Hello buddy to the facilities of the Iheartened Media megaplexus is Dick Gabriel. It's a state wide edition of the Big Blue Inside. You've heard comments from embattled Mark Stoops. Also, we learned a little bit about the Auburn Tigers from the voice of Auburn Football Andy Bertram. Now's your chance to listen along as we chat with Billy Rutledge, Aaron Gershawan and yours truly here on the state wide BBI
border to order. It is the Big Blue Insider. Dick Gabriel, Aaron Gershwan, Billy Rutledge, Aaron in Gainesville for that debacle. I don't know about you, but what surprised me the most, and it was a game for a while, as badly as Kentucky looked twenty seven to twenty Kentucky at the football. But what amazed me, Aaron, was how Florida walked all
over the Kentucky defense at times. Not every time, you know, a couple of they hold to a couple of field goals, yeah, a couple of three and a half, But whenever it seemed like Florida needed a big play, it got it. I guess, you know, And there are a lot of things we're going to talk about. You know, Billy's chopping it a bit. But that's what surprised me the most. I would agree.
I mean, look Florida, looking into them the week before, their offensive line is much improved this year. So you got to give a hat tip to that. And you gotta definitely tip your cap to the running back ball. I mean, five rushing touchdowns in his first career start. I mean, that's unbelievable stuff. But my big thing is, look, Kentucky's defense has been really, really good all year. They're due to have a stinker. Every team there's not There are very few teams in the country that don't have
a stinker on one side of the ball. Georgia gave up how many to Alabama, who's been terrible. Yeah, it's like it's gonna happen. The thing is, on a night like that, you need your offense to win you a football game, and the offense, to me, I just go yes. I was surprised that they got run all over, out physical and all that the Kentucky's defense stuck. But to me, it's okay, they're gonna have stinker. They had you know, two years ago they had the sinker in Knoxville when
they were a top ten unit. The offense has to go out and win you a football game, play some complimentary football, help your guys out, and they can't do it. That's to me. It just still goes back to the offense, even with the defense being terrible and giving up I'd say, really, they give up thirty four points because obviously there was a pick six and then they got to pull up the five yard line after our pick.
Were you close to a monitor in the press.
Box, yeah, TV.
I never got a good look at video of that fourth down play where they could have gotten a first down or into the end zone. But I felt like the game kind of turned on that position. And I'm as close to Stoops as I am to that wall over there down on the sideline, and he was trying. And that's why I asked him about the communication today.
He could not get the official. I think it was the line judge to communicate with him, right, and that situation and uh and the guy guy I heard the referee got a little snippy with him, you know.
Yeah, I think Look, I couldn't really tell it was close. I would probably to me if I thought it might have been, but it was probably one of those like call stands, this is what it is.
And I thought they got a bad spot.
They got a bad spot on it. And then there was the one touchdown that I still don't know if it was a touchdown or not. That Florida score. Yeah, I didn't think so either. So the one official again, I'm right there. The headlinesman was the one guy who put his hands up. And what he did was he obviously comes from the sideline. Yeah, he runs about three or four steps and he sees and.
If this is why he did it, good on them. He sees the Florida players put their hands up. He shoots his hands in the air, then he pulls them down and runs a few more steps before he gets to the pile. Yeah, nobody knew it was a touchdown except allegedly that official. Yeah, and look, they might have gotten in on the next play. I understanding.
There's a lot of weird starts, but it just it goes back to the defense playing its worst game of the year. It was abound to happen, and then the offense.
You can't miss an opportunity.
You can't in the offense I mean even if Demi maybe he did get a first down at the end of the day fourth and one at the two yard line after Christian Story finally makes a big play like that, and you waste it. Two games in a row.
Fourth and two, you can get a first down.
Two exact two games in a row. You're inside your opponent's three yard line and you score zero.
And this is a Kentucky team that's been known for power football.
Yeah, and look they had And I get what Mark Stoops is saying. With chip trainum in the hand, he looks what if he fumbles, then he looks like an idiot.
I get somebody hit Hey, look, they're not stupid. As soon as he carries a ball, they're going to aim for that hand.
With helmets totally. So I get that, not that he carried in the broken hand, But yeah, I just and this is not on Stoops. I'd just leaping over the line when you have a four hundred and twenty one Pounty Town there, come on, that's play calling. That's play calling. And then I'd like to know what the Stoops was asked, like,
was the play for Demi to leap? After the game, he said, you've got to get a half inch by any means necessary, so it didn't sound like the play call was leap into a first down, leap into four hundred and twenty one pounds.
I don't know if it came up on the show tonight either, Billy, you can speak to this. But he reiterated that only once did he get into the mix on play calling, because people have accused him for a long time of, you know, my word, interfering with play calling or whatever, and he said, I don't, he said, except for those one time. And I think it's when when Whims had scored and he said, you know, essentially, we don't want to get cute down here, just get
the ball in the end zone and they did. So Yeah, I couldn't. I was surprised he chose to leave. He ain't the biggest guy in the world.
I also don't believe that from Stoops. I mean, I think he is a part. I think he has been a big part of play calling throughout the years. I think maybe he's correct in one game saying that he didn't do it besides this one time. I think that's probably the truth when it comes to a lot of it. But that's I digress. That's not even what I want to talk about. I do feel bad for Stoops because I feel like he's he's guessing what people are going to say about what he is going to say, and
that's not a good place to be in. Right Like the chip train hum thing, he's like saying that we're gonna call him an idiot if he bumbles, because why do you have a guy that just had surgery on his hands. He's just beaten down. He's a broken man. And that's how I feel right now, Dick. It's demoralizing to watch this Kentucky offense. It's like Iowa football, except you don't get the payoff of actually winning the game.
Good call, I mean, isn't it to accuse you of playing Iowa football on offense? And you don't even have the great defense to go with good defense?
But not and you have maybe your best wide receiver room in the Stoops era. You've gotten a highly rated recruited quarterback, and yet you can't pass the ball. I mean, that is how bad this offensive?
Not going to play that kid at quarterback right now? Got her bowling?
No, I'm talking about Brock. We're talking about the transfer. No, brozactly right, and you the offensive line is so bad that you are squandering talent at the receiver room and at quarterback again with your fifth straight year with a new offensive.
Yeah, but how many how many passes? Yeah, I was going to say, bounced off hands into the wrong jersey outside of daye Key drove me. Danky has zero drop still in the year zero zero. I thought he had won at least one.
None.
Dan Key has been as close.
I mean, you can't say perfect because he had the fun and he had the stupid penalty against Vandy. Other than that, he's had a pretty close to perfect season eighth in the SEC and receiving with inept passing offense that ranks one hundred and twenty third in the country. But barry On Brown, like, yes, he has all the talent in the world, He's not a good wide I can't call him a good wide receiver right now because, like you said, he's dropping past his timid going over the middle.
I'm gonna have to ask about that about because Jeff Jeff from freshman year on I want to get Jeff blood boy. Oh yeah, both Brown and Dane freshman year. Jeff was talking about route running and how much better he thought they would be that second year. Yes, and I do believe now they're in their third. Dane has made the jont Dane has made the question, I'm not learned enough on that stuff. I haven't yet been asked
to play a wide receiver in college football. Yeah, but yeah, thank you, But I would love to know how he sees that. And of course Brown, you know, he's everybody's first at least for a long time. Everybody's first name up on the whiteboard, right, yeah, account for this guy. Now it's Dane Key. Oh yeah.
They were double teaming Kay all night down there until the score got out of hand. I mean, and look why not? I mean barryon great play on the on the flea flicker, he did what he does best is go routes and get open. But on plays over the middle, real route, he struggles. And like Jamory Macklin, I'm not trying to pick on him. Guy was in a thousand
yard receiver last year. He's been. He's gotten six catches, and part of that's because the past, right, not many, but still like what's going on there that he's not reliable. You know, they haven't gotten anything from Brown Stevens.
Is he not reliable or not right? Does he even have so many issues?
The jet sweeps for the eighth time because they launched that into the sun.
They need to just look. It's boring and it might hurt recruiting. But like the only thing this offense is good at is running down hill well, and they need to just freaking commit to it.
But the problem was as well, Florida made them one dimensional. Yeah, to extent, And if you're good enough to do that, then you're gonna shut Kentucky down.
How about that first scrip? Didn't DEMI have like a fifteen yard run in the second play from scrimmakes Yeah, like they're not without talent, Yeah, they're not. It's it's mind boggling. And then it's another year where I.
Would love to know what Vandergriff might be able to do with just a little more time to throw the ball.
And he go through his progression that South Carolina game, he has not been the same since. It's clear clearly rattled him and I can't believe him. But there are also plays where he has time and he has guys open and he's locked in on Dame Key.
It feels like.
You guys mentioned recruiting. Who is barry On Brown's primary recruiter, Eric Eric Wilford, the guy that did not cycle any offensive lineman in so you could have depth.
Hey, he got in recruiting in the offensive Brown and On Walking.
And Walker who took how many plays off in the line. Yeah, he was playing himself out of the first round at this point. Yes, I mean so, I mean I think it goes back to the offensive line again. In the void that John Schlarman left Walt Wells Genn recruit because he was going to Eastern Kentucky. Eric Wolford just decided to leave and Stoops welcomes him back because he was roommates with that guy.
And not having an offensive coordinator, I mean in that seven O season twelve years Yeah, you know how important to recruiting, Like it's everything and you've i mean, Cutter Bowley has come in here.
Oh it's works Gangarrillo. Oh wait no, actually Liam's back. I'm committed. Oh now Liam's gone. Like it's like he's a true freshman who's thought he was at his time at UK was gonna have three different coordinators. It's insane and some of that's not like some of that's honestly your guy, Liam Cohen's fault. Some of it is, you know, is you know Stoops had a miscalculation on Skangarrillo.
But keep in mind, I do feel for Bush handed.
I don't think he's a great has been a great play caller this year, but he is what is he was handed this He his fingerprints are not on this offense at all.
The thing was the memory we have of Liam. And I'm not excuse me not knocking him because he's done a great job. He's got a great relationship from the Rams days with Baker Mayfield's right, But when he got here, he had an NFL ready line, yes, and he had an NFL ready slot receiver and a quarterback and an NFL ready running back as well, exactly. So that's gonna make a lot of OC's look good. But he used them brilliantly. Right when he came back. Devin Leary kind of let him down a little bit.
Yeah, And but I'll give him this. They averaged nine more points per game last year than they did that's correct under Skang and Skangerillo and Hamden, same exact number. Twenty point four. Wow, is what they're averaging literally to the t. They averaged twenty nine point one. I believe with Cohens, not great, but better. And again I don't blame Look, I'm a New England guy too. He's a
New England guy. That's NFL country. The dream up there is to be in the NFL, and I truly believe that's what he wanted was to be an NFL play caller and he got an opportunity to do it. A guy in Baker Mayfield he's close with and with the team that was coming off you know, the divisional round of the playoffs.
Well, and that's what we had when they hired him. When they hired him away from the Rams, it was like now, remember, folks, he didn't call plays for the Rams, you know, but knew how to do it obviously, but had had the weapons and use them extremely well. So but I do agree with Billy. I think, not that I'm trying to pile blame on people, and I do think they're better than they were last year because Kentucky has been able to.
Run the football boggling.
Yeah, look look at the possessions against even Vandy, not to mention Ole miss and that's what's the most frustrating thing to me is they played brilliantly against Ole Miss and played really well. Speaking of Liam Cohen television, Yeah, bud against against Georgia, and at first I thought, well, maybe George is not quit. Yes it is. And everybody after that game, what's wrong with Georgia? No, Kentucky played really well there, did you know?
And then they backed it up two weeks.
That's what's like.
Yeah, it's been a roller coaster the year. It's been bizarre. And I'll tell you what. This game against Auburn, who's not They're a very similar team where they're two and five and they have a good defense and a bad offense, Like this is as important of a game as I can remember.
And Stoops is right, it's about turnovers. What about this? Turn them over? Yeah, don't make it happen.
They don't do it.
Yeah, pick up a pass, recover a fumble.
I don't know if I've ever seen a stat line like I did for DJ Lagway in that game, seven of.
Thirty seven, a completion of seven thirty seven was yet I have no touchdown. I mean the one receiver Badger, he had three catches. It was like fifty fifty and forty one.
But that's the thing, like if they were a fantasy league, no touchdown, yeah, yeah, if he had, if he had the running back.
Yeah, as a true freshman his first career.
So you know, it was interesting two years ago down there where Kentucky wins, watching Kentucky in a place like the swamp, what is it ninety thousand? Yeah, plus take the crowd out out a game, and I'd seen it before, obviously under stoops. They had more than one game, but they've had success. They got two other wins, two wins down there, and they got hosed out of another one.
Watching them, you know, well, Florida goes big play on two drives but has to settle for a field goal, and the crowd had to settle a bit, and then when Kentucky drove for a touchdown, it had to settle a bit. And when it the touchdown, I made a twenty seven twenty Was that Gavin Womens.
That was the first drive of the first second half.
Yeah, I think I think I've told you how fans liked to heckle any anybody down there that they know is from Kentucky. And this one particular girl every time I walk by or she would lean over and give me the gator chunk and make a face at me, and I just kind of smile. And then after givin Wims's scores, I turned around a shot to look at her and she had this look in her face like, oh yeah, and n I was looking at her.
You know, Yeah, they have an open air press box. You'd really get a good vibe. Oh yeah, best in the sec from that perspective. And there was nerves in that stuff. Oh yeah, Gavin found the end. But the next thing, you know, right down exactly.
So all right, we'll take a break, come back and talk more Kentucky football, maybe a little basketball as well, and we'll learn about wide receivers from Jeppe Coorro at the bottom of the hour here on the State Wide BBI. Welcome back. We're going to separate from football for just a moment because we have much more football coming up
with Jeppichorro. Boy, we need to talk a little bit of basketball Blue White last Friday at Historic Memorial Coliseum and the first exhibition game Aaron on Wednesday, What do you expect to see?
Yeah, well, obviously I was in Florida, so I didn't get to watch the Blue and White game. You know, hard to think there was any TV there wasn't, which, yeah, I'm sure he did. But I can go on a rant on the TV stuff. I'll leave it. I'll leave it alone for now.
Because it's your birthright to see everything on TV. That's right. I pay for eighty seven subscriptions back in the day. Oh my god, No, but.
What I'm just excited to see them place. It sounds like an easy answer, but I am. I'm excited to see them line up against somebody else and see this scheme in action, right. I mean, it's just feels like what's different between this team and Cols. It just feels like they're going to come in every game schematically like trying to do the same thing, which is open themselves
up for three, have really good mall movement. Where it felt like, which is this is not even a critique, It's just like with Kentucky's offense under cal it was kind of like, yeah, it was the dribble drive, but it was also all right, whatever's working that game.
Yeah, Like there wasn't always a dribble, right.
But this is like their offense is what it is. It's like a football, like, this is our scheme, this is what we're going with, and I'm excited to see that. And I'm also excited to see them on the defensive end, not only just switching it up with different defenses. But one thing I feel like we still don't know about this team is just how physical they are from a
rebounding and blocking shot standpoint. They have some size, They have some guys who are obviously Conference Players of the Year on the defense side of the ball, and Butler and Williams. But I want to see what type of rebounding team this is. That's one thing that it really feels like it sets the tone every year. If Kentucky's a good rebounding team, they have a great season. If
they're not, they have a bad season. Last year they were kind of mediocre, and they had a bad season right a bad ending to the season.
I'll share something with you youngsters. You know the name John Wooden. I'm sure, of course. John Wooden for many many years believed that the most important stat on a basketball sheet was rebound. Differentially, I'm right there with mister wood Well, but he changed later in his career. It's still very important, he thought, but he changed the shooting percentages. And I don't know if that sided. I'm trying to remember. No, oh no, he was retired well before the three pointer,
but he did change his mind on that. But he still put a lot of value in rebounding. You know where we're gonna see, Billy, We're gonna see Kentucky defend well, and we're not gonna get a great read in these expos Kentucky. Yeah, they're gonna overpower, but they're gonna defend well, rebound well, get out on a break and pull up short and shoot threes on the break, which people love. If it works, I will say.
John Wooden also taught his players to put their socks and tie their shoes. May help with some Kentucky football players.
Somewhere that's got to be written down that maybe they can fax it.
They need to like put it on his locker but for the basketball, or just tie them for him. You know, we'll see a couple inbounds plays and that may be a little unfair.
They might guard, they might guard, they might guard them.
You know, actually, you know what, the one day I went to practice before Pro Day, they practiced guard guarding.
The inbound Wow defense in practice my witness, it's amazing.
We haven't started defensing.
But you know, for years I have been looking at natots like a piece of candy. Oh, give me a piece of candy. I want a piece of candy. Give me a little naotes in my life. That's modern basketball. Forget this midrange craft. Let's shoot some threes. And Travis Perry told me they're shooting thirty five threes a game. I cannot wait to see my reaction to what thirty five threes?
Again? Go in?
If that's exactly right, because there will be night said does.
Fans when they don't go in? Why didn't they stop shooting? Career, when a guy's going cold, why didn't they tell him to stop shooting? You know why shooters shoot? And something I learned from a fellow named Jack Gibbons when we were in school together one hundred years ago. He said, good shooters, great shooters. They know the next one's going in, so they're not going to stop. Coach, you have to take him out a game. I don't mean bad shots,
but the other thing is go find one. You could make to your point about mid range.
Yeah, and I think Pope has explicitly said that they are just going to shoot their way out of things.
Yeah, they're not gonna stop no, if it's a good three.
Yeah, because I saw him stop practice one day and ask somebody was at the best shot you could get that kind of thing. But I also saw him stop practice and ask somebody about a shot they took like two steps inside the arc, you know, like of a pump fake and something like that, and he's like, whoa, you know, you know they're gonna be held accountable.
Well, and also passing with intention, right, Like, oh yeah, I feel like we've seen a lot of ball of movement in the clips that we've seen, and that's not just moving it to the next guy.
Sorry, saw a little.
Fumble there with the Tampa my Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But it's just it's gonna be different and that's a huge part of what we want. But for the exhibition game, they're definitely gonna be working out some kinks.
Yeah.
But Colin Chandler apparently is a lot better than what many people.
Yep, yep, and he's not as rusty after two.
Years two years of no basketball.
Yeah exactly. I got to think he went out and shot a little bit, but not in competitive.
Whatever they allow, Yeah, exactly during something like that.
What I loved, and we talked about it on the pro day telecast, was the drill. Everybody who's even played church league basketball has done this three on two and then back the other way, or two on one or another one drops in. It's the Popovich drill where you have to know before the ball touches your hands where you're going to throw it, which side after right, and you have a half second to do it. That's all they want, the ball in your hands. They're going to
see a lot of that as well. All right, more football will swing you back after the break here on the state wide BBI stayed with us. Welcome back to the big Blue and side air board of the Border, Pike Vila. That's not a mistake. We're gonna let our next guest, mister Jeffiicoro of the UK Sports Network back announced like he's an am DJ, this particular song a go ahead, mister p.
I'm traveling down and run.
Yeah, What's what's the name of it?
Danny Joe Brown? That's Flirting with Disaster by Molly Hatchett, one of the great Southern rock bands of the seventies and eighties.
And you requested it.
Because well, he said, what would be your walk up song? So like, if if I was Aaron Judge, I would play this because you're flirting with disaster every time you threw a pitch of that dude, anything close. It's like Barry Bonds. Yeah, this is the best song ever for a baseball player to walk up to Sandman for a closer. I mean Marianna or Rivera had it. It's perfect, right.
I love your stats where more people have walked on the moon than Mariano Rivera have given up what home runs or something in that what it is, that's a great stat.
Mariano has only given up two home runs in the postseason. More people have walked on the more people have walked on the moon. That's amazing to me.
See, Jeff, I thought this. I thought that choice of a song might have been about UK football, But.
But you're not. Disaster to.
Your name came up earlier.
Jee guys. Yeah, well, just to me say one thing about this song, wort with disaster. Right, if Kentucky doesn't beat Auburn gets.
Yeah, exactly, don't they don't. Jeff, Well, as I said, your name came up because we were trying to quantify uh Marion Brown's season. And I've mentioned the fact that after his freshman year, you and I when you came on the show and talked a lot about where they need to work in terms of route running. And I believe we've seen more and I think you do too,
more progress from Dane Key than from Barrion. But is it harder for us to see that not having played the position A and B Barrion double team when he gets off the bus, so and we're not laying everything in his feet. We've talked a lot of about a lot of stuff, but what do you think.
Well, not too much as he double team, but just the way that they defend him. So you know, if you play a two deep or a deep three deep zone, they're trying to keep everything in front of them, and so what basically happens is a lot of times he's getting what we call bracket coverage, meaning there's a guy underneath sure, and there's a guy over the top. So you know, it's just it's hard to fit it in certain windows. Now, to me, Baryon does his best work
outside of the numbers. Okay, so he likes to stay the outside. Dank Key, on the other hand, is a bigger guy. Yeah, and he doesn't mind going over the middle. Now, you can get hammered going over the middle, but Dane it doesn't bother him to do that. And both of
them have really worked hard with coach Schortz. I think he's done a great job with those guys, all the receivers for that matter, at running routes correctly, coming back to the football, not letting, not flattening your route so a guy can come underneath it for a pick six. Likely saw Saturday. The reason that happened Saturday was because you had a young quarterback making his first pass and he's throwing a forty yard out pattern that doesn't cut in the sec. You can't do that.
I'll ask you the same question I put to the East. Two gentlemen here in the studio, or just make a comment. It was amazing to me how Kentucky struggled early and well in general, that the defense was victimized so much. But one point, Jeff, it's twenty seven to twenty, Kentucky's got the ball. It's a game, and then it all fell apart, you know, and Stoop's talked about today on a news conference and on his radio show as well.
You gotta finish plays, but it's still you know, you look at the final score, that what a butt kick, and in many ways it was, but it was a game for quite a while.
Right, yeah, Yeah, And you know I watched I watched certain plays over again today in a certain series, and there were two plays in particular that stick out because we're they're the exact same play. One was Florida's on offense and one's Kentucky on offense. Both of them were goal to goal situations. The first one was their running back ball whatever his first name is, I don't remember. Now, I let the get out. He's he's stopped. He doesn't get to the goal line. Okay, that's not a touchdown.
I have no idea. I've watched it in every different conceivable angle they have, kidding, the ball does not cross the ball does not cross the line. Okay. What happened was the one judge from the far side forty yards away from the ball touch down and then he drops his hands immediately like, oh dang, maybe I screw yeah. And then but what I'm saying is they let that play continue all the way until he stretches the ball out and I don't think the ball got over. I
think it was cut short. Okay. Then the same play with Demi. He's initially stopped, but then the second theary boost pushes him all the way inside the one yard line. Yet the side judge come flying in because when he's tackled, when he's down, the ball is close to the goal line, he's laying across the one. Yet they put it back to like where his feet were. Yep, so they stopped. They let one play go and they stopped the second. That is what's frustrating to a code.
You're absolutely I had a good look at the Florida play. I had a great look at the Kentucky play. I couldn't believe my eyes. And I kept waiting for them to call for a review, a booth review or not a booth review. But you know, and I was stunned. And you know, you and Tom are talking about that. And I will tell you that on the Florida touchdown, the guy who put his hands up, you see that all the time he's needed the line judge of the
hend linesman. That's you know, because it's anybody's call if they see it, but that's one of his cheap responsibilities. But buddy, he did not sell that. And I told these guys earlier, I honestly think he shut his hands up in the here because the Florida kids, did you know? And then he pulled him back like town, yeah, but he pulled him down like did anybody see me call that? And so that was maddening. And you think about it, if they take that in, wouldn't that have tied the game?
If on the Kentucky play.
Yes. The thing that's funny too is when you listen because I'm watching today. I watched the TV, so I'm here and a Dave and them make the call and they were like, Annie stopped for it, touchdown? Oh yeah, he hesitated, Annie touch down And you're like he's like this malea guy's good. But you know, but that's not what did it? Look this Florida went out there and kicked there, you know what I mean? They from the opening kickoff, they pushed Kentucky around like nobody's business. I
didn't think i'd see that this year. With the size and strength Kentucky has on that defensive line, they just got blown out, they got blown out of there. It was it was something you see what Guimo used to call big boy football. You know. They just came in there and said, look, three years in a row, these guys had kicked our We're turning the tables and it's starting up front. And I think they challenged those guys
and those guys prevailed. And it was from the first kick because as soon as as soon as Kentucky wins the toss, and this has happened to them. And I don't know what's wrong that first series, Vanderbilt right down the field, touchdown, Florida right down the field, touching again, and then they settle in you know, yeah, but I mean they go down and.
Jeff talking about getting beat just physically. Offensive line, pass protection been bad all year.
Left tack. You brought it up.
I think it was you that brought up in the press conference today. Malchi would played I think the last thirty one snaps the right tackle and that many he played better than Mincy. You didn't notice because he was playing pretty good football properly. Would you make that switch at this point? I mean it, I know Mincy has been hobbled and I don't want to pile on him, but yeah, he's.
Been I agree, Aaron. I think that The other thing too is Courtland was available in the game, he could have played, and now he'll be back and he'll be even better this coming Saturday. So you really, now are you have two players that can at least take some snaps who have played. I mean, look, say what you want about Courtland Ford. He started what sixteen college football teams year. He's got some experience. Yeah, he's got some experience.
And Malachi is a work in progress. But you're molding a huge body, you know.
Jeff, there was a fourth down late in the game where both dan Key and Barryon Brown weren't in the game, and alluded to that a little bit on his show tonight talking about personnel grouping issues. Just as somebody that's played football, how does that happen that you don't have your two best receivers.
On the field, Dick I said it when they came out of the huddle, right, I'm like, there's hardly Gilmore and Maclin and I'm like, yeah, I was like, I think it was Brown Stevens that was that was in because he had done that a couple of times earlier too, But what whatever the point is on on a third down or a fourth down situation, you think they're going to put joker in or me in. The Joker's gonna be playing. You know, you guys don't even know who I'm talking about, do Yeah? I mean what you have
to go with your one. I don't care if you're gassed, get your budy in there and get open to have both of them about.
You can't.
Can't have that happen.
Was about the package of plays they were running, you know, I guess.
That the Taylor the package.
You know what I was about to say, call something else, right, I think that's where we're heading.
Yeah, and here's the other thing. What we all know what they now call the NFL the tush push right where they everybody lines up over the center and you can try to push the guy in there right And now it's the same thing in college. But what are the pros starting to do? They line up like that and the quarterback doesn't go off the middle. He takes a jab step and goes over to the left or the right in the little bit of a hole that
that's made. And the reason they do that is because Florida had a guy that looked like Grimace in the middle of four hundred. Okay, I don't care who Dormani Dawson couldn't move that guy because he's just he's just too massive, you know, and in pads he was probably for sixty. So that's an immovable object. So that area above the center, you're just you're not moving that guy and can't run that place.
That move that you just talked about. Wasn't that what made Tom Brady so effected? He was the best, yes, QB there was, but there had to be a reason to the side. Yeah, he wasn't the biggest guy in the world, but he was so much better at it. Plus you know the tush push if you if you look at it, the Eagles were so great at it. And people say it's because Jason Kelsey, uh would would be the lowest guy, which may may well be true.
But it's not just shove everybody in the back, because team, team after team, we've seen it, Kentucky you want them at times fails at it, you know.
I mean, look, you could go back in time and pick any game, even your Bart Starr the Ice Bowl. He didn't go right over centers right, he went over Forrest greg and.
Landed in the behind.
Jerry Kramber. And you know the best example that Dick and these guys again are too young was Mark Higgs against Tennessee. Right, Yes, fourth straight time, Yes, right up the middle.
Yep, Jeff, how concerned are you?
I mean, Florida had a great receiving court, but how concerned are you about some of these deep balls that are starting to get hit on Kentucky's DBS.
With with very very much concerned, very very concerning, because look, Mark's not throwing anybody under the bus, and I'm not either. What I said was, it is a great scheme that Florida runs. It's not a rudimentary you know it was you know, you're forcing a guy to make a decision on the one that was the long one to the guy that caught like three passes for nine hundred yards. Yeah, tye is they're playing I think quarters in that game, which means you know that you each have a quadrant
of the field. If he goes to his right, he throws it to Bagley or whatever his name was. If he goes to his left, he throws to the guy that's uh that's in the sea, so you know, is a great play conceived. Again, it was just it's one of those where it's like and and Brad told us this, Uh told me a Tomnis that you know, they had the perfect they had the perfect play called against the
perfect defense. It was, you know, it was just everything was exactly right by the offense to call that play against that defense because one of those two guys is going to be open and and the poor you know, the safety is stuck if he goes left. They thought right, if he goes right, they thought it left, you know. And it's just it was a perfect play golf of that for the way that defense was.
It happened too much.
Yeah, but but but but it's happening. Yeah, it's happening two months and I don't, you know, I just I don't know what the answer is that at that spot. But the answer is this, guys, you can't give the quarterbacks time to sit back there and wait for the five seconds for that play to develop, which those took. Look, those passes were forty and fifty yard passes. You're in pads coming off a line of scrimmage against the defender.
It's gonna take you four or five seconds to get down there, and if a quarterback doesn't have to move, there's not a whole heck of a lot of defensive back can do against that.
Jeff, let me ask you something. This has been a surprising year, whether it be Vandy beating teams like Alabama or Kentucky just you know, falling flat on their face a little bit late in the year. But you know, they play Auburn this weekend. It's another home game, and they're two and ten in their last twelve sec home games. Do you think that's a coincidence or do you think that there's something to the mindset of a team when they play at home?
You know what? That's questions have been asked to Stoops, and he said, look, I've talked to the guys. We've tried to figure out different stuff. I've tried to, you know, change things around. I don't know, Billy, I don't know how to answer that question. I mean, that's one of those crazy things that for whatever reason, this team just doesn't play well at home. And I don't know how to answer.
Did you ever play it any of the teams you were part of, because you told me I thought it was interesting, Jeff when you said, uh, you weren't crazy about homecoming.
Yeah, it's just because, Yeah, there's a ton of distractions if you're at if it's your homecoming.
So if it's.
Kentucky's at home and it's homecoming, there's so much going on, right, you know, it's usually it's homecoming your girlfriend or your wife or whoever. You know, there's just there's so much. And then if you're if it's you that are the guys on the road at homecoming, then you're like, Okay, this team think those they can beat you. You know they're scheduling you is their homecoming upon it for a reason.
You know, you want to win on homecoming. Sure you ever want to be that team on the road either, But to me, that gives you a little bit of a chip on your shoulder, I would hope.
Kay, Jeff, Kentucky is oh and two and homecoming games this year they lost their own and they lost Florida's.
You know.
Tennessee is doing that. They did announce today they're doing the blackout again.
Some of those games of the twelve have been against pretty good upon us. But other than those, you got Vandy two or three times you get South Carolina a couple three times, so games they should have one. Some of the games they could have won, but other games they should have one. Before we let you go, you were talking about your your walk up as a baseball player. But Yankees, Dodgers. You grew up a Reds fan. You
work for the Reds Network forever. As our good friend Doug Flynn tells us, any of the vintage Reds fans around here hate the Dodgers. Sorry, Mark story, but what do you see?
I see? I really see two of the best teams in baseball. I mean both of their lineups are ridiculous. Offensively, there's no there, there's no break for a bit that's in a lot. Excuse me. In baseball, you're always looking where that pitcher can take a breath, you know, Oh here here comes. And again I'm not knocking Doug Flynn, but when Doug Flynn went up to bat against Sandy Kofax, he's like, all right, I got this guy. You know that's just because it's well, but it's not Rose Bench,
Morgan Peret. You know what I'm getting that if I got up to bat, they're like, okay, I can take a break against this, I'm not I'm not knocking Doug. There's no break on these teams. You know, they're they're just they're so good. And then the second thing is this, I'm amazed at the pitching both of these teams. If you put their pitching staffs against some others, both of these pitching staffs don't stack up because of all the injuries both of them have. It's pretty amazing to me
the way that they can piece mail things. And and I think it started what was that five years ago when Kansas City UH started doing the what did you what did they call him? Yeah, when they had the picture, well they just called him then a starting picture. He was the opener. Ye yeah. It was like out, yeah, how many how many outs can I get with this guy? If I sticks it out, I'm great. If I get five, I'm okay, two or three, you know what I mean.
Jeff, Well, thank you so much, and we will be listening for you on the Wildcat Whip this week, and of course on Kentucky coverage of the Auburn game. Thank you, sir, Thank guys. We'll come back and wrap it up in just a minute here on the state wide BBI. Thanks again, to mister Bricoro. Just about a minute left, Billy or Liam Cohen led Buccaneers looked like they had a second touchdown, but that was taking off the board. And do I understand it right? Luke Fordner is no longer starting at
center for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Is the London Jaguars, the London game and five.
Yeah, just like Mike.
Giants, My Packers got a big win yesterday. They marched down the field against a good Houston used to a brand new kicker.
I was on.
We hired a kicker with missed five field goals and they finally cut itea.
I was on a flight home and someone on the airplane said, yes, it's good and I had to go and search what game it was, and sure enough.
Jordan Love proven the doubt is wrong. Looks like I was one of them to the middle of last year you were I could not watch the game. I don't have the whatever NFL package, but I was doing some airs. Listen to it on the radio, Wayne Larvie. Wonderful experience. Wonderful experience.
How to do it?
Thanks to Billy, Thanks to Aaron that said good night from Lexington