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Egg Bowl Preview with Steve Robertson · Johnny's World

• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: All right, welcome back to a brand new episode of the Johnny's World Podcast.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: Is Johnny here?
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: Eggball week is coming up.
• 0:31
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• 0:33
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• 0:39
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• 0:45
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• 0:48
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• 0:58
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• 1:03
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• 1:04
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• 1:10
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• 1:15
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• 1:25
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• 1:32
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• 1:37
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• 1:48
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• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: Um today's show is uh we we got a great great uh everyone knows who this is, and he's a good friend and host and friend of mine and friend of everybody's in Star Vegas, Mississippi.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: So Steve Robertson, welcome back to Johnny's World.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: Appreciate you coming on, man.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, man, it's good to be with you, especially uh Rivalry Week.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_03: I get a lot of these requests, as you could imagine, you know.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_03: So uh you know, I've had a little bit to to do with the rivalry over the years, so I'm happy to be here.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, you have.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: I I couldn't think of a better guest to have on for Rivalry Week than than than uh Steve.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: So uh Steve, tell everybody, uh I guess just before we dive into it, uh just talk a little bit about your thoughts on the season this for.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: I know we've had you have so many people complaining and mad and everything.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: And and heck, I'll I'm not gonna admit, I'm I've been one of them.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: But also, you got to look at on the bright side of things is compared to last year where we're getting blown out in these games, we've been right there at the end and we've been fighting.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: So that's improvement.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: But what's your take on the season, you think?
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_03: Well, people are mad because they care.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_03: It comes from a good place.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_03: I tell people that all the time.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, you know, we all handle frustration differently.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_03: You know, I'm a little more stoic than most around you guys.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, but I mean, I I'm just as aggravated as you guys when we don't win.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_03: But we have made progress.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, we have been very close to having a couple of huge wins.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_03: As you guys know, we should have beat Texas, we probably should have beat Tennessee, uh, should have beat Florida.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_03: And I think, as you mentioned, maybe it shows the maturation.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_03: Well, last year we were just kind of at the mercy of our opponents.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_03: This year, we've made some mistakes that we should be able to correct.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_03: We've been able to compete from a personnel standpoint for the most part.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_03: Last couple weeks have been a little difficult because we've had difficulty stopping the run.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_03: But to think that it goes down to one or two plays in those three ball games, I think really is a testament to Jeff Labby that how far the program has come in year two over year one.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um now, you know, the big issue in Starville is the quarterback issue.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: It seems like it's always always a quarterback issue when it comes down to uh Kamara Taylor.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: I know you've been covering him since he was uh young at Knoxby.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, Gaza Stud, he's a future Mississippi State, and then you got Blake Chapin, uh veteran quarterback.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, he's had his struggles, but what's your take on the quarterback situation?
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: I know everybody wants to hear hear about that.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_03: Well, you know, I I'm not in practice every day, and uh neither are these walk-on message board social media, Facebook experts.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_03: Like I so I don't know what Jeff Levy sees every day.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know what Jeff Levy's expectations are to run this offense.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, as far as I know, I mean, he may have Camario running a dozen plays or so and just making sure that he's running those at a high level of proficiency.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_03: Maybe that's part of his development plan.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_03: But we've all seen what Camario has been able to do on the field, you know.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, I think he is the guy, when things break down, he can improvise and go make a positive play for you.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_03: I think Blake struggles at times with that, obviously.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_03: Uh but you know, Blake can run the full confidence of the offense.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_03: And I think sometimes people forget, at the end of the day, I don't think our quarterback situation is as bad as some suggest.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_03: Quarterback gets too much of the credit, too much of the blame.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_03: Our offensive line play has been terrible in the second half of the season.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_03: And it I don't care if you got Dak back there trying to unite us, when you can't block, you can't beat people off your quarterback.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_03: And so I think it's a combination of both.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_03: Blake is somewhat limited in some of the things that he can do.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_03: Camario is a little bit limited in what he knows about the offense and college football, but it doesn't matter which of those guys are back there if the offensive line can't block at a higher level.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_03: And that's what we struggled with.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_03: And hopefully having an open date and having Albert Reese back at right tackle, hopefully we can do a good job protecting against the Ole Miss Rebels.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you mentioned Albert Reese.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: Talked about what what an impact.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, having that guy, I mean, he's he's a beast.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: And and obviously, with him with him not being in there, you can see what's happened.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: Just talk about Albert Reese, what he means to that offensive line.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, he's the state's best offensive lineman.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_03: I don't think there's any question.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_03: And if you had any debate about that, just look at the games that he hadn't played in.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_03: You know, even look like against Missouri, you start him at left guard, you can't get a lot going offensively.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_03: You slide him out to right tackle, even though he's not quite 100%, and all of a sudden things kind of click for you a little bit.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but I think that's really maybe you know, looking at it at 30,000 square feet, losing one lineman should not wreck the offense.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_03: And and that's kind of how it feels.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_03: When Reese is in the game, you're somewhat of a competitive offense in most games.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_03: When he's not in there, there's free runners to the quarterback uh all the time.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_03: And I think that's the issue Mississippi State has to address in the portal.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_03: You cannot be so incredibly reliant on one offensive lineman that when he's out of the game, your cohesion and chemistry are just completely shy.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Steve, what about the run game?
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_00: I know last game, uh, I saw that.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: You saw that on Facebook.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: People posting the images that Blake Champ had more carries than Booth and Bothwell.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, what what what's your take on that?
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_00: Like, how how can we get Booth and Bothwell more into the game?
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, they're studs, both of them are running back.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: Was it just who we were playing?
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_00: Do you think we'll be able to do that against Holmes or what?
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it was more opponent-specific.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_03: And I asked Lobby about that in post-game because I was curious too.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_03: I was like, what are we doing?
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_03: What are we doing?
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_03: You know, as I mentioned, I get frustrated just like you guys do.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_03: I just don't know what I don't go have diarrhea of the keyboard on Twitter.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_03: But I wanted to know, and that's the position that I'm in.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I'm your advocate, right?
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I'm in post-game asking the questions that you guys want answers to.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm like, what's the deal with this?
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_03: And he said, Well, we we saw some things on tape, but we thought they would be somewhat susceptible to the quarterback run.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_03: And in some respects, they were.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_03: You know, I mean, and that's the thing, too.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_03: I kind of go back to about this whole uh shaping uh Camario thing.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_03: You put Camario in the game and you start running some quarterback runs, he gets you first and goal at the five, and he takes you out of the game, you know.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_03: And uh yeah, I don't understand the thought process behind that, and that's up to Labby, but and ultimately, ironically, you score on a quarterback run with shaping.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_03: You know, my my thing is if you do get if you're gonna run quarterback power, then maybe put Camario in the ball game.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_03: But um, you know, Labby's doing the best he can.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_03: I'm a Jeff Levy supporter, and I'm a Mississippi State guy, you know.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_03: So I want all of our coaches to do well.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_03: I don't need to be right, I just want to win, right?
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_03: And I think that's where the disconnect comes sometimes within the fan base.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_03: People want to be able to say, I told you so.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_03: I just want to win ball games.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_03: I go to a bowl game.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_03: I want to contend for the FBS playoff in years to come.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_03: I want to compete for an SEC championship.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_03: I'm not satisfied just going to you know, going to Birmingham or going to a Tennessee bowl game.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, this year I'll be thrilled to go if we get that opportunity, but that's not what we aspire to be.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_03: We want to be a championship level program.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_03: We want to be able to compete for things of significance.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_03: And so I don't need to come back later and say I told you so.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_03: I just want us all to celebrate victories and hopefully we can get one this Friday against the oldness rebels.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_00: All right, look, let's talk about those guys.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: I know we don't know we don't like them, and and they're they're coming coming to our place.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_00: And uh I mean, you gotta give them props this year.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_00: They they played a heck of a season and they're they're in position to get into the playoffs, and I can't think of anything better than the spoiler season and the egg bowl.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_00: But what's your take on their old Miss Rebels and all this mess going on with Lane Kiffin?
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, just distractions.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I I feel like personally, I feel like I know I know they're they're a talented team, but distractions going on.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: We got a good chance to slip up on them.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_00: But what's your take?
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, well, the first thing I'll say is I believe this is probably Lane Kiffen's best coaching job of his career.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_03: Uh it was expected to be kind of a rebuilding year, maybe go eight and four, seven and five.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_03: And uh, what do you know?
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_03: He gets a Division II quarterback out of Fair Estate and Trinidad, and now the guy's kind of a dark horse in a Heisman discussion.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_03: He won't win it.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_03: But uh the fact that Lane Kippen could lose basically lose his starting quarterback in week two, and then here be 10 and 1 heading into the egg bowl is a tremendous accomplishment.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_03: And anybody to say otherwise is just being disingenuous.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_03: Now the schedule kind of worked in their favor, but you know what?
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_03: They don't pick their SEC schedule, right?
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_03: And so that's where we are.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, I do think it's somewhat reminiscent of the Florida game.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, you know, Florida, obviously, everybody knew Billy Napier was being reported.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_03: He was gonna be out, win or lose against state.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_03: This, I think, is that on steroids because they have a playoff, right?
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_03: The Florida players, I think for the most part, kind of felt like this season's not gonna go the way we wanted it to go.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_03: And I think in some respects, they were a little bit checked out.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_03: If you're old miss, it's like we get a win against Mississippi State, there's no way they can keep us out of playoffs.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_03: If we lose to Mississippi State in our coach leaves, they may not take us in the playoffs, which would be a nightmare situation for them.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, probably wouldn't sell 10,000 bowl tickets to go somewhere else.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, some people would be so incredibly disgusted.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but yeah, it's it's definitely a distraction.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_03: And I think part of it too is I don't think Billy Napier sought the attention.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_03: I believe Lane Kiffin does.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_03: I think Lane likes seeing his name in the paper.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and to be fair, you know, as much as we're bitter rivals, what he is doing to Old Miss is incredibly cool.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I I don't think it's right.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_03: I think I don't know that it's been handled well at all by anybody.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_03: And you think about the statement that Keith Carter released on Friday, it's like, I know they wanted to say, hey, we've got an announcement, he's coming back, everything is great, buy your tickets to the egg bowl.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_03: That's not what they came out with.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_03: So we're not gonna make any more statements until after the egg bowl.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_03: I think it just demoralizes the old miss fan base.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_03: And um, I've got some old miss people that are texting me saying, I hope that you guys beat Ole Miss in the egg bowl because I don't want Lane Kiffin to win his last game at Ole Miss.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, that's how bitter this thing has become.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_03: So if you're Mississippi State, you just gotta keep be about your business, keep practicing, just be quiet, let them stay in the headlines, don't say anything, just let them do what they're dealing with, and hopefully you can find a way to get a win next Friday.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_00: Do you think uh what's your thoughts on this?
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I mean, do you think this is Jimmy Sexton doing this?
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_00: You think this is Lane Kippin mixture of both?
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_00: Do you even think Lane knows where he's going?
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_00: What's your opinion on all that?
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_00: On all that's right.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I mean, Jimmy Sexton's the best sports agent in college athletics.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I think that's fair to say.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but no, I don't think he's orchestrated the circus.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, it's his job to get the best deal for his client.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, that's what he's supposed to do.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_03: He's supposed to get as much money from whoever's willing to write the check as his client wants to go to.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_03: That's his job in this process.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_03: I think a lot of this, you know, the tweets, like Lane Kippen, you know, sending these things out.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_03: And I don't know how true a lot of this stuff is.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_03: They say Knox Kippen showed up with like LSU headphones on and things like that.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_03: How much of that's true?
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_03: But I know what Lane has tweeted out, and um, it just kind of seems to me that he's being a little bit silly about all this at the expense of a relationship with a fan base, it's been very supportive of him.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, do you have uh what I guess uh do you think he's gonna stay?
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_00: Do you think he's gonna go LSU, Florida?
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_00: What do you what do you personally think?
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_03: Uh right as of right now, I think he's going to LSU.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_03: And uh the thing that I go back to with that statement from Keith Carter, if they had good news to report, they would have said that.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_03: And I and to be honest with you, if you didn't have good news, I I think you're best not even making a statement.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_03: Because if you look at the old Miss social media traffic today, look at the message boards, they don't even want to play the game.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, like people are just really, really frustrated, and rightfully so, right?
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, they feel like they've been betrayed and they've been very loyal to him.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, and it's kind of a slap in the face.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_03: And so, you know, as much as we don't like those guys, there's the human aspect of this.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_03: It's kind of it's it's kind of like what we went through with Dan Mullen over and over and over again.
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_03: And now it's happened to them.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_03: But I think that you know, the stage is even grander because they're projected to be in the 12-team playoff.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_03: You know, we were thinking, hey, if Mullen returns in 18, we got a chance to go to Atlanta, you know, get a great team available.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_03: And we feel like that was a lost opportunity.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_03: But it's not anything, I think, on par with what Ole Miss is dealing with right now.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_03: It's somewhat similar, but the stakes are higher.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I remember everybody talking about in 17, how Mullen was checked out on that egg ball and and and we lose it.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_00: Uh we can only hope that Kiffin's the same way, checked out his mind on all that, and that and then we can sneak up and and beat him.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_00: Uh say he does leave, Steve, say he does go to LSQ.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_00: How does that affect the say uh the playoffs?
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_00: Say they do end up getting a win of it and he leaves.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_00: Who do they have an interim coach, you think, that that coaches the game or get him in the?
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, what happens?
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_00: It just seems like it's a circus.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I I was told yesterday that that uh if he goes follow signs his contract with LSU, and maybe he has, as far as we know.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_03: Who knows?
• 15:26
  unknown: Right.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_03: I tell he's gonna coach the egg, but not the CFP.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_03: A lot of people think that Joe Judge, former Mississippi State player and former Newland Patriots assistant, Giants head coach, would would uh lead the team during the interim period.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_03: And that makes a lot of sense too, because you know, he knows the personnel, he knows the staff, you can kind of keep people engaged.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, I I don't know that Joe gets that job.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_03: I uh John Sumerall is a name you continue to hear.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_03: If I'm Auburn and John Cohen, if you want John Sumrol, you got to get him locked up sooner rather than later.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, if not, he'll be at Oxford, I think.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_03: You know, he spent some time there, obviously.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_03: And so uh it'll be an interesting dynamic.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, at the end of the day, I just want to win the egg bowl and then go to a bowl game somewhere, and then I don't really care what they do.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely, absolutely.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_00: And well, I think we can squash the the uh running it back with freeze and mulling.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_00: Those days are over with, you know.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_00: The yeah, I see you on the the people on the fam on the message board fan pages always say Facebook, hey, bring them back, bring them back.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_00: That ain't happening.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_00: They they're not getting they're not touching Hugh Freeze, and obviously we're not with Mullen, they just need to move on from all that.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_00: What are your thoughts on that?
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_03: Well, I think it probably means a lot of people's ex-girlfriends get a lot of unsolicited DMs.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, you know, like, hey, let's give it another shot.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_03: I miss you.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_03: You know, that's what happened all the time.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_03: You know, I mean, come come on, have some bag bump, you know.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_03: Uh I don't ever think we should go backwards.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_03: And I I just that's my my honest opinion.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_03: And let's not forget the fact Dan Mowen left us.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_03: Right?
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_03: Hugh Freeze got fired at all mess, and rightfully so.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_03: He resigned officially, but they weren't gonna bring him back.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_03: But Dan Mowen left us during the best of times, right?
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_03: We were set up to truly compete for an SEC West championship in 2018, and he chose to leave.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_03: And I hadn't forgotten that.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_03: People like, oh, all's forgiven, all's forgiven, you know.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_03: So he comes back and the next thing you know, he wins a couple years and then he's gone.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_03: You know, I mean it's like you know, I don't think people change their method of doing things very often, right?
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_03: Unless there's been some there's like some humbling thing.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_03: I mean Dan did a great job in Florida until he didn't, you know.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_03: I'd still like to know what happened in that final season, but um it doesn't make a lot of sense.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_03: A guy wins the SEC East and plays and nearly beats Alabama for a conference championship and then he's gone next year.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, it's just weird to me.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_03: But no, I mean you can't do that.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, you know, it's like I mean, come on, you know, and like the this whole self-loathing segment of our fan base really holds us back.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_03: You know, it's like I I see people go out there and you know, like you you post an article and you know somebody's immediately got something negative to say, whether it has any bearing on the article or not.
• 18:13
  unknown: Right.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_03: If you want to make a comment and get their hot take out there and get their friends to laugh, listen, I love Mississippi State.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_03: I'm never gonna make fun of Mississippi.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_03: Never.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_03: I'm never gonna do that because I'm a Mississippi State guy through and through.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_03: I don't need my old mess friends to laugh at my little memes and jokes and things like that.
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_03: I'm never gonna make an insult at Mississippi State to make myself feel better.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_03: I want Mississippi State to win.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_03: I'm believe Mississippi State is capable of great things.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_03: I'm not one of these poor old state people that think we just need to be happy to beat on Miss and go to a bowl game every other year.
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_03: I think Mississippi State is capable of much more than that.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_03: And uh, I think you're gonna see that on the baseball front.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_03: I know we're kind of struggling on the men's basketball front right now, but Chris Jans is taking us at three straight tournaments, and that that's a guy I think he'll figure it out, you know.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, all this other stuff, you know, all this oh, woe is me.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_03: That man, that's stuff that ain't helpful to anybody.
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_00: No, she mentioned basketball and baseball.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_00: Let's get on those topics real quick.
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, basketball, like you said, they're struggling.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's crazy.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_00: Like you you sign on a Facebook.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_00: I saw someone last night, fire crystal.
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, Are you kidding me?
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_00: Like, dude, I mean, it's just insane.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_00: People say stuff.
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_00: You know, the team obviously going in and you get Josh Hubbard and Sean Jones and just all these new guys on the team.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_00: Do you think, in my opinion, I think it's just gonna take a little time for these guys to get together, work, and play?
• 19:37
  SPEAKER_00: It's the first time that uh they're all together as a team.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I know you you want to win these games before the conference season starts, and it's tough losing losing them before, but we're playing good competition.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_00: We're not playing cupcake teams.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_00: What are your thoughts on that?
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_00: You think we can turn around to SEC play?
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_00: Uh do you think it's a little bit of the new guys coming in, or what's your take on the men's team?
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_03: Well, I think it's all the above.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I think it is a lot of new faces, and and we've had some good portal hits and we've had some misses.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, like the Kanye Clary situation last year.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, go back to Stevenson the year before.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, we we have not been a hundred percent hit rate on any of this portal class, you know, uh since it all started.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_03: But uh, but Chris Jans didn't forget how to coach.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_03: Uh Epps is finally getting healthy again, and he's been really good the last two ball games.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_03: So I think he's the guy that can give us a spark.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, what we're struggling is handling the basketball in defense, right?
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_03: And so Chris Jans is a defensive specialist.
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_03: I firmly believe he will figure out where these guys fit defensively for him.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_03: If there's one thing you look at, like last year, you're like, hey, we weren't good defensively, so we prioritize that in a portal.
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_03: Jans has got to figure that aspect of it out.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, losing to New Mexico, that that's that can't happen.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, it's like you lose to Iowa State, who's a ranked team, okay.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_03: Kansas State, okay, maybe.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_03: You can't lose New Mexico.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_03: You can't be have three losses before Thanksgiving.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_03: And you know, like I saw somebody say, well, I think we're probably gonna be around 500 after non-conference play.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_03: Well, if we're 500 after non-conference play or worse, we're not making certain you might as well get ready for the NIT.
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_03: You know, we've got to make some games and win them soon because you can't limp into SEC play.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, this league is as good as it's ever been, uh, as you know.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_03: And um, you know, we've got to get some things figured out.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_03: But if anybody has earned the benefit of the doubt on this campus the last few years, it's Chris Jan.
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, we're we're we're we haven't had this much success since uh Coach Stanisburg's here 20 years ago making tournaments.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_00: So props to Chris Jans and what he's doing.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_00: Like you said, he's a defense specialist.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, his name nickname is the dentist, so I think he'll get it, he'll get it straightened down, and I think we'll we'll be uh we'll get it together.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um, all right, switching over to baseball.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_00: Man, every time I get on Twitter, I see Diamond Dogs plus.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: One.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, constantly Brian O'Connor just dominating the recruiting uh at Mississippi State.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, the expectations are sky high, which they should be.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_00: Mississippi State is a baseball school, and and everybody I know, everybody I talked to, can't wait till baseball.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_00: Can't wait till what are your thoughts on the diamond dogs this year, Steve?
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, I expect us to win big.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I think state will host a regional, yeah.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_03: I think if if the cards fall right, because you don't know what everybody else has, and you think you do, but until you see everybody, you don't know.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, but state I think has the potential to be a top eight national seed, uh, especially if they can grow up a little bit on the mound.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_03: I think offensively they'll be one of the better teams in the country.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_03: Um But yeah, I mean you you've got a non-conference schedule that is very manageable.
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_03: You know, you you you get a chance to go out to Globe Life and play some real teams out there, so you'll get a pretty good idea a couple weeks into the season.
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_03: Kind of what you look like.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_03: But um Yeah, Mississippi State was a better team than maybe we showed at times last year.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_03: And I think a lot of it's because of the dark cloud that was hanging over everybody's heads, trying to play so hard for Lamonas.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_03: Is he fired this week?
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_03: You know, um, that's been removed.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_03: And uh Brian O'Connor is all about business, he is an ultra competitive person.
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_03: Uh and those guys compete every single day.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_03: So all of a sudden, you when you get into the ball game, you're used to competing.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_03: You're primed to compete because you've competed within your own dugout.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_03: So uh I feel great about the season.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_03: I know a lot of people are just like, you know what, we finally have a coach, and this is not a shot at anybody, but we have a coach that we feel like is uh somewhat commiserate with our commitment to baseball.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_03: So you've had a guy that's been in Virginia that's that's accomplished a tremendous amount of national championship coach and been to Omaha, what, eight times, I think, during his 20 years there?
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, it's ridiculous numbers, right?
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_03: And he didn't have the resources at UVA that he has at Mississippi State.
• 23:55
  SPEAKER_03: So now what can he do, you know, with these extra resources?
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_03: And I I think that he has the potential to make Mississippi State an Omaha main state.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_03: I think he has the potential to have us hosting regionals in a regular uh frequency.
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_03: I I you know, my honest opinion, I think a rebuilding year for state is a road regional, right?
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_03: That's the way it should be.
• 24:17
  SPEAKER_03: I think we should expect to host more times than not.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_03: And like I I used to say, well, you know, it kind of hadn't been our history.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_03: A friend of mine said, When we built the ballpark, that changed.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_03: And he's right.
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_03: When we build the ballpark, the expectations hadn't changed.
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_03: And so, yeah, I I fully expect the host this year, and I think state will be in the discussion for a top eight national seed.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_03: And I think they got the potential to go to Omaha, provided they stay healthy.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_00: Well, Steve, what do you think about getting Ace Reese back?
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_00: I know that was a big, big thing, right?
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_00: When O'Connor got the job, we got to keep maintain him out.
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_00: You hear and you hear all these rumors, LSU was coming after him.
• 24:51
  SPEAKER_00: Just talk a little bit about Ace Reese coming back, how big that was, getting him back.
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_03: It was, and um, I I I don't think that story went the way that some people in national college baseball media thought it was gonna go.
• 25:03
  SPEAKER_03: You know.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_03: And I think, and I remember having these discussions with people behind the scenes.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_03: I said, You absolutely cannot let this happen.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_03: You can't go hire Brian O'Connor and get all the fans fired up and then let your star player leave.
• 25:16
  SPEAKER_03: Whatever has to be done, you gotta take care of it.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_03: And they did, right?
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_03: It it went down the way it should have.
• 25:22
  SPEAKER_03: Now Ace is back.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_03: Uh matter of fact, I talked to him at the alumni game just in passing, and he is so jacked and so ready to go.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_03: And um, you know, that whole team is thinking, you know what, we got a chance to do something really special.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, but right now the focus is to get everybody healthy, get back for the spring, let's compete, settle some roles, and then see if we can't go beat a hobster.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Steve, you mentioned the alumni game, man.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_00: That that whoever whoever put that on is just that that was awesome.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, you got 10.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_00: No one else in the country could do what we did.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_00: Have over 10,000 people for an alumni game in the fall.
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_00: And how cool was that, just having all these stars, childhood heroes, you know, Will Clark, all those guys, and then the guys uh that we recently had here that took us to Omaha win the national championship, all together in one field.
• 26:11
  SPEAKER_00: Just uh talk a little bit about that.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_00: And do you think that's gonna be a yearly occurrence?
• 26:15
  SPEAKER_00: Have you heard anything about that, or or is that a one-time thing?
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_03: No, it won't be a one-time thing.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know how often we do it.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_03: You know, one of the things is you don't want it to get stale, right?
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_03: And then don't you don't want to say, well, we'll just go next year, you know.
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_03: Um I think it was very special, uh special night to have, you know, Clark and Palmero back on campus.
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_03: Anytime that you can do that, it's great, right?
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_03: But you have the players of yesteryear out there with the players of the day, national championship players involved with the icons of our program.
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_03: But you know, you said something um nobody in the country could do this.
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_03: Now, there's a lot of conversations that we could have, and if we talked about soccer, basketball, football, I don't know that that phrase comes to mind.
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_03: Right?
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_03: But when you think about baseball, and you've said we're a baseball school, that's offensive to some people for some reason, but that's our branding.
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_03: I go to dating all the way back to 1885.
• 27:14
  SPEAKER_03: We've been a baseball school, whether like it or not, that's who we are.
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_03: If you didn't want to be in a baseball school, you should have gone somewhere else.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_03: Um but we're a baseball school, and when you look at our national branding, we're known as a baseball school.
• 27:27
  SPEAKER_03: I think the commitment that we have made now by bringing O'Connor in and then bringing in um you know the Rev Share piece of this thing.
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_03: I think in many respects, I think the Giants have been awakened.
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_03: And I think we're about to go through an unprecedented era in Mississippi State Baseball.
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_03: And so, whether you like baseball or not, you better get ready to get a bunch of MOBRS baseball caps for Christmas and things like that because we're about to do some pretty special things.
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, can't wait.
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_00: Looking forward to it.
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_00: Um, all right, Steve, going back.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna uh I'm gonna put you on the spot.
• 27:59
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna I'm gonna do it too.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_00: Uh prediction for the egg ball.
• 28:02
  SPEAKER_00: What what do you think?
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_00: Who who wins?
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_00: Score.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_00: What were your thoughts?
• 28:05
  SPEAKER_03: Man, I I've been asked that a lot.
• 28:07
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know that I can give you a good answer, but I'll tell you, I I would rather have had the week that Mississippi State has had than old mess.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_03: Um what I worry about is is we we kind of got exposed in the second half against Arizona State without Will Whitson that we really couldn't stop the run on the interior.
• 28:25
  SPEAKER_03: And then starting with Arkansas and in Georgia and Missouri, we have really struggled to set the edge.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_03: And um granted you got two weeks to work on it, but it that worries me.
• 28:35
  SPEAKER_03: With Lacey as good as he's been at Ole Miss, that worries me.
• 28:38
  SPEAKER_03: You know, if if we can go out against that secondary, if we can protect, we can pick that secondary apart.
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but hey, I'm feeling hospitable.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_03: Let let's let's take the dogs by a million, you know.
• 28:51
  SPEAKER_03: Um I think State can win this game, but they're gonna need a little help from Ole Miss.
• 28:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you know, it it it's very scary with Hardy rushing for over 300 yards.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_00: And I I don't I think Lacey might be a better back than Hardy.
• 29:05
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know, but if we can stop that run, I think that's a that's gonna be a huge key.
• 29:09
  SPEAKER_00: And that's uh I hope we can do it.
• 29:11
  SPEAKER_00: But uh I'm with you.
• 29:13
  SPEAKER_03: That's the story of the game.
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_03: That's that's the story of the game.
• 29:17
  SPEAKER_03: You're not gonna stop the run, but can you slow it down just enough to get enough stops?
• 29:22
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, I think if they can protect, I think they can make some plays against the secondary.
• 29:26
  SPEAKER_03: I I don't even worry about that aspect of it.
• 29:28
  SPEAKER_03: Uh it's just a matter of can we protect and can we slow down the running game.
• 29:32
  SPEAKER_03: If they can do those two things, it's gonna be a great holiday season.
• 29:36
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 29:37
  SPEAKER_00: You know, you hear you hear uh a lot of comparisons, uh obviously with the with the 17 game with the distractions with the coaching, but also I've heard comparisons from the 09 game when we had uh uh Ralph coming in there and Ralph and Balor just ran all over uh Ole Miss and we won.
• 29:55
  SPEAKER_00: Do you see Camario get some acts in like Ralph did at that particular time, get a lot of runs in?
• 30:01
  SPEAKER_03: Well, I I think all of it works together, right?
• 30:04
  SPEAKER_03: Uh I think you have to utilize the strengths of everybody on the team in order to go get a win like this.
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_03: The egg balls are crazy.
• 30:10
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, you know, I mean think about you know names like CJ Shamone, you know, God rest his soul, but you know, he didn't have a big career, but he had a he had a big play and a very memorable egg ball.
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_03: You know, I mean like that there are some players out there that just elevate their game in big moments.
• 30:26
  SPEAKER_03: And you and you need that to win this game, right?
• 30:29
  SPEAKER_03: You need somebody uh to just kind of come out of the woodwork and make a big play.
• 30:33
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, you I I go back to Brandon Cooper, right?
• 30:36
  SPEAKER_03: He was a you know a seldom used defensive lineman, and then 2007 Orge Ron and himself had to go for it, and you got Brandon Cooper, a guy that wasn't he supposed to be on the field, takes Michael Orr right back into Ben Jarvis Green Ellis' lap.
• 30:52
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, fourth down, and you make a play.
• 30:54
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, and the reason we remember those names is because those plays and those games mean so much to us.
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_03: And so you need somebody to kind of have that special performance, you know, where somebody just kind of steps up and does something super good.
• 31:06
  SPEAKER_00: I think of uh Nico Whitley, that name comes to mind with that egg bowl, you know.
• 31:10
  SPEAKER_00: You you're 100% right.
• 31:11
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that would be amazing if someone steps up like that.
• 31:15
  SPEAKER_00: But I'm with you, Steve.
• 31:16
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I can't I can't pick Ole Miss to beat us.
• 31:18
  SPEAKER_00: Uh we're Mississippi State guys.
• 31:19
  SPEAKER_00: We're gonna pull from Mississippi State and have our faith behind it.
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_00: And I think I think state will win.
• 31:24
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, if if uh that's a big if everything goes according to what we just talked about, and uh and that that I can't think of anything nicer, uh Steve, than Mississippi State beating Ole Miss, Lane Kiffin leaving, and it spoils their playoff, and we get into a bowl game.
• 31:39
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, that's a dream scenario for Bulldog fans right there.
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_00: And it's out there, we just got to take care of business.
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_03: Yep, you say you'll want a ballgame, simple as that.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_00: All right, Steve, well, I'll let you go.
• 31:49
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for joining me.
• 31:51
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, always a pleasure having you on and talking to Mississippi State Sports with you.
• 31:54
  SPEAKER_00: I know you uh we both share that passion for us for Mississippi State Sports.
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_00: And thank you for all you do for uh for being the voice for all of us, pretty much.
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_00: And uh can't thank you enough.
• 32:05
  SPEAKER_00: And uh uh book, uh let me ask you about that.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_00: You got any books uh coming up in the in the works?
• 32:10
  SPEAKER_03: About to start work on a children's book.
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_03: Uh that won't take too long, and then we'll get to work on another biography about a very significant Mississippi State sports figure.
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, awesome.
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_00: And Steve, I'll one of these days, one of these days, I think you'll be the perfect man to do it is to write a book on Coach Leach.
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_00: I I I just know that works.
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_00: That would be awesome.
• 32:29
  SPEAKER_00: I'd love it.
• 32:30
  SPEAKER_00: Well, uh Steve, again, thank you.
• 32:32
  SPEAKER_00: Have a great uh great Thanksgiving, and uh let's let's let's bring this uh egg bowl trophy back to start Vegas where it belongs.
• 32:39
  SPEAKER_03: Sounds great.
• 32:40
  SPEAKER_03: Have a good holiday.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_00: Bye.
• 32:43
  SPEAKER_00: All right, that was great talking to our friend uh Steve Roberts saying uh back on here with BW now.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_00: BW, how's it going today, man?
• 32:50
  SPEAKER_00: Good.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_00: I hate I missed our good friend and host, man.
• 32:53
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's been a busy hectic time trying to get in town next week for Thanksgiving and squeeze it all in.
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_01: It ain't easy.
• 33:01
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 33:01
  SPEAKER_01: We got four kiddos dealing with it too.
• 33:03
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, they got all kinds of stuff going on.
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_00: Um busy man, but uh yeah, so I had got to got to talk to our good friend host Steve today.
• 33:11
  SPEAKER_00: And man, he he was very gracious with his time to talk all Bulldog sports, man.
• 33:15
  SPEAKER_00: We we hit on uh the egg bowl, we hit on uh shaping, Camario, basketball struggles, baseball signings.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, you name it.
• 33:25
  SPEAKER_00: So uh it was really good talk.
• 33:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but really the main topic of conversation everyone wants to know here is before before the egg bowl is Lane Kiffin.
• 33:34
  SPEAKER_00: And we heard yesterday the news that on this release that he uh they they didn't agree to contract extension.
• 33:42
  SPEAKER_00: You think they would have done that now, but they said that they will make the announcement, whatever it may be, the Saturday after the egg bowl.
• 33:50
  SPEAKER_01: It makes absolutely no sense to me.
• 33:51
  SPEAKER_01: I I don't I don't know if if he's given them some kind of uh like this is what's gonna happen if we win, this is what's gonna happen if we lose.
• 34:01
  SPEAKER_01: Like, why wait?
• 34:02
  SPEAKER_01: If if he's if he's coming back, why wait?
• 34:05
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 34:06
  SPEAKER_00: I it it doesn't make sense.
• 34:07
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but you know, Land Kippen, this is right up his alley.
• 34:11
  SPEAKER_00: He loves uh loves the attention, loves the everyone talking about him.
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_00: So there's Jimmy Sexton who's behind it all, his agents.
• 34:18
  SPEAKER_00: Uh you know, did you ever Wally, did you get to watch the uh Lane Kippen documentary that came out earlier this fall?
• 34:24
  SPEAKER_00: I never watched it.
• 34:25
  SPEAKER_00: Did you watch it?
• 34:26
  SPEAKER_00: I did.
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_00: And uh the documentary, if all it says is true and he's going to LSU like everyone speculates, the documentary makes him look like a complete bald-faced liar because the documentary is pretty much talking about how he has changed his life.
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_00: Uh he talked about the whole fiasco leaving Tennessee after the press conference and going to USD and how he's matured and uh focused on his family, and everyone's at Oxford now and happy, he's content, and satisfied, and and he's where he needs to be.
• 34:58
  SPEAKER_00: So, man, if he really leaves, and that's just a slap in his face to old Mass in Oxford and everything he said that he's changed.
• 35:04
  SPEAKER_01: So um Yeah, and if he's focused on his family, I guess his family's doing the same stuff as he does.
• 35:09
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, maybe maybe that's what it means.
• 35:11
  SPEAKER_01: They're all having a big family joke.
• 35:13
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, they're all she's posted on TikTok about we got a five-hour drive to Baton Rouge, and you know, what's his son Knox is posted LSU speakers, uh headphones.
• 35:24
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, yeah.
• 35:25
  SPEAKER_00: So if man, if he's staying at Ole Miss, and this is one big complete joke, which is just like I find that just extremely hard to believe that he would do that.
• 35:34
  SPEAKER_00: But man, I wouldn't put anything past this guy, but he's creating a media circus around it.
• 35:40
  SPEAKER_00: And as Steve and I talked about, you know, this kind of reminiscence of Dan Mullen in 2017, but this is like on steroids because they have they have a playoff bird.
• 35:50
  SPEAKER_00: We we had a berth in the uh in just the bowl game, and and they have uh playoff bursts on the line, best season they've had in years, and uh this all could go up in smoke, man.
• 36:03
  SPEAKER_00: Especially the fact that you know Mullen was not checked in on that 2017 game.
• 36:08
  SPEAKER_00: He was already had his mind on where he was going.
• 36:11
  SPEAKER_00: And if the lane's the same way, man, look for the Bulldogs to get a win, you know.
• 36:15
  SPEAKER_00: Not saying we will.
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_00: We talked about that, you know.
• 36:17
  SPEAKER_00: Mod Hardy from Missouri rest for 300 yards against Mississippi State last Saturday night.
• 36:22
  SPEAKER_00: Chiron Lacey, or whatever his name is that.
• 36:25
  SPEAKER_00: Kiron Lacey.
• 36:26
  SPEAKER_00: Kiron Lacey is, I think, better running back than mod Hardy.
• 36:29
  SPEAKER_00: So that that doesn't really say anything.
• 36:32
  SPEAKER_00: Uh you got to stop the run, man.
• 36:34
  SPEAKER_00: If you stop the run, you got a chance.
• 36:37
  SPEAKER_00: Umario Blake situation, you know, that kind of, I'm sure Shapin and Levy are happy.
• 36:43
  SPEAKER_00: All this news about Kiffin is out because it's kind of pushed their situation under the rug.
• 36:48
  SPEAKER_00: People really aren't talking about it like they were.
• 36:50
  SPEAKER_00: But uh, you know, Steve said he's not out there in practice uh all the time.
• 36:55
  SPEAKER_00: So he doesn't know what Levy sees behind closed doors in Shapin, you know.
• 37:00
  SPEAKER_00: But I mean I find it hard to believe Shapin's just putting on a miraculous show in practice and not doing it in the game.
• 37:06
  SPEAKER_00: So I don't really understand why he won't play Camario.
• 37:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um, just stinks all around.
• 37:12
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I would not hope he doesn't, but I'll I mean obviously Levy's gonna be back next year, but I would hate Camario to enter the transfer portal.
• 37:20
  SPEAKER_00: They said um I heard people say he didn't look happy on the sidelines the other night.
• 37:24
  SPEAKER_00: So, and Steve asked a question about the the the stats.
• 37:29
  SPEAKER_00: He saw that that was reported that Chapin had like 16 rushes and compared to Booth and Bothwell by halftime, only had like one.
• 37:36
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, what the heck?
• 37:37
  SPEAKER_00: What can that be?
• 37:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 37:39
  SPEAKER_00: And his response, he straight up asked him because he was frustrated like all of us.
• 37:42
  SPEAKER_00: And and Levy said in his press conference that it was the the way that Missouri was set up against them playing.
• 37:49
  SPEAKER_00: But I just I man, that's so frustrating to hear that because I mean you got two stud running backs giving the ball.
• 37:55
  SPEAKER_00: I you know, obviously some of those rushes are are uh stacks uh coverage, you know.
• 38:01
  SPEAKER_00: We talked about that with Albert Reese, not having him, he's no matter you could have Dak out there and and he'd get stacked, you know.
• 38:07
  SPEAKER_00: It depends on your line protection and not having studs up there blocking for you, you're not gonna get much of a chance.
• 38:14
  SPEAKER_00: But uh so a lot of that has to do with running on those, but the straight-up power quarterback power runs with shaping, it's just stupid, man.
• 38:23
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you got Camario to do that.
• 38:25
  SPEAKER_00: That's why you have that guy.
• 38:26
  SPEAKER_00: So uh I don't know, man.
• 38:28
  SPEAKER_00: I don't really know what to say about that, but just frustrating.
• 38:31
  SPEAKER_00: I know the whole fan base was wanting Camario to start.
• 38:34
  SPEAKER_00: Levy could have made a statement and said, you know, we're starting Camario in this game, and I think everyone would have been on board.
• 38:39
  SPEAKER_00: Now he's just kind of dug himself a hole starting shaping, and if Shapin does terrible again, we get blown out.
• 38:45
  SPEAKER_00: You're going into year three of Levy, kind of like what what I was talking about before, you know.
• 38:49
  SPEAKER_00: Luckily we beat Arkansas, but I mean, what is that really at the end of the day?
• 38:53
  SPEAKER_00: You you got one SEC win in two years, it's still not good.
• 38:57
  SPEAKER_00: So I don't know, man.
• 38:58
  SPEAKER_00: Uh a lot could happen, but he could really best case scenario for Levy and Mississippi State is somehow sneak up and win this game, and then Lane leaves to go to LSU and they keep all miss out of the playoffs.
• 39:10
  SPEAKER_00: But, you know, they could do that too, because if you think back to Florida State two years ago, though they had only lost what one game, and then and then their uh starting quarterback got hurt and they kept them out of the 14 playoff because they said that wasn't the same team that the or did they even I don't remember if they went undefeated or lost one game, but that wasn't the same team that won all those games.
• 39:31
  SPEAKER_00: So the committee could look at a 12-team playoff and be like, hey, look, this whole missed team is not the same team that was coached by Lane Kiffin.
• 39:37
  SPEAKER_00: So and they just lost to uh Mississippi State, who is at the bottom of the conference, so they could keep them out.
• 39:44
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of riding on this game, man.
• 39:46
  SPEAKER_01: It's crazy.
• 39:47
  SPEAKER_01: It is absolutely crazy.
• 39:49
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 39:49
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I just don't know what to think anymore.
• 39:52
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's uh it's kind of mind-blowing, just the whole the way the whole thing is set up.
• 39:58
  SPEAKER_01: Nothing Levy has said has has given me any kind of like hope about anything.
• 40:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um I I've tried to give them the benefit of the doubt, but man, I mean, it just stubborn is he stubborn as anything.
• 40:11
  SPEAKER_00: He seemed stubborn and bullheaded.
• 40:12
  SPEAKER_00: I remember yeah back in the day, Kroom and uh you remember Kroom's offensive coordinator was Woody McCorvey.
• 40:18
  SPEAKER_00: Everyone was uh griping, complaining about Woody McCorvey that Kroom needed to make a change and all that sort of stuff, and uh he never would.
• 40:26
  SPEAKER_00: And then he had Moorhead, he was similar to that, just uh just stubborn, and it's my way, my way, my way.
• 40:32
  SPEAKER_00: Well, man, sometimes your way doesn't work.
• 40:34
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes you have to make adjustments and change.
• 40:36
  SPEAKER_00: That's what and I've just kept saying, I said that last week on the pod, that there's someone there, he needs like, I mean, he's a first-time head coach.
• 40:44
  SPEAKER_00: Believe he's over his head.
• 40:45
  SPEAKER_00: He needs someone who's experienced on the staff.
• 40:48
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm hoping that on the offseason, somehow, some way, someone could tell him that you need to bring someone in who's a former coach or had some type of experience to help him because he's just he's over his head right now.
• 41:01
  SPEAKER_00: And I mean, he doesn't really understand.
• 41:04
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, like he's never been a head coach, and he's dead set on his way or the highway, and it's just not working.
• 41:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I don't know.
• 41:12
  SPEAKER_00: You're exactly right.
• 41:13
  SPEAKER_00: But but shaping, I don't know what the deal is, what he has over Shapin, why.
• 41:18
  SPEAKER_00: You know, back in the day it's always been like, yeah, you got to give seniority the the the the quarterback, you know, always it's what they say, the backup quarterback is the uh fan's favorite player because you always want to men.
• 41:29
  SPEAKER_00: But and and it's always been like that.
• 41:31
  SPEAKER_00: Like seniority always wins everything.
• 41:33
  SPEAKER_00: But man, in this day and age, I mean, look what Auburn's doing.
• 41:36
  SPEAKER_00: Jackson Arnold, the guy they got in from the transfer portal, which we we thought Levy was gonna get.
• 41:41
  SPEAKER_00: Thank God he didn't get him.
• 41:42
  SPEAKER_00: But he's not even starting the Iron Bowl, they're starting someone else.
• 41:46
  SPEAKER_00: So, I mean, this day and age, sonority doesn't really matter.
• 41:49
  SPEAKER_00: It puts on who you put in who wins the game.
• 41:52
  SPEAKER_00: So I don't understand what his deal is with Shapin, but he Shapin's uh one more year.
• 41:57
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, not one more year.
• 41:58
  SPEAKER_00: Like everyone said he had one more year.
• 42:00
  SPEAKER_00: He doesn't.
• 42:00
  SPEAKER_00: This is his last game, so he's gone.
• 42:02
  SPEAKER_00: So um Camaro is the future, but you better hope that that future doesn't transfer.
• 42:08
  SPEAKER_00: Better hope Camaro stays.
• 42:10
  SPEAKER_00: And um anyway, I asked Steve about the 09 egg bowl.
• 42:14
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we had we had uh uh Tyson Lee was our quarterback in 09, and Mullen benched him and went with Chris Ralph in the 09 egg bowl.
• 42:22
  SPEAKER_00: And Ralph and uh uh Booby Dixon, not Ballard was at 10, Booby Dixon was nine.
• 42:29
  SPEAKER_00: They ran all over Ole Miss, quarterback options and uh run in and everything.
• 42:34
  SPEAKER_00: So it's set up to where you know you can do that with Kamario and Booth and Bothwell, but I don't know what it what he's gonna do, but doesn't give me much confidence, uh especially if, you know, in Mississippi State has opened every season, every game this season, pretty much with an opening drive, a touchdown drive.
• 42:50
  SPEAKER_00: They did it against Georgia, did it against Florida, all these teams.
• 42:53
  SPEAKER_00: So I can see them coming out and scoring a touchdown, but man, if they get behind and by more by uh just create a big hole, and shaping's still in there, it's just it's gonna get ugly.
• 43:05
  SPEAKER_00: And he can't make penalties.
• 43:06
  SPEAKER_00: We we make a lot of penalties, and that's on coaching staff.
• 43:09
  SPEAKER_00: Coaching staff has to make sure you look at Nick Saban's teams in Alabama, they've rarely got penalized, and people can say, oh, that's Alabama.
• 43:16
  SPEAKER_00: They're not calling calling penalties on Alabama.
• 43:18
  SPEAKER_00: No, it's the coaching life.
• 43:20
  SPEAKER_00: Uh that's a disciplinary factor if you if you have a bunch of penalties.
• 43:24
  SPEAKER_00: So they have to get that under control too.
• 43:26
  SPEAKER_00: So Mystery State has to play a perfect game, has to hope all misses distracting ball, this land kiffin stuff, and somehow have to stop the run to have a chance to win that ball.
• 43:36
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I agree.
• 43:37
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I kind of it almost feels like um we talked about Michael Each's last year when he just he wouldn't run the ball, he wouldn't run the ball.
• 43:45
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 43:45
  SPEAKER_01: And uh it feels like we're going back to that again.
• 43:48
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 43:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but you know, I I don't even think it's necessarily a coaching thing at this point.
• 43:54
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's more just uh can our offensive line protect and can they can they blow?
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_01: And get running because if they can't protect and shaping's in there, we know what's gonna happen.
• 44:04
  SPEAKER_01: It's not gonna matter if that area's done.
• 44:06
  SPEAKER_01: It's gonna be just like the Missouri game.
• 44:08
  SPEAKER_01: Um so I really think that's the key.
• 44:10
  SPEAKER_01: I I think I've heard Missouri's defensive line was better than all misses defensive line, but they're still good.
• 44:16
  SPEAKER_01: Um so Albert Reese.
• 44:19
  SPEAKER_01: I don't have a great feeling about it, Johnny.
• 44:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, need Albert Reese there, man.
• 44:23
  SPEAKER_00: You need yeah, he he's a stud on that line.
• 44:26
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but yeah, like you said, it really just depends on on the on the blocking because you could have, like I say, you could have that, you could have heck Johnny United's in his prime back there, and he'd get sacked non-stop.
• 44:36
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, it really depends on the line and all that.
• 44:40
  SPEAKER_00: So I don't know.
• 44:42
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
• 44:43
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, we'll find out on next Friday, and then we'll find out Saturday where the future holds for Lane.
• 44:48
  SPEAKER_00: You want to make some predictions though on the game and where you think Lane's gonna go?
• 44:51
  SPEAKER_00: I will, yeah.
• 44:52
  SPEAKER_01: It's gonna go for interesting next next few days for sure.
• 44:56
  SPEAKER_01: So um, you know, I just I can't see us winning this game.
• 45:01
  SPEAKER_01: I just I don't see it happening.
• 45:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um, even with all the distractions and all that, I just feel like being a Mississippi State fan, I can see us getting blown out and Lane Kiffin walks to the center of our uh 50-yard line and says, I'm staying.
• 45:16
  SPEAKER_01: And then Ole Miss goes on and wins, you know, gets to the national championship game or something this year.
• 45:21
  SPEAKER_01: Like I I can see that scenario totally playing out.
• 45:24
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I'm hoping not, but you know, I just I don't I just don't see how we do it, Johnny.
• 45:30
  SPEAKER_01: I just think I think it's gonna be similar to the Missouri game.
• 45:33
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's gonna be something like 40 to 20.
• 45:35
  SPEAKER_01: You know, they put Camario in the third quarter or something like that.
• 45:39
  SPEAKER_01: Shaping gets benched in the you know third quarter.
• 45:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um unless somehow, you know, maybe Shapin gets hurt in the first quarter, he gets sacked and and he doesn't have a choice to play Camario, and then we're able to run the ball and and you know make it a game, but I just don't see it happening.
• 45:56
  SPEAKER_01: And and I would be shocked if Kiffin leaves.
• 45:59
  SPEAKER_01: I just I don't see him leaving.
• 46:01
  SPEAKER_01: Um, even though all this like stuff is going on that makes it seem like he's gonna leave, but yeah, I just don't understand why he would leave.
• 46:09
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, it's kind of like what other people have said a hundred times, you know, you can lose three games at Ole Miss and stay for as long as you want to, but you lose three games at LSU, you're gone.
• 46:18
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, um, unless we're just you know underestimating his ego and and his you know, want like Dan Mullen want to go to Florida.
• 46:25
  SPEAKER_01: Like, does Kiffin just want to go to LSU and have that proceed?
• 46:28
  SPEAKER_01: That's that's the only way I see it happening.
• 46:30
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 46:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, uh it's uh it's crazy, man.
• 46:33
  SPEAKER_00: If he stays at Ole Miss, it's the ultimate troll job that I've ever seen in my life.
• 46:37
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, just absolutely uh circus.
• 46:40
  SPEAKER_00: But uh man, I I my my head tells me to agree with you, everything you said on that.
• 46:46
  SPEAKER_00: And I've been the I've between the two of us, I've been the Debbie Downer all year on Jeff Levian.
• 46:51
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and been been on the on the way saying that we need to get rid of him and all that sort of stuff.
• 46:56
  SPEAKER_00: And I've been I've been down on him and everything, but man, I uh I'm gonna pick the Bulldogs in this one.
• 47:01
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know why.
• 47:02
  SPEAKER_00: Crazy, crazy things happened in the egg bow, but I think the distractions, and I think we're gonna, this is the perfect time to catch them off guard.
• 47:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but as I said, there's a big if on the scenario.
• 47:14
  SPEAKER_00: Gotta play a clean gleam, no penalties like what we've been having.
• 47:17
  SPEAKER_00: Offensive line has to protect the quarterback, and we have to stop the run.
• 47:22
  SPEAKER_00: If we can do those three things, do those three things and get in and old Mrs.
• 47:26
  SPEAKER_00: Mind is on kiffin and all that sort of stuff, going somewhere else, then we'll win the game.
• 47:30
  SPEAKER_00: And that's what I'm hoping and thinking in my heart that's gonna happen.
• 47:33
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm gonna protect the Bulldogs in a win and an upset win.
• 47:37
  SPEAKER_00: It's gonna shock college football.
• 47:39
  SPEAKER_00: Uh close game, man.
• 47:41
  SPEAKER_00: Close game.
• 47:42
  SPEAKER_00: Matter of fact, I'm gonna say it's gonna come down to the field goal.
• 47:44
  SPEAKER_00: And you know why I'm saying that?
• 47:46
  SPEAKER_00: Because the poor guy, Cal Ferry, our kicker, had that chance against Florida, and they didn't use him.
• 47:52
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm gonna say he redeems, he's gonna show Levy he can make it, and he's gonna kick a 50-yarder at the at the clock ticks, and we're gonna win the game.
• 48:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um I'm gonna pick it, pick a spot field goal.
• 48:04
  SPEAKER_00: Uh shoot, I'm gonna say something like uh 24-21, something like that.
• 48:10
  SPEAKER_00: But uh probably not gonna happen.
• 48:12
  SPEAKER_00: Probably what you're gonna say, what you said, probably will happen, but best case is that he he leaves, and man, and once he leaves, they can join us in the basement and we can have fun together in the basement until uh everything gets rolling again.
• 48:26
  SPEAKER_00: But uh I see them taking a huge dip if he really does leave.
• 48:30
  SPEAKER_00: And I I do, Wally, I do think he's gonna leave.
• 48:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um, because like but like you said, he's got it made there.
• 48:36
  SPEAKER_00: They'll build a statue, they'll name the stadium after him.
• 48:38
  SPEAKER_00: He would be the next Johnny Vault if he stayed there for years.
• 48:41
  SPEAKER_00: And and that really is what he should do.
• 48:44
  SPEAKER_00: But man, Lane Kempin's a competitor.
• 48:47
  SPEAKER_00: He wants to win a national championship.
• 48:49
  SPEAKER_00: And I know, you know, everyone else knows they might say, oh, Ole Miss is good never seen.
• 48:53
  SPEAKER_00: They're not gonna win a national championship at Ole Miss.
• 48:55
  SPEAKER_00: Just because I say that they will this year, but that they're not, they don't have the they don't have the resources that these big blue blood schools like Florida and LSU have.
• 49:03
  SPEAKER_00: And Lane wants Lane wants the spotlight, he wants the national championship, he wants all that, and he can get that at LSU.
• 49:09
  SPEAKER_00: He can bring his buddy Coach O back, and they can say go Tigers, and you know, let him be on staff with him there, and everybody will be hunky dory back, Coach O back in Bat Roots.
• 49:19
  SPEAKER_00: But uh, so I think I think Lane's going to LSU.
• 49:21
  SPEAKER_00: I think we get an upset win, and I think that we go to a bowl and we get a ball game, which would be huge, getting that six wing in that ballgame.
• 49:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and I think Ole Miss does get in the playoffs, no matter if we win or not.
• 49:33
  SPEAKER_00: I think they will get in, but I think they'll lose their opening round game of the playoffs because Kiffin's gone and they have an interim coach.
• 49:40
  SPEAKER_00: So that's the scenario I'm playing out.
• 49:42
  SPEAKER_00: Uh we'll see what happens.
• 49:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 49:44
  SPEAKER_00: Did you see the post?
• 49:45
  SPEAKER_00: I forgot to ask Steve about this, uh, but he clarified it on social media today.
• 49:49
  SPEAKER_00: There's a logo that's going around saying the egg bowl is presented by Facebook this year, and they were gonna put the script state and the script Ole Miss on the field, and people are complaining.
• 50:00
  SPEAKER_00: Why is Ole Miss on our field?
• 50:02
  SPEAKER_00: But he got clarification that it is not gonna be on the field.
• 50:05
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, uh, it is funny that the egg bowl was presented by Facebook, BW.
• 50:09
  SPEAKER_00: That's uh never thought that would ever happen this year.
• 50:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um I was gonna add one thing, you know, if Tiffin is leaving, if he's in fact leaving, I do think that we win the game because I think that that that's probably slipped out.
• 50:25
  SPEAKER_01: The players probably know it.
• 50:26
  SPEAKER_01: Somebody probably knows it.
• 50:28
  SPEAKER_01: And and if they if they think he's leaving, then I think we have a a better chance of of that.
• 50:33
  SPEAKER_01: So I think your scenario, you know, I think I think it all you know mixes in together, like how it's gonna work out.
• 50:39
  SPEAKER_01: So we'll see.
• 50:40
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, this is this is very similar to 2017 egg ball.
• 50:43
  SPEAKER_00: Dan Mullen was checked out, man.
• 50:45
  SPEAKER_00: He he thought he was going to Tennessee, you know, and then uh because he was Florida's like third choice, and then the other two got told no.
• 50:52
  SPEAKER_00: So then he ended up going to Florida.
• 50:53
  SPEAKER_00: But he was completely, his mind was not in Starville, Mississippi.
• 50:56
  SPEAKER_00: It was getting out of Starville, whether to Tennessee or Florida.
• 50:59
  SPEAKER_00: He was checked out in that game, and it was obvious, you know.
• 51:02
  SPEAKER_00: So I think Lane's the same way, man.
• 51:05
  SPEAKER_00: If if he if he's already made up his mind, or or maybe he hasn't, maybe he doesn't even know.
• 51:10
  SPEAKER_00: But uh, but anyway, whether he does and doesn't know, it's still affecting him and his middle state, because that's what he all he's thinking about.
• 51:17
  SPEAKER_00: Everyone's talking about the whole national media, everybody's gonna be watching this game, it's gonna get huge numbers because of the fact of Lane Kippin were in this situation.
• 51:25
  SPEAKER_00: So this would be the best time ever for Mississippi State to make a good showing on the national level because everyone's dogging Mississippi State about the season having so many, and we talked about with that with Steve, you know, it's frustrating as mad as we get because and we get mad because we care.
• 51:42
  SPEAKER_00: And uh that that is absolute true.
• 51:45
  SPEAKER_00: But losing the games that we had compared to getting blown out last year, I guess if you had to choose the two, you'd want to lose close games because you're ending the game.
• 51:53
  SPEAKER_00: But it makes it a lot harder losing the games at the end than getting blown out.
• 51:56
  SPEAKER_00: So it's a tough, tough deal.
• 51:58
  SPEAKER_00: But uh, you know, people can say we're getting clicked we're getting there, we're getting there.
• 52:02
  SPEAKER_00: If we beat Ole Miss, we're there.
• 52:04
  SPEAKER_00: We're we're we we we have set the momentum for the future.
• 52:08
  SPEAKER_00: The recruits will be coming in, flipping over.
• 52:10
  SPEAKER_00: Uh um, you know, everything Jeff Levy has has wanted that has not gone his way can switch and automatically ticket sales will be up, people will be fired up, waiting, can't wait till next year and all that sort of stuff.
• 52:25
  SPEAKER_00: And on the flip side of it, he loses in a blowout fashion.
• 52:29
  SPEAKER_00: People are gonna be back down, ticket sales are down, fire levy back up.
• 52:33
  SPEAKER_00: Everybody be saying that he's only won one game in two years, so it's it's insane.
• 52:38
  SPEAKER_00: It's it really is.
• 52:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, people I heard people say, you know, about firing Levy, because you know, I was on that bandwagon.
• 52:46
  SPEAKER_00: Who are you gonna get?
• 52:47
  SPEAKER_00: But then I hey dad was talking about this.
• 52:49
  SPEAKER_00: He was like, you can't tell me that there's not a coach out there that cannot win you more than one game in two years.
• 52:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you're right.
• 52:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, there's there's gotta be somebody out there that can do that.
• 52:58
  SPEAKER_00: Somebody can win you more than one game in two years.
• 53:01
  SPEAKER_00: And this day and time, there's no rebuilding in college football.
• 53:04
  SPEAKER_00: It's transfer porn, all that sort of stuff.
• 53:06
  SPEAKER_00: You don't need time like you used to.
• 53:08
  SPEAKER_00: You've got to win more than one game in two years in SEC to be it to be it successful.
• 53:13
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, we'll see what happens.
• 53:16
  SPEAKER_00: We'll see.
• 53:18
  SPEAKER_00: All right, Johnny.
• 53:18
  SPEAKER_00: Well have a happy Thanksgiving, and we'll talk to you after thick ball.
• 53:22
  SPEAKER_00: All right.
• 53:22
  SPEAKER_00: Bye, buddy.
• 53:23
  SPEAKER_00: Bye.