College Football Live - Enter into the CFB Jungle if you dare

Episode Date: September 4, 2024

Victoria Arlen has Sam Acho and Tom Luginbill join the show to talk about the woes of the Tigers, what Dabo Swinney has to say about the criticism Clemson's performance received against UGA and how they can bounce back. Plus we dive deeper into the palm trees with Cam McCormick joining in to talk about Miami chomping on the Florida Gators and his goals for the season after scoring his first ever career touchdown. And we take a look at Michigan who looks to dive deep in Ann Arbor against the Texas Longhorns and how they can reach atop again being King of the CFB.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When you're flying Emirates business class, relaxing in an exclusive airport lounge, you'll see that your vacation isn't really over until your flight is over. Fly Emirates, fly better. Welcome to college football live. Happy Wednesday. I'm Victoria Arlen, and we are going out the fancy tunnel because week one in the Big Ten gave us more questions than answers. But find out how our analysts feel about some of the conference's biggest quarterback questions. Plus, a second half collapse against Georgia has.

Dabo Sweeney in the spotlight. Find out why we think the transfer portal isn't the only thing holding Clemson back. And after scoring a touchdown in week one, Miami tight end Kim McCormick joins the show. Here how his ninth season in college is different from the other eight. We've got a jam-packed show for you today. And to bring the expertise, we've got Sam and Lugs here. And fellas, week one was eventful, to say the least, especially for Clemson, but not in a good way. But before we get to that, we're going to get to your. the Big Ten. Week one answered some of the questions we had about some notable teams, including who would be Michigan's QB1. Saturday we found out it was Davis Warren,

the former walk-on, and here's what he had to say about the start. Prior to the way we worked, prior to the way we fought through some adversity there throughout the game and kind of rode the wave of the highs and the lows a little bit. Obviously things to work on, but overall, just proud of the work we put in and to see a payoff with a win is a good feeling. I think you only get better at playing it by doing it. So the experience of Warren's, you know, Davis starting and orgy playing a little bit more, it's just going to give them more confidence that, yeah, I can do it and I can do it in an elite stage.

Confidence is everything now. We've talked so many times about Michigan's QB situation. So, Lug's, is David Warren the answer? Davis Warren. Well, I think listening to Sharon Moore, he's right. The more you play, the more you're going to know. I just find it so interesting that over the last five years of Michigan football, we have seen a combination of Cade McNamara and J.J. McCarthy.

Yet here we are starting the 2024 season, and we have a quarterback who is a former walk-on that beats out everybody essentially on this list. Now, obviously, the 2025 player, Carter Smith's not in house yet, but you kind of scratch your head and you say, well, how does that happen? Well, there is a little bit of context here, because, Davis Warren also was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia heading into the 2019 season. So he played some, not all the time.

Then he wanted to transfer. He transfers to a high school in Connecticut for the 2020 season. That season gets canceled because of COVID. So this is a player that could have potentially developed into a scholarship level player, but just wasn't there yet. So now all of a sudden he comes on campus, he red shirts, he bides his time, and he works his way into the starting role. So we're going to find out real quickly when they get into the meet of the schedule just how talented he is.

And we're going to find out quickly how talented Davis Warren is, but I'm more concerned about the offensive line that's protecting both Davis Warren and Alex Orgy. Michigan is used to know as being a punishing offensive line. And they weren't punishing last week versus Fresno State. They were being punished. They weren't able to run the ball. You saw a lot of missed assignments even when it came to running back and pass protection. You saw third and one or fourth and one, third and shorts. They weren't able to make plays with the offensive line that were used to seeing for the last two years for Michigan.

Now, here's the issue, or not an issue. Maybe it's a good problem. But long story short, their five starting offensive linemen are now in the NFL. And yes, they have some transfers, guys with experience, but these guys have to gel and come together. I think that will come along, Sam, if they can bring the quarterback along slowly, not throw too much on his plate, because here's the whole X factor. Michigan allowed nine yards rushing the entire game versus Fresno State.

So if that defense gets off the field often, gives more opportunities to the offense, I think that offense will grow up and that offensive line will gel. And also two, Warren's 33 QBR ranks 10th worst out of 68 qualified power for quarterbacks through week one. So hopefully they can gel pretty quickly. All right, Drew Aller showed off the new look PSU offense,

throwing for 216 yards and three touchdowns in Morgantown. New offensive coordinator, Andy Cotonnicki, gave the perfect description what the offense would be back when he was introduced last December. The blizzard in itself, right, is a wonderful dessert, right, which we should all use in moderation, correct? Okay? In itself, it looks complicated because it's messy inside, right?

And the person working there puts it in the machine. in the ice cream, but fundamentally it's mostly made up of what? Vanilla ice cream. So if you can equate offensive football to your favorite blizzard and understanding that what it's going to look like is going to be looking like a messy piece of deliciousness, but fundamentally is composed of really just vanilla ice cream and your favorite candies, right? That's when we talk about simplicity versus complexion. Right. So it's going to look really complex, but really at the end of it says two greens mixed together.

Messy piece of deliciousness. I don't know about you, but I'm hungry and I need a blizzard. So that sound from last December, of course, started recirculating around this weekend after PSU showed a very different offense than we had seen in a bit. And you love to see it. But Sam, what has been the reaction to this new look offense? Blizzard aside. Well, I'll give you my reaction. I'll give you my reaction first. I don't like Andy Kodonicki. I love Andy Kodonnicki, especially here. that reference about blizzards. It got my mind going and I'm a visual

learner and I'm learning this offense already but it's not just because of blizzards. It's because of what you're seeing on the football field. This same offense that we saw the explosive plays, we saw this same offense at Kansas for the last several years. That's where Andy Kodolnicki came from. He implemented some of the option game

that we saw from Kansas that they used versus Oklahoma to get that win. He implemented some of the downfield passing that Kansas used as well. Andy Kodonicki and at least when I'll go back to Kansas, one of the most explosive offenses in all of college football. People don't talk about it, but it's true. And so he's implemented some of those basic systems and schemes,

sometimes making some quarterback changes to run some of these speed option plays in order to help his offense be so much more effective. So it's so much fun to watch and tasty too. Yeah, Sam, I'll tell you what. And I'm going to translate that for you because I thought it was beautifully stated by Koldenik. So here's the base of the offense. It's not plays, it's players.

And all of your toppings in your blizzard, one topping's a personnel grouping, the other topping's a shift, the other topping is a motion, all right? But we're not talking about a ton of plays here. It's the window dressing that gives it the look that they're running 5,000 different combinations. They're not. It's a handful of combinations with the ability to look simple or excuse me to look complex, but at its core, it's vanilla ice. And that's what sets up the explosive plays for Drew Aller because the run game is so hard to defend that it creates some openings downfield.

And Lug's, and what makes ice cream taste so good? I mean, what makes an offensive coordinator so good is the fact that he chooses players over plays. So many coordinators get stuck in their ways. These are the plays I run. You got to figure it out. No, he says, I'm going to put the best player in the best position to win. That's why when you see some of that speed option game, some of that quarterback run game, it's not. not Drew Aller, who's sort of a bigger, better arm, not great of a runner, they switch put a

different quarterback in there to run some of that play, those plays. And so players over plays is a message that all coaches and coordinators you need to understand, along with Oriole Blizzards. And picking the right, picking the right toppings is always better than just throwing them all in there. Now, I also want to add of just how great Penn State's offense is, they scored two touchdowns of 40 plus yards in week one, and they had just three such touchdowns of all. last season. So we've got to shift gears over here. We've got some breaking news. Star running back John Emery Jr. will likely miss the remainder of the season after tearing his ACL and his left knee on Tuesday. The news was first reported by Nola.com. Now a tough blow for Emery as he was returning

from a right ACL tear last November. The Tigers will now have to rely on Caleb Jackson and senior Josh Williams. So Sam, I want to bring you in on this. What kind of impact can he still have for his team. Yeah, John Emery can still have a huge impact on his team. And the tough part is you're going through an injury, but the great part is you can overcome adversity. I was talking with C.J. Baxter running back at Texas who's out for the season just earlier today.

And he was talking about how he's watching film of the other running backs critiquing them, showing them how they can be better. Now, of course, he wants to be on the field. There's that pain, that suffering that he currently feels while he rehabs, but he's not wasting his suffering. He's actually using that pain, using that time, making everyone around him better. He's finding a purpose for that pain. Thank you so much for that, Sam.

That is something we can all take away. All right, we're going to take a break with nine seasons of college football experience. Kim McCormick has been around. His next stop joining college football live, and that's next. Plus, Davosweeney's transfer strategy is a hot topic in the national media and not for the good reasons. Find out his response to the critics when we return. Black Friday is here at IKEA and the clock is ticking on savings you won't want to miss. Join IKEA family for four.

free today and unlock deals on everything from holiday must-haves to cozy at-home essentials, all the little and big things you need to make this season shine. But don't wait. Like leftovers at midnight, our Black Friday offers won't last. Shop now at IKEA.ca.ca.com slash Black Friday. IKEA. Bring home to life. War drifting back again, floats it complete and into the college football. His ninth year playing the game, and he scores the opening. touchdown for the Kings.

Welcome back to college football live. Now Miami's first touchdown of the 2024 season came courtesy of tight end, Kim McCormick in his ninth season of college football. That's right, nine. He began at Oregon in 2016, but unfortunately season ending injuries in 2018, 19 and 20 and 2021 plus a COVID year added to that and made that he made the transfer to Miami in 2023 has made that moment even sweeter. So let's bring in the man of the man.

of the hour. Cam McCormick, Kim, welcome into the show. And I've got to ask you, what was that moment like when you got that first touchdown of the season? Yeah, that moment was so awesome. Especially, you know, to be the first score of the season in the swamp. I mean, you can't really picture any better for myself. Just with my teammates and just being able to celebrate with them, like, all the hard work that's gone in over the courses of past nine seasons to like then go out and do that. in the first game, it's awesome. It's an awesome feeling. So, Cam, with all of the position coaches that you've had, all of the offensive coordinators that you had, and all of the football that you have digested over the course of this nine years, I mean, you're practically collecting Social Security.

I'm curious to know if you've been able to take that knowledge of football from all of those different voices and utilize that not only for your own gain, but to spread that amongst the offensive football team. Yeah, absolutely. I think that throughout all the teams that I've been on and all the coaches I've been a part of, I've obviously learned a lot from all of them. So being able to share that with people that I come across on the staff here at Miami or even like the tight ends in our room or the offense, I'm able to share that knowledge with them throughout the course of the season and things that like I've seen throughout my time in college football. Kim, what has been the biggest thing you've learned in those nine years? biggest thing I've learned that you never know when your last step is like your mom is going to be on a football field

you got to take advantage of every opportunity you get when you're out there because you never know that's going to be your last for that season camp September 11th 2021 you get the first down tear your Achilles called your mom with joy where was that joy coming from that joy was just all like

the times that I was down and I was finally able to experience playing football again after all those years. I was just so happy to finally be out there with my teammates. It's hard to explain, but the joy I had for the team and being able to celebrate with them, it was everything that I could have wanted in that moment. Like I tell everybody, if I had to go back and do it all over again, I would absolutely do it all over again because just having it, I feel like it gave the team, like, energy and juice.

to go out there and finish the game. I mean, you know, obviously that was a really exciting game. So I feel like, you know, just felt like, hey, I finally was able to do something for the team and I guess I encourage those guys to keep going. Kim, what would you tell? There's so many players who were going through injuries. We just heard about a player at LSU,

season-ending injury, players at Texas, Notre Dame. If you could talk to them right now as they're going through their injuries, what would you tell them? Well, first I would say, reach out to me. Let's talk because I've been through it. I know all the emotions that you're going through, but I think I would tell them just keep going. Like, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

And I mean, I doubted that there was light at the end of the tunnel myself. But there eventually there was life at the end of the tunnel. And like in that Ohio State game, that was the light that I needed to like say, okay, I can keep doing this regardless of how hard it's going to get. Like it shows where you're at inadvertently. You show where you're at an adversity, that's every person you are. So. Amen.

Yeah. I tell you, you're healthy now, and I think that's what matters most. My question to you is, how's the body feeling? Are the ice tubs a little more necessary, a little more often? How are we feeling right now? Yeah, absolutely. You definitely got to take care of the body more. That's one of the big things about, I think I tell all my teammates,

it's like, don't all the guys leave practicing. I'm like, oh, I'm good to go. I'm like, now, like, take care of your body now. Like, you only get one of them, so you've got. You got to really take advantage of all the recovery options that you can to continue to play the game as long as you can, as a lot of the guys say. Yeah, Kim, you were such a light and a joy and an inspiration to all of us. Thank you so much for giving us your time today and good luck the rest of the season. Yeah, thank you guys so much.

All right, let's stick in the ACC. The dust has kind of settled for Clemson after their 31 point loss to Georgia. Despite holding off the dogs in the first half, the Tigers ended the game with only 188 yards of total offense and managed to sustained just one drive in Bulldogs territory. Clemson head coached Abasweeney not phased by the criticism being written about him and the team. That's what we signed up for. So you got to learn how to handle it. Y'all going to write crap, y'all going to write terrible stuff.

And when we do great, y'all going to write great stuff. You know, that's okay. I mean, everybody's got a job to do. It's okay. That's okay. I don't take it personal, you know. I don't read it or listen to it. It doesn't affect me.

I love my job. I love what I do. I love all of it. Y'all can't change that. All right. Well, we're going to welcome in David Hale's ESPN senior writer who has a great article on ESPN.com talking about Dabo and Clemson's transfer woes. Now, Dave, let's start with what you had said, how the portal topic is a bit of a red herring for Clemson. But what are people getting wrong in criticizing Dabo for not utilizing it?

Yeah, first off, I just want to say thanks for bringing me on after Kimson. McCormick, so I'm not the oldest guy in this segment, so that makes me feel better. Look, it is very much a misnomer that Dabo refuses to use the portal. It's not stubborn Dabo. He will use the portal. He just hasn't found guys in the portal that he thinks are better than who he has on his current roster. So the bigger question is, what is he getting wrong about his current roster?

So you look at somebody like quarterback Ked Klubnick, who was super talented, highly recruited guy coming out of high school, but he has not really developed. And you saw a lot of the same mistakes on Saturday against Georgia that you saw throughout last season. And so this is true, I think, of a lot of players, particularly on the offensive side of the ball, where Dabo is saying, I got these guys and I see limitless potential in them. I'll make them into what I think they can be, whereas he looks in the portal and he says, finish products over there that are not better than what I think I can do with these guys.

And look, he's not alone in being portal averse. I talked to Kirby Smart just a couple of weeks before that game, and Kirby basically said, look, I don't like the portal either. I would rather recruit my team and go to battle with them. But Kirby has done a good job of identifying. I have a hole in my roster here, here, and here. Let me go get somebody that's going to help. And Davo, really, I just think he's not doing the best job of identifying

where the problems are and how to properly supplement that. Well, listen, I think when it comes to this topic, we've got to acknowledge one thing. and it's the elephant in the room that nobody wants to talk about, and that's tampering. Because it's one of the biggest problems in all the college football when it comes to the transfer portal. And if you're not going to be willing to jump into that pool,

the reality of the situation is if there's a great elite player, let's just say there are a handful of them, maybe 10 of them. If they're really, really good, there is a high likelihood they've already been tampered with, the deal's already done, they're signed, and they're gone. So if Clemson doesn't want to jump into that pool, that's fine, that's their choice. but he's not wrong when he says

when you look at recruiting rankings you look at the product he's put on the field you look at the caliber of player that they're playing with he's not wrong when he looks at the portal and sees 2,700 guys 98% of them can't play for Clemson I'm sorry that's just the reality of the situation so whatever it is that he's doing with his current roster

we can debate that all day long right but I personally think and I've got Clemson this coming week I'm breaking down that film this week and they've got some things that they have to address at the quarterback position because I think they're going to be really, really good on defense for the entirety of the year. Well, and speaking about just Clemson as a team as a whole, Sam, does Clemson have the pieces to still make a playoff run?

Oh, absolutely. Lug's made a great point. He thinks that Clemson's defense is going to be really, really good for the entirety of the year. Let's have Clemson's defense be really, really good for the entirety of a game. The first half against Georgia, they played really good football. dominant level football. But then second half you saw it.

I think it was six explosive plays. They were giving up plays left and right. Some people might say, well, they got tired, et cetera. It's the first game of the season, number one. Number two, as a former defensive player, as a guy who loves defense, if you're tired, do better conditioning, right? So I don't think that's an excuse that they're making. What I'm saying is the same defense that actually was better than Georgia last year

when it came to yards allowed per game. Clemson was seventh, Georgia was eighth. The same defense that played great ball the first half. extend that to a full game. Let your defense carry you while the offense continues to develop. There's a new offensive line coach who's in town, who's from Georgia, get the offensive line more physical, quarterback situation situated, and receivers as well. I don't disagree with you at all in relationship to playing a full four quarters.

You know, this is a team with first rounders on it at all three levels defensively. And, you know, I look at the offense and how can the offense help the defense? Well, they can help the defense by sustaining drives. and making the routine plays. There were some players, a specific 3rd and 4 and 6 for Cade Clubnick during the course of that game where he's got a wide open target

that's an easy throw and he won't throw it. Why he won't throw it? I don't know, but he won't throw it. It's there to be made. And now all of a sudden you start to gain momentum. You start to gain confidence. George's offense is sitting over there on the field. But instead, you come off the field

and your offense goes back on. You spend the majority of the second half trying to play from behind. Yeah. And, you know, I think getting those two freshman receivers on the field more helps everybody. We spent the entire offseason hearing Davo talk about how great T.J. Moore and Brian Westgo were going to be.

We barely saw them in the game against Georgia. I think that's one thing that Davo has identified. We've got to do better with our personnel usage, and that helps everybody. Now, preseason Clemson had a 27% chance to make the playoff. Now that has changed to 15%. Don't forget to check out Dave's article on ESPN.com. But now let's take a look at this week's college football rankings brought to you by Verbo. Georgia remains number one after their big win over Clemson.

which in turn knocked Clemson down to 25th. The biggest shakeup was Florida State falling from 10th to off the top 25 after their 0-and-2 start. Coming up, where will you be during the inaugural home opener of Pitbull Stadium? Hopefully there because fans attending the game are set to receive a very special gift. We'll explain next. There's one for the road. FIU Stadium is now Pitbull Stadium after Mr. Worldwide purchased the rights. And look what you get if you go to the inaugural game this weekend.

Sam, you want a pin? I want a pen. I want to show up at the concert, man. Let me call it FIU game. What up. Pit bull? Mr. Worldwide, Mr. 305. Now, in the words of pit bull, look up in the sky. It's a bird. It's a plane. No, it's just me. Ain't a dang thing changed except the stadiums name luck.

We all want to go get some pins. So for Sam, Pete and Lugz, I'm Victoria. Go listen to some pit bull. And we're going to go get ourselves some pins. Thanks for watching College Football Live.