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do anything offensively and they beat Texas. So my big takeaway on this was Carson Beck is no longer a first round quarterback.
Like it's just not it is can't drag it is he a second day quarterback?
I wrote down here, so it was twenty three of four forty one. This is what Georgia talent, no touchdown, three picks. I wrote down top of third round. I mean when I watched him, I'm like, he feels he feels like a third round pick. Georgia actually was decent on third down, but they only had fourteen first downs.
Go to Austin and double the Longhorns. But quinn Ewers, Now, Texas couldn't run the ball at all, and they almost felt I will say this, Georgia has been in so many of these big games over the last six years. Georgia was totally ready for the moment. Texas has been in about three of these. Two or three was sark. I don't think they were ready. They were atrocious on third down. They couldn't run the football. A quinn Ewers, I thought. I still think because of his arm, he'll
get drafted somewhere in the first round. Somebody will think they can solve him.
But I kind of.
I mean, Texas average with the best offensive line in college football three point four yards of play when I watched that game, and by the way, outside, I mean, Oregon had two bad games and one. Ohio State lost, but I didn't think played poorly. Bamas had a stinker, George's had a stinker. Texas has had a stinker. This is why I have a twelve game playoff.
This is I mean.
I think Ohio State to me is the most consistently good team, whereas Oregon got Ohio State at home. You gotta be careful label terrible against Boise State and terrible against Idaho. I kind of look at this Texas game and I think this is just one of those games that Georgia's been in. I mean, it's just they've been in this game six years, probably three games a year like this.
I thought it was a personality game. And I've been I've been critical over when it comes to Sark over the years, but I've slowly come around. He's clearly an excellent play caller. I saw him live. He's brilliant at that. It's clear how hard he recruits and how much passion he puts inside this program. But at the end of the day, he's a quarterback, right, That's who he is at his core. And Kirby Smart is Saban's mentee, and he's a crazy ass defensive guy. Like at his core,
he's a crazy defensive guy. I mean, we've seen it on the sideline, but he's a former safety. He's a tough guy. And usually quarterbacks like they're just not super angry all the time. Sarks more intellectual, always more offense. This was a game and Kirby said it after the game, like we didn't come here to take pictures and do all the superstar bs. Well, what happened in that game? It was all about the line of scrimmage. What Texas actually has, you know, supposedly a bunch of NFL guys.
They had seven sacks and it felt like they had twenty five pressures and that can you imagine how on edge Kirby was all week with just the defensive side of the ball and the way you can't to me, you can't manipulate that stuff. I've been in these buildings, like the head coaches personnel, it is what it is. You either have the crazy listen. Andy's not like, you know, coming with an iron fist on everybody, but he does
create toughness with the way he practices. So the offensive guys historically, you know Lincoln laying that they're just not not doing Oklahoma drills like at the at a moment's notice, the Saban types, the Kirby types will just blow a whistle. Maybe not as much anymore, but that personality of a practice. You can't fake that stuff. And you could tell from the jump you're like Georgia is out for blood. Yeah,
this is a team. All they've heard about is everyone put in Texas who's new to the SEC and they they run it now and Kirby looks around and goes, that is not happening on my watch. And they came. They destroyed them upfront. I mean that Walker kid, I mean he had three sacks. He was all over the backfield. But they have seven sacks. And even Arch came in.
You could tell I was listen. I had money on Georgia, but I then started feeling I was rooting for Arch and right away I'm like, hey, he looks a little overwhelmed because this is a lot and Quinn, you Weres just isn't good enough to me. Carson back is a third day pick, and I don't you know, part of a quarterback is the character and stuff. I know nothing about that, but just as a player, yeah, I just
don't think he's that good. Same but Kirby smart would go, I've won national championships with third day picks before you ever heard sets of Benett and went back to backs with that guy. Yeah, so I'm the Sabans and him are comfortable playing with that. Or if you look at Sark, what did they have invested in their quarterback room between the two guys, you wers in Arch five million dollars. Yeah,
you know, I mean whatever they're paying Carson back. Kirby's like, yeah, that's probably too much because he wants to run the ball and play defense.
Yeah.
I did think though, because of the twelve team playoff, it was the way tex Starks team's good.
I don't think Texas sucks by any means, Like, I just think that was the overwhelming performance. George is probably beating everybody in the country.
And I think it's how Texas had to lose to win a national championship. Because this Texas team is so pretty and so talented quarterback and so big.
They they win the hotel lobby. I mean, you come out at midfield, You're like, these guys don't look like.
A call live two weeks ago. They look remarkable at every position.
Yeah, and it's like, oh no, now, last year before the twelve team playoff, you don't want to lose like this in college football. I mean, that'll take you from one to four and all of a sudden, you get to an overtime game against you know, some other team and it's but that's how the new college football john with a twelve team playoff. If you want to win a Natty, you need to get your butt handed to
you once a year. And because these two teams there's a better than fifty percent chance they'll play again, and the final four in the final, right right, So it's like to me, as I watched it, I thought, Okay, if Texas outplayed them and lost, it would be hard to go back and say, hey, guys, you got to play a perfect game. Texas was Hugh milliated at home, and I mean, I'm writing down these numbers. They were two for fifteen on third down, they had twenty nine
rushing yards. They got their butt hand to do him at home. And my take was, in a weird way, we've talked about March madness before. These Kansas teams. You know, you'll play a really good team out of conference, and it's like, no, it's okay to get your butt handed in December, because in March you can put the tape back into your team and say, remember this team that knocked you out.
But the one thing in March madness, that's a good example. What's his name? Bennett just retired in Virginia and he had that historic loss in the first round, and obviously, like any great coach, if you go tournament enough, you're gonna have some awful losses because only one game and anything can happen.
Yeah.
Well, my take is really on both these two teams, and to me, if Georgia's defense plays like that, they would be hard for anyone to beat because upfront they just smother you. But both quarterbacks, if you're playing another good team, could lose to anybody because yours when he's bad, feel he just felt awful, Like it felt like unplayable. I mean, everyone was thinking it on their couch, like Sark, you got to go to the bullpen. It was that clear to him, which could not have been an easy
thing to do. Now, granted it's it's a unique situation with Archie's not like your typical high recruit because he goes right back to yours. But he had no choice, like he was playing a losing football game. Carson Beck kind of was too so in these big games against other good teams, like you could lose it. Will Howard actually not watching that game against Oregon, you know, I
don't see how he could. Yeah, I thought though too, but like what if he has a bad game, like all these teams, we'll see Dylan Gabriel, who's probably you know, has the best statistics of all these guys, but like you don't have the faith like a Joe Burrow, right or one of those level guys that like, no matter what, he's going to make a play at any moment in the in the final eight, the final four, these guys could have a bad game and it could cost their team.
I'm not confident in any of these teams, Like I think they're all going to be there. It's pretty clear who's going to be the last six to seven teams stand in right now, right who the best teams are Oregon obviously, Georgia, Texas, Ohio State, like and then a couple more we could nitpick from like five or six. Maybe their quarterbacks even Tennessee, like their quarterback at any moment could throw the game, like all the Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen. That is not the version of
guy Chador I would have the most confidence. But they blew that Kansas State game, They're probably not going to get in. Their team wouldn't be good enough, like they'd have no chance to block Tennessee or Georgia. But like, if you put Shador like the way he's playing on one of these teams, I would have a lot more confidence. I can't just with a straight face pick Georgia to win the Natty. I don't trust the quarterback Quinn Yours like, I don't think he's that good. Yeah, right, well, Howard.
I will find out as the season goes on. Aller made some great plays against USC, but he's got to do it against you know, he's got to do it more than one time. He's only done it one time in his career. So I think that's the biggest question mark. You know with all the top teams in college football is like their quarterback, do they get overwhelmed in a game? Throw three or four? Both those quarterbacks could have thrown like five picks each. I mean their balls were bouncing
off the other color jersey countless times. They looked overwhelmed. They really did, even Carson Beck, who was just I had someone text me that he's like, I don't remember a guy because there was lot of media hype, but the NFL hype, yes he's a first roundn't remember a guy losing millions this fast. I mean, it's we're not even to Halloween, and everyone's like, oh, can't draft this guy high.
So I want to talk USC, even though they are a losing team they're now three and four, because here's what is remarkable, and I think it's worth six or seven minutes with us because you know, people know I follow him. So Billy Edwards from Maryland's not a great college quarterback. They were two for thirteen on third down, they had fifty six yards rushing, and Maryland beat USC. And USC has led every game, most of them late because they are so egregiously bad on the offensive line
and so young. They can't like, they can't put together like a twelve play drive to seal wins. They had Penn State beat, they had Maryland beat, they had Minnesota. They never felt like they were in control it. But it's interesting about this is that I was talking to somebody very close to USC and he said, listen, he's got a Jimbo Fisher deal us. He's not writing seventy million dollar checks and they're not getting rid of him.
But there's been this feeling since he's been there in the administration that he has a lot more control over USC than USC has over him. In fact, they're building this big facility now three hundred million dollars because it's in his contract and if they don't build it, he can leave. But it is interesting. I actually think they have some really really good line talent. They're just all red shirting and they're young. But what's happening with us,
he's fascinating. They're not recruiting California. If you go look at.
The rivals, take rivals for instance, or.
On three these recruiting sites, and you go to the top forty players in southern California in this class, I've got like three guys. It's like Bama, Oregon, Bama, Ohio State, Oregon, A and M and M Louisville, Alabama. And there is something about college football. It's very territorial. John, you can lose. But if you're not in Ohio State, you just have to take a three star linebacker occasionally because he's an Ohio kid. You just have to do it. You got
to take the tight end who's a three star. He's from a big high school program. Locally, there may be a three star Florida kid, but you're going to have to do certain things. You know, Ohio is proud of Ohio. LA is very transient, doesn't really care about that. But I'm hearing it now from two and three different people, like he's just not connecting with LA coaches, And it's like, can you imagine Kirby Smart doing most of his recruiting in Texas? Like there is something about Lincoln there's this
sense that he's aloof He's not necessarily relatable. He can be off putting. He you know, he just it's not just the losing. Once you start losing, people put a microscope on your program. Now you have losing. He's not really going. He doesn't wow boosters right, Like that was the undoing for Chip Kelly. You're not winning and you don't take care of the donors and boosters. Do you think today, if USC he could just go, we're starting over.
Well, I think they both want a divorce. Like to me, Lincoln Fields has always felt, and I've said this to you from the beginning, regions and where you're from matters in college football does not matter in the pros, and in college football just does because recruiting your region, especially when it's in southern California. When a ton of good players come from matters well, who could relate Pete Carroll? Why he's a California guy?
Right?
I mean, you look at the best coaches over the last I don't know, several decades on the West coast, Jeff Tedford, where's he from California? Chris Peterson, where'd he coach? Boise State? Washington? Where'd he grow up? California? Went to UC Davis. Mike Pilatti, where is he from? West coast? Chip Kelly? There are outliers Urban went to the south. Chip Kelly, who's the northeast, came to Oregon. But I think for Kirby Smart, like why does he work in the seas? I wonder? You know Nick sab in West
Virginia to me, pretty similar. There's a lot of success. You see it right now with Debor, He's gonna get a lot of heat. He's not one of theirs. And I think the USC thing, Colin, they're one and four in the Big ten. It's to me the Penn State thing. That's an awful tough loss to take, but it's still Penn State. They're really good. When you start losing the Minnesota in Maryland, especially the way the stat I was
gonna read it to you. They've, like you said, they've held a lead in all in every game they've played this year, and over the last twenty years, two hundred teams have had a fourth quarter lead in all of their first seven games. Only one other team during that span has had a losing record, So they're like a statistical anomaly to lose all these games. Yesterday was insane. I mean they're up twenty eight to fourteen in the
fourth quarter. I mean, how does that it just? And this gets back to like Sark has way better talent, but you can't fake being a tough guy in football when you're not. Like Dan Campbell's a tough guy, the Hardball Brother tough guys, Tomlin's a tough guy. Rabel's a tough guy. Belichick could manipulate it, like through mind games
and the type guys he surrounded himself with. I'm not saying he's gonna win a fistfight, but you'd also say Belichick's pretty mentally tough, right, I mean, he's not easy to break. And I just think I look at Lincoln and I go, I just don't see a tough guy. And they've gotten into these spots, especially on the road. These are not You're not going to Oregon State, right or Arizona State where it's an easy flight. These are a long hour. How long is the flight to Maryland?
It's a five hour flight? Yeah, right, You going to Minnesota that's probably four and a half hours. These are tough travels and they just mentally crumble. And I never thought one. I thought he was really good coach, so I understood why they wanted him. LSU wanted him to They gave one hundred and twenty mins.
Still think he's a very clever schemer and play designer.
But it's just like they need they need a defensive coordinator. And it's not like he has this long list of guys. Because the Leech guys think of his the tree that he comes from, it's kind of a it's not a tree that produces many tough, physical football teams. That's not like his ethos as a football guy, right, the Mike Leach, the way he wants to play, He'd ideally like to win forty five to thirty eight. That's I mean, that's how he had a lot of success in Oklahoma with
the Baker teams. They were scoring a ton of points. But Colin, they're their schedule is not crazy hard. But you go like seven and five, seven and five, this is.
Year three they had him. They have two playable offensive tackles in the program.
Him and Brian Kelly got hired the same year, right year three, And we talked about this when they got in a little scuffle about him wanting to cancel the game. He ended up beating them. But what has transpired since you watch Brian Kelly's team, Like, are is LSU going to the playoffs? Probably? I mean, they might check their schedule and they're getting better and better and he's playing they're both playing nuss Meyer and Miller Moss. It's not
like he's got Jayden Daniels and Kayleb Williams anymore. And I don't know, man, I think you go back. Let's just look at those two. Brian Kelly has a long resume. You could put him anywhere and he'll figure it out. Lincoln did inherit Oklahoma, which at the time was humming. I mean, they were a lot like Chip Kelly in Oregon. It wasn't top two every year, but they were top eighteen fifteen every year. You just had to take that
next step. That's an easier thing to do than just, hey, here's a shit sandwich, Nick Saban, what Brian Kelly get me? Just eleven wins every year? That's really difficult and normally what urban can do, there's a short list of guys that can do that. Even though if Lincoln's a really good coach, I just think he fits more. I don't know, like some Big twelve team. I just think that's the way he wants to play. This Big ten has been very, very difficult on him. And it's way harder travel Like
they're like traveling like NFL teams. Yeah, conference play, you're flying four hours, five hours. That never happened in the history of these programs.
Also, he's getting it's late October, he's getting weather breaks. Minnesota was warm, little windy Maryland weather was good. There's gonna be years where it's snow like when you go to the They have one playable running back, like in a big spot, a guy you would trust with the ball. They have two playable offensive tackles. We're three years in, they're nil is thirteen million a year.
Now.
It's not Oregon or Georgia or Texas, but it's in the Ohio State Room. It's about thirteen. I was telling somebody this weekend, who's really close. I said, there's three or four positions you buy in the nil quarterback, left tackle, edge rusher. You'll find receivers. I mean, they have an okay quarterback, left tackle, they're playing a freshman. They don't have an elite edge rusher. It's like Lincoln, don't buy corners. You know, this is La. People run. You can get backs, corners, receiver,
you can get those guys. You don't pay tight ends in the transfer portal. You don't pay guards and the transfer portal. You know they have an offensive and a defensive lineman from Wyoming and both start. It's like, what are we doing here?
I know times are a lot different than you know the HEYDAFP Carroll, But when I close my eyes and I think of those rosters, and when I got to college and they started really taking off the base of the squad. And this is what you opened up saying, was all southern California, LA and San Diego. They're best players.
And then because he was such a great recruiter, he'd go get a Joe McKnight from Louisiana this guy from New Jersey, he'd nitpick, and I get the recruiting world's changed, But to me, how do they build momentum in recruiting if he's not mister pizazz like, so that's not his thing. Their team's not as good Oregon, Ohio State, I mean Alabama in Oklahoma and these other programs for years have been coming into Southern California as USC has kind of
you know, been in the middle ground. Not you see the numbers that Clay Helton through his first thirty four games, and Lincoln Riley he has a better record. I just think this thing is headed toward now. There's so much money in the line. I don't know why if Lincoln like why you just give a divorce. But he's got to be kind of miserable. This can't be a natural fit living on the beach, like he does not feel
like that guy he did. I think Lane would have no problem doing it again, like it's yeah, this is not it does not feel when you look at Lincoln Riley the comfortability in the colors and the clothes, and it's obviously not working because one in four in the Big Ten. It's one thing if you had lost to Ohio State, Penn State. I mean they are losing too awful teams like Maryland just should never have won that game.
Ever, Dormy don't have just how many players.
You do you? I mean, do you think that there's a divorce and in here or no?
I think I think they have he'll. I think Jen Cohen the ad is gonna She's gonna stay with him, but it gives her a lot of time.
I'm not saying they fire him, but I'm saying, do you think Lincoln's happy? Like, do you think this is just like this is this isn't working? So is this one of these things that does he even want to do this? Yeah?
I think they're losing close and the team is so young offensively, I think he can rationalize the losses and say we bring everybody back except a running back and a center, and I do think they'll be better next year. I just think I can assure you Jen Con and the administration of the Boosters. They didn't think they were winning a Natty, but this has been.
Didn't think they were going seven and five either.
Five and seven. Just keep your fingers crossed.
John Middelkoff, former NFL scout three and out to his podcast Good See Anybody, See You Colin.
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