Latest / FSU Football: Doak Talk / SMU Expert Makes SHOCKING Prediction for FSU vs. SMU | Full Game Preview

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SMU Expert Makes SHOCKING Prediction for FSU vs. SMU | Full Game Preview · FSU Football: Doak Talk

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Hey, what's going on, Lowell Nation? It's C.J.
• 0:01
  Speaker 2: Wilson here with Dope Talk. It's officially week one of
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: college football. The long wait has, you know, we finally arrived.
• 0:09
  Speaker 2: It's been a long wait. It's a lot of big
• 0:10
  Speaker 2: games on the table. We have an early ACC matchup
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: with big implications in Tallahassee with SMU. With that being said,
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  Speaker 2: I want to welcome our guest, Tyler Welch, the sports
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: editor for the Daily Campus and beat writer for Sports
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: Illustrated SMU.
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: Tyler, how's it going?
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  Speaker 3: It's going great. Thank you for having me on. I'm
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  Speaker 3: excited to talk about this game. I think it's going
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  Speaker 3: to be a good one.
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  Speaker 1: Oh, yeah, most definitely.
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  Speaker 2: This is one that a lot of people have circled
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  Speaker 2: all year long as far as big ACC games that
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: can kind of, you know, tip the scale early, so
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: to speak, from a conference standpoint. So, again, it's going
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: to be a really good one. But before we get
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: started and talk about a few, talk about the games
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: over a few things, I want to make sure you
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  Speaker 2: guys hit the like and subscribe button if you haven't already.
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• 0:56
  Speaker 2: welcome to Dota.
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: Cover all things FSU football.
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: And also with this being a big game, a night
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: game that is on Labor Day, we typically throw huge tailgates.
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: So make sure you guys grab your tailgate ticket. You
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: don't want to miss this one. I'm teaming up with
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  Speaker 2: two former FSU fullbacks, James Coleman and Freddie Stevenson.
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: Red Bull is one of the title sponsors.
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  Speaker 2: We'll have that available as well to keep you guys
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: energized going from the tailgate to the stadium to the game.
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: I'm going to have drinks, food, all you can eat. Also,
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: we're going to have a live DJ. You never know
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: which from a know will pop up. I'm pretty sure
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: Peter Ward is going to come over and hang out
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: a little bit and a lot of us. So make
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: sure you guys grab your tailgate ticket. We have that
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  Speaker 2: link in the, it's going to be in the description
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  Speaker 2: in the comments.
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  Speaker 1: All right, Tyler.
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  Speaker 2: So overall, what's the overall team vibe with SMU right now?
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  Speaker 2: Some high expectations going into year.
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  Speaker 1: Five with Red Lashley.
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  Speaker 2: He's on a hell of a job with being a
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  Speaker 2: head coach of the Mustangs. Um, Coming over to the ACC,
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  Speaker 2: SMU really hasn't missed a beating. It has been one
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  Speaker 2: of the better teams at the conference since they joined.
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  Speaker 2: So let's talk about the overall team vibe going into
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  Speaker 2: year five of the Lashley regime.
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  Speaker 1: And again, like I said, big expectations for SMU.
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  Speaker 3: I mean, big expectations is the name of the game.
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  Speaker 3: This is a team that's gone 14-2 in conference play
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  Speaker 3: since joining the ACC. I'm sure y'all down in Tallahassee
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  Speaker 3: have seen all the things that we've been doing with
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  Speaker 3: Kevin Jennings and the expectations being placed around him in
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  Speaker 3: his third year as the starter. So there's a lot
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  Speaker 3: of excitement around the quarterback play as well as just
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  Speaker 3: the overall team. I think this is a team that
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  Speaker 3: expects to be competing for an ACC title at the
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  Speaker 3: end of the year. But I think when it comes
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  Speaker 3: down to how that's going to happen, a lot of
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  Speaker 3: it starts with getting a fast start. So The fact
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  Speaker 3: that we're starting week one against y'all at Florida State
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  Speaker 3: and then week three, we go to Louisville as well.
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  Speaker 3: Having those early ACC matchups is going to be a
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  Speaker 3: huge challenge for this team. It's not a team that
• 2:57
  Speaker 3: has traditionally started fast. We had some struggles last year
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  Speaker 3: against Baylor and TCU in the first couple of weeks.
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  Speaker 3: So I think this is a team that has the
• 3:08
  Speaker 3: potential to be very, very good. The offense is probably
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  Speaker 3: the best it's ever been. under Rhett Lashley. But like
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  Speaker 3: I said, it's a team that's going to have to
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  Speaker 3: start quick and not be sluggish when they get to
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  Speaker 3: Dope Campbell.
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  Speaker 2: Right, really good points. And I want to start with,
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  Speaker 2: like you said, the quarterback, right? The big name, Kevin Jennings,
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  Speaker 2: going into year three as being a starter. First of all,
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  Speaker 2: there was some rumblings, I believe, early on as far
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  Speaker 2: as him missing portions of camp. I guess my first
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  Speaker 2: question is, how is he, from a health standpoint, and
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  Speaker 2: then like you said, year three going into being a starter,
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  Speaker 2: What are some things you expect from Jennings?
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  Speaker 1: Right.
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  Speaker 3: So Jennings, I believe it was on either, I think
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  Speaker 3: it was like day two of camp. There was an
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  Speaker 3: issue with his finger, basically just jammed a finger. It
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  Speaker 3: wasn't anything too serious. He was out for a couple
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  Speaker 3: of days, but he's fully back, fully practicing. He's throwing
• 4:00
  Speaker 3: to his receivers. So when it comes to Jennings, I
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  Speaker 3: think the main thing that people are excited about is
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  Speaker 3: the fact that he's going to have his legs back.
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  Speaker 3: Last year, he was running on an injured ankle the
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  Speaker 3: entire time. So whether it was against Miami or Clemson,
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  Speaker 3: he was basically having to hobble around the field while passing.
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  Speaker 3: So his passing game was about the best it had
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  Speaker 3: ever been. He only threw for under 250 yards twice.
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  Speaker 3: He's a guy that throws for 300 yards almost half
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  Speaker 3: of his games that he starts. So he's an incredible
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  Speaker 3: arm talent, but now he's getting back that speed that
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  Speaker 3: made him such a threat in 2024 when we made
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  Speaker 3: the college football playoffs. So I think the hope for
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  Speaker 3: SMU fans is that they're going to see him be
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  Speaker 3: able to use his legs and not have to force
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  Speaker 3: the throws as much because the interceptions were his biggest
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  Speaker 3: weakness last year. 13 interceptions total. That's something that I
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  Speaker 3: think SMU fans want to see less of. Obviously, that
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  Speaker 3: was something that was kind of detrimental in some of
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  Speaker 3: those games that we lost, whether that be... You know,
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  Speaker 3: the TCU game, there were two, although those weren't necessarily
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  Speaker 3: his fault. But just getting rid of those interceptions will
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  Speaker 3: be something that will be big for his success. And
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  Speaker 3: potentially this Heisman campaign that SMU is pushing, if he
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  Speaker 3: is to go that route.
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  Speaker 1: Rightfully so.
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  Speaker 2: Third year starting quarterback on the team that's expected to
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  Speaker 2: be competing for a conference championship and, like I said,
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  Speaker 2: a college football playoff. So it's only right that they
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  Speaker 2: ramp up the campaign for Jennings, in my opinion.
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  Speaker 1: Much more to the running back position.
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  Speaker 2: And you guys got a key transfer in Kendrick Raphael
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  Speaker 2: from California. Just talk about that room in general, including
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  Speaker 2: Raphael and what's in the room altogether.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely.
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  Speaker 3: Raphael is a complete upgrade compared to what we had
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  Speaker 3: last year. Last year was TJ Harden leading the backfield.
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  Speaker 3: He was solid around 700 or so yards on the ground.
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  Speaker 3: Raphael is coming in from Cal having rushed for over
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  Speaker 3: 900 yards. double digit touchdowns, as well as he played
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  Speaker 3: against us and was the reason we didn't make the
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  Speaker 3: ACC championship at about 150 rushing yards against us in
• 6:01
  Speaker 3: that final season, final game of the season. So I
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  Speaker 3: think he's going to be great. He has a lot
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  Speaker 3: of great names behind him. Dramico Green is one that
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  Speaker 3: a lot of people are liking how he looks at camp.
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  Speaker 3: We have Derek McFall. He's had some explosive plays in
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  Speaker 3: the past. Christian Rhodes is a really big true freshman name.
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  Speaker 3: I'm not sure if he'll be getting too much playing time,
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  Speaker 3: There is one injury that we suffered in the running
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  Speaker 3: back room, though. Link Rhodes was kind of anticipated to
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  Speaker 3: be maybe that third string, fourth string running back, definitely
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  Speaker 3: getting some snaps. But he's probably going to be out
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  Speaker 3: for the season. So that's one name that we're lacking.
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  Speaker 3: But I think Kendrick Raphael, Jermico Green, those are going
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  Speaker 3: to be the guys taking the bulk of the carries.
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  Speaker 1: Okay.
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  Speaker 2: I really like Raphael as well, you know, being in
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  Speaker 2: the ACC and seeing some ACC ball. I think he's
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  Speaker 2: a pretty good running back, a dynamic playmaker. Moving on
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  Speaker 2: to the receiver room, there's some other pretty dynamic playmakers
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  Speaker 2: as well. Ymir Knight, if I'm pronouncing that correctly?
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  Speaker 1: Yes, yeah.
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  Speaker 2: Ymir Knight, Jalen Cooper had a solid freshman year. So
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  Speaker 2: let's talk about the dynamics of that receiver room and
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  Speaker 2: what they bring to the team.
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  Speaker 3: Well, I think the receiver room is the one that
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  Speaker 3: SMU is optimistic for. There's a lot of upside, but
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  Speaker 3: the key is that there's upside. It's a team that's
• 7:16
  Speaker 3: going to have to step up. Our two lead receivers
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  Speaker 3: from last year, Romello Brinson and Jordan Hudson, both graduated.
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  Speaker 3: That was about 40% of Kevin Jennings' passing yards last
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  Speaker 3: year went to those two individuals. So there's going to
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  Speaker 3: be some guys that are going to have to step up.
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  Speaker 3: Yermir Knight, extremely explosive, shifty, going to have a big year.
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  Speaker 3: He's undersized when you compare him to a Deuce Robinson, maybe,
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  Speaker 3: who I'm excited to see him play. But Ymir Knight,
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  Speaker 3: he's a bit smaller, but very fast, very talented receiver.
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  Speaker 3: Jalen Cooper, like you mentioned, had a solid freshman year.
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  Speaker 3: He'll probably be playing in the slot a good bit.
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  Speaker 3: The rest of our receiver room comes down to some
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  Speaker 3: of our transfers we got. So we got Yannick Smith
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  Speaker 3: from ECU. That's a guy that had a total of
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  Speaker 3: a little over 1,000 receiving yards in two years there
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  Speaker 3: at ECU. And then Jalen Hale, you talk about upside.
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  Speaker 3: That's a guy that was a really big prospect out
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  Speaker 3: of Texas. Went to Alabama. And then he just suffered
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  Speaker 3: a bunch of injuries. There was a point where people
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  Speaker 3: thought he would never play again. But he's back. He's
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  Speaker 3: looked really good in camp, looked very fast. Could be
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  Speaker 3: a great deep threat for Kevin, who has a great
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  Speaker 3: arm on him. So I think it's a group that
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  Speaker 3: can be really interesting. We also have a 26-year-old freshman,
• 8:32
  Speaker 3: Jordan Adams, former MLB baseball player, who decided to come back.
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  Speaker 3: He was once rated about as high as Jamar Chase
• 8:39
  Speaker 3: in the high school rankings, which is interesting. He was
• 8:41
  Speaker 3: in the same class as him. So not really sure
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  Speaker 3: if he's going to play or not, but that could
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  Speaker 3: be an interesting name as well. So there's a lot
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  Speaker 3: of cool names in there. It's just a matter of
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  Speaker 3: which ones are really going to step up as that
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  Speaker 3: wide receiver one.
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  Speaker 1: That's interesting.
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  Speaker 2: As an FSU fan, we're, I guess you could say,
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  Speaker 2: familiar with the older player coming in, that type of thing.
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  Speaker 2: Chris Winkie, the Heisman Trophy winner, played baseball at first
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  Speaker 2: prior to coming to Florida State.
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  Speaker 1: Good points.
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  Speaker 2: As we move on to the tight end room, it's crazy.
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  Speaker 2: Speaking of the tight end room, we have Randy Pittman Jr.,
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  Speaker 2: former FSU Seminole, that transferred over to the Mustangs. He's
• 9:20
  Speaker 2: a piece of that room. Let's talk about the tight
• 9:22
  Speaker 2: end room and what they bring to the table.
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  Speaker 3: I figured Randy Pittman would be a name that y'all
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  Speaker 3: are familiar with. The tight end room, the tight ends
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  Speaker 3: are probably the position that I'd say you'd look out
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  Speaker 3: for the most on offense. It's something that Rhett Lashley
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  Speaker 3: loves using. Last year, we had a great tight end
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  Speaker 3: duo in R.J.
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  Speaker 1: Maryland.
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  Speaker 3: And Matthew Hibner, who is now currently on the Ravens
• 9:43
  Speaker 3: 53-man roster. We use both of those guys. They're getting 20,
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  Speaker 3: 30 receptions a game. So Randy Pittman's going to be.
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  Speaker 1: One of them.
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  Speaker 3: Y'all know what he can do. He's a he's a
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  Speaker 3: solid blocker you know he can catch the ball he
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  Speaker 3: can run uh but then our other one another transfer
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  Speaker 3: uh Theo Mellon Ostrom from Texas A & M uh
• 10:02
  Speaker 3: six foot six just massive pass catching target didn't really
• 10:06
  Speaker 3: get utilized as much as I thought he should have
• 10:08
  Speaker 3: when he was at Texas A & M um but
• 10:11
  Speaker 3: I could definitely see him probably being our leading tight
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  Speaker 3: end when it comes to receptions at the end of
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  Speaker 3: the year so That's a position group that, again, has
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  Speaker 3: a lot of talent and a lot of upside.
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: Let's move on to probably the best position.
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: I guess you could have a debate about position group
• 10:29
  Speaker 2: behind quarterback and no line. But move on to the
• 10:32
  Speaker 2: offensive line, you have P.J. Williams and Joshua Bates, two
• 10:35
  Speaker 2: names I keep hearing. Those guys played a lot of
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: football for SMU. Really experienced players. Just talk about the
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: offensive linemen and what they bring to the table.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, so I wouldn't really debate it. The offensive line
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  Speaker 3: is our best position. P.J. Williams, probably a first-round draft
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  Speaker 3: pick this year. He is incredibly talented. He's actually going
• 10:55
  Speaker 3: to be moving over to left tackle is what we
• 10:57
  Speaker 3: believe for this season. He has been playing right tackle.
• 11:00
  Speaker 3: He's going to move over to that left tackle position.
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  Speaker 3: Joshua Bates, great center, great leader for the offense. Another
• 11:06
  Speaker 3: name that I really think Could have been considered for
• 11:08
  Speaker 3: first team all ACC. Didn't get it. Addison Nichols, our
• 11:12
  Speaker 3: right guard, an extremely talented guy. Also a great leader
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  Speaker 3: on the team. The rest of our offensive line is
• 11:19
  Speaker 3: still shaping up. It looks like Andrew Chambly is probably
• 11:22
  Speaker 3: going to be playing that right tackle position. There was
• 11:24
  Speaker 3: a bit of a position battle between him and Dramada Odoms.
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  Speaker 3: He's a redshirt freshman who's the highest rated prospect in
• 11:33
  Speaker 3: SMU history. So battle between them. So I think it'll
• 11:36
  Speaker 3: be Chambly starting there. But, yeah, just when you look
• 11:39
  Speaker 3: at this entire line across the board, it's extremely talented.
• 11:43
  Speaker 3: I think that's going to be what allows Kevin Jennings
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  Speaker 3: to really thrive, as well as Kendrick Raphael maybe eclipsing 1,000-plus yards.
• 11:53
  Speaker 1: All right, good stuff.
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  Speaker 2: That may not be good for FSU, the Veteran Experience
• 11:58
  Speaker 2: Office line, but it's definitely good for SMU coming on
• 12:01
  Speaker 2: the House of the Viper for a role game to
• 12:03
  Speaker 2: have veterans on the office line and kind of keep
• 12:05
  Speaker 2: things together. Let's move over to the defensive side of
• 12:08
  Speaker 2: the ball. It's going to be a lot of new
• 12:09
  Speaker 2: faces on the offensive, sorry, on the defensive line, rather.
• 12:12
  Speaker 2: I think the top four sack leaders from last year
• 12:14
  Speaker 2: are no longer with the program. So let's talk about
• 12:17
  Speaker 2: the new pieces on the defensive line and how that
• 12:19
  Speaker 2: position group is coming together.
• 12:21
  Speaker 3: Yeah, defense, certainly a question mark for us because of
• 12:24
  Speaker 3: what you said, lots of new faces. So I did
• 12:28
  Speaker 3: this story about a week or two ago that basically
• 12:31
  Speaker 3: of the 50 or something sacks we had last year.
• 12:35
  Speaker 3: Only four of them are by players that are still
• 12:38
  Speaker 3: on the team now. So almost all of our sacks
• 12:40
  Speaker 3: from last year, just gone, but we were able to
• 12:43
  Speaker 3: bring in some good guys on the, on the defensive line.
• 12:46
  Speaker 3: So Ira Singleton, uh, from USF, I believe he should
• 12:50
  Speaker 3: be good off coming off the edge. Mark has white.
• 12:53
  Speaker 3: He's coming from UMass. So definitely a change in culture
• 12:56
  Speaker 3: for him going from an O and 12 team to
• 12:58
  Speaker 3: a team that could be contending for an ACC title.
• 13:01
  Speaker 3: He's a veteran, uh, I think it's about his seventh
• 13:04
  Speaker 3: season in college football, one of those guys with just
• 13:08
  Speaker 3: crazy eligibility loopholes. And then in the middle of the
• 13:12
  Speaker 3: line is going to be Christian Davis from LA Tech,
• 13:15
  Speaker 3: Malcolm Alcorn Crowder as well from Kansas State. So those
• 13:19
  Speaker 3: guys all came off productive seasons in 2025 at their
• 13:23
  Speaker 3: respective schools. It's going to be interesting to see how
• 13:25
  Speaker 3: they play together. I think this is going to be
• 13:27
  Speaker 3: an area that might face some trouble in week one
• 13:30
  Speaker 3: against y'all, especially given how great y'all's running back room is.
• 13:33
  Speaker 3: I think they're going to be put to the test
• 13:35
  Speaker 3: very early, but something that Coach Lashley and our defensive
• 13:39
  Speaker 3: coordinators have been doing during camp is really ramping up early,
• 13:42
  Speaker 3: trying to be as physical as possible to be ready
• 13:45
  Speaker 3: for the challenge that comes with having to try and
• 13:47
  Speaker 3: tackle Croma and Singleton and all those guys that y'all have.
• 13:51
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a good point. Really good running back room
• 13:53
  Speaker 2: for sure. All right, let's move on to the linebacker position.
• 13:55
  Speaker 2: What are some names that are standing out within the
• 13:58
  Speaker 2: SMU linebackers unit or just the unit overall?
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: How is that position gelling?
• 14:03
  Speaker 3: Of the defense, this is probably the position I'm least
• 14:05
  Speaker 3: concerned about just because it's bringing back the most names
• 14:08
  Speaker 3: that I believe to be really strong players in the ACC.
• 14:13
  Speaker 3: So Alexander Kilgore, leader of that group, he just got
• 14:16
  Speaker 3: honored with the number 23, which is kind of a
• 14:20
  Speaker 3: big honor at SMU. It's after Jerry Levias from back
• 14:23
  Speaker 3: in the He was a 60s or 70s first black
• 14:26
  Speaker 3: player to play at SMU. So he was given the
• 14:28
  Speaker 3: honor of wearing that jersey number. He'll be the leader
• 14:32
  Speaker 3: of that group. Great tackler, great presence in the defense.
• 14:36
  Speaker 3: Brandon Miazano, sort of that middle linebacker role. He's just
• 14:39
  Speaker 3: an enforcer. He will knock the lights out of anyone
• 14:42
  Speaker 3: that comes near him. Super strong, can also play pass
• 14:46
  Speaker 3: coverage pretty well. I believe he had two interceptions last season,
• 14:49
  Speaker 3: also had a couple of sacks. And then the rest
• 14:53
  Speaker 3: of that linebacker group in general, we also have Brandon Booker,
• 14:57
  Speaker 3: another leader there. So those three will be playing linebacker
• 15:00
  Speaker 3: the majority of the time. We brought in a transfer
• 15:03
  Speaker 3: from Clemson as well, Jamal Anderson. I wouldn't be surprised
• 15:06
  Speaker 3: to see him getting some snaps as well. But when
• 15:08
  Speaker 3: it comes to the defense, that's the group that's really
• 15:10
  Speaker 3: going to need to step up, take leadership, and make
• 15:13
  Speaker 3: sure the rest of the unit is working well.
• 15:15
  Speaker 1: All right.
• 15:18
  Speaker 2: Let's go to the defensive back room, and they have
• 15:20
  Speaker 2: a pretty big challenge. Like I said, talk about Deuce Robertson,
• 15:23
  Speaker 2: Mekhi Danson, some pretty explosive receivers for FSU. So what
• 15:27
  Speaker 2: within the defensive back room do you guys have cooking
• 15:30
  Speaker 2: to kind of stop that?
• 15:32
  Speaker 3: We'll have to see. Something with SMU last year, we
• 15:36
  Speaker 3: finished 135th in passing yards allowed per game in all
• 15:43
  Speaker 3: of FBS. So the only team we were better than
• 15:45
  Speaker 3: was Stanford. And we still somehow went 9-4. I don't
• 15:48
  Speaker 3: really know how we managed that one. But the truth
• 15:52
  Speaker 3: is we're running back a lot of the same guys.
• 15:56
  Speaker 3: Marcellus Barnes Jr., probably our top cornerback. He'll be coming
• 16:00
  Speaker 3: back for his second year as an SMU Mustang. We
• 16:02
  Speaker 3: did bring in Javon Thomas from Texas A & M.
• 16:05
  Speaker 3: There's rumors that he's kind of going to be the
• 16:07
  Speaker 3: one that's matching up against Deuce Robinson. The thing that
• 16:10
  Speaker 3: worries me the most about the secondary is that compared
• 16:12
  Speaker 3: to Robinson and some of your receivers that were a
• 16:15
  Speaker 3: bit undersized. We really don't have a defensive back over 6'1.
• 16:19
  Speaker 3: I think most of them are around that 5'11 to
• 16:21
  Speaker 3: 6' range. So those are two.
• 16:23
  Speaker 1: Of our main guys.
• 16:24
  Speaker 3: We brought in some really great transfers at the safety position.
• 16:27
  Speaker 3: I really like Jarvis Lee. He's kind of a gadget player,
• 16:30
  Speaker 3: do it all. He'll be rushing the quarterback, playing in coverage,
• 16:34
  Speaker 3: doing all that. Ahmad Moses potentially coming back. He was
• 16:38
  Speaker 3: our star on defense last year. there's eligibility ruling. So
• 16:43
  Speaker 3: still trying to figure out if he'll be back for
• 16:44
  Speaker 3: week one, if he'll be back on the roster at all.
• 16:47
  Speaker 3: But he had five interceptions last year, including a big
• 16:50
  Speaker 3: one to help us seal the game against Miami last season.
• 16:54
  Speaker 3: So he'll be a big piece if returning. We got
• 16:57
  Speaker 3: Jimmy Weirich from UTSA, another undersized back, but someone who
• 17:01
  Speaker 3: gets a lot of tackles just sort of all over
• 17:03
  Speaker 3: the field. So it'll be interesting. I mean, a lot
• 17:06
  Speaker 3: of the guys that were giving up those explosive plays
• 17:09
  Speaker 3: are still on the roster. The hope is that they've improved,
• 17:12
  Speaker 3: you know, made some changes and adjustments over the offseason. But, yeah,
• 17:16
  Speaker 3: if there is a way for FSU to win this game,
• 17:18
  Speaker 3: it's going to be through attacking our secondary.
• 17:22
  Speaker 2: That's going to be interesting because I guess it could
• 17:25
  Speaker 2: kind of fall on the offense line of Ashton Daniels
• 17:27
  Speaker 2: because I do think from a receiver playmaker standpoint, FSU
• 17:32
  Speaker 2: definitely has some big-time playmakers on the outside. It's just
• 17:35
  Speaker 2: a matter of getting the ball to them Okay, so
• 17:39
  Speaker 2: wrap that up. Let's give me some do's and don'ts
• 17:42
  Speaker 2: for SMU, right? Give me some things that SMU should
• 17:46
  Speaker 2: do in order for things to go well, and what
• 17:48
  Speaker 2: should they avoid so things don't go bad?
• 17:50
  Speaker 1: And after that, give me a score prediction. Yeah, sure.
• 17:54
  Speaker 3: So my first do is going to be trust Kevin Jennings.
• 17:59
  Speaker 3: I mean, that's the guy. There's a reason that we're
• 18:02
  Speaker 3: calling him the king of Dallas. He is the leader
• 18:05
  Speaker 3: of this team, and I think especially seeing how y'all
• 18:08
  Speaker 3: secondary play against New Mexico State. I think he has
• 18:10
  Speaker 3: the ability to really break it open early. So trust
• 18:14
  Speaker 3: in Kevin, get him throwing the deep ball early, let
• 18:17
  Speaker 3: him run a little bit. So I think my first
• 18:20
  Speaker 3: do would definitely be, you know, just give Kevin Jennings
• 18:22
  Speaker 3: the ball, let him do what he does best. My
• 18:25
  Speaker 3: second do is going to be to attack the quarterback.
• 18:29
  Speaker 3: As you mentioned, offensive line, there's a bit of a
• 18:31
  Speaker 3: struggle for y'all. With this new defensive line, it might
• 18:34
  Speaker 3: be a challenge. So I think sending some extra blitzes,
• 18:37
  Speaker 3: put Jarvis Lee rushing from the safety position, maybe bring
• 18:40
  Speaker 3: some of the linebackers in for an extra blitz like Miyazano.
• 18:44
  Speaker 3: Do that to put pressure on Ashton Daniels, force him
• 18:47
  Speaker 3: to make throws faster and not have as much time
• 18:50
  Speaker 3: for Deuce Robinson to get deeper down the field. And
• 18:53
  Speaker 3: when it comes to that, that's one of my don'ts
• 18:55
  Speaker 3: is don't give up the big play. I think that's
• 18:57
  Speaker 3: a very real possibility with Daniels throwing to Robinson and
• 19:01
  Speaker 3: or any of the other receivers y'all have is that
• 19:03
  Speaker 3: with our secondary, we were giving up a lot of
• 19:05
  Speaker 3: 30 plus yard touchdowns last season. And that's just something
• 19:08
  Speaker 3: that can't happen when you're on the road. And so
• 19:11
  Speaker 3: for my final note, my final don't is don't let
• 19:15
  Speaker 3: dope Campbell scare you. Don't let the pressure get to you.
• 19:18
  Speaker 3: If you're, if you're able to get out to an
• 19:20
  Speaker 3: early lead, that might dampen the crowd a little bit.
• 19:22
  Speaker 3: So getting that early lead, not letting the crowd get
• 19:25
  Speaker 3: into the game too much. I think that's going to
• 19:27
  Speaker 3: be a must for an SMU team that, As I
• 19:29
  Speaker 3: mentioned at the start of this, has struggled to start
• 19:32
  Speaker 3: games and start the season in general quickly.
• 19:36
  Speaker 1: So start quick.
• 19:37
  Speaker 3: Don't let Doe Campbell get too out. And so when
• 19:39
  Speaker 3: it comes down to it, my score prediction for this game,
• 19:43
  Speaker 3: I really think this is a game that SMU will win.
• 19:45
  Speaker 3: I don't think it'll be as easy as people think
• 19:48
  Speaker 3: based on their records over the last year.
• 19:50
  Speaker 1: Couple of years.
• 19:50
  Speaker 3: This is an SMU team going into a loud environment.
• 19:53
  Speaker 3: We haven't always done the best in loud environments. If
• 19:56
  Speaker 3: you look back to, I don't know, Penn State 2024
• 19:59
  Speaker 3: or anything like that. So if I had to give
• 20:01
  Speaker 3: a score prediction, I'd say I'd see SMU winning by
• 20:05
  Speaker 3: one to two scores. If I had to give an
• 20:07
  Speaker 3: exact number, maybe give me 34 to let's call it,
• 20:15
  Speaker 3: let's call it 23, 34, 23, 34, 24, something like that.
• 20:19
  Speaker 3: I think SMU will, will come out on top, but
• 20:23
  Speaker 3: you know, it's definitely a game that I still see
• 20:24
  Speaker 3: FSU very much being in and having the possibility to win.
• 20:28
  Speaker 2: All right. So good point. So I do think from
• 20:34
  Speaker 2: SMU standpoint, even FSU standpoint, you want to kind of
• 20:37
  Speaker 2: jump on SMU early, right? You want to, get it
• 20:40
  Speaker 2: routed early. To your point, starting quick is imperative because
• 20:44
  Speaker 2: you kind of want to get Doak out of the
• 20:46
  Speaker 2: game because it's going to be a hostile environment with
• 20:49
  Speaker 2: it being a night game, a big-time ACC matchup. It's
• 20:52
  Speaker 2: going to be loud, and if they give the fans
• 20:54
  Speaker 2: a reason to cheer, so to speak, it could get
• 20:57
  Speaker 2: to that point. I think it's going to be an
• 20:58
  Speaker 2: offensive game. I'm concerned about the secondary, especially with the
• 21:03
  Speaker 2: New Mexico State showing and Kevin Jennings in offense coming in,
• 21:06
  Speaker 2: but I am excited to see what this offense can
• 21:09
  Speaker 2: do and let those running backs do their thing and
• 21:10
  Speaker 2: kind of let the receivers and deuce do their thing
• 21:13
  Speaker 2: as well. The big question is, will Ashton Dane step
• 21:19
  Speaker 2: up in the moment when it's time to make those plays?
• 21:21
  Speaker 2: With that being said, I'm going to be a little homer.
• 21:23
  Speaker 2: I did have a 34 score. I'm going to go 34,
• 21:26
  Speaker 2: the 31 FSU, real close one, and just goes FSU's
• 21:31
  Speaker 2: way as far as extra three points. That's probably the
• 21:33
  Speaker 2: homer in me, but I'm going to go 34-31. But, again,
• 21:36
  Speaker 2: I'm really concerned with what Jennings and offense can do,
• 21:39
  Speaker 2: especially last week.
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: Tyler, it's been a pleasure. Let the people know where
• 21:42
  Speaker 1: they can find you at.
• 21:44
  Speaker 3: Yeah, so you can find me on Twitter. I post
• 21:46
  Speaker 3: all of my stories for Sports Illustrated and the Daily
• 21:50
  Speaker 3: Campus there, just underscore Tyler Welch. Yeah, look at the
• 21:55
  Speaker 3: Daily Campus. It's our student newspaper. We post a lot
• 21:58
  Speaker 3: of great stuff there. There will be some FSU previews
• 22:00
  Speaker 3: coming out there. And, yeah, really looking forward to this game.
• 22:03
  Speaker 3: I think it's going to be a good one and
• 22:05
  Speaker 3: excited to see the energy the Florida State fans bring.
• 22:08
  Speaker 1: Most definitely. It's been a pleasure, Tyler.
• 22:09
  Speaker 2: Make sure you guys hit that like and subscribe button.
• 22:12
  Speaker 2: And also, again, grab your tailgate ticket. It's going to
• 22:14
  Speaker 2: be a great event. SMU Top 25 matchup night game
• 22:18
  Speaker 2: on Labor Day. What more can you ask for? Football
• 22:20
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• 22:22
  Speaker 2: subscribe channel. Thanks for joining us.