From border to border across the Commonwealth of Kentucky. This is Big Blue Insider. Talk to Tick Gabriel. Call eight five nine two eight zero cats that's eight five nine two eight zero to two eight seven. Or state wide that's one eight hundred six oh six game. That's one eight hundred six oh six four two sixty three. Or you can tweet the show that's Big Blue Insider one.
Now here's Tick Gabriel.
Hell, everybody through the facilities of the iHeartMedia megaplexis is Dick Gabriel. It is the state wide edition of the Big Blue Insiety. You've heard comments from Mark Stoops and Mark Pope had a lot to digest this Thanksgiving week and now Aaron Gershawan and I are running the anchor leg Billy Rutlich as the night off. Somehow somebody lift the door unlocked Old Robinson sitting in be a part of the state. Why BBI.
Order to order?
It is the Big Blue Sider, Dick Gabriel, Aaron gershah on Bill Robinson pushing all the right buttons. And this is when a guy like Aaron Gershan and yours truly we double up covering football and basketball and let us start with football. You heard comments from Marks who was similar to what he said today at the media is a weekly press conference. How surprised because we kind of joked about it a minute. We roll up there eating
our chicken sandwiches. Who's going to ask the question about starting QB and will he say anything different from what he has said through the years, because circumstances had changed off and all the Brocks injuries and things like that, and he flat out said got her starting. Yeah.
I was pretty shocked in a good way, though. I'm glad at first. It's good for the fans who do playing to brave the element. It's gonna be a cold one there at Croverfield, Saturny and have that to look forward to because Cutter has shown a lot. I know Murray State wasn't the greatest opponent opponent and they didn't score any points with him on the field. Against Texas, they had a chance and missed the field goal. But he showed you a lot to be excited about in
that game. Some of the throws he made. He wasn't fazed by the pressure. I mean we were talking off air before he started. The sequence I was most impressed with was first play of the day for him, he took a big sack, like, not just in terms of yards loss, but he got hit pretty hard.
And could not get I mean, I'm watching him and I'm thinking, get away, get it. There's no way he could.
No, he couldn't have. There were a couple where he held on the ball too long, not that one. That one he just got blitzed.
And somebody who had a swing and a miss up front.
That's right. And then the very next play stands up in the pocket and throws a perfect go ball to barry On and picks up forty two. It's like okay, And then I think it was like a couple of plays later he had the thirty eight yard or to Jimori that got called back for a hold. So I thought he did a lot of good things and deserved the start. And I'm glad that Mark Stoops, you know, gave that clarity to the fan base.
The Jamori play, I think would have put him close to two.
Hundred yards and they would have been at the twelve yard yeah. I mean they might have scored it actually time, but at least hopefully three.
Yeah. Put pressure on him. Yeah, And you know what, Jeff Coorl pointed out that if the arc of the ball was not quite what it was, if it had been a little more a little flatter to Burrian, he hits him in stride and that's seven. Yeah.
Yeah, so there's still things obviously true freshman, so still things to work on. Again, he held on to the ball too long a couple of times. But unlike look Brock, Vandergriff has been through a lot this series. A tough kid, but you could tell really since honestly since the South Carolina game, the pressure has gotten to him and he's gotten rattled. I don't think he necessarily happy feed. Yeah, yeah,
a little happy feet. I don't think he necessarily anticipated the offensive line struggling the way it has to be. Frank and you could tell each especially now that he's banged up. I would think he's still banged up, just based on what we've seen. The happy feats even worse. He was rattled against Murray State, so you can imagine he didn't look comfortable for most of that game against Texas and Cutter Bowley was taking hits. He was under the arrest, but he never looked uncomfortable, and you.
Know it was Murray. I get it. But I think because Brock was struggling the way he was, he would latch onto Dane Key. That's what lock in on him and was his favorite target. And why not?
Sure?
But Cutter through how many different receipts.
Yeah, I mean the Murray State game five or six and then this game, I mean Willie Rodriguez had three, Dane had two, with three or two or three with with Cutter. Barryon obviously had when Fred Ferrier had a big first third down not in Texas, but he had two touchdowns to Murray Murray, that's right. So you know he's spreading the ball around. Yeah, there's Look, I think part of that is Brock Vandergriff. Part of that's lack of play East. Part of that's not trusting the past game.
But you know, Cutter looks a lot more comfortable and he deserves this start, and I'm glad Mark Stoops has given it to him.
The question I have is his reads. You know, sure, Uh, they'll Louisville is gonna throw a lot at him. I'm sure Texas did too. In terms of defense. Uh, You've got to wonder by now, I guess Texas has probably shown everything it has were they I was going to say, you know, maybe they held back as A and M was next. I doubt that, but you know, going through your progressions, not making a bad play versus trying to
force something. We were just talking about Will Levis, who you know, let's face it, try to force things once in a while. Yeah, but you know, I haven't seen it yet from Cutter Bowling.
No, not at all, So you know, I'm sure it'll happen if it gets picked or not in this game here, just first first time, that's right. Yeah, I guess that would be forcing something, but the score kind of dictated what he had to do too, so it was there was a lot to like there, and he's deserving the start.
Now.
The one thing I'm curious is the elements are going to be tough for It goes both ways, but specifically when talking about Cutter because he's not a very mobile guy as far as a runner, Like, how many opportunities is he really going to have to show off that arm in this game and how heavily are they going to be relying on the ground game because Louisville, even when Kentucky the last two years has struggled to run
the ball consistently. They've been able to run on Louisville because, as we were talking again off the air, the size on the in the trenches between those two teams, there's a big difference because the leagues, it is what it is. Doesn't mean that Louisville can't beat Kentucky, doesn't mean Louisville's not a good team, but the size in the trenches is different. In Kentucky, even when they had one of the worst off run offenses in college football in twenty two,
was able to manage stuff on the ground. And last year when they were I think, I know Ray Davis had a really good year, but overall they were like in the nineties and run offense. They ran all over them, so can they do it again? But ran over them in the latter stages because I went back. Yeah, it took some time, it did. Yeah, they Almos scored seven points in the first half.
Yeah, Louisville went all in, pushed all its chips in the middle of the table. Ray Davis, you are not going to run all over us, and he did not until late in the third quarter. He finally broke loose a couple of times Devon quarterback Devan Larry. Devon Larry made a cut, hit him with a couple of nice passes, and except for the one pick he through.
Devan Larry had. That was the best team he played.
It really was, and that loosened things up. So my next question was, have you watched Louisville play this much? Is the d line?
Uh?
Similar to what it was last year? I've watched him.
I don't know about personnelity like Jilatti. Yeah, a lot of his household names are still back. So it's as a veteran group, you know, it's a very the rosters really on both sides, but Louisville it's almost like they're playing the same team. Defensively, the big difference is quarterback and running back for Louisville are better. Honestly, this year, I'm running back. The freshman's playing out of his mind. His name slipping me right now, but I think it's
Isaac Brown. Yes, but they had two good running backs last year, so I shouldn't say it was a drop off. The two guys were drafted in the backfield. But Jake Jack Plumber, the kid last year was kind of up and down. This shower kid. Since he stayed healthy, he's been really good. Bros Are talking about it, bros Are talking about him as a late round pick, so he's you know, it's a different offense for Louisville. I think it's an improved offense, but I think defensively it's a lot of the same.
It is a puzzling Louisville team. And again we talked about this earlier today at lunch, where it just seems to be like like with a you know, coming out of a of a bye week can be a stoops thing. He's had trouble, yes, and some of that depends on who they're playing, of course, but Louisville every year drops one that just makes you rub your chin, like what are they doing in Stanford? You know?
And that way?
And then they turn around and destroyed a decent Pittsburgh.
Right, and I think was it I think they had a I think that, Yes, I think wasn't Louisville coming off about I'm trying to think was plumbs in their game right before Stanford for them might have been I don't know if they had a game in between that, Like that's a crazy three weeks to win at death Valley where you know their credit. Not many teams went down there and then to go and lose to three and eight Stanford in front of two people and then lose and then crush pit. Yeah, and the way they
But that's what I was trying to find is. I know, remember at Purdue when Jeff browm they beat the heck out of Ohio State. Yeah, I'm trying to I think they lost their next game.
Yeah, we talked about that today. They lost. I think a bad eye with.
Yeah, I'm gonna find it.
Yeah, right, But you know it's interesting people Stoop's critics like to say his teams are not disciplined, and you can make that accusation when you look at penalties. You know that's fair, I think, but you don't see them. You did see it against Texas once actual Harrison cost his team four points. Yes, is getting ready kick a field goal and Harrison does something stupid end up scoring
a touchdown. But I think, uh, what Louisville did against Stanford, I still just have to shake my head because we all got home from the Kentucky game in time to see that. But yeah, I think because they've got a better quarterback and a better running back and and Louisville put some points up. Last year against Kentucky, it was a really good game, lan great game.
By the way. They did lose the next week to a five hundred Michigan State team. Say, okay, so that's what happened, that's.
Right, because I remember thinking that's where John how Smith was.
That's yes, before that, yeah, before yeah, and then they lost two in a row Minnesota. They beat number nineteen Iowa, and then they lost to in row of Minnesota in Wisconsin on rank. So that's just the way it goes with Brown. But yeah, last year's game was fantastic. I mean that was it was kind of a bore. It
was ten to seven and a half. They're like, oh, like, someone win the slock fest, and then it was just I mean there were like three touchdowns in three minutes or something where I forget exactly what the sequence of I know Barry on Brown obviously the kick return touchdown mixing there. I think what it was is didn't Kentucky. I think they fell behind by ten, cut it to three, then went back behind ten. Last year yeah, something like that. It was just a crazy second half and a lot of fun.
The only Louisville game I've missed because I had the open heart story a couple of weeks prior. But I remember watching that game thinking, you know, the the advantage because every other time that I'm that I'm in Louisville, I try to find my brother, my buddy, and oftentimes they're sitting together, and more than once they said to me, God, your linemen are so big, and I'm like, yeah, see sec. You know, but that day in particular, it didn't seem
to matter as much. No, but they somehow they called the right plays. As we said, Leary made good throws, Ray made incredible runs, and they.
Just grounded out JJ. We made some huge.
In his hometown.
That's right. Yeah, So you know, they they played their butts off, and that's the big question mark for me going into it. I mean, I think they'll be motivated. I don't think they've given up, which is encouraged. No, no, no, But this is the first time since Mark Stoops's first season where they're going into their last game of the regular season knowing they're done after this. Twenty fourteen they were they had five wins. Right twenty fifteen, they had
five wins. So the Louisville game was a win, and you're in type six joins.
Both of those first two seasons they were kind of spiraling in the longer they were, but they were still alive. But they were alive.
And twenty fifteen they were twenty one zippo until Lamar Jackson took the Hello was on our teach, Hello, my name is exactly. So of course the next year they beat him, yes, and the next year.
He came to lection.
I was that was one of my last games in the stands before being in the president.
Right.
That was a shell lacking.
You know, I'll never forget what Mark Stoops said about that. He had to choose his words carefully, but he said, when Louisville came in in twenty seventeen and he's watching Lamar warm up. Do you remember when he said this? He said watching the sky. He said his demeanor, body language, whatever you want to call it, was like you know, Stoops,
and Stoops made it a point say. I didn't say to myself, we're gonna get beat, but he basically said to himself, this guy is going to give us everything he's got.
He was motivated, Oh, he was mad, and he had that fight with the I think it was the linebackers a little bit of a hot head Georgia. Yeah, yeah, yeah, so yeah, I mean, and that was the last time Louisville's beat Kentucky. But again, this is the first time they're in this situation since twenty thirteen where they know, all right, this is it, season's over, we have nothing after this. And I just this is their bowl game. This is their bowl game, this is their state championship,
what ever you want to call it. So I am curious to see what the mindset is, what the not motive. I think they're motivated. I don't know the right word, but just to see make sure there's no complacency this see it like, play it like it is a bowl game.
I didn't see that in Austin either. No, And I was curious because, you know, I asked myself, Look, you're in a difficult spot. It's the most hostile road environment of the season, sure more so than Florida, more Southern Tennessee, right up there with Georgia.
Last year, Georgia was intimidating.
Yeah that might have been a little more so because it was a night but anyhow, special but Texas is so much bigger the stadium and all uh and it's seven to seven in the middle of the second quarter. I'm looking around, going that's a bag.
And they could have And then they started giving away points in the second. Oh they the third quarter an average team, average offense. Theyird tied up.
Yeah, but they gave They gave tennis to Tennessee. They gave Texas eleven points. Yes, with that stupid move that took a field goal down and gave me a touchdown. And uh and another idiot move that gave him points, gave him a touchdown. It was a short field, it was it was a when when they scored their act yeah, oh yeah, yeah, they gave Yeah. All they had to
do is go thirty five yards for a touchdown. Plus Kentucky gets inside the five I mean Wilcock season to the one five, then they go straight back.
It's like the third time at the one in the fifth time, I'm inside the five county.
In as many games.
While they got a break from it against Murray, yeah, well as many conferences, many conference games.
So anyway, I'm thinking, look at all the points that you left on the field.
And then gave them no opportunities that were there.
They could have.
They could have that should have in my opinion, if everything went right. That's a tie game going to the fourth to.
Say they could have carried that game into the fourth, no question. And instead their defense was on the field for so long.
And yet they still went into the fourth quarter with a chance to cut it to one score. Yes, like they were right there. They That's the thing with this, That's what's so frustrating about this Kentucky team is you watch them and you know they're not bad. They're not twenty thirteen Kentucky. They're not Joker Phillips and.
Of Joker twenty eighteen Kentucky. But they're not twenty eighteen or twenty better than they've shown.
Yeah, they're closer to what we've seen the last two years, which is not good enough. That's given where they've been. But and it's just they just are so inconsistent in the offenses as well. It's worse than it wasn't twenty two calling it what it is, it is, it's worse.
Got they got o line issues that they may never really fully able to fix because of injury.
Yeah, and then really, again, I do sympathize the one thing I do sympathize with is Bush Hampden. He like in this day in Asian college football, these coordinators handpicked their rosters. They and Hampden was just said, this is the group. Yeah, and I'm not. And that's not to diminish you know, Brock Vandergriff, Jamorry Macklin, Gerald MINSI the guys were brought in. It's just maybe again, look at
the quarterback or Arkansas that went from Boise State. Maybe Bush Hampden's able to recruit him here if.
Yeah, and I wonder if that's why as we get to a break, Yeah, so many times in that streak of games where they could not get the ball across the end zone the line the goal line that they called for runs, run plays between the guards, between the tackles. They haven't done that successfully all year long.
Nope.
When the other teams got you out, man, and they're all you know they're gonna do is push up the field.
And that's all the one play when you're at the one that Gavin Winz that runs really well, I don't get why he's just completely out of the picture with that.
Because well, to me, if you bring him in there, okay, he's going to try to power the ball into the end zone, come and get it, at least with the other quarterback, either Brock or Cutter. There's a there's a danger. No, there's a danger, especially with Brock, that he could run wide, that he could throw, that he could play action or whatever. Gavin's like, here comes our guys, going to try to
run between the trickles, and that ain't gonna work. All right, we'll step out talk a little basketball when we come back by them. Of the hour, Jeppikoro joins us, and then we're gonna find about what the Go Big Blues brothers have been up to as well. Here on the state Wide BBI. Welcome back to Gabriel, Aaron Grishan here in the studio. It is the state wide edition of the Big ru Insider, and we've talked a lot of football. But Eric comments from Marks from Mark Pope tonight, Aaron
and very humble and a lot of love. Ron Mercer calls in. You know, and I remember talking to Ron in the hotel suite where we were down in Miami when we were taping the documentary, and they just all talked about how much fun it was. They knew how good they were, obviously, and at first they didn't know how Patina was gonna put everything together the same way. We kept asking Pope, how are you going to do it now? Patino, you know, he didn't even field questions
like that when he was here. But what did Mark keeps saying to us, Well, the players will let me know, you know, and the assistant coaches, well, will let me know how to construct this, the starting five in a rotation and all that. But once the ninety six team was established, Mercer I talked to Mercer, McCarty and Anderson da at the same time, and they all just kind of chuckled at the effect that the way they played had on opposing teams. And I gotta think it's similar
now the way man. You know they're going to shoot three pointers, yeah, but they don't jack it up the first time they have an open look. I mean, they run offense, and it's really pretty.
Isn't it. It's it's a just a fun product to watch, it really is. And it's funny you said that though. Angrew car This morning we were talking with him and he said, it's almost a mandate for their offense once they cross half court to take the first open look yeah, so yeah, but yes other times and they can. What's so nice about it is they are like, yes, they want to shoot all those threes there their goals to
get to thirty to thirty five a game. And market was pretty upset honestly when they I think they went like twelve for twenty five against yeah not Jackson State, Lipscump. It's like, well, that's not us. It's thirty five.
So still scored more than one hundred, right, But like.
What was so the most impressive I think five minutes. Obviously it was Duke and were just winning was big. But the most impressive aspect to that for me is they were able to finish that game. They didn't score three in the last five minutes. I don't even know if they shot one, but Kirk Churris is three with like five thirty. It was the last one they took. Maybe maybe yeah, that could have been not good. It was all Andrew Carr getting in the paint and no
Tago Ohway getting in the paint. So you know they can they can beat you in multiple ways. They cut like crazy, and they cut really hard and try to get open down low, and you know they're averaging over forty points in the game, over forty points per game in the paint, so you know they can beat you in multiple ways. And they run offense, they run out of bounds plays, oh, they guard, and they scout opponents like they talk. They are very much one of those
teams that don't take anyone likely. Like they were talking about Jackson State being the biggest game of the year, and we all knew Jackson State was a three twenty whatever ranked Ken Palm team, like not a good team at all. And they did the same with Western today. So really impressive fun watch.
So and that's not to say that Caliperry's staff didn't scout. They did.
Yeah, I think it's a different Yeah.
I think what Pope does is a bit more intense, no question, and it's a deeper dive. But uh, you know, I need to ask him that, or maybe you can if you get a chance. Maybe not after a game, but pre game. I'm wondering if his philosophy, if the analytics, if the research, if whatever you want to state it, in the last five minutes of a close game, what kind of bearing, if any, does that have on your philosophy about shooting three pointers.
Yeah, clearly in that game they didn't shy away from.
Because they don't think you know, not all three pointers are good shots, right, some can be bad shots. But I'm guessing that he would say, you know, they don't want to deviate from what they do. But against Duke they did because they attacked.
The room and got the free throw line. They absolutely didn't. That's how they finished that game. And you know, lipscumb they scored I don't know what they felt like the score. It was in the high forties or low fifties. So they at the end of the day, this team, and they've said it before, like they'll do whatever it takes to win. We saw two great examples of that. You know, Jackson Robinson against who could not make a shot to save his life. He played great defense in that, like
Mark both talked about after the game. I was like, all right, I'll go back and watch.
I did too.
Yep, you were right, Mark, A facing defense maybe I think he had two blocks at the small small forward position. Like a great game there. And then the next game at home, Andrew Carr I think scored two points and on five shots, and that was the game after he was the hero and he used the plus minus champ because he was able to do things defensively and rebound. So it's an unselfish group that's that does whatever takes to win. And I think that that's part of the
deal with the offense. They'll do whatever it takes. They prefer it to be three heavy, but you know, it doesn't mean they have to do it.
I was in Austin, of course on Friday night. I listened to the game, but we were not in anywhere that they could bring the game up. Yeah, what did Andrew due against Jackson State, which was clearly overmatched.
Yeah, he didn't do that much in that he scored six, but well it didn't do too much offensively, should say but five rebounds, I want to say four or five assists? Like he filled up the stats sat stuff for you. Yeah, I mean the guy. I think Kobe ended up leaving leading them in points he went. Kobe went five for eight from three, and it dropped his three point average on the season.
Unbelievable.
Unbelievable, Yeah, down to seventy four.
One of the national heads was talking about this Kentucky team and an early going it's not Jackson Robinson and it's not Lamont Butler they're talking about. It's Andrew Carr.
Drew Carr. How about Otago? Ohay, that's the guy I know. He's the guy who's the most steadied.
Yeah to me, all right, when we come back Jeff Picor, we'll get back to basketball as well. With Jeff and with Aaron, we'll talk more Kentucky football here on the state wide edition of The Big Blue Insider. Border to Border, it is the Big Blue Sider. Did Gabrielle Are and ger Sean let us go to the celebrity highline and welcome in Jeff Piicorro and let's start a UK football network. Hello sir, We're going to attax you on both football
and basketball. But Aaron and I were talking about the fact that we kind of braced ourselves for Mark Stoops saying when he was asked about quarterback, well we'll see or maybe even starting Rockingly waiting and bringing Cutter in off the bench. But h he's gonna he said, flat out,
he's starting Cutter Bowley. And you've talked before, both on the air and on the Wildcat Whip podcast that we do about the importance to kind of look at the future now that the bowl game's not in play, So here's his big opportunity.
Jeff, Yeah, And I think that it's even a little more than that. I mean, you have to figure out and I think he probably has who your quarterback is going to be next year? Is it gonna be Cutter Bowlie or do you bring back Brock? Or does Brock come back next year? And I think this is I think if you read between the lines, we talk about this a lot. Is because what does he also say when he kept getting grilled about you know, what do you do in the postseason? How many of these how
many guys are back? And he said, well, we got to have some attrition from our team too, sure, meaning you know, some of the guys that they have have got to go elsewhere where they might have a possibility to play. And see that that's what people don't understand it. And really, Dick, you and I I think you were there, weren't you when we talked to bo Alli Yeah at breakfast.
Yeah, Bill his dad Yeah, And Bill was saying, you know, bo had basically sat for two years.
It really didn't get much playing time at all. And and basically he said, Dad, I can't do that. I want to go somewhere where I can play, and I don't care where it is, you know, I'll go, you know, wherever he and even said he'd go to Campbellsville to play if he thought he could play.
Yeah.
And the thing is is a player, especially as a quarterback, when you're coming out of high school and years highly recruited as that, and you're sitting there and you're running the scout team every week, well, you think you're better than that, and obviously if you've got an SEC scholarship, you probably are. So you know, go find a place where you could play. And this goes for you know, everybody on that roster. Where could they go and play? And that's what Mark was talking about today.
And they have the wherewithal to do that now, which is you know, the wild card now the portal and Mark talked a lot about that. But I kept asking myself through the weeks, which quarterback gives them a better opportunity at winning? And you kind of, obviously, with all due respect, you throw out the Murray State game and you've been convinced longer than I had. But watching Cutter in that environment, I was telling Aaron that that is the most hostile environment we have seen this year covering
this team. And Jeff I put it up there with that Georgia game last year at night, when when Georgia was just foaming at the mouth to beat Kentucky at the lights show going. But in a way, it was even better in Austin because the stadium's bigger, you know. And yet uh, you know, and I know Brocks had his issues with injuries and the old line of struggle. Cutter stood in there even after he was sacked for a thousand yards on the first play and looked like
a veteran the way he stood in there. So to me, you know, I think you owe it to your seniors to try to win the game. He gives him the best chance.
I think he does. And and again we've seen time and time again other teams come in and produce a quarterback who hasn't played much and all of a sudden they played great. And it happened a couple of times. Well it's it's happened a couple of times in this Kentucky leisow that's right, you know? Fine? Did it? Was it? Bridgewater?
I think a kid named Lamar Jackson, Lamar Jackson.
Yeah, yeah, so, I mean there's been some some guys that have done it. The thing that I liked about Cutter and Mark touched on this too, is when you're playing a guy that's and I don't want to say scared, because it's not you're not scared, but you're apprehensive or not sure of yourself, or you know, you don't talk to the other players. You don't want anybody talking to
the huddle. Cutter wasn't like that. He was, you know, the guy sacked him and helped him up, and he and he was tapping you on the button and said, you know, a nice play that that's a veteran move. You know that that's what veterans do. And and he took a shot Eyton fast four times. Here's the thing you gotta look at are in this And I don't know, and I don't know if you guys have talked about this yet or not. Nobody asked in the press conference either.
Texas was the best number one pass defense in the country, allowing one hundred and thirty four four yards a game, Yes, an entire game. Cutter boldly threw for one hundred and sixty and two quarters and should have had about two hundred.
Yeah, thirty.
Yeah, Macklin called back. Yeah.
Yeah, that's two great plays. That one Macklin dropped the one that hit him right in the chest, and then the second one was the long catch and run all the way down to the what six or seven yard line that was called back.
Yeah, that's a great point, Jeff.
This is the first time since twenty thirteen that they're going to go into a regular season finale knowing their seasons over. After twenty fourteen and fifteen they were at five wins, so had a chance. How do you think they're How do you expect them to come out? I think one thing that's been encouraging is this team hasn't shown too much quit, but just knowing that, hey, this is it. How do you expect with no bowl game to look forward to just something Kentucky hasn't been used to.
How do you think they're going to come out? Just motivation wise?
Yeah, it's interesting because you know, I'm thankfully my last game years in a row, and that in the bowl game, and you had those extra time with your buddies and stuff. But it's and we talk about this all the time. Senior Day and emotions and all that kind of stuff. But really, I think this is a game, and in particular, two guys to me have really got the show out against Louisville. And and I'm not saying this guy hasn't been great this year. And both of these guys are
underclassmen who are probably coming out. But one is cornerback Max Harrison, who's still coming back, you know, from from the injury he has. I still don't think he's one hundred percent. He's closed probably ninety five percent. And the other one's Dan Walker. Because you know, Aaron, I can only I can only prepare guys to people that I've played against, because I can't compare him to Arts Still
or people like that. I didn't play with those guys, but I've played against the Reggie Whites and Bruce Smith, and these are NFL Hall of Famers too, But he has been the guy that disrupts every play on a consistent basis, and I think that's what the scouts are looking for. Now. We're talking about a first round draft pick, right, I mean, that's what some people have said. You want guys like Hutchinson, the kid that came out from Michigan last year, right that every play he's in the backfield.
That's what you have to You have to have guys like Josh Allen and Josh every play he made a difference, and Mark knew that when stuff hit the fan, he could always rely on the defense because of those guys.
And I just I haven't seen it on a consistent basis. Now, there's been times, and there's been plays when he's been disrupted, but I'm talking about a wrecking ball up there that you have to every time double teaming and when you're on the offensive side, you've got to know where he is an audible away from him, and we just haven't seen that this year. Mark talked about he's had some
nagging injuries and stuff. I don't know what those are, but he really has to Yeah, I think he really has to get Yeah, but we don't know what it was for, is what I mean. I think he needs to come out and have a dominating performance in this game to kind of solidify himself as a as a top type draft.
I completely agree with Jeff with the position and you and I talked about this preseason early season with the position he plays, you know, with his hand in the ground, either knows he's listed as a tackle or a nose tackle. His job is to command double teams so the other guys can get their jobs done. And and and then we thought, well, if those guys can play well, that
gives Dion the chance to be that wrecking ball. There have been so many guys hurt around him that I wondered, you know, how effective has he been able to effectively? Has he been able to do his job this year?
Yeah? I just again, I just I'm comparing him to guys that are the same. Okay, what's his name? Carter from Georgia last year, right, yeah, two years ago? That just and he was a young, young guy, much like Dion. He changed games, right, he was a game changer. That's what you expect from Dion. And again, I'm not saying he's not been good. He's been good, But this whole season has been something's wrong, something's busy. Because we said this from day one, this is outside of the quarterback spot.
And you know, this is probably the best assimilation of talent that Marcus had here at one.
Time except one as well.
Well yeah, okay, I mean on the whole, I just don't think there's a defense that's had as much as these guys have all over the field.
Yeah, except Harrierston gets hurt, that really hurt him.
Yeah, Jeff, you mentioned the portal off the top of it. Gonna have some nutrition that's needed and plenty that it's going to be added. Take out, take out the line, because we all know they need to make moves there. What's the one positional group you think they need to hit the hardest, especially if Cutter is someone you can build with that quarterback and you don't have to go through that vicious cycle of looking for a starting quarterback.
Okay, starting offensive line, yeah, take.
Well, take line on line, on line, but one other one, because that's the obvious, that's the easy, hundred million dollar answer.
Okay, offensive line.
So what you're saying is I don't need help. They don't need help anywhere else.
When they're going to lose their whole starting defense.
I think that you've had look up front, you've got to go. Look. You gotta remember Colil Saunders could come back. Yeah, I players I think couldn't come back. This is totally out now. I know that they're but they've got some guys up there. Ja Josiah Hayes is coming back, Silver's could come back. I'm not worried about the defensive line. They've got some guys step there. Uh you know what, I guess if you're asking me what spot, I'm not throwed on the edge guys. You know what Jason was. Yeah,
Freierby hasn't showed me anything this year at all. Matthews has been you know, Okay, you don't know. Souls is a nice one on the edge, but he doesn't have the size of those guys' small You know those Matthews and and Freby are both six four six and fifty pounds. You know, Souls is only like sixty three to twenty Yeah, yep, Afari is six twenty two. God three isn't a monster either. I think that, you know, when you want to know something,
And Dick and I were talking about this today. I think the biggest heis is going to be missing against Louisville is Derek Jack because they don't have that hammer at linebacker.
They missed him terribly.
On me, especially in the outside. Because Louisville could run the football and their offensive line has gotten a lot better since Slash.
Well, they didn't. They missed so many tackles against Texas, and boy did they miss d jack.
There's no question about it, no question, Jeff.
Before we let you go, I got to get some thoughts on basketball, and I was explaining that we were not in a position in Austin to watch the Jackson State game, but it pretty much held form with the other games. And Mark Pope talked tonight about his team, and Ron Mercer called in and I was telling Bow and Aaron that working on that documentary about the ninety sixteen. Those guys once they figured out and they started playing
and they were killing everybody. Remember that they kind of chuckled at the way the other teams would see them, come like, oh my god, this press. And Pope tonight said they're not going to run the same press as Patino ran, but you know they'll throw it up there. But the bottom line is this Kentucky team just he's coming at you in waves. Whether it's the offensive execution, go ahead.
What I like, Dick has been what the other coaches have said about their team. I mean, Lenny Acuff's been around for a while. I mean, this guy is a really good coach, and he's coached under some big time names. And he said, this is the best power for offense he's ever seen. He goes, this is crazy. And if he's if Brea and those guys shoot like this, who's gonna beat him? I mean, you look, you look at Duke.
Duke was a number six and they were a heavy favorite against Kentucky and Kentucky played okay in that game and beat him right, especially from three. They're going to get better defensively, just because they're going to learn each other as the season goes, and how they play defense. You know that that's that's the one thing. I think they're going to get better at his defense. But they have a lot of fun and they've got five or
six guys that can score will as we've seen. I think the first five games had five different guys that let him in scoring. And you know, as they get more and more as a team, this is a very scary basketball team.
Yeah, no question, Jeff. Have you seen a guy do what Kobe Bray has done where he went five for eight shooting from three against Jackson State and his three point average on the season actually went down.
Yeah. Well, I'll tell you what Aaron I You know I did for years atlantic ten and Dayton volleyball. I did Dayton's basketball for Fox and uh, you know when when when Toppin's brother played here too, Tobe, he was yeah, he was fantastic. But yeah, they have They've always had great shooters there and he is on a long list. But I don't know if anybody that they've ever had has been as good as this kid. It's just amazing.
You know what, it's not the practice that they have when the coaches are there and this is and this is something that I talked about with Kenny Brooks, the women coach too. He goes the only way to get better. And it's really cool because practice starts at let's say two o'clock. Right at one o'clock, he's got four or five young ladies out there already practicing with the coaches one on one. And basketball is the same way Marcus said it. You know, I look out my window and
there's three guys out there shooting. Yeah, and practices in for three more hours. That's where you get better. And if you don't have that drive to do that, you're not going to get better.
You know, you've worked at.
The bottom of these guys. It seems like they have fun with each other.
You've worked a handful of games already, been to shoot around, has been to practices for the women. It's tough to kind of like with Pope's team, put your finger on one thing in particular, but clearly postplay, Jeff has been as good as it's ever been since Valerie still was here. I mean, they've had some really nice point guards. I got to go back to Patty Joe Hedges to find somebody, and Stacey Reid was great, but Georgia Aymore just knows
how to get it done. How do you what what's the what's the personality of this team?
Do you think?
Well? I I first of all, I just have to say one thing, excuse me, one thing is they're a little short on the on the bench. With the two players in and out for the season, and he had those two. I think this team could could could play with South Carolina and give them a go for the championship. I really do. They're a little short, and and the problem too is they're young on the interior. And when you're short, and what I mean short is their bench
isn't real deep because they're they're the guys. The girls that are coming in are freshmen and uh, and they are girls. They're not winning yet, you know what I mean. They're just young and they need to learn. They're talented, but they don't know how good they can be, you know, especially Silva. I mean she's gonna be a superstar. She's six seven and she can run the court. Again. Yeah, she just doesn't know how good she can be. You know, that's right.
She's fun to watch. They're all fun to watch. It's a great brand of basketball, both the men's and the women's. And if you haven't been, like I say, to the coliseum yet, of course, get to the insa volleyball tournament. I gotta think they're gonna go and get to a women's basketball game. You will thoroughly enjoy it. If not, sit home and watch Jeff Pcorol and Christy Thomas, Jeff Row thank you. We will see you Wednesday when we
tape the podcast audio. Have a good one. Well, come back and wrap things up in just a few here on the state wide BBI, just a few minutes left with a state wide big lements that to remember Tomorrow, Kentucky basketball in most of these same stations at six point thirty, so pregame coverage on the network begins at five o'clock. Then you got women's basketball as well. The women play again on Wednesday, back to back days down in Nashville. Darren Hedrick with the car on those games.
Awful lot of basketball this holiday week. I got a wonder ball and you've got the direct pipeline to the Big Blues brother Go Big Blues Brothers. They got to be having a ball right now in rep Aerena.
They are having way too much fun, more fun than I could ever imagine at rapp Arena over the last few years they've been.
Over the last few years they've both been around for a while.
Actually talked to one of them together. Yeah, and he said that for the first time in a long time, he's enjoying watching Kentucky basketball in November, the key month being November.
Well, the U and they've posed for at least once with the Pope right for a picture.
Correct, And I heard we're anny window. There might be a special Jobe Holiday card involved with the Pope.
Have they presented him with a blue jacket yet?
Not yet.
But Tom Leach actually gave me a good ideal to pass along to the Go Big Blues Brothers. So if you get a picture, maybe let's say you're Larry Stamper or Jerry Hale or Jim Andrews, and you get a picture with the Go Big Blues Brothers, you might become an official honorary member. Oh, based on certification.
Oh, you're talking about guys that go away and the guys you just mentioned pose for a photo at a recent game. All three of those.
And Jim just had a birthday, correct, So yeah, they will be celebrating Joby Hall's birthday do they always do? And then that leads us right into the Joby holidays.
I seem to recall that the first time they approached Joe By at upp Arena, he took one look at them and said, I want a blue jacket.
And you confirmed, Yes, I can confirm that he said I want a blue jacket.
Do they have a closet full of them or do they have to go get them?
My understanding is that they have a few jackets on rotation and that Elwood's dry cleaning bill has gone up significantly over the last few years.
Well, I gotta think if you can win, you get an opportunity. Because Mark Pope's pulled in so many different directions. But during that postgame show, when he's talking to the fans and you know there's there's official people out there, they could probably go through some of those folks with UK and let's let let's hope they have a little bit of an open mind. Maybe if they showed them the photo of Joe b in his jacket, that might be the thing to do.
That might be Aaron and I were talking about this that after the game it is a struggle to walk around the arena and get to the side where everybody gathers for the postgame show because everybody's going now, oh, verybody's sticking around crazy. I mean, it's an aggressive effort to get over that.
That's good.
Yeah. No, I was working in the photo room and I just heard probably a good thirty forty minutes after the after we were done with a press conference, and here the applause. It must have been the show ending. It's like, wow, Well, I mean our.
Late grade GM at Channel twenty seven took one look at the Rick Patino postgame and we had all the delayed games because none of the games could be live, and he told us we need to carry this so we would shut the cameras off and then bring them right back up, you know, twenty minutes later.
Smart.
Yeah, I'll tell you next week. I'll tell you all about the ratings. Thanks so much to Bo, to Aaron, thanks to Jeff Pecarrel that said, good night from Lexington