College Football Live - Championship is Set, Now on to Atlanta

Episode Date: January 13, 2025

The teams are set in next Monday's National Championship game. Victoria Arlen, Sam acho and Desmond Howard talk about what the keys to the game for both Ohio State and Notre Dame and what is next for the Longhorns after a disappointing end for Texas. And after his game winning kick in the final seconds Notre Dame place kicker Mitch Jeter joins the show to discuss powering through the pressure, his father's impact and more!  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. The teams are set for next Monday's national championship game, and we're going to talk about what the keys to the game are for both Ohio State and Notre Dame. It was another disappointing end for Texas and head coach Steve Sarkesian. So what's next for the Longhorns as they try to stay a contender for years to come? After his game winning kick in the final seconds, Notre Dame place kicker Mitch Jeter joins the show. show to discuss powering through the pressure and his father's impact and so much more. You know it's going to be a good day when Sam Macho and Desmond Howard are here with me. And we are going to get to Mitch Jeter in just a minute.

Now, his historic game winning kick helped his Notre Dame squad secure one of the two spots left in the college football playoff. And Notre Dame is seeking its first title since 1988. The Buckeyes who clinch the other spot are seeking their first national title since 2014. and it will all take place next Monday night in Atlanta at 7.30 Eastern on ESPN. And let's look back at Ohio State's Cotton Bowl victory. Ohio State up seven years to the end. And the Longhorn strike late first half. He just made do it.

And you have momentum. You got to keep it when you don't. You got to get it. It's always a huge moment we mean. That's two for blue. Levels the game in 14. Junkins. Touchdown.

Ohio State takes the lead. A fourth down. Touchdown pass. Sawyer, knocked it up. Dagger from 82 yards. He just became a legend in Ohio State. Buckeyes are out of the championship game. Des, what did this game show us about Ohio State?

Well, guys, going into the game, I thought that the Longhorn's defense will offer much more resistance to the Buckeyes' office than we had seen against Tennessee or against Oregon. And just because I thought their personnel matched up very well with Ohio State. And they did. I mean, they played a fantastic first half until the last 29 seconds of the second quarter. And that's when Ohio State showed you who they are as a team. A very explosive team with Trevi-I Henderson caught their screen pass with less than 30 seconds left in the first half. That was a huge momentum swing. But it just shows you that Ohio State, with the weapons that,

they have, they can strike at any time from anywhere on the field. And that's pretty much the MO of their offense. Now, while the scoreboard showed a big Buckeyes win, Ryan Day wasn't too pleased with how it all played out. Take a listen. To me, you know, the story of, of this past game for us on offense was, you know, the, you know, self-inflicted wounds that set us back and and allowed us to be in the game in the fourth quarter when I think we could have done a better job of executing and certainly, you know, made it a little bit of a bigger spread down it down, down the stretch. Now, Sam, we heard coach mention the self-inflicted mistakes the Buckeyes made on offense. Can you dive more into what he meant by that? Yeah, really is talking about pre-snap and

post-snap penalties. That's what he means by self-inflicted wounds. Ohio State was playing outstanding on all phases, but there were a few penalties in the first and second half that set them back just a bit and some penalties are understandable. Penalties like these, a post-snap penalty. Trevion Henderson losing his cool, which he typically doesn't do. You saw a few holding calls that were unnecessary and some of those are during the play forced by the defense, but the false starts, the illegal procedures, those are things that you can control. So what I think Coach Day is getting at is this. It's, hey, we can win against anybody as long as we're not beating ourselves. And there was a point in which Ohio State started to beat themselves, which

Scott Texas back in the game. And thankfully, guys like Trayvon Henderson got their composure back, scored that big time touchdown at the end of the first half, and all of a sudden, the tides turned. You mentioned that composure. Coach Day also emphasized how he knows players have to play with emotion, but he does not want emotion to play with them. All right, let's take a look on the other side with Texas

because Ohio State's defensive front got after Quinn Ewers all night. The Buckeyes pressured him on 45 and a half percent of his dropbacks, which is the highest rate Ewer's saw all season. The three games that Texas lost this season were the three games viewers was pressured at the highest rate. Here's what he had to say after the game. You know, growing up as a longhorn and being able to play for the longhorns and see us, you know, going to back-to-back, you know, semi-final games has been cool to be a part of, and, you know, I hope we made the fans proud with our performances this year. You know, we came up short, but, you know, I think we're definitely headed in the right direction.

as a program. I'm super proud of Quinn, and he's taught me a lot, probably unknowingly to him, because what he went through every year, dealing with injury, what he goes through where, I don't know if he'd ever live up

to the standards of what everybody thinks he's supposed to be. But at the end of the day, all he did was show up every day and work and be a great leader and be a great teammate. That's now two. two CFP semi-final appearances for Sark's Longhorns with the same results and with Quinn Ure's telling our Pete Fammle, he is off to the NFL. What is next for the Longhorn, Sam?

I think the next is just to come together as a team. There's so much talent at Texas. But what we need to see at least the times where Texas lost was improvement on the offensive line. What I mean by as a team, it's easy to play good as an individual, right? If I'm a receiver, if I'm a running back, okay, I make somebody miss. But the offensive line has to play more together. I think other guys on the team like you saw with Ohio State have to be able to play for one another. And so the talent is always going to be there.

The recruiting is going to be there. The offensive system and scheme is going to be there. But that camaraderie, that teamwork, that playing for one another. And even the improvements when it comes to communication on the offensive line has to step up if step up if Texas wants to compete. Yes, Sam, when I look at the longhorns, we know that they're as talented as any team in the country. And we understand that Sarkeesian is as good a platoon. play caller as any coach in the country. But what's lacking, I think, is the attention to the details.

I think that's what really separates Texas versus these other teams. They keep losing to it. They lost in the semifinal year ago against Washington, lost twice against Georgia this year. Now, again, they lost the semifinal against Ohio State. Discipline, penalties, things of that nature. We just saw Ryan Day talk about penalties. Texas had a lot of penalties, too, going down the stretch, not just Ohio State game, but other games to other big games.

I think the talent is there. They just need to start to pay attention to the details, and that will get them over that hump. And Texas is also going to be losing their junior left tackle, who is one of the most decorated linemen in Longhorn's history, Kelvin Banks, Jr., who declared for the NFL draft on Sunday. But Texas does open the season on August 31st against Ohio State. He looks like a guy who's about to try the biggest field goal.

of his life. No kickers. Nade a field goal in the fourth quarter of a college football playoff game. His dad looks on to give Nutter name the lead in the final seconds. Good snap, good hold, kick on its way, and the kick is good. Seconds left gives the Irish a lead. 27, 24. Yeah, jeep. Yeah, jeep. This is what he's dreamed about his whole life. Welcome the man who made history, Mitch Jeter. And Mitch, prior to you, kickers who were attempting go-ahead field goals in the fourth quarter of the college football playoff games were over for all time. So take me back to that moment when you were jogging out to the field, 12 seconds left, and you realized a trip to the Natty relied on you making this kick. Yeah, I'm just blessed to being this opportunity, you know, going out on the field with my brothers, being able to go out there and just have a great snap from my snapper.

Reno Monteforte and pulled by Chris Salerno to help my job be a lot easier. You know, ball kicks itself at that point. And I was just happy to go out there and put points on the board to help our team get to a national championship. And how did it feel when you realize the kick was good? It was a surreal moment. You kind of black out when those moments happen. But it's just such an honor.

And I'm just happy to do it for this team. Now, you've made more 40-plus-yard kick. in the last three games than you did in the regular season. What's clicked for you? You know, I try to treat every kick the same, whether that's an extra point all the way back to however long the kick may be. You know, the distance really is just a different factor

that I, you know, try not to take into effect. But being with some kicks recently that I've had some longer distances, it's been really more focused on my contact and my kind of target line. I'm a big time golfer try to treat it like if I'm using a driver, you know, picking my target line, making sure I'm on target and swinging to the right spot. And that's what has helped me be successful. I love the golf reference there.

Big fan of that one. Now, we saw your dad proudly watching on and he was filming it as well. How has your dad played a role in your success? Yeah, he's been a big time part of it. You know, I guess going back to week six around midseason, where, you know, I originally tweaked my groin, and that's kind of where, you know, he really came into effect of being able to help my body become aligned again to really accelerate that healing process, which has really helped me get back on the field and feel confident going out there

kicking again. Now, speaking of your dad, let's bring him in, shall we? Let's welcome in Dr. Andrew Jeter. And I have to ask you from a parent's perspective, what was that moment like for you? That's a moment he's waited his whole life for him. And it was up to him to time to shine. This is his moment. And how would, you know, Mitch talked about how much you've helped him.

How would you describe the journey that Mitch has been on to get here to this moment? It was a long 12 weeks, a long 12 weeks. We were in communication almost daily. I know he was talking to his mother on a daily basis as well. He was working with the training staff at school. He was doing some stuff on his own. He was doing stuff outside the office. So it was a full-on commitment to get this thing right.

And finally, you know, we saw the footage. It was very impressive, I might add, of you of you taking the video of Mitch kicking. How were you able to calmly hold the camera as your son is about to make the kick of his life? Yeah. I mean, I've been videoing my kids for a long, long, long time. And I was just, you know, you got to stay steady and you got to, Keep your nerves calm. And you can't be shouting out because the microphone picks that up.

Of course, she saw an immediate hand being raised there. So I had to cut it off. But anyway, I also wanted to celebrate with my family. We had a row of 10 seats there together. And it was almost like girls on one end, boys on the other. And everybody's like, well, where's your wife? And I'm like, well, she's down at the other end with her sisters and her daughter. So, you know, I immediately tapped hands with my brother-in-law that was beside me.

and the folks that were behind me, I think, were with Jack Kaiser's family, the linebacker. And Mitch, what was that like to be able to have such a crew there, including your parents? Yeah, those people have obviously supported me my whole career, whether that's all the way back to when I was a freshman to now being a fifth year senior. They've just been with me every single step of the way through the highs, through the lows. And the best part about it is they never change. They're always going to be smiling after the game. whether I'm happy or I'm sad, they're always going to have a smile on the face, which is always encouraging to me because I'm just trying to go out there and give the glory to God every single week.

Amen. Now, Mitch, is there anything you'd like to say to your dad before we let you go? I appreciate you. Thank you so much. And, you know, I know you're at work right now. So get back to helping other people other than me, for sure. All right. Well, we'll let you get back to work. We'll let you continue training. So thank you both so much for joining us. Enjoy the trip to Atlanta and good luck, Mitch. Thank you very much. Go Irish.

All right, we're going to shift gears now to breaking news. Clemson is working on a deal to hire Penn State Defense of Coordinator Tom Allen. That is according to our own Pete Thammell. Allen has emerged as Clemson's top target and a final decision is expected in coming days. In his only season as Penn State's defensive coordinator, the Lions ranked in the top 10, this season in scoring defense, total defense, and rush defense. So what kind of impact could Allen have for Clemson if this deal were to go through, Sam? It would be a huge impact for Clemson.

I got a chance to call Clemson's last regular season game, Clemson versus South Carolina. And even calling that game, they got beat because of their defense. They weren't able to tackle. Even studying that game, they were giving up big runs versus teams like the Citadel. And so offensively, Clemson is trending upward, but defensively they had had a big big time struggle over the last really year. And you could argue several years. Clemson is a team historically that was known for their defense and their offensive weapons.

The defense has for lack of better terms, disintegrated. Now Tom Allen will bring a huge surge into that defense. He was great when he was coaching in Indiana. He was also great this last year at Penn State giving them one of the top defenses. So there's so much talent at Clemson, guys like Sandy Brown, five star recruit, Avion Tarell now all of a sudden they get their coordinator. Now on the Penn State side, Des, this could be the the third change in the last four years.

So what could this potentially mean for Penn State? Yeah, that's a great question. And you hit it on the head. I mean, you want to have consistency, some type of continuity when your defensive schemes. And now you may have a third, you're going to have a third defensive coordinator because he was a great fit. Coach Allen was a great fit at Penn State. He did a wonderful job. He got the most obvious players.

But now they're about to get another D.C. They're going to have to learn new terminology. Understand what is expectations. are. So it's a good thing that happened early. So at least they if they can get a DC in before spring ball and then get things rolling. But anytime you

lose a coordinator with the, I guess with the pedigree and with the resume of Tom Allen, there's always going to be some sort of drop off on that side of the ball. Absolutely. And in his first year at Penn State, he helped them get to the semifinals. They of course

lost to Notre Dame. So that would be a significant loss for them. But we are going to take a because when we come back, both Notre Dame and Ohio State have arrived to the Natty in different ways, but how should they be preparing for the big game? We'll let you know when we return. Ohio State and Notre Dame will enter the national championship game with a combined 14 national titles in the AP poll era, which dates back to 1936. That will be tied for the third most combined titles entering a national title game since the game was started in 1998. Let's hear what both coaches had to say about this matchup. At the end of the day, you're going to study teams that have had success against your opponent,

but you still have to do what your team does well. And again, for us to have success, we're going to have to be able to run the ball, and we're going to have to be able to stop the run. Yeah, I have tremendous amount of respect for Notre Dame and certainly what Marcus has done there. I think they're a gritty group. They're a tough group. They're a great program. and, you know, last two years

has been a battle playing against them, and we know it's going to be the same way. Every game, you know, you're either trying to prove somebody right or prove somebody wrong. It doesn't matter, you know, when it is, and it'll be the same thing in this game here. Sam, if I told you right before the season started,

it would come down to Ohio State and Notre Dame and the Nattie, what would be your thoughts? First, it would be a feeling of surprise. I wouldn't have believed you, especially on the Notre Dame side. Notre Dame has been a good team, but they hadn't been able to get over the hump. And so I would have believed you when you talked about Ohio State,

but then that Notre Dame conversation would have told me, okay, maybe this 12-team playoff thing actually worked. Having a team like Notre Dame get a chance to not only make the dance, but win at the right time, losing early, week two, September 7th to NIU, and then finding time to get it back together. For me, it would have said, okay, this 12-team playoff thing, maybe it did have a positive effect. No.

Yeah, if you would have said that at the beginning of the season, I would have been like, well, not Notre Dame because you look at Riley, Leonard. He was the transfer, the big portal transfer guy they got coming into the season. And he said, okay, the office may be good, but good enough to get to the CFP National Championship game. I don't think so, but Ohio State, the moves they made during the offseason, you know, they didn't necessarily spend the most money in the portal. I think Oregon did, according to some guys who I spoke with, but they spent the most money on top end talent. That's why everybody was on Ohio State at the beginning of the season.

They went and got the number one safety, Caleb Downs, the number one running back, Quinshawin. They got the center from Alabama. They brought in Will Howard. And then the big surprise they got Chip Kelly to quit his job as a head coach at UCLA and come to call the plays on offense for the Buckeyes. So the expectations were for Ohio State to be sitting where they are today playing in the national championship game. Now, Notre Dame is an eight-point underdog entering this game. what will be the key for them if they are going to stay in this one against Ohio State? Well, you heard Marcus Freeman said it in the interview right there.

You want to study what the opponents against the guys, I mean, with the teams against the opponents, you're about to play. What did they do to sustain some level of success? Meaning they're going to have to control the line of scrimmage, which means they're going to control the tempo. They do not want to get in a track meet with Ohio State. If that happens, they will blow the doors off of, Notre Dame. So they have to control

the temple of the game, meaning keep it, you know, run the ball, eat up clock, and then score touchdowns, not field goals in the red zone. No, you know, no disrespect to my man, Ms. Jeter, but we need seven points in the red zone, not field goals.

And one big key player for Notre Dame is running back Jeremiah Love, who despite dealing with a right knee injury is expected to play, but they're going to be without starting left tackle Anthony Knapp. But it all comes down. to this, the college football playoff national championship game presented by AT&T at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Ohio State squares off against Notre Dame next Monday at 730 Eastern 430 Pacific on ESPN.

Following up on a story we first reported on Friday, former LSU receiver Kyron Lacey is free on bail after turning himself in to authority Sunday night. This is the latest step in a case in which he is accused of causing a crash that killed a 78-year-old man in Louisiana last. month. According to police records, Lacey faces charges of negligent homicide, felony hit and run with death and reckless operation of a vehicle. His agent said in a statement that Lacey is cooperating with authorities. He spent two seasons at LSU after transferring from Louisiana and declared for the NFL draft on December 19th. When we return, the list of QB transfers has grown once again. With yet another old face in a new place, we'll discuss which QB has found the best fit with his new team.

and your crew to the big shows with Go Transit. Go connects to all the main concert venues like TD Coliseum in Hamilton and Scotia Bank Arena in Toronto, and Go makes it affordable with special e-ticket fairs. A one-day weekend pass offers unlimited travel across the network on any weekend day or holiday for just

$10. And a weekday group pass offers the same weekday travel flexibility from $30 for two people and up to $60 for five. Buy yours at go-transit.com slash tickets. Welcome back to college football live, former Michigan quarterback Alex Orgy has committed to UNLV, he told our very own Pete Fammle.

During his career, Orgy has accounted for seven touchdowns, and he played in 11 games this year. He will have two seasons of eligibility remaining, but he isn't the only quarterback on the move. Let's take a look at some other notable portal QBs who have found new homes this off season. Carson Beck entered his name into the portal last week. He'll be heading to Miami, and ESPN ranks him

as the fifth best transfer QB. But Des, which transfer QB is the best fit with their new team? I think it's John Mateer. Transferring from Washington State to Oklahoma, we know one thing about the Sooners. With Brent Venables as the head coach, they're going to be great on defense. But now with Mateer at the quarterback position,

it gives them a chance to play great complimentary football, guys. I like Devin Dempier. Transfer quarterback from New Mexico to Utah. The reason why is that he's a dual threat quarterback. Passed over 2,500, ran for over 1,000. Guys like Lamar Jackson and Jane Daniels have only been other guys to do that. So give me Devin, appear to Utah in the Big 12.

I mean, we've seen it play out. Just look who is competing for the national title. All right. Okay, for Sam Dez, I'm Victoria, we will be back tomorrow at 3 p.m. We'll see you then. Thanks for watching.