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Oklahoma's Secret Weapon Against Alabama Nobody's Talking About | Playoff Preview · Sooner or Later Sports

0:00
Speaker 1: What's going on everybody? Once again the c K and
0:03
Speaker 1: Jay Show. We've got to talk some more ball here
0:06
Speaker 1: on Unfair Sports. Colin Kennedy two four seven Sooners illustrated.
0:12
Speaker 1: What's good, my man? Playoffs? Playoffs? Man? How about that?
0:20
Speaker 1: Who who'd have thought when.
0:22
Speaker 2: We were doing like the c K and J Show
0:25
Speaker 2: months ago, months we'd be sitting here talking about the
0:29
Speaker 2: postseason dance. I'm excited, I'm nervous, we're gonna talk about
0:33
Speaker 2: it all. But yet again, an honor to be here
0:37
Speaker 2: on the on the show with you.
0:38
Speaker 1: My friend. I mean, I appreciate you pulling up as usual. Everybody,
0:41
Speaker 1: make sure you hit the light, subscribe, go check out.
0:43
Speaker 1: Sooners illustrated Colin Kennedy and the team over there, always
0:47
Speaker 1: this fantastic work recruiting. We're we're about to hit portal
0:51
Speaker 1: season where things about to get really hot and heavy
0:54
Speaker 1: in the message board. So you need to get over
0:57
Speaker 1: there and check them out. But see, we've got the
1:01
Speaker 1: playoffs in about a day roughly, right. It's crazy Oklahoma
1:06
Speaker 1: and Alabama again. And we talked about this before we
1:11
Speaker 1: jumped on the nerves that we both kind of have
1:14
Speaker 1: going into this game. I feel like Oklahoma pull it off.
1:17
Speaker 1: But when I really started thinking about it more, and
1:21
Speaker 1: I think it really came to head when me and
1:23
Speaker 1: you started first talking that it feels like the name
1:28
Speaker 1: Alabama's more terrifying than Alabama as an actual team. Am
1:33
Speaker 1: I crazy?
1:35
Speaker 2: I don't think you're crazy at all. I think that
1:37
Speaker 2: there's probably two layers to the equation, right. I think
1:41
Speaker 2: certainly part of it is perceptionally what the name value
1:47
Speaker 2: of Alabama is, right, and what typically comes with the
1:50
Speaker 2: brand of Alabama football, high level recruits turned high level players,
1:55
Speaker 2: the track record of winning things of that nature. And again,
1:59
Speaker 2: like you mentioned, the concept of Alabama and what that
2:05
Speaker 2: brings to the table is I would assume relatively intimidating
2:10
Speaker 2: or nerve racking, nerve inducing I should probably say for
2:14
Speaker 2: a lot of folks out there. But I also think
2:16
Speaker 2: there's another part of this equation. And I was telling you,
2:19
Speaker 2: I am nervous about this game, and for me, it's
2:24
Speaker 2: like I acknowledge that I hear that out. I wholeheartedly
2:28
Speaker 2: kind of agree. But I also think for me, my
2:30
Speaker 2: nerves going into this game as it relates to Oklahoma
2:33
Speaker 2: facing Alabama again, I get more stems from like the
2:39
Speaker 2: idea that you're playing an SEC caliber program for the
2:44
Speaker 2: third time in thirteen months in a win or literally
2:49
Speaker 2: go home situation. And I think there's a lot to that.
2:54
Speaker 2: I think that there's the natural familiarity. I think that
2:59
Speaker 2: there's having awareness of certain tendencies, the ability to change
3:04
Speaker 2: looks and alter things through internal scouting that then presents
3:10
Speaker 2: a new challenge with the talented personnel. And and I
3:14
Speaker 2: think the other thing too is it's like with the
3:16
Speaker 2: Alabama stuff, like all that aside, I think the world
3:20
Speaker 2: of guys like Kaitlin de Boor and Kane Womack and
3:23
Speaker 2: Ryan Grubb, I think those are just really damn good coaches.
3:26
Speaker 2: And so for me, I think too, like the thing
3:28
Speaker 2: that you should probably be nervous about is like you
3:31
Speaker 2: got really good coaches on the Oklahoma side, but those
3:33
Speaker 2: guys get paid millions of dollars to do the same job, right,
3:36
Speaker 2: So that's kind of it for me as well.
3:38
Speaker 1: Hopefully that makes a little bit of sense of sense.
3:40
Speaker 2: And hey, man, I should say this too, like they
3:42
Speaker 2: don't say third times a charm for nothing, which now
3:45
Speaker 2: has me a little bit nervous about that whole you know,
3:48
Speaker 2: superstition type of layer to it.
3:49
Speaker 1: Yeah, you gotts not being superstitious on that, because you're
3:52
Speaker 1: you're now making me nervous. But no, you're you're you're right.
3:57
Speaker 1: You make a valid point here of this is our
4:01
Speaker 1: third time seeing them in two years, which is still
4:04
Speaker 1: the wildest thing to think, right, not even two years,
4:06
Speaker 1: I mean it's thirteen months, Like how crazy is that?
4:09
Speaker 1: That is truth? In a third team month period, we
4:12
Speaker 1: will see this team three times, like I think the
4:15
Speaker 1: last time they've dealt with something Actually not even close
4:18
Speaker 1: to this. It hasn't been three times in a third
4:21
Speaker 1: teamth period. But seeing the same team twice, as you know,
4:23
Speaker 1: traditionary between them and Georgia or them in LSU. They
4:27
Speaker 1: don't really lose to teams twice or whatnot. They split
4:30
Speaker 1: it with Georgia this year. Yeah, I guess the thing
4:34
Speaker 1: for me is that that Georgia game two weeks ago,
4:40
Speaker 1: just under two weeks ago, actually we can a half ago.
4:43
Speaker 1: We won't even hit two weeks until Saturday. They didn't
4:47
Speaker 1: look very good. They looked they look human, and it
4:53
Speaker 1: looked they've been looking more and more human since playing Oklahoma. Like,
4:56
Speaker 1: of course, the rumor that's going around right now as
4:58
Speaker 1: Ty Simpson is dealing with some sort of a bad situation. Yeah,
5:01
Speaker 1: we don't know how true that is.
5:03
Speaker 2: He feels good in the pressure this week, for whatever
5:06
Speaker 2: that's worth.
5:07
Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, I hope he would lie to us
5:09
Speaker 1: and say that he can say bold face lying is
5:12
Speaker 1: still permitted. In the press conference, Buddy John Mattier said
5:15
Speaker 1: his thumb's been fine, and Brent Vnable's basically confirmed that. Yeah,
5:18
Speaker 1: he's still working on his grip, but it's gotten better
5:20
Speaker 1: now and that's why he's not wearing tape. And it's like, oh, okay,
5:23
Speaker 1: so you have been dealing with something. I had mentioned
5:25
Speaker 1: this before to some folks that if the Strolie quarterback
5:29
Speaker 1: is going to play, they not put it them on
5:30
Speaker 1: the injury report because there's no reason to put him
5:32
Speaker 1: on there unless you do have a doubt that he
5:34
Speaker 1: won't be able to actually be in the game. If
5:36
Speaker 1: you're saying he's playing, he said I'm playing, they gonna
5:39
Speaker 1: inject that boy, and they gonna never have them on
5:40
Speaker 1: that report. So it's it's not a situation where he
5:44
Speaker 1: wouldn't be on there. Yeah, but when I look at
5:48
Speaker 1: this on the surface, he has not looked the same
5:53
Speaker 1: since those hits from Taylor Why And I think I
5:58
Speaker 1: want to start there because based upon the last availability
6:02
Speaker 1: report Jane Jackson, he says that he's about where he
6:06
Speaker 1: needs to be. Our Mason Thomas isn't listed and you've
6:10
Speaker 1: seen him going through drills. Feels like he's about ready
6:13
Speaker 1: to go. They didn't really have to deal with those
6:17
Speaker 1: two last time, but now they do, and then everybody
6:21
Speaker 1: behind them is good. Does that bode well for Bama
6:28
Speaker 1: at all? Like that? I think that's where my confidence
6:32
Speaker 1: is a little bit there because the guy that's quote
6:36
Speaker 1: unquote the fastest in the past rush is now available.
6:42
Speaker 1: What does what does Bama do to slow him down?
6:46
Speaker 1: When they're still dealing with ailments on their offensive line? Right?
6:51
Speaker 2: The injury report stuff in this game is so interesting
6:55
Speaker 2: to me because I and this is something I want
6:58
Speaker 2: to make clear. The nerves coming from my end is
7:02
Speaker 2: not about nerves as far as like Oklahoma just flat
7:05
Speaker 2: out losing the nerves. For me, more so draw from
7:08
Speaker 2: a place of like this game is becoming more and
7:11
Speaker 2: more uncertain or intriguing, Like as we get closer to kickoff,
7:16
Speaker 2: it feels like, oh man, like these two teams are
7:19
Speaker 2: getting in a position to do real battle, and it
7:23
Speaker 2: feels like we're on the verge of a nail bier, right,
7:25
Speaker 2: And I think that the to the and that's the
7:28
Speaker 2: thing is I'm going in this game thinking it's going
7:29
Speaker 2: to be a close ball game. However, I think it's
7:33
Speaker 2: gonna be a close ballgame. And I think Oklahoma is
7:36
Speaker 2: actually coming out of this whole availability report thing on
7:40
Speaker 2: the right end, especially compared to kind of where Alabama
7:42
Speaker 2: is going into this.
7:43
Speaker 1: Now. Alabama is getting healthy.
7:44
Speaker 2: I'll talk about that in a second, but I think
7:47
Speaker 2: what you're talking about, the fact that Oklahoma is getting
7:54
Speaker 2: boosts along the line of scrimmage specifically, for me, is
8:00
Speaker 2: a huge aspect of this game, because if there's a
8:04
Speaker 2: place you want to be in a better spot in
8:05
Speaker 2: going into a game like this, it's got to be
8:08
Speaker 2: the trenches, right. And ye, Alabama's probably not gonna have
8:11
Speaker 2: lt Overton on the defensive line, as you mentioned, their
8:15
Speaker 2: offensive line has been dinged up a little bit. Parker Brailsford.
8:19
Speaker 2: I think cam Duberry has been banged up. You know,
8:23
Speaker 2: I know that the tight ends. Debor said, both of
8:26
Speaker 2: those guys are gonna play on Friday. They're still listed
8:30
Speaker 2: or they have been upgraded out of probable as of tonight,
8:33
Speaker 2: which is notable.
8:34
Speaker 1: But if you're as well as Lewis, yeah.
8:37
Speaker 2: Yep, if you're Oklahoma, the fact that you got you
8:41
Speaker 2: know you mentioned the fastest, the fact that you probably
8:43
Speaker 2: are getting your best overall football player back for this
8:47
Speaker 2: game when he didn't play against them at all.
8:49
Speaker 1: Nope.
8:51
Speaker 2: And then oh, by the way, in my opinion, your
8:54
Speaker 2: best defensive tackle potentially at full strength.
8:59
Speaker 1: I think that.
9:02
Speaker 2: Jaden Jackson him being limited over the last few weeks,
9:08
Speaker 2: it has been something that Oklahoma has overcome.
9:11
Speaker 1: But through that they have kind of.
9:14
Speaker 2: Helped themselves in a similar.
9:16
Speaker 1: Way with the r.
9:17
Speaker 2: Mason Thomas thing right where they've played at a high level.
9:20
Speaker 2: Those defensive linemen have dominated even without one of their
9:23
Speaker 2: best up front. And so I don't know, man, Like
9:28
Speaker 2: I really like the fact if you I like the
9:30
Speaker 2: fact that if you're Oklahoma, you're going into a game
9:33
Speaker 2: like this, a playoff setting, and you're getting two huge
9:38
Speaker 2: boosts on the line of scrimmage and if it if
9:41
Speaker 2: it comes to fruition, which is the other part of this, right, Like,
9:44
Speaker 2: they got to play to the standard.
9:46
Speaker 1: That they set for themselves. Yep.
9:48
Speaker 2: If guys like ar Mason Thomas and Jaden Jackson do so,
9:52
Speaker 2: that's not something Alabama saw in the last time around.
9:56
Speaker 2: And it is a complete game changer for an offense that,
10:01
Speaker 2: like you mentioned, is kind of railing off of a
10:03
Speaker 2: lackluster SEC Title game performance.
10:06
Speaker 1: One hundred percent, and it's as you mentioned that about
10:10
Speaker 1: Jayden Jackson one hundred percent agree with you. I think
10:13
Speaker 1: the thing that even it's even funnier about that is
10:18
Speaker 1: he's been limited since Tennessee, Right, that's basically his most
10:24
Speaker 1: game he got. I guess the injury happened Tennessee bye
10:27
Speaker 1: week he was you know, they're trying to rest him up,
10:29
Speaker 1: and he last three games it's been limited. Right. We
10:32
Speaker 1: haven't getting up one hundred yards to a team in
10:35
Speaker 1: rushing in any of those four games in November. Yeah, that's nuts.
10:41
Speaker 1: And that's still having arguably your best defensive tackle out
10:45
Speaker 1: who's one of the better run stuffers and even pass
10:48
Speaker 1: rushers on the interior like him and Stone together and
10:51
Speaker 1: then g Baby as well and Dominque like all four
10:54
Speaker 1: of them no matter the configuration, they work so well
10:58
Speaker 1: together in tandem. Yeah, and you didn't have that now
11:02
Speaker 1: Marcus Strong came in and gave me some really good,
11:04
Speaker 1: good minutes, So I'm not gonna, you know, no shade
11:07
Speaker 1: at all to him. He did a great job of supplementing.
11:11
Speaker 1: But you saw the increase in like Stone and dom
11:14
Speaker 1: and Grayson, but we didn't give up one hundred yards
11:17
Speaker 1: after oh Miss, which is wild.
11:20
Speaker 2: Yeah, tonight about I'll say this too. I think the
11:23
Speaker 2: thing about Jaden for me, Look, if you're out there
11:25
Speaker 2: going well, I think David is the best, or I
11:27
Speaker 2: think Grayson is the best. Hey man, I don't know
11:30
Speaker 2: that there's a right answer to this question. I think
11:33
Speaker 2: they're all really damn good football players, right, yep. The
11:37
Speaker 2: thing for me, Jay is like when Jaden is in there,
11:42
Speaker 2: if you watch closely, they are very active with him
11:47
Speaker 2: in the defensive line game stuff. Whenever he's in there,
11:51
Speaker 2: it doesn't matter if it's Dominic, it doesn't matter if
11:54
Speaker 2: it's David, it doesn't matter who's next to Jaden. When
11:58
Speaker 2: Jaden is in there, it is clear to me at
11:59
Speaker 2: times in game that they feel extremely comfortable calling some
12:03
Speaker 2: of the tts tes, run game stunts, whatever, because they
12:09
Speaker 2: know he can do it, and they know he can
12:10
Speaker 2: do it at a high level and they know that
12:12
Speaker 2: he can penetrate and pass rush, but they also know
12:15
Speaker 2: he can clog and free up guys online of scrimmage.
12:18
Speaker 2: And I think that's the other thing too, is like Jayden,
12:22
Speaker 2: we'll talk about Art Mason here second. Jayden is an
12:24
Speaker 2: elite player. He's one of my favorite watches on the team.
12:28
Speaker 2: Jayden is also like such an ideal fit. He's kind
12:31
Speaker 2: of like the engine on the inside, right, Like he's
12:34
Speaker 2: what is under the hood making a lot of this
12:36
Speaker 2: stuff go sometimes. And if you get him back in
12:40
Speaker 2: that type of role against Alabama, this is a big
12:43
Speaker 2: thing for me. Man, Like that Alabama offensive line showed
12:46
Speaker 2: you it can struggle at times communicating and matching movement
12:51
Speaker 2: wise some of those defensive line patterns and true, if
12:56
Speaker 2: you can force that Alabama offensive line to go into
12:59
Speaker 2: a road set, you know the crowd is going to
13:01
Speaker 2: be loud.
13:02
Speaker 1: Things like that. If Alabama all.
13:04
Speaker 2: Of a sudden, this is on its heels a little
13:05
Speaker 2: bit on the offensive line trying to talk to each other,
13:08
Speaker 2: can't hear and these guys are flying around and Jayden
13:11
Speaker 2: is a big part of that. That's a tall task
13:14
Speaker 2: on line to scrimmage.
13:15
Speaker 1: My friend No, that's a very good point.
13:20
Speaker 2: The I just made you feel better. I see you,
13:24
Speaker 2: I see it in you smile. I made you feel
13:26
Speaker 2: a little bit better about that point. There you did
13:29
Speaker 2: you one hundred did it's you?
13:34
Speaker 1: And then oh, by the way, that like the first
13:36
Speaker 1: round caliber.
13:37
Speaker 2: Defensive end is going to be in the football game right.
13:42
Speaker 1: Like now you add in the r Mason Thomas component
13:44
Speaker 1: of and he's like, okay, I guess that's where my
13:49
Speaker 1: overconfidence starts to show. These slowly show in this game.
13:54
Speaker 1: If ty Simpson looks like he did against Georgia and
13:58
Speaker 1: the way this their offensive line is pretty eat up,
14:01
Speaker 1: we should destroy them very quickly. Like it should not
14:05
Speaker 1: take long. I'm not saying it will. Don't take it
14:09
Speaker 1: as you know, viewers, don't take it as me saying
14:12
Speaker 1: that we're gonna go in there and just dominate them immediately. No,
14:14
Speaker 1: but if they do play similar to the way it
14:17
Speaker 1: played against Georgia, they should be able to start off
14:19
Speaker 1: very fast with tearing them up. Like ty Simpson has
14:24
Speaker 1: not looked the same since he looked he's looked mortal
14:28
Speaker 1: basically since our game. And in our game he's still
14:31
Speaker 1: through three hundred some yards. Yeah, but you forced him
14:35
Speaker 1: to do a lot of stuff in the second half
14:40
Speaker 1: that really ate them alive. Like people, if you followed
14:45
Speaker 1: me for a while, you've heard me say this numerous times,
14:48
Speaker 1: and I really want people to understand this is why
14:50
Speaker 1: the confidence is here with me on this game is
14:53
Speaker 1: we led that game for fifty two minutes.
14:58
Speaker 2: C K.
14:59
Speaker 1: Like, think about that. We were out gained by two
15:01
Speaker 1: hundred yards in the game, and we let the game
15:03
Speaker 1: for fifty two minutes. There was a seven minute spanning
15:07
Speaker 1: that game where they took the lead, and when they
15:10
Speaker 1: took that lead, after that moment they did not pass
15:13
Speaker 1: the fifty yard line in their home. That counts for something,
15:19
Speaker 1: and it makes me go into transitioning over into what
15:27
Speaker 1: our offense needs to do in order to be I
15:31
Speaker 1: guess you'd say successful in this game. So the partner's
15:34
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15:36
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Speaker 1: is that college football is on this list. So we
15:54
Speaker 1: go to college football. Let's look at Oklahoma versus Bama.
15:58
Speaker 1: These are some hot picks right now. Two or more
16:00
Speaker 1: players more or less on the stats. You can pick
16:02
Speaker 1: Ty Simpson. I'm gonna take him less. Still, I'm also
16:04
Speaker 1: gonna take I say it's a taining to get some
16:06
Speaker 1: yards and John Materiier to score through two touchdowns. I know, ambitious,
16:10
Speaker 1: but you don't know what's gonna happen in this game.
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Speaker 1: It's gonna be great because it's gonna be a night and
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Speaker 1: it's gonna be a normous I'm definitely gonna take Xavi
16:16
Speaker 1: Robinson to do his thing. They not gonna give us Tate,
16:19
Speaker 1: Titanium legs and Dale for a reason, which I get.
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16:24
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17:11
Speaker 1: Yes do it join, And I'm telling you the message
17:15
Speaker 1: boards are going to be ridiculous because why it's transfer
17:20
Speaker 1: portal season. So speaking of wish though lt Overton is
17:27
Speaker 1: not going to play, it looks like, yeah, in this game,
17:31
Speaker 1: it sounds like it's something a little bit more serious
17:34
Speaker 1: than injury. I've been seeing things on the message boards.
17:38
Speaker 1: Nobody's I try to stay away from that type of
17:44
Speaker 1: speculation when it's stuff like that health wise, try to
17:47
Speaker 1: be respectful on that. And so you can go find
17:50
Speaker 1: It's not like it's hard to find where what everybody's
17:53
Speaker 1: saying about him, But it appears he's done. He's out.
17:56
Speaker 1: They also have linebacker out. You got Jeremiah Beaman also out.
18:05
Speaker 1: Two of their DB's are out, so Drake Kirkpatrick still
18:08
Speaker 1: ain't playing. They got a lot of things happening over
18:11
Speaker 1: there defensively, but I think lg. Overton is a big deal,
18:14
Speaker 1: not only on the defensive side, but also special teams,
18:17
Speaker 1: Like he's a big deal from correcting like their punt
18:20
Speaker 1: game and their kick game and stuff. For Oklahoma walking
18:25
Speaker 1: into this game, I'm truly curious. Brent Ventables mentioned that
18:33
Speaker 1: Materier isn't pain free, but he's gripping the ball better then.
18:40
Speaker 1: Of course, as the beat was there at the practice
18:42
Speaker 1: earlier this week, everybody noticed the fact that he's not
18:46
Speaker 1: wearing the tape that he normally wears around said, I ask,
18:54
Speaker 1: will we get the joh Matereer of Auburn or we
19:03
Speaker 1: get the John Materi of l s U or the
19:07
Speaker 1: same one we got against Alabama last time, Because gona
19:10
Speaker 1: be honest, LSU one was not bad. Besides the picks
19:15
Speaker 1: that three hundred something yards was actually pretty darn impressive
19:18
Speaker 1: against a secondary that is really good, in a linebacker
19:22
Speaker 1: room that is really physical. He looked comfortable. Is it
19:31
Speaker 1: two and a half four weeks? We think we're good?
19:34
Speaker 1: C K. I don't know. I know you see, I know,
19:38
Speaker 1: I know like you and me, we're in the same boat.
19:40
Speaker 2: Up.
19:40
Speaker 1: I'll believe it when I see it. But I hate
19:43
Speaker 1: the fact that I've sinked it. I think that's that's
19:47
Speaker 1: where I am conflicted in this entire conversation about MATERI
19:51
Speaker 1: is gosh darning.
19:52
Speaker 2: I've seen it this year, yeah, ma'am.
19:57
Speaker 1: And because I know this is gonna to be a
20:00
Speaker 1: defensive battle. As you stated, I'm an exact same thing.
20:02
Speaker 1: Busted plays are gonna be the ones that's gonna win
20:04
Speaker 1: the game. Do we end up getting another one or
20:08
Speaker 1: two like we did last he gainst lsu. Yeah? How
20:11
Speaker 1: do you feel about him?
20:13
Speaker 2: I man, I wish I had a firm answer for you,
20:18
Speaker 2: but like it is, just I'll say this, I'm I'm
20:22
Speaker 2: exactly where you are. And and it's difficult because every
20:27
Speaker 2: time I look at John, it's difficult for me to
20:31
Speaker 2: assess it because, like like you said, I've seen it before.
20:36
Speaker 2: I watched the Auburn game. I watched the Michigan game,
20:40
Speaker 2: and man, after that stretch there, I thought, Man, this
20:44
Speaker 2: guy's this guy's for real. And then the last few
20:48
Speaker 2: weeks have happened, and you're like, I know it's there.
20:51
Speaker 2: I also know he's dealing with injuries, but I also
20:53
Speaker 2: know that it's been far from perfect on the field, right,
20:57
Speaker 2: and it's it makes this murky picture for you to
21:02
Speaker 2: try to decipher. And I don't you know, I don't know.
21:06
Speaker 2: I'll say this, I think I feel.
21:08
Speaker 1: A lot better.
21:11
Speaker 2: Compared to where I was, like going into the Alabama
21:14
Speaker 2: game last time around, where I was a little bit
21:19
Speaker 2: nervous about the way the material is gonna handle that environment.
21:22
Speaker 2: You know, now it seems like John's getting healthier. Hopefully
21:25
Speaker 2: that means he's gaining confidence in himself again. And you know, like,
21:29
Speaker 2: I like John a lot. I'm pulling for John, and
21:32
Speaker 2: I want to see him obviously step up, because if
21:34
Speaker 2: he steps up, he's kind of the key to this
21:36
Speaker 2: whole thing. If he plays a high level like that,
21:38
Speaker 2: there's no limit to what this team could accomplish. I'll
21:43
Speaker 2: say this, I feel good.
21:47
Speaker 1: I think.
21:49
Speaker 2: I think two things, and it's It falls under the
21:53
Speaker 2: umbrella of I feel good about John. I feel great
21:55
Speaker 2: about John if you go into this game understanding what
21:58
Speaker 2: you can do to protect him in this setting. Because
22:01
Speaker 2: Alabama's defense is elite. Both of these teams are top
22:05
Speaker 2: twelve and points per game allowed nationally. I mean, we're
22:10
Speaker 2: really good groups.
22:12
Speaker 1: Yep.
22:13
Speaker 2: If you go into this game and you're saying, if
22:15
Speaker 2: you're telling me, hey, John's feeling better and we're gonna
22:18
Speaker 2: do these two things that I feel great. Number One,
22:20
Speaker 2: we're gonna call the design QB run game again. I
22:26
Speaker 2: mean that spin zone move he put on Alabama was unreal.
22:34
Speaker 2: You and I were both sitting in that end zone
22:37
Speaker 2: where it was. I mean, I watched him and I
22:39
Speaker 2: was like, is he gonna go down? What's happening right now?
22:42
Speaker 2: Didn't even look like he was touching the ground. No,
22:46
Speaker 2: that was crazy. And I think if you can go
22:49
Speaker 2: plus one in the run game against this caliber of
22:51
Speaker 2: Alabama defense, then you're setup right, You've got a shot.
22:57
Speaker 2: The second thing I think you can do and I
22:59
Speaker 2: would feel really good about it with John. I really
23:03
Speaker 2: want to see Oklahoma do what has worked well for
23:08
Speaker 2: them in these big moments, which is get the ball
23:12
Speaker 2: to the guys that can do something with it in
23:14
Speaker 2: their hands.
23:16
Speaker 1: That part, I think that Ben.
23:20
Speaker 2: Arbuckle told you this earlier this week. He talked a
23:23
Speaker 2: lot about, hey man, we've got to find ways to
23:26
Speaker 2: get our guys in positions to go make plays after
23:29
Speaker 2: the catch. Yes, And I think when you're playing an
23:33
Speaker 2: elite defense like this that is going to call up
23:36
Speaker 2: the right look that is going to be positioned well,
23:39
Speaker 2: that has a lot of talent. What's the best thing
23:41
Speaker 2: you can do? Get the ball out fast and make
23:44
Speaker 2: them chase your guy, make them run down a threat
23:49
Speaker 2: with the ball in their hands, and like Isaiah Satana
23:55
Speaker 2: right that long touchdown he has the eighty seven yarder
23:59
Speaker 2: was him John getting the ball out and then boom,
24:01
Speaker 2: it's the guy that's super fast off to the races.
24:05
Speaker 1: Yeah.
24:06
Speaker 2: I would like to see more of that stuff. I
24:08
Speaker 2: would like to see more in corporation of the screen game.
24:10
Speaker 2: It almost kind of feels like they've been hesitant with
24:13
Speaker 2: some of the screen stuff.
24:15
Speaker 1: As far as the receivers.
24:16
Speaker 2: I don't know if that has something to do with
24:17
Speaker 2: the Satania alleged fumble against Auburn, I don't know, yeah.
24:22
Speaker 1: Or the or the line the consistency on the offensive
24:25
Speaker 1: line possibly, But no, you're right, Hilly Lsu gat you
24:29
Speaker 1: got that with Burks and it was kind of.
24:30
Speaker 2: Like, oh yeah, think about that, the quick dump out
24:33
Speaker 2: to Dion Burks and boom, He's gone. Like that's the
24:38
Speaker 2: stuff that I want to see, especially with your running
24:40
Speaker 2: back seemingly gonna be banged.
24:42
Speaker 1: Up still, which sucks for those guys.
24:48
Speaker 2: Get the ball out and let these guys go make plays, man,
24:51
Speaker 2: And if they can make people miss, then you're potentially
24:53
Speaker 2: neutralizing a really good defense and you're giving yourself an
24:56
Speaker 2: opportunity to create explosives in the blink of an eye
25:00
Speaker 2: on hundredscent.
25:00
Speaker 1: Agree with you there, and that that is That's been
25:03
Speaker 1: the thing I've been hoping this offense would do more
25:07
Speaker 1: of is and it's I agree with the majority of
25:16
Speaker 1: the folks saying that we need to punt the RPO
25:19
Speaker 1: into the sun and let it just burn and never
25:21
Speaker 1: do it again. But in some of those cases, when
25:30
Speaker 1: John gets rid of that ball quickly, we've seen big plays. Honestly,
25:34
Speaker 1: that sidear and throw when he threw it to Burke's
25:38
Speaker 1: on that screen against Lsu was him seeing a blitz
25:41
Speaker 1: coming and he waited just enough of a moment and
25:43
Speaker 1: threw it to the side of the guys, because if
25:45
Speaker 1: he threw it straight ahead, they knocked that bad boy down.
25:50
Speaker 1: He has its moments when we went tempo against LSU,
25:55
Speaker 1: and that's what I felt like. He felt more comfortable
25:57
Speaker 1: when he's in there making his adjustments there going to boy,
26:00
Speaker 1: he's quickly getting to go on boom boom boom. And
26:02
Speaker 1: you saw not only the Berks play the Satania touchdown,
26:07
Speaker 1: but he was hitting what Cannick on some quick plight
26:11
Speaker 1: plays across the middle. You start to see a rhythm
26:14
Speaker 1: out of him. I want more of that going forward,
26:23
Speaker 1: but I need him to make sure he doesn't throw
26:25
Speaker 1: a pick out of that too, because he is very
26:27
Speaker 1: susceptible of throwing an interception when he gets that comfortable. Unfortunately.
26:37
Speaker 1: But then from there, like you said before, which is
26:41
Speaker 1: a great point, can we get more design run? Yeah?
26:47
Speaker 1: And is he healthy enough to do it? Because BB
26:50
Speaker 1: talked about that need deal and it doesn't look like
26:52
Speaker 1: he can. He could cut. But when he's running straightforward
26:59
Speaker 1: that spin spinny thing he did against Bama, and you're like, oh, okay,
27:02
Speaker 1: you're good to go. As you going north, and going
27:05
Speaker 1: one direction. Yeah, how do how how do you feel
27:11
Speaker 1: about our running back room being healthy enough for his
27:14
Speaker 1: run game to be effective? Yeah.
27:18
Speaker 2: I think that's kind of one of the biggest question
27:20
Speaker 2: marks about this whole thing for me. That's another thing
27:22
Speaker 2: that kind of, you know, draw some hesitancy for me,
27:28
Speaker 2: because I felt like going into this, like I talked
27:31
Speaker 2: about this here on the show, I felt like we
27:34
Speaker 2: were talking too much about OU's inability to generate offense
27:38
Speaker 2: or generate a run game, and no one was talking
27:39
Speaker 2: about the fact that both, like both of their best
27:41
Speaker 2: running backs were in the red health bar, and I thought,
27:47
Speaker 2: you know, I was, I was singing up and down.
27:48
Speaker 2: I was like, guys, if those backs are healthy for
27:51
Speaker 2: the playoff game, they're gonna run the hell out of
27:53
Speaker 2: the football like that. It's going to look completely different
27:56
Speaker 2: because they've been trying to protect those guys for the
27:58
Speaker 2: last two to three weeks of the season. And now,
28:04
Speaker 2: you know, I'm getting calls and text from people out
28:07
Speaker 2: there and they're like, hey, man, Xavier is still in
28:10
Speaker 2: that giant knee brice, that compression sleeve on his leg,
28:15
Speaker 2: and it's like, you know, you had about three weeks
28:20
Speaker 2: or so to rest if it's still something that's hovering,
28:25
Speaker 2: that would lead you to believe that maybe that that
28:27
Speaker 2: sprain knee is a little bit more serious than we've
28:30
Speaker 2: all accounted for, which is.
28:34
Speaker 1: Not good.
28:36
Speaker 2: You know, a student analysis they're calling, but like you know.
28:39
Speaker 1: That's not good if your guy's still dealing with an.
28:42
Speaker 2: East brain after I don't even know four or five,
28:45
Speaker 2: six weeks roughly, and then Blaylock.
28:52
Speaker 1: He's kind of the key for me in this one.
28:54
Speaker 2: I'm gonna be honest with you because I don't know
28:56
Speaker 2: where his shoulder is at. I think that if he's good,
29:01
Speaker 2: if he's good to go, you feel a lot better
29:04
Speaker 2: if he's still banged up as well, with x Rob
29:06
Speaker 2: definitely banged up. Well, now you go, you start talking
29:10
Speaker 2: like Javonte Barnes.
29:11
Speaker 1: Here, which.
29:15
Speaker 2: I don't know where you're at with that, but.
29:22
Speaker 1: It doesn't look promising. I'll say my thoughts on Javante
29:29
Speaker 1: is the past protection will be elite, the lead blocking
29:35
Speaker 1: will be elite. In a design run for Matier, he
29:41
Speaker 1: might find a hole here there. I don't know. If
29:50
Speaker 1: I put this way, If we get Javante Barnes versus Michigan,
29:59
Speaker 1: we're good. Yeah, he found holes when we had that
30:03
Speaker 1: was at eight to nine minute drive at the end
30:04
Speaker 1: of the game to close it out. That was Barnes
30:07
Speaker 1: finding holes eight yards here, six yards here, boom boom,
30:10
Speaker 1: and he was running it down their throat. You get
30:14
Speaker 1: that in this game, you're probably in a good situation. Now.
30:17
Speaker 1: I expect them to hand him the ball because he
30:19
Speaker 1: is the freshest running back we have that we would
30:23
Speaker 1: actually want to play. Plus, he passed blocks very well. Again,
30:27
Speaker 1: That's why I said.
30:28
Speaker 2: That Michigan on that Wow, one of my favorite plays
30:37
Speaker 2: of the season.
30:38
Speaker 1: He folded somebody to I was like, oh goodness, do
30:42
Speaker 1: it again. I remember playing it over and over, Like, goodness,
30:48
Speaker 1: he folded that. Dude, give me more of That's that's
30:52
Speaker 1: what we want. I guess if we can get that
31:02
Speaker 1: version of him from Michigan, I think that we're in
31:04
Speaker 1: a good spot. But you're gonna be wanting to Like
31:07
Speaker 1: you said, you're gonna run Blaylock, You're gonna run x
31:09
Speaker 1: Rop literally till the wheels fall off. I guess with
31:14
Speaker 1: the question from that is what does this line look
31:17
Speaker 1: like with Mike Club most he's questionable, so I don't
31:20
Speaker 1: expect him to play you're gonna so you'll have Waywoo
31:23
Speaker 1: back at the center spot. Foge does he continue to play?
31:29
Speaker 1: Will at guard? Do you play heathos Ida? Who's back
31:34
Speaker 1: Derek Simmons at tackle? Yeah? What does that configuration look like?
31:41
Speaker 2: Quickly on the backs? This is the give and take
31:45
Speaker 2: that I'm at with Barnes number one. I hate to
31:49
Speaker 2: say it like this, but it's portal tape season right now.
31:54
Speaker 1: It is.
31:54
Speaker 2: You know, hey, man, if there were ever a time
31:57
Speaker 2: to get create some value for yourself for sitting out
32:01
Speaker 2: majority of the season, it would be in a playoff game.
32:04
Speaker 1: And if you're gonna go ahead.
32:07
Speaker 2: And hop in the portal and do all that, I
32:08
Speaker 2: wish you well. But it is probably an everyone everyone's
32:12
Speaker 2: best interests, including yourself, for you to put some really
32:15
Speaker 2: damn good tape out there in a high stake setting
32:20
Speaker 2: in order to entice whatever coaching staff is going to
32:23
Speaker 2: take you in.
32:23
Speaker 1: The next yep.
32:25
Speaker 2: So there's that, and that's why I'm a little bit
32:27
Speaker 2: encouraged by potentially playing Barnes. But this is my thing too.
32:32
Speaker 2: But everyone asks asks me about Barns and oh, is
32:35
Speaker 2: he gonna play? I'm like, well, okay, if he does play.
32:39
Speaker 2: Even when he was playing, there was a faction of
32:41
Speaker 2: the fan base that was upset when he did get
32:43
Speaker 2: the ball.
32:44
Speaker 1: Yeah, like, oh yeah, has that just gone away? Has ever?
32:49
Speaker 1: Have we forgotten about that?
32:50
Speaker 2: And with that, I think sometimes we do this dangerous
32:57
Speaker 2: dance and I'm guilty of it too sometimes where like
33:01
Speaker 2: in ar Mason Thomas is probably a good example of this,
33:03
Speaker 2: where it's like, oh, he's off the available bit or
33:05
Speaker 2: report he's back.
33:07
Speaker 1: Are we sure he is one hundred percent good deal? Right?
33:12
Speaker 1: If he's available?
33:14
Speaker 2: Does that mean he is fully healthy or he's available?
33:19
Speaker 1: Like?
33:19
Speaker 2: Is he gonna play at true ar Mason Thomas form
33:22
Speaker 2: or is he gonna play fifteen to twenty snaps a
33:24
Speaker 2: pass rush? I would take either one for the record.
33:28
Speaker 2: But when you apply that rule the likes of a
33:30
Speaker 2: Javante Barnes again, we do this thing where it's like, oh, well,
33:35
Speaker 2: he's gonna play, and then you just naturally assume he's
33:38
Speaker 2: playing to the best of his ability. I don't know
33:42
Speaker 2: what that looks like. Are we so sure he's a
33:44
Speaker 2: guarantee to play well after being shelved from game action
33:50
Speaker 2: this long? Like I don't, I don't know the answer.
33:55
Speaker 2: I don't want to just assume and give people hope.
33:58
Speaker 2: They're like, oh, yeah, he's back, He's gonna be awesome.
34:00
Speaker 2: It's like, I don't know, hold your horses.
34:05
Speaker 1: Don't put too much dip on your chip when it
34:08
Speaker 1: comes to that, because again, like you said, it's you
34:10
Speaker 1: don't know. You don't know what you're getting out of
34:14
Speaker 1: them coming back from injuries. So you're right. I also
34:21
Speaker 1: feel like they would not play them if they're gonna
34:24
Speaker 1: be detrimental to the team. Your point is very much valid.
34:31
Speaker 1: That is the question I'm curious about, too, is how
34:34
Speaker 1: effective are they gonna be? Like, I want to see
34:37
Speaker 1: how effective materiar is gonna be against this Alabama defense.
34:41
Speaker 1: You know, they're gonna be trying to find ways to
34:43
Speaker 1: turn them over. They're gonna be trying to find ways
34:45
Speaker 1: to confuse them and make something happen. Or do we
34:49
Speaker 1: just get to the point where we say, screw this,
34:51
Speaker 1: we're gonna proof force our way through this game, and
34:53
Speaker 1: we're gonna just run it down their throat the entire time.
34:55
Speaker 2: Yeah, I would love to see it.
34:58
Speaker 1: I I'm with you. I don't think that they will put.
35:01
Speaker 2: Him out there unless they have full belief in his
35:04
Speaker 2: ability to support the team. That being said, it's like,
35:08
Speaker 2: I remember a couple of weeks ago we did this
35:10
Speaker 2: song and dance with Taylor Tatum. They were like, oh,
35:12
Speaker 2: he's available now, and then everyone was like, oh my god,
35:14
Speaker 2: Taylor Tatums about to carry of the rock fifteen times
35:16
Speaker 2: and he didn't play once.
35:21
Speaker 1: And then.
35:24
Speaker 2: So then you think about that and you're scarred. And
35:27
Speaker 2: then you look at Barnes and you're like, well, if
35:30
Speaker 2: he does go in there and they do believe in him,
35:32
Speaker 2: and then he gets out on that game field, and
35:35
Speaker 2: I'm not here to question anybody, but it's like when
35:38
Speaker 2: someone who plays for the Alabama Crimson Tide hits you
35:41
Speaker 2: in your face for the first time in weeks. That's
35:45
Speaker 2: a response that you can't prepare for. Nope, So I
35:50
Speaker 2: am curious about that quickly on the offensive line, I'm
35:53
Speaker 2: gonna be honest with you, I don't have much concern
35:56
Speaker 2: about them at all. That sounds crazy, but that's a
35:59
Speaker 2: great feeling, have ain't it. I Mean Brent said it today.
36:03
Speaker 2: He's like, he's like, they're a great story. There are
36:06
Speaker 2: a bunch of like freshmen who have embraced it, haven't
36:10
Speaker 2: acted like they've arrived. And you know, I love when
36:13
Speaker 2: Brent gives really good quotes like that. He's like, none
36:16
Speaker 2: of those guys act like they have become stars.
36:19
Speaker 1: They just love being offensive linemen.
36:21
Speaker 2: And then he he put it very well, he was like,
36:24
Speaker 2: and then oh, by the way, though, it's like they
36:26
Speaker 2: played pretty well, Like there are a bunch of young
36:29
Speaker 2: guys actually playing well for us this season, and very
36:33
Speaker 2: will Look that's relative, that's certainly relative.
36:37
Speaker 1: Have they been perfect?
36:38
Speaker 2: Far from that, but man, outside of like penalties and
36:43
Speaker 2: things like that, there have been moments where they have
36:47
Speaker 2: probably been the least problematic group on that offense.
36:51
Speaker 1: Which is crazy to say because that was one of
36:53
Speaker 1: our biggest that's been our biggest, one of our biggest
36:56
Speaker 1: concerns this season because we haven't gotten we haven't gotten
37:04
Speaker 1: the run game we hoped for this year. Yeah, and
37:09
Speaker 1: I don't.
37:09
Speaker 2: Think that's the fault of the Backs, by the way,
37:11
Speaker 2: like that, you know, they're dealing with stuff, you.
37:13
Speaker 1: Know, Yeah, it's it's injuries, it's it's they're they're dealing
37:17
Speaker 1: with major ailments. Like like you said, they're all in
37:19
Speaker 1: the red basically the war and Taro and NCAA H
37:22
Speaker 1: College Football twenty six is literally red red, red, red
37:25
Speaker 1: red red on both ex Rob Andry Blaylock, which sucks
37:29
Speaker 1: that they would be the only two backs that have
37:31
Speaker 1: that and you have other backs that are just kind
37:33
Speaker 1: of there around existing. Yeah, you like to see more
37:40
Speaker 1: of but.
37:43
Speaker 2: Yeah, but the offensive line, man, Like, it's crazy to
37:47
Speaker 2: think that I'm going into a gaming in Salabama and
37:50
Speaker 2: as an analyst, I'm looking at this offense saying, well,
37:56
Speaker 2: what should I really be.
37:59
Speaker 1: Fretting that much about those guys?
38:02
Speaker 2: Like, I mean, hell, I'll be honest with you, I'm
38:07
Speaker 2: more so curious who's gonna step up at receiver than
38:11
Speaker 2: I am on the offensive line.
38:15
Speaker 1: That is actually where I'm very curious too.
38:18
Speaker 2: They've got Isaiah stand You don't get me wrong, but
38:19
Speaker 2: I think we all know here on this show, Alabama
38:24
Speaker 2: is going to do its damnest take him away. He
38:28
Speaker 2: is the target soon because you know they're good at
38:31
Speaker 2: their jobs. So, like, if you're sitting there at home, going,
38:37
Speaker 2: what am I more curious about that young offensive line
38:39
Speaker 2: coming to play? Or like, is Jovanni Gibson gonna be
38:43
Speaker 2: ready to roll? Can Dion Berks have a breakout game?
38:48
Speaker 2: I know where I'm at with it, and it sounds
38:52
Speaker 2: like you and I are kind of in the same
38:54
Speaker 2: same boat with this dynamic going into this.
38:57
Speaker 1: Yeah, is Keyante is gonna play? Who feels like the
39:02
Speaker 1: one guy that Materier really uses as his safety nets. Yeah. Yes,
39:09
Speaker 1: he's been in safety net this year, which has been
39:12
Speaker 1: a little bit more interesting. I think Giovanni was his
39:14
Speaker 1: safety net in camp. He gets hurt and then he
39:18
Speaker 1: transitioned to Kyantes and it's been Kiantes ever since. Now
39:22
Speaker 1: Satan has put up the most numbers.
39:25
Speaker 2: And so he's been hurt, Like Kantes was going to
39:28
Speaker 2: be the safety blanket and then he you know, that's
39:32
Speaker 2: another red health bar guy.
39:33
Speaker 1: That is true, and I expect him to play in
39:36
Speaker 1: this game. The only thing I've had with Kiantes is
39:40
Speaker 1: he falls before he can he takes it potentially the yard. Yeah,
39:46
Speaker 1: I mean he's a possession guy. Yeah, I hate that
39:51
Speaker 1: because he could there's so much yack. There's so much
39:54
Speaker 1: yack right there. I always watch Brooks Austin. I was
39:58
Speaker 1: watching Brooks Austin, the film guy who's become very very
40:01
Speaker 1: popular this year. But he was pointed out in one
40:05
Speaker 1: of the games and he was just like Casta Bondy falls,
40:08
Speaker 1: there's like a good ten fifteen yards additional you could
40:12
Speaker 1: have gotten. Heck, you could have turned it up and
40:14
Speaker 1: been gone. Like so, like you said, Colin, getting our
40:20
Speaker 1: guys the ball in space and then let them do work.
40:23
Speaker 1: Jaron Cannick, we seem to get these guys in space
40:28
Speaker 1: and let them do work.
40:30
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean Cannick on that final drive. Which game
40:35
Speaker 2: was that Missouri LSU? Or he had a couple of
40:38
Speaker 2: big catches down stretch and made some people miss.
40:42
Speaker 1: I think that was LSU, right, yeah, yeah, he did
40:44
Speaker 1: the little cutom yeah, the sideline.
40:46
Speaker 2: Yeah, and when they take people miss like he can
40:50
Speaker 2: make plays in space, you know, like you've got the guys.
40:53
Speaker 2: And again, I think Burks is just such like enigma
40:58
Speaker 2: because you're sitting there going this dude definitely has big playability.
41:01
Speaker 2: We've seen it.
41:05
Speaker 1: Watches the touchdown against LSU?
41:09
Speaker 2: Was it?
41:10
Speaker 1: That was the do whereas it's been and this is
41:14
Speaker 1: so much.
41:15
Speaker 2: How long ago? Do some of those plays against Michigan feel?
41:18
Speaker 2: You know, the play down the sideline that the Jets
41:22
Speaker 2: sweep like like hey man, Deon Burks is is cooking.
41:27
Speaker 2: And then it's like, well that feels like it was
41:30
Speaker 2: years ago and in the LSU game and you're like, whoa,
41:34
Speaker 2: he got out of the gate.
41:35
Speaker 1: There he's got it.
41:39
Speaker 2: I mean, you know again, I would like to see
41:42
Speaker 2: some of those guys make it, have the opportunity to
41:45
Speaker 2: go make explosive plays with the ball in their hand,
41:46
Speaker 2: because I do think that this setting.
41:50
Speaker 1: Lends them that opportunity. I agree, it's this is the
41:54
Speaker 1: probably the one if any of them, if this is
42:00
Speaker 1: the defensive battle that we anticipated to be. A big
42:04
Speaker 1: play is what's gonna open things up to your win.
42:07
Speaker 1: The Sataina touchdown where he's wide open and you take
42:11
Speaker 1: the lead right after Materi throws an interception and puts
42:15
Speaker 1: you in a circumstance where you have to have that
42:17
Speaker 1: but that play, the Berks one, those are gonna be
42:23
Speaker 1: the plays that change things for us or yeah it
42:27
Speaker 1: kind of yeah, it basically changed things for us in
42:30
Speaker 1: this game against Bama. You're gonna need those on occasion.
42:34
Speaker 1: And I think that that's what's gonna be the play
42:37
Speaker 1: that says this team wins. It's gonna be stuff like that.
42:42
Speaker 1: We just can't give them short yardage. I think that
42:44
Speaker 1: that's where my mindset is don't let them get short
42:50
Speaker 1: feel at all, make them have to drive seventy plus yards. Yeah,
43:00
Speaker 1: I don't think they'll be able to based upon the
43:02
Speaker 1: way this.
43:04
Speaker 2: Defense is played, so unless you've got anything on the offense.
43:08
Speaker 2: I did want to go back to the defense because
43:11
Speaker 2: we kind of just talked about two defensive linemen and
43:13
Speaker 2: then we were like, all right, let's talk about that
43:18
Speaker 2: a little bit more though, because I do think that
43:20
Speaker 2: the defense is such a big layer to this game, right,
43:25
Speaker 2: Brent venables all time. I believe John Hoover said it's
43:30
Speaker 2: four and oho and rematch settings.
43:34
Speaker 1: Five and went out bye weeks.
43:37
Speaker 2: Alabama has never in its program history. I mean, I
43:41
Speaker 2: know that there's some people saying that it's been since
43:43
Speaker 2: like nineteen thirty two when they played like the School
43:45
Speaker 2: Blind or something.
43:46
Speaker 1: Eighteen sixty three.
43:48
Speaker 2: Yeah, so i't School with the Blind. Yeah, I'm not
43:51
Speaker 2: counting that. So Alabama has never lost to the same
43:54
Speaker 2: team twice in one season. This defense, for me is
44:03
Speaker 2: interesting because why I wanted to go back to them.
44:07
Speaker 1: We kind of skirted past the idea.
44:09
Speaker 2: But you're like, you were talking about the defensive line
44:11
Speaker 2: and limiting rush yardage. M hm, sure, but this is
44:19
Speaker 2: something that you and I talked about when we did
44:22
Speaker 2: like the game preview together for the first Alabama game
44:24
Speaker 2: this season.
44:26
Speaker 1: Right, they don't run the ball.
44:32
Speaker 2: There are one dimensional offense at times, and that kind
44:37
Speaker 2: of came to fruition in Tuscaloosa. And this is the
44:41
Speaker 2: other thing for me, this is one hell of a
44:44
Speaker 2: stat in my opinion, this Alabama offense. Last time it
44:47
Speaker 2: was on the field was in the SEC title game.
44:51
Speaker 2: They tied for the fewest amounts the fewest amount of
44:54
Speaker 2: points scored in an SEC championship game in the last
44:56
Speaker 2: twenty five years.
44:59
Speaker 1: Yep.
45:02
Speaker 2: So let's talk now kind of about the back end,
45:06
Speaker 2: like the back seven or whoever else, because I think
45:09
Speaker 2: it's going to come down to again Ty Simpson and
45:13
Speaker 2: Alabama's ability to for the football and Brent calling a
45:18
Speaker 2: defense with his linebackers and secondary that limits the Alabama
45:24
Speaker 2: passing game and potentially forces more turnovers and takeaways. And
45:28
Speaker 2: I think that's another thing kind I got to talk about,
45:31
Speaker 2: and I don't know where you're at with it, but
45:32
Speaker 2: it's like, how confident are you in this defense's ability
45:35
Speaker 2: to limit an Alabama offense again? And can they generate
45:40
Speaker 2: more takeaways now? With Alabama knowing what they did to
45:45
Speaker 2: them to force those turnovers last time around.
45:50
Speaker 1: My curiosity is, how does Alabama change their game plan
46:02
Speaker 1: mhm coming into Norman. Because the one thing though that
46:06
Speaker 1: that is a big consider it piece to consider in
46:09
Speaker 1: this is they're gonna have to deal with the Norman
46:15
Speaker 1: crowd overall. Locked on, I did our They have a
46:24
Speaker 1: college football kickoff show. Former TCU head coach Gary Patterson
46:29
Speaker 1: is on the panel there, and so I got on
46:31
Speaker 1: there and was talking about prepping for this game and
46:34
Speaker 1: listened to them a little bit afterwards, and Gary was
46:36
Speaker 1: talking about they won in Norman one year, they go
46:44
Speaker 1: back to play and he's like, I couldn't hear. The
46:49
Speaker 1: assistant coach next to me in conversation, we could not hear.
46:57
Speaker 1: It was that loud. This is the first playoff game.
47:01
Speaker 1: The tickets flying, everybody's buying them. People are gonna go
47:05
Speaker 1: to this game regardless of the tempt It's gonna be fifties,
47:08
Speaker 1: so everybody be bundled up, but it's gonna be loud.
47:12
Speaker 1: It's gonna be hard for them to hear. They lost
47:16
Speaker 1: this game to Georgia with only one turnover, and it
47:21
Speaker 1: was mainly Georgia just stopped them on every single possession.
47:29
Speaker 1: I feel like we could replicate that. I feel like,
47:36
Speaker 1: even as they want to adjust, your fastest pass rusher
47:40
Speaker 1: now is ready to go hit. I can totally see
47:43
Speaker 1: them trying to get rid of the ball quickly throughout
47:46
Speaker 1: most of the game to where Ties not holding the
47:49
Speaker 1: ball long enough for our blitz to really hit, which
47:52
Speaker 1: means I don't think they're gonna take very many deep shots,
47:55
Speaker 1: especially because the wind is gonna be a factor. So
47:59
Speaker 1: as you you mentioned the one thing they're gonna have
48:02
Speaker 1: to figure out the thing that they're gonna struggle that
48:05
Speaker 1: they struggled at all year, which is running the ball.
48:09
Speaker 1: They're gonna have to get a run game going. They
48:11
Speaker 1: don't get a run game going in that wind, tie
48:14
Speaker 1: is not gonna be as effective. Passes gonna get caught
48:16
Speaker 1: in the air, they're gonna get slowed up, somebody's gonna
48:19
Speaker 1: come across, knock it down, pick it off. Similar for us,
48:24
Speaker 1: which is where if there's one thing our defense has
48:28
Speaker 1: to be very meticulous about is tackling in space. If
48:34
Speaker 1: they catch that screen pass, if they catch that quick pass,
48:38
Speaker 1: you can't let them get past you. If you do
48:41
Speaker 1: you know you're used to playing in this cold? You
48:43
Speaker 1: should be somebody gonna be gone. Ryan Williams, Yeah, yep,
48:49
Speaker 1: even though they have not used him much at all
48:52
Speaker 1: this year.
48:52
Speaker 2: Like that, it just feels like this is the game
48:54
Speaker 2: where they try to change that no quick screen game
48:57
Speaker 2: to Ryan Williams and the cold. See if he can't
48:59
Speaker 2: be an extension of the run game, make a few
49:01
Speaker 2: guys miss that. That would be something I'd be talking
49:04
Speaker 2: about in the offensive meeting room, right.
49:06
Speaker 1: Like, yeah, coach, why don't we find a way to
49:08
Speaker 1: get the ball to this guy even though in between
49:13
Speaker 1: Georgia and Oklahoma five catches for seventy eight yards.
49:18
Speaker 2: And legitimately like measured as one of, if not the
49:24
Speaker 2: best stop and start ability in college football. Yep, And
49:28
Speaker 2: you're not throwing him the ball. And I know he
49:30
Speaker 2: fumbled against Oklahoma on the punk return. I get all
49:33
Speaker 2: that he has had drop issues, but.
49:38
Speaker 1: And I will mention this, Jim Miller is going to
49:40
Speaker 1: be healthy.
49:41
Speaker 2: I don't know ultimately how much that actually elevates the
49:44
Speaker 2: run game, especially against Okahoma defense.
49:47
Speaker 1: You know, I don't know if you're smart you run
49:50
Speaker 1: Daniel Heeling this game?
49:52
Speaker 2: Yeah, you let the hey I told I said you,
49:55
Speaker 2: I told you on this show you did right before
49:58
Speaker 2: the album game.
49:59
Speaker 1: They've got a guy nam Daniel Hill, who was big
50:01
Speaker 1: as hell. I would just give him the football. I mean, yes,
50:05
Speaker 1: that's that's your that's your that's your ex Roy, that's
50:07
Speaker 1: your version of x Roy Pan.
50:09
Speaker 2: So I'm gonna call another shot here. I'm gonna say
50:12
Speaker 2: if I were Alabama, I would be dumping quick passes
50:15
Speaker 2: out to Ryan Williams and saying, hey man, do that
50:18
Speaker 2: little gear shift thing and get gone, like go go
50:21
Speaker 2: figure something out now to your point as well, the
50:26
Speaker 2: throwing the ball and the ball I wanted to get
50:30
Speaker 2: this on here too. This is a real quote.
50:35
Speaker 1: Uh.
50:36
Speaker 2: Alabama players were getting asked about playing in Norman in
50:40
Speaker 2: twenty twenty four.
50:41
Speaker 1: Yup, yup.
50:44
Speaker 2: Quote from Jeremy Bernard. Their lights it kind of got
50:50
Speaker 2: me last time that we played. Their lights were kind of,
50:53
Speaker 2: I don't know, in a weird position.
50:56
Speaker 1: End quote.
50:59
Speaker 2: It's hard to prepare for that, but we're receivers. We're
51:03
Speaker 2: going to have to experience that at some point in
51:05
Speaker 2: our career. We have to be able to adjust.
51:11
Speaker 1: I guess the stadium whites are helping all I thought
51:15
Speaker 1: that was a very fascinating quote that he put out there.
51:18
Speaker 1: That Yeah, like a lot of people into Celsius. Of course,
51:22
Speaker 1: Oh they're making excuses early. No, I get what he's saying. Yeah,
51:27
Speaker 1: because we've seen muff punts by us over the last
51:32
Speaker 1: three years, because we've actually started trying to return them
51:36
Speaker 1: where the old regime did not. So I get them. Yeah,
51:42
Speaker 1: but you don't say that out loud. I was shocked.
51:48
Speaker 1: I was shocked. I was like, what are you doing?
51:53
Speaker 1: That was just.
51:56
Speaker 2: I guess, Look, but that's I don't even know. I mean,
52:00
Speaker 2: if it's cold. They talked about it being cold, they
52:04
Speaker 2: talked about how the field at Oklahoma is hard, like
52:07
Speaker 2: it's I don't know. They talk about the field condition
52:12
Speaker 2: ou which is a whole other thing.
52:15
Speaker 1: But I mean it's looked so much better now in comparison. Yeah,
52:19
Speaker 1: it' just been great this year.
52:22
Speaker 2: Alabama, if they all of this combined, is basically going
52:27
Speaker 2: to have to find ways to extend their run game.
52:31
Speaker 2: I would assume that through Ryan Williams, I would assume
52:33
Speaker 2: that's maybe I don't know, swinging it out to a
52:37
Speaker 2: guy like jam in the in the backfield, Daniel Hill.
52:39
Speaker 2: People forget as a recruit was actually someone that had
52:43
Speaker 2: like some h back capabilities to him. So I think
52:46
Speaker 2: he can be very effective out of the backfield. They
52:49
Speaker 2: just got to get like give him the opportunity to
52:52
Speaker 2: do that. I'm keeping my eye on that layered to
52:56
Speaker 2: this game because if there's still a one dimensional offense,
53:03
Speaker 2: you gotta find a way to address that.
53:06
Speaker 1: Yeah, they're gonna have to they They're gonna have to
53:12
Speaker 1: use He'll, They're gonna have to find ways to get
53:18
Speaker 1: that ball out as fast as possible if they want
53:20
Speaker 1: to have a chance to actually win this game. Now,
53:23
Speaker 1: granted again, I my confidence is going is. I feel
53:27
Speaker 1: a lot better, a lot calmer now after talking to
53:29
Speaker 1: you as I'm talking through a lot of this, because
53:33
Speaker 1: the way I look at it, is the biggest challenge
53:37
Speaker 1: that both teams have. It's gonna be their offenses and
53:40
Speaker 1: their run games. And I think I'm a little bit
53:43
Speaker 1: more confident in a healthy error version of materir versus
53:51
Speaker 1: their defense after seeing what Gunner Stockton did, and Gunner
53:54
Speaker 1: Stockton solid quarterback. He's not putting up very many numbers
53:57
Speaker 1: more than what Joa Matier does. He just throws tons.
54:01
Speaker 1: That's really your big difference. I mean, they finished the
54:04
Speaker 1: game with two hundred and what's this ninety seven yards
54:10
Speaker 1: in the game and won by three touchdowns. Why can't
54:17
Speaker 1: we do something like that? They only return two punts
54:20
Speaker 1: in the game. It's really about field positioning, and the
54:27
Speaker 1: one thing that we have been really good at this
54:29
Speaker 1: year is been field positioning. We have put our defenses
54:32
Speaker 1: in the best field position in college football. I think
54:36
Speaker 1: we're ready at number one in that. When I looked
54:38
Speaker 1: up the field positioning metrics and efficiency, we're number one
54:41
Speaker 1: because we do a great job of putting opposing teams
54:44
Speaker 1: in bad spots. Now that may be because the offense stalls,
54:47
Speaker 1: but the punter still does his job of making sure
54:48
Speaker 1: that they're in a bad spot too, and then the
54:50
Speaker 1: defense forces them out of it and they have to
54:52
Speaker 1: punt it back and then we go. We just have
54:55
Speaker 1: to capitalize on it on the offensive side, which I
54:57
Speaker 1: think I think we can. I am. I am a
55:00
Speaker 1: little bit more confident in it than I was before,
55:04
Speaker 1: But at the same time, I do know that this
55:06
Speaker 1: is going to be a real challenge to try to
55:08
Speaker 1: beat a team a third time in thirteen months. Yeah,
55:12
Speaker 1: it's gonna be tough. What's your prediction for the game?
55:19
Speaker 2: Man, I've been trying to come up with a final
55:22
Speaker 2: score for days and I still don't have one.
55:27
Speaker 1: So as of recording, I will give you a little help.
55:32
Speaker 1: There you go. As of recording, Oklahoma is now a
55:35
Speaker 1: one and a half point favorite, with the overheels at
55:39
Speaker 1: forty and a half. Yes, and based upon the traffic
55:43
Speaker 1: that I've looked at, I'm looking at one site we're
55:45
Speaker 1: gonna FanDuel. I'm also looking at one site pregamed I'll
55:48
Speaker 1: always look at because it shows you where it comes from.
55:51
Speaker 1: Most of the traffic, all of the traffic has still
55:54
Speaker 1: been on Alabama this entire time, over fifty percent, fifty
55:58
Speaker 1: eight percent of money, twenty five percent of the spreads
56:01
Speaker 1: through FanDuel. And the line has now shifted back to us. Now.
56:05
Speaker 1: It's gone back and forth all day, but I have
56:08
Speaker 1: a feeling it's going to stay in the Oklahoma side.
56:10
Speaker 1: But Oklahoma's a favorite at one and a half. At
56:13
Speaker 1: forty and a half is the over under.
56:21
Speaker 2: Let me say this. I know we talked a lot
56:24
Speaker 2: about Oklahoma. We did not talk a whole bunch about Alabama.
56:27
Speaker 2: We cover Oklahoma for a living, and so I want
56:29
Speaker 2: to say this. I think Alabama is a really darn
56:33
Speaker 2: good football team.
56:34
Speaker 1: I think they're talented.
56:36
Speaker 2: I think Alabama, like I mentioned at the start of
56:38
Speaker 2: the show, like playing those players in that coaching staff. Again,
56:42
Speaker 2: if I were Oklahoma, I would understand the nerves. I
56:45
Speaker 2: think there's a lot of layers to this game that
56:48
Speaker 2: will make this I believe this is going to be
56:50
Speaker 2: a battle.
56:52
Speaker 1: Agree. I will go.
56:57
Speaker 2: Twenty four to twenty one Oklahoma wins.
57:00
Speaker 1: Wow, so you're thinking they're gonna go over the forty
57:05
Speaker 1: and a half.
57:06
Speaker 2: I don't feel good about it, but I just okay,
57:09
Speaker 2: let me, let me I'll say either twenty four to
57:12
Speaker 2: twenty one. Here's what makes this hard is we know
57:15
Speaker 2: that Alabama does not.
57:16
Speaker 1: Have a field goal kicker.
57:17
Speaker 2: They do not, so they have to kind of sell
57:20
Speaker 2: out and go for touchdowns.
57:21
Speaker 1: They have to, and we have been very good in
57:24
Speaker 1: fourth down.
57:26
Speaker 2: And that's something that I think all of a sudden
57:28
Speaker 2: presents the opportunity for points go up on the board
57:30
Speaker 2: because the familiarity and the need to force the issue
57:34
Speaker 2: for that offense, right Like, they can't expect their field
57:37
Speaker 2: goal kicker, who struggled all year to suddenly go kick
57:39
Speaker 2: it in the frigid, coal in the wind in Norman,
57:43
Speaker 2: and then if you're Oklahoma, it's like, well, gotta match
57:46
Speaker 2: those scores. Maybe Tait Knox went through I'll say, like
57:52
Speaker 2: somewhere between seventeen fourteen or twenty four to twenty one,
57:58
Speaker 2: Like give me ou winning by three or four. I
58:00
Speaker 2: don't know how easy field goals are going to come
58:03
Speaker 2: by in this game, but I think that the conditions
58:06
Speaker 2: play a role. I think the familiarity plays a role,
58:10
Speaker 2: and I think maybe just maybe, like Tate Sandell, kind
58:14
Speaker 2: of helps them navigate the conditions somewhere in the end.
58:17
Speaker 2: Because that's the thing we haven't talked about too, is
58:20
Speaker 2: the special team's advantage still very much, in my opinion,
58:22
Speaker 2: favors Oklahoma. I don't know what that ends up meaning
58:26
Speaker 2: in those types of weather conditions, but it could be
58:30
Speaker 2: something that ultimately elevates the Sooners again over Allabama.
58:35
Speaker 1: That's a good one. Yeah, I think you've sold me.
58:40
Speaker 1: I think you sold me.
58:41
Speaker 2: I'm going to finalize my pick as seventeen to fourteen.
58:46
Speaker 2: So you're gonna take me under now under, because you've
58:50
Speaker 2: talked me into You've talked me into twenty you know,
58:52
Speaker 2: forty plus points being ridiculous.
58:55
Speaker 1: That being said, I'm sitting here like so, like, how
58:58
Speaker 1: does Alabama only score t you know, like I just
59:03
Speaker 1: I don't know. I can't make any sense of it.
59:05
Speaker 1: I'm ready to get it over with, so I say,
59:09
Speaker 1: pretty simple in my mind, I'm sticking to my number.
59:13
Speaker 1: I'm saying twenty to ten Oklahoma. I feel like this
59:15
Speaker 1: will be similar to the South Carolina game, but in Norman,
59:21
Speaker 1: just because of everything they're dealing with health wise in
59:29
Speaker 1: spots where like, the health stuff we've been dealing with
59:33
Speaker 1: is what we've been dealing with all of Red November.
59:36
Speaker 1: So as much as I can point it out, this
59:38
Speaker 1: is the same stuff we've been dealing with. So it's
59:39
Speaker 1: like not that you know, not as critical to me.
59:43
Speaker 1: I will say that I think it stays low scoring,
59:52
Speaker 1: we get a breakout play that closes it out, like
59:57
Speaker 1: we're up thirteen to ten and we break out and score,
1:00:02
Speaker 1: take the double digits, and then we end the game
1:00:06
Speaker 1: that way. That is what I think that's fair. That
1:00:10
Speaker 1: score is gonna be. So that's a thirty point game
1:00:13
Speaker 1: under guaranteed, but also covering this spread that keeps fluctuating
1:00:17
Speaker 1: and going more and more direction. Yeah, pretty wild, So
1:00:22
Speaker 1: we'll see if it works out. Make sure you check
1:00:26
Speaker 1: out my boy Colin over there at two four seven
1:00:29
Speaker 1: Sports Sooner's Illustrated Sooner Pod sixty Sooners Pod sixty. Sooner's
1:00:35
Speaker 1: Pod sixty is promo code finding a link description below.
1:00:40
Speaker 1: Thank you, my man. I love talking about all with
1:00:42
Speaker 1: you before. Are you going to be a Norman for
1:00:43
Speaker 1: this game? I will be there, Oh my goodness. Yep.
1:00:48
Speaker 1: I'll wait for the post game with you freezing while
1:00:51
Speaker 1: you're out there.
1:00:52
Speaker 2: Yeah, that is going to be rough like that.
1:00:57
Speaker 1: Everyone, bundle up, bring your hand warmers. It's gonna be
1:01:00
Speaker 1: a chili one. It's gonna be a chili one. And
1:01:02
Speaker 1: you're gonna be coming because you'll be coming from North Texas.
1:01:04
Speaker 1: You're not used to this type of cold cold and
1:01:06
Speaker 1: being out there in this cold cold, a lot and wind.
1:01:09
Speaker 1: May she bring extra layers? Man, watch you the last game.
1:01:12
Speaker 1: I was like, he looks cold.
1:01:14
Speaker 2: I was let me tell you something, I moved away
1:01:16
Speaker 2: from Oklahoma after living there six years because of that
1:01:19
Speaker 2: damn cold, and then showed up the last game of
1:01:22
Speaker 2: the year and I had a hoodie and a vest
1:01:25
Speaker 2: on and I realized very quickly my mistake.
1:01:27
Speaker 1: So yeah, yeah, you learned a very valuable lesson. So
1:01:31
Speaker 1: all right, thank you all for pulling up at the
1:01:33
Speaker 1: light button. Newto the channel, subscribe rate review give us
1:01:35
Speaker 1: five stars. Also check out like I said, Colin Kenny
1:01:37
Speaker 1: over there ed soon. Its illustrated and with that we
1:01:40
Speaker 1: will talk to you after the game. We'll see you
1:01:43
Speaker 1: on the other side. See the other side, Boomers sooner