January 8, 2026 • 21 mins
Craig and Jake are joined by Chris Stewart, the play-by-play voice of the Alabama Crimson Tide.
They break down Alabama's foul-filled loss at Vanderbilt last night with Chris providing updates on the health of key players ahead of Saturday's matchup against Texas.
Plus, why Chris thinks Kalen DeBoer is still the right man for the job at Alabama, whether Ty Simpson turning pro was a surprise, and who could take over as the Tide's starting QB in 2026.
They break down Alabama's foul-filled loss at Vanderbilt last night with Chris providing updates on the health of key players ahead of Saturday's matchup against Texas.
Plus, why Chris thinks Kalen DeBoer is still the right man for the job at Alabama, whether Ty Simpson turning pro was a surprise, and who could take over as the Tide's starting QB in 2026.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Old play some Mountain newsic my grandma and Grandpa.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Then I'll flowed on down the river.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
Two.
Speaker 4 (00:23):
All right, I see what the producer Jay Carman did here. Uh,
you're rolling back with some Alabama right.
Speaker 5 (00:29):
That's right, that's right.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
I listen.
Speaker 4 (00:32):
I can tell you from some local knowledge, having grown
up in the state of North Carolina, having vacation in
the Myrtle Beach area almost every year about for the
last fifty some odd years, that one of the landmarks
in the right on the ocean a little club in
the downtown Myrtle Beach, the Bowery, and that's where Alabama
(00:52):
got it started. There's a big, big monument about it
and all that kind of stuff. Uh, we say that
if only to transition welcoming our next guest. I mentioned
this a couple of times last year, in the first
year that Texas was in the SEC, that one of
the great things when people ask me about the difference
(01:13):
in the SEC and the Big Twelve, and I've talked
about the difference, I said, but one of the great
things is getting to know the fellow broadcasters in the SEC. Now,
I met Chris Stewart when he came in with a
Crimson Tide in the last year of the Big Twelve
for Texas. But we've got to know each other. It's
always great to visit with and I appreciate you taking
the time, especially after a quick turnaround on a late
night game in Nashville last night.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
But thanks so much.
Speaker 5 (01:35):
How are you, buddy, I'm great, I'm tired.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
I'm not going to kid you. Spent the night in
Nashville last night after we finished.
Speaker 5 (01:44):
Up the marathon for basketball.
Speaker 6 (01:48):
It was ridiculously long, but with eighty eight free throws
shot in that game between the two teams. But yeah,
got up this morning, drove back, did Nate's television show,
and early this afternoon and now just got back home
to Birmingham.
Speaker 5 (02:08):
So I'm good.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
I'm on shoes, but I'm good.
Speaker 4 (02:10):
Well, I appreciate you using your fumes for a few
minutes to join us. And we got in about two
forty five am after the trip to Knoxville. When we
flew back and with a late night or that's always
a difficult thing.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
You brought up something I wanted to ask you about.
Speaker 4 (02:25):
And that is the fouls combine sixty three fouls in
the game. Now, Coach Hoaates to his credit, he credited
Vanderbilt and saying, now, our guys weren't ready right out
of the gate, and there were the turnovers and things
like that. But it's hard and even for really good
basketball teams to get into a productive rhythm when the
(02:46):
whistles are being blown that often. And I know it's
a physical league at everything, but that's kind of difficult,
isn't it.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
Well it is.
Speaker 6 (02:53):
And look, it wasn't one sided. I mean there were
I think they shot twelve more than Alabama.
Speaker 5 (02:59):
But when you or you know, we shot thirty eight,
they shot fifty.
Speaker 6 (03:03):
That's and we missed a bunch, So you know, that
wasn't the difference in the game. It was just it
wasn't entertaining game. It was the marquee game in the country,
I think, yea, and you didn't you know, we watched
kids shoot free throws the entire second half.
Speaker 5 (03:26):
But as Nate said, we filed too much.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
And you know, I think there I think there.
Speaker 6 (03:31):
Were three teams on the floor that were responsible for
all the free throws, and I'll just leave it at that,
but it was they all had they all had shared
responsibility in that.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
But no, this was a.
Speaker 5 (03:45):
It was a game that was was kind of ugly.
Speaker 6 (03:48):
Alabama new before tips they weren't going to have their
center available in Aiden Charrell. He had suffered an injury
about ten minutes into the game against Kentucky and tried
to give it a go, but couldn't. You also had
weird deal la Baron Filon had eighteen points and we're
(04:12):
about four minutes into the second half and he starts
cramping up, which didn't make sense, full body cramps. Couldn't
play in the second the rest of the second half,
and you know, we were by no means was Alabama
in control of that game. But he's one of the
best players in the league and you don't have him available.
(04:33):
It puts more strain on everybody else and miss it,
you know, and his presence. I'm not saying Alabama wins
with him, but I would have liked to have taken
our chances a whole lot better with him on the floor.
That being said, Kindy is really good. Hadn't seen him,
you know, start to finish in a game yet until
(04:56):
I saw him with my own eyes last night. They
are legit. Uh, They've done a heck of a job
with that program and they're They're not the Vandy they've
been the last few years. They are a team that
I think will be very much involved in who wins
the SEC championship this year.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (05:15):
And by the way, Uh, my first time ever to
call a game at Memorial Jimnasium was last year.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
And from what I've been told.
Speaker 4 (05:24):
If you if you didn't think it was possible to
be more difficult to call a game from that broadcast position,
uh than it was last year.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Uh, this year.
Speaker 4 (05:34):
Would top it because of what the the Mop boys,
the guys with the Mops who they're they're also kind
of blocking your view.
Speaker 6 (05:40):
Now, there are challenges now across the league that we
have not faced in the past. And I will simply
leave it at that. It's not as if we're you know,
we're in coal mines trying to do real job, you know,
ro work.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
Uh, but it.
Speaker 6 (06:00):
Is there's absolutely more of a challenge in many ways
in terms of the positions that we now have around
the league that that do make it more challenging. But
you know, again, uh, it's our fault as announcers. We
showed during COVID we can literally call games from anywhere,
and so they took us up on it.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Yeah, yeah, I give you.
Speaker 4 (06:24):
I give you the upper reaches in the back corner
of Alan Field House and Lawrence as an example of
your point.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Yeah. Yeah, it was a lot of that. Uh.
Speaker 4 (06:33):
We're yeah, so we're visiting with Chris Stewart, Alabama played
by play voice.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
And by the way, I was quite amused.
Speaker 4 (06:40):
By a text on the text thread for SEC broadcast
this morning. Uh, by the inveterate engineer. You have the
dean of the engineers in the SEC, Tom Stipe of
Alabama and I and and uh uh I'll put Tim
Barry of Tennessee in there as well to two guys
who've been around a lot and seeing it awful lot.
Uh uh and uh and by the way, do you
(07:02):
go to Knoxville this year?
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Do you do?
Speaker 2 (07:05):
You do you have a game in Knoxville this year?
Speaker 3 (07:08):
I know they come to us.
Speaker 6 (07:09):
I don't think we go there, but I'm this is
terrible that I'm trying to remember off the top.
Speaker 5 (07:16):
Of my head.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
If we do, I'll tell you what both.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
Yeah, I was about to do the same thing.
Speaker 6 (07:23):
I think we play I know we play him at home,
but I think we go there as well.
Speaker 4 (07:27):
Okay, So You're gonna have a pleasant surprise there. It's
second row right behind your bench and the almost equidistance
between the bench and the scorers table. And obviously, uh,
Tim and his crew do a good job with the
you know, obviously all the things we as broadcasters like
to have, the effects, speed, the uh, the monitor, all
that kind of stuff. So you're gonna be happy there.
(07:47):
I'll tell you the deal. Yeah, I'm not surprised. Visiting
with Chris Stewart played by play voice with Alabama Crimson
Tidierre on thirteen under the Zeroe, Jake, you have a
question for christ.
Speaker 7 (07:57):
Well, I know you, I know you guys want to
get to football moment, but just just on the fouls
last night and the way that choppy game kind of unfolded,
do you feel like that's a common thread the rare
occasions over the last few years where nat Oates has
lost an SEC game where it gets to be such
a choppy pace because it goes against the style that
he really wants to play.
Speaker 6 (08:17):
Yeah, and look, there was part of why it got
where it did last night. In addition to Alabama foulling
too much on the defensive end of the floor, is
as you're trying to extend that game. Alabama is always
a layup or three point team. Lay up three points
(08:42):
for free throws. That's what Alabama wants. That's the objective
with their offense.
Speaker 5 (08:49):
Try to get to the rim.
Speaker 6 (08:51):
If you can't get to the rim, create opportunities beyond
the arc, and you know, free throw line also the
option in the midst there.
Speaker 5 (09:00):
But one of the things that.
Speaker 6 (09:04):
You know, when Alabama understood how the game was being
called last night and you're trying to you know, score
with the plot stopped, Alabama was basically, you know, tucking
it under the arm and trying to get the first down.
I think if we had run it as effective against
Indiana as we were basically running it in the last
(09:26):
ten minutes downhill against Vanderbilt.
Speaker 5 (09:31):
We may have a game.
Speaker 6 (09:32):
We may have a game to play tomorrow night. No,
in all seriousness, I mean it was very aggressive. Take
it to the rim, be strong because they're going to
call everything, and Bamba was drawing a lot of fouls.
Speaker 5 (09:45):
And getting to the free throw out and it was effective.
Speaker 6 (09:47):
Unfortunately, we weren't able to get stops on the other
end of the floor.
Speaker 5 (09:51):
In Vandy was able to keep Alabama at arms length.
Speaker 4 (09:55):
You what you described about three pointers in layupship, the
tie out a lot of those against Texas last year
in the game in Austin, uh In, dealing with Alabama
and the long words obviously are going to be facing
some really talented guys. You talked about la Baron Filon
hope hopefully he's better. I mean, did the full body
cramping finally go away? I.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
You know, I think so. Uh.
Speaker 6 (10:20):
Frankly, when I got to the locker room area immediately
after the game to do the post game with Nate,
he was just you know, discussing that and we really
didn't get a chance to talk very much. And even
though we did his TV show today. You know, I
think everything's fine. It's not like it's a lingering, long
(10:40):
term deal. It's just, you know, it's something that he
you know, you're gonna do what you can to to
try to prevent it from happening again. Obviously, but it was.
It was definitely an impact last night, that's for sure.
Speaker 4 (10:54):
And and I guess they'll evaluate Aiden Cheryl cherrelle On
before the game.
Speaker 3 (10:59):
On Saturday, yeah, I think you know, he was.
Speaker 6 (11:03):
Dressed and they wanted to try and give it a
go for him. He went through lefts and he didn't
practice through the week, but he was going to try
to go during.
Speaker 5 (11:11):
Warm ups, but he just didn't feel right.
Speaker 6 (11:14):
And so you know, it's a long season and airing
on the side of caution and beauty, you want to
make sure he's he's really good to go and can
play at his level and the pace he needs to play,
and that Alabama needs him to play before he's back
out there. So hopefully that'll be the case on Saturday
(11:36):
night when you guys roll into town.
Speaker 4 (11:38):
Chris Stewart, Alabama played by play voice, joining us here
on thirteen hundred that all right, hey, listen you I
wasn't going to bring up Indiana.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
You brought up Indiana, but hey.
Speaker 3 (11:47):
No, he brought up the Indiana.
Speaker 5 (11:49):
I wasn't going to bring up Indiana either.
Speaker 3 (11:51):
He brought up Indiana, right my therapist. My therapist says,
I shouldn't talk about it, but for you.
Speaker 5 (11:57):
I will.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
Cleansing.
Speaker 4 (12:00):
So listen, the way that I look at that is
and I know it was a difficult loss, and we
laugh about this in re perspective looking back at this
season for the Tide, for the football program, getting not
only getting into the playoff, winning a road playoff game,
and then getting a chance to go to the Rose Bowl.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
I think I think those are important things.
Speaker 4 (12:25):
Despite and I know there was the great disappointment not
only in the loss, but in the way the loss,
I guess unfolded is the way that a lot of
hardcore fans look at things like that.
Speaker 5 (12:35):
I suppose I would agree.
Speaker 6 (12:37):
Look, the expectation, you know this because it's the same
and awsome. The expectation is to play for and win.
Speaker 5 (12:43):
The national championships. That is considered.
Speaker 6 (12:49):
You're not going to make everybody happy unless you do that.
In Peck I learned even during the historic run from
Nick Saban, you can't always even make people happy when
that's taking place. So you know, but it's got to
start with winning and winning the SEC and fell short
(13:13):
in that regard, and then to have it finished the way.
Speaker 5 (13:18):
It did was very disappointing.
Speaker 6 (13:20):
The reality is this scene was picked eighth in the
preseason nationally, finished in the top eight by making the
quarterfinal round, so it's where they were projected to finish.
If that's almost anywhere else, then you say, okay, yeah,
it was a successful year.
Speaker 5 (13:40):
I don't think it was an.
Speaker 6 (13:41):
Unsuccessful year, but it's hard to call a season at
Alabama truly a success unless you got confetti falling on
you at some point during the year, and we didn't
have that happen.
Speaker 5 (13:55):
So don't go back to work. I really I.
Speaker 6 (14:00):
Don't just like Dalen Devoor personally. I really believe in
him as a coach, and I think history is where
it's not just betting on upside, it's belief based on
what he's done throughout his career and a man that
knows how to win at multiple levels and is at
(14:21):
a place where historically we win as much as anyone.
I believe that that's going to work hand in hand.
It's not going to be overnight. It didn't happen overnight
with Nick Saban, but I do believe it's going to happen.
Patience is something that's needed but is never going to
be granted, and so you go and try to get
(14:43):
it done as quickly as possible, and hopefully the positives
that occurred this year will carry over into next season,
but with.
Speaker 5 (14:53):
The pieces added to the puzzle that'll.
Speaker 6 (14:55):
Put Alabama back in the national championship a year from now.
Speaker 4 (15:00):
Chris, were you surprised in any way to see Ty
Simpson say he's ready to try his hand at the NFL.
Speaker 6 (15:09):
I couldn't say I was surprised because I had been
told it was going to go. It was it could
go either way, so I really wasn't surprised.
Speaker 5 (15:18):
I'm glad to hear it because I think this.
Speaker 6 (15:22):
Is a really good window of time for him, especially
with the number of quarterbacks that are coming out.
Speaker 5 (15:32):
You know, next year, I think there will be more.
They'll be there.
Speaker 6 (15:36):
And you know how it is when you had a
good year, and he had a really good one. Most
of the time you're graded on a tougher curve and.
Speaker 5 (15:47):
The only when you're at the top they start trying
to touch you down.
Speaker 6 (15:51):
And I'm not saying he reached the pinnacle this year
by any stretch, but he had a really good year,
and I'm just I'm I'm happy for him that he's
getting this opportunity to make the call himself.
Speaker 3 (16:05):
I think he's going to have a chance to get.
Speaker 6 (16:07):
His name called pretty early among quarterbacks. I think he's
going to have a really nice professional career. But there
are two guys that were behind him at Alabama that
are ready for their term and ready to battle for
playing time. I don't know what that's going to look like,
but I know that in both Austin Mack, who transferred
(16:29):
to Alabama from Washington with Caitlin de Boor when he
got the job in Tuscaloosa, but also Kilan Russell, who
was the top rated.
Speaker 5 (16:37):
Quarterback a year ago, along with.
Speaker 6 (16:40):
One of the top rated it's not de top rated
running back in the nation, who's an Alabama kid coming
in for next year in the backfield. I'm excited to
see what that can look like. Offensively, not that I'm
ready for Tie to move on.
Speaker 5 (16:56):
But.
Speaker 6 (16:58):
It's a good thing when you got a run going
like Alabama has.
Speaker 3 (17:02):
And we can think about this now, we hadn't had.
Speaker 6 (17:03):
A quarterback taken high and really many quarterbacks. Trying to
make sure I get this one right. I think it
was between Richard Todd.
Speaker 5 (17:18):
And Jalen Hurts.
Speaker 6 (17:21):
Wow, before Alabama had a regular, everyday former quarterback for
the Tide starting in the NFL.
Speaker 3 (17:32):
Wow.
Speaker 6 (17:32):
And granted, we've got we've got a few right now.
But while there had been a couple of guys who
had starts here and there in terms of an everyday
clearly QB one for an NFL franchise. It was from Yeah,
it was from Richard Todd. He had the stretch of
(17:52):
namous Stabler Richard.
Speaker 5 (17:55):
Todd, and then we didn't have another one until ja
Un till Jalen Hurts.
Speaker 6 (18:02):
But now you've got another guy that I think is
going to go in and have a chance to be a.
Speaker 5 (18:09):
Fairly high draft pick.
Speaker 6 (18:10):
And then guys that are on campus now that are
going to be I think in a heck of a
battle this spring to see who comes out as the
number one guy.
Speaker 4 (18:18):
Hey, you can even throw Scott Hunter in there right
after after Stable.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
I guess since he started with Attackers a little bit.
Speaker 6 (18:26):
Let let me, let me gets has Scott already called you?
Speaker 3 (18:31):
Because I know Scott Hunter?
Speaker 5 (18:32):
Well, he probably Scott.
Speaker 6 (18:34):
I apologize, I apologize profusely.
Speaker 5 (18:41):
Yes, Scott was. Scott was a really good one.
Speaker 6 (18:43):
His his misfortune was that Alabama when he was when
he was quarterback at Alabama and then when he was
the starter for the Packers, they were not as good.
Speaker 5 (18:53):
As they had been before his arrival.
Speaker 6 (18:56):
So yeah, that's a good point.
Speaker 4 (19:00):
Well, the other the other thing I was going to ask,
and you started to hit on it. I called two
of Keeland Russell State championship games for television when he's
playing at Duncanville. So I know very well about his
his talent level as well. So I was going to
ask you, and you kind of answered a little bit
here on January eighth. Do you have a gut feeling
about where that's going to go? Or is this thing
going to go all the way to the wire in
(19:21):
terms of who's gonna, you know, wind up being the
quarterback next fall.
Speaker 6 (19:27):
You know, Austin was ahead of him just on the
depth chart this year, but when they when they did
get playing time, they pretty much split it.
Speaker 3 (19:38):
So that tells me that.
Speaker 6 (19:40):
It's very even you you've seen it, you know better
than I just how electric Keeland is. Let me tell you,
Austin is really really talented as well.
Speaker 3 (19:52):
Big kid, you know.
Speaker 5 (19:55):
Runs really effectively, but just.
Speaker 6 (20:00):
Really nice touch on the football, but also a really
strong arm. I think Alabama is in really good shape.
But here's the reason. And again this is in no
way an indictment at all of time, because he was terrific,
but I want to see in his offense in this
(20:22):
coming year, assuming it's one of those two guys that
we've talked about. It'll be the first time in three
years that Calen de Borr has had a kid that
he recruited, signed and has developed that will be at
the quarterback slot. Now, granted, he coached I Simpson the
(20:42):
last two years, and he wouldn't have been the starter
if he didn't believe in him, and we saw from
the results that he was worthy of that opportunity. But
I'm just talking about truly fitting the system at a
high level with some experience under both of their belts
in Tuscaloosa. I'm really looking forward to seeing either Austin
(21:05):
mack or Keel and Russell or the combination of the
two as we go into next year.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
Well, I'm looking forward to it.
Speaker 4 (21:11):
I'm looking forward to seeing you on Saturday if I'll
be there sooner than later, if I don't tarry too
long at Dreamland, but I'll try to go there for
early lunch.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
Anyway, good pack.
Speaker 6 (21:22):
Don't wear the white shirt. That's all I'm telling you.
Don't wear the white shirt. You're a rookie. If you do,
that's right.
Speaker 4 (21:29):
Hey, I appreciate it, Chris, thanks so much for the time.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
I look forward to seeing you there on Saturday.
Speaker 6 (21:36):
App having me and excited to have you coming to
tuest saloose about it.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
Thank you sir.
Speaker 4 (21:42):
All right, that's Chris take here, play by play voice
of the Alabama Crimson Tide. All right, we have more
coming up. Stay right here with us on Sports Radio
AM thirteen under the Zone, and where you always listen
to us for free on the iHeartRadio app.
Old play some Mountain newsic my grandma and Grandpa.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Then I'll flowed on down the river.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
Two.
Speaker 4 (00:23):
All right, I see what the producer Jay Carman did here. Uh,
you're rolling back with some Alabama right.
Speaker 5 (00:29):
That's right, that's right.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
I listen.
Speaker 4 (00:32):
I can tell you from some local knowledge, having grown
up in the state of North Carolina, having vacation in
the Myrtle Beach area almost every year about for the
last fifty some odd years, that one of the landmarks
in the right on the ocean a little club in
the downtown Myrtle Beach, the Bowery, and that's where Alabama
(00:52):
got it started. There's a big, big monument about it
and all that kind of stuff. Uh, we say that
if only to transition welcoming our next guest. I mentioned
this a couple of times last year, in the first
year that Texas was in the SEC, that one of
the great things when people ask me about the difference
(01:13):
in the SEC and the Big Twelve, and I've talked
about the difference, I said, but one of the great
things is getting to know the fellow broadcasters in the SEC. Now,
I met Chris Stewart when he came in with a
Crimson Tide in the last year of the Big Twelve
for Texas. But we've got to know each other. It's
always great to visit with and I appreciate you taking
the time, especially after a quick turnaround on a late
night game in Nashville last night.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
But thanks so much.
Speaker 5 (01:35):
How are you, buddy, I'm great, I'm tired.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
I'm not going to kid you. Spent the night in
Nashville last night after we finished.
Speaker 5 (01:44):
Up the marathon for basketball.
Speaker 6 (01:48):
It was ridiculously long, but with eighty eight free throws
shot in that game between the two teams. But yeah,
got up this morning, drove back, did Nate's television show,
and early this afternoon and now just got back home
to Birmingham.
Speaker 5 (02:08):
So I'm good.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
I'm on shoes, but I'm good.
Speaker 4 (02:10):
Well, I appreciate you using your fumes for a few
minutes to join us. And we got in about two
forty five am after the trip to Knoxville. When we
flew back and with a late night or that's always
a difficult thing.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
You brought up something I wanted to ask you about.
Speaker 4 (02:25):
And that is the fouls combine sixty three fouls in
the game. Now, Coach Hoaates to his credit, he credited
Vanderbilt and saying, now, our guys weren't ready right out
of the gate, and there were the turnovers and things
like that. But it's hard and even for really good
basketball teams to get into a productive rhythm when the
(02:46):
whistles are being blown that often. And I know it's
a physical league at everything, but that's kind of difficult,
isn't it.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
Well it is.
Speaker 6 (02:53):
And look, it wasn't one sided. I mean there were
I think they shot twelve more than Alabama.
Speaker 5 (02:59):
But when you or you know, we shot thirty eight,
they shot fifty.
Speaker 6 (03:03):
That's and we missed a bunch, So you know, that
wasn't the difference in the game. It was just it
wasn't entertaining game. It was the marquee game in the country,
I think, yea, and you didn't you know, we watched
kids shoot free throws the entire second half.
Speaker 5 (03:26):
But as Nate said, we filed too much.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
And you know, I think there I think there.
Speaker 6 (03:31):
Were three teams on the floor that were responsible for
all the free throws, and I'll just leave it at that,
but it was they all had they all had shared
responsibility in that.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
But no, this was a.
Speaker 5 (03:45):
It was a game that was was kind of ugly.
Speaker 6 (03:48):
Alabama new before tips they weren't going to have their
center available in Aiden Charrell. He had suffered an injury
about ten minutes into the game against Kentucky and tried
to give it a go, but couldn't. You also had
weird deal la Baron Filon had eighteen points and we're
(04:12):
about four minutes into the second half and he starts
cramping up, which didn't make sense, full body cramps. Couldn't
play in the second the rest of the second half,
and you know, we were by no means was Alabama
in control of that game. But he's one of the
best players in the league and you don't have him available.
(04:33):
It puts more strain on everybody else and miss it,
you know, and his presence. I'm not saying Alabama wins
with him, but I would have liked to have taken
our chances a whole lot better with him on the floor.
That being said, Kindy is really good. Hadn't seen him,
you know, start to finish in a game yet until
(04:56):
I saw him with my own eyes last night. They
are legit. Uh, They've done a heck of a job
with that program and they're They're not the Vandy they've
been the last few years. They are a team that
I think will be very much involved in who wins
the SEC championship this year.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (05:15):
And by the way, Uh, my first time ever to
call a game at Memorial Jimnasium was last year.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
And from what I've been told.
Speaker 4 (05:24):
If you if you didn't think it was possible to
be more difficult to call a game from that broadcast position,
uh than it was last year.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Uh, this year.
Speaker 4 (05:34):
Would top it because of what the the Mop boys,
the guys with the Mops who they're they're also kind
of blocking your view.
Speaker 6 (05:40):
Now, there are challenges now across the league that we
have not faced in the past. And I will simply
leave it at that. It's not as if we're you know,
we're in coal mines trying to do real job, you know,
ro work.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
Uh, but it.
Speaker 6 (06:00):
Is there's absolutely more of a challenge in many ways
in terms of the positions that we now have around
the league that that do make it more challenging. But
you know, again, uh, it's our fault as announcers. We
showed during COVID we can literally call games from anywhere,
and so they took us up on it.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Yeah, yeah, I give you.
Speaker 4 (06:24):
I give you the upper reaches in the back corner
of Alan Field House and Lawrence as an example of
your point.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Yeah. Yeah, it was a lot of that. Uh.
Speaker 4 (06:33):
We're yeah, so we're visiting with Chris Stewart, Alabama played
by play voice.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
And by the way, I was quite amused.
Speaker 4 (06:40):
By a text on the text thread for SEC broadcast
this morning. Uh, by the inveterate engineer. You have the
dean of the engineers in the SEC, Tom Stipe of
Alabama and I and and uh uh I'll put Tim
Barry of Tennessee in there as well to two guys
who've been around a lot and seeing it awful lot.
Uh uh and uh and by the way, do you
(07:02):
go to Knoxville this year?
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Do you do?
Speaker 2 (07:05):
You do you have a game in Knoxville this year?
Speaker 3 (07:08):
I know they come to us.
Speaker 6 (07:09):
I don't think we go there, but I'm this is
terrible that I'm trying to remember off the top.
Speaker 5 (07:16):
Of my head.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
If we do, I'll tell you what both.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
Yeah, I was about to do the same thing.
Speaker 6 (07:23):
I think we play I know we play him at home,
but I think we go there as well.
Speaker 4 (07:27):
Okay, So You're gonna have a pleasant surprise there. It's
second row right behind your bench and the almost equidistance
between the bench and the scorers table. And obviously, uh,
Tim and his crew do a good job with the
you know, obviously all the things we as broadcasters like
to have, the effects, speed, the uh, the monitor, all
that kind of stuff. So you're gonna be happy there.
(07:47):
I'll tell you the deal. Yeah, I'm not surprised. Visiting
with Chris Stewart played by play voice with Alabama Crimson
Tidierre on thirteen under the Zeroe, Jake, you have a
question for christ.
Speaker 7 (07:57):
Well, I know you, I know you guys want to
get to football moment, but just just on the fouls
last night and the way that choppy game kind of unfolded,
do you feel like that's a common thread the rare
occasions over the last few years where nat Oates has
lost an SEC game where it gets to be such
a choppy pace because it goes against the style that
he really wants to play.
Speaker 6 (08:17):
Yeah, and look, there was part of why it got
where it did last night. In addition to Alabama foulling
too much on the defensive end of the floor, is
as you're trying to extend that game. Alabama is always
a layup or three point team. Lay up three points
(08:42):
for free throws. That's what Alabama wants. That's the objective
with their offense.
Speaker 5 (08:49):
Try to get to the rim.
Speaker 6 (08:51):
If you can't get to the rim, create opportunities beyond
the arc, and you know, free throw line also the
option in the midst there.
Speaker 5 (09:00):
But one of the things that.
Speaker 6 (09:04):
You know, when Alabama understood how the game was being
called last night and you're trying to you know, score
with the plot stopped, Alabama was basically, you know, tucking
it under the arm and trying to get the first down.
I think if we had run it as effective against
Indiana as we were basically running it in the last
(09:26):
ten minutes downhill against Vanderbilt.
Speaker 5 (09:31):
We may have a game.
Speaker 6 (09:32):
We may have a game to play tomorrow night. No,
in all seriousness, I mean it was very aggressive. Take
it to the rim, be strong because they're going to
call everything, and Bamba was drawing a lot of fouls.
Speaker 5 (09:45):
And getting to the free throw out and it was effective.
Speaker 6 (09:47):
Unfortunately, we weren't able to get stops on the other
end of the floor.
Speaker 5 (09:51):
In Vandy was able to keep Alabama at arms length.
Speaker 4 (09:55):
You what you described about three pointers in layupship, the
tie out a lot of those against Texas last year
in the game in Austin, uh In, dealing with Alabama
and the long words obviously are going to be facing
some really talented guys. You talked about la Baron Filon
hope hopefully he's better. I mean, did the full body
cramping finally go away? I.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
You know, I think so. Uh.
Speaker 6 (10:20):
Frankly, when I got to the locker room area immediately
after the game to do the post game with Nate,
he was just you know, discussing that and we really
didn't get a chance to talk very much. And even
though we did his TV show today. You know, I
think everything's fine. It's not like it's a lingering, long
(10:40):
term deal. It's just, you know, it's something that he
you know, you're gonna do what you can to to
try to prevent it from happening again. Obviously, but it was.
It was definitely an impact last night, that's for sure.
Speaker 4 (10:54):
And and I guess they'll evaluate Aiden Cheryl cherrelle On
before the game.
Speaker 3 (10:59):
On Saturday, yeah, I think you know, he was.
Speaker 6 (11:03):
Dressed and they wanted to try and give it a
go for him. He went through lefts and he didn't
practice through the week, but he was going to try
to go during.
Speaker 5 (11:11):
Warm ups, but he just didn't feel right.
Speaker 6 (11:14):
And so you know, it's a long season and airing
on the side of caution and beauty, you want to
make sure he's he's really good to go and can
play at his level and the pace he needs to play,
and that Alabama needs him to play before he's back
out there. So hopefully that'll be the case on Saturday
(11:36):
night when you guys roll into town.
Speaker 4 (11:38):
Chris Stewart, Alabama played by play voice, joining us here
on thirteen hundred that all right, hey, listen you I
wasn't going to bring up Indiana.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
You brought up Indiana, but hey.
Speaker 3 (11:47):
No, he brought up the Indiana.
Speaker 5 (11:49):
I wasn't going to bring up Indiana either.
Speaker 3 (11:51):
He brought up Indiana, right my therapist. My therapist says,
I shouldn't talk about it, but for you.
Speaker 5 (11:57):
I will.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
Cleansing.
Speaker 4 (12:00):
So listen, the way that I look at that is
and I know it was a difficult loss, and we
laugh about this in re perspective looking back at this
season for the Tide, for the football program, getting not
only getting into the playoff, winning a road playoff game,
and then getting a chance to go to the Rose Bowl.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
I think I think those are important things.
Speaker 4 (12:25):
Despite and I know there was the great disappointment not
only in the loss, but in the way the loss,
I guess unfolded is the way that a lot of
hardcore fans look at things like that.
Speaker 5 (12:35):
I suppose I would agree.
Speaker 6 (12:37):
Look, the expectation, you know this because it's the same
and awsome. The expectation is to play for and win.
Speaker 5 (12:43):
The national championships. That is considered.
Speaker 6 (12:49):
You're not going to make everybody happy unless you do that.
In Peck I learned even during the historic run from
Nick Saban, you can't always even make people happy when
that's taking place. So you know, but it's got to
start with winning and winning the SEC and fell short
(13:13):
in that regard, and then to have it finished the way.
Speaker 5 (13:18):
It did was very disappointing.
Speaker 6 (13:20):
The reality is this scene was picked eighth in the
preseason nationally, finished in the top eight by making the
quarterfinal round, so it's where they were projected to finish.
If that's almost anywhere else, then you say, okay, yeah,
it was a successful year.
Speaker 5 (13:40):
I don't think it was an.
Speaker 6 (13:41):
Unsuccessful year, but it's hard to call a season at
Alabama truly a success unless you got confetti falling on
you at some point during the year, and we didn't
have that happen.
Speaker 5 (13:55):
So don't go back to work. I really I.
Speaker 6 (14:00):
Don't just like Dalen Devoor personally. I really believe in
him as a coach, and I think history is where
it's not just betting on upside, it's belief based on
what he's done throughout his career and a man that
knows how to win at multiple levels and is at
(14:21):
a place where historically we win as much as anyone.
I believe that that's going to work hand in hand.
It's not going to be overnight. It didn't happen overnight
with Nick Saban, but I do believe it's going to happen.
Patience is something that's needed but is never going to
be granted, and so you go and try to get
(14:43):
it done as quickly as possible, and hopefully the positives
that occurred this year will carry over into next season,
but with.
Speaker 5 (14:53):
The pieces added to the puzzle that'll.
Speaker 6 (14:55):
Put Alabama back in the national championship a year from now.
Speaker 4 (15:00):
Chris, were you surprised in any way to see Ty
Simpson say he's ready to try his hand at the NFL.
Speaker 6 (15:09):
I couldn't say I was surprised because I had been
told it was going to go. It was it could
go either way, so I really wasn't surprised.
Speaker 5 (15:18):
I'm glad to hear it because I think this.
Speaker 6 (15:22):
Is a really good window of time for him, especially
with the number of quarterbacks that are coming out.
Speaker 5 (15:32):
You know, next year, I think there will be more.
They'll be there.
Speaker 6 (15:36):
And you know how it is when you had a
good year, and he had a really good one. Most
of the time you're graded on a tougher curve and.
Speaker 5 (15:47):
The only when you're at the top they start trying
to touch you down.
Speaker 6 (15:51):
And I'm not saying he reached the pinnacle this year
by any stretch, but he had a really good year,
and I'm just I'm I'm happy for him that he's
getting this opportunity to make the call himself.
Speaker 3 (16:05):
I think he's going to have a chance to get.
Speaker 6 (16:07):
His name called pretty early among quarterbacks. I think he's
going to have a really nice professional career. But there
are two guys that were behind him at Alabama that
are ready for their term and ready to battle for
playing time. I don't know what that's going to look like,
but I know that in both Austin Mack, who transferred
(16:29):
to Alabama from Washington with Caitlin de Boor when he
got the job in Tuscaloosa, but also Kilan Russell, who
was the top rated.
Speaker 5 (16:37):
Quarterback a year ago, along with.
Speaker 6 (16:40):
One of the top rated it's not de top rated
running back in the nation, who's an Alabama kid coming
in for next year in the backfield. I'm excited to
see what that can look like. Offensively, not that I'm
ready for Tie to move on.
Speaker 5 (16:56):
But.
Speaker 6 (16:58):
It's a good thing when you got a run going
like Alabama has.
Speaker 3 (17:02):
And we can think about this now, we hadn't had.
Speaker 6 (17:03):
A quarterback taken high and really many quarterbacks. Trying to
make sure I get this one right. I think it
was between Richard Todd.
Speaker 5 (17:18):
And Jalen Hurts.
Speaker 6 (17:21):
Wow, before Alabama had a regular, everyday former quarterback for
the Tide starting in the NFL.
Speaker 3 (17:32):
Wow.
Speaker 6 (17:32):
And granted, we've got we've got a few right now.
But while there had been a couple of guys who
had starts here and there in terms of an everyday
clearly QB one for an NFL franchise. It was from Yeah,
it was from Richard Todd. He had the stretch of
(17:52):
namous Stabler Richard.
Speaker 5 (17:55):
Todd, and then we didn't have another one until ja
Un till Jalen Hurts.
Speaker 6 (18:02):
But now you've got another guy that I think is
going to go in and have a chance to be a.
Speaker 5 (18:09):
Fairly high draft pick.
Speaker 6 (18:10):
And then guys that are on campus now that are
going to be I think in a heck of a
battle this spring to see who comes out as the
number one guy.
Speaker 4 (18:18):
Hey, you can even throw Scott Hunter in there right
after after Stable.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
I guess since he started with Attackers a little bit.
Speaker 6 (18:26):
Let let me, let me gets has Scott already called you?
Speaker 3 (18:31):
Because I know Scott Hunter?
Speaker 5 (18:32):
Well, he probably Scott.
Speaker 6 (18:34):
I apologize, I apologize profusely.
Speaker 5 (18:41):
Yes, Scott was. Scott was a really good one.
Speaker 6 (18:43):
His his misfortune was that Alabama when he was when
he was quarterback at Alabama and then when he was
the starter for the Packers, they were not as good.
Speaker 5 (18:53):
As they had been before his arrival.
Speaker 6 (18:56):
So yeah, that's a good point.
Speaker 4 (19:00):
Well, the other the other thing I was going to ask,
and you started to hit on it. I called two
of Keeland Russell State championship games for television when he's
playing at Duncanville. So I know very well about his
his talent level as well. So I was going to
ask you, and you kind of answered a little bit
here on January eighth. Do you have a gut feeling
about where that's going to go? Or is this thing
going to go all the way to the wire in
(19:21):
terms of who's gonna, you know, wind up being the
quarterback next fall.
Speaker 6 (19:27):
You know, Austin was ahead of him just on the
depth chart this year, but when they when they did
get playing time, they pretty much split it.
Speaker 3 (19:38):
So that tells me that.
Speaker 6 (19:40):
It's very even you you've seen it, you know better
than I just how electric Keeland is. Let me tell you,
Austin is really really talented as well.
Speaker 3 (19:52):
Big kid, you know.
Speaker 5 (19:55):
Runs really effectively, but just.
Speaker 6 (20:00):
Really nice touch on the football, but also a really
strong arm. I think Alabama is in really good shape.
But here's the reason. And again this is in no
way an indictment at all of time, because he was terrific,
but I want to see in his offense in this
(20:22):
coming year, assuming it's one of those two guys that
we've talked about. It'll be the first time in three
years that Calen de Borr has had a kid that
he recruited, signed and has developed that will be at
the quarterback slot. Now, granted, he coached I Simpson the
(20:42):
last two years, and he wouldn't have been the starter
if he didn't believe in him, and we saw from
the results that he was worthy of that opportunity. But
I'm just talking about truly fitting the system at a
high level with some experience under both of their belts
in Tuscaloosa. I'm really looking forward to seeing either Austin
(21:05):
mack or Keel and Russell or the combination of the
two as we go into next year.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
Well, I'm looking forward to it.
Speaker 4 (21:11):
I'm looking forward to seeing you on Saturday if I'll
be there sooner than later, if I don't tarry too
long at Dreamland, but I'll try to go there for
early lunch.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
Anyway, good pack.
Speaker 6 (21:22):
Don't wear the white shirt. That's all I'm telling you.
Don't wear the white shirt. You're a rookie. If you do,
that's right.
Speaker 4 (21:29):
Hey, I appreciate it, Chris, thanks so much for the time.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
I look forward to seeing you there on Saturday.
Speaker 6 (21:36):
App having me and excited to have you coming to
tuest saloose about it.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
Thank you sir.
Speaker 4 (21:42):
All right, that's Chris take here, play by play voice
of the Alabama Crimson Tide. All right, we have more
coming up. Stay right here with us on Sports Radio
AM thirteen under the Zone, and where you always listen
to us for free on the iHeartRadio app.
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