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College Football Week 5 Wrap Up | The Silence of the Cowbells · Run After Cast: The College Football Podcast

• Aaron: Howdy, howdy, and welcome back to Run After Cast, the College Football Podcast. I'm your incandescent host, Aaron, joined by my two pals, Ryan, Ryan: Guys. Aaron: and Chandler. Chandler: Gentlemen. Aaron: Well, we all just wrapped up watching week five of college football. Got to see some wins, some losses, some sure things, some upsets. And normally we cut over to the reaction news. Nothing going on because it's season. We're all importantly caring about football right now. So let's get in to some of the reactions that we have for week five. And the first thing I wanted to talk about was something I was thinking about after the last game was done for the evening. That we are in a world where the SEC by week five. only has three undefeated teams left. And by next week, we will be at most two. And I wanted to get y'all's opinion on that. Well, how are you feeling? I feel like this doesn't happen that often for the SEC. Ryan: know, we got competition top to bottom. I know Chandler doesn't want to hear that part, but yeah, anyone can take anybody and it's it's weird. But I mean, I just don't know how some of these games happen. It's more weird that there's not a consistency there that like Mississippi State's gonna beat Missouri and then Missouri's gonna beat Florida by that bad and Florida's gonna beat Ole Miss and it's like it just doesn't make any sense to me. You know, there's no no consistency there. Aaron: Some real some real crab bucket energy right now. Ryan: Yeah. Chandler: Yeah, man. I mean just means more. It's Ryan: I mean it does. It Aaron: Means more losses early in the season. Ryan: Yeah. Yeah. Aaron: Now, I did want to pose my thoughts on this after I kind of processed that. We talk about this nine-game conference season for SEC. I think this makes me a fan of it. Because SEC teams across the board at this point have been tested. Five weeks in, most have been tested to the point where they have a loss. And I think. I like to see this. This to me feels more competitive. It pulls out some of the discussion of like, well, they're undefeated, so they should be ranked. And in this world, it does feel like, well, they got this chance. This beat this. Now it feels up in the air. And I feel like to me, that's making it more competitive, more exciting. Even though right now two of those names in the hat are Alabama and Georgia, which every SEC fan is tired of hearing at the end. But like I said, that's till next week. So I I was wondering how would you guys like to see this? Would you want to see the nine game conference spread across the table? So we're seeing this more in the ACC, the monster twelve, the big ten. Do you think that that would bring similar results? Ryan: Don't think it matters much. Chandler: It just Ryan: I know Chandler jokes about Aaron: Mm-hmm. Ryan: the it means more, but yeah, we're five weeks in and you only have two undefeated teams left. But I really think they're just doing this to us so that like they like to have a lot of representation from different people in the 12-team playoff. And this just makes us not seem more competitive, but make us seem worse because we'll have a bunch of eight-ish win teams rather than having 10 plus, where usually all the teams in there are 10 plus wins. But right now we have a BYU team who just slobbed it out and had a terrible game against TCU, barely beat Arizona, and they moved up somehow, and they're like eighth in the country. So you have that when Aaron: I did I did think that was crazy. Ryan: Yeah, so like half the SEC teams would would probably beat them, but they're number eight in the country. But yeah, I think like you go to the ACC, they have like a couple peak teams. Big Ten has a couple peak teams. Big twelve Aaron: I mean ACC, Ryan: Doesn't really have a big peak teams. Aaron: I would say it's hard to look at the ACC and pick three strong teams. I think there's an argument for three because there's obviously Miami. Like no one's Ryan: Mm-hmm. Aaron: doubting Miami's credential. then there's you could say Duke. And then you could they're not bad. Ryan: Mm. Yeah, they're not bad this year. But they're still like they should be like twenty ish Aaron: Yeah. Ryan: right now from what they've shown, like in the rankings. Aaron: And then we could make an argument for Wake Forest being there, but I I would say the Monster Twelve, you have even weaker arguments. We haven't like we haven't seen any real strong ball out of the Monster Twelve yet. Ryan: Yeah, they always just throw Texas Tech and BYU up there. They don't prove anything. They're slobbing around with middle of the road ACC team, which is already a worse conference. Big Ten has some peak teams though. Like, but if you just play one more conference Aaron: yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Ryan: game, it might be really bad for you. Like you gotta play another one of the hard ones, but they might just give you like a Ruckers and you were not gonna have to play them this year and just free win. Chandler: I just I don't think it's sustainable for anybody if the playoff situation stays at twelve teams. And I think that's what Kirby was alluding to when they had that discussion prior to the season even starting. Like the whole nine game SEC schedule was only because it was going to get moved out to a twenty fourteen playoff. And they were okay with it because like, yeah, if they have another loss or two, it would be okay because they'd still get in, they'd still be able to compete at the end of the year. But since that didn't happen and now they're the only conference that has a nine game conference schedule and nobody else does, I agree with what Ryan said. Like I don't think it would make that much of a difference because of the depth in all the ro all the conferences across college football. But I mean, you also like if we look at last year, like if you leave Texas out when I think Texas could have been a contender in the playoffs, like them alone, like I mean you have arguments across the board, but there's teams that get left out And we'll get left out this year from the SEC that we could maybe by the end of the year, they could have two or three losses, but they could have hit their stride late. And you could argue, they well, they shouldn't have lost, but that's neither here nor there. But there could be still the argument that they could make a make a run, but now a big twelve or a other conference has to take that slot now when there's a bunch of cannibalism. Aaron: Yeah. Ryan: Yeah, and that's not competitive. Aaron: Which I mean, I would say there's a very realistic possibility that there is not an undefeated team in the SEC this year. Georgia might be our chance. Texas is good. I'm not saying anything that Texas couldn't, but we've seen sloppy play out of them. We've seen mistakes, we've seen Arch really struggle on the road. Georgia's been the only one that's consistent, and they've got Alabama this weekend who is getting better. So it we could have a surprise there. We'll talk more about that on Thursday, but it just I don't think I can recall a time we've had a season go by without an undefeated SEC team. So that'll definitely be interesting to see how this advances forward. But another Chandler: Here it is. Aaron: thing I also wanted to get the take on since we got to see something new this weekend, We got to see for our late night Friday game, we got to see Northwestern versus Penn State. And we got to see the unveiling of the new Ryan Stadium for Northwestern. So Ryan, what'd you do? What strings do you pull to get this named after you? Ryan: You know, you gotta know a lot of people. You gotta have have Aaron: Ha ha ha. Ryan: a lot of money. I don't know. I I don't know why they decided to name it after me. Aaron: Ha ha. Chandler: So sorry, just to go back. I was curious what you said. Aaron: yeah, sorry. Chandler: the there's been twenty nineteen, twenty twenty, twenty twenty two, and twenty twenty three were the most recent undefeated SEC finishes in the conference. It was Georgia twice in twenty twenty two and twenty twenty three, and then twenty twenty in for Alabama when they played ten regular season games instead of twelve 'cause of COVID. and then twenty nineteen L SU. So There actually has been a handful of undefeated SEC teams. Ryan: Twenty nineteen Aaron: okay. Ryan: was the last time that it wasn't? Is that what you're saying? Aaron: Now is that finishing the SEC title? Or is that regular season? Chandler: No, twenty twenty two and twenty twenty three, Georgia did. Georgia undefeated for Ryan: Did I'm saying didn't he's a he said when's the last time someone did not go undefeated. So you're saying it's twenty nineteen? Aaron: Well, twenty eighteen. Yeah. So more recent. Chandler: Yeah. Twenty eighteen guess. And last year. Aaron: Yeah. I guess maybe it's just delusion on my part then. Maybe it feels odder than it is. Because Chandler: So there yeah, so that would mean there wouldn't be an un there wasn't one last year and then before Aaron: Mm-hmm. Chandler: then it was twenty eighteen. Yeah. Aaron: so that's including postseason though, because AM Chandler: No, the regular season finish. Aaron: AM was undefeated at the end of last season. Ryan: No, they lost Texas. Chandler: That's what I'm saying Ryan: Last week. Aaron: That's right, final week. Yeah, you're that's exactly what you're saying. I forgot about that. So yeah, Ryan: Yeah. Aaron: maybe maybe I'm just being delusional. Maybe it's something that I have SEC biased my brain into believing that we're always undefeated. and part of it is I before we did the East and West merger. You know, you I just kinda look over to Georgia's side and be like, Well, Georgia hasn't lost. and worry about how we'd have to play Alabama at some point. And yeah. But Back over to Ryan Stadium, what you boys think? I I frankly was blown away by Northwestern Stadium. I did not have any expectations because I don't really have expectations for Northwest. I think this season I'm I'm Starting to become more interested. Chandler: Yeah, I mean, it looks like an NFL stadium. The way they have that thing Aaron: Yeah. Ryan: Mm-hmm. Chandler: set up, it looked awesome. I had the the purple hue on the top that was going through the stadium. I mean, it they had a lot of different little accents and things that were throughout the whole stadium that looked really cool. But I mean, it's good for them. I mean, they're playing well this year. I mean, this was a this is a good year for them to have a new stadium because this year they're actually taking it two teams. I mean, they beat the doors off Penn State and then they were really competitive with the defending national championship team this year. So Aaron: Yeah. Chandler: I mean, good on them. It's the new sea new season. The stadium was right on the corner for They're playing for it. Aaron: Which credit to them for doing their stadium opener game against Penn State. Yeah. Chandler: A hundred years. And a hundred years to the date. Aaron: A hundred years to the date. Like just everything that they could get for hype, they put it on. But it's still a gamble. You're going against Penn State. You a historically successful football program. But as we know, historics don't necessarily mean the season. and I think we are starting to see the cracks in Penn State's. ceiling start to show up. I think we are we're we're gonna see some issues out of them but Northwestern play Chandler: I mean Aaron: good I would love to go see a game in that stadium I was like that does it does look like an NFL stadium it looks like a team building for a future and I know they threw around that eight hundred and seventy million dollar price tag a lot but I was like that seems pretty reasonable for a new stadium build I'd assume most stadiums cost about that much money and it looked big it looked impressive Ryan: still a lot of like money for just like a r normal school like a normal football school to have that much money. Aaron: yeah. Yeah. I mean that's like ten jimbo fissures. Chandler: But if Ryan: Mm-hmm. Chandler: if if FSU can operate at four hundred plus million dollars in in debt, then you know, Ryan: That's true. Chandler: who's to say anybody can't build a new stadium? Aaron: Yet if they took out another four Ryan: That's true. Aaron: hundred in debt, they could have built themselves a new great stadium. Ryan: Yeah, sure. I really like the stadium though, it's cool. Chandler: School. Aaron: I did. I I I would a hundred percent if that was nearby, I'd go see a game in it all the time. Seems nice. I I'd I bet the seats are reasonable right now. but who knows, to pay off that eight hundred and seventy million, maybe they're thousand dollars a pop. Who knows? But no, it looked great. Chandler: Get this thing paid off in a couple games. Aaron: Yeah. Northwestern's looking great. we'll have to see if they've got any surprise in the season. So upset against Penn State, that one That one I'm sure stung. But for Penn State fans. Chandler: Yeah, but the thing is with Penn State is it's a similar blueprint that people are trying to follow now with whole Sagetty in Indiana. All he did was bring over Aaron: Yep. Chandler: the whole Iowa State team and plug it into his system and was like, Okay, let's go win some football games because we're Penn State now And it didn't happen. Aaron: Yeah. Ryan: Yeah, it's like what do you wobbering, you know? Like Aaron: Hey sensitive now. We say things like that, people might show up in our comments. The the heat rained down Ryan: I mean Aaron: this week. Ryan: I mean I feel like we all kinda wrote him off after James Franklin left, but yeah, then he brought all his guys over and they're like, maybe now. But Northwestern's been putting it on some people, so I like that. Chandler: Fun to watch. I mean, Chip Kelly, that I mean the offensive schemes that they're running, it it's so much fun to watch because Aiden Chiles Ryan: Yeah. Chandler: and just the way they operate that offense. It's just very run heavy. I think he had like eight completions going into like halftime or something crazy. But I mean Aaron: Yeah. Chandler: it they're just the month bun bunch of eye candy everywhere on the running the ball. Aaron: Everywhere. Ryan: Yeah, I like it. It and Aaron: All kinds of motion. Go for it. Ryan: yeah, he he did that kind of stuff at Ohio State too. Like y'all had electric offense. He's a great mind. I love him now as offensive coordinator. But like Aiden Childs was pissing me off in that Indiana game that like he would put his head down when he tried to run and he wouldn't keep looking for targets. That's a really good guy. When they extend plays with their legs but they're still looking downfield, he's just like, I'm running the ball. And he was trying way too hard to run the ball. It did work one time. He got a touchdown, but other than that, it like wasn't working for him. It's like you're not getting this first down. But I think he did a lot better at extending plays. And yeah, he didn't even have to throw that much. They just ran the ball a bunch all over him. Chandler: But a place like that to be like for Chip Kelly, I mean, that's a great situation to where you can take a program and you can get a few key pieces that can run the offense you want to run and then just build upon because the expectations aren't gonna be through the roof at Northwestern. But to have the success Aaron: Yeah, y you have time. Chandler: but have to have the success that they've already had and to sh for him to be able to show out the gate that this could work, I mean, that's just only gonna be just so long term profitable for them if he stays there because He's already proving that his system can work. Now if they can keep retaining that and maybe add a few more recruits over the next couple of years, then we could we could see a change. But Aaron: Well, you know that recruiting tour is absolutely gonna be going through that stadium as much as possible. Chandler: for sure. Aaron: They're gonna be doing that. But it is something it's good to see that if a program is interested in building, put putting down a new stadium shows some investment there that says, Hey, we care about our football program right now. And not every not every college could say that to that equal extent of hey, we're putting in foundations, we're not just hoping to bring in a coach and run the gambit, it's gonna take a full a full commitment. So we'll see. We'll see if it plays out. And I I do think we'll see more surprises on the f future. We'll see more coaches in a Signetti like situation, but it's not gonna be often and it's not gonna be everyone that goes for it by far. But with the upset of Penn State by Northwestern, we're kind of right into the world of talking about football games. So let's cut into it. Let's get started with our games. And we get to start off. Well, we'll start off with a little eulogy for my undefeated season. My boys had Alabama come over. Didn't go well. It w it went rough. And now. You guys told me I needed to be humbled. I was getting a little too high on my horse. My cowbell was flying a little too close to the sun. So now I've been humbled, ready to come spend time with my two good friends, where we all have one loss in the season and we're all together equals, right? Ryan: Yeah. Aaron: But no, it it Ryan: Well how do feel? How d how do you feel now right now though? Aaron: You know, I after watching that game, I I think the scoreboard and what happened to the game tell two very different stories. I think if you look at the score, you go, Mississippi State was overhyped. If you go back and understand, Fluff was out after one play. He went in to try to play. And you could tell he wasn't a hundred percent, he wasn't fifty percent, and he he stepped out. And I I think that's something we always talk about, guys who go in with the grit to say, like, I'm gonna push through the injury and play. This is week five. And Camario, I think, did try to do that quietly. I I think you know, during his presser the day before, he's wearing a boot. They ask him about it. He says it's preventative, it's no big issue. I'll be good to play. He goes out. He there was something obviously off. He wasn't running, he wasn't scrambling. His throws were inaccurate and by the end of the game you could see his ankle was bothering. Something in that lower beneath the knee was causing issue. And we had two linebackers out of the game on a on a pretty light linebacker roster that we have. We're up against Alabama. Alabama, Keelon Russell is a really good quarterback. I think he has settled in very nicely. Alabama played some sloppy ball with us. Don't get me wrong. We were rolling around in the mud. There were some drives that were absolutely wack-a-doo gameplay. But overall, I still feel really confident in Mississippi State after this because till that third quarter, we were still in it. There was still a chance. It was a long shot, but there was a chance. But it towards the end of that third quarter, Levy pulls Camario to the bench. We're bringing in the second team. And I cannot ding him for that. I agree with that decision 100%. Your quarterbacks are. we're losing this game. Let's not take let's not lose our next game. Let's get back. We got a bye week next week. We've got two weeks to get people healthy. And we've got one loss. We we burned our one. We're gonna have to play really good from here on out, but I still see it. I still see something here that works. Chandler: Yeah, I mean Ryan: Yeah. Chandler: we t we talk about it with with teams that are good usually, like all the time. Like the teams that you go into, like this is their like this is your must win game of the season, like you play the Alabamas, the Georgias, the all these these bigger name teams that are on your schedule. And it you have to play a clean game against them. So to go out off first two possessions, fumble, Alabama gets touchdown, Camario those interception, touchdown. Then you spot them fourteen off the bat. I I looked at Ryan right when that happened and I like, this is gonna be a lot to come back from. I'm not think I'm not thinking Mississippi State's gonna come back from this. Even if they score every possession, you can't slow down like a a team like Alabama that has been clicking offensively and say that they're just not gonna score enough to be able to keep the lead. So it pained me that it was just quick that it was like fourteen Aaron: Yeah, and that's what I was talking to you guys about all week is like this game's gonna come out to whoever punches the other in the mouth in that first quarter. Alabama punches in the mouth right away. It capitalized on two quick mistakes. Like I said, Demario still kept us in it. I mean, we go into halftime. What was it, less than one possession, four-point differential at halftime? It's not bad, but it it it it was too much uphill. And I think at that point we had to pull off. We you start saying we have the rest of the season to play. We're not winning this one. And I I think that's a good mentality to have, especially when we have the opportunity that we have right now. Like this is something we don't get. We don't get this kind of this kind of lineup and roster. Camario is you know, probably one of the best players we have and will ever have. like he's fantastic. So I still have a lot of hope for the rest of this season. Ryan: Yeah, and you know, Alabama is a top ten team and they play like it. So at the end of the day, it's like how much of this is really on you, you know? But like we said, I was worried that this is kind of the first real hard team y'all played. I think Missouri, you know, didn't really show much until this week they just actually destroyed Florida, which Aaron: Yeah. Ryan: is crazy, first of all. But yeah, I thought there would be a slight adjustment period, which like I guess there was, but he was just Camario, you know, fumbling the ball, throwing pick sixes. Like, it's not like Alabama really did anything. You're kind of just giving it to him, you know? But it's unfortunate. Unfortunately, too, Alabama has all these big corners, you know. I that's my thing. It sucks that they're the ones that do it. But I thought, like, DeJon Lee got the pick six. He kind of seemed to be everywhere on defense. He had a good return. You know, and I think fluff being out like didn't help you. You kinda have to run the ball out of these spread formations like we talk about like every single week. And I don't know if it was because he was hurt, but Camario, even when he had wide open receivers, just look flustered. You know, he would miss open passes. And when your star quarterback's not making these plays, but then he's putting like these huge mistakes by putting the ball in harm's way and just kinda like throwing the ball in the stance like a like a tuba player. Or something, you know, that's not really cool. But Aaron: Yeah. Ryan: I also think Alabama did look good, you know. They had a really good defensive front. They looked really physical, stopping the run game, but then they were also putting pressure on Camario, which was kind of affecting his passes. And even when he had an open guy, you could tell he was rushing things and he was just just overthrowing people. But I I think, you know, Alabama just looked good. They defense kind of flying around. And Aaron: Yeah. Yeah. Ryan: like It's never good that like Mississippi State's whole thing is their offense and they were kind of getting slightly shut down. Two of your your main players were hurt. Evans still played great. Love the Evans connection, as you say it. But I don't know how this always Aaron: Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Ryan: happens, but like for Alabama, I feel like this even happened in the Kentucky game. That it's like they just happen to like put a guy in a good spot on defense and like the quarterback just kind of hands them a pick six. Or something. Literally the Aaron: Yeah. Ryan: same kind of scenario. They didn't really make some crazy play. It just kind of gets given to them. But it happens over and over and over. You can't just self-eliminate like that. How we talk about all the time. You know, you have to do your best to make plays. You can't just hand it to them. And then I think their offense also looked good. I mean, they were kind of just running the ball with bunch of different running backs. I think Lazier Brooks and Ryan Williams were kind of tearing it up. They were making plays. And Keelon was super fast. He looked great. He had that rushing touchdown. He was extending Aaron: Mm-hmm. Ryan: plays with his legs. He was putting balls in tight windows. And even with that, like there was a few times he missed like a wide open guy in the end zone, missed an open open post over the middle. But I feel like in past years they would have like capitalized and made those plays. And they're still missing it. So they were playing kind of sloppy. But then like you do that still end up scoring fifty points. That's like not great. But I think for y'all, if you're healthy, Aaron: Yeah. I wanna Ryan: I think your offense still keeps you in a lot of games. I mean Alabama's just I think is just good this year and they've done that to every team. They put up around forty five fifty just every single week. And like I think your defense play good, even with the linebackers out, you know? Aaron: Yeah. And I'll say the the biggest concern I took away from this game, because like I said, I think the the interceptions, the turnover, the incomplete passing, I'll put that in my heart on Tamari being injured. And, you know, for a young guy like that, it's okay to be injured. and it's okay to want to go out there and play. And it's okay to go out there and play. But I think I think that was something where he's trying to bury the injury. He probably should have been taped up a lot more, you know. Go out there with the lagway boot on. It you know, if it keeps him healthy, it sees it. But I think honestly, a lot of people underestimate him a little bit more now. And I think that might work to our advantage. So we'll see how that all plays out. But the defensive not stopping the run against Alabama, that concerned me. There is a lot Ryan: Mm-hmm. Aaron: of power runners this year, and we allowed that grub offensive scheme. to put up four or five yards of carry. And I was like, ooh, you this is something we gotta we're gonna have to tighten up. And I I do think it's something you our net came back in the spring. You can expect night and day. We're seeing a huge improvement. So it might not be this year, but it's something to keep an eye out for for next year. But I still think we got a lot to say this season. Ryan: Yeah, but like that's I'm saying. Like at the end of the day, you might have just played a great team. I think Grubb's kind of been figuring stuff out the last few weeks that not on just y'all, but they've just been able to run the ball a lot better. Ever since that second half of that Kentucky game, they've been able to run the ball. So I don't think it's just on you necessarily. I think y'all are still a great football team. But yeah, it's hard when all your players are hurt and you're playing a a really good team. Aaron: We'll see. But oftentimes, sadness follows sadness. So I think we have a little game at Auburn, Tennessee, to talk about here. So Ryan, as somebody in a similar situation this week, I feel for you, I will only take a lot of shots at Auburn every chance I can get because Ryan: Mm-hmm. Aaron: I'm petty and I like to do that. So tell us how you're feeling. Ryan: Not feeling good. I think this is our first real big failure. And I think that this is like when we're watching all the games or saying, no, this is really bad. It's because we were picturing something like this happening. again, we didn't really have much offense, and that's only really worrisome because Alex Gulwish really doesn't care, and he kind of thinks we're doing good, and I think it's really just kind of showing that the lesser talent, like we talked about earlier. Isn't translating to the harder play, especially in SEC. But even with that, like I still see potential in these guys that we have. I think our defense looked way better, especially on third down, that we'd get them in super third and longs again and they wouldn't just bomb it for a 30 yard touchdown. They would kind of just do like a normal team and try to run it or like throw a screen or something. I we always joke about that and not get it. Or we'd actually get enough pressure and he would throw it out of bounds. And they're talking about phasing Brandon. Always having this flatline attitude, like he doesn't have much emotion. And I think that's funny because me and my dad always talk about sine waves. We have emotion like sine waves, little up and little down, but you're always just floating around the middle. Where they were saying he was like that, but he was so distraught that he was doing so terrible. Apparently he was just panicking over on the sideline, and they had to pull him out. So they put their backup guy in that looked like a little kicker, and he came in and just was throwing fire for five, threw hand a bunch of touch. Or hand a bunch of balls off to Deshaun Bishop. And he even had like a really clutch throw over the middle. But then like we were containing Deshaun Bishop pretty well. But ever since they put the second guy in, you know, he was just running all over us. And it was like we had their first touchdown. It's like we were winning seven to three. And their first touchdown came that like we had Eric Winters back there and it looked like it was either like a read option between the little kicker or like Deshaun Bishop. You're gonna hand it to Deshaun Bishop. So Eric Winters had QB Conservative on apparently and just let him run for like a forty yard touchdown. And they continued to just have their way running the ball. And on offense, I actually feel like there was periods where it looked like we were moving the ball a little. And like we were still trying to run Byron Brown and it wasn't really working. But then eventually it's like, Byron just had like the most incredible run. He like broke five tackles and like ran for touchdown. I think Omar Mapson came in and he ran great. And we were doing different stuff. We were running the ball to the outside more. We were really trying to force Byron to run, and it did open things up. But when Byron really had to make throughs, he couldn't do it. There was one where Keyshawn Singleton was right over the middle, and like normal teams, like there's a guy right on you, and it touches you, you're gonna catch it. But he actually had like a slight separation. It would have been a hard catch. But Byron just air mails it, there's a meatball sub to the safety. And then there's a few times Aaron: Okay. Ryan: like he's rolling out, Nimrod's wide open and just sails it over his head. So like something that's awful. But then I thought there was good stuff. Like we brought Christian Neptune in at the end at receiver, and I really like him. I think he's really scrappy. I think he plays hard. I think he made a lot of plays. I think Aaron: I did like seeing some of the plays he made. Ryan: Yeah, so I I like kind of seeing the stuff they're doing. But then like even it got down to the last drive. And I thought Christian Neptune got the first down. We didn't review it. And I'm like, why aren't we reviewing this? So we went for a fourth down, and our huge six foot five star quarterback has to get the ball six inches for a first down. So instead we do a pitch to the weak side and just absolutely blown up and don't get it. But it's not just the play going for that game or for that play, it was like the whole game just seemed kind of questionable. We were able to run the ball better, which I think was due to the fact that we ran the ball to the outside, we ran more with Byron, all that kind of stuff. We added diversity. Switching up, you know, you can't just do the same thing over and over. But Byrum, like, kinda went run good. And then yeah, he'd make the best play ever, like the touchdown, or he'd run for 70 yards. And then it almost seemed like something just kind of happened to work. Which I'm glad that people are deciding to finally make plays and they're like doing stuff. But then the one time you actually scheme a guy open, or it's like you have called a good play, you just airmail him, or you have a favorable matchup, and he Throws out of bounds and Keyshawn Singleton would go up and catch it, but you're five yards out of bounds and you didn't give your star players the chance. But like, we really aren't sure who's calling plays. They're not making it super obvious. It's supposed to be Joel Gor Gordon, but then apparently they might have some kind of the group system like Hugh Freeze had where multiple guys have input. But then the game's going like super fast where even if you have that, I mean Goalish. doesn't really have time to give real input. He's probably communicating a little with Joel Gordon, but he has like the say at the end of the day. And that's probably really what we're doing. But Golish is like fully backing up all the play calling, the pitch he said was a great idea, even after the game. And in all the play calling. And like even if he agrees with it, you gotta score more than 14 points and to win a football game, even if our defense could have helped him a little better. But none of the staff like feels sad at all. Like you look at Minnesota's coach after they won their game. He's so hyped up. He has the jug, drink the water, goes dives into his his team and like how happy he is. We should be like the other side of that. That like I'm so sad and distraught. Like, Hugh Brees would have that. You could just see on his face that he's just I can't even believe this happened to me. This was so terrible. They don't even care. They're still just trying to talk about how good we are. And like, there's kind of like Aaron: Yeah. And I like to throw out an unfair comparison here. The vibe Ryan: Yeah, yeah. Aaron: I'm getting in the goalish postgame where there's obviously something wrong. Everybody watching this can see it. Like Chandler watching this to get a non Auburn opinion on it. I couldn't tell if the defenses were playing good or both offenses were just so anemic that we weren't seeing anything except burst plays on, you know, getting caught with your pants down. Chandler: Yeah, I mean the two things that like were my sticking points that I wrote in my notes. And again, doesn't really matter how it happened, same thing with the Illinois game. It's unacceptable regardless. Two hundred and twenty yards on the ground can't happen. No matter who you're playing. Aaron: Mm-hmm. Chandler: A lot of yards, too many yards. Don't care if it came in one play. Don't care 'cause that's not possible, but yeah. Ryan: Give him like three. Give him like three. Aaron: Yeah. Chandler: Don't care how many are how many times it came, but not not acceptable regardless. And three turnovers. Hard to win a game when both those things don't swing your way. So I mean and fourteen points on offense. And Aaron: And it's it's issues we're seeing consistently, like game to game, not just independently. Chandler: But in in in modern football, we talk about this a lot with with Ryan Stad. You can't expect to win a game most times and not score somewhere in the 30s. Unless it's Ryan: Mm-hmm. Chandler: just two defensive powerhouse teams that you're going in and you're expecting it to be a shootout, like you're still gonna move the ball a lot, but you're gonna have settle for a lot of field goals. In most games, the winning team's gonna have even high twenties, low thirties, but somewhere between thirty and thirty six is gonna be your sweet spot of like that. If you get to that, you're gonna win a lot of games. And it just Aaron: That's why the the over under of a 55.5. That's a bog Chandler: Yeah. Aaron: standard. That's normally a 30 and high 20s. Chandler: Yeah, and it's just you can't you can't expect if you if you before the game, Ryan, if I told you Auburn scored fourteen points, no matter what else I told you, you lost the game. Yes. Ryan: No, we lost. I would say no, not surprised we lost. Again, Aaron: Yep. Ryan: I tell you a lot. Th for this offense, it's like and with Durkin, it's like we need to score twenty-five. Twenty-five would have won us this game. Yeah, you Aaron: Yeah. Ryan: you need to score like thirty-five. But yeah, you can't just let Deshaun Bishop run all over you, especially the backup quarterback in you made their guy so panicked. They had to take their starter out and pull them. You know they're gonna run the ball. Their backup hasn't played. Aaron: Yeah. And to go back to that postgame reaction, the comparison I wanted to make is it feels a lot like what we see from Deion Sanders out of Colorado, where it's like this brushing off of a loss of like y'all just don't see it yet. And it's like, but you're getting destroyed or you're losing close games, but we're not seeing those turn into wins. Like we're seeing this stuff start to come into where it's consistent problem over and over. Because we can pull up, you know, Jeff Levy's postgame where he's just talking about like it's not good enough. Like what we're doing's not good enough. And, you know, that's on me to make up and get better. We got John Summerall going, I'm just sick to my freaking stomach Ryan: Mm-hmm. Aaron: at the end of this. And it's like that that's that ownership of losing. And I do feel like that's something in this sport where we've replaced the term losing with adversity, which is different. Sometimes you lose and you have to be able to accept a loss because by accepting that you lose, you can then self-reflect to c become better. But by saying it was stacked against you, all these things, it to me, by using adversity a lot of the time, you're making an excuse for losing and not making your team better. Ryan: Yeah, and it's not even this week. After last week, we had a pretty bad performance against Vanderbilt and someone asked Charles Barkley about like what he thinks and he was like, well he's a great coach, you know, he's gonna do well. You just have to have patience. And so he spent the whole Alex Golder spent the whole week saying, No, you know, I'm here to win now. He doubled down, even though he said that when he Aaron: Yeah. Ryan: got here. I'm here to win now. There is no time for patience. And then he always preaches like, We're gonna be so disciplined. And we were like the most undisciplined team ever. Every single other play, we were either offside or we had a false start and just over and over and over. And that's like unacceptable. We're self-eliminating. We put ourselves in a good situation. And he also thought that like Byron Brown was like in a rhythm and that's what was messing him up. But we didn't really have anything going. And people are starting to just see through Golish's lies. Cause after eventually, you know, he's not doing it now. We're not disciplined. All this kind of stuff he's saying isn't happening. And like last year we had the quality of talent to win like nine games. And now it's just kind of over. And he doesn't care. He's just been defeating our itching ears. And he's just trying to pretend like everything's okay. My dad had a great analogy. It's like all the fans that seem so delusional are looking over here. And it's pretty blue pretty blue sky. And over here it's a super like dark storm. And everyone's like, We're trying to tell them, hey, there's a storm coming. They're like, no, no, no, I want to look over here. It's so pretty. But then now it's like the storm's really here. And Alex Ghoulish has been just don't turn around. No, no, no. This it's so pretty. It's so pretty. And then now like the storm's here. And it's just like all terrible and stuff. But like we have a lot of reevaluating to do. Aaron: yeah. Ryan: I kind of see potential in this anyway, even though it was so bad. But like everything would have to be changed. And the only reason he brought the system is because it's so good and he could do it now and when now. But like Omar Mapson ran great. People are like, but I'm at running back one. Golish there's been talks Golish taking over the play calling, which I could think would be so good because I've even talked about he was so good as an offensive coordinator that if Joel Gordon's really the one calling the plays, I think we need to switch something up because it's so bad that I would like Alex Golish to do the play calling. And at least if it's terrible, it's on him. There's been talk about switching Byram, but I think his upside is just so much higher, even with him making all the mistakes that even if we put Pia in It's like he wouldn't do too much better and you don't have like the amount of runs and stuff that Byrams have that he'll just make things happen, even if it seems fluky, the Tia wouldn't be able to do that part. And Aaron: Yeah, I think y'all are gonna have to get cheekier and scrappier in your play calling. I think you're gonna have to get more chaotic because it's just it's not up to snuff with the other teams. So if you're not gonna beat them in straight up, you know, work on the outsides, work outside the box a little bit. But it'll just have to be something we keep an eye on as the season goes on. And hopefully as it goes, we'll see some change. If not, we're gonna have to have these, you know, Auburn Lowe's. All Ryan: Mm-hmm. Aaron: season long here when we get back for our Monday Ryan: Mm-hmm. Aaron: episodes. But let's move over to somebody that does get to be happy this weekend. He got to go with his team to visit College Game Day in Iowa City and see Ohio State take on Iowa in a 31 to 14 win. How'd that feel? How'd that look for you? Chandler: it would have been good, yeah. That would've been a fun place to go. Goin next week. Not not this week. Ryan: Going Aaron: I Ryan: to Iowa next week? Aaron: I meant I meant figuratively. But yeah. Chandler: I thought you meant you said you said you were y I went to go see game day. I was like no Aaron: Yeah, you g yeah. Chandler: no, it was good. I mean we learned again, Jeremiah Smith's pretty good at football. Aaron: The to me cinched some Heisman discussion here. Somebody's gonna have to do something incredible to beat him now because you just can't stop him. But I won't Chandler: So Aaron: I I won't take over your talking time here. Chandler: It's funny because i I'll I'll kinda work backwards. in the in the postgame presser, Ryan Day w the very first question was like Jeremiah that Julian Say and Jeremiah Smith connection is second to none. Like it's it's incredible to watch. And he the first thing he said was, Yeah, I mean, we're gonna have to work on Julian's progressions a little bit more because him throwing to double and triple coverage every time he just wants to, you know, throw it on to Jeremiah Smith is not always the best. He said, you know, they made great throws, they made great catches. And it is good to have somebody like that that can can be that for sure. But he said we're definitely gonna have to work through our progressions a little bit better. So it's it's it's funny because there's two sides of it that we always talk about as Ohio State fans. It's like, like last year, Jeremiah Smith needs to get the ball more. And this year it's like Jeremiah Smith getting the ball too much. Like you need to give the ball to other people. So there There's never gonna be a middle ground of like happiness. And I feel like it's just a lose lose battle if you're the coaching staff of like you're never gonna please anybody, so just play how you wanna play and if it's get him thirty touches a game because he's the best player in the field, then so be it. If that wins you games, who cares? Aaron: I I did love that little frustration moment for Ryan Day where he's like, we're winning. So I'm not mad, but it is something that you could tell he's talked about many times. He's pushed it forward. But in that same way of like, it's hard that you have to be frustrated that the guy you can throw it to 30 times a game comes down with it in yards while he's double triple covered. So it's like it shouldn't be working, but he's so good that it is. Ryan: Like there was two times. One of them he was in double coverage, the other was triple. And Jeremiah just made the best catch ever. There was the double coverage one on the sideline though. But Toby just put it right in between the two guys right on him. Like he's gonna catch it. It's ridiculous. Aaron: Yeah. Yeah, if Chandler: Yeah, I mean Aaron: it's in the same zip code, he's normally coming down with it. Chandler: Yeah, he was eleven receptions for two hundred and six yards with two touchdowns, back to back, two hundred yard reception games. I I will say we've talked about it in the offseason, we talked about it leading up to the season, that Julian Saiyan, like to just to run a little bit and pick up cheap yards was something that we just wanted to see, like as a fan base and just like how we talked about it. And the past two games, I don't know what happened, but i he's been running the ball so much more. And like this past game, the my favorite play of the whole game, I texted my dad right when it happened. I said that was my favorite play of the whole game. I don't care about any other play that happened. It they call it was like third and short and they call it a naked bootleg and Julian kept it and just rolled around and then just had like infinite green grass that he could run through. And I was like, This is exactly Aaron: yeah. Chandler: what you need to do. At least put it on tape so people have to like at least prepare for it. Because there was Aaron: Mm-hmm. Chandler: so many times, especially in the Texas game. They got into those third and short situations. If he would've kept one of those, it would have extended drives because nobody ever accounts for it because he didn't do it at all last year. And for him to see that is Aaron: And that's something Chandler: great. Aaron: I I want to give him credit for because I knocked him on that in the Texas game was the hesitancy, the stopping and stutter stepping to start a run where he wouldn't get the yards. Where this one, yeah, he saw his Steve Bono amount of green grass in front of him and was like, I don't even have to be fast. I can just walk this for a first down. And he takes it all the way. You know, it's just like th it's great to see the recognition change. That he Chandler: Yeah. Aaron: that there isn't as much of the stutter step when he needs to run, not when he wants to. Chandler: Well it's a testament to sorry, Ryan: You can tell the though he I think he kind of enjoys it 'cause once he starts doing it a little, he's like, Ooh, this is fun and he keeps trying to do it over and over and it's so funny. Chandler: But I think it's a testament to him like he's hearing what people are saying in the in inside the building. He's going back, he's looking at tape, he's seeing opportunities, and he's taking those mental reps. And as he's going and he's progressed into the season now in into finishing week five, I mean, he's in situations now to where he's like, Okay, I've I've seen this. I can do this. Last time I didn't, this time I'm going to and he's seeing the results positively. He's picking up cheap yards. He's picking up first down with his legs. He's got a rushing touchdown. I mean he's doing things to that are not just heroic, but he's doing things to extend drives and allow the offense to be in situations to score points. And that's what the name of the game is. Keep the defense off the field, Aaron: Yeah. Chandler: keep the offense on the field, and score some points. And that's great. I will Aaron: And y'all were up against a powerful defense. I like, I don't want this to seem like we're saying Iowa was a rollover because I was showed up. I I really think I would play good ball here. It's just y'all played extremely well. Chandler: Yeah, I mean I think Iowa's always just known for defense. I do think their defense this year is not Aaron: absolutely. Ugly football and defense. Chandler: like their defensive line is usually really a problem. And I don't think they had as many firepower weapons on the defensive line this year. So it was that was a positive in Ohio State's direction. But usually they always have sound defense. and I really don't have a lot of nitpicking things, but it really it's penalties. Like false starts sh is just undisciplined. Like it you should never have f you know the snap count, you know the play, you know when it's going. Don't get a false start. Like it multiple guys had multiple. Like it wasn't just like one here, one there. It was like one guy had two, another guy had two. So it w it was just the same mistake twice. And that it just ruins drives. So self inflicted wounds. Aaron: But you did not have you did not give up a defensive touchdown as much as I Chandler: No. Aaron: wanted Ryan: No. Aaron: one. And I told you pre-recording that when that fumble happened in the backfield, I jumped up off my couch and I was like, this is it. I'm getting it. I I opened up my order to to get everything in line. And then your offensive line guy jumped right on top of it. I was like, no, my chance. There it was. I won't get another one. Chandler: The last last two things I'll say, one football related and one just of what they did during the game. the defense I think we're learning that Matt Patricia is not some coach that's just gonna roll over now that he doesn't have a bunch of star power in first round draft picks. Like I think it's just gonna take a little bit more time and as the season's progressed, I think we've seen him just kinda move people around and get people in different schemes and different looks and different formations. And I think he's just he's figuring out where people need to be. With the talent he has on this roster, because he he doesn't have a lot of first round picks all over the field like he did last year. So for him this year, it's more of hey, let's meld these pieces together and figure out where we can get these guys because we have to get them in the right spots to be able to have the same kind of production or at least comparable production as we did last year. Because we don't have people that just have this raw talent that are gonna make up for any mistakes or a wrong call here and there. So I think we're slowly seeing like this game I think was a huge step up in a all around the best defensive game they've played to d this whole calendar year. why? He did play really well. Ryan: You know why? Clay Russaw. Glay Russaw realized you can Aaron: He did. Ryan: get pressure and he kept getting back there over and over. One of the time he shoved the tackle into Hank Brown while he's trying to throw he was he realized this was fun. Like I can get pressure. Aaron: Yeah. I also Chandler: Yeah, it was fun to see. Aaron: I give him credit because oftentimes we saw him in line with the quarterback. We're in front of him. He wasn't five yards back in the in the backfield, kinda out of the play. It it looked like he was driving in a lot stronger this week. Chandler: Last thing I'll say is after the first quarter they do the children's hospital wave. It's it it's a it's slightly Aaron: Yeah. Chandler: strange they do it in the middle of the game and not like in the beginning. But regardless of when they do it, it's awesome to see. Like you can they zoom in, like the whole crowd does it, both lines do it, like both teams, coaches, refs, everybody does it. They zoom in on the hospital like all you can see all the kids waving back. Like it it's awesome to see that happen. And that's just one of those moments where it's like these are bunch of college kids and it just shows them that like it's more than football. Like the you're impacting these kids lives and you'll never talk to like half of them. And it's just it's a it's a cool thing to see. And shout out to Ohio State for Aaron: It yeah, i it it it's easy to say like that is one of the most like heartfelt traditions out there. In fact, it's like it's a shame when we're talking favorite college traditions. it's just part of Iowa to me. It's like that that's such a such just an existence there of like, that's such a great thing. And Iowa to me always has that soft spot because of it. Like I will never dislike Iowa because of that moment for the children's hospital, how sweet that is. and I did want to say like credit to Ohio State coaching staff for making sure they sent letters to all the kids before the game. I think like that to me shows a maturity of a program. And a leadership in a program that says, hey, this is a football game. Like we can dislike each other. We can go out there and want to absolutely destroy each other on the field. But in this moment, we're all doing something together that's really positive. Like this is a bigger thing than the game. And I I just thought that was something in a week where they should be preparing and time that you know is tight. They they took just a moment for the kids. Ryan: Yep, it was very classy. And those kids got Chandler: Hundred percent. Ryan: to witness history that Jeremiah Smith is now the the touchdown leader. That's pretty cool. And reception. I have a cool stat for you though, by the way. Chandler: And reception. And yards. Ryan: so Devontae Smith in his twenty twenty season, where he won the Heisman, in his first five games compared to Jeremiah Smith, Devontae Smith had forty five receptions, Jeremiah Smith had forty four Devante Smith had 556 receiving yards, and Jeremiah had 823. And Devontae Smith had five touchdowns and Jeremiah Smith had nine through five games. He had one less reception. And people are trying to say that your whole offense is just that you're giving the ball to Jeremiah Smith every time. But he has less receptions than Devontae Smith and almost 300 more yards. And Devontae Smith was surrounded by probably better talent because there was other guys on his team like Jalen Waddell. Where y'all are still throwing the ball around to people. But I also think it's just funny that Arthur Smith, even in this game, kind of just acted like I'm gonna do whatever I want with the play calling and I'm just gonna mess around. Like, sure, let's have Julian run. Let's throw it to Jeremiah again. Jacoby Jackson ran the ball good. I'll give you seven times in a row. And he just ran for like ten, ten, ten, got a touchdown. And then I'm gonna give it to Jeremiah again. Like it's just so funny that I feel like he's just messing around. Y'all are that good. And like when you really Chandler: Yeah. Ryan: need a score, you can do it. Chandler: It's fun. I mean it's a it's a fun time. We don't take it for granted you get to watch Jeremiah Smith play football every Saturday. Ryan: Yes. Aaron: Absolutely. Chandler: but I do think I mean in Devontae Smith's case it's I do think he had more talent around him and he was playing harder competition week in and week out. So there is that argument point there too. Different times. Ryan: Competition wise though, th I'm saying th they're having to focus on other people like Jalen Waddell where they can't double and triple him. Y'all are playing Iowa, where they still have to account for your other receivers because they're really good, but you're still spreading the ball around and throwing it to Jeremiah in triple coverage and he's getting two hundred yards on you. Aaron: And touchdowns. I I think the other thing is yeah, he has one less reception, but when you've almost doubled the touchdown production, that means those receptions are going farther, which means the offense comes off the field. So it's still yeah, we can say it till we turn blue. And we probably will for the rest of the season. Jeremiah Smith is a freak talent. Like this is something we do not see when people say generational, it's should be reserved for this. where this is freakishly Ryan: Yeah. Jeremiah. Aaron: talented, like we just there's just nothing you can really do about that. And it just is one of those things where you just don't want to see Ohio State come up on your schedule. Ryan: I am worried that Devin Sanchez is becoming IGB though. Chandler: Yeah. Yeah. Ryan: He's getting a little grabby. He almost guards people so well that like he's not actually past interference, but like he'll have a slight touch, but he's literally like a blanket wrapped around them where they literally can't do anything, but then they just call past interference every single time. And I think most Chandler: Yeah. Ryan: of them are like not really past interference. He touches them a little. Chandler: Yeah, that's what I was gonna say. I think i like the past couple games have been kind of like I mean maybe one or two like throughout that whole span of games, but majority of I feel like are just like mm f like you're that's just a petty flag. Yeah. Ryan: He's like barely touching him. Yeah, he's just so locked Aaron: Yeah. Ryan: down that it looks like he's all over him, but i i he's not really doing anything. Chandler: Like if you look up at if you look Davis Nick Bonosen's past interference calls last year, all of them were past interference calls. Ryan: They're bad. Yeah. Chandler: But like and you compare Aaron: Yeah. Chandler: to this year's, it's like they're they're not the same. And I like I Ryan: Yeah. Chandler: jokingly said that like he was turning into A. G, but like it it's it's not the same. Ryan: Yard wise. Aaron: I also think when you do see somebody that's able to lock down quickly and maintain speed like that, we have receivers that are very good. Part of the game is to know when you can't catch the ball. And so you start acting. You know, you start the hands come up and or you know get locked down and they start fighting the hand fighting a lot more and making sure the ref catches it. Same with, you know, a guard or someone on the line when the hold's coming through and you see those hands come up. Just I need to get big and visible right now. and I think that's something where we can see that on those guys who are obviously, you know, locking down, making a play for the ball, heads turned, everything's right. But the ball's out of reach. They they don't have the speed, they don't have the trajectory, or it's gonna be something we could say it's uncatchable, but the refs would. disagree because normally you have to be like 40 yards outside of the reach for them to declare it uncatchable. but it is something that it's like the flag comes out and you're like, it's weak. It like if you're letting it go all game, you can't just do it here and just keep throw them out. A couple, sure, sure there's been a couple fair ones, but I do feel like they come out a little looser for him. Ryan: Yeah, and he'll he'll touch him a little and then Jeremiah's just getting killed and they won't call it. Gotta have it both ways. Aaron: Yeah. Chandler: I don't remember the last time Jeremiah Smith has gotten a passapherence call called on him. They only call holdings, they call holdings, but not pass inferences. Ryan: They don't call it on him. Aaron: I I think that there was one. Yeah. Ryan: Yeah. Yeah, even on the one he caught. Yeah. Aaron: And there was literally one in the game where he caught the one in the end zone, and two different defenders have him hooked in both of the arms and just trying to pry his arms apart before the ball gets there and he still makes the catch. And they're like, just let him play. That's hand fighting. and I think, you know, what are you gonna do? It's kind of like in a pee we game, when you see Jeremiah Smith out there and it's like Please running for the touchdown every time. The kid has to grab his face mask so the game can be somewhat reasonable. So yeah, yeah, it it is what it is there. But no, I think Chandler: Men. Aaron: y'all still have so much in front of you. But Chandler: I'm excited I'm excited to watch him in person for the homecoming game next week. Aaron: Yeah, that you're gonna have to you're gonna just send in some footage from that area for us to be able to highlight and show all the fun things you get up to in the Ohio State Stadium there. So Let's talk about two teams here. One that has a future and one that doesn't. Let's talk about Miami and Clemson. Chandler: Hm. Ryan: I was a little shocked it was so close for a while. And they were able to lock down Malachi Tomini. And I think a normal, like a good receiver that's not Jeremiah Smith, you can kind of put a little more effort to guarding that guy. And they shut him down to what, like forty yards or something. But I was still a little surprised that I thought he would still perform a little better. He was supposed to be the next Heisman guy. But I don't know, Clemson still looks pretty bad. Aaron: They look Ryan: But I Aaron: they look Ryan: it was closer than I thought. Chandler: See, I don't like box scores for certain things for stats Aaron: Mm-hmm. Chandler: and thing for well whatever. But there's some things that are like your marquee stats that you tell me pre-game and I'll tell you who's gonna win nine times out of ten. Aaron: Mm-hmm. Chandler: And those are rushing yards and sacks. And Miami held them real low on b Miami had six sacks and held Clemson to fifty five rushing yards. And you have those two things. You're set up for to win a game. Aaron: You win the game. Ryan: Yep. It's easy though when you're playing Clemson. Aaron: I mean, like it it is the frustrating thing to see that Clemson defensively has pieces. They were able to get Ryan: Mm-hmm. Aaron: Malachi Tony. Now, how much of that was, you know, resting on the laurels a little bit from Miami not playing a collegiate level school at this point into their season, and most of it was just it they kind of like they had the first four weeks, some cakewalk. And it was easy for them. The and Clemson being their first real competition, still, it's not much. But I did wonder how much was just Malachi Tony and the offense kind of just relying on these easy passes that they had. Once they tighten them down, it's like, we guess we gotta run other things now. does anybody anybody want to dust off the playbook? because we haven't had to do that all season. And so I do think the first half, when you're looking at it, it's like, Clemson put up a fight. I just think Miami came in and was just kind of in warm up mode. Like they weren't going a hundred percent. Cause then when they come back, it's like, okay, let's just put up points. Let's just score every play. Ryan: Mm-hmm. Yeah, it was slow and there was some sort of adjustment period. I mean, Clemson technically is a real team. It's like Aaron: I mean. Ryan: better better Famu or something. But yeah, it's like every game they played so far, it literally just looks like Darymint's and Malek Itoni are running routes on air, and he's actually just like wide open every single time. Aaron: Yeah. Ryan: And Darren Mins had an eighty nine percent completion percentage 'cause he's throwing routes on air. And then I Clemson's kind of a a team, you know. So they they got Chandler: Yeah, I mean Ryan: used to it and they answered. Chandler: to me I I feel bad for Dabo. I I've always respected him as a coach. I think he's a cool guy. He like he seems like a good player's coach. And he's won two national championships at Clemson. But I feel like if you play around in the NIL area era, in the transfer portal era, and you realize it's not for you or you're not gonna adapt to it or you don't want to adapt to it, then I feel like that should have been where a separation point could have potentially came from. From and and you don't leave a legacy tarnished, you leave in a high note, you still leave as a great coach that came through Clemson that got you two national championships. But now the longer he rides this out and continues this downward kind of trajectory and doesn't have any postseason run at all, it just I I just feel bad for the guy. And Like of their offensive production, eight for eighteen on third downs and two turnovers. You have thirteen points, you can only rush the ball for fifty five yards. I mean, it's just just stagnant and it's not there. And one of their corners, Ryan: Mm-hmm. Chandler: I can't I can't remember the guy's name, but the guy that was on Malikai Tony all night, he's gonna be a great NFL corner because he had him in a box for a lot of the night. And it was fun to watch. But that was about the only thing that's fun to watch on Clemson's side of the ball. Aaron: And and that's to me the frustrating part. They always have somebody of that talent on defense. Like you can watch somebody that's just being an absolute menace. And but every year, like because there are coaches that you bring in a five-star quarterback, everything looks like you have the run. And then the quarterback is, you know, might as well have gotten a job at Subway with the amount of meatball subs we're seeing downfield. Like it's just some, you know, sometimes it doesn't click. And I feel like okay, the next season they replace that. We see it come back to life a little bit. We might need a little more adjustment. Might not be all the way, but there's still life. Limsen just kind of slides a little more every year. We've gone over multiple quarterbacks. We've gone multiple different schemes. And and it's just like nothing's changing. It's getting worse. And I I agree. I I don't like Dabo as much as a coach. Mainly because I I just don't like his attitude and pressures and things like that a lot of the time. But it's still something that like Clemson is a good football program. He built it into a good football program. And you're right. It just at a certain point you have to say, I do have a legacy here. I could be the guy, I could be a stadium name guy for this program, but I'm gonna keep it to me it's like Bill Belichick coming back for college ball. You were the peak. You would go down in record books as one of the best of all time to do it. And now it's like, well, I might as well go make UNC a little worse. And like now that's going to be the last thing people remember on your head coaching career is what you did here. And I think that's something where it's like that. It's not too late. But i th each year it's getting a little more tarnished and tarnished as f we get further away from those national championship runs. But all in all, Miami still looking scary. Still looking up there. I would need to see them against somebody actually tough. Similar case to Notre Dame. Like you have to play a real team at some point. for it to be a justified top ten, top five ranking. we're five weeks in, Ryan: Mm-hmm. Aaron: you know. We we can schedule an opponent. but yeah. and that would be interesting. Yeah. Ryan: They put each other soon. But we don't know how much that matters, so I don't know. Aaron: Let's go to another team where we have an up-and-coming program. And we have a program on a decline right now. And that is Kentucky and South Carolina, an overtime shocker, I think, for some people. And this was a weird game of football for a little bit. Ryan: You know, we always say not to go for two because you're self eliminating. But Will Stein is the guy that's gonna go for two. He is very confident in his play calling, and that won them the game this week. But originally I was surprised that they came out so slow and that South Carolina was up, but they like letting people come back on them. And they did it again. So that's great. Aaron: Yeah. Chandler: I mean, it's hard to to fault South Carolina's office of production at all because I mean, Aaron: Mm-mm. Chandler: Lenora sellers looked good. Ryan: Yeah, he did. Aaron: He this was one of those games where he showed up and reminded us he's a great quarterback. Chandler: Yeah, I they had they had two fumbles offensively, so that like that does swing it. Turnovers suck. They Ryan: Mm-hmm. Chandler: don't they don't help you at all. But I mean he threw for two twenty six with two touchdowns and rushed for one forty seven. So I mean that's that's a great game. A great game. And you can't ask for much more. Aaron: And no, and honestly, it's where Ryan, as you said, you you normally don't see somebody go for two first time and overtime. I get why Stein did it. Like I Ryan: Yeah. Aaron: think that's one of those you have to be realistic. Can we beat the long term game? And I think he saw Lenora Sellers firing and he said, We're not gonna beat them in extended overtime. Chandler: Well, even on the first overtime possession, Aaron: Yeah. Chandler: South Carolina's offense looked great. Like they they didn't s they didn't s yes, Ryan: Mm-hmm. Aaron: Yeah, just just pop pop in. Yeah. Chandler: they didn't stutter at all, like they just ran a couple of plays, scored, and it was Kentucky's ball. So I mean I I agree with you. I th I think Will Stein saw that and was like, I don't want to go into eight overtimes with this guy and and and maybe get there. Like I I just wanna win this now because South Carolina's gonna outlast you. Ryan: Yeah, and he's a confident Aaron: Yeah. Yeah. Ryan: coach and an offensive guy. He he's confident in his offensive players and their play calling. 'Cause he always says, like, this is on me, we're gonna win 'cause of me. And like that's just like a confident guy like that. That's the kind of guy that's gonna go for two and get it, and he did. It's Chandler: And he did it. Ryan: good. But even with South Carolina Aaron: You did. Ryan: producing so much on offense, I'm surprised that they allowed them to come back, you know. I know that's a defensive thing. The turnovers don't help, you know, those are chances you can't score. But they just seem so efficient that I don't know. Chandler: I do think again, like we talked about last week, with Kentucky and how they're kind of trending and with the energy that Will Stein's bringing to that program and the belief that's surrounding that program right now, to to call that play an overtime. I mean, we could have a completely different conversation today if if if that ball went the other way and they lose that game and they're not ranked anymore. But they get that. And another momentum builder. And now they're going into another week where they're still ranked and they just had a great overtime win against South Carolina. And I mean, they're just consistently building momentum. So it's Ryan: Mm-hmm. Chandler: just another staple to Will Stein and that th that energy that he's bringing and the confidence he's bringing is is paying off. And they they don't look bad. Aaron: That the no to me, this is a team I'm terrified of in three years from now. Like, if he's making plays like this, this is the kind of stuff that young football high school kids do like. If you've got the ability, this is this is the kind of stuff you can recruit on where it's like, look at when we were down and out, the climb up, look at the comeback, look at this c look at the the brave calls that we made on the field. And I think this was one of them. I would stand by it. Even if they didn't make it, I'd still stand by the going for two here because Lenoris can beat you with your legs. It's a short field. I'd be worried about that the whole time. And I think where when we talked about it in the Baylor scenario for Auburn, I think they had you guys. I think they were performing a little more consistently. Like that's one where I wouldn't have gone for two. I would have said, let's take Ryan: Mm-hmm. Aaron: it to the to the full court because I think you guys are gonna make a mistake before I do. And I this time it was just Lenoris was firing. I think you you just gotta say, like, okay, let's play conservatively here. Ryan: Yep, you're mitigating your risks by not letting Lenar's come in the field. Aaron: Now I did want to ask y'all's opinion on do you think this is it for Shane Beamer? Do you think this was the final straw? Ryan: I don't know. I always feel like South Carolina's in this weird they're good and scrappy. They never actually finish games super art team. Like, Kentucky's not that bad this year. I think they're better than we think. They beat A and They compete against Alabama. Like I don't think that's a terrible loss. It was terrible the way it happened, obviously, but I mean I think Shane Beamer's doing okay over there and they have a good team. Aaron: Well, I think it's one of those where the fans have turned so viciously. This was kind of the one where Ryan: yeah. But Aaron: Shane Beamer said this was gonna be the year. Like this year we'll be celebrating the wins. And I think I think the programs lost faith in him, but I don't know if it's time yet. I I just I I feel like that's the discourse we're gonna see. Ryan: If I was a fan I wouldn't be happy. But as an outside viewer, I don't think it's terrible to keep Chandler: Here's the two things though, right? Number one, you fire Shame Beamer. Who do you get? Aaron: that is the big Ryan: Exactly. Aaron: question is I I think I'm on the same bus as you, but let's hear number two before we break off from it. Chandler: Well, what I was gonna say to to elaborate on that is yeah, you can try to poach somebody and yeah, it might work. But I mean we've seen a lot of programs that have all this coaching turnover that just like kind of s not necessarily settle, but it seems like they settle on people. Kind of like Penn State. Kyle Whittingham not Kyle Whittingham, wow, what's his name? Matt Campbell. Matt Campbell? Aaron: Yes. Chandler: Matt Campbell was not Penn State's first choice. And it just kinda happened that he worked out and became the coach. Not going too well. I just don't think that like programs when they go to go fire a coach, they're very short term, like emotional ridden, like I don't I want this guy gone, like our like our program's going downhill. But like then you have to be like, Okay, well, who are we gonna replace him with? And number two, he's also not in the hottest seat in the country. So I don't know when it ever is a good time. Like obviously there's clear signs of like your program is just depleted, like you're not gonna have any upswing. But who you gonna get and he's not he's not in the worst hot seat. So there's just a lot of question marks around college football that's like I I I don't know. Aaron: I agree. I and I think it's the discourse we're gonna see, but I think right now you're exactly right. There's not an advantage for South Carolina opening up their head coach position because a lot of people that were potentials are locked into new contracts this year. I think if you were looking at that, I'd wait till towards the end of the season when coaches are starting to be let go. Because let's say USC loses its patience with Lincoln Riley. That seems like something in South Carolina's range of like, okay, maybe you're trying to look for somebody up. Because you're right. we just see this constant gambling of, you know, let's play the, you know, group of six gotcha game where we'll put in our twenty million dollars, we'll see if it pays off. it's not one we like. Let's toss back, get another one. And it's like now we're just seeing programs spending how much money on coach payouts and stuff like this and all these extra contract that it's like you still have a losing record. Like you you not gone anything from this. So Chandler: see, like with Lincoln Riley, like you mentioned, i Aaron: Mm-hmm. Chandler: he might have a better record like year in and year out than Shane Beamer. But if you look Aaron: Mm-hmm. Chandler: at postseason production and expectations, I Aaron: absolutely. Chandler: mean I wouldn't even say like that would be an upgrade. I would I mean Lincoln Aaron: Mm-hmm. Chandler: Riley might be playing a little bit better as far as record goes, but that's a conference thing as well. And I mean you look at just sheer fact of like postseason performance. you what do you're not you're not getting anything extra, you're not you're not getting any experience there. Recruiting maybe will be a little bit better. But that's I think what a lot of programs fall into the trap of is like, maybe they have a better record and a better track record over here, but if you're not comparing them to the strength of schedule and roster and talent in that conference that you're in, then it's it's an obsolete point. Aaron: I agree. And i I guess to throw my personal hat into this, I wouldn't fire Shane Beamer. I think he's a good football Ryan: Me neither. Aaron: coach. I think we have some program issues. I think maybe it something in there is not working. There's some part whether it's the quarterback head coach, whether it's or the quarterback coach, whether it's somebody on the line, something there is not clicking with the rest of the team production. So he does need to figure that out. But I I think you're right. I think when we look at the coaches that can become available this year, I don't see South Carolina upgrading. I don't see somebody that's gonna turn the program around for them the way they want. And I think you got a guy whose production has shown up before. He's just in a bad cycle. And I think he's gonna need some time to break out of it. But Yeah. to to say a hard opinion on it. I think South Carolina will make a mistake if they fire Shane Beamer. Chandler: And programs can't keep falling into the trap of like, okay, we're gonna go get this coach, we're gonna take all of his players, we're gonna come over. And it's not a shot at Auburn. It's Ryan: It's really easy nowadays. Chandler: just it's it's like it just Aaron: yeah, yeah. Chandler: people like it's like, Kirk Cinetti did it. Like, great. Name another one. Name anybody else that's Aaron: Yeah. Chandler: done it successfully. It's just it's just it's gonna be few and far between. So like you gotta you gotta pick your Aaron: Well and we're also Chandler: guy and recruit and develop and win championships that way, in house. Ryan: Well, Aaron: We we are running out of twenty-eight Ryan: everyone's trying to find the next Signetti. Aaron: year old linemen as well. Like that really helps when you can get grandparents. Yeah. Chandler: Yeah. Yeah, their average age was like twenty five or twenty six. Like they they had an old team. Aaron: Yeah. And that that's Ryan: It was twenty-three, but that means half of them are older than twenty-three, which would be tw yeah. But everyone's trying to find the next Signeti. You're not gonna do it. Aaron: And I and I'm not Yeah. And Ryan: They're you can't upgrade as a coach, so they're gonna try to go find a gym in the G five, and they're bringing all their players with them, and it's not transferring over. You you see, like even we tried to do it, Florida tried to do it. I mean, everyone's just trying to do it, and there's only one Signeti. Penn State's trying to do it. Like it's not gonna work. Aaron: Penn State, yeah. Chandler: Yeah. And I I would argue, I mean, like, Florida, I was under the impression I like, okay, maybe they did find something. But now all of a sudden Ryan: Damn. Chandler: they get their doors blown off in Missouri that lost to Mississippi State. I it I I don't know. The math doesn't math. Mm mm. It doesn't make sense to me at all. Ryan: I physically don't know that happened. It doesn't make sense. I actually don't even know. Aaron: Now I'm gonna say maybe we're just that good. Maybe we're just surprisingly really good because now Minnesota's on a terror, too. And I'm like, this is getting a little weird now. because I I went Chandler: Yeah. Aaron: into the season going Minnesota, we're comparable at the bottom, you know. We we're these two scrappy, they're making upsets. Missouri came out, and who knows? I'm not willing to count Florida out yet, I'm not really to put them on the fraud watch. I think maybe they had a bad game. Maybe something just was completely off. Chandler: Mm, bad games losing by like ten. Ryan: Yeah, I just don't know how that Aaron: Yeah, I agree. Ryan: happened. You have like the most productive offense in the whole country and then you go score ten points. Aaron: Now, Austin Simmons in that game looked Chandler: Went crazy. Aaron: incredible. Ryan: Yeah, but but their offense did nothing, which is the most shocking thing. Because I knew Austin Simmons had potential, but they just haven't had it clicking yet. They kind of had a little for some of that Kansas game, where I almost wrote them off and thought that that was a fluke of goodness and that they were not a good football team. Chandler: But the the the highlight point that I brought up whole episode key stat rushing yards. What did Missouri have? They had two hundred and eleven yards in the ground. Aaron: They ran the piss out of the ball. Chandler: And guess what you're gonna do when you have those kind of stats? You're probably gonna win. Unless you're defense. Ryan: Well, you're gonna win Aaron: Yep. Ryan: but the thing is why? Like what happened that Florida Chandler: Don't know. Ryan: sucks so bad at running the ball? Why do they have the best offense ever and they suck this week? How did Missouri not be able to do this all year and they can do it this week? Chandler: no. With both defensive ends from Missouri being hurt, those two starting defensive ends on Missouri were hurt now. Ryan: I know. I know. Aaron: Yeah. Ryan: And they just shut down. Chandler: Crazy. Aaron: And I I also think Florida had this little bit of a a a crack in the shield that we saw defensively for him when we were looking back at that Kentucky game. It was there was some run defense issues. And I think Missouri saw it. I think Missouri showed up. I think Missouri was ready for this game. They prepped for this game and they shut down the run. And then they exploited the run. So credit to them. Like it Chandler: I mean, yeah, four the Florida had forty two rushing yards for one point one yard a carry. That's not gonna win you a fo that's Aaron: Yeah. Ryan: Yes, terrible. Chandler: not gonna win you a football game. Ryan: No. And you have two of the best running backs in the country. You can rush for one yard a carry. Chandler: Yeah, I don't know. I mean props to Missouri. They they won the game and they won it candidly. But I genuinely Ryan: Yeah. Aaron: Yeah. Chandler: don't know how it happened. I mean, Florida looked like they Ryan: Yeah. Chandler: were a completely different team. Aaron: Yeah. Ryan: Before this week, I would not have been surprised if Florida beat Missouri and should have been ranked even higher. I was thinking they were ranked too low. It's like Aaron: I we know Chandler: It's why we love Aaron: from our Thursday show. It is it Chandler: college football, because y it doesn't matter what you do, whether you're a professional analyst, whether you're a professional commentator, or you whether you're us, it nobody can get it right every week because you just it's impossible. Ryan: Well, it's just from what they've shown. From what they've shown, they were that good. Aaron: It is. It Yeah. Chandler: That's what I'm saying. And now they're showing a completely different thing the next week. Ryan: Yeah. And Missouri had the biggest week to Aaron: Hey, we don't have to worry about it. Ryan: week progression ever. Chandler: They Aaron: Yeah. Chandler: they all had bad soup the night before. And they all had stomach Aaron: Could be. Chandler: problems. Aaron: And I'm sure we'll see Missouri back down in their proper place of 25 rank somehow next week. if we go into week six football, I'm sure they'll find a way. but for now, enjoy 14. You know, you're you've got 11 spots granted to you that the AP poll gods normally don't let you have. But we'll be back Thursday to talk about those week six games, see what we think. as we predict the lines, the odds, and who we think is gonna win in our Thursdays predictions and pick episodes. So tune in for that. It's gonna be a lot of fun. I I at this point, I think we're gonna start splitting. I think we're gonna see a lot of interesting a lot of interesting bets coming in. So thank you all that have listened. We had an exciting week five. Let's keep the ball rolling for all those that are engaging with the content, following, subscribing, every kind of action you can do on online social media platforms. Thank you. It is great to see. We're still growing every week. the engagement keeps going up, followers keep going up. Great to see. So once again, thank you all. And we'll have to see you next Thursday.