You never know what you'll get with Kyle McCord. Donovan Edwards continues to feel more than a little off. Do either of those things matter for Ohio State and Michigan? Not this week, anyway. Plus, Miami forgot how to kneel, Rutgers has a new biggest fan, and who is the most overrated player in college football?
Follow us everywhere @RivalPod
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Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
6:00 - OSU vs Maryland Analysis
22:02 - OSU vs Purdue Predictions
25:29 - Michigan vs Minnesota Analysis
34:09 - Michigan vs Indiana Predictions
36:16 - Stupid Genius Upset Picks
38:13 - Rutgers To The Rose Bowl
41:41 - Other College Football News
You never know what you'll get with Kyle McCord. Donovan Edwards continues to feel more than a little off. Do either of those things matter for Ohio State and Michigan? Not this week, anyway. Plus, Miami forgot how to kneel, Rutgers has a new biggest fan, and who is the most overrated player in college football?
Follow us everywhere @RivalPod
Big thanks to our sponsors for their generous support:
Elevated Integrity: http://www.elevatedintegrity.com/
The JAE Company: https://thejaecompany.com/
Become a Patron: https://patreon.com/therivalry
Want more shows like this one? Visit https://riverradio.com
Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
6:00 - OSU vs Maryland Analysis
22:02 - OSU vs Purdue Predictions
25:29 - Michigan vs Minnesota Analysis
34:09 - Michigan vs Indiana Predictions
36:16 - Stupid Genius Upset Picks
38:13 - Rutgers To The Rose Bowl
41:41 - Other College Football News
That Akron, lebron James Akron, then the only that's out there they barely lose. You don't know that. Do you know every Akron that ever exists? Oh, you know Akron name, every Akron, it's the arrival.
Speaker 2:I came in a league, we're straight for the title.
Speaker 1:But touchdown Marvin Harrison Jr, Marvelous gets past ransom. David Edwards touchdown the down.
Speaker 2:There's nothing quite like the game Michigan versus Ohio State. This is the rivalry sponsored by Elevated Integrity Construction. This is the rivalry podcast brought to you by Elevated Integrity Construction. I'm Jase. That's JP Michigan man and a Buckeye nut who thought a podcast was a good idea. God knows why Still in the air. Thanks for finding us on social media at rival pod. Want to get started with a little bit of wheel route today that is brought to you by your friends at the J company. Fall in love with your home all over again at the J A E company Dot com.
Speaker 1:We're spending this thing. Lots of cars. For a couple of these Lots of cars, so far I got to what do we got?
Speaker 2:here, let's go, I'm most overhyped player in the nation, oh man.
Speaker 1:Let's, let's be fun. Let's not pick somebody from the opposing team, because I feel like you're going to take a lot of shots. I would like to. It makes sense.
Speaker 2:I would like to take some shots.
Speaker 1:You can still, you can still do it you go first.
Speaker 2:I need to think about this one. Oh man, Mike's easy Sam.
Speaker 1:Hartman oh Sam.
Speaker 2:Hartman.
Speaker 1:He doesn't get it done. He just does not get it done. I've not seen it. He went, he was, he was dominant at Wake Forest. There was a lot of hype coming into and I still think he's a good quarterback, don't get me wrong. Yeah, but he was hyped up so much as well as this Notre Dame team. One of the other questions on the wheel route was actually coach on the hot seat I put Marcus Freeman because I thought come on he's not going to, but what?
Speaker 2:has he done.
Speaker 1:What has that man done to deserve the praise that he gets? Notre Dame last season was hyped up as they're just missing a good quarterback. They're missing that. They've got a good running back, they have a good defense, they have a good offensive line. They just need a quarterback. Well, they got a pretty darn good one and they still lose every big game they go into. Now I will give them a little bit of grace. It is tough to go on the road back to back to back and play a night game against a top 25 ranked opponent.
Speaker 2:but, man, you've got, you've got to. You also got to play Navy and Tennessee state to open the season. So I just so for me, good teams are going to win those games. You're not playing juggernauts here.
Speaker 1:And so.
Speaker 2:Ohio state, with the being an exception. Like you got to be able to go on the road. You have to, you got to be you've got to beat Louisville.
Speaker 1:I didn't expect them to beat Ohio state, so that one I'm like a little bit more gracious, cause they at least made a competitive. And I would even say Sam Hartman looked good. If you were stat watching, his stats weren't impressive, but being at the game physically watching him, he looked good. But he was brought in this year when he transferred and it was hyped up so much that he was going to be the difference maker. This is a college football playoff team. They can make it there. This is the different. Sam Hartman is the difference. He is not. Marcus Freeman is not. I still think he's good, but man, I'm so sick of the hype.
Speaker 2:Well, a Notre Dame's got a USC this weekend as well which that's a tough one. We'll get to that. That's a tough one to figure out for me.
Speaker 1:I'm going to roll with Drew Aller, Ooh that's obviously not what I thought you were going to say.
Speaker 2:Well, you told me I couldn't pick him from Ohio state he's from.
Speaker 1:Colorado. There's a handful that you could have picked.
Speaker 2:Man, I was. No, I'm going to say, I'm going to say Drew Aller, because I just, penn State is another team that I just I can't quite figure out, because there are times where Drew Aller looks really good and there are other times where I go. What in the world are we looking at here? And I guess a lot of that's going to be figured out here in a couple weeks time when he comes to Columbus Two weeks, you know. So I'll give him, I'll give him. I think he's talented, but I just I don't buy, and I think it's similar to the Sam Hartman thing, where this is the guy who's going to be the difference maker and get him over the hump. I don't see anything that. I don't see anything. Sean Clifford wasn't doing.
Speaker 2:I don't see anything I think Trace McStorough wasn't doing and those weren't national title playoff caliber teams.
Speaker 1:The difference for those guys to me at least is this is Aller's first season starting. I think it's more, and we've talked about it before on the podcast. He reminds me of a younger McCarthy. I still think McCarthy overall will be is more talented. His potential was higher. But I think that's what you're looking at with Aller. It's not this year specifically. It's what's he going to do next?
Speaker 2:year. But it's the way and it does kind of get the hype building up around it.
Speaker 1:But it's what is a senior guy being brought in?
Speaker 2:Yeah, and those standards can't be the same for both of them. But the way that it's talked about was Drew Aller is going to be the difference maker and I think I agree with you. I think down the line, yes, but the way we're talking about him in the moment, man, and if they cut, listen, if they come into Columbus and they, they pull what will most likely be by the spread, at least be a huge upset against Ohio State, I'll repent, I'll come on here and apologize to Drew, but until that happens, I just don't see it Well, and I would say you're right with just the overhype, especially around that fan base, because we saw it even last year when we were leaving Penn State for the go house, they even we were sitting in a parking lot for what felt like five hours listening to their local sports talk go through and break down the game.
Speaker 1:The amount of people that said back then that they want to drew Aller, starting because of all the hype surrounding him, well, they figure, numerous, they figure their dreams for the season.
Speaker 2:You know and it's a, you know, a weird thing that the Rose Bowl is not what it used to be. That's beside the point and it's, it's tragic, but they were looking at it going. Okay, at this point in the season do we start Aller and let him get the experience that we hit next year running. Now they've managed to be fine thus far without him or with, you know, with, with keeping Sean Clifford as the starter last year, I don't know. I just I don't disagree with that. I think there's a lot of hype around your Aller and he will have a chance to prove it in Columbus.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's my point. That is going to be the legacy game.
Speaker 2:Not a legacy, but it'll build onto it If you get the win if you, if you get the win, it's absolutely a legacy game for him. We'll get to that here. Ohio State though I want to talk about them. Ohio State 37-17 over Maryland. I want your just honest to goodness, take on this. In particular, I want you to address Kyle McCord. Okay, first half looked terrible. Yeah, second half, I thought, looked good. What's your? What is your, not just from this game, but what is your take on Kyle McCord? Because we've got. We've got a large enough sample size now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think it's it's. It's really is tough because I don't think he's a bad quarterback at all. I think he's got all the skills that you want to be a starting quarterback, especially at Ohio State. I think he can get the job done. There are little things that you started to see, that I don't even know if I would say worried is the right word for it, but that I look at I go well this is a fixable.
Speaker 1:It's a fixable thing. And why hasn't it been fixed? He's been here long enough. It's not like he's a freshman coming in and you're still trying to get his feet underneath of him. You're going in here and it seemed even even when he was completing the passes I mean, there were a couple of key plays that I can think of. I think, stat wise, he had started off like six of 15 or something like that.
Speaker 3:It wasn't good.
Speaker 1:He was missing guys all over. He was forcing throws. It was just ugly. The run game wasn't really running anything well I would say he was. He was getting pressured more often than I'd like to see, which was forcing him into some of these. But you had the one throw that could have obviously been picked off on the sideline I think he was trying to force a throw to Marvin Harrison at the time could have gotten picked off easily. Then you had him take two sacks and back to back drives. Then you had him take one where we were threatening to score in Maryland's territory.
Speaker 2:He got back like 18 yards and, instead of taking third quarter, play third quarter play.
Speaker 1:Instead of taking a sack, he tries to go and last second, while he's half spinning around, toss it to chip train him in the backfield, who also still took an 18 yard loss cause he was a yard in front of him. And it's stuff like that where I'm like just take the sack. I'm still going to be mad that it's a 20 yard loss, but I would much rather that than give the ball back to Maryland. And so I didn't. I didn't like that. There were a couple of times where it just felt like he was late on his reads and I actually heard this being talked about where Ryan day post game was being asked this question and he said yeah, there's a.
Speaker 1:There were a few times today where he was just behind a little bit and you saw it in the Kate Stover that what should have been a touchdown to Kate Stover, yeah, yeah, I want to say that was late third, maybe maybe early fourth, where they still I don't even remember if they ended up scoring on that. I think they did. I think that was the one where train them inevitably ran to the right side of the board but they had Stover wide open.
Speaker 1:Then there was another chance where he had Marvin Harrison and everybody in the stadium saw Marvin Harrison open. The second it broke free and it still took McCord probably three or four seconds to get it to him, which caused Harrison to be and he completed both of those passes.
Speaker 2:And so that's, that's a. That's a great example for me of why you know we've got folks that that that you know tweet at the podcast and email and whatever else. And just yeah, the stat is there because you completed a 50 yard pass to Harrison but the whole stadium saw it and you saw it late and it's, it's a touchdown.
Speaker 2:If you see it same thing with Stover the whole, the whole press box audibly went huh and McCord stole back there scrambling around and Stover just has to stand there and wait for it. That's the stuff that against Maryland's defense, I don't think you get away with that. Against Penn State in Michigan, I really don't.
Speaker 1:I do think, though, overall I and I wish I would have taken the time to really break this down more, because, like I said, I know for a fact he started like six of 15 or seven of 15, he ended the day going 19 of 29, thrown for three, 20 and two touchdowns. I'm not upset about that performance. He actually outplayed Talia. In my mind, and we had talked all week long last week even on the way to the game Talia is the second best quarterback in the big 10. And I feel like all season long, whenever McCord has had to go up against Sam Hartman, the Talia Tagoval, we're looking at them and we're going. Well, he's going to get outplayed at the quarterback position and then he doesn't, and so I don't know. I don't know if I'm fully on the McCord hype train, like I feel like some people might be, but I'm definitely off the train where I think that it's going to be a weak position for Ohio State. I don't know.
Speaker 1:I think the mistakes that he showed me, the being a little bit behind on reads, making smarter decisions, like learning how to take the sack those are all fixable things. There's not any skillset thing that I think he's lacking. I think he's got the leadership. I think he's obviously got the dog in him, like we saw at Notre Dame. I think he's got the the, the ability to go down there and lead your team. I think he's got the arm power, that Mount Marvin Harrison touchdown if he's still through it a 60 something yard pass I mean it was still an impressive throw. You just want to see him hit it and stride, and so I'm not. I'm not really concerned. I thought, yeah, there were stuff to clean up. It wasn't an A plus game, but we talked about it on the drive home. I would give it like a solid B.
Speaker 2:I just for me, watching Kyle as much as I do, you know, and it's weird for me because you know we're in Columbus and so I see far more in person Ohio State than I get to watch in person Michigan. I'm obviously watching the games on TV, but you get a different feel for it when you're actually there. Mccord, for me, I think the encapsulation of what I feel for him and with him is that you know, taking the 20 yard sack and kind of just shoveling this thing over to chip train, I'm super fine. Followed by let me drop this past a Marv on the side, a dive Like back to back, please.
Speaker 2:It's. I get Jekyll and Hyde with him. Like that's the best way I can describe it Jekyll and Hyde. Stop Jekyll and Hyde with him.
Speaker 1:Don't make that a thing, please. Oh, it's a thing, please do not. I'm going to make shirts that say Jekyll and Hyde, because it is it's.
Speaker 2:There are moments where he you know the last, the final drive at Notre Dame there were maybe that's an even better example than the one I just cited where on that final drive, you got the result and he had a couple really beautiful balls thrown to Harrison and thrown to Ibuka. Also on that drive he threw two balls into the ground and one through the hands of a defensive back. So is that a good performance or not? I don't know, and that's the sort of thing that makes him a really hard quarterback to read is you had all of those things occur in the same critical moment. It got the job done, but do I feel confident if I'm a buck eye about his decision-making?
Speaker 1:Heck. No, it's one of those things. You look at the stats and you go 19 of 29, 320 and two touchdowns. That's a great performance.
Speaker 2:It's still a solid performance, but like but if you watch the game you know that that doesn't tell the whole story, and I would even say this is going to the opposite side of the ball for the defense.
Speaker 1:I even tweeted this out at rival pod. If you follow us you probably saw this Shout out. But I made a reference to call Ohio State Cheddar Bob because they just continually kept shooting themselves in the foot.
Speaker 2:Which is apparently a reference to something.
Speaker 1:If you know the reference, it's eight mile, which is the like documentary about the rapper Eminem's life. He has a friend named Cheddar Bob who shoots himself in the leg and it seemed like Mayor Ohio State was doing that all game long and I actually thought for a long time and I thought this against Notre Dame too that at least in the secondary Hartman and Talia were both able to do whatever they wanted.
Speaker 1:But then you look at it and you go, okay, well, talia was 21 of 41 for 196, one touchdown passing, one on the ground and two interceptions. I'm not impressed. Sam Hartman didn't throw for 200 yards, but it sure as heck felt like it watching the game in person. And so it's one of those weird things where you watch this Ohio State defense even and I go, man, they are so bad. And then I look at the final sat and I go, actually, what am I talking about? They are a very good defense.
Speaker 2:Well, and two interceptions. One is a.
Speaker 1:did he get in the end zone for a pitch six, yeah, one was I can't remember if you got a talk there Which- you could tell something was going to happen, because when the buck had himself a day the buck guys came out so slow and sluggish and when you were watching, it was actually I noticed it at the very start so Maryland was driving down. They were in our our goal line. It was like third in goal or something. The only player on Ohio State's defense trying to get anybody revved up was number 41, josh Proctor. And then inevitably that next play is when he ran to the corner and stopped him from picking it up, forcing him to kick a field goal Huge. Then he goes out there and goes and gets a pick six. He had another one where he had a huge hit. Jude was just all over the field Huge huge game.
Speaker 1:He played a great game and I think it juiced up the rest. After that pick six, momentum was completely shifted. The energy was back.
Speaker 2:I looked at the gentleman next to me when Maryland was up 10 nothing and I told him. I said it's going to take something like an interception or a botched specialty to play or something to get Ohio State back in this game, not because score wise they were out of it, but because it was 10 nothing. Maryland had the ball and the juice was just gone.
Speaker 1:And part of the weird thing and we talked about this, we've actually gone back and forth several times because the very opening drive you and I both thought that Ohio State and Ryan day faked this punt because it sure as heck looked like it and then somebody else had tweeted out of saying, no, it was definitely just a bad snap. Post game, ryan day said, no, it was a bad snap. We saw a replay on Twitter that made it look like it was an intentional fake punt. Then I saw another one with a little bit of a better angle and you can see that the ball actually was a bad snap. It bounces right off the ground. They did just get lucky that it happened to go right next to the guy.
Speaker 2:And I guess the other question too is for me as a Michigan man, that's fun, because now it's the Michigan game, the Georgia game and the Maryland game that either Ohio State has tried to punt or tried to fake a punt, and it just has done nothing.
Speaker 1:Well, I would say the Georgia game. I don't know if that really counts, because they got it, but he just called the time out right beforehand.
Speaker 2:But again it's one, but then you decide not to go for it. So it's just that's the mistake there, but not the actual go for it.
Speaker 1:It's bizarre, I do think though that's something that I was taken into consideration because Maryland started their first possession at Ohio State's 30 yard line. Granted, they went down and scored, but if you take that mishap away which you can't, but I mean, if you're looking at it from a defense perspective you take that away, you're winning 37 to 10.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you can't take that away, though you can't here's, here's, I think, here's, I think that. So I mean we've, we've analyzed from a court to death, and the bottom line, I think, for both of us, is you might win one way where I win the other, but the bottom line is we don't know.
Speaker 1:I still, I think I don't know what to do with. Kyle. He has proven himself valuable to me in the Notre Dame game and the Maryland game. He has to me. You don't get. You don't get wins in those games with Devin Brown.
Speaker 2:Well, no, that's not. That's not the question. There's no doubt he's quarterback one, he's the clear quarterback for us. I'm just saying I don't think that it's going to. I don't think that he's capable of beating Michigan the way he's playing right now, and that's really all I care about.
Speaker 1:I wouldn't say that he's not, though I think he is. I think for me it comes down to the Penn State game. I want to see how he performs. I know it's going to be a home game. If he goes out and has a game like this, I will be all in, I will buy the stock and it can't be a Sam Hartman performance where, yeah, it's efficient, but it's 17 of 22 for a buck 75 and a touchdown Like it's got to. It's got to be a performance for me to really buy it, unless they just don't need it.
Speaker 1:And for whatever reason they decide they want to just blow Penn State out. I would welcome that.
Speaker 2:Well, and that's that brings us to the, and I I want to move on from Ohio state before I throw up. But the other thing that I think is worth noting is that Ohio state is having a heck of a time running the football. Yeah, One and a half yards per carry in that in the game against Maryland, and this is not a. It's not been that bad statistically, but this has been a season long problem for the offensive line creating any sort of run block, and I thought I thought uh, bo Bishop on the fan here in Columbus actually dealt with this really well, in a very balanced way, and said you will not beat Penn state and you will not beat Michigan if you can't run the ball like that, and I think he's exactly right.
Speaker 1:They were missing a huge piece with Henderson which I actually that kind of irritates me because we found out like an hour or so before the game started that he was not going to suit up, which you could kind of see. I saw him and he wasn't in pads or anything out warming up. He had his jersey on, he had a hoodie underneath of it and it was clear he wasn't playing. But then you find out after the game that he was cleared to play and Ryan days, days said we wanted to make sure he was good to go for the next week. And I'm like dog, next week you play per do, who just lost to Iowa's backup quarterback, go ask.
Speaker 1:Michigan state about how that feels, but you go in like that and it's like dog. This is a five and O Maryland team. This isn't a rest game. This isn't Youngstown state, where it's to me and I know hindsight's 2020, you still want 37 to 17. I don't like that mindset because to me that was a huge game 12 of undefeated, second best quarterback in the big 10.
Speaker 2:Unless you're going to hold him out again or at least severely limit him this week to get him healthy for Penn state, then maybe I get it. But regardless, even with Travion in the run game has not been there for Ohio state all year. And even the and again Bo Bishop a great job talking about this. Even the third downs at Notre Dame which were so critical for Ohio state and winning that game three of 12 on Saturday, that's not. That's not again to his point. That's not going to get the job done against good defenses. You got Penn state and Michigan coming.
Speaker 1:Well and it's. It's such a weird thing too, because we've talked about this a little bit and I don't know if we ever brought this up on the podcast or not but where the heck is my and Williams at this year Because you go into it? Last year when Henderson goes out my and Williams became RB one and performed well. I thought he he played the role that he was supposed to do. He wasn't as flashy. That's not the kind of back that he is, he's a bruiser, and this year it's like I barely see him on the field. But then he goes into that game against Maryland Granted, it was after a blowout and he's running like he's got something to prove. And you look at it as last year, we have Dalin Hayden out there. Where has Dalin Hayden been? Not to knock chip training them, because I think he's very talented as well. But I feel like we have a variety of running backs that should be able to step in, almost like a plug and play type deal.
Speaker 2:If you're, if you're getting a yard and a half per carry, yeah, you gotta try something else. My good Like, and that's where. That's where, again, for the success Ryan day has had. That's where he's being out coached and, again, I will get full credit to Bo Bishop on this, but he he made the comment you have, you are not built for that. You have a Ferrari, go drive it. No, I would question whether or not Kyle McCord is the equivalent of a Ferrari as much as a 2006 Subaru. However, I don't think he's talking about that. The point. The point is, though, that, like, you've got the offensive weapons there to distribute the ball to, why are you trying and I don't know if it goes back to the whole we're trying to prove that we're tough thing, but Ryan day is getting out coached in a lot of these situations.
Speaker 1:And I think it's a little bit different if you have a healthy Henderson. And I don't remember who said this, but it was on one of the post game radio shows that I was listening to, where they brought this point up and they said I don't understand why the mentality for Ohio state's running game isn't to let Henderson do what he needs to do when he's healthy and then tire that defense out by letting Mayan Williams pound him into the ground. He's a big body, he's hard to take down. Why are you not bringing Henderson in trying to get close and then letting Mayan Williams just slam his body into him half back, dives whatever right up the gut to wear that line down so that Henderson can break free on a?
Speaker 2:couple. It feels like they're not utilizing what they need to do. You've got to be able the biggest thing in coaching you've got to be able to adjust. Look at Michigan last year, the way that they would make half-time adjustments Just phenomenal, phenomenal job. When you refuse to do that, don Brown, you get carved all over the place. Jim Knowles, when you refuse to, you've got to be able to adapt. You can't get in your head with this. Well, this is the way we are. The way you are is running a one and a half yards per carry. It's not going to work.
Speaker 1:Well, and I would give Ohio State credit. I think the second half adjustments they made obviously worked. It was a phenomenal second half completely dominated by the book. Eyes outscored them 27 to seven in the second half. I mean, what else can you see?
Speaker 2:but let's move on. But still, but still, a 20 to 17 game in the fourth as a three score favorite. I'm sick of talking about Ohio State. You guys are going to destroy Purdue.
Speaker 1:Real bad, real bad Is their stadium still being worked on. Is it even a thing that's done? I hope so. I saw a tweet where it was the game. I don't remember what week it was this season, but there was a game being played at Purdue stadium as construction crews were still working on using them with Vanderbilt. Maybe I am, actually I think you are, but you know what. But you know what? They're both bad. Who cares?
Speaker 2:Black and gold, and Purdue is the Vanderbilt of the big 10.
Speaker 1:I've always said that, yes, they might as well be. Mima always said that Purdue was the.
Speaker 2:Vanderbilt of the big 10. You know Hunter car or, excuse me, hunter card, hudson card. Hudson card is a is a decent quarterback and I think Devin Lockaby is a pretty good running back. But Purdue doesn't have much else and their defense is atrocious.
Speaker 1:Given up 380 yards a game. It's not weird to me is that it's only a house. It's only 19 point favorites, but they were 20 something against Maryland.
Speaker 2:I do think the line dropped to about 18, but again, this is basically Maryland, yeah, so but again, the the spread is comparable and I don't.
Speaker 1:There's no way. This is it's honestly a welcomed week and I don't want to I don't ever like say it downplaying an opponent say it downplay the opponent. But this is one of those games where I pray that I get a half of. Just give me some dominant football, because I've had pens or I've had Notre Dame, then I had Maryland, then I have this. Then I got to go back to being stressed because it's Penn state. Give me one game where it is like 24 to three at half time.
Speaker 2:We are in cruise control and I don't have to sweat because I hate it every single week, and let's also be honest If, if it's anything but that at the half against Purdue in the middle of the season, that's an issue. I don't. Here's the thing, though. That's the concern. I don't think it needs to be a concern of 42 to 14. I think, I think you give up a couple of touchdowns, but I think Ohio state makes this not a game pretty handily.
Speaker 1:I don't even think we let them score touchdown. I've got 38 three. There you go 38 three. I feel like the defense has been playing super well. I'm not intimidated by anybody on this Purdue offense whatsoever. They scored 14 points against Iowa. Iowa's got a good defense, but still there's.
Speaker 2:Purdue is in. Is in shambles. Speaking of things that are not in shambles, well, maybe your houses or your building project. But we can fix that Thanks to our friends. Well, not us.
Speaker 1:You don't want us to build it. You don't want us to build it.
Speaker 2:Aaron Carroll and our friends at elevated integrity construction should never let us near a hammer, and they don't. That's why you can trust them for your project, because the last thing that you need is guesswork. They will communicate well, they'll communicate honestly and leave you with a finished project that you can be proud of. Go with integrity. It's elevated integritycom, elevated integritycom. And, by the way, grateful to the J company and elevated integrity, but also your support right now a buck a month.
Speaker 1:We just just prices across the board. Like we're one of those like mattress warehouse places where like deals, deals, deals, deals, deals, come and get them. Now we have, but also deals, deals, deals, deals, deals, deals, deals, deals, deals, whatever it is.
Speaker 2:Thank you for that. A dollar a month supports the podcast. We'll send you a brand new rivalry sticker as well, for your water bottle, your laptop. Put on your refrigerator I don't know. It's your sticker. Do what you want. Some other tears as well. Check out our Patreon river radiocom. Slash rivalry All the links right there. Let's talk about Michigan. You told me you had a question you wanted to get to here.
Speaker 1:I, just I do, and I this is not a hateful question at all which I know you're thinking is what's going to happen?
Speaker 2:It was 52 to 10. So I hope not.
Speaker 1:This. This isn't, even this isn't about about that. There it's, it's a two-parter. So my first one is how are you feeling about Donovan Edwards overall lack of production this year? Is that? Is that worrying to you? Because it feels like I keep expecting each week for him to come out and have a game, especially after the way that he kind of ran his mouth, but basically him and quorum coming out and saying we're the best running back duo in the big 10. Well, that's still still remains true. I would. Talent wise, yes, production wise, I would. I would disagree. I think quorum is the best running back by far. Donovan and Edwards has done nothing this season to convince me that that they are the best duo in the big 10.
Speaker 1:And so, as as a Michigan guy, what are you making from that? Because I keep expecting it, especially when you're blowing a team out 52 to 10,. I expect him to get more carries, but Kaleel Mullings comes in and and handles the job.
Speaker 2:I'm not, so I don't think it's so much about about Mullings coming in or Leon Franklin or any of these guys coming in. I don't think it's about that. I do agree that it's it's. It's not a major source of concern, but I do think it's concerning.
Speaker 1:Because he's not really even getting involved in the passing game. It's, he is, but the production.
Speaker 2:I agree that the production level is not what we expected it to be from him. Yeah, and I don't. I don't know that there's really an answer to that. I don't know if he's in his head, I don't know if it's yeah, I don't really have a good Thing and.
Speaker 2:I think it's can. I think it's confusing even for the folks that follow that are like in Ann Arbor on the beat, day in, day out. Yeah, I don't know what that is. I hope that it's something that can get resolved. I hope Indiana is a great game for him, that he is able to get that confidence back or whatever I I think Donovan is an unselfish player like I think he's willing to play whatever he needs, so I don't think he's you'll harboring resentment over quorum or anything like.
Speaker 1:Universe knows quorum is running back one, even after what?
Speaker 2:yeah, that doesn't seem like the issue, like it doesn't seem like a McNamara Macarthur thing at all. But you know that it's got to be frustrating because even even in the Minnesota game where he he got down to though some might say he got in, but got down to the six inch line and Wasn't able to punch it in yeah, you know, the one thing that I want to see from Michigan is I want them to continue to utilize him.
Speaker 1:Obviously he's a talent is there, he's not. He's a lot off.
Speaker 2:He's a threat in the passing game. He takes a lot of the burden off of quorum. What I don't want to see is I don't want to see a situation where we're trying to force it. There were, there were, a couple drives where I felt like we were trying to force feed him at the goal line. That might have been the Rutgers game, I don't remember now, but then it was like a three or four handoff to Donovan and he couldn't quite get in. It's like we all know what you're trying to do. 110,000 people know you're handing it to him. I know you want him to score, but why don't we just go ahead and score?
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, so I that's the best answer that I have.
Speaker 1:It's just been a weird mystery to me, I know numerous times on this podcast I've said this is gonna be the game that he I feel like he breaks out, and it just never seems to happen.
Speaker 2:And Indiana has as good a chance that I need to be that game.
Speaker 1:So and I think it will be honestly I have that in my notes that I think this is the game where you see Edwards kind of step out, the one thing that's surprising. I guess this isn't even really a question.
Speaker 1:I just want to kind of gather your thoughts on this I started to think because Quorum, coming off of an injury, I thought he's gonna come out and have another Heisman type year. And this isn't me saying that he's played bad whatsoever, because I don't think he has whatsoever. I think he's still played a high level of football. He has one game this season of over a hundred yards. Last season you look all throughout and his game line is like 165-188-200 something. What do you think is the cause of that this year? Is it because you guys have been up by so much that you just aren't running the Ball with them? Is it? Is it the clock issues going on later in the game where they're just moving too fast, so it just doesn't. He doesn't get as many touches.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think I. I'm sure the clock plays a role in that. How much, I don't know. I would diss, I would agree and disagree. I would disagree with you that the production hasn't been there, because I think it's not to that level with 10. I mean he's got 10 touchdowns. I think he leads the country right now I mean touch, or if he doesn't lead, he's near the top.
Speaker 1:But he's not having the same caliber season. Nobody's talking about Quorum being in the Heisman like they were last year.
Speaker 2:I think the big reason why so far is Michigan's blowing teams out. I really do think that, yeah, michigan had nine different rushers play against Minnesota. Think Quorum had nine rushes for 60 something yards. Uh like, oh, only 60 something yeah it's effective. Well, he had nine rushes. I he's okay.
Speaker 1:But it's just one of those things where he's not being used as much.
Speaker 2:He's not stat padding I guess I'll put it that way and he's not stat padding. And when you know Former walk on, leon Franklin is coming in in the fourth quarter. Well, let me put this way when JJ McCarthy is kissing his girlfriend in the third quarter of the Nebraska game, that tells you how things have gone for the starters and their day is over. Yeah, so I think that's. I think that's the big reason why yeah, and it's just crazy. I know, I accept, I know.
Speaker 1:Well, it's, it's like you said. He has nine rushes, it's effective. But you're not seeing him pile Heisman type numbers where I think last year, if he doesn't get hurt, he wins it this year? I don't think he's in the conversation and it's not a great.
Speaker 1:It's not that he's not a great player, because I think he still is the best running back in the nation, but for some reason it just there's not enough numbers and I think you're 100 right, but I did think it was interesting in that 100 yard game. It was against bowling green the game we're at, yeah where he ripped off like a 50-something yard run.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think the stat lines are not there. And the stat lines yeah, the stat line may may be a Heisman cost. Yeah and, and I think if you're, if you're quorum in Michigan, you go Okay because, because those guys those guys came back Because they have unfinished in.
Speaker 2:Every team talks about unfinished business. There's a reason why guys like zant zack zinter came back. There's a reason the guys like play quorum came back. They want to go win the natty. That's the old that. It wasn't about coming back to win the highs or it wasn't about Like sure you'd love to see that. Yes, you want to improve your draft stock. Blake Whorm could have gone last year and gone high in the NFL draft.
Speaker 3:I think coming back out in our third round.
Speaker 2:I think coming back helps with the. The injury comes helps with a lot of things. But my point and all that is I don't think that he's upset about the numbers and whether or not it costs him the heisman who cares? The starters are out by mid third quarter.
Speaker 1:Yeah, fantastic to prove your point. I. I think even if quorum went out last year for the draft, his draft stocks not going to change much. You're not going to take a running back unless it's like bjohn robinson or something. In the first round he was going to be a second, third, fourth round at absolute latest pick. That's not going to change if he goes out this year anyways.
Speaker 2:Yeah dominant Minnesota games summarized up michigan, michigan, michigan I mean second second play the game. Will johnson's back in healthy second play the game Callie, a commandist throws it to him. This is the first time michigan's had two pick sixes in the same game since oh, I want to say I want to say 2013, but I don't know if that's accurate. I know somebody's somebody pointed it out. It's been a while it was. It was a.
Speaker 3:The defense played great offense played great.
Speaker 2:The only, the only frustrating piece of the whole thing Was minnesota scores a touchdown after pj fleck just Mauls the clock for no particular reason.
Speaker 1:Credit from pj fleck two after the game where he says that I've been coaching 11 years and that is the best football team I've ever seen which I are deep across the board and it's like I what are you going to do? Yeah, what else can you say in minnesota player and you're here and your coach go out there and be like I knew we stood zero chance. The second we saw just basically like that press 100 percent, what it felt like, and I'm like Sweet honey, you just go on there and punch every person in your locker room in the face.
Speaker 2:Well, he even showed it. I mean, it was what 20. I don't even remember, 24 to three, I think, at the half, and he. They ended up scoring a touchdown somehow. But he's no, he's milking the clock. Because, he's afraid of he's. He's more afraid of giving the ball to michigan than he's worried about scoring points. It was.
Speaker 1:It was surrender cobra in the second quarter, which nobody actually thought. But come on, when you're the head coach, you've got to like have. Come on, man You've got to have fake belief so that you can keep that locker room in time.
Speaker 2:I'm still irrationally furious that they scored a touchdown after he mismatch the clock.
Speaker 1:But did we call it? That's the first time an opponent has scored over a touchdown against michigan all season and I wasn't honestly I wasn't hopeful minnesota was going to be the one to do it. We called it.
Speaker 2:I think I said like 42 to 10 and it was 52 to 10.
Speaker 1:I forget what I even put, but it was.
Speaker 2:It was not good uh, indiana, I'll summarize much like perdu hot garbage you know what's weird about this indiana team? The fact that you only be in 23.
Speaker 1:They are so they are so bad. That wasn't even a hot take. We still won by 20. You guys beat bowling green 31 to 6. You barely beat them in your in your same one barely 24, barely so we're talking so.
Speaker 2:Or 25 my math, it doesn't matter, we beat them.
Speaker 1:This is what's weird they get blown out by maryland. It takes them four over times to beat ackerman, that ackerman, lebron James ackerman, then that's out there they barely lose. You don't know that. Do you know every ackerman that ever exists? Name me, it name. Oh, you know ackerman, name every ackerman. So. But then they go up and they barely lose to louisville, who just beat noter dame pretty handily what I'm hearing?
Speaker 2:What I'm hearing is ackerman is right on the verge of beating noter dame.
Speaker 1:I'm not, it's just weird, I don't. I look at a schedule like that and I go clearly you are, but but then also, what the heck is this? And I circle, the louisville game. It is going to be atrocious but they give up 150 yards on the ground. I think quorum and edwards are going to absolutely feast.
Speaker 2:What's your final?
Speaker 1:It's going to be gross. Uh, I have 45, 7.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:I think a garbage time touchdown.
Speaker 2:Here's the stat that, uh, makes me real happy. Taven jackson, for indiana, has more interceptions than touchdowns, mm-hmm, and he's only thrown three interceptions. So I don't, I don't. What more could you want? If you're Michigan's defense, you're one of the best defenses, if not the best defense in the nation, and that's who you get. Um knock on all the wood, because there's always the chance of a stupid Indiana game, as they called up in Ann Arbor.
Speaker 3:There's, not there's not.
Speaker 2:This is Michigan. Michigan has two home games left before Ohio state. This is one of them. Michigan 48 to nothing. I just think. I just think, I think this is because Indiana is just not good.
Speaker 1:I'm expecting garbage. I'm talking like three minutes to go in the fourth and they get something. Maybe, but even then, man you know they're bad, they are very bad.
Speaker 2:Good, Uh, let's go ahead and jump to stupid genius here. Uh, stupid genius presented by the J company. Fall in love with your home all over again. The J A E companycom. Stupid genius scoreboard update. It is now 33 and a half to do 33 and a half.
Speaker 2:So I get five points for the win, plus the spread six and a half by Louisville beat a Notre Dame on Saturday night 33 and a half to nothing. Uh, this week I've made this mistake before I'm going to make it again. Give me Iowa on the road. Give me Iowa plus 10 up in camp Randall.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:I don't. I don't buy Wisconsin right now. I was big on them to start the year. I just I don't buy them right now and I think I was defense. I think I was defense wins this game.
Speaker 1:Okay, I'm not upset about that. It might be like nine to three but they will win this game for them Inevitably. Um, I'm going a little spicier.
Speaker 2:Well, you, you're down 33 and a half to nothing, so you have to.
Speaker 1:Can I get those Arkansas dogs over number 11, Alabama, 19 and a half point underdogs.
Speaker 2:I'm going to be thrown out of my in-laws family for not picking the hogs here.
Speaker 1:Let's get it done. I was looking at this team and I was debating for a long time. The losses they have are two of them are against some ranked teams that are doing pretty well, and they're they're barely. They're not really getting blown out by these teams either. They've been close games. I think this is the one they. They shot the world. I.
Speaker 2:I believe nothing would make me happier, nothing would make my brother in a lot of miles happier than. Arkansas.
Speaker 3:I'm all in.
Speaker 2:Um do we razorbacks I?
Speaker 1:can't do it, though I can't do it.
Speaker 2:I've. I've been brought into, I married into Arkansas and I've watched more Arkansas football than I'd like to, and it's just it's not there. It's not there. I'm.
Speaker 1:I'm all in.
Speaker 2:They do not have the juice. I'm all in teams that do have the juice, Not this past weekend, but moving forward. Update us on Rutgers to the Rose Bowl.
Speaker 1:Well they looking great.
Speaker 2:A tough, tough loss to Wisconsin, tough loss to Wisconsin.
Speaker 1:It sounds. It sounds bad to go away from that game. Encouraged.
Speaker 2:It does sound bad. Yeah, this is a game this is a game.
Speaker 1:Yeah, 2413 away. This is a game last year. The year before, we lose 38, 10, 40, two, 10. You get absolutely.
Speaker 2:This is improvement.
Speaker 1:This is improvement because seven of those points for Wisconsin. This is the also still bad, but you throw a pick six. You're like at the five yard line, gavin Wimps that throws a horrible pass. It goes and gets taken all the way to the house to give Wisconsin seven points. It's a 14 point swing 14 point swing Huge. But this is not a game Rutgers is normally in and true, and I would say it was a winnable game still.
Speaker 1:I mean that's a very costly mistake but this was very easily a game that Rutgers could have walked in and came away with. Winning at Wisconsin is a tough, a tough task, so I walked away from that going dang. We let one slip through our hands. It would have been really nice to get that one going into this game upcoming against Michigan state. But there are still two chances, and right now I've got Shiano. The Shiano meter is not looking great. It's two out of five the tough loss to Wisconsin. But they've got two games this upcoming week against our guys from Michigan state.
Speaker 2:Listen, listen do it, please, please. This is why I need to be watching on YouTube. Who's sure is this again?
Speaker 1:Mike Teal Come on now.
Speaker 2:Okay, I have never put on another team's jersey or apparel.
Speaker 1:I'm gonna borrow this too.
Speaker 2:Except for Arkansas, but that's by marriage I have to.
Speaker 1:I'll set that there in case you want it. I'm just gonna let's go. It looks good on you. It looks good, Can you? I put a prop there for you to thank you? Rutgers opens up this weekend. When I saw it yesterday at six point favorites at home against.
Speaker 2:Michigan state, let's go.
Speaker 1:Then, following that game, they play this off my head. They play this same garbage Indiana team that we are about to watch get slaughtered. Rutgers could in the next couple of weeks already be bowl eligible.
Speaker 2:I'm not gonna be playing because I don't know if you've realized this or not, but Michigan state paid a coach 10 years, $95 million contract. He's not. I don't know what happened to him. I hope first name bunch of numbers gets back to us and could let us know Rutgers is going to roll. I oh man. That might be too strong of a word, but I'm wearing this jersey. I feel powerful now. The Mike.
Speaker 1:Teal is coming out of you.
Speaker 2:Chop, is it chop on chop chop.
Speaker 3:What is it Chop?
Speaker 2:just chop. Just chop. Anyway, Rutgers is going to be Michigan state.
Speaker 1:Let's go. We're going to do a little bit of a prediction. We never really do that, man, we never really do that with this segment, but it feels special.
Speaker 2:Rutgers has a good defense. I would say that's a bad offense, rutgers offense and the bad defense.
Speaker 1:Rutgers offense is also not great, but I would say we have a running back. I think Gavin Winsat could expose this team.
Speaker 2:You know what A low, low scoring ugly football game 20 to 10, 20 to 10 Rutgers. They're going to cover. Okay, they're going to win. They're going to cover. I'm going to win. Okay, they're going to cover. They're going to win. They're going to cover. Okay, they're going to win. They're going to cover.
Speaker 1:Okay, they're going to win 20 to 10, 20 to 10 Rutgers. They're going to cover. Okay, they're going to win, they're going to cover. I'm going 24, seven, 24 to seven. I don't think, I don't think Michigan state can do a single thing.
Speaker 2:Thankfully, Michigan state schedule gets a lot easier the week after because they get to play Michigan.
Speaker 3:And it's going to be. It's going to be a great baby. It's going to be fun.
Speaker 2:You've got any final thoughts on this I feel like we need to bring this up. So when normally we do our top 10, I don't know if you have that prepared.
Speaker 1:I don't, but it's, it's, it's a pretty good game. Let's go, let's go. So when normally we do our top 10, I don't know if you have that prepared.
Speaker 2:I don't, but it's. It's Georgia, michigan, ohio state, and then pick one.
Speaker 1:That's fair. That's fair. I do have Oklahoma at the number four spot shot. I'll go with that, so I do want to talk about the mishap of Miami, because I feel like it doesn't get talked about. What in the actual heck are you doing?
Speaker 2:This was like, and so I saw somebody make this comparison N C double a someone. This is someone else's thought. N C double a football when you're playing and your buddy goes. No, don't kneel it out, just give me one more chance. We've said that numerous absolute because it's a N C. Double a 14 is a gentleman's game.
Speaker 1:You don't kneel, there are no punts and it's absolutely not in campus legends. You don't punch the ball.
Speaker 2:You at least hand the ball off, and I would even say you need to throw the ball. However, four verts, how? Four ver?
Speaker 1:the only thing better than three verts is four, if I could add a fifth, I would, you can.
Speaker 3:I think it's called a Hail Mary.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't know what Miami's doing. I've got a good buddy from college who grew up in Miami, grew up in South Florida, and he he's pretty good about like posting scores on his Instagram and stuff after he's a big Dolphins fan as well. He did not post one after the Georgia Tech game, and I do not blame you at all, dan, because I just I really don't have. I don't even know what to say about it.
Speaker 2:It's just, it is. That is, I would even say I would say, barring maybe the trouble with the snap play, though maybe even beyond that. That has got to be the worst way to lose a football game.
Speaker 1:I have been a Browns fan in the world. I've been a Browns fan for almost 32 years now. I have seen a football team lose in ways that are unspeakable, that I never thought I would witness in my entire life I could. If I sat here, I could probably list five to 10 of those the New York Jets last year, first thing that came to mind. You're up 13 with a minute and a half left and the Browns lost. I have seen it all and I have still never in my life seen a team lose it the way Miami lost it. That is how bad it was.
Speaker 2:Somebody asked Mario Cristobal if he was trying to get the running back to 100 yards and he said no, mario, you're a liar, you're, you're absolutely a liar, and that's it. Facts. Gar garbage free yeah, but also you're a liar. Also, notre Dame is going to be USC this weekend. No chance, that's it.
Speaker 1:That's it.
Speaker 2:Let's follow us on socials at rival pod.
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