College Football Live - Miami Mayhem!

Episode Date: October 3, 2024

Victoria Arlen, Sam Acho and Trevor Matich continue to preview everything exciting coming up regarding Week 6 of the College Football Season! Additionally, the crew headlines Miami's matchup with Cal and Trevor breaks down why Tennessee's offense is so effective. All that and more on CFB Live! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Put the world on notice. We show the country tonight that we play for the Brotherhood. You like college football. We have a lot more sights and sounds of week six coming your way. I'm Victoria Arlen. This is College Football Live. Let's go out the tunnel. Number eight, Miami is coming off of a controversial win against Virginia Tech.

And they head to the bay this week. And Trevor is here to tell us why this game could be a bear trap. And Michigan and Washington haven't played one of the first. another since the nanny, but with changes on both sides, you'll see why we can't quite call this a rematch. Also, it's Thursday, and you know we've got you covered with our tailgate tips to help you sound smarter around your people this weekend. College Football Live starts now. College Football Live is presented by Dr. Pepper. Week 6 is here, and you know who also is here. We got Sam and Trevor in studio.

with me, but guys, do you know what day it is today? It's October 3rd. Exactly. Thursday. Yeah, it's October 3rd. Okay, well, all right. Our producer, Amy, knows what's up. Well, our pop culture isn't quite up to date and might not be so fetch.

You know what also is pretty fetch is our week six late. So let's get to it, boys. As we gear up for another exciting weekend of college football, let's dive into the marquey matchup. Saturday kicks off for the only ranked matchup of the weekend. When ninth ranked Missouri visits number 25 Texas A&M at Kyle Field, the Tigers are red hot-eyeing their first back-to-back five-and-o start since 2008. Then a Big Ten classic when Kirk Farrants in Iowa visits third-ranked Ohio State.

The Buckeyes boast the nation's best scoring defense, while the Hawkeyes look to earn their first win versus an AP-ranked opponent since 2021. In Seattle, it's a national title rematch as Washington hosts number two. 10 Michigan. The Wolverines seek their fourth straight win while the Huskies look to rebound from last week's surprising loss. We cap off the night with eighth ranked Miami and their high powered offense visiting Berkeley where the Bears host college game day for the first time ever. So let's take a look at our Dr. Pepper Championship Drive game of the week preview. Texas A&M's ground game faces a stiff test against Missouri's stout defense.

The Aggies lean heavily on their second ranked SEC rushing attack. Meanwhile, the Tigers look to stay ahead of the playoff race by stealing one in college station, which is very loud as we have talked about many, many, many, many times before. But Sam, Missouri is ranked number nine. But yet they are still a two and a half point underdog on the road. Why is that? I believe it's because their offense hasn't been as explosive as they have been in years past. And yes, Missouri has found ways to win.

But some of these games, they're sneaking by. You think about Brady cooking outfit if he's been in years past, Luther Burton, that connection hasn't been there when it comes to the office. Now, they're still winning. Defense has been a big part of that. But the downfield completions were not seeing as much of that this year as we have last year. Texas A&M wants to make this the hairless cat of college football game so ugly that it becomes beautiful. They aren't throwing the ball at all very well.

But they're running the ball at a very good clip. And the thing about Missouri's defense is that they've been elite at stopping the run. and they have had a week off in terms of a by week, whereas last week, Texas A&M had a very physical win against Arkansas. So it'll be interesting

if the Aggie offense can do what they need to do, which is pound, pound, pound, you know, pound. And to your point, that the Aggie offense is going to need to do what they need to do, but the defense as well, right?

Mike Elko, we got to get camera on Victoria right now because the hairless cat reference It's a real one. Any comments? It's October 3rd. It's October 3rd. But to that point, though, well, to that point, though,

like Mike Elko's want to try to, I got to address this. Are you? No, okay. I don't know he was going with the hairless cat refus. I didn't either. And he put it all together.

I didn't either, actually. So luckily, that is beautiful. And then you just go pound, pound, meow. Oh, my gosh. All right. I'm with you to that point of, like, Mike Elko's going to try

and make this defense. Your eyes are tearing up. Trevor. I'm laughing with Victoria. Are you? I think that's all I got. The defense is going to try and step up too. Pound, pound, pound, meow.

Pound, pown, pown, meow. So ugly, that is beautiful. All right. Let's keep our, Trevor. All right, we're going to go to Michigan. Let's just keep it going. All right. Last year, let's take a little walk down a memory lane, shall we?

Last year, number one, Michigan, defeated number two, Washington, 34 to 13 in the national championship to secure their first national title since 1997 while also completing an unbelievable undefeated run. But these two meet again, but it comes with a twist. Both teams have a new head coach with Jed Fish replacing now Alabama head coach Kailin DeBore and Sharon Moore replacing current Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh. They also lost a lot of talent to the NFL with Washington losing 10 of their stars and Michigan losing 13. So as you can see, both of these two teams do not look the same. So Trevor, what are you keeping an eye on on this one? Because as we know, this isn't a rematch by any means.

You know, I'm keeping an eye on, Washington throwing the ball. This is a tricky spot for Michigan. They've got USC coming up, yeah, and then they've got Oregon coming up. They've already played USC in Texas. And those are elite passing attacks. But even teams that are not known as great passing teams have given problems to the Michigan past defense. I mean, even Minnesota, of all people, threw for 258 yards against Michigan. Now, part of that

is because you can't really run on Michigan, so you have to throw. But if you can throw, you've been able to move the ball against them to some degree. Washington, with Will Rogers, the transfer quarterback, they're one of the best passing teams in the Big Ten. So Michigan is going to have to be dialed in tight because the threat against their secondary is real. But Michigan does, I think, better than most in the nation is they do a great job of disguising what they do on defense. So though they are giving up a lot

and Wink Martindale, the defense coordinator loves to pressure, they do a great job of disguising, which leads to turnover. So oftentimes you're going to see Michigan getting interceptions or forcing fumbles. And so Will Rogers, transferred from Mississippi State, might be able to get the ball down the field.

But when critical times happened, I think that's what Michigan really does a great job. Will Johnson, a corner does a great job of finding the football and getting the ball back to their offense. Speaking of critical, I think nothing more critical right now than the QB situation in Michigan. It seems to be something we've talked every single week on this show and everyone else is talking about it as well.

But how would you even describe, I mean, I don't even know how we'd even describe the situation. But when it comes to when when it comes to this point, I mean, the longest completion for Orgy is 16 yards this season. How concerned at this point? I mean, Michigan's defense is elite, but how concerned are you at this point now for Michigan's quarterback situation? Well, I'm not concerned just yet. The reason why is that though we had a little bit of a debacle when they play Texas, it seems as if they found ways to win despite what's going on, despite the quarterback position. No matter what's happening on the offense side of the ball, they're saying, okay, our defense is going to win it. We're going to try and win it our special teams. We're going to win it with the running game. And so it seems as if they haven't

necessarily figured out what they're going to do when they get really challenged by a team that's putting up a lot of points. But if defensively, they can say, we're going to shut down this other team, we don't have to throw the ball. We'll just find ways to win. At the end of the day, all that matters are the Ws. Yeah, I see it differently though, Sam. I think that They've been able to bully teams, except for Texas. And really with USC, they didn't bully them much. They had three big, long runs that either scored touchdowns or led to the game-winning touchdown against USC.

Other than that, they averaged about three and a half yards per carry against the Trojans. So not being able to throw the ball could very well come back to bite them. But you've seen Alex Orgy get better from the first week you started to the next. Last week, he threw 18 passes, completed 10 of them. Four of them, the Colston Loveland, his great tight end, who's back from injury. So we're seeing improvement. The question is, will it improve fast enough that they can carry through this season with just that one Texas loss until they get to the end? What's also crazy is Michigan is undefeated in conference play despite recording fewer than 100 yards passing, which is the first time this century.

All right, we are going to take a break real quick. All right, coming up with Cam Ward's loose style of play. There is room for error. After the break, Sam tells us what Ward needs to clean up before Miami takes on Cal. College Football Live is presented by ice cold Dr. Pepper. College football, it's a pepper thing. Whether it's a pair of running shoes or a new car, you check how well something performs before you buy it.

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This is College Football Live, presented by Dr. Pep. This program athletically keeps breaking its own records and doing incredible things. This offense is one of the best in the country. He's got it. Touchdown! It stays squarely in the conversation for a group of five-fitt. Welcome back. It's time for our weekend lineup brought to you by Wendy's Sassy Nugs.

A bunch of unexpected undefeated teams in action this weekend. Saturday heats up at noon with Pitt facing UNC. The evening slate is highlighted by Rutgers visiting Nebraska. and Duke squaring off against Georgia Tech. But Trevor, you have an interesting note on Navy's QE. Blake Horton is one of the best quarterbacks in the nation. It's not being talked about. His yards per carry on the ground, second in the nation.

Passing his QBR, his passer rating, his yards per attempt is more than any of the quarterbacks that are Heisman candidates. Do yourself a favor and watch this guy. They have Air Force this week. Yeah, Horvath has been outstanding. I got a chance to call their game last weekend. He spreads the ball out in the air, also on the ground. So he's one of the best

quarterbacks and one of the best offenses. October is Hispanic Heritage Month. And for Miami wide receiver Xavier Restrepo, football wasn't really a known sport for Latinos. But as a kid from a Hispanic family, growing up in South Florida, he always knew that representing the green and orange

was the dream. And that relentless dream is now a reality that is paying off week after week, while inspiring so many along the way. Restrepo over the middle to the five. Call Xavier Restrepo. Growing up as a kid in South Florida, and especially in my household, Miami Hurricanes is what it was all about.

To be able to, you know, run out the smoke and having that orange and green on means everything to me. Relentless competitor, that's what to describe him. Every time he gets an opportunity, every snap, he tries to dominate his opponent. Go to the end zone, Restrepo. How good has Xavier Restrepo been with the U on his helmet? I come from a Hispanic background on my dad's side.

He's Colombian. Whenever I go on the field, I hear all the Hispanics, screaming, whistling. It's just awesome. Football is not really a known sport for Latinos. You know, it's usually like soccer or maybe even baseball. Just to give them the extra boost and extra confidence that you can do whatever you put your desire in your heart too.

Guess who? Mr. Reliable, Xavier Restrepo. Every single morning that I wake up, I have something to prove whether I'm 5'10 or I'm not fast enough or something like that, you know, just leave him one less excuse. He represents the best for his culture and really every culture. Just a great story. Super exciting game and matchup. A lot of hype around this game. But Trevor, you said earlier that this is a dangerous matchup for Miami. Can you exaggerate a little bit why? Or not exaggerate, explain a little bit. Or exaggerate. Dangerous is an exaggerated word. But it's no exaggeration to say it's a dangerous spot for Miami.

Because their quarterback is being talked as the leading Heisman candidate. They just had a miracle emotional win by stopping a Hail Mary at the end over Virginia Tech. The game day is going to be at this game. But they're not going to be there because of the home team, Cal. They're going to be there because of Miami. Meantime, Cal is sitting here. They're watching all this. They're coming off a buy.

And they have a salty defense, Sam. And so this is a spot where Miami had better be wired tight or Cal could cause a lot of problems for that. And to your point about the saltiness of the defense, this Cal defense has forced 10 interceptions this season more than anyone else in the nation. And so that's going to be a challenge for a quarterback who doesn't turn it over a lot, but it just has four picks.

That Cal defense, it's not just one guy who's going to force all the turnover, is they do a great job of disguising, which may cause Cam Ward to hold the ball just a little bit longer, may cause fumbles, may cause interceptions, may cause a little bit of confusion. That's what Cal does best. They try to put the offense in a precarious position to make them make bad decisions.

Not just one guy, it's multiple playing as one. And Miami, they're confident now. What have they been hearing all week long, right? Oh, look how great Miami is. They're so dominant on both sides of the ball. Their quarterback is amazing and he's unstoppable. And did you see that last drive for the game-winning touchdown by Miami against Virginia Tech and better be wired tight.

Well, and another reason, too, is this is the first time that all season, Miami has left their home state of Florida and the first time they've played a regular season game on the West Coast since 2000. So some concern right there, but we shall see. All right, college game day is crossing another school off their list of places they haven't visited as they head to Berkeley this week. Catch them Saturday 9 a.m. on ESPN. Now, Tennessee's offense is off the charts.

So let's shift gears over to Tennessee. So how good are they, Sam? I think they're really good because they're really multiple, meaning they can do a lot of different things. When they played Oklahoma, it wasn't a Nico I. I'm Maliava show. It was really a running game. It was a, yeah, we'll take the past game if it's available.

Nico had his opportunities, but Oklahoma is one of the better defenses in college football. Love taking the ball away. And though Nico did turn it over a few times, This offense said, you know what, we'll just run the ball and we'll find it on the ground. The defense said they will take care of it on the defense side of the ball. And so what's impressed me the most is that the offense, led by Nico I.M. Aliava, can throw the ball deep downfield, but also they're one of the better running offense than college football as well.

And so they're very multiple, they're diverse and do a lot of different things. Makes it hard for a defense to slow down. Right. And what makes it even harder, Sam, is that they exploit space and they exploit time to give themselves an unfair advantage. They're stuck in a two-play sequence where they do both. Now, because of the formation, half the field has to be covered by three defenders. So Tennessee will run a little bubble screen. This receiver will block this guy and neutralize him. Now, look at those two defenders that are flanked to the outside.

This will end up being on first and 15, an easy 14-yard game. Now, once this tackle is made, I want you to watch what Tennessee does, because they will go into tempo mode. So nice throw, very nice, pitch and catch based on space. Now they're going to snap the next ball 13 seconds later. So the defense loses track of where the receivers are. Now let's look at the space that's created. They'll go play action pass on second and one.

That draws these guys away from coverage. On the short side of the field, they've got three receivers with eye candy motion, and that leaves Dante Thornton, Jr. with one solitary, lonely, cold sooner to cover him in all this space. Thornton is averaging 34 yards per reception. You don't leave one guy against him in all that space. But by going tempo and then a play action fake, they added to the element of space, the element of time,

so the defense couldn't figure out where everybody was and where Tennessee had the strength. I mean, we could watch Trevor all day. And the thing, too, is they average an FBS best 54 points per game. I mean, they're just, they're clean, they're composed. There's a reason they're the best out there. So, Trevor, thank you so much. All right, that game wraps up Saturday's SEC on ABC College Football Triple Heather,

but it kicks off with number nine Missouri and number nine, number 25 Texas A&M in College Station. The number five, Georgia looks to bounce back hosting Auburn. All three games also available on the ESPN app so you can watch anywhere. Coming up, want to know the most important things this college football weekend to sound smarter to your family, your friends, your significant other. We have your back. After the break, the crew and I give you our tailgate tips so you can stay in the know. When you fly in Emirates business class and you're picked up by your private, luxury, chauffeur-driven car, you'll see that your vacation isn't really over until your flight is over. Fly, Emirates.

Fly better. College Football Live is presented by ice cold Dr. Pepper. College football, it's a pepper thing. Welcome back. Let's get to some news around college football. Our very own Pete Thammell report. Boston College QB. Thomas Castellanos will get the start versus Virginia this weekend.

Also, the NCAA determined current NFL head coach, Coach Antonio Pierce engaged in impermissible recruiting activities during his time at Arizona State, resulting in an eight-year show cause order. Have you ever gone to a tailgate and realized 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. Most wonderful time of the week, I caught the ball this time.

But Trevor, how can we sound smarter this week? You know, I've got two tailgate tips. One is draft Victoria as receiver on your fantasy team. The other one is Florida State fans. Be careful what you wish for because you wanted to change your quarterback. Well, DJ Y O Yungalele broke his finger. And now Brock Glenn will start for him. Last year, he faced two of the best defenses in the nation because of injury, Louisville and Georgia.

And now his third start, it's Clemson. Good luck, young man. Oh, okay, Sam, what about you? So my tailgate tip is more about youth. So there's a coordinator named Kate Bell, 31 years old, offensive coordinator for Pitt. He was at Western Carolina last year, led the catamounts to the number one offense in the FCS. But he's putting up huge numbers now at Pitt. And so I thought I was getting young.

This guy's really young. All right. Well, I'm going with something that's not young. The 129th edition of the Deep South's oldest rivalry between Auburn and Georgia, dating back to 1892. It's the second most frequently played rivalry and FBS history behind Minnesota and Wisconsin. But also, Sam, we got a bonus one. Let's talk about your experience on Saturday. Oh, it was awesome.

Well, last week, I was at the. the Georgia Bama game, and Trevor you said, hey, look at their thighs and look at their hips. And I'm doing all that, but I had a blast in the game. I got a chance to go to the locker room.

I got a chance to be on the field. Got a chance to see the guys up close and personal. So for me, it was an unbelievable experience. You know, you see me walking out as the game is ending. It was great reminders of the passion and the pageantry,

but more than anything, just the intricacies of relationship and friendship. You saw guys with the iPads on the sideline. You saw some of the joy, some of the elation in the locker room. And so for me, it was a reminder of how much fun it is to be able to compete at a high level.

Obviously, Trevor, you've done a national champion. You've won multiple gold medals. So for me, it was good to be back in that atmosphere. What about in that, like, tunnel, that moment? It was crazy. It was crazy. Right before they came out of the tunnel, the team was humming this song. I don't know what the song was.

I want to take a video of it, but it was almost like this kind of sacred experience of, hey, we are coming out here to dominate. You can see the looks in the eyes of the players. And there's this sense of, hey, we're going to destroy Georgia. Now, they did in the first half, second half was a totally different story. So to see that game from the sideline, from the field, from the, from the locker room and for a time from the press box for me was a great opportunity. That's really

cool. And Sam, you did pass by one thing really quickly though. Victoria is a multiple gold medal. I'm actually not. Just one. Just one gold. One gold. Multiple silver. Let's go. She's an Olympic medalist. And you're going to bring them to the show one day. One day. One day. I did get them out of my parents' house

one recently. Yes. Yes. We want to see you. But oh, what a wonderful week. We're so excited for you guys to check out all the games this week. For Sam, Trevor. I'm Victoria. We hope these tailgate tips helped you. That was so fetched. We'll see you.