The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - Local Hour: The U Is Back (For Real This Time)

Episode Date: January 5, 2026

"They don't cry like we cry." Michael Irvin simulating child abuse officially rivals Clemson running down the hill, Notre Dame's 'Play Like a Champion Today,' and Iowa's tradition of waving at a children's hospital. The U has never been so back. Today's cast: Dan, Zaslow, Chris, Jeremy, Mike, Roy, and Tony. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Visit medcan.com slash moments to get started. What'd we miss, Aslo? Miss a lot. A lot happened. We weren't here to talk about it. Our audience got mad at us. So mad, right? Yeah.

I missed them, too. I wanted to talk about the bombing and invading of Venezuela and the taking over a 51st. What happened? I'm sorry. It's been two weeks. He's nervous, Dan. What just happened? I hit something I shouldn't have hit.

It's been a while. What else did I miss? Because Mike, I can't even imagine what my... migraines last two weeks have been like who he's been talking to, trying to breathe hot hurricane breath in their face for two weeks. Where have you been putting all of that? Chris and I have been really stressed about who we freeze for the cyclones. This is a big decision. And the decisions do real quick. Do you go with the undertaker or Stan? It is a big decision, Dan. We don't know what to do. I'll say it. The thing that I wanted to talk about, the University of Miami, the idea that the dolphins now end a season, right, on that note yesterday, where you realize, oh, my God, if their quarterback's healthy, it's going to be that for 10 years, that dolphins are a million miles away and don't really have a plan and the Patriots have a quarterback and just won the division and almost Jerry rigged the thing to do it the way Brady does it, home field. advantage, get the buy, and you only have to play two games, two at home when someone

limps and hurt. Chris Greer's rebuild saw the Patriots be the best, the worst, and now the best again. It's infuriating the position that the dolphins are in, but the University of Miami's clearly championship-worthy, right? Like, that's not something that can be disputed anymore. We were talking about whether they belonged in the playoffs or not. He's so happy. He's touching his nipples for the audio audio.

happy. I mean, well, because, yeah, when you do that to Ohio State, you can beat anybody, and they can beat anybody more ways than anybody but Indiana. Like, they're a complete team. I'm scared to them. You're scared of Indiana? Because of what they did to Alabama? They just, they score so much. Yeah, but they are Ohio State, and you just saw what Miami did to Ohio State.

I mean, they're better than Ohio State. I know they play in the Big Ten Championship, and Ohio State held them to the team. What was the score there? 1310. They scored a ton of points on BAMO. They're the same. They're the same. This is some real 2-0 talk when we're trying to go 1-0.

Is that what we're doing? You're scared of Mississippi? That's not a foregone conclusion. Dan, did you see Trinidad Chambers? That was incredible. Did you see him? Yes, he's great. He's unreal.

He got out of six different sacks and then flipped the ball to the running back for first down. And then the next play did another incredible thing. No, Tony, the play you just mentioned was the third. third most impressive one on that drive. Yes. He made three plays on one drive that any other quarterback, including our beloved Cuban Mendoza, would take as the play of the year for them. Like, made three plays on one drive that a quarterback will go an entire career. Most quarterbacks will go the entire career without making one of those plays.

On one drive. He's terrifying. That's going to be fun, though. This is the Dan Levator show with the Stucat. Spodcast I don't know what Mike Ryan The Cleveland Browns have fired Kevin Stefansky

It begins right now Wow Is he a two-time Coy? Didn't Rahim Morris just get fired minutes before that? Now two years ago they hired him instead of Bill Belichick. A lot has changed in two

years. They hired him instead of Bill Belichick. They were pretty mediocre the entire time. I felt bad yesterday for Chris Myers and Mark Schlerath having to announce that Falcons Saints game. Chris Myers should be beyond that in his career at this point to always have to do that game. So much bad football yesterday.

But then it could save at the end, right? By the only result that mattered yesterday, correct? I mean, you can't convince me that two teams playing for nothing determines the division champion in the NFC South. That's some stupid shit. You say it's stupid shit. You're doing coaching carousel, and we'll get to that in a second. But you say stupid shit.

The entire thing is stupid when I say, I want to redo the playoffs entirely right now and offer you this. Next week, one game. Carolina Panthers against the Steelers. The loser is eliminated, and the winner is eliminated. And then we get on with the playoffs.

What do you guys think? The other thing that's stupid is that Pittsburgh and Aaron Rogers are no more worthy of being in the playoffs just because some guy can't make a 44-yard kick. And just because we've normalized kickers, do not tell me that it's okay that Derek Henry doesn't get to be in the playoffs because some guy just comes out who's not a football player

who kicks a football instead of does anything with it. Now, Derek Henry can't be running for six yards of carry because Justin Tucker couldn't behave himself in massage parlors, and nobody realized what an advantage that guy was for the Ravens for 10 years. And the Ravens finished two games worse than the Steelers. They don't belong in the playoffs. More like Tyler Poop. Welcome back, Chris.

The entire break you took off for two weeks, and that's what you thunder in with. Stefansky does have two coach of the years in six years. He's not going to be out of work very long. I'd love to see him in Nashville with Cam Ward. That'd be nice. I would take him here. He's a good coach. You say take them here before we get to the hurricanes, which we will be celebrating in a moment.

No, I don't want them coaching the canes. I want to coach the Dolphins. We're set at the position. When you say here on the Miami Dolphins, here is lost. Here is a franchise that for 25 years has an owner who is the worst South Florida has ever had at results. can't win a playoff game inherited a very winning franchise that was a national franchise that is now a local franchise that's embarrassing locally it's had its city taken away by two teams two teams the panthers beating the calarado avalanche nobody beats them beating them last night

that was good the winter classic was not good that embarrassed us lone depot park embarrassed us But the dolphins are now rudderless, leaderless. You've got Mike McDaniel that inspires faith in no one. Ewers is whatever. Like throw any quarterback out there. Put it on the poll at Levitart Show, Juju. Did you learn the names of a lot of backups, backup quarterbacks yesterday? Because Ewers did what any quarterback would have done the last three games.

Who's not one of these abominations that they threw out there yesterday, like the one in Philadelphia? Tony, you didn't fall in love with that guy, did you? McKinney. That's a great question. Who did you fall in love with that? He fell in love with a couple guys. You know who I felt back in love with? Did he even Chubisky another chance?

No. He's a good backup, though. Tank Bigsby. Did you see him on Blitz pickup, Dan, by the way? He picked up the linebacker. He got pushing the quarterback, picked up the linebacker, and then suplexed him onto the ground. That's what I'm talking about.

I don't mean to overreact, but I can't remember the dolphins being in this kind of disrepair where you're like, Where do they fix what, how, when you've got dead cap money, you've got a quarterback problem, you got a coach nobody wants, you do not have a GM, you're talking to Troy Aikman over here because he wants a few hundred thousand dollars to whisper in your ear that, yeah, somebody named Mora, whatever, just like. What a scam that is, by the way. Perino's got to be like, hell, see if you can find someone named Stoops, whatever, just one of these football names, put it in there. Aikman stealing money, put it on the poll at Lebitard Show, is Troy Aikman stealing money from the Miami? offense, but you're so leaderless that you're like, let's call the broadcaster who does one game a week, great game. ESPN is doing that shit better than they've ever done it. He says

interesting things. The intro, they made Saturday feel so big. Saturday, Carolina, Tampa, Seattle, San Francisco, they made it feel so big. They did, I don't know if people have noticed. ESPN's game coverage has gotten consistently stronger since McQuaid has been in there, like just much larger production value, because they got to keep up with Prime and everybody else who's dumping money. Netflix did a great job with Christmas Day. No one's got any complaints about that. But getting back to what's happening with the Dolphins, when was it this kind of despair where you see the Patriots have a young quarterback, the bills have the MVP of the league,

and you're in nowhere land in a bad quarterback year, a bad year for quarterbacks, a bad quarterback draft. Right. Most years, you know, you're drafting number 11. there's a chance to get our hands on someone, you know, and it's like there's no one. There's no fix this year, and it's going to be yours, most likely, next year. Get out of my life with Ty Simpson, by the way. And a massive cap hit, you know, because they're going to get rid of Tua.

No, there's no light at the end of the tunnel. There's no hope right now. And I don't think they've ever been in this position. Dan, it's been exactly a quarter century now since a playoff win. For the record, we like Ty Simpson. There's something with that kid, by the way. Ty Simpson's a fine quarterback. You're going to want to trust me on this one.

There's something about that kid. Shut up. I'm sold. 25 years when Zazlo was talking about, I do want to get back to celebrating the Miami hurricane relevance that hasn't had this spirit here since the beginning of 2000. It's been 20 years since football has really mattered in this town because people were playing for championships.

It was the hurricanes who were playing for championships. They've been, when you talk about the history of this town, they are the only minor league thing that is ever broken through to make allegiances that feel really strong with fan bases. The University of Miami can be argued is the third biggest program we have had here. It's, you know, fourth, now that the Panthers are doing what they're presently doing. But for many years, the University of Miami was a symbol of pride down here to South Florida. And they have obviously gotten back, right?

Everyone can now say that U is back as a question, has been asked for 20 years. It can be now said in the affirmative, oh, obviously they can beat anybody. They just dragged the defending champions. We haven't seen anybody do that to them in two years. Like, you know, knock them down and made them chase the entire game as a nine-point dog. We've done this song and dance every like two, three years. The Keynes will get off to a hot start. The quarterback will get up to a hot start.

The U is back, and inevitably they're never back. They're back now, right? Like, this is it. They're back. You win two playoff games in one year. You're a win away from being a win away. And there's no reason that this can't be the standard every year now. Why can't this be what they do every year now with the way the game is?

NIL. They are favored to win this game against Mississippi. Now, Mississippi and Georgia saved these playoff games because they've been terrible. The bowl games haven't been terrible. Like the Seizure Property, Seas Your Wages Bowl, like that. You know about that Cheez-It Bowl? I don't know about that. Tony, the Tiger Bowl.

Dan? Which one is the seize your property, seize your assnets, garner your wages, bowl? No? Guaranteed rate bowl? Armed forces bowl? They're all potential sponsors to me, Dan. I've learned my lesson on, especially on the mortgage front. Which I feel like you should have to. We agree, correct, that the only game that was played in the playoffs, and it was a great one,

everything has been pretty terrible except for Mississippi, Georgia. I mean, if you like that kind of game. I get it. Everyone liked that kind of game. I'm not doubting that. I thought Miami A&L was awesome. Yeah. I love that game. I think that there's been drama. Miami's been approaching their games differently, but I think they've been quality edge of your seat like game hangs in the balance for a lot of individual possession type of games. I don't mean to diminish anything other than the entertainment value so far of what these playoff games have been. The Georgia, that game was crazy entertaining. The Georgia Mississippi game was insane and it made me think of the following sports radio questions. Zaslow because Trinidad Chambliss will be the best quarterback that the hurricanes have faced in two years. Like he doesn't turn the ball over. He doesn't throw interceptions. He doesn't get sacked like he's an efficiency machine. And I don't believe the SEC has a defense like Miami's.

I think the SEC has been exposed as an entire fraud that that Georgia Mississippi game is being played at a high level, I believe, because it's the best those teams can do. And you think of Georgia's what they were, but Georgia ain't that anymore. The SEC is a whole lot of what just happened to Alabama against Indiana. It can happen to Texas. The SEC has been exposed, but Miami just dragged the team from the conference that nobody can beat. Like, in terms of tough, in terms of big, big boy football, when I see Mississippi and Georgia play, I see athletes that are very large, but Miami has trenches advantages, both sides, both sides. You've got, you've got first round picks on those offensive lines and defensive lines. So Ohio State can take away Malachi, Tony,

and did, and what? Like, they took away Malachi, Tony. Couldn't do anything. Okay, here's a whole lot of Fletcher. You can have a whole lot of Fletcher. And Ohio State's not used to losing like that to anybody, but Michigan, where they're just trailing all game, they're beaten off the start, and when they were down 14-0-0-2. You made up with Zagaki. How How have we not talked about this? Oh, yeah, I had a conversation with Joe Zagaki. I think I made up with Joe Zagaki a couple years ago where I would enter a public event and he would go, Mike.

But I've never actually had an opportunity to speak to him as much as I have this most recent time. And what a delightful conversation that was. A good 50 minutes and six bold classes of Cabernet. Yeah, yeah. And any like, you know, pausing in the conversation? Any down? A couple station IDs, left to right on the radio dial. And at one point, he turned to Don Bailey.

He's like, Don, Wake Forest is going to win this ballgame. You guys. And did they? You guys, these are two University of Miami legends. Joe Zagaki's on the Mount Rushmore of University of Miami Media people. There's no question about this, correct? Joe Zagachie, J. Roqueachich, who else? I'm just saying that Mike, for years now, has honored.

It's the greatest flattery that we keep Zagaki's very. voice and name alive here nationally. He doesn't see it this way, obviously, but it is homage to a Miami legend that we make this kind of fun of him, but Mike has sometimes pulled into a hurricane tailgate near Joe Zagaki, and maybe there's not eye contact, maybe it's awkward. Mike doesn't know how he's going to be received because Mike knows the things that he said last week, last month, last year, and for the last 15 years. Right, because we honor Joe Zagaki, but in a very strange way. We use his voice for a character that's not actually Joe Zagaki. It's a complicated legacy, Josigaki, and it's become like a strange conservative voice on our show.

And for that, I'd understand if Josigaki took issue with misrepresenting his signature voice. But he seems fine and honored by it. I don't think it's anything other than actually honoring him. I agree. No one here says that he's not a good broadcaster. He did make it very clear several times over. He has no idea how to find our show. He said that?

Yeah, I understand. Remember, this guy moves left to right on your radio dial. Always has. Far right now. You know it. All right, kicking things off with Smearnoff, the official vodka sponsor of the NFL and the number of vodka in the world. Chris Cody, you're here. Smear enough.

Wow, you're on the money with Smeerrrrr-off. Chris, you know what goes great with Smeerr-N-off? Yes, but I'm really talking about game-day fit. The style's got to match the vibe. Smear-off! All right, here's the deal. Game day is everything. And that's exactly why your fit has to match the occasion.

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Please do not share with anybody under legal drinking aid. Smyrnawereanov! No purchase necessary must be legal U.S. resident 21 or older. Sweep steak starts 1215, 2025 at 12 a.m. Eastern and ends 1.23, 2026 at 11.59.p.m. Eastern. See official rules at program website. Hey, Jeremy. Happy holidays. Happy Junuka. I want to toast you. Actually, I don't. I will toast with you.

Okay. We're co-workers. Mm-hmm. Friends, you could say. No, we cannot say that, but we both enjoy an ice cold Miller Light. That's true. Especially around the holidays. You know, it's a 50th anniversary of Miller Light.

It's really amazing. Every time we say that, I can't believe it. Well, it's crazy because, like, they've basically been partners with the Dan Levitard show for half of their existence. Wow. When I put it to you that way, we got an old-ass show. Yeah, we do. That's crazy. Hey, let's look around at our friends, not each other.

and our family, even though they're not here. I do miss your brother, though. Yeah, I know. I'll bring him back. And take that first sip, look around and know that we made the right decision. When it comes to a domestic light logger, Miller Light is the best. And it's a holiday season, as we mentioned. Why don't you enjoy that holiday season by drinking a beer that won't weigh you down? The original light beer since 1975 still hidden different, 50 years later,

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Don Lebertard. To us residents. Oh, wow. That's pretty good. I think I haven't been practicing? Stugats. I didn't realize we had a substitute complicated legacy. Brought you by headquarters of Toyota, 441 and Powerline Road.

Second down to nine. This is the Dan Lebatar show with the Stugats. Dan, you know about that rape bowl? That was with the T. Rate. Can we talk about how most Miami fans had an ear-to-ear smile laying in their bed New Year's Day, 2 a.m. in the morning. with a glow of their cell phone radiating off their face.

I was very exciting. Cheering on Michael Irvin simulating child abuse, beating the ever-loving shit out of a cooler. I'm watching that. I'm like, I know what you're doing. Yeah, yeah. Teach that cooler who is boss? Like, when did whipping with a belt become totally acceptable?

We all know what's happening. We all know what he's channeling, and we're all there like, yeah, yeah. You put an Ohio State jersey on top of that cooler and beat the shit out of it. But a lot of times it's B-roll. Sometimes we're not hearing what he's saying. saying maybe if you hear him it's better no when you hear him it's even more like child abuse

and you're like go do it owing just so that we know so that we're clear okay in the most cuban college football year there has ever been thank god this is the most cuban miami team there has ever been that michael irvin is out here simulating el pao yeah which which the cuban the cuban child will still get a hundred percent and and the thing is that's like when did hitting a child with a belt become okay no no tell you something come to this stadium

don't come back no that's shit baby you we put belt to ass we did it every week and we're going to keep doing it

until we land back home in our stadium for the national championship next week same deal same bad chance same back time. Beat the shit out of that.

Locks off saying belt ass. In the middle of it, he told a cooler to not come back to that stadium. I love it. I know what it is. I know what it represents. And I know it's dicey. I love it.

It's one of the game's greatest traditions now. Let's go through them. Yeah. It's Clemson running down the hill. It's Iowa players waving at a children's hospital. And it's Michael Irvin beating the shit out of a Gatorade cooler with your opposing team of Jersey

choice on top. So you're saying the Notre Dame play-like champions that they touch on the way out that they've been doing since New Krochnie. Yes. You're saying that this now rivals that. It's on the level. Overnight, great college football tradition. If you paid attention to the Ole Miss game, and I know you did, the Ole Miss players were doing the BTA celebration. And when they went to accept the Sugar Bowl trophy presented by Allstate, they had belts in their hand. Yeah, Zazel, what I was beginning to say is a great sports radio question is the following. If you're Miami, who do you prefer to play? Obviously, you don't want to see Trinidad Chamblis.

He is better than Gunner Stockton. He is a very good quarterback, a bit of a magician, a sorcerer. I say, do you want to play that? No, I don't really want to play that. But your choice was you could have gotten Georgia a coach so confident that up two points from his own 30-yard line on 4th and 5. He runs a double-reverse fake punt pass because he's so not scared of consequences in big stages. And also, he might know where Carson Beck's weaknesses are because he coached Carson Beck, and now you're going to have time to prepare for that.

If I say, Miami, you can choose which of those opponents you get. What is Miami's choice? I don't want to face Kirby Smart. Like, I don't want Kirby Smart to have 10 days to prepare for Mario Cristobal's Hurricanes. I don't. rather go up against Pete Golding, who has only been a head coach. This will now be his third game as head coach. And, you know, there's no way to actually quantify this kind of stuff. But you're telling me that Pete Golding is going to go three and no as a head coach in his lifetime. And all three of those games are in the playoff. It feels like a lot to ask for. It feels to me, it feels like all this time is coming to an answer. With no assistance because

like that thing is one of the weirdest things you've ever seen in college football. Lane Kiffin is lending him the assistance and now they don't know if they're even going to have what is it four to six of their assistants well the running back coach already left I think it's Weiss is the only one that's staying this is so dirty and Weiss was on campus at Baton Rouge hosting transfer

portal quarterbacks in his LSU and they didn't even get the kid they didn't even get him no Brendan Sorsby goes to Texas Tech Tony your thoughts here I was just going to say that with all those things said it feels like Ole Miss is a bit of a team of destiny right it's like the rag tag group the quarterback that

was in D2 last year the coach that nobody wants that all of a sudden is going to be the quarterback, the coach. It just feels like whatever Ole Miss is doing is working, right? It's a good story. It's coming to an end. Okay, sure, but it feels also like a team of destiny where they'll be playing against Miami and then

the one thing that you can't game plan for is what Trinidad Chambleau does, right? If Kirby Smart game plans against... May Marcel Reed was a running quarterback too. No, no, not Trinidad Chamis. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. This is not the same thing at all. Look, I would have argued and did argue last couple of weeks ago that Marcel Reed was the most

dangerous quarterback Miami had faced this year. And I'm including Carr in there, but Carr doesn't move. He doesn't turn the ball over either, but he doesn't run. What Trinidad Chambliss just did to Georgia felt to me like what I saw Vince Young do years ago as Texas's quarterback. Like that was just lunacy what he was doing to those athletes on the Georgia defensive line where I'm like, oh, wait a minute, they can't actually corral him. He doesn't get sacked.

Florida sacked him, South Carolina bothered him, but nobody intercepts him, and he plays like that, and he's got receivers who look the part. And he's gone up against good defensive fronts before. Oklahoma is a very good defensive front, and he won that game. Didn't have much of an issue with them. Just real quick, on the Kirby Smart thing, I actually think the double reverse, I think this is one of Kirby Smart's best year of coaching. His team was not very good. And they won their second consecutive SEC title. I think that fake pun in particular was Kirby telling you, we're not good enough on these guys, and I got to take this chance. But Georgia would have been favored against Miami. Miami is favored against Ole Miss. I think in terms of style of opponent, Ole Miss does a lot of things that should worry you. The three quickest quarterbacks in terms of getting the ball out fast, Kevin Jennings of SMU, Miller Moss of Louisville, and number one, Trinidad Chambliss.

I don't need to tell you what those other two quarterbacks did against Miami. how those games turned out. And his escapeability in the pocket, he's not going to take off and run all that much, but his ability to extend plays and find an open guy with a live arm to do that, I think there's an interesting style for Miami to match up against. You get to this point in the

season, how could you not expect to face a team that's going to present problems for you? Look, I mean, Miami just shut down a Heisman finalist and Julian San, but I think his ability to get the ball out quick, and if Miami gets home, he can be elusive enough.

to neutralize some of what Miami brings to the table. I think Miami's offense is going to get challenged in this game in ways that they haven't to keep pace early on. Miami hasn't trailed against any of the top 10 teams that they've played. I think they're going to trail in this one, and the offense is going to have to keep pace, and I think they will with the running game until you eventually wear this opponent out.

But I was worried about Georgia just because it is very clear Carson Beck is a different quarterback now. And I'm not just playing the results about, like, we're winning and he's not turning the ball over. Yeah, he was a mistake for you, man. fundamentally changed from that Louisville game to the point that he's a game manager now he's being challenged by opposing defenses to be precise and find holes in the zone and he's become a short yardage intermediate quarterback I think he takes like two attempts a game deep yeah

but he is a different guy now and I think part of that is because he's timid a little bit and that Louisville game got to his psyche and you want to talk about the Georgia storyline and Kirby smart and that whole thing I didn't want that anywhere near my quarterback that's the other thing, too, like Kirby can game plan specifically for what Carson Beck does in a way that when you look at the other side of the ball with Trinidad Chambliss, you can't game plan for that, right? Like, you can try to set the edge. You could try to not get him outside. But when he's Cam Ward last year, where he's just like spinning out of place, that's what it was. That's what it was. That's what it is. What I saw from this quarterback against Georgia reminded me exactly of Cam Horde where I'm taking three of the plays on one drive and I'm sending them to my friends in slow motion. so that you can watch just an absurd pro throw on one of them, a ridiculous scramble on another. Obviously, he's not Vince Young. He doesn't run like that.

He's just, he doesn't get sacked. And so if he's getting rid of the ball that quickly, and they don't miss Lane Kiffin, and when you talk about coaching, they were a disaster at the end of the first half. They botched a field goal, a thing you take for granted. One offense running off the field, field goal team running on, have a time out, you get out there. They botched the whole thing and you just saw

coaching, and it didn't matter. It didn't matter. Kirby Smart still trying fake double reverse passes because he's trying to keep up with this quarterback, who is the best player Miami has faced in two years. And they played Mendoza and Cal in those two years. This is not up for dispute, is it? I think he's a tremendous player. I think to the point about wearing them down, he's about the same height as Cam Ward, but Cam Ward, who got hurt yesterday has a good 30 pounds on Chamble. So I don't know how he's going to react to getting hit, but he doesn't get hit. They have a left tackle that hasn't given up a sack in 14 weeks. So the way that Louisville beat Miami was not just four turnovers. It was they came in with

the game plan. We have a first round wide receiver, but we're getting rid of everything in two seconds. We're not going to let Rubin Bain ruin this game. No, they were drop blocking. They were just going straight at Rubin's ankles because they were like, we can't, we can't block this guy straight up. And so if that is what it is that Miami is headed toward, and Mike is talking about the psyche of Carson Beck. Like, we forget their kids, okay? I understand. I understand that he's played in the hot light for a while, but at eight, between 18 and 22, whatever the pressures are on him at Georgia, he came, and in that game, they lost because of him. He threw four interceptions. He was winging it down the field. He fell in love with what happened against

FSU. Those throws weren't there. Louisville made great play after great play and he was humbled by it and becomes a game manager but ohio state stopped malachi tony and what i'm telling you about what miami has in ways to beat you that's unusual is mississippi actually has the kicking game advantage here but you trust all parts of miami's game now you trust their quarterback is not going to turn the ball over because he hasn't for a long while now and isn't throwing interceptible passes either it's not like he's making a whole bunch of mistakes It's just a more conservative offense that's trusting its defense. That's what's happening there.

But when you say, Mike, they've led against all the top 10 teams. They've never trailed against them. I'd be curious what it looks like when they trail because he hasn't been in that circumstance. And when he has been, he's lost. Well, are they going to get rattled? Are they going to get away from the run game if they go down a touchdown? Miami style, they were blessed to have that midseason hiccup because they learned like, wait a second. And in the ACC, teams are trying to have us play these games that we're doing against Notre Dame,

which is like, let's have the same number of possessions. And best on best, and we'll operate and we'll execute and we'll do what we have to do to come away against a team that maybe has a little bit more talent than us. But that doesn't fly in the ACC where teams are like, let's get more possessions. And if you're going to score on one possession and take seven minutes for it, we're going to score in two minutes, and we're going to have your guys in Ruben Bain and Kim Messador have to go against tempo, which I'm really worried about. is the first team that it's going to seriously run tempo against Miami. Miami's also learned to have rotation there. I think it's going to be a great game. I think Miami is blessed by what happened earlier this season, but I am worried that if they're going to be remarried

to their style, which is, okay, we're going to take seven minutes to score. You're going to take a minute, and that's going to be a problem. Don Lebertard. Get someone say conservative entity? Whoa. No. Oh, see, this is why. Stugats. Her's was better than mine. The fifth sagacki, how is the fifth sagacki better than the third and the fourthsigaki already? This is the Dan Levitar show with the Stugats.

I will find interesting how it is that they approach what is a, I believe, stubborn stupidity of just not ever running outside. They are just going to run straight into the middle of your face and they're never going to test the corners. I like it. It's just going to be punch you in the stomach

and punch you in the face and headbutt you, head but you because Michael Irvin is making strange noises on the sidelines, growling like some sort of mating wildebeest situation. What are those noises? It's a dog with rabies. So Miami's back because of that. Like, that, that is the, Miami's had that repress.

That sound has been repressed at the center of Miami for 20 years. I don't even think he's miced up. That's just like the phone picking up him, right? He's not miced up, is he? Yeah, he put stuff on his own YouTube channel, which I have subscribed to, because I love watching him beat the crap out of objects. I'm at a brick wall, a cooler. Keep it going.

My son gets home that night after the game, and the first thing he says when he walks in the door, he goes, you see Michael Orvin? I think we're underselling this guy's brain as one of the true great comedic brains. He's a brilliant physical comedian. He should be talked about like with Jim Perry. He's on all fours.

When the canes are in the end zone? He is so friggin funny. I got a question about that. Do you think that there's a moment where Mario's in a tense situation? He's trying to figure out what to do. He looks over to the 20. and he sees Michael Irvin on all fours

and he's like, that's funny, Irvin's in the end zone. It's like, what does this guy do? Get this guy up. You see Mario wipe off that kiss that Michael Irvin gave him on the cheek? It's been such a sloppy kiss. Let's be honest, come on. We call that the SVP muscle. At Lebitard show, put it on the poll, is Michael Irvin a brilliant physical comedian

like Jim Carrey? As brilliant a physical comedian as Jim Carrey. I did want to talk for a second, though, because we'll have plenty of time this week to analyze the latest, biggest game in program history, in the program century, I guess I would say, the last 20 years. The Texas A&M game was that, then the Ohio State game was bigger than that, and now this one is bigger than that. But when I talk about the context of who that is doing that absurdity for 30 years of physical comedy,

when I think of the memorable plays in Miami history, what Scott did with that picture, six is now going to go in the conversation with seeing Michael Irvin run down a sideline, down 193 at FSU, the moments that you remember all the details on. What are the seminal giant moments of hurricane football? And I imagine, Mike, that you felt as good as you've ever felt seeing a pick six against Ohio State being taken. And you're like, oh, we're going to play from ahead here. I said nine words, that entire game. Really? I said nothing during that. You're just silent the whole, you're with your family. I don't think like I deserve this.

You know, it's what I want so badly. Why don't you deserve it? I keep waiting for the universe to tell me that I'm not going to be able to enjoy this. So it's been kind of surreal. It's been kind of pinched me. I did some of the words that I said were right before, the play before that play, Jeremiah Smith was in the slot and we had Mo Torre on him. I was like, let's change that.

Don't like that. So that was a couple words. That was on, that was on Jeremiah. Smith, though. Yeah, yeah. He missed that block. So, like, the majority of your nine words were that play. Yeah, Kiante Scott had Turftoe.

And Turftoe, like, kept Joe Burrow out of the season. Turftoe really, really hurts. The name does not match how painful this is. When it was announced that he was going to play against Texas A&M, and dude, dude had an all-time game against Texas A&M. Guy's been unreal. This is a three-star transfer from Houston, not a lot of fanfare. and this guy has such a nose for the ball is making impact play after impact play

sure tackler incredible blitzer just making game-changing plays he is doing legendary shit right now it was such a bad decision from juliet saying it was so bad the game itself like i want to talk about it but i also want to talk about i don't know if you guys saw that john ruiz's life wallet was uh whatever it is taken off the nasdaq and what was the front on n i and Miami getting into the Christobal game. Cristobal representing Cuban Miami now. Representing Cuban Miami in a way that's very strong and unusual. We don't get sports things like this very often.

He represents the Cuban community very well. Auelos would tell you that and young kids who, like, Tony looks at Mario Cristobal, I imagine, is a symbol of great strength and so does your dad. 100%. Like that, that's people that we know realistically in the community. Like, I know Mario Cristobo, the archetype. You want to make a Cuban pop? That's it.

That's it. The name Fernando Mendoza around a 70-year-old Cuban second-gen guy. Okay, but Mike, Columbus High has put the University of Miami in this business position because the 90 million was found for Mario Cristobal with the understanding that he would work harder than anybody to get the biggest and the best and the strongest physical players so that they look like they have four first round picks on the offensive and defensive line. This is all a vision. This is all a plan. coming together at the right time.

Your 70-year-old, Abuelo doesn't care about that. I got an AI-generated image from my dad who does not know ball of Fernando Mendoza and Mario Cristobal to welcome in the New Year. Okay, but I got an AI image of Mario Cristobal hitting Ryan Day at midfield. I've got an AI image. You sure it's AI?

I was fooled by it. My father definitely was. My father was like, What do you? Bita Pena-Peniaso. Why? Why? What?

What? He's a lot. Let's see if this is. real or not. I thought, I wasn't sure. Yeah. Post-game handshake. Oh, clear shot. Down goes day! Yeah. And then he flexes.

That one I think is real, though. I love my coach. That's real. This was real from halftime. Here is Ruben Bain at halftime of the Ohio State game. He's in the locker room. I always do wonder when we get these, like, I imagine that Ohio State has this same thing in their locker room, and then no one will just ever see that because we bury those. When the team wins, we release it.

And so here's Ruben Bain in the University of Miami's half-time speech against Ohio State. Don't say much, bro, we only got 30 more minutes. 30 more minutes, we get everything we fucking work for. Them boys, they don't work how we work. They ain't feel how we feel. They ain't cry how we cry, gang. You can see that they don't got the energy we got, bro. They don't want it how we want them, bro.

30 more than we guys. Go! They don't cry like we cry. Guys dropping Morrissey lyrics at halftime. You're in big trouble. Ohio State does that in their locker room? I think they didn't win because they didn't do that. Guanté Scott has been sleeping at the

facility for months on it. They're like, we don't want it like they do. Can you guys answer my question in terms of seminal UM moments? Third and 44 Craig Erickson against Notre Dame. He converts to third and 44. When you're talking about the seminal moments in hurricane history, and we're talking

about these games are going to keep getting bigger, and it does announce to America. This is not Miami has won the business of this. They just dragged the defending champs. Like, they just dragged the defending champs in a way. Like, you know what Ohio State's defense has been. You know what their goal line

defense is about as good as you'll ever see. They're very stout. Ryan Day is not a special coach. He's got a very stout defense and has for a long time. And it wasn't more physical than Miami's. Anybody watching that game would be just

telling you, yeah, they could have played this a bunch of different times and it wouldn't have gone a lot different than this. And Mark Fletcher's getting four, five, six, seven yards of pop. It means that offensive line is just mauling people over. And it doesn't matter what you have on the defensive line, whether you're at A&M, whether you're Ohio State.

You're going to get pushed further and further and further down until you just crumble. Mass kicks ass. My coach. How about Marty Brown on that last try? Dude, you know why he was in there, right? A little worried about the fumbles with Fletcher. So had a fresh Marty Brown in there after they got softened up.

And they ran the same exact play that they scored the touchdown in. You have that personnel on the line jumbo. It's a run all the way, and you have a little running back, leak out on the... It was just a brilliant call that we went through twice by Shannon Dawson. Mask kicks ass. Dawson was in his bag on that play, by the way. That's another thing. Like, we were making Matt Patricia, the wizard coach that we can't crack.

A pencil on his hat. And with a laminated sheet. I'm not worried about that guy. Dan, you know about that Radiance Technology's Independence Bowl? You're worried about Champless. Yes, of course. I remember the Independence Bowl. Mani Diaz got shut up by Louisiana Tech in that.

I'm never going back. You know about that Snoop Dog Arizona Bowl? It did. He caught a one of the kick. Yeah.