← Zone 1150 - TexAgs Live
Zone 1150 - TexAgs Live
TexAgs Live - GO Hour with Nuño & Zane : 08.07.26
00:43:25
The Go Hour! With Nuño and Zane talk about A&M's pass rushers and how A&M could reach new limits if Ruben Owens breaks out!
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- [00:00]
A
Well, well, well. Richard Zane is in studio with no real TV on.
- [00:05]
B
That was three wells, Dwight.
- [00:06]
A
Well, well, well. Yeah, it was three. That's true. But you said it a couple times too.
- [00:13]
B
If I say it one more time, that go from six to nine, buddy.
- [00:17]
A
Today's a big day.
- [00:19]
B
Why is that?
- [00:20]
A
Why is today a big day? Is it. Today's the last day without OB. Wow. Hurtful.
- [00:25]
B
No, it's not even 802 and he's already taking shots. He already wants his normal co host back. Bronnie and I haven enough for him this week.
- [00:33]
A
I think you've been pretty good.
- [00:34]
B
Well, Ronnie, I mean obviously has, but I.
- [00:37]
A
You've been great.
- [00:39]
B
And I was only. I only had to do two segments with you without Stephen McGee where he was the focal point.
- [00:44]
A
Stephen McGee was great yesterday, as he always is.
- [00:46]
B
He always is.
- [00:46]
A
But no, today's a big show because it's a Billy show.
- [00:51]
B
Always a big show.
- [00:52]
A
And we've had a couple practices in the can to discuss and that's pretty much the only reason it's a big show.
- [00:59]
B
Yeah. Well, also a big weekend, I guess this weekend because more commencements across the street. Another graduating or summer graduates are gonna walk the stage at Texas A and M University today. Congratulations to all those Aggies who finally earned their diplomas. And I can't remember the exact number, but I think it's like seven maybe. Student athletes are gonna be among the summer commencement ceremonies today, so. Or this weekend. So congratulations to all of those who pulled double duty. Student and athlete. Student still comes first in my opinion.
- [01:35]
A
So I want to start off today with a segment, something that Billy touched on on second year transfers. And I want us to kind of look back and then look ahead. All right. I look at this season when I say look ahead. So last year Billy was really the only one at this point talking about how big of a year Cassius Howell could have.
- [01:54]
B
Yes.
- [01:55]
A
Second, we all saw that. He showed some flashes, right? But that was that Marcus Ratcliffe last year, second year transfer. I don't know how much expectations we had about him going into the season. And I just kind of want to apply that thinking to some of the names that Billy put out there for this year. Because last season does not happen. With those names that I mentioned. You don't go 11 and 2 without Cassius Howell having, you know, a defensive player of the year kind of season. Right. Marcus Radcliffe becoming a huge part, an integral piece of that defense. There were others. I mean our Marje Reed Adams, second year player, he was really Good. His first year. But I'm talking about that leap. And that leap can be for. Because there's people in front of you. That leap can be because you have developed under the system. There's many reasons. Right. You're more comfortable in SEC play, whatever it may be. So the names that Billy threw out there, I think are all ones that we can tackle for a couple minutes. He has Mike O'Reilly on there. He has TJ Searcy and Julio Humphrey.
- [02:55]
B
Okay. So Mike O'Reilly, you should expect a bigger impact from him at the tight end position this year. If you missed the press conference on Tuesday, I highly suggest you go back and listen to it. There's an obvious reason why Micah Riley is a captain on this team and was selected by his peers to be part of the leadership group on this team this fall. Plus, unbeknownst to me, maybe other people knew it, he was playing hurt for a couple years. Back to his time at Auburn. Had a shoulder issue, a torn labrum, didn't he say?
- [03:29]
A
I think it started in high school. I feel like he may have said that.
- [03:31]
B
He definitely said it was during his time at Auburn, for sure. So he played all year last year where he was essentially a special teams guy and a blocking tight end because they have full range of motion in his shoulder. But he's had surgery in the off season. That's corrected. So now he's expecting to take on more of a blocking and receiving role at the position. And we know how much A and M likes to use the tight ends. So that's another weapon for A and M. And you hear a lot about how first year transfer Richie Anderson might have the best hands on the team. And Houston Thomas, coming from utsa, saw what he could do when the Roadrunners came up to Kyle Field last year. But don't sleep on Mike O'Reilly because he's not just the vocal leader. He's expecting to be more of an impact on the field, on offense and special teams this season.
- [04:16]
A
Yeah, that tight end room, I don't know what to make of it. I think they'll be. I don't know if they'll be better than they were last year. I'm not saying that in that they can't be, but just when you think about what Nate Bor was able to do and really, Theo had some good moments.
- [04:28]
B
Go back to last year. This time, were we really talking about how much of an impact Nate Borkature would have on this football team?
- [04:35]
A
Not at all.
- [04:35]
B
And now he's got at least one moment that's going to live on, you know, for years in Texas A and M football lore. I wasn't at Texags. Neither were you back before Jace Sternberger's first season in the program.
- [04:47]
A
Were they talking about him?
- [04:48]
B
Were we talking about J. Sternberger having a huge impact? I don't know. And he went on to be an All American in one season.
- [04:55]
A
Another guy, second year, who I think we saw flashes last year is TJ Searcy.
- [04:59]
B
And that's kind of the guy that's in the same mold of Cassius Howe, right? You saw flashes and then he stepped in to be the guy coming off the edge, right? That's what Cassius Howe did last year en route to SEC Defensive Player of the Year. And I'm not sure D.J. searcy has to do that. He's going to have a supporting cast that can certainly help him, whether that be Marco Jones or Lance, who I know is one of your favorites, Anto. And of course I'm going to forget a couple names also coming off the edge. And then don't forget the guys on the interior as well. So going to have to find the pass rush. But all eyes. Certainly it's easy to fall on TJ Searcy because he is the second guy or he is in his second year in the program. He got to learn under Cassius Howe last year, so it'll be interesting to see what kind of year he has. Oh, and don't forget, he's been in this league for a number of years already, back to his time at Florida. So he knows what it takes to compete in the sec. And I think that's important. Not to say that Anto Saka doesn't know what it takes because he has competed in a very big league, the second biggest league, in my opinion, in college football. Sorry to the Big Ten fans out there.
- [06:06]
A
Size wise, they're the biggest.
- [06:08]
B
But yeah, that's true. 18 teams compared to 16, but only like 4. And then people like to scoff at his production because, what was it, four and a half? Three? He was the only guy last year, but he could easily be doubled and triple teamed coming off the line for Northwestern. So TJ Searcy is a guy to circle off the edge as well.
- [06:25]
A
And then the other one, Julio Humphrey. And by the way, if you see a theme here with all three of these guys that we're talking about, all have SEC experience, right? Julio Humphrey was a starter for 10 games at Georgia. For whatever reason, he fell out of favor there. And then he comes here and you know, DEZ Ricks and Will Lee had a strangleholder that position. He has done a lot of work. He took advantage of this spring when there was an injury. Ricky Gibson couldn't really do much of spring. So he had a really good camp or a good spring camp, I should say. And production this year I think could go a long way to. Because we're talking about the depth, right? You don't want any drop off at all, whoever is the guy. And by the way, Julio Humphrey, in his opinion, he's like, I'm fighting for that starting spot.
- [07:09]
B
Yeah. Julio Humphrey starting for or fighting for that starting spot. Ricky Gibson, Jamar, Bill Goins, Brandon Arrington and I mean there's a reason Des Rex, of course, Jordan Shaw. There's a reason why Mike Elko described the secondary. I know we talked about this a lot yesterday. We were doing 25 and 25 with the reason why I described the secondary as perhaps the best he's coached at Texas A and M. And it's because of guys like Julio Humphrey who have the experience in this league who were around last year, know what it knows what it takes to get to the SEC or to get be, you know, knocking on the door of the SEC championship game to get to the playoff, all of that. But the Aggies want to go further, right. It's going to take a talented secondary to get there. And Julia Humphrey is a big reason why. But there's, there's guys around him and we talked about it with fired iron, sharpens iron competition at the position. Fighting for those starting spots is only going to make Humphrey better and Ricks better and Gibson better and on down the line at the cornerback spot.
- [08:09]
A
Yeah, no doubt about it. Let's do three things that we want to see brought to you by the Brazos Running Company, your local Aggie owned specialty running store where you can find Brooks on HOKA shoes located at Century Square below the Star Cinema Grill in College Station. And the way I want to tackle this, because we're not going to be able to watch practice Saturday, right? So I want to talk about things that we want to see. Three things we want to see on players who can raise A and M's floor. Okay. And I picked some names, but you can pick different names. We're just players that can raise A and M's floor. And what I mean by that is obviously you could say the quarterback. Let's go a little deeper positions that matter, that if they play at the level that the guy that was there before plays at or if they just reach their potential. What that does for A and M's floor, I'll give you a couple names. Dalton Brooks.
- [08:56]
B
Yes.
- [08:56]
A
Dalton Brooks has always been good. I think he hasn't reached his full potential just yet. If he reaches that full potential, what does that do for the Aggie defense?
- [09:05]
B
What does that do for Dalton Brooks? Right, because he's senior potential NFL draft like. Well, definitely NFL draft. How high can he play himself up draft boards and all of that? He's been here a long time. He knows Mike Elko's system. He knows the scheme. He's a leader on the back end for a reason. Yes, I agree with you. What if he has a great year? If he gets his hands on more footballs too? Because we've seen what he can do when he, when he's a runner. What does that do for the Aggie defense? Got to start forcing more turnovers. I think Dalton Brooks could be that guy on the back end of the defense and if he has a great year, I think the Aggie defense will have a great year.
- [09:41]
A
Another one, Ruben Owens, if he reaches that five star potential that he is flirted with at times but not consistently, that's another guy that raises that floor significantly.
- [09:53]
B
That was the name that I immediately went to when you were introducing this little topic and I was I'm doing some research on Reuben Owens. I'm trying to write something about him today because I'm not only doing Olin's job on the go hour, I'm also trying to produce some decently written football content this week. I know I'm not the best at it because the baseball guys tried to do football. But Ruben Owens, when he talked to the media Wednesday after practice, he's talking about his goal of being 1000 yard rusher. Went back and looked A&M's only had seven such seasons since joining the SEC and one of those was by a quarterback. You know, Travion Williams did it twice, Isaiah Spiller did it twice. So I believe that's five different guys for seven seasons. If he were to join an exclusive list, how much better? And we kind of talked about this a little bit yesterday on this segment. How much better is the Aggie offense?
- [10:42]
A
How much better is Marcel Reed?
- [10:44]
B
Exactly? Because you have to respect Marcel Reed's legs. And if you will listen to all of Marcel's teammates, they will tell you that he's not just a running quarterback. You have to, have to, have to respect what he can do with his arm. So for Ruben Owens and the running back, Corgus. I don't think he has to do it just on his own. No, because we saw flashes from Jamari and Morrow last year and everyone raves about tiger riding and raves about K.J. jefferson and Carson Baker as well. If those five guys can produce not just a competent ground game but an attack on the ground, I think that helps Marcel Reed and the rest of the offense out significantly because he's got so many weapons. I think if you're talking about raising A and M's floor, Reuben Owens having a great year is might. Might be the. The one to highlight as the number one player who could raise the floor. However, he's going to have to do that with an offensive line that comes together and gels and blocks.
- [11:42]
A
Yeah, no doubt. I'm going to actually give you two other names so it'll be more than three things we want to see. Here's one that I think doesn't have. If he just does what he did last year, A and M's offense is great. But if he raises his game the way I think he has, he's put on muscle and he's healthy. If ABR becomes a 1A option with, oh by the way, Mario Craver, a 1A option and I believe Isaiah Horton, also a 1A option or a 1B option if you have those three guys. And by the way, later we're going to talk about another guy that could get in the mix. But if ABR continues what he did at the end of last season, does it for 12 games and even just raises it a tad bit, what does that do for that offense? You don't miss Casey as much you're going to miss Casey. You can't miss. You can't be better without a first rounder going to the NFL. Right.
- [12:31]
B
Right.
- [12:31]
A
But if he can reach some of those levels with that speed, I mean, Billy called it the fastest guy in the second or in the wide receiver room. So if he raises his level, what does that do?
- [12:43]
B
I know we talk about Mario Craver a ton and rightfully so. He's an all SEC receiver. I know we talk about Isaiah Horton a ton and rightfully so because he's. He was maybe A and M's offense, the offense's biggest pickup in the portal.
- [12:55]
A
Yeah.
- [12:56]
B
Literally and figuratively because of the size he brings to the receiver position. But I do think we're sleeping on Ashton Bethel Roman, at least nationally. I don't think we're sleeping on him here in Aggieland because we've seen what he can do, whether it be a crazy one handed catch in Baton Rouge on a Louisiana Saturday night or the full extension catch against South Carolina that we're looking at right here, that this comeback doesn't happen. If he doesn't reel that in, he's more than just the highlights. He's got to become more than just the highlights on a consistent basis. And if he can do that, then I mean that's going to be four receiving weapons and we haven't even mentioned Aaron Gregory.
- [13:34]
A
Yep. So let me give you one more name to consider. Reese Niagara made a face, didn't he?
- [13:41]
B
Well, there's a, it's a running bit in the joke among the younger guys here. Anytime Aaron Gregory gets mentioned because you know that's wu's guy.
- [13:50]
A
Oh yeah.
- [13:51]
B
Like that's wu's favorite football player of all time. Like wu's got ag. He has a room reserved in Canton, Ohio already before he plays a game in college football. And he might like he's got a high ceiling. He's a five star receiver out of Georgia for a reason. But anytime AG gets mentioned, we're going to, you're going to get a little bit of a look from whether it be Wu or Danny or maybe even the guys in the back.
- [14:14]
A
How about Noah McHale?
- [14:16]
B
Okay, so big shoes to step into.
- [14:19]
A
Huge.
- [14:19]
B
Right?
- [14:20]
A
And look Ray Koni, we talked about him the other day. I don't know who's going to emerge, but I saw so much from Noah McHale at the end of last year and also Sprint game, he popped as well. If he reaches that level, what if he exceeds Taurian York's, you know, level? And that's going to be hard to do. Taurian was a fan favorite and an Aggie favorite. Right. But what if Noah McHale reaches that potential?
- [14:41]
B
For as great as Taurean was at Texas A and M, both as a leader and a guy with high football iq, keep in mind and remember that he was still a little bit limited athletically, but he made the most of what he had. Noah McHale's not a guy who's really limited athletically. He's got it all. So if he could take that next step to get to where Taurean was between the years while playing alongside a healthy Damian Sanford while also being pushed by Ray Cony. I like what the linebacker corps has, potentially has this year.
- [15:16]
A
Yeah. Let's tell the people the name of the show, Richard.
- [15:19]
B
This is Texags Live, brought to you by David Gardner Jewelers. Presented by David Gardner Jewels. They're the presenting sponsor, A gem of the guy. A gem of a guy. David Gardner.
- [15:27]
A
And we are in the what?
- [15:29]
B
This is the Rollo Insurance Studio, my friend.
- [15:32]
A
This is Ago. I represented by the warehouse at CC Creations. Oftentimes we start the show over there. We call that.
- [15:38]
B
That's the Holistic Planning Cool Zone.
- [15:40]
A
It is very cool to hang out at the Holistic Planning Cool Zone. If you want to be a part of the conversation, you can call us up on the Bupes Catering and Bartending hotline.
- [15:47]
B
That number is 979-693-1150. I'll give it to you again. 979-693-1150.
- [15:56]
A
Well, if you text that number, that becomes the what?
- [15:58]
B
That is the catalyst Pure performance energy text line. Reese Nygren's Eat Drinking one right now. What flavor is that, Reese?
- [16:04]
C
This is the Orange Dream. Oh, in my opinion, the best.
- [16:07]
B
Solid. I'm a big citrus spark guy. But that's a 1B for.
- [16:13]
A
Huh. Sounds like a good title. I like that. It is Orange Dream.
- [16:16]
C
It's really good.
- [16:18]
A
And let's go run the room.
- [16:19]
B
Okay. Sorry.
- [16:20]
A
I'm not worried.
- [16:20]
B
From Reece.
- [16:21]
A
Let's go say hi to panicking Cade Bickham. Have you panicked this morning? No, I haven't.
- [16:26]
C
Actually.
- [16:26]
A
It's been a pretty chill morning. Oh, well, just wait. No, just wait. Just wait. You got something in store for me? Yeah. Oh, goodness.
- [16:33]
B
We're gonna throw you for a loop, Cade Bickham.
- [16:35]
A
Well, let's not do that. Well, Nick Savage is here now, so he'll be taking over after this segment. I'm like the opener for a baseball game today. I'm pitching the first inning. Are you? The opener for a baseball game and Nick Savage is taking over after.
- [16:47]
B
Well, if I want to go with an opener, I'll go with the All American Club baseball left hander, and that's Kate Beckham. Because at the very least, I know we're not. We're not down 5, nothing out of the first inning.
- [16:59]
A
Well, I always think he was more of an opener for a comedian. And you think you're going to go watch Kevin Hart and then this guy named Joe shows up and he's kind of funny, but that's the kind of the best.
- [17:07]
B
The best acts don't need openers. Right. The best acts are just themselves.
- [17:11]
A
Yeah, but sometimes they do. They still bring their people there. Cade, you're one of our people. Let's go to the Angry Elephant News and Social Center. Reese Nygra.
- [17:19]
C
Howdy. Howdy. Good morning.
- [17:20]
A
Hey, buddy, what's up?
- [17:22]
C
Not much. I'm checking out the YouTube. The YouTube what
- [17:28]
A
I like.
- [17:29]
B
Not much. I was just.
- [17:32]
C
Okay. Checking out the YouTube comment.
- [17:34]
A
That was awkward, too.
- [17:35]
C
Checking out the YouTube comment page. They brought up the kicking position as a floor raiser because last. Last year we saw A&M, 61 1/2% field goal percentage. David Alano, 87% last year. Think about how much different the season looks if you have a reliable kicking specialist in general.
- [17:52]
B
And I know David Alano and Asher Murray are the two guys that are factoring into the kicking spot place kicking duties, but Tyler White, every time he comes on and sits on this set and does huddle interviews, he acknowledges that last year wasn't a good year for him after he was a Ray Guy semifinalist, maybe even a finalist as a freshman. So the specialist as a whole, if they could raise the ceiling, because we talk about all the time, it's three phase game, and you got to win in all three phases.
- [18:20]
A
Yeah. All right, let's. We'll come back. I want you to read a text. I didn't read it, but I think something about Brad Crawford. Did he say something about A and M? Just read it now. There's no reason to wait. Just do it. No.
- [18:30]
C
Okay.
- [18:30]
A
Reese wants to wait.
- [18:31]
B
He's like, I don't know the shots now. Big dog over there in the Social center, he's telling the boss. Oh, we'll wait. Was there something. I don't know.
- [18:39]
A
Want to read about it or you want.
- [18:40]
C
No, no. I just figured we'd wait.
- [18:43]
B
Oh, okay. Reese. Okay. That's crazy.
- [18:46]
A
That's incredible.
- [18:47]
B
He looked at you and said, I'm the captain now.
- [18:49]
A
No, we're not gonna do this. Not only did you make it awkward, you made it like that. You're the boss.
- [18:54]
B
The show's been hijacked by Reese Nygren.
- [18:56]
C
We can read it.
- [18:57]
A
No, I've lost interest.
- [18:58]
B
Yeah.
- [18:58]
A
In fact, I don't know if we're gonna go back to the Angry Elephant News in Social Center.
- [19:01]
B
That's what. I'm in timeout now.
- [19:02]
A
Yeah. I will tell you a true story. This is not a fake true story, true story. Sometimes I do fake true stories. Like they could have happened. This is a real one. I went to 1775 yesterday. Oh, and I saw my friends there. Brad, Brandon, Melinda, the whole crew. Right. And of course, they said, hey, it's been a while since we've seen you. I had to explain. I don't really go out to lunch often. Ola comes all the time. We see Olin all the time. And I felt like a 2 percenter. We got the sampler. Incredible. I brought Ryan from Space City Home network. It was great. I got the case of Mac and cheese. I was full for about seven hours.
- [19:36]
B
Yeah. I was gonna ask if you, if you went out to 1775, what did that do to your afternoon workout schedule? Because you're gonna put yourself in a food coma because you can't stop.
- [19:45]
A
The food's that good. Yeah, no, I had to push it back. It was pushed back by an hour. There was a little moment of like, I'm gonna get on the couch and just kind of chill for a moment.
- [19:53]
B
Did you get a nap? Did you get a nap?
- [19:53]
A
I got a little 17 minute cap.
- [19:55]
B
It'll do that to you.
- [19:55]
A
Yeah, yeah.
- [19:56]
B
Cause it's that good and it's worth it.
- [19:58]
A
It was a deep sleep too. I looked at my aura ring like, oh, I got like 18 minutes on there. Yeah.
- [20:02]
B
That's awesome.
- [20:03]
A
Yeah, that's kind of awkward too. Anyway, go to 1775 if you want good food and to be in a coma, but in a good coma, not the bad kind of coma way. The phone number 979-4926. That was awkward too, right?
- [20:13]
B
Oh, being in a coma. Yeah. You don't want to be in a coma for sure. But like if you're needing a quick cat Nap and 1775 sets the stage for it because it's fantastic food and you're going to eat a lot of it because it's that good. And then, you know, you catch up on a couple z's.
- [20:28]
A
So check out the website 1775 txbpq.com.
- [20:31]
B
it's good.
- [20:33]
A
Your home for Anki football is the zone. 11:50am and 93.7 FM. We're back here on Tech Sags Live presented by David Gardner Tools Rollo Insurance studio. Let's check in with Reese Nygren who now has the ability to check his Internet. Nygren, why don't you text groove it and read that text we were discussing.
- [20:54]
C
Yeah. So the text we were discussing came from Ron and Irving who said Brad Crawford of CBS Sports has aimed a losing five games. He said it on 680 the Fan in Atlanta this morning.
- [21:04]
B
What are the five games? He just said that they're going seven and five.
- [21:09]
C
Yeah, that was the.
- [21:11]
A
Okay, Ron. That's his opinion.
- [21:16]
B
Yeah.
- [21:16]
C
Let's not get on to Ron.
- [21:19]
B
Who's Brad.
- [21:20]
A
Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I'm not even mad at Brad Crawford.
- [21:23]
B
No, I'm not mad. It's like These are preseason predictions and it's a guy who doesn't really cover A and M all the time.
- [21:30]
A
How many teams?
- [21:30]
B
And also, yeah, to your point, I'm sure to take the words out of your mouth, there's so much like variability in everybody's projection this year. If you go look at the Vegas win numbers, like the over unders, seems like all of them are a game lower than I would expect for that, that specific team.
- [21:53]
A
We're going to play a game. Okay. Okay. The game is how many one possession games did A and M play in the last two years?
- [22:00]
B
Oh, two years. Do you want me to pull up a schedule?
- [22:03]
A
I got it right here.
- [22:03]
B
Which one do you.
- [22:04]
A
I got it. I got, I got, I got both years. You can, you want to do 25, I'll do 24. Okay, we're going to go in. I don't know why the order's completely off, but Miami playoff game, one possession game, there's one. Sanford was not. Let's see what else. South Carolina, one possession game, that's two. Okay, Arkansas, one possession game, that's three. Okay. Auburn, one possession game, that's four. And Notre Dame, one possession game. Five.
- [22:39]
C
Five. In one year.
- [22:41]
A
In the best year the A and M's had since 2020. So I say that to you, one bad play goes the wrong way in the Arkansas. I don't think A and M was ever going to lose the Arkansas game. But you could have lost the Notre Dame game, folks.
- [22:56]
B
Show right, the Arkansas game this year. I know on paper the final score, one possession game. But Arkansas never had the ball, never possessed the football with the chance to tie or take the lead.
- [23:08]
A
What happens? There's a fumbled snap on accident. Like my point is one possession game you could have lost. You could have lost those games with one bad play. Now go to 25.
- [23:19]
B
In 24, I have one possession game against Bowling Green. 26. 21 possession game against Arkansas. 21 17. One possession game in a four overtime loss to Auburn. And then one possession game in the bowl game lost us.
- [23:38]
A
So I'm just going to say three there.
- [23:40]
C
So not counting the bowl game, eight bowl game, nine.
- [23:46]
A
In two years? Yeah, in two years.
- [23:47]
B
Well, how many one possession games did they win last year?
- [23:51]
A
Of those five, all of them but Miami.
- [23:53]
B
All of them but Miami. They were 2 and 2 in Mike Elko's first season in one possession games.
- [23:59]
A
So the point being is 7 and 5 is not a Rick ridiculous thought. And neither is 11 and 1. Right. Like, because if you're going to be if half of your SEC games or almost half are going to be one possession games, it's what they were doing in January, what they were doing in April, what they were doing right before the season and fall camp, that all adds up. And are you at your best at the end of games? And are you at your best at the end of the season?
- [24:26]
B
Also, what does the personnel look like at the end of the season? Right, right. Because as the baseball, as one of the baseball guys here, Texas ags the opening day starting lineup, that nine is not going to look like what it looks like in game 162. It never is. Because injuries and stuff, like people not playing well, not performing. Same thing with your starting 11 on both offense and defense.
- [24:47]
A
Another thing I want to add, I think A and M was significantly better than Florida. Yes, they won by 17, but if you remember that game, they were up by. What was it? They were up by seven entering the fourth quarter. That game was in the balance. Right. It could have swung any way entering the fourth quarter. Even though A and M was the better team throughout that game, it could have easily. What if Florida would have stopped A and M and gone down and scored? These are big what ifs, but it just shows you how close the game was for three quarters. It was tied 14 at the end of the first. A&M had a 2114 lead at the end of half. Then it was 33 in the third quarter. That game was a tight game. Until it wasn't.
- [25:28]
B
So to your point, if you go back to the Texas game two years ago, Texas controlled the game for most of it, almost all of it. But that Will Lee interception gave you life. You pick six. One play can change the game.
- [25:41]
A
So to go back to Brad Crawford's thoughts, I don't think they're going to go seven and five. I mean, the show would be miserable. Okay. The postgame rep would suck. Right? I'm just telling you the facts, okay? Leone would have a meltdown on the air. Connecticut would calm us both down. Harrington would be like, dude, I don't know what to do now. Like, I'm telling you what it would feel like. All right? Billy would tell me, let's just see how it plays out. And he's usually right when he says that. That can happen in the sec. It can happen for Texas, by the way. I don't think it's going to happen to Texas. But are there five losable games on Texas schedule?
- [26:18]
B
I mean, yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [26:20]
A
There's more than five on their schedule.
- [26:22]
B
That's Just that's life in this league. And that's going to be life with the nine game scheduling model. We talked about that yesterday and ad nauseam since they've added it.
- [26:29]
A
And outside of the fpi, whatever it's called that they do at ESPN and I don't even like that one. Nobody knows. How do you know how good a team's going to be when 46% of the roster is new? Like nobody. Everybody based their opinion on last year. That's how sports radio. We all suck. Oh, what happened in 24? It doesn't matter what happened in 24. It's the new year.
- [26:53]
B
I don't. I'm looking at Texas 26 schedule right now. Ohio State, losable game. Tennessee, because of where you have to go and because you're playing a team that might be desperate. Could be a losable game. Oklahoma and the Cotton bowl rivalry games, you hear all the time, throw the schedules, throw the records out the books. Loseable game. I'm not saying Texas is going to lose all of these games.
- [27:16]
A
No. But for sure, could he lose the
- [27:18]
B
first three Ole Miss home? And if Trinidad Chambliss is still healthy, he's the best quarterback in this league. No disrespect to Arch Manning or anybody else out there. Losable game. Lsu, you got to go there late in the season. Who knows what LSU is going to be this year. But Death Valley, we heard about it for 30 years, about how Texas A and M couldn't win there. Losable game. Then you come to Kyle Station, Kyle Field, the close of the year. Losable game. How many was that? Was that five losable games on Texas?
- [27:43]
A
I think that was six.
- [27:45]
C
Six losable games.
- [27:46]
B
Okay, maybe that was. Maybe that's just Aggie and me showing. I mean you could make the argument, but Texas is a good team. They're probably not going to lose all those games.
- [27:55]
C
Of those six at Tennessee in Knoxville was the one where you're kind of like, eh, but you still have to go.
- [28:01]
B
And I also, you go look at what Texas has done over the last few years at home. DKR has become kind of a home field advantage for them. They could lean on Ole Miss. There's late too.
- [28:11]
A
Yeah.
- [28:12]
B
But again and A and M hasn't beaten them since 2011. So we're going to hear all about that. They're going to be favored in that game until A and M beats.
- [28:19]
A
If you can lose at four win Florida one year, you could lose in Knoxville, which is usually an 8 to 9 win team at least Don't Aggies
- [28:28]
B
know that better than Most? I mean, Mrs. Appalachian State. Appalachian State, yeah. Sorry. Oh, this has been a depressing segment. Can we, can we like.
- [28:38]
A
I. I think the whole point of it was you can point for any of these teams. Like Brett Crawford could have gotten probably a bunch of retweets by saying Texas could go 7 and 5. Nobody wants to believe it because, oh, they got Cam Coleman. Oh, he's great. A and M wanted him, no doubt. But these games are typically tight and if you trust the man calling the plays, and I'm saying Elko in this case because he's the head guy, right? Or Sark for them or Pete golden for Ole Miss, for Lane Kiffin for lsu. If you trust that guy, then those swing games that could go either way tend to go the way the better coaches. The team that's coached better will win those games more often than not.
- [29:18]
B
I feel more confident in A and M's ability to pull out victories in one score games under the current regime than in the past couple.
- [29:27]
A
Yep, let's hit a break. We will come back, we'll do 25. 25. We're supposed to do it here, but of course Nygren wouldn't have read the thing I wanted him to read at the 8:00 clock segment. So we had to push it to the 8:20.
- [29:36]
B
Had read that and we went on that diatribe like this would have been our first break right here at 8:30.
- [29:40]
A
That's a good point. Wow. Yeah, that's a good point.
- [29:42]
B
He's playing 4D chess with us over there.
- [29:45]
A
But he's not the boss.
- [29:47]
B
No, he's not.
- [29:48]
A
Can you imagine? I just tell Billy when he shows up. Now we're doing Tuesdays. I've heard that's not how it works. No, no, Billy, we're doing Tuesdays. Not Mondays and Fridays, just Tuesdays. You think he's going to handle that?
- [29:57]
B
Well, we tried to get him to wear a certain shirt on air earlier this week and he was not having it.
- [30:04]
A
A moment for Caldwell Country Chevrolet, Highway 21 in Caldwell, online at caldwellcountrychevrolet.com if you're looking for a selection that won't break the bank, or if you're a business owner and you're looking to get some cars to your fleet of vehicles, check out Caldwell Country Chevrolet. They are a newly designated business elite dealer, which means they understand what it takes to keep your company moving forward. And when you buy vehicles there, you're going to get that great customer service that they're known for and it's going to last through the lifetime of that vehicle. So you get that free oil change for life. That is something that's going to save you thousands of dollars. They believe in supporting local businesses and they believe in supporting Aggie athletics. Remember, it's about a 15 minute drive. The Edge of Brights are the beginnings of Caldwell. 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 the Money Machine the Money Machine is open now. Let's go at zone1150.com or you can enter through the zone newsletter to win five. We are back. It is Tech Sags Live. We are presented by David Gardner's Jewelers. We are in the Rollo Insurance studio. It is now time for 25 in 25 brought to you by Paragon Financial Advisors that are Aggie owned and independent fee only fiduciary serving firms, families and business owners nationwide. Visit paragon adv.com and Richard Zane. Number 16 on the list is Terry Bussey. Terry Bussey. Now everybody's talking about how jacked he looks.
- [31:31]
B
Yes.
- [31:31]
A
And we already spent time. I think it was yesterday or the day before both days like it does. Yeah, it was with McGee. It doesn't matter how strong somebody looks. Can they play?
- [31:40]
B
Yeah, well, no. McGee's words were that speed kills.
- [31:44]
A
Speed kills.
- [31:45]
B
Terry Bussey has that in spades. I know we talk about Ashton Bethel Roman as possibly the fastest receiver or fastest player on the Aggie roster. I would pay good money to watch a race, a 40 yard dash between the two of them, Terry Bussey and Ashton Delroman. I would love to see who comes out on top in that race.
- [32:06]
A
I agree with McGee partially about like can you play or not. Right. But I do think commitment to excellence is shown sometimes in your body from one year to the next. Now that doesn't mean if you're not working on your routes and your route running and your speed, of course none of that's going to or your hands. It may not all come together, but that young man who just continues to get better and has learned a new position on the fly at Texas A and M in the SEC has put in a lot of work. He's got the speed, he's got the versatility. You can use him as a running back, you can use him as a wide out, you can use him in your kick and punt return game. You can use him so Many different ways. I think this is the year we finally see him deployed as a full time asset weapon.
- [32:51]
B
The thing you pointed out was learning a new position on the fly. Keep in mind he kind of learned two positions on the fly since he got here at Texas A and M. Yeah, this is a high school quarterback at Timpson out in East Texas and kind of feel out of place talking about a kid from East Texas because Olin Buchanan's the East Texas king, the pizza king. But Terry Bussey comes in and he's going to play corner as a true freshman. And then because of injuries at wide receiver, he shifted. But remember, he came in late, right? He missed spring. He didn't. He wasn't an early enrollee after Mike Elko took the reins here, and then there were injuries last year. So this was really his first true full off season. And you've seen the byproduct of being able to work in the weight room with Tommy Moffat and get another spring under his belt as a wide receiver. And that's why so many people are buying stock in Terry Bussey right now, and rightfully so, because what can he do at the receiver position now that he's got more time under his belt? And there's also other weapons around him that can allow the offensive coordinator, Holman Wiggins and the rest of that crew to deploy him correctly.
- [34:01]
A
Is he a wide receiver? Three or two? Is he a gadget player? Is he a Wildcat expert? Is he a return specialist? Whatever it may be, I think the
- [34:11]
B
answer might be all of the above.
- [34:12]
A
All of the above. Which to me, if I think if I'm a defensive coordinator are like Busty's on the field.
- [34:19]
B
If he becomes what everyone sees the potential as, then he's a guy that you have to know where they are.
- [34:28]
A
Just sweets at all times, whatever. Right? Like, you can use him in so many different ways. And he's. Again, he. I don't think he looked like a big dude before and he looks like a big dude now. So, you know, how much stronger is he? How much more explosive is he with that? I think that all those things are going to play to his favor this year.
- [34:45]
B
And I would love nothing more than for Terry Bussey to have a big year now, his third year in the program. Because when he comes in here and he talks to us, he's, he's. He's quiet, he's so humble. Yeah, he seems like a good kid and he's easy to root for. Small kid from a small or a kid from a Small town. He's not small anymore. Certainly I'm in no position to call anybody small. But Terry Buss, he's easy to root for and you just hope he finally, it clicks for him on the field during games.
- [35:13]
A
And I think before people start, start, like, man, it hasn't worked out yet. Like not the way. But you got to also think about it hasn't had to work out completely when you've got Casey Concepcion and Mario Craver in that wide receiver room. Like it didn't have to just yet. Like it's okay that it takes time. Just like it has taken ABR time. Right. It's taken time for ABR to take certain leaps. That's fine.
- [35:34]
B
It's called development and development in high school recruiting. Terry Bussey was a key target when Mike Elko arrived. Development and high school recruiting still have to be the lifeblood of your program even now in the portal era. And Terry Bussey is an example of that. If he were to reach the levels people think he is capable of reaching because it doesn't have to click right away. Just because you're a five star prospect like Terry was doesn't mean you have to be the superstar immediately. Yeah, it's going to take some time to get your feet wet and get used to the game and get used to the speed of the game at this level and also learn new positions as Terry was at wide receiver. So you can't sell, you can't, you can't just like sell the farm on a kid because it doesn't click immediately.
- [36:21]
A
And I don't think anybody has. Right. Like, I mean, but I know it's,
- [36:24]
B
I'm not saying anybody has on Terry, but it's so easy to do so now in today's climate and it's so easy for the kids to get out of their current situation because it's not working out for them. This is a guy who has stuck around. He's an Aggie and hopefully he's going to see the fruits of his labor this fall.
- [36:42]
A
Yeah. And to me, I think it'll also be interesting how Holman Wiggins uses him as opposed to the way he was used with Colin Klein. Different people, it could be a very similar offense, but different people see different strengths in others.
- [36:54]
B
And Holman Wiggins as the former wide receiver coach probably going to have a good idea about the strengths of Terry Bussey's game.
- [37:01]
A
And you remember, I mean, I don't think it comes up as often, but all purpose yards, Terry Bussy is an all purpose yards kind of guy. Yeah. It's not just hey can he get 600 yards receiver, it's about all purpose with him because he's going to get you in the kick game, he's going to get you in the punt game, he's going to get you wide receiver, he's going to get you as a running back.
- [37:18]
B
Yep, absolutely. Very versatile player. A Swiss army knife for this Aggie offense.
- [37:23]
A
We're going to hit a break. More of that with Billy Lucci a little bit later. Right now we're talking about Guaranteed bank and Trust and they are the best. They're community banks. And when's the last time the bank that you went to knew who you were when you walked in? They knew your situation. Maybe they knew your kids names. I think that's the biggest difference between a community bank and just these big box banks. Guaranteed bank of Trust. They are relationship driven. They've always been that way. They have over a century experience of giving back to Texans, doing it the right way. And here in Bryant Collins Station they got three awesome locations and Brandon Sears is the guy who leads the charge. His team. They aren't just employees. They are in the fabric of this neighborhood. They are all a part of it. They coach you sports. They do. They're just everywhere. You'll see them in local stores and Guaranty bank and Trust has got 33 locations in Texas. So they are a Texas bank, locally focused and they are relationship driven. Visit gnty.com that is gnty.com Guaranty bank and Trust Division of Glacier bank member FDIC equal housing lender the Houston Astros the Houston Astros play on the zone. Play on the zone thanks to Kelly Bird Dozer.
- [38:25]
C
Hey, I'm back.
- [38:26]
A
I'm actually backpacking. I thought we're just sitting here just backstack's life. That's how I buy time for a little bit. I say the name of the show and I can see what we're doing. We're doing bank on It Brought to you by Vera Bank Authentic relationship based banking built for real life. Go see Joel Jackson and the team. Learn more@verabank.com what are you banking on?
- [38:45]
B
Well I know we're all thinking about football, right? But before you do bank on it, next Friday there will be the first regular season game of the Texas Yep, that's Wednesday at Rice. So I am banking on Bobby Shuttleworth getting career victory number one on Wednesday night down near the Medical center on the campus of Rice University. So career victory number one for Aggie soccer head coach Bobby Shuttleworth coming Wednesday. That's what I'm banking on.
- [39:16]
A
I'm banking on an amazing season from both ABR and Terry Bussey to where they can go to the NFL. But they decide to be the two guys leading the team the following year. That's what I'm banking on here on Texas Live.
- [39:32]
B
All right. That's a big bank on.
- [39:34]
A
I mean, I was just thinking on the fly. Let's go. The angry elephant news at Social Center. How have your friends been on the text and the YouTube chat?
- [39:41]
C
They've been pretty good. They're just hanging around talking about football. Some people are criticizing us, talking about people's weights and how jacked they look. John and Cypress.
- [39:54]
B
Okay.
- [39:55]
C
Did not. Did not like.
- [39:56]
A
I think John and Cypress is kidding.
- [39:58]
B
John and Cypress doesn't even know my name. So.
- [40:00]
C
That is true.
- [40:01]
B
You guys should take your criticism with a grain of salt. John and Cyprus.
- [40:05]
C
Yeah. You guys sure do talk about other dudes bodies a lot. Luke likes Bussy being jacked. Nuno tells ABR he's a total student. What's next? Is Dinklage going to admire how big Morrow's thighs are?
- [40:16]
B
Is he calling me Dinklage? Like, is he calling me Peter Dinklage?
- [40:20]
C
I don't know who he's calling Dinklage.
- [40:21]
A
Peter Dinklage is one of the classic actors of our time.
- [40:25]
B
But I'm not that short.
- [40:26]
C
I wouldn't take that as a. As a shot.
- [40:28]
B
No. Well, no, he's. It would be a shot at height.
- [40:32]
C
Yeah.
- [40:32]
B
And I'm not that short. I'm sure. But I'm not nearly that short.
- [40:35]
C
Not that short.
- [40:36]
B
I'm also not that gifted of an actor.
- [40:38]
A
You know what? It could be the opposite. We could talk about fat shame people. We could do that too. There is that, but we do that plenty off air. I don't do that.
- [40:47]
C
Whoa.
- [40:48]
A
Who do we fat shave and don't do it?
- [40:50]
B
I'm not. No names. No names. No names.
- [40:53]
C
No names.
- [40:53]
A
We actually do fat shave people.
- [40:54]
B
No, I never have.
- [40:56]
C
Totally made up.
- [40:57]
A
I mean, in my head. Sure. Anyway, give us something here.
- [41:01]
C
Did you guys watch the hall of Fame game last night? Any of it it the end of it? Haynes, King.
- [41:06]
A
I. I did see that he played.
- [41:07]
C
King was spectacular.
- [41:09]
A
Yeah.
- [41:09]
C
Of course on the final drive. He also. Other Aggies performed in that game as well. But we'll talk about Haynes. King first came in in the second quarter, finished the game with 180 passing yards, two passing touchdowns to go with 39 rushing yards. And of course the game winning touchdown at the end, Will Lee and Damani Richardson also played for the Panthers. Will Lee had four tackles and one
- [41:30]
A
three on that roster. And Nick scored. Who's that play?
- [41:33]
C
Who was injured probably would have played in that game as well. Damani Richardson had two full tackles, and Chase Basantis started at right guard for the Arizona Cardinals.
- [41:42]
A
Holy smokes. Aggie fest.
- [41:43]
C
I should have watched four Aggies played in that game.
- [41:46]
B
Can I admit that I didn't even know last night was the hall of Fame game until I started seeing people tweet about Haynes King. I was like, wait, what? Just. What have I. What should I have been watching?
- [41:56]
A
I was at Aggie football practice, and then when I got home, I was like, I'm out. I'm tapping.
- [42:00]
C
Yeah, we had A Haynes King vs Carson Beckman Special yesterday. Both. Both quarterbacks played phenomenal yesterday. Haynes King obviously got the upper hand winning the game.
- [42:12]
B
It's wild that NFL preseason's already started because it.
- [42:17]
A
Yeah, we started training camp, like, a week ago.
- [42:20]
B
Where did the summer go? Where did the summer go?
- [42:22]
A
I honestly thank you for coming. Okay. Because it took too long to get here. What? Okay, Nick, can you class up the joint and give us something to think about in the last 40 seconds of the hour, please? Okay.
- [42:40]
B
Just a question for you, I guess,
- [42:41]
A
two practices in, what have your biggest takeaways been, David?
- [42:45]
B
Because you've seen them up close in person, obviously, how big the guys are, right? Like, that's the big takeaway. Thanks, John.
- [42:54]
A
I would say that. And to me. What. Look, I don't. I know how to watch a football practice. I think we all do. Until we see the games, we don't know how to really analyze it. I will say, the level that they're practicing, practicing at, to me, the speed from transition, from place, they're not wasting time. Okay. There's not like a BS Time. It's like, work. Run to your next station work. And they are, I think, a really nice, oiled machine. All right, we'll hit a break. We'll come back with on Tech Saks Live. We'll do that next. Grainger knows. When you're a procurement manager for an office park, you're not managing one building. You're managing all of them. And to stay ahead, you need to see through walls and around corners. 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. 7 support call 1-800-granger. Click granger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done.