7/9/24: Mo Egger with Jim Kelly, from Las Vegas.

UC Radio Analyst Jim Kelly joined us from Big 12 Media Days in Las Vegas.

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
We are getting closer to the startof the UC football season, to the
college football season in Vegas. Isthe color analyst on UC football broadcasts,
and he's been out baking in theone hundred and twenty five degree Vegas heat.
Is that how hot it is twentyseventeen today. Helps have to go

(00:23):
to Death Valley to get to onetwenty five. I think I'm comfortable here.
Helps to provide the guest name,the great Jim Kelly is with us.
What's going on? Uh, youknow, big day here at Media
Days in the Big twelve. Interesting. Uh, the way they've done it
this year with sixteen teams. Theysplit Tuesday and Wednesday with eight teams each.

(00:44):
Uh. So those eight teams todayare here, their coaches have spoken.
The last ones on the stage rightnow, which is Matt Campbell from
Iowa State. There'll be eight morehere tomorrow and it's Uh, it's been
a lot of fun. Other thanyou know, a few little glitches here
and there where the University of Cincinnatiwas spelled wrong on the locker here the

(01:07):
simulated locker for the A E SportsCollege Football twenty five display that was quickly
replaced with Mason Fletcher's name which happenedto be there, and they have since
they have since fixed Cincinnati. Soand then, you know, I guess
we all take it for granted becausewe know how to spell it. But
if you think about it, peoplethat haven't been to Cincinnati or don't know

(01:29):
it, well, easy to getthose ends and teas. These are two
t's, These are two ends.You know, we know how to do
it. But not the first timeit's been this spelled, no, no,
and not the last either. Whenwhen when fall camp begins, what
is the thing you were most interestedin learning about this football team? Yeah?
I think, without question, mo, and it begins fairly quick this

(01:52):
year because every one of these teams, I think, and least of the
eight today are opening on the thirtyfirst of August, So it's an early
you know, just the way thatthe days fall, it's a little bit
of earlier season opening. So onething that I've noticed on the eight teams
that are here today, only twoof them did not bring quarterbacks with them.
So the answer to your question wouldbe, I think the biggest question

(02:15):
mark for the Bearcats is clearly thequarterback position. You've got five returning offensive
linemen, two additional offensive linemen thathave played a lot. You've got a
thousand yard rusher and Corey Kinner comingback. You've got your you're leading receiver
from last year, Zager Henderson back. You've got some really nice new tight
ends to play with, a coupleof other running backs that are home run

(02:38):
kind of guys where Corey can getyou that fifty year sixty yard run.
So but I think the question is, you know, is clearly the quarterback
position. And you know, he'sa young guy in Brendan Soresby the transfer
in from the Indiana which is areason he's not here. But I think
there's also another reason is the factthat he hasn't played for some to that

(03:00):
yet. He didn't spring ball,but he's not been on the field for
meaningful downs yet. So we'll see. I think he's going to be really,
really good. But I think he'sthe key to the game right now.
And as I you know, asI look at these other teams,
Ollie Gordon is here and a lotof they Mike Gunby was just on stage
and a lot of talk and youcan imagine the reporter's question about the obi

(03:21):
that he just got. But OlliGordon, you know, the leading rusher
in the country last year, CamRising, who is was a Heisman guy
two years ago, didn't play lastyear because of injury quarterback for Utah,
and Utah course picked to win thisBig Ten, I'm sorry, Big twelve
Conference. And then another guy thatn me Taje Brooks, who was the

(03:42):
second leading rusher in the league atTexas Tech. So huge amount of offense,
and I think that's what the BigTwelve has been known for. However,
in listening to every coach that spoketoday, they all are emphasizing defense.
They know that if you play gooddefense, you've got an opportunity to
win, assuming your offense can movethe ball a little bit. So I

(04:02):
think in Cincinnati's case, it's BrendanSoarsby, and you know, and there's
competition there as well. Coach Saderfielddid not hand the reins over to Soarsby,
but I think without question we allknow he's the he's the starter to
be unless something happens. I feltearly in the season last year like they
were going to be pretty decent onthe outside, and you know, reality

(04:24):
kind of caught up to them asthe season went on, and Emery Jones
had his limitations. Let's say BrendanSoresby answers the questions that we all have.
Are they going to be good enoughto dramatically expand what they do on
offense, specifically down the field.Well that's the key, and Coach Satterfield
reiterated that in his speech to theentire press group here today. Is the

(04:46):
fact that, look, we werefifth, we were fifth in the nation
and rushing last year. Most ofthat, not all of it, but
a lot of it because of CoreyKinder and honestly, Emery Jones ran the
ball pretty well last year too attimes. So they know they can run
the football. And the feeling thereis if we're able, people know that
we can run the football. That'sone additional guy that they bring up in

(05:08):
the box closer to the line ofscreamage, and then that allows a good
quarterback to really have his way withthe you know, with throwing the football.
So that's the goal. The emphasisis going to be to throw the
ball down the field. And theytried last year and I think, and
these numbers are not exact, butthere were thirteen situations where there would have

(05:29):
been sure touchdowns if there'd have beena connection between quarterback and receiver. And
let's just say three or four ofthose makes the difference in a one,
one score game. You know,you're maybe in a ball game last year
if you hit half of the onesthat you flat out missed open receivers.
And that's not knocking Emory. Sometimesit was the receiver's fault. It's just
one of those things. You're notgoing to hit every one of them.
But again, if they can,if they can do that this year and

(05:51):
hit half of them, I thinkthat really puts them in a good spot
offensively. Jim Kelly is with usfrom Las Vegas. Big twelve media days
unfolding as we speak. I thinkof last year. You talked about the
offensive line, and they ran theball really well, and I thought for
the most part, certainly in therunning game, they rose to the level
of physicality that the Big twelve presents. That wasn't quite the case on defense,

(06:14):
And you'd mentioned the Oklahoma State game. I think of late in the
season West Virginia, and you know, when attrition takes its toll, the
lack of depth might get exposed asit relates to being able to rise to
the level of physicality against Big twelveteams. Do we feel like that has
a chance to be dramatically better thisyear? Well, certainly it's not gone.

(06:34):
You know, untalked about by coachSadderfield. They made some huge moves.
So last year he came in,they got a late start. He
came in, and they you know, chose not to kind of make any
waves. So they led a bunchof guys that had played well the year
before under Loop Thickel or two yearsbefore in both those years, and they

(06:55):
kind of let those guys, youknow, stay on the field. Well,
what they found out is the seasonwent on. Excuse me, and
you mentioned the Iowa State game,You mentioned the Oklahoma State er. You
mentioned the Oklahoma State game. ButIowa State was another one. West Virginia
was another one, Kansas was anotherone, you know, excuse the expression,
and they just got their butts kickedand they gave up. They quite

(07:15):
honestly gave up. Well this year, as you know, we all know,
the transfer portalsal two way thing.You're looking for good people to bring
in, but you're also looking toget rid of people that you don't want
to hear anymore. And that's whatcoach Satterfield is able to do. They
got rid of what they considered someguys that were let's just call them not
team players. Will be leave itat that. Those guys are gone.

(07:36):
They beefed up what they really neededto do, which was in the secondary,
the linebacker position. They're okay.Then they got hit with a little
bit of another blow about a weekago, it might have been a little
longer than that, when the Godfatherwas ruled out at least for now with
blood clots and his lungs and DanteCorleon, and then the good news today

(07:59):
was that he is backworking out withthe team. That does not clear him
the play yet, but it's agood sign. But that being said,
that was another blow. I believethey have defensively, they've improved, And
if I heard once today, I'veheard it fifteen times about the physicality that
needs to be there both on theoffensive side. And that's not just that's
not just from coach Satterfield, that'sfrom everybody. My gun to you just

(08:22):
left the stage a short time ago. Brought it up literally five times in
his speech, and he felt thatthey were that way on offense, but
they needed to be more that wayon defense. So it's certainly a theme
here at Big twelve media days.I could certainly understand why are they going
to be you know, I knowthey're going to go three three five with
Tyson Vite. Are are they goingto be as good as they need to

(08:43):
be in the back end? Well, that's that's a question. And so
the three three five, and everybodyhere is that, Wow, you're taking
all those guys off the line ofscrimm engine and putting them in the defensive
second there. Well, that's notquite how the whole thing works. You
know, you really invent the reinventthe wheel here. The difference is you're
aligning people a little bit differently.But the type of guys that are going

(09:07):
to be back there are not allwhat you think of as your typical defensive
back in the secondary. You know, five ft eleven pound guy. There's
some big guys back there. They'regonna mix it up. They're going one
of those guys very easily can bean edge rusher as they move him up
in the in the formation or upinto the box. So even though it

(09:28):
is a three three five and andand again, every coach brought that up.
Every coach was asked that question,you comfortable with a three man front,
why aren't you playing a four manfront on a run on a run
heavy league. And all of themsaid, well, wait a minute,
it's not exactly what you see,you know. So I feel confident.
I like the new defensive coordinator.I think he's going to be really good.

(09:50):
Do they have enough back there?I don't know. That's still a
question mark. And you know,the good part is the schedule favors the
bear Cats in reference to kind ofgetting off to what I would say at
good start. You know, you'vegot Towson and I don't know much about
him, to be honest. Andthen you've got Pits coming in and it
it's a team that you went onthe road and beat last year, and

(10:11):
it's not gonna be an easy task, but Da've revamped, they've got all
new personnel as well, so Ifeel pretty good about that one. And
then there's the Miami game, whichI'm not even gonna talk about last year's
game, but that's one that youhave to go on the road, not
very far fortunately, forty miles orwhatever to Oxford, Ohio and beat them.
And then you've got Houston coming inwith a brand new staff and a
bunch of brand new players, andyou would think that at that particular case,

(10:35):
you've got a huge opportunity for theBearcats. Sold out game against your
first conference opponent at home this year, and with a little bit of luck
and let's just call it physicality you'relooking at for and oh you know,
and now I'm not saying that that'swhat's gonna happen, but that potential is
there before you have to go onthe road to play at a very very

(10:58):
tough place to play. Uh InLeubvick Texas against Texas Tech Well said,
enjoy Vegas. Thank you as always. All right, bo, anytime, buddy,