College Football Live - Upset City

Episode Date: October 8, 2024

Victoria Arlen, Sam Acho, Pete Thamel, and Desmond Howard react to the 5 teams ranked in the top 11 who lost. How will Alabama and Tennessee move forward, plus Cam Ward and the Miami Hurricanes make a 25 point comeback! Lastly it's time to start thinking about the Heisman, can RB Ashton Jeantry actually win it. All that and more on College Football Live! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When you're flying Emirates business class, dining on a world-class menu at 40,000 feet, you'll see that your vacation isn't really over until your flight is over. Fly Emirates, fly better. Welcome to College Football Live, presented by Google Pixel. On a Tuesday here on College Football Live, I'm Victoria Arland alongside Samacho, Debson Howard, and Pete Thammell. Well, let's freaking go, fellas, because I don't know about you, but that is how you start a show on a Tuesday. And for those who don't know what we're talking about, let's get to why things were so freaking turned over the weekend because it was the upset herd around the country that nobody saw happening. And I mean nobody because just ask Nick Sabin.

But Vanderbilt did in fact beat number one Alabama in glorious fashion on Saturday, 40 to 35, to be exact, for their first win over a top ranked team. Ferdibut also snaps a 60 game losing streak versus AP top five opponents, which is the longest in the AP poll era dating back to 1936. Now, here's some more history for you to help you understand just how historic this win was. Vandy had an 0-10 all-time record prior to this matchup and switched up the history books with our first win versus an AP number one team. And it was also Vandy's first win against Alabama on field since 1984. So Sam, how did Vanderbilt get the win and get the upset over Alabama? I don't know if this is the trick question, but am I allowed to say Diego Pavia? Like Diego Pavia is elite.

And here's what I mean by that. This is a quarterback who was at New Mexico State last year when New Mexico State upset Auburn in Jordan Hare. Not an upset of 21 point upset. This is the same offensive coordinator. Jerry Kill was a head coach. Now he's the head coach of the offense. They brought that same system and structure to Van derbyte. This is the same Vanderbilt team that in week one beat Virginia Tech.

And they looked more like Virginia Tech than Virginia Tech looked like Virginia Tech. They control time of possession over 42 minutes. They control the number of plays, 75 to 45. And so they just did what they've done all season long is just run the ball, take big plays, make big plays, and then have that same confidence that Diego Pavia brought from New Mexico State when they beat Auburn, brought that to Vanderbilt. I tell you what, Sam, you hit it on the head when you said they had that type of confidence. And the confidence, as you spoke earlier about the quarterback, Diego Pavia, it came from him,

but it didn't just start with him or stop with him. When you have that type of confidence, it's because of your preparation. And, you know, they outcoached Alabama. They outskinned Alabama. They looked at their weaknesses, and they exposed them. And not only they exposed them, they took it to them for four quarters. That's how you pull up an upset of that magnitude. Not only do you have to come into that game with confidence,

but it comes from your preparation, your execution, because you are well prepared because the things you saw on film that you could take advantage of. That's what Vanderbilt did. But just like Sam said, this is a really, really good team, so don't get it twisted. This Vanderbilt team is going to beat a lot of teams this season. And to your point, Des, they were more prepared

and they were also unafraid. So Vanderbilt was unafraid. Running back Cedric Alexander, who was a sophomore this year. Last year, as a freshman at Vanderbilt, he led all SEC freshmen in rushing touchdowns. So they were, like he was that first touchdown that Vanderbitt took. He took it to the linebacker, ran over a linebacker. There was a play very, the very next play when Vandy was on offense. Talk about being out-coached or out-maneuvered, where they motioned into fullback from the outside.

And that fullback on offense for Vanderbilt just blew up one of Alabama's defense events. That to me says that Vandy was more prepared and had better coaching on that. Saturday, then Alabama. Yes, Sam, they were unafraid because respect is earned. It's not given in college football because now Kalin DeBoer is the head coach of Alabama

and Nick Saban is gone. This team every time they go on the field, they have to earn the respect. It's not going to be given any longer. And speaking of Kalin DeBore, he was pretty frustrated after that game and he was also frustrated on Monday and we got to hear from him, so let's take a listen.

Yeah, we are all extremely frustrated. I mean, but we aren't going to sit and lose our cool because, you know, I don't think that's the right way to go about it. You know, there's a time and place for everything. And again, we're still early in the season. You know, we left ourselves a little less wiggle room to achieve some of the goals we have, but those goals are still out there. And we need to just focus on what our hope mindset is, is always to improve every single day. And that's never going to change. So, Des, where does Alabama go from here after losing Devandy?

You know, I tell you what, this is moving forward. It's going to tell us a lot about Kaylin DeBoer, about his coaching staff, and about the 2024 Alabama Crimson Tide. Also, we're going to see now they play South Carolina. This is a winnable game, but by no stretch of imagination, should they take the game cock slightly? And then after that, they have to go on the road and play Tennessee. So those two games are going to really.

determine like the trajectory of this season for the Alabama Christmas time. They're a good team. They have a lot of talent. But now they understand they cannot take any opponent lightly on any given Saturday. They have to always respect their

opponent and bring their A game. So if I'm Kailin DeBore and his staff, that's when I'm starting to preach to my team every day moving forward. But all hope is not lost, Des because there's a now a 12 team playoff and so one loss in the regular season is not going to eliminate you. You could even have two losses going into maybe an SEC championship game and still make

the playoff. So all hope isn't lost. Alabama still has an opportunity. Texas is the only undefeated team in the SEC. Alabama has chances to continue to play, can potentially play for an SEC championship. Georgia and Texas, they play each other down the line. So Georgia may have a second loss. We saw Ole Miss lose.

Tennessee has a loss as well. So where do they go from here? you regroup. You understand that no game or no quarter or no half is over until it's over. So you regroup, you take it to South Carolina, and this is the time where the leaders on that team, guys like Tyler Booker, Jalen Milro,

Malachi Moore, have to step up and actually be leaders. Now Pete, I'm going to bring you in on this. What other fallout was there from this game from the Alabama side? Well, anytime there's a loss of this magnitude, Victoria, there is fallout. The indelible image from the loss from the Alabama

side was Senior Captain Malibald. a Kaimor throwing what equated to a temper tantrum. He kicked the ball. He threw his mouthpiece. In a statement on Twitter on Monday, Moore apologized and said he was completely out of line for his actions. He will not be suspended by the Crimson Tide as he kind of came up and manned up for what he had done. Alabama will be without one key player for the rest of the season. That's defensive tackle Jeheme Otis. He's six foot five, three hundred twenty five pounds. He had started 13 games in the his career. His snaps decreased this year coming off a couple injuries. He never quite got going. He told ESPN, he planned to enter the NCAA transfer portal, and he's going to go seek playing

time elsewhere. So that's a key piece of that defensive tackle rotation for Alabama that will be gone for the rest of the season. All right. Thank you, Pete. Let's shift over to another big upset in the SEC. All right. Arkansas overcame a 14 to 3 third quarter deficit to beat Tennessee 19 to 14. The Razorbacks Notched their first win over an AP top five team since 2007. They had lost 18 straight against such teams entering Saturday. It was also their first home win over a top five opponent since beating the number three volunteers back in 1999. Here's Coach Heiple on Monday. This past week, offensively, you look at the football game.

So many self-inflicted wounds, you know, pre-snap penalties, playing penalties, miscommunication. So at times, you're not playing on tempo. For us, we got to do the ordinary things at a really high level. Last week, we didn't do that very well. Some of the things that we control, not taking anything away from Arkansas, but some of the things that we control, we did not handle very well. Controlling those controllables is key. Now, Sam, what is the level of concern that you have for Tennessee after losing this game?

I am concerned for Tennessee, and it's, Moderate to high is by to answer that question in a relativity scale. The reason why is that Nico IMALEAava has been challenged, right? Early in the season, they were setting records. He was beating Peyton Manning in the record books when it came to halftime stats and things you can do. And they were scoring points. But the last two weeks versus Oklahoma and Arkansas, he hasn't thrown for over 200 yards. And these are good defenses.

I'm not saying they're not good defenses. What I am saying is that he is going to continue to be challenged. He was starting to realize that this is a young quarterback who has a lot of a pipe that it's going to be challenged. So can he step up to the plate when they play Georgia, when they play Alabama, when they play Kentucky? That's going to be the questions I think need to be answered for Tennessee. Yes, Sam, I agree with you 100%.

I think that my level of concern is a moderate level right now. The problem with these teams is they come into the season, right? And we haven't seen them play. And like you say, you have Nico at the quarterback position, all of this talents. But then they start to run up scores on teams like Chattanooga, Kent State, even, you know, NC-6. It was not that great this year, but then they go on the road, and we were there at a game.

They was there when they went to Norman. And I'm like, okay, now they, they're experiencing a little resistance. How are they going to respond? And Nico fumbled the ball. We turned the ball over multiple times in that game. And then last week, my biggest concern with them going into this Arkansas game was Bobby Petrino, the offensive coordinator for Arkansas. He's a guy who brought the running game to Arkansas,

Meaning now they run the ball at a pretty impressive clip, but they control the line of scrimmage, and more importantly, they control, they win time of possession. They dictate the pace of the game to the opponent. So I knew that was going to be an issue for Tennessee, and that's why I think ultimately the reason why they lost that game. So moving forward, now they know where some of their weaknesses are, they know where some challenges are.

They have to make some of the corrections like Josh Hypo said, We'll see if they're able to do that moving forward. Now, Tennessee's undefeated streak was snapped by the unranked Razorbacks, and that hurt them in the polls. So let's get to the latest AP poll. And now let's get a look at this week's college football rankings brought to you by Capital One. Texas back in the top spot.

And a big shake-up in the rankings this week. Alabama dropped six spots to number seven, its lowest ranked this season. Well, Tennessee drops four spots to number eight, their lowest ranking since the second week. And the Big Ten has three of the top four spots in the AP poll for the first time in conference history. All right, we're bringing Pete back with us.

Now, a huge ruling yesterday in the antitrust case involving college athletics that could lead to college athletes getting paid. What more can you tell us about that, Pete? Sir, to that direct payment of college athletes, which is tied to the House and Related Antitrust cases. There was a preliminary approval from Judge Claudia Wilkin in Northern California on Monday, and that's another step. Of course, there's more steps remaining, right?

January 31st, there's a deadline for any athletes who would want to opt out. March 3rd is a response to those potential objections. And then finally, we could get final, final approval on April 7th, which is the Monday of the national title game in basketball. If that passes, we'll finally have RevShare for 2025. Another big story that broke today. At the University of Georgia, there was another arrest. Wide receiver Colby Young was arrested for misdemeanor battery

an assault of an unborn child. He was arrested and booked at 4.18 a.m. in an incident that involved his former girlfriend. Young's lawyer told he has fans Mark Schlebeau that his client did not make physical contact with the woman. And then there's fallout coming from Hurricane Milton, the South Florida Memphis game that was slated to be played on Friday night in Tampa has been pushed back to Saturday at 3.30.

USF's team, because Milton is coming, has evacuated to Orlando and will stay there until they can return safely to Tampa. Obviously, prayers are everybody being impacted by Milton down there in Florida. Of course, we're going to be keeping an eye on the path of Hurricane Milton. And a reminder that people are still dealing with the impact of Hurricane Helene. You can help by donating at Red Cross.org slash ESPN to help the Red Cross respond and help people recover. our thoughts and prayers to all who are affected. Thank you, Pete. Coming up, Miami pulled off one of the comebacks of the season on Saturday against Cal. Where does that rank them among the rest of the ACC?

Plus, would the Heisman be heading to the Mountain West? We discussed Ashton Denti's explosive start and if he could be the first Bronco to win the prestigious hardware. College Football Live is presented by Google Pixel. Black Friday is here at IKEA, and the clock is taking on savings you won't want to miss. Join IKEA family for 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. sent by Google Pixel. Welcome back. Now, rolling into the game, there was already adversity, a rowdy Cal game day crowd, and a Miami team that had to travel 3,000 miles to get to Cal on top of playing their first game out of the state of Florida. The Keynes rallied from a 25-point second half deficit to beat California 39 to 38, thanks to Cam Ward, who led four straight touchdown drives to end the game. Now, Des, Miami has been fortunate to win their past two games first Virginia Tech. and Cal, what's your biggest takeaway from their performance?

Coria, you know, this team has been just escaping by the skin of their teeth the last two weeks. And obviously it starts with Cam Ward. I mean, you know, he's such a phenomenal athlete. But his good is spectacular, but his bad is horrendous. So you just have to take the good with the bad. Now, I've had conversations with various players and coaches. And they said that's what you get with Cam Ward. and you're just willing to endure the bad because the good is so great.

So at this point, you know, they're like two bad calls or two calls on the field away from having two losses. I think that if he's able to clean up some of those mistakes, and I think they're fixable, and I think there's an easier path for the Miami Hurricanes, and then they'll probably run into that team called the Clemson Tigers because they're playing pretty good right now, too. and that would probably happen in the ACC championship.

So far, they don't have to play them in the regular season, but potentially in the championship. Now, Sam, how do you think Miami stacks up with the rest of the top teams in the ACC? Yeah, they're at or near the top, but not just by a standing perspective. I say near the top because there's some other teams. Desmead the point, this could be a two-loss team

that we're looking at based off of a 25-point comeback and a call in the end zone off of a catch versus Virginia Tech. could have been one way or another. But Pitt is undefeated. Pitt's playing really, really good football right now with Kate, K. K. Beals, their offensive coordinator. Clemson, I think, is playing some of the best football in all of college football right now after they're lost to Georgia early in the season.

So there have been some positives that we're seeing from Miami, but there's still some question marks. SMU's playing great ball in the ACC. We talked about Cal. Though they lost, Cal's playing some good football. So I say at or near the top, but I still think there's still a lot to be had, a lot left, to prove for our man. There's one thing to say, man, we came back from this big, big loss, and we were trailing

25, and that's one thing, and that's positive, but how do you respond? Do you keep on playing it close, or do you finally turn it on and not be down by 25 in the third quarter? Now, speaking of the top and being the best, the Heisman race continues to have twists and turns with a new front runner emerging. Boise State running back Ashton Gentie, who in the first half of this past game against Utah State ran for 186 yards and three touchdowns. and the Broncos have never had a Heisman trophy winner in its history.

And it is time now for our Capital One rewarding performance. Ashton Genti is the third FBS player since 1990 with 1,000 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns through his team's first five games. He's on pace to break several of Barry Sanders records, including rush yards and rush touchdowns. Now, Des, no big deal here, but you're a Heisman trophy winner. So what does Genty need to do if he is a run? going to win the trophy this year.

Yeah, guys, I think for for Genti to win the trophy, first of all, he's going to have to be consistent. I mean, now his name is on the map. He's a guy who five games into the season. No one was really talking about Ashton Genty, right? But because of his performance, we're starting to give him national attention, national recognition. So now a lot of voters are going to start to watch, okay, this kid from Boise State number two,

let's check him out week in and week out and see if he continues to put up these numbers. I don't think they're going to have any big marquee national games, but if they're in the dog fight and he's the difference maker in the game, despite who the opponent is, that's going to elevate his status as a Heisman trophy candidate, too.

So continue doing what he's doing, which I think he can because, as a matter of fact, he was phenomenal a year ago too. And then if he has any big games, any dog fights, make sure he's the difference in Boise State coming out victorious. And if I'm not mistaken, Des, you as a Heisman Trophy winner also get a chance to vote. And so you're one of the people who are watching and seeing. And so for me, I'm wondering, okay, can they running back from a smaller school like Boise State

surpass the likes of a Travis Hunter, surpass the likes of someone like Jalen Millrow? The last time that Gentie was on the field last week, the first time he touched the ball is a 63-yard touchdown. Later on in the game, 75-yard church down. So he's making big plays, but can you do those big plays on big stages? Yes, Boise State plays UNLV. Yes, Boise State plays Oregon State. Will those be big enough stages not to have Ashton Genti make and become a Heisman Trophy finalist, but to win it all?

That's what I'm really excited to see how this thing plays out. I'm just excited to see all the twists and turns and to see how the rest of the season shapes up. All right, we've got to take a quick break. Coming up, lots on the line in the Big Ten as Oregon. Ohio State to Eugene. Keys for both teams and what to watch for all coming up next on college football live. College Football Live is presented by Google Pixel. Saturday at 9 a.m. Eastern on ESPN.

All right, Des, you will be in Oregon with Game Day on Saturday. Give me one thing to watch in their game versus Ohio State. Well, Victoria, the game within the game is like when Oregon has the ball, Watch out for their receiver, Tass Johnson. He's 5'10, 160, Uber competitive. He's just a guy who leads the team receptionals. Going up against that young man right there, Denzel Burke, the best cover corner for the Buckeyes.

He's not going to shadow Johnson, but when Johnson lines up across from Denzel Burke, I call that the money matchup. Keep an eye on it. We love a good money matchup. All right, what an SEC on ABC College Football lineup we have for you on Saturday with the epic Red River rivalry right in the middle. Say that five times fast. All right, shifting focus over to that Red River game. Sam, what's one thing to watch in the Texas

versus Oklahoma matchup? How rusty will Quinn Ewers be after missing the last two and a half games, really nearly the last month? He hasn't played in four weeks. And we saw there were early interceptions last year when they played Oklahoma two in the first five minutes of the game. The first one you saw was Gentry Williams. And that was a hit by Billy Bowman that caused a second pick. And so will there be early interceptions by Quinn Ewers based off of the game and the rust? Oh, a lot to pay

attention here. A lot to focus on, but we are going to be back here tomorrow. For Sam, Pete and Dez, I'm Victoria. College Football Live will be back tomorrow at 2 Easter. We will see you then. Thanks for watching.