Will Muschamp RETURNS, PK Fired, CFP Preview, HSFB Check-in

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
From Sports Radio AM thirteen hundred to zone here in Austin.
We welcome you into another edition of the Craig Way Show.
My name is Jay Herman, filling in for Craig here
on this Thursday afternoon.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
We've got a busy slate for you.

Speaker 1 (00:12):
Lots of college football playoff talk coming your way, including
a preview of all four first round matchups. We've also
got some Texas High school football state championship matchups to discuss,
some NFL news, some of the latest Longhorns entering the
transfer portal. A very busy show coming your way here today.

Speaker 2 (00:35):
Here's what's on tap for you.

Speaker 1 (00:36):
In a few minutes, We're going to catch up with
the voice of the Texas Longhorns, the Texas High School
Hall of Fame broadcaster Craig Way, from Arlington, where he
just finished the call of the two A Division two
state championship game between the Munster Hornets and the Shiner

(00:58):
command Chees, and that game won by the Hornet's final
score of twenty eight to nothing. Crowding the fourth of
twelve state champions this week at AT and T Stadium,
the home of the Dallas Cowboys.

Speaker 2 (01:12):
Last night, Hamilton won.

Speaker 1 (01:14):
Its first state championship over one hundred and eleven year weight.
Some of the scenes out of there so so amazing
to see, you know, as somebody who you know obviously
went to school at Texas but grew up in Maryland,
which let's just say, that's not the same type of
football state as the way you all do it down here.
Those stories of that community filling up at and T Stadium,

(01:38):
celebrating in the streets, it just warms the heart to
see there was some history made in six man one
A Division two Jayton racking up another state championship game,
their thirtieth consecutive victory, taking down Richland Springs ninety nine
to fifty four yesterday. That was the reason we couldn't
catch up with Craig on the program, because that features

(02:00):
so much offense that it dragged on a little longer
than we originally thought. You could maybe say the same
thing about the Gordon Longhorns, who did end up invoking
the mercy rules sixty nine to twenty two in the
third quarter of their matchup with the rank in Red Devils.
But Gordon, that has just become par for the course
for one of the greater dynasties in the history of

(02:23):
six man football in the state of Texas. We're going
to talk to Craig about all of that coming up
in just a few minutes. A few other great guests
for you on today's program. Cameron Parker, our assistant program director,
the former producer of the show, now the host of
Longhorns Game Day, which comes on before each Longhorn football

(02:45):
game and will come your way again three hours before
the Citrus Bowl, which will be on December thirty, first
two pm kickoff.

Speaker 2 (02:52):
Long Horns Game Day comes.

Speaker 1 (02:54):
Your way, I believe at eleven am or thereabouts. A
well more information on that as it gets a little
bit closer, but he'll be on the show to talk
Texas Longhorns and the transfer portal. And as always, when
Cameron joins us, we have to give him a hard
time about his favorite team, the Dallas Cowboys.

Speaker 2 (03:11):
We'll get to some of the latest.

Speaker 1 (03:13):
Coaching personnel switch ups going on in the Dallas Cowboys
universe at the moment, of course, right now, they're stadium
home to the high school football state championship games. We're
also going to talk to one of my favorite SEC personalities.
That's Chris Marler, SEC writer podcaster based out of Baton Rouge.

(03:35):
We'll get his thoughts on the wild Lane Kiffin saga,
which I would say the dust is settling on, but
we both know that's not true. It's never true when
it comes to Lane Kiffin, but they're searching for a
quarterback in Baton Rouge. We'll get his thoughts on the
college football playoff matchups, maybe talk about which teams are
under pressure, get an outside perspective on this Texas Longhorn

(03:59):
season from outside the SEC. You know, Texas will be
in Baton Rouge in November, so we'll talk a little
bit about those topics with him, and then later on
my good friend Adam Ogburn, the sports director at kten
up in Tennis and Texas, he'll have some thoughts on
the state championship game coming up tonight between Newton and Wall.

(04:24):
That is the three A Division two state championship that's
at seven o'clock, following Grand View and Yokam the three
A D one Championship game which is at three and
Adam covers Gunter and that was a team going for
four straight titles and Wall, who was fifteen to oh

(04:45):
this year, finally took them down to a semi final
rematch in Stevenville last week, so we'll talk to Adam
a little bit about that to get you ready for
that state championship game tonight. He also covers the Oklahoma Sooners,
so we'll see what type of the game he anticipates
in Norman on Friday night, when the twenty twenty five
I guess they call it twenty twenty six college football

(05:07):
playoff kicks off at the home of Texas's perhaps biggest rival.
We'll also talk to him about the Long Worn's other
big rival, Texas A and M. They're hosting Miami on
Saturday morning eleven am kick there same time as the
five A D two championship game between South theak Cliffe

(05:28):
and Richmond Randall. That's going to call for some split
screen in the Herman Apartment home, but we'll talk to
him a little bit about that and cover some other topics.
Throughout the program. We will have a preview of Thursday
night football, perhaps a Game of the Year candidate in
the NFL between the Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks.

(05:50):
Could some weather play a factor. What's Pooka Nakua bid
up to. He's in the news for some of the
wrong reasons coming up to this game. Later on this hour,
we will have inconceivable with a sporting tie in that
some of you might not expect just yet, So we'll
get to those topics a little later on this hour.

(06:13):
Texas women's basketball won another ballgame last night, ninety six
to thirty eight. They beat the demons of Northwestern State.
Been a great week for Vic Schaefer's team. We'll hear
a few of his thoughts after that victory. Just running
down a couple of the stat leaders. Real fast. Madison
Booker twenty eight points to lead the way for Texas,

(06:35):
Jordan Lee with fifteen she continues her excellent effort kind
of becoming that third score, and Kylo Oldacre another double
double twelve points, twelve rebounds. We'll see what Vic Shafer
liked and Larry still thinks his team can continue to
grow as they have a road game in Brooking, South
Dakota against the jack Rabbits of South Dakota State, returning

(06:57):
the back end of a home and home there with
South the CODA State, perennial mid major power in women's
college basketball. That game is on Sunday, a one pm
tip coverage at twelve forty five right here on AM
thirteen hundred the Zone.

Speaker 2 (07:10):
As always, the text line.

Speaker 1 (07:12):
Is available if you want to get your questions and
comments heard on the show today. All you have to
do is text the word Texas follow by your message
to eight one five three zero. You can also leave
us a voice message on the iHeartRadio app. Just search
AM thirteen hundred the Zone, tap the red microphone and

(07:33):
we can play your talkback message of up to thirty
seconds on the program today. That's also the way we
conduct our contests here on the Zone. And a couple
of you one pairs of tickets to that women's basketball
game last night. Well, here are a couple more soundbites
from Sean Miller later in the show as well, after
the Texas men beat Lemoyne on Tuesday night. But up next,

(07:55):
we'll talk to Craig Way from Arlington. He is off
the air and ready to debrief on the three state
championship games out of seven he has already called. This
is Sports Radio AM thirteen hundred Zone and the free
iHeartRadio app, Craig, Before we get into some of the
some of the crazy games that you've already called this year,

(08:17):
I just wanted to step back and ask why this
is such a special time of the year for you,
and you know what makes you look forward to two
weeks like this.

Speaker 3 (08:26):
Well, I will tell you, Jake, it is a special
time of year for any number of reasons, obviously in
the holiday season and things of that nature. And it's
a guy who's had four kids and now with four grandkids.
That always means a lot. Family always means a lot.
But I mean, going back to my days, even in
college at North Texas in the mid eighties, this was

(08:47):
always a special time.

Speaker 4 (08:48):
Of year for high school football in Texas.

Speaker 3 (08:51):
And my story is well enough known that, of course,
being from North Carolina. But I got out of here
in Christmas is seventy eight, and I saw Texas high
school football game in nineteen eighty while in college, and
I was stringing for a newspaper, and my eyes just
popped wide open when I saw the side of the
crowds and the teams and the bands and the cheerleaders

(09:14):
and the real teams and all of that sort of
stuff that I fell in love with the game.

Speaker 4 (09:17):
At that point.

Speaker 3 (09:17):
I began to realize over time that it was about
more than just the football game itself. It was town, team, community,
all of those kinds of things, and it drew me
to it to the point where I wanted to be
a part of it, and really kind of threw myself
into it, first through a statewide radio scoreboard show and
then a television show for over twenty five years, and
then have the opportunity to come here and call state championships.

Speaker 4 (09:41):
The one I just finished a.

Speaker 3 (09:43):
Few moments ago, the two A Division two state champion
was my one hundred and sixtieth state title game in
football to call, and it's the number is approaching three
hundred on the all sports all the way around, and
it's just it's a special time.

Speaker 4 (09:58):
And then to.

Speaker 3 (09:58):
See the teams, these communities, small communities, and you'll wind
up with seven eight nine thousand fans just for the
early rounds, and we're gonna be in the tens of
thousands in the state championship here at Jerry World in Arlington.

Speaker 4 (10:12):
Throughout the course of the rest of the week. That
carries a lot.

Speaker 1 (10:15):
Of meaning for me, no doubt, and we could certainly
hear that come across on the call. Now I got
to ask, where are you right now? Those of you
watching on YouTube and X can see a bunch of
air conditioning ducks and maybe is that some concessions behind you?

Speaker 5 (10:30):
It is?

Speaker 3 (10:31):
This is I'm just outside the press box on what
is I think the Hall of Fame level. Let's see
if I can turn the camera around, you can kind
of see out there the field out there in the distance.
It's just right near our broadcast the season, and we
had an unusual broadcast position this year. We have this

(10:53):
every now and then come up normally. Normally we broadcast
the state championship games. And this is the first year
on Victory Plus, the sports app. But for years it
was Fox Sports Southwest, and then it was known as
Valley Sports Southwest and then Fan Duel, and then they
wanted to get out of the high school football business,
which really to me made no sense.

Speaker 4 (11:14):
It had great ratings and it was their only real
money maker.

Speaker 3 (11:16):
They were also tens of millions of dollars in depth
and had to declare bankruptcy because of what they owed
the Texas Rangers, the Dallas Mavericks, the Dallas Stars. So
Victory Plus which came up and televises all the Dallas
Stars games and they make it free to people on
the app and that sort of thing. Jumped in because

(11:37):
a lot of their leadership was the leadership back at
he owned Fox Sports Southwest Days, and they understand what
this week is all about. So they went and they
locked in and secured the rights. We did a high
school Game of the Week, which I did most of
them this year when they didn't involve Texas travel for
a long run weekend football game.

Speaker 4 (11:54):
So you did that as a run up to this.

Speaker 3 (11:56):
Big week where it's twelve state championship games over four
days Wednesday, Thursday, Friday Saturday.

Speaker 4 (12:02):
Now, what I started to.

Speaker 3 (12:03):
Mention was most of the time when we've come here
in the past, we're able to use the Network TV
booth and it's an incredible boot jake.

Speaker 4 (12:13):
As a broadcaster, you would love it.

Speaker 3 (12:14):
I mean you could bury bodies in it's it's gigantic.

Speaker 2 (12:17):
That's why I would love it.

Speaker 3 (12:19):
Yeah, no, no, you would love it because it has
its own bathroom and it's right on the fifty with
a great view of the field. However, on a week
when the state championship games are going on, if the
Dallas Cowboys have a home game that weekend, then Fox
or NBC wherever's televising the game secures the booth midweek,

(12:44):
so there's no opportunity for any other entity to use
the Network TV booth, and for a couple of times
they even for the television call, we were way upstairs
where the radio boots are. But starting about five or
six years ago, they secure an area adjacent to the
Network TV booth and they use the old pipe and

(13:06):
drap thing that rope off an area for us, and
it still gives us the great sidelines for it.

Speaker 4 (13:11):
So that's where I am.

Speaker 3 (13:11):
I'm right near where the broadcast position is as they
get ready for the three A Division one game between
Yoakum and Grandview. Now our friend Ted Emick will be
calling that one. I just finished with the two A
Division two, and tonight I'll work the three A Division
two game between Wall and New But we're in a
good spot here to.

Speaker 4 (13:29):
Watch the GAMESTWN.

Speaker 3 (13:30):
Where I am right now is in the is kind
of in the club area. So since I knew I
was going to be on, I just secured a corner
of this where I could set this up and pop
in and pop on the stream yard to join you
for this second.

Speaker 2 (13:44):
I like it Craig's Corner working backwards.

Speaker 1 (13:47):
Munster beat Shiner back to back years now in two
A Division two, of course, not the same type of
barn burner as it was a year ago.

Speaker 2 (13:56):
A pretty complete performance from the Hornets today.

Speaker 3 (13:59):
Yeah, they You know, the one thing about lower classification
football for folks who don't understand or don't know, you
have so many kids who play both ways, on offense
and on defense, and really a lot of times what
it comes down to is the depth of your team,
how many kids that don't have to play both ways,

(14:19):
or that you do have help behind them to spell
them when.

Speaker 4 (14:23):
They do play two ways.

Speaker 3 (14:25):
Munster's one of those teams they've had the depth, Shiner
has been the past couple of years as well, and
both are moving up in classification to two A Division
one next year. But football could still be contenders off
of that, and Shiner had given Munster quite about last year.

Speaker 4 (14:41):
But Munsters just too tough this afternoon.

Speaker 3 (14:44):
And I always say it's kind of like the triple Crown,
some might call it the Holy Trinity of Texas high
school football. When you can have the head coach Brady Carney,
the starting quarterback be his son Cason Carney, and the
head cheerleader Addy Carney be his daughter. It's kind of
the central nervous system of the success of high school
football in Texas, and that Carney family gets to celebrate

(15:07):
as well as the folks on the western side of
Cook County up near the Texas Oklahoma state line near.

Speaker 4 (15:14):
The Red River.

Speaker 1 (15:14):
Is there a broadcasting equivalent coming up with that soon?
I know Andy spots for you sometimes your son.

Speaker 3 (15:22):
Yeah, I mean he's going. He's the spotter, not only
for me. He is the spot for all twelve state
championship games, starting yesterday morning with the first of the
two six man games. We had the two six ban games,
and then even though I wasn't working the two A
Division one game last night, Andy was spotting, and even
though I'm not working the three A Division one game,

(15:43):
and he'll spot that, and then tomorrow he'll spot the
first two games that I'm not doing. But then he'll
spot the Friday night five A Division one game that
I'm doing, and then he'll spot the five A Division
two game on Saturday and eleven, and then the last
two games, which I'll call, will be the six A games.

Speaker 4 (15:58):
Division one and Division two. It was popular so they
keeped him busy too.

Speaker 1 (16:02):
Yeah, how about that. I was kind of going for
that triple crown thing. Maybe maybe the grandchildren are involved
one day, you never know. How about the night cap.
You didn't call it last night, but the Hamilton Bulldogs
had to wait one hundred and eleven years they take
down Joaquin twenty one to seven. How about the scenes
out of Hamilton and just how special that title was
to that community.

Speaker 3 (16:21):
Absolutely, And first of all, it was a great ride
for both schools. Neither had been to the state championship
round before. Joaquin had some very lean i'll even say
decades as well as years, and they finished in fourth
place in their district last year and they were able
to go all the way to the final four. They
went one week better this time around, finishing as a

(16:42):
third place finisher in their district. For those folks to
say that was too many teams in the playoffs, No,
sometimes you're just in a really difficult district and then
once you get beyond that, you can really do some things.
And so, you know, I think that was the case
with Joaquin and then for Hamilton. If you've ever been
in that town, great little town. On two to eighty
one between Lam passas and mineral wells and great little

(17:05):
downtown and courthouse. I'm sure it'll be in a huge celebration.

Speaker 4 (17:10):
Like you said, one.

Speaker 3 (17:11):
Hundred and eleven years of football and they finally get
their first state championship.

Speaker 1 (17:15):
And then you mentioned, so that was this morning was
game one hundred and sixty. Yesterday afternoon would have been
game one hundred and fifty nine. I bet you didn't
expect one hundred and fifty three total points between Jayde
and Richland Springs. How about the record breaking performance from
body Ham. You heard the highlight from that coming in
from the break with the OJ's underneath. I mean, describe
what that game was like to call, and let's.

Speaker 3 (17:40):
I mean from a six man perspective. We're not used
to and I've been calling six man football games for
a long long time, going back to the nineties as well,
so I'm used to it.

Speaker 4 (17:49):
But most six man games are not built like that.

Speaker 3 (17:51):
Most six man games you either have one team that's
really lotsidedly better than the other, and that was the
case in the first game with Gordon making the three
p and of course because of the forty five point
mercy rule, they had that game over by early third
quarter when they won that contest sixty nine to twenty two.
And then in the second game, Jaydon was coming off

(18:12):
winning it last year in mercy rule fashion. I think
everybody thought they could do that, and they kept getting
these leads, but Richland Springs kept fighting back to extend
the game.

Speaker 4 (18:21):
They get a touchdown and then they give up a
tounch time that they extend the game.

Speaker 3 (18:24):
Richland Springs, by the way, has won more state championships
at the six man level than any school in Texas.
They won nine coming in, but Jaydon was the back
to back state titles.

Speaker 4 (18:34):
It was a long game. It took over three hours.

Speaker 3 (18:36):
Normally most six man games don't last longer than two hours.
They played ten minute quarters and the game usually moves
pretty quickly.

Speaker 4 (18:45):
The one yesterday was America.

Speaker 3 (18:47):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (18:47):
I was waiting to pick up the phone and get
you on the show. But Richland Springs had just enough
answers right to prevent the mercy rule from coming into
effect until much later in the I think he's down
to the final minute, right.

Speaker 3 (19:00):
Yeah, and yeah, it was fifty seven seconds eleven and
as you point out, and it was body Ham's tenth
rushing touchdown of the game that ended it. That's an
all time not just six man UIL record, ten rushing
touchdowns in one game. He also threw three touchdown passes.
Now the quarterback, he's a running gap and they toss
it to him. What's known in six man football is

(19:22):
the clean exchange. The guy who fields the center staff
is not allowed to run across the line of scrimmage.
He has to give it up, either flip it out
or throw it. And so they would they Shawn Stanalan,
the quarterback, would take the staff and flip it the
ham and then he could take.

Speaker 4 (19:36):
Off running, which he did.

Speaker 3 (19:37):
He also threw three touchdown passes out of that formation.
There's an incredible effort by body Ham. Thirteen touchdowns accounted
for in one game, ten rushing an all time state record.
He rushed for over four hundred yards I think his
third all time rushing yardage performance in that game. So
those are kinds of things that you'll see in six

(19:59):
man football that you won't see an eleven man ball.
Like ninety nine points being put on the board yesterday by.

Speaker 1 (20:05):
Jay and you know, you go from that to the
first shutout in a two way championship game since two
thousand and seven with Munster and Shiner, you just never
know what you're going to see in these types of games.

Speaker 3 (20:17):
Well, and if anybody had said going into the game,
one of these teams is going to pitch a shutout,
the vast majority of people would have fought Shiner would
have been the one because they had really stout defense,
but Munster just kind of grounded it out on it.

Speaker 4 (20:30):
They hit some key passes on that and it was
Munster defense.

Speaker 3 (20:33):
And Munster beat a really good team in the semifinals
and Groover from way up in the Panhandle, they beat
him by three points, twenty one to eighteen.

Speaker 4 (20:41):
That was a defensive struggle in that game.

Speaker 3 (20:43):
Today, with Cason Carney back in the state title round,
he was offensive MVP a year ago when they won.
He directs the traffic and was able to find Garrett
Hesson's receiver for three passing touchdowns.

Speaker 4 (20:55):
On the fourth was a Carneie run for a score.

Speaker 3 (20:58):
So he accounted for about two hundred and seventy yards
of total offense and that's why he was the offense
at MVP.

Speaker 2 (21:05):
You touched on it briefly.

Speaker 1 (21:06):
The Gordon Longhorns, they complete their three p They had
forty points in the first thirteen minutes of this ball game.

Speaker 2 (21:12):
It's easy to forget, right, Craig.

Speaker 1 (21:14):
The adversity that Gordon overcame with the tornado that destroyed
their stadium earlier in the year.

Speaker 3 (21:19):
Yeah, back in May, they got to play one home
game and it was the final game of the regular
season whenever Gorman. But it was back in May that
the tornado came through and just.

Speaker 4 (21:29):
Basically wiped out most of the town.

Speaker 3 (21:32):
The structures gone, the high school gone, the stadium gone,
and they've been rebuilding it to.

Speaker 4 (21:38):
Try to do it.

Speaker 3 (21:38):
Meanwhile, this football team just continued to wipe out the opposition.
You know, this is one of the unusual stories of
the year, is that Gordon had lost out on being
able to schedule a couple of teams in six man.
Nobody really wanted to play the way they were romowing
them down. This is the team that went down to Thorndale,
which is, you know, about forty miles east of Austin,

(22:00):
played at Thorndale an eleven man game. A six man
team that went played an eleven man game and they
won by thirty one points or twenty nine points. I
think it was and they didn't. That was the only
game they did. Mercy role and every other six man
opponent they had to in vote. The forty five point
mercy rule is an incredible story. The two reds ry

(22:21):
Reid there and Striker read both of college offers from
the Service academies, and I think even North Texas has
offered one to ry Reid as well.

Speaker 4 (22:33):
So I had somebody asked me yesterday.

Speaker 3 (22:35):
How unusual is it for six man players to get
college scholarship offers, And the answer is it's becoming less
and less unusual because of the level of football that's
played in this state, even at the six man level.
Is a major reason why you're seeing more and more
players get an opportunity even though they played six.

Speaker 4 (22:57):
Man ball in high school, to play eleven man ball.

Speaker 2 (23:00):
At the next level. Yeah, yesterday a great showcase, no
doubt for that.

Speaker 1 (23:03):
Okay, tonight you've got the game between Wall and Newton.
Wall just took down the three time defending champions from
Guns or they're going up against what might be another
equally big buzz saw in Newton and their freshman Isaiah
foster Well.

Speaker 3 (23:20):
And it's a couple of different ways of looking at
this because Wall is.

Speaker 4 (23:26):
A big team.

Speaker 3 (23:27):
They're from West Texas out by the Concho Valley near
San Angelo, and they do like to throw the ball,
but they can run you over Newton unbelievably fast. And
you talked about Isaiah Foster and the quarterback. There's a
freshman and they kind of discovered him and put him
into that incredibly fast and put a lot of points
on the board. And Newton also has a state championship pedigree.

(23:47):
They have multiple state titles. They haven't won one in
seven years, but they have that. Wall has never won
a title. They're seeking the first, but they were able
to get past Gunner, as you mentioned, so I'm expecting.

Speaker 4 (23:57):
A good one with that.

Speaker 1 (23:58):
This question is in honor of Greg Tepper, who called
the game with you earlier today. Normally you two do
the meanest thing to one another, choosing one game if
you had to teleport, of all the games you've got
left on your slate, which one has the biggest popcorn
factor the one you might be the most excited for.

Speaker 4 (24:16):
I think it's one of two.

Speaker 3 (24:17):
It's either the one tonight wal Newton or the final
game of the entire state championship run.

Speaker 4 (24:24):
That'll be Saturday night at seven o'clock in Deesota.

Speaker 3 (24:27):
Called the game last week where they knocked off top
ranks South Lake Carrol and they're playing ce King of
Houston in their first ever state championship game. King explosive offense.
Desta has Sarad Foster, who's been battling a flute bug,
but he has averaged over three hundred yards rushing per
game in the five playoff games. He's been an amazing

(24:49):
weapon for De Soto. So we'll see if it turns out.
But they're almost mirror images of one another, Jake, so
I think that'll be explosive, a lot of fun, and
I would be remiss.

Speaker 4 (25:00):
So they didn't mention Duncan Villa and Galena.

Speaker 3 (25:02):
Park north Shore, if only because it's the sixth time
in nine years that these two teams have clashed from
the state tyner. You may remember, and I don't know
if you were in school at the time or beforehand,
back in twenty eighteen when north Shore won on a
hail Mary, and it was like the number one highlight

(25:22):
on Sports Center and all that other kind of stuff.
And they played three straight years, north Shore won all
three and then when they played a four.

Speaker 4 (25:29):
Time duncanvill won and Nuncanville's won the last two.

Speaker 3 (25:32):
So this is part six between duncan Villa North Shore
and that Saturday afternoon at three o'clock, So we're due
for a good one there as well.

Speaker 1 (25:40):
It's like you and Teper said, you almost need a
Roman numeral. I want to get your reaction to something
before you go back to work, and that is that
North Crowley head coach Ray Gates just took a position
on Neil Brown's North Texas staff. This is big news
in the Texas high school football world. What do you
think drew Neil Brown to this higher and obviously as
a as a North Texas alum, what makes it exciting?

Speaker 3 (26:02):
Well, first of all, Neil Brown is a now standing
offensive mind and so it's kind of following with what's
happened with what Eric Morris was doing there. So I
think that's a great hire for them. As a head coach,
Ray Gates did a great job at North Crowley. They
won the excuse me won the state title a year
ago in six A Division one to beat.

Speaker 4 (26:21):
Westlake in the championship round.

Speaker 3 (26:24):
He's well connected with a lot of the high school
coaches in this state, so that helps in terms of recruiting,
but I think it helps North Texas as well. I
think it's a great hire for Neil Brown, and I
think Neil Brown is a really good higher for North Texas.

Speaker 1 (26:36):
Craig, You're gonna miss your rams tonight, Orange j It's
the biggest game, perhaps of the NFL season, playing in Seattle.
You hinted at picking the Seahawks on the show the
other day.

Speaker 2 (26:45):
Are you sticking by that, Dude?

Speaker 4 (26:48):
We're talking on an iPad. You think I won't have
that on right?

Speaker 5 (26:52):
Besides it, if I'm.

Speaker 3 (26:53):
Calling championship game, I'm gonna be keeping up with it.
I do think the Seahawks have the edge of especially
because Devonte Adams hurting the ham string.

Speaker 4 (27:03):
I don't know that. I haven't seen that.

Speaker 3 (27:04):
He's been ruled definitely out, but I can't imagine he
could come back so quickly after injuring the hamstring in
the winter of the Lions last Sunday. It's just going
to be so tough to win up there in Seattle.
I will say this, and I said it the other day.
Whoever wins this game not only is going to win
the nfcqest, they're going to be the one seat. So
there's a lot on the line for both of these teams.

Speaker 2 (27:23):
Tonight.

Speaker 1 (27:23):
Well, the weather will be a factor there, but not
in the cozy confines of AT and T Stadium in Arlington.
You can tune into Craig's call of the three A
Division two state championship at seven o'clock tonight on Victory Plus.

Speaker 3 (27:36):
You know, Jake, when I'm not on camera, the jacket
is off.

Speaker 4 (27:40):
It's warm in here, so you know it's Jerry doesn't
turn on the AC you know for this going on here.

Speaker 3 (27:47):
So we are in mid December, as we know, but
it gets a little warm in here and it'll be
that way, I think even to night and certainly.

Speaker 1 (27:55):
Tomorrow you don't have the afternoon game. But does the
sun coming in through those glass windows really rattle some
of the high school quarterbacks?

Speaker 3 (28:02):
Well, I haven't seen it really negatively affect them, but
it's been here in past years. I saw Wimberley here
in a state championship and called a game with Wimberley.

Speaker 4 (28:12):
Against Carthage Eddy.

Speaker 3 (28:13):
Now Carthage steam rolled them because Carthage is Carthage there.
They won ten state titles in one of the most
decorated programs in the state. That was an afternoon game,
but the sun wasn't really a factor off of all
of that, but it could be a factor this afternoon.

Speaker 4 (28:28):
We'll see how it plays into it.

Speaker 1 (28:30):
Yeah, we'll keep listeners posted on that game going on
starting about twenty five minutes from now between Grand View
and Yoakum in three A Division one. Craig, go go
get some hot tea, do whatever you need for your
voice to get back on the call later tonight.

Speaker 2 (28:43):
Thanks for stopping by Bro's.

Speaker 3 (28:45):
Okay, we'll see how it holds up the rest of
the way, but thanks, and we'll get ready for game
two later on tonight.

Speaker 1 (28:51):
Thanks, Jake, sounds great, and we'll get ready for Inconceivable
up next here on Sports Radio AM thirteen hundred Zone
and the iHeartRadio app.

Speaker 2 (28:58):
To see a different map may change.

Speaker 5 (29:04):
Placed.

Speaker 1 (29:07):
Okay, folks, I know what you're thinking. That's not the
Inconceivable music, is it. We were gonna come back with
our regular segment Inconceivable, highlighting the the strange, the uh
kind of odd stories around the world of sports and
fast food and junk food and otherwise.

Speaker 2 (29:23):
But uh, yeah, that's not happening.

Speaker 1 (29:26):
Here's why a breaking news story out of Austin just
a couple of moments ago during our conversation with Craig
and that pertains to the Texas football staff. Steve Sarkisian
announcing today that defensive quarter Pete Kwakowski, who just completed
his fifth season at Texas, as well as the passing

(29:47):
game coordinator Duwayne A. Kina, who was the longtime DB's
coach just returned to Austin this year, will not be
retained and the replacement higher has already been chosen. Texas
has brought in Will must Champ to assume the role
of defensive coordinator.

Speaker 2 (30:04):
Must Champ, of course, was a.

Speaker 1 (30:08):
Huge role in the defense during the two thousand and
eight to ten run, helping Texas win its well appear
in the BCS National Championship in two thousand and nine,
pulling out the press release as we speak, he obviously
directed some of the top defenses in Texas Longhorn's history,

(30:28):
including the two thousand and eight team which was number
three in the country, and then that two thousand and
nine team which lost to Alabama in the BCS Championship
at the Rose Bowl. Steve Sarkishian said, we appreciate all
the Pete Kwakowski has done for the program and his
five years coordinating our defense, and are grateful for Duenna
Keena's efforts in returning to the program this past year.

(30:49):
They're both tremendous coaches and people that worked extremely hard
for Texas football and the players they coached. We have
had a great deal of success and are thankful for
the roles they played in that and wish them the best.
But at this time, it was best for our program
to move in a different direction and having the opportunity
to hire Will must Champ provides us the leadership to
take our defense to another level. Will is a guy
I've known for a long long time, always admired, and

(31:11):
this is as good of a defensive mind as coach
as I've ever coached against.

Speaker 2 (31:15):
His defense as are relentless.

Speaker 1 (31:16):
He gets the best out of his staff in players
and is an extremely well respected coach, and Sark goes
on to talk about his respected admiration for Will Muschamp,
who will return to Austin for.

Speaker 2 (31:32):
The first time since twenty ten.

Speaker 1 (31:33):
Remember he left in twenty eleven to become the head
coach of the Florida Gators. One year stop in Auburn
and then of course four years as the head coach
at South Carolina from twenty sixteen to twenty twenty, affectionately
known as Coach Boom. From there, he was on Kirby
Smart staff as an analyst and a special teams coordinator

(31:55):
at Georgia at twenty twenty one title team, was their
co DC in twenty twenty two and twenty three, and
then obviously Glenn Schumann taking the reins of that defense.
Will must Champ has just been an analyst there during
the twenty twenty four season, but now Will must Champ

(32:15):
returning to Austin. We're going to discuss this news with
Cameron Parker as well as our other guests. Coming up,
we'll talk to Chris Marler at three thirty, host of
the Lockdown South Carolina podcast, and he certainly will have
some thoughts on Will muss champs experience. As for the
Longhorn defense this year, it didn't quite play to the
level of the twenty twenty three and twenty four teams

(32:37):
right last year, particularly in the passing game, and Duayna Kina,
obviously working with those defensive backs, was let go along
with Pete Kwitkowski this afternoon. Just a few moments ago,
the Longhorns this year were outside the top one hundred
in terms of passing yards per game allowed. They would struggle,
particularly late in games to defend the pass and that

(33:03):
was a stat that they were very, very good at
in twenty twenty four ranks seventh. Matter of fact, in
total passing efficiency defense, they were number forty nine this
year after finishing number two in that stat last year.
That comes from Joe cook It inside Texas, So the
passing game singled out as a struggle for this Texas

(33:24):
defense here in twenty twenty five. But significant news because
PK Right was a part of Steve Sarkasian's original Texas
staff and going forward, sark is going to move in
a different direction. Somewhat significant news, and we'll continue to
discuss it as we continue on this Thursday afternoon right

(33:46):
here on Sports Radio AM thirteen hundred Zone and on
the free iHeartRadio app. Our second hour of the program
on this they afternoon starts with some breaking news the
Longhorns parting ways with defensive coordinator Pete Kakowski defensive backs

(34:06):
coach Duwayne Akeda, bringing in Will must Champ to lead
the Longhorn defense into twenty twenty six and beyond. I'm
Jake Krtman in for Craig today, and Cameron Parker joins
the show now as well to help us break that
news down. Cam, what's your reaction? This only came out
about twenty twenty five minutes ago. I imagine there's there's
some element of surprise here.

Speaker 6 (34:30):
Well, first off, good afternoon, Jake, Good afternoon, long coordination.

Speaker 2 (34:33):
I tell you what.

Speaker 6 (34:33):
When that email popped in my inbox, it's one of
those moments if there's a few things where you read something.
It's almost like the Luca Donchs trade. Now, probably not
fair to compare this hiring to the Luca Donts trade,
but he's like, wait a second, Well, must.

Speaker 2 (34:49):
Champ coming back to Texas?

Speaker 6 (34:52):
And then you realize, well, if he's coming back, that
means someone's out, and in this case, two people are out.
Long time defensive coordinator Pete Plekowski well, of course, came
to Texas from Washington. Has coached a lot with Steve
Sarrakeshan and Dwayne Keena, who of course was on this
staff what fifteen twenty years ago during those national title runs,

(35:14):
so pk out Duyne Keena out incomes Will musk Champ, who,
as Texas Nation knows, maybe one of their most famous
and favorite coaches that wasn't the head coach on the
forty acres. I mean, he was absolutely beloved from day one.
His passion, his aggressiveness, his coaching. I'm sure Twitter is

(35:39):
circulating a course with the famous video of him, you know,
yelling do your job in the Texas locker groom and
then punching the whiteboard in have I mean, that was
the passion that well why a lot of people were
excited for Will must Champ to replace Mac Brown because
you know he was kind of the next guy in line,
and Mac Brown, you know, kept coaching, and well must

(36:01):
Champ said, hey, you know, I can't wait any longer.

Speaker 2 (36:04):
So he went to Florida.

Speaker 6 (36:05):
Didn't work out in Florida and of course had stops,
and Auburn went back to being a head coach in
South Carolina, and then that didn't work out, and of
course to spend some time in Georgia. You know, he
was the co DC and he was the analyst special
teams coordinator during those you know, back to back national
championship runs. I think he wanted a little bit more

(36:26):
of a lesser role while his kids were in college.

Speaker 2 (36:30):
I think his son Wit played at Vanderbilt.

Speaker 6 (36:33):
But Jake, this seems kind of like a mutual moving
on on both sides.

Speaker 2 (36:39):
You know.

Speaker 6 (36:40):
The wording was that Petekwakowski and Dwyne Keino were not retained.
So it sounds like Sark wanted to move on and
he wanted to go big game fishing, and he went
with a guy that's had a lot of experience coaching
in the SEC. Of course, remember must Champ came from Auburn,
then he went back to Auburn, South Carolina, Georgia, just
so we knows what it takes to win in the SEC.

(37:03):
There's a lot to dive in here, because, for one thing,
I thought Pete Wikowski was a fantastic coach for Texas.
At times when the offense was struggling, it was the
Texas defense that really did pick up the slack for
Steve Sarkeesian. But having said that, when Texas went up

(37:24):
against I think offenses that were elite or above average,
Texas did at times struggle. I think about Washington. Now
you can say, hey, there was no pass rush in
that game against Washington, but hey, Michael Pennis absolutely lit
up the Texas secondary. And then they go against Michigan

(37:44):
and Michael Pennick's book to average, he looked human.

Speaker 2 (37:47):
He didn't look human against Texas.

Speaker 6 (37:48):
I think about Georgia this year in that fourth quarter
sets in Bennett looked incredible in the second half and
then he goes up against Georgia Tech and has what
less than one hundred passing yards? How does that happen?
And ironically, who was Who's the DC Georgia Tech? Who
was Blake Gideon, who was of course was on the
Texas staff. So I think on one end, Sark, you know,

(38:10):
maybe a little bit of pressure turned up here. You missed,
you missed the playoff with with twelve teams involved. Obviously
it's Texas. You know, the standard is the standard?

Speaker 5 (38:19):
Right?

Speaker 2 (38:19):
Who says that?

Speaker 6 (38:20):
But Sark says he wanted to possibly maybe go a
little bit big game hunting here, go after a DC
that I think a little bit more aggressive, right, dude?
Do we think PK is a super aggressive coordinator? And
I think back to the Arkansas game right where they're
playing like fifteen twenty yards off the defenders. Now, could
that be, hey, no shot a baron. You have Malik

(38:41):
Muhammad and that's the only cornerback you trust. Could be
that's to be part of it. But at the same time,
you got lit up by an Arkansas team that what
had no wins, one win and conference play. I mean overall,
Jake Texas was ninety third in passing yards allowed this season.
Now it's I believe that's the worst since PK his
first year. It might be the worst during his four

(39:02):
or five years here in Texas. I'm not saying he
wasn't a great coach, because I think he is a
great coach, but also it sounds like PK kind of
wanted to go back to the West Coast. I think
there was a press conference he did. I know it
was the beginning of this season, or was a press
conference during the bowl season last year, because he's only
made available a few times throughout the season. But you know,
he was asked about, you know, wanting to be a

(39:23):
head coach and his place in Austin, and his answer,
you know, was kind of interesting. It sounded like, you know,
he was like, yeah, I'm here right now. That was
kind of what we gathered from him like I'm here
right now, I'm the head coach as of today, So
it kind of seemed like, hey, maybe he always wanted
to return to the West Coast. It's already reports about
him possibly going to USC. Of course, Oregon's also looking

(39:46):
for an defensive coordinator, so maybe, you know, this possibly
could be a couple of things here. But sark obviously
felt like, hey, the time is now to make a change,
and he went out and got a beloved dame, you're
in Austin. So I think overall this is it's a move, Jake,
that I'm excited for.

Speaker 2 (40:04):
There's a lot of layers to peel back.

Speaker 1 (40:06):
You know what my first reaction is is this.

Speaker 2 (40:11):
Steve Sarkisian.

Speaker 1 (40:12):
The biggest criticism I think that Texas fans have during
his first five year stint is that he has a
Kirby Smart problem.

Speaker 2 (40:19):
Right.

Speaker 1 (40:19):
They keep running into that glass ceiling of this Georgia team,
which has had the Longhorns number in not just big games,
but every time they've met. So is poaching a guy
like Muschamp who already has the Texas connection from Kirby
Smart staff a way of making the change to address
that The other thing I'm thinking is is this a

(40:40):
move you only make if you know Will must Champ
is making a backdoor agreement with you. And if he
had said no, I'm gonna wait this out, perhaps wait
for a head coaching opportunity somewhere, that they might have
stuck with p K.

Speaker 6 (40:54):
Yeah, Jake, the timing is very interesting, right because think
about the firing of Chad Scott in the hiring of
Jabbar Ju Luke from Florida. Right, Scott was fired and
Luke wasn't higher, Jen, you know, they were still looking
for running back coaches and within you know, three four days,
you know, we got news.

Speaker 2 (41:13):
Hey, you know, he's.

Speaker 6 (41:14):
Interviewed, it's looking likely, and then boom he gets the job.
There there was no layover. This was the announced boom boom, Hey,
PK's out, Akida's out. Here comes Will musch Champ. So
to your point, Jake, it does seem like the season ended.
And you know this, I mean, Sark in the back

(41:34):
of his mind could have known this this. Maybe this
could have been during the season, it could have been after,
it could have been before. You know, maybe he's kind
of had his mind on wal must Champ. Remember when
when Sark first got the Texas job. There was, you know,
some rumors about walmus Champ coming to Texas, right, you know,
they had cross paths during their time at Alabama sort
of musch Champ and Steve Sarks and as coordinators, analysts, whatnot.

(41:59):
But you know, it seemed like mush Jamps timing because
I'll tell you what, he probably could be coaching as
a DC anywhere for the most part, he wanted to
in the last five six years, but obviously it seemed
like he wanted to stick around with his family again,
his son playing college football, with multiple kids, it seemed
like either he was waiting for the right opportunity or

(42:19):
was waiting for them to possibly get older graduate from
college and now that he's freed up. It could have
been definitely a move where Stark kind of reached out
or you know, someone reached out and said, hey, what
do you think about this? He said, yeah, I'd be
interested that the position was open. He talked with PK
and PK said, yeah, you know what, maybe it is
time for me to move on. That's just speculation, but

(42:40):
it does seem like, I mean, if this was announced
the way it was announced, Jake I mean, mush Jamp's
probably already been in Austin for the last week or two.
I mean it's already been announced he will coach the ballgame, right,
So I doubt what Musjeff agreed to. This just all
of a sudden within the last two three hours, right
where we're not that naive to believe that. So this
has definitely been something probably in the works for a

(43:03):
little bit in much Champ pulled the trigger, Start pulled
the trigger, and now all of a sudden, Texas has
a brand new defensive coordinator and as a bowl game
in less than two weeks time.

Speaker 1 (43:13):
Now, I know what some fans are thinking. Right outside
of just a few games. You pointed out the Washington game,
the Sugar Bowl in the semifinals. I guess that's the
twenty twenty four playoff, but after the twenty twenty three season.
There's also the Georgia game from earlier this season, and
maybe the late stages of the Vanderbilt game. But there's

(43:34):
been lots and lots of examples of the way Pete
Qwitkowski building this defense like it worked. This was a
top two defense in yards per played the last couple
of seasons. This year the first time we kind of
saw that fall off. Texas was actually outside the top
one hundred in passing yards allowed per game. So taking
kind of that secondary angle of this makes a lot

(43:54):
of sense to.

Speaker 2 (43:55):
Me and Dougs.

Speaker 6 (43:57):
And you know, I wonder how much about two is
just wanting to be more aggressive, you know, must Champs
depens of style at Texas right was fast, physical, aggressive, right,
His blitz packages were very unique, kind of similar to
what we see from Kirby Smart right. And the thing
that sticks out to me from this last Georgia game,
And of course you know when you have I mean,

(44:19):
Kirby's been there for what eight years now almost I
think seven years, been there a little bit longer than
Sark's been at Texas, so he's been able to build
that program up.

Speaker 2 (44:27):
You know, it's a well oiled machine.

Speaker 6 (44:29):
This is year three of continuous success for sarking in
his five year runn I mean, he had to really
rebuild this program up from the ground in a way
that I don't think Kirby Smart had to do at Georgia.
So it takes a little bit more time I think
for starts to get where it's going. But the same
token in that game. Who do you think was the
better coach? Who do you think was more aggressive? I

(44:52):
mean the on side kit call was incredible right in
the moment. I mean, Texas fans, you had to respect
it to have the ball, to make that decision to
go for the on site kick. And guess what, Georgia
wins that game, not just because of that, but one
of the many reasons why. And they were very aggressive,
especially more on the defensive side, and you know, it

(45:12):
felt like Texas just couldn't do that. Whether that was personnel, coaching, talent,
it could be all those things. But obviously Sark wanted to, hey,
you know, we need to take the next step here
if we really want to get to where I want
to be as a college football program, because I think
Texas fans can be. We've been close to beating Georgia, right,

(45:32):
I mean the SEC Championship game. Texas should have won
that game, but they didn't. You know, the second half
of the game in Austin, Texas made a good comeback,
but overall, Georgia was the better team. And I think
in Athens this past season you could say the same thing.
Georgia was the better team. So Sark recognized, Hey, if
we want to be the best team in college football,

(45:54):
you got to beat the best, and I think in
the SEC that's Georgia. Georgia is the standard in the
SEC and Texas has not been able to match that.

Speaker 1 (46:04):
We'll talk about what this means for Georgia and maybe
what it means for Longhorn defensive personnel. We'll take a
look at that landscape coming up, but we need a
quick break. You're listening on sports radio AM thirteen hundred
Zone and the iHeartRadio app.

Speaker 6 (46:31):
It's the Craig Way Show with a voice of the
Texas Lawhoards Broadcasting.

Speaker 7 (46:38):
Craig w.

Speaker 1 (46:41):
H Yes, we all remember that famous sound bite, the
one Cam brought up. Everybody, just just do your job
and he Will Musham brings some of that fire to
his new role, well, his old role that he's got
back as a defensive coordinator for the Texas Longhorns. Cameron
Parker still with us through the break and Cam as
far as the impact on this move for the Georgia Bulldogs.

(47:04):
Will Muschamp has not been in a full time role
there for some time. He's been kind of, like you said,
reluctant to return to that in part, you know, just
due to what he's you know, been doing with his family.
But the timing works out for Will Muschamp to come
back and take on a Longhorn defensive roster that's going
to have a lot of turnover.

Speaker 2 (47:24):
It appears in twenty twenty six.

Speaker 6 (47:28):
Yeah, and him being able to now coach and the
citrus ball on New Year's Eve allows him to be
able to work with players, and the same token allows
the players. You have to know what musch Champ right,
because the's not just about well Muschchamp figuring out what
players he likes. Also on the players figure out, hey
do we want to play for this coach?

Speaker 5 (47:45):
Right?

Speaker 6 (47:45):
Because they were recruited by Peekwakowski they were going to
play for p K. And now a new coach comes
in and hey, you know not everyone will get along
with him with his passion. He's a completely different type
of personality than Peak with both great head coaches, but
two completely different type of coaches, especially on the football field.

(48:06):
So some of these guys, you know, they may not
shell with. And there's a couple of guys currently in
the portal that have you know, not signed with the
team yet or have declared for the draft. I'm thinking
about Derek Williams in the portal, also Jaylen Gilbert declaring
for the draft. Maybe those guys with much Champ coming
in will change their tune the same thing Jake also

(48:29):
with with Dwayne Ginaut. Texas needs to hire a safeties coach,
So who could that be? Eric Nanlin from inside Texas
speculating maybe Texas goes back after Blake Gideon. Now I
don't know why Blake Keedon won give up a co
DC job of Georgia Tech to come back and take
a different, different job with a lesser title, if you

(48:49):
will say that. And now, of course, with the money's right,
the money's right, and maybe Sark will make Blake Gatton
a co DC. I don't know, but Texas does need
a safeties coach, so there's still that to consider as well.
And then you know, the portal will reopen with January fourth.
I think after this winter window in much Champ, after
the Citrus Bowl, we'll have a good idea of what positions.

Speaker 2 (49:14):
He wants to attack.

Speaker 6 (49:15):
And I think we already went into this cycle kind
of thinking, all right, Texas probably needs another cornerback.

Speaker 2 (49:21):
I think they like what they have with Kate Phillips.

Speaker 6 (49:24):
A lot of younger guys too as well that we
saw gets some reps. Wardell Mack, Warren Roberson when he's
not committing a special teams Pellny guys like that. But
I think Texas wanted to pick up another cornerback, maybe
a safety. Obviously Michael taff is out of eligibility, so
there's that to consider. Manny Muhammad, we still don't know.

(49:47):
I don't think we know if Manny Muhammad has declared
for the draft or is coming back for another year.
I would assume depending on how what grade he's given about,
the Texas staff will decide if he does come back round.
So there's definitely already a lot of move sax is
going to have to make defensively with or without PK
and must Champ two now coming in could possibly mean

(50:07):
there will be more attrition, and maybe not, maybe these
guys will get must Champ and say, hey, we know
we're fired up to play for this coach, especially after
going through the bowl game practices, the prep and then
playing against Michigan come December thirty.

Speaker 1 (50:21):
First, by the way, it looks like Will Muschamp will
be introduced tomorrow morning on the UT campus and you'll
be able to hear that right here on thirteen hundred
the Zone.

Speaker 6 (50:32):
Yeah, so we're waiting for the official confirmation, but eleven
am scheduled press conference time. I'll be down there from
the forty Acres Live with Mike Hardibullharje. We will bring
you that press conference live, So there'll be a lot
of excitement on the forty Acres tomorrow. So again waiting
for the official announcement on that. But for those of

(50:55):
you listening you want to listen to Will musch Champs
press conference, I'm sure Sark will be there as well.
Crystal Conte eleven am right here on thirteen of the
Zone and always free on the iHeartRadio app.

Speaker 1 (51:07):
So you talked about some of the guys were waiting
to hear from. Did you mention Ethan Burke in that
conversation as far as the NFL draft.

Speaker 6 (51:13):
Goes, Yeah, Burt too Bert his west Lay counterpart, Colton
fassec who you know, He's dealt with a lot of injuries.
Unfortunately during his time in the forty Acres, we have
not really seen a healthy Colton Fassett. He's someone that
we think is going to have a big impact in
the ball game in the linebacker position.

Speaker 2 (51:32):
I mean, we're we're one player away.

Speaker 6 (51:36):
From not being eligible to having Jay Kerman as the
linebacker for Texas. Nobody want to getting with all these
guys declaring and then a chorus learned Lafou getting to
the portal, that's obviously you know, it was pretty big
news coming out from the forty Acres yesterday. So that's
going to impact a lot of things as well, because

(51:57):
I mean, look at the staff counts for linebackers going
into the Citrus Bowl. I mean Marshall Landware, I think
he's second on that list, and he's a you know,
a special team's walk on type guy. Brady Sarkisian Sark's
sun next man up. You know, he'll be getting some
some some reps in that game as well. So a

(52:18):
lot of guys who are on the fence that we
have not heard from yet whether they're coming back to
claiming from the draft portal, but you know, maybe there
was some news coming in. They knew that, hey there's
possibly going to be a change defensively before the Citrus Bowl,
and they were kind of waiting on that. So I'm
guessing we're gonna hear a lot more than the next

(52:40):
week or two, no doubt about it.

Speaker 1 (52:42):
And you know, we're waiting on some NFL draft decisions
from the offensive side of the football as well. Obviously
DeAndre Moore declaring for the draft. Were waiting to hear
from guys like Trevor Goosby and whether or not a
jack injury, say, could could be returning to this Texas
program next year. But all of those offensive guys I
kind of feel secondary right now to this big news

(53:02):
on the defensive side of the ball, the Longhorns making
a change, bringing back Will must Champ to take Pete
quick Kowski's spot. What kinds of questions do you expect
before we go cam? What kinds of questions do we
expect Will Muschamp to be asked in the press conference tomorrow?

Speaker 6 (53:19):
Oh well, I think the first thing that a lot
of people will ask him is kind of what we
talked about, is why now?

Speaker 2 (53:27):
What sided?

Speaker 6 (53:28):
What was the you know, the big reason for you
decide to get back into a bigger coaching role. Were
you just waiting on a school like Texas, Were you
waiting for your kids to graduate from college? You know,
what was it because I really feel like if Muschamp
won in the last three or four years, he could
probably have taken a bigger role. I mean, after you

(53:49):
went back to back national championships with two defenses that
were impenetrable, do you feel like there's Missouri or at
Auburn or someone Florida. Hey, do you want to be
the DC here? Maybe even another head coaching run. And
obviously he was content where he was at in Georgia.
But something changed now was that Sark? Maybe he and

(54:12):
his family just loved Austin. This was finally a chance
to come back to Austin. I would love to know
you know the reasoning behind that, and I'm sure we'll
find out tomorrow.

Speaker 1 (54:21):
That we will right here at eleven am on AM
thirteen hundred zone. Cameron, You'll be there with my carch
Thanks again for stopping by today.

Speaker 2 (54:30):
Thank you, Jake. And we didn't even get to the.

Speaker 1 (54:32):
Playoff predictions, but we'll talk about some of those topics
with our next guest, Chris Marler, the SEC writer and
podcaster based out of Baton Rouge. We'll get his thoughts
on this textas shake Up and much much more coming
your way on sports Radio AM thirteen hundred Zone. Okay,
fired up about our next guest here on Sports Radio
AM thirteen hundred Zone with you from two to five

(54:54):
here on the iHeartRadio app as well. Chris mar Is
with us now. You can read his work at Louisiana
Sports dot Net. He's the social media director at ESPN
one O four to five and Baton Rouge. Also can
be heard on the Fourth and Wrong podcast, the Locked
On game Cos podcast. Frequent guest on that SEC podcast

(55:17):
as well.

Speaker 2 (55:17):
Chris.

Speaker 1 (55:18):
You know, there is no such thing as a as
a slow news day in college football, and today no
better example of that. Pinkwack Kowski and Dwayne Nakina have
been let go within the last hour by the University
of Texas. Will must Champ, the former Game Cox head coach,
is coming in. What's your reaction to this move?

Speaker 8 (55:37):
So, if I'm being honest, one, thank you for having
me outside of my My buddy goes to forty acres
on Twitter. I don't know a ton of Texas fans
that are usually happy with me, so it's an honor
to be here.

Speaker 2 (55:48):
I'm very excited.

Speaker 8 (55:51):
I am very We talk a lot about term limits
in Congress for senators for people in politics, we need
those an SEC assistant coaches. It's insane to me that
there are Mike Bobo, Will must Champ, who was the
one that looked like a cop that was with A
and M forever, and I think Arkansas and LSU before that,

(56:13):
John John Chavs, that guy. He was just I mean,
it is crazy to me how some of these coaches
will just always find a way. I was also just
very surprised that that Texas got rid of the DC.
And I'm not going to try to pronounce his name
was I'll butcher it, but it's it's it's kind of
shocking to me. I don't think it was a great
year by any means, but it wasn't. I don't think

(56:34):
it was the biggest issue with that team.

Speaker 1 (56:37):
And they certainly they certainly took a step back in
the passing game. I mean, I'm wondering, is this a
higher you make to try and address a Kirby Smart
problem If you are Seep Sarkisian.

Speaker 2 (56:49):
That's a good question.

Speaker 8 (56:50):
I mean, there's there's very few people that know him
better than Will Muschamp does. I mean, obviously he was
an on field coach with him I think in twenty twenty.
It has been around that program for a long time.
Than also was an analyst and coach for them during
some of their their best runs there over the past
five years.

Speaker 2 (57:07):
So that's a really good, really good question.

Speaker 8 (57:10):
I think the other thing too is, if there's one
thing I know about Will Musham, there's years where his
defense isn't great, and there's just you know, some of
his things schematically maybe a little bit outdated just with
this day and age of offense that they're facing, like
we have seen Will musham defenses not be as dominant
as they were surely when.

Speaker 2 (57:27):
He was in Austin last But he's a hell of
a recruiter.

Speaker 8 (57:30):
And there's one thing about Will Muscham is he's always
going to be able to be a great recruiter, especially
in this region, this footprint, and it's a footprint that
Steve Sarkisian has traveled to in the state of Georgia,
especially over the past year or so and gotten some
elite players to come out of there.

Speaker 1 (57:44):
We're talking to Chris Marler, you can follow him on
x at vern Underscore fun Quist by the way, Verne's
and Austin guys, so love that handle Texas is going
to Baton Rouge next November. They'll see a very different
looking team with head coach Lane Kiffin. I just want
to ask, after a wild couple of weeks, even going
back months to the end of the Brian Kelly saga there,

(58:06):
how have you seen the community and the fan base
and Baton Rouge react to all of these roller coaster moves.

Speaker 8 (58:12):
I don't know if there's anything that could have saved
the season more than than Kifvin coming here and all time.
This is my first year in Baton Rouge. We moved
here in July and kind of hit the ground running,
and you have August, you know, fall camp and all
that kind of stuff, and then you go into the season.

Speaker 2 (58:29):
I maintained over and over and over again.

Speaker 8 (58:31):
Man, I don't care how how bad the roster, how
bout the sorry the record was. I don't think there
was a there were There was ten more talents and
rosters than what else you had, and they could not
put it together. If there's anybody that fits this culture
and fits minus the drinking and and fits just the

(58:52):
vibe of Baton Rouge and Louisiana, I mean, Lane Kiffin's
it and I think you're gonna see a team that
really struggling on offense this past year be automatically relevant
offensively in any way.

Speaker 2 (59:07):
Imagine.

Speaker 8 (59:07):
I think him and Steve Sarkisian and Ryan Day are
the three best play callers, not just in college foot ball,
but in all of football. And so that game between
Text and Elshu next year, I'm already it's an all
time uniform and helmet game.

Speaker 2 (59:19):
That's going to be sick.

Speaker 8 (59:21):
Seeing the burnt orange down here in Tiger Stadium and
Death Valley Night, that's going to be sick. But it's
it is a it's been a saving grace I think
for him to come here, because you look at a
seven and five season and how disappointing it was. I
didn't think they were gonna fire Kelly. Like we talked
to a booster I think the week before he was
fired that the exact quote was, there is no appetite

(59:43):
to fire Brian Kelly and pay a fifty four million
dollars buyout. And then they got trounced by A and
M a week later, and it was like the same
guy was like, yeah, it's.

Speaker 1 (59:52):
Done, we'll figure out the financials later. So it's almost
like that that gift is it? Is it Futurama, shut
up and take my money. Yes, yeah, yeah, that's pretty
much what they did. I think that it's a good
investment in the programs. I think that you're gonna have
a new found it just it breathes like fresh air

(01:00:13):
into the program.

Speaker 8 (01:00:14):
For one, it's it's also a guy that I think
that has now made himself the villain again and can't
afford to be on the wrong side of the sec
or like of success now that he's in batteries like
he has to win if he's going to maintain the
trajectory he was on. Meanwhile, Frank Wilson, who by all

(01:00:35):
accounts mister LSU wanted to stay, he gets poached back
by Ole Miss to be the running backs coach. There
is this kind of coaching carousel cycle we're in going
to go down as an anomaly or in a few
years are we going to say, oh, well that's just
a new norm.

Speaker 2 (01:00:51):
Oh man, that's another great question full of these today. Man.
You know, the thing with Frank it sucks is that
he he loved l.

Speaker 9 (01:01:00):
S U.

Speaker 8 (01:01:00):
And I think that the there's something to be said,
in my opinion, especially about like how things just feel
different around programs where you have people that played there,
that have a tie there, that like you know, grew
up as a fan or in that state that they
just they just realize what it means almost as the
same amounts as with the fans being Kirby's like that

(01:01:22):
with Georgia. Coach O was like that when he was
here at LSU, even though he didn't play at LSU.
He's from the state and like it mattered to him
to win in the state of Louisiana, Like it mattered
to him almost much as the people it mattered to
the people of Louisiana. That's how I thought about Frank Wilson.
I think that's how Frank Wilson felt about being at LSU.

Speaker 5 (01:01:41):
Now.

Speaker 8 (01:01:41):
I think there's also the part of it too, where
it's like you the on field results have to matter,
and this is an LSU run game.

Speaker 2 (01:01:47):
It's been dormant at.

Speaker 8 (01:01:48):
Best over the past two seasons, and so that part
it's like having how long can the leash be for
someone in their job and that you feel kind of
tethered to because of how good of a recruit are
versus the actual on field result. So I think he'll
be great at Ole miss. I think it's a great hire.
I hope this is not the new norm because it
it does kind of suck to see. Like, I mean,

(01:02:11):
the twelve, I think it's twelve powerful coaches that were
fired this year.

Speaker 2 (01:02:17):
Six in the SEC, six new coaches in the SEC alone.
I mean, it.

Speaker 8 (01:02:21):
Makes for a lot of fun fodder and a lot
of fun memes. But it's a lot of change as well.
I thought the portal was bad trying to figure out
who's where. I don't know how Phil Steele does it anymore.
Of trying to figure out who's where going into the season.
The coaching staffs is almost as bad now.

Speaker 1 (01:02:37):
When in doubt, just link Kaylin de Boor if it's
in a certain region in the country.

Speaker 2 (01:02:42):
I mean, I know you're Obama guy as well, Chris.

Speaker 1 (01:02:44):
When we're talking to Chris Marler, is there anything to
this idea that Kaylen de Boor could either leave Alabama
or get fired by Alabama if he loses this first
round playoff game tomorrow night.

Speaker 2 (01:02:56):
He's not gonna get fired if he loses Oklahoma one.

Speaker 8 (01:03:01):
It's such a funny thing that you're bringing up because
it's like I mean over here in bett Ruze, especially
the amount of graphics I had to make for like
for our social media stuff. It's like Lane Giffen is
now the front runner for the LSU job, the Florida job,
the New York Giants job, the president in twenty twenty eight,
and it's like, what.

Speaker 2 (01:03:19):
Is going on?

Speaker 8 (01:03:20):
I think with debor people close to the program that
I've talked to, the conversation they had before the Auburn
game was he does not want to leave Tesclosa, but
also he doesn't want to feel like he's on the
hot seat for an entire offseason. I don't listen to
find bottomless. I'm on the show. That's not a dig
at Paul. I love Paul Death, love being on the show.

(01:03:41):
I just don't like to listen to that level of
a fandom that is like delusional just to be delusional.
I think that group of fans probably will say that
he should be fired if they lose or whatever. Nobody
that's rational in mind, and nobody that is putting money
into that program that is like helping moved things along

(01:04:01):
in that program, whether it be nil or just fundraising
in general, is of the mindset that he needs to
be fired now. Maybe they get blown out and it's
a horrible look and all that kind of stuff. Sure,
going into year three after you just took this team
to the playoff in year two, I don't think that
that there's any I hate to Jesus phrase that it
didn't work out well last time in lshup, but there's
no appetite to fire him now. I will say for

(01:04:23):
Michigan's case, Michigan's coming off the worst week of PR
that they've had in years, which is tough to do
from a Michigan standpoint, and I think that they have
two things that should worry any ad and president across
the country, including the one in Alabama, and that is
they have money and desperation, and they are going to

(01:04:44):
try and hire their way and throw money at this
issue that they currently have and dig their way out
of it.

Speaker 2 (01:04:51):
Personally, I hope nothing good comes to Michigan.

Speaker 8 (01:04:55):
I hope Texas boat races Michigan that in that Bowl game,
and I hope they never win another game again. Because
I will guarantee you I say this all the time,
unless it's hype, unless it's my weight. I don't like
to talk about hypotheticals, the fact that Michigan is talking
about how they should like like they fired.

Speaker 2 (01:05:11):
And they did the right thing.

Speaker 8 (01:05:12):
They sat on this for a month and hypothetically speaking,
if they beat Ohio State. I don't think we know
any of this yet. I don't think any of this
has leaked out. And that's the thing that's so frustrating,
because it's not just that you are a really just
like I think I think that's the other day. It's
like just morally bankrupt as a program. But you still
have the audacity to look down your nose at everyone

(01:05:33):
else in the country about how much better you are
than about being Michigan.

Speaker 2 (01:05:36):
And that just trives me crazy.

Speaker 1 (01:05:37):
My Michigan friend said, oh, Cheron was always in Oklahoma, man,
I said, yeah, okay, that's pretty convenient.

Speaker 8 (01:05:43):
Who did Harbaugh go to when he when Harbaugh was
suspended during the middle of the season for signstealing and cheeseburgers?

Speaker 2 (01:05:51):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:05:52):
Hey, the Brown jug has removed the Chara more menu
ite and we covered that on this show extensively. But
you keep talking about text like this, I think you're
gonna have more than one Austin frem pretty soon. We're
talking to Chris Marler, the host of the Fourth and
Wrong podcast as well as Locked on Game Cocks. But
now I want you to wait on something else and
maybe that.

Speaker 2 (01:06:11):
Two will change. Okay.

Speaker 1 (01:06:13):
Did Steve Sarkisian have a good gripe here talking about
the CFP rankings? And I asked that not to be
the dead horse and relitigate the Texas resume a week
and a half after the playoff reveal. But in the
context of these new nine game schedules right where nine
and three resumes similar to this might become commonplace.

Speaker 8 (01:06:33):
Okay, So I want to preface this by saying this, Jake,
I like you a lot and this it's been great
to be on the show. No chance that a nine
to three Texas team deserve to be in the playoff
this year. I do think moving forward, this is where
you're gonna have some some weird like you're gonna have
to expand because if you're playing nine conference games in

(01:06:53):
this conference, it's not the same as it is in
the Big Ten or the Big twelve or the ACC.
And I think any logical person with a brain would
tell you that. And like, it is something I have
gone to bat for and just and just I wake
up making the same mistake every day, which is I
think I'm gonna get on Twitter, I'm gonna make a valid,
credible and logical point, and somebody in Indiana or somebody

(01:07:15):
in Ohio state is gonna say, hey, that's a pretty
good point that I just made about the sec that's
never gonna happen. I think he makes a valid point.
Like with sark I think he makes a valid point
for sure.

Speaker 2 (01:07:25):
This year.

Speaker 8 (01:07:28):
Listen, that game against Vandy wasn't nearly as close as
Vandy wants you to think. It was at all huge
win against Oklahoma, which was closer until the end, but
still found a way to beat him by by three scores.
You know, everyone has a Georgia problem, not just Texas, right,
Like Georgia, they do that to a lot of teams,
as you saw in Atlanta. I think that you cannot

(01:07:49):
lose to Florida, and you also have three other games
where it's like you kind of eked out by the
skin of your teeth, and so I think the resume
kind of falls flat with that. I think there's also
something to be said for Steve Sarkisian knows this maybe
better than almost anyone, because he coached on a Nick
Saban And that's something Savings always say, which is never
waste a loss. And I was not high on Texas
coming into the season. I was not high on Arch

(01:08:10):
because I just wanted to wait and see what all
of it's gonna look like, especially replacing all the talent
they lost here before. Yet I keep in mind, man
like Texas is a great program, it's a blue blood
program and all that. It just constantly like in the
top five and recruiting and all that kind of stuff.
But even even how successfully been the amount of people
they put in the NFL the past couple of years
was a lot more than they were at least used

(01:08:31):
to over the last decade. Sark having to replace all
that was a pretty big uphill battle. But I don't
think a lot of people were ready to have the
conversation about never waste a loss, and this season is
gonna be looked as a loss. They're gonna be ten
and three, they're gonna beat Michigan in that Bowl game,
and they're gonna have the entire offseason hearing all the
negative stuff about Texas, about Arch Manning and about why

(01:08:52):
Steve Sarkisian is in over his head, and you can't
win the big one, and blah blah blah, and they're
gonna come out like Gangbusters next year and be a
absolute problem for everyone in this conference and around the country.

Speaker 1 (01:09:03):
And you know that messaging is gonna get hambured home.
And what I'm labeling now as hate Watch weekend. You've
got the two rivals you beat by two scorers playing
home playoff games, and I want to get your thoughts
on those.

Speaker 2 (01:09:14):
First.

Speaker 1 (01:09:14):
Oklahoma hosting Alabama in a rematch, is this as simple
as reversing the turnover margin for Alabama?

Speaker 2 (01:09:22):
God? I hope.

Speaker 8 (01:09:22):
So listen, man, you know just as well as I do.
Watching that game, you tell me that you have three turnovers.
They keep mind Oklahoma coming to that game at like
minus six turnover margin, Bama's plus eleven. On the year,
Bama had one or was it at least even in
every single game up until that point in the turnover margin,
Oklahoma had lost in seven of the nine they had

(01:09:44):
that year. They had at least one turnover in seven
or nine games they had multiple and four of those
seven games, all of a sudden, Materier doesn't have a
single turnover, they hold them to one hundred and sixty
one yards as lowest forms of the year. But you
have three turnovers and a miss thirty six yard field
goal two the t Remembers inside jer Own thirty. I
think Kaylen Devor is gonna come out with his hair
on fire with with what's left, though.

Speaker 2 (01:10:06):
I was gonna say all three strands.

Speaker 8 (01:10:08):
All three strands, he's coming to not I think he's
gonna be I think this offense is I mean, you
gotta keep in mind, man, they double him up in
yardage last time, and that's without a run game. They
were able to run decently well against Oklahoma, even with
how how one dimensional they've been, and Tys Simpson came
out and threw for like three hundred something yards. Like
they're healthy. They're the healthiest they've been since that Oklahoma game.

Speaker 2 (01:10:29):
I think.

Speaker 8 (01:10:30):
I think the Georgia game is more of an anomaly
than anything else. I think that Alabama is going to
go in Norman. It's gonna be the ugliest game of
the year. It's it's gonna be I keep saying this,
it's gonna be Iowa Nebraska, but both teams are wearing
the same uniform, and it's gonna be seventeen to nine.
It's gonna be awful as far as A and M goes.
I love Billy Lucci, good friend, great, great karaoke Creed singer.

(01:10:52):
Love him to death in case he's listening. Okay, A
and M's in trouble man, A and M is there.
I say this all the time. It's great to get
to the playoff. It's great to get the postseason. It's
great to be eleven to one, twelve and oh whatever.
You know what's better than that getting to the playoff
and knowing who you are and being tested along the way.
It's a problem that I think, honestly that Texas had

(01:11:14):
a little bit last year because they hadn't played anybody
besides Georgia, and then when it got to like crunch time,
Sure they were able to get past Arizona States, but
they did not know how to put a game away
or go win a game against Ohio State when they
were knocking on the door for the second year a
row to do it. So it's like that part for
me is I think I would value being ten and two,

(01:11:36):
playing multiple ranked opponents, knowing who you are as a
program and as a team, and identity wise and I
don't think A andem has that.

Speaker 5 (01:11:43):
A and M.

Speaker 8 (01:11:44):
I have been very vocal about how much of a
gift Texas got their first year, if we're being honest,
not even just in football and most of the sports,
especially men's basketball.

Speaker 2 (01:11:55):
But we'll say up.

Speaker 8 (01:11:58):
Sore subject right now, but with A and M that
the what they got was much easier than the path
that Texas had the year before. I mean, you had,
you had eight games against conference opponents, seven of them
none of them had a winning record. The seventy beat
those seven were in the bottom eight of the conference,

(01:12:18):
and they were so close games against against several of
those teams. You escaped a really bad South Carolina team
that I've had to cover all year. It's like that
was shocking that you were able to pull that off.
I think they're a very good team. I think that
they are going to run into a buzz saw this
weekend when it comes to what Miami's gonna be able
to do offensively, because the one thing you would expect
to go not Carolina, to go A and M's way

(01:12:41):
over Miami is hey man, maybe maybe Carson Beck makes
some mistakes and throws into a couple of interceptions A
and M just so happens to be the only team
I think I've ever heard of that's eleven and one
and has three interceptions on the season.

Speaker 2 (01:12:53):
Like that's insane to me. So I think they're in
big trouble this weekend.

Speaker 1 (01:12:57):
As far as the other two matchups go, I don't
want to just breeze by them. But I saw your
Pick's column this morning. You went with the first half
spreads on both Ole Miss versus to Lane and Oregon
against JMU. Is it going to be that smooth in
terms of sailing for both of these teams through to
the quarters?

Speaker 2 (01:13:11):
I I think so.

Speaker 8 (01:13:13):
I think Old Miss is playing with a bigger chip
on their shoulder than anyone else in the country, just
because of how everything went with Lane. Now you better
pray for if you're Pete Golding, that it doesn't come
down to the fourth quarter.

Speaker 2 (01:13:23):
I know. I think Pete Golding's great.

Speaker 8 (01:13:25):
I'm very excited for his opportunity, and I'm pulling for
Old Miss this weekend because I think what happened to them,
like you know, whether who's who's doing or who's doing
it was like I get the frustration there, and I
hope they have a lot of success this weekend, especially
for my gambling part. But I think that I've seen
I've seen Pete Golding firsthand take a guy like Will

(01:13:46):
Anderson and drop him back in coverage on third downs
when he was at Alabama. And that's the week Olderson.
I bring that up is it's a guy that is very,
very capable of overthinking stuff. And if it gets tight
in that game in the fourth quarter, that that's where
I have a concern because then it's like, oh my god,
I haven't been in the situation before. It's not like
you're playing Eastern Illinois to start the season. This is

(01:14:06):
the biggest stage that you're being thrust into right off
the bat. And you've got a basically a group of
mercenaries that are playing on the field and in your
coaching staff.

Speaker 2 (01:14:15):
But a lot of them are gonna have one foot
out the door.

Speaker 1 (01:14:17):
You know. I almost feel like that home crowd can
can almost turn them from an advantage into a disadvantage
if it gets tight laid in that situation. Last one
for you, Chris. We're talking to Chris Marler. You can
read his work at Louisiana sports dot Net. Who from
the one hundred foot view of this college football playoff
is under the most pressure to win this thing.

Speaker 2 (01:14:37):
Ohio State, like Ohio State is dude.

Speaker 8 (01:14:42):
I mean, everyone talked about how Bama didn't drop, which
they should have after losing the set championship game. Ohio
State played arguably the weakest schedule of anybody in the
entire playoff not named JMU, and dropped one spot when
they lost on the You got a SEC team that
went twelve and one with with I think four or

(01:15:03):
five wins of O ranked opponents, and they didn't jump.
Ohio State, like Ohio State has, has kind of breezed
through this season again without a ton of understanding of
what it takes to win and crunch on against a
really good team. I think that they have been very
benefit They've had a lot of benefits the past couple
of years in terms of how talented they were two
years ago. This is not as talented a team, especially defensively,

(01:15:25):
as they had a year ago. They're very good, like
they are very talented, but I don't think that they
are they are unbeatable, as we've already seen with Indiana.
Indiana's playing with house money. Ohio State, I'm telling you
right now, Ohio State is going into the postseason with
this beat your chess bravado of we've already, you know,

(01:15:46):
gotten over the hump of all the SEC stuff. Let
them lose to Georgia, or let them lose to maybe
A and M A vandom gets there and see what
that talk says again, because of see what that talk
starts again, because this is the team that up until
last year was like two and twelve or two and
fourteen against SEC teams dating back to like nineteen eighty eight,
and that is not that long ago. I don't care

(01:16:06):
what happened against Texas last year on a inexplicable strip sack,
and then also the Tennessee game.

Speaker 2 (01:16:12):
Like we're not that far removed from it.

Speaker 1 (01:16:15):
Once we start talking about that strip sack and the
way the ball just kicked up perfectly the sawyer, That's.

Speaker 2 (01:16:20):
How I know it's time to go. This was fun.

Speaker 1 (01:16:22):
Thanks so much for us stopping by Chris. You can
give Chris Marler a follow at vern Underscore. Fun Quist
waited a break, and then we'll wrap up our number
two of The Craig Way Show on Sports Radio AM
thirteen hundred The Zone. Okay, one more hour to go,
on the show, Jake Herman in for Craig Way, who

(01:16:43):
is up at Arlington gonna call the three A Division
two state championship game tonight between Newton and Wall. We'll
get a little bit more on that from Adam Augber
in our next segment coming out. He just heard from
Chris Marler, SEC writer and podcaster, weighing with his thoughts

(01:17:04):
on the Longhorns shakeup, and we'll hear more about that
throughout the show today. At tomorrow morning at eleven am,
when Will musk Champ takes the podium, Cameron Parker and
Mike Harge will host. Still trying to nail down the
final details on that, but when he does introduce himself,
well reintroduce himself to the Longhorn fan base, Will must Champ,

(01:17:26):
we will have that for you and we'll have those
soundbites for you on tomorrow's edition of The Craig Wats Show.
For now, we're going to talk a little bit about
this Thursday night football matchup tonight Ram Seahawks, which Frank Schwaba,
Yeah who Sport says is a game of the Year candidate.
Why Because there's a very good chance that the number
one playoff seed in the NFC West is going to

(01:17:47):
come from this game tonight. There's going to be weather
concerns in Seattle. Calls for thirty to thirty five mile
an hour where wins, some wet conditions that could make
kicking difficult at the home of the Shawks tonight. I
don't know why I'm blanking on the name of the stadium.
They played back in week eleven and Sam Donald through

(01:18:07):
four interceptions and the Seahawks still got that down to
the final play of the game. Jason Myers had a
sixty one yard kick to try and win it, if
you remember, for Seattle, but the Rams held on to
win it twenty one to nineteen. So if the Rams
win again, they'll have that head to head tiebreaker over Seattle.
Both teams right now sit at eleven and three. The
Rams will be a game up with the tie breaker.

(01:18:27):
Be very difficult for them to be caught at one
point by either the Seahawks or the forty nine ers
for the number one seed, And like Craig told us yesterday,
home field advantage means a lot for the Rams in
these playoffs. The ability to let this passing game play
indoors is it's going to be a big factor in
whether or not the Rams can win a second Super
Bowl this year. With MVP favorite at the moment, Matthew Stafford,

(01:18:51):
Seattle's going to close out with Carolina and San Francisco,
two teams that are right in the playoff mix. The
Rams close with Atlanta and then Arizona, and those are
obviously much easier matchups to you getting to face Kirk
Cousins and Jacoby Brissett instead of well, a Kyle Shanahan
offense and a munch improved Carolina team this season. So
the Rams still have a path to coming back to

(01:19:12):
win the division even if they do lose tonight, but
they can certainly put one foot in Sofi Stadium with
the home field advantage if they win here tonight. Puku
Nakua is in the spotlight. He appeared on a live
stream with a couple of YouTubers on Tuesday and he
was just kind of shooting the breeze and he was

(01:19:34):
asked if he thought that somehow the officiating came up,
and you know, as an NFL player, the league is
always listening for things like this. We don't know if
any kind of punishments coming down. He was asked if
the referees sometimes make up calls and he said, oh,
one hundred percent yes.

Speaker 2 (01:19:51):
Quote, the refs are the worst.

Speaker 1 (01:19:53):
He went on to talk about how the reps are
part time employees and sometimes get a kick out of
seeing themselves on TV while making a call.

Speaker 2 (01:20:02):
He said, these guys are like lawyers. They want to
be on TV too.

Speaker 1 (01:20:05):
You don't think he's texting his friends being the refs
in the group chat like yo, you guys just saw
me on Sunday Night football. Like that wasn't past interference,
but I called it. I mean, these guys are normal
human beings too. It's likely a big fine coming for
Pooka Nakua after that comment. There was also a part
of the live stream where he was, you know, going

(01:20:26):
back and forth with these guys agreeing to do a
celebration dance, but it references a Jewish stereotype. And so
Nikua apologized for that today, saying he does not gonnone
any kind of you know, anti Semitism or things that
that might have expressed. Apparently Pooka Nakua is into hot
water with this inside the RAMS building as well. So

(01:20:49):
what kind of performance we get from Puka tonight will
remain to be seen. DeVante Adams is listed as doubtful
for this game, so in a got to have it situation,
difficult passing conditions, Pokunakua likely to be leaned on a lot,
and certainly not the kind of off the field story
that the Rams wanted to hear going into an important

(01:21:09):
game like that coming up later tonight. So that game
coming up tonight on Amazon Prime should be a lot
of fun to watch. We'll have some recap and notes
on it tomorrow when we host this show once more
from two to five pm. All right, we'll pivot back
to college football. Adam Augburn is the sports director at
kten in Denison who has covered this Wall team up

(01:21:31):
close playing for a state championship tonight, that as well
as the Oklahoma Sooners, the topics of discussion next right
here on sports Radio thirteen hundred The Zone and the
iHeart Radio app. An iHeart station means it's always guaranteed human.

Speaker 2 (01:21:57):
Bumping back in Oklahoma's right A thirteen.

Speaker 1 (01:22:02):
Hundred The Zone, we continue our college football playoff for
eView our discussion of the coaching shakeup at the University
of Texas as far as the defensive staff goes with
a special guest, Adam Augburn, the sports director at kt
en in.

Speaker 2 (01:22:16):
Dennis and Adam, how you do it.

Speaker 7 (01:22:17):
It's great to catch up doing great, Jake, Man, appreciate
you having me on today and man, what a crazy
afternoon in Austin. And then tomorrow, Man, it is going
to be a crazy afternoon in Norman, Oklahoma.

Speaker 2 (01:22:29):
I tell you that, no doubt about it.

Speaker 1 (01:22:31):
I mean, what did you think first when you saw
the news, zoh, about ninety minutes ago that Will must
Chant will be brought in to replace Pete Qwakowski on
the Long Corns defensive staff.

Speaker 8 (01:22:43):
Yeah.

Speaker 7 (01:22:44):
Well, actually the first thing I did, Jake, because I
went to Twitter because my dad sent me a tweet
and I had to go to Twitter to make sure
it wasn't one of those fake burners. Man, it was
a very surprising move. I think for them to go
away from quick Kowski. I think there were changes that
needed to be made on the back and that wasn't
surprised that Sarkisian decided the part ways with dwayn m Keena.

(01:23:04):
I mean there were just too many blown coverages, blown
assignments towards the back end of the year that really
cost this team, especially against Georgia. But I'm pretty floor
that they went away from Kwakowski. I mean, you look
at Texas, They've had a top thirty scoring defense each
of the past four years. I mean, I feel like
throughout the year, we we're talking about, Hey, this is
a national championship one with defense that the offense can

(01:23:27):
just figure it out. So pretty surprising move. And we'll
see will much CHAMPI he hasn't been the coordinator in
a couple of years. He's been at defensive analysts at Georgia,
So we'll see if you can find that magic he
had under back Brown. But I think, I mean, if
anyone tells you they saw it just coming, they're probably lying.
So pretty surprised to move, I think that Klokowski is
out like.

Speaker 1 (01:23:46):
This, Yeah, I mean, I think it's the kind of
move from all sides where the timing had to be
just right right for Texas to move on from Qwakowski,
you had to have a guy like Musschamp lined up
and from us Champ to leave the analyst role and
get back onto the sidelines full time.

Speaker 2 (01:24:01):
I think it had to be a role like Texas
wouldn't it.

Speaker 7 (01:24:05):
Yeah, I think for sure, and I think, you know,
maybe this is this is Stark slave getting back George.
It's kind of had Texas number the past couple of years,
so you know, maybe this is this is mush Champs chance.
I know, you know, Jake, he wasn't great as a
head coach. He didn't have a ton of success at Florida,
you know in South Carolina. But now you know, you
see some of those head coaches that they're really just
great coordinators and it doesn't quite work out the head coach,

(01:24:27):
but they're a dang good coordinator when they're just a coordinator.
So he's had a couple of years. I mean, you
remember Secret Star Kiston kind of did this, had a
couple of years where he kind of rebuilt his career
at Alabama, worked under a legend, Nick Staven. Now must
Champ's kind of been doing that under a defensive mastermind
and Kirby Smarten. Now he gets a chance to come
back to the forty Acres where he's had a time
of success where he was the coach in waiting there

(01:24:47):
for a couple of years before he decided to take
the Florida jobs. So I think makes a ton of
sense for mush Champs, But uh, I don't know, gonna
inter see to see in twenty twenty six, it's been
a couple of years since must Champs get in a
role like this, so no less just to see if
he can have the Horns play mic they did when
they went to that national championship in twenty ten.

Speaker 1 (01:25:05):
Hey, just everybody do their jobs right. Everybody do your job.
Adams jobs the sports director at kt ED and Dennison,
and part of that is covering the guns are Tigers
and they were knocked off by Wall twenty eight to
twenty five in Stevenville. That's halted their quest for a
fourth straight state title. Wall's gonna play Newton tonight. What

(01:25:26):
stood out when you got to see them up close?

Speaker 7 (01:25:30):
Yeah, I mean this was that was the heck of
a game. Last week, Wall beat Gunner twenty eight twenty five.
The crazy thing about that game is Wall actually went
up fourteen to nothing in the first half. Gunner came
all the way back and took a seventeen to fourteen
lead in the fourth quarter. And why that's big is
because last year Wall blew a fifteen point lead in

(01:25:51):
the semi Finals against Gunner won that game, but this
year is different for the Hawks. Gunner goes up seventeen
to fourteen. Next possession, Wall had a fourth to the
Gunner forty. No fear from this team. Their quarterback Land
and York throws are right down the team for a
forty yard touchdown and Roll would never trail again in
that fourth quarter. They've got big belief in this quarterback.

(01:26:13):
Land in York before he got up to Varsity Wall,
they only ran the ball. They ran an option attack.
They almost never threw it well. With York and this
group of receivers that came up, they decided to say, hey,
forget the option at tack, We're going to spread offense.
They've changed their entire system for this quarterback. It's paid
off Wall with the first chance now to win a

(01:26:33):
state title tonight against Newton. So I think it's gonna
be an offensive game. I think it's gonna take probably
thirty points to win this one. A lot of people
are saying this is gonna be one of the best
games the weekend, So I think it's be fun to watch.
But just to see the result of that Wall team.
When you give up step team straight points to answer
on a fourth down. I mean, I think that shows
that this is a team that the Whites aren't going

(01:26:53):
to be too bright tonight at eighteen T Stadium.

Speaker 1 (01:26:56):
Yeah, folks can see that one on victory. Plus Craig
Way will have the call. He said it was between
that and the c King matchup to close out the weekend,
that the two that he was most I think excited
for the final game of the weekend.

Speaker 2 (01:27:12):
I meant De Soto versus versus Sea King. There.

Speaker 1 (01:27:16):
So, now we shift gears a little bit to talk
some college football and you cover this Oklahoma team as well.
Is this the type of game, like Chris Marler described
it for us last hour, almost a big ten game
in SEC uniforms, a field position battle, a low scoring

(01:27:36):
rock fight.

Speaker 7 (01:27:38):
Yeah, I think so. I think seven o'clock kick might
want to put the kids to batman. It's going to
be an ugly, ugly game.

Speaker 1 (01:27:45):
I think.

Speaker 7 (01:27:46):
I mean, this is going to be a defensive, defensive showdown.
You like alabama sixty seventh ranked offense, Oklahoma's got the
eighty eighth ranked offense in the nation. So I think, Jake, honestly,
I think if you score twenty points, I think there's
a pretty dang good chance that you win that game.
That's the type of game that's going to be him.
When we saw Obama just beat to death against Georgia.

(01:28:08):
They couldn't run the ball in negive three rushing yards.
And now they're going to go up against an Oklahoma front.
They just are Mason Thomas back. So you look at Oklahoma.
Brent Gibbles was talking about this earlier this year. He
hadn't called the place for the defense the past couple
of years. He just took that over this past season.
He was talking in a press conference before the LSU
games and he said, hey, I wanted disresponse to it.

(01:28:31):
He said, this is why I was hired. He said,
I didn't want anyone else to carry this burdant but me.
So he's taken it on and look at this now
Oklahoma top ten defense in the nation, and so I
think that defense is what's going to need to carry
them too victory tomorrow night. Because this offense, I don't
think it's going to go out there and score five
or six touchdowns or lighting up or anything like that.
If Oklahoma wins this game to mark, it's going to

(01:28:52):
be because of that defense.

Speaker 1 (01:28:54):
And you think about that turning point, right, the big
win at Tennessee, and our Mason Thomas a big part
of that, the seventy one yard scoop and score. Injured
his quad on that play and hasn't played since until
we think this week in the College Football Playoff. What
does him returning potentially mean for this already really really

(01:29:15):
good OU defense.

Speaker 7 (01:29:18):
Yeah, it's huge, Jake. I think that's the ninth thing
too for Oklahoma why they probably kind of liked that
they didn't have to play in the SEC Championship game.
They have a couple extra weeks to get guys healthy
because they're going to have their backfield on offense is
gonna be a lot healthier too. But man, are Mason
Thomas the dude is the beast up front? I think
he's gonna have a huge impact. I mean, you look
at when they were in Tuscaloosa without or with our Mason,

(01:29:42):
I mean or without him.

Speaker 2 (01:29:43):
Excuse me.

Speaker 7 (01:29:44):
Oklahoma had four sacks last time against Alabama. They leave
the Mason with forty one total sacks on the year,
and now you throw our Mason Thomas back in there.
I think it's going to be huge because Alabama struggles
won the ball. They're not going to get out there,
I think, and really win this game by running the balls.
So they're gonna have to rely on Tysons a lot.
He's maybe been a little bit banged up, and so

(01:30:05):
you can get pressure on him. With r Mason, with
this defensive line that calls themselves the Dogtown, They're gonna
need to really have an impact on the Alabama backfield.
So I think it's hugely that's these last couple of
weeks that Oklahoma's gotten off. It's gonna be really big
for this team to be closer to full health than
they work. You know, when they have that pudcrest against

(01:30:25):
LSU right around Thanksgiving.

Speaker 1 (01:30:27):
It's a kind of a tired narrative. Who needs the
game more? Obviously?

Speaker 2 (01:30:32):
It's it's it means a huge, huge deal to both schools.

Speaker 1 (01:30:35):
With all of these rumors swirling around Kaitlin de boor
with the way Alabama looked against Georgia in the SEC
title game, do you feel like one team maybe needs
this one a little bit more than the other.

Speaker 8 (01:30:46):
Yeah, I think.

Speaker 7 (01:30:47):
Probably Alabama, Right, Jacob, you look at Nick Staven, I
mean trying to follow up in the footsteps of Nick
Staven And you have an Alabama team that missed the
playoffs a year ago, which you know, it's a little
bit different when we have the four team player, you know,
seven eight years, you can sell it a great, great year.
But now it's the twelve team. Alabama's gonna expect to
be in the playoffs every single year. I mean, and

(01:31:08):
you know after they lost to Florida State, man, some
people tuch lose, they're ready to get the pitchforks out.
I think there was one lady on the news who's
trying to win the lottery so that way she could
pay the forest buyout. So I think I think Alabama
does need this, want a little bit more. Oklahoma. It's
a huge deal for them to be here. I mean,
it's been six years since they've been in the playoffs.
Last year this time, Jake, they're getting their face ready

(01:31:29):
to face Navy out of the Armed Forces Bull and
Fort Worth. They of course lost that game, finished six
and seven. So for benable to turn it around from
six and seven to where they're at right now, ten
and two in the playoff. I think even if they
go out there and they lose, a close to one tomorrow.
I think you still consider the six season of success.
You can kind of see where Vnables is taking especially
with him taking over the defense. The man, if Alabama

(01:31:52):
loses tomorrow and if it's ugly four loss season after
not making the playoffs, man, I mean that seat, it
would start warming out a little bit. So I think
Alabama definitely needs it more.

Speaker 1 (01:32:03):
How about the injuries that Bama's been dealing with, I
don't I don't think this gets talked about quite enough.
You had a lot of issues up front against Georgia.
Granted they're not alone in that, but a couple of
offensive linemen were banged up in that one. I think
they expect the center brails for closer to one hundred
percent in this game, as well as two tight ends
Josh Quavis and Danny Lee who missed the Georgia game entirely.

(01:32:25):
Is that the shot in the arm that this Bama
offense might need.

Speaker 7 (01:32:29):
Yeah, I mean, I think a couple of weeks off
will definitely help you. I mean that sec and now
we're going to have a nine game set schedule next
years means these teams will even be more beat to death.
I think I think the closer you get the full
health is huge. I mean, we saw even Georgia and
that SEC championship game without their starting center. So these
teams after playing three months straight of SEC football, Man,

(01:32:50):
I mean that that training room is bilgy, baby, bildy.
So I think it'll be I think it'll be big
for Alabama. But I mean, Jay, it's gonna be defensive,
slug pace. I don't see any other way that this
thing just is not defensive, slight fast. Both teams I
played roll on that side of the ball. The time
of the year, They've struggled offensively, question marks probably about
both quarterbacks at times this year. It's going to be

(01:33:11):
a slight pest I think for sure.

Speaker 2 (01:33:13):
Yeah, it'll be interesting to see.

Speaker 1 (01:33:15):
We're talking to Adam Agbert of KT and Sports if
John Mattier can find the type of explosive plays they
hit against LSU that were missing the first time up
against Alabama. Granted it was a weird game, short fields
and all of that, so we expect a rock fight there.
How about the game of Kyle Field, Texas A and
m hosting Miami. What's the most intriguing kind of matchup

(01:33:38):
to watch there? Is it the quarterbacks. Is it A
and M's pass rush against Miami's O line? Is it
out on the edges?

Speaker 8 (01:33:45):
Yeah?

Speaker 7 (01:33:46):
I think I think it actually ends the quarterbacks and
the ones that I want to see from those quarterbacks.
It's the turnover battle. So Carson back has had a
huge problem with turnovers this year, but in Miami two
losses to Asking You and Louisville, he's got total interceptions
in those games. And then we saw Marcel Reid obviously
in that loss to Texas Adam's Low Boston he had

(01:34:07):
those two interceptions late in the game. So I think
it's going to be Kenny's quarterbacks. Do they have a
clean pocket to operate in? Obviously Texas A and M
also has a really really good defensive line. They're tied
with Oklahoma in the Nation League with forty one stacks.
Miami's got maybe the best defensive end in the country,
top NL prospect in Reuben Bain. So I think it's

(01:34:29):
do these quarterbacks do they have a clean pocket to
operate in? And then what do they do with that pocket?
Can they make big plays down the field or do
turnover problems show out? I think I think the turnover
battle is going to be big in this one, especially
when you look at how Miami played their two losses
this year.

Speaker 2 (01:34:44):
No doubt turnover has played a big part of that story.

Speaker 1 (01:34:47):
If you had to pick these games, all four matchups,
I'm assuming you're not taking either G five school in
and upset.

Speaker 2 (01:34:55):
And we'll have more on that little later in the program.

Speaker 1 (01:34:57):
Some news on the G five inclusion or lack thereof
coming up in the future of the College Football Playoff.
Who do you like to come through these matchups? Will
the home dominance continue?

Speaker 7 (01:35:10):
I like Oklahoma to find the way tomorrow night, and Norman.
I think Bret minni Wolves has had three and a
half leaves to scheme.

Speaker 2 (01:35:16):
Up this defense.

Speaker 7 (01:35:17):
Now, you just remember when we talked about Oklahoma's defense,
Alabama actually outgained Oklahoma four hundred and six to two
hundred twelve. They were first beating. The only reason Oklahoma
won that game was they had three turnovers. One of
them was an eighty seven yard pick six by Eli Bowen,
and then you know a couple of those. Both other
turnovers by Alabama led to Oklahoma points. Seventeen of their

(01:35:39):
twenty three points came off of turnovers. So I'm gonna
ride up Brent Minimo's defense. I think they find a
way to make plays. I think they went in an
ugly slug fest tomorrow and they find a way to
get it to Indiana, and then I think they do
lecking their shopsk in Indiana too, because it'd be another
rock fight type game. Then in college station, I think
I'm gonna I'm gonna take my I I like to

(01:36:01):
see what Carson Back can do. You know, Marcel Reid,
can he throw the ball down field? Can he may
play downfield? There's no doubt he has his athleticism. If
he can get outside the pocket, he's gonna make plays
for them. But I think they're gonna take Carson Back
in a big game Miami. I think many people haven't
really seen the tons in you know, just being the

(01:36:21):
A SEC. The ACC probably not the challenge, uh, you know,
not not as good as the Conference as we normally
would have expected this year. But I think Miami can
find a way. I think A and M By the way,
he got a terrible drawl yake that game at eleven am.
I mean that game should be under the live tile
field to have been electric. But I think this Miami team,
I think they can find a way if they can
take care of the football. Because A and M his

(01:36:42):
only forced nine turnovers all year. You protect the football,
you're self a chance to win on the road.

Speaker 1 (01:36:48):
Yeah, how about that, They've only they've only actually grabbed
three interceptions, and think about all the games they've led
and had so many obvious passing situations. I wonder if
that trend will kind of stay the same or flip
the other way. All right, I know you cover an
SEC program primarily in Oklahoma, your former Longhorn too.

Speaker 2 (01:37:06):
Talking to Adam Ogbert of KT and Sports.

Speaker 1 (01:37:09):
If you were to choose right now, you can have
the Big Ten finalists Indiana and Ohio State, or you
can have the field.

Speaker 2 (01:37:15):
Which way do you lean in terms of this college
football playoff?

Speaker 7 (01:37:20):
I'm taking the field, Jake. I think george is the
best team right now. I think I would ride Georgia
out ride Kirby smart I think they've kind of figured
it out. You know, we saw them kind of really
take off around that Texas games and looked really strong
to finish the year, put at Alabama in their place.
Kirby smart Man and now arrested Georgia team, they're gonna
have three to four weeks to kind of rest up

(01:37:41):
and get ready for the winner. Three three, they got
Jake six to eleven, pol they got Ole Miss too late,
right my head.

Speaker 2 (01:37:51):
I don't think they'll have trouble with that one either.

Speaker 7 (01:37:54):
No, I don't. I don't think so so. And yeah,
old Miss I'm taking Old Miss in Oregon. We already
seen on this two late game, which is a little
bit unfortunate it wasn't closed, so uh but yeah, I'm
taking the field. I think Georgia would be my pick
right now. If you ask me who I think is
going to win the national title. Ohio State maybe not
quite as good as people think. I was a little
bit surprised how Indiana kind of handled him, And that

(01:38:15):
was really the biggest test we had seen all year
since that Texas game back in Week one.

Speaker 2 (01:38:21):
Are you going to Norman? I hear it's tough to
get a hotel room with graduation and all that.

Speaker 7 (01:38:27):
Yeah, We've got our Caton sports reporter, Brig Baits is
going to be out there. He's the he's the ou alum.
We've got a split still sports department here where I'm
the Texas alum. And then our sports reporter breaks and
O you alum, So red River Weeks always a little
bit interesting around here. I'm lucky that i'm two and
oh when I've worked with him. But yeah, we're gonna
send him up there. And I said, get ready to

(01:38:47):
fight from my thirty five traffic to mom and I
would not be wanting to make that driving around Norman
around game time. So it's gonna be a great atmosphere.
I know he's looking forward to it, and I think
it's gonna be a fantastic game to have on Friday
nine time. I expect this when to go all the
way to the wire.

Speaker 2 (01:39:02):
YEP, it should be fun. Adam Ogburn.

Speaker 1 (01:39:04):
You can follow him at Adam Ougburn TV or see
his work on KT And thanks for stopping by.

Speaker 7 (01:39:10):
This was great, hey, Jake, appreciate you having me on.

Speaker 2 (01:39:13):
I have a good one man, all right.

Speaker 1 (01:39:15):
Adam Ogburn joining the show from Dennison Good to get
his thoughts on the college football playoff matchups which come
your way starting tomorrow night. Yeah, the date that a
lot of fans have had circle for a long time.
Certainly a lot of Longhorn fans hope to see their
team play in it. The back to back semi finals
leading into this season, but instead Texas getting a head

(01:39:37):
start on its off season making some big changes, especially
on the defensive side of the football. We'll talk more
about that and we will get to some basketball notes
as well as we head down the home stretch on
this edition of The Craig Way Show here on Sports
Radio AM thirteen hundred Zone. All right, coming down the
home stretch on this Thursday afternoon been I'm busy Thursday

(01:40:00):
afternoon on the program never a quiet day in the
world of college football, we talked about the Longhorns making
their switch at defensive coordinator Pete Quitkowski, as well as
Dwayne and Qina are out or not being retained.

Speaker 2 (01:40:14):
I should say Cjvogel says, by.

Speaker 1 (01:40:16):
The way, to keep an eye on the USC opening
as far as p K is concerned, and Will musk Champ,
the former Longhorn defensive coordinator two time SEC head coach
at both South Carolina and Florida, heading back to the
forty Acres for a Longhorn defense that might look a
lot different in twenty twenty six. Other college football notes

(01:40:40):
we want to get to and such a college football
lead by Ross Dellinger in news that's eighteen months old
but has gone mostly overshadowed. We continue to find out
more about this memorandum of understanding, the written agreement that
was signed by the College Football Conference commissioners and the

(01:41:02):
committee and Notre Dame. Remember we talked at length last
week about Notre Dame getting their guarantees right. If they
are finished, they if they are ranked in the top
twelve next season, regardless of joining a conference, they would
be in the College Football Playoff. If it expands to fourteen,
Notre Dame would be in the top thirteen. And man,
who knows what's gonna happen with this playoff. In the

(01:41:23):
next month, the commissioners extended their deadline up until January
twenty third, I think, to decide on a new format.
They could get extended again. Those discussions already ongoing, but
we're finding out more. And that is back in spring
of tweet that twenty twenty four, when these when this
memorandum of understanding was signed.

Speaker 2 (01:41:43):
The playoff next year.

Speaker 1 (01:41:46):
Specifically says that the champions of the power conferences the
sec ACC, Big twelve, and Big ten receive a berth
into the postseason field, plus the one.

Speaker 2 (01:41:58):
Highest ranked non power league conference champion.

Speaker 1 (01:42:02):
So that means that next year we get a similar
situation where a team like Duke wins the ACC despite
an eight and five record, they would be in bumping
out the second highest ranked power Sorry, the second highest
ranked Chief five champion will be bumped out. So JMU

(01:42:23):
would not have made it under this system which is
right now in place for next year. And again the
Notre Dame fighting Irish have a clause in there too.
Ross Ellenser reports that one Power League athletic director says.

Speaker 2 (01:42:36):
Why did we agree to give Notre Dame that?

Speaker 1 (01:42:39):
And I said as much in a lot more words
last week from pretty much every perspective except the Irish.

Speaker 2 (01:42:46):
You heard Gabritt Parker say to how does Texas sign
up for that?

Speaker 1 (01:42:50):
We're can the Longhorns get in line for a special
backdoor route into the playoff? So that was reported earlier
this week, Actually that was last night. Ross Dellinger broke
that news and hears some reactions to it in the
national media.

Speaker 2 (01:43:08):
This morning.

Speaker 1 (01:43:10):
Nick Saban sharing his thoughts on Pat McAfee when it
came to James Madison being in this college football playoff
instead of the next at large team, which would have
been Notre Dame.

Speaker 9 (01:43:20):
Look, would we allow the winner of the trip away
Baseball League, the International League whatever they call it, I
don't even know the name of it.

Speaker 2 (01:43:32):
Would you let them in the World Series playoffs? I
don't think they do. No, No, I don't think. No,
they don't.

Speaker 9 (01:43:39):
But I'm saying, but that's the equivalent of what we
do when JMU gets in to the college football playoff
and Notre Dame doesn't.

Speaker 1 (01:43:49):
So there's those folks like Nick Saban who I think,
like a lot of neutral fans would much rather see
a team like a Notre Dame, like a Texas, like
a potentially BYU or Vanderbilt who was out, rather than
James Madison, who is a hefty twenty one point underdog,
getting a second bid by virtue of being one of
the five highest ranked conference champions. And so we'll see

(01:44:12):
how that gets addressed in the upcoming negotiations. And now
Ross Dellenser raised the question why would the G five
leagues agree to this? He says it all stems back
to the SEC and the Big Ten having the power
and threatening to break off and make their own system.
Nick Daben suggested a separate G five playoff, and that

(01:44:34):
idea has certainly not been very popular. It's been you know,
people think that they see separate playoff and think, oh, well,
that's going to exacerbate this perception, this idea that all
the G five teams are becoming kind of just feeder
and development programs for the teams at the top of

(01:44:56):
the food chain in this sport, in the power conferences,
so all very interesting to watch just because the bulls
are happening, seasons are ending.

Speaker 2 (01:45:07):
Oh the world of college.

Speaker 1 (01:45:08):
Football is just starting to just starting to get crazy,
and we'll see what kind of off the field decisions
are reached in the next few days. I wanted to
get to this because they're number two in the country
and still unbeaten. The Texas women's basketball team decisive victory
over Northwestern State last night, and Vic Shaeffer, as he

(01:45:31):
typically does, holding court with their media post game, wanted
to get a few a few of his thoughts on
the team's victory.

Speaker 5 (01:45:40):
Again, I thought, offensively, we did some nice things. You know,
the turnovers we have nine, We had six at halftime,
so we only had three in the second half, which
is much better. I loved how we started to gain.
I think Northwestern is really good. I think coach is
doing a great job with them. They were picked in

(01:46:00):
the middle of the pack. They've already beaten the preseason
number one team in their league on the road. They
are very athletic, their physical inside. I think they'll have
a great opportunity to win that league. And so thirty
two for them. Tom is really good. Everything they did
kind of went through her and we had a hard

(01:46:21):
time guarding her, and so we had foul trouble tonight,
which we haven't had in a while. You know, we
had ten files at halftime, when we had three in
the second half, and that's more like it. We've been
way better than that, but ten at half was you know,
we had two with two, one with three, and I

(01:46:42):
was a little disappointed in that. But we had some
moments tonight that we've got to fix. You know, the
free throw situation that we let them get an offensive rebound,
it is three against one.

Speaker 2 (01:46:54):
Out of bounds.

Speaker 5 (01:46:55):
Defense still continues to be a problem. Just you know,
there's a lot we can get better at, and so
we'll we'll work on that again. We better, we have
to be better this weekend. We're going on the road
playing a really good, well coached South Dakota State team
and on their floor in front of their fans, So

(01:47:17):
I'm sure it's going to be packed. And uh, you know,
we've got one more to navigate to get through this
little stretch.

Speaker 2 (01:47:26):
And before we break for Christmas.

Speaker 5 (01:47:28):
If I can just get them to focus for a
couple of days on Friday and Saturday and then play
well on Sunday, we can we can all have them
Merry Christmas. So again, lots to work on. We've got
to do a better job getting on the offensive boards.
If it wouldn't for Kyla, we we wouldn't hardly have
anybody there. You know, We've we've just got to be

(01:47:50):
better on that end. I know we shoot it well.
We shot fifty six fifty four from three, and we
were one for six, so we went five for five
the second half from I know that pleases everybody in
the media that we have people making three. So it's
it's to go five for five in the second half

(01:48:11):
after one for six, then the first half is really good.
So got a little more aggressive, got to the free
throw line in the second half. We didn't go to
the line one time than Booker shooting the two technicals
for their flagrants. So second half we did a much
better job.

Speaker 2 (01:48:27):
Went to the line thirteen times. So again Kyle had
a double double, which is really good. She played well.

Speaker 5 (01:48:36):
We had a lot of kids shoot the ball really
well tonight, So got to get ready for South dakost State.

Speaker 2 (01:48:43):
Those thoughts from Vick Schaeffer.

Speaker 1 (01:48:45):
By the way, you can hear from Longhorns men's basketball
head coach Sean Miller on Longhorn Weekly tonight that will
air at seven o'clock right here on sports Radio AM
thirteen hundred Zone. Here his conversation there with Roger Wallace
wrap up the show in just a few moments here
on sports Radio AM thirty hundred Zone and the iHeartRadio

(01:49:05):
app

All Episodes

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know

The Joe Rogan Experience

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

.css-15opob5{left:0;position:absolute;top:0.8rem;} All Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Will Muschamp RETURNS, PK Fired, CFP Preview, HSFB Check-in

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}Stuff You Should Know

The Joe Rogan Experience

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

All Episodes

Will Muschamp RETURNS, PK Fired, CFP Preview, HSFB Check-in

Stuff You Should Know