Latest / In The Pocket / Ep. 4: Week 2 picks, plus UM's chances vs. OU, EMU's shot at upsetting MSU

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Ep. 4: Week 2 picks, plus UM's chances vs. OU, EMU's shot at upsetting MSU · In The Pocket

• Andrew Graham: Hello and welcome to another episode of In the Pocket, a college football podcast focusing on the state of Michigan. I am Andrew Graham and I am once more joined by my co host, Connor Irgood of the Detroit News. Connor, it is Thursday morning, September tenth. How you doing? Connor Earegood: Pretty good, pretty good. Needed a ⁓ I needed another second this morning, but my alarm clock wasn't giving it to me. So ⁓ unlike some places, no I had to throw that joke in. Everyone's getting their digs in. Fitzgerald on his radio show. Lance Taylor had a great joke. Yeah. It's it's it's gonna go into the meme virality. Andrew Graham: Lance Lance Taylor made that joke at his press conference, so ⁓ it it should. ⁓ being on so like people saw that little like look he made around the press conference. So if you're like from where he's looking, when he looks off to the right, that's like directly at Andy Pepper, who's one of the local TV sports guys there, does a great job, been around forever in Keizo. And then he comes back to the left to that's me and Matt Ayler from ⁓ Live on the other side. And just being on the receiving end of that look, I have like a little bit of sense of what it's like to be one of Lance's kids of like the mix of like dad humor, but also don't don't try me on this one. Connor Earegood: Yeah. I did you see the the MSU professor that was like ⁓ basically saying there's sixty seconds in a minute, like I don't know what's happening down there, which is funny 'cause it clock gate, but Andrew Graham: Yes, I did. Yeah, we're Well, the the real metaphysical thing I could get into is that humanity is ill equipped at defining what a clock actually is because time is a metaphysical reality and not some like it there's no human construct to time, so we're sort of gloming on our concepts of it to ⁓ like clocks are all relative, is I guess my kind of point. Connor Earegood: Mm. Is is that why Bryce says that's cool? He's like time is relative, we're all gonna die anyway, I might as well be nihilistic about this. Andrew Graham: Yeah the graph the There were there was a different gravitational field for the replay booth, and that's why their time was different. So that's that's that is physically how that would work if you get into the super nitty gritty of it. But Western Michigan has largely moved on from that. I think it's time we mostly move on from that, ⁓ just because week two is getting here and there's gonna be games to play and we need to talk about them and if that's where Western Michigan's at, and I guess Michigan for that matter, although they were a little more Connor Earegood: Mm. Andrew Graham: Quietly happy to turn the focus forward. We should ⁓ get talking about these games here. You ready to dig in, Connor? Alright, we should start, I guess, with the big one of the weekend, which is Oklahoma comes and visits Michigan in the big house. That game is noon, Eastern Time, Fox, big noon. It'll probably actually kick off at like 1212 or something like that, because that's how those noon prime games work. It's just the reality of it. So the obvious question after Michigan's just Connor Earegood: Absolutely. Andrew Graham: Bad offensive performance in the opener, straight up, is can they do anything against Oklahoma's defense? Like, especially at the line of scrimmage where I mean it's conceivably possible that Oklahoma has the best defense in the country when it's all said and done. And I don't think Michigan's like maybe doomed for the entire season with its offensive line play, but the way it played in week one would have me extremely concerned with what Oklahoma's gonna do. I'm kind of curious your thoughts, Connor. Connor Earegood: Yeah, I mean your litmus test is Cole Sullivan, right? He's a backup and he was a starter for for Michigan last year and a pretty darn good one. So that ought to tell you the talent level that that Oklahoma's working with and the trust they have in their guys. ⁓ I I I was fifty fifty on the offensive line for Michigan. They were bad, but I also think it it doesn't help when Bryce Underwood can't read a defense in front of him, ⁓ and and takes the wrong the wrong read on on different option plays and Andrew Graham: Correct. Connor Earegood: ⁓ I I was really surprised at the the running backs and how little you know, they were able to work around maybe a a a lacka push. ⁓ absolutely. ⁓ but it's similar to Michigan State's game, right, with Cam Edwards, where it's like you even if your line is struggling a little bit, if you're a good enough running back, you can sort of do your own cooking and and get outside and he did that. Didn't really see that from from Marshall or ⁓ or Heider. Andrew Graham: Jalen Buckley was the best runner in that game. Connor Earegood: So it's it's it's gonna be interesting to see if they get a push, ⁓ you know, especially when you're kinda gut checked like that. Like I I wrote this in our previews, I think they go out today for the news. Like the irony of all this is that Michigan can still probably hang with Oklahoma just from a talent level. And like no, and like there's the motivation factor. I I think it's not gonna be a blow until the end. I think Oklahoma's gonna pull ahead late and we can get into that with predictions, but I I it is, you know. Andrew Graham: Yeah. ⁓ yeah, I think it's not gonna be like a blowout. Connor Earegood: That that is the million dollar question, right? It's like when you were gut checked, not only your quarterback but your offensive line and like it's gonna depend on you, ⁓ how you're able to respond. So this is a pretty big week for Michigan. I I I don't think that needs to be overstated, but yeah, I I don't know. Defensively too, like Mathir is gonna do some things that the defensive line, if you're struggling against Western Michigan, like Mateer is a a a class up from a guy, you know, like Lowry, who's a good quarterback and, you know a winner and and probably gonna lead Western to some pretty good things this year, did last year. But like the Heisman level. Andrew Graham: On Ironically, I think Mateir is kind of like I think Matir is kind of like the the like four star version of Brock Lowry. Connor Earegood: Yeah. No, that's that's what I'm saying. Is like he he's he's very like if you're struggling with this guy, the I I don't know. The S plus rating of him is is gonna be a handful. And Dom Nichols isn't gonna be able to do it all himself on that defensive line. As good as he played, Yeah. Andrew Graham: Like ⁓ yeah. He had an excellent game, very quietly so. ⁓ but yeah, and I think like Kyle Whittingham said after he watched tape three times, like he didn't think the offensive line played bad, and I don't like I don't think it did either. They didn't like they gave up one sack, I think they gave up two tackles for loss. Like they weren't getting played off the field, but they were getting equaled, stopped, stonewalled, like not moving people against a good Mac team, a good Western Michigan team. I think that, you know, that front seven is maybe better than your average G seven front seven when we look at it. Or G six front seven, excuse me, at the end of the day. But you still just were not moving people ever with any consistency. You were not like there was no series outside of the first scripted drive where you put together even two plays in a row run blocking. Where I went, good job. Like that just didn't happen at all in the game. And that's not to say that like I I think they're young, they have talented players. I think there's plenty of reason to believe by week six, seven, eight, it will look a lot different and probably a lot better for the Michigan offensive line. Can it come together in a week? ⁓ that is kind of I think where we're at. And you mentioned him and we have to talk about him because Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: Finally a Michigan coach called him out publicly for not playing well enough, and that is Bryce Underwood. And I do think to get to what I just said there of like I think it's good finally that his head coach is just willing to say on camera to a group of reporters that Bryce wasn't good enough. Because Sharon Moore didn't do that. And I think that's like you can fairly say you shouldn't do that with your true freshman quarterback or or whatever. But like there's no reason Connor Earegood: Ha ha. Yeah. Andrew Graham: Bryce Underwood for what he's getting paid for having been in the program for a year. Like, yes, these guys are kids, but he's also like he's 19 and he's 19 and can understand the how the world works, I think. ⁓ like you just have to play better, fundamentally. There's no like you can get into all the little specifics of why, how, where, when. He has to be demonstrably better to be worth what. Connor Earegood: He's an adult. He's an adult. Andrew Graham: Michigan is paying him and to live up to his expectations and also just to have Michigan be capable to the degree it should be on offense. Connor Earegood: Yeah, I mean he's gotta read a defense. Like ⁓ his decision making, if you look at the film cut-ups, is terrible. Terrible. And it's like y you look at him having like a real good quarterbacks coach this year, right? ⁓ and that's not a slight on on anyone else. Like a someone who is is being touted as this is a guy who is going to help you. It is gonna be ugly, but you are gonna get better. ⁓ and he hasn't taken steps and he looks just like he did a year ago. And this is after some of the I don't know, some of the Michigan like fan mags were getting dogged on. They're like always making NFL throws and all all these sorts of like, you know, v Andrew Graham: He probably has made a few of them, but then that's in between like dirting five yard outs to a running back. It's like Connor Earegood: Yeah. Yeah, well and it's funny too, because some of the quotes are like he's unreal from defensive players and it's like, hmm, maybe they mean that in a different way. Who knows? But unreal how. But ⁓ I I ⁓ yeah, it it's interesting because a guy with that much like raw talent, you would think would be able to year over year reach toward more potential. And that's like the thing of getting a five star. It's not that they're gonna be great when they're a freshman, it's what they're gonna turn into is a little bit better than you're gonna see from other guys. Andrew Graham: I was gonna say Unreal How? Connor Earegood: That's why even a five s you know, so there's some five stars that don't start immediately. Look at what Ohio State usually does. Like, ⁓ so it's it's it's interesting that ⁓ you know, he's kind of been handed a lot of things at Michigan. ⁓ and and I don't think that's been for his benefit. But we'll see with you know, i I thought his body language was terrible yesterday. We're recording this on Thursday, Wednesday was the press conference where he said, That's cool and kind of shrugged off the whole ⁓ QE competition of it all, I guess, and and you know, potentially being benched. He was just that's cool. ⁓ and I think that's probably him trying to like not let on that that eats at him. I would assume it does. but also that's an assumption and like how you outwardly present yourself means a lot as a leader, especially when you're under center. ⁓ and I I don't think that was a very good off field rep from Bryce Underwood. He's not even making the reads off the field. Like, that's the thing. Andrew Graham: He he would do well and I don't like know Bryce Underwood well enough or have covered him super close enough to be like this is definitively how he kinda functions, but like I think he would just do well to like Own what he's been and kind of just address it more head on. Like you can very much tell, and I don't blame a kid who's had a camera shoved in his face since he was like 13 for being just kind of averse to talking to cameras by this point. Like that part I get. ⁓ but I think it just to his own benefit, however much you don't like that fairly or not, you have to help yourself by just being more self critical. outwardly. Because I probably believe that internally, like I I if he was not owning that he wasn't good enough internally, I don't know that he would keep playing. Like that is maybe a a fair question. ⁓ but like you probably have to have what we can all observe of your play line up with your own rhetoric about it to a better extent. ⁓ and I think that's just kind of where the rub lies and I I Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: Think he can play better. Like, I don't think it's like it entirely, like, he's not trapped in being underwhelming forever. But I think the frustrating part is last year just got utterly wasted. So he's kind of got to go through all the hard stuff he should have as a freshman this year. And what that functionally means is to your point, you got a five-star guy, you're supposed to have a year where you get him ready, and then you have a two-year window where that guy can take you to the final floor of the playoff. And Michigan screwed up at least one of those years because of what happened last year from the look of it. ⁓ and now that's gonna become Kyle Whittingham and Coy Detmer Jr. and Jason Beck's problem instead of being Sharone Moore's problem. Connor Earegood: Hey, it i they might still have two years, three years. Like he might be a five-year guy. You know, and and there's nothing wrong with that. And everyone has their own timeline, but it's certainly not what he envisioned when he was turning down LSU offers and ⁓ you know, all all the money was being thrown around. But I do wonder if some of the mental thing is like a self-insistence. Like, you know how defensive backs like feed off of the sort of I'm the greatest and and they don't want to irrational like self-belief. I wonder if that's a Andrew Graham: Potentially. Irrational, yeah. Connor Earegood: part of it. And that's getting a little psychological here and I don't have a degree in that, so I'm gonna caution what I say, but ⁓ I I do wonder, like, if part of him saying that's cool and not really addressing his own shortcomings directly is to keep up that illusion of of being the shit, ⁓ and and being the the the guy that, you know, can can sort of be that leader and and ⁓ you know, in talent. So it it's gonna be interesting to see if losses continue to pile up, if this is a Michigan team that's maybe, you know, two and one or something heading into Big Ten play and I mean that would be a loss to Oklahoma, but who knows? They could lose it to UTEP after they beat Oklahoma 'cause they've shown vol you know, a little volatility in their play. I I I I would be very curious how he would approach this season if it's sort of a foregone conclusion again. Andrew Graham: Yeah. Well and I think I'm also just fascinated, like I kinda believe like I believe he didn't see Kyle Whittingham's press conference on Monday. Like I don't think the quarterback watches that. Like ⁓ that part I believe. But I'd be I'd be eat sitting here eating a hat next week if Kyle Whittingham hadn't said to Bryce more or less what he said to reporters. So it's not like there's any secrets about it. ⁓ like I d I like that would be coaching malpractice to have not told your quarterback, hey You were not good enough and we need you to be better, and then not like if you didn't say that and then went and said that to the press, like you are f really, really messing up as a head coach. ⁓ so I'm guessing Bryce had gotten the message already. And then it's just like, yeah, like just acknowledge you haven't been good enough. That's like that's basically what it is. And like I think because we all know you're trying to be better. Like, I don't think that's the question isn't is Bryce Underwood trying hard here? I don't really think. Connor Earegood: Yeah. Yeah. It's not yeah. Yeah. He this is the window when he can yeah, this is the window when he can be bad sort of the first couple of years. Like, embrace it, you know? B use the you build the goodwill. Yeah. Yeah. We say this as two dudes that have not played college ball. We'll put that asterisk out there. But yeah. Quiz bowl for me. Andrew Graham: That's which just makes it a little more frustrating. A little bit, yeah. Yeah. It like talk about how it's gonna be better going forward and then do it, and that's all you can really do. Yeah, the last like competitive sports I played was like getting waxed by Tommy Henry in a regional baseball game and Michigan State Tournament. Shout out Tommy Henry now with the ⁓ Arizona Diamondbacks, I believe. But the Michigan defense, the last thing from from to get to this Michigan Oklahoma game. Connor Earegood: Yeah. That's huge. Andrew Graham: They looked pretty good. ⁓ I think part of that is Western kind of by choice didn't want to throw the ball a ton and was pretty happy, especially in the second half, and was pretty happy to play ball control. And that didn't play into Michigan's favor in the grand scheme, but it did kinda like the defense eventually had a pretty easy job of like we just gotta get ⁓ off the field after one or two first downs 'cause they're not going downfield explosive on us. ⁓ so I think Michigan's defense, like, and this kind of circles us back around to like it being kind of close. Like Oklahoma's offense is not super explosive outside of Isaiah Cetania. And they just don't like they're not a team that shows up to hang a ton of points on you. Like they're pretty happy to just like win this one 21-3, which seems like a very distinct possibility at the moment. But I'm kind of curious what your thoughts were on Like Michigan's defense, it it looks like they're they're solid, but maybe like not the greatest test to know either. Connor Earegood: Yeah, I it was interesting 'cause th there were a lot of different guys that got involved and and they have a lot of good athletes like Ice Moa who was at Michigan State last year. ⁓ I thought Michigan State staff was kinda doing some malpractice by not really playing him. ⁓ and sure enough he he had a couple of really good plays sort of kinda just getting in from from the second level. ⁓ I I I do think Dom Nichols is gonna be a big part of this defense. He's sort of your your next great Michigan edge rusher, if you will. ⁓ And, you know, the the defensive front, the the interior of the line probably needs to get better, but also Buckley ran like he was angry at the grass. So ⁓ and they get a push. Yeah, they get a push. So that's the part where it's like, Okay, how are they gonna stack against Oklahoma? It's probably similar. And now you've seen where you're short on the film, ⁓ and can work on it, right? It's it's different than if you'd you know, this was game six or something and they all of a sudden like you realized, this is not a good defensive line, like Andrew Graham: Western's offensive line is like genuinely very good. Connor Earegood: the the interior. So there's pieces they can work on. I was, you know, I was surprised even to not get thrown at. Jair Hill, I thought probably could have played a little better. There were a couple of plays he kinda gave up, especially coming in on on run plays, ⁓ where he just, you know, gets up there to make a play and then washes out of it because he's just completely reading it wrong. ⁓ and and that's not a great sign to see because, you know, if if you're running into screens, if you're running into some outside runs, like you gotta be able to get involved there. ⁓ so especially as like an all American caliber type of guy. but which is a long way coming for him. Like he's he's developed a whole lot from what he came in as for that program and ⁓ you know, he's gonna be a big part of this defense. But ⁓ it's the little things. It's the it's the reading, it's the execution, it's the details, it's the minutiae, ⁓ that this team really needs to get better at, which is, you know, that's week one, right? It's it's a dress rehearsal almost. They're just it counts, you know. Andrew Graham: Yeah. Yeah. The defense had a very week one kind of like normal band of variation performance where it's like, iron out some stuff here, we're maybe trying to figure out like ⁓ th maybe this guy can take on this role or maybe now we want to do it this way, like it felt a very much like a week one non problematic kind of level of performance for the defense where there's still some tinkering and tweaking and refining to do, but they have a pretty decent grasp on like Connor Earegood: Even sixty one seconds, but Yeah. Andrew Graham: what they do, what they do well, how they wanna do it. Like so and that's what gives me confidence that like we might actually have just genuinely the most boring, uncompetitive, low-scoring game in Michigan Stadium where like Michigan is able to keep it close because of the defense, can't do much because of Oklahoma's own defense hemming in their offense. And it's just like it's like 13-3 at halftime and 23 Connor Earegood: Met off. Andrew Graham: six at the end or something like like just I I could just see it being very you're kinda never in doubt about Oklahoma, but it's not actually like ever more than two scores, but we could get to that at the end when we pick games. We should we should get on to the in-state matchup of the week, which we you and I will both be at. ⁓ you would of course always be there and I will be there because mitten on mitten. Eastern Michigan travels to Spartan Stadium to face Michigan State. That game is at 330. I am forgetting what network it is on. Connor Earegood: Hehehe ⁓ big ten network. Andrew Graham: S big Ten network? Okay, I was it was either that or C B S 'cause it's a three thirty. So ⁓ Obviously the big storyline here is that Noah Kim comes back to play at Michigan Stadium. ⁓ Kim is a seventh year quarterback for Eastern Michigan. He st he he got recruited by Mark D'Antonio at one point. Like that is the that's all you need to know. ⁓ so he he started, he played, I believe, three seasons at MSU, twenty one, twenty two, twenty three, transferred out, spent two years at Coastal. Then came back to Eastern Michigan for last season, thought it would be his last year, got a waiver because they were able to basically retro medical one of his years and get a medical red shirt. ⁓ he had already done COVID in a standard red shirt, so basically that's how he gets to seven. And Eastern loves him. He's a very mature, confident, controlled quarterback, and now he gets to go play against his former team. So I guess Connor, I'll let you take it away since you are the the MSU beatwriter. Connor Earegood: Yeah, man, I it was interesting hearing from him and and sort of his like confidence I'd call it of like, ⁓ this is a game. Like he's he's not super focused and it probably helps that I think there's only eight guys who he ever like overlapped with in the slightest and and only a couple that he's close with, ⁓ that I know you're writing about this week, so watch Mitton Football for that. But The the thing I wrote about it was just the like he's focused on trying to win this game and like Eastern Andrew Graham: W like later that later on Thursday at Minton Football, yes. Connor Earegood: He's probably their shot at that, so it's good to hear him say that, you know. That's he's gonna be the guy who's who's gonna be looked at to do it. ⁓ and he didn't have a great game last week comparative to the first. ⁓ especially comparative to the first. But ⁓ sometimes that's you know adding into a game like this when you'd you have product kind of a dud performance and and maybe a gut check of it, ⁓ that can be more motivation, I guess, I would say. ⁓ but I but I don't know. I i it i there's always the levels of talent, right? Like Andrew Graham: Absolutely. Connor Earegood: When the G six is punching up, you're always gonna run into ⁓ you know, a difference in talent defensively, difference on the offensive line. Like the positions that are are thin up at the top, they're getting rated at the G six level. So, I I do think though, when you have a quarterback, most important position on the field, ⁓ that who can can sort of make distant throws and and sort of improvise a little bit and and do what he needs to do to win a game, ⁓ and has seven years of experience in doing that, like Andrew Graham: He's he's he's no, it's he's had two college careers, basically. Connor Earegood: Tha that that's not a small thing. Like I th that's a ton of reps. Yeah, pretty much. And and so like that that's what ⁓ Joe Rossi pointed to yesterday was like, you know, ⁓ the the the knowledge and and things ⁓ that he has, like that's a ton of experience to be able to draw on. ⁓ or maybe it was Nick Sheridan that we talked about. No, it was definitely Rossi. ⁓ it was Rossi. And and just talking about like there are you know, mature decisions that he makes that he's rep through. Andrew Graham: It was r it was Rossi. Connor Earegood: ⁓ and you can say this to him about Milovoyovic at at you know, quarterback for Michigan State, and we'll probably get into him when we talk about the offense, but ⁓ there's mature decision making that is done that is gonna hold a defense honest and and sort of it's like he's able to take the what is given up versus like trying to jam the ball just because he has the arm talent, just because he sees something and gets a wild hair up his rear. ⁓ so I i if Eastern is able to get some good, you know, if he chefs up Like this could be a tighter game, especially if Michigan State struggles in the red zone. We'll get to that later. Andrew Graham: Well and I th I think what he can do is s sort of be the your like your your your game script force multiplier or however you want to think about it where if you're Eastern and you're thinking about like what's your pathway to pulling the upset here, you you gotta like win the turnover margin probably plus two or so, set yourself up with like a couple quick scores. And having a quarterback where I mean, yeah, he could get sack fumbled, you know, you throw a ball, it bounces off a dude's hands, it gets like y plays had like turnovers happen, don't get me wrong, but like through I think Kim's had some like 70 plus dropbacks already, and he's had like, I think fewer than five turnover worthy plays. ⁓ and he he's he's the the thing that stood out to me I swear most from his opening performance where he was just in complete control was he had I think nine or or eleven incompletions and Connor Earegood: Pretty good. Andrew Graham: Easily five or six of them were just straight throwaways where he was just like it's not there and he just chucks it away and it's not like and that kind of stuff where he'll protect the football, he will not put Eastern in disadvantageous positions, kind of sets you up halfway, and then it's can your defense come up with an interception in the plus side of the field for you? Can you return a punt for fifty yards? You know, like can you come up with those two, three, four, five plays on the margin That that can swing the game to give you an edge. And I think quietly Kim keeps you from doing like because if Eastern comes in and throws two picks and is like bad on special teams or whatever, like they lose. Like that's just what's gonna happen. ⁓ and so I think he provides this really, really stable floor for you to be able to try and then pick off the five or six individual outcomes you need in the game to win. does that happen? Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: I'm skeptical, but like I think he gives them a very real chance to at least have MSU like having to really work to put this away late. Connor Earegood: Yeah. Well that's the question with this MSU defense to to kind of shift gears. Like I are they going to be able to sort of prevent the explosives? Because they struggled to do that last week. You think it like as much as, you know, people say like, ⁓ well a hundred thirty one yards of Toledo's two hundred seventy something came on two plays, like again to quote Rossi, he he got cooked on a double move that I think he was trying to sit in zone. Like I still think he was trying to sit in zone because he's high on that b that Andrew Graham: Yeah, but Chuck Brantley still got cooked on that double move, like Maybe. Connor Earegood: You know, he's just standing there and then he realized, ⁓ this guy's not doing anything else, he's going. And he gets and he gets close and you know, credit to him that he's fighting on the play, but still gave him way too much room. ⁓ the other one too, like Trey Bell on that corner route, has his back completely turned. Like that's the one that doesn't get talked about, the six yard touchdown. It's like his back is completely turned and he's swimming. Trying to break it up just on dumb luck. It did not work. and this, you know Andrew Graham: Yeah, it was w it was weird. Yeah, he he just didn't get ever didn't ever get his head around, yeah. Connor Earegood: The wrong fill from a safety is is what the staff identified was the problem on that that seventy one yard run. You still let it up and let up the lead in the fourth. ⁓ and so that's the sort of like yes, they're two plays, three plays, but they're also plays that happen. And they're gonna happen out of you know, out of forty five defensive snaps, three of ⁓ like that's a it's not an insignific right, that's once every two drives. Andrew Graham: ⁓ yeah. Well in An Eastern wants to challenge you down the field. Like that is between Nick Devereaux is like Joe Rossi called him all league, all Mac. He's like probably that caliber. I don't know if he gets there at the end of the year. But he is like his football career is very interesting. He played like one year of high school football at Brother Rice's senior year, which was COVID. So it was like really disjointed. He walked on at Eastern and they were basically like, You don't know anything about playing receiver, but you're like Connor Earegood: Exactly. Andrew Graham: six foot one and long arms and run really fast, so screw it, we'll see what happens. And he's just grown into this like very good receiver for them. So he's still very much of that linear go balls, digs, crossers, like things where you can get him running in a straight line away from people is where Nick Defero really thrives. And I think that's like if MSU has on tape that they might be susceptible to double moves and and getting, you know burned deep because of one missed assignment, like between Devereaux, ⁓ Harold Bax, a sophomore, who they're pretty excited about. Cozy Isaac had a touchdown in the opener and he's kind of a burner. Like Eastern has ways, I think, to challenge you down the field in ways that you probably wouldn't expect out of Eastern Michigan. Like this like their their pass catching group with Kim is pretty good. This is something Rossi talked about too of He singled out Devereaux, Harold Mack, and tight end Josh Long. I would throw in Benson Prosper to that group. He's probably the like kind of security blanket. But like I think Eastern Michigan has enough. Like Nick Devereux is on the level with the Dabs guy who caught the two touchdowns for Toledo. So like you're not, it's not like, ⁓ this guy's not as good or something for MSU. Like it's a similar level of challenge. have you fixed enough in a week because Eastern Michigan is gonna press you there. And Kim is like, if there's one thing he's been really good at this year, it is accuracy down the field. His hit if people listening this look up his his touchdown throw to Devereaux against Sacramento State. In the bucket. Like inch perfect throw to his guy. And so MSU's defensive backs are not you know they're gonna have to play perfect, but you're really gonna have to have a buttoned up game. To not give up those explosives in this one. Connor Earegood: Well and the interesting too is linebacker as well. Like I obviously there's some injury attrition they're dealing with there, but ⁓ in in Hall and and Crawford Hall left the game, Crawford didn't play in the game, throughout the process of it. So like if you don't have those guys setting things up, ⁓ Brady Pretzloff I thought played excellent. There's feature coming out on him. Detroit News, talk to his parents, great people. ⁓ shout out Jeff and and Molly, but ⁓ you know, ⁓ if you're looking at sort of a a a less experienced but talented linebacker and then Caleb Wheatland who is new to the program and and didn't play a whole lot last year with injury and whatnot, like all of a sudden you've got, you know, a recipe for some inexperience and some maybe gaffes that you wouldn't expect if you had your your one A sort of guys lined up. ⁓ and Pretstaff I think is gonna be a starter anyway, but so I I i it's gonna be interesting to see like if there are blitzes from the secondary linebackers and coverage has been a problem for this program for years. you know, and and how much can you, if you're Joe Rossi, get into your bag a little bit and get tricky and and take what you've put on the whiteboard and and blow people's minds and put it on the field? Like, how is that gonna be able to to go if if if the talent, you know, the starters on this team defensively are fine. ⁓ but it's it's gonna be all the other depth and and whatnot and other guys that ⁓ are gonna have to step up. Andrew Graham: Yeah. And flipping to the other side. What do we think about MSU's offense's chance against this Eastern defense? 'Cause I think my take on it from having watched Eastern's defense is they're a lot better than they were last year. They've really buttoned down on they kind of fly to the ball swarming, aggressive, sort of fly in your ointment type defense. ⁓ but I just question like It becomes the physics problem at the line of scrimmage. And I I worry that like Eastern for all of the good stuff they're doing on defense just doesn't have the heft at the line of scrimmage to stop MSU, especially if Murowsky plays. ⁓ so Connor Earegood: Looks like he's gonna he we did the ra they wouldn't put him on the radio show and he like had the posture of a healthy man. Yeah. Andrew Graham: I that would that's kind of my suspicion. And and he like he was like a it seems like he was like available in the second half, but he didn't he just didn't play. Like he had his helmet with him, so I don't know what the the deal was. Yeah, it w Connor Earegood: Well, he was like stretching the knee. And and so that's the interesting part is like, you know, if it's just a sprain or a tweak or something like that. Like three weeks ago I was painting my house and I'd instead of getting a ladder, I'd was looking to see if I had painter's tape above my front window. I have marble window sills in this house. It's like the one great thing about this this establishment. ⁓ and I kneecapped myself and I was down for like five days because I was jumping up to see the trim and just completely caught ⁓ Andrew Graham: Oof. Connor Earegood: Knees are a fickle thing for a big fella. If I was if I was six seven and if I was six seven and three forty, I'd probably be down for the count on that. But like a little bump and bruise here may take a guy out and they're used to fighting through that. ⁓ but it doesn't always mean it's like an ACL or something. It doesn't mean it's like a Luka Vincic getting rolled on rolled up on last year and he's out. Like ⁓ and so that's the you know, especially when it's early in the season, you're not gonna see a guy pushing it. ⁓ you know, against a a Toledo against an eastern Michigan like Andrew Graham: That's the funniest I'm sorry, that's like the funniest way to injure yourself. Connor Earegood: There are some some heftier big boys on the schedule ⁓ that this team is probably gonna have to run through. So, ⁓ you know, it's it's the pitch count of it all, I guess, when you're gonna rely on your starters and you know the depth isn't as established ⁓ from getting rated in the portal year over year over year over year with coaching changes. ⁓ that's gonna be yeah, that's gonna be the interesting path forward. Andrew Graham: Yeah, and I think like I just think I like MSU's ability to run the ball okay. Like I think it kinda comes down to can MSU just force Eastern to keep it honest with like enough if Eastern's gonna have to throw, you know, seven men in the box, can MSU force them to be honest by you know, Alessio was really good in the opener, can he just be good enough that he's hitting all those throws to Krishna McRae Rod Bullard that Eastern goes Crap, we can't like put seven dudes in the box and then suddenly MSU can run it better. Like it's it I think it kinda comes down to like how well MSU can take the initiative in that chess match of, hey, it w we wanna run it, and if you're gonna like throw a bunch of bodies at that to stop it, like we are good enough throwing it to take you out of that. And just can MSU kind of get on the front foot with that and kind of be rather than responding to Eastern's defense coming at them, it's the other way around. And I think that's Probably gonna be the case, but I I I the one thing that I'm kinda curious to see develop is does this Michigan State team kind of have the Fitzgeraldiean Northwestern DNA of just never being able to beat a team by two scores because that's how that's always seem like like think of how many times Northwestern just played teams way better than them and teams way worse than them, really close. ⁓ and so I d I am just like I no proclamations yet, but I am curious to observe that with MSU of just like Connor Earegood: Yeah. Yeah. Andrew Graham: Does this team have the gear to score twice, two stops? You're up twenty one in the third quarter and we're done here. Connor Earegood: Yeah, how about Graham invoking the ⁓ the Kirk Cousins of it all and the the Connor Cook of it all and and his column about the statistically best five best starts of a a a first time starter. He's not wrong. Analytically it's a little dice here. ⁓ and Yeah, well I mean th the counting stats he's there. ⁓ I I haven't seen it on the field. ⁓ there's still some throws he needs to connect and he hasn't taken a lot of deep shots, but he's taking care of the ball and that's such an important piece for this offense after Andrew Graham: Ha ha. He's not wrong, but that's like pretty high marks to award. It's true. Connor Earegood: You saw Aiden Giles for two years. ⁓ you know, someone's getting it. Hopefully it's my guy. ⁓ and and all love to Aiden and I hope he does really well at Northwestern, but he's looking solid and and had a sort of a cool off in the second half, but that was sort of to be expected. I I I do wonder with with Alessio, analytically he's in r really good territory, plus EPA, ⁓ you know, throws above expected. Andrew Graham: Yeah. Looking good so far. Connor Earegood: ⁓ the completion percentage is is I think eighteen percent higher than than he should ⁓ with some of his throws. And I mean the two point conversion and the touchdown are probably ⁓ influencing that number a bit. ⁓ because those are plays that probably should be defended if you're a little bit better than Toledo is. Like, Bullard cannot be you know, ten feet of space in the back of the end zone, just like waving his hand like, Hey buddy, you won't believe this. But ⁓ you know, ⁓ as he progresses and as he Andrew Graham: Like that yeah. ⁓ y yes. Hanging out. Just hanging out. Connor Earegood: gets the menu, I guess, of like, we're gonna dial up the deep shot, you know, I'm gonna try to get McCrae over the top or, ⁓ you know, none of this short throw stuff. He has an arm. And that was one of the things that the previous staff and Jonathan Smith identified was like he does have a decent arm. ⁓ it's the decision making that makes him a starting caliber guy. ⁓ but it's it's if he's able to uncork it and be accurate, ⁓ and be able to put it on, you know, similar to Noah Kim, put it in the bucket, like ⁓ you know, that might be that might be more of a career progression for him, but ⁓ as far as like early returns of being a full fledged starter and being on this team and seeing if it's just like you can impress when you're the backup against a guy who sort of phoned it in at the end and and you know, wasn't really able to to lead a team to winning, you know, you can look good at compared against that guy, but how do you look compared against the expectations of yourself? That's the question he's gotta answer this year. Andrew Graham: Yeah. Yeah, and I think like there were probably three throws he had that like I I thought like mm maybe against the Big Ten defense that's intercepted. But like you it's yeah, there were a couple like sideline throws where like a linebacker was like a step away from having a hand on it coming down from like that hook zone. ⁓ just didn't like squeeze on it enough. And I'm like, I think a big ten linebacker might intercept that one, but y you that's why you tried against Toledo and you learned and whatever, and they weren't. Connor Earegood: The tight end screen, the one to Bollard, yeah. Andrew Graham: ⁓ and Lord knows Alessio has experience throwing interceptions in in his debuts. Yeah, shout out Tay Halleck, another former Spartan. ⁓ But I I just do think like to your point and like my analogy is like it's kinda like the staff asked him to go out and go like three for four with three singles in the opener, and he went four for four with four singles. Like he didn't go out and do anything exotic, terribly exciting, or like there was no single play Alessio Milovoyovic made where you went Connor Earegood: First two throws, pick six for the second. Andrew Graham: Wow. Not I don't think a single one in the game. But there was also never a play he made where you went, ⁓ that's bad. Like he just was making good decisions the entire game broadly, and being accurate with the football, and you like you'll take that from your quarterback every time. Like I'm not trying to impugn him for not having made, you know, three crazy sideline throws. Like they didn't need him to, so they didn't ask him to. And he did exactly what the coaching staff asked of him, which is also like ha that's what you're supposed to do. So so yeah, and I just think he's he's someone who's clearly established himself with a lot of credibility as a leader, like as someone who the team looks to for direction and like that's good. You want that. You want your quarterback to do that. ⁓ so I think I think that I I'm I'm pretty confident in MSU's ability to to keep this on the rails here. But ⁓ once more I will I will safe myself for predictions. You want to get into our Connor Earegood: That's half a battle. Like that's that's how you keep the job. Andrew Graham: Our two little ⁓ Maction Amose booshes here. Yeah, it's we'll we'll we'll well we won't spend too long on the games themselves, I don't think, just because it's Mac FCS games and assuming things go to plan, these are gonna be two not terribly competitive games. I guess we'll start with Central Michigan hosts Colgate. That is one PM at Kelly Short Stadium. That'll be on ESPN Plus streaming. Colgate's actually kinda interesting. They're two and ⁓ they were Connor Earegood: Little old Mac, yeah. Big ol' Mac. Andrew Graham: Pretty bad. ⁓ two years ago, hired a new coach, went five and seven last year, and it looks like they got things turning around. I was looking at their game notes last night. Their offensive line is huge. They like they're all like 6'2, 290 and bigger. Like this is an FCS offensive line in like the central like ha it's they're in Hamilton, New York. They're not near anything. Like I went to Syracuse. I know this area. That Connor Earegood: Pretty good. There's not a lot of biggins and bubas. Andrew Graham: You every good big player in the state of New York usually ends up at like Maryland, Penn State, Notre Dame, and Boston College. Maybe Syracuse. And so like I do not know what happened for Colgate to have a like 6'6, 310 pound left tackle, but they do. I just wanted to like start with that. ⁓ so interesting Colgate team. Don't just write them off because they're FCS, but I I watch me about to write them off because they're FCS. ⁓ so the thing Matt Drinkle talked about this week at his press conference that was interesting to me, and I think a little bit honest and a little bit also like Coach just protecting his players from having to say bad things about them because they played poorly, because they did, where Drinkle basically said, I failed. Like I the failure is on me for how we played Saturday night. Central lost thirty eight seven to New Mexico the opener and just were never in it. And they came out really flat and didn't play well. at all. And Drinkle basically was like, when it's that bad that comprehensively across the board, that's because I, the head coach, failed to have the team at the level of like intensity and fervor and focus to come out and play fast physical aggressive football. Like that is a real thing. You can't just like roll out of bed and go out there and expect to perform. Like you have to kind of dial your mental state in. Like you talk to any football player and they will tell you that's true. And there's failed at that. And so what I'm curious about is how much do you not fail at that this week? I think they they talked about they're gonna change up some practice patterns and try and instill a little more like the feeling was they were going through practice and what they were doing was we want to go through practice and execute what we want to do well and procedurally go through practice and have it be clean and crisp and do these things well. And they had been and like okay, you all know what you're doing in your assignments and whatever. But they hadn't baked in that like competitive pressure intensity. And so it sounds like they're gonna try and kind of put some more game-like situations and apply more pressure in practice where like I they're not gonna be like live hitting, but more hey, like this it's fourth and three. You need to complete for three yards to your receiver. If you don't, guess who's running gassers, like kind of thing. ⁓ might be more to the to the speed of it of just creating that real like Connor Earegood: Well with Andrew Graham: Th not getting this cost to you, so you have to be focused and intense about it. ⁓ kind of stuff. Connor Earegood: Steaks. Yeah. Well the question going forward is like what is the upside of of not just, you know, the quarterback position but the whole team. Like what is Central's upside? What could they by reasonably by the end of the season be and how does this sort of serve a purpose of getting there? That's the o that's the philosophical question of any game, but especially this one. Andrew Graham: Yeah, yeah. ⁓ that's it though. And that's to Drinkle, I kind of like he didn't he didn't state it so plainly, but that's basically what it is, or he's like, you know, if this goes right, we'll be able to look back, write New Mexico a thank you note, because they kinda like exposed us and gave us the blueprint for what we needed to do. ⁓ so they're not like doom and gloom about this, but it was just very interesting to me that Drinkle was like Yep, I failed. Like Like like I just failed. I needed to have the team better ready to play and they weren't if that's on me and not the players. ⁓ so I think like 'cause the other thing is that game script just got weird. They ran like thirty six offensive plays or something like that. So it just was not like like fifty offensive play I a very low number of offensive plays. ⁓ so it's just not really representative of what their probably gonna try and look like. So I think this weekend is a more interesting just, hey, like, what is your football team actually going to look like? ⁓ and I think it's important for them to just like this just has to be a week where they put down sixty minutes of good tape. Connor Earegood: Are they I wonder with Central and maybe you know Eastern too when you see what Western Michigan's able to do and there's levels to it, but you see what UMass is able to do, you see what Toledo is able to do, is there a party where it's like we probably could have caught one of these teams off side you know, off guard a little bit, like the scale of challenge in week one, I guess? Like, do you think anyone with what happened with Western Michigan And all these other teams. I think the Mac one in ⁓ one and three in those did they play anyone else? I'm trying to think. Is a conference. Who do Buffalo play? Regardless that Andrew Graham: Buffalo almost lost to Buffalo almost lost to Albany, so we wanna not talk about them in venerating the Mac. Connor Earegood: That's what it was. Yeah, hey Cam Stodgel was a dog there. Now he's at MSU, so Albany's got some some talent, but no. Dion Crawford, yeah. the thing though with with like you can catch a team off guard this early, right? Like that's that's always the case. ⁓ it's when you catch a team off guard in week ten that things get super dicey. But I just I do wonder if there's like a FOMO to it of you know, w what if Andrew Graham: Shut. Dion Crawford at Buffalo. Absolutely. Connor Earegood: ⁓ but New Mexico also pound for pound is probably as good as a lot of power four teams, ⁓ in in terms of coaching, in terms of like talent that's been maintained. ⁓ probably future Wisconsin badges, I'm gonna keep banging that drum. But we'll see. It's not Luke Fickle hate watch, but Andrew Graham: Yes. Well No, it's j it's I I think it would not be unreasonable to consider like Western Michigan, New Mexico, and probably like Memphis are your like three leaders in the club. Boise State are probably like your four leaders in the clubhouse for the G six playoff spot at the moment. 'Cause like New Mexico just looks really, really good. They gotta go to Oklahoma in week three, which is their big like, can you impress us all kind of performance? ⁓ I don't think there's like maybe FOMO from Eastern and Central just 'cause like they're very focused on their own lives and their own schedules and their own games. ⁓ I would be surprised if there's not some messaging about like look at what Western did and don't doubt what you can do kind of along those lines. ⁓ but I also just think they're like those programs are in like very different places at the moment. Where like Eastern's kind of the Well, yeah. Connor Earegood: Sure. Different places. Yeah. Well one's a Mac Champ, you know. Andrew Graham: Eastern's kind of fighting to get back to we had created this kind of bowl going standard. We would like to get back to that. Central's obviously just like, let us have a year two that builds on year one and like we compete in the Mac. And then Western's like, we're going to win the Mac again and compete for the college football playoff. Like that is very much the vibe out of Kalamazoo. So they're just kind of in three different places at the moment. So it's they're just they're kind of not terribly analogous. Although Drinkle kind of he pointed to Western Michigan and like Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: Half of college football lost. I'm sure like Western Michigan, I'm sure, is feeling pretty bad about like what happened, but we all gotta dust ourselves off and try and win. Like that's and that's like what Lance Taylor did too. It's not like moping. ⁓ so I don't know. Like I I think they all kind of come at it a little differently in that regard. But I do think there is an element of like I think they would have all thought it was pretty cool if Western had won just for like it makes the Mac look good. ⁓ and I know Connor Earegood: Sure. Andrew Graham: I can share this without fruffling too many feathers that even Matt Drinkle was very impressed and complimentary of how his his rival handled this whole situation with Michigan. So Western's Western's path has earned them plenty of admirers even even in Mount Pleasant for for how they handled that one. So Connor Earegood: Pretty big deal. Andrew Graham: Yeah. The the they're like very quietly Lance Taylor and Matt Drinkle are supposed to hate each other but like kind of respect and like each other. They don't they they will never admit that publicly, but I'm pretty sure I'm pretty sure that's the case, where it's like I love the way you run your program and I think you're a decent guy. Now I have to go hate you Like that's that's kind of along the lines where it's like you you do a good job and I have nothing bad to say about you, but I'm contractually obligated to dislike you. Connor Earegood: Woody Bow. No. Yeah. It is it more more is O B line in that regard then. Very Shall we talk about the ⁓ shall we talk about the big the the the the jam of the mitten it seems that everyone's Andrew Graham: Like I that's very we should. biggest game in the state in you know Monmouth comes to town, you gotta get up for it. Calm University night at Western Michigan, the biggest night of the year in the state every year, as we all know. ⁓ no, but Western Michigan hosts Monmouth that's six thirty PM at Waldo Stadium, also on ESPN Plus, because that's how those Mac FCS games go. ⁓ I texted you, I believe this was still Saturday night, Sunday morning in the very early hours after the game, and I was like poor, poor Monmouth. Because 'cause like Connor Earegood: Yeah. ⁓ yeah, woodshed. Andrew Graham: Cause the second Lance Taylor got to that postgame presser in Michigan Stadium and was rational and collected, I went, ⁓ no, they're gonna channel this right. And that's gonna mean horrible things for Monmouth. And then even in the the like ESPN story that Jake Trotter, he's been in Kalamazoo, kinda he got the beside the behind the scenes talk to Lance and the players about how they're kind of moving forward bit. ⁓ Even in that one, Lance basically said it's like, this is about us using this on our future opponents. It's like, ⁓ yeah. And and so I think like the ultimate question for Western Michigan was not, are you hurt by this, but what do you do with that hurt? Because every person in that program is upset. It was searing. It was I mean, they were shocked, literally, like like people coming up the tunnel after that game. I was watching them like Connor Earegood: Yeah. Yeah. Andrew Graham: You would have thought they had just been in a car crash. ⁓ like genuinely ⁓ just high-level emotional whiplash, but it sounds like the players kind of led up their we have to not let this drag us down. We have to take everything bad we're feeling about this and turn it forward into playing like demons against Monmouth Rice, Boise State, and then the Mac. And it sounds like that's going pretty well. And so I you know, we can get into all the specifics and Monmouth's a pretty good FCS team, but I think the general gist is just like Western Michigan probably would have happily played this game today, yesterday, just to get out there and be like, watch us kick someone's ass. ⁓ and so I don't have any worries about them getting out there Saturday night and doing much of the same to a team that they're obviously much better than. Connor Earegood: Yeah. I well I what do you t I I don't know. What do you take about how they played Michigan that you think is gonna I guess be their sort of motif throughout the season, right? Like do you think that was Western and how they're gonna approach every game? Or do you think some of that was like Lance Taylor had a hell of a scout on how to beat Michigan and got damn close? Same thing with ⁓ Grimartini and and defense and and all that. Like how much of this was a bit handcrafted of, you know, coaches setting up for success and how much of this was Western is in a spot where like this is how they're going to be throughout the year. They're going to be able to deliver on this. Andrew Graham: Yeah. I think it's more the latter, although there was some kind of bespoke game plan, like I can share pretty knowingly that like they respected like Bryce Underwood's physical talents. Like he is like the things he can do throwing a football not a ton of other people can do. Like like that Hail Mary throw is absurd, like on the one that was caught. He's like getting hit flat footed and throws at sixty yards. Like that's absurd. So they were not like discounting like that Bryce Underwood like a deeply Connor Earegood: Sure. Andrew Graham: talented player, but they were like they just literally weren't afraid of him dropping back. Like they were like they knew that he has troubles being accurate. They know he has trouble like kind of the like it's the old like he has to see it be open and by the time you're seeing it be open in college it's not open anymore. ⁓ kind of thing. And so what that meant is like they could just basically play like hard single coverage drop six rush five blitz Get creative, like so I don't know if that's something they do every week, but I think like the team we saw that kicked your ass at the line of scrimmage, played this incredible fly rally to the ball defense, and can just kind of pave you on offense, it's kind of the foundation of what they want to be, and I think they're gonna be really good at it. Like, I I genuinely think Western Michigan's offensive line is probably better than a quarter of Power four offensive lines. Like, their offensive line is very good. It is probably better than like pick a bad. Like, I don't know. Like, is South Carolina's offensive line better than them right now? They're probably better rated players, but are they playing better football? Like, I don't know, but I would have to look. And like, that's the thing where Western's gotten to, where they're just so. Connor Earegood: Yeah. Andrew Graham: buttoned up on the lines of scrimmage that it creates such a high floor for them. And my question really going forward in the Monmouth game is like, do you throw it a bit more because you like can and want to? Because that was something that was very game plan specific in the second half versus Michigan of their offense kind of wanted to get the ball to the perimeter, let Brock roll out and make those throws in the first half, and then bring it back to running over you in the second half, which they did. and so I think probably in future games we'll see a little more like balanced game plan and attack throughout the game or i i it it'll vary basically. Like I don't think I don't think they're wed to their strict game plan against Michigan, but like the underpinnings of it are how they're gonna play and win. They're they're they're just like very well put together and like I'll say like my final piece on them here is for all of the pablum we hear about culture in college football, what actually happened at Western Michigan this week is what a good culture is. When your team can get wronged publicly painfully, and your players respond to that Not by throwing a fit, not by pouting, but by stealing their jaws and going, We're gonna make this everyone else's problem. Like and that's I mean what more could you want as a head coach? And so I just think to me that's that's the real like th this is the way his team has responded this week is Connor Earegood: Week two, week two. Andrew Graham: the best reflection of Lance Taylor's ability and his like a lot of people who have been around him and hired him and worked for him have nothing but good things to say about him and this week showed why. That's my that's my parting thought. Connor Earegood: It was impressive. ⁓ the whole the whole college football world is now knows Lance Taylor. Andrew Graham: Yeah, and unfortunately for Western Michigan that means he's probably not going to be their coach aft after December. that's the sad reality of it. He was got some interest last year and they're good again this year, and he really just made a name for himself as this great, you know leader with foresight. And so that's just tough if you're Western in the grand scheme. But we will not focus on that. Now now we will ⁓ pick some games. Connor Earegood: That's I was just getting there. I was yeah. Which is the sad part. Shall we? Alright. Andrew Graham: Alright, so as we did last week, we got all of the in state games, then we're gonna pick three from around the country. The around the country slate is so much better this week than it was week one. We really gotta we really gotta like either install a college football preseason so we can have better week one games or just get people to get over it and have better week one games. Something's gotta happen. But noon, Oklahoma, Michigan, Big House, Brent Venables, Bryce Underwood. Who do you got, huh? Connor Earegood: ⁓ I have Oklahoma. And I I actually had it pretty lopsided. ⁓ thirty one to thirteen Oklahoma. I know conventionally you would think Okla you know, Michigan's gonna hang just given last week and the irony of it. I just think Oklahoma's got a really good defense and and I think Matea's gonna be really hard for that defense to solve. What about you? Andrew Graham: Yeah y your p your pick kind of aligns for the Bryce Underwood unraveling. ⁓ I'm gonna say they don't the coaching staff maybe doesn't even give them the chance and it'll be more twenty seven ten Oklahoma kind of thing, where they get there a little slower with some field goals. But yeah, I just the the the quarterback play and offensive sort of overall feel would have to get dramatically better over the course of one week for me to think Michigan has a chance and Connor Earegood: Mm. Andrew Graham: I have been proof and wrong before and I suppose it could happen this week, but I will gladly be proof and wrong taking the likely outcome, which is Oklahoma winning. ⁓ Central Michigan Colgate. I think I have a guest who we're both gonna pick here. Connor Earegood: Central. Give me central. Jade yeah. Andrew Graham: Yeah, g g give me Central Michigan. No clue. No clue if they cover, but I yeah, I just think they they'll come out with a little bit of fire under their ass and beat up an FCS team because Yeah. Yeah. And ⁓ and some some like ⁓ facelift overhaul type stuff to Kelly Shorts. It should look kinda newer, nicer in some ways, so that's that's gonna be pretty exciting too for for home fans. Connor Earegood: At their home. Like, that's another thing. They're on the road, you come back, you know. That's not insignificant. Andrew Graham: Eastern Michigan, Michigan State, three thirty, Spartan Stadium. We will be there, Connor. Who's gonna win? Connor Earegood: Michigan or Michigan State thirty seven to seven. Andrew Graham: Ooh, blowout. ⁓ I'm just just for just for the sake of fun. I think it's what, like a seventeen and a half point line, something in that ballpark? Connor Earegood: Blowout. I think so. Seventeen and a half, yeah. Andrew Graham: East Eastern's covering that. Eastern's making this one close. Chris Chris Creighton and the boys are coming up from the factory and showing showing the fellows on the red cedar what what what industry looks like. ⁓ I so I don't think Eastern wins, but I do think they cover. And ⁓ I'll I'll say this is probably similar to last week's score line for MSU, like thirty one twenty four kind of thing. Like I think maybe Eastern gets a late touchdown to Connor Earegood: You think? Are they gonna hit each other with sledgehammers? Andrew Graham: make it look a little better, but like I think they cover. I think they have enough juice offensively and I have enough questions about MSU not containing it all defensively that I think Eastern can score to keep it close. Western Michigan Monmouth, that one is six thirty PM Waldo Stadium, Connor, what you got? Connor Earegood: Western. I I don't think you know, a as we established, I think that one's gonna be a blowout. I think at least a forty burger. Andrew Graham: Yeah, I think I'm in a similar boat where I was not gonna like I think they would blow Monmouth out and it might be a shutout anyways. Like if you had asked me this three weeks ago, I'd have said like fifty two to nothing Western Michigan. And now I'm going to say sixty three to nothing Western Michigan. Like I really think they're just going absolutely full bore in this one, and it has nothing to do with Monmouth, and I feel kinda bad for them about it. But that's Connor Earegood: Which could also Yeah, ⁓ good. ⁓ I I was gonna say, which could also lead to issues though, if it's like ⁓ you get over aggressive and there's a pick or something. Maybe that's Monmouth's way to score, but I don't see them against that defense, against the exciting whites as he wrote about in the secondary, like just ballin' out. With the Scully on too. Andrew Graham: No, no, y I was gonna done Potentially. The exciting whites. Josh Franklin with like the perfect peanut punch on Bryce Underwood with three minutes left too. Like it's unfortunate that so many little plays like that are gonna get like forgotten. Like so many good moments for Western in that game. Yeah. Connor Earegood: Yeah. Anatomy of a miracle. Like ⁓ you know, it it's yeah. Near miss. Andrew Graham: All right, and now our our trio of games from around the country. We're gonna start with the Cyhawk rivalry. Iowa State visits Iowa. They will be at Nial Kinneck at seven thirty PM on NBC. Double check the clocks. Connor, who wins? Connor Earegood: Is this heaven? No, this is Iowa. ⁓ Hawkey's. Absolutely. ⁓ I I thought for a while Iowa State, you know, would have a puncher's chance, but a with with how Iowa looked, ⁓ and and especially in pretty grueling weather, ⁓ I I think Kirk Ferriss is gonna gonna take care of business. No Matt Campbell either at Iowa State. Andrew Graham: Yeah, I was gonna say Iowa State's whole team being at Penn State now is kind of their big problem. ⁓ and Penn State looked pretty good against Marshall in the opener. ⁓ Is this heaven? No, it's Central Pennsylvania. it's it's State College, Pennsylvania. ⁓ Talk about I mean, hey, if anyone's never been to State College, like as empty as rural Iowa, like genuinely, I'm sure you've been, Connor. It is it is Connor Earegood: Yeah. We're gonna take aims and move it over that way. Ha ha We we are Yeah. ⁓ it's hard to get to, but it's heaven. I love Penn State. Not not the experience rooms or anything like that. Nothing nothing weird, but it is a beautiful college town. Andrew Graham: It's I love it there, but it's barren. It is in the middle of nowhere. ⁓ yeah, I'm I'm not touching that one with ten foot pole. ⁓ next one is Tennessee, Georgia Tech, which is in Atlanta at Bobby Dodd Stadium, Tennessee makes the quick drive south to visit Georgia Tech, seven PM on ESPN. Connor, who you got? Connor Earegood: I got Tennessee. What is Brent Key's team did not look like a Georgia Tech. Andrew Graham: They got pushed around by that tiny ass Colorado team we were all making fun of in the off season for being tiny. Connor Earegood: They got bullied, I thought. Like that should not that should have been their game. Like, Colorado's not good. To so if you get ch like checked by them, I I don't know. Like Brent Key, good coach, has has done well at Georgia Tech and and they're obviously competitive last year. They're gonna be competitive in the A C C. I don't think they got SEC talent. I don't think they're hanging with Tennessee. I could be wrong. Andrew Graham: ⁓ yeah. Yeah. And I think I think this was like we maybe kinda all underrated nationally, like how much this was gonna be like a retooling year for Georgia Tech because they lost Haynes King, Jamal Haynes, Buster Faulkner, their OCs gone like it's kind of a new program on the offense in a lot of ways. ⁓ and they like Alberto Mendoza look good, but just as a whole, the thing wasn't I don't know, like you don't you you need to recapture what you had with Haynes King. ⁓ Connor Earegood: Sure. Yeah. Andrew Graham: So I'm also going to be taking Tennessee here. I just I like I like the talent. I like I yeah, I think the next one is where we're gonna differ. and and just when you look at Tennessee, like one of the things they're quietly really good at is running a football under Josh Heipel. And I think they're gonna be able to do that. Help things get a little easier for Faison Brandon, whose name I always wanna say the other way around. and I just think Tennessee gets out of there with a a not maybe not easy win per se, but ⁓ you know Connor Earegood: Locks up. Andrew Graham: Not not a whole lot of doubt about who is the better team. Connor Earegood: Do it for Dolly. Andrew Graham: Do it for Dolly, baby. Alright, it's the the matchup of the century of the season of the decade of the year of the season. Ohio State visits Austin, Texas for a primetime kickoff on ABC. That is 7 30 PM. Ohio State's the number one team in the country. Texas, I think, is number four in the latest AP poll. The either one of these teams could credibly be number one, and I would not bat an eye at it. So this should be a great game. Last year was 14 7 in the horseshoe. I think we'll see some more points this year. Connor, who you Connor Earegood: Ohio State. I I think Saiyan is is gonna take care of business. They warmed up, looked good last week, had some some revelry with a a trestle retirement. RIP Jeremiah Smith week one? Yeah, that that did not go well. As we all kind of expected. Andrew Graham: Ooh. Yeah, rest in peace, Ball State. He's just like when he's running like seventy percent speed and just running past everyone still like it's just terrifying. Connor Earegood: It's insane. But that's like I Texas, I don't know, defensively is gonna have to show a lot. ⁓ Darius Snow, Michigan State legend, was chipping in ⁓ against Texas State. But yeah, I I think they've I think Ohio State's got this one. What about you? Andrew Graham: Yeah. I I am going with Texas. I I think Ohio State wins this if Ohio State can make it more of like a old school big tennis game. Cause like Ryan Day very quietly has like found a lot of success over the last three or four years by kind of tailoring more towards like Ohio State on offense looks like an NFL team these days. Like they want to get heavy, run the ball, they'll get under center, they'll play out a shotgun. Like it's not this kind of Ryan Day twenty nineteen, we're gonna throw it all over the yard stuff. They'll do that too. Connor Earegood: Sure. Andrew Graham: But I think if they can make it that game, they have a chance. I think Texas has enough juice to take them out of that game between Cam Coleman and their running backs and I just like Ohio St I like I have to see what this Ohio State defense looks like against this much talent after how much talent Ohio State's defense lost from last season. ⁓ no Arvell Reese, no Sonny Styles, no ⁓ Caden McDonald, like you get Kenyatta Jackson back like Connor Earegood: Mm. That's that's the key too. Andrew Graham: They're still very good on defense. I don't think Ohio State's bad on defense, to be clear. But you had like four first round draft picks on your defense, like at least three. ⁓ Right. Like, so like you're always having good players, but like those were three particularly elite defenders for you who did very key things and very key roles. And I just think Texas has too much. Connor Earegood: I mean year over year, you know. Andrew Graham: on the outside, too much in the running back room. I think Arch can go toe to toe with Julian saying and so give give me Texas. Which I'm gonna I'm gonna hate that I have to like I'm gonna be I'm gonna be cursing at Steve Sarkeesian come like nine PM Saturday night when he's making when he's making terrible game well, he's gonna make terrible game management decisions because he's the play caller and the head coach still and he really needs to give up play calling duties. Because no play calling head coach has won the playoffs. Connor Earegood: Should have been a cowboy. Right. What's the Interesting. I didn't know that. Andrew Graham: Has yet has yet to happen. Gotta be the CEO. Connor Earegood: The the interesting thing is gonna be if an Ohio State player, if Jeremiah Smith gets in the end zone, is he doing horns down and do they fine him for that? I I thought there was a Andrew Graham: Can they? Isn't it isn't that an SEC rule? Connor Earegood: ⁓ you're right, you're right. So yeah, they're good. I would love that. As as someone as someone who went to U of ⁓ that would be dog behaviour from Jeremiah Smith if he flashed the horns down. I I think the country would celebr I think that's number one overall pick regardless of what his season looks like. He could tear in Achilles and then we'd still draft him number one. Like Andrew Graham: So like what what jurisdiction does the SEC have over a big ten receiver? ⁓ it'd be awesome. It'd be fantastic. Ha ha ha. ⁓ he could he could have done the Jamar Chase and just sat out this year and he would have been the number three pick in the draft next year. Like it he did like Jeremiah Smith is playing college football this year because he's getting paid a lot of money to play college football for Ohio State. And it is a good, like, to be clear, fantastic investment on Ohio State's behalf. The sort of investment you should be making in your football team. ⁓ but before we wax poetic for too long about Connor Earegood: Honda money. Andrew Graham: Jeremiah Smith, who is on my all big ten selections team from our first podcast episode, I should I should remember. ⁓ we we will ⁓ we will get on out of here. And thank you all for listening to this another episode of In the Pocket. ⁓ we're happy to be doing this and excited to keep going and excited for week two with hopefully less controversy for my sleep schedule's sake, if nothing else. Yeah. Connor Earegood: Jeremiah Smith week one. No scandals. Just losses and wins. Andrew Graham: Just just ball. Just ball. Just just exciting ball. Big plays and turnovers and all that good stuff. But until then, it's ⁓ been a pleasure being back. I am Andrew Graham here with Connor Eargood for In the Pocket, and thank you for listening.