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The Triple Option
Monster College Football Week 1, Dabo Swinney Joins, and the Quarterback-Coach Relationship
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Monster College Football Week 1, Dabo Swinney Joins, and the Quarterback-Coach Relationship
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- [00:00]
Urban Meyer
Hey, Rob, hold on real quick. Every time I look up, I see Rob Stone. I see that. Was that wallpaper.
- [00:06]
Mark Ingram
Wallpaper.
- [00:07]
Urban Meyer
And then Rob actually got up this morning and said, I'm gonna put on this shirt. I'm spinning. When I look up and I see this. What is that?
- [00:13]
Rob Stone
How can you even see me in my camouflage shirt? I think all you can see are my hands, right?
- [00:18]
Urban Meyer
What's amazing to me, you got up and said, I'm gonna pick because you got shirts. You have a choice.
- [00:22]
Mark Ingram
You got to wear a solid color with that wall of paper.
- [00:25]
Urban Meyer
No, I would not wear that shirt. No.
- [00:27]
Rob Stone
Urban was not Mark Markwood Small. Second of all, it's a medium.
- [00:34]
Mark Ingram
Light it.
- [00:40]
Rob Stone
Welcome to the triple option presented by Wendy's. Try Wendy's new frosty fusions with flavors like caramel crunch, Oreo brownie and Pop Tart Strawberry.
- [00:52]
Urban Meyer
And light it.
- [00:53]
Mark Ingram
Light it.
- [00:54]
Rob Stone
That smile.
- [00:55]
Mark Ingram
Light it.
- [00:57]
Rob Stone
Love that that music still hits you after a year and change. All right, welcome back. Another edition of the Triple option presented by Wendy's. Mark Ingram's dancing Urban Myers. Coaching I'm Rob Stone. Glad you're here with us this week. Coach James Franklin lost a battle with his Penn State team. Clemson head coach Dabo Sweeney joins us. Coach Sweeney, Mark, he had some thoughts, he had some words, he had some thoughts on the ACC scheduling, his quarterback. The SEC made a major move and we hit the huge week one offerings, including the massive one in Columbus, number one Texas at the defending champs, number three, Ohio State. All that coming up on the triple option. As always, thanks for joining us. We encourage you to rate, subscribe at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you get your podcast as well. Social media. Tell everybody you can find us at 3X option. Show new episodes coming your way Every Wednesday on YouTube and wherever it is that you you get your podcast. Let's begin. Let's begin with any given Saturday, the week zero edition. Yeah, college football is already fired up, coach. I know you were celebrating that UNLV win. It was a close one, but UNLV got a big win in week zero. But the one we're going to talk about, two Big 12 title contenders meeting in Dublin, Ireland. Then number 22 Iowa State, narrow win over then number 17, Kansas State. The big play in the moment we're going to talk about just about two and a half left in the fourth quarter. Iowa State with the ball up three. Fourth and three from the Kansas State 16. Could have kicked a field goal, go up six, but still a lot of time on the clock. Instead they went for it. And it paid off. The qb, Rocco Beck connecting with Carson Hansen. They get the first down, they kneel out the clock. The big news though, coach, after this was that Rocco Beck said that his head coach, Matt Campbell, came, gave him two calls at the line to go with, and it was up to him, up to the quarterback to make the call on what turned out to be a game deciding moment. And that's what you get when you have trust between quarterbacks and head coaches.
- [03:03]
Urban Meyer
This really fires me up, Mark, because this is all ball. This is. This is. I'm jacked up to talk about this, but I'm also going to say Kansas State and Iowa State, two of the best coach teams in America year in, year out, with these two coaches climbing. And obviously Campbell at Iowa State, which I text with them back and forth. They're so excited to have us in a few weeks.
- [03:23]
Rob Stone
Week three, Iowa and Iowa State, big new kick. Let's go.
- [03:26]
Urban Meyer
So as a coach and a player, I know, Mark, you're the same way. I appreciate good players and good coaches. I really do that play the game damn hard, man. And that was so. So Rocco's the quarterback at Iowa State, made a comment that he had choice to make. And I think this is really important for a listener, viewer to hear this. So the more trust you have in that quarterback because defense is changing on you. And really good defensive coordinators, you hear the term multiple. If you can read that book and know where those people are, I don't care how good you are, at some point we're going to get you. Multiplicity on defense is a problem, and it's the real problem for the guy that has to make decisions. It's the coordinator's problem, but most importantly, it's the quarterback's problem. And there's certain plays that are good against certain defenses. There's others are awful against it. For example, the easiest one to think about is man versus zone. If you have certain plays that are great against zone that aren't worth a damn against man, who can get you in that play. If you have a young quarterback you don't trust. You see it all the time in college, not so much in the pros, because those are usually those quarterbacks been around for a minute. But you get that young player and he really doesn't understand defenses and all that. You see them always look over to the sideline. You know, they'll kind of give that false cat and then they look over and they change the play. The problem with that, Mark, is the defense then changes and he gets stuck. I've been caught in that situation. When you have a J.T. barrett or the second half of Dwayne Haskins or you know these veteran quarterbacks at Tebow by the time I his junior year he basically called the game. We'd send a play in but that play had a two way which means this usually it's a run or a pass. If it's an eight man front pass, go to the pass Tim or or JT whoever it is. If it's seven man front go to the run and he runs it. However, now you have field blitz, middle blitz, boundary blitz. You have no deep blitz which means it's a six or seven man pressure. Those are ones you have a real veteran quarterback. You you say okay, there's a single call, a two way, a three or a times like Mark has told us in the past, you get a Drew Brees, you can go to anything. So when I hear that quarterback first of all great. I love quarterbacks like that. I usually had quarterbacks like that. But it's also the confidence that a defensive minded coach like Matt Campbell has in his offense coordinator on for they lose, there's a good chance Mark, they lose that game if they don't execute that. So kudos to Iowa State and also to have a quarterback Mark, you've played behind a couple monsters, a Hall of Famer too that when you know that quarterback is going to get you in the right play. That's a hell of a feeling.
- [06:13]
Mark Ingram
Yeah, it's not like a coach. It's nothing but an asset and advantage to your team because if you give them one call and the defense has the right defense for it, it's a bad play, it's a bad play. So the point of doing that is so the quarterback can get you out of a bad into a good play. You can either have a run. Okay, we're not oh now we have a three count week. It was supposed to go to the strong side. Let's flip it. Alert, alert. Now we're going to run it the other way or like and when I had Drew we would, we would sometimes go to the line of scrimmage and we'd have a package Bombers package. It has five or six different plays within that package where he can either get to a man a man concept, he can get to his own concept he can get to an individual to the backside X receiver. If he likes the matchup he can get to an interval individual matchup for the running back. If he likes to match up on the Linebacker. So you'd have to come out the huddle and know five different signals to five different plays and be able to execute it. So when you have a quarterback that can master that and have that type of intelligence, it's, it's a huge advantage for the offense.
- [07:17]
Urban Meyer
So I want to say this, that for the game of offensive football is about numbers and leverage. If you have a defense playing outside, leverage on you. No, you want to run inside breaking plays. If you have a numbers advantage, where you have a numbers advantage in that box, you want to run the football. I know it sounds simple, but the great defensive coaches, they're so good at not letting you know what's happening. And so having a guy out there that has done that 20 to 30 hours of prep during a week, like.
- [07:48]
Mark Ingram
Essentially a coach on the field.
- [07:50]
Urban Meyer
Yeah, he's a coach.
- [07:50]
Mark Ingram
Yeah.
- [07:51]
Urban Meyer
And I remember, I remember Alex Smith, I remember I would go like this, I go to Alex and Dan Mullen's my offense coordinator and I would look at him. The Fiesta Bowl, I went like this half the time. Go, Alex, go. You got it. Call the play, Alex. You know better than we do. So having a quarterback like that, man, that's. As a result, they won. They had the perfect play, I believe was man coverage. Perfect play against man coverage. And guess who got him in that play.
- [08:17]
Rob Stone
The trust factor to me is pretty cool, Coach, because this is a head coach who's a proud individual handing things off to, to a young teenager. Do you remember that first moment where you're like, all right, you're, you're in charge, you're, you're, you're doing it right now.
- [08:32]
Urban Meyer
That's the opposite. There's no better coaches.
- [08:36]
Rob Stone
I would think it'd be a great feeling, but you had to give it up at some point.
- [08:39]
Urban Meyer
We're old gray haired dudes on the sideline. You want to trust guys like Ingram. And you know, that's when I, when I know, when I know I had a Zeke Elliott and I was, we were handed. We got in the right play, JT got us in the right play. And that's a soft box. I knew something was coming out the other end of that thing and it was going to be usually Zeke Elliott.
- [08:57]
Rob Stone
Do you remember the first time letting your quarterback make the call?
- [09:01]
Urban Meyer
Oh, yeah, Bowling Green. We had a kid named Josh Harris that became a monster candidate. Yeah, absolutely. And there's no better feeling.
- [09:09]
Rob Stone
All right, time. This week's edition of Sound off our clip. This week we're going to take you behind the scenes at Penn State among the favorites to win it all. And I gotta tell you, there is some feel good vibes going on around the Penn State team right now. Take a look. Take a list. Okay. All right. So the first clip, Mark, the first clip I saw, and I sent it to our producer, Chris, and I'm like, do you think Coach has ever been thrown into a pool? Like, can you imagine the guts, the onions of Bowling Green, Utah, Florida, Ohio State to go after Coach Meyer and throw him in a pool? I. I'm guaranteeing you, the only people who've ever thrown Coach Meyer into a pool or body water is probably the grandkids. Your son. No. Your son, maybe. The grandkids. Even them. Even they. I think they're afraid of Grandpa.
- [10:31]
Urban Meyer
All right, all right, all right. It's one quick story. I know it's story time again, but in 2008, Mark, we have a great football team and we lose ole miss on fourth down. I don't know if you remember that. In 08, we lost that on fourth and one. Tebow gets stuff T. Bo to speech. Yeah, the speech. The promise. And we're playing LSU in two weeks. And I mean, you could cut the tension with a knife because if we lose again, we're out. And we have a loaded team. And I come in after Thursday practice and they're all jumped in that cold tub. You know, there's about eight. We had a big, giant cold tub. And I walk by and I see usually guys are laughing, having fun. And, you know, it's Thursday, work week's done. And they're all, it's not. I got a problem. I got to loosen this team up. I grab my cell phone and throw it on the side. And I hate cold water because I just can't. Like, all of us. And I said, screw it. And I tell our trainer, I said, move away. I'm going to jump in this thing. He looks at me, goes, what? I jumped in the middle of that. I just did like a cannonball. And I mean, I had eight guys start beating his shit. I mean, just diving on me and. Because I, you know, obviously they're freezing now because I move that cold water. So, long story short, I jumped right middle of that thing. It's like it. Like knives hit you mark when you jump into that thing.
- [11:43]
Mark Ingram
Colton is good for you, man.
- [11:45]
Urban Meyer
I know. And then, so we won the game big. We beat the heck out of LSU that week. So guess what? Tebow. And that made me do that every week, all the way through the national championship. I mean, I was like, damn.
- [11:57]
Mark Ingram
I, I mean, that was the recipe you cannonballing, huh?
- [12:00]
Rob Stone
But again, coach, you didn't do it. That's you willfully going in. That is not you being picked up and tossed in by your team.
- [12:08]
Mark Ingram
But you did, you didn't cannonball in 09. That's when we got.
- [12:11]
Urban Meyer
Let it go, Mark.
- [12:12]
Mark Ingram
Thanks for holding. Thanks.
- [12:14]
Rob Stone
Did you ever beat.
- [12:15]
Urban Meyer
If we would.
- [12:16]
Rob Stone
Did you guys ever have the school band come into your meeting rooms?
- [12:19]
Urban Meyer
Every. Absolutely. Every team up north week, they come over. That's a tradition that's gone on for 100 years at Ohio State. They come in, they do the script Ohio, the band. The players grab tubas and drums and they do the. So the band. I'll tell you what, Penn State's got a real band and they got a real game day atmosphere, so.
- [12:39]
Rob Stone
And they got a real team this year.
- [12:41]
Mark Ingram
I'm gonna tell you one thing. We talk about on the field stuff. We talk about the returning starters they got coming back. We talk about James Franklin, the seniors, the upperclassmen they had coming back. That team right there is a dangerous football team. That's all I needed to see. You have camaraderie like that when you're having fun like that with guys who want to be great, guys who have tasted the. The what success is, but they haven't gotten there yet and they're still having fun. They love each other, they love being around each other, they're having fun with the coaches and the players.
- [13:11]
Rob Stone
They're.
- [13:12]
Mark Ingram
That is a dangerous football team. And those two clips you showed me, I'm high on Penn State just off of those two clips. It's nothing to do with on the field. The, the best teams I've been around have been great off the field, have loved each other off the field, have had fun with each other off the field. But when they get on the field, they know what's important and what they have to do. But I know that's what Penn State's doing. And seeing those two clips, that that's a dangerous football team. Just from those two clips there, I.
- [13:38]
Rob Stone
Agree that that was my initial in, you know, the input in my brain when I saw those two things too. That there something special getting built right now in Happy Valley. We're going to talk about Penn State a little bit later, but coming up next, we discuss the SEC scheduling decision that everyone has been asking for and they finally got. Plus, we take a look at week one's top matchups, including the Ohio State hosting number one Texas. That's coming up on the triple option presented by Wendy's. If you love Wendy's Classic Frosty Flavors, we have got some big news for you. There are all new FR Frosty Swirl and Frosty Fusion flavors. So yeah, it's the same creamy treat that you've always loved now with a flavor refresh. So what are these new flavors?
- [14:27]
Mark Ingram
Well, stoner, thanks for asking. There are a lot so I'm just gonna list them. Okay, we've got the Frosty Swirls Strawberry Brownie Batter and Caramel. Then we've got the Blended Frosty Fusions, Caramel Crunch Oreo Brownie with Swirl Thick Brownie Batter sauce and Crunchy Oreo Cookie Pieces and Pop Tarts Strawberry with a street strawberry sauce and chunks of Crazy.
- [14:53]
Dabo Swinney
Good Pop Tarts pieces.
- [14:54]
Urban Meyer
You know your flavors. Not to mention that yes, you can still get your classic vanilla. Try them all and find your favorite.
- [15:02]
Mark Ingram
Are you going to be a Strawberry Swirl Girl? A Caramel Craze Fanatic Brownie Batter Buff Pop Tart Strawberry Fanatic Oreo Brownie Steak?
- [15:12]
Rob Stone
These are all really, really good questions, Mark. Anyway, whatever flavor you're craving, odds are we've got a Frosty for it. So check in for sweet treat time with Wendy's all new Frosty Flavors. A refresh on a classic? Gotta be Wendy's. This college football season is delivering weekly showdowns you do not want to miss.
- [15:35]
Urban Meyer
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- [15:44]
Mark Ingram
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- [15:59]
Rob Stone
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- [17:13]
Dabo Swinney
Abercrombie is an official fashion partner of the NFL, and I'm CeeDee Lamb, wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys. You know, I'm here for Abercrombie's Cowboys gear. That's not a question, but I need a whole wardrobe to go with it. No shade to the guys, but I'm used to having the best tunnel fits. This season, Abercrombie has me covered. Shop NFL by Abercrombie in the app, online and in store.
- [17:42]
Rob Stone
Welcome back to the triple option. Presented by Wendy's. Rob, Mark Urban, back here with you. Time now for Crossroads, presented by nhtsa. Whether you get pulled over or get into a crash, drinking and driving will change your whole world. Drive sober or get pulled over. Paid for by nhtsa. The SEC has been under.
- [18:01]
Urban Meyer
Hold on real quick, Mark. I'm looking at that. Every time I look up, I see Rob Stone. I see. That was that. Wallpaper.
- [18:09]
Mark Ingram
Wallpaper.
- [18:10]
Urban Meyer
And then Rob actually got up this morning and said, I'm going to put on this shirt.
- [18:14]
Mark Ingram
It's a lot going on to the eye coach.
- [18:16]
Rob Stone
Yeah. Fashion expert Urban Meyer, everybody.
- [18:20]
Urban Meyer
No, no, I'm not. I'm just. I'm spinning when I look up and I see this. What is that?
- [18:24]
Rob Stone
How can you even see me in my camouflage shirt? I think my hands.
- [18:28]
Mark Ingram
Right.
- [18:28]
Urban Meyer
What's amazing to me, you got up and said, I'm gonna pick because you got shirts. You have a choice.
- [18:33]
Mark Ingram
You got to wear a solid color with that wall of paper or you're going to have us fill in because.
- [18:37]
Urban Meyer
The viewers look and say, what?
- [18:39]
Rob Stone
Rob Stone, Mark Ingram, tell me you would not wear this shirt.
- [18:42]
Urban Meyer
No, I would wear the shirt.
- [18:43]
Mark Ingram
But now against that wallpaper.
- [18:45]
Rob Stone
I understand. I understand.
- [18:46]
Urban Meyer
Wow. Everybody's sorry. Sorry about that.
- [18:48]
Rob Stone
Yeah, it's good. Can we. Can we get back to our NHTSA conversation about the sec?
- [18:53]
Mark Ingram
I don't know.
- [18:54]
Urban Meyer
I would not wear that shirt.
- [18:55]
Rob Stone
No, Urban would not. Mark. Mark Wood.
- [18:58]
Urban Meyer
First of all, it's a small.
- [18:59]
Rob Stone
Second of all, it's a medium. All right. Oh, my God. I love you guys so much. I can't wait to see in Columbus this week. All right. The SEC has been pressured for years to add that ninth conference game to their schedule. Like the Big Ten, like the Big 12. Not like the ACC, by the way. And it is finally happening. Starting next season, each school will have three annual opponents focused on maintaining of course, those traditional rivalries. That makes sense. Each of the six remaining games rotate among the other schools. Each team will face every other SEC program at least once every two years. To make things equitable. SEC schools, this is the big one. We'll get to this in a second. Will be required to play one game per season against a school from the Big Ten, Big 12, ACC or Notre Dame. Coach has some thoughts on that. But first, Mark, you know you, your collegiate career was in the sec. What are your thoughts on, on the conference finally going to that nine game number?
- [19:56]
Mark Ingram
I mean I felt like the schedule was fine as is. The SEC was tough as a mother when I was playing, you know what I mean? It's a little different now, but let's, let's look at this thing. You can look at it a few different ways. Like the new CFP12 teams, they're supposed to award strength of schedule. So adding a 9th sec game plus a quality non conference opponent that essentially makes SEC resumes bulletproof. The trade off is they're going to be beating each other up. You know, it's going to be some more cannibals. The truth is they're going to be more cannibalization within the conference. You're going to see more 93 teams. You're going to see more 10 and two teams because you're adding that extra game. But as a player, what does that like as as far as national respect goes, everyone wants to hate on the sec. Like it's going to shut the haters up. Like folks always say the SEC schedules were light in certain spots, but now.
- [20:48]
Rob Stone
It was light because the out of conference scheduling, right. There would be some real soft teams slid in there. But again, here's LSU opening with Clemson week one.
- [20:57]
Mark Ingram
Right, right, right, right. So I mean you can't say that now every, every Saturday is going to be a dog fight. You got a nine game SEC schedule, then you got a quality opponent at the Big Ten, the Big 12 or the ACC. And. But at the end of the day, what do we do this for? We do this for the fans and the fans win here. More rivalries, more top 25 matchups, more Saturday classics. I mean, who doesn't want all that, you know what I mean? So I think this is a win and you know, I'm looking forward to it.
- [21:25]
Urban Meyer
Man, I actually can't believe they went there, Mark. I can't.
- [21:28]
Mark Ingram
They didn't have to.
- [21:29]
Urban Meyer
Commissioner Sankey and the coaches and the Ads agreed on this. I might have pushed back on that. Because you know, you, you know, you generally have to worry about the good of college football, the playoff and all that. But the SEC is a different animal, man. And there's very few people can speak on both. I can speak on the Big Ten and the SEC. I can't speak on the Big 12, although I play teams for Big 12 and the ACC. However, when I was a coach, the Gators, we always had one. The. I think 2006 was the most difficult schedule in the country. We're always had our rival.
- [22:05]
Mark Ingram
Yes.
- [22:05]
Urban Meyer
Our crossover was lsu. Think about that. Our rival was Tennessee and Georgia.
- [22:11]
Rob Stone
Think about that.
- [22:12]
Urban Meyer
And then throw in Florida State at the end of the year. Every year we played Florida State and that was back when they were top five, top ten all the time. So people would say something, why are you playing Western Carolina?
- [22:21]
Mark Ingram
And so, because I need that.
- [22:23]
Urban Meyer
I said I could give two shits what you think. I mean, I have a team to coach and our job is to get to the FCC championship. Period. Done. I'm not here to appease fans in California. And, and I. Our AD was. Jeremy Foley was great. He agreed. I mean, every four years I believe we played Miami.
- [22:42]
Mark Ingram
Yeah.
- [22:42]
Urban Meyer
So you're going to play Miami, Florida State and SEC schedule and your LSU is your crossover in the. The Western Division or the most of a schedule. So I am shocked that they did it. Is it right? For once again, I, I think the SEC's all due respect to the Big 12 in the ACC, even the Big 10. Your bottom half of your conference is not even close in my mind.
- [23:07]
Mark Ingram
Not at all.
- [23:08]
Urban Meyer
There's 16 stadiums. Your talent level, you're talking about bottom half of the sec. You know, it fluctuates, obviously, but there's NFL players all over that roster, whoever you're playing, so I'll do. And now Vanderbilt's got a hell of a coach and they're starting to win games.
- [23:23]
Mark Ingram
So yeah, the Big Ten won the last two Natties. But like, listen, I want a natty sec. You want an adding sec. I know what it takes. You know what it takes at this ninth game. It makes the toughest conference in my opinion in the National. It makes the toughest conference in the nation even tougher. You know what I mean? So.
- [23:40]
Urban Meyer
But I'm worried. I'm worried you're going to beat each other up, man.
- [23:42]
Mark Ingram
They are. They're going to cannibalize each other. You're going to see a 983 champion at the SEC.
- [23:46]
Urban Meyer
I don't think they need to add you to at a 9 conference. I'm glad they're making everybody play because I think college football should have that rule that every team should play someone from one of their big because that's, that's great for that. That should happen.
- [24:00]
Mark Ingram
Yeah. You're going to see a 9 to 3 conference champion out the SEC like ACC last year with Clemson winning the conference at 9 and 3.
- [24:07]
Rob Stone
So and, and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney is going to join us momentarily on the triple option. He has some thoughts, he has some real thoughts on scheduling and what the ACC should or maybe shouldn't do going forward. We've got a massive slate of week one games. Want to get you caught up? Of course the biggest is number one Texas, first time the Longhorns have been number one in the preseason rankings ever. They are at the defending champs number three Ohio State in Columbus. That is your treat of the week presented by Wendy's. Try Wendy's new Frosty Fusions with flavors like Caramel Crunch, Oreo Brownie and Pop Tarts Strawberry. That game noon Eastern live on fox. So many storylines to this one. But coach, the, the biggest one that jumps out at you, these two proud programs, these two absolute blue bloods are both starting essentially new quarterbacks, new QB ones. I know Arch Manning had a lot of snaps last year, but Arch Manning is now in control of Texas and Julian Sayan getting the call to be Ohio State's number one quarterback. It is a rematch from last year's College Football playoff semifinals won by the Buckeyes. Is it fair to say that the two new QBs is story number one for this one?
- [25:15]
Urban Meyer
It is. And I have obvious experience coaching. You know, the most famous one was when Cardell Jones took over in the Big Ten championship game. But whenever you're, you're starting a young quarterback, J.T. barrett, whether Dwayne Haskins when he was a first time start, all the way back to Tim Tebow, etc. I have very strong feelings, strong enough feelings that at times I would get in arguments with our staff, I mean respectful arguments about I had two rules, two, two things that we especially when you have a good team which the Buckeyes and the Longhorns obviously got good defenses, good special teams, well coached teams. I think the first score of the game or the first, the score at the end of the half is going to be whichever quarterback screwed up and whichever coaching staff put that guy in. Now think these are, you can say what you want about Archman, he's going to be a great player. He, he's only 61 of 90 for his career. And his only meaningful game was in Mississippi State. I went and watched that game. Mississippi State was not good. He's seen nothing about what he's getting ready to see. Julian Saying is a first time starter. Last year he was, he was five of 12. So he's thrown 12 competitive passes in his career. So I had two rules when I started young. Quarterback number one. The mindset of the quarterback is to get two first downs. That's all I want the coordinators to talk to him about. That's the way our team. I wanted everybody. That's not your job, Julian or Arch to take us down the field. Right now I think that's overwhelming. When you go stand on the field and I used to do that with a quarterback and the offense, I'd say, look, there's 10 yards, right? We can get 10 yards. If you get two first downs, Mark, the field is officially flipped.
- [26:56]
Mark Ingram
Yeah.
- [26:57]
Urban Meyer
So think about the way the game starts. I don't care if you get the ball in the 20 yard line. Normally you get the ball after fair catch or kick out of the end zone, 25 yard line or 35 yard line. If you do that, you get two first downs. Where's the ball? Midfield? Yeah. You go drop, you have a. Both of them are great punters, great punt teams. You're going to drop that thing inside the 10 yard line. Now the opposing quarterback is starting inside his tent.
- [27:20]
Mark Ingram
It's backed up.
- [27:21]
Urban Meyer
So you get two first downs. That's number one and that's a big number one. I want to hear nothing else said to that quarterback. Number two is never throw a ball between the hash marks to start that game. Because like a point guard, a quarterback, the energy. Martin, you remember your first start, you probably couldn't breathe, especially in a game like this. Yeah, those quarterbacks, I've seen them. I have my arm around the quarterback. All right, here we go. And you can't even hear it so loud. Especially being a kid and he's. No, I mean, what's going through his mind right now. So you always start. The adrenaline's pumped when you're a point guard and it's. You feel what you had to tell.
- [28:01]
Mark Ingram
Him, coach, when he looking like that, what you had to tell him when he was looking ahead.
- [28:04]
Urban Meyer
Usually I said, hand the ball to Zeke, you know, or whoever, or Percy Harvin, but in that situation, in that situation, you want to make sure. Well, I go back to a point guard, a point guard with all the adrenaline. Watch him sometime. Where's the ball always go off the back of the rim and bounces off for a big rebound. Why? Because the energy. Same thing with a quarterback with the energy, enthusiasm, the nervousness. He's going to over stride, he's going to throw that ball high. You mark my words, that ball is going to come out high a bunch of times. If you're playing a ball outside the hash marks, that's called an incomplete pass. And you punt, you know, move on. You know what happens, Rob, if it's thrown down the middle, right tipped and picked? Yeah, it's a pick and that's the game. So two rules. Get two first downs. That's rule number one. Just. That's your focus. Get two first downs. @ the appropriate time, we'll take the shot. And then the second one is keep that ball out of the middle field.
- [29:05]
Rob Stone
Coach, did you like to have them throw like right away, like first down, first snap? Just give me a nice and easy.
- [29:10]
Urban Meyer
Like if you. Yardo Jones, his first play against Wisconsin, who had a great defense, we ran a sprint out through an outcut. I wanted him to, you know, I could do that, you know, just. Just get to get the monkey off his back do that. You know, let completions the other times, like I remember Alex Smith told me, and same with Tebow, I remember distinctly, you know what they wanted the first play? A Q run. Oh, yep. They wanted to hit, right? They wanted.
- [29:36]
Rob Stone
They want to get hit.
- [29:37]
Mark Ingram
Set them pads early.
- [29:39]
Urban Meyer
They want to get hit. I mean, Eric, people don't realize how tough Alex Smith was. Alex Smith would tell me, I said, run me today on the first snap. Let me, let me get this out of my system.
- [29:47]
Mark Ingram
Yeah.
- [29:48]
Urban Meyer
And I said, I'm good with that. Bam. He'd get hit, he'd get up and I said, okay, let's go play.
- [29:52]
Mark Ingram
Yeah, I love it.
- [29:53]
Rob Stone
And no more.
- [29:54]
Mark Ingram
I would hate when I went three or four possessions to open the game and would not touch the ball. I'm like, yo, I need to touch this rock. I need to get this hit. I need to.
- [30:01]
Dabo Swinney
You feel me?
- [30:02]
Urban Meyer
Mark my words. I think the first score of the game is going to be made on a mistake made by the quarterback. And I hate to put that pressure on. And I would, I would put it on the coach.
- [30:10]
Mark Ingram
Opening game mistakes for sure. A lot of mistakes, a lot of penalties.
- [30:14]
Rob Stone
We saw a lot of sloppy football in Week 0, right?
- [30:16]
Mark Ingram
Who can play the cleanest game? Who could play the cleanest game? That's week one. Who could play the cleanest game and be the most disciplined in game, in game managing situations. 2 minute red zone, turning a football over. Those are all critical areas of victory for both teams in early in week one.
- [30:33]
Urban Meyer
Now I will add this that when I say be conservative which I am I throw swing routes and all that. But I'd also take shots. But what shots would I take? Mark simply 1 on ones on the outside.
- [30:44]
Mark Ingram
Yep.
- [30:44]
Urban Meyer
Because if you once again you overthrow it. Incomplete pass, move on. Tips and overthrow. Never throw that ball between the hash marks.
- [30:51]
Rob Stone
How often do you think Jeremiah Smith is going to be left in a one on one situation?
- [30:56]
Urban Meyer
I don't think. I don't think once. You know how many times last year Texas held him to one catch for three yards. And I went back and I'm going to do a segment on Big Noon about that. It's called the SJD defense. You know what that is? Stop Jeremiah defense. And and I'm gonna not to give too much away but I'm gonna talk. I got a whole segment on that. And it's either if man coverage. You want to stop him. You know what you do? You're bracket them.
- [31:21]
Mark Ingram
Yeah.
- [31:22]
Urban Meyer
In zone coverage. Mark. You roll to them.
- [31:23]
Mark Ingram
Yeah.
- [31:24]
Urban Meyer
And they did that. As a result a Mecca and Junkins had 100 yards receiving in the game.
- [31:30]
Mark Ingram
So other somebody else got to step up. Somebody else gotta step up.
- [31:34]
Urban Meyer
Coach.
- [31:34]
Mark Ingram
I'm looking at the tape. Who do I'm not gonna let beat me that guy somebody else got to try to beat me.
- [31:40]
Urban Meyer
But he Carnell Tate and the Purdue transfer receiver. And then they like this people's kid, the running back. I don't know.
- [31:46]
Mark Ingram
And the key there. Coach you said they held him to one catch for three yards.
- [31:49]
Urban Meyer
That's it.
- [31:50]
Mark Ingram
Seven returning starters, continuity on the coaching staff. They're going to go up there with that same type of game plan. Switch some stuff up a young rookie quarterback. They're going to try to put pressure on him, fluster him and hey it's going to be a great matchup.
- [32:07]
Urban Meyer
I can't wait. I got one thing to add Rob. So an elite wide receiver's best friend in order. Okay. If you're a great receiver in order. Number one is an athletic quarterback. Why it limits the defense. You're going to see and if you're running Will Howard was a threat every time he touched the ball. So he had very vanilla coverages last year against Jeremiah.
- [32:30]
Rob Stone
Is saying a threat to run it.
- [32:32]
Urban Meyer
No number two pocket. You want two monster. You want a strong run game.
- [32:38]
Mark Ingram
Yep.
- [32:38]
Urban Meyer
They had two first rounders got to run that ball junkins so that's the best friend an elite receiver can have. And then finally an elite number two receiver. If they w and they had a.
- [32:49]
Mark Ingram
Mecca he can eat.
- [32:50]
Urban Meyer
Guess what, Mark? Gone is a running quarterback, gone are the two running backs, and gone is so the elite receiver. It was a perfect scenario for Joe. I'm still saying he's elite, of course. I think you're going to see more double on him. And use what? Use what?
- [33:10]
Rob Stone
Ohio State, they're just full of stormtroopers though. One goes down, another one pops back up. Yeah, those guys that have to pop back up have to, they're fact have to prove themselves on this level. And Texas, as you mentioned, Mark has got a bunch of dudes who, who have done it. I know they only return three starters on offense, but it's defense, right? Seven starters return last season. They allowed just over 15 points a game. Third in FBS I feel, and I don't know where you are, but I think the Texas defense is, is what's going to win it or potentially lose it for the Longhorns in Columbus.
- [33:43]
Mark Ingram
Yeah, I think that's the key to this game is their defense. You know, the return of seven starters, a team who played really tough. They were a top three defense in the nation last year. You got those guys coming back, you got the same coaching, same coaching staff continuity coming back. Then you add. I feel like that's going to be the difference, especially in a game when it's week one where you need to rely on your defense to play tough, not give up points, turn the football over, get pressure on this rookie quarterback. That's what their, their front depth up, up, up, up on the defensive front, they get pressure on the quarterback. That's what they did. And so I think that's going to be a big point of emphasis for them Saturday. But then also the running game, I think, I think how Texas is built right now, I feel like they can go into, go up to Ohio State on the road because what happens, a defense travels, a run game travels. They got their two top running backs coming back, Trayvon Wisner and C.J. baxter off that bad knee injury he had. They're both back this year. Arch Manning, he can, he's a dual threat quarterback. He can run, he can make plays with, he can make plays with his arm extending plays. So I feel like those aspects of running the football and playing a tough defense, I feel like those things play into Texas hand for this matchup.
- [34:58]
Urban Meyer
So I went and watched Texas offense and I'm just curious, you know, Their top two receivers in tight end are gone.
- [35:05]
Mark Ingram
Yep.
- [35:05]
Urban Meyer
For the NFL. And I thought they were good last year. Both of them were NFL guys. Obviously. I watched the receivers. I don't know, Mark. Yeah, I. I think they got to really improve from what they do. Emmett Mosley, a transfer from Stanford. But I actually went and watched him. He's okay, you know. Yeah, he's good players. He first round draft pick.
- [35:26]
Mark Ingram
No, I'm not sure we'll see this year. He never had his opportunity. You know, they had Matthew golden and. And, you know, Isaiah Bond kind of last year. Year, so.
- [35:35]
Urban Meyer
And then they got injuries. The Cal tight end transfer that y. You know, he's an athletic dude, so I'm anxious to see. I think the running backs are legit. I, I think that C.J. you know, he got hurt.
- [35:46]
Mark Ingram
Yeah.
- [35:47]
Urban Meyer
But they're. I and I actually made a couple calls to find out. They say the kid's a monster before he got hurt.
- [35:51]
Mark Ingram
So I think game management, taking care of the football and playing tough defense, especially in an early season game against a tough opponent, are critical. Defense, game management, two minute in the half, in the game, red zone. Taking care of the football, running the football. Those are real simple things that you have to be able to do in an early matchup against a big team.
- [36:13]
Urban Meyer
I'm going to add one thing that I would put above all that. Quarterback management.
- [36:17]
Mark Ingram
Yeah, of course. Game management, Quarterback management.
- [36:20]
Urban Meyer
Because it's unique. You have two young bloods.
- [36:23]
Mark Ingram
You want to get those guys comfortable.
- [36:25]
Rob Stone
And one thing we always see early on in, in the season, too, special teams. Right. How much time did you really spend on special teams? Whether it's returning punts or kickoffs or field goals, you know, this one's going to be tight stoner. And I know coaches especially you know.
- [36:41]
Mark Ingram
That because a special teams Touchdown gives you 99 chance to win the game.
- [36:46]
Rob Stone
There we go.
- [36:46]
Mark Ingram
You score on special teams. Kick return, touchdown partner, turn touchdown, block, field ball, touchdown block, punt touchdown. That makes your percentages go up 99%.
- [36:56]
Rob Stone
Man. And the energy is going to be so great. By the way, weather I was looking at it only going to be like mid-70s, like a very great football temperate, great football weather.
- [37:05]
Urban Meyer
So Mark won't be sweating through his sport coat.
- [37:08]
Rob Stone
No, we're going to save that for later in the season. By the way, we might be going back to UCF in week four. There's. There's chatter about that one. I'm already right in September. I'm having some sweat flashbacks for that one. All right, we're going to pick this game coming up in a little bit, but there's so much else to get to in week one. Again, we talked about. Dabo Sweeney is going to join us in just a moment. His fourth ranked Clemson Tigers host, number nine LSU Saturday night. This is a matchup of two legit Heisman quarterback candidates. Cade Club Nick for Clemson, almost 3,700 yards passing last season. He can run it to seven rushing touchdowns, 36 touchdowns against. What are we getting on? We're getting on the nuts bus. Garrett Nussmeier over 4,000 yards last season again. We're going to talk to Dabo coming up in a moment. But Mark, Mark, what are your early thoughts on the the battle of the Two Death Valleys?
- [38:01]
Mark Ingram
The battle of the Two Death Valleys. See, the Death Valley I know is traveling to the Death Valley of South Carolina.
- [38:07]
Rob Stone
So there's three.
- [38:09]
Mark Ingram
Yeah, yeah. Wait, wait, is there three? Because there's a Death Valley in lsu, there's a Death Valley in South Carolina. Where's that?
- [38:14]
Rob Stone
Clemson Valley.
- [38:16]
Mark Ingram
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, so there's only two. The LSU and Clemson. Yeah. Okay. So yeah, so LSU Death Valley traveling to Clemson. Death Valley. But man, Clemson is a tough team. Man, they're a tough football team. They won the ACC last year, nine and three. They made it to the College Football Playoff. They got K Clubnick, they got six returning starters, 16 returning starters, eight on offense, eight on defense. So you talk about Klubnick and just who he is, what he's meant and how he grew last year again against the nuts. Against the nuts. Lsu. There's a lot of question marks, you know, in this game of, you know what's going to happen. But I think the advantage, I think is leaning towards Clemson in this one. Man. I think the 16 returning starters, I think the home field advantage, I think the consistency in coaching with Dabo, I think it's going to be a close game, maybe a field goal here or there, you know what I mean?
- [39:12]
Rob Stone
But Brian, Brian Kelly with those, those week one issues, has a lot to win his opening game as head coach at lsu and you know, a lot of that has to do with scheduling and whatnot. But you know, coach, you know, that is, that is in the back of his brain. Maybe it's in the frontal cortex at this point with that type of stuff.
- [39:30]
Mark Ingram
Is it just at LSU or does it go past LSU or opening the Open? Just lsu. Yeah.
- [39:36]
Urban Meyer
Yeah. I'm going to say this about Brian Kelly and I use this very sparingly. Unless it's true he's a winner. You know, he's won in Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, and so he's going to win. The pressure is all over LSU now. They didn't hire them to. All due respect to nine and 10 wins. That's not why you go to LSU. So I. There is a reason Mark is. I think the template was set in Ann Arbor two years ago. It was followed by the Buckeyes. Penn State and LSU kind of have it and so does Clemson do it. Clemson, yeah, they have the returning the. The guy that could have left and he said, I'm going to come back. Nussmeyer said, I'm going to come back. He threw for 4,000 some yards, but he. The whole point is he came back because there's unfinished business. Same thing with Penn State. Those. How about Penn? Those two running backs came back. Yeah, but that's a cool thing about nil. Now they're getting paid so they can. So I, I have LSU as a dark horse with me because I think I have a lot of respect for the coach that program because I know the dudes they get. I've coached against those cats. It seems year in, year out, Mark, you remember, they just look different down there. Yeah.
- [40:45]
Mark Ingram
And the defense has been, you know, the defense has been kind of, you know, the question mark of that team. You know, because they were scoring a lot of points last year. The defense was kind of the question mark. They have a lot of transfers incoming. So we do like. Yeah, we got. We like Nuss. We know what he could do. But will the supporting cast be able to rise to the occasion in Death Valley? And what's the line here? Stoner? Am I picking my.
- [41:06]
Rob Stone
We'll get to the line. Yeah, we'll get to that in a second.
- [41:08]
Mark Ingram
This game right now.
- [41:09]
Rob Stone
Yeah. Yeah, you can start thinking about that. By the way, don't be surprised if this is the first of two meetings this season between Clemson and lsu. I'll go ahead and throw that one out there. Another big matchup. Top 10 matchup Saturday night. New quarterback theme. It continues with Notre Dame on the road at Miami. Carson Beck left Georgia. He's now QB number one at Miami. C.J. carr, the grandson of former Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr, is QB number one this season for Notre Dame member ND lost in the title game to Ohio State. Marcus Freeman, what a great job the former Buckeye has done. What do you expect from the Irish this season and in this game?
- [41:50]
Urban Meyer
Coach, you know, they lost Al Golden, a guy that we all had great respect.
- [41:54]
Rob Stone
Big loss.
- [41:55]
Urban Meyer
They hired. My former coordinator, Chris Ash is now running the defense and I've been texting with him. He loves his team. He, you know, obviously he's a big fan of Marcus Freeman as I am. I, I was surprised. They're only a slight favorite over Miami, so there must be. I don't know a lot about Miami, obviously. Carson Beck, we saw him, he has all the tools, but he gives the ball to the other team too much. If that continues that, that, that's a bad recipe. That's a recipe for failure. If he, if he doesn't take care of the ball, I think Notre Dame is going to reload. I'm surprised that their, their first two games are rugged. I want to say they have A and M second game. Miami, usually they don't do that usually. You know, Notre Dame schedule is a little bit more friendly than this. They have to find a way to come out of the, this early part of the season either undefeated or just one loss.
- [42:50]
Mark Ingram
I got one, I got two words for you, Jera. Maya Love. Yep, he is going ball.
- [42:58]
Rob Stone
Best running back in the game right now.
- [43:00]
Mark Ingram
Our beast, RB1 in the game right now.
- [43:03]
Urban Meyer
You heard it here first over Penn State Singleton.
- [43:09]
Mark Ingram
Monday, the controversy this morning, huh? Oh, Lord, I just said two words. Jeremiah Love, man, Singleton is a beast, dog. I don't know, man. I like both of them. You can't. What do you want? You want power and speed? You want the need for speed? I don't know. I don't know. Jeremiah Love, man, I just want to tell you, in this game, watch out for my boy, man. He going to ball. He going to put Notre Dame on his back. Come down here to the heat. The heat in Florida. South Florida ain't gonna be ready for that heat coat.
- [43:40]
Rob Stone
Hey, man, it's hot everywhere. It's August, right? No, I know, I know, but I know there's Florida heat.
- [43:47]
Mark Ingram
You said it's going to be 75 in Ohio. It has not been 75 here since February, since 2005.
- [43:55]
Urban Meyer
You know, I go out now, Mark, and I wonder how you guys did it. I wonder how Florida. I'm like, how, how do you practice? I, I go play.
- [44:05]
Mark Ingram
You know what it's about shoulder pads in a helmet and going to tackle or hit or run the football right now. Like it. I couldn't imagine it. I don't know how I did it for so long.
- [44:14]
Rob Stone
All right, time now for two minute drill. We're going up tempo, guys. We're going to pick some of the big games. 2 Minute Drills brought to you by FanDuel. Welcome FanDuel. Visit FanDuel.com Triple Option to download the app and take advantage of a 50% profit boost today. Coach. We're going to start with the big one. Number one, Texas at number three, Ohio State Buckeyes favored by two and a half. The over under 47 and a half total points. How do you see it, coach?
- [44:41]
Urban Meyer
I see Vegas is the winner, man. Again, I look right at that number and that's, that's right where it's going to be a field goal or I think the halftime score will be determined by the coaching staff or quarterback that makes a mistake. I'm going to take the Buckeyes in a tight win in Columbus, Ohio. They'll, they'll cover the spread. Not much though.
- [45:02]
Rob Stone
Not much. Number nine, LSU at fourth ranked Clemson. First meeting of these two programs since the 2020 national championship game. One in which LSU's Joe Burrow took care of Trevor Lawrence and Clemson, huh? The Clemson tigers favored by four and a half. Mark the over under 57 and a half.
- [45:23]
Mark Ingram
Lord, 57 and a half in week one.
- [45:27]
Rob Stone
You're rethinking things, aren't you? Seems like a big number.
- [45:30]
Mark Ingram
I'm tempted to take the under on a week one matchup. You know what I mean?
- [45:33]
Rob Stone
But experienced quarterbacks, experienced rosters.
- [45:36]
Mark Ingram
Yes, yes, yes, yes. That's why I'm tempted to take the under. I'm tempted. But listen, can we just take Clemson money line? Like do I have to take the points here? Like Clemson minus four and a half. Like can I, can we just go money line here and just go money line?
- [45:52]
Rob Stone
You do whatever you want, man. The good folks at FanDuel are open to you.
- [45:55]
Mark Ingram
The good folks at Fanduel. You gave me the minus four and a half out. You gave me the over under. I'm just comfortable going Clemson moneyline. How about that? My people listening. For my listeners and for my viewers, I'm putting my money Clemson moneyline. Okay, so there we go.
- [46:12]
Rob Stone
On Sunday we reboot one of the classic rivalries in college football. Catholics versus Convicts is back. Notre Dame at Miami. The Irish favored by 2 1/2. The over under 50 1/2 total points. Irish having to replace 12 starters. Remember they went 4, they had 14 wins last season. Had an FBS best 7 ranked wins as well for Notre Dame. No Riley Leonard. Riley Leonard's legs being replaced by car. We talked about that. Jeremiah Love over 1100 yards rushing, 17 touchdowns. Love most rushing touchdowns of any returning back in fbs. He's a first team preseason All American. The Irish defense top ten scoring each of the last two seasons. But a new coordinator in Chris Ash as you mentioned for Miami coming off their first 10 win season since 2017. But gone is number one pick Cam Ward. In comes Carson back part of that number 3 transfer class this off season back at Georgia 243 led the Bulldogs to back to back SEC title games but did have that UCL surgery in his throwing elbow. And remember and coach, you touched on it the turn the turnovers led the SEC with 12 interceptions last season. They replaced their top six receivers from last season. I think it's too much too soon for this revamp. Miami side I like the Irish on the road by at least three. Who knows, maybe even seven Coming up next. He's a two time national champion. Head coach Clemson's Dabo Sweeney joins us and he's got the word cyclical. Look, look it up Mark. Cyclical. Dabo's gonna be talking about cyclical nature of college football. Coming up next on the on the triple option presented by Wendy's Drinking and driving is a decision that will change your whole world. Things will never be the same once you get a DUI because legal fees and time in court are just the beginning. Getting into a crash is another way your world could be irreversibly changed after drinking and driving.
- [48:16]
Urban Meyer
And your vehicle might not be the only thing that gets damaged in that crash. You could face a life altering injury or even death, but you're not the only one who could face those consequences. Your decision to drink and drive could permanently change someone else's world, whether you injure them or leave their loved ones grieving. The next time you're out drinking, call a ride, share a taxi, a sober friend or a designated sober driver.
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Rob Stone
The only decision that will change your world for the better is the decision to call for a sober ride. Drive sober or get pulled over paid for by NHTSA. What if a quarterback completed 4 out of 5 of his passes or a point guard hit 4 out of 5 from behind the arc? Well now when you're hiring you can play at that level because four out of five employers who post on ZipRecruiter get a quality candidate within the first day.
- [49:09]
Urban Meyer
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Mark Ingram
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Rob Stone
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Mark Ingram
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Rob Stone
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Mark Ingram
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Rob Stone
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Mark Ingram
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Rob Stone
Welcome back to the triple option presented by Wendy's. What a guest we have for you here on week number two, four national title appearances, two national titles. Titles. Nine ACC championships. The head coach at Clemson University, Dabo Sweeney, joins us right now. And coach, thanks. You enter this season number four in the AP rankings. Huge home game against LSU Saturday. And what's really unique about the conversation this week for both my coaches between Mark, Dabo and Urban, we are talking six national titles on the triple option right now. I. I'm bringing nothing to the table, Coach. Sorry about that.
- [50:58]
Dabo Swinney
Hey, I got one as a player. I don't know if you're counting.
- [51:00]
Rob Stone
There we go. Seven. Quick, quick math update. Seven natties.
- [51:06]
Mark Ingram
Let them go, coach.
- [51:07]
Dabo Swinney
Let them know and listen. When we won it, Mark, it wasn't like it is now, where Alabama wins it every other year. We wanted in 92.
- [51:14]
Mark Ingram
Yep.
- [51:14]
Dabo Swinney
Alabama hadn't. That was my senior year. We had. They had not won it since the 70s. My senior year. 92.
- [51:23]
Urban Meyer
Hey, thanks for joining us.
- [51:24]
Dabo Swinney
Yeah, man. Good to see y'. All.
- [51:26]
Urban Meyer
I have a question. So six national championships. Actually seven, because you had one as a player. I. I was talking to our crew about this. There's times you're one week before the season starts and when you come home and talk to Kathleen, I'd come home and you'd have your decompression. Usually there's probably a cabernet involved or something, or a little whiskey or something. I'd sit and I'd talk to her and I said, if I don't screw this up, we have a chance to win it all. There's other times I'D come home and I'd say, we're awful. Our defense sucks, our corners can't play the. We're soft, we're out of shape and all this. You've won two titles. I faced the one in 16, which is all first rounders on that D line. Can you tell when you're about to make a run and is this year that year?
- [52:14]
Dabo Swinney
Well, I mean, I definitely think you can tell when you know that you've got a team that's got a chance, you know, And I mean, we've had, we've had several teams that I think didn't necessarily win the championship, but they, they, they were good enough. And, you know, I always say you got to have a little luck along the way, too. I think this team has the, the, the tangibles and the intangibles, and I think that's really, as a coach, what we probably. Sometimes you got a good team, but you. They don't have the intangibles. You know, you're. And that really frustrates you. But I think they've got the ingredients, but, you know, you got to go do it. I mean, I mean, we've got. Usually great teams. Have a great quarterback. We got a great quarterback. Usually great teams are in the trenches. I think we're good in the trenches. You need a kicker that can win a game. We got a kicker. They can win a game. We've got some elite skill, so we have those things. We got good leadership, good chemistry. These guys really love each other and they've worked their butts off. And then I think also you got to have a vision for it, you know, and these guys, this group in particular, had not been to the playoffs because the last time we went six years in a row, in 21, we came up a point short. 22, same thing. 23. We weren't good enough to get there. So that group last year had. None of those kids had experienced that. So now this is a group that's won the league, been to the playoff.
- [53:39]
Mark Ingram
Yep.
- [53:39]
Dabo Swinney
Kind of have. They got a little vision for it, and I think, I think it's hard to quantify that too. So they got a shot. But I agree 1000%. I've had many of those days where I've come home to Cath and I'm like, my God, we may not win a game. And then, you know, schedule is a part of it too. That's always a part of it. You know, we gotta, we gotta challenge the schedule. I think we play, you know, if probably five of the top six teams in the ACC we play. And plus we're gonna play lsu, play South Carolina.
- [54:09]
Mark Ingram
Yeah. Coach, you talked about you guys have a chance to win it. And a big reason you guys have a chance to win it is because of your quarterback, C.L. cade Klubnick. You had, like you said, you mentioned you had desean Watson, you had Trevor Lawrence, and now you have K club Nick, who had a huge year last year. What growth. Have you seen him this offseason and what steps do you think he needs to take to get you guys bring a championship back to Clemson this year?
- [54:32]
Dabo Swinney
Yeah, well, first of all, physically, growth, like, like he's, he was 212 pounds at weigh in. So I mean, kid showed up here £179.
- [54:42]
Mark Ingram
He got the guns out, huh?
- [54:43]
Dabo Swinney
Yeah, he's, he's just, he's just. His lower body, he's just a thicker, you know, more stout guy. And, and so that just accentuates all this other stuff already. He's a good runner. Makes him a better runner.
- [54:57]
Mark Ingram
Right.
- [54:58]
Dabo Swinney
So all those things physically is the biggest thing. And then just, just from where he was this time, like this time last year, it was a lot of criticism, a lot of noise. You know, we're not going to win with this guy. And his first year as a starter, I mean, he took too many sacks, he, he turned the ball over too many times, ball handling, poor decisions, he refused. He just absolutely wouldn't use his legs. This kid is a really gifted runner, but he had just never done it, never really been asked to do it. And he just. His closest game in high school was 14 points. He won three state championships in a row. Never lost a game in high school. The closest game was a 14 point margin. And now all of a sudden his first year as a starter, he's got some football adversity. But he battled through that. And then last year he improved in all those areas. He became not just a good runner, he became a great runner. He became so much better in the pocket. He, his turnovers, his TFLs, his sacks way down. His situational awareness improved. And so the biggest area that he's grown having been through that year is his, just his confidence. I mean, the game, you know, I would always say he's a kid that sometimes would get to the game and the game would speed him up. And as I saw him last year, the game slows down now and it's just, coach, you've been around the great ones like, you know, and, and when you're around those great ones because you can all feel those moments, and it's just like it don't matter what's going on. That guy slows it down. It doesn't speed the great ones up. The great ones slow it down. And that's kind of what I've seen him. He has complete ownership and understanding of what everybody's doing, but his confidence. And then I'd say the next thing is he is the unquestioned leader of our football team. This time last year, you know, he had to go earn that. He was the leader of our offense, but he had. He's the unquestioned leader of our football. So what he needs to do moving forward to take that next step is more of the same. Just continue to pick up where he left off last year and, you know, just. Just stay on that track. If he takes that next step, that's really. That's really all it is for him.
- [57:13]
Urban Meyer
I want to hit you with the ACC here for a second. I think it's intriguing when, when people start talking about the. Expanding the playoff and I saw the Big Ten model that was proposed and it. It kind of shortchanged the ACC. You know, where you had. I think it was 442211. And then I started thinking back. There was a time coach, that ACC could have made claim to the most difficult conference in college football yet. Clemson, obviously, Florida State, Louisville, Miami and Virginia tech, all top 15 teams. There is a time where, you know, several years ago where, I mean, ACC was as good as any other conference. There's only one other team other than you in the top 25. That's Miami. Do you see, you know, I know they have new coach at Louisville, a hell of a coach. And do you see Miami, you know, the Florida states, Miami's, Louisville's, Virginia Techs, they've got to be good for your conference to get that respect. How far off are they?
- [58:18]
Dabo Swinney
Not far off. I think all that stuff is cyclical, honestly. And, you know, I know there's been a lot of talk about the. That's why I've always said everybody wants to play more conference games. I think it just becomes more insulated. Like, I'm like, why don't we play less conference games? And let's go, let's go, you know, just put it on the field, you know, and let's. Let's play. Play five conference games and. Or six and six and let's go mix it up. And let's see. Let's see who's got the best deal. But I think it's Cyclical. I mean, I think everybody's good, especially in today's. You know, you can get great in a, in a, in a day, you know, I mean, you really can. I mean Miami's, they were good last year. They were really good football team last year, had the number one draft pick. I think if you look at our league and you look at the quarterbacks in this league, I think if you look in the NFL and you look at the amount of players drafted out of the acc, I mean, I mean this is a quarterback driven league. There's some of the best quarterbacks in the country are right here. Again, last year as well, Louisville is a, I mean, listen, they beat us last year. I mean, Louisville is a really good football team and I love their quarterback. Last year was his name.
- [59:27]
Mark Ingram
Yeah, sure, Tyler Show.
- [59:28]
Dabo Swinney
He might be the starter for the Saints this year. Rookie. I mean, Cam Ward, a number one draft pick. I mean, so obviously we got a good quarterback. I think, I think the league. Who knows what, what's going to happen in North Carolina. They got 75 new players. Y' all help me out with that one.
- [59:45]
Urban Meyer
A new coach too, I think, I.
- [59:47]
Dabo Swinney
Can'T remember his guy named Bill Belichick.
- [59:49]
Urban Meyer
He's.
- [59:49]
Dabo Swinney
I think he's pretty good. And. But Miami's been awesome. Florida State didn't have a good year last year, but you know, Mike's done a great job down there and you know, I mean, they had some, some obviously some challenges last year. We've been a very steady, consistent program for a long time. Georgia Tech, let me tell you.
- [60:08]
Mark Ingram
Georgia Tech, no slouch.
- [60:11]
Dabo Swinney
They had Georgia beat last year.
- [60:12]
Mark Ingram
Yes, they did.
- [60:13]
Dabo Swinney
I mean, they had them beat and Athens. Listen, Coach Keys done an amazing job at Georgia Tech. That's smu. And what the. In the job that Rhett's done, Dave Doran has been a very consistent winner at NC State, obviously Virginia Tech, we all know what their potential is. Billy O. Is going to get them going at BC, I think, I mean, Fran at Syracuse won 10 games last year, right? Oh, I think you know people.
- [60:39]
Urban Meyer
That's right.
- [60:39]
Dabo Swinney
Put them on the schedule. That's all.
- [60:41]
Mark Ingram
I line them up.
- [60:42]
Dabo Swinney
It's a very cyclical thing. And just as soon as you think you got it all figured out, you don't.
- [60:49]
Mark Ingram
Cyclical. Little vocabulary for y' all today.
- [60:52]
Dabo Swinney
Yeah, I'm from Alabama.
- [60:54]
Mark Ingram
Yeah.
- [60:54]
Dabo Swinney
Four A's and a B. Got two degrees from Alabama.
- [60:59]
Mark Ingram
Yes, sir.
- [61:02]
Rob Stone
Coach. So speaking of Bama, the sec, they just went to nine conference games. The ACC is that one holdout Conference. So listening to you, you're advocating to, to your ad, your president, your fellow coaches, that we don't need to get it to nine. If anything, you want to reduce the amount of conference games in the acc.
- [61:18]
Dabo Swinney
Now, I ain't advocating for nothing. That's a big.
- [61:21]
Rob Stone
What are you advocating for?
- [61:22]
Dabo Swinney
The thing I'm advocating for is Monday practice tonight, let's go have play practice. Because I could care less about all the rest of that stuff.
- [61:29]
Rob Stone
So you don't care if the ACC.
- [61:30]
Dabo Swinney
Goes to nine or five and that's Clemson.
- [61:33]
Mark Ingram
I like, I like your theory though. You were saying. You know what I was.
- [61:36]
Dabo Swinney
Yeah, what I was saying is there's always this talk, there's always this chit chat, you know. You know, I, I mean, for a long time growing up, I mean you just, you had all kind of cross games and people played each other and I'm like, why it's going to get there anyway? I mean, I'm just, I mean, I, you know, I know what's coming. It's. Maybe it's five years, maybe it's three years, whatever. Because it's just. There's too much money and there's too much at stake, but sooner or later there's going to be. Nobody wants to hear it, but there's probably going to be a 30 to 50 team type of lead and there's going to be pods. I'm just saying, like, everybody likes to talk big and talk about how great their conference is. I ain't never been. I'm more about my program. You know, there's some teams that stink that go, yeah, but we're in this league and they wave the league. You know, I'm more about like, what type of program do you have? You know, and I mean, listen, we've, we've, we've played the best of the best around for a long time. We've scheduled. Well, we've been playing 10 Power 5 conferences for 16 years that I've been a head coach. Do you know how few people have done that? Like I, I've, I mean, I've always had this thing, everybody wants to play more. I'm like, well, how about we first start, get Everybody to play 10 all ins instead of, you know, like if, like. And I don't care how you do it. And then we get the, well, this conference is better than that conference and this conference, I mean. And I've just never bought into that stuff. I mean, we've played Alabama in three national championships and won two and we're an On Sidekick away from a third one.
- [63:11]
Mark Ingram
Relax, relax, relax. Coach, it's okay.
- [63:13]
Urban Meyer
We think.
- [63:14]
Dabo Swinney
My point is, like, if we want to settle all that stuff, then let's mix it up. Yeah, like mix it up. Instead of. And, you know, just like, you know, instead of playing more conference games and becoming more insulated, well, let's play more Big Ten, let's play more ACC, play more Big 12. Let's play about. Okay, you're gonna play your four conference games, and then you're gonna go play eight non conference. Now, how fun would that be? How fun would that be? And then I think you got a better. And surely there's an algorithm out there. We're living in a world where there's a bunch of smart people. We got AI, we got algorithms. Surely somebody can figure out the scheduling model. And then. Then it'd be a lot of fun to talk about, but I'm not make this clear. I ain't advocating for you. I could care less. You asked me a question. I'm just saying all I care about is Clemson.
- [64:05]
Urban Meyer
Yeah.
- [64:05]
Dabo Swinney
Make sure that Clemson is. Is, you know, ready to play on game day.
- [64:11]
Mark Ingram
Now, coach, you said that you guys have, you know, you've. You know, your program has played the best of the best. Last year, you guys opened against Georgia, so you always have played the best of the best. This year, you're starting with lsu. Two quarterbacks who are for Heisman contention. Is that like, your preference to start the year with a big game? Why? Why not? Why you feel like you want to test your team like that? Every single.
- [64:32]
Dabo Swinney
My preference since the day I got this job has always been like, when I literally met with AD when I got the job, and I said, look, I want to play. You know, we got our eight conference games for sure, and I want to go play to, like, get me the best you can get. I just think it's great to test your team early. And, you know, we don't have preseason games. That makes it a little bit more difficult in college football and especially with the transfer world. You know, you don't know a lot about some of these guys from a tape standpoint, but I think it's fun. I mean, let's go see where we're at and go, coach, I want to.
- [65:03]
Rob Stone
Hit the transfer portal concept in Clemson's world real quick. Four players coming in to Clemson via the transfer portal this year. The previous seven, you had taken in just two. So. So what is your philosophy on how Clemson wants to approach the transfer portal as far as at least bringing in Talent.
- [65:21]
Dabo Swinney
Yeah, we just use it when we need it. I mean, we've signed five guys in five years and we've used it as we've needed. So I don't, I don't, I don't. You know, everybody's got to do what they think's best for their program. I mean, I don't judge other people. I mean, I know people like to judge us a lot on our philosophy, but I don't judge other people. If I left today and took a job, half the team would leave because they can. And I couldn't go sign 40 freshmen, you know, but, but we're, I've been, it's my 23rd year at Clemson. I've been here 23 years. It's my 16th as the head coach. You know, we're just very rooted in who we are. And, and it does. You don't just snap your fingers and have that. And you know, I think that, I think loyalty is a two way street, first of all, and I think my preference, our preference is to, to recruit high school kids, you know, develop them, retain them and go win. You know, that's, that's always been our philosophy. And so as the world has changed around us from time to time, we, we have to use the portal. And that's our philosophy, is we'll use it when we have to. And you know, we. In the last three years and the craziest three years of college football, in my opinion, we've led the nation in graduation rate and retention. Fewest players leaving our program.
- [66:45]
Mark Ingram
Great.
- [66:45]
Dabo Swinney
And most of them, the great majority of the kids that have left our program, they have their degree.
- [66:51]
Mark Ingram
Yes.
- [66:51]
Dabo Swinney
So, so, you know, we just, we believe in that and I believe in the guys that we've evaluated and we have to develop them. And I know it's a different world where people want to plug and play, but. And if we have to, you guys.
- [67:05]
Rob Stone
One of the best traditions in college football. Running down that hill. Coach, is that hill getting a little steeper? Is it getting a little faster? As, as maybe the age starts climbing.
- [67:13]
Mark Ingram
Up that stride now, Coach be sliding.
- [67:16]
Dabo Swinney
I've been doing that suit my nobody. My very first game when I ran down the hill in 08, I didn't even mean to. I just was, I'm like, I'm gone. I'm the first one out and then I'm the last one to the sideline. I make sure everybody's down. And I've done that forever. And somewhere along the way, somewhere like 10 years into my tenure, people started, I Guess noticing actually me running down the hill, but I've always done that. But no, man, I mean, I. Listen, I always tell everybody I never got to experience what it felt like to run four, six, you know, so it took a hill. It took a hill like that for me to do it. So I enjoy it every single time.
- [67:51]
Rob Stone
Do you catch some air while you do it, too?
- [67:53]
Dabo Swinney
Every now and then. Every now and then I try not to get air because I know everybody wants me to fall so I could be like a meme for the. You know.
- [68:02]
Mark Ingram
I know you doing some wind sprints because you be coming down that thing wide open now. I know them hamstrings gotta be, you know, ready to go.
- [68:09]
Dabo Swinney
I'm good. I just. Just rock and roll. I just work out and run, play basketball. Stay ready, stay ready. Ain't got to get ready.
- [68:16]
Urban Meyer
Hey, Dabo, I got the Clemson story. That. So I'm at Florida, Mark and Rob, and in Clemson's just kind of, you know, they've always been good, but not what. What coaches brought them to. And so we're recruiting this kid named C.J. spiller.
- [68:30]
Dabo Swinney
He's.
- [68:30]
Urban Meyer
He's 30 minutes from the swamp, and he is a Gator man. And I mean, I recruit. I'm. I love this guy. I still love him. And so I remember Charlie Strong, it's coming down a signing date. And I said, what do you think? And he said, my defense coordinate, Charlie Strong, he said, I don't know. And I said, we can't lose a kid to Clemson, Coach. I'm telling you now, Clemson, those players like going. I go, Clemson. You know, I mean, this is how ignorant I was. I knew, you know, I'm from the North, I'm down in SEC country, We on signing date. He puts on the Clemson hat. I lose my mind. I mean, I lost it. And so I. I just don't know much about Clemson. So the one year I took off, I'm at espn. Rob and I go do a game in Clemson South. I never. I don't know where it's magical is. Yeah, I walk in that stadium and I'm like, you can say SEC all you want. This is as good environment as I ever seen. So I get hired at Ohio State, and I'm recruiting a player and. And the player comes in my office and he shows me a picture or something. He said, hey, Coach Sweeney wanted me to show you this. And it's a quote I have. There's a quote from me on the wall in his facility that says how great Clemson. And I'M like, that's son of a. You know. So I'm actually recruiting for Clemson now.
- [69:52]
Mark Ingram
Yeah.
- [69:53]
Dabo Swinney
Yeah, we have. We have a quote wall. Oh, yeah, we got. I got Kirby, I got say, we got them all, you know, so anytime we get some great quote, we just put it on the wall. We got a great quote wall, but yeah, we got. Got Coach Meyer on there. We had. We've had some fun with that.
- [70:07]
Mark Ingram
What we do is we've been asking you questions. We give you a chance to ask any one of us a question. So we give you a chance to be the host and fire one at us, man.
- [70:14]
Dabo Swinney
This is Coach Sweeney coming at you from what. What did y' all say? Triple option. From the triple option mark. So you know now that you are no longer playing and you're doing broadcasting and media and stuff, you got this big game. I know you're an SEC guy, but do you think Clemson has a chance to beat lsu? Who are you picking in this game?
- [70:38]
Mark Ingram
Clemson always has a chance to beat anybody because they have the man at the helm, Dabo Sweeney. How you like that quote wall? They have always have a chance to beat anybody. You see them two trophies? You see them two trophies in the background?
- [70:52]
Dabo Swinney
Yeah. You know what? That, that's the door prize when you beat Alabama. You get to go home with that. They just.
- [70:58]
Mark Ingram
That's usually what happens when you beat Alabama. You end up with something good like that.
- [71:01]
Dabo Swinney
You get to go home with that. And then I would say, Coach Meyer, first of all, how's the family? How's everybody? How's Michelle?
- [71:10]
Urban Meyer
She's great. Six grandbabies, everybody healthy and doing great, man.
- [71:14]
Dabo Swinney
And that's awesome. So everybody's good. We. I've got two grand dogs, so I'm waiting on a grandchild.
- [71:19]
Mark Ingram
I'm.
- [71:20]
Dabo Swinney
They're all on the clock, so hopefully that'll happen.
- [71:22]
Mark Ingram
Grand dogs.
- [71:23]
Dabo Swinney
Is it as good as they say, being a grandparent?
- [71:26]
Urban Meyer
It is. The problem is that my son in law moved to unlv so they're across the country. You know, you liked them when they're closer, but is what it is, they're. It's that good.
- [71:35]
Dabo Swinney
He's been. Is he coaching? Is he coaching?
- [71:37]
Urban Meyer
He's offense coordinator for Dan Mullen.
- [71:39]
Dabo Swinney
Yeah, I didn't know that.
- [71:42]
Mark Ingram
I love it.
- [71:42]
Urban Meyer
Good to see you, brother.
- [71:43]
Dabo Swinney
Yeah, you too, man. Good to be with you.
- [71:45]
Mark Ingram
Sci fi for life.
- [71:48]
Dabo Swinney
Go Tigers.
- [71:50]
Rob Stone
Time now for three and out this week. Three predictions for the season. I'll go first. Prediction number one, Illinois will be this year's Indiana in The Big Ten and the Illini will make their first college football playoff.
- [72:05]
Urban Meyer
Wow.
- [72:06]
Rob Stone
All right, number two, my conference. Somehow the Big 12 has become my conference. The Big 12, their growth continues and they send two schools to the College Football Playoffs. Prediction number three, the Big Ten will win a third consecutive national title. Mark, you saw what I saw with coach Franklin. Congratulations, Penn State. The Natty is coming to Happy Valley.
- [72:35]
Dabo Swinney
What?
- [72:36]
Urban Meyer
Wow.
- [72:37]
Rob Stone
Coach, you're up.
- [72:38]
Mark Ingram
What's in the cup over there?
- [72:39]
Urban Meyer
All right. The same thing that's on the walls.
- [72:44]
Rob Stone
My shirt. It's my shirt.
- [72:45]
Urban Meyer
All right, here we go. My predictions are LSU with returning quarterback, veteran team, veteran coach. They're going to make their trip to the playoffs. Number two, Florida. After watching this documentary on Netflix, there DJ the quarterback leg way. He's going to have a hell of a year. I think he'll be in a Heisman contention and I think the University of Florida is going to be in the SEC championship game. And then number three, Kate Klubnick will be a Heisman trophy winner for the Clemson Tigers.
- [73:18]
Mark Ingram
What's in your cup, too?
- [73:20]
Urban Meyer
He's not wrong, man.
- [73:23]
Mark Ingram
You want to know my three predictions?
- [73:24]
Rob Stone
I do, Mark. I. Yes, I do. I would love to know what your three are.
- [73:29]
Mark Ingram
Bama to the CFP and making big noise to going to the CFP championship. What you think about that?
- [73:36]
Rob Stone
Shocker. Shocker. It was Bama. Yeah.
- [73:38]
Mark Ingram
My second prediction. Auburn's still gonna suck. My third prediction. You wanna know what that is?
- [73:45]
Urban Meyer
Talk to me.
- [73:47]
Rob Stone
Oh, the poor Barners, man.
- [73:49]
Mark Ingram
Big nova kick ass all year.
- [73:51]
Rob Stone
Yeah.
- [73:51]
Mark Ingram
And the triple option, too.
- [73:53]
Rob Stone
There we go. There we go. Big new kickoff in Columbus. Our. Our triple option brethren, if you will, will be in Columbus this coming week as well. Buckeye fans, Longhorn fans that are coming into Columbus this week, Friday the 29th, stop by the tailgate tour at the river watch Tower. It's near the Ozone on Lane Avenue. It is free. There's going to be music. There's going to be tailgate food. A live episode of the Script with Ohio State legends Cardell Jones, Beanie Wells. They will be joined by Texas royalty Mack Brown and Vince Young will be there. RSVP for more information on this event at. Tailgate tour ohio state.r s v p I f y.com make sure to follow subscribe rate us on YouTube, apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcast as well as across social media at 3x option show. As always, we want to thank our amazing sponsors, Wendy's ZipRecruiter, FanDuel and NHTSA enjoy week one and say goodbye to this shirt. Sorry, guys.
- [75:01]
Urban Meyer
It's done.
- [75:01]
Rob Stone
It's a one and done.
- [75:02]
Mark Ingram
I like the shirt.
- [75:04]
Rob Stone
Thank you. No. Now you like it fairly.