Welcome to the Big Blue and sider Dick Gabriel with you on a Tuesday edition of our program. Tuesday have a bye week, but we're going to keep talking about football because of Kentucky's win over Ole Miss, and tonight we'll talk with Van Hiles, the former Kentucky defensive back. You hear him on Monday Mornings with Tom Leech, the Monday Morning quarterback. Here him on Sunday Morning Sports Talk. You hear him on his podcast and all. But I had to dial him up, or I will dial him
up a little bit later on in the show. We try not to impose upon him every week, but I just love talking football with Van, and we talked last week going into this game. I specifically wanted to talk to Van, being a former Kentucky defensive back and had a short time in the NFL, so he knows what he's talking about, and I wanted to know what it was going to take for this Kentucky defense to handle a little Miss And things went well, as you know.
So we'll talk to Van at the bottom of the hour, but we'll also talk to John Clay, the Harold Leader, and Jonathan Bruner of the Kentucky Colonel about the game. But going to talk to John as well, my old friend Steve Moss from WKYT about the passing of Pete Rose. And of course John covered the Reds a great deal for the hero leader. And Steve made several trips up to cover the Reds, both when he and I worked together and other times, and he got a couple of
Pete Rose stories I will ask him to share. So that's coming up. And of course Major League Baseball playoffs are underway, with the Yankees and the Guardians in the American League getting the first round Byes, Astros, Tigers Orioles Royals. Nationally, the Dodgers and Phillies get the Buys, so it's Brewers, Mets, Padres, Braves. Pick out the team you want. But I will tell you this that hanging over the playoffs this year in the World Series will be the passing of Pete Rose.
You know, Baseball's hits king holds several other all time records, games played at bats, things like that, but he will always have what has been called a complicated legacy because of his gambling, the gambling scandal that had him banned for life from baseball, meaning he's ineligible for the Hall of Fame, and that debate will go on even if he is somehow later posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame, people will still debate whether he belongs there or not.
We talked about it on the show last night, Aaron Gershawn and Billy Religie and I I don't believe he belongs in the conventional way. But if there's a wing or people who didn't do everything properly, like steroids or gambling, sure why not. I think the fact that he is the all time hits king should not override the fact then not only did he gamble on baseball, that was the cardinal rule. Everybody knows, and if you've never been in a major league clubhouse, there's a huge sign reminding you,
reminding the players that they are not to gamble. Pete ignored that and then lied about it, lied to his teammates, and according to my man Doug Flynn never apologized to his teammates for lying about it. It was odd last night and just a coincidence, sad coincidence that ESPN got the news from the son of one of Pete's teammates,
Eduardo Perez. He's a broadcaster and a really good one for ESPN's baseball coverage, and he of courses, the son of Tony Perez, and as he was wrapping up a live hit from a stadium with Jay Harris, he interrupted Jay to share the sad news of what he had just heard, coincidentally enough, from Pete Rose's son, Pete.
Junior Metzcrew Wars Game one tomorrow evening, five point thirty pm easton bridget Yes, y, yes, I.
Want to throw in a little breaking news, a little sad news that I just received as well. Here in the last inning. My father called me and I confirmed it with my really really my brother, Pete Rose Junior. Pete Rose passed away today and it's hard. So you know, it's one of those times where Hanna and I have been together on set for the loss of Jose Fernandez years ago almost to the day, and just to be able to have lost Pete Rose today is a big hit for a lot of baseball families. So it's a tough.
One right now, all right, Eduardo, as we get more information on that, we appreciate, we appreciate you giving us everything that you have this evening on the baseball in the Newswell, thank you so much, that.
Said Wardo Perez talking to Jay Harris on ESPN, which did not really dive into coverage of Pete's passing for another thirty minutes or so. I guess they had to rally the troops and pull out the video and all that and perhaps get independent confirmation, even though at Wardo said he got it from Pete Junior. But that's how the news broke ones was actually ESPN two. So everybody who covered the Reds at some point has a Pete Rose story, and I've got a couple of them that
aren't super great. You know, it's just people. A lot of people have much better stories. But I will tell you he was my favorite player growing up. I tried to play like him, except for the head first slide. I didn't want to break fingers but try to switch hit things like that, and just really really love Pete
Rose as a player. But I'm in the Reds clubhouse in nineteen seventy five, Big Red Machine time, and I'm leaning on Joe Morgan's locker, which was on the edge of basically what was kind of a horseshoe shape locker configuration. So I'm kind of the closest to the pathway between the showers and the trainer's room, and I'm jotting things down in my notebook working for the Kentucky Colonel Student newspaper,
and I look up and here comes Pete Rose. He's only wearing a towel, so he's got that big barrel chest to all those muscles, and I thought, man, that is a big guy. Not tall, but he's big. Then I go back to my notebook. Well, at the time, I had a beard, not like the beard you might have seen me wearing on Channel twenty seven that was closely trimmed. This thing kind of hung down a little bit. And I had long hair. Not that I was making any kind of political statement, but I couldn't afford a
haircut at the time, being a starving college student. But I'm sure to Pete I looked like a dirty hippie. And not that it excuses what he did, which was with me not even looking at him, he planted his shoulder in the middle of my sternum, middle of my chest. I go staggering back about three steps, didn't fall down, thank god, but I looked back at him like, hey, man, didn't say anything, and over his shoulder. He looks back and he goes sorry and just keeps right on walking,
never broke stride. I thought, what a guy. But then when he decided to leave the Reds and go free agent, couldn't work out anything with the Reds. He made the rounds to various ball clubs negotiating. They came to Lexing, It came to Darby Dan Farm because the owner, Dan Goalbreth owned the Pirates. They really wanted him. Everybody wanted him, and I had one question to ask. They invited the media to come out after he was done talking to mister Goalbrith, and I thought, how can I ask this?
And I turned it over in my mind and turned it over finally came up with a question like this. I said, Pete, because it looked like he was just making a money grab, and it was unheard of at the time. I mean, he had become such a highly paid player. But I said, Pete, what about the people who think you're being greedy? I didn't accuse him of being greedy, but a lot of people had. And he said,
I haven't asked for a dime. And I'm thinking what he said, all I've done is listen he said, Ewing Kaufman, who owned the Kansas City Royals and made his money in pharmaceuticals. He said, he offered me interest in a pharmaceutical chain, he said, Aggie Bush, and Saint Louis offered me a brewery, you know, the Budweiser people. I'm not sure what he didn't tell us what gall brother offered him, but the Phillies eventually signed him and made him what was at the time the highest paid player in the
history of baseball. And all of this came evidently without him asking for a dime. He just sat back and collected offers. So I don't even know if negotiation was the proper terminal. I'm sure his agent jumped in with some questions or suggestions, but those were the only two dealings I had with Pete Rose. I know some other people had more. Steve Moss will join us here in a few minutes to share stories about Pete kind of
took advantage of some young reporters from WKYT. Sadly, we also say goodbye to Kemby Mutumbo, the giant basketball player seven foot four or something like that. Hall of Famer. Remember he's the guy who wagged his finger when he blocked a shot and apparently was one of the most beloved players in terms of his personality in the history of the game Rockets, Knicks, Nets, Sixers, Hawks, and the
Denver Nuggets. And he was the centerpiece for that Denver defense when it was coached by Dan Issel, the Kentucky All American who coached the Nuggets to an upset of the SuperSonics back in I want to say nineteen ninety three or two. They were the first eight seed to upset a one seed and to kem Ba Mtumba was right in the middle of that and became really a world ambassador for basketball. Let me see here. It was ninety four actually when Denver beat Seattle in the Western
Conference playoffs first time at eight beat a one. How about that. So to Kemba Mutumba, who popped up and in some commercials I can't remember what, but remember he was hanging out at a grocery store and somebody would try to toss something into their basket and he would slap it away and wag his finger and say no, no, no,
and then giggle running off. I bet he made as much for those commercials as he did in his NBA day, well probably not his entire NBA career, but to Kimmy Mtumbo, gone way too soon at the age of fifty eight. All right, coming up in just a couple of minutes, Steve Moss, we'll share some Pete Rose stories with us at the bottom of the hour of Van Hiles, former
Kentucky defensive back. Hour number two. John Clay, the Harrow leader who was in Oxford covering the upset of those Ole miss rebels, and Jonathan Brunner from the Kentucky Colonel who also made the trip to Oxford. And he's just a youngster. He has not covered as many heartbreaking losses as John and I have. We're Steve Moss, but he got to be a part of the coverage of the Wildcats win over Mississippi Open Week this week, and then
of course it's Vanderbilt coming to town. That one's always interesting. Between then and now, you got UK Pro Day on Monday. I'll be part of the TV covers with Jack Gibbons on SEC Plus and then Madness on October eleventh, that'll be seen on the SEC Network. So it's overlap time and we love it here in the Bluegrass. What to call him on six starter back joining us down in the celebrity hoighline as a longtime friend and Kylie we
worked together many many years at WKYT. Steve Moss, who has shot sports in this town forever, which means that he has gone all kinds of places covering sports, including Cincinnati, and Steve, you and I made more than one trip up there, but I don't ever recall you and me talking to Pete Rose, but you like to tell the story, and it's pretty hilarious about a time when one of our young reporters went up there and made a little bit of a mistake, which often young reporters do, and
Pete Rose had he had a moment with Pete Rose, Yeah, he did.
You're talking about John Jury, who was our weekend our weekend sports guy back in the late eighties. And I can't remember if it was eighty eight or eighty nine, but I think I was either an intern or I had just started working there, uh, And Pete was in his last years as player manager for the Reds. He had been traded came back as player manager and it
was a late fall game. I think they were playing the Giants, and John was like, hey, let's go down into the locker room in the clubhouse and get some postgame interviews. And I'm like, heck, yeah, I've never been down there before. And we went into the locker room and the players weren't ready, so we went into Pete's office and that's where the fund began. Basically, John was shooting with the camera and holding the microphone at the same time, and Pete looked at him and goes, I'll
hold that mic for you. And there were two other guys in there, probably beat writers for the Reds, and they kind of got a chuckle out of it. But then Pete goes, are you're going to ask me a question? And I'll leave out I'll leave out the cussing and all that. But basically he had never seen us before. He kind of it was kind of like sharks, you know, feeling the chum in the water, and he took advantage
of it, and it was was kind of humiliating. And I've never forgotten it because I, you know, growing up, was a fan of the Big Red Machine and here's my opportunity to talk to probably arguably the greatest player in Cincinnati history. And it was just such a tremendous letdown because he just couldn't help himself. He was not
very nice that night. And you know, I've since read books about about Pete, including Keith O'Brien's recent book Charlie Hustle, and you realize, you know, he's not the greatest guy in the world. He was a great baseball player. But on that night, you know, he reaffirmed that you're never supposed to meet your heroes. Yeah, yeah, uh so that was Yeah, that's kind of our story, was it he teasing.
Him about he was like sweating profusely.
Yeah.
He looked at John at one point and he goes, are you sweating? Why are you sweating? I'm the one answering the questions here, And John made, uh, you know, made a remark about how it was a cool night. He had a sweater on. Un plus he had a hot light on top of his camera, and Pete made the comment, yeah, and if you'd take that, that damn seattle slew blanket off your back, and you know, and at that point, it's like, I think we probably need
to be leaving. So we went out into the locker room and we were talking actually to Barry Lark and I don't remember if Larkin was a rookie that year, but he had jammed his wrist or something, and and we were getting shots of his wrist because he had ice on it and all that stuff. And literally as we were leaving his locker stall, we almost bumped into Pete. He had been standing there watching us the whole time, and and he made some comment like we were hard
up for a story. So that's when we decided we probably need to head back to Lexington.
Yeah, and you know, he did that to another one of our guys who mistakenly called him coach.
Called him coach.
Yeah, And that's happened more than one occasion.
Coach.
I've got coaches down the hallway. Let me go get Alex Grammer. So he's the coach. I'm the manager. You can call me skip.
Yeah. You want to talk to a coach, you go down to their offices down the hall. It's just amazing how sensitive baseball managers are to that, you know.
Yeah, yeah, for sure, I've heard that story many times. And and and he's not the only guy who was, you know, got caught in a crossfire there with Pete on something like that. I've heard others say the same thing.
Yeah, were you a Reds fan growing up?
Yeah, I loved the Big Red Machine. I mean, you know, being located as close to Cincinnati as Georgetown is, you know, they were the team you rooted for, and arguably Pete the greatest player on Cincinnati's greatest teams. You know, by default you're thinking, well, I mean, this guy can do no wrong, you know, until you meet him. And I also remember a time where I can't remember, I was
thinking about this last night. I don't remember if it was a Wendy's or if it was a Long John Silvers, but it was the first of one of those two fast food places that opened in Letchington. They hired Pete to come down and kind of be the guy who opened the new restaurant. And I remember my you know, asking my mom to take me up. There was a new Circle Road and I met Pete for the first time. He autographed to pick for me, and he took a picture.
Yeah yeah, And I think that might have been in nineteen sixty nine, when I was like seven six or seven years old, and I probably still have that picture somewhere. So, you know, then you become a fan and you understand the game a little more and you realize those teams are really good. You know, some of the greatest teams in the history of baseball. And he's the guy who you know, stirs the drink.
Yea, So well, listen, I appreciate the time and we'll chat soon.
Sounds good.
Hour Number two is next with John Clay on six point thirty WLAP. Welcome back to the Big One, Cider, and I am very pleased and happy to be joined as always by one of my favorite guys, Van Hiles, former Kentucky defensive back, but especially now, Van, because I try not to impose upon you too much because you're pulling so many different directions. You're the Monday morning quarterback with Tom leech Son Morning Sports Talk. You've got your own podcasts and videos going. But I had to double
back with you because what a win. You're we just going nuts in your house or just smiling a lot.
I'm a cumbination of both. Also also a little frustrated because you know, I was taught by coach Rick Smith to look at the bad things sometimes, and this defense Ole miss really shouldn't have scored but at most ten points, so that still bothers me. A little bit because this defense played so well in the secondary, really came to this game and really played their best game. I'm gonna say, I know this recent device in the Stuke's era, the way they locked down Old Miss was insane.
Tell me a little bit more about what you saw from Let's go back first and talk about the Old Miss defense, because it looked to me Van and you're an ex on this stuff like they were. They were going to slap, hold, push every time they could against one of the Kentucky receivers, especially Dan Key because that was the early target. But down there on the field, it looked, like I've said it before, one of those yields.
Like a basketball game. Well, they can't call every foul, and they really started to call them though, But man, those guys were all over him.
That That is exactly the analogy. It's like a basketball team. Are they going to allow you to on bar to handcheck? If they are, then we're going to win this game. We're going to force the rest to call all of these calls. When you're playing Manland on an Island, a lot of corners get a little bit they they get a little bit uncomfortable and they freak out a little bit. So the first thing you're gonna do is grab just in case. So I would rather get a fifteen year
old penalty. Again, they get a sixty seventy eighty year pass. So that's what happened to them. And the great thing I'm gonna say this again, we are not giving coach Shartz the credit he deserves. The nuances of route running had improved so much that that's why they were able to feel comfortable going for fourth and seven on that down on what a twenty some yard line because if you look at the play, we had two guys open yeah yeah.
And they single covered Barrian Brown. They gambled and it cost him the game.
Well, I'm gonna be honest if if it's a if you put the gamble word on them, they gambled pretty much eighty percent of the game. They put those those they put their corners on an island the entire game. But that's also why they could play the TAPO style defense.
They're playing those I'm gonna say this give I'm gonna give so much credit Omens defense because I was like, I'm not sure what they are, but that front seven is we are played three really good fronts having defensive to start to see it because those guys are flying around.
They're legit, aren't they?
Yeah, they are. They are really a really good defense. And now I understand why why their fans saw them being a potential national champion because they bought. They bought a great defense with the nil.
But that said, Kentucky grinds out these long drives, not every time, but on more than one occasion and force that defense to stay on the field for fifteen plays at a time. Man, that was huge, wasn't it.
And that was that was the calling card. And I'm gonna say this because I know that they keep getting hawked up on that old line. Since the Southern and since South Carolina game has start to jail a little bit every week, they have played a little bit better and they are not going against cupcake defenses. They'll play, like I said, I'm gonna say, the three of the
best defenses in the conference. They have played really tough defense, and they're falling away to put together enough consecutive players in a row to keep the ball moving down the field and progressive. They're also not getting enough.
Credit matriculating the ball down the field as they say, all right, well, let's double back to your first point, because I was concerned that what happened on that first drive against the Kentucky defense, what happened you know, a whole day like everybody else. I mean, they just zipped it right down the field. And I thought to myself, all right, they're gonna get their legs on them. They're gonna go. And I went over to the bench and I watched them talk to each other. There was no panic,
you know. And then the next drive, I think it was a three and out of the sack. So I said, all right, now they've got it. You know what I mean, what were you seeing?
The only thing that happened on the first drive. And I'm gonna I don't like to say this, but I'm gonna put this on this situation. Kickoff, you know, you're kicking off, You're getting amped up, you're ready. They fumbled. Now, oh great, Now you just use another bit of energy celebrating with Willie Rodd about the great great cap and the fumble. Now there's a lull and play. Now you've kind of lost that edge a little bit. I think
that was a factor. But I would say this, that first drive was purely on Jackson Dart extending the play. If you look at the initial set of the play, they had nothing. His ability to extend the play is why that drive was successful. The next drive once they were I would say more discipline their pass rust lane is when they had nothing the rest of the game. Honestly, all the players that they got, even the fourth and eleven at the end of the game, was because Jackson
Dart extended the play. When we didn't let him, when we kept him in the pocket and squeeze that pocket on him, it was not as.
Effective, which is essentially the case on most quarterbacks. But not only does he get outside, he can move, you know, he can run for like Rock Vandergrift exactly.
You know.
But he's legit too, isn't he. I Mean, this is not I realized they hadn't really played any tough competition up until now, but they did what contenders do to those weaker teams. They destroyed them. And he's a big reason for that, isn't he.
Yeah, he's the orchestrator of that offense. There's a lot put on his shoulder from from coach Kiffon and expecting him to do certain things. And how to get in and out of play. Yeah. I mean it's just like the Carson Back team. We kind of had both these quarterbacks in trouble. Yeah, And I think that shows how great of defense we are. I mean, we all saw what Carson Back did in the second half to Alabama's defense.
It shows how great this defense can be. And I'm gonna say it is this is not even close to how great this defense can play. They still left five or six plays out there like they have not locked in where they minimize mental mistakes are errors on the defensive end. They can get a lot better. And that's the scary part.
Yeah. I mean hearing you say that, I was thinking this defense can it play much better? Yeah, they're mistakes. Of course, you see things that I'll never see. But now they got a week off to rest and recuperate and work on that, don't they Exactly.
I'm gonna say that the easiest thing for me to look at it, for people to see is when you look at the three defenses we'll played and compare it to ours. There is a level of strain and effort on every play that you can see. Sometimes they are a handful of guys or two or three guys that are not and that's emptying their tank on every play. Yeah,
that's what the elite defense is. Because the thing happened is you think your your teammate had a guy locked down, he's not gonna get out of it, and all of sudden of these great running backs, great receivers pop one out. That's why everybody has to strain and run to the ball, and we have enough depth to do that. That's the one that's the one biggest thing that I would say
is why they have a highest ceiling. There's once these seas and these leaderships required everyone to do that, then no one will will will play well against because they're that good.
What did you see from Dion Walker? I thought this was his best game in a situation where they needed his best game.
I'm deon is deon. When you're that physically imposing on an opponent, it's can you imagine looking at the film? The last two games have been an office round, like see, I hope he throws on the other side because because you're gonna need help, there's no one I don't. I mean, I don't watch that much college football, but I'm pretty complishing. There's not many offense alignment that can block to one on one even if the player is going away from him.
So that is a problem and and that's why it allows other teammates to to come up and have great games. I'm so proud of Oxida the game he had this was was probably one of the best games. He asked his freshman ar he plays lights out.
SEC defensive player of the week.
Makes sense about that defense player the week of deferent alignment the week? Yeah, okay, that makes sense. Every lineman owns Dearl Walker a meal after every game.
I hear you, and as I understand it, he can afford it. My guess. We'll come back and talk more with the former Kentucky defensive back here on six thirty Welcome back. We're talking with Vanhilse He of course, v Styles is a guy who knows his Kentucky football and shares the knowledge with us here on the Big Boe Sider, which we appreciate naturally. We're talking about the EPSOD win
overall miss and they did it. We originally, of course, started off talking about d backs, which one will do with Van Hiles, but they do it Van without there, they're all America candidate Max Harriston, who actually had to be hospitalized with an infection. But young guys thrown into the fire and they came through. What did you see from them?
What I saw was this is the and this is speaking on the outside not knowing, and so I'm just throwing things against the wall kind of. But what I saw was the coaches trusting the corners, and the corners said, oh wow, they really trusted to do this, and them playing like balls out the way that they played one v one. And here's the thing. I know a lot of fans saw a lot of man covers. Man coverage on the outside does not mean blitz or or we're
pass rushing. It just means that we're playing man concept on the two other guys and everybody else Interiorly, this plans on the way that they held up the entire game against a team that averaged six hundred and twenty yards of offense for the whole season to that point was incredible. The passes that they got on us were a little bit of panic, and both of them a little bit of panic. They had two big plays forty nine and forty eight or forty nine forty whatever it was.
They had two big plays on fourth down, and other than that, everything was running the mill pass. You're gonna say, look, we're gonna give up pass. Every team gives up by yard hitches and all that stuff. Make them continue to do that. But those two big plays they had were on extended plays and the dbs not holding up in coverage as long as they should, which is very difficult to come a guy for more than four seconds.
Well, I talked with you earlier about your reaction at your home that you know you both did a lot of smiling, did a lot of jumping up and down, But I bet I know what was happening. You had to have your head in your hands when they completed at forty something yard when I look like a young safety just got lost, you know, Is that the way you saw it?
Yeah, that's that's I don't know which one was worse, to be honest with you, because one ended up in a touchdown. Because as a defense, as a secondary, when your front seven is playing so well, you don't want to let those guys down because you know the first thing that happens when they look back at your cass then they put the whole surrender Cobra hands like, oh my god, are you serious guys? Yeah, so those are the ones that hurt me, the touchdowns because we are
playing so well. It's just look, the other team is on scholarship. They're going to make plays. I think that those two plays, we are better than what he showed on those instances and it should not have allowed those two plays. And it's unfortunate when when a quarterback scrambles sometimes or welt six men that you have to hunker down because you are going to be on an island and you got to win that battle on that play.
Yeah. Well, and it also goes back to Jackson Dark's ability to extend to play, doesn't it.
Yeah, that's I mean, being his third year in this Langkiff and offense, you you can see the comfort level and ease that he has in it. He didn't throw it interception. He didn't throw it in exception, which is huge. We only had one turner in this game. I was expecting that we will get at least one interception in the game and a trap coverage or something. Though we didn't fool him at all. He didn't throw a whoa
that passed that was close. The only past the only pass he threw that was close was the fourth to eleven because he had to throw it up. And so his his level of comfort in the system says everything he's he has. He's athletic enough to be a problem for any defense.
Well, tell me a little bit about your thoughts on fourth down. We talked about Burying being wide open on that play, but just the fact that A they went for it and b they went deep on it, which I don't think was the first option, but it was still still there, like we said, But just the fact that Mark Stoops chose that that no pun intended chose that route.
Look, I personally I didn't like the call and on the day and right now I still don't like the call just from uh, just from a play caller or decision making option.
You don't like that they went for it or the or the they chose.
No, I don't like either one, but I understand in the moment, this is why coaches got to go with their gut. He had a feeling the way we were playing defense and the way they were going to play man the man, that we have an option, so I'm going to go with that option. And then I read someone on Twitter that He felt like that if we didn't make it, we could hold them to a field goal. As a defender, that also gives me call, oh man, we go for this. That means we're gonna hold the
field goal. We still got a shot, So I understand the decision. I still don't like it, but it worked. So it's kind of weird that I liked the decision against Georgia. It didn't work. I don't like this decision in old myths, and it did work. So it's all about gut for coaches, you.
Know, the reaction you had. I learned about something like that when Mike Archer was talking to me after the Music City ball in six. Remember they faked a punt and Clemson had called the time out, and of course everybody surrounded Brooks, and Brooks acted like he was pointing at this and that, and he said, he said, we're going to run. They call players called raider. We're gonna run Raider, and I'm coaching you up here, just you know, go along with it. But Joker Phillips, Uh the uh
was he he was the OC at that point? Yeah? And uh? And the special teams coordinators over the coach, are you sure you want to try to talk him out of it. You know what. Mike Archer said, that's fine, but if we don't make it, we'll stop him.
You know.
That's it.
And I'm like, wow, that's that's pretty impressive.
That's it. Look, I'm you carry the character of the leader of your room. That's why this defense. For the majority of the time, they never blinked their eye. How many times have they ever seen Coach White yelling and demonstratives on the sideline Unless it's for a great play, the players take on the character the coach. They never have freaked out ever in the game. That's the difference. The same new coach Art. When I played for him, it was he was feisty, and that's how his defense
is played. When we played defense in the in the late nineteen hundred, we were feisty. It is because of him, and our defensive back room was feisty because the coach met feisty.
Can ulsle mean a little salty with Mike.
Hartcher a little? We were never happy, we were happy.
But one day he glanced at me. I was standing behind the bench. I was trying to eave drop and I half the time I can't hear it, and even if I did, I couldn't understand what you guys were talking about. But I just wanted to get a feel for what was going on. And the following week he says to me, uh something about you know, can you? Can you? You can't on your microphone pick up what
I'm saying, can you? I said, coach? When I stand near you in that huddle, I turned the mic off, I put my hand over it, and I put it behind my back just to make sure that none of that gets hat on the air. But but he chose his moments. I know that, and Brad White, it's it's interesting game. You know. I'll be standing on the sidelines and Vince Merrill comes but always gives me a fist bump Eddie Grant every now and then. Will I never go near Brad White? He is so dialed in and focused.
You should see You probably can imagine his look on his face as he's walking to the sideline before that game begin and after halftime as well. What a game he called? Man?
Yeah, yeah, there, I would say this. There are not many coordinators that I can say that I haven't played for, that don't want to play for. He is one I just think the level of respect he has for the players, he in return gets doubled at from the players. There is nothing better than have a coach that respects you and trusts you and never tries to embarrass you on the field. I don't think people understand how great that is for a young kids to not have a coach
embarrassed in the field. And I'm sure in the meeting room he's an animal, sure, but when the game is played, we don't need to have that disrespect when you got to go back on the field again. So that level of trust that they all have, I can see it from a player standpoint, because they the respect they have for him is you can just fill it.
Coming to the TV, well, once again we run out of time. I didn't have a chance to ask you what you're prepared for the game, but I'm sure that'll be your good luck meal. So you got to keep making it as long as they keep winning. Van Heiuse, co host of the Locker four one one Driving with Styles following v Styles seventeen and next time we'll talk about the fact that you are a grill master. We always do until our run out of time. Man, thank you so much. I appreciated and congratulations on.
The win anytime. Yes, that was big up.
Next number two with John Clay here on six point thirty w LAB Welcome back to the Big Moons Cider. Joining us now on our Celebrity hotline is a guy who has covered a lot of different sports for a lot of different years, Jean Clay, sports columnist for They Are a Leader. John. Before I talk about Kentucky, just your thoughts on the passing of Pete Rose. I think people might have known his health was was waning a little bit, but it still came as a shock, didn't it.
Yeah.
In fact, I just saw a picture apparently he was at a card show in Nevada just a day or two though. Somebody had a picture of him with Dave Vinceerez, Org Foster I think was in King Grippy Senior were in the picture. So yeah, just a couple of days ago. So you know, not you know what happened, but uh yeah, I mean Pete obviously a complicated legacy because of the gambling and they being bamed for baseball and so forth.
You know, as as somebody who grew up as a Rets fan, you know what I remember about Pete and associate Pete with was just the way he played the game. Charlie Hustle as they called him. You know, he was the guy when he walked. He didn't walk the first base. He grew a walk in walked the first base. He sprinted down to first base and made the made the turn. He didn't just go to the back. He would make the turn at first even though it was a walk.
And uh, you know, just the determination, you know, and grit that he put into it. And as somebody put this morning, he was Cincinnati. I mean, he grew up in Cincinnati. He kind of ad that Cincinnati mentality. Uh, my friend Paul Doherty in this morning, he's retired from the Enquiry, but he still writes a column for Substack. He said that he was kind of the bad way
of Cincinnati. He had a little bit of the bad boy and him with Cincinnati had that today was like a capital of pro for whiskey during Prohibition, and Pete was kind of Pete was kind of like that, and you know, and I had some interactions. We used to cover the Reds a lot more than we do now and went up there many times. I can remember the day that he was brought back as manager as player
manager of the press conference there. I remember one time going into Pete's office to talk to him, and I was the only one in there, and Pete he wasn't in a great mood over something, and I asked him a couple of questions, and you know, he gave answers, but he wasn't great. And he goes, wait a minute, you're the guy from Lexington, aren't you, And I said yeah. So then he started immediately once start talk horse racing.
Oh yeah, absolutely absolutely. And Geene MacLean, who you know, we both used to work for the Al and Gene had a great relationship with Pete because of that. He knew Gene from horse He was the Lexing and guy, so he must know horse racing and they had good relationship because of that because Pete obviously Pete loved the ponies.
Yeah, yeah, he definitely did. And his trips to Keenland Man, we would go back to the back of the press box when he was gone and kind of take a peek at some of the tickets on the floor and he was not a two dollars better let's leave it. No, No he's not, No, he's not but yeah, he h at what stage of his career was he when you began to really follow the Reds?
Oh well, I mean as a fan, I mean he was, I'm not you know, a little pastor's rookie year. I mean I can remember when he played, you know, in the outfield. I don't really remember him as the second basement. I think came up to the second basement and they moved him to the outfield, and obvitoually, you know, remember you know when they moved when Sparky Anderson moved him to third base so he could get George Foster in
the lineup. And I certainly remember when he went to the Phillies, you know, and helped them to win the World Series in nineteen eighty. Uh, you know that sort of thing. And then of course, as I mentioned, when he came back when they brought him back as a player manager with the Reds. But obviously in those you know, big Red Machine days in the seventies, certainly remember you know, those team tams, and obviously he was the lead up hitter, catalyst.
It was just you know, I remember the time about him being the first one hundred thousand dollars singles hitter. Only the power hitters made that made six figures. He was the first one to do that. And uh, you know he was. And Pete. Yeah, and on occasion when I was up there and you talk to him, like I said, on occasion he'd be kind of a he might be in a bad mood over something, but overall he was he was always accommodating, and he would always talk to the media.
Uh.
And I'm you know, I never had, you know, uh any sort of problem when when talking to him when I was up there covering a game.
And so forth.
Talking to John Clay Sports commis for the herold Leader And shifting from Pete Rose to a happier topic, the Wildcats beating Ole Miss. And we've talked before about you and I have been around for a little while. You've covered a lot of Kentucky football. You were the Kentucky football beat writer for a while. You've seen that laid hammer John, You've seen slip game, slip away. I will admit I have admitted on more than one occasion I braced myself. Can I assume you did the same.
Yeah, I mean when they complete when Ole Miss, you know, because he goes up but twenty to seventeen and all miscomplete that long pass. First of all, you think, well, they're going to go ahead and take it in for a score, and then when they wind up for the field goal. But I will admit I thought that, you know, I didn't think it was a sure thing of forty eight yarder. I know Mark stoops at afterwards that he turned to Brad White and said, would do one?
Now?
I think Contecka was kind of do one in that game. And you know, obviously to play the game has to be the fourth down call where they throw the sixty
three yard bomb. Not only did they went for it, And listen to Mark after the game, I thought he had pretty sound reasoning that even if they didn't make it on the fourth down, he thought the defense was playing well, they could hold him to a field goal, you know, and would still be you know, we then get the ball back and me when then range of doing something, but you know, but not just to go for it on fourth down, but to you know, air it out and go for the big play, go for
the big strike. And obviously a great pass by Brock Vandergriff and an even better catch to put himself in a position to make the catch by Barryon Brown, who really, up until this point had been the dang Key Show. Dang Key had been you know, back to back one hundred yard games, and Baryon hadn't quite had the impact
so far that we thought maybe he would have. In fact, Dan said after the game that he kept that he kept telling barry On your time's coming, Your time's coming, and it certainly did, you know, did on that play. I think that play will go down, especially if Kentucky goes on to have a good season. I think that play, that fourth down play will go down in Kentucky is one of the more significant plays in Kentucky football history.
I will tell you that when they went for it, I would talk about second guessing and you know, it's all well and good if you make that decision prior to the play. And I remember thinking, you know, they pretty much have to go for it here, right, And I didn't think that the feed and cement thing would work. They weren't going to draw him off side. But I also heard that Barrion Brown's route was not the first
option on that road. Draft figure they'd go over the middle to Dane Key again, but he draws the double team. That's what's amazing. John is very imprunishment the last year and a halfy in double team. Then they go single coverage and they burned her, didn't they.
Yeah, they got the look they wanted. And Rock said after the game, when we talked to Brock, Mandy Griff, you know about take us through that play. So you know, we got single coverage, we got single Onbarion, and we thought maybe we could get that, but you know, we weren't sure how they would play it where they plays own or man and with they single up on barry On, which they did, and uh, you know, obviously yeah, and I think, you know, obviously Baryon made great play and
Brock for a heck of a ball. And but you know, I'm really impressed with the growth that Brock has made from the opener till now.
Uh.
The kid obviously has the tools. He was a five star quarterback coming out of high school. A little shaky at first, but I mean, you know, that's South Carolina game. That was his first SEC start. If you look back at every quarterback you know have starts like that, especially you know, in their first year as a starter. I looked back last year Jaylen Milroe at Alabama, he got Ben Stefford, they lost to Texas. Saban didn't even play
him in the South Florida game. Then he came back, had a heck of a year and you saw what he did against Georgia on Saturday night. But I think brought in his toughness. I mean, he just kid takes a gear down there on the field. You see the hits he takes and he just pops pick back up, and you know, that's got to earn a lot of respect from his teammates. And I think we're really seeing him grow and boy, you know, really optimistic about what he can do the rest of the season.
Yeah, and you know, when you go back and look at that play, he never hesitated that. That's what impressed me the most is he read that defense and he read the safety or the corner whoever was covering Barrian Brown read that there was no safety help and that loaded that pass. That probably impressed me more than anything.
You see to all this afterwards, that you know, when they came to the line and he saw what it was, it was basically you know that what the play was going to to be. He said, for me, it was just let it rip, just let it rip, and let Barryon make a play. And you know, he you know, and he made a play. I thought their game plan for the whole game was was a good, uh strategic game plan. And I know they didn't really bust a long run. They didn't have a I don't even think
they had one hundred yards rushing. But I thought they kept moving forward. There weren't many negative yardage plays. They got the most out of their runs they were able to. We said one of the keys going into the game was the offense. Everybody talked about the defense. Defense had to limit o Missus big plays, but the offense had to give them some help by having some sustained drives
to keep the defense off the field. Those thing about the best the best defenses when you play less defense, and I thought they did that, especially in the first half. I think they had three drives and maybe ten plays more or something like that, and that really I think that helped as well. So even though they didn't put up gigantic numbers on offense, I thought they had a really good game plan.
Well, it had to be that guy, I mean, you know, setting up the game plan and then executing or two to and things, but playing keep away. I mean that was vital, was he right?
And you know he used Gavin Wimsett in the Wildcat I think seven or eight times, and you know he bust them for big runs and obviously get he fumbled down on the goal line, but that was another Kentucky break that they were doing for breaks at the ballfop break the Josh Katis for the touchdown. But you know they were placed that moved forward. They weren't negative yardage
plates to put him in. You know, they were you know, they were second seven and second sixth as a second twelve, second and thirteen, and you know, I think early on it looked like that bush Hampden was uh you know,
uh trying the perimeter runs. You know, obviously with very on in to speak, getting him on the jet sweeps that sort of thing kind of cupt back on that and against against the old Miss And let's just drab more straight ahead with with Demi and with will Cox and also when Gavin, when wimsaid in the game, and there's going to be a game where they're put whim Sat in at a Wildcat, He's going to throw the
ball He's going to catch him off guard. They haven't got haven't done that yet, but I'm sure that's coming.
Yeah, and the quarterback runs by Brock Vandergriff. I felt like it. You know, I think they probably knew they weren't going to break huge plays, but it just fed into that that as you said, that game plan that involved just moving the chains, and he moved the change. I think three or four different times, didn't he.
Yeah, And you know, I think back to Bush's opening press conference with us, sort of his introductory press conference, and he said one of the things that he believes is that your quarterback has to get you two first downs with his leg. Yeah, and I think they got at least two with that as well. I didn't realize the afterwards that I think Brock had seventeen rushing attempts. Now some of those are sacks because college counts sacks
as rushing attempts, but I didn't realize. But yeah, he got first down, and you know, obviously, and I thought the offensive line, you know, they gave up some they gave up some pressures, but I thought they looked they were better and when they needed to protect him, when they had to give him time to throw. I thought the offensive line did that. And that was another game where you know, Jagger Burton started, but he came out early and Dylan Ray had to come in. And I think,
you know, I think Dylan Ray is. I think he's done a pretty admirable job so far. So far. I know last week after the game last week, the game before he in Ohio, I think Cole Kutlick had in his Sunday round up had a couple of clips of really good blocks by Dylan. And I asked Stoops about him last Monday, and Stoop said that, yeah, you know, he's more comfortable at guard, and they feel comfortable with
him playing guard filling in. So they'd like to get Jagger back, but I think Dylan's done a good job in his place.
John Clay as my guest sports columnist for The Hero Leader, will come back with more for John in just a moment here on the Big Booing Siders six thirty w LA. We'll come back. We're talking with John Clay. He was there when the Wildcats pulled off the upset of Ole Miss down in Oxford, going right into an open week, John, and you talk about a perfect time coaches through the years. I don't know about you, but I've heard coaches talk
about preseason. I'm not a big fan of open dates, and then every time they come up, Well, this couldn't come at a better time, you know, but everybody likes getting that extra day of rest. And now it's not a bitter loss that's going to fester. It's something they can build on. So it's just it's so fortuitous in more ways than one.
Yeah, absolutely, And it's also where, you know, after coming off a big win and if you worry about maybe having a lead down the next week, they kind of catch the breath. Like I said, they got some people that have hurt that they you know, would like some people that we know about or hurt, and then some other people that have got bumps and bruises that we don't really know about but or you know, need to heal up a little bit. Like I mentioned about Jagger
Burt maybe getting him back, you know. Obviously the situation with Maxwell Hairston having to be hospitalized, I think by an infection or something. Hopefully they can get him back. Although I thought the secondary played well in it's absence, they gave up a couple of big plays, but almost it's going to get big plays. But no, I think it comes at a good time. And I think also, you know, we're talking about with Bush being first year offensive coordinator here, I'm sure Bush she kind of mentioned
this after the game. This gives them a chance to sit out, kind of do some self scouting. He talked about they had done some self scouting after the South Carolina Georgia game to get to this point and dig in a little deeper about what's working and what needs to improve. So no, yeah, I think it's definitely a good time for I like the fact they had two open dates this year, and I think that helps him
as well. And you know, especially when you're playing an SEC schedule, because you're going to get beat up.
You know, it's interesting how this team bounced back after South Carolina and plays so well against Georgia. We heard the word focus over and over, which you might expect, and clearly that was the case going into this game. They leaned on their leaders, you know, and some of the leaders came forward after that loss to South Carolina and said, you know, look, we've got to write this right now. And I think it's those same leaders they're going to have to lean on John. You mentioned, you know,
being mentally ready now for Vanity. How many times if you and I seen Kentucky struggler lose to a Vandy team and her kids say, well, we weren't ready, and you're like, it's Vandy. You know you're Kentucky. Come on. But I think that's going to be vital in this next ten days, don't you.
Oh?
Absolutely, because Vandy's not the Vandy we've seen most of here to this point. I mean, they beat Virginia Tech and their opener. We saw Virginia Tech had a chance, and some people think they did beat Miami on that ale of Hail Mary last Friday night, and then Bandy took Missouri into overtime at Missouri last week. Andy's a very yeah, should have won. I mean it's Andy. It's a very dangerous team. They've got a quarterback, the transfer quarterback who's one of those you know, past run threats
that have given Kentucky trouble in the past. So yeah, absolutely, But yeah, the leadership. I think the other thing too. I think the other thing too. And Vince Merrill talked about this a little bit in the press conference leading up to the Ole Miss game about the job that Stoops did rallying the coaches after South Carolina, because the coaches, I think we're just, you know, we're just dumbfounded by the way the team played against South Carolina. You know
that they weren't ready to play. You know, what they tried to do didn't work. From what my understanding was that among the coaches that they were pretty upset, and Stupids was pretty upset too, And Stoops told us that this game, said, you know, I didn't like the way we looked against South Carolina. That was a reflection on me, and I wasn't proud of that, and that hurt, he said. And I think he, you know, worked with the coaches that hey, we got to write the ship, and we
got to write it in a hurry. And they came out and obviously had a chance to beat Georgia and then you know the way they played on Saturday. So I think a lot of credit obviously leadership, but I think credit goes to the coaches as well.
I'll tell you what. When they talked about rallying the coaches, I can't remember. And John, you know, I've been around for a while. I can't remember hearing a coach talk about that kind of thing.
You know, No, And that's what I think. That's one of the kind of underlooked or underappreciated, or maybe not overlooked but maybe under appreciate. It that the head coach not only has to coach the players, he has to
coach the coaches. I mean, he has to work with the coaches about, you know, what's wrong, but not only did help them, you know, they need to be coached too, and they have to be you know, he has to take a critical eye what the coaches are doing and so forth, not just after the season one and so I'm done, you know, but during the season. And I think that's also the responsibility of the head coach. So I think that you know what I said about Mark and what he did after the South Carolina game, we
got to get this fix. And this falls on us. It's not just the players. The falls on the coaches as well.
A couple of minutes left with John Clay, the Arrow leader, speaking of the coaches, when Steps talked about how he turned to Brad White took his headset off and said we're due one. Obviously, I really thought that he was talking about after the game, after the kick, you know, uh, and he said he did it before the kick, which makes it even more impressive. And frankly, I honestly thought to myself, this kid's not gonna make it. Wasn't a hopeful thing. I thought, this kid's out of his range,
out of his element. He ain't gonna make this. But it stoops basically put his faith in karma. I thought was fascinating.
Yeah, man, it was a forty eight yard kick, and you know, so you know, I think we watched so much NFL we think anymore. I mean, they're just making fifty yarders and even sixty yards like it's nothing that ever in college game it's not always you know, like that. Plus it was a kick with the game on the line, which I think always makes a difference. Yeah, you know, there's got to be the pressure, uh pressure on the on the kids. But I thought, you know, over all
the way Kentucky played, I thought Kentucky outplayed them. I thought they deserve to win that game, even though they were being you know, going up to that. You know, obviously, then play the long pass that set up where almost hit a chance to kick the field goal, and I think it was just a play where it gets scrambled and scrambled played that made a good play Kentucky secondary
guy let the guy get behind him. But then they rose up after that and made him, you know, have to kick the field goal instead of let him go and go on in for the score. So and I thought that was going to be a big key going in the game. Ole Miss is going to get their big plays. But how does Kentucky react to that? Don't let its snowball? And I think that's what ole Miss
can really do to you. They start hitting you with a couple of big plays, the defense starts dropping their head, they lose focus, and the next thing you know, you know, it's twenty one nothing or twenty eight nothing. And so the funny thing too, is that I was just talking to somebody about this who was telling me about a friend of his who's an ole Miss grad. They all went from Lane kipping is great, you know, and we're gonna we had a chance to win the national championship.
After they lost, it's like, well, Lane's too busy making TikTok videos and he's worried about whether he's going to get the gonna get the Florida job. You know, he's not paying enough attention. So they're all down on the lane after.
A yeah, understandable. H Travis Kelsey spending too much time with his girlfriend. Oh he had a great play, you know, right, exactly, Well, John, I lets you go with this. To me, one of the most interesting stories is the storyline where the Georgia Alabama game knocked it to use the old vernacular, off the front page. You know, this would have been in any other weekend the leads starting, not that this matters at all, but you know, finally Kentucky pulls one off
like this. But oh, by the way, that's the second best game, right, Well that.
Wasn't unbelievable Alabama Georgia game. That's fair the way Georgia came back. But now they're still getting the problem. I saw Kirk herb Street last night. His teams of the week in Kentucky was number two. Maybe they would have been number one if Alabama Georgia. And I'm like it take gone, But I know I think this, I think it got, you know, got people's attention, especially the way
all miss it killed people coming in. But obviously at Alabama you knew the Alabama Georgia game had a chance to be a really good game, and yeah, you know that was another thing. Driving from Oxford. I stayed close to Memphis and I was driving back from Oxford after writing, and I had the Georgia radio guys on and listen to that first quarter. They were about ready to jump out of the food about any minute now. Eric Zier was just gonna just gonna climb to the top of
the state, even take the leap off. They couldn't believe what was happening. And I couldn't believe in the second half when Georgia came back on him. So that was that was a pretty unbelievable.
I listened to a little bit of that Georgia broadcast on the way home from the airport. I thought, oh man, it's going to be a long night. Boy. Was I wrong. John Clay you can follow him on Twitter at John Clay IV John Clay four and he has the weekend off. So I hope you hope you had to do something fun.
John, I will, I will. I'll try to you too.
Dick, Thanks man, thank you. And up next Jonathan Bruner, the Kentucky colonel who was in Oxford covering the upset. We're back in just a minute here on six point thirty. W el welcome back to the Big Blues sider joining us now as a guy who was with us a while back talking UK baseball, Jonathan Bruner, who covered the World Series. He was also there when the Wildcats beat Old Miss down in Oxford. Jonathan, how much fun was that for you?
Yeah, it was a lot of fun. It was certainly unexpected going in. You know, it was one of those games where you see, you know, the Cats had came in, you know, with zero to two in conference so far, and then ole Man's high flying offense just electric. But to be fair, they hadn't really played anybody to that point, so it was a very interesting game going in, and I certainly can't say I expected the result, but it was it was insanely fun to watch.
Yeah. Well, let's back up a little bit now. I got a chance to do a few road trips when I was in college, working with a colonel. I don't know what your budget was, but ours was basically whatever we could afford. Can I assume you guys drove down?
Yeah, yeah, we drove down Friday and then came back after the game.
Where'd you stay?
We stayed about forty minutes away.
I'm sure it wasn't posh surroundings. But that doesn't really matter though, does it.
No still got the experience, you know, Yeah, well.
The one time it did matter for us when I was at Channel twenty seven was when our news director booked us into a hotel next to a Method one clinic. But that's a different story. Tell it. Did you get a chance to go over to the grove at all experience that?
Oh?
Yeah, we did a little bit. Pregame that was that was a fun atmosphere to be around. You could just kind of tell that there was a little bit, a little bit bigger of the game down there in Oxford. There was certainly a feeling with that team that the you know, the Rebel fans were very excited. Yeah, it was. It was a very fun atmosphere to be around, especially pregame with all the buzz and stuff coming in.
So as you watched that first drive unfold, did you have a feeling that you might be seeing that all day? What all misses zip right down the field?
Yeah?
It was very much kind of what I expected, almost like it was just like Okay, just kind of especially with Maxwell Harriston out, it was just like this was going to be an all task and then it certainly looks that way on the first drive, and then really flip the script for the rest of the game, which was just insane thing to see.
What did you think help flip that script?
I mean, it's kind of hard to put your finger on. I mean, I think they were able to get some pressure on Dart throughout the game that really he hadn't seen before to this point. I think that I think they were just able to play tight coverage too, so Dart had to fit the ball into some windows that he might not have been used to just yet, because sometimes throughout those non conference games in the hot start, I mean, these guys are just wide open, so he
just gotta he's just gotta get it close. And then playing a little more of that sticky coverage with some pressure. I think it just kind of was a look they hadn't really seen before and they had trouble adjusting the house. I think Brad White just called a phenomenal game.
Oh yeah, well, you know what was interesting was how Kentucky took the crowd out of the game with those long drives off and we heard the stadium. I thought it was kind of important Jonathan that even though it was reversed that fumble on the opening kickoff, all that excitement went away. That old crowd, they just went silent, didn't they.
Yeah, I mean absolutely, I think that I think it kind of set the tone, even though it ended up getting reversed. I think that it kind of sent a message early on, even though Old Miss kind of marched right down at first drive. I think it's kind of something to look back on and be like that kind of would set the tone, and it made the It made that first shark kind of look like an anomaly instead of you know what was to come throughout the
entire game. It was more so the the intensity on the fumble that was persistent throughout the game instead of you know what came of that first drive for Old Miss. So to your.
Point, to your point, it turned out to be an anomaly, didn't it, because they really didn't have much control. I mean, scored again, but uh not the way they did on the first drive.
Yeah, I mean, I just found it interesting that they had punted four times total throughout their first four games, and they punted five or six times just in this game alone. And I think that says all you need to know about how Kentucky's defense performed, just with for forcing them, getting them off the field on third down, you know, stuff like that which put a lot of pressure on them. And then you know Kentucky was able to take advantage of that.
Their punter was getting tired. He had not been tired all year.
Yeah, I mean, his his leg had probably a little store post game. He just hadn't been trotting out there too much.
It's so hard, as we all know in the SEC when you lose a game you're supposed to win, such as South Carolina to make one up to kind of steal one. And the fact that they were able to do that on the road, what do you think it means to this team?
I think it changed the complexion of the entire season. Wow, Because I mean, you know, even going in, I would looking at, Okay, well, this game could be awash. Tennessee doesn't look good, Texas doesn't look good. It was it was becoming really hard to find where those wins are going to fit in. Yeah, you know, because you look at Vanderbilt, they've been playing good football and to that point you look like that, Okay, that might even be a tough game. So then you kind of really circled on,
you know, Murray State, Auburn, Florida. You're kind of really looking at those is like, okay, that could be where they get in some wins. But now all of a sudden, it's like, well, you look at this game, maybe Tennessee's not out of the question, maybe they could play Texas closed.
It's like, I think it just changes it and then it looks and what makes it look like, you know, Okay, well now Vandy's probably more of an automatic, more of an automatic, and you know, then you look at Florida and I just think that if if they would have started, if they would have gotten blown out or lost, that it was just going to be a really bad, just
kind of a downward viral. But you look at it now, you can kind of sense that the feeling, especially in the fan base, is back with this team in particular.
You mentioned Brad White in the game he called and it was certainly masterful, but as much as anything, I thought he had his guys prepared for the tempo of that game. And I talked to Ty Bryant on the air right after. I'm not sure who you talked to, but he talked about just the preparation that went in to getting the plays, in getting them communicated and being set up and ready to go first drive notwithstanding, you know, for the rest of the day, I mean, they were
ready for what Ole Miss threw at him. Did you see it that way from from upstairs?
Yeah, I mean I think I really did. And that was that was one of the more impressive things was that, you know, those teams like like Tennessee and on Miss, they run that high paced tempo. Yeah, and you know, it's really easy to just dash a defense that way because it's it's hard to communicate on the fly so
fast because they just they just keep coming. They just never they never stopped, they you know, And it was just kind of one of those things where it was just impressive to see, even when they would get going with the tempo, that the Kentucky for the most part,
was able to really limit that. And I think that on those situations where Dark just had to you know, play more traditional so to speak, that it might have took him out of his comfort zone a little bit too, because they do play so fast and so quick, and when Kentucky kind of limited that, I think it was kind of a almost like a culture shock for Lane Kiss and that team, just because they hadn't faced that
kind of adversity all year. And I think that was important for Kentucky to get them out of their comfort zone, and I think it played a huge part and then being able to win.
Well, I've asked everybody who I've talked to about this game, what was your response, your reaction? What were you thinking when it was apparent they were going to go forward on fourth down A and B the long throw, because I've told people I kind of thought they had to go forward quite frankly, but I was amazed they went with a deep ball. What were your thoughts when that unfolded?
Yeah, I mean I was, especially after the decision against Georgia. I was surprised when I saw them lining up to go for it. I was like, really, I agree with you. I do think it was the right call to go for it, I think, and I also thought it was the right call to go for it against Georgia. I think when you're playing games that you know, quote unquote you're not supposed to win, you have nothing to lose.
You know, if they wouldn't have got that, it would have been well, you know, they left it all on the field. They gave themselves the best chance to win the game. And I think that's where I really hang out hand in Georgia is like, it doesn't feel like it feels like they played not to they played. They didn't play to win. Yeah, they didn't play to win. They played to lose valiantly, you know what I mean. But I think this game they played to win. They
took that chance that they had to take. Now it's from the deep ball. When that ball went out of his hand, I was like, what, why, why on earth would you throw it that deep? You need seven yard Because I mean I thought, especially with some of the you know, the calls in the game where the you know, the O line had been a little it was a very up and down game. There was sometimes Brockway was running for his life. There was sometimes he had all day.
So I was like, I would think, especially just because you don't know what the protection is going to be, like, you would look for a quick hit or right at the sticks, you know, something like that, probably looking Dankey's way, just because of the day that he had and his connection was brought and then he airs it out and I was like, oh my, and then he hauled it in. I think there was just like a collective kind of gasp in the box. It was just like just could
not believe it that it actually won. They aired it out like that, and two it actually worked and then and then that's the That was the first time in the game where it was kind of like they might actually do this, you know, because I, like, I kind of felt like that there would always be kind of that vengeance old miss.
Drive, like the the Funt drive, where it would.
Just kind of be the putaway where it would be, you know, I kind of thought they would just kind of turn it up eventually. But then they connected on that fourth down and I was like, whoa, Like they took the chance that they took the gamble and it paid off. Now it started to look more realistic than it had to that point, in my opinion, and I think it was the play that won in the game, even though it might not have been the play on the scoreboard, that the game.
Every bit of the momentum physically and emotionally went to Kentucky, especially late in the game. Didn't it.
Yeah, I mean absolutely. I mean I think the fans got taken out of it on that first play. And then also right there, I think there was I think even the fans started to be like, oh no, like this is hey, maybe it Like you know, I think it was just an all around just a game winner for Kentucky, even though it didn't be wasn't in the final play.
Well, as we mentioned earlier, they took the crowd out of the game, and it seemed like every time the crowd would try to get back end of the game, something would happen, Kentucky would make something happen. Did you get that feeling upstairs?
Yeah, I really did. I thought, you know, I thought a lot of it was the defense. Anytime that would the crowd would kind of get back into it, the defense would force a punt or you know, do something or a turnover or you know, sack or sack jackna and it just kind of they were never able to the crowd was never able to find that constant momentum to kind of turn it into that super hostile environment.
That's right, because that's where it was at the very beginning of the game. As I said, and then that fumble that really wasn't a fumble. They never quite got back to that level of enthusiasm, but like you said, it was always the Kentucky defense, it seemed. Or they move the chains with those long drives. And there's nothing better when you're trying to take a crowd out of a game then making their their fans sit down and
watch you play offense. So coming up next is the Vandy game and Nathan Bruner will be there along with his compadres from the Kentucky Colonel Good talking to him, man, and we'll see you down the road.
Absolutely see you in.
We'll come back and close out this edition of The Big Bloom Sider in just a minute here on six point thirty Wlap wellcome back, final segment of our program. And some of the things that we didn't get a chance to touch on earlier in the program, stories that came up last night and yesterday afternoon. How about Jared Goff going eighteen for eighteen in the Lions win last night on Monday Night Football, the double header last night
as they beat Seattle. I bring it up simply because Jared Goff played his college football at cal Cal Berkeley and his position coach was none other than Tony Franklin, who was on the offensive staff for hel Mummy at Kentucky.
He coached quarterbacks, I'm sorry, he coached running backs, he coached wide receivers, and has been in a couple other places Auburn, Middle Tennessee, but landed out there at cal and coach golf to the point where Golf was the overall number one draft pick and then of course was traded by the Rams to the Lions, and it's worked out well for him. The Lions had a hell of a year last year, and Golf last night perfect an
unofficial NFL record eighteen for eighteen. They say that in order to be considered for all time efficiency, you have to throw twenty passes, but man, golf was he on plus. Not only threw two touchdown passes, he caught a touchdown pass. So what a night for the former pupil of Tony Franklin. And you can follow Tony on Twitter. He's got a little tidbits as he has a coaching service now at
coach TF. While we're talking about quarterbacks, Will Levis with another rough night, another key interception and then an injury as he laid out and it looked like he got a first down running the football. I mean he dove extended the ball that looked like past the marker, was not given the first down, and then that was the end of that because he was injured on the play and sat out the rest of the Titans win over
the Dolphins down in Miami. So he is day to day, but when he does come back, according to Brian Callahan, will Levis is the starting quarterback for the Titans. A lot of people wondered Mason Rudolph played so well coming in for him, could he have taken away the starting job,
But Callahan said, nope, will Levis is the starter. You may have seen this already with Major League Baseball essentially polled the fan base and asked what do you think of these All Star Game uniforms, which if you saw the all staring, it's just horrendous, and the fans resoundingly said thumbs down. So now a pair of Major League Baseball will go back to allowing the team the players
to wear their respective home or away uniforms. They will wear an All Star Game specific cap, So there will be some merch sales involved, but that was one of the things I really like, and it's a one All Star game. I've said before that I watch and most people are the same way. And some people look in on the NBA All Star Game because it's a circus and it's fun to watch. But they don't they play zero defense. People like to say the NBA, they don't
play any defense. Yeah, they do in real games. You want to see a game without defense, watch the All Star Game. In baseball, the highlights come on defense. You go back and look at any number. There's some dramatic home runs, but an overwhelming majority of the highlights from All Star games they're defensive plays. And that's why I love watching Major League Baseball's All Star Game. But it was so distracting. Those terrible, terrible uniforms they were wearing
just awful. So they're going back to wearing the uniforms they should be wearing. Bouncing back to the NFL for a minute, Boy, what a rough diagnosis for CHRISTA McCaffery. He goes to Germany to have a specialist check on his achilles tendonitis. Turns out he's got achilles tendonitis in both legs, bilateral achilles tendonitis, and the coach said, he's not sure when he's going to be back, and those of you may have chosen him and put him on reserve if your fantasy football team, you may win a
gamble and get rid of him. I had the number one pick in my fantasy league two three years ago and chose him, of course, and of course nothing came of it. He was injured and that was that. But that's a rough diagnosis for a really, really good football player. Thanks a lot to all my guests, Jonathan Bruner, the Kentucky Colonel, John Clay from the Herald Leader, and of course Van Hiles, former Kentucky d back. Hear him every Monday morning with Tom Beach on the Monday Morning Quarterback
segments of the Leach Report. I'll be with you again on the Leach Report tomorrow morning as well, but for now, that's it. Good night from the garage in Lexington.
So why are you because three finals?
Ever before?
Because Googleen mill jus