College Football Live - Breaking Records and Postseason Hopes

Episode Date: November 14, 2024

On this episode of College Football Live, Victoria Arlen has Sam Acho and Tevor Matich join in studio along with a special guest: Record-breaking Kansas Jayhawks star, Mr. Devin Neal! Plus, a huge SEC showdown is on the horizon as #7 Tennessee faces #12 Georgia. Trevor Matich is here to break down the key matchups and what's at stake. Joe Fortenbaugh joins in to give you tips to make your best bet. And speaking of tips, we have Tailgate Tips to help you stay in the know and sound like a pro this weekend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome into college football live. I'm Victoria Arlen. Let's go out the tunnel. We have a very special guest joining our show. He's a record breaker and the real deal Neil, Kansas Jayhawks' very own Mr. Devin Neal. And we have a huge SEC matchup this week when number seven Tennessee travels to number 12 Georgia. Trevor Madditch is here to break down the keys to the matchup and what is on the line. Plus, we have tailgate tips coming your way to help you sound smarter and keep you in the know for this jam-packed. weekend. This is college football live. Let's go. College Football Live is presented by Dr. Pepper. It's the most wonderful time of the week. I've got Sam Macho and Trevor Madditch with me in studio and fellas. Week 11 did not disappoint and I think it's safe to say that week 12 will not disappoint either. It's going to be chaos in every which way. Nonetheless, and we've got you covered to navigate through it all. So let's take a look at what's to come this weekend, shall we? Because week 12 brings all kinds of storylines all across the FBS, starting with number 12, Georgia. The dogs look to get their

offense rolling again after their tough outing against Ole Miss last week. In that game, they were pressured 14 times tied for the most in the game this season. Now moving on to the schools that can punch their ticket to their respective title games. Army and Tulane can both punch their tickets with a two lane win, while Boise State, Louisiana, or Oregon and BYU all can punch their tickets with a win as well. Now, speaking of Oregon and BYU, they both put their perfect records to the test when the ducks faced Wisconsin while the cougars look to get their first 10 and 0 starts since 2001 when they host Kansas.

But let's dive into that BYU, Kansas game, because BYU is looking with a win to start 10 and to start 10 and 0 for the fourth time in program history. They've got so much epicness. I can't even talk right here. Sorry about that. Now, Trevor, this is a team you are very familiar with right here, right? A little bit. We'll get to you, Sam, in a minute.

Now, what does BYU need to do to keep their undefeated streak alive? They need to do three things. Score, score some more, and then score on top of that. The way the Kansas offense is playing, they've got to expect this to be a high-scoring game. And BYU's offense has been able to grind out wins when they have low-scoring games because the defense holds the opponent down. They've been able to grind out wins when it's been a track meet.

They seem to be able to rise to whatever occasion they're in. And Jake Retzlop, a quarterback, has been phenomenal throwing to one of the best receiving course in the Big 12. But really, L.J. Martin, at running back, missed a few games early in the season. But since he's been back, he's been averaging about six yards per carry. And that really is the key for BYU to be able to sustain drives and score, score, score, score. Some more. Now, score, score, score. Some more. Now, Sam, on the other side of the ball, what kind of challenges does Kansas pose this BYU team?

Well, one of the challenges is how explosive Kansas is. They can do it in the running game, but also do it in the passing game. And I get it. BYU, statistically, is one of the better ranked passing defense. Defenses, but Jalen Daniels has found a connection not only with Quentin Skinner, but also with Luke Grimm. And you see Devin Neal right there, the running back. Last week, versus Iowa State, they ran for over 200 and passed for over 200. So even though there hasn't been too many teams that have exposed BYU in the past game, there are openings that are available.

that Jalen Daniels will try to exploit and expose. And oh, by the way, he's getting healthier as the season goes on. So that's what I expect to see it. It's BYU game. You mentioned a name that is a huge part of that offensive power. It's this guy. Kansas running back. Devin Neal became the program's all-time leading rusher

with his first carry of the game Saturday against Iowa State. The 14-yard run broke the all-time KU rushing yards record of 3,841 yards previously set by June Henley. Now, Neil finished Saturday's game with 3,951 career rushing yards. But folks, let's just take a look at the list of records that Neil now has as of now. He's the Jayhawks' all-time leading rusher has the most rushing touchdowns in program history and 18 games with 100 plus rushing yards. And they still have three games left on the season.

This is just pure epicness. So let's welcome this star himself, Devin Neil. Devin, welcome. And first off, just congratulations. I don't even think that even suffices. But look, we don't have the T-shirts, but we do have the real deal sign. I don't know if you can see it. I know your teammates have T-shirts. We couldn't get them in time. But I have to ask, first and foremost, how does it feel? Yeah, I mean, I'm honored, first and foremost, you know, it's an amazing accomplishment. And, you know, to do it for my hometown school, it feels even better. So it's just a lot of dreams that were able to come true, especially last weekend. And it was a night I'll never forget for sure. And what was that moment like?

We saw the footage where you were in the locker room celebrating with your teammates afterwards. What was that moment like being able to celebrate with your teammates and all those folks that help you get to that point and getting the game ball? Yeah, I mean, just like you said, It's just so much support and so much love. And, you know, to do it with the group of guys that, you know, I grew up with in the program, you know, it means a lot to me. And, you know, I've had so much help from the old line from the receivers and obviously the coaches. So it's just, it was special all around.

And like I said before, I'll never forget that moment, especially with those group of guys. Devin, this is Sam Macho. You are a team captain. You're a finalist or semi-finalist for the Walter Payton, excuse me, the Jason Witten, Collegiate NFL or Collegiate Men of the Year. What advice do you have to young players? Yeah, I mean, just keep your head down and work, first and foremost, when we were just talking about, you know, on the field stuff. And, you know, obviously the easy stuff is to stay out of trouble.

But, you know, find your passion and find your why. And, you know, a lot of my why is, you know, being able to be in the position to give back. Just like you said, with the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year, it's just been one of my dreams to, you know, win that, and to obviously give back to this community, give back to as many as I can. and I think a large part of our calling in this world and way beyond football is to give back to those who may need it. And so those are big pillars in my life.

And those are, I guess, some of the advice I'll give younger athletes for sure. Devin, you were the top recruit coming out of high school. And the Kansas Jayhawks, in the two years before you came out, your junior and senior years of high school were combined three and 18. You had lots of options. Why did you choose Kansas? Yeah, I mean, a lot of people call me crazy for that. And, you know, they have probably good reason. But, you know, it was always one of my passions, you know, to flip the script and become a program that's respected and become one that's one of the top teams in the country.

And, you know, we've done some remarkable things in my career. And, you know, it's just one of those things that I'll never forget in my life. And there'll be some stories that I'll be able to tell my children, my grandchildren one day and just so many special moments. And, you know, just to say that we got this thing back on track. And obviously, there's a lot of things. people that go into that. I think Coach Light, but I think the rest of the coaching staff and the players for sticking around and grinding through all the bad. Now, Devin, you are solidifying yourself as a Kansas legend, but we also need to bring in somebody that has to change their name around town because of you. You broke their record. June Henley, June, we have to bring you into the show. June, what do you have to say to Devin? Hey, congratulations, my man. Hey, that's a, that's a

great accomplishing, man. You know, I got that game ball on that same time, man. I know how you're feeling, man. So, you know, I just want to congratulate you, you know, wish you a, you know, good game this week. I'll be to see you next week. So,

I'm glad to put a face to someone who broke my record. 38, 41. I appreciate that, man. It means a lot. It means a lot. Yeah, sir. No, Devin, you've done so much, so much.

I mean, we're running out of room for all your records and all of your accomplishments. And you've stayed home and you've done so much here. Is there anything left you want to accomplish before the season ends? Yeah, I mean, I just want to win out with the guys. And, you know, there's still a lot left for us and a lot of special moments. And obviously, we're going to a really hostile environment against a really good team this weekend. So we're super excited. We're geared up.

We're ready to play. And there's so much so much to play for. I just want to go out the right way with my guys. Awesome. Well, thank you, Devin. And thank you for being such a great example for so many reasons. Good luck this weekend. Thank you so much. I appreciate y'all.

All right. Let's get over to the SEC. And the biggest question for this Tennessee-Georgia matchup is honestly the status of this of really Nico Iamaliava and where he's going to go and what his status is going to be. So let's take a look at. where he's going to go because he was putting concussion protocol and his status is still listed as questionable. But now, you know, his coach Hypole is saying that, you know, he potentially could be playing.

He's optimistic. We don't know necessarily. But there's huge playoff implications come this weekend when Tennessee visits Georgia in Athens. Now, according to the Allstate playoff predictor that they are currently kind of neck in neck here. So with a win, it could do with a Georgia win, they go up to 94% with a loss. You know, it could go back and forth. So a lot on the line. We're still in share about Nico.

But Tennessee still has a shot. They lead the SEC in rushing. So Trevor, what makes you so confident about this Tennessee squad? Well, Dylan Sampson leads the SEC individually in rushing as well. But let's give some love to the big guys paving the way because these guys are absolutely hilarious. Now let's start with Cooper Maze's center. He's going to hit that nose guard lined up right in his face and driving back five yards, but that's not the only thing. Then it's get on the ground. Sam, does that ever happen to you? Maybe. Maybe. Okay. Well, we got some more for you,

so I want to know. Lance heard. Same way. He doesn't block the guy in front of him. Now, he's on a full run. That's not where you want to be. Sam, Sam. Sam. Definitely. But it's not over yet because they're trying to give him the business now, Dylan Samson downfield. And Javantes Spraggins is like, no, you're not. Get off my guy. Get off my guy. And it's not just the offensive lineman doing this.

The tight ends have been getting pancake after pancake. Holden stays is going to drive his guy all the way to the 13-yard line. And I picked this one, Sam, because I really like this particular pause. I really don't like it. And tight ends is a whole other deal. If you have tight ends doing that, that's a whole problem. For the defense. And this play to me epitomizes the mindset of this running game because Samson is stopped

right here, but nobody quits. Everybody is in there pushing. One of them, quarterback Nico Iamaleava, right in the middle of the scrum, getting into the end zone. These guys aren't just football players. They are fighters. And you've got to fight them all the way through the whistle while they're punching you in the mouth and not knowing what Nico's status might be or how well he might be able

to play, this running game. game is critical. Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. If you show that tape again, I might have to punch you in the mouth. That's too many defensive guys getting blown off the ball. Please don't.

That might hurt. Please, no punching anywhere in the mouth. We do not need any of that. You guys have two nice of teeth. I'm lucky I didn't have to face him on the field. Yeah, that would not have been fun either or. Either way. Sam, where are you most concerned for Georgia going into this match?

Well, it's that same film that we saw from Trevor, but it's the opposite. It's actually I'm concerned about Georgia's offensive line. If you go to their game last week, they really struggle with the quickness of I mean, there plays back there where you're wondering, okay, is this a screen? How did every single defensive lineman get in the backfield and put their stamp and address in the backfield? What does Tennessee do a great job of? Up front. They love getting after the quarterback, extremely athletic when it comes to the defensive line. And so my biggest concerns for this game for Georgia aren't necessarily quarterback play, but it's what happens in front of the quarterback. Offensive

lineman dealing with the quickness of Tennessee's front. And of course, what happens under pressure with Beck, it's a very big cause for concern. And we've yet to see. see that that improve. All right, that game caps off our SEC on ABC triple header on Saturday. We also have number three Texas taking on Arkansas at noon and then at the swamp number 22 LSU pays a visit to Florida. Check them all out on ABC and ESPN Plus. All right. Coming up, Texas has lost its last two games versus Arkansas. Meanwhile, Arkansas is already beaten an AP top five team this season. Will Texas be next? Plus the man, the myth, the legend, our favorite betting analyst Joe Fortinbaugh is here. Better start clapping now because we're ready. Oh,

he's, he's chilling out now, but not for long. Oh, okay. All right. Well, we'll talk to him next. College Football Live is presented by ice cold Dr. Pepper. College football. It's a pepper thing. Back to college football live. Let's take a look at our Dr. Pepper Championship Drive, a game of the week preview. Texas hits the road to take on Arkansas where they look to snap its two game losing streak to the Razorbacks. However, after beating number four Tennessee earlier in the season, the Razorbacks are looking to beat multiple AP top five teams in a season for the first time in program history. All right, cue the applause. Cue the applause. Can we hear it? Yep, yep. And in real life. And in real life. Let's go. It's going to be let's go. I'll give you a couple of that's in the contract. You got to do it. Thank you, everyone. Our favorite betting analyst, Joe Fortinbaugh is that.

with us to get us all ready for the weekend. So guys, let's start with that Texas Arkansas game. And Trevor, what do you need to see from this Texas team? I want to see Quinn Ewers continue to be consistent and excellent. Coming back from injury, struggled a bit. Three weeks ago against Georgia, his QBR was 24. They lost. The next week against Vanderbill was 67. They barely won. And then last week against Florida, it was 90 and they blew him out. So what I want to see is that level of excellence going forward because they will need that in order to get to where they want to go. Well, I want to see the running game. I know we talk a lot about Quinn Ewers and how we played last week. But what makes this offense go, at least in my opinion, is their running game. Last week

ran for over 200 yards. But really, it's the sharp choice, the running back coach at Texas. He challenges every single running back, whether your first, second, third, or fourth string, not just to win at the very front line, but win on the second level. If you're not making safeties miss, it's not doing enough. And so that's what I want to see. In order to have pressure off of quinruers, off of the offensive line, you have to continue to establish the run game. And that could be quarterback run too, but I'm expecting to see more of that

because last time, at least a couple years ago, 2021, Tex played Arkansas. They gave up 33 rushing yards. And so they got to run the football. I would like to see points in this one because I'm betting over 57 and a half. This game's got shootout written all over it. You look at Texas's defense.

You see the fact that they're giving up 12 points per game, top five in the country. Wow, this is a stalwart unit. It's not to say that they're not. not. It's to say that perhaps maybe a bit overvalued. Look at the competition they played. Best offense and they haven't played many was Georgia. Came into their turf, scored 30 points on them. And Carson Beck wasn't even that great in that game. Now on the flip side, Arkansas is off their by. Arkansas scored 28 points per game. Arkansas's top 25 in the country in yards per play.

I think Arkansas can hang a number here. And on the flip side, Texas is going to hang a number as well because that Arkansas defense very shaky. And also Texas hasn't won against Arkansas since 2008. So they definitely have something to prove and that can mean a lot too. All right. We've got also two ranked versus ranked matchups this weekend, both in the SEC. So as we've seen so far this season, nobody is safe. So we can't, we can't rely on any of that. So Sam, what do you have, what do you have your eye on this weekend?

Well, there's an under the radar game this weekend. It's not in the SEC. It's not a ranked versus rank, but one of the teams this ranked, it's Tulane at Navy. And why do I say that game is under the radar? Why does it matter? because if Tulane wins that game, not only does Tulane make the AAC championship, but also Army gets in the AAC championship game as well. And so Navy wins, they still have a chance, but Tulane wins, it could be over for the other teams.

Heard that could be a tremendous broadcast. I'm not sure who's on it. Oh, I'm calling the game. I had my votes wrong. See, I like Colorado, Utah. Colorado now controls their destiny to the Big 12 championship and might control their destiny all the way to the playoff, depending on. on what Army does behind them.

If Army doesn't beat Notre Dame, then Colorado could make the playoff and control their destiny to get there. They've sprouted a pass rush. They are unexpectedly the top sacking team in the Big 12, and they've started to sprout a little twig of a

running game as well, which takes some pressure off of Shadur Sanders. So this game against the terrific Utah defense is very interesting to me. I'll bring it all the way back to the SEC for you. Yeah, thank you. Florida upsets LSU. Take the four points, but I like him to upset him as well. LSU now third loss, right? Mathematically, they could still make the playoff, but in that locker room, this could be an all-time flat spot getting blown out at home by

Alabama. Now you think the playoffs out of reach. You come in flat against Florida who's been playing good football second half of the season. Took Tennessee to overtime, blasted Kentucky, hung with Georgia. Lagway's been practicing this week. I think Florida catches them. And Florida's a gritty team with and without Lagway. So I'm here for it. And the Gators have lost eight straight games against ranked opponent's third longest streak in program history. They have something to prove as well. I was going to say that doesn't help me. That is something.

That doesn't help me at all. But what I'm saying is nobody's safe still like that could be thrown out the window. All right. It's time for our weekend lineup brought to you by Wendy's saucy nugs. The South Carolina State can clinch the Miak regular season title plus an automatic bid to the Celebration Bowl with a win at Morgan State. That's Saturday at 4 p.m. on ESPN Plus. And Jackson State can clinch the swag. division title with a win at Alabama State.

That's Saturday 3 p.m. on ESPN Plus. Plus, Southern King Clinch the Swack West Division with a win at Arkansas Pine Bluff and a loss at Alcorn State. All right. Still to come, Tailgate Tips is back. We'll get you ready and in the know with some fun facts ahead of this crazy jam-packed college football weekend. Also, let's take a look at the one final team vote brought to you by Dr. Pepper. We asked which of this week's teams outside of the top five is most likely to be in the hashtag one final team at the end of the playoff, and you chose Tennessee with 51% of the vote. College Football Live is presented by ice cold Dr. Pepper.

College football. It's a pepper thing. This is College Football Live. Presented by Dr. Pepper. Can Georgia bounce back? We'll catch the game day crew getting you ready for one of the biggest games. of the weekend. It all goes down Saturday at 9 a.m. on ESPN. Have you ever gone to a tailgate and realize you don't have anything to contribute to the discussion? Well, we here on

College Football Live have something for you, and we call it tailgate tips, where we give you some necessary tips of knowledge to sound smarter and impress your friends every Saturday. You can thank us later. I can assure you that it is not tips from me on how to catch a football. But Trevor, what is your tailgate tip? Don't look now, but Notre Dame has a chance to be an offensive juggernaut in a way they have not been in over a century. They've scored 50 plus points in each of the last two games. Haven't done that in almost 30 years. If they score 50 plus against Virginia, they will have three consecutive 50 plus games not happen since 1900, Sam.

Well, I got something that hasn't happened. Maybe not since 1900, but in the last 30 years. So here's the deal. Travis Hunter has nine receiving touchdowns. If he gets one more, he'll be the first player to have 10 receiving touchdowns and multiple defensive interceptions for the first time, not since 1900, but the first time in 30 years. Ooh, okay. I mean, this is like 30-ish years. All right, we're going to give it up for the new kid, Oregon with a win. They would set a record in the Big 10 for most wins by a team in its first season as a new member of the conference. currently one of three teams in conference history

to win 10 games in its inaugural season. The last team to do it was Penn State in 1993. So 31 years. So we're kind of within this century. So well, we want you to enjoy your games this weekend. I'm going to go learn how to catch a football for Trevor Sam. I'm Victoria. Enjoy your games.