker 11 (01:39:20):
H seventeen and what's his name?

Speaker 16 (01:39:23):
Sorry, yeah, yeah, great player, Dean, I mean, great player.
I mean those guys that come downhill fast, and then
you know Campbell, the rookie. I mean, they put the
pressure on you because when they fire into their gaps,
you can't stay on the singles or the double teams,
and the singles become and they get split. But I
think it's it's really a it's really a problem. It's

(01:39:44):
a problem on both both sides, and that's what you want.
You want to have a firm and strong front seven
and they have definitely shown to be able to do that.

Speaker 1 (01:39:54):
There's Brian Schotteimer, the Cowboys head coach, and of course
they play Sunday afternoon at three twenty five against the Eagles,
and you'll hear that on ninety eight point one FM Keayvett.
We'll be back to wrap up today's edition of the
program here on sports Radio AM thirteen under the zone
of the iHeartRadio app.

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