The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football Podcast - Ohio St takes down Penn St, Michigan continues to roll, Alabama storms back & Utah beats USC…again

Episode Date: October 23, 2023

FOX Sports’ lead college football analyst Joel Klatt breaks down the Top-10 defensive battle in Columbus as Ohio State beat Penn State thanks, in large part, to Marvin Harrison Jr. Klatt points out what Ryan Day did to ensure he gave his team the best chance to win and where Penn State’s coaching staff will have regrets. In a week where Michigan found itself in a sign-stealing investigation and several other Top 10 teams had to fight off upsets, the Wolverines continued to roll. Joel breaks down how Jim Harbaugh has built his group into the most consistently dominant team in the nation. He then discusses Alabama’s big comeback and what it means for the SEC race. Klatt wraps up by discussing the thriller in the Coliseum as Utah continued its success against USC and why he is so impressed with what the Utes are doing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Joel Clad show, Ohio State goes all Mariano Rivera on Penn State. Michigan is still a dump truck, and Kyle Whittingham shoves USC right into a locker. College football has never been better. Interest has never been higher. Believe that we are at the dawn of the golden age of college football. It was an epic day of college football. It was just one of those days where you fall in love with the sport all over again. What's going on, everybody? Joel Clatt show. I am Joel Clatt. Welcome into the program. This show is presented by Hampton by Hilton. And we've got a great show for you as we do each and every Monday. The game I was at was fantastic. Remember, before we get started, wherever you're listening to this, wherever you get your podcasts, go ahead and subscribe to the podcast. So you get our show right when we release it, downloads right there and it's ready for you. If you watch this show and you partake on YouTube, tell you what, once you subscribe to you.

the show. Subscribe to the channel. We've got a lot of stuff there. And most weeks, we give you a YouTube exclusive where you can get some content, mostly X's and O's video based only on YouTube that you can find right here in the Joel Klatt Show YouTube channel. So you just like, subscribe, leave us a comment below and all those things. Follow us on social media, wherever you like to social media at Joel Klatt show. You can follow me on Twitter at Joel Klaat. Okay, let's get into it because we've got a lot to get into. Lots of struggles in the top 10. We've got to talk about that. Why? Why is that happening and why does it not happen for a particular team that we'll talk about? We'll obviously get to Ohio State, Penn State,

then we've got to react to Alabama, the comeback and went over Tennessee. And then the epic game, epic game and the Coliseum in LA against Utah and USC. And by the way, every time these two tangle, it seems like we get a classic every single time that they play. I was in Columbus and that was one hell of a football game. If you wanted a great game in a top 10 matchup, you got it. Now, was it all fireworks? No, but boy, that was a rugged Big Ten top 10 battle. And Ohio State, they got the better end of it. This is how it sounded. Third down and 11 at the 19. McCord. Over the middle, Harrison Jr. again, down the sideline, Maserati Ma. Touchdown.

Buckeyes, speed, agility, power, balance, Maserati. I'll tell you, Marvin Harrison Jr. was unbelievable for Ohio State. And he was the difference in the game. So you guys know I was a baseball player. So let's talk a little bit of baseball. And why did yesterday remind me of baseball? Well, Marvin Harrison is an out pitch, okay? And Ohio State was not going to get beat with anything other than their out pitch. It was going to be thrown and it was going to be thrown often. You see, when I think of baseball, I think of great pitchers, big moments. We're in that season right now with a great ALCS, you know, we're in that World Series, you know, we're in that World Series, you know, time frame. And you start thinking about some of the great dominant pitchers, at least of our

lifetime. And I think of a couple closers, guys that have been great starters. And generally speaking, great pitchers are great because they have somewhere to go in pressure moments. And where do they go? They go to their best pitch. And their best pitch is an out pitch. It's a pitch that they can rely on because of its greatness. All right. It's that pitch that makes them who they are. So think of some of these examples. You've got guys like Mariano Rivera, you know, obviously for the Yankees. What did he go to all the time? The cutter. It was maybe the most feared pitch in all of baseball for a long time. The cutter was coming. You knew it was coming and he still threw it and he still, for the most part, got you out. But the better part was, is that even if you got the better of Mariana Rivera,

at least he would have the confidence or the peace of mind in knowing that you beat his best. He didn't get beat with something that wasn't his best. Think of Trevor Hoffman, great closer for the Padres, change up, devastating change up. When push comes to shove and the chips are in the middle of the table, what did you get? You got Trevor Hoffman's change up. Randy Johnson, same thing. He was a devastating left-handed pitcher. You could not hit Randy Johnson.

Why? His slider. you're a left-handed hitter, you were going to get his slider. And you knew it, he knew it, everybody knew it. And he still threw it. And it was reliable because it was a great pitch. Well, guess what? Ohio State has one of those pitches. And that pitch just happens to be Marvin's Harrison Jr. He's the best player on the field. And you have to give them a lot of credit because they, like those great pitchers, knew that they were not going to go down without giving their best, their out pitch. Penn State was going to see and feel and have to deal with

Marvin Harrison Jr. time after time after time. All right. And they knew it before the game. Trust me. I mean, you really think that those coaches, trust, and like, if you're a Penn State fan and you're listening to this, they knew what the game plan for Ohio State was going to be. I sat with them on Friday. James Franklin was crystal clear. We have to know. where 18 is at all times. And it's not just enough knowing where he is. We have to have a plan for where he's at. And they did for the most part. But then this is where it gets into the next step. And the next step is the coaching staff. This is where Ryan Day and Brian Hartline, the wide receiver slash quarterback or excuse me, office coordinator need to get a lot of credit. And the credit comes

and they, you can tell, spent all week trying to figure out ways to creatively get Marvin Harrison, Jr. the ball. That's all they did. And he was lined up all over. I gave a Roy Kent reference for God's sakes in the game because he was everywhere. He lined up everywhere. He was in bunch sets. He was in tight sets. He was lined up as a single wide receiver. He was out wide. He was in tight. He was off the ball. He was on the ball. He was everywhere. everywhere. And they would get him the ball on easy throws, design screens, design slips in the flat, one-on-one on a slant, one-on-one on the in-breaking route, on the wheel route, bring him across on a shallow cross on that third and 11. You know, it was just a really well-designed

game plan from the Ohio State perspective because they knew they were going to be undermanned. They didn't have Trayvion Henderson, their best running back available. They didn't have a Mecca Abuka. They're number two wide receiver. available. Kyle McCord wasn't playing particularly well. And guess what? It didn't matter because you were going to get Marvin Harrison, Marvin Harrison Jr. Their out pitch. They weren't going down unless they were going down with their best. He was targeted 16 times in that game. He was unbelievable. And it's not even a failure of the Penn State defense because the Penn State defense showed itself to be one of the best defenses in the country. It was just that like when push came to shove,

he could elevate higher than the other guys on the field. Even the scoop and score that was called back for a hold. Why? Because it's Marvin Harrison. They're trying to throw it to Marvin Harrison Jr. And Kaelin King had to hold him. That was the only way he was not going to be open on a little, basically inside. I call it a looky route.

It's an inside slant across the face of that near defender. He's going to get to the inside shoulder. And King is out of position so he has to reach out and grab. It was a good call. It's not a bad call. Happens before the ball is knocked out. to McCord's hands, but that changes the game completely. Do I think that any other player has to get held right there?

Probably not. So Marvin Harrison Jr. even had a hand in what was, at least for a long time in that game, the most impactful snap of the game. The other side of this is that Penn State either did not have an out pitch or we didn't see it. And that's what's, I think, frustrating for Penn State fans. You thought that, and a lot of us did, by the way, this was going to be Penn State's moment. There was some vulnerability for Ohio State, at least some of us thought that.

They're breaking in a new quarterback. They had injuries on the offensive side, Henderson and Abuka. Their offensive line wasn't quite what it was a year ago. And it's like, okay, maybe you can get this team. Penn State looks to be even better than they were a year ago. They're getting more mature. They've got their quarterback that they feel like can take them to the next level. and we didn't see it.

There was nothing there that shows me that Penn State knew how to take the next step. Because, again, they didn't either have an out pitch or we didn't see it. And that's going to be frustrating for them. It's going to be frustrating for their fan base. By the way, as you know, I'm sure a lot of you out there struggling a little bit with like your voice, a little cold. So if you see me drinking or hear me drinking some tea, that's what I'm doing. By the way, it's cinnamon tea. It's delicious.

I think my wife, Sarah, hooked me up with some cinnamon tea. It's delicious. Okay, so let's talk about this Penn State offense, and a lot of people frustrated with the way that the offense looked. Now, listen, there are two ways to look at this. One is that Ohio State's defense played really well. True. And that's something that I'll get into in a moment.

And the other is the frustration with what seemed to be a lack of aggressiveness and creativity offensively. And that's also true. Okay, so I feel that frustration. I sense that frustration, and I saw that also happen on the field. When I look at Penn State, they don't have the wide receivers that I think that they need to at this point. But that's not exactly where it has to come. Everyone's like, well, they don't have a wide receiver like Marvin Harrison.

But remember, it's not just having a wide receiver like Marvin Harrison. it's having an out pitch like Marvin Harrison. Your out pitch can be a lot of things. It can be a run game. It can be a running back. It can be a tied in. Look at Georgia for that example. Brock Bowers is their out pitch.

And that's why they're in some peril now because he's out with his injury. You have to have a player or an element on your team that can take you to the next level. What is your out pitch? And Penn State didn't show it. they didn't show it or they don't have it. And I refuse to believe that they don't have it because they've got some really talented players on that side of the ball.

Think about it. While they might not have the wide receivers, I know they've got really good tight ends and they're tight ends where I feel like underutilized in the game. Their backs, I think, are the best players on their offense. K.Tron Allen, Nicholas Singleton. Not only were they recruited really highly, rightfully so, but they produced as true freshman.

Like, these guys are your best players. And those guys didn't get utilized as an out pitch. So this is where I'm focusing on. And the reason is is because these guys, K.Tron Allen and Nicholas Singleton, have to be put into situations like Marvin Harrison Jr. was to impact the game to the greatest degree possible. When you're talking about top 10 games, and by the way, I'm not talking about it. every week. Okay, let me backtrack just a moment. This is not for every week. Marvin Harrison, Jr. doesn't need to go to where he did on Saturday every single week in order for Ohio State to win.

But when you're facing another great team, your great players have to play great football. And then you have to put them in positions to impact the game as a coaching staff. Penn State, like, I'm watching this game and I'm like, they thought that they could just roll in here, play their base offense, and beat Ohio stayed on the road. That wasn't going to happen. You've got to have an element that can go above and beyond. If it's Singleton and Allen, let them do that. Put them in position to do that. Where was the element of the screen passes in space, the creativity of having them both on the field at the same time to impact the game? Heck, bring Perbula in the backup quarterback who's got a threat with his legs in order to have some run game where they've got to account for the extra

hat. Maybe you're equating numbers for the backs in that. way. Another thing I didn't see is their spread. When they got in trouble against Northwestern, they spread their wide receivers way outside of the numbers, almost like a Tennessee-style offense or an old Baylor-style offense. And what that did is that it allowed for far greater amount of space in the interior of the field for the backs to start to work. That's how they started getting themselves going against Northwestern. They can do that because their quarterback, Drew Aller, has a strong enough arm to still threaten you outside of each set of numbers. Didn't see any of that.

So again, it's like, where was the out pitch? We never saw it. Nothing came to fruition offensively. Now, did the Ohio State defense play well? Yes. But Penn State never offered their best. At least it didn't seem like it. Just from a numbers perspective, think about this,

before the last drive, and I think Drew outler through like 12 passes on the last drive. He ends up with 42 passing attempts. But if you pair that back, that was basically garbage time right at the end of that last series. Up to that point, he had thrown the ball 30 times in that game. And remember, before that point, it's basically like a one possession game. That's a field possession position, one possession game. And he had 30 throws in Singleton and Allen between them had 18 carries. It's like there was never going to be a situation where Ohio State was going to be locked into a one possession game late.

and Marvin Harrison Jr. had only been targeted five times. That was not going to happen. Day is too seasoned and big matchups to go down that way. He acted like Rivera or Hoffman or Randy Johnson knowing that in the biggest moment, I'm going to go down or if I'm going to go down, it's going to be with my best pitch and he threw it. And you knew it, he knew it, and it still succeeded.

Some other just quick thoughts off of this game. Ohio State, obviously, they've got to feel great about this. They've got what now is the best resume in the country. A couple of top 10 wins, one on the road over Notre Dame, now against Penn State. Those are two really good football teams. Penn State's still a really good football team, folks. There's no doubt about this in my mind. And the thing that I think that they feel so good about the Buckeyes is that they won both of those games

in a manner in which people were questioning whether they could do it or not, which are two slugfests, low-scoring, slug-fest, defensive-fuss. oriented, run game oriented, toughness oriented. That was the narrative coming in. Ohio against the world, right? I mean, Ryan Day, he told us earlier in the year, and they won both of those games. It's not going to shock me if they're able to take care of business against Wisconsin next weekend. It won't shock me if they're number one in the first CFP rankings with the resume that they have. They've got to be feeling great about that.

Their defense is for real. I love that defense. They're safe. They do not give up the big play and they are able to do that because their front seven flat got after it. You know, there's a reason why Penn State couldn't just hand the ball off to run. Now, were they creative in doing it? No. But they couldn't just run their base run game because the front seven for Ohio State was outstanding. Those defensive tackles really played well. The linebackers really played well. And when they needed it, the pass rush showed up because Aller had no chance in the passing game. The wide receivers weren't getting any separation. And if they could get separation, it was going to be way later in the passing concept than

the two and a half, three seconds that the protection was affording in the first place. So, yeah, the defense was outstanding for Ohio State. They stifled Penn State. They had one first down in the second half before that final drive. They had six total yards in the second half before the final drive. And that was basically mop-up duty at the end. Last thing that I would just say is that they won that game and you could make an argument that three of their five best players, six best players, six best

players on their team weren't even playing in the game. So they were able to beat a top 10 team without Trevionne Henderson, without a mecca abuka, without Denzel Burke, on the other hand. They did that defensively without their best cover corner. So we're talking about Penn State not having wide receivers that can get open. And it's it's not like Ohio State had their best corner on the field. Denzel Burke didn't play in that game. Give a lot of credit to Jermaine Matthews, by the way, true freshman corner.

He was out there quite a bit and he was very good. And then the last thought would just be for Penn State. All is not lost for Penn State. If you're Penn State and you can go home and you can fix this and you can learn from this and they can find and develop that out pitch, they still have Michigan out there. They still have them. And this is a scenario where like, hey, even if Ohio State wins out, a resume with a win over Michigan and being 11 and 1 at that point is going to look really good. You don't know what's going to happen.

Ohio State still got into the CFP last year at 11 and 1 in a non-division champ. Didn't play in the conference championship game. So keep plugging away and learn from your mistakes. We all thought that it was time to take the next step. But what needed to be learned is that in order to take the next step, it wasn't about just doing what you do a little bit better. It was finding the small areas within your team where you can find an out pitch, where they can take you to even the next level and then the next level after that

and you lean into those areas. Learn from what Ryan Day and Ohio State did with Marvin Harrison, Jr., and lean into those areas of your team that can do the same for you. That'll do it for that game. It's my favorite time of year. It's football season, and as you know, I take it seriously. So when I'm traveling on the road to watch my favorite teams, I can't risk calling the wrong play with where I stay.

So wherever I go, I know that I can count on Hampton by Hilton. I can depend on their comfortable rooms and their warm, friendly service. Their free hot breakfast is a game changer. I love it. They change it up seasonally. I love going down and getting a coffee. I love getting the waffle. I don't want to pay $80 for room service.

I can go down and get fresh food right there, right in the lobby of the hotel. So whether you're cheering on your team from the stands or never leaving the tailgate, Hampton by Hilton will always give you that win. Okay. So as we look across college football on Saturday, anybody else realized that everybody struggled? It was like a big exhale. And it's like all these teams thought that they had done what they needed to do to become elite,

done what they needed to do to put themselves in the college football playoff discussion. And they all were just like, okay, we got this. and everybody struggled, except for Michigan. Think about it. What do we see on Saturday? North Carolina lost to Virginia. Like, wow, didn't see that coming. Oklahoma, Texas, Washington, Florida State, all survive.

I mean, survive. Every one of those teams very easily could have gotten beat. Every one of them. Oh, you had to stave off a two-per-year-old. point conversion. Texas, Houston got a terrible spot. Washington had to get a pick six in a game in which they couldn't score with Michael

Pinnock's. And Florida State, if Riley Leonard doesn't leave the game in the third quarter when Duke has the lead, I'm not, like, I don't know. I don't know if they're able to survive. And then there's the Wolverines. Oh. I laughed because I

I was so interested to see how they would handle the game after the week that they had. And I know I haven't addressed really publicly. I addressed the Michigan news on the game. And so before I go any further, I'll just say exactly what I said on the telecast, because I do believe that the allegations against Michigan are serious enough to not start lobbing around like what I think about them. Because what I think is totally irrelevant. It's totally irrelevant.

What's being alleged is really serious. And I think even goes above possibly wins and losses. So let's just let the investigation run its course. And we'll see what happens after that. I'm confident that the investigation will find what it needs to find. Either they advanced scout or they didn't. advance scout. And one's against the rules. The other is not. And we're all going to move forward. And that's kind of my thoughts on the Michigan deal. Okay. So that's the news that comes out.

And now they have to head out to Michigan State. Remember, this was the team that gave them their last Big Ten loss. Their last regular season loss was a couple of years ago when they rolled up there. That's the game that basically gave Mel Tucker's $95 million contract. Kenneth Walker, you know, with those long runs. It was a great game. Gus and I called that game. Great game. And so they go back up there to that scene, interstate rivalry.

I mean, a heated rivalry. And from the first drive, either side of the ball, offense or defense, I'm just like, oh, Michigan's going to win this game by as many points as they want to, as many points as they want to. If they want this to be 55, 56, 56, nothing, you know, sure. How about, you know, 63? Sure. Like whatever score was going to be available to the Michigan Wolverines. They were going to hold Michigan State to as few points as they wanted to, and they were going to be able to score as many as they wanted to. And it wasn't going to be particularly close. And I started thinking to myself, like, well, why is this so different? Why does everybody else struggle on this, you know, Saturday? And why does Michigan not struggle? And to me, it's like,

they rely on things that are reliable. You know, not dissimilar from what Ohio State did with Marvin Harrison, Jr. What's the most reliable commodity for Ohio State, Marvin Harrison Harrison, Jr.? Well, as a team, Michigan is built to rely on toughness, physicality, tackling, you know, blocking well, being great at the line of scrimmage. They're disciplined. They don't commit penalties. they play the field position. They're good on special teams.

It's like they do everything well. They limit your possessions. They run the clock. They know what they're doing. They know how to win and they know why they win. It's a suffocating experience to play Michigan, to watch Michigan. You can see it. I've said the analogy.

I mean, let's face it. I created the analogy. We created the analogy. They are a boa constrictor. But why is it so much more consistent than all these other teams? Well, what they rely on is available to them every single week. You see, because they don't rely on things like timing. They don't rely on things like rhythm.

See, they're not a three-point shooter. Three-point shooters and teams built on the three-pointer, they have off-nights. You always see that. But what made the warriors so good is that they were great on defense as well. So, like, they could do what they did on offense and still be a great team because they were solid on defense. Well, similarly, Michigan is solid in the areas that travel.

Every night you can play with effort. Every single night, I'm going to say night, but every Saturday you can play with effort. By the way, that travels on the road. It's totally weatherproof. Physicality. That's weatherproof. When you play that way, you're going to have less off days. Now, it doesn't mean that you might not have one, but you're going to have far fewer

than a team that's built on rhythm, that's built on passing, that's built on timing. Those things are hard. They're very hard. And that's why Michigan doesn't struggle. Their defense has now scored four defensive TDs this year, and they've only allowed five touchdowns total. They're allowing less than six points per game this season. Now, J.J. McCarthy is a quarterback that is coming into his own, now in his second

years a full-time starter. And he's the betting favorite to win the Heisman trophy. And I can't argue with that. If I had to vote today, I probably would write J.J. McCarthy in there because of what I saw from Michael Pinnock's on Saturday night against Arizona State. You know, JJ, it's interesting because Michigan is this methodical boa constrictor, but now they're developing this young quarterback where this young quarterback is now also their out pitch.

I'm just going to throw analogies in all night long. Their out pitch is the fact that JJ can go to a different level. The four touchdown passes, like the way he's playing, when push comes to shove, I'll bet on him too. I'll bet on him too. But they're not reliant on just him. You see, they're not reliant on just JJ being great and JJ being JJ all the time because he doesn't have to do that.

The rest of their team is so reliable because they're built on the things that will travel and that they're timeless and that will show up every single day. day. Effort, discipline, and toughness. That's the way Michigan is built. That's why they don't have bad days. Everyone is sitting out there and saying like, play somebody, schedule, schedule, it's such garbage. Like, I can't wait for someone to bring this up. And it's like, okay, let's talk about schedule. Do you want to talk about schedule? Let's talk about schedule. How about Washington needing a pick six to beat Arizona State at home who has zero FBS wins? You want to talk about schedule?

How about that? Because the last time I checked, Michigan wasn't struggling with Arizona State. They just hammered an in-state rival 49 to nothing and could have scored 100 if they really wanted to. Oklahoma, what did they do? They fended off a two-point attempt by UCF at home who had lost three straight coming in. So I'm sorry, like, schedule this. How about Texas? Oh, all they had to do was go and beat Houston.

And they did that by seven, in part because of, a terrible spot by the officials on third and one down there inside the 10 yard line when it looks like Houston's going to tie the ball game up inside of a minute and half, a minute and a half in the fourth quarter. Like, what are we going? It would have given Houston a first and goal inside of two minutes. Schedule? What do you mean Michigan hasn't played anybody? Who are you playing? North Carolina, they were ranked 10th. They lost at home to Virginia who had zero FBS wins coming in. Earlier in the year, Georgia, all Mighty trailing South Carolina and Auburn in the second half. South Carolina, one win over an

FBS team. Auburn, two wins over an FBS team. One of those was UMass, by the way. Oh, hey, Florida State, you want to yell about schedule? Florida State, they beat Boston College by two, who is four and three and beat Clemson in overtime. They're four and three. And by the way, you struggled in a really good game, but you were at home. Riley Leonard and Duke have you dead to rights until Riley Leonard leaves the game. You see, so everyone yelling schedule is struggling with the weak opponents. Michigan doesn't struggle with those teams. Why?

Because what they rely on is reliable. It shows up every single day. And then, and this is the kicker, then they have an out pitch. That's scary. That's really scary. I've got this one stat. I just want to read it to you.

Michigan has won their first eight games by 24 or more points. It's the first team to do that since the 2019 Ohio State Buckeye team. And that team was really good. Very good. Let's go to Tuscaloosa. We thought this might be the chance. We thought this might be a Tennessee moment to take the next step. Very similar to Penn State at Ohio State. And then this happened. Milton stands in. The ball is not free. It's picked up as the Grimm's gets the loose football. Man, good win for Bama there. This A lot like that matchup, a little less so because obviously the Penn State game was a top 10 game. But you get this sense, and I've gotten this sense.

Like Tennessee has been kind of knocking on that door of like, okay, we want to play and be at the top end of the SEC. And last year it sure felt like they were going to do that when they took down Alabama. That was a monumental victory at home in Neeland Stadium. And they beat Alabama. And then you get the sense like, okay, now it's time. You're in the east. You got to go play Georgia on the road. If it's really real, you're going to go there and give them a good.

They got housed. Like they weren't ready. They weren't ready for that. Georgia housed them. So now you come to this year. And granted, they're having to replace a lot of those quality players, right? And so you've got Joe Milton in for Hendon Hooker and Hyatt's no longer there. And so you're relying on some other wide receivers.

and they're having to lean a little bit more on the run game this year than maybe they had to last year. But again, it's Tennessee. They feel like they've recruited really well. And they feel like this is a moment for them to take the next step and to be a team that can constantly put themselves in the top tier. And when I say top tier, I mean like the top two or three teams in the conference. And for so long, that has been held by Georgia, Alabama, and LSU. Tennessee wants to get up there. And I get it and I feel that.

And then you go out there in the second half and get housed. I mean, Tennessee had a 13 point lead at halftime. You had to feel great about the way the team was playing, the way that the game was going. And I understand, like there's always going to be frustrations with officials. Do you think Iowa's not frustrated with officials right now? Do you think Houston's not frustrated with officials right now? I mean, even Penn State fans had to be,

frustrated when they get a call on a hold that brings back a scoop and score. Like, so, you know, I know like Josh Hyple, not happy with officials. Nobody's happy with the officials when they lose, you know, close ball games. And I, and I get that. I really do. Having said that, though, this is a team that last year had a great opportunity and just didn't take advantage on the road against Georgia. And this felt a lot like that as well.

It's a really tough thing to do in that conference to rise up and compete with and possibly beat Nick Saban and be on that level, in particular in back-to-back years. You know, that just doesn't happen. I know Old Miss did it a few years ago, and that was before Alabama had really embraced the change to the modern offense, and it was part of the reason why they did embrace the change. And Nick Saban did start to go and modernize that offense. But this is a team that ran the ball 14 times for 32 yards in the second half. And so if you're a team that needed to run the ball more than you did a year ago and rely on that, then that's something that you got to do and you got to do better in particular with a 13 point lead in the second half. I talk about this all the time, man.

When you've got those multiple possession leads, you've got to play a little bit different. You've got to be good at different things. And Tennessee was unable to do that. and you got to give Bama a lot of credit. So where does that leave Bama? Is Bama like legitimate? Is Bama an actual playoff contender? Is Bama an actual SEC title contender?

I will tell you as impressed with Bama as I am. And I'm sure as happy as Nick Saban is to coach this team. And by the way, I believe him when he says I love coaching this team. I totally get it. A lot of coaches will tell you it's the years in which they feel like they're squeezing more out of the team than is there, right? a team that's playing over its ability level, those are the ones that coaches really love. And you get the sense that this Alabama team is doing that.

They're really good and they've recruited at a high level, but they're not what they have been over the last few years. And you get the sense that they're playing with a little of the same thing that Michigan is playing with. Discipline, toughness, physicality, and they're trying to win the games that way and they've been able to do so. Credit to them and credit to Nick Saban, but it leaves me with a giant question for Alabama, a giant question. Can you beat LSU that way?

I don't know because it seems like this LSU team is going to be able to score 35, 40 points on anybody that they play. I know they played Army, they scored a million. So like, who cares about that game this last weekend? Jaden Daniels and that offense, they're for real. And I get, it just gives me pause when I think about Bama's matchup against. against LSU. Because I just feel like LSU is going to require more out of the Bama offense than the Bama offense has.

Now, we'll talk about that game when it gets here. But that's what I think about with Alabama. I just don't, I don't know if they can beat LSU. And it might be another year in which it goes south early for LSU. And yet they kind of find their way back into the SEC championship game. That would just be, that would be wild. That would be wild. Last game that I want to talk to, maybe the best game of the day or quite possibly the best game of the year.

And these two teams constantly give us classics. This is what it sounded like. Wow. That game was phenomenal. That was a, it was so good. Like, can these two teams play twice a year every year? because it's, and the USC fans have just got to hate it. They've got to hate it.

The former Mountain West team is just rolling in there and taking the team that has owned the pack, you know, 12, 10, 8 and stuff in them in a locker. And, oh, it's so fun to watch this Utah team. It's fun to watch Caleb play. Everything about that was entertaining. Man, Jason Benetti, Brock, Alison Williams, you guys did an awesome job.

Awesome job. Like, I love listening to Brock call games. I love Jason's calls. Allison does a great job on the sideline. And that was everything the college football fans should love. Two words come to mind when I think of Utah. When I watch that game, and I spun back through and I watched some of that game. When I think of Utah, I think of two words.

Toughness and creativity. They show both of those. I love what Kyle Whittingham does. I love what Morgan Scally does. Like they don't leave anything, they don't leave any stone unturned. Coaches out there, take a page out of Kyle Whittingham's book.

No stone is unturned. If you've got some ability as a player, it doesn't matter if you're a defensive player. You played slot in high school, come on over here. Be our running back. We'll figure it out a way. You're a backup quarterback.

What do you do best? Let's lean into what you do best. Oh, you're a tough guy that can run out there and like basically be a different version of cam rising. Let's let you do that. And guess what else is always there with Utah, toughness, physical play. Man, do you ever get the sense when you're watching Utah? And by the way, Gus and Jenny and I were heading to Salt Lake. We've got Oregon at Utah this Saturday.

I can't wait. I cannot wait to see Oregon play, who I think is fantastic, to see Utah play who I just admire so much. This Utah, earlier before the season, I said death taxes in Utah football. Here we are again. Death taxes in Utah. You know what I can rely on in this world?

One of them is Utah football under Kyle Whittingham. I love watching them play. I love the toughness that they bring to the table. I love the physicality that they bring to the table. When you watch a Utah game, you can be watching it on silent, on my iPad, on film. You can be watching it on TV. You can be watching it live. You can be on the sidelines.

You can be in row 87. You feel Utah. You feel them. Silent on my iPad, I feel them. You're playing them. You feel them. You're in row 87. You feel them.

They might get beat, but you're going to know they were there. this is why I love Utah. They have this mentality that it's like, hey, man, win or lose, you're going to be hurting after the game. And by the way, as soon as you come in those gates, we're going to lock them behind you. And just like, let's go. Let's scrap.

They are the guy in your neighborhood or any of the neighboring neighborhoods that you just know, like, they love to grapple just to see, like, who can hang with them. because they're just like they just want to see they're the guy that's like hey hit me in the stomach and then they smile at you and then you get to the creativity again no stone unturned it doesn't matter what position you're playing they're like can you help us great what are you best at great

let's lean into that coaches around the country watch Utah play go talk to Kyle Whittingham go talk to Morgan Scali what are they doing that you're not because they're doing something really special. And it pays off. It pays off. I love, I love watching them play. Give them a lot of credit. They're playing with a backup QB, safety playing running back. You know, it's the same day, Rising, Keithy, Lander Barton, they're all basically gone for the season. The announcement about Keithy and Rising, hopefully coming back next year, which is wild. They're going to be, they're like old school at this point. It was like the Godfather Cam Rising is coming back. Don't say sorry to me. Say sorry to the baby.

So Keithy's coming back. Barton's lost for the season. And then there's the USC angle on this. And the USC angle has got to be more frustrating because from USC's standpoint, you look at this game and you realize like, I just don't think that USC went down giving their best pitch. I talk about out pitches. This team has lost two games in a row. And everyone's going to point at Caleb, offense.

Is the defense good enough? And I understand that because those are the overarching narratives that have been built. When I look at Lincoln Riley's teams, and this has been true going all the way back to Oklahoma, they're at their best when they're running the ball effectively and really well. And often, you see, it's not a past first offense and really never has been. When they were at their best at Oklahoma, they were very balanced to the tune of running the football for over 250, 2705, sometimes even 300 yards per game. they could run the rock. And early in this game against Utah, they were able to do that with Marshawn Lloyd.

Marshawn Lloyd is part of their out pitch. It's not just Caleb. You see, when they lean too much into just Caleb being Caleb, what it ends up being is schoolyard. Because they don't have the wide receivers that get opened down the field on time. So Caleb ends up having to hold the ball, back up, create space, and then throw with scramble rules. They might as well just run jailbreak scandal rules all the time.

So their wide receivers aren't creating enough space. And in part because they don't put defenders at the second and third level in conflict with play action pass. Okay. So this is what was so good at Oklahoma is the fact that when they ran the ball that often and that effective, they were able to put defenders in conflict. When those defenders were in conflict, they got more open receivers down the field. Caleb doesn't have open receivers down the field because a lot of this is dropped back pass. the threat of the run is not there because they abandoned the run too soon.

Marshawn Lloyd early in the game in the first two series, he got basically like four or five carries. They go down the field. One of them, his first carry of the game rips off a touchdown run. Then he's getting the ball a couple of more times. They go right down the field and they score. They score in their opening two series and he's getting the ball. And then it totally dries up.

And his last carry, he basically gets one carry in the second half. It's a fumble. And then it's like he goes in the doghouse and he's done. He doesn't have fumble problems. This is only his second fumble of the season. He had a fumble against Arizona State and then a fumble here, and he didn't get the ball again. Marshawn Lloyd is part of their best pitch.

He's part of their out pitch. He's part of the outpitch based on what the offense is designed to do. And so I just don't understand why he's not getting the ball more. You know, under 10 carries against Notre Dame, under 10 carries against Utah. And I'm not under any illusion that against Utah, team that you can feel from the 87th row that you're going to give the ball to Marshawn Lloyd 20 times. That's not what I'm suggesting.

But you do have to have the threat of that. And when you have the threat of that, then you can put some of those defenders in conflict. And if they have to react to what you're doing, then you're in the driver's seat. So that's what I sense when I'm watching this game, when I'm seeing what USC is doing. I think too much is being put onto Caleb Williams' shoulders. You know, there's going to be a lot talked about, you know, language. and Riley didn't make the players available. I don't know if I have an opinion on that. I think that writers make more of a deal about that than anybody else.

Like as a player, I would kind of appreciate that from a coach. A coach's obligation is not to the media. It's to his players. Okay. So if the players don't want to talk to the media and the player can and the coach can go take the bullet for doing that, then you know what? Like, that's the coach's prerogative. Still college football. This is not the pros. And the pros, like, go talk to the media. Now, as a player, would I always want to answer for the way that I played? Sure, you know, and I'd walk out there and take some of those arrows when needed. Drew Aller did that for Penn State. I felt awful for him after the game. For that kid to sit there and have tears in his eyes and say, I sucked. Drew,

no, you didn't, man. You're going to be just fine. Drew Aller, you're going to have a lot more opportunities to play great down the stretch. You've still got everything out in front of you. The offensive game plan was not great. Okay, you didn't have anybody open down the field and your offensive line didn't protect very well. So like, did you play your best? No. But you know what? Live to play another down.

Lift and play another day. Now, he goes and talks to the media. If the USC players didn't want to talk to the media, it was like, you know what Lincoln should do? Not make them available. So I didn't care as much that that happened as some of the writers out there. Riders, though, man, they just like, it's like an affront to them. It's like, how dare you? You owe it to us.

No, he doesn't. No, he doesn't. No coach owes any rider anything ever. That's my thought on that. Can't wait to be back with you on Wednesday. Love this sport. This sport is the best. I mean, some of those games were like the Utah USC game.

That was awesome. That was awesome. Oh, man. Gus Jenny and I come to Salt Lake. Can't wait to do that. I can't wait to. I haven't been back to Utah in a very long time. So Oregon, Dan Landing Squad, who I think is very good, very tough.

That's going to be a physical game with the Utah Uts and Salt Lake. always brings it. That's not at the traditional noon eastern time. Jason and Brock will be calling the Big Noon Saturday game at Kansas as Oklahoma faces Kansas. That's where Big Noon kickoff will be. Gus Ginny and I will be in Salt Lake and we're going to handle that Oregon and Utah game from Salt Lake. So that's how that goes. Remember to subscribe to the show. I'm glad my voice hung in there for this long. So thanks for bearing with me. Subscribe to the show wherever you listen to your podcast. Subscribe on the YouTube channel to the channel. Leave us a review. Like us. Share it with a friend, folks, because college football is better when you're sharing it with a friend.

Follow us on social media and we'll be back on Wednesday. We'll see you then.