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Steve Sarkisian previews Vanderbilt on Longhorn Weekly · The Craig Way Show

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  Speaker 1: We continue here on sports Radio AM thirteen hundred of
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  Speaker 1: the Zone. Well, Cameron mentioned Sark, and last night we
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  Speaker 1: aired Longhorn Weekly with Coach Sark from Pluckers the West
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  Speaker 1: Campus location.
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  Speaker 2: Course. We record the show on Wednesdays, and that's when we.
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  Speaker 1: Did this recording on Wednesday, but it aired last night
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  Speaker 1: and late in the show. Every week we'd take one
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  Speaker 1: full segment of the show and devoted just to the
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  Speaker 1: matchup with the opponent. So here was the conversation that
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  Speaker 1: we had last night in matching up Texas and Vanderbilt
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  Speaker 1: for the borrow afternoon, I was visiting with Andrew Alligrette,
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  Speaker 1: he's the play by play voice for Vanderbilt, and he
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  Speaker 1: reminded me of something I've forgotten about this that you
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  Speaker 1: and Clark Lee had matched wits when you were at Alabama.
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  Speaker 2: He was at Notre Dame there in that Rose.
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  Speaker 3: Bowl exactly right, exactly right.
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  Speaker 4: Both of us had accepted jobs, or I hadn't quite
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  Speaker 4: got I hadn't gotten this job, but I think the.
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  Speaker 3: Next day I'd end up taking the job, whatever it was.
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  Speaker 4: And he had already accepted this job, and Clark said, great,
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  Speaker 4: coach man, he's a really good defensive coach.
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  Speaker 3: Very bright guy.
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  Speaker 4: You know, I think anytime you're building this program right,
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  Speaker 4: just like we were in and there's a lot of
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  Speaker 4: work that goes into it. I think he's found their
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  Speaker 4: niche offensively, and now it's allowing him more time with
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  Speaker 4: the defensive side of the football.
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  Speaker 3: He's calling the defense again.
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  Speaker 4: And you can feel you can feel it on the
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  Speaker 4: defensive side of the ball, but you can feel the
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  Speaker 4: personality of this roster, the way they play the game.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I drew some and I was thinking about this.
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  Speaker 2: There are some definite.
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  Speaker 1: Parallels between what you've built and continue to build at
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  Speaker 1: Texas and what he's trying to build at Vanderbilt, both
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  Speaker 1: in your fourth year, both coming off being top assistance,
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  Speaker 1: and both working specifically with your area of expertise, you
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  Speaker 1: as the play caller on offense and what he's doing
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  Speaker 1: in taking over the defensive coordinator duties.
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  Speaker 3: Very similar, very similar.
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  Speaker 4: And you know, half the battle, as you know, is
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  Speaker 4: building your culture, recruiting the types of players that fit,
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  Speaker 4: you know, the persona of what you're looking for out
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  Speaker 4: of a team. And I think, like I said, Clark's
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  Speaker 4: done a great job. I think they've done a nice
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  Speaker 4: job of in the transfer portal finding some pieces.
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  Speaker 3: Obviously with the quarterback.
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  Speaker 4: That have that is I think instilled a ton into
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  Speaker 4: this team. And you know, the tight ends a heck
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  Speaker 4: of a players that you know another transfer. So a
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  Speaker 4: lot of these a lot of these guys that have
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  Speaker 4: come in, you know, have taken what they've had and
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  Speaker 4: elevated it to a point to where, like I've talked
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  Speaker 4: about our players, you know, you have an idea of
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  Speaker 4: what you want to look like, and then they take
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  Speaker 4: it and they run with it and make it even
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  Speaker 4: better than you think.
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  Speaker 3: And I think they've done a great job.
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  Speaker 1: A lot of Texas high school products on this team.
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  Speaker 1: Diego Poppy of the quarterback is not but he's from
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  Speaker 1: New Mexico.
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  Speaker 2: But I watched him play for Jerry Kill.
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  Speaker 1: At New Mexico State and what he did and they
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  Speaker 1: had a landmark moment and getting too a bowl game
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  Speaker 1: and winning a bowl game, and then he goes in.
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  Speaker 1: Eli Stowers, for folks who don't know, was an outstanding
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  Speaker 1: quarterback at Denton. Geyer went down in the first quarter
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  Speaker 1: of the state championship game against Westlake and Jackson Arnold,
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  Speaker 1: as a freshman, had to replace it.
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  Speaker 2: In the State championship game.
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  Speaker 1: But he has found a home as the tight end
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  Speaker 1: in a big reis target and Povey is just a
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  Speaker 1: He's just an all out baller.
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  Speaker 2: Isn't he.
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  Speaker 3: Pavia.
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  Speaker 4: I admire this guy, you know, I just I like
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  Speaker 4: the way he plays the game.
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  Speaker 3: He's tough, he's tough minded.
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  Speaker 4: Uh, you know, he leads him in rushing as well
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  Speaker 4: as you know what he does throwing the football. And
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  Speaker 4: they do what they got a lot of triple options
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  Speaker 4: to what they do for those out there, it's similar
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  Speaker 4: to you know, Kansas the last couple of years is
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  Speaker 4: a very similar type offense. The tight end is a
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  Speaker 4: huge component if you think about Kansas to what they
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  Speaker 4: do in the passing game. The running back Alexander Local
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  Speaker 4: product to you know, tough, hard nosed, physical guy watching block.
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  Speaker 3: It's incredible.
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  Speaker 4: So this is a really good football team on the
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  Speaker 4: offensive side of the ball and the defensive side of
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  Speaker 4: the ball. So, uh, the record is real, you know,
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  Speaker 4: and and them beating Alabama is real. Them beating Kentucky's real.
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  Speaker 4: This is a good football team. Yeah, being that being
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  Speaker 4: ranked twenty fifth in the country is real. This is
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  Speaker 4: a good football team.
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  Speaker 1: No doubt about it, and you brought Cedric Alexander, who
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  Speaker 1: of course is the all time leading rushery in the
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  Speaker 1: Austin Independent School District history. Did a great job playing
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  Speaker 1: for the man on your staff as well in elevating
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  Speaker 1: LBJ all the way to a state championship game appearance.
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  Speaker 4: Yes, I mean, and this guy's versatile. Man Like he
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  Speaker 4: he's five. He'll said a five to nine to two hundred,
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  Speaker 4: but when he hits people, he looks like he's about
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  Speaker 4: six five two fifty.
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  Speaker 3: I mean he he really is a physical player. And
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  Speaker 3: I was joking with coach Fenner about that.
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  Speaker 1: Man.
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  Speaker 4: I guess that's how you all practice at LBJ man,
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  Speaker 4: because he uh, this kid is tough.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: On the defensive side, you mentioned what Clark Lee has
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  Speaker 1: had in calling the defenses. Again, how about your thoughts
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  Speaker 1: on what he does with his defense?
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  Speaker 4: Well, I think the thing that they do is one
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  Speaker 4: if you just look at him across the board, they've
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  Speaker 4: got great length, you know. I mean, de Ricky right
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  Speaker 4: is six ' four, safety CJ. Taylor six to one,
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  Speaker 4: the star the Nickel Fontinette is six ' to two.
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  Speaker 4: The corner over here Martell Hydas six foot Tyson Russells
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  Speaker 4: five to eleven.
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  Speaker 3: Colby Taylor six y three.
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  Speaker 4: So he did a really nice job of recruiting length
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  Speaker 4: at the skill position. They've got length on the defensive line,
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  Speaker 4: and then the two backers are athletic, that guys that
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  Speaker 4: can run, and so it allows him to play really versatile.
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  Speaker 4: When you look at just Cover's numbers, they play, they'll
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  Speaker 4: play quarters, they'll play cover two, they'll play three D,
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  Speaker 4: they'll play some man to man and so that's what
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  Speaker 4: Clark specialized in, the versatility of which he can attack you,
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  Speaker 4: and the pressure packages to go with it.
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  Speaker 3: All Right.
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  Speaker 1: So there it is Logorn's head coach Steve Sarkeshan with
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  Speaker 1: his breakdown of this matchup with Vanderbilt. I am really
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  Speaker 1: curious cam to see who emerges from the questionable or
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  Speaker 1: below side of the student athlete availability report to be
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  Speaker 1: available for this game tomorrow. We know that yesterday Isaiah
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  Speaker 1: Bama was downgraded from questionable to doubtful for the game,
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  Speaker 1: and I think it's every bit of doubtful that he'll
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  Speaker 1: see action tomorrow. And I think the same holds true
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  Speaker 1: for Andrew mccooba. I think that there's a good chance
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  Speaker 1: they may both wind up being out. In addition to
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  Speaker 1: the players who are already listed out, but on the
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  Speaker 1: Vanderbilt side, Cedric Alexander's list of this question well and
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  Speaker 1: Eli Stowers was listed as questionable. Two of the guys
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  Speaker 1: that we just mentioned in that segment there. Those are
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  Speaker 1: big pieces. Not to say that what Texas may have
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  Speaker 1: to do without isn't big, because it is. But they
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  Speaker 1: do have some depth they can fill in admirably. You know,
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  Speaker 1: there's a big difference. I'm gonna tell you. The tight
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  Speaker 1: end between Eli Stowers and Cole Spence and AJ Newberry
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  Speaker 1: is I think doubtful for the game to back up
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  Speaker 1: to Alexander. If neither of those guys are able to go,
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  Speaker 1: then it's a real problem.
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  Speaker 2: Out there below that. So I'm kind of curious to
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  Speaker 2: see how how those guys.
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  Speaker 5: Line up, Well, Craig, looking looking at that SEC injury
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  Speaker 5: report that was updated late last night, they have changed
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  Speaker 5: Eli Stowers and AJ Newberry and a lot of other
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  Speaker 5: players from doubt for questionable to probable. Okay, looking at
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  Speaker 5: it now, Stours Langston, Patterson, AJ new Berry, Martel Heights,
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  Speaker 5: Cedric Alexander, Miles, Keeper's and Lina Sunker all now probable
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  Speaker 5: with Colby Taylor being listed as questionable and then salein
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  Speaker 5: wood Mark Davis and Grayson Morgan, the three players who
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  Speaker 5: were out so huge to see Stours and Newberry now
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  Speaker 5: upgraded to probable for Vanderbilt.
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  Speaker 2: For those men for those reasons you just mentioned.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, they'll see action and kind of expected them to anyway,
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  Speaker 1: even when they were listened to this question. Well, the
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  Speaker 1: key thing happens from Thursday to Friday, is he just outlined,
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  Speaker 1: because yesterday afternoon those guys were listed as questionable, but
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  Speaker 1: Isaiah bomb was also listed this question and then last night,
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  Speaker 1: as you pointed out, Bond was you know, bonb was
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  Speaker 1: downgraded to doubtful last night, and on that Vanderbilt side,
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  Speaker 1: those guys have been upgraded from questionable to probable.
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  Speaker 2: I didn't think Eli Stowers would miss this game.
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  Speaker 3: I didn't.
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  Speaker 1: I certainly didn't think that Cedria Alexander would miss this game.
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  Speaker 1: And I'm not expecting that to be the case. I'm
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  Speaker 1: expecting both of those guys to to be there and
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  Speaker 1: uh and to be big contributors, just as Pavia is
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  Speaker 1: and the log runs will have to be ready for
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  Speaker 1: what for what they do. And there's been so much
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  Speaker 1: said about the ball control side.
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  Speaker 2: Of things and how you do it.
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  Speaker 1: Well, the easiest way to keep that from becoming a
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  Speaker 1: factor is twofold one. You keep scoring points, whether you're
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  Speaker 1: doing it with a lot of clock time running off,
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  Speaker 1: or even even if you're scoring quickly. Uh, you know
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  Speaker 1: that old thing about well, you know, maybe somebody scored
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  Speaker 1: too quickly. No, if if your defense does its job,
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  Speaker 1: you're fine with your offense scoring pretty quickly because it's
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  Speaker 1: points in the bank. You're already on the board there
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  Speaker 1: and and so it's important to have that.
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  Speaker 2: That's that's one thing.
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  Speaker 1: But then the other thing, it does fall to the
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  Speaker 1: defense on limiting the run. You know, Vanderbilt did a
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  Speaker 1: fabulous job in looking back at.
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  Speaker 2: The video that of that contest with Alabama, as I did.
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  Speaker 1: They just did a great job of doing about three
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  Speaker 1: point three three three three nine yards per carry. That
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  Speaker 1: would go three point three three three three then and
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  Speaker 1: then to be and then they would have like a
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  Speaker 1: short Uh.
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  Speaker 2: They would get a similar thing on second down, and they.
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  Speaker 1: Would have a short third down and four and get
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  Speaker 1: enough to move the chains. Then they might hit one
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  Speaker 1: for six and then come back with two and then
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  Speaker 1: three and move the chains again, and then they might
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  Speaker 1: hit a screen out of the backfield for four, and
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  Speaker 1: then a run up the middle from Alexander for four,
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  Speaker 1: and then and then Pavia keeping on an option pick
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  Speaker 1: up just enough for the first time. That's what they
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  Speaker 1: do death by a thousand paper cuts. They just kind
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  Speaker 1: of slowly try to bleed you that way. And the
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  Speaker 1: long worns really have to be disciplined in the run
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  Speaker 1: fits and and make sure that they're stopping the holes
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  Speaker 1: and they're they're getting good penetration off the ball and
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  Speaker 1: getting past the offensive line them. That's that's going to
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  Speaker 1: be a really crucial element in the game. And then
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  Speaker 1: and then I know a lot of folks have mentioned
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  Speaker 1: the turnover element as well, because Vanderbilt does a fabulous
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  Speaker 1: job of taking care of the football.
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  Speaker 2: What is it, only two turnovers and the entire season,
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  Speaker 2: and so they turned the country.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, and they lead the SEC in that category and
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  Speaker 1: not turning over the ball. They lead the SEC in
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  Speaker 1: third down conversions, they lead the SEC in time of possition.
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  Speaker 1: We just heard Sark mentioned all of those things as well.
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  Speaker 1: So if you have one, maybe two of those elements,
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  Speaker 1: it might be a factor, but usually you need more
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  Speaker 1: than that, and they've got those three big factors going
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  Speaker 1: in their favor.
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  Speaker 2: So how do you combat it. You do it with
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  Speaker 2: your defense.
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  Speaker 1: You make big plays, and we've seen the Long Words
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  Speaker 1: have big plays against the run this season. They even
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  Speaker 1: did against Georgia in a fourth down situation where hurt
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  Speaker 1: Texas obviously, and Sark brought it up on the show.
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  Speaker 1: Was after the second touchdown, after the water by is
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  Speaker 1: being thrown on the field, after the call was reversed
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  Speaker 1: on the field and the Jade Baron interception was allowed
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  Speaker 1: to stand, Texas takes an end. They score on the
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  Speaker 1: pass to Jayden Blue. So now it's twenty three to fifteen.
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  Speaker 1: They kick off, they tackle the returner for Georgia at
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  Speaker 1: the eleven yard line. They have two incomplete passes and
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  Speaker 1: it's third and ten at the eleven. Nobody I think
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  Speaker 1: would have known or could have known that a lot
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  Speaker 1: of the game hung in the balance right then in
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  Speaker 1: that moment. But Georgia did what Georgia has done these
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  Speaker 1: past several years. They find a way to convert in
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  Speaker 1: on third and eleven. They have twenty one yard pass
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  Speaker 1: for a first down. Then the very next play was
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  Speaker 1: the forty four yard fleet flicker. It opened the door
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  Speaker 1: to the touchdown and bam, Georgia had opened it back
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  Speaker 1: up to fifteen points and the long Horns couldn't respond
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  Speaker 1: after that. So there are key moments in games. Sometimes
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  Speaker 1: you don't know when they're coming. But the Loghorns need
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  Speaker 1: to have the defensive response for Vanderbilt tomorrow that they
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  Speaker 1: couldn't have in some of the key moments against Georgia.
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  Speaker 1: Up next, we turn our attention to the NFL. We'll
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  Speaker 1: do that when we continue here on a Friday afternoon
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  Speaker 1: from Nashville, Tennessee, on Sports Radio AM thirteen under the
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  Speaker 1: zone of the iHeartRadio app.