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The McShay Show
Rivalry Week Tape Truths: Bama’s D, A&M’s Title Shot, ACC Playoff Hopes, and More
01:10:18
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- [00:00]
Mitch
Foreign.
- [00:06]
McShay
And the SEC dominoes dominated the news cycle on Monday. So it's now a tape truths Tuesday on the McShade Show. And we've got an eye on championship weekend. Just 142 days until the NFL draft. I gotta ask you good men.
- [00:23]
Mitch
I'm great, man.
- [00:24]
McShay
All right, you know what to do. Tuck, roll that beat. Boy, I couldn't shut up yesterday, huh?
- [00:48]
Mitch
What else is new? I mean, no, it was good stuff, though. I mean, it was, it was. I mean, there was a lot there.
- [00:57]
McShay
Yeah. I mean, when opportunity meets preparation, Right?
- [01:01]
Mitch
There you go.
- [01:02]
McShay
The McShay show is presented by FanDuel. FanDuel's got it all. Same game parlays, quick bets for jumping in live and your way so you can build the bet that fits your play. Plus, don't miss out on holiday offers and surprises all month long. Download the FanDuel app or head to FanDuel.com McShay to get started, must be 21 and older and present in select states or 18 and older and present in DC, Kentucky or Wyoming. Gambling problem. Call 1-800- gambler or visit rg-help.com, call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org chat in Connecticut. No such thing as luck. So we, we prepared, we had sources and we, we had to go with it. And so we bumped, we bumped tape TRS to Tuesday. And you know what? And we'll have rough draft our, our flagship draft show here coming out later this week on Thursday. And so why not make it a tape truce Tuesday instead of a tape truce Monday? And we got a lot to cover, Mitch. I mean, and Saturday night too, right?
- [02:10]
Mitch
We got the, we still got the reaction show on Saturday night to the, to the big games, right? It's a four show week, man. I'm excited. Oh, hell yeah.
- [02:18]
McShay
Oh, hell yeah. It's a big week. It's championship week.
- [02:23]
Mitch
We gotta, I mean, it's a big week.
- [02:25]
McShay
It's a big week. So we, let's, let's treat it appropriately. And here we are. So it's Tuesday and we, we grinded tape on Sunday and we had to put a pause on it to, to share everything that we found. And I, I said to you offline, let's make sure that we kind of use this. It's not a preview of the weekend, but as much as we can, it's not going to be applicable for all truths. We're not going to do 10 truths. We're going to do six of them and really dive in this episode is brought to you by Fox 1. Fox 1 is now live stream all your Fox favorites together in one place from NFL on Fox to big noon Saturdays with Fox one. You get it all live Start your seven day free trial today. Offers are subject to change. Go to Fox one for complete terms and conditions. Fox one streaming now. But let's make sure that, that we have a, a good sense of what we saw on Saturday or Friday in some cases because the, the holiday weekend. Let's try to spin it forward as much as we can for championship weekend and you know, breaking down tape that is applicable for what we're about to see in the SEC, ACC, Big 12 championships, Big 10 as well. So that's what we got for you today and we're excited about it. Let's dive right in. I want to thank you. We appreciate you watching. We appreciate you listening. Mensch, tell them real quickly how they can support us. My goodness, like the support re like the, the numbers on this show normally in Cal, like we did that analytics thing with the people at Spotify and they told us, well, you know, on Mondays the shows do better than on, on Thursday and 3rd. And it was, I used that voice. I'm not, I'm saying they were like.
- [04:07]
Mitch
It was actually helpful.
- [04:08]
McShay
Yeah, it was hugely helpful. Cuz in life one of the hardest things to do is get honest feedback and data that backs up that feedback. But there was a lot of numbers being thrown at us. But the, one of my big takeaways was like college football shows are massive in August, September, October and then they start to decline in November and really fall off in December because vast majority of the teams are out of it. And so fan bases stop really dialing in and listening every, listening and watching every week. Our fan base doesn't. But we did have a lull in November. We did have a lull a little bit in December before January where it just skyrocketed because of the Senior bowl in the NFL draft and all the way through May. What I've noticed in the last couple of weeks is we've had more viewership and a bigger audience than, than we have at any point in time during the last college football season. So I want to thank everyone for your support and hopefully we keep grinding this thing out and we're going to do things like we did yesterday. If I'm getting texts and phone calls with really high ranking people and like getting information that people either don't have or are not able to share due, you know, constraints that they're they're put in by sourcing and everything else. We're going to share it and I promise you full transparency here. And that's what we do in the show. And so we appreciate all the support. Tell people how they can support us. Because I do get frustrated sometimes when I look at these numbers and we get some of this data back and it's like, well, we had, you know, 50, 000 people who viewed and listened to the show, but like 500 likes or the subscribe subscriptions didn't grow. So let's all work together here and let's keep building this. And men's tell them how they can do that.
- [05:53]
Mitch
Go to the YouTube channel at the McShay Show. Hit the subscribe button, set up the alarms to make sure you guys are getting alerts for this. And I think the kids say smash the like button. I don't know. I'm too old to know what you're saying or what they're not. What they're not saying anymore. Do the same with Spotify. Going to. You'll find it there too. It's. I think you follow that you follow the show on there. Also set up the alarms there. Anywhere you can find your podcast, you're gonna find the McShay Show. On top of that, he's at McShay 13. I'm at you. Good mensch. M U E N C H We do a lot of social media stuff. Todd is, I mean, Marissa really more so than anyone else on the show, but really Marissa does an outstanding job of getting those clips out. And Dan and Tucker and I, Alicia, I think all the people who are putting those clips together. And John. Sorry, John, I don't know how to come up with up your name first. But anyways, all the people are putting those amazing clips together. It's worth following Todd and I on Instagram and checking that stuff out. So I think, I think I got it. All right. Yeah.
- [06:53]
McShay
And the McShay report just came out. Google it. The McShay report. Subscribe. We had a follow up on Saturday's game comes out every Sunday. We'll do the same this upcoming Sunday after championship Saturday. And we're now getting into draft season, so we're just going to start rolling.
- [07:09]
Mitch
And he's not just regurgitating what you hear on the show. It is. It's an addendum. It's an addition to what you're hearing here. So it's wor looking at that.
- [07:17]
McShay
Yeah. And we, we take a lot of pride in it. And even Van was saying last night on or two nights ago on the Bill Simmons show, that, that, that Dan, Dan, he, he finally cornered Dan to get him a subscription. Something tells me that the van got a Van Lathan got a, A free, free full ride. Yeah, but he was thrilled. He says he reads. He reads it religiously as, as Bill Simmons does. I think Bill Simmons has. Might be the only one who has 100% open rate on. On the M Shape report. Okay, all that aside, we get six tape truths today. Three for Mensch, three for me. Men, kick the thing off.
- [07:54]
Mitch
You're killing me. You, you go. You start this thing off with. We're spinning it all towards championship weekend. And I call. I texted you last yesterday about one I wanted to do with no ties of championship weekend. It got the green light and now you're setting up like if it's the.
- [08:08]
McShay
One I think you mentioned and I don't know the, the details on it, but it's, it certainly plays a massive role in the playoff and it's a big question that people want answered. Coming off of what we just saw this weekend against Texas. Go ahead.
- [08:22]
Mitch
I spoke too soon. I now believe that Texas A and M can make a championship run again. It's Ohio State first. It's Ohio State. Yes, 100%. Why? Why, why not? Let me start with this. It is Ohio State versus the field. I, I believe that. I still believe that Ohio State's the favorite. There are other teams that I think have a better chance of winning it, but why not the Aggies? Why can't they do it? Let's start here. I went back and I've watched Marcel Reid in the last, you know, month or so. He's two or more picks in three of his last six games. It's as scary as, as you think it might be. There are times where you're just, you know, ducking in cover and, you know, please don't throw that ball. And we can't do that. And you should know better at this point in the season to do that. You're hoping there would be a little more progress there. I get all of it. All of it's true. That's been the case all year and they've had. According to espn and I don't really understand these numbers, the, the, the numbers guys, but I believe them. According to ESPN, the strength of record is third in the country. The strength of schedule is 15th. They won 11 and 1. They found ways to win. You know, I, I forget what the run was on the road. I think I have it here. Oh, yeah. At Arkansas, at lsu, at Missouri. That's a tough stretch to go, man. Three games in a row. Three games in a row on the road. You find a way to win those games. I know that South Carolina teams had a disappointing season, but they had that amazing comeback. I think they've won in different ways. They went to Notre Dame on a really close one. It's been like. My point is, it's been like this with Marcel Reed all year and they found ways to win games. And now that they go in and they lose a tough one to a good Texas team, all of a sudden on the road, all of a sudden we don't think that they can, they can make a run. Also, I think there's something to be said. We have a very small sample size. I hear you, but this is something I keep an eye on. We know that last year the two teams were in the final, Notre Dame and Ohio State. Neither one of them played in their conference championship game. Obviously, Notre Dame doesn't have one, but Ohio State didn't play in that game either. It was Penn State, Oregon. There might be something to this. I don't see something to getting off that week and getting healthy. And Texas A and M needs to get healthy. I mean, especially at running back where Levy on Moss is the last six, missed last six games with an ankle injury. Your guy, Ruben Owens the second has been banged up, too. Mario Craver at wide receiver has been a little banged up. You know, this is like every other team in the country. You know, they've got some. They've got some banged up dudes and it's a good chance for them to get a little. A little healthier. Also, if you look at last year, none of the team that. Both the teams that went to the finals again, Notre Dame and Ohio State played in the first weekend, they didn't get a buy. So what you might say, well, yeah, if you play, if you don't play in the championship game, you don't get a first round buy. Yeah, that's true, I guess, but they didn't. Notre Dame and Ohio State didn't need a. Last year. They had to make. Those guys had to take the tough run, too. They didn't get the Penn State, Texas soft schedule because of the weird seating last year. I mean, Ohio State had to go through the gauntlet to get there. And there might be something that's been said for that where you're immediately thrown into the fire and you got to compete. I'm just saying this is a Team that can get after the quarterback. I think they tie Oklahoma for the lead in sacks and the FBS with 41. They've got a quarterback as, as, as nerve wracking as it can be. Man can also make big time plays. He's got playmakers, they got good running backs, they've got a good offensive line. Again, I think that defense mirrors Marcel Reed in the way that it's can be inconsistent, but when it's good, it's good. Why not the Eggies?
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McShay
Sure.
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Mitch
You could tell me there's other teams that are more favored and I would get that. But the idea that we're just dismissing them because they're so up and down, I don't know, man. They catch lightning in a bottle for four games. Watch out because this team's got, they're talented at the right spots, so it'll be interesting to see what happens. Also, by the way.
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McShay
Yeah.
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Mitch
I think Oregon might get screwed by the seating two years in a row because think about this. There's a chance that Oregon is the could be a four seed right now. I think they're in the top four. I think it'd be crazy if three Big Ten teams got in the top four seeds. But if Oregon is somehow gets a buy and doesn't play in the conference championship, I get real nervous because that would mean they would. They first game would be December 31st or January 1st. That's a month off, man. Yeah, that's a, that's, that's not that. I mean, I like to get in the week off and getting healthy and I know Oregon's got to get healthy too.
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McShay
That's a big wide receiver.
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Mitch
Yeah. That's a big stretch that you're not playing. So it's going to be interesting. Ultimately, I don't think that'll happen. I think Oregon will be okay or, or not. I shouldn't say okay, but I don't think they're going to get a first round buy. But it's interesting to think about.
- [12:53]
McShay
Yeah, you just threw a lot at me. What I do want to respond to real quickly is I do think you and I can agree on. We agreed on in the show Saturday. Okay. That Texas A and M is actually capable of beating anyone in the country, including Ohio State on a given day. My biggest concern is in a tournament like this, can they be consistent enough to make that run? Right. That would be because the tackling one game isn't the tackling in another game. Defensively, the breakdowns in coverage in one game or even a half We've seen different halves out of this team. They have been great in some first halves and fallen apart in second halves. 100 a la Texas, they've been miserable in first halves. And I remember, oh, gosh, which game was it? Texas.
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Mitch
South Carolina is the best example of.
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McShay
Like South Carolina, obviously, but there were a couple other times like LSU was one when they.
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Mitch
Eventually, Arkansas was tighter than any.
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McShay
Arkansas was another. So my point is, it's the, the erratic nature of play for Texas A and M that's concerning to me. But I do think, in hearing your point, I do think pressure was building and I think, and, and Nick Saban says this a lot. And yeah, you'd rather lose one in like late September, early October. But I do think there's value. The best coaching tool. Nick, Nick talks about it all the time. The best coaching tool ever is to lose a game when you can still bounce back and still be in the dance because you get the players attention. You get to point out like, like, hey, I told you so. The old Frank D. Felice. Hey, boys, your, your way don't work.
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Mitch
You know, at least once a week we get Frank Dave Lees in here. I know.
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McShay
I try. I try to keep his spirit alive. Yeah. So I, I think there's value in losing this game, not having to play in an SEC championship after this pressure build of 7080 SEC play 9010011 0. Well, we got a scare against South Carolina. Then the pressure kind of just comes out of the system. We got, we lost. It's okay. We're still here. We're dancing. Let's regroup. We get some time to, to look at all the reasons coach kept telling us if we don't do this, this could happen. If we don't do this, this could happen. Well, we didn't adjust enough and it happened. And now we got a few weeks to really work and hone in on those things that we weren't doing. I'm not saying that Marshall Reed's mechanics are going to be better and he's. All of a sudden, he's going to be decisive. Drew Brees in the pocket. But I am saying maybe this helps get everyone's attention inside that building as they build up and they, they prepare for a college football playoff run.
- [16:00]
Mitch
Yeah, listen, I, I mentioned, I mentioned it really quickly. Ohio State versus the field. Right. They. I think they're the least flawed team. Indiana's probably. You would make the argument that they're second because of their record and they're also undefeated and that win at Oregon, you could. Every other team has a loss, man. Everyone else has some inconsistencies too. And it's easy to point at Marcel Reed and because of the erratic play over the last, I think six games. I get it. But it's like the old, the, the old saying or the old story, if you drop me and you woods and we're getting chased by a pack of wolves, I don't need to be faster than the wolves, mca. I just need to be faster than you. So there's other, There are other teams that are flawed here, man. There are other teams that have issues and they just have to, you know, again, no one's going to play a perfect. No one's going to have a perfect tournament. I don't think so. Like you said, just. Why not the Eggies? Why not the eggies? It could. I could see them putting it together. And again, am I, am I betting my money on them? No. It's Ohio State versus the field, man. It's Ohio State versus the field. But A&M, four games, they put 11 wins together. I don't know why we'd be counting them out so fast.
- [17:07]
McShay
All right, I'm going to switch over to tape. Truth 2. Alabama's defense is grossly underrated and it keeps getting better almost on a weekly basis from what I, what I just went back and watched on tape. Now there are two elite defenses in college football, Ohio State and Oklahoma, in that order, mind you. But Alabama, I'm, I'm seeing a progression and it's just weird to me. Right, Because Alabama as we know it Pre DeBoer was built on Nick Saban defense. Physical up front gap, sound coverage, sound linebackers that chase and run in first round draft picks. Right. This defense has some similarities, but. But is its own unique brand compared to Nick Saban's groups. But this defense is still wearing crimson, it's still wearing the iconic Alabama helmets, and it's playing at a damn high level. Yet when we talk about. We've gone 14 weeks, Steve, have we ever like broke down Alabama's defense?
- [18:31]
Mitch
Not in a positive way. Kind of weird positive way. Yeah.
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McShay
But I got news for you. They haven't given up more than 24 points in the game since August. They're ranked 11th nationally, given up just 16.5 points per game. So I was like, I get like, I'm watching and I'm like every week. It's con, it's consistency. And as, as Ty Simpson has been a little bit up and down as the run game has con continued to struggle and as the receivers. And I'll get to that in another tape truth. Have been up and down. The steadying force for Alabama has been this defense. And I want to start with the secondary. Normally you start up front and we'll get to it up front in a second. I can make an argument right now this is the best secondary in college football.
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Mitch
Really?
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McShay
Yes. And it's not. And it's traditionally when you say this is the best secondary in coverage in college football, you're like, well, yeah, I get Stratan on one side and I get another lockdown corner in the. And it's about the COVID guys, right? And they've got good cover guys. But for this secondary, which I would argue is the most complete. I'm not saying the best cover secondary, but the most complete impactful secondary in the country, it starts with these safeties. Holy. Does Bray Hubbard like. I don't. How is Bray Hubbard not being talked about more nationally?
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Mitch
Play? I don't know.
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McShay
I really put on the tape yesterday and I'm going back six games to see the progression. And this guy's doing everything. He's playing not much single high. They leave that to Keon Sab when they're in a single high.
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Mitch
Look.
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McShay
But he's playing too high and he's covering deep halves. He's playing linebacker. He's blitzing, he's showing blitz and dropping off into coverage. He's covering in the slot. He's got a nose for the ball, he's instinctive. He brings the wood as a tackler and he's just always around the ball. He's a 6 foot 2, 213 pound senior. You can tell. And the reason I emphasize senior, because you can tell in his play, his eyes are in the right place. There's not a lot of false steps, there's not a lot of indecision. And he can wear all these different hats because he's got so much experience and he knows what the other 10 are doing on his side and knows where his eyes need to be.
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Mitch
In.
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McShay
The box showing blitz, dropping fast eyes flies around ball hawk. Third on the team with 60 tackles. He's got six pass breakups. He's got four interceptions for a box safety and I'm not putting him in a box saying he's just. But for a guy that at that size that you can rely on to be an extra defender versus the run and also to help out as a blitzer, four interceptions and leading the team is a lot, including one interception in the Iron Bowl. And then you got Keon Sab, who I mentioned fifth on the team in tackles, three pass breakups. He's got an interception. The thing with Sab is he is an awesome space tackler. So now you got two safeties that can cover and can make some big plays. But while. While Hubbard is. You feel it when he hits you, Sab's going to get you down in space, and you need that from a free safety who's in space more often. Okay. Then you get the cornerbacks, and Zabian Brown, I would argue, is a better cover corner right now, number two. But. But he's not the most fluid guy. Neither is Dijon Lee, but they're both really smart with their eyes, and they. They play a lot of zone or off, man, and they keep things in front of them and they know how to protect themselves for the most part. And they. They squat and drive on the football extremely well. They tackle well. Everyone's involved in every aspect of the game. It's not just, hey, I'm on. On an island, Reavis Island. It's, I have a job to do when it's my zone responsibility or my off man responsibility or my press man in these situations, and I execute it really well. So it starts in the secondary for me with Alabama.
- [23:00]
Mitch
Okay.
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McShay
Then the second part is these linebackers are pretty freaking awesome, too, Steve.
- [23:07]
Mitch
I love their linebackers.
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McShay
Oh, my gosh. I thought Deontay Lawson had kind of tailed off a little bit because I wasn't going in and studying the tape. And I think early in the season he was dealing with some stuff. Right. But he has come on strong. He is playing at a damn high level. And then you got Justin Jefferson, number 10. You get 0 and 10, right? And Jeff.
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Mitch
Yeah, Justin Jefferson's underrated, man. Very.
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McShay
Yeah, he's flying around, swarming. He's been a swarming force all year long. Okay. They're both tied for the team lead with 69 tackles. And by the way, I'm watching the tape, right? And the weird part is, well, he's got 69. He's got 69 tackles.
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Mitch
They're both.
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McShay
They must be on the field all the time. They're not, because you got this cat Nakai Hill Green, who transferred in, who's also a senior. He's been awesome, too.
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Mitch
He flat.
- [24:07]
McShay
He doesn't have to play 60, 70 snaps a game. He comes in and plays 25, 30, 35, and he's flying around 100 miles an hour. And you talk about violent in that closing burst. And Lassoing guys. I'm watching him on the field and he's there a bunch. He's fifth on the team. So three of your top five tacklers are inside linebackers. And I get news for you, they're never on the field at the same time. There's a rotation there. He is violent. Hill, Green is. And fast. So that's your back seven. Six or six? Six. Seven. Now, I will say their worst game that I saw in coverage, talking about the back seven was against Georgia as we start to look ahead to the SEC championship game. But I'll also say Colby Young was a problem for them, the big, tall, fast wide receiver. And Colby Young hasn't played in more than a minute.
- [25:14]
Mitch
Okay.
- [25:17]
McShay
So that'll be interesting to watch now as Georgia's offense has continued to roll except the Georgia Tech game. But without Colby Young, who gave Alabama problems. What's that look like? Because I think Alabama is better than when it played Georgia the first time around. Would they give up 21 in that game? Yeah, I think 24, 21 was the final. And you would think that should be enough to win in this game, right? If you can score 20. I honestly think once again, the first to 24 should win this game because both. We'll see. Georgia's defense keeps getting better too. I. But I, I'm a firm believer that Alabama's defense is better.
- [26:02]
Mitch
Right.
- [26:03]
McShay
Then we go up front. Okay. Yonzi Pierre is the best pass rusher on the team.
- [26:12]
Mitch
He's been a guy for a little while now.
- [26:13]
McShay
He's. Yeah, freshman. Didn't expect to get this kind of production. He's solid versus the run. He's been stout at times, but he's. He's their best pure pass rusher team best six sacks. LT Overton, he's a steady force for them. He's a good player. I don't know that he's become an elite player. They rotate a lot up front, but those two guys with Pierre and Overton give you a pretty damn good starting tandem. Okay. Then you get Tim Keane in the third, who's stout and steady as well as what. They kind of have two interior defensive linemen, then they have the two outside linebackers, then they have the two off the ball linebackers, and then they have four or five defensive backs. That's kind of their. Their base, if you will, with a big rotation. And speaking of the rotation, this is what stood out to me most. And I could get into what they're doing coverage wise and all these different things, but my Point was, as I'm looking at it, because it's not like the old days of Alabama where you had like five, six first rounders certainly in this year's draft. And then next year we'll just re rack it with another five or six guys who are, you know, three in the first and two in the second, but they've got a bunch of really good dudes who keep getting better. And I, I don't know that Lawson's going to be a first round pick, but he's going to be Probably a top 50 pick the way he's playing. And you've got the secondary guys, Hubbard and Sab, they're not going to be first and probably second round picks, but they're going to be mid round picks and they're playing the highest level of their careers. And Brown and Lee keep getting better. And remember, remember Damani Jackson was supposed to be maybe a first round picker, top 50 pit and they've bumped him out. So they're pretty damn good players in their own right. You got Pierre, who's playing at a high level, just a freshman, won't be eligible to 2028 draft. So it can be deceiving when we start talking about draft prospects compared to what we're seeing on tape. And the other deceiving element in all of this is I don't know if there's a deeper unit defensively than there is in Tuscaloosa right now. And we always talk about Tennessee and there's some other. I'm not saying they're the deepest, but like they stack up with whoever you want to argue is the deepest.
- [28:26]
Mitch
They're in the middle.
- [28:27]
McShay
I'm going to say they're right there in the mix. And I'm going to read you some names, all three levels. Edric Hill, number 94, impactful player when he's on the field, as is London Simmons, number 90, inside defensive line idls. Right. So it's not just him, Keenan and the other guy, Smith, it's. It's also these guys. So it's a four man rotation at that spot and they're all really good players. 36 QB Reese at linebacker. Quay Russa, number four at edge. He comes in on obvious passing downs. Okay. And it's part of the reason why Overton hasn't gotten the sack production that you would expect. So he comes in, then there's this 11, Jordan Renaud, who kind of had some struggles early, early in the year, but he keeps getting better. He comes in on early downs. So now you've got four guys and so Overton's coming out on obvious passing downs and and Pierre's coming out on some early, you know, run heavy downs. And with, with, with Russo and renaud, you've got two guys that are complementing those players. Then Ivan Taylor, 13, making plays at safety. Then Damani Jackson at cornerback who I talked about isn't even starting, but he's there if you need him. That's a lot of depth that Alabama has. What does it mean against Georgia? Well, it meant just 21 points the first time around and I think this unit's better. But how much better is gunner Stockton? How much better is that offense than it was when they first met in late September? We're about to find out. But I, I, I it's hard to imagine that game being a shootout and I'd be mildly surprised if either one of those teams winds up in the 30 point range. Any thoughts, Mitch, before I go to tape? True three.
- [30:27]
Mitch
I'm with you. I'm with you the the entire way. I think that Alabama defense has been underrated. I especially their linebackers. I love their linebackers. Jefferson's a guy I'm glad you highlighted and 24 feels like the number. And it was 2421 the first time around. It feels like it's going to be the number again this time around.
- [30:42]
McShay
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- [31:24]
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- [32:21]
McShay
Tape Truth 3 I'm still not cooling on Ty Simpson. Keep trying if you want.
- [32:31]
Mitch
You're right.
- [32:33]
McShay
As I'm watching the tape, two of the first four incompletions are drops and one was his wide receiver. Bernard just got bumped off of a route but he threw it to the spot where Bernard was tracking to be and it would have been an unbelievably well anticipated throw. So while you're watching the game, you're like, oh Simpson now he did miss that deep ball and I did see a little pat before throwing the deep ball and almost like guy trying to guide it in. I think it's in his head a little bit. The deep ball stuff is starting to get into his head. I don't think that he's the short and intermediate stuff. He throws with so much confidence that I'm looking at him in a similar way as like Josh Allen at times. Calm down. He's not as big, he's not as strong, he's not as fast. He doesn't have as big an arm. I'm not saying that, but I remember watching Josh Allen at times with those receivers and you're going to say, well, McShay, what are you talking about? You got Ryan Williams and Jeremy Bernard and Isaiah. I'm saying there are some throws he makes that in the NFL they will be, they will be cut. He is, he's just trusting everything and he's putting it in places where receivers should be able to get and maybe don't always get there. Or there's a drop like two of the first four passes that he threw in that game. His movement in the pocket continues to be beautiful. He has decisiveness and plays on schedule and has a mental clock that you rarely see from a college quarterback.
- [33:58]
Mitch
Okay.
- [33:59]
McShay
He also has been protecting the ball better the last couple weeks. Remember, I put him on blast like, hey, I'm trying to, I'm trying to let everyone in the country know how good you are and talented are you are and how well you're playing the position. But you got to protect the ball when the pressure starts coming in on you. And he's. And he's made a concerted effort and shown progress in that regard the last couple weeks. He can also run a little bit. He's not John Matier, but that design run to the left side, the chunk run he had late in the first quarter on a third and three huge play in that game.
- [34:35]
Mitch
Yeah, he's not stiff.
- [34:36]
McShay
He's. But. But that continued that drive and it set up the. The touchdown pass with a minute 20 left in the first quarter. And on that throw, Auburn sends six. This was. This was. This was the throw, the highlight of the game. Minute 20 left, first quarter. We've all seen the highlights, right? Auburn sends six. So he knows they've got more coming than I've got protected. And he starts to purpose. He never drifts. This is not Cam Warden, Shador Sanders from a year ago. This is more Jackson Dart. Always climbing, always advancing the offense. He starts to drift purposely. He buys himself some extra time. Not himself, but the receiver and a little bit of extra time. Two things happen. This comes off of his read to the left. And you rarely see something like this. But thank goodness, the tight copy and the coach copy tape is. Is in the end zone looking at his helmet, so you can actually see his eyes. It's not like you're coming from the back of his helmet.
- [35:42]
Mitch
It right.
- [35:43]
McShay
He's drifting initially, he's looking to his left as he's trying to drift back to buy extra time to see if his receiver can get it just a step. Then you got a guy who dives at his feet and he has no choice but to look down to see, do I have an extra. But it's like this. If you're watching on YouTube or Spotify, it's like this. Actually, my head just went down. It's like this. All right. And if you're listening on Apple or.
- [36:12]
Mitch
Anywhere else, you get your lunatic.
- [36:14]
McShay
My head doesn't move. My eyes just go, okay, And. And he does that. But then the crazy part is while still kind of drifting and fall, all of his weight falling backwards.
- [36:30]
Mitch
He.
- [36:30]
McShay
He doesn't just go back to where he was looking before. He comes off to his right and starts his second progression. And it happens in like, as fast as I can say progression. He's done those three things come off his read, look at his feet, go back to the right. Identifies in the amount of time it takes me to say progression. It's nuts. So that's the first part. Then the second part is after he comes from his left, looks down, looks to his right. The second part of this throw that's unbelievable to me is he is completely falling backwards. And somehow. And I'm not saying he's got Josh Allen's arm or Matthew Staffords, he doesn't. He's got a really good arm though. But he just flicks it. And the ball at the end of that throw, the energy that's on it not only gets over the defender but then on the should like the back corner. So it's a safe ball to throw in that. I don't know how you process all those things and make that throw under those circumstances. It was an awesome. It took five minutes to rewind it that many times because I wanted to see every element of every part of it, both tight copy and wide copy. But in like real gameplay that like seven to nine seconds of what happened was special. Now There's a negative third quarter, 10:50 left. Doesn't see the backside safety. Should have thrown an interception. A throw he just can't afford to make and a throw that he just can't have. I'm assuming in this SEC SCC championship game and get away with. But then you fast forward to the game winning drive. Fourth down, scrambles for a first right and it was ugly and it wasn't pretty, but he scrambles and he makes and he gets the first down. Then there's a long run that he had to the goal line, but there was a holding by Isaiah Horton again. This the third time in this game that he had a critical run for Alabama. Then there's the throw down the right sideline. It was so on time that it's like teaching tape like the receiver had. Bernard hadn't even started his break and there was pressure coming by the way. 13 times he. No, 18 times out of 40 drop backs, he was pressured. In this game. That's nearly half the time you drop back. You can get in the offensive line play at some point, Steve, but the protection has been really up and down and I know that Auburn defense is awesome, but it. You factor that in without the running game and it kind of tells the story without even having to watch the tape of. Well, if he's pressured half and half of his drop backs and they don't have a run game, it's putting him in a bind. But that throw to Bernard on time and then the onions call. I mean for Deborah to. I know the kicking game has struggled a little bit, but instead of just taking the. The three points to go for, to go for the touchdown, instead of just taking the Three point lead in that spot or what was it? Was it or two point lead, whatever it would have been at that point shows an unbelievable amount of trust in this quarterback. And then for his quarterback to have the onions to pay it off with the poise and how calm he was in that moment on the slant for the touchdown, that was some special stuff too to Isaiah Horton. Now the stats say he completed 54% of his passes with 122 passing yards. What are you talking about, McShay? You're so biased. You're so biased. But the tape, the tape tells a different story.
- [40:16]
Mitch
And that's. We're always going to go back to that. And that's. That's what it is. And if a guy has great tape, we might come back and say it wasn't as good as you thought.
- [40:24]
McShay
I do have to ask this question.
- [40:25]
Mitch
Great numbers, I should say. Sorry.
- [40:27]
McShay
Yeah.
- [40:27]
Mitch
I've got a question for you. You. You go first.
- [40:30]
McShay
You sure?
- [40:31]
Mitch
Yep.
- [40:32]
McShay
Okay. At what point are we not buying debore. And. And understandably so if there is something there. At what point are we not Debying. Debying. Buying DeBoer's claims that nothing's wrong with Ryan Williams, it just was the flow of the game and he didn't get targeted and all that. That because I believe he has one catch in the last two games and he had zero targets in the Iron bowl against Auburn. And this was the. This is the same guy. And we talked about the drops early in the season and the drops last year and he started to clean up the drops a little bit. But there feels to me like something's going on with Ryan Williams. I don't know what it is. I didn't go in and do a deep dive on his tape and maybe I will before the game on Saturday to see if. Is he struggling with an injury? Is he not the same explosive guy? Is his confidence lacking? Is he not running the, you know, the routes with the same speed and tempos? I don't know what it is because I wasn't studying him. I was studying the quarterback play when I went and watched after watching Alabama's defense first. But something's going on right when like Ryan Williams.
- [41:48]
Mitch
Yeah.
- [41:49]
McShay
Was Jeremiah Smith B. You know, is 1 1A and 1B. It was Jeremiah Smith and Ryan Williams were the clear cut to best freshmen coming in in that class a year ago and they both had monster freshman campaigns and Ryan Williams has like up and down early in the season and now it's like silence.
- [42:13]
Mitch
Yeah. I mean, you you kind of answered the question with the way you're framing it, but yeah, there's something's got to be going on, right? He's.
- [42:20]
McShay
Can they be Georgia? Can they beat Georgia without Ryan Williams being a productive part of that offense?
- [42:30]
Mitch
Yeah, because Simpson's just. He's so good at distributing to the open guy. And they'll get Cuevas involved, the tight end and Jeremy Bernard and Horton and maybe Lottie comes up with a couple plays and, and yeah, I think they.
- [42:41]
McShay
Can, but without him against auburn, he throws for 122.
- [42:45]
Mitch
I hear you.
- [42:46]
McShay
If Ryan Williams goes for 90, 110 now we're in like the low 2, 200 passing range. And that's a big difference.
- [42:57]
Mitch
Huge difference. Obviously they're a better team within rolling. The question is, can they win that game versus are they a better team with him?
- [43:03]
McShay
Because Bernard is a possession run after catch, does all the little things, the dirty work over the middle. Isaiah Horton's an ex wide receiver. Possession, physical slants. They got one guy that can go.
- [43:17]
Mitch
You're. You're always, you're always knocking Bernard down even though I know you love him. He's more than that, man. Bernard's more than that.
- [43:23]
McShay
I know that. But I'm saying he's not. When Ryan Williams is rolling.
- [43:27]
Mitch
Okay.
- [43:28]
McShay
And Williams is the more explosive vertical threat.
- [43:31]
Mitch
No question. No question.
- [43:32]
McShay
That's my point.
- [43:34]
Mitch
My question.
- [43:35]
McShay
Yes.
- [43:36]
Mitch
Alabama loses this game. They in. I think they're in. Should they be in. Three losses now, a recent loss to Oklahoma, it's.
- [43:56]
McShay
And Oklahoma's in.
- [43:57]
Mitch
And as much as the things we like about Alabama and they're all. You went through all of them. You also mentioned some things. Inconsistent offensive line play, no run game. Ty Simpson, as good as he's been, has been handcuffed by some things.
- [44:10]
McShay
The hard part would be because then it becomes a question, would Texas be in?
- [44:16]
Mitch
Right. Right.
- [44:17]
McShay
Because Texas has the positive resume. Is, is the, the three wins over top 10 ranked teams at the time. The negative is the, the Georgia loss was ugly and the committee's not going to hold. I think Alabama, there's, there's more of a, of an emphasis on. We're not going to, we can't. As we saw with SMU last year, we can't knock a team out of the playoffs for getting into a conference championship game and losing. And all of a sudden no one wants to play in a conference championship game. So I think they, they. I think they would still be in, but I'm not saying with certainty. And if you're putting and if you're going to try to put Texas in after Bama already beat Georgia and Georgia handled 35 to 10 or 35, 15, whatever their score was. Yeah, that would be a tough one for me.
- [45:15]
Mitch
What about Miami?
- [45:16]
McShay
You know where I am. I put Texas in put Alabama and even if they lose in the SEC championship, I agree and. And keep get byu, get them out. The problem the thing that us all is Miami not with that ridiculous data point thing acc. The ACC should be about the highest two ranked teams and now we're stuck with a scenario where if Duke goes and wins the ACC championship game.
- [45:48]
Mitch
They.
- [45:48]
McShay
Might not get in because they won't be ranked high enough because. Yes, because there's two other programs from other conferences.
- [45:54]
Mitch
I'm getting that into one of my other. Okay, I'm gonna get into that one. One of my tape truce later on. But like it just can't happen. It cannot happen.
- [46:01]
McShay
Tape truth4. Go ahead.
- [46:03]
Mitch
Tape truth4. Texas Tech General manager Anthony Blanchard isn't getting enough credit for what he's done. And let me, let me just read this from his, his bio on Texas Tech because it's. I think it's important. It says few if any general managers across college football have the autonomy Blanchard enjoys. Under Maguire, Blanchard and his staff are responsible for identifying every prospect Texas Tech ultimately offers a scholarship opportunity to allowing McGuire and his coaching staff to priorit prioritize player development and opponent scouting, especially during the season. I think that is a. You don't put that in there if it's not real. I mean that's so this guy and, and I'm gonna, I'm gonna address this too. There's a lot of GMs who would love that that budget and I hear you, but you could give me his budget and I wouldn't do as good a job. And that's the reality. And he's done an outstanding job. We'll talk about that. We'll talk about the defensive line again really quickly. Obviously getting David Bailey was a big get for them. They've loaded talent across that defensive line. Lee Hunter, the defensive tackle I think is going to be a day two pick. You got Romello Height. The other edge opposite Bailey was 8 and a half sacks this year. Skyler Gill Howard before he got hurt. The other defensive tackle. Outstanding. We don't even talk about. I can't remember the name of the. I'm gonna forget his name now. I'm gonna look it up though. The, the corner they got from Mississippi State has five picks. How about Terrence Carter Jr. Terrence Carter Jr. The tight end who's been awesome for them. Another guy that he's added. I'll find that corner, the corner's name in a second. But I'm going to talk about a player that I think really highlights just how good of a job Blanchard's done this year. And that player is defensive tackle A.J. holmes Jr. Because Skyler Gil Howard got hurt in. In the middle of the season. Okay. He got hurt against Kansas. Done for the year. He was out. He was playing at a high level. I think he was playing at an all conference level for them. Throw out the numbers. I think he was just outstanding for him. Bryce Pollock's the corner. Okay.
- [48:03]
McShay
Yeah.
- [48:04]
Mitch
So you lose. Usually lose. Skyler Gill Howard. Right. This is a big gap in that awesome defensive line. But you have another guy. You brought in an A.J. holmes Jr. And he is been just as good. He has been outstanding with the first thing I think about when I watch A.J. holmes Jr. Is his the jolt in his hands. He's outstanding at stacking and shedding, but he's also a great fit for their scheme. For what she'll Wood wants to run with that scheme and he's a great replacement for. For Gil Howard. I want to explain this quickly. They. They really need a versatile defensive lineman for. For them to do what they want with their multiple fronts like a lot of other coordinators. But Gil Howard can learn, could play anywhere along the defensive line. Well, guess What? So can A.J. holmes. And the reason they knew that he was going to be good for the scheme and they knew that he was going to be a good fit for them. He played for Wood at Houston last year. They brought in this depth defensive tackle who had a career year last year, Houston with 40 tackles and eight and a half tackles for loss. They bring in this guy that you know, has been overshadowed by all the other players and Jacob Rodriguez, who's not a transfer obviously, but is the face of the team and should be like there's a lot of guys on that team who deserve a ton of credit and should be getting all of the accolades and attention they're getting, but the signing of this depth defensive tackle is playing paying off in a huge way for them. And the other thing about him is he played 639 snaps last year for Houston. A.J.
- [49:30]
McShay
Holmes Jr. Did really, you know, you.
- [49:32]
Mitch
Got a guy who's durable, you know, you got a guy who's versatile. You know you got a guy who knows your scheme if you need him to come in and play Heavy workload. He can. Or if you need him to roll in and just play his part, you can, it is, you could talk about the David Bailey's of the world and obviously that's a huge thing.
- [49:46]
McShay
And to your point, what a great.
- [49:48]
Mitch
Signing for them, what a great player to get.
- [49:51]
McShay
And, and, and I'm not even going to mention the head coach's name because it's not about him. It's about every head coach in college football with all the recruiting and the booster meetings and all the administrative stuff and all of it. Who has the time to dig deep enough to find that guy and to know about the durability and to really identify this. You know what I mean? And it's not just singular to that individual player, but it's putting together. That's why general managers are so critical in the National Football League and are getting paid 3, 4, 5 million dollars a year because you have to manage your own organization within the organization. The, the, the personnel staff, if you will. It's, you're the CEO of, of an organization even though that organization, it's like being the, it's like being Burke Magnus at espn. You're within the organization of Disney, but it doesn't mean that you're not running the, the day to day operations and have a vital, vital role in what goes on. Right.
- [51:04]
Mitch
Yeah. I think, I think the Texas Tech model is good. I think it really is. You have McGuire as the, the CEO, as the guy who's, you know, overseeing everything. Let your offense coordinator do his thing, let your defense coordinator do thing. Have a GM and you're at the top handling all the day to day, all the big time decisions. You're the final, you know, obviously the final thing.
- [51:23]
McShay
Like in the NFL it's a great model like Brett Veach and Andy Reid work to get like they're, they're like this. I spent time, I did the preseason game like they are like this. They speak the same language, they have some of the same mannerism like because you're, and if you work that closely together, it allows me as the general manager to do the most important thing and that is to provide you with the right players for you.
- [51:52]
Mitch
Right.
- [51:52]
McShay
And your system and your philosophy and your psychology and everything else. So it's another reason I want to bring Jake Rosenberg on. He's not the only one. But. And, and continue. We, I love our GM series and we're going to continue it and we talked to some great GMs including Howie Roseman last year and we're gonna, we're gonna blow that thing out even more when we get to the Senior bowl and the in the combine. But I do think one of the missing voids in all of sports media right now is this fast rising. It's like watching the seaport here in Boston and not talking about it. Like the seaport has become like an additional city working in conjunction with the city of Boston. Right?
- [52:36]
Mitch
Yeah.
- [52:36]
McShay
But it, but it popped up like I was living down there in 2001 through 2005, 2006, and you looked over across the, across the, the harbor and there were a few buildings up. And then all of a sudden by 2015, it was literally like your own, like a second financial district. That's what's going on in college football right now with front offices, GMs and everything else. And so we'll start with Jake Rosenberg and we'll continue to talk to people because I feel like fans are. They probably don't even know how interesting it is and how much thirst there is for that information because it's becoming advice. That's why you see Florida bringing in Caldwell as they announced their new head coach. Yeah, right. Okay.
- [53:21]
Mitch
It's a big deal. It's a big deal.
- [53:23]
McShay
And I just want to go on record. I really hope Texas Tech takes care of business and please Taki and the, the program and Bear and, and, and L.J. martin is, is my favorite, the most underrated prospect in the entire. Like, I love what BYU's doing. I just. When you start talking to me about Alabama and Texas and some of these other programs not getting in, we need to clear some, some room. All right, tape truth five. Kaden McDonald. He's kind of the glue that stirs it all at Ohio State and nobody's talking about him. And I don't understand why. And it's. I take onus, I'll take my portion of the responsibility. But when you really study this Ohio State defense and with all the stars on it, and we know who they are and we give them the credit all the time. Arvell Reese is a social media sensation and he deserves to be. And Sonny Stiles is back for another year and he's been awesome. Even though mildly overshadowed by Arvell Reese at that same off ball linebacker position. And you've got Caleb Downs, who might be the best player football player in college football, but without Caden up front, this defense is not what it is. And this defense is the elite group in college football is proved once again going into the big house and getting a win that has been eluding Ryan Day in this program for the last four years. Kaden McDonald's is a. McDonald is a 6 foot 3, 326 pound defensive tackle. And a year ago I didn't know, felt svelte. I didn't know, I didn't know a whole lot about him. And for all the Reese's and the styles and the downs and all the credit that gets thrown out there nationally, McDonald and Kaden Curry are actually the two most important players on this team.
- [55:21]
Mitch
I hear you, I hear the point.
- [55:23]
McShay
You'Re making because it does have to start up front and because, because you have a McDonald's, you, if you want to run the ball in the A and B gap, you got to think long and hard about it. You got to kind of get cute about it and you got to disguise it and you get. You know what I mean? You can't just line up and run against him.
- [55:43]
Mitch
He is, yeah, you better pick your spots.
- [55:47]
McShay
You can make an argument now's not the time. We have plenty of time leading up to the draft. You can make the argument that he is the best interior run defending defensive tackle in all of college football. Big number 98, 6 3, 326 pounds. And it's not just this old like 00 technique space. Got this son of a gun has 51 tackles on a defense with downs and styles and Reese and all these other cats. He's fifth on the team in tackles at 326 pounds. That doesn't happen very often, folks. Fifth on the team. Okay. When I look at him and I look at his movements and I look at his balance and his flexibility, his short area, quickness, his power, the ability to get into guys pads and, and take that like absorption for a quick quarter count while he gets, gets his eyes in the backfield. And you don't as a defensive tackle get 51 tackles through 12 games without having awesome vision and having your eyes in the right place. Because it's about locking up the offensive lineman and controlling the gap. That's part A, part B. Then very quickly becomes locate that football.
- [57:07]
Mitch
And you got to be a split second.
- [57:10]
McShay
I mean it's rapid.
- [57:12]
Mitch
Yeah.
- [57:12]
McShay
Faster than I could say progression.
- [57:16]
Mitch
That's the thing. Here we go.
- [57:18]
McShay
Get into the pads, absorb it, but have that flexibility and balance. Right. But strong enough to hold it and then the eyes find it and he does it at such a high level and he does it. It's almost all in unison. Right. Because then the third part is, okay, I got the ball and in order to be Great at this while holding that spot and then looking. You gotta be so damn strong and flexible that you're like you're kind of not even worrying about locking this guy up. And so there's like a confidence in that strength, right. And you find it and then it. And then it's the arm over or the. And rip the hands with a swap with a. The swipe. And he does it over and over again on tape.
- [58:10]
Mitch
He.
- [58:10]
McShay
I went back and I started in just the Michigan game. I'm like it. I'm gonna wind up having to do his. His draft evaluation really soon. Let's. Let's rack it. He destroyed Washington's defensive line. I looked up his grade wasn't that good in that game. His grade was good for me in that game. He was awesome against Texas in the opener. He was awesome against Illinois. He was destructive against Purdue, albeit Purdue. And he was awesome against Michigan. 933, third quarter in the snow. You know, the big house, the rival, the more physical team, the Joe Moore award winning offensive line. It feels like every year, if not every other year he stands up that right guard, eyes in the backfield, locates. Then this easy arm over move makes the tackle. And it was all in uniform. Second nature to this guy. And while he's not a great pass rusher, he'll flash. He was really good in that Washington game as a pass rusher and I think he's going to get better. We saw Dexter Lawrence as the prime example. Not a great college pass rusher. At defensive tackle edge rushers are typically are different. If you can rush the passer and get home in college it. It translates a lot. At defensive tackle these guys develop and it's usually their hand usage and figuring out over time but. But he still is a presence that you have to account for. And oftentimes if it's not a full on double team, it's with another guy giving you. Giving the center or the guard a little bit of help because he's always working over the. Over the. Or in the. The. As a one.
- [59:51]
Mitch
Yeah.
- [59:52]
McShay
Like one eye or. You know what I mean? He's always kind of in that B gap if you're an offensive lineman. I think he's. Let me give you my NFL comp on him. Okay. I think he's a slightly shorter, maybe like an inch and a half shorter. Derrick Brown.
- [60:08]
Mitch
Interesting. I've heard that name in a while.
- [60:10]
McShay
Auburn star at Carolina. Is that a really good NFL?
- [60:15]
Mitch
Like a damn good player?
- [60:16]
McShay
Like a damn good player. Might not be like top Five defensive tackles, but he's in. But he's in the mix. Top 10 every year.
- [60:24]
Mitch
Yeah, I would say there's been seasons where he's been a top five defensive tackle, no question.
- [60:29]
McShay
But it's never been about sack production. I went and looked up Derek Brown's numbers like it was three sacks, four sacks, maybe five one year, but never sniffing double digit sacks. But it's disruptive, it's dominant and it's playmaking in the run game. And the reason why this is important this week, it's important for the NFL draft because I'm actually starting to believe this guy could be a top 20, top 25 draft pick. I think he's that good. But for right now, in the urgency of the College Football Playoff and for the Big Ten championship game, all the talks about Indiana quarterback, Signetti, it starts with. And then it goes to Mendoza and it goes to those Surat and it goes to Cooper and those wide receivers. The passing game. Right. But if you really look at Indiana.
- [61:12]
Mitch
Yep.
- [61:13]
McShay
Right.
- [61:14]
Mitch
It is the run game, man.
- [61:15]
McShay
It is the run game that sets up those play actions and some of the RPO stuff and the true play action stuff that puts them in positions to do the things that they do in the passing game. And that's why it's always so damn efficient. It's like Mendoza, what, 21 of 23 again, 24 of 27, you know, like because. And he makes a lot of hard, difficult throws, but there are a lot of easy throws mixed in there because the run game is so consistent and the run game is so established every single week. If they can't run, if they can't run against Ohio State, we're going to finally get to see Mendoza and he's had moments, don't get me wrong. The Penn State game, late night, it was awesome. Iowa late in that game, it was awesome. But if Mendoza's. If doesn't have that. If Mendoza is put in a situation against Ohio State that Simpson has been in all year long at Alabama or Nussmeier was in all year long last year at LSU and this year before the injury or we're going to find out some stuff and I'm here for it, bro. I am here for finding out some stuff.
- [62:25]
Mitch
I'm interested to see how the coaches manage that game. But it is, it's got, I mean, I don't know. We haven't talked about that one enough. I can't believe we didn't bring it up on the, at the end of the show on Saturday. Like this is just shape. It's a monster game. I can't wait. One versus cannot wait. It's a monster game.
- [62:42]
McShay
It's 24. It's 24 wins versus zero losses.
- [62:47]
Mitch
Right? The last two undefeated teams. Yeah, it's. It is a. I mean it's as big as it gets, obviously. I mean I'm obviously being Captain Obvious. I'm gonna see if I can say obvious again, but you know what I'm saying.
- [62:58]
McShay
Yeah, go ahead, tape through six. We'll get, get the folks out of here.
- [63:02]
Mitch
Tape Truth 6. The ACC needs running Virginia running back to Mario Taylor to bail him out. I mean you alluded to it, man. If Duke wins this game, the AC is not going to. I mean they hope Miami, Miami can get in as an at large, I guess and they get a rep. But if they don't have a lock, ACC does not have a lock. If Duke loses this game, I think Virginia gets in if they win. But you're not putting an 8 and 5 Duke team in. And if you'll put in James Madison in North Texas or James Madison and Tulane before, you'll put an 8 and 5 Duke team in and that's going to look real, real bad for the acc. Now I will say this. I love Jamari Taylor, man. And when I watch his tape I was like, this guy's awesome. He had 18 carries for 133 yards and two touchdowns the first time Virginia Duke played. And Virginia won that game handily. And you know, it could be a repeat performance. I'll talk a little bit about the, the him as a player. He went to North Carolina Central out of high school. He had to try out out to get a walk on kid. Had did. He had to try out to make the team at North Carolina Central. Really didn't do much his first few years there. And then he had the fourth best rushing season in the history of the school last year. That translated into a spot in Virginia. He now leads the ACC in rushing yards with 997. Quick side story. Apparently Virginia head coach Tony Elliott told him he had 997 yards and they could have put him back in the Virginia Tech game. And the kid said no thanks. Not really worried about that. I'm worried about one of the football games. Yeah, there's something to be said for that. There is just something to be said for that. Now let's talk about what he does well for them and a little bit of his traits. Love the way this kid runs zone and especially split zone. Does. He excels at Pressing the front side and then cutting up or cutting back when he gets a scheme. Thing of beauty. If you're a running back coach, you love the way that a kid does it. Also really good as a wildcat quarterback. He's always moving towards the line of scrimmage, but he's not rushing things. And then when he does get a gap, you see the, there's a noticeable burst. Which is what brings me to my favorite part about this kid. It's this short area burst. And yes, his ability to get through a gap quickly, that's, that's part of it. But really the way for me, the way reason I love it is that shorty area burst turns into explosive power when he gets squared up on in a tight space. And this kid's 59204. He will uncoil on your ass. And if you don't calm downhill on him, if you don't get some momentum like there's a gate. There was a carry against Cal, there's a run against Cal. And I, I paused it when the linebacker engaged him and wrapped him up. And then I, and then I was like, well, how many yards does he get here? Nine yards. Nine more yards after the guy had him. And there's another, there's a couple other plays where he just runs, he lowers his shoulder and runs over a linebacker or a safety. Just glances off of him, trying to lower the shoulder on him. He is, if you take an angle on him, he's not that big and he runs kind of narrow. You can get him on the ground. But if you try to square this kid up and meet him in a tight quarters and try to do it that way, that explosive power just shows up and he's got, he has his long 78 yards. I think it was against Duke on a speed option playing at 70 yard yard run. He doesn't have great speed, but he has good speed. This is a classic sample of a back who doesn't have, I don't maybe doesn't have any elite traits, but because of the vision, the determination in the in, he's good in a lot of areas. He's tough to handle, man. And you're in again. I'm telling you right now as a football fan, if you're not a Duke fan, and I get it, the players, the families like how much they want to win that game. That's all cool. If you're a college football fan at large, you are praying that Jamari Taylor has a big game and Virginia wins that game because again, an 8 and 5, Duke team I don't think is getting in.
- [66:45]
McShay
Yeah, I just. I wouldn't want to bet against Mensa like Mensah.
- [66:50]
Mitch
Really like Mensah.
- [66:51]
McShay
Darian Mens is fifth and they're sixth in the, in the, in the country. Just a sophomore obviously transferred in. Nobody knew about this cat. He's averaging 287 yards passing per game. And I think he's a legitimate NFL prospect, like probably a, you know, a year from now, but 3417.
- [67:08]
Mitch
They beat him a couple weeks ago, though. Virginia did. I know. Men was 18 for 35 in that game. I know. I hear you.
- [67:18]
McShay
I like him. We'll see. We'll see.
- [67:20]
Mitch
It could happen.
- [67:21]
McShay
I know. I just, I. There's some I want to see. Just like I want to see Mendoza stranded on an island without a run game to see how he can. Can he carry Indiana rather than be just the most efficient version of a quarterback in Signetti's system that you could ever possibly imagine and be awesome in that role. Can he carry. I want to see. Can Mensa learn from those mistakes, get coached up, coach his receivers and everyone else up and, and elevate. This is going to be a good growth sign.
- [67:51]
Mitch
There's a chance.
- [67:52]
McShay
Because of this situation.
- [67:54]
Mitch
There is a chance. When we do our reaction show to the committee's, you know, when it's all the dust settles, we do our reaction show that we see North Texas and James Madison in the 1212 team field.
- [68:04]
McShay
I'm not saying I'm rooting for anyone or anything. I'm just saying I'm here, I'm rooting for the best.
- [68:11]
Mitch
I'm rooting for the best teams getting in, and I'm not sure that that's. That's the way it goes. You know what I mean?
- [68:16]
McShay
That's not the best teams. I hear you. I hear you. Doesn't mean I can't be excited to watch Mensa go against Virginia and try to rectify the first. The first.
- [68:25]
Mitch
Yeah, I love Mensa too, man. I just. I. It's not a great situation.
- [68:33]
McShay
Something about you in that green hat that I really like. All right. We've gone on too long. Five stars as always, Mitch. We'll. We'll be back on Thursday.
- [68:42]
Mitch
Can't wait.
- [68:43]
McShay
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- [69:58]
Mitch
Uh, Limu is that guy with the binoculars watching us?
- [70:01]
McShay
Cut the camera. They see us. Only pay for what you need@liberty mutual.com.
- [70:05]
Mitch
Liberty Liberty Liberty Liberty Savings Ferry unwritten.
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McShay
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