Wait, hell, look, challenge for an issue? Then I didn't it that that's going to be a battle. Looking forward to it, looking forward to watching that Michigan will take on Washington this week. What does m miss you need to do to at least hang with Oregon?
Well, I can tell you what they need to not do, and we all know what that is. Right. You can't turn the ball over. And you could say that about any football game, but this team in particular. Too many turnovers. Man.
Yeah, what you could do is you could say take care of the ball. Yeah, you know how you always tell us in when we look in the eight o'clock hour, and you always bring us the daily wager, and you always say, if you don't want it, if you don't want to take my advice, bet against me. You can do the other way too, right, That's how I look at it with Michigan State. Instead of saying what they can't do is turn the ball over, well, just say I'll take care of the football. I'd love to see
him take care of the football. The other thing I'd like to do to see them do and this is not going to be good, right. Gabriel's really good as a quarterback for Oregon. How about getting off the field. Like, I don't expect Michigan State to score out every possession, but what was Ohio State eight for seventeen on third downs Trent eight for flipping seventeen That that cannot happen,
just can't. So too many turnovers. Yes, as I mentioned, they've got thirteen turns, five fumbles, eight picks in five games.
And the picks is really what it's. I mean, fumbles can be a little fluky, and you and I have talked about how picks can be fluky at times too right, it hit some receiver in the chest or something like that. But with Child specifically, what you're looking at is those interception numbers. You want to see a clean game tonight.
I think some well, yes, one hundred percent. I believe it was Brian Lindgren. They're off some coordinator who said this though he felt I don't know if it was the turning point, but I do remember him saying after the game that the crusher for his team was they're getting into the red zone and they fumbled twice. I know they can be fluky, but those were huge against Ohio State.
They were that was I mean, the Jack velling one in particular inside the five. Yeah, I mean that's a killer. Yeah.
Now the reason I say that about get off the field and Ohio State eight for seventeen is the number I recall and I just looked it up and yes that is correct. Is that Oregon they don't give up a lot of points. Okay, look at their schedule, whatever you want to bottom line is numbers oftentimes can matter. Okay, look at their numbers for Oregon and their defense. Look at what they do. There's a reason the ranks sixth
in the country. Okay, Yes, they weren't great against Idaho, high scoring, but close game against Boise State and then an absolute ass kicking of Oregon State before doing the same to UCLA. And I know we don't respect UCLA all that much, but well we don't know the the Oregon State. The Oregon State thing is what do we always say, Oh, rivalry games, anything can happen. Well, nothing happened for the Beavers in that game. This one might be personal for Jonathan Smith, and I think it will be.
He won't let that get in the way because you know, his his alma mater was embarrassed by Oregon. A couple of weeks ago, and he knows this rivalry well right.
Right, and you carry that hatred with you. I mean, you're not going to like imagine Ryan day someday is coaching in the ACC. Is is he gonna hate Michigan any less than he does? Now?
I wouldn't think so, right, you know, Ryan Dayton played Ohio State. But yes, you're right. I mean he has developed that hatred, right, Jonathan Smith, it'll get there for him right now. You can't blame him if that is aimed at Oregon without letting that seep in too much. Right, But the Ducks only allow nineteen points a game, Trent, they only allow two hundred and sixty seven yards per game. It's gonna be tough to move the football on them. So when I say get off the damn field, make
sure the defense gets off the damn field. I mean that because I think it's a key. I think it's really important. You want to possess the football, and if it doesn't end in points, so be it. Possess the football a little bit, make them work. And I remember we're talking about staying in the game, We're not talking about necessarily winning the game.
That's the thing. You want to be competitive, and how do you hang with a team like Oregon. You move the football a little bit, you make them punt a few times, right.
Field position, right field position.
Game decision making with the coaching staff, all these things, play calling, pace of the game. It's gonna be a hostile environment. You know that, and I have no doubt that Jonathan Smith has prepared them for that.
But yeah, it's Look, it's not gonna be any Oregon's not gonna be any worse than playing at Penn State. It's not gonna be any worse than playing at Ohio State. I'm convinced those two teams. Quite honestly, I think Washington is louder than Oregon. I honestly believe. I mean, you're talking about the Big Ten. I think when when you play at Penn State, I think it's the loudest stadium in the Big Ten. And I think Ohio State's next. What comes after that, I don't know, to be honest
with you, Penn State's not one. You're exactly right, Yeah, Wisconsin can get a little out, so I don't think. I don't think that has much to do with it. I think you bring up a really good point coaching decisions when it's fourth and three or fourth and two at your own forty eight and people are screaming, people in Spartan gear are screaming, go for it. My hope is he punts that sucker away.
And I think after the Ohio State game, because we all know what happened on the first drive of that game, I think he will if that's the case tonight. So something to watch for sure.
Yeah, I think you've you've got to play and look, Jonathan Smith's alive. All that's smarter than I am. I just think when it comes to this, these types of games against these superior talented teams, so they are, you've got to admit that for sure.
I think what you're getting to is your margin of error is razor thin.
Absolutely. Yeah, Ohio State was superior. They're the number three team in the country, but Michigan State moved the football on them, which was really impressive. But you've got to be able to You've got to be able to say to yourself, the ego's got to be set aside for a minute. The bravado has to be set aside for a moment. Yeah, we all want to stick our chest down and go, damn it, I'm going forward on fourth down. Yeah, I can do that at a bar with my friends
while watching MSU and hoping for the best. I don't have it. There's no repercussions for me, right.
And you can always like say, well I would have gone for it there. If they don't go for it, or if they go for it and don't get it, you're like, well they're gone for it.
Damn it, Trent, What the hell do they put Jackson job in for? I never would have done that. Hey another round? Here plays? Oh, some more wings for my friends? Please come on, No, no, you don't have to You don't have to do that. Michigan State is going to have to understand and they will understand that you've got to play field position against a team like this that is this talented. They are better than you. Doesn't mean they're going to beat you, but talent wise they are
better than you. Ohio State talent wise better than you. Accept it. We said this about the Tiger series. Houston talent wise better than Detroit, and yet the Tigers advance. Why how they played the game, took the extra base, stole bases, bullpen was dead on, didn't overwork that bullpen, situational hitting, situational baseball allowed them to advance. That's how you win, Okay, that's how you win against teams that
have more talent. And if you can't admit that, if you get well, we won, so we had more talent. Not always the more talented teams don't always win, all right? Did you think the Giants were more talented than an undefeated New England Patriots team with Tom Brady a down?
Hell no? And I'll use the Michigan State example, Michigan State going into the Shoe in twenty fifteen and winning that game with the backup quarterback. It was Michigan State more talented than Ohio State was that day. Of course they weren't.
Right, It's a good example. It's a really good example. Yeah, no, Connor Cook that day? Right? How the hell did you win that game? Coaching decision making? Right? Like we can we get really we try to rally around emotion, and I'm all for it too, and I sports is emotional. You and I get emotional about a lot of different things when it comes to our favorite teams. But it
only takes you so far. You guys like Ray Lewis coming out and dancing and doing the slide step, you know, and Lebron James puffing up all that baby powder just before the game. It only lasts a little bit of time.
Man, It's like a shot of adrenaline. It only works for you know. I mean, yeah, game is a yeah.
Eventually, somebody's gonna punch you in the nose. How are you gonna respond to that? I saw a video clip of Terry Bradshaw talking about frank O Harris. Terry Bradshaw got body slammed by Hollywood Henderson on a play that shouldn't happened. I think they were trying to. I think they were blowing a dead or whatever, but he body slammed Terry Bradshaw. Frank O. Harris got in his grill
right away. I mean he was pissed. And Terry Bradshaw said, I've never seen frankele like this because he was a pretty mellow mannered guy, good running back, mellow mannered guy. He goes back to the huddle Frank Co Harris does after putting his finger in Hollywood Henderson's chest and screaming at it, or not even screaming at him, but giving him a stern talking. He goes back in the huddle and he says to Terry Bradshaw, I want the ball.
Give me the ball, Brad. They called him Brad for Bradshaw, give me the ball, Brad, And Terry Bradshaw said Franco never did that, and he ran left guard up the gut and into the end zone and was pretty fired up over it. That emotion worked at that point. Okay, can you carry that type of emotion all the way
into the fourth quarter? It's hard. How many times if you played golf and you've drained a long putt for birdie and you're like, yes, come on, and then you go to the next tea box right shank right, oh, b in in one out and two hitting three right. I mean, those are the those happen. The emotion only lasts so long.
And the intensity it is emotion, I agree with you, but I think it's also intensity and there's a slight difference there. I mean, being able to bring it in the fourth quarter when you're tired and you've been playing all game and you've done it all game that you gotta find that extra gear too, and sometimes just aren't built to do that.
Some teams aren't. You're right, But I think the great athletes are able to do that. They're able to bring it. But Mike Singletary, if you ever watched him play, Mike Singletary the middle linebacker for the Chicago Bears on that eighty five team that I still think is the best defense I've ever seen. Those guys were he was intense on every single snap, But he doesn't always not every single snap because as he's saying, I like that kind of party. I like that kind of party. Bring it.
That's a famous NFL Films clip. It's only so much you can do, right Spencer's Torkosen sliding head first with a run to clear the bases, Thank you, Andy I Banyas with the basses loaded, clearing double sliding into home plate? Is is he going back on the field with that same type of emotion. You've got to bring it down to a certain extent. And I get it. It varies on the sport, right, I understand that, But eventually it's gonna be That's why people talk about momentum, the momentum
shifting and swinging and so on and so forth. Anyway, it's going to be a hell of a challenge from Michigan State. Let's hope they are up to it, because that would be arguably the best win of any Big Ten team this season. You go to Oregon, rank six in the country, having the type of numbers that they boast, and coming off of back to back losses, one of which you could have easily won, the other where you hurt yourself more than anything else, but you still lost
to a better team. You go into Oregon, you go into Eugene and beat that team, I would argue would be the best win of any team in the Big Ten this season, unless unless a team goes in to Columbus and beats Ohio State when they weren't expected to come even close.
Yeah, that's a really good point, because these docs are top ten in the nation for a reason. You're playing on the role you're playing on a Friday night. It's kind of a weird spot. I will say this, This is the last thing I'll say about this game. There will be moments, there will be plays where the Oregon Ducks are going to punch you in the punch you in the mouth. You gotta take it on the chin, right, and you've got to get off the mat. It's gonna
be about how you respond. Right if Michigan State shep you and I have talked, if they're able to stay in the game, stay competitive, That to me, I mean, if you lose to Oregon by three tonight, it'll it'll be gut wrenching, it'll suck for the fans that traveled
out there to go. Yes, but you will be able to come back home and take on Iowa with a little bit of a different mentality, saying, Okay, I know we've lost three in a row, but you know what, we gave the Ducks our best out there and we're ready to play.
Yeah, and it's not just Iowa. I think it does help you moving forward, no doubt now.
Because you got Michigan right after that.
Yeah, let's not take this too much out of content. For example, if Perdue goes into Columbus at the end of the year and beats Ohio State, then that would be a better Absolutely. I just don't foresee that happening, and I don't foresee Michigan State winning at Oregon either. But if you're able to do that, and you're able to stay in the game, like you just mentioned, and you're able to make the right decisions, you're able to take care of the football. They've proven they can move.
If you're Michigan State, if you're Aidan Childston, you're that offense and coach linger, and you're saying to your guys all week long, you realize, I'm sure we move the ball against what many would consider a better team and be a better defense. If we can do that now, I was at home, but I'm not sure how much that truly matters. If we can do that, then we can do that against Oregon. Let's just let's remind ourselves that we've done this before, we can do it again.
Like I know how people feel about the home field advantage. Maybe I don't buy enough into it. I probably should. Ohio State doesn't give a crap where they play. Their defense is going to be good no matter what. They're not worried about. You know, some fraternity from Michigan State getting loud than anybody else. Okay, just because they're not you know, it's not Ryan Field. It's louder than Ryan Field. Doesn't mean that Ohio State is going to go, oh
my god, how are we gonna move the football? We're intimidated? No wrong answer that stuff gets way overblown, way overblown. If if we've seen it time and time again, I've talked about it before on this show, and I've given you the numbers two. If it's that, it was pretty intimidating last night in Milwaukee during the ninth inning, Pete Alonzo's up Gavin Williams, one of the best closers in all of baseball, has a disgusting change up all right,
sometimes I mean it's borderline unhittable. Peter Alonzo delivered was that moment too much? Remember earlier in that game. I don't know if you watched it. Earlier in the game, he dropped a foul fall of a foul pop up right in front of the stands, and the stands were giving it to him. They were all in his face. They were pointing at him, they were screaming at him. They were saying every possible thing you could possibly utter
to a professional athlete. And he hurt it. Then he had to go back to his post at first base and try to swallow a little bit of pride and say, all right, I gotta get through this. Then he stands in the in the batter's box. Not that you have to have rabbit ears, but he stands in the batter's box. If you don't think anybody was screaming at him about what he had just failed to do, catch a pop up and get on him. You don't think that's intimidating. Did he handle it in the opposite field? Three run
Jack and his team suddenly takes the lead. Yeah, that'll do okay, So the home field, I get it. It's in motion. We love to cheer. We feel like we make a difference, and I think a lot of times you do. But it's not the be all end all.
It can certainly help you out. I think it gets a little overboiling how much it can hurt you at times.
So if that makes sense, Ohio State going into Michigan State, there's nobody on that bus trip going, oh my god, how are we gonna deal with this pressure? I don't think that's the case at all.
No.
In fact, I would argue they embrace it. So I'm sure Michigan State is looking at it like, let's go shut those guys up. I know Michigan feels that way. They're glad that they're leaving home. We've been at home long enough. Let's go test ourselves on the road,