College Football Live - Victory lap with Johnny Football

Episode Date: October 9, 2024

Victoria Arlen, Sam Acho, Tom Lugbill and Pete Thamel begin to turn the page to week 7, but first we have an interview with Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia coming off a week 6 win against Alabama. Plus a surprise guest joins the show you don't want to miss. All that and more here on College Football Live! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. Welcome to College Football Live, presented by Google Pixel. Don't want to be a great team. Let's see it tonight. The country is getting put on notice. Worse case scenarios. Vanding against the road. We've got a show for you today, and we are still not over what went down over the weekend.

We've got loops coming in from afar and Sam with me in studio. It's a Wednesday treat. And we also have a very special guest, the one who got us all turned, Vandy QB, Diego Pavia, joining us in just a few minutes. But before that, let's take a look back at just how wild week six was because week six was filled with major shakeups and upsets in college football. Five AP top 11 teams fell, a first since 12. 2016. Four of these losses came against unranked opponents while the SEC saw chaos with three ranked teams toppling on the same day. It's only the second time in AP poll history that multiple top five SEC teams lost to unranked teams simultaneously. So let's take a look at what's your beat presented to you by Old Trapper. So Sam, after this crazy reek, what team has kind of backed themselves into a corner when it comes to playoff implication? Missouri is the team for me.

You were right. You hesitate. Why didn't hesitate because A&M did say when they played Missouri, A&M ran all over Missouri. And here's the issue. I get it. It's just one loss. But the bigger picture is what matters more.

Missouri is in a loaded SEC. Teams like Georgia, teams like Tennessee, teams like Arkansas. Those teams are all trying to vie for that 12th team playoff. And yes, there may be four, maybe even five teams from the SEC in that playoff, maybe more. But Missouri feels like they're in that bottom tier of those one lost teams. Texas is undefeated, but Missouri has to play Alabama. They have to play Oklahoma.

They play Arkansas to end the season. Those are tough matchups if you want to try and make that playoff. Yeah, Sam, I tell you what, mine's the exact same for a lot of the same reasons, but I'm going with the University of Michigan, who now has two losses and no semblance of order on offense in the passing game to be able to create any explosive plays, flip field position, and get big chunk yardage. I know that Michigan's really good on defense. But with Alex Orgy and Jack Tuttle, and we don't know yet if Jack Tuttle could be the answer,

because the sample size isn't big enough to determine how much better they could be in the passing game. But Orgy's only complete in 53% of this passes. This was going to catch up with the Wolverines sooner or later. It did this past weekend in Seattle. And remember, they got to play a ranked Illinois, a ranked Oregon, a red-hot ranked Indiana and Ohio State at the end. And I agree with you, Lou Ge's, for a couple of reasons. You're talking about the Oregon and the Ohio State. Just because you already have two losses.

Now imagine two more losses on those Oregon team. And Ohio State, those are going to be teams that not only they play this weekend, but they're going to be vying for not just a Big Ten championship, but also another playoff opportunity. And so Michigan with that second loss this early in the season, with as tough as their schedule is, they're on the outside looking in. And they just can't seem to find anything to figure out in the quarterback situation, not even with Tuttle.

Now, speaking of playoffs, the Altee Playoff predictor shows, some surprising risers after week six, Texas A&M, and SMU saw significant jumps, increasing their chances by 21% and 18% respectively after some marquee ranked wins. And Luges, give me a team we should be keeping our eye on as we get closer to the first playoff rankings. Well, it's a team that's actually not on this list, but I will point out to one team on this list, and that's SMU after going on the road and beating a ranked Louisville team. and their only losses by a field goal to a very good BYU team.

And SMU does not play Clemson or Miami in the regular season. But I do really believe the most equipped team that it's gotten hot that will continue to, I think, play well is Clemson. They're loaded on defense. They've been playing great football there, and that's without defensive tackle, Peter Woods. And Cade Clubnick has gotten hot and he's been sustainable. He's consistent each and every week now.

I think Clemson could be a problem down the stretch. I think A&M could be a problem as well, not just down the stretch. but also right now, they're gaining confidence and they're finding an identity early on in the season. It seems as if they were trying to find out who they are. Now they know exactly who they are led by the running game. Connor Wegman is healthy again. And so you have

a team who not only has the schedule to try and win, but also they end the season with the renewed rivalry against Texas at Kyle Field. And so you're thinking about SEC implications, thinking about a team led by Mike Elko, who has done it before at Duke, led teams with less talent to a lot more success. So I think A&M's a team

that we all need to keep our eyes on. Now, Lugge, what was a team that wasn't on the list that you wanted to talk about? Clemson, the Tigers, unless I missed it on the list right there. Obviously, I'm in my home studio here. But SMU showed me a lot, having them three weeks ago. And then again, on the road at Louisville. But Clemson, for me, I think,'s red hot. And the team that could be kind of out there floating is Pitt.

Nobody's talking about 5-0 Pitt. Pits, Pits creeping back here on this list. Yeah. Yeah. So, Pitt, I love the. So I've called two-pick games so far this season. No one's talking about them. They weren't ranked going into last week.

And it's not just Pat Narduzzi and the talent from the defensive side. It's the offensive side of the ball. They got a guy by the name of Des Reed, who's 5-8-175, but he's a dominant football player, transfer from Western Carolina. Cade Bell's our offensive coordinator. He talked about him last week, 31 years old, whereas flip-flops on Fridays in their walkthroughs. So he's bringing this renewed youth to this team. And so you have this Pat Narduzzi-led defense. right. They love to bring pressure. Then you have this young offense, young scheme led by transfer

quarterback Eli Holstein. So Pitt is a team undefeated in the ACC that no one's talking about. And I think we will very soon. Well, and there's also a player on that team that nobody's talking about. And that is Desmond Reed, the other transfer from Western Carolina, who has been a Swiss Army knife. He is a handful in space. Leading Russia, I think he's a second leading receiver. He does everything. He returns punts. And he has made. the transition from the FCS to the Power 4 League seamlessly. So between him and Eli Holstein, I agree with you, Sam. Pitt could be problematic going down the stretch.

Pit could absolutely be problematic. And they've been peaking at the right time. Look, they're popping up right there, number 22, right there. And I think the thing, too, is like, you had said it early on. You're like, watch out for Pitt, watch out for Pitt. And they've been slowly kind of rising right when they need to and peeking at the right moment. Another team I'm keeping an eye on with. just because of what happened this weekend, but you actually peeked my eye too, where you're like,

we haven't been watching close enough, is Vandy, and they've had quite the week to remember. Milrow, near side, batting up, and it has intercepted. Vandy's got a two-score lead. Another stretch, and Bandy strikes again. A score that's going to send shockwaves through college football. Bandy has the ball and the lead in a short field. He goes down the middle. He goes down the Mids on the Boers team, up against the ropes.

Kid Vandy extends its lead. Fanderbilt. Shocked the world they did as well as Broadway, too. Vandy's upset stunned the college football world on Saturday, blowing the doors off their longstanding struggles against Alabama. Alabama was not prepared, as many said. The Commodores not only secured their first ever win against an AP top five team, but they also snapped a 23-game losing streak to the Crimps.

in Tide. All right. Let's bring in Diego Pavia. Diego, it was a night to remember. The one who got us all turned. Can you walk us through what that felt like that moment when you realized you had just beaten Bama? Yeah, it was a great moment for sure.

I feel like God put me in this position. You know, just from a young kid, he gave me a dream of playing SEC football. And so I'm just out here living with how he wants me to live. Amen. Diego, at the end of the game, this is San Matoa. I called y'all's first game versus Virginia Tech. At the end of the game, you thank God, you thank the Vandy fans.

But you also thanked Eli Stowers. Why? He's been incredible. He got me closer to God. He really taught me who God is and had to live in a certain way. Just even out off the field, like he's different. We're roommates. So he, you know, when I do something,

wrong, he's there to tell me. And so, you know, I can't appreciate him any much more than I do. I mean, he's a great guy. He lives by the book of the Bible. You know, just I look up to him. I want to be someone like him when I'm older. I want to grow up my kids. When I do have a kid, you know, just in a Christian home, like, you know, just like Eli. And so I really do look up to him. Diego, for a guy that's self-made as you are and, you know, not getting recruited out of high school, going to Judah College ranks, then ending up at New Mexico State, you have to have somebody that believes in you, probably more than one person. Describe how important Jerry Kill and Tinbeck and the other assistant coaches that were on that New Mexico state staff that are now

with you in Nashville, how important they've been to your development and your rise? No, they're very important. Coach Kill, I don't know if you guys knew, but I wasn't going to come here. I was committed to Nevada in the recruiting process, and Coach Chope is a really good coach in Nevada. And so I called Coach Beck and said, hey, like, I'm committed to. to Nevada and he's like, hold on. I'm going to have someone call you. And long story short, Coach Kiel calls me and says, hey, I'm in Mexico. I'm done drinking margaritas. Like, I'm headed to Nashville and you're coming with me. And I was like, it's a done deal. I'll see you in Nashville. So just to have them here with me, you know, it's amazing. I just, I just love

Coach Kiel so much. You know, I look at him like a father figure. He's just someone that I could go to with anything if I need help and whatever I do. You know, they're there for me. They know how I play. They know my play style. They know I'm going to make, you know, something at nothing. And they know sometimes I'm going to take something done. But, you know, they just are there for me and whatever I do. Daniel, you're talking about Coach Kill being a father figure. But growing up, I heard that your mom meant a lot to you when it came to competition.

How does your mom impact you in your life? Yeah, my mom's different. If you guys ever get the chance to talk to her, you guys should. I mean, she's wired different. She only she cares about winning. She loves with, you know, she hates whatever the same is, but you guys know what I'm talking about. Hates losing more than she loves winning. Yeah, yeah, hates losing more than she loves winning.

That's the reality. But, you know, my mom is someone I could go to and she loves me. You know, just that's, that's something who I do it for. You know, she takes time out of her weekend just to beat every single game. And so I love her so much. And, you know, she just hates losing too. Now, Diego, you have such an incredible story. And your story is so inspirational about believing in yourself when a lot of people don't believe in you, but also believing in something so much bigger than yourself.

So what message do you have to those watching who maybe need that source of inspiration to believe in themselves, too? First off, I like to tell a coach, you know, recruit New Mexico. But other than that, you know, the kids who are sitting at home, who don't have no offers, who are just, you know, down about themselves, you know, just get up and work, do everything you can to outwork your opponent. Just work outwork everyone in the country. Don't matter if you're, you know, the best worker on your team is about working, outworking everyone in the nation. So that's the approach that I take to the game is just you work for something so hard you're going to get it. And so that's just God's plan.

What's your approach, Diego, during the week when you're playing a team like Alabama or getting ready for a team like Kentucky? what's the mindset? You know, Big Glow is someone who, who, you know, I trust with what's going on here at Vanderbilt. He brings the approach of, you know, I don't care who's in the way. We got to go win regardless. And so we're on the same page with that. You know, he said, if you ain't talking about beating Kentucky this week, you know, get out the way. And so that's reality.

And we got to go play a very good defense. Kentucky to win this football game. From your perspective as you flushed the Alabama game, which is not easy to do, you got to move on because you got to get ready for Kentucky. Where have you taken a leadership role to ensure that this locker room doesn't spend all week celebrating what they just accomplished and then goes in place flat against the Wildcats? Yeah, I texted everyone on the football team.

I said, this is the most important game of the football season, you know, up to this point is, you know, we're three and two. We're a little bit in, I say, the middle of the SEC. And if we want to get to the top and we want to compete for a national championship, we got to be, you know, I think it's like top two, get in probably to the bracket. So we got to win out from here. And so this is the next biggest game. So this is what we got to do. Now, some people were comparing you to former Penn State QB, Trace McSorley, but you said your game is more like former A&M QB, Johnny Mansell. Can you tell us why? Shoot. I think we we kind of bring the same electric mentality to the football game, to the football field. We both are, you know, big believers in ourselves. And I feel like, you know, I haven't got the chance to talk to Johnny, but, you know, we're wired different. We'll do anything to win. But, yeah, I feel like we have a lot of the same play style.

Yeah. And talk about Mansell and family. You had so much family at the game. What was it like for them to watch you play and beat Bama? They said they had the time of their lives at the tailgate before. You know, I had a lot of family, friends. I think there was like 67 of them who came in from New Mexico. So that was, you know, that's just all love and support. And so after the game, you know, they stormed the field. I couldn't find a lot of them because it was so crowded. But, you know, after the game, you know, we hung out, had a good time.

And so they know it's time that we move on to Kentucky. All right. Well, before we let you go, since you and Johnny both beat Bama, I think it's fitting that we both bring you on the show. So let's welcome in Johnny Mansell. Johnny, what do you have to say to Diego about what many are calling of the upset of the season?

Man, what an awesome game. So fun to watch, bro. Couldn't be happier for you. I mean, sitting there watching the whole thing play out, man, has to feel like maybe 2012 for me. But man, appreciate you showing me a lot of love. I hope I get the chance to come on here and show you the same thing.

Yeah, I appreciate that, Johnny. Hopefully you come out to a full game. Man, we're a lecture down here. Yeah, I'm going to try and make it out and come see you guys and that's for sure, man. You guys have been on a heck of a run this season. So hopefully you're able to continue that on. I know you got a big one this week against Kentucky, but, you know, definitely use that momentum what you guys had this last week.

And, man, have fun with it. I know that's something you had to enjoy after this win. I appreciate it, brother. Thank you so much. All right, Johnny and Diego, we appreciate you guys so much. Thank you so much for hanging with us. Thank you guys so much. All right, good luck next weekend.

All right. Coming up, arguably the most anticipated slate of contests arrives on Saturday. What's on the line for some of the top teams in the nation? Answers next on College Football Live. College Football Live is presented by Google Pixel. This Giving Tuesday, Cam H is counting on your support. Together, we can forge a better path for mental health by creating a future where Canadians can get the help they need, when they need it, no matter who or where. they are. From November 25th to December 2nd, your donation will be doubled. That means every dollar

goes twice as far to help build a future where no one's seeking help is left behind. Donate today at camh.ca slash giving Tuesday. At Desjardin, we speak business. We speak startup funding and comprehensive game plans. We've mastered made-to-measure growth and expansion advice, and we can talk your ear off about transferring your business when the time comes. Because at Desjardin business, we speak the same language you do, business. So join the more than 400,000 Canadian entrepreneurs who already count on us and contact Desjardin today. We'd love to talk, business. Season started. This week was the weekend we all had circled. So let's start with the Ohio State Oregon matchup. Lugues. What do you have your eye on here? It's a real challenge for

Ohio State going out west and playing in front of a raucous crowd at Outson Stadium. But Ohio State up front on both sides of the ball, I think is going to be a handful for Oregon, especially if Oregon struggled against Boise State and Idaho those first two weeks. If they don't improve significantly, I think that's going to be a problematic area. Also, for Oregon, this is a football team that has not been creating explosive plays to the rate that they've become accustomed. They're also the second worst out of all power four teams in turnovers in the red area. They're not going to be able to settle for field goals, even if they're playing at home, if they can't score in the red area against Ohio State.

And Ohio State is not the team that you want to test when it comes to scoring. Ohio State's defense, they're not NFL level yet, but they're NFL-esque. The only differences that you see from that defense and NFL defense is maybe some minor miscues in communication, maybe on the defensive side. Linebackers aren't melting inside. But you talk about every single level of football, whether it's 33, Jack Sawyer, on the defensive line. Tileak Williams on the inside, number 91. anyone on the back end, this defense is dominant.

Their number one, FBS in points allowed, number one in yards allowed, and they attack you at every angle imaginable. And so as much as this week is the week that we've circled, I'm looking at that game against Penn State in a couple weeks as well as another big-time matchup for this Ohio State defense. This is the matchup they finally have. And also, Ohio State versus Oregon is the 10th AP top three matchup

between Big 10 teams all time. And the first one that isn't Ohio State against Michigan since 1985, when number one Iowa defeated number two, Michigan. All right, because what an SEC on ABC College Football lineup we have for you? This is going to be epic on Saturday, number seven, Alabama, host South Carolina at noon eastern. Then it's the 120th Red River rivalry game at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas between number one Texas and number 18 Oklahoma,

and we cap the night off with ninth ranked Ole Miss and 13th ranked LSU and Death Valley. We have an update to a story we brought to you yesterday. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart announcing today on the week the SEC teleconference that wide receiver Colby Young has been, quote, suspended indefinitely following his arrest on Tuesday morning on misdemeanor charges of battery and assault on an unborn child. Smart saying he met with Young this morning. It was another great week for some freshman phenoms amongst college football. Luges provides insight on some of his favorite performances when we come back. You're watching College Football Live, presented by Google Pixel.

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Now it's time to look at the Allstate AFCA Good Works team recognizing the athletes for their charitable work off the gridiron. Plenty of college football heavyweights represented, including a pair of offensive linemen in Hayden Conner of Texas and Nick Dawkins of Penn State. The squad also well represented outside of the FBS level to see all 22 players on the GoodWorks team, log on to ESPN.com slash allstate.

Now, speaking of teams on Tuesday, the NCAA voted to shorten the transfer portal window down to 30 days for FBS and FCS football as well as men's and women's basketball. Tom, putting on your national recruiting director hat, how does that impact teams? Well, I think it's a step in the right direction because unless you've been tampered with

and you already know where you're going, if you enter into the portal and your phone's not ringing it ringing in 72 hours to four days, then you already know where you stand and what your market value is. I like this move. All right, cool. Well, we like it, too, if you like it. Now, as we've been saying, it's been a week to remember,

and keeping our Wednesday tradition going, Luges, who were your week six freshman of the week? Well, we decided to get Ryan Williams and Jeremiah Smith a break this week. How about C.? Perrick at Minnesota, who against SC was the hero? 48 snaps in total, six tackles, a force fumble, and an acrobatic interception to close out the game against the Trojans in their upset. So big day for the former ESPN 300 safety right there.

What a play to end that game. How about Isaac Brown, 161 total yards for Louisville, albeit in a lost SMU, 15 touches, five catches. Jack of all trades, one of the fastest players in college football of any freshmen. So a couple of good names there. And then you know what we have? We got our other freshmen. This is Doug the dog. Doug the dog in typical fashion.

He's late for meetings. He's late for treatment. He doesn't go to class and he thinks he should start every game. Okay. All right. For Luke, Sam, I'm Victoria. That's Doug. Thanks for watching.