Loading summary

Transcript295 lines

[00:00]
A
Oh, poor Neymar. I wasn't planning on starting the show like this, but because it came up 12 seconds before the show, we got to go straight to the text message to the Catalyst. Pure performance energy text line. Natalie Martin is at the Angry Elephant News and Social Center. Can you read that text for us? We'll introduce you in a second, but I want you to read this text to us.
[00:16]
B
Okay? Tyler in Houston last night said Josh Pate ranked Marcel reed as the 8th best quarterback in the SEC. Yes, pate the best. The guy who was leading Marcel's Heisman campaign in Week 12 last year. When will he be on the show to answer for this foolishness?
[00:33]
A
I don't know when he'll be on the show. I don't have the answer to that. But we're going to have him at some point. And I disagree with his list. As do I. I don't really care, Obi.
[00:47]
C
I don't care. But I do think it's kind of. I think one place is foolish. If you want to say Arch Manning is better, okay. You know, it's your opinion. I can respect it. If you want to say Trinidadne Chambliss is better, I'm inclined to agree with you. And you can go to Gunner Stockton. He's a gamer. I don't. Okay, I would take. Personally, I would take Marcel, but okay, he's a gamer. I'll get that. You know, you go down the list, you get the Norris Sellers, and you're like, Marcel really outplayed him last year. And. But okay, and then you see Alabama quarterback ahead of. I mean, just Alabama quarterback. You don't even know who it is. You haven't seen him. Maybe you saw him in practice, but he's playing with a. If he's at A and M. A. Green jersey. I don't know. What if they wear green jerseys in Alabama, saying you can't get hit, and then you say, yeah, but I saw him in high school and he was great. Yeah, so was the guy at Michigan. This is named Mitch Mustaine. Ring a bell? What you did in high school means absolutely jack squat to what you're gonna. To what you are in the. In college. So to just say this guy that you don't even know who's gonna win the job is better than a guy that, like the text or the emailer said, the guy that you yourself said twas a Heisman trophy leader. Eleven games in the last season. That I respect Josh Payton. He's one of the few podcasters that I will make It a point to watch on that, on college football. That's stupid. That's stupid. That's stupid to say a guy that's never played that I can say he's better than this guy. I've never even seen him play college football. Again, the guy in Michigan. Hey, how much money was he got?
[02:45]
A
A lot of money because he's so great. Yep.
[02:48]
C
And he might be great eventually, but yeah, that's. I, that's asinine.
[02:58]
A
I disagree with the list, but I mean, are you projecting who's going to be a better college quarterback? Are you projecting? And I assume he's talking about college quarterback here, not who's going to be in the NFL, because I think Lenore Sellers is listed as potentially a first round NFL player.
[03:13]
C
It doesn't matter what they might do in the NFL. I mean, Danny Werfel won a Heisman Trophy while Peyton Manning was at Tennessee. I think that, I think that's accurate. So who is the better quarterback?
[03:26]
A
I think Peyton Manning had a pretty good career.
[03:28]
C
You think that? All right. And Werfel did jack squat in the NFL.
[03:32]
A
Yeah, I, if somebody feels passionate about it because of whatever intel that they've gotten with, that's fine. Like, I disagree. But I'm going to be very honest with you. I haven't watched Keelan Russell or Austin Mack play and nobody has to. Your point. But I don't think you have to. Like, I know Aaron Gregory is going to be a stud.
[03:54]
C
I don't know that.
[03:55]
A
I know that. I feel very calm. Okay. No, I feel very confident in my assessment that Aaron Gregory. Now I also feel pretty confident he didn't have to be the guy this year. Right, Right. I feel pretty confident there. I did not know that Jamari Amora was going to be the stud that he was last year in his limited role. I did not know that. But you can project things. I don't agree with it. I've heard a lot of people talk high about Keelan Russell a lot and most people think he's going to win the starting job. Most. Okay, we'll see. Hopefully A and M goes to Tuscaloosa and takes care of business and he throws three picks because that, that defense is catching balls in the field. I'm trying to think of a better term and that's something that came up yesterday in the press conference is why I brought that up. But you know, you know what the beauty is? They play well. Not only do they play, Marcel has the awesome opportunity to play a lot of these guys on the list and show that he is better. I personally like having.
[04:55]
C
You mean like Lenora Sellers last year?
[04:57]
A
Like Lenora Sellers last year. Yep.
[05:00]
C
Who didn't he throw for, like 400 yards?
[05:04]
A
He was. He was amazing.
[05:05]
C
And almost all of it. And a half. He had a bad half and he came back strong. I mean, that's. But, you know, again, I, 99.9% of the time respect what Josh Pate has to say because I think he's very even. I disagree with. He makes a logical argument.
[05:24]
A
We haven't heard the argument. I didn't listen to.
[05:25]
C
There is no. There is no argument to say a guy that's never played college football and you've only seen him either in high school or in. I mean, Arch Manning. Archbanning was going to come out and, you know, beat everybody and he got better. But he's three years into his career and he didn't look very good the first half of last year. So a guy that's never played college football and you're going to base on high school and what you see in practice when he can't get hit is completely different. When you're playing without any duress over a guy that you yourself said was the Heisman Trophy either leader or among the leading candidates going into the 12th game of last season makes no sense to me.
[06:13]
A
Keelan Russell last year threw.
[06:16]
C
Okay, so he played.
[06:18]
A
He did play in two games.
[06:19]
C
He got a cup of coffee.
[06:21]
A
Yeah, a cup of coffee. And this is 11 of 15 for 143 yards, two touchdowns. That was against Ulm and EIU.
[06:32]
C
Yes.
[06:34]
A
Oh, you Eastern Illinois.
[06:37]
C
Yeah. So you can come up with a. Oh, yeah. It was like. I had a guy one time talking about here was just going on and on about Nick Starkle, how great he was because he threw for 400 yards twice. It was against New Mexico and Wake Forest, which had one of the worst defenses in the country that year. Yeah. Yeah. If you have any amount of talent at all when you're playing, you know, playing down, you're playing the jv, you should do well. Well, that makes no sense to me. Well, that's not nonsensical.
[07:14]
A
We'll get Josh on the show. What I don't want, and I know you're not doing this, I don't. What I don't want is our audience to hate everybody. Like, because then we'll have two guests. Like, because yesterday people got mad at Conor o' Gara for his questions about A and M. And I forget, oh, he must be a sip lover. I didn't get that, so. And I know you're not doing that, but people's opinions, you back it up. I haven't heard what he had to say, and I kind of agree with you. It's going to be hard to make that argument, but at the end of the day, it doesn't make somebody a Texas lover or anti A and M guy. It's just their opinion. And the beauty of sports is we get to prove it.
[07:48]
C
Hey, I. I would have not even batted. And I had. He said, well, I got Marshall number six. I think Lenora Sellers is a little bit overrated. I do plays well against A and M, but I see him a lot. Some other games where. Okay, yeah, he's good. But last year, hey, this guy's one of the Heisman Trophy leaders. He threw for about 3 or 400 yards less than Marceau.
[08:17]
A
Yep.
[08:20]
C
What I like about Lenore, though, is that when. When the opportunity to run is there, he makes great use of his legs more frequently than Marcel did last year.
[08:32]
A
Yeah. And people bounce off of Lenores, too. He is really good.
[08:35]
C
Yeah, but. But Marcel makes people just completely missing. And then the Alabama. The Alabama guy. I mean, if you even want. He want put Sam Levitt ahead. Okay. Okay. I know Sam Levitt was really good at Arizona State, so if you say, okay, but I wouldn't put Sam Lovett ahead of Marcellus, I don't think I would either. But I can see if you want to make that argument, I can respect your argument.
[08:58]
A
So I'll give you the top 10 from our friend Josh Pate. Trinidad Chambliss, 1 2. Arch Manning, 3. Oh, you're gonna love this one.
[09:08]
C
Matiere.
[09:08]
A
Yeah. John Matheer for Gunner.
[09:14]
C
I would. I would tell you right now, and maybe I'll be proved wrong, but I would take Marcel over John Mattia right now.
[09:21]
A
Sam Levitt at 5.
[09:24]
C
I can. I disagree. But I can respect.
[09:26]
A
You think Lane Kiffin would take Marcel over Stan Levitt?
[09:29]
C
I do. Well, he tried to. Yep. He had him. He had him committed to Ole Miss. Marcel was committed to Ole Miss and change his mind. So lane wanted him.
[09:39]
A
6 Keelan Russell, slash. Austin Mack 7. Lenora Sellers, 8. Marcel Reed, 9. Byron Brown, 10. Austin Simmons.
[09:52]
C
All right, so you're gonna. That. You know what I think, though? I'll say this. I. And that's just Josh Pate's opinion. I. If it's. I would be fine with it if it's the opinion of everybody in college football, because I love being in a position where you're underestimated.
[10:13]
A
I did too. I did too. Let's talk about that offense that A and M is going to have. Some people are underestimating potentially what the office could look like over under Holden Wiggins, I should say. Asked him a little bit about his approach. Is it based on offensive philosophy or the talent around him? This is what he had to say.
[10:34]
D
No. I think pretty much any good coach is going to try to tailor everything that they do to the players and the personnel that they have. So for us is looking at what our guys do well, trying to put those guys in a great position to be successful and make that happen. I think we have some really good pieces. I'm excited about them. And, you know, we're five days or five practices through camp and we're starting to figure some things out.
[10:55]
C
I like that.
[10:56]
A
Yep.
[10:57]
C
Because I've seen a coach that's going to try to make players that don't necessarily have the skill set. There's an example play to his system rather than, hey, maybe I should adjust my system to the players that I have. And I've seen it not just here. So, you know, I like a coach that's going to say, hey, these are the guys I got. This is what this guy does really well.
[11:24]
A
Right.
[11:24]
C
So why don't we do that more often? What. Let's build a. Let's gear our offense around the skill sets of the guys we have and not try to force the guys we have to fit into. You know what I think you should be able to do, and that goes for defense as well.
[11:41]
A
So let's hear a little bit more from Coach Wiggins. When he talked about Terry Bussey. He's been the talk of camp so far. He was asked about have his practices match what the hype has been.
[11:52]
D
Well, there's no doubt that, you know, Terry Bussey kind of came in with a lot of praise being a Gatorade player of the year and some of the things that he did at Timpson. The biggest handcuff for him is the fact that, you know, injuries, you know, you get to a spring where he's figuring out how to play receiver and the second practice, you know, gets a hamstring. Not able to do anything else in that kind of first spring that he had now getting a chance to kind of stay healthy. Smart player, tough player, brings a different. A definite different dimension to kind of what we're doing. Has the ability to carry the ball, plays big in space, has some really good explosiveness. So. So we're excited about Bussy and where he's at because he's picking up exactly what we're trying to do.
[12:30]
A
He just told you a lot right there in that last line. You know, he can play great in space, he's explosive and he can run the ball. And that's how they'll, in Anias Smith kind of way, they'll use Terry Bussy.
[12:42]
C
Yeah, I'm. I'm very excited to see what Terry Bussey is going to bring to the offense. Do I think he's going to be their best receiver? No. Do I think he's going to be a guy, another weapon that can make big plays yet.
[12:54]
A
Is he going to help you win a bunch of games? I think so.
[12:56]
C
I think so, yeah.
[12:57]
A
Let's do one more. Coach Wiggins on the running backs because they've got some options, a lot of young options. But Reuben Owens is the vet in there.
[13:05]
C
Yeah.
[13:05]
D
Well, you talk about the stable. I think as a collective man, that's a tremendous group. Me being an old running back, I know I always try to kind of filter in there and kind of see what those guys are doing. Ruben has done a great job of kind of grabbing the bull by the horns and showing some maturity and some leadership in the room. Jamari Amaro, he's continued to kind of be the guy that we think he is. He's quick, fast, he's smart, he's tough. He's doing a great job. Had some big runs this camp. Hopefully he'll continue to kind of stay steady. Also, we've been getting some stuff from Tiger Ryden, who was a guy that, you know, I'm out and shocked me kind of coming in because we didn't see much of him fall camp and, you know, a couple injuries kind of held him out. And now you get a chance to see him. He's a big, powerful guy that kind of gives us a little different dimension, a little change up as a big back. And then our two freshmen have done a really good job of coming in and starting to figure things out. Kj, you know, he was injured a little bit in the spring. Now he's been healthy, has added some weight. You know, that's a tribute to Coach Moffitt and his team and what they've done. But you see all of those things kind of play off. He's lightning in a bottle, has a chance to basically stretch the field vertically and horizontally, can help us in the pass game. And then Carson Baker has done a phenomenal job of making sure that he's understanding kind of what we're doing. I think now things are slowing down from a spring and a summer. So now he can sit there and understand exactly kind of what we're doing. And you're seeing those things pay off in practice.
[14:21]
A
The thing that caught my attention there was when you talked about tiger riding. Like he was surprised by it. A. The versatility and the different dimension that he adds to that backfield.
[14:32]
C
Yeah. Look, I'm hearing Cole, kj, Lightning in a bottle. And we all know it. But sometimes coaches are hesitant to say stuff like that. So I like that Reuben's taking it, you know, taking it upon himself to acknowledge where he might have had some struggles. Had some struggles last year and, you know. Yeah, I think the running back situation is fine.
[14:57]
A
Yep. Hey, this is Texas life.
[15:00]
C
Yeah. You know, it's brought to you by David Gardner Studios.
[15:02]
A
I did know that. Yeah. And we are currently in the Rollo Insurance Studio.
[15:05]
C
Jason Jackson, Keith Morgan and everybody else
[15:08]
A
over there shout out to Keith. And also, let's see, we are hanging
[15:12]
C
out where the holistic planning Cool zone.
[15:15]
A
Do you like making money?
[15:16]
C
I love making money.
[15:17]
A
I do too. I like making more money on top of money. Oh, I like making money making my money. Making money because of my money.
[15:23]
C
Yeah.
[15:23]
A
That I don't have.
[15:24]
C
You know, you work for your money and then let your money work for you.
[15:28]
A
Yeah, exactly right. And we are currently in the Go hour. It's presented by the warehouse at CC Creations. If you want to be a part of the conversation, you can do it multiple ways. One way is to call us on
[15:37]
C
the what Puppies Catering and Bartending hotline.
[15:41]
A
You can do that at 979-693-1150. But if you text that number, we change the name and we call it the what?
[15:47]
C
The Catalyst. Pure Performance Energy. Ppe. Yeah.
[15:52]
A
Let's go around the room. Let's go left to right. Let's go behind the glass. And Reese Nygren making an appearance on the show after a six month vacation. Hello, Reese.
[16:00]
C
Hello.
[16:00]
B
Hello.
[16:00]
A
I was on the show on Friday, so it hasn't been a full. It wasn't memorable. Let's be honest. All right, Sorry. I see how it is. Back to Josh Pate's quarterback rankings. Before he put the official list out, he put out a list including just Lenora Sellers at number one. Whether it was for engagement or not is to be determined from him. You know, Josh Pate likes to play some jokes on social media. He had a different list on on top of the list that he did on the show before he made the, like, posted out the list from the show. He posted out a list, including. It was just Lenora Sellers at number one.
[16:38]
C
I think Lenora Sellers is really good. I just think he's a little overrated. Yeah.
[16:43]
A
Both things can be true.
[16:44]
C
Yeah.
[16:46]
A
Would you say he's better than Alabama quarterback?
[16:49]
C
I would put him ahead of Alabama quarterback. I would take him over door number one.
[16:55]
A
Back in the day on video games, when they didn't have the rights to people's names, they would say, like, Alabama quarterback, Oakland outfielder. Like, that's how they would label it.
[17:05]
C
That's.
[17:05]
A
Whenever I see that, it makes me think that. What else is on your mind, Reese? I mean, fall camp getting underway, obviously.
[17:11]
B
A lot of.
[17:13]
A
A lot of people showing out. Aaron Gregory, hashtag Andrew Wu mentioned. I mean, I like hearing all that stuff from Coach Wiggins. You know, first real interview that you get from him during fall camp, seeing what he thinks of the offense through. What is it, five days now? Yep. Yep. We don't get to talk to them very much. Was it maybe twice a year?
[17:33]
C
I guess, maybe. I think we might be scheduled to talk to him again. Okay. Pretty soon. Good. I was looking at the schedule last night. I thought.
[17:42]
A
I think we get them during the bye week, too, I think.
[17:44]
C
Yeah. I like Holman.
[17:45]
A
Yeah, me too. Yeah. We'll hear from Lyle Hemphill a little bit later on in the show. Let's go to the Angry Elephant News and Social Center. Natalie Martin, who already spoke on the show making her debut. Natalie, tell us a little bit about you, because you didn't go to A and M, but you grew up in the area, right?
[18:00]
B
I did. I'm from College Station, from Managgie. Blue blood family, though. Both my brothers, both my parents went to A and M, so it's definitely in my blood. I played beach volleyball at UC Berkeley and then I did a bonus year at the University of Washington thanks to that Covid eligibility.
[18:20]
A
Yeah. How are you liking this gig so far?
[18:23]
B
I like it. I like it a lot. I've learned a lot. I like that I kind of get to dip my hand in all the pots. Production behind the screen. Now I'm in front of the camera, so it's been awesome.
[18:35]
A
Do you remember your first Aggie football game?
[18:38]
B
No, because I was less than a year old.
[18:40]
A
Oh, wow. You started going very young.
[18:42]
B
Yeah, I've been to a few for sure.
[18:44]
A
What's your most memorable Aggie football moment?
[18:46]
B
Oh, man, the LSU 7 overtimes comes to mind for sure. That was a good one. That's the One at the top of the mind, for sure.
[18:58]
C
I want to know if, you know, having gone to Berkeley's, you ever watch a football game from Tight White Hill?
[19:03]
B
I.
[19:04]
C
And if you did, I would assume it. You would not have a memory of it.
[19:07]
B
I never watched a game from that vantage point. I did not.
[19:12]
C
Tightwater Hill is. It's on. I guess it'd be on the east side of the stadium. And the stadium is kind of in a. Almost in a canyon. And there's was one area where it levels off. And you can. If you. If you're willing to hike up there, you can watch the game because, like, here's where the stadium is. You're up here so you can watch the game without paying to see it. And they. A lot of. Quite frankly, a lot of people do it, and they partake of other activities while they're doing so.
[19:46]
A
Taiwan Hill.
[19:47]
C
Tightwad Hill.
[19:48]
A
Tightwad.
[19:49]
C
Tight Wad Hill. Because you're too tight to.
[19:51]
A
Yeah. So that's the official name.
[19:53]
C
Yeah. It's a big deal there.
[19:54]
A
Natalie, you've been here for a minute. Have you been to 1775?
[19:58]
B
I have not, but I've heard great things.
[20:00]
C
Well, yeah. Where have you heard them?
[20:02]
B
Yeah, my dad said, you know, there's that barbecue place out there past the airport. And I said, that's 1775, sponsor of Texas Live.
[20:10]
A
That's right. Yeah.
[20:12]
C
Even her dad knows. Yeah, everybody knows about that succulent brisket.
[20:16]
A
It's not a far drive. It's close. And when you get there, it's. It's not a hole in the wall. What would you call it? It's just a hole in the prairie.
[20:22]
C
It's just a. A friendly stop on the side of the road.
[20:26]
A
Friendly stop. There you go. And. And with meals that are delightful.
[20:29]
C
Delightful, excellent, delicious. You got again, the succulent brisket, the amazing pork ribs.
[20:34]
A
You see how he turned it on right there when you started talking?
[20:36]
C
That great jalapeno cheese sausage. You know, you can get some. Some turkey, which I need to start eating more of. You know, even if you like pulled pork, they got that. They got all kinds of things. And they got the queso Mac.
[20:46]
A
I figured out the trick moving forward, anytime you get a little worked up with people's opinions because you, You. I see it in your hands, like you're talking. You're, like, getting angry. If I just go 1775.
[20:56]
C
Oh, then everything's good in life.
[20:58]
A
See, that's all it takes.
[20:59]
C
That's all it takes.
[21:00]
A
1775. Txbbq.com 979-4926241 it is 1775 and it's good like life.
[21:08]
C
The money machine is now open. The easiest radio contest on the planet. Enter now. Enter now at sony1150.com to win $5,000. What are we waiting for? And great weekly prices too.
[21:20]
A
And we are back here on Tech Sags Live. We are presented by David Garner's George Rollo insurance studio. The Go Hour presented by the warehouse at CC Creations. Time now for 25 and 25 presented by Paragon Financial Advisors and Aggie owned independent fee only fiduciary serving families business owners nationwide. Visit paragon-adv.comob Number 13 on the list is Jamari and Morrow.
[21:44]
C
Very exciting player, isn't he?
[21:46]
A
Yeah, he is.
[21:47]
C
Whenever I think about Jamari and Morrow, I think about that touchdown run against LSU when he, there's like looks, I think it was like two guys ready to tackle him and he just spins around him like a top and goes in. You know, he has great speed. He showed it on the that same game. You know, he catches a screen pass and it's a perfectly executed. So he has good hands. He had a touchdown catch against Florida, I think. Yeah, so he has good hands too. He can do a lot of damage. He's not the biggest guy in the world but he, but he, you know, can run inside and he has great speed. So yeah, I like him.
[22:21]
A
He turns a potentially deep running back room. We don't know that fully just yet, but a potentially deep running back room into a dangerous running back room. Because when I think of him, I think of, you know, highlights I think of a big play is about to happen on any play and he makes them very dangerous.
[22:37]
C
Yeah, he's that player that, you know, maybe he's going to get a, a one yard run on play. Okay. But even though the defense might have had it the play. Right. That particular play, when he's the type of guy, especially as he plays more other, other teams, the fans of other teams are going to be holding their breath when he gets the ball, you know, because what's he going to do? Okay, we got through that play but what about the next time, you know, he's, he's, he definitely has big playability. There's the, if you're, this doesn't do well for radio but if you're watching on TV, we're just showing a highlight of the, of the, of the play and here comes the run where yeah, he just makes a guy just extremely quick feet I'm hitting dance.
[23:21]
A
Yeah, yeah. Can you.
[23:24]
C
Certain kinds of dances.
[23:25]
A
Two step.
[23:26]
C
I can do that.
[23:27]
A
Yeah. More. 182 yards rushing, 80 receiving yards, three total touchdowns. He really flashed and made an art. I mean, you think about it, his emergence is part of the reason we didn't see as much of a Marty Daniels that we had seen before.
[23:43]
C
Yeah, I guess so. Even though it was pretty darn good. Well, they had a deep running back room.
[23:54]
A
They had a really good running back
[23:55]
C
room and I think they still do.
[23:56]
A
They still do the.
[23:58]
C
It's just they gotta prove it.
[23:59]
A
They were different with Lev. Like Lev gave them that stability that every down back. I'm wondering if Reuben becomes that guy and then if Morrow, who was the third back essentially at times, I guess EJ at times as well. If Morrow steps into what Ruben's role. I mean, Reuben led the team in rushing last year.
[24:16]
B
Yeah.
[24:17]
C
Look, the only thing Reuben has to prove is that he can make the. Get you the tough yards. You know, like last year you had Levy on and when you didn't have Levy on, you could go to E.J. smith. I don't know if, if I'm fourth and one against a big defense, if Mario Morrow is the guy I want to run inside, but I guarantee I wouldn't mind faking a toss to him, let him outrun somebody to the corner.
[24:48]
A
Yeah, his one cut ability, I mean we saw it in that LSU highlight, but I mean he has got the incredible ability to stop on a dime and go the other way.
[24:56]
C
Yeah. I don't think they're ever going to think about using this way. But he just seems to me would be a great guy on punt returns.
[25:01]
A
Yeah.
[25:02]
C
Because of that ability to cut so quickly on a dime and all those things. But they know best, you know, and
[25:08]
A
interestingly, I think the. Even though he was, he was, I think an integral piece of that running back room, he wasn't somebody you had to rely on per se. But the experience that he got last year makes you go into his sophomore year thinking, dude, this guy, he can be a guy or the guy.
[25:22]
C
Yeah, it's a small sample size, but you know what, sometimes I can get. Wife said, oh, this is good when we're at dinner and she'll say, hey, kind of taste that. And it's just a small sample size, but I really like that.
[25:36]
A
Let's get some more now. You know, Marcus.
[25:38]
C
Samoro.
[25:39]
A
Samoro. Marcello, not Marcelo. Excuse me. Ruben Owens talked about wanting to be a thousand yard back. I don't know if you're going to have a thousand yard back with as many options that they have. When you have Marcel Reed hopefully running the ball as well, you've got Morrow, you've got Owens, maybe you have it. I mean didn't freaking Missouri have almost two over thousand yards last year? So if they, if they didn't have, they may have had two.
[26:02]
C
I think actually I think Marcel's ability to run, especially use it more often in the running game actually enhances the yardage that the running back because you know you're running in, guys are looking at the, at the quarterback. Is he going to go and it just every now and then opens up more opportunity. I think Ruben very, I think I would, I would bet on him to be a thousand yard back. If you say okay, the bets are off if he gets hurt and lose and misses like three or more games, right? Or two or more games because Reuben has that and you know of course the offensive line's got to be capable but Reuben, he's shown us the big playability. The 57 yard touchdown run against Missouri and then I think he had a 30, 35 yard touchdown run against Missouri and I think he even had a bigger game which was it, was it against Mississippi State? Maybe he had like a hunt his best game of the year last year like 130 or 140 yards rushing. So a better Ruben Owens is a thousand yard back. I see morrow being in a 600 range, 500 range, probably closer to 5 even, maybe even 4. But that guy, he's the relief pitcher that comes in kind of like think of the LSU game four years ago when a chain was going crazy but had to bring him in and spell him. He bring him, brought in Amari Daniels and he was going crazy.
[27:32]
A
He was going crazy as well.
[27:33]
C
So I think we could see something like that.
[27:35]
A
We'll hit a break, we'll come back. I want to hear from Lyle Hemphill, yesterday's press conference talking about that defense. To me the biggest story and I don't know if they got into the running game as much as I probably would have liked. I should have followed up but they did talk about forcing turnover. So we'll listen to a little bit of that right now. A moment for Caldwell country Chevrolet. Highway 21 in Caldwell online at caldwellcountrychevrolet.com your trade in has got value and at Caldwell Country Chevrolet they're ready to put that equity to work for you. They have a pre owned inventory that moves fast which means they're always looking for quality vehicles to add to their lot. Bring in what you've got and let their experienced sales team show you what it's worth. They've got decades of combined experience. They know how to structure a deal that will make sense for you. And don't forget, every vehicle purchase comes with that free oil change for life as long as you own that car from Caldwell Country Chevrolet. Remember, it's not far. We're talking 15 minutes the edge of Bryant of the beginnings of Caldwell, a short conversation away. But you'll see the difference when you step on the lot and do business with the good people at Caldwell Country Chevrolet, Highway 21 and Caldwell online. Caldwellcountrychevrolet.com Activate Spend your Aggie football Saturday,
[28:38]
C
starting with the game day show to the game to the call in show and only on the zone 11:50am and 93.7 FM.
[28:45]
A
I don't want to spend too much time on this hate thing because we already did enough. But SEAN on the YouTube page says, I listened to Pate today. He said Marcel has the potential to be 4 on the list if he makes smart decisions.
[28:57]
C
Well, I would say he has the potential to be 1 on the list. Yeah, if he makes some smart decisions. Again, let's recall that Josh Pate himself had Marcel among the leading Heisman candidates last year going into the final game of the year. So I would say Sam, four is a. That's nice, but I don't think his potential is limited.
[29:26]
A
All right, let's talk a little Aggie football defense now for a moment for you. If you were to categorize the three things that A and M needs to get right in 2026, they would be,
[29:38]
C
yeah, you need to be able to fit the gaps and stop, stop giving up the amount of long 20 yard plus runs. We've got to find the pass rush that was such a big part of your success last year. And you have to force more turnovers.
[29:57]
A
Yep. Well, I think when I asked this question of Coach Hemphill about creating havoc but not putting your defense in a vulnerable position, I think when he talks about the ability to get after the quarterback, it speaks volumes for what he thinks this defensive line can be and where they don't have to be as disruptive in other areas to create the kind of turmoil that they want to. Here's Coach Hempel on that. That's a good question. You know, sometimes you just, and I'm learning this as we go and when you're starting to see it, you're trying to adapt to who you are as a football team, I think got havoc makers up front on the front four, and sometimes it's less is more. I guess just let these guys go take things off their plate, take thinking off their plate and let them just go create havoc. And again, you've got to adapt to your personnel and that's what we're trying to do.
[30:52]
C
I like the idea of letting your guys just go play and create havoc and things like that. I believe that that 2022 team that was so disappointing.
[31:05]
A
Yeah.
[31:05]
C
I think the defense was, was better and even in some years since then that there was too much structure. Sometimes I, sometimes my guy's just better than your.
[31:17]
A
Yeah.
[31:17]
C
And just let him be, let him
[31:18]
A
go be the better player.
[31:19]
C
And I, I'm not saying that, that, that they're not going to be structured. That's not what he said. But if you got a guy that my guy's better than yours, so just beat him and make the play.
[31:30]
A
Well, isn't that what they did with Cassius? Like, hey, just line them up, let him go.
[31:35]
C
Yeah. When they weren't for some reason dropping him in the past coverage. That's another thing I just never, never understand. But anyway, that's not your question. Yeah, I think, I think they did that with him and, and he was successful. Yeah.
[31:53]
A
The, the other thing that you, you mentioned that I think they all go together is forcing turnovers. And every DB that I've had in here that I've gotten to talk to on the huddle, mentions like, like they dropped, especially Marcus Ratcliffe. I think Marcus Ratcliffe is one of the guys that has been very animate about dropping some, some interceptions and what that could have done a. For games. Right. Making it feel more comfortable than it. Maybe it was. I'm trying to remember were there any drops in the.
[32:19]
C
Well, I remember in the Notre Dame game, for instance, now.
[32:21]
A
Yes, yes.
[32:22]
C
At the end. I mean, A and M still won the game, so you don't think about it. But there's a deep pass and the guy's throwing a triple coverage. And I might have been Marcus, might have been Dalton Brooks. But anyway, somebody jumps up, 307 ball, drop it and gives Notre Dame another play. Again, you don't really think about it too much because they still won't. But to your point, I don't know
[32:45]
A
that I, that I don't remember Texas.
[32:47]
C
I don't remember Texas.
[32:49]
A
Feel like I remember South Carolina a couple other.
[32:52]
C
Well, they had an interception in South Carolina and they threw in it. They missed a field goal they missed a field goal. A short field goal.
[32:58]
A
Yeah.
[32:59]
C
Man, what a disaster. That person.
[33:01]
A
Yeah.
[33:01]
C
Nobody played well in that first half.
[33:03]
A
Well, here's Coach Hempel on the focus of catching the ball. No, that's something that we have worked on all season. I mean, I. I can't even imagine how many more balls we've caught this offseason than we did a year. I mean, that was obviously a problem we had. We dropped balls. So we have worked tirelessly trying to get better at that. We worked on ball disruption. We've just amped that up so much. It is showing up. We're seeing it. We're seeing the results, you know, of our hard work in the off season, and we've got to continue to do that. To me, and I don't mean this as a shot. I'm just talking out loud. Like, to me, it's amazing how not working on such a thing, like catching the ball or. I'm sure they worked on it, but, like, the emphasis and how much more awareness it creates and the opportunity to do it, because sometimes you're in a position where, like, oh, wait, the ball's here. And, like, I can understand, but in my head, we've been catching these balls our entire life. We've been playing. But when the. When the game is sped up and the darts are coming at you, this is another thing to consider.
[34:01]
C
Well, the first part is, you know, being in the right place at the right time, you know, being where you're supposed to be.
[34:07]
A
And they were.
[34:09]
C
So I. You know, everybody does the tip drill, and they'll do the interception. Hey, like this. I'm throwing. You go catch it. Everybody does that. Yeah, but I think after you get one interception from your DBs in an entire season, you start looking at that and go, okay, that. That's almost unheard of. So, yeah, now you're not just. You probably, as a player, not just going through the drill. Because we're doing the drill, you're actually more aware of. Yeah, this is why we're doing it, because we got to get better and maybe just, you know, do a few more reps.
[34:47]
A
So let's play the hypothetical. Marcel throws four or five less interceptions. Okay.
[34:53]
C
Okay. I would say six, but. Okay.
[34:56]
A
Just for this conversation.
[34:57]
C
Okay.
[34:57]
A
And A and M gets five more interceptions, which I still don't think is a lot.
[35:04]
C
No, because that'd be. Well, you'd have eight interceptions because they had.
[35:07]
A
What's a good number, you think, for that?
[35:08]
C
Well, I think you need it double digits. I think most good Teams. Sometimes you see it. But most good teams are gonna. I bet you. I don't know this for a fact, but I bet if you took the 12 playoff teams last year, at least nine of them had double digit interceptions. At least. And it's probably 10.
[35:27]
A
Yeah, I'm trying to look up that number. Maybe Natalie can look it up from last year. I want to see who the most were. So most interceptions made by a team, 25 to 26. And I'll just read you some of these teams and the first few are playoff teams. Well, Notre Dame's on there. Southern Miss at 23, Arizona at 22. LA Tech at 22. Notre Dame at 21, which wasn't a
[35:49]
C
playoff team, but they were really good. We understand.
[35:51]
A
Miami was at number 12 at 16.
[35:54]
C
Okay.
[35:54]
A
Number 11. Excuse me.
[35:55]
C
Texas Tech, they were in the playoff.
[35:57]
A
LSU was in the mix at 17. They weren't. BYU could have been in the playoffs. They had 17. Texas had 16. So there's just a couple of teams there. So you definitely want to be in the double digits.
[36:10]
C
But I bet, I would place a bet right now that, okay, I got two whole dollars that anybody wants to bet $2 that I'm going to say. I'm going to say 10 teams that were in the playoff. 10 playoff teams had double figures, interceptions. 10 of the 12. We know a and M didn't. So I'm thinking maybe James Madison didn't.
[36:33]
A
Right. See if we can find the playoff interception numbers for the next segment. We'll kind of go through that here. I'll hit a break. We'll get to that here momentarily. Right now we're talking about the Rallo Insurance Group. Insurance is so important and it can be many different ways. Right? It can be your homeowner's insurance. It can be your ranch insurance, it can be your car insurance. And Rollo insurance is my guy or they're my guys. I should say Morgan takes care of me. The difference is real. With their 60 offices in the great state of Texas. So whether it's home, auto, business or ranch insurance, start a relationship with an expert who puts you first. Your agent becomes familiar with your unique situation, and they provide a plan that most other places cannot match. When you need advice or have a claim, you'll speak directly with someone who knows your situation and your face. They'll know that as well. It's the Rollo difference. Check out the website. Rollinsurance.com techstack rollinsurance.com or call them up. 8844 Rallo. That's 8844. Rollo.
[37:27]
C
Listen to the Houston Astros on the zone. Thanks to Kelly Burdozer.
[37:32]
A
As a reminder, the final segment of the program is brought to you by Double Dave's. That's at 1050. But right now, caller number 12, 979693. 1150. We're going to hook you up with your choice of a dozen pepperoni rolls or a large one topping pizza from Double Dave's. They've been serving aggielands since 1984 with your favorite pizza and of course those world famous pepperoni rolls. Reliable in house delivery. Breaking piping hot goodness straight to your door. Just click on double Dave's.com and your favorites are on their way. OB you out some money.
[37:58]
C
I lost my two bucks. It turns out that of the there was five teams that didn't have double and then playoff that didn't have double.
[38:07]
A
Five? That many?
[38:08]
C
Yeah, because three of them, Oklahoma, Ole Miss and Georgia all had nine. So they were one away. And then Ohio State had eight and Texas A three.
[38:19]
A
Big difference.
[38:21]
C
So Oklahoma, Ole Miss and Georgia had triple the number of interceptions today and
[38:25]
A
they were considered low.
[38:26]
C
And that's considered. And then Ohio State was, to me that's really surprising. But Indiana, your national champion, had 18. It's pretty good. Texas Tech had 17, Miami had 16. Your national runner up at 16, Oregon with 15, Tulane 15, James Madison 14, Alabama 11. Then Oklahoma, Ole Miss and Georgia with nine. All right, Ohio State.
[38:51]
A
So let's do the math. A and M needs to get seven more interceptions to be in the double digit team. Okay. And let's just do the exact same thing for Marcel. Seven less interceptions.
[39:03]
C
Oh, seven less interception. That'd be five. That'd be hot. So Josh Pate would be moving him up.
[39:10]
A
Yeah, he'd be moving up the ranks. So if A and m can force 10 interceptions from their defense and Marcel keep it to five interceptions.
[39:20]
C
Yeah. Yeah.
[39:22]
A
Is that a 10 and 2 team?
[39:24]
C
You know, I would think so. But again, broken record. I got to see the O line.
[39:30]
A
Yeah, but, but if he only has five.
[39:33]
C
If he only has five and he plays the whole season, the old Lions probably doing well.
[39:37]
A
Yeah, that's what I would say. Let's go back to the angry elephant news and social center. Natalie, any comments or text you want to get into?
[39:46]
B
Everyone's just really harping on Josh Pate in the comments. They want him on the show. They want him held accountable for Marcel slander. So that's, that's really the, the topic of conversation right now.
[39:58]
C
You know, Marcel threw for more yardage last year than Archbanning. He threw for more yardage than John Matiere. He threw for more yardage than Lenore Sellers. If I'm not mistaken, he threw for more yardage than Fernando Mendoza. He averaged more yardage than Fernando Mendoza.
[40:22]
A
Fernando had a couple more games, yes.
[40:24]
C
Yeah, he had more yardage, but he played more games. What, Four more games. Whatever. So. Yeah.
[40:29]
A
OB did you hear the story about the snake in the helmet?
[40:32]
C
I did up in Arkansas?
[40:34]
A
Yeah. A venomous snake, by the way. What was it? A cottonmouth?
[40:38]
C
A water moccasin.
[40:39]
A
So can you imagine?
[40:41]
C
Most teams take a water break. He took a water moccasin break.
[40:44]
A
How do you not see a snake? Like, I don't. Like, I don't know. Like. And then it's in there in your. You're wearing it. It's like something feels weird. I feel something kind of moving in there.
[40:54]
C
Yeah.
[40:55]
A
Could you imagine the response when, ah. Like if it bit him in the head.
[41:01]
C
Well, it is up in Arkansas.
[41:03]
A
Well, you say they marry their snakes.
[41:05]
C
No, I'm not saying they may. They met. It might have been part of the church, though. Snake handler. I don't know. Maybe the coach had got it out there. So we do this every Sunday.
[41:13]
A
Yeah.
[41:15]
C
That's crazy. They all. Jokes aside, you know what? Thank the Lord that the snake didn't bite him, right?
[41:23]
A
Yeah.
[41:23]
C
Heck, yeah. But. But I'm just like, what do they say if some. If the snake bites you? You're supposed to, like, cut an X where he bit and suck the poison out?
[41:31]
A
Yeah, I'm not.
[41:32]
C
I'm not going to suck that poison off that kid's head. No. Sorry. Sorry, kid. You're on your own here. But yeah, thankfully he didn't get bit. And it is crazy. You're. It's a watermark. How close to a creek is that? You know, is that practice field?
[41:50]
A
Yeah. I would have to get rid of that helmet forever. You can't. You can't.
[41:54]
D
Yeah.
[41:54]
A
You can't bleach out the. The snake's skin that's been in there. And the vet. No.
[41:59]
C
I've seen girls wear snakeskin dresses.
[42:01]
A
Those are nice.
[42:02]
C
Yeah. Kind of like he had extra padding. You know, you come in, hit somebody. Hey. Had extra padding. Had. Had snake padding.
[42:12]
A
Snake padding.
[42:13]
C
But yeah, it's. I guess he had one of those helmets. It's been a long time since I put on a helmet back in the day, you know, we. Why do. We had some. You know, our better players got that with the, you know, they're talking about 1979 now and they, they had more padding and then some of them like I got, had kind of like there was some padding, of course, but there was like a, it's like a little
[42:35]
A
pad on each side.
[42:36]
B
Right.
[42:36]
C
And there was like straps that were.
[42:38]
A
Yeah.
[42:39]
C
You know, and I guess maybe it was like that and he, he got it underneath those straps, you know, and then curled up. So maybe the snake, the, the point, the little pad part that's connected to the straps. Maybe that's where the snake's mouth, his head was.
[42:56]
A
He couldn't bite through it maybe. And maybe, you know, it could save you from a concussion. It's a little bit more extra padding. More.
[43:02]
C
That's what I'm getting at, you know.
[43:04]
A
Yeah.
[43:04]
C
Maybe that, maybe we have found the, the answer to prevent. Was it cte? Yeah, you prevent cte. Just put a stake in your elbow,
[43:14]
A
die of poison, you know.
[43:16]
C
Well, maybe find non venomous things like a good old rat snake. Yeah, I see rat snakes around the house.
[43:24]
A
I run like a six year old girl when I see snakes. I'm so. Yeah, I'm, I'm not, I'm not on team Snake.
[43:29]
C
I mean, I don't like them.
[43:31]
A
I freak out. It's like Kaylie Dreyer seeing a cockroach in the office. Like she just runs. Sorry. Bringing off air, stuff on air.
[43:41]
C
I've had to kill a snake before. I've had to kill one and then somebody's gonna get mad. Why'd you kill it? Well. Cause he's a snake.
[43:47]
A
Yeah.
[43:47]
C
You know, somebody comes into my house, he's a snake. I'm killing. Yeah.
[43:52]
A
All animals and humans that are uninvited.
[43:57]
C
Dead. Neda Meyer, dead.
[43:59]
A
He said we're dead.
[44:01]
C
Animals come into my house. Or people that are not invited, dead.
[44:05]
A
Okay, on that note, we're going to close it out on the go hour. Present Josh Pate.
[44:08]
C
No, he's. We're good with Josh. Really. Just disagree.
[44:12]
A
Yeah, well, maybe we'll never get him back on the show because tech saggers can be mean. Anyway, when we come back on Tech Sags Live, the return of John Harris. He's been at Texans training camp for the last couple weeks. We'll talk college football, we'll talk NFL, we'll talk life. That's coming up next on Tech Sachs Live. Grainger knows.
[44:29]
C
When you're a procurement manager for an
[44:30]
A
office park, you're not managing one building,
[44:33]
C
you're managing all of them.
[44:34]
A
And to stay ahead.
[44:35]
C
You need to see through walls and around corners.
[44:38]
A
Lights about to fail, filters ready to clog H Vac on its last leg. If you wait until something breaks, you're already behind. Count on Grainger for quality products, easy reordering and 24.
[44:49]
B
7 support.
[44:50]
A
Call 1-800-granger click granger.com or just stop
[44:53]
C
by Granger for the ones who get it done.

Summary6 min read

TexAgs Live - GO Hour with Nuño & OB: August 12, 2026

Podcast Summary

Main Theme

This episode of TexAgs Live, hosted by David Nuño with Olin Buchanan (OB) and crew, centers around the recent quarterback rankings in the SEC—specifically Josh Pate's controversial placement of Texas A&M's Marcel Reed at eighth. The discussion spawns a spirited debate about the challenges and subjectivity of ranking QBs, optimism for the Aggies' offensive playmakers and coaching staff, and a breakdown of defensive priorities for the 2026 season. Listeners also get to hear updates from fall camp and interviews with assistant coaches. The tone is feisty but fun, blending passionate football analysis with friendly banter and memorable anecdotes.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Josh Pate’s SEC Quarterback Rankings

[00:00–10:12]

Listener Question and Disagreement: Tyler from Houston texts in, asking when Josh Pate will join the show to explain ranking Marcel Reed 8th in the SEC QBs—a drop from last year's near-Heisman praise.
- David Nuño: “I disagree with his list. As do I. I don't really care, Obi.” [00:32]
- OB: “That’s stupid ... to say a guy that's never played that I can say he's better than this guy. I've never even seen him play college football.” [01:25]
On Potential: Hosts explore the folly of ranking untested QBs above proven ones, noting that high school and practice performances don’t always translate to college success.
- OB: "What you did in high school means absolutely jack squat to what you are in college." [01:52]
Reflection on Logic of Rankings: Nuño notes the difference between projecting pro potential and evaluating college success. OB brings up QB matchups from prior seasons (e.g., Lenora Sellers’ performance against A&M).
Respect for Josh Pate with Pushback: The crew generally respects Pate, but finds this ranking “asinine” and intellectually inconsistent.
SEC QB Top 10 List by Josh Pate Reviewed:
1. Trinidad Chambliss
2. Arch Manning
3. John Matheer
4. Gunner Stockton
5. Sam Levitt
6. Keelan Russell/Austin Mack
7. Lenora Sellers
8. Marcel Reed
9. Byron Brown
10. Austin Simmons [09:07]
Hosts agree they would take Marcel Reed over several players ranked above him. They prefer when the Aggies are underestimated—a motivator.

2. Fall Camp Updates & Offensive Insights

[10:12–13:04]

OC Holmon Wiggins Interview Excerpts: Discusses philosophy—tailors offense to personnel, excited about the athleticism and versatility of his corps.
- Coach Wiggins: "Any good coach tries to tailor everything they do to the players ... we have some really good pieces." [10:33]
Terry Bussey Spotlight:
- Coach Wiggins: "Smart player, tough player ... brings a definite different dimension … great in space, explosive." [11:52]
- OB and Nuño expect Bussey to shine as a utility weapon, not necessarily as WR1, but a big-play threat and difference-maker.
Running Backs Room: Reuben Owens leads a talented, deep unit. Jamari Amaro brings speed, vision; Tiger Ryden surprises as a power back; young backs KJ and Carson Baker coming along.
- Coach Wiggins: "Reuben ... showing leadership ... Jamari, quick, fast, smart ... Tiger Ryden ... big, powerful guy ... KJ, lightning in a bottle." [13:05]

3. Fun Anecdotes & TexAgs Team Banter

[13:04–21:08]

TexAgs personalities check-in; Natalie Martin’s background (Aggie family, former UC Berkeley/University of Washington athlete) and Aggie football memories (LSU 7-OT game) [18:00]
Tightwad Hill explained: A spot outside Berkeley’s stadium where fans watch for free and enjoy “other activities” [19:03]
Local Eats: Shoutout to 1775 BBQ as the ultimate Aggieland food stop [20:00]
Team camaraderie and playfulness: Joking about making money, money working for you, and memorable first Aggie games.

4. 25 in 25: Player Focus – Jamari Amaro

[21:20–27:34]

Highlighting Amaro’s impact: Emphasis on his game-changing speed and versatility, notably referencing his slippery touchdown runs and receiving ability.
- OB: “Whenever I think about Jamari Amaro, I think about that touchdown run against LSU...he just spins around him like a top and goes in. He has great speed.” [21:46]
Running Back Situation: Views Owens as a probable thousand-yard rusher, with Amaro the perfect complementary star, likened to a “relief pitcher.”
Concerns: The only question about Amaro is short-yardage power, but his agility is a major weapon.

5. Defensive Priorities & Press Conference Insights

[29:25–36:09]

Top 3 Defensive Needs for 2026 [29:37]
1. "Fit the gaps and stop giving up the amount of long 20-yard plus runs."
2. "Find the pass rush that was such a big part last year."
3. "Force more turnovers."
Coach Lyle Hemphill on D-Line and Turnovers:
- Coach Hemphill: “Sometimes it’s less is more ... just let these guys go, take thinking off their plate, and let them just go create havoc.” [30:52]
INT Emphasis: Defensive backs working intensely on catching the ball. Poor INT numbers last season (just 3), aiming for double-digits.
- Nuño looks at other playoff teams’ INT totals for context: “If A&M can force 10 interceptions from their defense and Marcel keep it to five interceptions ... is that a 10-2 team?” [39:19]
- OB’s take: Provided the O-line holds up, those turnover improvements could lead to double-digit wins.

6. Memorable Quotes & Moments

OB: “What you did in high school means absolutely jack squat to what you are in college.” [01:52]
OB: “If Lenora Sellers is a little bit overrated. I do plays well against A&M, but I see him ... other games where, okay, yeah, he’s good.” [07:48]
Coach Wiggins: "KJ ... he's lightning in a bottle, has a chance to basically stretch the field vertically and horizontally, can help us in the pass game." [13:05]
OB on turnovers: “You start looking at [only 3 INTs] and go, okay, that's almost unheard of. So yeah, now ... you're actually more aware of, yeah, this is why we're doing it.” [34:46]
OB on being undervalued: “I love being in a position where you're underestimated.” [09:51]

7. Lighthearted/Community Segments

Snake-in-Helmet Story: Venomous water moccasin found in Arkansas player’s helmet—panel jokes about “snake padding” as next-gen concussion tech. [40:29]
TexAgs camaraderie: Playful ribbing among hosts and crew about memories, food, and the crankiness of sports debate.

Notable Timestamps

00:16 – Listener question sparks QB ranking debate
01:52 – OB on high school vs. college performance
09:07 – Josh Pate’s controversial SEC QB list recited
10:33 – OC Holmon Wiggins on tailoring offense to personnel
11:52 – Wiggins details Terry Bussey’s impact
13:05 – Wiggins breaks down running backs, raves about KJ
18:00 – Natalie Martin intro and Aggie fandom
21:44 – "25 in 25": Focus on Jamari Amaro
29:37 – Three defensive must-improves for A&M 2026
30:52 – Coach Lyle Hemphill: “Let the D-line create havoc”
34:46 – Panel talks defensive INT drills and goals
40:29 – Snake-in-helmet story sparks laughter

Final Thoughts

This GO Hour is Aggie sports talk at its finest: spirited, deeply invested, and unafraid to challenge popular media narratives (especially when the Aggies are slighted). The hosts balance deep analysis with accessible explanations and enough storytelling to keep even casual listeners engaged. As camp optimism builds, listeners are left with confidence about the offense’s schematic adaptability and talent, and a clear-eyed sense of what the defense must do to contend in 2026. The debate over Marcel Reed’s reputation is sure to continue—especially when the team takes the field this fall.

For full Aggie football insights, inside jokes, and unfiltered opinions, this episode is a must-listen for any Texas A&M fan.

Loading summary

Transcript295 lines

[00:00]
A
Oh, poor Neymar. I wasn't planning on starting the show like this, but because it came up 12 seconds before the show, we got to go straight to the text message to the Catalyst. Pure performance energy text line. Natalie Martin is at the Angry Elephant News and Social Center. Can you read that text for us? We'll introduce you in a second, but I want you to read this text to us.
[00:16]
B
Okay? Tyler in Houston last night said Josh Pate ranked Marcel reed as the 8th best quarterback in the SEC. Yes, pate the best. The guy who was leading Marcel's Heisman campaign in Week 12 last year. When will he be on the show to answer for this foolishness?
[00:33]
A
I don't know when he'll be on the show. I don't have the answer to that. But we're going to have him at some point. And I disagree with his list. As do I. I don't really care, Obi.
[00:47]
C
I don't care. But I do think it's kind of. I think one place is foolish. If you want to say Arch Manning is better, okay. You know, it's your opinion. I can respect it. If you want to say Trinidadne Chambliss is better, I'm inclined to agree with you. And you can go to Gunner Stockton. He's a gamer. I don't. Okay, I would take. Personally, I would take Marcel, but okay, he's a gamer. I'll get that. You know, you go down the list, you get the Norris Sellers, and you're like, Marcel really outplayed him last year. And. But okay, and then you see Alabama quarterback ahead of. I mean, just Alabama quarterback. You don't even know who it is. You haven't seen him. Maybe you saw him in practice, but he's playing with a. If he's at A and M. A. Green jersey. I don't know. What if they wear green jerseys in Alabama, saying you can't get hit, and then you say, yeah, but I saw him in high school and he was great. Yeah, so was the guy at Michigan. This is named Mitch Mustaine. Ring a bell? What you did in high school means absolutely jack squat to what you're gonna. To what you are in the. In college. So to just say this guy that you don't even know who's gonna win the job is better than a guy that, like the text or the emailer said, the guy that you yourself said twas a Heisman trophy leader. Eleven games in the last season. That I respect Josh Payton. He's one of the few podcasters that I will make It a point to watch on that, on college football. That's stupid. That's stupid. That's stupid to say a guy that's never played that I can say he's better than this guy. I've never even seen him play college football. Again, the guy in Michigan. Hey, how much money was he got?
[02:45]
A
A lot of money because he's so great. Yep.
[02:48]
C
And he might be great eventually, but yeah, that's. I, that's asinine.
[02:58]
A
I disagree with the list, but I mean, are you projecting who's going to be a better college quarterback? Are you projecting? And I assume he's talking about college quarterback here, not who's going to be in the NFL, because I think Lenore Sellers is listed as potentially a first round NFL player.
[03:13]
C
It doesn't matter what they might do in the NFL. I mean, Danny Werfel won a Heisman Trophy while Peyton Manning was at Tennessee. I think that, I think that's accurate. So who is the better quarterback?
[03:26]
A
I think Peyton Manning had a pretty good career.
[03:28]
C
You think that? All right. And Werfel did jack squat in the NFL.
[03:32]
A
Yeah, I, if somebody feels passionate about it because of whatever intel that they've gotten with, that's fine. Like, I disagree. But I'm going to be very honest with you. I haven't watched Keelan Russell or Austin Mack play and nobody has to. Your point. But I don't think you have to. Like, I know Aaron Gregory is going to be a stud.
[03:54]
C
I don't know that.
[03:55]
A
I know that. I feel very calm. Okay. No, I feel very confident in my assessment that Aaron Gregory. Now I also feel pretty confident he didn't have to be the guy this year. Right, Right. I feel pretty confident there. I did not know that Jamari Amora was going to be the stud that he was last year in his limited role. I did not know that. But you can project things. I don't agree with it. I've heard a lot of people talk high about Keelan Russell a lot and most people think he's going to win the starting job. Most. Okay, we'll see. Hopefully A and M goes to Tuscaloosa and takes care of business and he throws three picks because that, that defense is catching balls in the field. I'm trying to think of a better term and that's something that came up yesterday in the press conference is why I brought that up. But you know, you know what the beauty is? They play well. Not only do they play, Marcel has the awesome opportunity to play a lot of these guys on the list and show that he is better. I personally like having.
[04:55]
C
You mean like Lenora Sellers last year?
[04:57]
A
Like Lenora Sellers last year. Yep.
[05:00]
C
Who didn't he throw for, like 400 yards?
[05:04]
A
He was. He was amazing.
[05:05]
C
And almost all of it. And a half. He had a bad half and he came back strong. I mean, that's. But, you know, again, I, 99.9% of the time respect what Josh Pate has to say because I think he's very even. I disagree with. He makes a logical argument.
[05:24]
A
We haven't heard the argument. I didn't listen to.
[05:25]
C
There is no. There is no argument to say a guy that's never played college football and you've only seen him either in high school or in. I mean, Arch Manning. Archbanning was going to come out and, you know, beat everybody and he got better. But he's three years into his career and he didn't look very good the first half of last year. So a guy that's never played college football and you're going to base on high school and what you see in practice when he can't get hit is completely different. When you're playing without any duress over a guy that you yourself said was the Heisman Trophy either leader or among the leading candidates going into the 12th game of last season makes no sense to me.
[06:13]
A
Keelan Russell last year threw.
[06:16]
C
Okay, so he played.
[06:18]
A
He did play in two games.
[06:19]
C
He got a cup of coffee.
[06:21]
A
Yeah, a cup of coffee. And this is 11 of 15 for 143 yards, two touchdowns. That was against Ulm and EIU.
[06:32]
C
Yes.
[06:34]
A
Oh, you Eastern Illinois.
[06:37]
C
Yeah. So you can come up with a. Oh, yeah. It was like. I had a guy one time talking about here was just going on and on about Nick Starkle, how great he was because he threw for 400 yards twice. It was against New Mexico and Wake Forest, which had one of the worst defenses in the country that year. Yeah. Yeah. If you have any amount of talent at all when you're playing, you know, playing down, you're playing the jv, you should do well. Well, that makes no sense to me. Well, that's not nonsensical.
[07:14]
A
We'll get Josh on the show. What I don't want, and I know you're not doing this, I don't. What I don't want is our audience to hate everybody. Like, because then we'll have two guests. Like, because yesterday people got mad at Conor o' Gara for his questions about A and M. And I forget, oh, he must be a sip lover. I didn't get that, so. And I know you're not doing that, but people's opinions, you back it up. I haven't heard what he had to say, and I kind of agree with you. It's going to be hard to make that argument, but at the end of the day, it doesn't make somebody a Texas lover or anti A and M guy. It's just their opinion. And the beauty of sports is we get to prove it.
[07:48]
C
Hey, I. I would have not even batted. And I had. He said, well, I got Marshall number six. I think Lenora Sellers is a little bit overrated. I do plays well against A and M, but I see him a lot. Some other games where. Okay, yeah, he's good. But last year, hey, this guy's one of the Heisman Trophy leaders. He threw for about 3 or 400 yards less than Marceau.
[08:17]
A
Yep.
[08:20]
C
What I like about Lenore, though, is that when. When the opportunity to run is there, he makes great use of his legs more frequently than Marcel did last year.
[08:32]
A
Yeah. And people bounce off of Lenores, too. He is really good.
[08:35]
C
Yeah, but. But Marcel makes people just completely missing. And then the Alabama. The Alabama guy. I mean, if you even want. He want put Sam Levitt ahead. Okay. Okay. I know Sam Levitt was really good at Arizona State, so if you say, okay, but I wouldn't put Sam Lovett ahead of Marcellus, I don't think I would either. But I can see if you want to make that argument, I can respect your argument.
[08:58]
A
So I'll give you the top 10 from our friend Josh Pate. Trinidad Chambliss, 1 2. Arch Manning, 3. Oh, you're gonna love this one.
[09:08]
C
Matiere.
[09:08]
A
Yeah. John Matheer for Gunner.
[09:14]
C
I would. I would tell you right now, and maybe I'll be proved wrong, but I would take Marcel over John Mattia right now.
[09:21]
A
Sam Levitt at 5.
[09:24]
C
I can. I disagree. But I can respect.
[09:26]
A
You think Lane Kiffin would take Marcel over Stan Levitt?
[09:29]
C
I do. Well, he tried to. Yep. He had him. He had him committed to Ole Miss. Marcel was committed to Ole Miss and change his mind. So lane wanted him.
[09:39]
A
6 Keelan Russell, slash. Austin Mack 7. Lenora Sellers, 8. Marcel Reed, 9. Byron Brown, 10. Austin Simmons.
[09:52]
C
All right, so you're gonna. That. You know what I think, though? I'll say this. I. And that's just Josh Pate's opinion. I. If it's. I would be fine with it if it's the opinion of everybody in college football, because I love being in a position where you're underestimated.
[10:13]
A
I did too. I did too. Let's talk about that offense that A and M is going to have. Some people are underestimating potentially what the office could look like over under Holden Wiggins, I should say. Asked him a little bit about his approach. Is it based on offensive philosophy or the talent around him? This is what he had to say.
[10:34]
D
No. I think pretty much any good coach is going to try to tailor everything that they do to the players and the personnel that they have. So for us is looking at what our guys do well, trying to put those guys in a great position to be successful and make that happen. I think we have some really good pieces. I'm excited about them. And, you know, we're five days or five practices through camp and we're starting to figure some things out.
[10:55]
C
I like that.
[10:56]
A
Yep.
[10:57]
C
Because I've seen a coach that's going to try to make players that don't necessarily have the skill set. There's an example play to his system rather than, hey, maybe I should adjust my system to the players that I have. And I've seen it not just here. So, you know, I like a coach that's going to say, hey, these are the guys I got. This is what this guy does really well.
[11:24]
A
Right.
[11:24]
C
So why don't we do that more often? What. Let's build a. Let's gear our offense around the skill sets of the guys we have and not try to force the guys we have to fit into. You know what I think you should be able to do, and that goes for defense as well.
[11:41]
A
So let's hear a little bit more from Coach Wiggins. When he talked about Terry Bussey. He's been the talk of camp so far. He was asked about have his practices match what the hype has been.
[11:52]
D
Well, there's no doubt that, you know, Terry Bussey kind of came in with a lot of praise being a Gatorade player of the year and some of the things that he did at Timpson. The biggest handcuff for him is the fact that, you know, injuries, you know, you get to a spring where he's figuring out how to play receiver and the second practice, you know, gets a hamstring. Not able to do anything else in that kind of first spring that he had now getting a chance to kind of stay healthy. Smart player, tough player, brings a different. A definite different dimension to kind of what we're doing. Has the ability to carry the ball, plays big in space, has some really good explosiveness. So. So we're excited about Bussy and where he's at because he's picking up exactly what we're trying to do.
[12:30]
A
He just told you a lot right there in that last line. You know, he can play great in space, he's explosive and he can run the ball. And that's how they'll, in Anias Smith kind of way, they'll use Terry Bussy.
[12:42]
C
Yeah, I'm. I'm very excited to see what Terry Bussey is going to bring to the offense. Do I think he's going to be their best receiver? No. Do I think he's going to be a guy, another weapon that can make big plays yet.
[12:54]
A
Is he going to help you win a bunch of games? I think so.
[12:56]
C
I think so, yeah.
[12:57]
A
Let's do one more. Coach Wiggins on the running backs because they've got some options, a lot of young options. But Reuben Owens is the vet in there.
[13:05]
C
Yeah.
[13:05]
D
Well, you talk about the stable. I think as a collective man, that's a tremendous group. Me being an old running back, I know I always try to kind of filter in there and kind of see what those guys are doing. Ruben has done a great job of kind of grabbing the bull by the horns and showing some maturity and some leadership in the room. Jamari Amaro, he's continued to kind of be the guy that we think he is. He's quick, fast, he's smart, he's tough. He's doing a great job. Had some big runs this camp. Hopefully he'll continue to kind of stay steady. Also, we've been getting some stuff from Tiger Ryden, who was a guy that, you know, I'm out and shocked me kind of coming in because we didn't see much of him fall camp and, you know, a couple injuries kind of held him out. And now you get a chance to see him. He's a big, powerful guy that kind of gives us a little different dimension, a little change up as a big back. And then our two freshmen have done a really good job of coming in and starting to figure things out. Kj, you know, he was injured a little bit in the spring. Now he's been healthy, has added some weight. You know, that's a tribute to Coach Moffitt and his team and what they've done. But you see all of those things kind of play off. He's lightning in a bottle, has a chance to basically stretch the field vertically and horizontally, can help us in the pass game. And then Carson Baker has done a phenomenal job of making sure that he's understanding kind of what we're doing. I think now things are slowing down from a spring and a summer. So now he can sit there and understand exactly kind of what we're doing. And you're seeing those things pay off in practice.
[14:21]
A
The thing that caught my attention there was when you talked about tiger riding. Like he was surprised by it. A. The versatility and the different dimension that he adds to that backfield.
[14:32]
C
Yeah. Look, I'm hearing Cole, kj, Lightning in a bottle. And we all know it. But sometimes coaches are hesitant to say stuff like that. So I like that Reuben's taking it, you know, taking it upon himself to acknowledge where he might have had some struggles. Had some struggles last year and, you know. Yeah, I think the running back situation is fine.
[14:57]
A
Yep. Hey, this is Texas life.
[15:00]
C
Yeah. You know, it's brought to you by David Gardner Studios.
[15:02]
A
I did know that. Yeah. And we are currently in the Rollo Insurance Studio.
[15:05]
C
Jason Jackson, Keith Morgan and everybody else
[15:08]
A
over there shout out to Keith. And also, let's see, we are hanging
[15:12]
C
out where the holistic planning Cool zone.
[15:15]
A
Do you like making money?
[15:16]
C
I love making money.
[15:17]
A
I do too. I like making more money on top of money. Oh, I like making money making my money. Making money because of my money.
[15:23]
C
Yeah.
[15:23]
A
That I don't have.
[15:24]
C
You know, you work for your money and then let your money work for you.
[15:28]
A
Yeah, exactly right. And we are currently in the Go hour. It's presented by the warehouse at CC Creations. If you want to be a part of the conversation, you can do it multiple ways. One way is to call us on
[15:37]
C
the what Puppies Catering and Bartending hotline.
[15:41]
A
You can do that at 979-693-1150. But if you text that number, we change the name and we call it the what?
[15:47]
C
The Catalyst. Pure Performance Energy. Ppe. Yeah.
[15:52]
A
Let's go around the room. Let's go left to right. Let's go behind the glass. And Reese Nygren making an appearance on the show after a six month vacation. Hello, Reese.
[16:00]
C
Hello.
[16:00]
B
Hello.
[16:00]
A
I was on the show on Friday, so it hasn't been a full. It wasn't memorable. Let's be honest. All right, Sorry. I see how it is. Back to Josh Pate's quarterback rankings. Before he put the official list out, he put out a list including just Lenora Sellers at number one. Whether it was for engagement or not is to be determined from him. You know, Josh Pate likes to play some jokes on social media. He had a different list on on top of the list that he did on the show before he made the, like, posted out the list from the show. He posted out a list, including. It was just Lenora Sellers at number one.
[16:38]
C
I think Lenora Sellers is really good. I just think he's a little overrated. Yeah.
[16:43]
A
Both things can be true.
[16:44]
C
Yeah.
[16:46]
A
Would you say he's better than Alabama quarterback?
[16:49]
C
I would put him ahead of Alabama quarterback. I would take him over door number one.
[16:55]
A
Back in the day on video games, when they didn't have the rights to people's names, they would say, like, Alabama quarterback, Oakland outfielder. Like, that's how they would label it.
[17:05]
C
That's.
[17:05]
A
Whenever I see that, it makes me think that. What else is on your mind, Reese? I mean, fall camp getting underway, obviously.
[17:11]
B
A lot of.
[17:13]
A
A lot of people showing out. Aaron Gregory, hashtag Andrew Wu mentioned. I mean, I like hearing all that stuff from Coach Wiggins. You know, first real interview that you get from him during fall camp, seeing what he thinks of the offense through. What is it, five days now? Yep. Yep. We don't get to talk to them very much. Was it maybe twice a year?
[17:33]
C
I guess, maybe. I think we might be scheduled to talk to him again. Okay. Pretty soon. Good. I was looking at the schedule last night. I thought.
[17:42]
A
I think we get them during the bye week, too, I think.
[17:44]
C
Yeah. I like Holman.
[17:45]
A
Yeah, me too. Yeah. We'll hear from Lyle Hemphill a little bit later on in the show. Let's go to the Angry Elephant News and Social Center. Natalie Martin, who already spoke on the show making her debut. Natalie, tell us a little bit about you, because you didn't go to A and M, but you grew up in the area, right?
[18:00]
B
I did. I'm from College Station, from Managgie. Blue blood family, though. Both my brothers, both my parents went to A and M, so it's definitely in my blood. I played beach volleyball at UC Berkeley and then I did a bonus year at the University of Washington thanks to that Covid eligibility.
[18:20]
A
Yeah. How are you liking this gig so far?
[18:23]
B
I like it. I like it a lot. I've learned a lot. I like that I kind of get to dip my hand in all the pots. Production behind the screen. Now I'm in front of the camera, so it's been awesome.
[18:35]
A
Do you remember your first Aggie football game?
[18:38]
B
No, because I was less than a year old.
[18:40]
A
Oh, wow. You started going very young.
[18:42]
B
Yeah, I've been to a few for sure.
[18:44]
A
What's your most memorable Aggie football moment?
[18:46]
B
Oh, man, the LSU 7 overtimes comes to mind for sure. That was a good one. That's the One at the top of the mind, for sure.
[18:58]
C
I want to know if, you know, having gone to Berkeley's, you ever watch a football game from Tight White Hill?
[19:03]
B
I.
[19:04]
C
And if you did, I would assume it. You would not have a memory of it.
[19:07]
B
I never watched a game from that vantage point. I did not.
[19:12]
C
Tightwater Hill is. It's on. I guess it'd be on the east side of the stadium. And the stadium is kind of in a. Almost in a canyon. And there's was one area where it levels off. And you can. If you. If you're willing to hike up there, you can watch the game because, like, here's where the stadium is. You're up here so you can watch the game without paying to see it. And they. A lot of. Quite frankly, a lot of people do it, and they partake of other activities while they're doing so.
[19:46]
A
Taiwan Hill.
[19:47]
C
Tightwad Hill.
[19:48]
A
Tightwad.
[19:49]
C
Tight Wad Hill. Because you're too tight to.
[19:51]
A
Yeah. So that's the official name.
[19:53]
C
Yeah. It's a big deal there.
[19:54]
A
Natalie, you've been here for a minute. Have you been to 1775?
[19:58]
B
I have not, but I've heard great things.
[20:00]
C
Well, yeah. Where have you heard them?
[20:02]
B
Yeah, my dad said, you know, there's that barbecue place out there past the airport. And I said, that's 1775, sponsor of Texas Live.
[20:10]
A
That's right. Yeah.
[20:12]
C
Even her dad knows. Yeah, everybody knows about that succulent brisket.
[20:16]
A
It's not a far drive. It's close. And when you get there, it's. It's not a hole in the wall. What would you call it? It's just a hole in the prairie.
[20:22]
C
It's just a. A friendly stop on the side of the road.
[20:26]
A
Friendly stop. There you go. And. And with meals that are delightful.
[20:29]
C
Delightful, excellent, delicious. You got again, the succulent brisket, the amazing pork ribs.
[20:34]
A
You see how he turned it on right there when you started talking?
[20:36]
C
That great jalapeno cheese sausage. You know, you can get some. Some turkey, which I need to start eating more of. You know, even if you like pulled pork, they got that. They got all kinds of things. And they got the queso Mac.
[20:46]
A
I figured out the trick moving forward, anytime you get a little worked up with people's opinions because you, You. I see it in your hands, like you're talking. You're, like, getting angry. If I just go 1775.
[20:56]
C
Oh, then everything's good in life.
[20:58]
A
See, that's all it takes.
[20:59]
C
That's all it takes.
[21:00]
A
1775. Txbbq.com 979-4926241 it is 1775 and it's good like life.
[21:08]
C
The money machine is now open. The easiest radio contest on the planet. Enter now. Enter now at sony1150.com to win $5,000. What are we waiting for? And great weekly prices too.
[21:20]
A
And we are back here on Tech Sags Live. We are presented by David Garner's George Rollo insurance studio. The Go Hour presented by the warehouse at CC Creations. Time now for 25 and 25 presented by Paragon Financial Advisors and Aggie owned independent fee only fiduciary serving families business owners nationwide. Visit paragon-adv.comob Number 13 on the list is Jamari and Morrow.
[21:44]
C
Very exciting player, isn't he?
[21:46]
A
Yeah, he is.
[21:47]
C
Whenever I think about Jamari and Morrow, I think about that touchdown run against LSU when he, there's like looks, I think it was like two guys ready to tackle him and he just spins around him like a top and goes in. You know, he has great speed. He showed it on the that same game. You know, he catches a screen pass and it's a perfectly executed. So he has good hands. He had a touchdown catch against Florida, I think. Yeah, so he has good hands too. He can do a lot of damage. He's not the biggest guy in the world but he, but he, you know, can run inside and he has great speed. So yeah, I like him.
[22:21]
A
He turns a potentially deep running back room. We don't know that fully just yet, but a potentially deep running back room into a dangerous running back room. Because when I think of him, I think of, you know, highlights I think of a big play is about to happen on any play and he makes them very dangerous.
[22:37]
C
Yeah, he's that player that, you know, maybe he's going to get a, a one yard run on play. Okay. But even though the defense might have had it the play. Right. That particular play, when he's the type of guy, especially as he plays more other, other teams, the fans of other teams are going to be holding their breath when he gets the ball, you know, because what's he going to do? Okay, we got through that play but what about the next time, you know, he's, he's, he definitely has big playability. There's the, if you're, this doesn't do well for radio but if you're watching on TV, we're just showing a highlight of the, of the, of the play and here comes the run where yeah, he just makes a guy just extremely quick feet I'm hitting dance.
[23:21]
A
Yeah, yeah. Can you.
[23:24]
C
Certain kinds of dances.
[23:25]
A
Two step.
[23:26]
C
I can do that.
[23:27]
A
Yeah. More. 182 yards rushing, 80 receiving yards, three total touchdowns. He really flashed and made an art. I mean, you think about it, his emergence is part of the reason we didn't see as much of a Marty Daniels that we had seen before.
[23:43]
C
Yeah, I guess so. Even though it was pretty darn good. Well, they had a deep running back room.
[23:54]
A
They had a really good running back
[23:55]
C
room and I think they still do.
[23:56]
A
They still do the.
[23:58]
C
It's just they gotta prove it.
[23:59]
A
They were different with Lev. Like Lev gave them that stability that every down back. I'm wondering if Reuben becomes that guy and then if Morrow, who was the third back essentially at times, I guess EJ at times as well. If Morrow steps into what Ruben's role. I mean, Reuben led the team in rushing last year.
[24:16]
B
Yeah.
[24:17]
C
Look, the only thing Reuben has to prove is that he can make the. Get you the tough yards. You know, like last year you had Levy on and when you didn't have Levy on, you could go to E.J. smith. I don't know if, if I'm fourth and one against a big defense, if Mario Morrow is the guy I want to run inside, but I guarantee I wouldn't mind faking a toss to him, let him outrun somebody to the corner.
[24:48]
A
Yeah, his one cut ability, I mean we saw it in that LSU highlight, but I mean he has got the incredible ability to stop on a dime and go the other way.
[24:56]
C
Yeah. I don't think they're ever going to think about using this way. But he just seems to me would be a great guy on punt returns.
[25:01]
A
Yeah.
[25:02]
C
Because of that ability to cut so quickly on a dime and all those things. But they know best, you know, and
[25:08]
A
interestingly, I think the. Even though he was, he was, I think an integral piece of that running back room, he wasn't somebody you had to rely on per se. But the experience that he got last year makes you go into his sophomore year thinking, dude, this guy, he can be a guy or the guy.
[25:22]
C
Yeah, it's a small sample size, but you know what, sometimes I can get. Wife said, oh, this is good when we're at dinner and she'll say, hey, kind of taste that. And it's just a small sample size, but I really like that.
[25:36]
A
Let's get some more now. You know, Marcus.
[25:38]
C
Samoro.
[25:39]
A
Samoro. Marcello, not Marcelo. Excuse me. Ruben Owens talked about wanting to be a thousand yard back. I don't know if you're going to have a thousand yard back with as many options that they have. When you have Marcel Reed hopefully running the ball as well, you've got Morrow, you've got Owens, maybe you have it. I mean didn't freaking Missouri have almost two over thousand yards last year? So if they, if they didn't have, they may have had two.
[26:02]
C
I think actually I think Marcel's ability to run, especially use it more often in the running game actually enhances the yardage that the running back because you know you're running in, guys are looking at the, at the quarterback. Is he going to go and it just every now and then opens up more opportunity. I think Ruben very, I think I would, I would bet on him to be a thousand yard back. If you say okay, the bets are off if he gets hurt and lose and misses like three or more games, right? Or two or more games because Reuben has that and you know of course the offensive line's got to be capable but Reuben, he's shown us the big playability. The 57 yard touchdown run against Missouri and then I think he had a 30, 35 yard touchdown run against Missouri and I think he even had a bigger game which was it, was it against Mississippi State? Maybe he had like a hunt his best game of the year last year like 130 or 140 yards rushing. So a better Ruben Owens is a thousand yard back. I see morrow being in a 600 range, 500 range, probably closer to 5 even, maybe even 4. But that guy, he's the relief pitcher that comes in kind of like think of the LSU game four years ago when a chain was going crazy but had to bring him in and spell him. He bring him, brought in Amari Daniels and he was going crazy.
[27:32]
A
He was going crazy as well.
[27:33]
C
So I think we could see something like that.
[27:35]
A
We'll hit a break, we'll come back. I want to hear from Lyle Hemphill, yesterday's press conference talking about that defense. To me the biggest story and I don't know if they got into the running game as much as I probably would have liked. I should have followed up but they did talk about forcing turnover. So we'll listen to a little bit of that right now. A moment for Caldwell country Chevrolet. Highway 21 in Caldwell online at caldwellcountrychevrolet.com your trade in has got value and at Caldwell Country Chevrolet they're ready to put that equity to work for you. They have a pre owned inventory that moves fast which means they're always looking for quality vehicles to add to their lot. Bring in what you've got and let their experienced sales team show you what it's worth. They've got decades of combined experience. They know how to structure a deal that will make sense for you. And don't forget, every vehicle purchase comes with that free oil change for life as long as you own that car from Caldwell Country Chevrolet. Remember, it's not far. We're talking 15 minutes the edge of Bryant of the beginnings of Caldwell, a short conversation away. But you'll see the difference when you step on the lot and do business with the good people at Caldwell Country Chevrolet, Highway 21 and Caldwell online. Caldwellcountrychevrolet.com Activate Spend your Aggie football Saturday,
[28:38]
C
starting with the game day show to the game to the call in show and only on the zone 11:50am and 93.7 FM.
[28:45]
A
I don't want to spend too much time on this hate thing because we already did enough. But SEAN on the YouTube page says, I listened to Pate today. He said Marcel has the potential to be 4 on the list if he makes smart decisions.
[28:57]
C
Well, I would say he has the potential to be 1 on the list. Yeah, if he makes some smart decisions. Again, let's recall that Josh Pate himself had Marcel among the leading Heisman candidates last year going into the final game of the year. So I would say Sam, four is a. That's nice, but I don't think his potential is limited.
[29:26]
A
All right, let's talk a little Aggie football defense now for a moment for you. If you were to categorize the three things that A and M needs to get right in 2026, they would be,
[29:38]
C
yeah, you need to be able to fit the gaps and stop, stop giving up the amount of long 20 yard plus runs. We've got to find the pass rush that was such a big part of your success last year. And you have to force more turnovers.
[29:57]
A
Yep. Well, I think when I asked this question of Coach Hemphill about creating havoc but not putting your defense in a vulnerable position, I think when he talks about the ability to get after the quarterback, it speaks volumes for what he thinks this defensive line can be and where they don't have to be as disruptive in other areas to create the kind of turmoil that they want to. Here's Coach Hempel on that. That's a good question. You know, sometimes you just, and I'm learning this as we go and when you're starting to see it, you're trying to adapt to who you are as a football team, I think got havoc makers up front on the front four, and sometimes it's less is more. I guess just let these guys go take things off their plate, take thinking off their plate and let them just go create havoc. And again, you've got to adapt to your personnel and that's what we're trying to do.
[30:52]
C
I like the idea of letting your guys just go play and create havoc and things like that. I believe that that 2022 team that was so disappointing.
[31:05]
A
Yeah.
[31:05]
C
I think the defense was, was better and even in some years since then that there was too much structure. Sometimes I, sometimes my guy's just better than your.
[31:17]
A
Yeah.
[31:17]
C
And just let him be, let him
[31:18]
A
go be the better player.
[31:19]
C
And I, I'm not saying that, that, that they're not going to be structured. That's not what he said. But if you got a guy that my guy's better than yours, so just beat him and make the play.
[31:30]
A
Well, isn't that what they did with Cassius? Like, hey, just line them up, let him go.
[31:35]
C
Yeah. When they weren't for some reason dropping him in the past coverage. That's another thing I just never, never understand. But anyway, that's not your question. Yeah, I think, I think they did that with him and, and he was successful. Yeah.
[31:53]
A
The, the other thing that you, you mentioned that I think they all go together is forcing turnovers. And every DB that I've had in here that I've gotten to talk to on the huddle, mentions like, like they dropped, especially Marcus Ratcliffe. I think Marcus Ratcliffe is one of the guys that has been very animate about dropping some, some interceptions and what that could have done a. For games. Right. Making it feel more comfortable than it. Maybe it was. I'm trying to remember were there any drops in the.
[32:19]
C
Well, I remember in the Notre Dame game, for instance, now.
[32:21]
A
Yes, yes.
[32:22]
C
At the end. I mean, A and M still won the game, so you don't think about it. But there's a deep pass and the guy's throwing a triple coverage. And I might have been Marcus, might have been Dalton Brooks. But anyway, somebody jumps up, 307 ball, drop it and gives Notre Dame another play. Again, you don't really think about it too much because they still won't. But to your point, I don't know
[32:45]
A
that I, that I don't remember Texas.
[32:47]
C
I don't remember Texas.
[32:49]
A
Feel like I remember South Carolina a couple other.
[32:52]
C
Well, they had an interception in South Carolina and they threw in it. They missed a field goal they missed a field goal. A short field goal.
[32:58]
A
Yeah.
[32:59]
C
Man, what a disaster. That person.
[33:01]
A
Yeah.
[33:01]
C
Nobody played well in that first half.
[33:03]
A
Well, here's Coach Hempel on the focus of catching the ball. No, that's something that we have worked on all season. I mean, I. I can't even imagine how many more balls we've caught this offseason than we did a year. I mean, that was obviously a problem we had. We dropped balls. So we have worked tirelessly trying to get better at that. We worked on ball disruption. We've just amped that up so much. It is showing up. We're seeing it. We're seeing the results, you know, of our hard work in the off season, and we've got to continue to do that. To me, and I don't mean this as a shot. I'm just talking out loud. Like, to me, it's amazing how not working on such a thing, like catching the ball or. I'm sure they worked on it, but, like, the emphasis and how much more awareness it creates and the opportunity to do it, because sometimes you're in a position where, like, oh, wait, the ball's here. And, like, I can understand, but in my head, we've been catching these balls our entire life. We've been playing. But when the. When the game is sped up and the darts are coming at you, this is another thing to consider.
[34:01]
C
Well, the first part is, you know, being in the right place at the right time, you know, being where you're supposed to be.
[34:07]
A
And they were.
[34:09]
C
So I. You know, everybody does the tip drill, and they'll do the interception. Hey, like this. I'm throwing. You go catch it. Everybody does that. Yeah, but I think after you get one interception from your DBs in an entire season, you start looking at that and go, okay, that. That's almost unheard of. So, yeah, now you're not just. You probably, as a player, not just going through the drill. Because we're doing the drill, you're actually more aware of. Yeah, this is why we're doing it, because we got to get better and maybe just, you know, do a few more reps.
[34:47]
A
So let's play the hypothetical. Marcel throws four or five less interceptions. Okay.
[34:53]
C
Okay. I would say six, but. Okay.
[34:56]
A
Just for this conversation.
[34:57]
C
Okay.
[34:57]
A
And A and M gets five more interceptions, which I still don't think is a lot.
[35:04]
C
No, because that'd be. Well, you'd have eight interceptions because they had.
[35:07]
A
What's a good number, you think, for that?
[35:08]
C
Well, I think you need it double digits. I think most good Teams. Sometimes you see it. But most good teams are gonna. I bet you. I don't know this for a fact, but I bet if you took the 12 playoff teams last year, at least nine of them had double digit interceptions. At least. And it's probably 10.
[35:27]
A
Yeah, I'm trying to look up that number. Maybe Natalie can look it up from last year. I want to see who the most were. So most interceptions made by a team, 25 to 26. And I'll just read you some of these teams and the first few are playoff teams. Well, Notre Dame's on there. Southern Miss at 23, Arizona at 22. LA Tech at 22. Notre Dame at 21, which wasn't a
[35:49]
C
playoff team, but they were really good. We understand.
[35:51]
A
Miami was at number 12 at 16.
[35:54]
C
Okay.
[35:54]
A
Number 11. Excuse me.
[35:55]
C
Texas Tech, they were in the playoff.
[35:57]
A
LSU was in the mix at 17. They weren't. BYU could have been in the playoffs. They had 17. Texas had 16. So there's just a couple of teams there. So you definitely want to be in the double digits.
[36:10]
C
But I bet, I would place a bet right now that, okay, I got two whole dollars that anybody wants to bet $2 that I'm going to say. I'm going to say 10 teams that were in the playoff. 10 playoff teams had double figures, interceptions. 10 of the 12. We know a and M didn't. So I'm thinking maybe James Madison didn't.
[36:33]
A
Right. See if we can find the playoff interception numbers for the next segment. We'll kind of go through that here. I'll hit a break. We'll get to that here momentarily. Right now we're talking about the Rallo Insurance Group. Insurance is so important and it can be many different ways. Right? It can be your homeowner's insurance. It can be your ranch insurance, it can be your car insurance. And Rollo insurance is my guy or they're my guys. I should say Morgan takes care of me. The difference is real. With their 60 offices in the great state of Texas. So whether it's home, auto, business or ranch insurance, start a relationship with an expert who puts you first. Your agent becomes familiar with your unique situation, and they provide a plan that most other places cannot match. When you need advice or have a claim, you'll speak directly with someone who knows your situation and your face. They'll know that as well. It's the Rollo difference. Check out the website. Rollinsurance.com techstack rollinsurance.com or call them up. 8844 Rallo. That's 8844. Rollo.
[37:27]
C
Listen to the Houston Astros on the zone. Thanks to Kelly Burdozer.
[37:32]
A
As a reminder, the final segment of the program is brought to you by Double Dave's. That's at 1050. But right now, caller number 12, 979693. 1150. We're going to hook you up with your choice of a dozen pepperoni rolls or a large one topping pizza from Double Dave's. They've been serving aggielands since 1984 with your favorite pizza and of course those world famous pepperoni rolls. Reliable in house delivery. Breaking piping hot goodness straight to your door. Just click on double Dave's.com and your favorites are on their way. OB you out some money.
[37:58]
C
I lost my two bucks. It turns out that of the there was five teams that didn't have double and then playoff that didn't have double.
[38:07]
A
Five? That many?
[38:08]
C
Yeah, because three of them, Oklahoma, Ole Miss and Georgia all had nine. So they were one away. And then Ohio State had eight and Texas A three.
[38:19]
A
Big difference.
[38:21]
C
So Oklahoma, Ole Miss and Georgia had triple the number of interceptions today and
[38:25]
A
they were considered low.
[38:26]
C
And that's considered. And then Ohio State was, to me that's really surprising. But Indiana, your national champion, had 18. It's pretty good. Texas Tech had 17, Miami had 16. Your national runner up at 16, Oregon with 15, Tulane 15, James Madison 14, Alabama 11. Then Oklahoma, Ole Miss and Georgia with nine. All right, Ohio State.
[38:51]
A
So let's do the math. A and M needs to get seven more interceptions to be in the double digit team. Okay. And let's just do the exact same thing for Marcel. Seven less interceptions.
[39:03]
C
Oh, seven less interception. That'd be five. That'd be hot. So Josh Pate would be moving him up.
[39:10]
A
Yeah, he'd be moving up the ranks. So if A and m can force 10 interceptions from their defense and Marcel keep it to five interceptions.
[39:20]
C
Yeah. Yeah.
[39:22]
A
Is that a 10 and 2 team?
[39:24]
C
You know, I would think so. But again, broken record. I got to see the O line.
[39:30]
A
Yeah, but, but if he only has five.
[39:33]
C
If he only has five and he plays the whole season, the old Lions probably doing well.
[39:37]
A
Yeah, that's what I would say. Let's go back to the angry elephant news and social center. Natalie, any comments or text you want to get into?
[39:46]
B
Everyone's just really harping on Josh Pate in the comments. They want him on the show. They want him held accountable for Marcel slander. So that's, that's really the, the topic of conversation right now.
[39:58]
C
You know, Marcel threw for more yardage last year than Archbanning. He threw for more yardage than John Matiere. He threw for more yardage than Lenore Sellers. If I'm not mistaken, he threw for more yardage than Fernando Mendoza. He averaged more yardage than Fernando Mendoza.
[40:22]
A
Fernando had a couple more games, yes.
[40:24]
C
Yeah, he had more yardage, but he played more games. What, Four more games. Whatever. So. Yeah.
[40:29]
A
OB did you hear the story about the snake in the helmet?
[40:32]
C
I did up in Arkansas?
[40:34]
A
Yeah. A venomous snake, by the way. What was it? A cottonmouth?
[40:38]
C
A water moccasin.
[40:39]
A
So can you imagine?
[40:41]
C
Most teams take a water break. He took a water moccasin break.
[40:44]
A
How do you not see a snake? Like, I don't. Like, I don't know. Like. And then it's in there in your. You're wearing it. It's like something feels weird. I feel something kind of moving in there.
[40:54]
C
Yeah.
[40:55]
A
Could you imagine the response when, ah. Like if it bit him in the head.
[41:01]
C
Well, it is up in Arkansas.
[41:03]
A
Well, you say they marry their snakes.
[41:05]
C
No, I'm not saying they may. They met. It might have been part of the church, though. Snake handler. I don't know. Maybe the coach had got it out there. So we do this every Sunday.
[41:13]
A
Yeah.
[41:15]
C
That's crazy. They all. Jokes aside, you know what? Thank the Lord that the snake didn't bite him, right?
[41:23]
A
Yeah.
[41:23]
C
Heck, yeah. But. But I'm just like, what do they say if some. If the snake bites you? You're supposed to, like, cut an X where he bit and suck the poison out?
[41:31]
A
Yeah, I'm not.
[41:32]
C
I'm not going to suck that poison off that kid's head. No. Sorry. Sorry, kid. You're on your own here. But yeah, thankfully he didn't get bit. And it is crazy. You're. It's a watermark. How close to a creek is that? You know, is that practice field?
[41:50]
A
Yeah. I would have to get rid of that helmet forever. You can't. You can't.
[41:54]
D
Yeah.
[41:54]
A
You can't bleach out the. The snake's skin that's been in there. And the vet. No.
[41:59]
C
I've seen girls wear snakeskin dresses.
[42:01]
A
Those are nice.
[42:02]
C
Yeah. Kind of like he had extra padding. You know, you come in, hit somebody. Hey. Had extra padding. Had. Had snake padding.
[42:12]
A
Snake padding.
[42:13]
C
But yeah, it's. I guess he had one of those helmets. It's been a long time since I put on a helmet back in the day, you know, we. Why do. We had some. You know, our better players got that with the, you know, they're talking about 1979 now and they, they had more padding and then some of them like I got, had kind of like there was some padding, of course, but there was like a, it's like a little
[42:35]
A
pad on each side.
[42:36]
B
Right.
[42:36]
C
And there was like straps that were.
[42:38]
A
Yeah.
[42:39]
C
You know, and I guess maybe it was like that and he, he got it underneath those straps, you know, and then curled up. So maybe the snake, the, the point, the little pad part that's connected to the straps. Maybe that's where the snake's mouth, his head was.
[42:56]
A
He couldn't bite through it maybe. And maybe, you know, it could save you from a concussion. It's a little bit more extra padding. More.
[43:02]
C
That's what I'm getting at, you know.
[43:04]
A
Yeah.
[43:04]
C
Maybe that, maybe we have found the, the answer to prevent. Was it cte? Yeah, you prevent cte. Just put a stake in your elbow,
[43:14]
A
die of poison, you know.
[43:16]
C
Well, maybe find non venomous things like a good old rat snake. Yeah, I see rat snakes around the house.
[43:24]
A
I run like a six year old girl when I see snakes. I'm so. Yeah, I'm, I'm not, I'm not on team Snake.
[43:29]
C
I mean, I don't like them.
[43:31]
A
I freak out. It's like Kaylie Dreyer seeing a cockroach in the office. Like she just runs. Sorry. Bringing off air, stuff on air.
[43:41]
C
I've had to kill a snake before. I've had to kill one and then somebody's gonna get mad. Why'd you kill it? Well. Cause he's a snake.
[43:47]
A
Yeah.
[43:47]
C
You know, somebody comes into my house, he's a snake. I'm killing. Yeah.
[43:52]
A
All animals and humans that are uninvited.
[43:57]
C
Dead. Neda Meyer, dead.
[43:59]
A
He said we're dead.
[44:01]
C
Animals come into my house. Or people that are not invited, dead.
[44:05]
A
Okay, on that note, we're going to close it out on the go hour. Present Josh Pate.
[44:08]
C
No, he's. We're good with Josh. Really. Just disagree.
[44:12]
A
Yeah, well, maybe we'll never get him back on the show because tech saggers can be mean. Anyway, when we come back on Tech Sags Live, the return of John Harris. He's been at Texans training camp for the last couple weeks. We'll talk college football, we'll talk NFL, we'll talk life. That's coming up next on Tech Sachs Live. Grainger knows.
[44:29]
C
When you're a procurement manager for an
[44:30]
A
office park, you're not managing one building,
[44:33]
C
you're managing all of them.
[44:34]
A
And to stay ahead.
[44:35]
C
You need to see through walls and around corners.
[44:38]
A
Lights about to fail, filters ready to clog H Vac on its last leg. If you wait until something breaks, you're already behind. Count on Grainger for quality products, easy reordering and 24.
[44:49]
B
7 support.
[44:50]
A
Call 1-800-granger click granger.com or just stop
[44:53]
C
by Granger for the ones who get it done.

TexAgs Live - GO Hour with Nuño & OB : 08.12.26

TexAgs Live - GO Hour with Nuño & OB : 08.12.26

TexAgs Live - GO Hour with Nuño & OB: August 12, 2026

Podcast Summary

Main Theme

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Josh Pate’s SEC Quarterback Rankings

2. Fall Camp Updates & Offensive Insights

3. Fun Anecdotes & TexAgs Team Banter

4. 25 in 25: Player Focus – Jamari Amaro

5. Defensive Priorities & Press Conference Insights

6. Memorable Quotes & Moments

7. Lighthearted/Community Segments

Notable Timestamps

Final Thoughts

TexAgs Live - GO Hour with Nuño & OB: August 12, 2026

Podcast Summary

Main Theme

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Josh Pate’s SEC Quarterback Rankings

2. Fall Camp Updates & Offensive Insights

3. Fun Anecdotes & TexAgs Team Banter

4. 25 in 25: Player Focus – Jamari Amaro

5. Defensive Priorities & Press Conference Insights

6. Memorable Quotes & Moments

7. Lighthearted/Community Segments

Notable Timestamps

Final Thoughts