October 15, 2025 • 12 mins
Kentucky play-by-play voice Tom Leach joins the show to share the latest from Lexington, where the Longhorns will play Saturday night.
They discuss the emergence of Cutter Boley at quarterback, Kentucky's defensive struggles, and what visiting Longhorn fans can expect from Big Blue this weekend!
They discuss the emergence of Cutter Boley at quarterback, Kentucky's defensive struggles, and what visiting Longhorn fans can expect from Big Blue this weekend!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Here on the yacht Rock Wednesday. The Longhorns are not
going to Mexico this week, and James Taylor might be
down there, but the long Worns aren't going there. No,
They'll be in Lexington, Kentucky going to the Bluegrass State,
headed for the Commonwealth to take on the Kentucky Wildcats.
Always great to visit with our good friend, Tom Lee's
play by play voice of the Kentucky Wildcats. I appreciate
(00:23):
you taking the time, Tom. And you didn't go to
Mexico in the open date week last week?
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Did you?
Speaker 3 (00:30):
I did not, But I could listen to James Taylor
all day me too. Well.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Coaches like to talk about and I know Coachtops was
asked about it in his press conference, about the value
of the open date and what gets done. And I
remember when Greg Davis was a longtime offensive coordinator un
her mac Brown at Texas. He used to say, there
is such a thing as a good bye week and
a bad bye week, or a good open date and
(00:59):
a bad depending on how the guys work and all
that sort of stuff. But it sounds like from what
Coachtops had to say that the guys really did put
their heads down and went back to work coming off
fighting Georgia pretty hard the prior week.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
It should be a good setup for Kentucky, but mainly
because they have a red shirt freshman quarterback who has
just made his first two starts against the SEC competition.
So the chance to do extra work with him and
get him more familiar with the receivers that he's working
(01:34):
with with the ones is a good thing.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Now.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Kentucky's record off by weeks in recent years has not
been good, but there was also a stretch where it.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
Was quite good.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
They won three out of four one four year stretch,
so it, you know, usually depends probably as much on
who you're playing and how you're playing as anything else.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Well, you brought up Cutter Bowling, and I wanting to
give you a chance to talk about him a little bit.
I mean, the guy who's behind him at Longbarn. Fans
are well accorainting with Zach cal Zada and they remember
him add incarnate word down in San Antonio. Then he
went to Auburn, then he was a Texas A and
m But Cutter Bowl he's the guy, yitn't he?
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Right now?
Speaker 1 (02:13):
And can you discuss, you know what a red shirt
freshman kind of has the ups and downs and that
sort of thing, But how about what he's gone through
as he continues to progress well.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
He had made his first start against Louisville in the
rivalry game at the end of last season, and Kentucky
had probably thrown into towels somewhat by that point. It
didn't go well for there were several turnovers. A similar
scenario in his first SEC road start down at South Carolina.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
They they're really sitting in a good spot first and ten.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
In South Carolina territory, up ten seven early in the
second quarter. Then they get a strip sack for a touchdown,
a pick six, and it all fell apart in the
span of two or three series for Kentucky. Now against Georgia,
they did some different things with a game plan, gave
him some different types.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Of throws, some shorter throws.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
Helping gets confidence early, and I thought he played much
much better and that was good to see coming off
what could have been a performance in South Carolina where
you might worry about the mental fragility of a young quarterback.
He bounced back and all the reports to us were
very positive in the lead up to Georgia that he
(03:27):
did not dwell on what happened at Columbia, and then
he went out and played maybe his best game given
the setting in the competition. So we will see if
he can build on that. I would tell you that
the last time in this stadium in Lexington where you
had a manning on one side and a quarterback from
(03:48):
Kentucky on the other side, it was Peyton and Tim
Couch and they threw for about a combine thousand yards
that day.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Tennessee won convincingly.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
So Kentucky fans would like to change that result, but
it was one heck of ah out that day.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Well, and I would imagine those long worn fans, the
ones who really follow everything very very closely, and that
sort of thing remember, and do happen to remember Bully
from last year. He went ten of eighteen for one
hundred and sixty yards. I know brought vandergriff was in
there as well, But so the the work that he
(04:24):
got in the limited amount of game action that he
had last year, I would imagine had to have helped
him a little bit prepare for this season.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
It does, and it also basically earned him to.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
Start against Louisville in the finale because Vandergriff was struggling
by that point, and so that was, you know, a
chance for Cutter to get his first chance to get
the keys to the car. Is that kind of skid
it off the road there that day. But he is
a you know, second year guy that seems to be
very poised, seems to be really laid back. Somebody to
(05:00):
mind on a text chain during the game, they call
him like a surfer dude. Uh So he's got just
a long kind of uh uh red hair and uh
lanky build and you know, speaks and carries himself a
lot of confidence. So, uh he's kind of got that
(05:21):
quarterback mojo.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
Well you kind of you know who you just described.
At least what flashed in my mind was Hunter Lawrence
the way the way he described it. A guy like
that who carries a little bit of swagger with him
in some confidence and and kind of like back in,
fun loving kind of guy.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
Yeah, And I think that's that's Cutter. But you saw
the Georgia game. There were a couple of instances. One
they had a fumble that they wasn't recognized as a
fumble instantly, and he was trying to get his guys
up to the line to get the ball snap before
they could stop the game for a review, and his
guys didn't respond, and he, you know, let them.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
Let them know he was not happy with that.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
And then there was a miscommunication on a play and
their two minute drive at the end of the first half,
and again he was kind of bargaining at his guys
a little bit. And it was not the kind of
situation where it looked like a young quarterback panicking. It
looked like a young quarterback kind of growing up a
little bit as a leader. So if that was the case,
then hopefully he can build on that.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Visiting with Tom Leachs played by play voice of the
Kentucky Wildcats here on thirteen hundred of the Zone, Tim,
I look around the offense and I see what I
see not only with Kentucky, but I see it with Texas.
I see it with a lot of teams across the country,
in the world in which we're living now, the portal existence,
the portal environment. And I see it with the running backs,
(06:39):
with Dante Daldell and Seth McGowan. I see also Gilmore
and Macklin and law as guys who all have started
at other places. And we see it all over college football.
How about what has coach Stops said about the challenge
and the opportunity.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
I guess that going into the portal and bringing.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
Guys into the system does to try to help, you know,
have a quick turn and get a team into contention.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
It's been kind of hitting this to be honest, that
they really focused on the portal to help their offensive line,
which really struggled last year. And they had an identity
when when Mark had his had it really going well here.
They their identity was the big blue wall for their
offensive line and they're trying to get back to that.
(07:31):
And so they had three portal starters in their old
line and they know John's not back to.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
The good old days, but better than last year so far.
And then the.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
Wide receiver they they brought some guys in this year
and last so far, Uh, nobody's really stepped up and
uh claimed the role of go to guy or big
play guy. The last or two weeks ago down to Georgia,
freshman got into the game in the fourth quarter and
he made three catches for like forty plus yards, one
(08:03):
on a fourth and ten, and he showed the most
spark of really any receiver they've had so far. Cam
Miller is his name, and so.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
I would imagine he'll get.
Speaker 3 (08:12):
A chance to see if he can build on that performance,
because the opportunity is there for somebody to step up
and be a playmaker. They have really struggled to come
up with explosive plays in the run game and particularly
in the past game, and that would make Cutter Bully's
life a lot easier. They could get a few bigger
chunks of the yard at at times, no doubt about it.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
And you mentioned also with the running back team, my
ole pal Ja bullwear forward Texas coach there handleson running
backs and specialties. What a great guy, yea, and really
trying to get guys, yes, and the specially and he
was always a special team you know, guru, a guy
who could do that as well. How about on the
(08:53):
defensive side and what the rest of the defense and
what Brad White's trying to get there in terms of
getting those guys to step up and make some big plays.
Speaker 3 (09:07):
Yeah, they haven't quite been to the level of what
we have come to expect from a Brad White defense
so far this year. A lot of issues with miss
tackles and giving up yards after the catch.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
So that's what I.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
Think the hope is with the open date, they could
have made some improvement there and cut down on some
of the big plays they're giving up. You go back
look at the Old Miss game, which was a tie
game in the fourth quarter. The big disparity there was
the big plays that the Rebels had and the big
plays Kentucky couldn't come up with, and that was a
(09:40):
defining characteristic of that Kentucky lost. So they've got to
find a way to get more of them on offense,
but maybe even more importantly, to limit them when the
other team has the ball. And you know, you would think,
giving Brad White's track record with his defenses here, that
they will figure it out out and get better.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
And uh Confeky.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
Fans obviously are hoping that happens Saturday night.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
Well tell folks a little bit since and I was
amazed to see this that it's the first time ever
the Long Orange will have played a football game, uh
there in Lexington, So I so I know there's there's
gonna be a lot of Texas fans there. We've heard
rumors of what they've done and in reserving spots at Keenland.
Tell folks a little bit about that whole dynamic in
(10:26):
the in a night game dynamic. Uh there at Crogerfield
and Lexington coming up Saturday.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
Yeah, it's it's been called the Bluegrass Doubleheader. Bluegrass I
think it's in the Bluegrass region and it's Keenland racing
and in the afternoon it's some of the best racing
in the world year in and year out. So on
a Saturday at Keenland, they'll have some really top notch
racing and then uh, people make their way over to
(10:52):
to tailgate and be there for the start of the
football game at night.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
And it's it's a tradition here.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
And you know sometimes games get scheduled in the afternoon
during October and it's always an issue for Kentucky fans
that want that opportunity to do both and maybe even
more shape for the opposing team. They want that Keeland experience.
I expect we'll see a lot of Texas fans. I'm
out actually out of Keeland now. They're racing today, and
I expect we'll see a lot of Longhorn fans here
(11:19):
on Friday. And so I think the trade Kentucky fans
would make is that the Longhorn fans can cash all
the long shots on Friday and then the Cats they
let the Cats cash one on Saturday night.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
There you go, hey, Tom, It's always great to visit
with you. Looking forward to senim basketball season. Longhorns obviously
will be up Atroupp Arena this coming season. Looking forward
to that because I know obviously there's great things expected
a big Blue on the basketball court this year as well.
So as always, I appreciate the time and look forward
to seeing you this weekend.
Speaker 3 (11:51):
Absolutely safe travels and we will see you in the
press spot that.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Is Tom Leaks play by play voice of the Kentucky Wildcats.
We'll hear some sound from Longhorn's head coach, Steve Sarcasian
coming up on thirteen hunder the Zone.
Here on the yacht Rock Wednesday. The Longhorns are not
going to Mexico this week, and James Taylor might be
down there, but the long Worns aren't going there. No,
They'll be in Lexington, Kentucky going to the Bluegrass State,
headed for the Commonwealth to take on the Kentucky Wildcats.
Always great to visit with our good friend, Tom Lee's
play by play voice of the Kentucky Wildcats. I appreciate
(00:23):
you taking the time, Tom. And you didn't go to
Mexico in the open date week last week?
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Did you?
Speaker 3 (00:30):
I did not, But I could listen to James Taylor
all day me too. Well.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Coaches like to talk about and I know Coachtops was
asked about it in his press conference, about the value
of the open date and what gets done. And I
remember when Greg Davis was a longtime offensive coordinator un
her mac Brown at Texas. He used to say, there
is such a thing as a good bye week and
a bad bye week, or a good open date and
(00:59):
a bad depending on how the guys work and all
that sort of stuff. But it sounds like from what
Coachtops had to say that the guys really did put
their heads down and went back to work coming off
fighting Georgia pretty hard the prior week.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
It should be a good setup for Kentucky, but mainly
because they have a red shirt freshman quarterback who has
just made his first two starts against the SEC competition.
So the chance to do extra work with him and
get him more familiar with the receivers that he's working
(01:34):
with with the ones is a good thing.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Now.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Kentucky's record off by weeks in recent years has not
been good, but there was also a stretch where it.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
Was quite good.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
They won three out of four one four year stretch,
so it, you know, usually depends probably as much on
who you're playing and how you're playing as anything else.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Well, you brought up Cutter Bowling, and I wanting to
give you a chance to talk about him a little bit.
I mean, the guy who's behind him at Longbarn. Fans
are well accorainting with Zach cal Zada and they remember
him add incarnate word down in San Antonio. Then he
went to Auburn, then he was a Texas A and
m But Cutter Bowl he's the guy, yitn't he?
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Right now?
Speaker 1 (02:13):
And can you discuss, you know what a red shirt
freshman kind of has the ups and downs and that
sort of thing, But how about what he's gone through
as he continues to progress well.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
He had made his first start against Louisville in the
rivalry game at the end of last season, and Kentucky
had probably thrown into towels somewhat by that point. It
didn't go well for there were several turnovers. A similar
scenario in his first SEC road start down at South Carolina.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
They they're really sitting in a good spot first and ten.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
In South Carolina territory, up ten seven early in the
second quarter. Then they get a strip sack for a touchdown,
a pick six, and it all fell apart in the
span of two or three series for Kentucky. Now against Georgia,
they did some different things with a game plan, gave
him some different types.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Of throws, some shorter throws.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
Helping gets confidence early, and I thought he played much
much better and that was good to see coming off
what could have been a performance in South Carolina where
you might worry about the mental fragility of a young quarterback.
He bounced back and all the reports to us were
very positive in the lead up to Georgia that he
(03:27):
did not dwell on what happened at Columbia, and then
he went out and played maybe his best game given
the setting in the competition. So we will see if
he can build on that. I would tell you that
the last time in this stadium in Lexington where you
had a manning on one side and a quarterback from
(03:48):
Kentucky on the other side, it was Peyton and Tim
Couch and they threw for about a combine thousand yards
that day.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Tennessee won convincingly.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
So Kentucky fans would like to change that result, but
it was one heck of ah out that day.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Well, and I would imagine those long worn fans, the
ones who really follow everything very very closely, and that
sort of thing remember, and do happen to remember Bully
from last year. He went ten of eighteen for one
hundred and sixty yards. I know brought vandergriff was in
there as well, But so the the work that he
(04:24):
got in the limited amount of game action that he
had last year, I would imagine had to have helped
him a little bit prepare for this season.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
It does, and it also basically earned him to.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
Start against Louisville in the finale because Vandergriff was struggling
by that point, and so that was, you know, a
chance for Cutter to get his first chance to get
the keys to the car. Is that kind of skid
it off the road there that day. But he is
a you know, second year guy that seems to be
very poised, seems to be really laid back. Somebody to
(05:00):
mind on a text chain during the game, they call
him like a surfer dude. Uh So he's got just
a long kind of uh uh red hair and uh
lanky build and you know, speaks and carries himself a
lot of confidence. So, uh he's kind of got that
(05:21):
quarterback mojo.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
Well you kind of you know who you just described.
At least what flashed in my mind was Hunter Lawrence
the way the way he described it. A guy like
that who carries a little bit of swagger with him
in some confidence and and kind of like back in,
fun loving kind of guy.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
Yeah, And I think that's that's Cutter. But you saw
the Georgia game. There were a couple of instances. One
they had a fumble that they wasn't recognized as a
fumble instantly, and he was trying to get his guys
up to the line to get the ball snap before
they could stop the game for a review, and his
guys didn't respond, and he, you know, let them.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
Let them know he was not happy with that.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
And then there was a miscommunication on a play and
their two minute drive at the end of the first half,
and again he was kind of bargaining at his guys
a little bit. And it was not the kind of
situation where it looked like a young quarterback panicking. It
looked like a young quarterback kind of growing up a
little bit as a leader. So if that was the case,
then hopefully he can build on that.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Visiting with Tom Leachs played by play voice of the
Kentucky Wildcats here on thirteen hundred of the Zone, Tim,
I look around the offense and I see what I
see not only with Kentucky, but I see it with Texas.
I see it with a lot of teams across the country,
in the world in which we're living now, the portal existence,
the portal environment. And I see it with the running backs,
(06:39):
with Dante Daldell and Seth McGowan. I see also Gilmore
and Macklin and law as guys who all have started
at other places. And we see it all over college football.
How about what has coach Stops said about the challenge
and the opportunity.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
I guess that going into the portal and bringing.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
Guys into the system does to try to help, you know,
have a quick turn and get a team into contention.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
It's been kind of hitting this to be honest, that
they really focused on the portal to help their offensive line,
which really struggled last year. And they had an identity
when when Mark had his had it really going well here.
They their identity was the big blue wall for their
offensive line and they're trying to get back to that.
(07:31):
And so they had three portal starters in their old
line and they know John's not back to.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
The good old days, but better than last year so far.
And then the.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
Wide receiver they they brought some guys in this year
and last so far, Uh, nobody's really stepped up and
uh claimed the role of go to guy or big
play guy. The last or two weeks ago down to Georgia,
freshman got into the game in the fourth quarter and
he made three catches for like forty plus yards, one
(08:03):
on a fourth and ten, and he showed the most
spark of really any receiver they've had so far. Cam
Miller is his name, and so.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
I would imagine he'll get.
Speaker 3 (08:12):
A chance to see if he can build on that performance,
because the opportunity is there for somebody to step up
and be a playmaker. They have really struggled to come
up with explosive plays in the run game and particularly
in the past game, and that would make Cutter Bully's
life a lot easier. They could get a few bigger
chunks of the yard at at times, no doubt about it.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
And you mentioned also with the running back team, my
ole pal Ja bullwear forward Texas coach there handleson running
backs and specialties. What a great guy, yea, and really
trying to get guys, yes, and the specially and he
was always a special team you know, guru, a guy
who could do that as well. How about on the
(08:53):
defensive side and what the rest of the defense and
what Brad White's trying to get there in terms of
getting those guys to step up and make some big plays.
Speaker 3 (09:07):
Yeah, they haven't quite been to the level of what
we have come to expect from a Brad White defense
so far this year. A lot of issues with miss
tackles and giving up yards after the catch.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
So that's what I.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
Think the hope is with the open date, they could
have made some improvement there and cut down on some
of the big plays they're giving up. You go back
look at the Old Miss game, which was a tie
game in the fourth quarter. The big disparity there was
the big plays that the Rebels had and the big
plays Kentucky couldn't come up with, and that was a
(09:40):
defining characteristic of that Kentucky lost. So they've got to
find a way to get more of them on offense,
but maybe even more importantly, to limit them when the
other team has the ball. And you know, you would think,
giving Brad White's track record with his defenses here, that
they will figure it out out and get better.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
And uh Confeky.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
Fans obviously are hoping that happens Saturday night.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
Well tell folks a little bit since and I was
amazed to see this that it's the first time ever
the Long Orange will have played a football game, uh
there in Lexington, So I so I know there's there's
gonna be a lot of Texas fans there. We've heard
rumors of what they've done and in reserving spots at Keenland.
Tell folks a little bit about that whole dynamic in
(10:26):
the in a night game dynamic. Uh there at Crogerfield
and Lexington coming up Saturday.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
Yeah, it's it's been called the Bluegrass Doubleheader. Bluegrass I
think it's in the Bluegrass region and it's Keenland racing
and in the afternoon it's some of the best racing
in the world year in and year out. So on
a Saturday at Keenland, they'll have some really top notch
racing and then uh, people make their way over to
(10:52):
to tailgate and be there for the start of the
football game at night.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
And it's it's a tradition here.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
And you know sometimes games get scheduled in the afternoon
during October and it's always an issue for Kentucky fans
that want that opportunity to do both and maybe even
more shape for the opposing team. They want that Keeland experience.
I expect we'll see a lot of Texas fans. I'm
out actually out of Keeland now. They're racing today, and
I expect we'll see a lot of Longhorn fans here
(11:19):
on Friday. And so I think the trade Kentucky fans
would make is that the Longhorn fans can cash all
the long shots on Friday and then the Cats they
let the Cats cash one on Saturday night.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
There you go, hey, Tom, It's always great to visit
with you. Looking forward to senim basketball season. Longhorns obviously
will be up Atroupp Arena this coming season. Looking forward
to that because I know obviously there's great things expected
a big Blue on the basketball court this year as well.
So as always, I appreciate the time and look forward
to seeing you this weekend.
Speaker 3 (11:51):
Absolutely safe travels and we will see you in the
press spot that.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Is Tom Leaks play by play voice of the Kentucky Wildcats.
We'll hear some sound from Longhorn's head coach, Steve Sarcasian
coming up on thirteen hunder the Zone.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist
It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com