It's time for Coffee and Company, fueled by Thornton's on Sports Talk seven nine day, now here's Nick Coffee.
So right before we ended our first hour, I mentioned I've got that kick. I can feel the kick from a cup of coffee. I don't drink much coffee. In fact, I've only had I think, now, this is my third cup of coffee in my life. I mean, I've sampled coffee, I've had a drink, but it's never been my thing.
But today I've just been dragging ass. And because the only cup of coffee I've ever had was one prepared by the company man himself, mister John Alden, who is a big time coffee drinker, I mean like I feel. I mean, I've felt bad asking him, but I did say, hey,
would you mind making me a cup of coffee? And like, as soon as those words left my mouth, I felt like, Man, I sound like such a pompous ass thinking that this guy who produces the show, he's also got to run errands for me, make a sandwich and give me coffee or something. And I know John knows that I'm not asking him because of that. It's because literally I've never made a cup of coffee, and I needed the jolt that you get from coffee, which I've got right now.
But it looked bad whenever our boss was in here, along with a couple of other folks that you know, I guess two assistant program director, a program director and a sales executive were in the studio and John brings me coffee before the show, and I just.
The object so funny, the objects.
Of that made it look as if I've got him is like my errand boy, and that is so far from the truth. It just it looked bad. And you know, thank you John for actually, you know, making coffee. It's not gonna next time I need coffee, I'll walk with you to the machine and you'll show me the magic that you that you perform to give me what you've given me, which I would imagine it's not that difficult to do, right.
No, But there are times where even whenever I've done it, the machine just likes to do its own thing, and sometimes the grounds will go all over the place and.
It's a big mess.
Well, I don't want that.
That happened actually a few days ago. I thought it might have happened today. So you just never know, like it just doesn't happen very often, but it's happened more often in the last couple of weeks, and it's ever had.
So you tell me what it is. I'm drinking. This is just straight black coffee into the.
Black coffee, and it's a medium roast, so it's kind of right in the middle, very vanilla.
So when you say roast, is that is the.
Just like the amount of caffeine that's in. That's okay, That's what I was going to ask. So like medium is like medium caffeine level.
Sort of, it's kind of it's kind of confusing. So some people think, and I think I agree with this, that a light roast gives you more of a jolt than a dark roast, okay, And I think it's to do with how long they do something with the beans.
I don't know exactly how it works, but I always do a dark roast now for every cup of coffee because I drink it so frequently, because it's a lower caffeine kick whenever you do the dark roast, and just better to do if you drink it, you know, all the time, like I do.
So I don't I don't like the taste, but I don't. It doesn't keep me, you know, it's it's not bad to where I'm like, Nope, can't do it. But you know, some people drink it for the taste. Are you Are you one of those people? Or is it more have you acquired?
Like it's definitely acquired because whenever I first started drinking coffee, the main reason I liked it was because I wanted a warm drink. And I still like that aspect of it. But the more that I drank it, the more I like the taste of it.
Yeah, And that's I mean.
And know everybody wants to be a bad ass beer drinker. I have no problem in admitting it, and I think most people, if they're honest, would admit the same thing. The first time you try to beer, rather it be a hipster ipa or the lightest beer you can get, like a bud light, you didn't like it like beer, like I love cold beer. Gonna have many this weekend, like I love. I mean, it's you know, I don't want to sound like a like it's a huge part of my life, but like you know, it's I'm gonna
go grab it. I like watching sports drinking beer when I go out to dinner, I get a beer with my meal, and I've acquired the taste for it. But like, I get why anybody who doesn't drink it regularly would drink it and say, yeah, this isn't you know, this isn't real, Like this isn't tasty, you know what I'm saying. But yet it's just become normal for me to just you know, I'm watching a game, let me go grab a cold beer, and I do to the point now where I'm like, man, that's you know, I enjoy it.
But it was an acquired thing. I think that's probably the case for most people with coffee, right.
Yeah, And I think another additional thing that really kind of can entice someone to drink a cup of coffee as the smell, especially if you've got a good flavored coffee.
Yeah.
So like I bet iced coffee with all that mocha Chino, I've never had any. Yeah, and I don't like, to me, that's just fufoo and that's expensive and it's not like when it comes to like drinking something for taste, I'm pretty basic. Like if I really just am craving something for a drink, it's usually honestly.
Like a sprite or like a diet coke.
Like I know, when I drink water, it's rarely that I'm chugging water because I'm thirsty. It's because I realized the importance of like hydration or like I just got done running or something like that. So, yeah, coffee, I can't see it ever being something that's like a huge part of you know, my afternoon or morning, you know whatever.
But you know, didn't you try to make yourself a cup of coffee at the old studio. I think you've told me this story before, but like you just couldn't figure it out, and so you just maybe I'm wrong.
No, what happened there is I used to fill up this, Uh. I used to fill up this this big like thermous type of you know, mug thing, if that makes sense, like a big water. And uh, I didn't realize, Like long story short, the same water you like make coffee in, the same thing you make coffee in.
It is the same thing we.
Get water from at the old place, Okay, And I didn't realize it was turned to hot still from coffee and I and because this is like something where it stays cold like to the touch of my of what I was holding it didn't I didn't know if it was hot or cold. But then I took a drink of it and it was nearly burned my mouth off. So that was my experience when like understanding like how the whole coffee thing works. But this cup that you've made me is good and it's given me a nice
little kick and I needed it. I uh, when I tell you guys that I'm kind of an adult, kind of not, it's it's just not. I mean again, why would that make me look good? It makes me look like an idiot. But at least I'm transparent with you. I gave I didn't give blood today because I donated it. I could lie to you and say that I just decided to go donate blood to be a good human.
I had to get blood work done today and it was the once every six months I get like four or five of those big tubes of blood taken from me. That's different than I think the typical lab work that I have to get from time to time. And it's been a while since it happened, and it was it was it was frustrat reading. So I went to my dermatologist and they have the ability to like take blood.
I mean, I'm just.
Gonna give you a full story here, because I'm just gonna be honest. I went to the for my check in today and they have to check my blood at a level that is, I guess, a little bit more of an extensive look and a check up before they can give me medication that I need.
So I go there.
It's it's been years since we've been on this whole, this whole you know, arrangement, if you want to call it that, to where I really don't even need to have a big long talk with my doctor, my dermatologist. It's more of like, hey, you know, things are still going well, medicine's working and you know, good to see you. So then he says they're gonna come in and they're gonna poke you. And what he means by that is
they're going to take blood. Well, you know, I don't know if the people that work at the dermatologists are a flambotanist or not, but they've taken my blood before and it's worked. Then they've sent me elsewhere to do it before, and I never really knew why. So today, you know, after I had a no joke thirty second conversation. Once I left the waiting room and went back to the you know, to the actual room where the derma child just came in. We did our Hey, how you doing.
How was your summer? Things are still good, the medicine's working. And then he said, good to see you. You're looking good, and you know, we'll have him come in poke and you'll be good to go and we'll see you in six months. That was the conversation. Took thirty seconds max. So then the lady comes in and she walks in the door and says, do you have big veins? And I didn't never been asked that before. Little intimidated, I
don't know my veins are big or not. Lady, I mean you take a look, so I said, I told her straight up, I'm not sure. She looked at me kind of concerned, like what do you mean you don't know, and I'm like, I don't know, never had a problem before. So she ends up trying to get blood from my right arm, and she didn't. She struggled, and she was like not confident. While she's doing it, she's kind of jabbing me, and then she's like, we're gonna try this
other arm. So you know, she apologizes, then she tries another one, but then she kind of backed out, didn't say anything, and then I got too like those cotton swabs you know what I'm talking about, Yeah, what you're talking about, like taped on my on my arm where you know you would take blood, like you know, you know, right where your arm creases. And I don't watch when I get blood because I don't like to see it. I don't like to see a needle go in me,
like I just can't see it. So she struggled so badly the first time. I felt like she got enough. But turns out she didn't get anything, but I didn't know because I wasn't looking. So they jabbed both my arms. And then a different woman comes in, hands me a piece of paper and says, you could take this to any lab corp any You can actually go across the street because there's a hospital a cross the street from
from from their office. And I said, I gotta get blood work twice today and she's like, no, she didn't get anything. And I said, oh, okay, so I saw so I said, so I have to go elsewhere to get blood work done. I can't get it done here She's like, no, we tried and we couldn't do it. And I'm like, okay, well my blood work is going to depend upon me getting medication that I need if she if they if she couldn't get blood, like is
there something wrong? Like I don't want to go over here to this hospital and them not be able to get blood either, and them jab me up too. I didn't say that, but I just asked the question directly. If she couldn't get blood, do you think they're going to have an issue? And she was real defensive, like well, we're not flumbotanists. That's their job, so they'll be able to do it. And I'm looking at her like what,
like then, why would you Why would you try? If you're telling me you're qualified to do so, why did you try to take blood for me and fail miserably getting nothing and jab up both my arms. I didn't say that, but I had to look on my face and I said so, like do I need to come
back here afterwards? She's like no, we'll get a report of it whenever they when they submit it, and I'm just kind of looking around like I feel like I'm in a Seinfeld episode, like wait, a second, like, if you're telling me you couldn't get blood but it wasn't your fault because you're not a flambotanist, then why did you try? And I overheard my dermatologist, whom I it's
some drama here. My main physician has told me for the last two times i've seen her that I need to go to a different dermatologist because I don't know if she's got beef with my guy. But she's like, nah, he ain't. He ain't looking out for you, bro, Like you got to go to my guy. But I've had this milk. I've had the same dermatologists since I had
this issue, and things have been good. But today, I mean I got like two like I mean, I don't even see it, John, Like I can see that that's yeah, and and it's from when they didn't get blood, and like that terrify And so I overheard, you know once, I was like, I mean, I probably said ten words total, but I was like, so I just looked confused, and her response was more to be defensive, like, well, we're not.
Then why why'd you try to stab me? Why you're telling me you had somebody try to take blood for me that does not know what.
They're doing, like, why would you do that?
So you know, I didn't say that, but then I could hear the woman who, unfortunately, like I had, I had more heat towards the woman who came in and handed me the paper and told me to go next door than I did the woman who failed to get blood out of me. So I could hear her telling the dermatologists like that, I guess she failed again.
I mean she'd say those words and like.
Nobody would face me, nobody would look nobody would look me in the eye on my way out of my dermatologists because they realized that, yeah, that was probably a pretty crappy thing that happened here. To my guy, he's in here to get blood work done. We're not really like, we'll try, but we're not really responsible. So if we can't get blood, we'll just jab you up a little bit then send you next door.
So I was very frustrated.
I go over to the fine folks at you have l Health and I said, I got this paper, I'm not sure if I'm in the right place, and I had a hoodie on. I took my hoodie off, and of course she said, did you just come from over there, and I said, yeah, they they couldn't get blood, and she looked at me like what. So then I take my bandages off to show her both arms jabbed. No blood sample was taken, and she was like, oh my gosh, like what happened? And I'm like, I don't know. And
on one side, it's not as bad. The other side, she said, it looked as if she tried like eight times to get a vein and couldn't do it, and it's the veins right here. And I was like, yeah, I guess because I don't look when people take blood. I don't want to see that. I just don't like to watch that. It, you know, makes me lightheaded, and I don't, you know, I just I'm I'm I don't want to see it. She's like, well that makes little sense, but like I'm not sure what she was trying to do.
And I said, yeah, me neither, lady. I didn't say lady, but I'm just like, yeah, I'm not sure either, and she I mean, I hope no. I mean, all I did was do what they told me to do. I left there because they couldn't take blood. I went across the street to a hospital, they took blood, and they were alarmed by what I showed up as somebody who they're trying to take blood from somebody when they weren't
able to actually do it effectively. And I don't know if somebody's gonna get in trouble or what, but like I was super frustrated about the whole experience.
And then again me not just like you know, my brain didn't work very well.
Like I never thought about it that like taking having a lot of blood taken from you for medical reasons or whatever, like it can make you really tired. I almost fell asleep on the way here today, like not I mean, in which now that I say it out loud, I probably almost passed out dropping.
Yeah, you very well could have.
I don't know if they told you or most whenever you actually donate blood, they and I know that's not what you were doing. Yeah, they normally have like a snack table or something for people afterwards, so they can kind of, you know, get that get their blood sugar back up, whatever it may be. And if you didn't eat nothing and you got rid of a whole bunch of blood, I mean I could you definitely could have passed.
Well, they asked me whenever I showed up to get to the hospital, like to the it's it's the it's it's the it's you of a hospital that's on the off of the Brooks at s off sixty five. Yeah, so they just asked, like, do I usually get lightheaded? And I said no, and I felt fine, like when I honestly, when I left there, I felt okay. It took later in the day for me to realize that I was really like, for some reason, I was unexplainably exhaustible, exhausted.
But the explanation is because I gave up a lot of blood and I hadn't need a whole lot yet.
So I've said I.
Had something to eat for the show, and then John's giving me this coffee. So now I've got this nice kick, this nice boost of energy.
But yeah, just to.
That's I swear my life My life is a Seinfeld episode, I swear. And you know, now I have like full like reason to actually take my physician up on her request, and that is that I go to a different dermatologist, because I mean, do.
You think they knew as you were leaving, like this will be the last time we see him?
I don't.
I have no clue because you know they're going to be fine without me. But I did, for the first time ever in a healthcare type setting, feel as if they knew there was nothing they could say to not make me feel the way I felt about that experience. And I'll just what, I'll what, I what. I come back like again, the woman trying to get blood and not being able to do it is one thing, like that's unfortunate.
It could have been me.
It could have been that I was not hydrated, that I had veins that were tough to get. But then once I showed her my arms she could oh. She's like, oh, you're gonna be good. You got you got veins right here ready for me, and then she still couldn't do it,
Like I felt bad for her. But then the woman to come in and before I could even be like upset that you jabbed me up and you didn't even get blood and now you're telling me I gotta go elsewhere before I can get my medication, Like before I could even like express my frustration with that, she was defensive, like what up, limbotanists, It's not it's not our job, then why are you doing it like, I don't. I don't know what your job as, I don't know what your certifications are.
I was in the waiting room.
I walked back to the room you took me to and you come in and you start shooting jabbing me, Like what do you mean? Am I supposed to check your credentials before you start trying to take my blood? I mean the red flag was when the lady walks in. Do you have big veins?
Lady? I don't know, man, Like, i't know what that was going.
Well, I can only operate on big veins.
I mean, I mean, I mean, first of all, even if I got big veins, small veins, who says that rights? But you know who probably says that somebody that's not you know, actually supposed to be taking blood because they're not a flambotanist. As if like I go to this dermatologist because I've checked the rate of you know, the successful blood that they draw like.
It was it was.
It's quite an experience, but you know, I don't Without this cup of coffee, John, I wouldn't be here right now.
I probably passed out.
I wouldn't know what to do if you passed out here.
It would be something, wouldn't it.
It would be I mean I was gonna say it'd be good content, but no, because I would just be out and there'd be no content to take from it other than people wondering if I'm dead or alive. But anyways, I share experiences in my life from time to time on this show, and I realized, more often than not, they're probably not that interesting, probably not that entertaining. But like today was a day to where I just felt like, wait a second, Like am I on a hidden camera show? Like,
what do you mean I got to go elsewhere? And you're mad that I'm asking that I have to go elsewhere? Whenever you came in, you jabbed me up. What really was to tell, though, is I walked out of that room to go towards like the checkout where you make your next appointment. And then once I realized I didn't get any blood taken from me because they just stabbed me, and I bled like just because they gave me a wound, I took off the bandages and then walked back into
the room and threw them in the trash. While the two ladies and the dermatologists were in another room where they could see me, and they're kind of like, oh my god, this is awkward, you.
Know what I mean?
Like, that's just ya.
I think they I think maybe these people were deep down worried that I don't want to say they were going to have a lawsuit on their hands. But if things went worse than they actually did, maybe that could happen.
Because if I would have said, if it's not your job and you're not a flambotanist, why are you in here trying to take my blood?
Like?
And what would their response be, Well, we get we give it a good old college effort, and if we can get it done, it's great. If not, you know, we'll stab you up and send you next door like that. That's kind of you know, like and I have again like I think I have a very gullible appearance to where like I wouldn't create like if it was somebody like there are people who have no justifiable reason to be jerks and to be a holes to people in healthcare that try to help them.
Right, what you're laughing at.
We got a message that says take your beta veins across the street that we got from a colleague of ours.
That's pretty funny, but like, you know, like I feel like if it was somebody like that, they felt like might have put up a bigger fight. They might have been a little bit more like really sorry. But like for me, they're like, here, take this paper. We can't get your blood, you peasant.
I don't know.
Like, and when I was leaving U of L Health and the people they were like, man, this guy got her.
Like I'm just happy that I get my.
Medicine, that it's going to keep me from looking deformed, and that's the ultimate goal for me. But like overall, now that we're now that I'm you know, on the on the therapist couch again, just kind of sharing my experience, like that kind of sucked.
I can't wait for what the five o'clock hour.
And again John is in the other room, but he can see on a monitor, like you see my arm.
I'm coming in during break to get an actual look at this because it looks especially because you described it perfectly. One arm looks significantly worse than the other. And I've never seen what you're showing the camera.
She was just trying to get a vein and you know, and it's hurting. But I'm thinking, like well, man, this is this is the this is the once every six months where I do have to give a lot of blood, and man, she's this just this is just how it is. And little that I know she never got any blood's looking.
There are certain people who would have reacted to that and probably lost their mind on those people. Yeah, and right, I mean rightfully, so we'll get I shouldn't be doing that.
I think what made me more like just confused and like not really like was that whenever it was.
Over, the fuck you cup blood because I.
Didn't look, and then I find out, oh, we jabbed up both your arms, no blood sample, you gotta go next door. I'm just like what That's when I felt like I was on a hidden camera show or something. All right, let's take a quick break. We'll come back on the other side and bring him in. He's Alex
Cupp or former Louisville cardinal. We'll get his thoughts on what he saw in week one against Austin p and where if there's anything you can actually you know, measure from week one to week two with these kind of these kind of opponents and feel like you're getting better. I feel like I've put the tall task here on Cup, because I feel like we're gonna find out where this team really is once they actually get to a real opponent, which is Georgia Tech.
So stick with us.
It's coffee and Company.
We are fuel about Thorton's right here on Sports Talk seven to ninety. That's right, Coffee and Company fueled by Thornton's right here on Sports Talk seven ninety. You appreciate you guys hanging out with us. Don't forget you could take us with you wherever you go. Listen live on the Aheart Radio app Listen live at seven ninety Louisville dot com.
Let's bring him in.
It's time to talk some Louisville Cardinal football with the former Louisville Cardinal mister Alex Cupper Cup. Let's let's try to go back in time here. Let's say you're walking out of Cardinal Stadium last week after a beatdown against Austin p and I catch you leave it and I say, hey, Cup, can I get a second vibe? Check one word to describe the performance of the Louisville Cardinals. What what word would you use to describe the Davy performance last week?
Ah?
Clean?
I think yeah, you'd say, I mean, if you're being objective.
To everything, I like it clean.
Uh, yeah, they did. They did everything they were supposed to.
Probably wasn't perfect, you know a little more Uh mismatch and and talent and competition level you know reflects the score. But when it comes to going out and and then posting your will on somebody should a lot of times you can find teams sleepwalking and it looks ugly. Then by all means, they played really They played fast and physical, which is what you want. You want to overpower teams that you're supposed to. But I'm sure there was a lot of mental errors and a lot of things to clean up.
So uh, to the to the fans.
Perspective, it was clean, But I'm sure from the team's perspective there's still more to more to get better at, which is which is encouraging.
Tyler Shuck a heck of a debut for him in a cardinal uniform, tied Browning Nagel's touchdown record for Davy performance put up some really good numbers connected with a variety of different guys. Uh, well, you know you have an eye for this more so than most of us as far as just maybe seeing something that we wouldn't see. What stood out to you about Tyler Shuck? I mean, to me, again, your opinion is much more valuable than
mine in this regard. I just felt like he had he had a confidence about himself, not just with his arm, but the way he carried himself. And I think you always want that in your quarterback. A guy that looks very sure of what he's doing out there.
Absolutely, yeah, I'm I mean first person persons. I mean I've seen him in practice, but when you get in, you know, you put on the full game apparel. Just sometimes you're you're kind of taken back a little bit. Just how how the size on him, right, I mean he stays pretty imposing, But overall, I mean, yeah, he's he's a guy that is confident in what he's doing, which is exactly Yeah, that's the number one trait you
want in your quarterback. Yes, you need talent, uh, but you also need to believe in the talent that you have. And so some of those throws you saw him making, and and the creativity he takes to try and get.
Him and move the ball around.
And get the ball out quickly is a big thing that you know, you hear coach brom talk about is getting the ball into playmaker's hands on time inaccurately. I mean, those are things that he was able to do and show that he can do. So it didn't matter, it didn't matter who was who was the you know, the pursuing defense. There was gonna to be yards to be had just based on how he was executing, which is that's very encouraging.
If you look down the road.
As a former offensive lineman, a guy who is a big part of the Louisville offense during your time as a player, I remember I remember just kind of seeing body language not just from you guys in the trenches, but just everybody around a quarterbacks confidence can really be infectious to the entire unit. And you know, it's it's Austin p and they've got Jacksonville State this weekend. So it'll be a little you know, we'll have to wait and see what that kind of stuff looks like when
they get to two more opponents. But I feel like as much as that's a small thing, it is really encouraging because I get the sense that this group as a whole, they feel pretty confident with with Tyler Schuck kind of running the show and Jeff Bron being the guy kind of orchestrating it, calling the plays. Again, it's just one game, but those are little things that stood out to me.
Yes, and you're you're spot on those those sort of things. You just since when you when you feel a quarterback walk into your huddle and you know that you can feel that he knows what he's doing, you can feel that he's ready. You know that he understands what the coach is trying to call and understands what his job. You know what he's going to execute. He just needs the other ten guys in the huddle to do their job.
So when you when you have that play back and forth, it's that's yeah, that's when you can see.
The bounce a.
Little bit and all other position groups.
Rich Rodriguez as the coach of this Jacksonville State team, it is crazy. I mean, he's had a roller coaster of a career since we really got to know a lot about him during his time at West Virginia when
that rivalry was in full flex. I still think that Rich Rod bringing that West Virginia team here back in the fall of two thousand and six, that was the most electric atmosphere I can ever remember for Louisville football from my end, But how wild is it that here we are, you know, nineteen years later and he's bringing back a team that's relatively brand new to the FBS level.
And you know, I don't think Louisvill's on upset alert by any means, but by all accounts, he's proven to be a pretty good ball coach.
Yeah.
I mean, he's very very old school when it comes to his demeanor and his approach when it comes to being you know, more of a rigid, more hard nos you know, discipline, discipline, discipline, those things are needed, but you have to be a little more creative. You can't just be a drill sergeant in this day and age.
And it's changed a lot, hasn't it.
It has changed a ton. You know.
I listened to Pat McFee quite a bit, and he obviously played for Rich Rod at at West Virginia in those years that you speak of. And if some of those stories are like, okay, that all shakes out just based on how he how he portrays himself, you know, to the to the broader audience and in the media and all that. So yeah, I mean, you're gonna you have some hard nose, hard nose cats coming in here Saturday at the very least, So I gonna have to
buckle it up for that on that regard. But yeah, it's Jacksonville State entering into you know, the D one level is is you know, always gonna have challenges.
Yeah, and this line the movement is wild. I'm not surprised in the grand scheme of things now to see Louisville favored by more than four touchdowns, but it opened up it closer to twenty one. A lot of movement, and I think that's understandable. But I still think with Jacksonville'll put it this way just from a fans perspective, and what do I know, but I think you if they didn't have rich Rod as a coach, I'll be honest with you, I'd be looking at it a little
bit differently. Not to say that I think louisll was on upset alert, but he is a guy that you know, I think even his team has to know they've got a coach that has competed at a high level and done a lot of successful things in his time. And I know West Virginia's not on the schedule this weekend. But I got to ask you when you guys went there and won. It was one of the first big wins I remember for Coach Strong. I think they were ranked in the top twenty at the time. You guys
beat him in Morgantown. Andrew Johnson had a big pick six and he blew kisses to the crowd in Morgantown playing in that atmosphere, Like, did you get stuff thrown at you? I've never been to Morgantown, don't plan to go, but it is still to this day by most leivel fans I've ever talked to as the nastiest environment you can go and play in.
Yeah, I mean that is definitely more hostile. I think it's it's a good good environment to play in. And I say that because you really feel that energy and you can feed off of it.
And that's what we did that.
I love you bring it right, Like, hey, we're in a nasty environment. Let's go compete.
You definitely do not want to play an environment that's that is more lax and and like just like okay, you you you put on the performance and and we'll we'll plan on sharing if we like it.
Or not kind of thing. There's there's there are crowds like that. We played in front of them.
So when you when you have that kind of vile energy, it makes it makes things a lot a lot better when you went especially, But.
Yeah, that that was that, and really they were.
They were I think it was like twenty third, twenty second ranked team at the time, but they finished I mean they ended up finishing.
Uh yeah, Geno Smith's year. They I mean they were.
They went to the Orange Bowl beat the absolute breaks off of Clemson, taj Boyd and Clemson. That's what, right people.
Thing happened, wasn't it.
Yeah?
Oh yeah, Clemsoning was Clemsoning and they were Yeah, there's this quality, you know, ACC school that's so perennial and they can light up scoreboard and GINO and and TV. I think Tavon Austin was on that team. Steven Bailey definitely was.
Do you remember the score of that game? I just looked it up game with no No Clemson.
And they put seventy on.
Them, seventy seventy to thirty three.
That is I mean, I would have never remembered that until you said it, but I do remember that being like because that's that's a it's a big bowl game.
There, Yeah, Orange Bowl.
Oh yeah, and yeah, I mean that was in per for coach Trong, a coach strong team. That was that was about as close to a shootout as you were going to get. You know, if we we were scoring a bunch of points, typically the other team wasn't scoring a ton of points. So I think it was we it was thirty five thirty something or I forget what the final was against uh, that West Virginia team, but yeah, that was that was a very very pivotal moment. I remember, well, let's.
Get we need to be given the biggies football as the kids say, they're flowers, because that was a heck of a showing from West Virginia in that game. And the next year you guys in the Sugar Bowl taking down that Florida to that this is actually giving me some new life because the ACC I'm not sure what the league can do to get respect cup. I mean, Florida State last year undefeated, and I get why they were left out, even though it is a tough thing to deal with, like I understand it in the grand
scheme of things. And then they come out after feeling disrespected, and this year they've just been a complete mess. You have Virginia Tech losing to Vandy, which is a really bad look from a player's perspective. And I know a lot has changed since you play. Not to make you sound like a grandpa, I keep doing that, and I'm sorry you're younger than I am. But like if players, you think they hear that and pay much attention, like
they have to know they can't control it. But like if Lowell wins the ACC this year, and look, they just played in the championship game a year ago, like that's a big deal. And yet because of social media, just because of the new cycle and what it is, everybody having a platform. I just, you know, I just wish there was something that could be done to where it wouldn't be looked at as if it's not such a big accompt much man, And I'm getting ahead of myself.
Who knows if, look, they're going to do it or not. But when you look at the league and you see how you know, Miami looks really good. Florida State again, they don't have to play them in the regular season, have a hard time thinking they're going to see them in the chamionship if they get there. Obviously Clemson, I think that was more to do with Georgia than anything else. But I just wish the ACC could get a little.
Bit more love.
And yet here we are going back down memory lane and the big issues to get crapped on. But when they had a chance, more often than not, I feel like they did kind of punch up and say hey, we're here too.
Yeah.
No, I mean you definitely have to take that underdog mentality and have the conference collectively do that and have the kids on those teams, you know, want to show up and and and show.
You know, everyone that it's got to get a good chip, right.
Yeah, you got you gotta put that chip on your So you should have that no matter what. You can't can't lose that even when you even when you get up there with the with those programs that you mentioned. Uh, but it's unfortunate because it's I mean, you only have two times a year you can really prove it ones that in the opening weekends where you have these big matchups cross conference. So you but you're usually trying to iron things out and you might be on the road
in a hostile environment trying to do it. So a Notre Dame, for example, took took that and made it that made it the most beneficial going into an m But then you got Clemson that rolled into Atlanta and got stomped. So the other time to do it is in bowl games, and we all know what happens when it's not a bowl game that matters. So you you got to show up in the postseason essentially and beat some of these cross conferences to earn that respect.
And you know the a SEC.
Has not put that put that in our wheelhouse the pastoral years.
Former little of Cardinal Alex Cuppers, our guest joining us here on Sports Talk seven ninety just, uh, some some any big takeaways from the first week of action. I know we've had technically two weeks with week zero, but you know, any any real big, any real big surprises for you as far as you know the big games it was. I mean USC, I didn't expect them to knock off l s U. Doesn't make Louis of Us lost to them last year seem as add even though
you know it was a season ago. You talked about Notre Dame and that obviously sets up to where if they take care of business is going to be a lot on the line for the Cards when they go up to South Bend. But just any any big takeaways from the first week of action.
I no, I mean, I think I think Notre Dame that that was that was extremely impressive. When you think about how many young guys they had starting on both sides of the ball. I mean that the defense definitely has way more perennial, uh, you know, all American type talent, So watching them show up and really own that game was wasn't as shocking. But you know, having having youngsters step into that environment and perform like they did, that's that speaks a lot of I mean, that's that's a big,
very quality win. And with their schedule shaving, I mean, I would I would assume they're going to be undefeated when we walk up in there, and that'll be probably a top five team at that point. So that's a huge opportunity when you think about it from Louisville's perspective.
But yeah, all the all the pieces other than Clemson trying to trying to take shape on our schedule and you know, put put some quality opponent, you know, make making sure those opponents you know, stay stay on that echelon and don't slip like the Georgia Techs.
Of the world.
And you know, Kentucky's always going to be tough, and it has been tough for us to play. So there's a lot of good challenges for this football team I see, which is probably the most encouraging when you think about opportunity to make a statement, Like we just talked about Cup.
You are the man.
Appreciate you who is always making time for us. Let's hope the Cards get to two and zero after this week and we'll do it again next week.
Brother, let's do it.
Take care.
It's Alex Cupper, former little of Card and will always appreciate him making time for us.
Good stuff.
Let's take a quick time out. We'll come back on the other side. Wrap of the four o'clock hour. Keep this thing rolling along. A lot of people concerned about my dermatologists after me sharing probably a little tam I, but hey, if anything, I'm an open book. It's Coffee and Company we are feel about Thorton's right here on Sports Talk seven ninety.
That's right, Coffee and Company.
Are rolling along here on a Thursday afternoon, the NFL season is here.
I mean it hasn't happened. Yeah, we gotta wait a few hours.
But chiefs Ravens no better way to kick off the NFL season in my opinion, And yes I'm a little biased, but anxious to see Lamar in action tonight and I have decided to get in on some wagers when it comes to Lamar and specifically what he's going to do tonight statistically, as well as some others. We'll talk about that in the five o'clock hour. But again, the NFL season's here. College football has been here, and it's the
best time of the year. I'm seeing some friends of mine on social media share sadness that summer's over, and I just can't relate. Man, this is this. I mean, summer ending is a good thing for me. But again, everybody's different, right. People get sad and they get seasonal depression. My seasonal depression actually kicks him when he gets nice outside. That's how twisted. How to a twisted I am.
I don't think it's that twisted.
Yeah, it is mostly just due to like what's going on. It's not about like you know, I want darkness and gloom. But I also don't mind dark, darkness and gloom.
You know what I mean?
Like I love winter weather, I mean the fall I've yeah, I mean some people. In fact, a lot of people love summer. Some people hate summer, spring is whatever. But like, who doesn't like fall? Like falls beautiful? Yes, I mean it's you got hoodie season. It's not too hot, not too cold, you get the good smells, you get the beautiful trees like. And fall isn't here yet, but it's on its way. And football season starting is a good reminder of that.
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com for more information. All right, we got another hour to go and we're gonna have some fun here. It's a Thursday edition of Coffee and Company. We are fueled bout Thornton's right here on Sports Talk seven ninety