2024 Week Fourteen Review: Gophers Dominate Badgers, Season Thoughts, Flag Planting

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Glenn Mason said a long time ago at the University
of Minnesota, you need.

Speaker 2 (00:02):
A Pair and a Spare.

Speaker 3 (00:04):
Thank you, PJ.

Speaker 4 (00:05):
It is time for another edition of the Pair and
a Spare Podcast. We are presented as always by our
great partners and friends at Jack's Cafe.

Speaker 3 (00:12):
I'm justin guard from the fan.

Speaker 4 (00:13):
We've got Chip Scoggins from Football Across Minnesota where if
you have an idea that you'd like Chip to consider
for Football across Minnesota, please hit him on Twitter at Chipscoggins.
He would love to talk with you. And Ryan Burns
Go for Illustrated dot Com. You can catch him on
go for Great Iron Radio. We're recording a couple of
days late this week, as we said on last week's episode,

(00:33):
because Chip had to fend off a couple of listeners
who were very disappointed that we had not dropped a
Pair and a Spare podcast episode.

Speaker 3 (00:39):
This week.

Speaker 4 (00:40):
We wanted to let Burnsy get all National Signing Day
stuff out of the way, maybe take a shower, maybe
have a run runner after the which used to be
a much crazier December, now it's just seasons over. Here's
recruiting day, and so we wanted to get all of
that out of the way in case there are any
surprises there anything to discuss, but Burnsy before we hit record,
you nailed it. It feels like what a month this

(01:03):
last week has been since we last chatted in the
world of college football.

Speaker 1 (01:06):
Hi, guys, Hi, it's been between signing day somehow the
Wisconsin game feels like two months ago at this point,
between all the different things that have happened. But with
college football afterwards, with all the fights and signing day,
coaching carousel stuff, We've got a lot to talk about today,
even with the Heisman coming up this weekend, which Chip,

(01:28):
I want to pass this to you. Are you one
of the people I know? This is one of the
things that I've seen other Heisman voters on social media
talk about. Are you one of the people who placed
their votes before this weekend of conference championship games? Are
you after? Do you have a strong opinion either way?

Speaker 2 (01:44):
Or where do you fall on that I voted? I
have voted.

Speaker 3 (01:49):
You've seen enough.

Speaker 2 (01:51):
I've seen enough. I feel like I know how I
want to vote, So I have voted. But we're going
to keep that secret until next BRAC.

Speaker 1 (01:59):
I don't want to know who you voted for.

Speaker 4 (02:01):
But I guess I would say, say it's a rule,
we're gonna get kicked out of the club.

Speaker 1 (02:05):
Correct, I'm trying to make sure you can all the rules.
Me telling that the Heisman president to follow the rules
is very rich. But why before the games just because
you you feel like nothing that happens this weekend will
change your opinion so much on who your top three were?

Speaker 2 (02:22):
Correct? Yeah, I think it's pretty clear cut in my mind.
I wouldn't let sometimes I wait. Sometimes I wait until
after the final games are done. But I feel pretty
comfortable with who I think is the best player in
college football.

Speaker 3 (02:36):
Yeah, I have no problems saying that.

Speaker 4 (02:38):
First of all, I love it that Chip you do
it the second that you can.

Speaker 3 (02:41):
It's just classic you. That is very Chip.

Speaker 2 (02:44):
I actually waited a few days. I waited a few
days after.

Speaker 4 (02:46):
Getting Nothing bothers me more than the yearly scolding that
some of the Heisman Trophy vote protectors.

Speaker 3 (02:55):
Get out here and say if you vote before all the.

Speaker 4 (02:57):
Games and you're not following the evidence, and your vote
should be taken away. And there's too many anyway, we
get so precious about who gets a vote and why
and what they get to do with it. I have
no problem with you voting before the final game. I
have not yet, I will, I will wait. I don't
think anything that will happen this weekend will sway the
way I'm leaning either, but yeah, I'll leave the possibility open.

(03:19):
And I guess I'm I'm appeasing the terrorists that get
mad people that vote beforehand, But I have no issue
with that none.

Speaker 5 (03:27):
Yeah, I've I've, like I said, I've done it both ways,
particularly if there's you know, if there's I'm on the
fence or I'm just you know, I kind of want
to wait and see how it goes, or if there's
trying to decide.

Speaker 2 (03:39):
But I think I've seen enough. I just feel like
I know how I wanted to vote.

Speaker 1 (03:46):
There you go. Yeah, I'm always curious. I'm not saying
anyways right or wrong. I'm just always curious because to
Guardsy's point, there's a lot of people who love to
protect votes that well, yeah.

Speaker 2 (03:57):
It happened, was it last year where there was it
happened overly the last couple of years where it became
a big thing, where something happened in the last week
and everybody who voted before got uh screamed.

Speaker 3 (04:09):
At by the uh yeah, yes.

Speaker 2 (04:11):
Protectors of the high and I can't remember I can't
even remember this. I just remember it. Like I said,
I I think I typically wait until afterwards, but I
just did this week.

Speaker 4 (04:22):
I need a pledge from the two of you, because
you guys are friends of mine. Even though a year
and a half ago, when you both agreed that I
didn't look okay and I didn't look right, you didn't
say anything to me and let me just hospitalize myself.

Speaker 3 (04:34):
I've let that go.

Speaker 4 (04:37):
If I ever get to the point where I start lecturing,
lecturing people on their heisman vote or you see the
random social media posts, just know it's over for me.

Speaker 2 (04:45):
And yeah, you get off.

Speaker 1 (04:47):
My lawn and you're shaking your fist at the sky Grandpa.

Speaker 4 (04:50):
If I ever take myself that seriously, just feel free
to kick me out of the podcast club. I'll give
you the logins, I'll give you everything you know. I'll
get your Bill's number, even though I think you have it.
I'm not if I ever take myself that seriously to
lecture somebody out. But when they do their heisman vote
and how and all that, then it's over for me.
I've officially become a self absorbed media person. I'm trying

(05:12):
not to do that. It's and hopefully I have succeeded
in the most part. But I feel like you would
tell me if I haven't. But if I ever get
to that point, just know it's over.

Speaker 3 (05:20):
Just will not. You can take my keys away.

Speaker 2 (05:24):
You know. I love voting in the Heisman. I still
think it's the coolest UH award. I take it seriously,
but not so seriously that I'm going to lecture somebody
about how when and all that. They you know, it's
like anybody can. They can do it how they want.
You can vote for whoever you want. I mean, I
don't even mind uh out there votes where he's like,

(05:48):
you know what, I saw this player. I thought he
was the best players all year, and I think he's
the best player in college football. I'm voting. I mean,
that's prerogative. You know.

Speaker 3 (05:57):
That's that's why you have different states. I mean that
is why.

Speaker 4 (06:00):
Yeah, because you see different players, you see different matchups.
And trust me, as much as we all watch college football,
we're not watching the all twenty two of every team,
even the good teams, right, even the good teams like
you're not catching everything as much as as well intentioned
as you might be. So anyway, all right, well we'll
talk about that next week. That'll be exciting, and then
that gets announced Saturday after the Army Navy game. Typically

(06:23):
that gets announced, But we do have a regular season
to discuss that is now wrapped up for your Minnesota
Golden Gophers. If you're a Gopher fan listening to this podcast,
and a lot of you are, they went into Camp
Randall on a Black Friday. The entire parent of Spare
Pod had boots on the ground in Madison. Just a
wonderful press box in Madison for a school that just
says they you know, they take football in sports seriously.

(06:44):
Just a great working environment. I just love it, and
I love that they give you guys so much time
after the game.

Speaker 2 (06:48):
They're right, you're going to go on here.

Speaker 3 (06:50):
Yeah, I know, I'm trying.

Speaker 4 (06:51):
I'm going to try to get you guys to do
what I usually do, which is rant about things that
people don't really care about.

Speaker 2 (06:56):
That they don't care about.

Speaker 4 (06:56):
Yeah, yeah, that doesn't affect that sports me, you know that,
but it is worth noting.

Speaker 3 (07:02):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (07:03):
So twenty four to seven was the final and It
should not have been that close if not for a
ridiculous penalty by poor Joey Gerlock. My goodness, Bunny that
extended a drive for Wisconsin and then allowed them in
the end zone. And then things got a little weird.
I described the environment before that play as the Thursday
Thanksgiving post turkey hangover where you're just looking to take

(07:25):
a nap in a chair and watch some football.

Speaker 3 (07:27):
That was the Camp Randle vibe before that.

Speaker 4 (07:29):
After that, it felt like Wednesday night, the night before Thanksgiving.
You're with all your buddies that you only see once
a year, and things are about to get weird. And
then it quickly went back to food coma. Yeah, but
that could have been thirty five rip or thirty five
to three or forty two to ten or whatever it was.
As it was, the Gophers won very comfortably. They got
the missfield goal that they needed. They went down and

(07:50):
got the Kessage field goal to kind of make it
a three score game and allow that nothing weird was
going to happen. But that was a dominating as performance
by the Gophers.

Speaker 3 (07:59):
Chips Goggins, Yeah, it was.

Speaker 2 (08:01):
It was heading for a shutout. I think it was
going to be a shutout. The way their defensive playing way,
they the Gophers dominated them in the trenches in a
way that I haven't seen I don't know in this rivalry,
particularly defensively. I mean, Wisconsin couldn't run the ball. I

(08:25):
give a lot of credit. I want to give him
a real shout out to Max Brosmer. Walking to that stadium,
it was freaking cold, and as you know, and the
way that wind was blowing, I thought, I don't know
how they're gonna throw the ball day. And it did
not affect him. He just looked so under control and precise.
And you know, I talked with PJ about this after

(08:47):
the game. He hit a home run with that with
that portal edition and Max Brosmer, we'll say it now
that the season's over, well at they still the ball game.
But it's a damn shame that they don't get more
than one year out of him, because he is a
really good college quarterback, not only just throwing the ball,
but his leadership, how smart he is, the way he processes,
the way everybody kind of gravitates around him. That guy

(09:11):
had a heck of a year, a really really good year,
and I thought he was great. I thought he was
fantastic that they in those conditions to be able to
throw the ball and make some of those you know,
d throws and on the money throws. I can't say
enough good things about him. I think he's been a
heck of a player for them.

Speaker 1 (09:28):
Yeah, I think if you were to give an MVP voter,
maybe not even an MVP, but just the most valuable
player in terms of if Max Brosmer is not on
this team, I don't know that. I don't know what
the record would be, right, Yeah, like if Ethan would
have been the quarterback, I don't think Minnesota gets to
a bowl game. That's not a shot at Athan, But
more so how good Max was in a lot of

(09:50):
huge spots for them throughout the entire year. He was
really good against Wisconsin, and you mentioned how he played
in cold weather conditions, And that's where I go back
to just even talking to some people over there or
where New Hampshire, where he was coming from, did not
have an indoor practice facility for springball. So there were
mornings that I've heard that they're practicing at five point

(10:10):
thirty in the morning in New Hampshire in March and
it's below zero and so when he gets into these
conditions here in Madison where it wasn't quite that what
do you think guards that you were down there on
the field fifteen twenty degrees.

Speaker 2 (10:22):
Yeah, it was a cool wind though. With that wind,
I looked at school kick off, it's a zero with windfield.

Speaker 3 (10:27):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (10:28):
And the second half when the sun kind of went
down and it got a little grayer and then the
snow came.

Speaker 3 (10:32):
First half was cold, but you know, you guys see
what I'm wearing.

Speaker 4 (10:36):
I'm totally geared up, and everybody's staying warm and you're
moving around a little bit.

Speaker 3 (10:41):
But the second half felt a lot colder.

Speaker 4 (10:43):
The wind picked up a little bit, the sun went down,
that started snowing. There weren't as many people there for
body heating. People started to screaming out. I don't know
if that affects me on the field are as much, but
there weren't as many people there. Yeah, it was cold
and it was cold, and it did not affect Brosmer.
You're right after the first couple of rise where each
team struggled and it looked like it was going to
be a ten to seven rock fight, big ten West

(11:05):
throwback rock fight.

Speaker 3 (11:07):
Yeah, You're right the shout out.

Speaker 4 (11:09):
We can't say enough good things about Max Brosmer for
the entire season, you know.

Speaker 3 (11:13):
And was he perfect? Of course not.

Speaker 4 (11:15):
But he's a college quarterback and he had moments where
he didn't play well. First couple of possessions of North
Carolina didn't play well. Guess what, he'd never seen that
many people want to watch him play football before the
first time in the Big ten stadium, you know, big house,
same thing, right.

Speaker 3 (11:29):
I don't think he necessarily played poorly.

Speaker 4 (11:30):
The team got down, he almost brought him back in
front of one hundred thousand people there weren't It was
an unbelievable season, just everything, even hearing stuff about the
bottom at spring practice like, I don't know, we'll see
looks good.

Speaker 3 (11:44):
Nope, he was good. He was great.

Speaker 4 (11:46):
And you talked to PJ about this as well, Chip,
because I watched the press conference at Madison International Airport
on my way to New Orleans. The biggest thing Max
Brozmer did that we'll see if it continues to move forward,
is he was good, but he convinced the head coach
to let him be good.

Speaker 3 (12:04):
Yeah, something about North Carolina today. Sorry to cut you.

Speaker 4 (12:07):
Off, No, no, that was old school PJ Fleck. They
were still trying to run the ball. Darius Taylor wasn't
involved because he was hurt. They were still trying to
win the old way and didn't have a ton of
possessions because of some turnovers. And once they took the
governor off Max Brozmer, there was no looking back, and
he convinced the head coach and got the head coach's
trust that this is how we have to win.

Speaker 2 (12:28):
Well, it was interesting because PJ was talking about because
I asked him first about and I give him and
Greg Harbo a lot of credit because you know, you
had a quarterback that was won the Heisman at FCS,
but it's still ses, it's not Big ten. But they
saw and they believed with their eyes and trusted that
whatever they saw was going to be able to translate

(12:49):
and he was going to be able to perform at
a high level in the Big ten. So I give
them credit for that. And then he said, you know,
it takes two. It's like we had to be right.
Not only we have to be right, but he had
to be right. And I was still he said, I
told basically, Max, I don't have a plan B right now,
plan B is a true freshman. We can't play a
true freshman. You know, this has to be right. And
so I asked PJ. I follow up, I said, is
a fair say you changed? He said, yeah, I had

(13:09):
a change, And he said, you know yeah. I thought
he gave a great answers, like, if you had Mohammed Abraham,
you would have run the ball that many times too,
and we didn't. We don't have a Mohammed and I
had it. You know, I had to change it. And
I do think that he changed with the personnel, because
you go back to twenty nineteen, they threw the ball more.
But I go back I looked at those stats. If

(13:30):
if in the ball game the averages are what they
are in terms of throwing the ball thirty whatever, they
will have thrown the ball one hundred more times this
year than in two hundred nineteen. Yes, PJ adapts to
his personnel, But if you don't think he changed fundamentally,
you're not really panted. He threw the ball one hundred
more times this year with the first year quarterback that

(13:53):
he knew nothing well not knew nothing about, but it
hadn't been proven to him. Versus when he had Tanner
and two NFL wide receivers. He absolutely shifted how he
looks at things philosophically.

Speaker 3 (14:03):
Yeah, to your point.

Speaker 1 (14:05):
As much as it is Brosmer, I think it's also
Greg Harbow earning his trust in year two where last year,
in year one, whether it was Ethan, whether it was Greg,
just in his first year the offense wasn't very good
at all, and they took steps forward everywhere, third down, scoring, passing,
wherever you want to look. Now, the wrong game is
going to have to be something that Harbo improves on

(14:25):
in his third year. But they gave PJ the ability
to trust a play caller again. I mean, I think
to some of the play calls against usc UCLA or
even in this last game with the fake tush push
on third one goes around the end, I mean we
saw them finally get creative or fleck allow the offensive

(14:45):
coordinator to be creative in different spots, and it all
goes hand in hand. It's all symbiotic, where the quarterback
you trust him, and you trust the offensive play caller
that he's going to be able to have the quarterback
deliver in these huge spots. Then they can do as
we finally have been asking for for the duration of
this podcast, instead of just run right, run, left, run middle,

(15:07):
be a little bit creative in which we certainly saw.
I'd argue as much as we've seen in the Fleck
tenure from a play caller.

Speaker 2 (15:14):
Well, I do say, what was the game we talked
about him here. I can't remember what it was where
Flex said we're really going to run that play, let
him do it.

Speaker 1 (15:22):
Cla game where the yeah, yeah, the Mechi screen on
like third and two, yeah, and again. I'll never forget
that play because I remember looking at Fleck down on
the field and he's crouched on the field picking grass
because he's so nervous about the play call. I remember
thinking to myself, boy, this is going to be a
doozy if he's this worked up about it. And they

(15:44):
end up converting and then Darius scores on that fourth down.
But it's it was refreshing to see just Fleck change
because you noted a chip And I thought that answer
he gave to your follow up was arguably one of
the best answers he gave all year, with how thoughtful
transparent it was. Is he finally adapted to what this

(16:04):
team was, which was a throw it to run a team?

Speaker 2 (16:07):
Yeah, and I do wonder if if he never admitted
we never get it. But like, how many times would
he have called off a play or over ridden put
a stop on Harbo? No no, no, no, no, no no, we're
gonna do this, you know? Or were there fewer of

(16:27):
those casions this year? You think where he just said,
you know, maybe not treat it the way I do
my defense, where that guy has carte blanche to do whatever,
but I'm not gonna I'm not going to interfere or
I'm not gonna, you know, dictate what the offenseve coordinator
wants to do. I bet there's I bet there's far
more or less of that this year than what we've seen.
And it speaks to your trust in Harbo.

Speaker 1 (16:49):
Yeah, it's trust and Harbow, it's trust and Brosmer. And
now next year's offense will be a lot different with
Drake Lindsay more than likely heading that thing up. But
it's it. It's encouraging to see that a guy who
is as conservative as he is as a head coach
was able to adapt with the times, and because of that,
his team outperformed national expectations. By a win, two wins

(17:13):
compared to what they were preseason, and you're able to
go into Madison and probably should have had twenty four
or excuse me, thirty thirty four points on the day.
But the offense I think allowed him to trust again,
which is certainly a lot. There's a lot to discuss
with that going to the offseason.

Speaker 3 (17:29):
Yeah, it was. It was a great year.

Speaker 4 (17:31):
And it's amazing how eleven months in eleven months, but
an impact the guy can have on a program, on
a coach, on maybe the next quarterback, and it was
just fun to watch every single week. It was just
an enjoyable How many times did we get on the
pod and it was, you know, sixteen to ten and
it was ugly, it was choppy.

Speaker 3 (17:49):
Defense had to save you.

Speaker 4 (17:50):
Fans don't want to watch that, and I know you
can't the piece fans, But I think people really enjoyed
the season, at least the fans. I talked to him
Burns a year. You live in fans, I mean, they
are all around you. I think everybody had a really
enjoyable season, even though there were some games you'd like
to have back, and we could certainly talk about that,
but you also went down and won some games that

(18:14):
looked like you were dead and buried, and you had
a guy bring you back a couple of different times.
It just was an enjoyable season. And that all goes
back to the kid. I just think he was spectacular.

Speaker 2 (18:23):
Well. I think it's one of the most entertaining Gopher
seasons that I've seen, because.

Speaker 1 (18:31):
You had an opportunity to win all twelve games on
the schedule.

Speaker 2 (18:35):
But it was just like the way they played, the
style of play were just like grinding, Like you know,
it's like thirty third five, we're going to run the ball. Yeah,
it was. It was not to say that wasn't effective
and put you in a position to win games, but
it's just like it felt like just you had such
a low ceiling and here it was like now you're

(18:56):
throwing the ball around. And I you mentioned trust. I mean,
think about when the last time he trusted their quarterback
to go win a game.

Speaker 4 (19:06):
But to go win a game, not to go manage
a game, to win a game, to go win it,
and to go win it at any point in the
game too, not just because you had to. Right, remember
that we'd go ninety minutes without a pass. You know
in real time. Yeah, old year and then oh shoot,
we gave up a player, we fumbled, and now we're
trailing with three minutes. Lep in the fourth court, go
ahead and win the game on an eight r drive.

(19:27):
And you haven't thrown it in two hours, don't you know?

Speaker 1 (19:30):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (19:31):
And Flak mentioned it too, like, uh, I love the
the you know, the the press conferences with Broser and
you could tell how smart the guy was and how
committed he was to Like what he say is like,
you know, when you're win or something, it makes it
easy to get get the work at five am. Like
he treated this like a job, right, Like this is
what it was.

Speaker 3 (19:50):
He was.

Speaker 2 (19:51):
But Pj's like, it's not easy for a guy to
come in one year and know everybody's names and earn
the trust and have everybody look up to him the
way that he did. It takes a special personality to
do that, to have to become the leader, the undeniable
guy in when was that Bowl game last year? It's
basically twelve months.

Speaker 3 (20:08):
Right, yeah, less he was here.

Speaker 2 (20:10):
He was twelve months he was in part of this program.
And you look at the the way he is viewed
in that in that facility. It speaks a lot about
his character too.

Speaker 4 (20:22):
The other people we need to owde before we maybe
talk a little bit about Wisconsin too and what they're
going to do here.

Speaker 3 (20:29):
I don't think we've talked enough about Daniel Jackson. Yeah,
we talk a lot about him. He comes up.

Speaker 4 (20:35):
I was talking with Tommy Olsen on my Gopher pod
this week, and we all remember the Max Williams catch
against Iowa, the one where it looked like it was
impossible that he caught it, and then they replayed it
and the.

Speaker 3 (20:46):
Pellets flew up pellets. Yeah, he got his feet in.

Speaker 4 (20:50):
And I remember that. We all remember watching that play
ten years ago. Basically, Daniel Jackson has one of those
every week almost where it's there's no way he caught that.
Oh wait, we're gonna review it. Oh yeah, caught it. Yep,
first down, go first. Whether it's the Nebraska one, obviously,
there was a huge one two years ago, the Michigan
won this year where I'm still confused how the official

(21:13):
doesn't see it, but I think it was because Daniel's
body was completely contorted backwards and he didn't know what
to look at, and.

Speaker 3 (21:20):
Then the catch.

Speaker 4 (21:20):
You know, it's just a little five yard out or
whatever it was, but he just makes the play like
it's not a great throw's it's not like a game
saving catch or anything. But that's just the dude that
he is, Like if you throw it to him, he's
going to catch it. And I think he's fourth all
time now, right Burnsy. I'm sure you have all the stats,
and obviously he had an extra year with COVID to

(21:40):
be here and do all of that, But what a career.

Speaker 3 (21:44):
What a career, And you want to talk about trust.

Speaker 4 (21:47):
I mean, when they needed something, Daniel was getting it
for Max And obviously Elijah Spencer had a good season
and a good game the other day, But what a
career Daniel Jackson had.

Speaker 3 (21:56):
Unbelievable.

Speaker 1 (21:58):
He's probably going to go down is one of the
least talked about gifted receivers because you look at some
of the names on the list ahead of him, and
he passed two too out well to become fourth all
time during that Wisconsin game. He's just the guy that
got better every single year, and you look at last year,
took the step to be the receiver one and now

(22:20):
going into this past season, which I still don't understand
how he doesn't make an All Big ten lists.

Speaker 3 (22:26):
He's flash sheet. That's the other thing.

Speaker 4 (22:28):
He makes the play and then just gives the ball
back like he's not you know, and again that's who
he is. But he doesn't have these epic celebrations. They're
not like explosive plays all the time where he's you know,
taking the top off the defense for a seventy five
yard touchdown.

Speaker 3 (22:42):
He just makes the play and goes back to make
the next one.

Speaker 4 (22:45):
And so I just think it's that lack of flash
that people don't People aren't really watching, like we were
talking about with the Heisman stuff, aren't paying attention to that.
The dude just makes plays. But I cut you off.

Speaker 1 (22:55):
Yeah, I mean, you're fine. It's just I don't understand
a couple of things without those all Big tens. But
that's here nor there. I just think for what he
was able to accomplish from the day he came into
the day he left, I thought he was going to
be good. Coming in. He was a highly touted recruit
and just on that border of being a four star.
But the way he just put his head down and
worked year after year after year and got better, and

(23:18):
you could see him get better, and you saw him
make big time plays in big time moments, and to me,
he's gonna be one of the best receivers I probably cover.
Now this is my fourteenth year, like it is yours,
guards you. But I think when people mentioned the names
Bateman and Johnson and Ron Johnson and the other names

(23:38):
Eric Decker, I think I don't want to be the
guy that's going to have to interject and say, well,
Daniel Jackson too, But I feel like that's the kind
of the career that he had.

Speaker 2 (23:47):
Yeah, I mean he's he's obviously not the biggest guy,
not the fastest, not the most explosive, but to me,
he's like just super reliable, right, so if you throw
them all his direction, he's going to catch it no
matter how. He had a couple of tough catches there, Sara,
and I was thinking, he makes tough catches look pretty routine,

(24:09):
like just you see it so often as you almost
take it for granted. And uh no, I mean, uh,
you know, I had a chance to cover you know,
obviously I didn't cover Ron, but Deck and uh Bateman
and Johnson and those guys were special. But to me,

(24:30):
he's just I think his reliability to me is what
he just when you threw it to me, caught it.
There's something to be said about that. Whether it's like
easy catch, a routine catch, or a really hard catch,
he caught it, and so yeah, another great career.

Speaker 3 (24:47):
Ahead.

Speaker 1 (24:48):
Well I want to give a shout out to Elijah
Spencer too, where yeah, I said it, you know later
after the game. But Elijah Spencer to me in the
day and age of the transfer portal is the exception
and not the rule. Where you look at what happened
to him in his first year after transferring from Charlotte
nine catches. It doesn't go the way that he thought

(25:09):
it was going to go the way that Minnesota thought
it was going to go. But instead of transferring and
kind of blaming the situation, he stuck it out. He
put his head down, he continued to work. And that
was one of the things he talked about us with
us in the media before the season was at Charlotte,
he could just show up to the building and he
was going to be the best player. When he showed
up to Minnesota, he had to learn new practice habits

(25:31):
and to see a guy go from what he had
for a type of role in twenty twenty three to
in twenty twenty four, he quadruples his catches, ends up
with forty six receptions for over six hundred yards. You
look at that Wisconsin game specifically five catches, five first downs.
I mean, he was such a reliable receiver, especially once

(25:52):
big ten play hit. I just want to commend him
because it's so easy in.

Speaker 3 (25:57):
This new world of college football.

Speaker 1 (25:58):
Too. Oh, it didn't work out for me. Woe is me?
Let me put my name into the portal, go try
it somewhere else. He stuck it out. And I don't know,
maybe it's me being the old head of just saying
good for you for not when adversity hit, you stuck
through it and you were rewarded with almost a fifty
catch season.

Speaker 4 (26:18):
Well, and he had self awareness about it, you know,
he taught to all of us about that and saying
I didn't do the things I needed to do to
be good at this level. I had to own that
and I had to change that. And I think to
bring it back to Jackson, he's a good example. And
the story's been told, but I remember waiting for him
for a pregame interview while he was catching his one
hundred to one hundred and fifty after practice jugs machine balls.

(26:40):
First of all, he starts like the right at the
jugs machine for the people on YouTube, like if you're
the drugs machine. His hands are right here and his
face is right behind it, and it fires it right there.
And I'm like, so Grim and I were trying to
figure out how much money it would cost to have
one of us try to do that, because it's going
to break our nose. It's gonna go right for our hands.
So he starts there and then he comes back and
does all these things. This is a creepy thing for

(27:00):
anybody watching you. You'll send it.

Speaker 1 (27:06):
I know that.

Speaker 4 (27:08):
So the other the other story that I'll tell about
d Jack before we maybe take a break and come
back and talk about some other things, is he and
Max filled in for PJ on the PJ. Fleck radio
show after the UCLA game. So after the Darius Taylor play,
after that win or whatever, they were awesome, they were great,
But we started talking to Daniel about his catches.

Speaker 3 (27:25):
And I think this was after the show.

Speaker 4 (27:27):
People were talking about the Nebraska catch and they bought
the shirt from Dinky Town Athletes and all that, and
he just kind of said, for a humble guy, which
he is, kind of said, I gotta be honest. You
talk about the catch, he goes, the route was way better.
You know, he just left the Nebraska guy peeking in
on the plant. He goes, I'm about the route, man.
The route to me was key to that whole thing.

(27:48):
And that's what I appreciate about him is sip. You
mentioned the stuff he makes look easy. How many over
the shoulder catch up Wisconsin like those are tough, And
not only does he catch him, but he goes about
them in the way that the defensive back doesn't know
the ball's coming. Which game was it was a Ucla
where he just or maybe even Rutgers, he just kind
of like he just dead arms the ball, slows himself down.

(28:09):
He can crack it, yeah, and it's just right in
his hands and the defensive backs looking around like they
threw it to you.

Speaker 3 (28:16):
I thought the play was over.

Speaker 4 (28:17):
He's so technically sound, and that you don't get that
technically sound unless you work. I hate the word craft.
It gets overused. Work at your craft one of the
new buzzwords. But that dude works at his craft, and
you can tell by how he runs his routes, how
he gets open, how he finishes them, all the technique stuff,
because I think I asked him about it the next
week one of the catches and he broke down the

(28:39):
exact technique while I did this, and I did this
with my arm and then you've got this to the
boundary and blah blah blah, and then the ball's there,
like yeah, okay, it makes sense. So hell of a career.
It doesn't sound like he's going to play the ball game.
I tried to put him on the spot and get
the emotional response on the field. I said, hey, Max
and Quinn said they're in what are you thinking about
the ball game? Yeah, we're gonna talk about some things.

(29:00):
So my response to Daniel was, it's been fun watching you, Bud.
I will see you and Charlotte on the sideline. If
you'd like to join us in the first or second
quarter on the Gofer Sports Network, we'd love to have you.
But I got the indication he was not going to
be playing in that bowl game. Let's talk about bowl
games and some other stuff when we come back, but
first let's talk about Jack's Cafe. Our great partner, Jack's

(29:21):
Cafe been in Minneapolis forever, generation after generation after generation,
and this time next week, guys, I will be giving
you the Breakfast with Santa review the Guard December seventh, fourteenth,
and twenty First, the calendar worked out finally where we
can actually go. We are shoehorning it in. We're going
to you will not see anybody take a picture with

(29:42):
Santa quicker or have assorted pastries Begnet's gingerbread, pancakes, eggs,
benedict waffle, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, cheesy hash Brown's, French toasticks,
mac and cheese, fresh fruit, Jellow juice boxes and holiday
cookies Quicker.

Speaker 3 (29:54):
Then we will be doing.

Speaker 4 (29:55):
It at Jack's Cafe on Saturday, but it's a Breakfast
with Santa time in the next three saturd is the seventh, fourteenth,
and twenty first, bring your kids.

Speaker 3 (30:02):
Seatings are nine to eleven.

Speaker 4 (30:04):
You can check out the menu and learn more at
Jackscafe dot Comjaxcafe dot com. And I will give you
a full review of the very popular Breakfast Was Santa
experience next week on the Pod. And I'm sure you
guys are making your plans burnsy for your next Jack's
cafe appearance.

Speaker 1 (30:19):
I actually just made a reservation this morning for a
little Christmas dinner because now that I know that I
will likely be here for Christmas as there's no more
Christmas in Detroit possibility, which thank all of the heavens above,
now I can start to kind of plan out a
little bit, and that's where me and my lovely wife
will be going out there. I will continue to die
on the hill of I've said it before, We'll say

(30:40):
it again. Best steak in town, and I know there's
a lot of great steak places. The file A there
is the best filet I've had. So if you're a
steak guy, go prove me wrong. Chip.

Speaker 2 (30:51):
Yeah, I'm gonna I'm gonna make me a reservation. I'm
gonna test that theory, and I don't doubt you're wrong.
I'm typically the hall of a guy there.

Speaker 1 (31:00):
Love their halibate, big fish guy after my own heart.

Speaker 2 (31:03):
I love their halibit. That's yeah. And uh they have
a great salad start it there, mash potatoes and then
the crimberle at. That's kind of my go to. But
I'm gonna have the state this time. I'm gonna have
a uh sometime over Christmas a dinner there and I

(31:24):
don't doubt that it's the best steak in town and
I'm looking forward to try it.

Speaker 4 (31:27):
It halibit, Walleye, salad, brunches, whatever it is. Christmas Dinner
with Santa Jackscafe dot com to make your reservation. Support
those that support us. Bill has been an awesome supporter
his whole group. The service is tremendous. The match box
matchbooks are an amazing touch. The trout you can't see
right now because it's eight degrees, but they'll be back.

(31:48):
They'll be back next summer when they open that patio.
And so when you get there, tell Bill that you
were there. Because of the parent of spare Pot. He
loves to meet listeners. And like we said, we were
season ticket holders, the golden go for football this year
because of Cafe, you guys got to go to every
single game this year, which is awesome. So support those
that support us. And if you are at breakfast with
Santa on Saturday, please don't judge me for my parenting

(32:11):
with how my kids act.

Speaker 3 (32:12):
All right, I'm doing my best.

Speaker 4 (32:14):
I'm doing my best, but please come over and say
hi and we'll see you. With Jack's cafe reservations at
jaxcafe dot com.

Speaker 3 (32:22):
Burnsy just alluded to it.

Speaker 4 (32:24):
The Detroit possibility is officially over now that the Gophers
are seven to five. They've got Paul Bunying's acts, by
the way, for the fourth time in eight years, which
equals I think I've heard you say this, Ryan, the
number of times the Gophers had the acts in your
lifetime before PJ.

Speaker 3 (32:38):
Fleck got here.

Speaker 4 (32:39):
Is that correct? Yeah, that's what I think that's worth
noting as well. Like when he got here, the axe
was a rumor. There were teenagers in Wisconsin that did
not know a world without Paul Bunying's acts at the
Camp Randall football facility, whatever they call it. So I
think some credits should be given there for igniting this rivalry,
or at least getting into the rivalry like they weren't before.

Speaker 2 (33:00):
Well.

Speaker 1 (33:00):
Yeah, and that's where when I grew up, the X
was a theory, I mean for most largely my entire childhood,
because they never had it four times before PJ.

Speaker 3 (33:10):
Flight got here. Now he's four and four.

Speaker 1 (33:12):
I do want to note before we can fully transition
away from it, we didn't talk any about the defense.

Speaker 3 (33:17):
The defense was fantastic and they.

Speaker 1 (33:19):
They didn't force a turnover or a takeaway, but under
one hundred and seventy total yards. How many times over
the years, And you guys would know better than me.
Have you seen a Wisconsin or Iowa mediocre quarterback turn
into the next Patrick Mahomes too against the Gophers over
the years. Too many times they kept a bad quarterback bad,
they kept a bad offense bad, and they were able

(33:41):
to force I think eight or nine straight three and
outs before the Joey Gerlack thing that I think they
would have probably ended up shutting out Wisconsin. So Corey
Heatherman in that defense I think deserve a lot of
credit for that victory too.

Speaker 2 (33:52):
But they tackled well, they tackled like correct.

Speaker 1 (33:55):
Yeah. Yeah, Coy Parritch and Cody Linnenberg I think had
a couple of their better games of the season, especially
Koy in the run game.

Speaker 4 (34:02):
Yeah, and for the season, I think, you know, we
were just doing kind of the season long ode for Max.
It's got to be a season long ode for Corey Heatherman.
When we got the news a year or so ago
that Joe Rossi was moving on, I'm sure, I'm sure
the message boards were not loving that. Burnsey right, with
how important he was to the program, that maybe the
most important decision that PJ made in twenty eighteen was

(34:24):
firing Rob Smith and elevating Rossi. It changed the trajectory
of where the program was going. The defense was horrific
under Rob Smith, and Rossi made it top ten pretty
much every single year except for last year's debacle. Right,
And it was such a surprise to see a Joe
Rossi defense play that poorly.

Speaker 3 (34:41):
There were reasons for it, not excuses, but reasons. There
were reasons for it.

Speaker 4 (34:48):
And here comes Corey Heatherman who brings in a completely
different vibe and energy and just aggressiveness, and no one
knew how that was going to turn out.

Speaker 3 (34:57):
And guy put together.

Speaker 4 (34:59):
I don't know you you might know the numbers off
the top of your head, Burnsy, but top tennish type
defense again, right, that really played well for the bulk
of the season. It hats off to him. It's a
heck of a year for him as a coordinator.

Speaker 1 (35:12):
Yeah, especially if for coming into your first year learning
what your personnel does really well and then adapting your
scheme to the players, which is what always should happen,
but that's what really successful coordinators do, and I think
you saw that. That's why Minnesota forced twenty turnovers on
the season. I believe now they don't. They go the
final ten quarters of the year without forcing a takeaway.

(35:34):
They were hot and cold at times, but in total
defense they ended up top twenty. I don't know how
else you can kind of look at the season defensively
and not be encouraged for what they had personnel wise,
for what they were able to accomplish. Yeah, I think
for year one of a system that you go from
playing very vanilla, I would say under ROSSI you knew

(35:55):
what the scheme was going to be, Ben don't break
to more of the health skelter style of play. For
what the players had to learn and how they executed
in the first year, that's definitely a success for me. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (36:07):
I under Roster, we always said you felt like guys
were going to be in the right spot, like technically
fundamentally in the right spot. And last year was a
you know, disaster, and that was not always the case.
But when they were good, they're always in the right spot.
And they pretty much tackled this defense. I felt like,
really flew around and their line. I don't know what

(36:28):
their sack total was, but I felt like when they
were rolling, they created a lot of bad throws, a
lot of rush throws, and that led to interceptions. KOI
back there playing centerfield or whoever. And you know, we're
the two biggest stats in football, exposive plays and turnovers,
and they did a really good job with the turnovers.
And I think if you can do that and still

(36:50):
be disciplined, that's when you have a really good defense.
But first year, to create that kind of chaos with
your defense and force quarterbacks into wild throws, which I
think we saw a lot this year, Yep, you got
to give him credit for that.

Speaker 4 (37:08):
Well, to use the word we used in the first
segment on the offense, it was a fun defense to watch.
It was fun because they were going to be disruptive,
they were going to be in the backfield. The games
that in the Rutgers game, that first half was such
a departure of what they had done the entire season.
It was so weird. They had no second and longs,
they had no third lungs. It was all for you know,

(37:29):
second and manageable. No pressure on the quarterback, and that's
why it stood out so much because the whole year
they had just lived in the opponent's backfield one way
or the other and created those explosive plays defensively going
the other way, or the turnovers and just the havoc
that they seemed to reek on people. And that's what
also made it a fun team to watch was defensively,
they had a bunch of playmakers. Burnsy, I know you

(37:51):
were wondering in preseason who were the playmakers going to
be on this defense, specifically in the secondary, and they
had the answers for those questions with a lot of
guys that could find their way around the ball.

Speaker 1 (38:03):
Yeah. I still think even the season that Koy had
where ends up leading the big tenant interceptions, that's like
a ninety ninth percentile outcome for even me in my
lofty expectations for him coming into the season where I
can't remember a time in my I mean, Winfield had
some moments early on, Nubin had a lot more ups

(38:25):
and down, so did Howden. But the way he was
able to come in and I think early when he
finally started to get the opportunities, it was through the air.
But the thing for me with Koy down the stretch
in November. Is the way he tackled, the way he
was physical on the run game. He didn't back down
from anything. And that's probably the most amount of snaps

(38:46):
he's played, especially at that high of a level, against
that type of physicality. And it came to I think
one of his best games of the season against Wisconsin
in the run game and just the way he was
able to not be intimidated from the word go this summer.

Speaker 3 (39:03):
Again, what a season for him? What a season had.

Speaker 2 (39:06):
He had that play against Wisconsin.

Speaker 4 (39:09):
Well, I just wanted to mention first team All Big
Ten Defensive Back, second Team All Big Ten return Specialist,
finalist for the Shawn Alexander Freshman of the Year Award,
involving players from Alabama, Ohigh Estate, South Carolina, and Texas.

Speaker 3 (39:24):
That's pretty good company. That's pretty good company, Koy.

Speaker 2 (39:27):
But go ahead, well and he had that play Saturday
or Friday Winter Hill. It was where he came flying
off the edge and he made that tackle right at
the line. I was like, he looked like he was
shot out of a cannon there, Like I didn't see
him do that. We saw the interceptions early in the year.
But that was like to diagnose that play and I'm

(39:47):
going right now and he hit that running back right
at the liner behind line. That was impressive. But look
at their defenses hole. I mean, the coordinator obviously deserves credit,
but I think just the wall, he's going to be
an in player. I think Cody Linderberg's gonna be an
NFL player. I think John Joryner will, although I don't
think he had a great season, but I think NFL
people will look at his frame. And I think Anthony

(40:09):
Smith in time looks like an NFL player. Who knows
what coy I mean, they had some talent on that defense.
I mean they had some playmakers, They had some dudes
on there. So they have some guys I think are
going to play in the NFL that for the most part,
had good years. When we saw when Cody gets healthy,
he's one of the best linebackers in the league. I

(40:29):
mean he's really good.

Speaker 1 (40:30):
Uh team all big ten from the coaches man.

Speaker 2 (40:33):
Yeah, I mean he's a good, physical, aggressive guy that
runs to the ball and so yeah, I mean they
I think the scheme fit good with the personnel and
what those guys do well.

Speaker 1 (40:48):
Yeah, and you got jaw accepting the Senior Bowl invite
last night, which I think puts about a I'd say
a ninety nine percent chance. That's the last snap you
saw him play was in Madison, right. I think he'll
probably play in the Bowl game. Cody Linnenberg is still
weighing his decisions between cashing out his chips to go
test the NFL waters or come back for a sixth season.

(41:10):
But they had talent and even for someone like Justin Wally,
where we talked about coming into the season. His twenty
twenty three I think was fine, but he kind of stagnated.
I don't think he got a lot better between year
two and three as the starter. Well this year I
felt like he got He really took that step in
his fourth year. Is the guy accepted a Shrine Bowl

(41:30):
invitation here today? Second team all Big ten. You had
talent and you were able to deploy it. And that's
where they were able to be as aggressive as Heatherman
wanted because you had Wally and Robinson and you trusted
Koy Perrich ultimately down the stretch too in some big
moments to cover in man coverage. And now next year
it's going to be a very different defense without.

Speaker 4 (41:51):
Some of these key names, and will Heatherman be atop
that Ryan Burns because your message board is very worried
that Joe Harris Simeiak is on his way to be
a head coach at UMass, which means the defensive coordinator
spot at Rutgers is now open. It just apparently Greg
Ciano's out of ideas. When he loses a coach, he

(42:13):
just looks at the Minnesota staff and makes a call
and says, we're all from these coats. You want to
come back, And more often than not, the guys do,
whether it's current offensive coordinator or Harris Simeak. Obviously a
little while ago, I'm not as concerned about Corey Heatherman leaving,
and I'm also not concerned with replacing him as much

(42:34):
because I do think they're ready to give Danny Collins
more responsibility if and when Heatherman left. I don't think
it's going to be this year, but I do think
that they like Danny Collins that much and think that
highly of him that they might just elevate him at
this point, even though he's a young coach.

Speaker 3 (42:48):
But what do you think? What are you hearing? Along?

Speaker 4 (42:50):
Do you want to pour water on that rumor nothing
with surprises in college sports as we know, right, But
and it makes sense for all the obvious reasons that
he used to work for Chiano and just had an
unbelievable year as a coordinator. Do you worry that he's
going back to Piscatalite, one of your favorite towns.

Speaker 1 (43:05):
I mean I worry, but I would say I'm a
lot less worried than I have been for the Joe
Rossi thing, or the Kirk schroco or Joe Harrisimak because
at the end of the day, a lot of people
can say things, but I think money talks the loudest.
And that's where when Fleck signed Heatherman, he put language
into the contract which if Heatherman were to leave for

(43:26):
another Big ten coaching job, that that's not head coach.
So he goes back to Rutgers to be the defensive coordinator.
Rutgers' buyout for him would be roughly nine hundred thousand
plus or minus one hundred thousand, whereas Rossi when he
went to Michigan State was about three hundred and thirty thousand.
That's a lot more manageable. Harris Simiak was I think
about one hundred thousand. Sharroca was less than less than ROSSI,

(43:48):
so that's a lot of money to pay for a buyout,
and then you have to give him a raise. Now,
from what I understand from digging around on this in
the first twenty four hours since that news came out
about HARRISI miak, I think Heatherman stays. I think he'll
probably use this as leverage to get more money. He
was making about eight hundred and fifty thousand dollars. I

(44:09):
think he'll probably be close to the million mark. I
also think Greg Harbo should be negotiating for more money
as the lowest played play caller on the offensive side
of the ball. But I just think it's such a
different situation for for Heatherman because of the language in
his contract, and he's also I mean I think he

(44:31):
I think he likes it here, which okay, hashtag one
of us guards that you're the king of that. But
he's got a young family. He doesn't want to be
moving all the time. I understand that he's got a
lot of connections to the East Coast, but I just
think that money aspect is something that people have to
take into account as this buyout is exponentially larger than
it was for Rossi or Schrock or anybody else.

Speaker 4 (44:52):
At some point, Rutgers has got to stop spending so
much money because they don't make a lot of money.
I know, think it's the TV money coming, but yeah,
they've been paying and I know cost living out there
is a little different than it is here in you know,
the Twin Cities. But anyway, so it's worth mentioning that
I agree with you on everything that you just said there,
Burns Ey, I do want to.

Speaker 1 (45:09):
Say, though, I'm curious to get your guys' thoughts. I
think you were going to take us here, but I
want to kind of take it away from you, is
what do we think of Wisconsin going forward?

Speaker 3 (45:19):
Here?

Speaker 1 (45:19):
Because the twenty two year bull Street comes to an end.
And let me tell you, I mean, they're starting to
see transfer armageddon for them so far here with the portal,
they got to figure out quarterback, they got to figure
out the offensive coordinator. But their schedule next year, guys, horrific.
Oh my goodness, rificly ship, let me read it off

(45:41):
some of these games to you, right.

Speaker 2 (45:43):
This is horrific.

Speaker 1 (45:44):
Yeah, So Wisconsin has road games against Alabama, Michigan, Oregon, Indiana,
and Minnesota. And if Minnesota is the easiest road game
that you have, potentially like we'll also got Ohio's State Iowa.
They start off with the MAC champions in the Miami

(46:04):
of Ohio RedHawks.

Speaker 2 (46:06):
Like it was basically their schedule this year. I mean,
they had Oregon Penn State out. Now they got they
got Penn State Albam at home. But right it's interesting.
I'm more like Guardsy that I tend to be more
patient than hey, just fire everybody every two years and
start over, because I don't think that. However, and this
is not to say they should fire Luke Fickle, but

(46:32):
that body language of their player on their team felt off.
It just felt like a defeated team. Fans are not happy.
I don't think administration's happy. The Godfather's not happy.

Speaker 1 (46:49):
It just feels like they're going through, for the first time,
maybe in my lifetime, an identity crisis or at least
here in the last Well, they are fifteen twenty years
and it doesn't get I'd argue it gets harder next year.

Speaker 2 (47:00):
And it's it's a weird situation for Fickle because it's like, again,
people still Alvarez can cast such a large shadow over there,
and this is how we always do it, and this
has got us to the Rose Bowls. And why would
you bring it an outsider to deviate from.

Speaker 3 (47:15):
This field that camp Randle, We camp Randle.

Speaker 2 (47:22):
And when it doesn't work right away and there's not
the instance, so you're trying something totally different and it
doesn't work, there's the there's the natural corlation like what
are we doing here? Like why why do we why
are we breaking for the part where we you know
we had a good thing going here. Obviously, you know
the quarterback we saw was not the starter and he's

(47:46):
not a good quarterback. I'm sorry. They have to figure
that out. They have to. They just have to figure
out who they want to be. And I don't know
that if Fickle is going to have the support, the
buy in from his fan base, from his the alumni
of football alumni, from everybody to see you through, I

(48:08):
don't know they had. It's going to be a long
off season of soul searching.

Speaker 1 (48:11):
Well, that's right. I just want to know, like, say
they go four and eight, five and seven again next year?
Does Pickle get a fourth year?

Speaker 3 (48:20):
Like? Yeah, there's so many variables in that how are
they look? Is the energy there?

Speaker 4 (48:27):
I think he even said at his recruiting press conference
he wants to try a little bit more pro style offense,
which I'm sure was music to the ears of everybody
that still praise to the altar of Barry Alvarez, right, Like,
I'm sure, but you.

Speaker 3 (48:40):
Know, they had they had I think.

Speaker 4 (48:44):
In a way, I gotta be careful how I say this,
but like Bilamo was winning the old way they were
getting but they were sick of them, right, Like Bilama
left because they were annoyed at some things, which it's like, Okay, Paul.

Speaker 3 (48:57):
Christ literally grew up.

Speaker 4 (48:58):
I'm pretty sure he was born in that the Camp
Randall media room. I think he was at half time
during the game. His dad used to coach there. He
was born, not there, the fieldhouse right next door, right,
and went to a Rose Bowl and an Orange Bowl,
and they decided to move.

Speaker 3 (49:14):
On from him.

Speaker 4 (49:15):
And there were fans that were like, yeah, that makes sense.
Things are getting a little stagnant. They're in a weird
And I listened to Badger fanline on my way out
to the airport to fly to New Orleans on Friday
and The main question was was this the worst Badger
football season in your lifetime? And for someone that's thirty five,
it was right yes, even though Bury by the way,

(49:35):
check the record, like bad early Rose Bowl, I think
maybe another Rose Bowl right away, then a five and seven,
a six and six, Like there's dips, Like it's hard
to just be a ten win program all the time,
especially if you're if you weren't, and they got kind
of used to, oh, this is what we do. This
is we're Wisconsin and no one closes the yearbook over there.
So you've got all kinds of former players that they

(49:58):
don't but they they trade off of that the rest
of their lives and this is what we do. They
do it in basketball too, you know, because they had
that run with you know, some sweet sixteens and then
the two final fours and then they went to Sweet
sixteen after well, then they start having a dip and
all of a sudden, you know, people are mad at
Greg Guard.

Speaker 3 (50:12):
It's like, no, this is what happens.

Speaker 4 (50:14):
Like just because you went to Sweet sixteen to a
final four doesn't mean like that's who you are now.
You're not Duke or North Carolina. Like it goes in cycles.
Ninety nine percent of college sports programs would take what
Wisconsin's done the last twenty five years without thirty five years,
without question, but they get tied up in this is
who we are and this is what we do. No,

(50:34):
not necessarily, this is there, and there's a new Big
Ten now where you're not just going to roll up
and win a Big Ten title going eight and three,
right like West back in the nineties. Or you're not
gonna win the Big Ten West and get there and
then get the de facto Rose Bowl, Like that's just
not realistic anymore. So it's all happening at a time
when the league is changing. It's never been harder to

(50:56):
win in the Big Ten. I think you guys will
agree because everybody's invested that the portal has leveled the
talent field decidedly.

Speaker 3 (51:04):
It's just so.

Speaker 4 (51:06):
But I don't think the yearbook stuff has helped them
either with former like and I'm not saying Fickle is
the next Bear Bryant, but he did take a team
to the playoff. He comes with pretty good pedigree coming
from Ohio State, Like he's he's gone up the right way, right,
and so I'm just but a lot is happening very
quickly for them at Wisconsin, and I'm curious how they

(51:27):
all react. They also have media that got used to
you know, the Barry Alvarez and the Jim Leonard and
the bow Ryan and.

Speaker 3 (51:34):
This is what.

Speaker 2 (51:36):
This is an outsider. When you bring an outsider and
it's not magic or it's not instant gratification, there's a
pushback of like, well, he's not one of us, this
is not working, Like let's go back to how we were.
How we were doesn't exist in modern the whole the
pictures changed, the reality has changed of college football. And

(51:57):
so yeah, it's it's i'll be interesting because they've have
they been hit hard here portal you early.

Speaker 1 (52:06):
Yeah, they've seen a lot of their younger players and
some of their key let's see a couple of their
key defensive players.

Speaker 2 (52:13):
And were these his recruits initially or they hold over?

Speaker 1 (52:16):
So it's a mixture of both.

Speaker 2 (52:18):
Yeah, Well that that's concerning. When it's like your recruits,
like you understand, like if it's guys that have been
there and like you know what, I was recruited by
different staff, we just you know whatever. But it's when
it's guys you recruited a year ago or whatever, and
now they're leaving too. Now. It's but I just I mean,
they that team. They looked defeated.

Speaker 3 (52:35):
Sadly.

Speaker 2 (52:36):
I thought I thought.

Speaker 1 (52:37):
They looked like a team that had lost four straight.
And they put up a little bit of a fight early,
but once Minnesota got going, I mean, they look defeated.
And I think there's a lot of questions in soul
searching that's got to happen at Wisconsin here well, and you.

Speaker 4 (52:49):
Look at let's just distill it, because they hung with Oregon, right,
that was a great game. Really had to play Staten
State the same thing. Penn State had to beat them
with a backup quarterback, but you know, did just enough.

Speaker 3 (53:01):
And but let's let's go back to the Big Ten
West days.

Speaker 4 (53:05):
Minnesota no contest, right, Gophers pretty much rout of the
Iowa boat raced them and then Nebraska two weeks ago.
As much as PJ tried to tell us it was
closer than the score indicated, it was not it. And
those are the three teams that they always thought they like,

(53:26):
Iowa not as much because that's been more back and forth.

Speaker 3 (53:29):
Those were the two best teams in the Big Ten.
West for the whole time, right.

Speaker 4 (53:31):
I know Northwestern jumped up there, but those two the
season used to be defined by that game for those programs,
Iowa and Wisconsin because usually whoever won that was going
to Indianapolis to.

Speaker 3 (53:41):
Get you know, pretty much wood shedded by those three teams.

Speaker 4 (53:46):
It's a long it's a long cold winter if you
don't have the answers for it coming on the back side. Now,
they'll have a new quarterback, they'll have a new coordinator,
they'll obviously have a bunch of new players, everybody will,
but the temperature, yeah, and then the schedule next year.
It's like, it's not inducive for a bounce back. No,
he's not conducive. So to answer your original question, Bernsey,
I don't know. I don't like a lot of the stuff,

(54:08):
just the vibe of it from i'm a let you
bring a guy in, you make a big splash, you
get a guy that's been to the playoff, like and
that's the new Big Ten title, right is get to
the playoff essentially more than anything else in Wisconsin in
the last thirty years, I think would have been there
like six times something like that. So that's really impressive

(54:28):
and that's where you need to get back to. But
I just there's been so much resistance to all of it.
And I'm not saying Fickle's done himself any favors, but
I don't know what kind of chance he has, Like
he's really going to have to turn the tide here
in a big way to make this thing work the
way they all want it.

Speaker 2 (54:45):
To work well. And I'll follow it, you know, every
press conference to know like how his personalities resonating with
the fan base. I do know the press conference actor
he fired his offense coordinator was not a good look, right,
That went over like a le balloom. But I think
it's I think there's just a feeling of, hey, we've

(55:06):
always been good here and now we're not. It's blame
blame the person who's the new guy, you know, but
they they I thought the Gophers just dominate him in
the trenches. I did, Britically, Our defense line, the quarterback
plays got to get a lot better for them.

Speaker 1 (55:26):
So well, speaking of angry fan bases, by the way,
if Ohio State and we can get to the Ohio
State Michigan fighting and everybody across college football fighting now
because everybody's.

Speaker 4 (55:39):
We'll talk playoffs next week because we're gonna run out
of time. Playoffs and Heisman.

Speaker 3 (55:43):
And championship games.

Speaker 4 (55:44):
I'm not all that interested in any of them, to
be honest with some of them don't have meaning, which
is but anyway, go ahead.

Speaker 1 (55:50):
We've got a lot of college football playoffs stuff for
next week. But guards you've been on the sidelines now
fourteen years, right, correct? Have you ever seen a Minnesota
flag on the sideline? It's because I can't remember one
that because you have all these people fighting, including after
the Ohio State Michigan game. Is there a flag from
Minnesota that size that's easily grabbable.

Speaker 4 (56:12):
There's been times where I think they've had to row
the boat flag. I want to say they brought out the.

Speaker 1 (56:16):
Tunnel to start the game, but I think that just
disappears pretty quickly, do they.

Speaker 4 (56:21):
It usually goes, yeah, right around midfield where where all
the headsets are, where Dilly bar Dan hangs out. That's
usually where a lot of the stuff that they bring out,
and sometimes you know, they'll bring out they'll bring out
like a you know, a ranch, they'll bring out like
balls and chain, They'll bring out whatever the theme is,
you know, and it's all, and then the sideline reporter
from network will be like, Hey, what's what the what's

(56:41):
the word? Yeah, what's with the sword? I'll be like,
I have no idea, Like I guess I should. I
guess I should know that. I'm sure it has some meaning.
You're gonna have to ask PJ about it after. I
didn't see them practice that this week. At practice, no
one told me that they were. You know, no one
told me that PJ was going to be carrying a
live tiger out of the tunnel this week and then
putting it behind the bench. I don't know, Like there's

(57:02):
always something weird, because that's it's college football. There's always
something weird, but there is usually a row of the
boat flag typically. I guess I haven't looked, I'll be honest,
but I guess we're gonna have to now moving forward.

Speaker 2 (57:15):
I think they planned one back when they won at
Michigan in.

Speaker 3 (57:20):
Five just talked about it with Dan on the fan.

Speaker 2 (57:25):
Or somebody I can't remember.

Speaker 3 (57:26):
And gave it to Maroney.

Speaker 4 (57:27):
That was at the Big House, and Maroney ran out
to midfield and Mace was pissed.

Speaker 3 (57:32):
MA brought it up and that's well, Yeah, go ahead.

Speaker 2 (57:36):
You know. The one thing that I do appreciate that, uh,
And I don't know if it was the two administrations
or the big ten with with the acts. You never
used to be behind the bench and you'd have this
you know, storming of the cross the field, and that
was a recipe for disaster. I don't know that if
they had a fight or something that led to it.

Speaker 3 (57:57):
They had it, Yeah that's what it was.

Speaker 2 (57:59):
Yeah, but now they put an ends on, they bring
it out. That's you know, that's the right way to
do it. And I give both teams credit that you know,
you lose, you know what's going to happen. The losing
team will go to the locker room. The other ones
chopped down to go post. So I'm being a little
bit hypocritical here when I say I'm okay with that,
you know, because the teams know it. But the plant

(58:19):
and a flag, no good comes to that. That you're
asking for a brawl. You're just absolutely asking for a
bra I mean, emotions are high, your.

Speaker 1 (58:28):
North straight loss for Ohio State plant the flag. There's
mace after the fight, which I thought was incredibly funny,
Like this stupid sport is so funny. And well the
stuff that doesn't happen anywhere else.

Speaker 2 (58:43):
How many fights do we have because of the plant?

Speaker 3 (58:45):
Three or four? Three or four?

Speaker 2 (58:46):
And then we had other ones like college football lost
its freaking mind this week, and like every every game
was a fight. It's like, but the plant and the flag,
you're just asking for trouble. Tell me the background on
the acts. What years that, well, five years ago.

Speaker 3 (59:02):
No, it was a little longer than that.

Speaker 4 (59:03):
Kill was still coaching here, And first of all, my
opinion is plant here's my opinion on the whole thing.
Planting the flag after you win is stupid.

Speaker 3 (59:13):
Yep.

Speaker 4 (59:14):
The only thing dumber than that is if you lost
and you try to stop them from planting the flag.
You got to take d l Like, now, if I'm
coaching and I'm assuming this is Pj's position, just knowing
them a little bit, we saw James Franklin grab his
players and the flag at USC and say, we don't
do this. This isn't what we do because they were
trying to do it. The only thing dumber then planting

(59:35):
the flag is trying to fight the team that's trying
to plant the flag after they just dragged you for
sixty minutes.

Speaker 1 (59:40):
Yeah, maybe you should have showed a little bit more
fight than the sixty minutes on the field. And do
you know who said that to the Gophers in the
end zone when they tried to stop And by the way,
the Gophers stopping Wisconsin from chopping down the goal post
was the dumbest of all time because that has always.

Speaker 4 (59:57):
Been baked in to the tradition of the acts. The
been doing that for since it was Bacon, you know,
back in nineteen thirty two. Who said that burns you?
What you just said, You had plenty of time to
fight during the game. Barry Alvarez, the athletic director at the.

Speaker 3 (01:00:11):
University of Wisconsin at the time.

Speaker 4 (01:00:12):
In the end so I'm watching the Gophers trying to
stop them from chopping the acts, which is a time
honored part of the bit. They're fighting, they're scrumming, Barry
Alvarez is screaming, you should have fought that hard during
the game.

Speaker 3 (01:00:24):
I'm like, what the hell is going on?

Speaker 4 (01:00:27):
And then Jerry kill says, I kind of like, this
showed a little fight.

Speaker 3 (01:00:30):
No they didn't, Jerry, No, they didn't. It made you
all look stupid.

Speaker 4 (01:00:34):
And because I brought that up when I did the
tweet about it this week that what I just said
to you guys, someone goes reminds me of because they
thought they were trying to get me, you know, as
a Wisconsin fan guy. Well, I just like when the
Gophers did the ACXS thing and didn't let us chop.
I go, Yeah, that was stupid, and I said it
at the time. It was insane. It's dumb. It doesn't
feel good. Sometimes in sports things don't feel good. Chip,

(01:00:56):
you played, Ryan, you played, Chip, you coached. I'm talking
to that with my son right now. Like sports, sometimes
it feels terrible. That's what you sign up for. You
take your L as the kids say, burns E and
you go home. You got to take the L and
you file it away and next year, if you're bitter
because they planted the flag, maybe that gives you the motivation.

Speaker 3 (01:01:16):
That you want. But you can't.

Speaker 4 (01:01:18):
You can't to do what Ohio State did. How about
the sideline reporter for Michigan, by the way, getting into
the mix too.

Speaker 3 (01:01:24):
That puts a lot of pressure on Yeah, what am
I gonna do? You know, you're going.

Speaker 1 (01:01:32):
What are you talking about?

Speaker 2 (01:01:33):
It's like when the goalies, when the goalies skate out
and fight. You gotta do. You gotta run across and
pick off the other sidelin. Well, I'm guessing, uh, I'm guessing.

Speaker 1 (01:01:41):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (01:01:42):
You're gonna see every conference come out and outlaw or
ban flag planning.

Speaker 3 (01:01:47):
I just think it's stupid.

Speaker 2 (01:01:48):
Yeah, I don't, you know, because it's with the emotions
being what they are, what do you think the response
is going to be. It's stupid that you know, the
losing team doesn't, but that's what they're gonna do. They're
gonna throw upon me. It's just and Heaven forbid, the
outcome is worse than what happened. You know, you could
get somebody really hurt doing that. Sure, And here's the thing.

(01:02:08):
I like the new I like the new kind of thing.
It's it's always happened in the Tennessee Alabama series, but
now other teams are good. Go do it. Go in
the locker room and smoke a cigar with your teammates. Yeah, there,
you go, smoke up their their their locker room, have
a cigar, a victory cigar. That's you know. But they're
planting the flag. It's just asking for trouble again. The
chopping down the goal posts. I'm fine with because it's

(01:02:31):
it's part of both and both teams. Now understand, you lose,
you go straight to your locker room and they do it,
you know, and it's part of the deal.

Speaker 3 (01:02:39):
Yeah, you guys could smell that smoke.

Speaker 1 (01:02:41):
Huh And yeah, I think I turned the chip and
I was like, yeah, they're lighting up and there.

Speaker 4 (01:02:46):
That started a couple of years ago. And I'll tell
you that Wisconsin authorities were ready this time around and
that that was extinguished not super quick, but there was
a fire marshal that was brought in to tell everybody
stop smoking. Because that happened two years ago. It's better

(01:03:06):
than the axe body spray. And you know they did
it after they beat USC. They were doing the cigar.
I mean Burrow started that thing a couple of years ago. Right, Well,
it's made it really cool with LSU and and Justin Jefferson.

Speaker 2 (01:03:16):
Well yeah, third Saturday of October tense. It's like tradition,
like they bring boxes in the stands. People are doing
them in the stands on field like whoever wins. That's
the first thing you tweet out was like, light up
your cigar. I mean, it's just something to do. It's
like do that, you know, do that instead of having
a brawl at midfield, which we saw way too much
of that in college football. I mean, by the end

(01:03:39):
of Sara Na's texting you guys, like this is driving
me crazy, Like does every game have to end in
a fight? What are we doing here?

Speaker 3 (01:03:45):
What is it?

Speaker 4 (01:03:46):
I saw none of it. I was flying home from
New Orleans. I'm like, man, I've really missed a lot here.

Speaker 1 (01:03:51):
After heat college football Saturday with everywhere no one raining
anybody in.

Speaker 4 (01:03:57):
Well and even Friday night, you know, Nebraska not shake
Iowa's hands. How sid and Matt Ruhle did say, I
didn't know that happened. And apparently this is where I'm
kind of on Nebraska's side, because apparently Nebraska does something
like they do like a prayer circle that they couldn't
do at midfield, and then where they went to do
it there was like armed security guards like giving them

(01:04:17):
crap and kinnick, which I've also had that happen to me,
which really pissed me off. So like what security guards
at all these places now? And by the way, nice
job Ohio State guy, my guy at Ohio Stadium, you know,
keeping everything in order. Yeah, really really good job, but
I had the wrong pass. I'm glad you were focused
on the r I think I can't work for next year.

(01:04:38):
I think we go there now. I'm gonna get work.
But so Matt Rule took responsibility for it and said
that's not what we're about, which did surprise me when
I saw the Nebraska players do it. But he also
did say our players were a little annoyed about something
that happened before the game, and they took that to
the midfield, which they shouldn't have done. But that's why
they did it. And I'm going to make sure that
never happens again. Like that's what the head coach should say, Like,

(01:05:00):
I'm gonna make sure that doesn't happen again.

Speaker 3 (01:05:01):
That's my job. Is a reflection on me.

Speaker 4 (01:05:03):
Not shaking hands at the coin toss is idiotic as well.
And you're right, Chip, the way you said it is
perfect college football loss. It's freaking mind. It just did
over the weekend. And I like Jay Higgins, the great
Iowa linebacker. After the no handshake, he b lined for
Matt Rule after the game to shake his hand. I

(01:05:23):
love that after the game, and then chirped about it
after the game. He was feeling itself. By the way,
most Iowa win of all time. Five first downs and
they end up winning the game. You just can't quite
make it up. Nebraska's got to be thinking, what the
hell do we have to do to beat these guys? Yeah,
five first downs and they won. So anyway, yeah, it was.
It was a magical couple of days there in our

(01:05:45):
favorite sport.

Speaker 1 (01:05:46):
So Ryan Walters gets fired. My question to you guys
would be Ryan Days now one to four, Ohio State
is very very likely to make the playoff. What saves
Ryan Day's job. At this point, heading into the latter
part of December, here.

Speaker 2 (01:06:04):
Think I don't this is it? This is so it's
so weird to me because you know, what's the stat
one four against them, forty four and one or forty
seven to one against everybody else. So it's like, but
you can't lose four, you can't lose four to row And.

Speaker 1 (01:06:23):
They were Will Johnson, their defensive player, the defensive player
in Colston Loveland.

Speaker 2 (01:06:28):
It's in his head for sure, like that.

Speaker 1 (01:06:31):
That's the number one thing to me. Was he just
he gets flustered in those games.

Speaker 2 (01:06:36):
Yeah, the pressure is But here's the thing is like,
you know, I thought Pat Forty had a really good comment,
and yes, I is like, you know, you probably have
to make a move or you consider it. But would
you be shocked if they pull themselves together and go
win the national title. No?

Speaker 1 (01:06:54):
And I still think that fan base would be pissed
even if they win a national title because they lost
to Michigan. Which how entitle of a fan base can
you be in that aspect?

Speaker 2 (01:07:02):
Yeah, I think he probably you're gonna have to lit.
I'm guessing you're gonna have to win at least one game,
maybe too. I don't know. I don't know what his
buyout or anything like that is, but it's it's that game,
and that opponent is definitely in his head.

Speaker 4 (01:07:17):
Well, and I think it's in the But when you
build it up, and they did all off season, it
whatever the price is, burns e twenty million dollar team.
That's what we keep hearing. And you say, Ohio State's
all in. This is a twenty million dollar team. The
Governor's off, there are no more excuses now. It filters
to the head coach, of course, but I think it
also filters to the players, and it's a different pressure now.

(01:07:40):
I'm sure that they're all feeling now that everybody knows.
I mean, we assume Ohio State players have been getting
money this entire time, but now everybody knows that they are,
and everybody knows how much it is, and everybody knows
who came for what. And I'm sure in the business
community in Columbus they're not shy. I'm guessing you know,
the Buddy Friday Night Lights are not shy at the

(01:08:02):
Columbus Touchdown Club of telling all their friends how much
money they've given to the buck Nuts Collective or whatever
it's called, and you know, to get Will Howard or
whoever you know, player X y Z. I'm sure everybody
knows what everybody's getting over there. And that's a different
pressure too, now that players ordinarily don't have to deal
with the financial realities of people are paying you now

(01:08:25):
like it's different. And they and over there I always
talking about. They come off the national championship, they're eight O.
The Gophers are there. The security guard looks at us
as he's letting us in and says, I sure, hope
we play better this weekend. Like they'd won like twenty
two games in a row, and that was the discussion
he was having with us as we.

Speaker 3 (01:08:42):
Were going up the elevator. We're like, hey, man, we're
just trying to get to a bowl here, all right,
So can you say that, like what are we doing here? Man?

Speaker 4 (01:08:49):
We're trying to win the West once here and get
the Indye you know so. But that's a different pressure too,
when you build it up and say we're going all in,
we're sparing no expense, Well, guess what you got to
be perfect or so we'll see it burns you to
your question.

Speaker 3 (01:09:01):
I don't know.

Speaker 4 (01:09:02):
I don't cause who's taking the job, who's getting there,
who's going Are they bringing Urban back he's available?

Speaker 3 (01:09:08):
What are they going to do?

Speaker 1 (01:09:09):
Mark? Is it Marcus Freeman comes over from Notre Dame.
Is it Mike Vrabel gets back into the coaching ranks.
Is it someone like Matt Campbell. I don't know. I
don't know what they would do or is it just
even not even with his buyout? Is Ryan Day the
next head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars or the Chicago
Bears or whoever it may be? So it's I think

(01:09:31):
it's a fast because that would be a job where
I think of heading into the coaching carousel season here
of that's going to be like last year it was
Saban stepping down and then all of these dominoes then
went fell from there. I mean to me, the Ohio
State job is absolutely within that same tier of Okay,

(01:09:51):
that job opens, watch all these dominoes go from there.

Speaker 4 (01:09:55):
For Yeah, yeah, definitely final a couple of minutes here,
because I know we all got to fly. What's the
highlight of National Signing Day? Burns ere what we'll send
everybody to go for Illustrated dot com to read your
manifesto and read everything PJ said.

Speaker 3 (01:10:10):
I watched that press conference yesterday as well.

Speaker 4 (01:10:13):
But what do we need to know about this recruiting
class that you want to get out there to get
people to go for Illustrating.

Speaker 1 (01:10:20):
Yeah. I think they did a good job in State.
They've continued to do a better job each of these years.
And I think to flex point, these kids were eight
nine years old when PJ took over, and they've had
a chance to kind of grow up in a period
where Go for Football has been respectable. They've seen some
of the runs that they've made. I certainly think that

(01:10:40):
helps the perception of this program in State outstate, whatever
that may be. And I think that plays a big
part and why you're able to land guys like Emmanuel Carmo,
four star from Robinsdale Cooper, who Michigan was beating down
his door at the final minutes. There, you're able to
land the number two kid from Caledonia and Ethan Stendel.
I mean, you look at it espective nationally, it's okay.

(01:11:02):
I mean I will continue to say, I think this
is the most difficult job and the big ten to
recruit to. They have the worst three hundred mile radius
outside of Oregon and Oregon. I mean, they have so
much money they don't even know what to do with that.
Like Oregan flipped a five star yesterday Chip and his
quote as to why was well, Phil Knight's gonna help
me design a shoe, Like can you imagine?

Speaker 3 (01:11:25):
It's like this isn't the same realm.

Speaker 1 (01:11:28):
That you can even try to compete with there. And
that's where again, overall, I think it's okay. I think
Flex had better classes, but I think to me, the
overarching thing is you're able to keep the best kids
in state home, and I do think that's important.

Speaker 2 (01:11:42):
I I no offense, I mean, I know the rankings are,
you know, a big thing. But to me, maybe this
is the wrong way you look at but I look
as much about the portal, yes especially maybe maybe I'm
being hypocritical because you know, but I think anymore, you've
got to be good in the portal, as we've seen.

(01:12:02):
And the most interesting thing I thought that I read
it came out that I didn't get to hear PJ.
But the fact that they're going to go get a
quarterback when you had a freshman quarterback this year, a
true freshman as your backup, over a kid that you
brought in with experience. That tells me all I need
to know. There they have to and it may hurt

(01:12:25):
Lindsay's feelings or Whoever's feelings, but I think you have
to go get a veteran quarterback because you can't have
a red shirt freshman and a true freshman be one
and two on your depth chart.

Speaker 1 (01:12:35):
Well, I would tell you two things. One, I would
set your expectations for whoever that quarterback is exponentially lower
than Max Brosmer. I will tell you I've heard they've
paid Drake and there's just no way you have the
money for a team like Minnesota, where you have finite resources,
especially with money, whether that's house settlement, nil, whatever it

(01:12:57):
may be, to pay multiple quarterbacks and also go get
a receiver, a corner, an offensive linement and defensivelignment. You're
not organ this isn't an unlimited budget, you're not Ohio State.
You don't have twenty million. So I expect them to
go get a veteran quarterback who has started games. But
I think the other thing to me that was so
interesting is Fleck is like, yeah, we're gonna go get

(01:13:18):
between ten and fifteen guys from the portal, which that's
a lot of guys. I mean, we're talking about almost
twenty percent of your Robster at that point, which I
don't disagree with, but it is going to be fascinating
to your Pointship where I mean, signing day is still important,
it is, but it's how do they fill some of
these holes, because you need to be like, you're losing
your your corners, your your two best receivers, your quarterback,

(01:13:42):
your your running back. Room's gonna look a lot different tackle.
I mean every position outside of safety. You can convince
me they need to go get a guy. So I
am going to be super curious between now and whatever
the Bowl game is, how do they allocate money? Who
do they go get? Because it is going to be
fasting here over the next couple.

Speaker 2 (01:14:01):
Of weeks, and with the way the Big Ten is
right now and how difficult it is, I don't know
that you can rely on young guys and say we're
gonna get this young guy. He's gonna get the experience
in the next year. I just I think you have
to get veterans. I think it has to be a
veteran almost every year.

Speaker 1 (01:14:19):
Yeah, and for a team like Minnesota, like I don't
think you can go get like the I mean the
Tyler Williams and the and the Christian drivers from blue
blood schools are great. But I think if I'm Minnesota,
where I need to live is in the FCS and
in the group of five ranks like the Max Bros
Ben Robinson's of the where they might be an inch
too short, or a tenth too slow, or a couple

(01:14:41):
of inches not long enough, but we've seen them have
a lot of success with guys like that, or even
someone like Jack Gibbons who Jack Henderson, Jack Anderson like,
That's where I think we need to live where you
can afford them. They're not going to be the prettiest
looking kid, but that doesn't matter at the end of day.

Speaker 3 (01:15:00):
If them boys can play football, I'll have you know.
Jack Henderson is a handsome man and mother's beautiful. We
saw his dad. We met his dad.

Speaker 4 (01:15:11):
You and I burns Ey we met him, and then
they were at the team hotel on Friday morning.

Speaker 3 (01:15:16):
We were getting ready to go to the game.

Speaker 4 (01:15:17):
And you know they're from Louisiana, obviously, and Jack's dad
walked by. Darryl and I went outside. I told Jack
this and we did a postgame interview, which was awesome.
He had tears in his eyes, so to Queen Carroll,
I encourage people to go find the postgame interviews that
I did on the field. Not because I'm brilliant, although
some people have suggested it, but Queen Carroll was incredible.

(01:15:38):
Jack Henderson was awesome. Just the emotion those guys had
on the field. It was so fun to be a
part of that. But he his dad walks out, double
doors open up. I think he kind of stands there
for a little bit, comes back in and he's like
two days ago, I was in Louisiana, the only problem
I had was too many mosquitoes.

Speaker 3 (01:16:00):
I'm not gonna try to do the Cajun draw. But
he goes I was grilling.

Speaker 4 (01:16:03):
He goes grilling wearing shorts. And the only problem I
had was too many mosquitos.

Speaker 3 (01:16:07):
I said, not gonna.

Speaker 4 (01:16:09):
Be probably not gonna be many mosquitoes here, sir, No mosquitoes.
But that's another good example, though, a guy who's you know,
was gonna go to Tulane if not for I think
Danny Collins jumping on it right away and saying come
check out Minnesota and everybody going, huh you ever been there?
And Jack saying I'm coming, Like that's those are the
guys you gotta find. But but they've been pretty successful.
Jack Gibbons is a great example, right, Abilene Christian, right,

(01:16:32):
like just super productive, come in here and just be
a dude. And before the injury, he was playing for
the Tennessee Titans. So and the portals Monday. It officially
opens on Monday.

Speaker 1 (01:16:42):
Officially opens on Monday.

Speaker 2 (01:16:44):
Yeah, hey luck Burn, we'll be watching.

Speaker 4 (01:16:48):
Yeah, it's gonna be a man on Twitter to check
out all that. And uh so next week when we talk,
let's talk after Tuesday when we have the playoffs right
because or no, it'll be Sunday when they do the playoffs.
So anytime we'll talk after we'll get the playoffs set up,
we'll get the Gopher Bowl game. I think all of
us kind of think it's gonna be Charlotte. We'll see
and then we've got transfer stuff to talk about and

(01:17:08):
who knows what else. But let's let's figure all that
out for next week. Boys, sound good?

Speaker 3 (01:17:12):
Sounds good to me.

Speaker 2 (01:17:13):
Perfect.

Speaker 4 (01:17:14):
He's Chipschoggins, who I told yesterday when I saw him,
would have been appalled at my phone percentage the last
couple of days running around just you would have you'd
be dead, You wouldn't be here, you would have had
some type of episode episode in the hospital.

Speaker 3 (01:17:27):
Yes, that's Chipschoggins.

Speaker 4 (01:17:28):
Read him at the Star Tribune or remember, if you
have any ideas for football across Minnesota, please hit him
on Twitter at Chipscoggins.

Speaker 3 (01:17:34):
He's always looking for leads.

Speaker 4 (01:17:35):
And Ryan Burns from Gopher Illustrated dot com Uh check
him out there a lot of great work. Perfect time
to jump in with Burnsey on the website. Gopher grid
Iron Radio was awesome this week as well. Go to
Jack'scafe jackscafe dot com. Come see us on Saturday. If
you're going for the Breakfast with Santa, I'll be there
with my kids. I'll be the one scolding somebody, hopefully
in the corner. Hopefully we're not out in front of

(01:17:56):
a bunch of people and trying not to break things
in the buffet line. But breakfast with sand to the
next three Saturdays, Holiday reservations, holiday dining, jackscafe dot com.

Speaker 3 (01:18:04):
Have a great weekend.

Speaker 4 (01:18:05):
Everybody will talk to you next week on the parent
Aspair podcast.

All Episodes

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know

Dateline NBC

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;}2024 Week Fourteen Review: Gophers Dominate Badgers, Season Thoughts, Flag Planting

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

Dateline NBC

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

All Episodes

2024 Week Fourteen Review: Gophers Dominate Badgers, Season Thoughts, Flag Planting

Stuff You Should Know