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Episode 75-Kevin Fant and Egg Bowl Preview · Johnny's World

0:26
SPEAKER_03: Hello, welcome back to a new episode of the Johnny's World Podcast.
0:31
SPEAKER_03: This is the final podcast of football season.
0:34
SPEAKER_03: That is, unless we pull off a miracle and make a bowl game.
0:37
SPEAKER_03: This is BW here with my colleague Johnny.
0:40
SPEAKER_03: How are we doing tonight, Johnny?
0:42
SPEAKER_02: It is Egg Bowl Week.
0:44
SPEAKER_02: Eggbowl EV.
0:45
SPEAKER_02: Uh actually, as we record this, and man, oh man, I'm excited about it.
0:51
SPEAKER_02: You know, uh, whenever Mississippi State and Ole Miss plays an egg bowl, anything can happen as we've seen in the past.
0:57
SPEAKER_02: So uh throughout all the records and everything, throw it all out, and you're 0-0 in this in this game right here.
1:05
SPEAKER_02: So uh really excited.
1:06
SPEAKER_02: Uh Thanksgiving night under the lights where it's supposed to be.
1:09
SPEAKER_02: I know a lot of people say they like it on Friday or Saturday, but man, the whole world is watching it when it's on ESPN prime time.
1:16
SPEAKER_02: That's where you want to be.
1:17
SPEAKER_02: And I'm glad the game's back on Thanksgiving night.
1:19
SPEAKER_02: So uh I can't wait for Thursday night to get here.
1:22
SPEAKER_03: I know it's kind of crazy.
1:24
SPEAKER_03: Usually I kind of have mixed emotions about it because I kind of dread it in some ways, because I just I hate losing to them.
1:30
SPEAKER_03: And I just it drives me crazy and I dread it so bad.
1:34
SPEAKER_03: I'm like, oh man, we're gonna lose, we're gonna lose.
1:36
SPEAKER_03: But you know, it's this year, it's like we have nothing to lose.
1:39
SPEAKER_03: Right.
1:40
SPEAKER_03: I mean, we we've sunk all year.
1:42
SPEAKER_03: I don't, you know, I don't care.
1:43
SPEAKER_03: I'm not gonna get upset if we lose, but man, it'll feel good to win.
1:47
SPEAKER_03: But uh I'll take it, you know, however I can get it, but love to see you win, but I'm not gonna be too too sad if we lose.
1:55
SPEAKER_02: So this reminds me of the uh actually it reminds me of the 2009 season, Dan's first year here because Ole Miss was heavily favored.
2:02
SPEAKER_02: You know, that's the year they went to back-to-back cotton bowls, and uh they had a chance, I believe, if they had won that egg bow to go to the Citrus Bowl, I believe.
2:11
SPEAKER_02: And uh and no one gave State a shot at all.
2:14
SPEAKER_02: Everyone said, Ole Miss can win, dominate.
2:16
SPEAKER_02: State's not good.
2:17
SPEAKER_02: You know, this is Mullins' first year.
2:19
SPEAKER_02: We're not gonna do good.
2:20
SPEAKER_02: Uh Houston nut.
2:22
SPEAKER_02: They're really good.
2:23
SPEAKER_02: And and lo and behold, we we came out and and beat them.
2:26
SPEAKER_02: Chris Ralph, Booby Dixon ran all over them.
2:29
SPEAKER_02: And Dan got the mic at the end of the game, and never seen that happen before in a football game.
2:33
SPEAKER_02: He grabbed a microphone and told the told the crowd there ain't one program but on the rise, and this state is right here.
2:39
SPEAKER_02: And then from then on, we won in 10 and 11, three straight egg bowls.
2:43
SPEAKER_02: So uh so that this kind of reminds me that us against the world mentality, the whole world's gonna be picking Ole Miss.
2:49
SPEAKER_02: Ole Miss is obviously a better football team than Mississippi State, uh, all around.
2:54
SPEAKER_02: And uh, but as I said at the opening of this podcast, anything could happen, you throw the records away when the state and old miss playing.
3:00
SPEAKER_02: And uh so yeah, anything could happen.
3:04
SPEAKER_02: So who knows?
3:05
SPEAKER_02: Uh, but I will tell you this after going to the game last week, um, Greg Knox, man, he Greg Knox is the winningest football coach in Mississippi State history as we record this podcast.
3:15
SPEAKER_02: He's two and oh, he won the ball game, gator bowl, and then he won the Southern Miss game.
3:19
SPEAKER_02: So he's two and oh, looking to be three and oh.
3:22
SPEAKER_02: Uh, but man, those guys, I know we talked about that just then about uh watching that video.
3:27
SPEAKER_02: I bet we've watched that video a hundred times each of him rolling into the locker room on a four-wheeler.
3:32
SPEAKER_02: And man, they they just seem like they've gotten behind them.
3:35
SPEAKER_02: There's so much, you know, when Selman introduced him that he was gonna be uh the interim, he said we need juice in the program.
3:41
SPEAKER_02: We need these guys.
3:42
SPEAKER_02: He kept saying the word juice, and man, that uh appears to be what happened has happened because those guys were juiced up in the locker room, and that's what you want to see.
3:50
SPEAKER_02: A guy, uh a guy that's real real respected, and he's been this route before, and he uh he seems like he can fire him up.
3:58
SPEAKER_02: So uh could be more happier than Greg Knox.
4:00
SPEAKER_02: He seems like he's a freaking awesome person, too.
4:02
SPEAKER_02: Really nice guy, and uh so yeah, so happy for him.
4:06
SPEAKER_02: And man, that would be so great uh to pull out of a win, and especially with the way the season's gone, and you're you know, you're sitting at five wins, need that one win to be a bowl eligible.
4:17
SPEAKER_02: And I did read today where it could be like the 2016 season that uh due to not like not enough teams qualifying for balls, we could actually sneak into a ball game with a five and seven record, but man, you don't want to do it.
4:32
SPEAKER_02: I mean, yeah, we'll take it if you have to, because extra practice for the players and all that sort of stuff.
4:36
SPEAKER_02: But you want to win this game and get to six and six and go to a ball game on a winning note, but uh to keep the streak alive, heck yeah, I take it.
4:42
SPEAKER_02: But um, yeah, you want to win it on the field and keep the egg where it belongs, and um, and we got a chance to do that, and it's gonna be tough, tough challenge, but hey, that's what what bulldogs are uh uh tough mentality.
4:55
SPEAKER_02: So uh so we'll see what happens.
4:58
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, Greg Knox has forever got a special place in my heart after that four-wheeler video.
5:04
SPEAKER_03: I'm gonna go back and watch that thing every single year.
5:06
SPEAKER_03: It's just gonna be part of part of every every year before the egg ball, I'm gonna watch that.
5:10
SPEAKER_03: But yes, man, that was so awesome him doing that.
5:14
SPEAKER_03: Um and that just reminds me, it's funny you talk about the egg bowl.
5:17
SPEAKER_03: Um some of pretty much, you know, four of my top five moments of Mississippi State football are probably egg ball moments.
5:27
SPEAKER_03: So you know, this game, even when nothing really matters, when you know we're we're fighting to be six and six, it still feel so great at the end of the game, especially some of those years where it just seemed like so you know, you had no chance, the Bo Wallace thing, fumbles in the end zone, and then the the pee peeing dog stuff, like all that stuff, man.
5:49
SPEAKER_03: It's just like love it.
5:53
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, you never know, man.
5:55
SPEAKER_02: You never know.
5:56
SPEAKER_02: Speaking of Bo Wallace, I don't know if you saw that today.
5:58
SPEAKER_02: He was chirping at uh Nick Griffin, our our uh running back from that 13 season, and uh just going off on Nick Griffin.
6:06
SPEAKER_02: They were going back and forth on Twitter and he's still 10 years later, 10 years 10 years later, he's still dropping them, uh talking about dropping the ball and fumbling and saying, Hey, uh, we still beat y'all too.
6:16
SPEAKER_02: Um I'm two and one against y'all.
6:18
SPEAKER_02: I was like, but you know what, dude?
6:19
SPEAKER_02: You lot you dropped the ball that year and you lost the game, take your hell and move on with it.
6:23
SPEAKER_02: So and Nick Griffin was giving it back to him, too.
6:25
SPEAKER_02: It's like, dude, just move on.
6:27
SPEAKER_02: It was 10 years ago, and you're still trying to talk talk smacks.
6:31
SPEAKER_02: Like, come on, man.
6:32
SPEAKER_02: But yeah, that was probably the best, man, because he was such a prick, it seemed like.
6:36
SPEAKER_02: And and these are I'm not trying to stereotype them, but yeah, I guess I am.
6:39
SPEAKER_02: These quarterbacks that oldness has had the past few years.
6:42
SPEAKER_02: I don't know if they reach out to get these prick quarterbacks, but you think of Bo Wallace and Chad Kelly and uh Matt Carell and Jackson Dart, they all seem this I don't know, man.
6:52
SPEAKER_02: I don't know them, I don't know any of them personally, so I shouldn't say this, but but they just have that vibe to them that you you know they're there's certain players you want to see succeed that are really uh just good dudes, and they might be good dudes.
7:03
SPEAKER_02: I think they're all take that back, but but when you see them on the field, they just have that that mentality they just want to you just want to beat them, they have that that look to them and stuff, and they all they all are like that.
7:12
SPEAKER_02: And and but yeah, I thought I got to kick out of seeing Bo Wallace about that today because that was hard to believe that that was 10 years ago.
7:18
SPEAKER_02: That egg ball.
7:19
SPEAKER_02: Time flies, man.
7:20
SPEAKER_02: It's really hard to believe.
7:21
SPEAKER_02: And Dak coming off the bench, and that was an electric game when Dak Prescott entered that game because no one counted him out.
7:28
SPEAKER_02: I mean, no, no one counted him to play after that injury, and and uh, and then just leading us into that touchdown.
7:33
SPEAKER_02: And I did see that video today.
7:35
SPEAKER_02: I watched it again with Nico Whitley.
7:36
SPEAKER_02: He said something with boat to Bo Wallace when he stripped the ball.
7:39
SPEAKER_02: He he got over his head.
7:42
SPEAKER_02: Uh, he like he hit his helmet and he said something.
7:44
SPEAKER_02: I guess we'll never know what he said, but Bo probably knows, and that's probably what he why he's still talking about 10 years later.
7:50
SPEAKER_02: But uh, but man, that was a heck of a game.
7:53
SPEAKER_02: And and man, there's been some uh there've been some good ones and there's been some bad ones.
7:57
SPEAKER_02: And I can remember my granddad talking about the 1983 egg bowl in Jackson where the where the state uh Artie Crosby uh kicked a uh field goal and the wind blew it.
8:08
SPEAKER_02: He said it'd never seen anything like it, and he he left mad going to the well walking to the car.
8:13
SPEAKER_02: And and uh there's just crazy things, like you said, the pee and dog thing and Elijah Moore and and uh and then Bo Wallace.
8:19
SPEAKER_02: There's just so many, so many egg balls through the years.
8:22
SPEAKER_02: I know a couple years ago when we did this podcast, I remember reliving each one that I've been to for all the years, but uh, but yeah, every like I said, it you just you never crazy things happen all the time.
8:33
SPEAKER_02: And of course, Vegas is gonna be uh like I said, everybody, everybody's picking the old mess, and uh it's the us against the world mentality, man.
8:42
SPEAKER_02: That's what what we want, and that's what we're always about, and and uh and we got it.
8:46
SPEAKER_02: So this is a prime time to to uh to put us on display and and uh show the world that hey we can do it and uh what better way to do it than things give nut on ESPN in front of the whole country.
8:57
SPEAKER_02: Either you get embarrassed or you're gonna shock the world.
8:59
SPEAKER_02: So one of the two.
9:00
SPEAKER_03: Yep.
9:01
SPEAKER_03: Well, we can't we can't move on with our predictions without.
9:04
SPEAKER_03: I just gotta uh say this about Jet Johnson.
9:06
SPEAKER_03: Man, that play with Jed Johnson when when he tossed that ball back like that, it just I I couldn't believe it.
9:14
SPEAKER_03: That is the the craziest thing.
9:15
SPEAKER_03: I I love that guy, man.
9:17
SPEAKER_03: Six years senior, covert year.
9:19
SPEAKER_03: What did it so he had 21 tackles or Buki had 21 and he had eight?
9:24
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, Buki, Buki, I believe, have 21 and Jed had 18, and he had the had to pick in the in the pitch.
9:29
SPEAKER_02: So uh man, what a game.
9:31
SPEAKER_02: We were talking about that beforehand about those two guys.
9:34
SPEAKER_02: I mean, State's had a rough season all together, but man, without Buki and Jet on that team, our defense, I mean, we might not even want a game.
9:42
SPEAKER_02: I mean, they are just freaking awesome.
9:44
SPEAKER_02: And uh, both of them are just just studs.
9:47
SPEAKER_02: And and Jet Johnson's one of those guys that that is is just a bulldog.
9:51
SPEAKER_02: I mean, like you said, he Buki probably had a chance to go to the NFL.
9:55
SPEAKER_02: Jet had a chance to wrap up his career, and they decided to to come back and uh commend them for that.
10:00
SPEAKER_02: And I remember our buddy Nick Fitzgerald was telling us that uh Jet was on his official visit, and that was all the way back in 2016, and Jet still still uh playing for for the Bulldogs in 2023.
10:11
SPEAKER_02: So he's he's uh he's a Mississippi State guy, and you love to see guys that have that uh what they say, blue collar mentality and hard nose and work hard and and uh and they don't run their mouth.
10:23
SPEAKER_02: Like you'll never see Jet Johnson doing a Bo Wallace and uh talking smack.
10:27
SPEAKER_02: You know, he's he just takes care of business, goes in, makes his tackles, does his job, and that's what you want in a football player and a role model for on and off the field.
10:37
SPEAKER_02: And man, he is that.
10:38
SPEAKER_02: And uh he he's like I said, he's probably one of my favorite players out there, and uh so glad that he's a he's a bulldog.
10:44
SPEAKER_02: And I'd love to see him wrap up his career and uh with a win and the egg ball, it sure would be nice.
10:48
SPEAKER_03: But uh um and he's like that guy you you hear sometimes.
10:52
SPEAKER_03: Um, I'm sure coordinators are like, man, is he's he's still on the team.
10:56
SPEAKER_03: I feel like for for a few years there, every time we play Arkansas, bumper pool, bumper pool with the tackle, bumper pool, like bumper pool was everywhere, man.
11:05
SPEAKER_03: I was like, when is that guy gonna graduate?
11:07
SPEAKER_03: How old is that guy?
11:07
SPEAKER_03: Right, he's finally gone.
11:09
SPEAKER_03: But man, it's the same thing.
11:10
SPEAKER_03: You know, our other coordinators are thinking, when is Jet Johnson gonna be gone?
11:13
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, I know that's what they're thinking.
11:15
SPEAKER_02: It's kind of like Austin Williams, our receiver last year.
11:17
SPEAKER_02: He'd been there since probably we were in college, BW.
11:20
SPEAKER_02: Uh it's it's hard to believe that uh believe that, but uh yeah, you know, when you have a guy that makes impact to the game like Jet Johnson does, and he's and he's still there, I know it drives the opposing defensive coaches, uh offensive coaches crazy uh because man, they are just studs.
11:37
SPEAKER_02: So uh so yeah, just so happy that they're on the team.
11:40
SPEAKER_02: That moment when he when he intercepted that, and you know, he said that I watched the interview, he said it was just instinct that he knew to uh throw it back, just instinct to throw it to to the dude, and he ran and scored.
11:49
SPEAKER_02: And bam, when that happened, that electricity in that stadium was uh went went crazy.
11:54
SPEAKER_02: So it was really cool.
11:56
SPEAKER_02: And you know, we were a little nervous.
11:58
SPEAKER_02: Uh we knew and our prediction, we said it we thought it was gonna be a little bit close game, and and it was.
12:04
SPEAKER_02: Uh, and then we kind of when that that kind of sealed the deal right there for us.
12:08
SPEAKER_02: And and uh, but man, like we were talking about earlier, I just I just really wish we could get back to the air raid.
12:13
SPEAKER_02: Man, I I was you know, I was a huge fan of Mike Leach and the air raid, and and Will's a great air raid quarterback, that's what he does, you know.
12:19
SPEAKER_02: Like I like we say every week, man, Will Rogers could run this offense in his sleep.
12:24
SPEAKER_02: I don't understand why we don't just let him call the plays and do the air raid thing, but it's obvious that that that Barbay, and I love uh Kevin Barb.
12:33
SPEAKER_02: I I met I saw him at the quarterback club a couple weeks ago, nicest guy in the world, and I know everybody's dogging him on him uh this year, and and they deserve to because our offense has been terrible.
12:42
SPEAKER_02: But he's an extremely nice guy, but uh that play call in his bar bay.
12:46
SPEAKER_02: You know, everyone's like Arnett, Arnett, but we're doing the same thing, and Rnett's not here, same thing uh with Southern Mess.
12:52
SPEAKER_02: And I just don't understand why we can't do the air raid.
12:54
SPEAKER_02: I just I just don't get it.
12:55
SPEAKER_02: Uh, but uh I don't know.
12:58
SPEAKER_02: I I just feel like we better got a better chance if we did the air raid, Dinkin and Duncan like Wills knows how to do, but we continue to do what bar base calling.
13:07
SPEAKER_02: So I don't know what I think about that.
13:09
SPEAKER_02: But regardless, uh, it's gonna take a lot of points to score to beat Ole Mess.
13:13
SPEAKER_02: I will say that.
13:14
SPEAKER_02: And I don't know if we have the have the gas to do it, but hey, like I said, crazier things can be done.
13:19
SPEAKER_02: But uh I guess we'll go ahead and make some score predictions, or you want to talk a bit about the pick em thing first.
13:24
SPEAKER_02: And uh uh I know uh our guy received Maroon Friday, sent me a message.
13:28
SPEAKER_02: I sent it to you, he said that he really enjoyed the uh the coffee you sent to him.
13:32
SPEAKER_03: Man, Johnny, I haven't even looked at the standings.
13:34
SPEAKER_03: I completely forgot to look before we hopped on here.
13:36
SPEAKER_03: Uh yeah.
13:37
SPEAKER_02: Do you know what it is?
13:38
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I'm I'm gonna look right now and give you a heads up what it is.
13:42
SPEAKER_02: But yeah, he sent me a message that he was enjoying the coffee as he was uh messaging me.
13:46
SPEAKER_02: So so yeah, y'all check it out, man.
13:48
SPEAKER_02: You don't have to win the uh pick'em to do it.
13:51
SPEAKER_02: Just go to johnnypacker.net and uh and look, and you'll uh you can help our in our cause uh with our fight with CF and buy a bag of coffee on there and know it's going towards a good cause.
14:04
SPEAKER_02: Uh as of right now on the standing is in our pick'em.
14:06
SPEAKER_02: Johnny's world pick'em 2.0 maroon Friday, our winner that I was just talking about that got the coffee, is in first place.
14:13
SPEAKER_02: Uh okay.
14:14
SPEAKER_02: He's has a score of 313 eyeballers.
14:18
SPEAKER_02: BW, you're in second place with 312.
14:21
SPEAKER_02: So you're one point behind Maroon Friday for the overall.
14:25
SPEAKER_02: Bobcats uh 311 in third place, and Reverend Bully 310 and fourth, and BD Dirty Dogs 309 and fifth.
14:32
SPEAKER_03: Reverend Bully, who's where's he coming from?
14:35
SPEAKER_02: Juan Valdez is at six uh at 307.
14:38
SPEAKER_02: Rev Bully popped in out of uh out of the bottom on that one.
14:41
SPEAKER_02: Okay, Rev Bully last week to move up to fourth place at 310.
14:45
SPEAKER_02: So so you know, uh from 313 all the way out to 309.
14:50
SPEAKER_02: So the top five, it's anybody's game.
14:52
SPEAKER_02: And this is the last, I guess it's the last week.
14:54
SPEAKER_02: So this is do or die on your pick'em.
14:58
SPEAKER_02: So BW, if you want to reclaim the top, top, uh, top dog, this is the week to do it.
15:03
SPEAKER_02: You gotta dethrone Maroon Friday, but Bob Cats, Reverend Bully, uh and B D dirty dogs that in the in the hunt.
15:11
SPEAKER_02: So uh be a lot of fun.
15:14
SPEAKER_02: So make sure you get your picks in if you're listening and uh and get a chance to compete to win that final prize at the of the month of November for the for the uh Johnnypacker.net.
15:25
SPEAKER_03: Well, that's good.
15:26
SPEAKER_03: This is gonna be a tough week to compete too.
15:28
SPEAKER_03: These these rivalry games, you never really know.
15:30
SPEAKER_02: So right, rivalry week, rivalry week, rivalry.
15:33
SPEAKER_02: Say that three times really fast.
15:34
SPEAKER_02: Hard to do.
15:35
SPEAKER_02: But yeah, it's it's uh this is the this is the week that's really hard because you know, like we said, rivalry games, anything can happen.
15:42
SPEAKER_02: So I guess you just gotta get hooky this week.
15:45
SPEAKER_03: Well, Johnny, let me tell you what I think, because you kind of led me into what I was gonna say.
15:50
SPEAKER_03: I it for the loyal listeners of our show last year.
15:53
SPEAKER_03: I don't know if y'all remember me saying this, I said the only way we're gonna beat Ole Miss is if we run the ball.
15:59
SPEAKER_03: And it rained, and I think that's the only reason we ran the ball was because it rained.
16:05
SPEAKER_03: Because Lee Leach was not gonna run the ball.
16:07
SPEAKER_03: Right.
16:08
SPEAKER_03: It it became true, and I'm gonna say the exact opposite this year.
16:14
SPEAKER_03: If we throw the ball, if we go back to what Rogers can do, because we've got Woody there, and we will run Woody some, but we need Rogers to air it out as much as possible because like you said, we're gonna have to score some points if we want to do it.
16:30
SPEAKER_03: Now, I don't even remember what I predicted last year about the game, but I I just don't feel 100% optimistic about it.
16:38
SPEAKER_03: I do think it'll be a little bit closer to the game than maybe I would have expected a few weeks ago, but I just don't think we put up enough points.
16:48
SPEAKER_03: And and I think it's gonna end up being something like 35-21, or it could even be 42-21.
16:56
SPEAKER_03: You know, they may get a score at the end of the game there, but I just don't see us putting up the points, Johnny.
17:02
SPEAKER_03: I wish I wish I had could say something else, but that's all I got.
17:06
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I'm gonna uh I'm gonna do two things.
17:09
SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna say it's gonna either be a blowout, blowout fashion, or I think we're gonna pull the upset.
17:15
SPEAKER_02: And uh and I'll give you the two reasons why.
17:17
SPEAKER_02: The the blowout fashion, I think it's gonna be like what you just said.
17:20
SPEAKER_02: I think it's gonna uh they're they can score a lot of points, they're very good, and it would cause us to try to uh have a shootout with them.
17:28
SPEAKER_02: And I just don't feel like we have the type of offense to do that.
17:31
SPEAKER_02: Uh if we did, you know, like we just said last year, we were like, run the ball, run if we run the ball, we can beat them.
17:37
SPEAKER_02: And now we're like, just pass the ball.
17:38
SPEAKER_02: It's crazy how we're opposites.
17:40
SPEAKER_02: But yeah, if if if Rogers can air it out like he's done on the air raid, and our everything is just hitting on all cylinders, and we're going up and down the field in their defense and and scoring points because our defense is gonna give up a lot of points.
17:52
SPEAKER_02: I'm I'm afraid to all miss, and it's gonna be a shootout.
17:55
SPEAKER_02: And uh, and that's the only way we can hang in the game.
17:58
SPEAKER_02: And I think if we do that, if we do hang in the game, I think we're gonna pull the upset.
18:03
SPEAKER_02: I just I have this feeling that we're gonna do it.
18:05
SPEAKER_02: Uh, and Will Rogers can go out as uh as he should as uh as a winning is winning quarterback, a statistical quarterback in Mississippi State history, they ride off in the set.
18:16
SPEAKER_02: I love nothing more of that because Will is such a great kid, and and he's gone through so much with his coach Stein.
18:21
SPEAKER_02: And I mean, if the football gods are are looking down, then they'll then they look good down on Mississippi State for what all happened last year.
18:29
SPEAKER_02: And you know what?
18:30
SPEAKER_02: The Mississippi State football stadium, you know, we always talk about they're buried under an ancient Indian Indian ground.
18:36
SPEAKER_02: So uh you never know what happens if crazy things happen.
18:39
SPEAKER_02: Maybe a pirate ship will ride.
18:41
SPEAKER_02: This is crazy.
18:41
SPEAKER_02: A pirate ship will rise from the bottom of the stadium, and the ghost of Mike Leach could come out there and make all the oldest players walk the plane.
18:48
SPEAKER_02: And uh and and sound stuttering like Mike Leach, and maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, uh, maybe we can pull it off.
18:56
SPEAKER_02: But uh that's what I want in my heart to happen.
18:59
SPEAKER_02: You know, I really uh it would just it would be the perfect story getting to six wins, getting to a ball game, uh, do it, winning it for Mike Leach.
19:08
SPEAKER_02: Just so much what they've been gone through this year, it's come out victoriously.
19:12
SPEAKER_02: If they do, I think it's gonna be barely.
19:14
SPEAKER_02: I mean, I think they're it's gonna come down to a field goal, and I think it's gonna be like, you know, something like 27, 24, or something like that, if we pull the upset.
19:24
SPEAKER_02: But the realistic John Clark thinking, Johnny talking right now, the Johnny Locks, here we go.
19:29
SPEAKER_02: The Johnny Locks, if you're listening to this part, you listen to that part, that's Johnny's heart talking.
19:33
SPEAKER_02: This is Johnny's Locks talking.
19:35
SPEAKER_02: I think it's gonna be a blowout.
19:36
SPEAKER_02: Hate to say that, but I just don't feel like we have the power power to uh to hang with them.
19:41
SPEAKER_02: And I think uh we might show signs of life for a little bit, but I think they're gonna pull away, kind of like what Georgia did uh or what they've been doing all year.
19:49
SPEAKER_02: They let a seems like they let the opponent score first, and then they just kick it into another year, and it's it's over with before you know it.
19:56
SPEAKER_02: And I'm afraid that's what's gonna happen uh in the egg ball.
19:58
SPEAKER_02: I'm afraid we might be able to hang for a little while, but I think Jackson Dart and that old miss office can get going, and I think they're gonna uh gonna blow us out.
20:06
SPEAKER_02: But uh, and and if we do, you know, it it is what it is.
20:09
SPEAKER_02: They're obviously a better team than us, and and Lane Kiffin's uh a great coach, and I mean they're they're great.
20:15
SPEAKER_02: You gotta give them credit, and uh, and hopefully we can get a new coach and and uh it'll take take some time to get back to to the glory days.
20:23
SPEAKER_02: But uh, but my heart says we're gonna pull the upset, but my mind's saying we're gonna get blown out.
20:28
SPEAKER_02: So one of the two things is gonna happen, BW, but I'm not sure which one.
20:32
SPEAKER_03: Johnny, it we'll just add to your heart here.
20:34
SPEAKER_03: If if uh if you're dreaming, we'll just add to this to your dream.
20:38
SPEAKER_03: So the pirate ship floats up in the middle of the field, and then Mullen is on the pirate ship, he's in the crow's nest, he's got a cigar and a microphone, and he says there's only one team on the rise in this state, it's Mississippi State, and then that's when they say Mullen's the new the new coach.
20:53
SPEAKER_03: Yes.
20:55
SPEAKER_02: Yes, oh man, what a day that would be.
20:58
SPEAKER_02: What a time that would be.
20:59
SPEAKER_02: What a what an amazing moment that would be.
21:01
SPEAKER_02: But uh yeah, it's uh it's it's gonna be interesting.
21:05
SPEAKER_02: Um good thing it's at home, home field advantage is is good.
21:09
SPEAKER_02: Um, but I just don't feel like we have the had the firepower to do it.
21:13
SPEAKER_02: But uh, but I don't know.
21:15
SPEAKER_02: That's why you play the game.
21:16
SPEAKER_02: So we'll we'll see what happens and and and go from there.
21:20
SPEAKER_02: But uh regardless, it'll be uh it'll be a good uh good game.
21:25
SPEAKER_02: But but back to the coaching search, I don't know.
21:26
SPEAKER_02: Have you have you heard any names uh recently?
21:28
SPEAKER_02: I haven't heard any since I did hear I did hear uh Gus Malzon today because uh we know we talked about last week that he was possibly replacing Pittman at Arkansas, but it looks like the jukebox are gonna be around for another another year.
21:42
SPEAKER_02: Arkansas Sam Pittman staying another year, so that frees up Malzon from going to Arkansas.
21:48
SPEAKER_02: So he's still out there.
21:50
SPEAKER_02: And um, I know I've been reading on message boards that that he I mean that they might reach out to him.
21:56
SPEAKER_02: And I've heard people say, No, he's too old.
21:58
SPEAKER_02: Is it's about is it but Look, we talked about this last week that you need a proven power five head coach.
22:05
SPEAKER_02: Uh, and that's kind of like what Mike Leach was a proven power power five head coach.
22:09
SPEAKER_02: You need the coach that's the best, best one out there available, that's had experience.
22:14
SPEAKER_02: And in my opinion, I know I said Tom Herman last week, and you know, he would be great.
22:19
SPEAKER_02: And Lance Lipold and the guy from Kansas State, Liberty Guy, all those guys would be good.
22:25
SPEAKER_02: But if you want a proven head coach that's that's done it, it's played the national championship game, beaten Alabama, it's Gus Mel's on.
22:32
SPEAKER_02: And uh I'd reach out to him if I was them, especially if uh if he says he's interested.
22:37
SPEAKER_02: And and um, I don't know, uh shoot Bob Stoops.
22:40
SPEAKER_02: We're talking about him.
22:41
SPEAKER_02: I don't know.
22:42
SPEAKER_02: I mean, he's older too, uh, but you gotta you gotta go big with it and go big or go home.
22:47
SPEAKER_02: I said that in my post this week, go big or go home.
22:49
SPEAKER_02: And what did I say?
22:50
SPEAKER_02: I said it's kind of like kind of like uh asking out a pretty girl, you know.
22:54
SPEAKER_02: You you you get nervous and you're like, oh man, I really want to ask out this girl.
22:58
SPEAKER_02: What but man, what if she says no?
23:00
SPEAKER_02: What if she says no?
23:01
SPEAKER_02: Well, guess what?
23:01
SPEAKER_02: She's gonna say no until you ask her.
23:04
SPEAKER_02: Answer is always gonna be no until you take a chance and ask her.
23:07
SPEAKER_02: And if you ask her and she says yes, then hey, you might have a good time.
23:10
SPEAKER_02: And look, a lot of a lot of things happen in life that that uh that happen because you take chances.
23:16
SPEAKER_02: If you don't take a chance, the answer's always gonna be no.
23:19
SPEAKER_02: So go out, reach out to these power five coaches.
23:21
SPEAKER_02: If sell them, if you're listening to this, reach out to Gus Milzon, offer it to him.
23:24
SPEAKER_02: And I guarantee you, if you put out the big money for these guys, somebody's gonna come.
23:28
SPEAKER_02: And and uh we just need a big name coach, a big, big, splashy hire like we did with Mike Leach, because uh we're old miss.
23:36
SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna be honest, Ole Miss is better than state right now in football all around.
23:39
SPEAKER_02: And they're beating us, and if they beat us on the field, I mean, it's just you you can't you're gonna losing momentum in the state, and uh it's just gonna take a while to get back.
23:49
SPEAKER_02: But uh hopefully with this coaching hire, we can we can find the right guy.
23:53
SPEAKER_02: But I think I think a lot of it's gonna look at the egg ball and see see what plays out on Thursday night, how our players do, and all that, and depends on the guy who wants to come in for a rebuilding gig or or what.
24:03
SPEAKER_02: And so I don't know.
24:04
SPEAKER_02: A lot of a lot of it's riding on the game on Thursday.
24:07
SPEAKER_03: Yes, sir.
24:08
SPEAKER_03: Well, we'll have to do another episode after the season once we once we get a coach and we'll get on there and talk about that some more too.
24:14
SPEAKER_03: So well, all right, y'all.
24:16
SPEAKER_03: Thanks for listening.
24:16
SPEAKER_03: Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.
24:18
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, happy Thanksgiving.
24:21
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, stay tuned.
24:22
SPEAKER_02: Uh, I got a got a guest coming up.
24:23
SPEAKER_02: Uh he uh y'all will definitely be happy to hear him.
24:28
SPEAKER_02: He is uh played quarterback at Mississippi State and when we were in college BW.
24:32
SPEAKER_02: I think he's our age, and uh and we you know we we struggled when we were in college.
24:35
SPEAKER_02: We had a tough time.
24:37
SPEAKER_02: We we the the 98, 99, 2000 teams were really good.
24:41
SPEAKER_02: And then the 01, you know, and the terrorist attacks happened.
24:43
SPEAKER_02: Our uh as we always joked around and said that terrorist attacks uh not only attacked our country, which was terrible, but it seems like it attacked Mississippi State football because we kind of went downhill uh after 01 when we had that uh game where we were the first game game the in the nation, the United States, uh had college sporting event, which was so special and uh so many good memories with that.
25:04
SPEAKER_02: But but we just kind of fell off after that in 01, 02, and 03, man.
25:08
SPEAKER_02: And he was a um he was a warrior, played quarterback his day, took a beating with some of those games from those uh teams that we played.
25:15
SPEAKER_02: But man, he was a warrior and he uh he beat Ole Miss in 2001 against Elon Manning.
25:20
SPEAKER_02: I remember that game was a was a classic.
25:22
SPEAKER_02: So Kevin Fan, I got him coming up, and uh and he is coaching high school these days in Van Cleve, Mississippi.
25:28
SPEAKER_02: So we'll ask him about uh his football coaching career and relive some uh Bulldog memories when of his time at Mississippi State and especially winning that 0-1 egg ball.
25:38
SPEAKER_02: You know, uh BW, that 0-1 egg ball, you remember when we were in college with the 9-11 happen, uh, it wasn't the last game of the season.
25:45
SPEAKER_02: It was uh BYU was the final game of that season.
25:48
SPEAKER_02: So we had one more game after that egg ball, but it was a big egg ball.
25:52
SPEAKER_02: I remember because Eli was uh starting quarterback that year, and and same kind of deal as what we're talking about right now.
25:57
SPEAKER_02: You know, we just said we struggled in that 0-1 season, and uh, you know, we were favored to win the West, I believe, going into 01.
26:04
SPEAKER_02: That's when Steve Robertson said we were going to the Rose Bowl.
26:06
SPEAKER_02: That's what you guys nickname, the Rose Bowl.
26:08
SPEAKER_02: And uh, and we just did, like I said, after that terrorist attacks and in the South Carolina game, we just it fell off and uh and had a rough season.
26:16
SPEAKER_02: So uh, but man, you we won that egg ball in 01, and we're gonna I'm gonna get Kevin a walkstown memory in the lane and talk about it.
26:24
SPEAKER_02: But it you just don't want to end the season with a sour taste in your mouth, losing the old miss, and uh especially after a bad season.
26:29
SPEAKER_02: So I feel like uh this season uh it wasn't as bad as as 01 because we did win more games, but it's kind of the same vibe that underdogs going into the game, and and uh and we pulled it off in 01 with Kevin Fant.
26:43
SPEAKER_02: And and uh so yeah, it'll be good to hear him uh walk down memory lane, and maybe that'll bring us luck, BW, and and we can pull the same thing uh this year.
26:52
SPEAKER_02: So we'll see what happens.
26:52
SPEAKER_02: But y'all stay tuned for the interview with Kevin Fant.
26:55
SPEAKER_02: Thank y'all for listening.
26:55
SPEAKER_02: Have a happy Thanksgiving and check us out at Johnnypacker.net and help us with our cause and with our fight against my fight with CF and all those struggling.
27:03
SPEAKER_02: So thank y'all and God bless.
27:04
SPEAKER_02: And Hell State and go to Hello Miss.
27:06
SPEAKER_02: That's right, johnnypacker.net.
27:09
SPEAKER_03: All right.
27:14
SPEAKER_02: Okay, welcome back to a brand new edition of the Johnny's World Podcast.
27:17
SPEAKER_02: Johnny here.
27:18
SPEAKER_02: Uh, we got a great guest today lined up and uh so thankful for him to join us today.
27:23
SPEAKER_02: He's uh if you're if you listen to this podcast, you know we talk about Mississippi State Sports, and he's no stranger to Mississippi State Sports.
27:29
SPEAKER_02: He played uh quarterback for the Bulldogs and uh Kevin Fant, welcome to Johnny's World Podcast.
27:34
SPEAKER_02: Thanks for coming on.
27:35
SPEAKER_01: Well, thanks for having me.
27:36
SPEAKER_02: It's uh exciting week.
27:39
SPEAKER_02: It is exciting week.
27:40
SPEAKER_02: Eggball week is here, you know.
27:41
SPEAKER_02: It's uh week we look forward to every year, and and uh, you know, that you you had you had the successful uh egg ball in 01.
27:49
SPEAKER_02: I want to hit on that a little bit, but first of all, just uh for the listeners out there who hadn't heard from you in a while, just tell everybody what you're doing these days.
27:56
SPEAKER_01: Uh this is my fifth year.
27:58
SPEAKER_01: Uh I uh ventured into head coaching in high school football and uh five years ago, and I'm at Van Cleve, Mississippi, and uh it's a great place to be.
28:08
SPEAKER_01: Uh I enjoy the amateur world of sports and high school football.
28:14
SPEAKER_01: It's uh pay's not quite as good, but uh I enjoy I enjoy uh working with the young guys and actually I had a girl on the team this year, so uh her as well.
28:24
SPEAKER_01: Really?
28:25
SPEAKER_01: Nice.
28:27
SPEAKER_01: Uh what what position did she play?
28:29
SPEAKER_01: She was a kicker.
28:30
SPEAKER_01: She uh she came out a lot of soccer.
28:32
SPEAKER_01: I've been trying to get some soccer boys out to kick for me and end up with a girl.
28:36
SPEAKER_01: So uh she uh kicked all the extra points.
28:39
SPEAKER_01: She's still working on it and getting better, but uh she uh she did well for her first year.
28:45
SPEAKER_02: That's great.
28:46
SPEAKER_02: That's awesome.
28:47
SPEAKER_02: I know it's uh rewarding experience getting to use your uh your your skills from from playing days and now teaching teaching uh young kids to play sport.
28:55
SPEAKER_02: I know it's a rewarding experience.
28:57
SPEAKER_02: Um I guess just tell talk to us, rewind the clock a little bit and talk uh talk a little bit about your career with the Bulldogs.
29:03
SPEAKER_02: So, first of all, what what brought you to start with how you ended up at Mississippi State?
29:07
SPEAKER_01: Well, that's a long story, but uh when I was coming out of Moss Point, we were fortunate.
29:13
SPEAKER_01: We had a lot of athletes coming out in the 90s, and uh you know, we had a lot of our guys and a lot of our people in Mississippi uh going out of state, and I kind of made a decision uh that I was gonna stay in the state, and so that narrowed it down to the big three in our our state because I'm a Mississippi guy through and through.
29:34
SPEAKER_01: So uh, you know, just state was more like me.
29:39
SPEAKER_01: I'm just a lone wolf, if you be.
29:43
SPEAKER_01: I I'm more of a country atmosphere type guy and you know, down to earth.
29:47
SPEAKER_01: And uh state was uh all me.
29:51
SPEAKER_01: You know, and I I visit some other schools and I just uh you know when you walk in somebody's house, you know, you walk in friends' house and you know you just feel welcome.
30:01
SPEAKER_01: And some just feel uh apprehensive a little bit, you just don't know if you want to touch the furniture or anything.
30:08
SPEAKER_01: That's what that's what state felt like to me.
30:10
SPEAKER_01: It felt like I could just be comfortable and be myself.
30:14
SPEAKER_02: Right.
30:14
SPEAKER_02: And uh yeah, you hear that a lot about you know, Mississippi State is a people's university, and uh it's they kind of adopted that whole family thing, and and uh I can see that, see that uh that's true, and it just goes back to to uh feeling welcomed and and people welcome in.
30:30
SPEAKER_02: And and you uh you you played uh you played under Coach Cheryl.
30:33
SPEAKER_02: We had him on the podcast not too long ago.
30:35
SPEAKER_02: What was it like uh playing quarterback under such a legendary coach like Coach Sherrill?
30:39
SPEAKER_01: Oh, I enjoyed it.
30:40
SPEAKER_01: Uh, you know, my last year was his last year, and uh, we went out together.
30:44
SPEAKER_01: You know, we struggled those last few years, but uh I enjoyed every bit of it.
30:50
SPEAKER_01: I think uh it uh when I first came in, you know, we had my class was uh I can't remember the exact percentages, but we had about just guessing over half uh junior college, which immediately helped us, but on the back end, we didn't have a lot of uh seniors.
31:10
SPEAKER_01: We had a lot of younger, younger team when I was uh one of the older guys, so uh it kind of hurt us on the back end, but uh it definitely helped us on the front end.
31:20
SPEAKER_01: So I uh I enjoyed uh all my years there.
31:24
SPEAKER_01: I even tell my young guys that's on the scout team, hey, I did my first year on the scout team in the state, and uh with the number one defense in the nation.
31:32
SPEAKER_01: And I'm gonna tell you what, it was a rewarding experience, but a a hurtful one too.
31:37
SPEAKER_02: Right.
31:39
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, there's uh that that defense we're talking about, 99 defense, man.
31:42
SPEAKER_02: That was that was tough with Jolie Dunn and company, and they uh they they wreaked havoc on some SEC offenses.
31:48
SPEAKER_02: So uh, but yeah, let's since it's egg bowl week, that's what I wanted to get you on, Kevin, and talk a little about uh go down memory lane.
31:55
SPEAKER_02: Let's talk about that 01 egg ball.
31:56
SPEAKER_02: Uh, you know, a lot of people talk about the the you know the 19 egg bowl, 13 egg ball, all these memorable ones, but that game, uh, you know, you just like you said, we kind of had a rough uh go-round at the end of 01, 02, and 03, but and uh that 01 season, you know, we were heavily favored, I believe.
32:12
SPEAKER_02: We were picked to win the West in 01, and and uh just things didn't go our way throughout that year.
32:17
SPEAKER_02: And uh so coming into that egg ball, uh Ole Miss has Eli, and then they were heavily favored.
32:23
SPEAKER_02: Reminds me a lot of the game this week.
32:24
SPEAKER_02: Uh Ole Miss coming into the game heavily favored, and then and you you uh helped him pull off that upset.
32:30
SPEAKER_02: Just uh good.
32:31
SPEAKER_02: Let's just talk about any memories you have from that game and how y'all did it, how y'all pulled off that upset.
32:36
SPEAKER_01: Man, it's uh it was uh definitely something to look back on.
32:40
SPEAKER_01: Uh, I think uh when it comes to whether it's high school sports or all the way to the NFL, when it comes to a rivalry week, you know, a lot of emotions.
32:50
SPEAKER_01: There's a lot of a lot besides physical the physical nature of the game that comes into play.
32:57
SPEAKER_01: You got to be mentally ready to play and you got to be able to control your emotions.
33:01
SPEAKER_01: You know, everybody gets so emotional in those games because it gets built up all throughout the week.
33:07
SPEAKER_01: And uh, you know, just being able to control that, and sometimes that's the team that prevails is uh having all those emotions, having all that energy and having and being able to control it, being like a uh it's kind of like that guy says, you know, you want to be a monster, but you learn to be you gotta learn to control it.
33:25
SPEAKER_01: And right, I think we uh we did a great job of controlling all that energy and uh prevailed on that year.
33:31
SPEAKER_01: You know, we had some big plays from different players, and it's hard to remember all of them, but uh, when you think about that game, uh, you know, and I think about all my egg bowl experiences, you know, Wayne got sick that my redshirt freshman year, and that was one of the most you know rewarding experiences for me.
33:50
SPEAKER_01: But uh it was a battle.
33:52
SPEAKER_01: I think we scored 30 some points, and uh, if I remember right, maybe they had Deuce or at that time.
33:59
SPEAKER_01: They didn't uh so it was uh that was a great experience to be able to play at such a young age at Ole Miss and you know had that battle with them.
34:08
SPEAKER_01: But you know, turn around and come back and win it, it just made it even feel that much better.
34:16
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, uh, you know, and and like you said, when the rivalry games, and we talk about this all the time.
34:21
SPEAKER_02: Uh you even though uh one team is obviously Old Miss has had a more successful season this particular year than than state, uh, and uh Vegas, everybody has them heavily favored, but you throw all that stuff out when it comes to rivalry game, and it you know, you never you never know what's gonna happen.
34:37
SPEAKER_02: That's what's uh so so interesting about these rivalry games.
34:41
SPEAKER_02: And um and I feel like that year in 01, it was kind of weird.
34:46
SPEAKER_02: I I look back on it, I forgot that that was the uh we had another game the next week.
34:51
SPEAKER_02: The BYU game was the next week because the terrorist terrorist attacks, yeah.
34:55
SPEAKER_01: So it wasn't actually that was a crazy year, you know.
34:58
SPEAKER_01: Uh that was the year I I finally I started uh I think the last four games.
35:05
SPEAKER_01: That was my sophomore year.
35:07
SPEAKER_01: And uh man, I we had a we had a good group, you know.
35:12
SPEAKER_01: We had some close games.
35:13
SPEAKER_01: I think that BYU game after that, because that that was kind of emotional because it got moved back.
35:18
SPEAKER_01: I think we scored.
35:20
SPEAKER_01: It was a high scoring game.
35:21
SPEAKER_01: So uh yeah, uh that sophomore year was very memorable for me.
35:26
SPEAKER_01: And uh I when I think about my college career, I always think about that because uh, you know, I play with some great players, and when it comes down to the end of the year, I was gonna say that earlier, you know, that was the difference I think in one of those years.
35:41
SPEAKER_01: We had we had a good team, but you know, it was one of those things we didn't have the depth that maybe uh Alabama's and uh Auburn had that year.
35:48
SPEAKER_01: We didn't have we uh I think we went to a really good player, it turned out to be a good player, but he was young.
35:55
SPEAKER_01: He was a red shirt freshman starting at tackle.
35:58
SPEAKER_01: So, you know, when it comes to the end of the year and you play in the SEC, you know, you got to go through uh bumps and bruises.
36:05
SPEAKER_01: And you know, one of those things is being healthy at the end of the year, too.
36:10
SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
36:10
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's and and like you said, it's so tough that we're playing the Alabamas and Georgia, the world.
36:15
SPEAKER_02: They all have that they're loaded in depth, and and and us at Mississippi State, you know, we yeah, it's it's it's just always been a struggle to to have uh have depth like that on our team.
36:24
SPEAKER_02: So uh but yeah, y'all.
36:26
SPEAKER_01: It depends.
36:27
SPEAKER_01: I mean, uh you got uh you know, sometimes uh that depth and playing some younger guys ends up helping in your future.
36:34
SPEAKER_01: So you never know what God has in store for you.
36:37
SPEAKER_01: And sometimes, you know, those struggles I had at the end of my career, I think that helped me more become a well, how I said I was better as a young coach because of those tough years.
36:50
SPEAKER_01: Because I, you know, in high school and we first got up there, we were I was always blessed enough to be successful.
36:57
SPEAKER_03: Right.
36:57
SPEAKER_01: And you know, I learned so much from those few years, not just with football and coaching, but life.
37:04
SPEAKER_01: So you know, God God blesses us and God sends us through struggles.
37:09
SPEAKER_02: And uh you're absolutely right on that.
37:16
SPEAKER_02: You learn from your struggles, and and uh I can see how that uh goes into in the coaching, and you can teach some valuable lessons to to the young guys out there because it's not always about wins and losses, it's it's about how you uh I it's it's easy to say how you play everybody says not wins is how you play the game, but it's really is it boils down to to uh to bonding with your teammates and and all that sort of stuff and creating memories and and learn learning what life life lessons to be learned and and uh so yeah, I I I can't definitely see how you're talking about that as far as uh coaching um career comes.
37:53
SPEAKER_01: You know, people don't like me to say it, but you know, if you you know you play your tail off and you play a great game, and sometimes that ball just does not bounce your way.
38:03
SPEAKER_01: That football does not bounce your way sometimes.
38:06
SPEAKER_01: And uh part of my career, you know, I thought we played a great game with line of mistakes, but you know, just got edged out.
38:14
SPEAKER_01: And yeah, that's what makes a football game so great.
38:17
SPEAKER_01: You know, you can take it's like I tell everybody in high school sports in baseball, you play a three-game series, you can play a bad game and bounce back.
38:25
SPEAKER_01: Football, you got one.
38:27
SPEAKER_01: You got one you come out and you make a few mistakes, it can make the difference in the game, and that's what makes football so great because you don't get a redo.
38:36
SPEAKER_02: Right, absolutely right.
38:39
SPEAKER_02: Well, well, what are your thoughts on the bulldoz?
38:41
SPEAKER_02: Have you been have you been had a chance to follow them any this year?
38:43
SPEAKER_01: I know we've had a um now that uh you know I I get one day off a week.
38:49
SPEAKER_01: I don't uh I hadn't caught every game.
38:52
SPEAKER_01: I try to catch every game I can because the one day I told myself with young kids that you know my only off day is Saturday.
38:59
SPEAKER_01: If it's something to family, I'm gonna make sure I'm doing it.
39:02
SPEAKER_01: And you we usually make try to go up for one or two ball games a year, and we made one this year, but my kids are all playing Saturday pee-wee football, uh softball on the weekend.
39:15
SPEAKER_01: So uh I made a promise of myself I would not miss one of my kids' games to go to another one, right?
39:23
SPEAKER_01: So uh uh get a little older and get old get older, you know, we we can do some things and get out of this Saturday Pee-wee game.
39:32
SPEAKER_02: Right.
39:34
SPEAKER_02: Well, yeah, it just seems like we've uh we've struggled this year, and it's just not unfortunate to you with Coach Leach passing last year.
39:41
SPEAKER_02: I felt like you know, we won nine games last year, and we I felt like we were in the right direction.
39:46
SPEAKER_02: And and then uh and then Coach Hornett, I mean, he he did the best he could in such an awful circumstance of of Coach Leach passing, and and uh it's just been been a tough season.
39:56
SPEAKER_02: But but man, you like I said, like we talked about earlier, you throw all those records aside when it comes to Rivalry game and egg bowl, and it's starting 0-0 pretty much.
40:04
SPEAKER_02: And and uh and it would be so awesome, and it's gonna be a tough task, but but it'd be he would have to score a lot of points uh against Ole Miss because they can score points, but to get that six win over Ole Miss, over your rival, and Will Rogers riding off in the sunset and with a bowl.
40:19
SPEAKER_02: I mean, I can't think of any team better than for a Mississippi State fan than seeing that.
40:23
SPEAKER_01: I think yeah I and I've always uh you know I didn't never really around Coach Arnett, and uh I think he was especially he did hey man, we he has produced some great defenses the past few years.
40:35
SPEAKER_01: And uh, you know, especially even with the coach Leach there, you know, there were several games that you know we were three and out a lot, and the defense stepped up under Arnett to produce those nine wins, you know.
40:47
SPEAKER_01: A lot of people forget, you know, you just want to live in the present.
40:51
SPEAKER_01: But you know, coach uh coach Arnett uh won a lot of games for us as a defensive coordinator, too.
40:57
SPEAKER_01: He did.
40:58
SPEAKER_01: So uh you know, I I like him and I but I've always enjoyed uh Coach Knox.
41:03
SPEAKER_01: He's been around a long time, and uh I wish him well and I wish uh wish all of them well.
41:09
SPEAKER_01: Uh you know, I it don't matter where you go in the state, you're gonna have old miss people and state people no matter where you work, so it's always an exciting week.
41:18
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
41:19
unknown: Yeah.
41:20
SPEAKER_00: Did you see the video of Coach Knox riding the four-wheeler into the locker room with the players?
41:24
SPEAKER_00: I didn't see it.
41:24
SPEAKER_00: I heard about it, and I meant to pull that up and I forgot to.
41:28
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, man, that was something else.
41:30
SPEAKER_02: And you could tell there just the players were just fired up and and uh they got the juice going, as they say.
41:35
SPEAKER_02: And uh yeah, Coach Knox, you know, you know, he had been in this situation before with when Coach Mullen left and and uh got that bowl game win.
41:43
SPEAKER_02: And and uh it's just uh he seems like I don't know him personally, but he seems like a really nice guy and and happy for him.
41:48
SPEAKER_02: And and uh and just best of luck to him, best of luck to Coach Arnett, too, in the future.
41:53
SPEAKER_02: I know he'll uh heck of a defensive coach, he'll get a I'm I feel sure he'll get a defensive coordinator job easily.
41:59
SPEAKER_02: Um but uh but yeah, if we can just somehow score more points, it's gonna I feel like it's gonna be a shootout to to keep up with that old miss offense.
42:06
SPEAKER_01: But uh I think our defense is gonna, you know, I think I got a good feeling our defense is gonna uh play well, you know, and you just need that uh just like last game, the pick six, you need something big, and you know, momentum.
42:21
SPEAKER_01: You sometimes you get that momentum swing and things just start going your way.
42:25
SPEAKER_01: Like you said, you know, excited after the game, the excitement from the players.
42:31
SPEAKER_01: It don't matter what's what age you play at.
42:33
SPEAKER_01: Sometimes it's like baseball, you know, you string a couple hits together, you end up with a four-run inning, you know.
42:38
SPEAKER_01: So football's no different, you know.
42:41
SPEAKER_01: You can uh make a big play on defense and uh, you know, turn the game around.
42:45
SPEAKER_01: I think an old coach always said there's about seven, eight plays that make up a ball game.
42:50
SPEAKER_01: The only problem is you gotta play hard, all of them, because you don't know which one it is.
42:54
SPEAKER_02: Right.
42:55
SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
42:56
SPEAKER_02: Yep, yep, that's the truth.
42:58
SPEAKER_02: Well, uh, well, yeah, I don't I don't really have much else.
43:01
SPEAKER_02: I I do have to say last year, uh, we've been like I said, we've been doing this podcast for a couple years now, and and just kind of since me and my co-host BW are state fans, we had a bunch of state players and coaches on.
43:13
SPEAKER_02: And last year on this egg ball week, we did uh we had your former teammate uh De Senzo Miller on talking about the egg ball last year, and and we ended up winning the game.
43:21
SPEAKER_02: So maybe you can maybe that was good luck on maybe this year you you can bring us good luck too.
43:26
SPEAKER_01: So old D'Cenzo, I I use his name a good bit with my high school players because uh when I was a young guy up there, he was playing.
43:34
SPEAKER_01: I was still back up on the sideline.
43:36
SPEAKER_01: You know, De Senzo wasn't very fast, he played with a lot of heart, right?
43:41
SPEAKER_01: He was very quick, but fast, speed-wise, he wasn't very fast.
43:44
SPEAKER_01: But I seen that guy, I'll never forget it.
43:47
SPEAKER_01: I use that example every time.
43:49
SPEAKER_01: I was on the sidelines and seen him get tackled in a pile, and he elbow crawled another yard and a half and got it.
43:57
SPEAKER_04: Wow.
43:57
SPEAKER_01: Jeff Re was trying to find where the mark was, and I watched him from my view probably get a yard and a half.
44:04
SPEAKER_01: I mean, that's the kind of determination you you got to play with, and I always enjoy watching DeSunzo play.
44:11
SPEAKER_02: That's awesome.
44:12
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, he was a heck of a ball player for sure.
44:14
SPEAKER_02: And and uh, and I feel like we got some of those guys, like like we just talked about Jed Johnson making that play and picking it off and then pitching it and running back, and Buki Watson that on that defense, man.
44:24
SPEAKER_02: We're we got some studs out there, so uh it'll be interesting to see see how it takes place.
44:29
SPEAKER_02: But regardless, it's gonna be fun just uh getting out there, Thanksgiving night, egg bowl national TV, and and uh and and representing Mississippi.
44:37
SPEAKER_02: So uh yeah, man.
44:38
SPEAKER_01: Then we on top of all that, you know, you you got so many emotions with state fans, and you know, you got a top of the egg bowl, you got a coaching hire you gotta have.
44:47
SPEAKER_01: So it's just a lot of uh talk going on with the state family right now.
44:53
SPEAKER_02: Yep, yep.
44:55
SPEAKER_02: Well, uh well, I'll let you get back.
44:56
SPEAKER_02: I know you said you were gonna go into the woods.
44:58
SPEAKER_02: I have to ask you have you done any uh you got any hunting, killed any deer, anything yet?
45:01
SPEAKER_01: Well, we just got to hunt one time.
45:03
SPEAKER_01: Uh I don't hunt until football season's over.
45:06
SPEAKER_01: So uh we got up here and uh got my nine-year-old up here.
45:10
SPEAKER_01: Maybe he'll get one this evening.
45:12
SPEAKER_02: Nice, nice.
45:13
SPEAKER_02: Well, Kevin, best of luck to you and and your and your son that y'all get the deer and hopefully the board of us can get us a victory and and uh and get us a new coach pretty soon and get us back on the on the winning ways.
45:23
SPEAKER_02: And uh can't thank you enough for coming on.
45:25
SPEAKER_02: And you were a great player for us through those years, the tough times, and you fought hard, and good luck on your coaching career.
45:31
SPEAKER_02: Really, really appreciate you coming on, Kevin.
45:33
SPEAKER_02: Appreciate it.
45:33
SPEAKER_02: Call in a time.
45:35
SPEAKER_02: All right, thanks, man.