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Ohio State Playoff Preview: 7 Things To Know About The Miami Hurricanes · Buckeyes TomOrrow Morning

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  Speaker 1: Welcome to Buckeyes tomorrow morning for Wednesday, December tenth, I'm
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  Speaker 1: your host, tom Or the Cotton Bowl game in twenty
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  Speaker 1: one days, the game he gets Michigan in three hundred
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  Speaker 1: and fifty three days. If you're planning your next event,
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: make it unforgettable with Grateful Griddle, Columbus's favorite food trug
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  Speaker 1: serving up smashburger scoremet sandwich is and good vibes. Book
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  Speaker 1: your catering today at gratefulgriddleh dot com. All right, on
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  Speaker 1: yesterday's show, you get to hear a little bit from
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  Speaker 1: Texas A and m head coach Mike Elko as his
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  Speaker 1: team prepares to take on Miami for the right to
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  Speaker 1: play Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl in twenty one days. Today,
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  Speaker 1: I'm going to go to the other sideline. Miami head
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  Speaker 1: coach Mario Cristobal his Hurricanes will be traveling to College Station,
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  Speaker 1: Texas on December twentieth for the right to play the
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  Speaker 1: Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl back in the state of
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  Speaker 1: Texas on New Year's Eve. So all right, we're going
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  Speaker 1: to start with just let you hear a little bit
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  Speaker 1: directly from Mario Christaball all these clips courtesy of the
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  Speaker 1: University of Miami Athletics. Just what is the atmosphere around
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  Speaker 1: the program right now? There's a little drama about whether
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  Speaker 1: they get in or not. They're in, they know what
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  Speaker 1: they need to do. Therefore wins from a national championship.
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  Speaker 1: What's the atmosphere around the program right now?
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  Speaker 2: You can imagine, right, I mean, we had set the
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  Speaker 2: calendar like we would for a regular game week. You
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  Speaker 2: know these last as you head towards the end of
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  Speaker 2: the season, you really don't change your regimen, your structure,
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  Speaker 2: and so Saturday's a game day, Sunday is a day off.
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  Speaker 3: Monday you get back together.
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  Speaker 2: But there were lots of guys around, right, They were
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  Speaker 2: a lot of anticipation, right, and some guys wondering what
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  Speaker 2: was going to happen. So we did see a lot
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  Speaker 2: of guys yesterday and right after the announcement, and you
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  Speaker 2: can imagine they were through the roof with excitement.
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  Speaker 3: And then of course.
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  Speaker 2: Today the I mean, you know that that type of
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  Speaker 2: opportunity just strives your excitement, your energy, your urgency to
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  Speaker 2: another level. And when we saw that today, so we've
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  Speaker 2: been back to work and preparing and again just ready
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  Speaker 2: to get back at it.
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  Speaker 1: The ACC's tiebreaker situation was more than a little bit
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  Speaker 1: of a mess, but that meant that Miami got last
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  Speaker 1: week off. They did not play in the a SEC
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  Speaker 1: Championship game and got into college football playoff anyway, So
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  Speaker 1: was at maybe a little beneficial to have a little
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  Speaker 1: extra runway before this game. Not only not having played
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  Speaker 1: last week, but also having almost two full weeks here
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  Speaker 1: to get ready for Texas A and M well really helpful.
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  Speaker 3: I think this past week was really helpful also.
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  Speaker 2: Because we had the opportunity to get some guys a
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  Speaker 2: little bit healthier at the other guys a lot healthier.
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  Speaker 2: And now you have an extra you know, ten twelve
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  Speaker 2: days to prepare and you know who your opponent is.
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  Speaker 2: Right so they have all the film on us, We
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  Speaker 2: have all the film on them. They're an excellent football
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  Speaker 2: team top to bottom, very talented, explosive, They are coached
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  Speaker 2: really well, play with great pad level, great technique and fundamentals.
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  Speaker 2: So all in all, again it's you know, at this
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  Speaker 2: time of year, you've established a identity and you have
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  Speaker 2: an opportunity to work on other things to keep evolving.
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  Speaker 2: I think we have done that on offense and have
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  Speaker 2: played really good defense, and this gives us an opportunity
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  Speaker 2: to get better and continue to evolve.
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  Speaker 1: Miami had a really struggle sluggish, struggling kind of late
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  Speaker 1: October early November, but then has really kind of kicked
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  Speaker 1: it into gear since then. You always want to be
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  Speaker 1: peaking at the end of the season and entering the playoff.
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  Speaker 1: Is that where crystal ball fields that the Hurricanes are.
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  Speaker 2: I think we were playing our best football, sir here
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  Speaker 2: at the end our last four games. And I thought
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  Speaker 2: we were playing really good at the beginning of the year.
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  Speaker 2: In the middle, we hit some we just got a
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  Speaker 2: little bit just off, you know, stagnant in a way.
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  Speaker 2: But at the same time, you know, at some things
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  Speaker 2: we've been good at, we just weren't as good. And
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  Speaker 2: so it's your job as a coach to adapt. And
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  Speaker 2: everybody just sat in there, turned up the energy, the urgency,
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  Speaker 2: and we adapted. And yeah, I do believe these last
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  Speaker 2: four weeks have been at all levels.
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  Speaker 3: I'm talking from.
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  Speaker 2: Schematically, energy, execution, the ability to play more players. A
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  Speaker 2: lot of the young guys have been playing. We've talked
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  Speaker 2: about how Carson at one point in time had a
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  Speaker 2: freshman behind them two freshman receivers out here went over there.
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  Speaker 3: So I think that's helped us a bunch.
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  Speaker 2: And I just think the confidence of our team has
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  Speaker 2: really grown strong with the past several weeks.
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  Speaker 1: Here's another one, sort of on that same topic, the
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  Speaker 1: Hurricanes finishing the year strong. They had four straight wins
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  Speaker 1: to stay in the College Football playoff conversation after they
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  Speaker 1: had losses to Louisville and SMU in a three week span.
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  Speaker 1: So what does it say about the team that they
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  Speaker 1: were able to bounce back after those losses.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, they exercise one of the greatest things we have,
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  Speaker 2: one of the most powerful things we have, the power
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  Speaker 2: of choice. Right, they just decided, you know what, that's
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  Speaker 2: we know who we are. We have shown it this
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  Speaker 2: season very recently, and we're gonna We're going to do
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  Speaker 2: it again. And I mean, collectively, the leadership is really
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  Speaker 2: really strong. It's not like there's one vocal leader that's
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  Speaker 2: common during the whole thing. So what you've seen is
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  Speaker 2: a team that has a super high care factor.
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  Speaker 3: They really love being.
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  Speaker 2: Around each other, and they have an incredible driven mentality
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  Speaker 2: to win and succeed and do right by each other.
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  Speaker 2: So all that stuff is strong and all that being said,
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  Speaker 2: all they want to do is right now is get
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  Speaker 2: back to work. I think that mentality quickly shifted from
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  Speaker 2: being excited about being selected to let's get to work.
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  Speaker 2: You know, we're playing a great opponent. We have to
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  Speaker 2: be at our very very best when we head over
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  Speaker 2: to College Station, and a ton of respect for them because, again,
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  Speaker 2: like we mentioned earlier, if they do have some really,
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  Speaker 2: really good football players.
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  Speaker 1: One of the great things about the first round of
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  Speaker 1: the college football Playoff now is you get those on
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  Speaker 1: campus atmospheres and you get to see teams that don't
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  Speaker 1: necessarily always play Now Texas A and m and Miami
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  Speaker 1: they just played a home and home a couple of
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  Speaker 1: years ago, so this is not a unique series. But
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  Speaker 1: it is going to be a great atmosphere, and that's
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  Speaker 1: something that christ of Ball knows all about from a
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  Speaker 1: few previous trips to Kyle Field and.
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  Speaker 2: One of the best atmospheres in all of college football
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  Speaker 2: or pro football.
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  Speaker 3: I imagine.
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  Speaker 2: I mean I've been there actually four times, once here
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  Speaker 2: at Miami, once when I was at FIU, twice at
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  Speaker 2: the University of Alabama, so have been there four times,
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  Speaker 2: and all four times it's a maniacal scene, right.
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  Speaker 3: Great support, extremely loud. Certainly they do a great job.
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  Speaker 3: What can you say.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, it's very well documented. So again, preparation has
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  Speaker 2: to be at its best.
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  Speaker 1: Crystal Ball, I'm sure we'll remember, was the head coach
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  Speaker 1: of Oregon when they won at Ohio State in twenty
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  Speaker 1: twenty one. And of course he just mentioned going to
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  Speaker 1: Texas A and M and winning when he was at Alabama.
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  Speaker 1: So what is the key to winning a game on
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  Speaker 1: the road in an atmosphere like that.
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  Speaker 2: Well, I think the key to any game, you know,
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  Speaker 2: And there's a lot of stuff that people talk about,
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  Speaker 2: and I think you hear coach talk all the time
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  Speaker 2: again and again again, the same stuff. When it comes
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  Speaker 2: down to these type of games that have a different
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  Speaker 2: level intensity, being that it's you know, win or go home.
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  Speaker 2: It all comes down to execution, it does. And that's
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  Speaker 2: a culmination of everything you've been dowing, not just during
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  Speaker 2: the week or you know that day before that free
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  Speaker 2: game speech, it's what you've been doing since January. You
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  Speaker 2: want all that to show up in a good way
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  Speaker 2: on the field, you know, against great, great players and
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  Speaker 2: a great team. So I do think it comes down
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  Speaker 2: to that there's a lot of things that go into that.
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  Speaker 2: I won't you know, certainly waste the months of the
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  Speaker 2: time with that, but executions.
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  Speaker 3: At a premium.
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  Speaker 1: Miami's defense has really helped carry the team this year.
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  Speaker 1: They are sixth in the country in scoring defense, tenth
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  Speaker 1: in yards for rush allowed, eleventh in yards for pass allowed.
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  Speaker 1: Really pretty solid all around. So why has the defense
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  Speaker 1: been so successful this season?
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  Speaker 2: Stomatically sound, I would say, first and foremost a four
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  Speaker 2: down front. You know, primarily we showed some you know,
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  Speaker 2: primarily field under, but we do jump into the overfront
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  Speaker 2: that even in front a bunch. I think that communication
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  Speaker 2: at the at the top of the priority list that
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  Speaker 2: was number one. In fact, the few times that we
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  Speaker 2: haven't you know, been successful or lack of communication. But
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  Speaker 2: I think communication has been ramped up to a level
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  Speaker 2: because the level of teaching by the coaches, the level
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  Speaker 2: of understanding by the players has really been elevated. I
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  Speaker 2: think leadership energy as it relates to practice and preparation
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  Speaker 2: has solely has taken a drastic has gone or has
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  Speaker 2: been drastically improved. I should say, I think the amount
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  Speaker 2: of time invested in tackling has helped us a bunch
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  Speaker 2: as well. Last year we were we had a significant.
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  Speaker 3: Amount of mistackles. We've improved in that area a ton.
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  Speaker 2: I think block destruction has improved for us as well,
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  Speaker 2: the use of our hands and making sure that our
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  Speaker 2: feet in the ground and that our hands are inside
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  Speaker 2: and being able to again shed blockers and be able
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  Speaker 2: to leverage the football. I think if you watch this
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  Speaker 2: this year, I think the guys that are playing understand
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  Speaker 2: a little bit better or a lot better, but the
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  Speaker 2: guy next to him is doing if that makes sense.
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  Speaker 2: So just a schematic understanding to be able to play
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  Speaker 2: within the system. You know that words often thrown out
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  Speaker 2: the system. The system, well, if you're systematic, it all
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  Speaker 2: works together. The pieces worked a lot better collectively this
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  Speaker 2: year than they did last year. And again we also
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  Speaker 2: had you had to some really good pieces. I mean,
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  Speaker 2: the safety position took a dramatic uptick. Right, who else
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  Speaker 2: Guys like Mo Moo came in did a great job.
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  Speaker 2: Case we miss Kiko, right, Kiko is a great player,
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  Speaker 2: hard to replace. Guy Mo's come in and gotten great
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  Speaker 2: snaps from the rest of the linebackers and Popo and
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  Speaker 2: Chase and.
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  Speaker 3: I could go on and on, but there's a lot.
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  Speaker 2: I think it does start with two things, the hiring
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  Speaker 2: of coach Heatherman, the rest of the assistant coaches, but
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  Speaker 2: the players buying in to a guy that has no
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  Speaker 2: Miami ties but quickly established himself as a very knowledgeable
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  Speaker 2: person with a very high care factor and a ridiculous
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  Speaker 2: amount of intensity.
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  Speaker 1: This next question was about Miami quarterback Carson Beck and
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  Speaker 1: his experience in big games, especially when he was with Georgia,
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  Speaker 1: and how that sort of his experience is not only
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  Speaker 1: in those games, but also preparing for those games. How
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  Speaker 1: that has helped this my team. Now this answer, it
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  Speaker 1: kind of goes all over the place.
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  Speaker 2: Well, his leadership and his experience certainly is invaluable. I
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  Speaker 2: also think it's a point to point out that he's
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  Speaker 2: surrounded by guys with a lot of experience as well. Right,
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  Speaker 2: you have James Brockermeier right got a ton of experience,
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  Speaker 2: Mark Pleasure behind him a ton of experience cc and
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  Speaker 2: is right over here you got.
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  Speaker 3: Samson and Matt McCoy.
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  Speaker 2: I mean we often take for granted Markel Bell it
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  Speaker 2: hasn't been a ton at this level, but with all
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  Speaker 2: the games we played in last year, are now twelve
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  Speaker 2: more games this year.
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  Speaker 3: That's a lot of experience.
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  Speaker 2: And when you flip over on the other side, I
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  Speaker 2: mean you have a lot of upperclassmen, a lot of
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  Speaker 2: senior leadership, especially the safety position on the edges. Reuben
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  Speaker 2: is a junior but plays like a six year senior, right,
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  Speaker 2: A Keen mesidor certainly guy like David Blay who we
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  Speaker 2: is we expects to be fully healthy by the time
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  Speaker 2: we get going again.
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  Speaker 3: Mo. I mean, the list goes on and on and on.
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  Speaker 2: So I think we're excited about the fact that you know,
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  Speaker 2: when you have to walk into places like this that
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  Speaker 2: have great environments for whatnot, that your upperclassmen with experience
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  Speaker 2: could certainly take a more significant lead role.
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  Speaker 1: And the last one from Chris de Baul just getting
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  Speaker 1: his early impressions of Marcel Reid, who is quite a
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  Speaker 1: runner and quite a thrower as the quarterback for Texas A.
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  Speaker 2: And m Yeah, nobody's really stopped him this year. I mean,
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  Speaker 2: you said it right correctly.
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  Speaker 3: He is.
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  Speaker 2: He's a true dual threat guy, but he could very
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  Speaker 2: easily be one or the other at the highest level
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  Speaker 2: at any point in time in the game. And his
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  Speaker 2: ability to extend plays, improvise, he can do it as
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  Speaker 2: a dropback passer. He could do it as a dual
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  Speaker 2: threat guy and stretch run it option run at triple option,
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  Speaker 2: it design quarterback runs to break contain and head downfield,
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  Speaker 2: or just extend a play and find somebody open down
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  Speaker 2: the field. Very strong arm, very accurate, tremendous competitor, probably
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  Speaker 2: the part that sticks out the most. A lot of
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  Speaker 2: guys have athletic traits like that, but what sticks out
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  Speaker 2: about him is he just does allow the previous play
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  Speaker 2: to affect them. He just rolls, and he's been one
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  Speaker 2: of the biggest factors in their surge this season.
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  Speaker 3: I think he should be one of the Heisman finalists.
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  Speaker 1: You heard him kind of stumping for Reed as one
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  Speaker 1: of the Heisman finalists. Those Heisman finalists have come out
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  Speaker 1: since that press conference, Marcel Reed is not one of them.
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  Speaker 1: The four finalists Fernando Mendoza, the Indiana quarterback, Jeremiah Love,
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  Speaker 1: the Notre Dame running back, Diego Pavia the Vanderbilt quarterback,
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  Speaker 1: and of course Ohio State quarterback Julian Saying, we're actually
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  Speaker 1: talking to say and about that at noon on Wednesday,
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  Speaker 1: So go ahead and pencil that into your calendars. We'll
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  Speaker 1: have a little bit of a live stream, live press
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  Speaker 1: conference with Julian Say and talking about the Heisman, I'm sure,
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  Speaker 1: talking quite a bit about the Indiana game and now
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  Speaker 1: looking forward to the college football playoff and what they
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  Speaker 1: need to work on as they count down the days
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  Speaker 1: to New Year's Eve in Arlington. We'll be streaming that
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  Speaker 1: live Wednesday at noon. You can find that on our
• 12:55
  Speaker 1: YouTube channel at YouTube dot com slash Bucket Huddle. This
• 12:58
  Speaker 1: is a great time to make sure you were subscribed
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: there as well, and also make sure you join us
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: at Buckey Huddle dot com. That's where we got our
• 13:03
  Speaker 1: whole team covering the Buckeyes, covering fruit and covering X's
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: nose and more all at Buckeye Huddle dot com. That'll
• 13:09
  Speaker 1: do it for today. Thank you guys all for joining us.
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  Speaker 1: Have a great day. We'll talk to you tomorrow.