Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
2024 Sun Belt Football: Week 8 Recap, Week 9 Preview
73 Plays6 months ago
Join Brian and Zeke as they discuss week 8 in the Sun Belt Conference, including Georgia Southern's dominating 28-14 win over James Madison and Old Dominion's 24-14 upset of Texas State.
Week 9 begins with a Georgia Southern/ODU showdown on Thursday night, and has other great games on the docket that both guys make picks on as well.
Email the show at warmweatherfans@gmail.com
Follow us on X:
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Listener Engagement
00:00:14
Speaker
Welcome, everybody, into another edition of Warm Weather Fans, the Sunbelt Podcast. My name is Brian Stone, joined this week by Zeke Palermo, fresh off of his getting well again, I guess. ah Before we get to anything else, we are live on both YouTube and X, so you can visit our pages there. If you are on YouTube, you can submit comments slash questions ah through the chat.
00:00:42
Speaker
Um, so as always, you know, this is going to go up on our podcast feed as well. So check out our YouTube page. Like I said, we want to do more stuff like this youtube dot.com slash at warm weather fans. You can catch us at warm weather fans on X. Our handles are also in, you know, the little name plates we have underneath us.
Zeke's Sunbelt Game Experience
00:01:00
Speaker
Zeke, you were boots on the ground this weekend at a, at a Sunbelt game watching it live. So how's it going? And and tell us a little bit about what that experience was like.
00:01:09
Speaker
I'm good. I had about a sickness last week I seemingly without having actually never met the guy passed it off to Matt ah Who's out sick today? um Hope he's doing alright. I had a good time I went to go visit my brother who is a freshman at Southern ah hung out with him and our dad and Some of his buddies shout out Sam shout out the Georgia Southern ultimate frisbee team Turns out they are actually genuine fans of ours. ah really Really big fans of the pod. So shout out Georgia Southern Ultimate Frisbee. ah It was a good time. I smartly did not wear my Georgia State gear into the stadium or well, I forgot to pack it, ah but
00:01:57
Speaker
It was a good time. It was a beautiful day. I played ah a very exciting game of against James Madison. I will spoil my thoughts on the game now. I think Southern is the best team in the East. I think this game solidified it for me.
00:02:15
Speaker
ah wow they it It was tough. I just, they they outplayed James Madison and it's kind of like the, ah not unlike Georgia, Texas this past weekend where like, regardless of what you think of the teams, when one is number one and one is number two, when your number two beats number one, I have no option but to put them higher. um yeah i would I would probably power rank. um like I would say James Madison is still probably the better team, but Southern ah southern beat JMU and that's all it takes. so yeah But it was a good time.
00:02:53
Speaker
Yeah, so um yeah, so let's let's go. I appreciate everybody in the chat. So you were being legit like the the southern ultimate frisbee team like knows. Yes. a very very So a couple two guys that I was back in high school was in the marching band with.
00:03:12
Speaker
uh, are, are on the team. And so that, you know, I'm friends with them on buddy, was it with them and a couple, maybe sometime last season, one of them reached out and was like, yo, we, we watched the pod. And one of my brother's, uh, friends is also on the ultimate team. And I met him this weekend and he's like, yeah, we all watch the podcast and listen. So all right shout out, shout shout out you guys. We appreciate it a lot.
South Alabama vs. Troy Analysis
00:03:38
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. um Yeah, we appreciate everybody that listens, watches, or consumes our content. Like I said, we we want to get, you know, anytime we can get involved with you guys and and talk with you guys about, you know, anything, like we're we're happy to do so. so Let's go ahead and kick off talking about the games from this past week. So Tuesday night, ah Matt and I actually recorded our last episode on Tuesday. I think I mentioned that on the show. um But by the time we had even gotten to previewing this week, the game was essentially already over. It was like.
00:04:12
Speaker
South Alabama had already jumped out to a 19-0 lead over Troy, who is... We talk about it every week. They're offensively challenged. ah This week is is no exception. They scored nine points against South Alabama's shaky defense. Is that putting it nicely? um you know South Alabama's had some real kind of up and down performances, both as a team and you know, defensively, offensively, like all over the board there. They have talent, it feels like they're just super inconsistent when they decide to show up on one side of the ball versus the other. Gio Lopez had a pretty good game, ah was the leading rusher 67 yards through for a touchdown, 158 yards. They just, they simply didn't have to do very much to be this undermanned, understaffed, under talented Troy team.
00:05:04
Speaker
Yeah ah Troy was unable to get anything moving in this game. It wasn't until their final drive of the half that they even had a play or a drive that went more than four yards that ended in a 15 play field goal drive. um yeah It just.
00:05:22
Speaker
I'm willing to to to shake this off for Troy as I think kind of the season. As a whole I'm willing to shake off for them. It's just like a I came in with pretty high expectations with them I thought that they were.
00:05:39
Speaker
going to do what James Madison has done, and that was retain some sort of, ah you know, have some sort of spillage despite the the mass exodus of coach and staff out of the program. ah But they've been unable to do that, disappointing. But Nothing positive to say here with Troy ah South out despite the start to the season. um I ah this is a good win against Troy. They played very well. ah Not everyone's beating Troy like this. I mean, Texas State allowed 17 say what you want about that defense, but I mean in UL Monroe only beat them by four. So this was a good win for South out. I want to know Brian. How many years at South Alabama does Geo Lopez spend?
00:06:27
Speaker
Because this guy is proving to be a legitimate quarterback for them, ah and it's only really a matter of time before he gets poached. You think so? um i I think that if you use the eye test, I think he he would be like a really solid quarterback. I think the problem is he just doesn't really have the counting stats.
00:06:53
Speaker
and you know if a If a G4, you know, power four team, not a G4, a power four team decided to dip into the portal and potentially look, I think yeah they would have a hard time kind of stomaching his stat lines because, again, he's he is a good quarterback. i don't I'm not going to take that away from him.
00:07:16
Speaker
but he has games like this where you're like you don't really have to give like a full-throated kind of performance because you're playing against a team that's so challenged offensively that like they really can't even test you so you don't you know again led the team 67 yards and a touchdown on the ground through for 158 and a touchdown as well but it it's just one of those things like they just don't he you know He is very efficient as a passer, but let's let's put it this way. okay They've played seven games. He hasn't cracked 1,500 yards passing yet. so we're We're at barely over 200 yards a game. His touchdown to interception numbers are good. Thirteen to one.
00:08:01
Speaker
but i think teams would just look at that and and say yeah he's just not asked to throw the ball very much and you know obviously he has rushing production as well but i just i feel like teams would look at that and go uh you know he he could be our plan b or c out of the portal like he doesn't necessarily need to be like a priority ad for us so but i think he's only of to I know, i but I'm just saying, that's I think he could come in and compete for a spot somewhere. But as far as like bringing a guy in and just making him the starter dead off the rip, like I just don't, I don't see that for him right now. Like he's going to have to improve. I think his numbers for wait like, again, you know, these guys are not watching. These big coaches are not watching film on all of these lower tier quarterbacks. So I think it'd be kind of difficult sell at this point.
00:08:55
Speaker
Um, but a good, a good win for South Alabama, they, they held Troy to, and we say Troy is offensively challenged and, you know, by God, we mean it 167 yards of total offense for Troy, three turnovers. So the Jaguars forced three, you know,
00:09:13
Speaker
got the ball from him three times. So ah again, great win, but it is Troy. ah Troy is still kind of paying for the last couple of years where they were just dominant in the conference. So with that South Alabama is now three and four and two and one in the Sunbelt. Troy drops to one and six and is now 0 and three in the conference.
Marshall vs. Georgia State Review
00:09:33
Speaker
um This next one here, ah Marshall beats Georgia State 35 to 20. This game was actually
00:09:44
Speaker
Excuse me, a lot closer than it seems on first glance. ah It was really, um you know, a garbage time touchdown run that made this one look better than it was. I mean, it was 28 to 20 with like a minute to go and AJ Turner rips off an 88 yard touchdown run. AJ Turner I've been singing his praises on this podcast the last couple weeks. He was amazing when you finally give him the volume. Hey, hey Charles Huff, you want to give him the volume? Finally, you want to let Braxton ah play full time? Yeah, that'd be great. AJ Turner has 177 yards and three rushing touchdowns on 15 carries. ah He also caught a touchdown. So he had four touchdowns by himself.
00:10:30
Speaker
This is kind of just what we've been talking about with State though. that Their defense isn't very good. Valer finally got pulled. He was terrible to start this game. Zach Gibson comes in. He's at least respectable as a passer. That's kind of all you can ask for with this offense.
00:10:46
Speaker
Yeah ah the plan was all week for both of them to get time both. Valer and Zack Gibson Valer ultimately only got like a drive and a half maybe even a drive ah Charles Huff saved his job.
00:11:05
Speaker
I think a loss to Georgia State would have without question cost him his job. ah He made the right calls as you've been talking about for weeks starting Braylon Braxton over stone Earl. um Maybe the best decision he's made all year if not hurting his tenure at Marshall.
00:11:23
Speaker
And then again, getting AJ Turner the the volume. That is what I've been saying about App all year. has been App is a team, much like Marshall, that in recent years has had running back after running back after running back. ah And for whatever reason, wasn't Willing to give a guy an opportunity this year ah app started the year not giving Kanye Roberts Those types of touches where he could become the next guy. He wasn't gonna be Cameron people's He wasn't gonna be Nate Noel, but app state is a team that has historically relied on a primarily or you know Like one primary back and Marshall is the same way ah now that they're giving
00:12:07
Speaker
AJ turning those touches and letting him run alongside Breland Braxton, who's also a very strong runner, better than Cole Pennington and Stone Earl, certainly. I think Marshall is going to win a few more games. Now, is this the turnaround of the season where they, you know, all of a sudden are going to make a late push for the conference championship or even a bowl game? Probably not. I think they have two more wins on the schedule, but they're not necessarily gimmes, those being Southern Miss and Old Dominion. But that was the story of this. I think Southern Miss is a gimme. Come on.
00:12:43
Speaker
I mean I mean be real for a minute like it that's a gimme. Yeah ah especially something we haven't talked about yet. ah Will Hall finally gone. um But I think Charles Huff saved his job at least for the rest of the year because now they're sitting at four wins um yeah going to end with at least five. He he bought himself another year and yeah that's something I wasn't confident he was going to be able to do.
00:13:11
Speaker
Yeah, did did you listen to the the episode that we did Matt and I last week about kind of when I recapped the Marshall Georgia Southern game? When I know when it came out, I was still dead as a doornail.
00:13:25
Speaker
OK, so when I'm just going to recap it for you, I'm sure people people who listen to it, you know, I apologize, but this kind of illustrates my point about Braxton in in the first four drives he had against Georgia Southern. He generated 17 of the 23 points, Marshall.
00:13:43
Speaker
you know, got the entire Southern game, they pulled him directly after that and put Stoneroll back in. And then even and ah again, he had two fumbles in that game, so he wasn't he definitely wasn't perfect. But when you are.
00:13:58
Speaker
a man in the desert and you need a drink of water, you can't turn down a cup from a shoe or whatever you know whatever. There's some water in a boot, you got to drink it. like And they need offense in that same way, which is like Stone Earl's just not he's He's not a fit for this team. You need more dynamic pass catchers if someone's just gonna stand back there, kind of be a statue. you know He's got a little bit of mobility, but nothing to the extent that Braxton does. And one of the comments in our chat right now, thank you for everybody that's commenting, Jacob Morrison on YouTube, AJ Turner is him. I agree. I've been saying for weeks, I'm like, it doesn't make any sense that he's in this,
00:14:40
Speaker
He's in this, uh, three headed, you know, backfield where he's having to share time with, you know, frankly, Jordan Houston's been pretty good, but he's not been on the AJ Turner level. Ethan Payne is still siphoning off some carries. So yeah you need to to make him your workhorse and like maybe physically he's kind of a smaller guy. So maybe he's not built for that.
00:15:05
Speaker
but you need to again Charles Huff finally got through to him like we need to win some games or I'm not going to be at the school much longer I mean I don't know if people if people go back and look at the ah the tweet I sent out from the warm weather fans x account his buyout is a joke I mean it's it's like pennies in in the you know in the penny jar I think his buyouts like a hundred and twenty five thousand dollars so so like if they want him gone like it costs next to nothing to get him out of there so yeah he does need to finally he's not like one of these guys like a will haul or a um you know shawn clark where it's like we're gonna have to pony up like 800k to get him out of here or a million dollars or whatever ricky ronnie like has turned it around but his buyout was like 1.3
00:15:53
Speaker
it It doesn't cost them hardly anything to get him out of, you know, West Virginia. So and they're on a buy next week too. So, I mean, had, had they lost it, no better time. Um, that worries me though, because that gives Charles Huff all the more reason to overthink, you know, how they come up against ULM.
00:16:14
Speaker
i I just, I don't think there's any way, I don't think there's any conceivable way he could put a stone Earl lead offense back out there. I think it's one of those things where it's like the toothpaste is out of the tube at this point. Like you can't, you can't look at what Braxton is doing and what AJ Turner is doing and being like, let's go back to a three headed backfield with stone Earl taking snaps away.
00:16:37
Speaker
like you might you're just wasting everyone's time at that point and again you want to keep your job great like let's see let's see you do something to actually prove it um speaking of running backs before we leave here because i have to get this in did you see freddie brock yeah he was good in this one
00:17:00
Speaker
so ah It sounds so shocked. The guy's a good runner. Well, I agree. But it's like he's not on the A.J. Turner level or whatever. Like that that was always kind of my right, which is like, oh, e there are better backs, like wholeheartedly better backs in the conference that, you know, then.
00:17:21
Speaker
than Freddie Brock. Like I think he's good, but I don't know. I don't think he's one of these like game wrecker, you know, he's not ripping up. He's not AJ Turner ripping off an 88 yard touchdown run. So like, right he he is good at what he does, but he's not one of these is male body type, like electric guys that you're just like, Oh my God, you can't keep this guy off the field. Yeah. So but well, last, last thing on this, what do you, so do you feel good about Zach Gibson taking snaps for the Panthers moving forward?
00:17:50
Speaker
Um,
00:17:53
Speaker
because you're the Georgia state course on it. Right. Uh, not really. And not because I think he's not worse than Valer or any of the guys back there. Um, but the season is already a wash and he's a senior. Um, and I, I just feel like it doesn't get much, you know, there's no reason to go any deeper than that, right? he He's not a senior moving forward. He's not going to be the quarterback.
00:18:19
Speaker
um There's no reason not to try bralen raglan who's there kyle lau um or just stick with the layer i know he's not been exceptional but he's shown flashes. If you think you might be good enough next year to compete which the promise of del mcgee is that he's gonna bring in the talent to compete quickly.
00:18:41
Speaker
um that that he's not gonna out ski me but he's gonna put better players on the field is the promise and the shine of what he offers um and so operating under those premises I don't really understand why you start a senior it's too late in the season for them to really push for a bowl game they've only got two wins and it doesn't get easier on the schedule I don't think they'll make a bowl game ah so I'm not You know, I'm not angry about the decision because again, this season is awash and this season is just get guys in, get them accustomed, get Del McGee settled. Uh, but it's, it wouldn't have been my first choice.
Louisiana vs. Coastal Carolina Highlights
00:19:23
Speaker
I need to go back and re-listen to one of our earlier episodes. I'm fairly sure you and Matt made like a tattoo pact. I think where we we chatted about it. It was like if Georgia State made a bowl game, you had to get a Panthers tattoo. And if Matt, I think it was like Louisiana has to win the conference for him to get a tattoo. I think it was Hitler over under, which was like nothing or something.
00:19:50
Speaker
Well, there's six and one. So it's close. It's in play. It's in play. He's got, he's got, he better hope they drop two more games somehow out of conference because he wants them to win, but he just, he needs to avoid getting a, what, a fleur de lis or whatever he was, whatever. Well, he said he was planning on getting one anyway, so it wasn't much of a wager.
00:20:11
Speaker
Yeah, oh well. Well, with that, Marshall improves to four and three and is now two and one in the Sunbelt. Georgia State dropped to two and four and is now 0 and three in the conference. ah Getting into this next one here. So I watched a lot of this game, Louisiana, and I guess it's good I did since Matt's not here, but Louisiana beats Coastal Carolina. Coastal was doing and actually a kind of an impressive job hanging around here, considering how much of a disaster Ethan Vasco's been as of late.
00:20:40
Speaker
So they finally put Noah Kim in and he looked passable, which is amazing considering how bad Vasco's looked. It's just weird that they keep rolling Vasco back out. And and again, finally, like maybe Charles Huff, maybe Tim Beck, now that he's another firing, just fired his offensive coordinator and has taken over play calling duties. Maybe he's like, I've seen enough like Noah Kim, you're just the dude moving forward. Like maybe we just start over.
00:21:08
Speaker
ah I think I thought this was the most impressive. Coastal's offense has frankly looked all year. I mean, especially when you consider the the teams that they've played like they they put up as many points against Louisiana as they did Jacksonville State. This this was a good offensive game for them. ah It's just I think this game is just well, for one, the the OC firing was a scapegoat. They needed to blame somebody. ah maybe Maybe he did need to go. It was Trinket, right? I, you know, he- Tricket. Tricket. Yeah. I like to call him Trinket.
00:21:45
Speaker
Well, I think it should say it should say something that Tim Beck has an offensive background and the offense still is bad. So you basically had an offensive minded head coach and an offensive coordinator and you guys putting your heads together couldn't figure out that Ethan Vasco and the play calling was an issue. Right now it's going to change because you put a new quarterback in and you fired your OC like again. Yeah, scapegoat for sure. But It's year two. Like, it's not like, hey, we've had this. I mean, to be frank, they're four and three. It's not like they're, you know, Southern Miss where it's like everybody we need to have a fire sale. Everything must go. It's like, hey, guys, it's still pretty early in your tenure. This is game 19 for the for the Tim Beck era or whatever it is. So like it's tough to just automatically be like, no, it's all this guy's fault. Like, is it?
00:22:41
Speaker
I'm excited to see how this story develops because this news broke today as we're recording it on Monday. ah The firing happened. I'm curious to see how this plays out because Beck is going to take over the play calling duties. i'm I want to know how much of this decision was him. ah yeah You know, obviously the coach is going to have a say in that call, but I'm I wonder if this was like a, ah you know, push out of the way that Tricket wanted, wanted Vasco. where I'm certain there's something behind this because like you said, like this is not, it's been a disappointing coastal ah offense, but it's not been catastrophic. um No, it's just mostly been inconsistent. yeah Like they've had games where they were in shootouts and then they've had other games where they were like struggling to score 24 points. and and that And that was because of Ethan Vasco.
00:23:38
Speaker
Right. but Almost entirely. I'll say this. So again, I was watching this when Louisiana goes up two touchdowns ah early in the second quarter. And I kind of was like, ah here we go. You know, Coastal's just kind of going to roll over and die. They put Noah Kim in, you know, he throws two second quarter touchdown passes. Boom, it's 17, 14 and a half.
00:24:01
Speaker
It's you know midway through the third quarter. They get a field goal. It's 17 all. And then Woldridge takes them down on a long 12 play 81 yard drive, takes up seven minutes in the of the fourth quarter. And I'm like, OK, here we go. We're going to tuck the chance clears in. This is going to be night night. And then, no, Braden Bennett rips off a 50 yard touchdown run and makes it 24-24 with 10.52 to go. And I was like, holy crap.
00:24:26
Speaker
like ah Also, one of the things I really brought up on last week's episode, um and I know you were you were out of commission just being sick and all, but I said this last week, Louisiana did not look like they wanted to tackle Kanye Roberts in that right ah app state game at all.
00:24:42
Speaker
Like they would come up and it was like instead of meeting him in the hole, it was like they'd come up and then take a step back and then he would just run right through someone's chest. Like that was kind of how their their tackling method was. It kind of was the same deal here. I mean, Coastal had 400 yards of total offense for a team that had been offensively challenged and ultimately fired their their offensive coordinator.
00:25:05
Speaker
Um, but the play of the day was, uh, Ben Woldridge hits Terrence Carter. I posted this highlight on our our profile on X because I just couldn't believe when it was happening at the time, he rolls and he rolls out.
00:25:21
Speaker
get some space launches this moon ball Terrence Carter is downfield between two or three defenders and just jumps over them brings it down and the defenders just kind of run into one another and then he just takes it into the end zone and that was pretty much the game right there I mean that was with 234 to go so that that came up 27 24 that really sealed it I mean they were just At that point, yeah, that that felt like the dagger. But it it was amazing that Coastal was in this game for as long as they were. And I do think a real problem is going to be Louisiana moving forward, just letting teams kind of hang around. like i just theyve They've done this. like They kind of did this against Southern Miss. They did this against App. They've now done it against Coastal, where it takes like a really good possession at the end of the game to really put them away.
00:26:11
Speaker
and I know good teams win, great teams cover, but it's it's been kind of a real struggle to get like a full 60 minute performance out of their offensive defense, especially if their defense is not really impressed me all that much. Yeah. So I would not have believed you if you told me that this West was going to come down to the ULULM game this year. and that's that that That is ridiculous to me.
00:26:37
Speaker
ah And as Matt said, I don't know if he reiterated it last week, but he said two weeks ago This is the most scared he's been in who knows how long about that game? Yeah Because here's it's 2020 he said Louisiana probably is probably the better team but it they're app stating it right now playing Pittsburgh Steelers thing if you will their their Louisiana's offense is their strength. ULM's defense is their strength and it goes the opposite way. Louisiana's defense is their weakness and ULM's offense is their weakness. So it's going to be a really interesting matchup with those two kind of styles where it's like the ah you know unstoppable force meets a movable object and then it's just the opposite of that on the other side of the ball where
00:27:26
Speaker
You know, a mod hardy is going to have to like really do something. They're going to have to decide to tackle a mod hardy, which they've been reticent to hire to to tackle anybody that's been running the football as of late. So I don't I don't really know how that game is going to turn
Old Dominion vs. Texas State Discussion
00:27:40
Speaker
out. But with that, Louisiana moves to six and one and it's now three and oh, in the Sunbelt, Coastal Carolina drops to four and three and is now one and two in the Sunbelt.
00:27:49
Speaker
um I know that you have jumped off of the Texas state hype train like that. That was ah a reality a couple of weeks ago, but even this had to be hard to stomach for you. um So Texas state goes into Norfolk and loses by 10, 24 to 14. Jordan McLeod.
00:28:10
Speaker
was so bad in this one. like i i really can't and and Jacob Morrison and the chat once again, you know ah appreciate him whoever wins the West wins the conference. Yeah, probably. i mean if If anybody's been watching this, the teams in the East are nothing to write home about. and I say that as a fan of the team that's currently in first. so like If I'm saying that, I'm not doing the puffing my chest out being like, no, we're going to beat whoever. If we made it that far and had to play ULM, that would scare the hell out of me. Like because, yeah again, the our defense is up and down and we'll get to the JMU game and our offense. You never know what you're going to get. It's like Forrest Gump talking about life and being a box of chocolates. So, you know, it's just. Yeah, so I don't know. Jordan McLeod
00:29:01
Speaker
was not good. and And I think what it is is ah Old Dominion runs this 335 front, which makes them more um They they can drop like up to eight into coverage and I think it makes it really difficult to Throw the football against that when ah when again, they're covering every blade of grass. I again Ismail Mahdi the the the way that you combat that front is just by running the heck out of the football and they did Ismail Mahdi had a hundred and almost 140 yards rushing and But it it just wasn't enough to finally get them into the end zone like they kept putt sputtering out Jordan McLeod again 17 of 33 173 one touchdown Zeke you got to give me the again. I know you're off the hype train so it's fine But you got to give me kind of the the thought process on this one Texas State
00:29:57
Speaker
having watched them the past two weeks or so, it two, three weeks is like, if your ex-girlfriend gets arrested,
00:30:10
Speaker
because here's the thing, I don't care. You know, it doesn't impact me, but man, do I look bad. Really? You were with her. She got the public in talks and decency.
00:30:26
Speaker
and you know her that That's how i I feel every time I was checking the score on this game, keeping up with the play-by-play on the CBS app. but i I don't think, obviously, Jordan McCloud's performance was subpar, not what his standard is. Obviously, Sunbelt Player of the Year. ah But he was in a position that I don't know if he's ever been in his ah Sunbelt career. And that was down two touchdowns at halftime.
00:30:56
Speaker
so No, he he hasn't been in though in that situation before, I'm pretty sure. He definitely wasn't last year. Certainly not, and not by that many at Texas State either. so ah ah you know It was was a statistically poor game for him, but he he was pushing the ball downfield.
00:31:14
Speaker
Uh, he, you know, he was putting the ball in riskier spots than normal, even with his male body doing everything he could. Um, they still had to pass the, uh, pass the ball downfield and, you know, they've got guys, Joey Hobart being, um, you know, for several, two years now, kind of the top guy there, they have receivers that.
00:31:33
Speaker
it It could have worked, but it it just didn't. So i I say that not to look into Texas State. I also ah implore everyone to not read into this game for Old Dominion because this is what Old Dominion does. I don't know how many of these types of games that are going to have to win to convince me that they are legitimate. I don't know if there's actually a number.
00:31:57
Speaker
But this old Dominion team is just going to keep having weird offensive breakouts until Ricky Ronnie, I don't know, goes home to pasture or something. ah Well, it's it's strange, right? It's strange because OD use two of their four losses. I recognize that they've lost to like Virginia Tech and stuff.
00:32:19
Speaker
Two of their four losses came against Coastal that just fired their offensive coordinator and I think Coastal scored 45 in that game and then ah that came to ah East Carolina who became the first team to fire a head coach in the FBS this season.
00:32:36
Speaker
So so like what you know and I understand Colton Joseph wasn't starting then it was still the Grant Wilson time but like what does that say kind of about that team it says as good as they've been as of late there's always the opportunity that they just backslide and i think I think the problem and why the Old Dominion stuff is looks really good right now, but I think even past this week's game, like they could beat Southern, like ah you know whatever, that that could happen. The stuff that's not sustainable is Colt and Joseph being the entire offense.
00:33:11
Speaker
like You can't have your leading receiver with 36 yards and expect like, hey, we're going places this season. You just can't like if, if by some stretch, Old Dominion was to make the title game and let's say they ran into ULM's defense. Do you think they're letting Colton Joseph run for 111 yards and three touchdowns? Probably not not. So you're going to have to be balanced. You're going to be able to, you're going to have to be able to throw as well as run the football. And I just.
00:33:42
Speaker
None of these offenses where it's all one guy have worked kind of in the Sunbelt where it's like our quarterback does everything and everybody else is basically like a future insurance salesman. So like you it's just not sustainable like it doesn't work. So he's been he's been really really hot as of late.
00:34:00
Speaker
credit Ricky Ronnie for getting him in there because he's been dynamic and ah we've talked about this with Braxton, we've talked about this with other guys as well. If you are not talented at your other skill positions, you have to have a quarterback that has mobility to to open things up, extend plays, become like a creator and Old Dominion has not had that up to this point. They've been very much the stereotypical five drop, seven step, you know,
00:34:28
Speaker
pocket passers that don't move all that much. And that clearly hasn't been a winning formula. yeah So maybe they found something in Colton Joseph, but if one of these pass, you know, pass catchers doesn't step up like for real, for real step up. And one of the running backs doesn't help Joseph out, then it's going to be. It's going to end bad because they're just not going to defenses eventually are just not going to focus on anybody else because they're not scared of them. Yeah,
Georgia Southern's Defensive Dominance
00:34:53
Speaker
I mean, they've suffered to the same the same problem that southern mrs had the past several years and that like like you just said it's just the lack of dynamicism dynamicism i'm not sure how you say that word uh but i think you ah especially at quarterback ah
00:35:14
Speaker
And what Old Dominion has had over Southern Miss in that comparison has been they've actually had skill players. Obviously, Southern Miss had Frank Orr, but outside of that, it was Baron. Old Dominion's had a few guys the past two or three years ah since they joined the Sunbelt. And now that they have a dynamic quarterback, it feels like all those skill position guys Are fading into just kind of obscurity and I suppose I'm just beating the drum of what you just said. That that is unsustainable ah in his two when Joseph.
00:35:52
Speaker
ah played against Georgia State. He was also the team's leading rusher. He also played against Coastal and they got Devin Roche for 86 yards on the ground there. ah But Joseph also had a strong rushing game there. So um he's a freshman. They can keep him around for a while and if they can put a good cast runner, if they can put a good offensive line ah in front of him, Old Dominion could kind of flip the script.
00:36:16
Speaker
But yeah as it stands right now, like I don't care if they win two more of these games, you don't anticipate them to or whatever. It's going to be same old Dominion. So to kind of put a button on this game, I think the issue is that is that in the past, Old Dominion's basically been able to conjure up like one solid skill position player around whoever's played quarterback, whether it be like Blake Watson, or I can't remember that receiver's name off the top of my head that ended up transferring to Virginia Tech the next year. Was that Ollie Jennings? Yeah, Ollie Jennings III, yeah. So that that's what I mean is like typically you've got one of those guys when it would be nice to have like
00:36:57
Speaker
three, you know, you would like to be able to surround your quarterback with a little bit more talent than than what they've given him so far. But I would say Ricky Ronnie has saved his job with this performance and finding Colton Joseph the last couple of the games, but they were never going to fire him anyway. So it it's all kind of moot point at any at that point.
00:37:14
Speaker
um Old Dominion improves to three and four and is now two and one in the conference. Texas State drops to four and three and is now two and one in the Sunbelt. Let's get to the Georgia Southern game. So you were boots on the ground for this. um I guess behind enemy lines, like I don't really know how you see it.
00:37:32
Speaker
um I don't Georgia Southern's defense dominated this game for 60 straight minutes. And like, I don't feel like that that is an under yeah I don't feel like I'm under playing that at all. I think through three quarters James Madison had like 100 yards of offense. Alonzo Barnett was absolutely terrible in this game. I think he finished What was it 16 of 33 for like 186 yards? I believe the final final number was he threw for one touchdown and even that was kind of questionable. I thought the receiver kind of got away with ah offensive pass interference there. Yeah, um certainly that did. Did you OK? I was like, I'm not going crazy, right? Like every time I watch the replay, he's got a full arm fully extended pushing the receiver away.
00:38:20
Speaker
um And, and, you know, to be honest, JC French wasn't, wasn't great either. So I'm not, I'm not saying that like, no you know, Barnett was, you know, got blown out by JC French, but they Southern's defense was on Barnett from the first snap. And I know they had trouble with the center getting the ball to him for some reason, but they stacked the box they refused to let him you know have open throwing lanes and they just they played like tough man press coverage and barnet and the receivers just couldn't figure it out
00:38:54
Speaker
Yeah, ah southern sack Barnett six times. They had three other tackles for loss. ah You mentioned that was maybe the sloppiest start to a game I've seen in a while. ah Both sides, both sides, both sides fumbled. ah James Madison fumbled like two or three straight snaps. The first one was a bad snapper, you know, wasn't handled properly. The second one, Alonzo Barnett was up at the line trying to make an adjustment in the center, just snaps the ball.
00:39:22
Speaker
ah They end up punting Georgia Southern gets the ball and they do the exact same thing. They can't field the snap I was incredibly impressed by Georgia Southern's defense especially especially against a James Madison team that has been very strong offensively um And has some really guys. I mean Alonzo Barnett I think has been a really sneaky good quarterback this year and He's been very good And they held him very well um my biggest takeaway was that um George Southern has a dude in jail in white he's been there several years and has been that dude, but I I mean as with any player like seeing him in person really gives you a different understanding I Watching that guy ah up close. He is that dude
00:40:12
Speaker
They have ah honestly a really good trio of running backs with, you know, he didn't play on Saturday, but you've got White, you've got OJ Arnold, who's dynamic in space. You've got Bdinga, who ripped off a touchdown run on Saturday as well. So this this has kind of been the drum that I've been beating ever since last year, which is they have the ability to run the football. It's just Brian Ellis, for some reason, just did not want to do it.
00:40:38
Speaker
And I don't really understand why he was so against it. I don't know if he like promised Bryn he would hit like X number of pass attempts, but they were doing it to the detriment of the team last year, throwing the football as much as they did, especially with how turnover prone Bryn was. um Yeah, and and I've got a couple of different things I want to hit because there was there were things I saw and then there were other things that were off the field that I wanted to talk about as well. So.
00:41:05
Speaker
I had said this a couple weeks ago, JMU's defense was going to be a concern. And it was. I mean, they allowed 405 yards. They forced four turnovers and the team only scored 14 points, including a pick six. So that should kind of tell you like,
00:41:23
Speaker
the The turnovers, um they weren't flukey because they definitely happened, but when they weren't forcing turnovers, it was feast and famine. like it would Jalen White, like you said, Badingo ripped off a a couple of really good runs. Derwin Burgess had a receiving touchdown. Jaycee French, through for three three touchdowns, also had three picks. like I know.
00:41:44
Speaker
um And i I think Dexter Williams really needs to have like a fair shot of starting Thursday like they need to take a hard look in practice this week and see if JC French is who they really because now you're in the driver's seat of the Sunbelt like east I mean you you need to know hey can we trust this guy because this isn't like another season like last year where the team is melting down and you just need to throw somebody out there and hope for the best and maybe we get this guy some reps. You're in the driver's seat, like you can make the Sunbelt title game. Now, the defense has to keep up their level of play obviously, but he can't turn the ball over as much as he has the last couple games. It's been it's been really rough to watch. I tweeted this out. ah He's starting to look like a real true Georgia Southern quarterback now.
00:42:36
Speaker
turn of a reader Yeah, ah it's incredible. i I want to hear you weigh in on this. I think, I really think Georgia Southern is the best team in the East right now. I think, I mean, yeah, like honestly, regardless of record, I think Marshall is the second best team in the East if they play the guys that should be playing.
00:43:00
Speaker
Like the reason that they're there, they don't have more wins is because stone Earl was shoved in at quarterback multiple times when he shouldn't have been. If they play the team, if they play the pieces on offense that they should with AJ Turner and Braylon Braxton and Fitzpatrick as their, their main pass catcher, I think they're a better team than James Madison. I think they have a better defense than James Madison has. I think.
00:43:26
Speaker
Barnett has these games where if you speed him up and rush him and like, you know, force him to make decisions quickly and he can't just sit back through, ah you know, and and make reads and stuff like I i just yeah, I. ah Okay, so I assume this is your brother, Sam, right? Brian, i I get you had to suffer through old Southern teams, you have to stop doubting them. Sam, you haven't lived, but you haven't been you haven't been snake bit in the way that I've been snake bit before. We had a really strong season when I was a, what was it? A ah senior and we won the conference and everything and everything since then has been
00:44:06
Speaker
one good year and then ultimate disappointment follows so you like you haven't gotten the full you haven't gotten the full compliment of Georgia so you'll have to forgive him he ah he is he he's a He's a fanboy for sure. I mean, he's he's he's not willing to hear any other argument about Southern right now. Hey, in 2014, I was him. I was like, Willie Fritz is here. We're never going to die. Blah, blah, blah. And then guess what? Willie Fritz leaves for Tulane at all falls apart. So like I've i've been in his shoes. i've ah You know, even through the Monken years when they finally beat Florida in the swamp, like I was like, yeah, dude, we're going to do this. No, we did it one time and we did it, but it hasn't really replicated since.
00:44:48
Speaker
The other thing I wanted to bring up too, this was kind of off the field. JMU fans seem to be like in disbelief. Like they can't, they can't parse out that they have a team that might not be running the conference for the first time. I don't know if you've, did you see some of the tweets like on Saturday? It was all like, Oh my God, like they can't throw the ball and like, they can't play defense. Like what are we going to do? We have no hope. And I'm like,
00:45:15
Speaker
Welcome to the club. We've all been there. Like you guys are just now figuring what else well everybody else knew. it's It's new for them. You'll have to forgive them. And again, Brian, I'm sure you had this ah similar epiphany at some point. They're not used to this. They were the FCS team and came into the FBS and dominated this conference for two years. And now they are realizing that at the end of the day, this is is the Sunbelt. At the end of the day, this is group of five football playing in front of 15,000 fans on a good week. It's just to come to earth. i
00:45:59
Speaker
Yeah, you're not playing in the Patriot League or whatever. anymore I feel for them. i It's what welcome, guys. This is what it's like. Yeah, like this is where your fanhood is tested.
00:46:13
Speaker
Yeah. Empires rise and fall all the time. Look at Troy. Look at Troy's last couple of years and look where they are now. Look at apps last couple of years. so Hell, look back further than the last couple of years. Look at what apps done the last like eight years or so and look at where they are now. Like this this stuff happens to every other team except nobody. Like nobody is is is exempt from this. Like even, you know, Matt,
00:46:39
Speaker
said that Louisiana was disappointing last year. I'm pretty sure they still won eight games. like there There are levels to disappointment, for sure, but every team goes through this. so like i don't i'm I'm sorry, JMU.
Arkansas State vs. Southern Miss and Its Aftermath
00:46:52
Speaker
We totally disagreed with the NCAA rules and moving up from FCS to FBS last year, not being able to be in the conference championship and you know all of that stuff.
00:47:01
Speaker
However, this is kind of the way it goes, man. like You're going to have to deal with a season where you're like, we don't know who the... You don' you don't think Southern, the team you just lost to, hasn't gone through? Who's our quarterback? I don't know. We're just starting some dude and hoping for the best every week. That was us literally a year ago. 12 months ago, we were in your shoes.
00:47:23
Speaker
like couldn't play defense quarterback couldn't stop turning the ball over couldn't run the football consistently like yeah that was what we were doing so you know every every team goes through it so with that georgia so there's five and two there three and oh in the sunbelt uh and you know in the driver's seat they control kind of their own destiny at this point in the east james madison is now five and two and one and two in the conference um last game of the night arkansas state ends will hauls Southern Miss coaching career 44 to 28. Yeah, we salute you. Sayonara via Condios will haul. It probably should have happened at the end of last year, but for some reason they'd like, they wanted to let you light 2024 on fire as well. I don't know if it was the buyout or whatever, but they, they, anytime you have to release a statement at the end of the year saying we will be better, but this guy's coming back, you might as well go ahead and fire him then. Cause you're punting the next season. and
00:48:23
Speaker
ah he We talked about this kind of before we got on air Brian. ah Will Hall in the post game presser of this game. ah He knew it it was obvious. he He had to have known um and I took away from his statements. My biggest takeaway was.
00:48:42
Speaker
Selling himself to other teams he was saying I know what it takes to win and I've been around winning and it doesn't happen overnight and it's a process and I've been around it and I've seen it and I know what first of all. When.
00:48:57
Speaker
When is that? what happened pointed to me it It was a poor man's version of Kurt Signetti saying, I win, look me up. right Kurt Signetti is ranked, took an FCS team into the FBS and dominated and got a power five job at Indiana within two years. will is house seven And now seven to know at WinDiana.
00:49:22
Speaker
Will Hall, you got knocked out of the Division Two playoffs four years in a row. What do you win? ah With that said, we're looking for a fourth co-host with a little bit of ball knowledge to join me as the ball knowers of the pod. So, Will Hall, this is not a joke. Will Hall, I will be reaching out to your people. We'd love to have you. Will Hall, if he or for a special.
00:49:51
Speaker
If he joins, he better have a good sense of humor about it because we will make jokes. So I'm just letting you know that right now. Like I will let a joke here or to fly. So if you're going to get your feathers ruffled, maybe maybe now is not the best, ah best time to join. um But yeah, I mean, Arkansas State.
00:50:09
Speaker
I will say this, you know, Southern Miss stayed in it through halftime. It was 2821. You know, Ethan Crawford has kind of been able to do kind of a poor man's Colt and Joseph impersonation in the last couple weeks. ah He's got some mobility, but it's not great. They don't have any any real weapons around him. They they desperately miss Frank Gore Jr. from last year.
00:50:31
Speaker
um you know, Crawford's not really that impressive throwing the football. Jalen Rainer had a really good game once again, 186 yards, three touchdowns. I said he would finally get on the positive end of the touchdown interception ratio, and he did. He's finally up over one to one. Jaquez crossed 127 yards in a touchdown for Arkansas State as well. Yeah, basically, Arkansas State just ran away with it in the second half. Like this this game was not close after the third quarter. I mean, it was 41-21.
00:51:02
Speaker
u you know Southern Miss you know are Rest in Pieces, ah Will Hall's Southern Miss coaching career, because it's it's mercifully now done. Where do you stand? Because obviously the conversation is who's next. And I think Charles Huff is probably the top name. Sean Clark is a dark horse there. But before the season, I was banging the drum that it was um
00:51:33
Speaker
Oh my God, I'm forgetting his name. Who does he coach for? yeah Arkansas State, the bum from Tennessee. why which yes so i don't know i lost from in the sea I don't know why I lost his name, ah but they're four and three now. And while I still don't believe in this team by any stretch of the imagination, and perhaps that's my own hubris, what's the lookout for him here? I i think he's going to hang on to his job for another year.
00:52:02
Speaker
How long does he have? I know we look this up every week. Left on his contract? Yeah. Oh, I don't know that off the top of my head. It was five years in 2020, so he's got one season after this on his current deal.
00:52:15
Speaker
Well, they're going to have to extend him because I think he will stick around another season, especially if I mean, if they finish seven and five, six and six, I think they will let him stick around. And frankly, you can't have a guy on the recruiting trail who doesn't have a contract and are just like, he's like, hey, come to Arkansas State. And they're like, are you going to coach Arkansas State next year? He's like, I don't know. You should come, though. regardless They extended him one year. So he's through twenty six right now.
00:52:42
Speaker
Okay, so but they're gonna have to extend him again because that question is gonna be asked next year ah I mean, I I think he's he's gonna be back next year. I think he he'll probably Coach all the way through 26 unless Rayner, you know does like a Z on Chris and decides he wants to go hold a clipboard somewhere ah for NIL money I I feel they're They're fine. I mean, they again, they still don't have a defense and they struggled. If Southern Miss is putting up 28 on you, that's not a good sign and anything to to be excited about. But offensively, 467 yards of offense, you were able to run the football, you know which is a rare occurrence for Arkansas State. um And you know it it seems like Rainer's kind of back on the right side of things. so
00:53:31
Speaker
It's tough. I mean they're they're a pretty middling team overall they they're Another one of these clones where it's just all defense or all offense no defense and we need to score You know 40 to win every week. So it I don't know They're gonna keep giving him some leeway until like if finally I think he I honestly I think he stays until Jalen Rayner leaves the program whether it be through transfer graduation and because I think that's that's the end of the the Willy Wonka style golden ticket letting him to stick around like I just don't I don't I don't see it so yeah rest in pieces rip in peace uh will hauls southern miss coaching career I think
00:54:12
Speaker
They should go get an FCS head coach ah who's had success. I've reiterated that multiple times on the podcast, so I'm going to keep banging that drum. But realistically, they'll go grab like a coordinator from somewhere and, you know, those have that's a mixed bag. So you
Sunbelt Game Predictions
00:54:28
Speaker
never know what you're going to get. But we'll we'll see. I mean, ah either way, Arkansas State is now four and three and two and one in the conference. Southern Miss drops to one and six and is now o and three in the Sunbelt.
00:54:42
Speaker
All right, so let's get into week nine. ah do you have Do you have that in front of you, the yeah the spreads and everything? You want me to run through it?
00:54:53
Speaker
Yeah, start start with Georgia Southern ODU and then I'll pick it up from there. OK, yeah. So we start ah Thursday. That'll be the day this episode comes out. Georgia Southern at Old Dominion. Seven o'clock on ESPN two line is Old Dominion minus two, which.
00:55:14
Speaker
I am very critical of ah betting analysts who are gonna give you locks. I think it's filthy and slimy and gross and unethical, but holy cow. ah And over under, excuse me, sorry, sounds like. Zeke has a ghost. Yeah, someone dropped a bull or that's just Will Hall, he's pissed. He's haunting your house. he He's here and he's angry.
00:55:41
Speaker
ah Over under 53 and a half line is old Dominion minus two ah For me. This is easy. Give me old Dominion mine, or I'm sorry southern blow No, no, no, no give me me southern plus two a little too much dip on your chip. Uh, I'm gonna, I'm gonna go under a 53 and a half ah Georgia Southern unders have really been hitting lately. um Georgia Southern is offensively challenged, even though they had a good game last week, they they still struggled.
00:56:16
Speaker
um you're Your brother's in here. He says, how is Southern the underdog? i It's because everybody has this pegged as a trap game for them. um Sam, let me let me take you back. I'm going to put you on a little history history lesson since since i'm I'm the pessimistic one, even though I've lived through this. So the year that we were a 10-win team in 2018, Chad Luntz first, the head coach, we've got um What's his name? Shywertz. Everything's working. We figured it out. We finally replicated the spread option formula. ah They beat App on Halloween, were in the driver's seat for the East, came out, laid an egg the next week against either ULM or Troy. I can't remember because this was a ah two-year thing. So in 2018, they laid an egg against Troy that immediately ah wiped them out of contention to go to the Sunbelt title game.
00:57:12
Speaker
2019, same thing happens. They beat App on Halloween. Next week, they come out and get upset by ULM in a game that isn't close. So frankly, Vegas just has them as as getting mousetrapped by ODU in this one. I'm going to stay away from the line altogether. I i think the final score of this one is going to be like 24-21. Which side has more points at this at this point?
00:57:37
Speaker
I don't know because if Dexter Williams was playing, I would feel better about Southern's chances because I know that he wouldn't be turning the ball over quite as much. At least he didn't in the in the Marshall game that he played. um But Old Dominion struggles to score points there. There are one man offense at this point with Colton Joseph. Georgia Southern ah runs the ball effectively.
00:57:59
Speaker
But Ryan Applin, the offensive coordinator, will just have entire quarters where he goes like brain dead. And you're like, why, why did we do that for a whole quarter? Zeke, you watched it play out. Wasn't there a whole quarter? I think it was the third quarter. They just like.
00:58:13
Speaker
They didn't do anything yeah they can't remember flat, but that's, that's kind of been like the clay health and teams. you I mean, you've said this forever that this team just kind of. Doesn't gives up win or lose kind of gives up on games at times. And that's, that was the third quarter for sure. They turned it around in the fourth, at least to put it away. Uh, and again, especially defensively, but offensively they went flat.
00:58:40
Speaker
Yeah, and and they have a tendency to do that. And you know if Old Dominion was this really high scoring offensive team, that would scare me, but they're not really. they They're real like methodical. um I think it all comes down to, is Brandon Bailey the defensive coordinator at Southern? Is he going to be stubborn and say, we're not going to put a spy on Colton Joseph? Because if that's the case, then yeah, he's going to tear them up the same way the Nevada quarterback did on the ground when we played them.
00:59:08
Speaker
um but if if he's like doing what he did on saturday and he's like we're sending exotic blitzes and we're you know we're sending five six guys we're playing bump and run man press because we know that old dominion doesn't have anybody that scares us uh on the receiving side of things then yeah i give southern a really good shot to win it just you again this is the the forest gun analogy you never know what you're gonna get could be anything so I'm I'm leaning Georgia Southern plus two, but my official pick will be the under because I don't think either of these teams are going to be putting up a 40 burger like I just don't. I don't see it.
00:59:46
Speaker
um So let's start on Saturday. i've got I've got it good to go now. So 1 o'clock on ESPN+, we've got Georgia State going to Kid Brewer to take on App. App is an 8-point home favor over under 62.5. Georgia State is 0-10 all-time against App State, never beaten the Mountaineers in theyre in the history of playing these two.
01:00:11
Speaker
I'm taking app minus eight. Um, there's just something about when, when Georgia state sees the black and gold, they just, they don't want any part of it. And I think that that keeps up on Saturday. Like I just, they they do this. So, uh, history aside, I think app just outclasses Georgia state right now. Uh, state's got a lot to figure out and as I'll continue saying the rest of the year, that's okay at this point. Um, give me app here.
01:00:41
Speaker
I think going back to the the Georgia State Georgia Southern game, I think if app just runs Kanye Roberts a lot, I think they'll be fine. Yeah, like limit the amount of times Joey Aguilar throws the ball because he's kind of become turnover prone as well. um Yeah, just just make it the Kanye Roberts show on offense and i I think they'll be fine. Georgia State just right now doesn't have the dogs like on the defensive side of the ball to make it work. Next one here.
01:01:10
Speaker
330 ESPN plus Harrisonburg, Virginia. Southern miss the headless chicken ah is traveling to James Madison to take on the, uh, sorry. Yeah. the Are they, they're the monarchs, right? No, that's ODU, the dukes. Sorry. JMU is a 24 and a half point favorite over unders 54 and a half.
01:01:34
Speaker
I'm gonna take the under in this one as well that's a lot of points and like I don't have high hopes for Southern Miss coming off a firing will haul but Has anyone seen JMU play lately? if Have you seen JMU's offense? I don't know where the 24 and a half is. Here's the thing. like James Madison could come out and put up do the 24 and a half. i like It's certainly possible. ah Certainly within the the very realistic realm of possibility. ah But neither of these teams are combining for 54 and a half.
01:02:07
Speaker
I think James Madison is going to come out of there with 24 could hit 27. Southern Miss is going to score under 17. Give me the under.
01:02:18
Speaker
I agree. ah You know, it's one of those things when you bet an over under it, it takes two to tango and frankly, you know, Southern Miss's shoes on her backwards for keeping keeping this ah this analogy going like they they they don't have any sort of continuity with either side of the ball. You have no idea what they're giving you at any given point. So I just unless James Madison beats them 56 to seven,
01:02:44
Speaker
i I don't see how I don't see how this game hits the over and James Madison has not been good the last two weeks against ULM in Southern. um Next one here, you own Monroe, five o'clock ESPN plus you own Monroe's traveling to Mobile.
01:02:59
Speaker
ah south South Alabama is a seven and a half point home favorite. To quote SpongeBob, how many times do we have to teach less than old man? So ULM plus seven and a half is easy. They will keep it within eight points. Like there it even if they lose, even if so southern South Alabama finds a way to win, they won't beat them by more than 10, eight points. Yeah.
01:03:26
Speaker
I have to assume that this is still just like algorithm formulas overcorrecting for that 87 bomb because what is anyone seen from South Alabama to make them think that they're gonna beat ULM? The app state game like four or five weeks ago is what is what it is. I don't wanna call it flukey, but both of these team, both South LA and app are flukey teams. ah Give me ULM.
01:04:00
Speaker
Yeah, I think ULM plus seven and a half is easy. Like they they're probably going to win this game outright, honestly. And I wouldn't be shocked if South Alabama scores the fewest points they've scored all year in this one. So just be on the lookout for that. Final game of the night, seven p.m. ESPN plus Troy.
01:04:19
Speaker
Talk about another headless chicken. Troy has no direction on either side of the ball. They have no idea what they're doing. They traveled to Jonesboro to take on Arkansas State and Zeke's nemesis Butch Jones. Arkansas State is a seven point home favorite over under 51 and a half. I did it last week. I'm going back to the well. Arkansas State gets to play the two worst teams in the conference in back to back weeks. I'm going to take Arkansas State minus seven again.
01:04:46
Speaker
Yeah, Arkansas State here as well. As much as I don't trust this team, ah Troy has proven to be nothing but ah in disarray, no nothing but shambles, especially the past several weeks, ah disappointingly give me Arkansas State.
01:05:03
Speaker
I'm gonna flip my pick actually, I'm gonna say the under of 51 and a half. i I don't think Troy is gonna be able to contribute to this at all. like i just Arkansas State could screw around and win this game by three points, but I just think Troy is so offensively challenged. I think you could put them out there against a D2 defense and I don't think they'd be able to put up 21.
01:05:27
Speaker
Like they they really, really struggle. You just saw Arkansas State put up 44 against Southern Miss. You don't think they can do that again?
01:05:36
Speaker
I think the the inconsistencies with Arkansas State are what give me pause. um I think Southern Miss, I said it a couple weeks ago, Southern Miss seemed like they had just kind of given up, like they were done like as a team with Will Hall's stuff. ah i don't I think Troy, it's not that they've given up, it's just that they're frankly not that talented.
01:06:00
Speaker
so I'm just gonna take the under just because i got I Gotta I gotta think that Troy unders are like eight no this year like there's just no way they're not scoring any points this season so They can't be hitting overs with the they're averaging what 15 and a half points a game like there's no way I'm gonna look into that right now. So you keep saying stuff Okay, so yeah, I think Jalen Rainer keeps up and has another really solid performance. I think.
01:06:35
Speaker
Um, Jacquez cross once again, plays some good ball. Um, Corey Rucker scores another touchdown. I like him as a, if you like prop bets, anytime touchdown score, Corey Rucker, uh, that one hit this past weekend. Um, so yeah, I mean, I don't, I don't know if you're going to be able to find this in time. Uh, 33%, uh, over hit. So 66%, they hit the under.
01:06:58
Speaker
Exactly. So you're, you're what, six and three for Troy unders this year. I assume something like that along those lines. That is close. Cause it's going to get to, uh, actually, you know, who has a better under hit rate in the Sunbelt is you Oh, Monroe. Well, yeah. Cause they don't score. They don't score, but their defense is amazing. Like Troy's team of pass.
01:07:20
Speaker
Yeah, exactly. No, no, actually Troy, Troy was a complete team. They could score an offense. They just, their defense was a lockdown unit and ULM struggles to score, but they're not going to let you score more than them. So that's kind of been the the thing thus far. So that basically does it. That's the end of this episode. Zeke, let everybody know where they can find you on socials and I will as well. And then we'll get out of here.
01:07:43
Speaker
Yeah, I'm on Twitter at Zeke Palermo, Z E K E P A L E R M O. Post about the pod post about ah high school sports in my area and about college football. I've been on a continuously week after week. We'll continue to apologize to Coach Kirby Smart. It is our fault as the fans for Carson DeBex interceptions. That is entirely my fault. And he was right to shame us publicly for that.
01:08:14
Speaker
What, wait, what happened with that? Oh, a couple, two weeks ago it was... The Alabama game? It might, no, it was, uh...
01:08:26
Speaker
It was before it was the home game before Mississippi State. I'm not certain who it was, ah but he, you know, Georgia won, but he came out and he was like, I'm disappointed in the fans. They were being, you know, they weren't being, uh, you know, contributing to our, our success and our program and our win is just like, I think it's always.
01:08:47
Speaker
I'll give the caveat that there are edge cases when fans are way out of line, but I think it's a bad look when athletes or coaches, uh, speak about their fans in that regard because I'm paying for a product and that product is you. Uh, imagine going to the doctor and the doctor comes in and he's like, Hey, this guy, uh, he's a little chunky. I, uh, I don't want to work on him. He he's like 10 pounds overweight. I don't want to.
01:09:17
Speaker
And then going in front of national TV and saying Brian stone is 10 pounds overweight and therefore I'm disappointed in him. It doesn't work like that curb. So would you say that one of the experiences of the fans getting out of line is like, let's say Texas fans throwing ah yeah bottles on the field in the middle of a a pass interference call? I think that's a getting out of line. You know, sometimes, you know, folks will say stuff and like folks will get like crazy. There have been I think it was the NFL. ah Maybe last season there were a couple of players that came out were like, you know, quit DMing me death threats. That's fine. yeah
01:09:57
Speaker
You can do that. but or Or Browns players getting upset that people are booing Deshaun Watson as they as they wheel him off the field on a card. Here's the thing. Say what you want about his character. I'll say bad things. ah they They should be excited because that dude was dookie.
01:10:14
Speaker
Yeah, he's trash. um As always, you can email the show at warmweatherfans at gmail dot.com. We're happy to take questions, comments. ah We might do this live stream again. This was fun. ah we We always like interacting with people who who listen or watch our stuff. ah You can find me on X at Watch the Stone um and then the show also on X at Warm Weather Fans. We will be back next week to talk more Sunbelt Ball. This has been Warm Weather Fans.