Latest / Honey, It's Saturday / Honey, It's the Week 3 Recap!

Transcript

Honey, It's the Week 3 Recap! · Honey, It's Saturday

• Speaker 1: babe, don't forget, here's your to-do list for today. Honey, it's Saturday. Speaker 3: Disclaimer, we do love our wives and are sure to responsibly handle our household duties in order to enjoy fall Saturday. Speaker 1: Mm-hmm. Mitch: All right, y'all. Welcome to the first ever live stream of the Honey It's Saturday show. Hopefully we end up getting a little bit of traction with this. We're excited to do it. Hopefully it's a sign of what's to come. I think it'll enable Sam Grant: We're evolving. Mitch: us. Yeah, it'll enable us to be a little bit more quick with our responses to everything going on in college football. So it's fun to be able to talk through the games that just happened yesterday. And Friday. Before we get into the Thursday episodes that are still going to drop, nothing's going to change there, but it'll also allow us to go a little bit deeper into the slate of the next week's games instead of trying to cram everything into one episode. So we're very excited about it. Also, yesterday was pretty nuts for a lot of reasons. So Sam, just overall takeaways from yesterday reactions, what was it like for you this weekend? Sam Grant: Yeah, honestly, just overall I think it was just what you love about college football. I feel like you kinda go in with this mindset and you kinda have an idea of where the games are gonna go and you kinda look through some of the just what Saturday look like from a score perspective. I mean, you got something like NC State Vanderbilt, where all NC State has to do is run back out of the end zone or punt it or throw it out of bounds or whatever it may be, and he fumbles in the end zone and Vanderbilt wins. You got what happened down there in college station yesterday, which I don't I don't wanna hurt your feelings already and have you top off the podcast. Mitch: Notice I'm wearing notice I'm wearing a Cowboys jersey today and not an AM jersey. However, that might not be any better. TV D on that. Cowboys haven't played yet. Sam Grant: Yeah. But right now, I mean, I don't see anything A and or Aggie in in your background, so you're still mourning, I guess. Mitch: Th there's a couple of things on the bookshelf, you just can't see it. Yep. Yep. Sam Grant: Yeah. So but what about you? What what were your overall thoughts Saturday, week three? Mitch: from a college football perspective, me being a neutral, Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: unbiased journalist, I thought it was an amazing day from a fan perspective, which is really hard to avoid. I was pretty gutted. So Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: it was one of those days. I mean, it happens. It's heartbreak. It's part of why we love the sport, though. If there's no heartbreak, there's no celebration. when things go right. So you gotta take them both Sam Grant: True. Mitch: as they come. Props to Kentucky and Will Stein. That's a huge win for him. way to bounce back after the The rough second half against Alabama last week, I was really impressed with the way Kentucky came out. They were confident. They handled everything pretty well. First half was a slow start, really, for both teams. I thought a little bit more for Kentucky. I think in the first half, AM's gonna look back at it and really regret not capitalizing on three or four of those drives they had. thought AM going into the game based off the last couple weeks, really needed to establish the run. Prove that they can do that effectively because you're not going to win in the SEC without a run game. And I think that was something they were a little deficient in weeks one and two. And ironically, that is something they were able to do. They averaged 5.3 yards of carry in this game right off the bat. It wasn't something developed through four quarters. It was right off the bat. They were moving the ball really well on the ground. they were down their second back morrow. But that allowed KJ Edwards, To get a little bit more action. Carson Baker as well. Both of them are freshmen, and Ruben Owens started the game, played pretty well. So the the running game was not a problem. just happened to be a lot of what I didn't want to see out of Marcel Reed. So I I want to love the guy. greatly appreciate what he's done for the program. And there's a lot of ball left this year, so he can still turn it around. But it was just a performance where you can tell he's forcing everything. not even the tough throws, but the easy ones. He's just missing and they really weren't close misses. Didn't put the offense in a in a chance to succeed and the defense could only hold up for so long. So props to Kentucky. Huge win. made big plays on the ground and through the air. I I think it's going to be fun to watch and see what they end up doing for the rest of the year. It's big confidence boost for them. Sam Grant: Yeah. now that we kinda we got your debrief on A and Kentucky and as we kinda go through our list of games, there's a part of this segment that I think we should continue doing and it needs to be the Mitch: yeah. Sam Grant: moment of silence. So this is for the team that kind of gets shocked or just kinda gets manhandled. Last week our moment of silence was for Arkansas. This week I'm gonna ask everybody to take a moment of silence for Texas AM. Thank you. overall, I think you kind of you hit you hit it on the head there. Everything about that game, just Marcel Reid, the the the play that comes in my head was the fourth and two or fourth and three. He rolls out, he's got his tight end that's just right in the flat, wide open, and he leaves it short. And that was just kind of the moment for me where I was like, All right, Kentucky's probably gonna win this football game. but I also don't think you could Mitch: It's a play Sam Grant: take it Mitch: it's a play you have to make. You have to make Sam Grant: Yeah, I mean I think it's Mitch: that. Sam Grant: you have to make it and a lot of people can make that throw. So and especially in that moment and that point in the game for a college football playoff team last year, just the expectations coming in, you gotta be able to make that play. But I mean I think you gotta give it to Kentucky too, man. Kenny Minchie looked locked in. Will Stein just I think the ability for him to have his guys rebound the way that they did after that second half last week against Alabama just kinda proves the culture that he's building there and I think that's gonna be something that's gonna be special down the road. Mitch: I agree with you. And then the last thing I'll say is there's a little bit of a coaching dynamic going into that game that was unique with the whole Jay Bateman being DC at Kentucky, coming s fresh off of the A and staff last year. So obviously very familiar with Marcel Reed, very familiar with his strengths and his weaknesses, and gotta give him some credit as well, 'cause I think you saw that pretty evidently. Marcel was not comfortable. so Sam Grant: Yeah, for sure. Mitch: good for them, good for Kentucky. Sam Grant: Yeah, good good win for Kentucky and now you got and I know we'll get into this on on Thursday, but A going to LSU with both teams O and one and the S D C right now. Whoever whoever starts out the season and two in that matchup's gonna get a lot of pushback from their fan base. Mitch: That was always going to be a big one and now it's even bigger. And I think in both teams are a little bit on their heels. I'd say A and M's got more pressure on Going on the road at night in Baton Rouge, fresh off an upset. Whereas LSU, yes, you wanted to have that one, but at least you can justify it a little bit more against Ole Miss. We'll get to that one a little later. Sam Grant: Yeah, for sure. but kind of tying off Kentucky and their and the team they played last week, Alabama and Florida State, Alabama won fifty to thirty six in what was a game that I don't know about you, but I just did not expect it to turn out that way. Last week on the podcast I was raving about Kane Womack and his defense and all Ashton Daniels did and he just came out there and was locked in. He made some really, really good football throws. the running game was really well. I mean, offensively, Florida State was Pretty impressive for me. And then obviously Keelan Russell just kinda did enough at the end, but I think he's he's continuing to evolve into a quarterback that everybody's talked about all off season of just how super talented he is, the ability for him to run the football, and they're really slowly s slowly, I might add, but they're starting to get the run game going a little bit too, which I think is gonna be critical for them as they kind of work their way through this SEC schedule. Mitch: Yeah, no, I definitely agree with you, especially in that fourth quarter. Bama started to put their foot down in the run game. Sam Grant: Mm-hmm. Mitch: they that was that was huge too, because Florida State, they never went away. They never fully went away in this game, which I was very impressed by. I think that says a lot about Ashton Daniels. It says a lot about the team. I think Florida State of last year lays down at a certain point, even with the quick start that they got. And this Florida State team, they fought all the way to the end. So props to them. Big momentum boost. I know they lost, but on the road in Tuscaloosa performing the way that they did with no expectations, I think that is a big momentum boost for them going into the year with ACC play. so hopefully they can compete a little bit more than we were expecting. That would be great. I think that'd be great for college football as a whole. but yeah, I was I was shocked. I'm with you. I looked up at the score in the second quarter and saw 21-6 and assumed it was Bama and then immediately flipped the game on as soon as I saw Florida State was the one that jumped on them early. Gotta give credit to Keelan Russell as a true freshman getting put in a hole like that unexpectedly at home and being able to bounce back the way that they did. I think that says a lot about him. He played great. He looks poised and composed. I'd say him and Faison Brandon at Tennessee are both freshmen who right now are impressing me from that aspect. I think they're freshmen who are playing a lot more composed and mature than a than a freshman that you normally see. so that's that's huge. I I want to see more from Alabama defensively. I was disappointed. I although I will give Florida State much credit because it's deserved. They played really well. Ashton Daniels played really well. they had some wide receivers make huge plays consistently, a lot of downfield balls that I'm not sure there's a whole bunch those Bama corners could have done. But going into this game, that was the one thing I talked about where I felt like Alabama was on pace to be great on the defensive side of the football. this is one that, you know, maybe it'll help and maybe it's what they needed moving forward to really just finally fine tune everything. But I think that they're gonna be a little bit upset about the way that went, giving up 36 points at home to a Florida State team that really, really struggled a couple weeks ago against SMU. so yeah, that that's the one takeaway I'd say for Alabama that you really didn't want to see. But I mean, overall, great win. Props to FSU for competing. Sam Grant: Yeah. I think you'd rather kinda get that out of the way now as you kinda hit this stretch of probably nine straight SEC games. I think that's kind of what all the SEC teams kind of have three non-conference games to start the year and are kind of there's a couple here, like Kentucky, AM, but pretty much all SEC throughout. So I think you'd rather just kind of get that out of the way, get some of those moments where it's just not all on the same page. First big home game, you had a rain delay, just kinda getting some of those jitters out. but I I think it's a But also I think it's also it's a it's a very different Florida State team compared to what we saw week two or week one technically against SMU. So I think there's kind of two sides to that and like you said, I hope I hope Florida State can compete this year. And obviously they just made a move with their athletic director as he's no longer there and it seems like Morvale still has the support of that administration, so I don't think he's going anywhere Mitch: For now. Sam Grant: for now. Mitch: For now, that performance certainly helps him out. And you know, maybe he had a little bit of a monkey on his back there in that athletic department. So maybe he feels a little bit more free. We'll we'll find out what it looks Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: like the rest of the season for Florida say. It'll be very interesting to track. shout out to Sam, by the way. I don't know if you guys can tell. He's actually in a press press box right now. So Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: pretty elite place to be recording a live college football podcast. I was unable to pull that off this week, but shout out to Sam for you know going all in. We love that. Sam Grant: You know, I don't I d I don't got a headset on like I used to, but yeah, work working Saturday and Sunday here at the project for a new high school football stadium. So trying to get this thing wrapped up and this is how I'm I'm spending my weekend, but still was able to take in a lot of football, which I'm I'm happy about. Mitch: We love it. That's a great look. next game. This one, we were split on with our picks, but I ended up coming out on top. Didn't feel great about it for the majority of the game. Somehow Dabo and the boys, Sam Grant: Somehow Mitch: somehow Dabo and the boys over in Clemson in Dead Valley, which I can confirm via multiple sources that were there. It was a relatively dead valley last week. We're able to pull out the win twenty eight to twenty over Bill Belichick in North Carolina. Sam Grant: Yeah, I think this is one of those games where it almost feels like Chapel Hill kinda went out like ran out of steam. I mean, they pretty much dominated from the beginning of the football game. We're running it down Clemson's throats. Clemson could not block up front on the offensive line. That that's where I think Clemson is really struggling right now was their kind of your their front seven and their their interior offensive line and they just weren't able to get movement. And then they had another pretty big rain delay as Chapel Hill was about to score to go up two scores and They were, I it was first and goal when they went into the rain delay and were able to hold them to a field goal and something just flipped for Clemson. They kind of just flipped the switch and offensive line just looked like a completely different unit. Defensive line was getting a ton of penetration. Billy S Billy Edwards was flustered pretty much that whole second half. so I I I really give props to Dabo and that staff just for being able to turn it around because for the majority of that first part of that game. I think most Clemson fans and just most people who are watching it is just just fans of the sport would have said, Okay, Chapel Hill's probably gonna run away with this. Mitch: Yeah, no, I I agree with you. the watching the first quarter, I pretty much gave up on the Tigers. so that's another one where you gotta give their kudos for digging in and pulling something out when it it didn't look great. So that's a good sign for Clemson's locker room. You get your right about their offensive line does not look good. they did make Edwards uncomfortable. his line did not look great in that game. So Good job defensively from Clemson. I I think it was one of those two where sometimes a rain delay ends up favoring one team over another. Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: and it's you know, it's just the way the cookie crumbles. It's not like Clemson cooked up the weather forecast, but that was a very well timed delay, I think, for Clemson. North Carolina was driving down the field. And if they end up hitting pay dirt there, that changes the game pretty significantly. So clearly Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: they rallied, they came out strong. Tate was able to find the end zone and break through. on a touchdown pass that was really nice. He had a a ball or two in the first half, especially that interception to Wesco where he had him and he just underthrew him towards the middle of the field. Really bad miss. that I I'm glad he was able to overcome. Those are the types of things you're not going to be able to do on a consistent basis if they want to continue winning in ACC play. But you know, North Carolina has looked like an improved team at least this far into the season. So I do think this is a good win for Clemson and maybe it's a sign that they can be competitive throughout the year. But we're we're we're still waiting on official verdict on how good North Carolina is. but I mean, a win is a win and at this point that Clemson program really needed it. So good for them. Sam Grant: Yeah. And I think I think Clemson definitely honestly benefited from the rain delay because that that's their third straight reign delay. They it at LSU, they had it last week against Georgia Southern, had it again. They've kind of been through that now to where it's happened for every single game for them. It was great experience Mitch: Mm-hmm. Sam Grant: for Tay Reynolds and his first start just to kind of get comfortable in that offense and truly be the first full time starter. and it was really telling to me at the end of the game, as d at Dabo's press conference, he was saying that that was like he looks he'll look back on that game as one of his like fondest moments as the Clemson head football coach. So I don't know what that was about or just kind of some of the adversity they've gone through, just kind of all the different things that have been said about him and how that program's been run. But him kind of saying that stood out to me because he's obviously been super successful at Clemson. So it makes me excited to see what's to come for them in the future and maybe if that's kind of the the monkey off their back having that outcome and the way that they were able to fight back to to see what the rest of the season looks like. Mitch: Yeah, that's a pretty meaningful statement coming from Dabo, considering what he's gone through over there. the highs Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: and lows. So that that definitely means something. Hopefully that's hopefully that's good for the Tigers moving forward. We've got some more Tigers to talk about though. these ones Sam Grant: We do Mitch: are down in Auburn. they fought too. Great game. But in the end it was Florida forty four, Auburn thirty nine, Auburn trying to, you know, make a late late lurch for that lead, but Florida really had control over there in the fourth quarter. So what are your thoughts on the way that game went down and and maybe Jaden Ball specifically? Sam Grant: Yeah, I think I think you look at that score and for those who watch know it just scoreboard lies a little bit to kind of how much Florida controlled that game. Obviously it was a tie ball tie ball game at halftime and Auburn was able to kind of put it put together s a good few drives at the end the first half. But I know you mentioned Jaden Baugh. For it was Aaron Philo. I think Ball we everybody knows Ball was gonna come in and kind of be the superstar for Florida, but Jaden Ball or I'm sorry, Aaron Philo, just his ability to just stand in the pocket and make some of these throws. I think he just has complete control of that offense. And they're when we made this prediction, I was I kinda leaned more towards Auburn because I expected Byron Brown and Goldwish, as they kinda have that reputation together and brought over a lot of those guys from UCF, for them to to be successful a little bit more quicker offensively compared to Florida. Obviously Faulkner came in with Aaron Philo, but with the kind of all new offensive line and receivers that those guys aren't used to and it seems like it's been a pretty seamless fit. So I think I think Florida was really impressive to me on the offensive front. And I think I think Florida looked good defensively. They were able able to get a lot of pressure on on Brown and kind of push back a little bit on the on the the running but running front. But I think I think honestly Florida was the takeaway for me of just they just look like a better football team right now. Mitch: Yeah, I would agree with you. I think pretty much from the jump, even though it was a competitive game, I'm not saying Auburn got, you know, ran over, but from the jump, Florida looked like a confident team who knew what they had. They know their identity, and it's early in the season. So that's pretty significant to me. And I think somewhere else gotta be feeling really good. Sam Grant: yeah. Mitch: I was impressed. I did take Florida in this game. Auburn it It's never easy to play at Jordan Hare. So I was a little worried about how that would go, especially with Philo. So very impressed with how composed he was. I thought he played a really sharp game. His numbers don't jump off the board. Fifteen of twenty two, two four, and a touchdown and an interception. So his numbers don't jump off the board. But if you watch the game, he was in control of the offense. And Jaden Ball, man, 162 yards and three touchdowns on that Auburn defense, which is not a slouch. That defense is not a slouch. So I I think Florida's gonna be scary. I think they they have potential to be a team that surprises in the SEC this year based off what I've seen so far. There's a lot of ball left and you can't you can't come to any conclusions based off this Auburn result because, you know, that's a a program with a year one head coach as well, and they're figuring a lot of things out. So you can't come to any conclusions here, but I just think first real test on the road, Florida passed. And they passed with flying colors to me. So it's gonna be really interesting to see what that looks like moving forward for them. Sam Grant: Yeah, and I think that kind of segues into this next game, but their their next their next opponent is Ole Miss this week. And Ole Miss comes off this high of a win that they had against LSU. Maybe that could be kind of a little sleeper spot for Florida maybe to sneak in and get a win. But Mitch: Yeah. Sam Grant: Ole Miss overall, I mean that environment was insane. I I that's what you love about college football. Obviously there's all the kind of drama and stuff with Kiffin and different all the coaches coming back and some former players for Ole Miss and all of that build up. But when it came down to just as Pete Golding said in his like pregame interview, just spot the ball and let's play. And that's exactly what they did. Ole Miss came out firing in that first half. Chambliss just continues to look like the Heisman contender that he is, established the run game. Golding had his defense really ready to go. And after after you kind of saw them play against Louisville, I kinda had a little bit of hesitations of okay, maybe this team's not I mean, for how dominant LSU's looked offensively, especially against Clemson. for them to hold them to how they did in that first half was really impressive. And then obviously Mitch: Yeah. Sam Grant: Shamblis came out in the second half and made a mistake and Lacey got hurt and LSU kind of found their way back in that game. But I just don't think there was any point in that game for me where I thought Ole Miss did not have control of the game. Mitch: Yeah. I I was very impressed with the way Ole Miss came out out the gate with all the emotions and everything. I thought that both teams going into the game, I thought both teams were likely to kind of ease their way into this one. I thought it would be a really sloppy start. And the at you know, the very beginning of the first quarter it was for both teams. But Ole Miss settled in really quick and they jumped out to that twenty four seven lead at halftime. says a lot. Says a lot about Shambliss and his leaders set. Leadership says a lot about Golding and his leadership. I think he's continuing to establish himself as the guy. I think he's the right guy in Oxford. and so very excited to see what that continues to look like. There was a point in the late in the third quarter where I did start to wonder if LSU was gonna if if they were gonna pull something out there. I thought Kiffin was in his bag in the second half. Levitt started to really get it going on the ground. which I think is gonna be important for them all season. I don't think Lev is the type of guy whose arm is gonna carry you through the year. especially if Trey Des Green that injury. I'm I'm not sure how serious it is, but especially if he stays down, that's a huge weapon for them. So he's gonna have to be mobile and and he he made some really, really nice plays with his legs, kept him in the game. So impressed with Ole Miss, the way they jumped out to that twenty four seven lead and were able to finish it off. But also it's another team we've talked about this two or three times already. Where LSU dug themselves into a really big hole and were able to fight back, claw back, and make it a game in the fourth quarter. So I I think if you're an LSU fan, you're upset that you didn't win. I think if you're Lane Kiffin, you're a little bit bummed, but it's not the end of the world at all. It's a great team in Ole Miss on the road. and and you fought. It was a one possession game, came down to the wire, a couple big plays. So LSU at the end of the day, you got to move on and you've got to. A wounded animal, Texas A and team limping in to Baton Rouge next week. So I know you're you're a little bit down after that too, but you've got to take advantage of this opportunity with with the Aggies coming into town fresh off that upset loss. Sam Grant: Yeah. And I think both these teams are gonna be fine. I think this was a great test for them as they kinda go throughout their SEC schedule now and kinda get into SEC play. But I mean, again, I think honestly for them, both teams are probably glad the game's over, just 'cause all that talk, all the off season talk leading up to week three, game day you knew was gonna be there, Kiffin's return to Oxford, all that kind of stuff, and to where now it's really just focused on all right, who do we play this week? Who's who's our who's our matchup? Mitch: Were you satisfied to that point? Were you satisfied with the environment in Oxford? Was there any expectation that you had that was not met? Sam Grant: it was it was hostile. I mean I I I don't think Vault Hemingway's up there is like a top tier SEC stadium. So for me that's kind of a just personal struggle to where if that game was in maybe Baton Ridge, different environment. But for what Ole Miss is and kinda the power that they're becoming in SEC football, I I think it was about as good as it can get for Oxford. Mitch: I thought they did great. I I never condone any of this, but I was thinking a lot of the the Tennessee environment when Kiffin returned and you know, everything that was thrown on the Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: field and students actually getting kicked out and I don't condone any of that. I guess I won't say I'm disappointed that it didn't happen, but I was kinda my part of me was kinda hoping we might see some of those antics. But I do think, Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: I mean, right off right off the jump, college game day opens up and they've got chants in the background that I can't even say on this podcast. So Sam Grant: Ha ha ha. Mitch: I do think they showed up and and it's probably a good thing they still to the stayed to the end 'cause the team needed them. And that that environment, as far as Vault Hemiweight goes, that was probably one of the best environments they've ever had. I think Kiffen actually joked about that after the game. He said, Yeah, the fans showed up an hour before kickoff. It took me leaving for them to finally figure that out. So that was pretty Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: funny. Kiffin's always got some smart comment up his sleeve, but congratulations to Chambless and Olez for getting the job done. And and you're right, by Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: the way, that that game at Florida They're on a high right now, and that's on the road at the swamp, 330 this weekend. Don't sleep on that matchup at all. Yeah. Sam Grant: Yeah, I agree. There there's there's two things kinda wanna touch on before we make our way to the next game. What was your thoughts on Pete Golding's decision to go for two? Maybe if Ole Miss didn't jump off sides, or I'm sorry, if LSU didn't jump off sides, maybe he just decided to kick the extra point. But and in in a in a college football world of analytics and stuff like that, for him to kind of take that risk of, hey, let's go for the two point conversion to force LSU if they score to go for two, that was incr incredibly risky the gutsy call and it paid off. Mitch: I loved it. And I do think if they don't jump off sides, they don't they don't end up going for it there. That was my gut Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: feeling. However, it also very well could have been Golding pulling out his own Kiffen moment and kind of rubbing it in in Kiffin's face a little bit, 'cause that's a very Kiffen thing to do. So maybe he was Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: just going for the jugular and trying to, you know, push to that eight point lead. But you're right, if they don't if they don't convert that two point conversion, that's that's a game changing play. so Took a lot of guts for him to Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: do it, but I I loved it. I loved it. And that type of environment, that type of game, th those are those are the calls that that a head coach is there for. You gotta you gotta make it and show who you are. So I really liked it from Golding. Sam Grant: Yeah, I agree. And I I kinda circling back to your conversation about the environment of of the game and stuff like that. One thing that did surprise me that I think about it now after kinda twenty four hours to let it sit in, was that they didn't they didn't storm the field. In my head I was like, All right, if Old Miss wins, like they're gonna storm the field, it's gonna be chaos trying to get Kifflin off the field. And I was thinking about it, I was like, I don't know why these students wouldn't do it, but also in the back of my mind, I don't know if there was conversations up in this week from the school or whatever, but I think their point was just We're here to stay. Like we don't need to r rush a field after beating LSU. We expect to beat L S U and that's not just 'cause Kiffin's in town. Like we expect to compete against everybody, so we're not gonna rush the field. I I just for me that's kinda how I interpreted it, but I think that's a a pretty big statement from Old Miss and just their their program as a whole and where they're at. Mitch: I absolutely agree with you. That was high class from Ole Miss. And we do have a question in the live chat. this is coming from Gabe. Appreciate you for for interacting with this video. He's got a question on the LSU Ole Miss matchup. He said, How do you assess LSU's offensive line in the run game specifically? What are your thoughts on that, Sam? Sam Grant: Mm. Yeah, from the offensive line front, it was definitely a little bit disappointing. I I think they established did a really really good job against Clemson and I kind of expected that to come in. Obviously Ole Miss is a much different defensive line front compared to Clemson, but I expected them to still be able to run the football and kind of have a little bit more back and forth of alternating from from run run pass options and stuff like that. And I think it that's kinda how LSU got themselves dug into a hole was it really forced Sam Levitt to throw the football in that first half because they couldn't establish a run game. And I think they picked it up a little bit in the second half with the quarterback run, but I think there's a little bit of concern now with LSU's offensive line as okay, this is this could be a weakness for them as they kind of kind of work their way through the rest of the season of okay, oldness exposed exposed a little bit more than we thought the L S U offensive line could look like. Mitch: Yeah, there's so many new pieces and you're always trying to figure out what those new pieces on the offensive line are gonna look like. It's a puzzle every year, it seems like now, especially with the portal for a lot of programs, not just LSU, but their whole roster was kind of a puzzle. And I think you're starting to see they might struggle a little bit with that run game to your point. it's early in the year. Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: They can figure it out, and who knows, by week ten, they look like a completely different unit on the offensive line. But it's definitely a struggle early season. I think the good news for them is they've got an Aggie team who just struggled significantly against the Kentucky run game coming into town. So hopefully it's not too much of a problem this week. But the other thing I'll say about that is Mike Elko is very smart and they have a lot of talent on the defensive front. So while while AM struggled last week, they do have the guys up front and the athletes up front. to make a big difference and an impact. So you never know. I think it's definitely something they're gonna want to sharpen up regardless of who their next opponent is. Sam Grant: Yeah. And one more one more quick thing. I think thinking about the offensive line, and I know you touched on a little bit earlier, Trade as Green, like he's a phenomenal Mitch: Mm-hmm. Sam Grant: like receiving threat, but he plays a big part in that run game too. And for how long I don't know how long he's out for or kind of what the extent of his injury is, but he's gonna he played a key part in LSU kind of being able to run the football. So with their guys behind him, they obviously have talent, but they're not Tradez Green. So as LSU kind of moves forward, I wouldn't be surprised if they kinda transition to a lot more like twelve personnel, just so they can establish that run game and then kinda open up a pass game and kinda have them balance off of each other. Mitch: Yeah, Trade Az Green is a beast. So it'll be important for them to get him back as soon as they can. Hopefully it's not so serious. moving on to another SEC matchup that was pretty big time. Mississippi 41, South Carolina 34. This is another one we were split on going into the matchup. I was high on the momentum Mississippi State was carrying in after a huge road win at Minnesota and Camario Taylor playing the way he did. you were leaning a little bit more Lenores having his breakout game. I wouldn't You know, I wouldn't say South Carolina played poorly here, but Mississippi State did get a huge road win. Back to back, big road wins for Mississippi State. So what were your main takeaways from this game? Sam Grant: Yeah, I think Camario Taylor just continues to prove just prove himself to all the country that he's here to say obviously he had a a pick on that first drive and South Carolina took a little bit of control for that first little bit. but they just bounced back. I mean, for that team to kind of go on the road in that environment, again a rain delay, that kind of thing to be down sixteen nothing, I think was was where they were at. for them to be able to bounce back, I think proves a lot about that locker room right now and the trust that they have in Comario Taylor. they're they're gonna be a really good football team. They have Missouri this week, followed by Alabama. So I think this was a good starting point for them in SEC play just to just to see what that looks like for Mississippi State being on the road. Defensively I think they look really good too. I think they really showed up in that second half. Zach Arnhem had made some phenomenal s second half adjust or halftime adjustments. from a South Carolina front, I I wanna believe that Shane Beamer so bad. I really do. And I and I think I think they're a much better team than they were last year. I will say that. And I think Mississippi State is just that good. but Lenora Sellers have back to back turnovers in that second half that are just plays you can't make. I mean, he's been in that system for a while now and he knows that offense and they they were still in that football game and he just made really sloppy mistakes that kinda turned the tide of that game and let let Mississippi State kind of pull away there at the end. So I think it was a really impressive performance by the Mississippi State on the road. South Carolina's gotta get ready for Alabama this week and I think There there could be some uncomfortable conversations as as as this was a loss this was a loss that I really don't think Shane Beamer could afford. Mitch: Yeah, I would agree with you. It's unfortunate for Shane, considering I really do agree with you that Mississippi is gonna be a really solid team. I think they're a solid team that are gonna surprise a few people this year as the season continues to go on. Camario's great. They've proved themselves on the road back to back weeks. That's the most impressive thing for me. It's not easy to go into Big Ten country and just dominate Minnesota. I don't care how good Minnesota is or isn't the way they did two weeks ago, and then immediately turn around and go to Columbia. Which is an incredibly tough environment as well, and get a huge win in SEC play back to back weeks. that that to me is just a statement, Mississippi telling the world, hey, we're for real. You guys better better not take it for granted this year. And from the South Carolina side of things, yeah, it's disappointing. It's very disappointing to start out SEC play in that way. you'd love for Lenores to be able to take care of the ball a little bit better overall. I thought he played fine. I think he threw for two hundred eighty yards and a touchdown, but those two turnovers are killer. Especially in a game like that, you can't do it. so Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: hopefully they they're able to get a little more consistency. And that Alabama game, look, yes, it's a tough matchup. But if South Carolina is what they think they are, then you know, there's still an opportunity for them early in the year to redeem to redeem their season. It's it's not ev everything's not lost, but you you just gotta make sure you go and at the very least play really well. so that that's kind of how I feel about that one. Sam Grant: Yeah. They've taken out they've taken Alabama they've taken Alabama to the wire the last two years. So they're they're capable of it. Mitch: Yeah, last year. Last year very well could have gone their way. Sam Grant: And that's the thing that I think with South Carolina that I struggle with is like they have the talent. They are very capable of winning all these games and really competing in the SEC. And I I love Beamer, I love the hire he made in the offseason for Kendall Gries. They just really have to put it all together. And I don't know what that missing thing is right now, but he's gotta figure it out fast. Mitch: Yeah, no, I I would completely agree with you. We've we've got one more question. This is Gabe again in the chat. And we don't have to go through our full SEC standings, but he's kinda asking us what our gauge on the SEC is right now. So I'm just gonna ask you and then I'll answer too. If you had to pick the top dog in the SEC right now, SEC champion, based off week three results, who are you taking? Sam Grant: it's hard to not pick Texas. They're just proven. Like I I'm thinking about Georgia, maybe. Okay, but Georgia hasn't played anybody. They've looked really good, but they haven't played really top tier top tier opponents. Ole Miss, I think, really made a statement last night too, but I just don't have as much confidence. Actually, you know what? I'm gonna go Ole Miss. Change my mind. I I I Mitch: Yeah. Yeah. They Sam Grant: trust I tr I trust Trinidad more. I trust Golding. I mean, all he all all he's done is win. I mean, he's won some really big moments last year in the playoffs, and he won a huge matchup last night. And I think that continues. So I'm I'm gonna go on this. Mitch: Yeah, I don't think it's as bold as it sounds. I mean, they've been tested twice. The Louisville's a great team. Now they've Sam Grant: Mm-hmm. Mitch: got LSU, they've handled both. I think defensively they've still got a little bit of room to grow. But I I don't I don't dislike that take. I'm gonna go Georgia. They haven't been tested in the same way. So as much as I say Ole Miss has been tested, Georgia hasn't. advantage Ole Miss in that that category. But I just think based off what I've seen from the Bulldogs, they've been dominant. They've handled business the way that they should. As long as Gunnar Stockton's able to manage the game the way that he needs to and take care of the football, I think that team is gonna be really scary. So I I I also like their schedule and the way it sets up. So if I had to take one right now and taking the Bulldogs. Sam Grant: Would that would that be your top three though? That's how I think it would be for me. Geor not in not in any specific order, but Georgia, Ole Miss and Texas. Mitch: Yeah. Yeah, I I think Texas still has some some even though they've got the best win in the country at this point, I still think they've got some questions to answer, but I'd probably go Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss. I'll tell you who's sneaky though. Florida's sneaking up there. They're not I wouldn't necessarily say they're four, but I'd say they're sneaking up there for me, the way I've seen them play as well. Sam Grant: Yeah, that makes sense. Mitch: awesome. Well, we're gonna go ahead and move on to this next game. We've still got some SEC action, but ACC, SEC, NC State. 31, Vanderbilt 35. And this one, I'm telling you guys, this killed me because this is another one. Insane were split on a lot of our picks this week. And I was very confident CJ Bailey was going to go and have a great game. And guess what? CJ Bailey went and had a great game. And all they had to do was run out the clock, take a knee, take a safety, punt the football, throw it out of bounds. I don't care. And instead. Plays too many games, fumbles the football. Vanderbilt recovers in the end zone. One of the most ridiculous endings I've ever seen. And Sam's pick is validated. So congrats to you on that one. What are your thoughts? Sam Grant: Yeah, I NC State control that game throughout. I mean, I remember watching the end of that game and seeing the fumble and Clark Blee's postgame interview and you can kinda sit there and he's just like he's like, We won. I'm glad we won, but man, we have a lot of things we need to fix. And I think that was just kind of his team was resilient, they stuck it out, they were able to win a game in a a way that I've never seen one before. Jared Curtis is a freshman. I think he's got a lot of room to grow. I'm a little bit surprised by their defense. They're just not what I expected it to be for a Clark League coach team. I think that's because they have they've had a lot of turnover defensively, especially up front. and there's room for them to grow as the season goes on. I mean their Vanderbilt's three-no, so I I think they're they still have a lot of room to continue to develop into a a good team this year. there I think we really are just seeing the impact of what Diego Pavia was for them, which has been more than I expected, just because I think just the way he was able to change the game just plays he was able to make. I think Mitch: Yeah. Sam Grant: Curtis is gonna be really good, but he's just not there yet. but man, I I hate it for Dave Doran, I hate it for C J Bailey. I mean they they had no business walking out of Nashville with the boss yesterday. Mitch: Yeah, they they lost more than just Pavia too. They lost some significant weapons offensively in Stours and then they lost some on the defensive side of the football. But I think Vanderbilt, as far as what I expected from them this year, even though they are three and I see a lot of problems that if they if they, you know, maintain their status are gonna end up being an issue as they get deep into SEC play. So hopefully they can figure some of those things out. Tyler, I do see your your comment about Texas Tech. We're gonna get to Texas Tech here in a second and I'll address that one. I appreciate your interaction. We see you guys. You guys are great. first time going live. This is awesome to have some feedback live as we're going through our conversation. So please keep it up. Hopefully we get to do this Sam Grant: yeah. Mitch: more often. This is our goal. We said it at the beginning before there was a little bit of a crowd here, but our goal is to get this going weekly as our our recap and then maybe eventually transition everything into kind of a live situation and and post the podcast after the fact. But this is this is really great and it enables us to have more time to really dig into the next week's slate of games as we get into that Thursday morning episode. So y'all are the Sam Grant: Yeah, for sure. Mitch: best. we've got another big ACC matchup here. SMU Louisville, a lot of anticipation for this one. Kevin Jennings going on the road was a topic of discussion on our last episode. What did you think you saw out of both of these teams this week? Sam Grant: Yeah, I think for me, I'll start with SMU. I Kevin Jennings just I think he's a really good playmaker and he makes some really amazing plays. But if he could just avoid the mistakes that he makes, they would be somewhat they probably wouldn't have lost that football game. I mean, there's just so many times where he throws a ball and you're like, There's nobody there. And it's you I just don't know what is processing for him and that decision making that just affects them 'cause I feel like he's a consistent two turnovers every single game. You just kinda have to control that in. So a little disappointed SMU defensively too. I think they kind of got ran over. Keenholz really made some plays with his legs. They continue to force him to roll out of the pocket, or it was more designed by Jeff Rom. Yeah, but I think if teams can just keep Keeneholz in the pocket and force him to kind of stick up there and make some throws within, that would be great. but Keenholz is still impressing me. I think that old miss win, or I'm sorry, that old miss loss. continuing to prove prove its worth for them as the season goes on. Lou Louisville's gonna be a really good team in A C C, especially with Virginia losing. Like besides Miami, it's it's pretty wide open and I I could see them making a run here. Mitch: Yep. And Louisville does not play Miami in the regular season, if I'm correct. So that that's huge for them. I think that they are a force to be reckoned with in the ACC. I think they've proven that to this point. And I think SMU's a good team too. I think you're right about the turnovers. Kevin Jennings got to figure that out. it's it's kind of the same thing. I talked about a preseason with him. I just wasn't sure about consistency in the same way that I wasn't sure about consistency with Marcel Reid. And look how that's working out so far. So I I really think they've Sam Grant: Yeah, it's true. Mitch: they've gotta figure that out. But as far as this game goes, it was a very entertaining game. It was high scoring, it's what people thought, fast paced. but yeah, I I think it's just a a another big win for Louisville. And I think it's another statement Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: they've made. Like you said, even though they lost that old miss game, I think it was a statement. And you said teams have got to work on keeping Keen Holtz in the pocket. I agree with you, he's a little less comfortable there. I don't think it's an easy task though. I think Keenholtz, Sam Grant: No, I don't I don't either. Mitch: yeah. I think Keynolds is a tough guy to slow down. So that that makes them really fun to watch. And they don't play Miami in the regular season. I'm not trying to get ahead of myself. But if that ends up being the ACC championship game, that's one I'm very interested in. Yeah. Sam Grant: Yeah, I agree. I I think I think Will will play Wake Forest this week, so they've they've got a manageable schedule to kinda to get to that point where Mitch: Yeah. Sam Grant: they play in play in Charlotte. But yes, Keen Holes is shifty and stuff like that. I just think when he is forced to stay in the pocket, sometimes his decision making and just pocket presence isn't great. And he's he's more comfortable kind of being on the run and having to make make throws on the run. He's great at it. So I don't blame him. He is. Mitch: He's a backyard football guy, which, you know, if you look across college football, there's a lot of that going on. and so Sam Grant: No, I know, yeah. Mitch: I also think for Louisville, if you know that's his identity, just build the offense around it. Don't force him to be something that he's not. Because I think a lot of times that's Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: when programs see challenges offensively too. So take what you got and Sam Grant: Yeah, I agree. Mitch: run with it. And I think Louisville will end up having a pretty solid year. Sam Grant: Yeah, pray went for them. Mitch: Yep. All right, here we go. This was a big one Friday night. shout out to both coaching staffs, by the way, for repping hats that supported Texas high school football because we should not be playing college football games on a Friday night. Friday night lights are a sacred ground. So that was huge for them. Both Texas schools, props to them for doing that. And then props to both teams for showing up. This was a very entertaining game. Houston kind of punched Sam Grant: It was, yeah. Mitch: him in the gut, and then Texas Tech responded, ended up winning on a missed two point conversion by Houston's late. effort from Connor Wigman. So let's go through it. Let's go through this one as well. This one was fun. Sam Grant: Yeah, it was fun. I I I think this was Tex this was Houston's game to lose. I think, like you said, they kind of really established themselves pretty well in that first half. and they kind of just continued to barely leave the door open for Texas Tech and it it paid off in the second half where Texas Tech really kinda gained control defensively, besides that last drive by Houston. And I'm still not sold on Texas Tech. I I think Will Hammond has some swagger to him that I think showcased itself. as they were down and kind of making making their way to comeback and eventually taking the lead. But for for the big ten for a big twelve play, I think he'll be all right. But like I think about if say if they're they're a playoff team, I just don't I don't know if he's a he's enough of a game changer for them to be able to make a difference. But and maybe maybe Will Hammond will just continue to get better and prove me wrong. But there's just there was just Mitch: Yeah. Sam Grant: nothing about his game that blows me away. Like I I prefer Connaway Mitch: Yeah, I wasn't overly impressed. And, you know, even though Houston didn't win the game, I actually I thought Connor Wigman played decently well. I'm still a Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: fan of Houston and their trajectory for the year. This loss is not end all be all for them. They played really well on the road in a tough environment against a good team and a very talented team. So good for Houston. obviously you'd love to have the win. You'd love for those two inches of that that failed two two point conversion to go the other way, but didn't happen. That's okay. You move on. Texas Tech. Good win. At the end of the day, you played a really good football team because I do Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: think Houston's a really good football team and you were able to come out on top, even with a lot of question marks, especially on the offensive side of the football. They rotated Castellanos in a little bit. You know, he made that huge mistake right to open up the game. Terrible, terrible throwaway attempt, ends up getting picked off. so who knows what that looks like moving forward. I don't know if they just roll consistently with Hammond and kind of keep Castellanos on the sidelines or if they continue to have a package for Castellanos. That'll be an interesting thing to follow. 'Cause I also think that, you know, as far as a team dynamic goes, it's it's fun at the beginning of the season, maybe, to be rotating a couple guys in, but I think once you get into the season, you want to know who your leader is. Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: so I I'll be curious to see if they continue to do that. And if they do, I bet it'll just be a a, you know, short distance mobile quarterback package they bring Castellanos in for. as far as Hammond is concerned, I didn't think he looked great. I just didn't. I thought he looked kind of inaccurate. He threw some balls where they were just floating. And he was lucky on a couple actually. His receivers made some really, really great plays on some balls that I thought were a little bit questionable. so those ended up being huge plays specifically in the second half for that Texas Tech team. they had a couple fourth downs, like they had a a drop on fourth down that should have been a conversion. So there were some missed opportunities on the tech side of the ball too. you know, the the only other thing I want to say here before I get to the the question we've got in the chat about Texas Tech rest of the season is. For Houston, as well as I do think he played, and Texas Tech is a talented roster, I think you gotta figure out something on the run defense. they have been the last couple of years really strong in that category, actually. And I was not impressed at all. I think Texas Tech had way too many chunk plays on the ground. so that Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: is something that was a little bit of a concern for me, especially as the game wore on. But, you know, at the end of the day, they fought really hard. This was a great game. if you didn't get to watch it, I feel kind of bad for you. It's a great way to spend a Friday night. Sam Grant: Yeah. That was something that I was kind of trying to figure out what Houston was doing because I think I mean I didn't it didn't doesn't take much for you to be able to watch it and see Hammond is pretty inconsistent. So just Mitch: Mm-hmm. Sam Grant: maybe loading the box a little bit, forcing him to throw the football. I would have expected them to pull that a little bit earlier as they were kind of letting the game slip Mitch: Mm-hmm. Sam Grant: and they just never did. But Tyler, I wanted to get to your question of do we think Texas Tech drops a game the rest of this year? So took it upon myself to pull up the schedule. Mitch: Yep, I've got it in front of me too. Sam Grant: They have Sam Houston State this week, Colorado, Arizona State, Cincinnati, Arizona, West Virginia, Oklahoma State, Baylor, and T C U. there's two game or maybe three games on here that I would be hesitant to say they win just 'cause I think offensively it's gonna be hard to stop these guys. Arizona State, I think that's just a really good staff and a good team that's gonna show up ready to play. Oklahoma State, Mesta Maker, I think they'll just continue to develop into a program. I think that Oregon is just a a big stepping stone for them in that program. So at that point in the year, I think that's game ten. I would be very excited to see what that game looks like. And then kind of getting into our last game we'll talk about today, West Virginia versus Virginia. West Virginia looked dominant, and I think Oklahoma's probably wishing they had Michael Hawkins still a quarterback. but those those would be the three that I'd be hesitant about, but not I mean, they don't have a single ranked team left on their schedule. Mitch: Yeah, I've got the same three. I've got the same three circled. I I would say if the question is does Texas Tech lose a game the rest of the year, I would say yes. I just don't know which one it is yet. based off what I've seen for them, I I don't think they run the table. And they might prove me wrong, but I think they will they will slip up. Arizona State, yeah, potentially. It's at home, so I'm not as concerned about that one. Shout out Arizona State, by the way. went on the road to college station last week, had a tough one. Then you gotta turn around and fly to London for some weird reason. I hate that we're playing college football games in London, especially in week three. What are we doing? But they gotta turn around and fly to London and play a a Kansas team, a conference opponent, and they handled business. It was it was a little bit closer than maybe they would have wanted, but at the end of the day, they came away with a dub. So props to them for doing that. And then yeah, I I think Oklahoma State, if I had to pick one, that's the one they lose right now. Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: West Virginia, though, they did surprise me against Virginia, especially because That Virginia team, both on the offensive and defensive line, they've got some veterans. And Hawkins pretty much did whatever he wanted. Through the air, not not super flashy, but that's what you expect from him on the ground. He he was running all over UVA. so I think that's a concern. So yeah, I I think they Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: drop one. Sam Grant: Yeah, they definitely dropped one, like you said, it's just a matter of which one. So all Mitch: Yeah, I think they drop them. Sam Grant: right. I actually lied. We have two more left to break down. I was thinking you we have one more with UVA in West Virginia. Mitch: Yeah, we gotta we gotta talk about this one. Sam Grant: yes, we do. So USC and Rutgers. USC won forty two to thirty five. I think this was a look ahead spot for USC. I mean, I think traveling all the way across the country for them. I mean Ruckers left a lot on the field too. I mean, there was a they a pick six that was I think about a hundred yards. picked off Dylan Lawnerden at the end. They I mean, they just Rutgers Rutgame to play, kind of probably fighting for their coaches job at this point. USC Mitch: Yeah. Sam Grant: just defensively, if if that's how Ruckers is kinda gonna kinda enforce running the football and able to score as well as they did, that has me really worried for this week against Oregon. but I d I For me I'm kinda thinking that was more of a look ahead spot and they just didn't come fair. Mitch: Yeah, I would agree with you. I don't necessarily think it's an excuse if you're USC or a USC fan, you're pretty disappointed with that outcome. I know Rutgers KJ Duff is great. So it's not like it's not like they don't have anybody on that roster, but this is the same team that at home lost in pretty dominant fashion to UMass a couple weeks ago. so I I don't think if you're USC Sam Grant: Yeah. And last week to Boston College. Mitch: yeah, I don't think if you're USC you're at all satisfied with a seven point win. At Ruckers, regardless of the look ahead spot or how far you had to travel for that game. Lawnergan for Rutgers was fifty percent completions. He was slinging the ball all over the place to both teams. Eighteen to thirty six, two interceptions, three touchdowns. And then Myava, I mean, Myave pla played fine. Two Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: hundred and seventy yards, two touchdowns, no turnovers. That's great. But I think if you're USC, the one thing you're a little concerned about is the run defense. Again, we've talked about that for a couple of these teams, but you did give up one hundred twenty yards and a touchdown to Antoine Raymond this week. So it's not a great thing to have happen as you're about to walk in. It's it's is it in Eugene that Oregon game, Sam? Sam Grant: I wanna say it's a southern cow. Let me let me check real quick. Mitch: Southern Cow. Well, regardless, that Oregon team's got talent, even if they haven't really shown it against big opponents yet. So, and you know that Oregon team is going to be fired up for this one after what they've been through. so Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: yeah, I don't I don't think it's what you want to see. but yeah, that'll be a very interesting one coming up this week. Oregon Southern Cow. We knew it was gonna be big coming into the year, and and here we are. So we'll see what happens. We didn't necessarily know Sam Grant: Yeah. So that game is Mitch: Oregon would be in desperation mode already, but they're gonna be. Sam Grant: Yeah. That game is at Southern Cal, so I think it's just gonna come down to Gary Patterson and that defense. Mitch: Will USC pack out the Coliseum for that game? Sam Grant: There's still gonna be seeds. Well, Oregon travels pretty well. So maybe there's just a lot of green. Mitch: Yeah, we'll figure that out. We will figure Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: that out. All right. So we touched on that one. Last one we want to talk about, we talked about it a little bit. West Virginia UVA. West Virginia ended up coming away with this one in Charlotte pretty handily. 38 27. I think Virginia scored a late touchdown to make it look a little bit closer than it was. But yeah, it was pretty dominant performance from West Virginia. So that's a big one for them. And I didn't see it coming. I thought Virginia would I thought it was going to go the opposite way based off what I saw from Virginia early in the season. So this is huge. It's a statement. Sam Grant: Yeah. I mean I think West Virginia won the game how I thought Virginia was gonna win the game. And I think West Virginia just had a little bit better defensive line up front and really kind of shut down the run. And Virginia had little to no vertical pass game at all. I mean, I remember that Mitch: Mm-hmm. Sam Grant: game against NC State that we all walked away really impressed with. Virginia ran the football really well. I think Rabula had like maybe less than ten passes at the end of the first half to just establish it. And if he forced Virginia, he's not as comfortable throwing, he kind of would rather be that running quarterback style and that's kinda how he was at Missouri. Michael Hawkins really impressed me. I think he looked pretty solid. I think there's still a lot of a lot of room for him to grow as a passer. West Virginia just looked like the better prepared team. Mitch: Yeah. I mean, dude, Michael Hawkins, these numbers are kind of ridiculous. Five total touchdowns, three on the ground, two in the air. Only threw for a hundred ninety, but he only had two and he rushed for a hundred twenty three. So he Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: pretty much did whatever he wanted in this game. That's backyard football. and I love it. And you're Sam Grant: Their running backs on a pretty good game too. Mitch: running backs had a great game, but Hawkins is still the the leading rusher. So UVA, I mean That's definitely a damper. I think that that's the first time where this year they've like, Okay, alarm bell's going off. Defensively. Alarm bells definitely going off. I was surprised. We'll see how Tony Elliott and that group responds. They've still got everything in front of them in the ACC. Obviously, this isn't even a conference game for them, so no reason to go into complete panic mode. But it does shake up the picture in the ACC a little bit, at least from my perspective, from where I'm sitting. Sam Grant: Yeah, I agree. A lot less confidence in UVA after that one. Mitch: Yeah. Yeah. any any ounce of you think Tony Elliott is having conversations with a certain other program. Sam Grant: Not yet. Mitch: No. All right. Yeah, well forget I said that. Dabo, forgive me. Sam Grant: Dean do you? Mitch: No, not necessarily. I I think it's inevitable though. Sam Grant: I think I think that conversation he will be brought up if that happens. But yeah, I agree. Mitch: Yeah, I think it's inevitable. So we'll see. man. Well, thank you guys so much for for checking this out, for watching, for hopping on the live stream and interacting. Hopefully Sam Grant: Yeah, seriously. Mitch: we get to keep this up. Yeah, we're looking forward to the week four preview. We've got a big slate ahead again this week. College football is definitely in full swing. So it's getting fun. Anything Sam Grant: Yeah, we do. Mitch: you wanna anything you wanna close us with, Sam? Sam Grant: Yeah, just looking forward to this week, Thursday, five AM. New podcast will come out with the games late that we got, maybe a couple of hats that are being worn, kinda going over our pick seven. So we're excited to excited to get back into another week of college football and just just trying just Mitch: Yeah. Yeah. Sam Grant: trying to just trying to take it in while we have it. It's hard to believe we're already a week four. Mitch: Hey, if you're interested in our pick seven competition we have going on, tune in on Thursday. There's a big update. Big update. Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: And also our little side bet we had on a Dr. Pepper. I'm really looking forward to that Dr. Pepper, Sam. Sam Grant: There will be a Doctor Pepper brought to you on Tuesday. Mitch: Really looking forward to that, Dr. Pepper. A did not win this week, but I I did catch a a few major victories on the podcast. Sam Grant: Yeah. Hey you know what, that's what matters. Mitch: Yeah, that's what matters. Awesome. Thank Sam Grant: Yeah. Mitch: you guys. God bless. Have a great week, and we'll see you on Thursday. Sam Grant: Thanks, guys.