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Ohio State Playoff Preview: How Texas A&M Is Preparing For The Miami Hurricanes · Buckeyes TomOrrow Morning

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  Speaker 1: Welcome to Buck guys tomorrow morning for Wednesday, December seventeenth,
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  Speaker 1: I'm your host, tom Or the Cotton Bowl game in
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  Speaker 1: fourteen days, the game against Michigan in three hundred and
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  Speaker 1: forty six days. If you're playing your next event, make
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  Speaker 1: today at Gratefulgriddle oh dot com. All right, on Today Show,
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  Speaker 1: I'm gonna be doing a little bit of a preview
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  Speaker 1: of this weekend's game between Texas A and m Aggie's
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  Speaker 1: and the Miami Hurricanes. Of course, the winner of that
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  Speaker 1: game will play play Ohio State in that Cotton Bowl
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  Speaker 1: Game exactly two weeks from today. Today Show, you're gonna
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  Speaker 1: get to hear a little bit from Texas A and
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  Speaker 1: M head coach Mike Elko. He had his press conference,
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  Speaker 1: his weekly press conference sort of previewing this game on Monday,
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  Speaker 1: and let you hear a little bit from him. All
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  Speaker 1: of this video courtesy of the Texas A and m
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  Speaker 1: Department of Athletics. So all right, good, good, Interesting question
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  Speaker 1: here for a program that has the history, the up
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  Speaker 1: and down history that Texas A and M football does.
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  Speaker 1: What actually constitutes a successful season for the Aggies this year?
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  Speaker 1: Is this natty or bust? As we heard Denzel Burke
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  Speaker 1: say about the Buckeyes last year. Is it just making
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  Speaker 1: the playoffs constitutes a success? What does Mike Elco have
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  Speaker 1: to say about that?
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  Speaker 2: I'm trying to be nice. Yeah, I don't know that
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  Speaker 2: you define it that way. I think we're we're in
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  Speaker 2: year two. We're trying to establish a championship type of program.
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  Speaker 2: We haven't won a championship around here since nineteen thirty nine,
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  Speaker 2: So that's a lot of busts if that's the only marker.
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  Speaker 2: So I think we're obviously in this thing to compete
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  Speaker 2: for a national championship.
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  Speaker 3: For sure. We believe we can.
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  Speaker 2: We believe in one of the teams that's capable of
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  Speaker 2: going out there and winning it.
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  Speaker 3: But I don't know that you define seasons.
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  Speaker 2: Like that, like, I don't know that I've ever checked
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  Speaker 2: off a box on a season like success failure.
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  Speaker 3: I think you want to see growth.
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  Speaker 2: I want you want to see your program elevating in
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  Speaker 2: the direction you wanted to go, and you want to
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  Speaker 2: get yourself into the opportunity to compete for things down
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  Speaker 2: the stretch, and so we've been able to do that,
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  Speaker 2: and obviously we've got a great opportunity Saturday.
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  Speaker 1: One of the names facing the Texas A and M
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  Speaker 1: defense this week is going to be Carson Beck, of course,
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  Speaker 1: the former Georgia quarterback turned Miami quarterback, one of the
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  Speaker 1: more high profile quarterbacks in this sport. How can he
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  Speaker 1: challenge the Aggies defense?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, really talented kid obviously has a lot of experience
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  Speaker 2: playing in these types of games, played in these types
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  Speaker 2: of venues, and so he certainly will come in and
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  Speaker 2: I'm sure be very comfortable and elite arm talent, the
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  Speaker 2: ability to make throws all over the field.
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  Speaker 3: I think he sees the game really well. He's played
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  Speaker 3: a lot of.
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  Speaker 2: College football and there's certainly a season quarterback that'll be
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  Speaker 2: a big challenge for us.
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  Speaker 1: And besides Carson Beck, the other big quarterback in this
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  Speaker 1: game is Marcel Reed, the starter for Texas A and M.
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  Speaker 1: How has he sort of grown and developed between when
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  Speaker 1: he got to Texas A and M and now.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I think he's made a lot of growth.
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  Speaker 2: I think, you know, he's elevated the way you would
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  Speaker 2: have wanted him to this year. I think he's made
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  Speaker 2: a lot of plays with his legs, with his arm.
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  Speaker 2: He's become a true, true dual threat quarterback and obviously,
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  Speaker 2: you know, has been part of a really productive, explosive
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  Speaker 2: offense this year and we'll need that to continue to
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  Speaker 2: have a chance in the playoffs.
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  Speaker 1: This is going to be a question that gets asked
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  Speaker 1: in some form or fashion at virtually every coach's press
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  Speaker 1: conference this month. Okay, they've had a couple of weeks
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  Speaker 1: off now, Texas A and M hasn't played since Thanksgiving weekend,
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  Speaker 1: so they've had a couple of weeks off without a game.
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  Speaker 1: So what's the sort of health update broadly for the
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  Speaker 1: team and where are they in terms of game prep
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  Speaker 1: in that process?
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  Speaker 2: Now, Yeah, health overall the team is good. I think
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  Speaker 2: that was a priority. You know, to get rested, get refreshed.
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  Speaker 2: You want to go into the playoffs fresh and ready
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  Speaker 2: to roll. I think obviously, then you want to kind
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  Speaker 2: of get back into practicing at a speed and pace
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  Speaker 2: and tempo that you need to so you can go
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  Speaker 2: out and play. It's always challenging coming off of a
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  Speaker 2: bye week. This is coming off of two consecutive bye weeks,
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  Speaker 2: and so you know, we want to make sure that
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  Speaker 2: we're practicing at a tempo that allows us to go
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  Speaker 2: out and play the game the way we want to,
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  Speaker 2: and I think we're doing that. You know, tomorrow will
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  Speaker 2: be a big day for us as we get into
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  Speaker 2: the middle of game week prep, and Tomorrow Wednesday will
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  Speaker 2: be big practices for us.
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  Speaker 1: Last week, what of Texas A and M's players made
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  Speaker 1: a sort of vague, non totally specific reference to really
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  Speaker 1: not being too concerned about Miami's defensive ends. Of course,
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  Speaker 1: those are two of the most typed players on the
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  Speaker 1: Hurricanes roster and two of the most productive players on
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  Speaker 1: the Hurricanes roster. So, as a head coach, when you
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  Speaker 1: hear your players say something like that, is that something
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  Speaker 1: you're trying to not have guys do or is it
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  Speaker 1: just you know, the old top gun line. You know,
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  Speaker 1: you better be able to cash the checks that your
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  Speaker 1: mouth is writing.
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  Speaker 2: Now you're starting to see why I don't pay attention
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  Speaker 2: to the national rhetoric.
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  Speaker 3: No, it was good, it was local rhetoric. Same thing.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think you put them like you in front
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  Speaker 2: of a kid.
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  Speaker 3: The day after we do selections, ceremonies, and you know,
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  Speaker 3: I don't know.
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  Speaker 2: We've got a tremendous amount of respect for their defensive ends.
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  Speaker 2: They're very talented football players.
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  Speaker 3: Our guys know that.
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  Speaker 2: I certainly anticipate them will be them too to be
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  Speaker 2: very fired up to play regardless of what gets said.
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  Speaker 2: I certainly don't think that bulletin board material is necessary
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  Speaker 2: when you go into the playoffs. But you know, we
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  Speaker 2: have a lot of respect for those two kids. They're
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  Speaker 2: very talented.
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  Speaker 1: The Miami offense has been really good on third downs
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  Speaker 1: this year for himbout forty seven percent of those, which
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  Speaker 1: put them in the top twenty in the nation. Corse
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  Speaker 1: Texas A and M's defense has been fantastic on third
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  Speaker 1: and shorts, not so great on third and long. So
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  Speaker 1: what does it make what makes that Miami offense so
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  Speaker 1: good in third down situation?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah?
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  Speaker 2: I think it starts with the experienced quarterback. Obviously, he
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  Speaker 2: does a really good job of delivering the football, seas
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  Speaker 2: things really well and knows where to go with the ball,
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  Speaker 2: is able to get out in a really timely manner.
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  Speaker 3: They've got a really talented group of wide receivers that helps.
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  Speaker 2: They can create separation and get open quickly, and then
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  Speaker 2: I think they've done a really good job of winning
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  Speaker 2: the chains and putting themselves into third down situations that
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  Speaker 2: they can manage effectively. And it's you know, if you
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  Speaker 2: look at they've been very successful and their tape is
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  Speaker 2: very slanted towards third and six or less, We've been
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  Speaker 2: very successful, and our tape is slanted towards third and
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  Speaker 2: seven or more. And so I think that probably plays
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  Speaker 2: a little bit of a role to how who wins
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  Speaker 2: the early downs to kind of create the third down
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  Speaker 2: situations I think will be a big part of it too.
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  Speaker 1: Wellio State fans have spent a lot of this month
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  Speaker 1: hearing all about Brian Hartline and what he's doing is
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  Speaker 1: he sort of gets ready to take the head coaching
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  Speaker 1: job at USF will also juggling the offensive coordinator role
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  Speaker 1: at Ohio State. Well, both of Texas A and M's
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  Speaker 1: coordinators are leaving for other jobs this cycle. So how
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  Speaker 1: is Mike Delco handling that internally and how would he
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  Speaker 1: like to maybe see the calendar college football calendar change
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  Speaker 1: to avoid that kind of conflict.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think in terms of our internal stuff, I'm
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  Speaker 2: very confident and comfortable with the types of people we
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  Speaker 2: have in this building that they're going to handle their
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  Speaker 2: jobs the way they should as we finish this thing out.
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  Speaker 3: And though they're both excited for.
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  Speaker 2: An opportunity to compete in the playoffs and to go
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  Speaker 2: compete for a national championship. And so that's the internal part,
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  Speaker 2: the external part. In terms of the calendar, I have
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  Speaker 2: said this many times before, I just don't think there's
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  Speaker 2: a solution. I think when you're trying to figure out
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  Speaker 2: how to manage television contracts, playoffs with academic calendars and
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  Speaker 2: university presidents, you've got a lot of people making decisions
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  Speaker 2: unilaterally for what's best for their area. And so probably
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  Speaker 2: at some point what's going to have to happen is
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  Speaker 2: some type of group together or board together that can
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  Speaker 2: make decisions for the best interests of college football, and
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  Speaker 2: we just seem a long way away from that.
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  Speaker 1: How much does your identify as a team, maybe specifically
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  Speaker 1: your offensive identity change now that you've gone from regular
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  Speaker 1: season to playoffs where now it's do or die every week.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't know that you can ever go away
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  Speaker 2: from your identity, you know. I think that's why it
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  Speaker 2: defines who you are obviously here we joke about it
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  Speaker 2: all the time. You know, you can't call a place
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  Speaker 2: the day after the game. You know, when you get
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  Speaker 2: to the end of the season and there's a true
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  Speaker 2: finality to it, you really don't want to hold anything
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  Speaker 2: for tomorrow.
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  Speaker 3: And so we feel like we have a really good plan.
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  Speaker 2: You know, things that obviously are are who we are,
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  Speaker 2: but also some things that create some wrinkles and create
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  Speaker 2: some challenges for the other team. And I think we'll
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  Speaker 2: just go out there and kind of let it loose
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  Speaker 2: and play the best we can.
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  Speaker 1: Texas A and M has brought in a number of
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  Speaker 1: highly ranked players through the recruiting process, but also added
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  Speaker 1: some key pieces through the transfer port. One of them
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  Speaker 1: actually has a tie to the state of Ohio. That's
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  Speaker 1: Cashius Howell. He was the defensive end who has named
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  Speaker 1: the SEC's Defensive Player of the Year. Expected to be
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  Speaker 1: a first round draft pick in the NFL after this.
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  Speaker 1: He actually started his career in the state of Ohio
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  Speaker 1: with if you a second to take a guess, probably wrong,
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  Speaker 1: the Bowling Green State University Falcons. He played there two
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  Speaker 1: years and then has been with Texas A and M
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  Speaker 1: in the last couple of years. So what does it
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  Speaker 1: say about the Texas A and M program that they've
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  Speaker 1: gotten that kind of production out of the portal out
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  Speaker 1: of a guy like Cashi's.
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  Speaker 2: How Well, maybe we've done a good job of identifying talent.
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  Speaker 2: I think if you look at who those guys are,
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  Speaker 2: I'm not sure that many of them were highly regarded
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  Speaker 2: when we signed him. Certainly Casius was not. He was
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  Speaker 2: almost an afterthought. He was a kid that we felt
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  Speaker 2: very strong about. And so just maybe it's a testament
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  Speaker 2: to our ability to evaluate players and who the right
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  Speaker 2: players and right fits are and then to develop them
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  Speaker 2: and fit them into our culture and our system so
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  Speaker 2: that they can go out and perform at an elite level.
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  Speaker 1: And finally, this is kind of an interesting thing that
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  Speaker 1: we talked about a bunch last year as Ohio State
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  Speaker 1: went through the process us of going through the college
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  Speaker 1: football playoff week by week? What is the value in
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  Speaker 1: it for the underclass and maybe the guys who aren't
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  Speaker 1: playing that much or not playing at all, Just the
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  Speaker 1: value in them going through and seeing the preparation and
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  Speaker 1: the level of dedication that it takes to play multiple
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  Speaker 1: really really high profile games back to back.
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  Speaker 3: I think everything is valuable experience.
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  Speaker 2: I think every opportunity that we get to play in
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  Speaker 2: big stages, big games, you know, and we.
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  Speaker 3: Talked about this a lot, but like we haven't.
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  Speaker 2: Really been able to do this often, and so for
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  Speaker 2: us to be in meaningful games against teams that the
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  Speaker 2: game is meaningful for them as well. Those are different
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  Speaker 2: types of atmospheres, different types of stages, and I think
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  Speaker 2: that's obviously where this program needs to be. It needs
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  Speaker 2: to be every year, and so I think with each
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  Speaker 2: opportunity we get, it's a great opportunity for us to build.
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  Speaker 1: All Right, there you go a little bit from Mike
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  Speaker 1: Elco Texas A and m head coach. We'll get a
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  Speaker 1: show with Mario Christball, the Miami head coach, coming for
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  Speaker 1: you probably tomorrow as we sort of count down to
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  Speaker 1: that first round playoff game that's happening Saturday at noon,
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  Speaker 1: Texas A and m hosting Miami. That game is that
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  Speaker 1: on ESPN. Will be able to watch that, and then
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  Speaker 1: the winner of that heads to the Cotton Bowl to
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  Speaker 1: take on the Buckeyes. New Year's Eve will be there
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  Speaker 1: for that. Have our plane tickets all ready to go,
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  Speaker 1: ready to ready to hit the road. Countdown to The
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  Speaker 1: Cotton Bowl game could be a great one. Should be
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  Speaker 1: a really fun, fun run through the college football playoff
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  Speaker 1: again sport wide. We'll be covering all of it for
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  Speaker 1: you at bucke huddle dot com and at YouTube dot
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  Speaker 1: com slash Buckeye Huddle. That'll do it for today. Thank
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  Speaker 1: you guys all for joining us up a great day.
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  Speaker 1: We will talk to you tomorrow.