WEBVTT
1
00:00:00.030 --> 00:00:02.839
Turning to sports. With Jake Wimberly on the afternoon drive.
2
00:00:02.859 --> 00:00:05.379
One of the last pure pleasures I have left in
3
00:00:05.419 --> 00:00:05.919
my life.
4
00:00:05.980 --> 00:00:08.189
Yeah, maybe you ought to get a life first, okay?
5
00:00:08.240 --> 00:00:10.750
On ESPN 105.9 The Zone and online at TheZone1059. com.
6
00:00:34.259 --> 00:00:36.619
Taking you through your Wednesday. Brought to you by friends
7
00:00:36.659 --> 00:00:39.009
at Dr. Pepper, the official beverage of the station all
8
00:00:39.020 --> 00:00:41.369
the way through football season, all the way to the
9
00:00:41.450 --> 00:00:44.229
Super Bowl. Of course, drink Dr. Pepper today. Take it
10
00:00:44.270 --> 00:00:46.090
with you to the tailgate. Take it with you to church.
11
00:00:46.170 --> 00:00:47.649
Take it to your office and more. Give it to
12
00:00:47.670 --> 00:00:49.609
the kids. Let them get ramped up on Dr. Pepper
13
00:00:49.630 --> 00:00:51.909
before they go to the schoolhouse. Of course, you can
14
00:00:51.950 --> 00:00:55.869
go to the zone1059. com website. Click on the Dr. Pepper logo.
15
00:00:55.990 --> 00:00:58.049
Fill out all the information. You'll be registered for a
16
00:00:58.049 --> 00:01:01.109
chance to win tickets. to the college football playoff and
17
00:01:01.270 --> 00:01:04.689
the national championship. And go to X and give our
18
00:01:04.709 --> 00:01:09.370
good friend Drew DeArmond a follow at DrewD977ESPN, part of 97.7
19
00:01:09.370 --> 00:01:13.870
ESPN in Huntsville, Alabama. He has the morning drive 7
20
00:01:13.870 --> 00:01:17.090
to 10 a.m. And, of course, a part of TiderInsider.com.
21
00:01:17.219 --> 00:01:20.099
Alabama heads to Starville this weekend. Drew, welcome in, brother.
22
00:01:20.120 --> 00:01:20.480
How are you doing?
23
00:01:21.400 --> 00:01:22.620
I'm doing well, Jake. How are you?
24
00:01:23.299 --> 00:01:24.140
Man, we're doing good.
25
00:01:24.439 --> 00:01:26.700
Um, you know, Mississippi state and Alabama have played a
26
00:01:26.739 --> 00:01:29.019
number of years and most of those times it's been,
27
00:01:29.159 --> 00:01:31.159
you know, in favor of the tide. And now obviously
28
00:01:31.200 --> 00:01:33.109
with the, uh, you know, the changing of the guard,
29
00:01:33.120 --> 00:01:36.010
the way the sec, no divisions didn't play one, uh,
30
00:01:36.489 --> 00:01:39.109
last year, but now Alabama will make that short trick, uh,
31
00:01:39.170 --> 00:01:43.409
back across, uh, highway 82, which selfishly, I think everybody
32
00:01:43.450 --> 00:01:45.329
hopes the rain would, would stay out, but it looks
33
00:01:45.349 --> 00:01:46.939
like it's going to be a wet Saturday coming up
34
00:01:46.959 --> 00:01:47.459
this weekend.
35
00:01:48.859 --> 00:01:52.079
Yeah, it does. It's a little bit unfortunate. Uh, it
36
00:01:52.500 --> 00:01:58.250
really makes things interesting because you know, we haven't seen
37
00:01:58.329 --> 00:02:04.769
either young quarterback Camario Taylor or, you know, Keelan Russell
38
00:02:05.349 --> 00:02:07.950
deal with a wet football. And I was on another
39
00:02:07.989 --> 00:02:12.150
podcast earlier today and we were talking about that. I
40
00:02:12.169 --> 00:02:14.490
still think John Elway is one of the greatest quarterbacks,
41
00:02:14.530 --> 00:02:17.569
maybe top five ever. He always talks about how he
42
00:02:17.629 --> 00:02:21.110
couldn't throw a wet football. And, We've never seen either
43
00:02:21.150 --> 00:02:24.789
one of these, I think, generational talents, both of them
44
00:02:25.229 --> 00:02:28.250
have to go through a weather like that. So it's
45
00:02:28.270 --> 00:02:32.009
going to be really, really interesting to see if the
46
00:02:32.060 --> 00:02:35.360
weather turns out to be a factor like we think,
47
00:02:35.860 --> 00:02:40.939
which team kind of, you know, deals with that precipitation
48
00:02:40.979 --> 00:02:41.439
the best.
49
00:02:42.599 --> 00:02:45.060
Oh, absolutely. And, you know, hopefully, you know, the rain
50
00:02:45.080 --> 00:02:47.000
will come in spurts and we'll get to see both
51
00:02:47.039 --> 00:02:49.669
of these teams, you know, do what they do on
52
00:02:49.849 --> 00:02:52.250
what we've seen the first four weeks. Speaking of Keelan Russell,
53
00:02:52.770 --> 00:02:55.629
in this state and nationally, it's been all about Kamario Taylor,
54
00:02:55.669 --> 00:02:58.189
but Keelan Russell, man, what a start he's had. He's
55
00:02:58.229 --> 00:03:00.990
second on the team in rushing, three touchdowns. He's a
56
00:03:01.030 --> 00:03:04.150
true dual-threat quarterback. He can get away from you pretty quickly.
57
00:03:04.310 --> 00:03:07.870
Eight touchdowns, two interceptions, 1,129 yards, and complete right at
58
00:03:07.870 --> 00:03:11.439
71% of his passes. This is a guy, talk a
59
00:03:11.460 --> 00:03:14.099
little more about what he means to Alabama, and I
60
00:03:14.129 --> 00:03:17.479
think he's tailor-fit for what Kalen DeBoer wants to do offensively.
61
00:03:18.860 --> 00:03:22.699
Yeah, I mean, I think when Caelan DeBoer came to Alabama,
62
00:03:22.719 --> 00:03:26.319
when they recruited and flipped Keelan Russell from SMU, I
63
00:03:26.360 --> 00:03:31.830
think they had this kind of, you know, vision for
64
00:03:31.870 --> 00:03:34.389
the program in the future. I mean, I have heard
65
00:03:34.430 --> 00:03:36.949
that he told people privately that Keelan was as good
66
00:03:36.969 --> 00:03:40.789
a high school quarterback as he'd ever evaluated, and certainly
67
00:03:40.810 --> 00:03:44.030
he seems to be a perfect fit. Certainly you saw
68
00:03:44.110 --> 00:03:46.810
what Michael Penix did in this offense for Washington last
69
00:03:47.110 --> 00:03:50.069
But he didn't bring the level of twitchiness and athleticism
70
00:03:50.110 --> 00:03:52.830
that Keelan Russell has brought to the table. I mean,
71
00:03:53.210 --> 00:03:56.289
we've seen some great quarterbacks at Alabama. Alabama was blessed
72
00:03:56.310 --> 00:04:00.250
with Nick Saban for 17 years. I mean, all his
73
00:04:00.490 --> 00:04:03.919
starters ended up getting a look in the NFL except
74
00:04:03.960 --> 00:04:08.139
for Jake Coker and Blake Sims. And both of them,
75
00:04:08.759 --> 00:04:12.400
you know, Jake Coker guided the team to a national championship,
76
00:04:12.419 --> 00:04:14.919
had a really good year. And then Blake Sims was
77
00:04:14.939 --> 00:04:19.050
SEC Offensive Player of the Year. and did just, you know,
78
00:04:19.089 --> 00:04:22.050
amazing things for a guy that was a one-year starter.
79
00:04:22.069 --> 00:04:27.250
But all the others were NFL guys, starting with A.J. McCarron.
80
00:04:27.769 --> 00:04:29.430
You know, he played a long time in the league
81
00:04:29.449 --> 00:04:33.360
before going into coaching. And then the superstars started to arrive,
82
00:04:33.379 --> 00:04:36.980
the ones with the great individual talent, you know, the
83
00:04:37.420 --> 00:04:41.620
two Otunga Valoas, even Jalen Hurts. He developed more as
84
00:04:41.680 --> 00:04:44.100
a backup at Alabama than at Oklahoma, but he got
85
00:04:44.120 --> 00:04:48.110
his start at Alabama. Tua Tungvaloa, as mentioned, and then,
86
00:04:48.750 --> 00:04:51.180
you know, Mack Jones and Bryce Young. It was just
87
00:04:51.259 --> 00:04:54.639
quite a procession of QBs. And Ty Simpson had a
88
00:04:54.680 --> 00:04:59.579
good year last year, but none of them– and the
89
00:04:59.600 --> 00:05:01.620
way I rate quarterbacks, I think Tua is the best
90
00:05:01.660 --> 00:05:04.439
pure passer in national talent I've ever seen. But the
91
00:05:04.480 --> 00:05:07.500
best quarterback I've seen in Alabama during my time all
92
00:05:07.560 --> 00:05:11.829
around is Bryce Young. But, you know, if Keelan Russell
93
00:05:11.850 --> 00:05:15.129
stays healthy and hungry– and works at it, he can
94
00:05:15.170 --> 00:05:18.220
be the best of them all because he has the size,
95
00:05:18.579 --> 00:05:25.399
an unbelievable arm, unbelievable twitchiness and speed, and by twitchy
96
00:05:25.459 --> 00:05:29.699
I mean can move laterally, and then has great pocket
97
00:05:29.740 --> 00:05:34.009
presence and can also throw with touch, short and intermediate.
98
00:05:34.569 --> 00:05:37.310
He can throw off of platform. He can just do
99
00:05:37.350 --> 00:05:39.449
it all, but you have to stay hungry and you
100
00:05:39.490 --> 00:05:41.930
have to be blessed to stay healthy. But if he does,
101
00:05:42.370 --> 00:05:44.589
he can absolutely be the best of them all. And
102
00:05:44.610 --> 00:05:47.170
the cool thing about this matchup is, and I don't
103
00:05:47.250 --> 00:05:51.180
think you'd mind me saying this, but if Kamario Taylor
104
00:05:51.189 --> 00:05:55.079
stays healthy, Dak Prescott certainly sets the standard. But Kamario
105
00:05:55.120 --> 00:05:58.060
Taylor can be the greatest Mississippi State quarterback of all time.
106
00:05:58.519 --> 00:06:00.720
And this is what these kind of games are made for,
107
00:06:01.040 --> 00:06:03.480
these kind of matchups. And that's what makes it so
108
00:06:03.540 --> 00:06:05.439
highly anticipated and so special.
109
00:06:06.040 --> 00:06:08.180
We're visiting with Drew DeArmond out of the state of Alabama.
110
00:06:08.240 --> 00:06:11.319
He covers Alabama football and the SEC for Tider Insider. And,
111
00:06:11.360 --> 00:06:13.319
of course, I got the morning drive in Huntsville, Alabama,
112
00:06:13.360 --> 00:06:15.160
Wednesday edition of the program. I totally agree with you
113
00:06:15.199 --> 00:06:18.279
on Kamario Taylor and the trajectory that he is on
114
00:06:18.319 --> 00:06:20.259
and if he can stay healthy, what he could achieve.
115
00:06:20.980 --> 00:06:22.720
One of the questions for Alabama coming into the season
116
00:06:22.740 --> 00:06:26.899
was running the football. The tide right now averaging around 4.8
117
00:06:26.899 --> 00:06:29.060
yards per carry. Talk a little bit about the run game,
118
00:06:29.079 --> 00:06:31.959
which looks like it's been revived to a bit. Daniel Hill,
119
00:06:32.019 --> 00:06:33.930
who played at Meridian High School, a lot of people
120
00:06:33.949 --> 00:06:36.970
here in this state remember him, leads the tide with
121
00:06:36.970 --> 00:06:37.529
225 yards and four touchdowns.
122
00:06:40.939 --> 00:06:43.600
Yeah, he does. I think Daniel Hill's done a nice job.
123
00:06:43.639 --> 00:06:47.300
He's certainly reshaped his body. He's not the explosive back
124
00:06:47.379 --> 00:06:50.509
of the rest of these guys. Even Kevin Rowley has
125
00:06:50.569 --> 00:06:54.790
great speed. We've seen Treshawn Brown, and we've seen certainly
126
00:06:55.529 --> 00:07:02.389
these guys, EJ Crowell, make a huge impact. But Daniel
127
00:07:02.410 --> 00:07:05.170
Hill's the most consistent right now. He's done a really
128
00:07:05.230 --> 00:07:07.949
nice job. We'll see A.K. Deer some more. He finally
129
00:07:07.980 --> 00:07:10.699
got a carry last week. He'll probably have a role
130
00:07:10.740 --> 00:07:13.759
for this game. But, yeah, there's much more explosiveness in
131
00:07:13.800 --> 00:07:15.439
the room this year, and I think they're a lot
132
00:07:15.500 --> 00:07:19.620
healthier as well. And, you know, I'm really looking forward
133
00:07:19.660 --> 00:07:22.019
to seeing how they match up with Zach Arnett, who
134
00:07:22.060 --> 00:07:25.350
I have so much respect for. And I just think
135
00:07:25.529 --> 00:07:29.149
overall it's going to be– because that's another big key
136
00:07:29.170 --> 00:07:34.839
to this game because– I mean, I think, honestly, Zach
137
00:07:34.920 --> 00:07:37.870
Arnett can make a big difference. Mississippi State was so
138
00:07:37.930 --> 00:07:40.310
bad defensively under Coleman Hutch in the last two years.
139
00:07:40.670 --> 00:07:43.449
They're so much better now. They'll be even better in
140
00:07:43.470 --> 00:07:47.389
the future as Zach gets his guys and reestablishes the culture.
141
00:07:47.410 --> 00:07:50.129
But it's going to be much more difficult for Alabama.
142
00:07:50.410 --> 00:07:52.610
But they're going to have to be able to create
143
00:07:52.649 --> 00:07:56.529
some semblance of balance because I'm just telling you, I
144
00:07:56.569 --> 00:07:59.420
know Mississippi State's going to score. Alabama's going to have
145
00:07:59.459 --> 00:08:01.240
to score. I think Alabama needs to get in the
146
00:08:01.300 --> 00:08:05.339
high 30s to do this, and Keelan Russell certainly is
147
00:08:05.420 --> 00:08:10.279
the key to this offense, and he's an outstanding player,
148
00:08:10.720 --> 00:08:12.319
and he's going to have to play well like he
149
00:08:12.360 --> 00:08:14.060
has the last two weeks, but they're going to need
150
00:08:14.439 --> 00:08:16.899
something from the running game. It wasn't quite as good
151
00:08:17.180 --> 00:08:19.449
last week as it was the two weeks before, but
152
00:08:19.490 --> 00:08:22.449
Daniel Hill will be a key. They have to control
153
00:08:22.490 --> 00:08:24.689
the ball. They have to, in my opinion, get off
154
00:08:24.709 --> 00:08:27.730
to a good start, make Mississippi State chase them, Because
155
00:08:27.750 --> 00:08:29.730
if you let this crowd get really involved and you
156
00:08:29.750 --> 00:08:32.409
start slowly, it's not going to be easy to come
157
00:08:32.450 --> 00:08:35.210
back because of the environment. And then, like I said,
158
00:08:35.250 --> 00:08:37.269
you have to be balanced. And I think they need
159
00:08:37.350 --> 00:08:40.450
at least 150 yards rushing out of these four guys.
160
00:08:40.750 --> 00:08:43.210
And they need to create some big plays, maybe an
161
00:08:43.269 --> 00:08:45.889
explosive play or two. And if they do that, then
162
00:08:45.909 --> 00:08:47.409
they can win the game if they take care of
163
00:08:47.429 --> 00:08:51.059
the football. That, you know, whoever, you know, wins the
164
00:08:51.100 --> 00:08:54.679
turnover battle and makes the most explosive plays to me
165
00:08:54.740 --> 00:08:56.539
is going to win it. I don't think, you know,
166
00:08:56.879 --> 00:09:00.149
and I think whichever defense can get four or five stops,
167
00:09:00.230 --> 00:09:04.429
whether that's turnovers, turnovers on down or, you know, or
168
00:09:04.470 --> 00:09:07.789
just a clean making a team point. I think you've
169
00:09:07.830 --> 00:09:10.100
got to get four or five stops total in the
170
00:09:10.129 --> 00:09:13.450
game if you want to win it. My pick is
171
00:09:13.470 --> 00:09:16.450
37-28 Alabama, and I certainly respect the heck out of
172
00:09:16.490 --> 00:09:20.350
what Jeff Levy's done. And I think Zach Selman showing
173
00:09:20.450 --> 00:09:24.480
the patience with him has really paid off. And then
174
00:09:24.500 --> 00:09:26.519
their commitment to Kamario Taylor, this is going to be
175
00:09:26.539 --> 00:09:27.500
a heck of a ballgame.
176
00:09:28.440 --> 00:09:32.159
Make sure to get him on exit, DrewD977ESPN. And, of course,
177
00:09:32.340 --> 00:09:35.000
you can get him at tighterinsider.com. You can stream their
178
00:09:35.029 --> 00:09:35.590
station at 977ESPN.
179
00:09:35.450 --> 00:09:35.590
Com.
180
00:09:37.490 --> 00:09:39.929
Drew, appreciate you, brother. Be safe coming over to Starkville
181
00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:41.580
on Saturday, and enjoy the ballgame.
182
00:09:41.600 --> 00:09:42.179
We'll talk soon.
183
00:09:43.179 --> 00:09:43.720
Thank you, Jake.
184
00:09:44.159 --> 00:09:46.480
Thanks so much. Drew DeArmond on your radio. Make sure
185
00:09:46.500 --> 00:09:48.139
to get him on X, and if you want more
186
00:09:48.179 --> 00:09:50.419
on the Alabama side of things, they can provide that
187
00:09:50.460 --> 00:09:51.700
for you. Again, we're brought to you by Dr.
188
00:09:51.740 --> 00:09:52.039
Pepper.
189
00:09:52.379 --> 00:09:57.470
Take Dr. Pepper with you everywhere you go. Go to thezone1059. com.
190
00:09:56.190 --> 00:09:58.850
Fresh new look on our websites, courtesy of Connoisseur Media.
191
00:09:59.289 --> 00:09:59.730
Click on the Dr.
192
00:09:59.730 --> 00:09:59.950
Pepper logo.
193
00:10:00.179 --> 00:10:00.539
Logo.
194
00:10:00.799 --> 00:10:03.090
Register for an opportunity to win tickets to the national
195
00:10:03.120 --> 00:10:06.039
championship and the college football playoff. We'll take a timeout.
196
00:10:06.080 --> 00:10:06.740
More coming up in a bit.
197
00:10:07.240 --> 00:10:09.200
Do you stay up at night thinking about the lack
198
00:10:09.240 --> 00:10:11.940
of push from your team's offensive line? Do you spill
199
00:10:11.960 --> 00:10:14.980
your Dr. Pepper arguing with your TV because pundits are
200
00:10:15.059 --> 00:10:18.340
torching your defense? You're not crazy. You're a fan. And
201
00:10:18.419 --> 00:10:21.419
no college football fan can fander their fullest without the bold,
202
00:10:21.600 --> 00:10:24.639
one-of-a-kind taste of Dr. Pepper. It won't fix any of
203
00:10:24.679 --> 00:10:28.330
the problems we previously stated. but it's delicious and drinking
204
00:10:28.370 --> 00:10:29.980
it at a tailgate will make you look like a
205
00:10:30.039 --> 00:10:32.759
ball knower which is a great consolation prize for the
206
00:10:32.799 --> 00:10:36.379
lack of push your offensive line gets college football it's
207
00:10:36.419 --> 00:10:36.960
a pepper thing
1
00:00:00.030 --> 00:00:02.839
Turning to sports. With Jake Wimberly on the afternoon drive.
2
00:00:02.859 --> 00:00:05.379
One of the last pure pleasures I have left in
3
00:00:05.419 --> 00:00:05.919
my life.
4
00:00:05.980 --> 00:00:08.189
Yeah, maybe you ought to get a life first, okay?
5
00:00:08.240 --> 00:00:10.750
On ESPN 105.9 The Zone and online at TheZone1059. com.
6
00:00:34.259 --> 00:00:36.619
Taking you through your Wednesday. Brought to you by friends
7
00:00:36.659 --> 00:00:39.009
at Dr. Pepper, the official beverage of the station all
8
00:00:39.020 --> 00:00:41.369
the way through football season, all the way to the
9
00:00:41.450 --> 00:00:44.229
Super Bowl. Of course, drink Dr. Pepper today. Take it
10
00:00:44.270 --> 00:00:46.090
with you to the tailgate. Take it with you to church.
11
00:00:46.170 --> 00:00:47.649
Take it to your office and more. Give it to
12
00:00:47.670 --> 00:00:49.609
the kids. Let them get ramped up on Dr. Pepper
13
00:00:49.630 --> 00:00:51.909
before they go to the schoolhouse. Of course, you can
14
00:00:51.950 --> 00:00:55.869
go to the zone1059. com website. Click on the Dr. Pepper logo.
15
00:00:55.990 --> 00:00:58.049
Fill out all the information. You'll be registered for a
16
00:00:58.049 --> 00:01:01.109
chance to win tickets. to the college football playoff and
17
00:01:01.270 --> 00:01:04.689
the national championship. And go to X and give our
18
00:01:04.709 --> 00:01:09.370
good friend Drew DeArmond a follow at DrewD977ESPN, part of 97.7
19
00:01:09.370 --> 00:01:13.870
ESPN in Huntsville, Alabama. He has the morning drive 7
20
00:01:13.870 --> 00:01:17.090
to 10 a.m. And, of course, a part of TiderInsider.com.
21
00:01:17.219 --> 00:01:20.099
Alabama heads to Starville this weekend. Drew, welcome in, brother.
22
00:01:20.120 --> 00:01:20.480
How are you doing?
23
00:01:21.400 --> 00:01:22.620
I'm doing well, Jake. How are you?
24
00:01:23.299 --> 00:01:24.140
Man, we're doing good.
25
00:01:24.439 --> 00:01:26.700
Um, you know, Mississippi state and Alabama have played a
26
00:01:26.739 --> 00:01:29.019
number of years and most of those times it's been,
27
00:01:29.159 --> 00:01:31.159
you know, in favor of the tide. And now obviously
28
00:01:31.200 --> 00:01:33.109
with the, uh, you know, the changing of the guard,
29
00:01:33.120 --> 00:01:36.010
the way the sec, no divisions didn't play one, uh,
30
00:01:36.489 --> 00:01:39.109
last year, but now Alabama will make that short trick, uh,
31
00:01:39.170 --> 00:01:43.409
back across, uh, highway 82, which selfishly, I think everybody
32
00:01:43.450 --> 00:01:45.329
hopes the rain would, would stay out, but it looks
33
00:01:45.349 --> 00:01:46.939
like it's going to be a wet Saturday coming up
34
00:01:46.959 --> 00:01:47.459
this weekend.
35
00:01:48.859 --> 00:01:52.079
Yeah, it does. It's a little bit unfortunate. Uh, it
36
00:01:52.500 --> 00:01:58.250
really makes things interesting because you know, we haven't seen
37
00:01:58.329 --> 00:02:04.769
either young quarterback Camario Taylor or, you know, Keelan Russell
38
00:02:05.349 --> 00:02:07.950
deal with a wet football. And I was on another
39
00:02:07.989 --> 00:02:12.150
podcast earlier today and we were talking about that. I
40
00:02:12.169 --> 00:02:14.490
still think John Elway is one of the greatest quarterbacks,
41
00:02:14.530 --> 00:02:17.569
maybe top five ever. He always talks about how he
42
00:02:17.629 --> 00:02:21.110
couldn't throw a wet football. And, We've never seen either
43
00:02:21.150 --> 00:02:24.789
one of these, I think, generational talents, both of them
44
00:02:25.229 --> 00:02:28.250
have to go through a weather like that. So it's
45
00:02:28.270 --> 00:02:32.009
going to be really, really interesting to see if the
46
00:02:32.060 --> 00:02:35.360
weather turns out to be a factor like we think,
47
00:02:35.860 --> 00:02:40.939
which team kind of, you know, deals with that precipitation
48
00:02:40.979 --> 00:02:41.439
the best.
49
00:02:42.599 --> 00:02:45.060
Oh, absolutely. And, you know, hopefully, you know, the rain
50
00:02:45.080 --> 00:02:47.000
will come in spurts and we'll get to see both
51
00:02:47.039 --> 00:02:49.669
of these teams, you know, do what they do on
52
00:02:49.849 --> 00:02:52.250
what we've seen the first four weeks. Speaking of Keelan Russell,
53
00:02:52.770 --> 00:02:55.629
in this state and nationally, it's been all about Kamario Taylor,
54
00:02:55.669 --> 00:02:58.189
but Keelan Russell, man, what a start he's had. He's
55
00:02:58.229 --> 00:03:00.990
second on the team in rushing, three touchdowns. He's a
56
00:03:01.030 --> 00:03:04.150
true dual-threat quarterback. He can get away from you pretty quickly.
57
00:03:04.310 --> 00:03:07.870
Eight touchdowns, two interceptions, 1,129 yards, and complete right at
58
00:03:07.870 --> 00:03:11.439
71% of his passes. This is a guy, talk a
59
00:03:11.460 --> 00:03:14.099
little more about what he means to Alabama, and I
60
00:03:14.129 --> 00:03:17.479
think he's tailor-fit for what Kalen DeBoer wants to do offensively.
61
00:03:18.860 --> 00:03:22.699
Yeah, I mean, I think when Caelan DeBoer came to Alabama,
62
00:03:22.719 --> 00:03:26.319
when they recruited and flipped Keelan Russell from SMU, I
63
00:03:26.360 --> 00:03:31.830
think they had this kind of, you know, vision for
64
00:03:31.870 --> 00:03:34.389
the program in the future. I mean, I have heard
65
00:03:34.430 --> 00:03:36.949
that he told people privately that Keelan was as good
66
00:03:36.969 --> 00:03:40.789
a high school quarterback as he'd ever evaluated, and certainly
67
00:03:40.810 --> 00:03:44.030
he seems to be a perfect fit. Certainly you saw
68
00:03:44.110 --> 00:03:46.810
what Michael Penix did in this offense for Washington last
69
00:03:47.110 --> 00:03:50.069
But he didn't bring the level of twitchiness and athleticism
70
00:03:50.110 --> 00:03:52.830
that Keelan Russell has brought to the table. I mean,
71
00:03:53.210 --> 00:03:56.289
we've seen some great quarterbacks at Alabama. Alabama was blessed
72
00:03:56.310 --> 00:04:00.250
with Nick Saban for 17 years. I mean, all his
73
00:04:00.490 --> 00:04:03.919
starters ended up getting a look in the NFL except
74
00:04:03.960 --> 00:04:08.139
for Jake Coker and Blake Sims. And both of them,
75
00:04:08.759 --> 00:04:12.400
you know, Jake Coker guided the team to a national championship,
76
00:04:12.419 --> 00:04:14.919
had a really good year. And then Blake Sims was
77
00:04:14.939 --> 00:04:19.050
SEC Offensive Player of the Year. and did just, you know,
78
00:04:19.089 --> 00:04:22.050
amazing things for a guy that was a one-year starter.
79
00:04:22.069 --> 00:04:27.250
But all the others were NFL guys, starting with A.J. McCarron.
80
00:04:27.769 --> 00:04:29.430
You know, he played a long time in the league
81
00:04:29.449 --> 00:04:33.360
before going into coaching. And then the superstars started to arrive,
82
00:04:33.379 --> 00:04:36.980
the ones with the great individual talent, you know, the
83
00:04:37.420 --> 00:04:41.620
two Otunga Valoas, even Jalen Hurts. He developed more as
84
00:04:41.680 --> 00:04:44.100
a backup at Alabama than at Oklahoma, but he got
85
00:04:44.120 --> 00:04:48.110
his start at Alabama. Tua Tungvaloa, as mentioned, and then,
86
00:04:48.750 --> 00:04:51.180
you know, Mack Jones and Bryce Young. It was just
87
00:04:51.259 --> 00:04:54.639
quite a procession of QBs. And Ty Simpson had a
88
00:04:54.680 --> 00:04:59.579
good year last year, but none of them– and the
89
00:04:59.600 --> 00:05:01.620
way I rate quarterbacks, I think Tua is the best
90
00:05:01.660 --> 00:05:04.439
pure passer in national talent I've ever seen. But the
91
00:05:04.480 --> 00:05:07.500
best quarterback I've seen in Alabama during my time all
92
00:05:07.560 --> 00:05:11.829
around is Bryce Young. But, you know, if Keelan Russell
93
00:05:11.850 --> 00:05:15.129
stays healthy and hungry– and works at it, he can
94
00:05:15.170 --> 00:05:18.220
be the best of them all because he has the size,
95
00:05:18.579 --> 00:05:25.399
an unbelievable arm, unbelievable twitchiness and speed, and by twitchy
96
00:05:25.459 --> 00:05:29.699
I mean can move laterally, and then has great pocket
97
00:05:29.740 --> 00:05:34.009
presence and can also throw with touch, short and intermediate.
98
00:05:34.569 --> 00:05:37.310
He can throw off of platform. He can just do
99
00:05:37.350 --> 00:05:39.449
it all, but you have to stay hungry and you
100
00:05:39.490 --> 00:05:41.930
have to be blessed to stay healthy. But if he does,
101
00:05:42.370 --> 00:05:44.589
he can absolutely be the best of them all. And
102
00:05:44.610 --> 00:05:47.170
the cool thing about this matchup is, and I don't
103
00:05:47.250 --> 00:05:51.180
think you'd mind me saying this, but if Kamario Taylor
104
00:05:51.189 --> 00:05:55.079
stays healthy, Dak Prescott certainly sets the standard. But Kamario
105
00:05:55.120 --> 00:05:58.060
Taylor can be the greatest Mississippi State quarterback of all time.
106
00:05:58.519 --> 00:06:00.720
And this is what these kind of games are made for,
107
00:06:01.040 --> 00:06:03.480
these kind of matchups. And that's what makes it so
108
00:06:03.540 --> 00:06:05.439
highly anticipated and so special.
109
00:06:06.040 --> 00:06:08.180
We're visiting with Drew DeArmond out of the state of Alabama.
110
00:06:08.240 --> 00:06:11.319
He covers Alabama football and the SEC for Tider Insider. And,
111
00:06:11.360 --> 00:06:13.319
of course, I got the morning drive in Huntsville, Alabama,
112
00:06:13.360 --> 00:06:15.160
Wednesday edition of the program. I totally agree with you
113
00:06:15.199 --> 00:06:18.279
on Kamario Taylor and the trajectory that he is on
114
00:06:18.319 --> 00:06:20.259
and if he can stay healthy, what he could achieve.
115
00:06:20.980 --> 00:06:22.720
One of the questions for Alabama coming into the season
116
00:06:22.740 --> 00:06:26.899
was running the football. The tide right now averaging around 4.8
117
00:06:26.899 --> 00:06:29.060
yards per carry. Talk a little bit about the run game,
118
00:06:29.079 --> 00:06:31.959
which looks like it's been revived to a bit. Daniel Hill,
119
00:06:32.019 --> 00:06:33.930
who played at Meridian High School, a lot of people
120
00:06:33.949 --> 00:06:36.970
here in this state remember him, leads the tide with
121
00:06:36.970 --> 00:06:37.529
225 yards and four touchdowns.
122
00:06:40.939 --> 00:06:43.600
Yeah, he does. I think Daniel Hill's done a nice job.
123
00:06:43.639 --> 00:06:47.300
He's certainly reshaped his body. He's not the explosive back
124
00:06:47.379 --> 00:06:50.509
of the rest of these guys. Even Kevin Rowley has
125
00:06:50.569 --> 00:06:54.790
great speed. We've seen Treshawn Brown, and we've seen certainly
126
00:06:55.529 --> 00:07:02.389
these guys, EJ Crowell, make a huge impact. But Daniel
127
00:07:02.410 --> 00:07:05.170
Hill's the most consistent right now. He's done a really
128
00:07:05.230 --> 00:07:07.949
nice job. We'll see A.K. Deer some more. He finally
129
00:07:07.980 --> 00:07:10.699
got a carry last week. He'll probably have a role
130
00:07:10.740 --> 00:07:13.759
for this game. But, yeah, there's much more explosiveness in
131
00:07:13.800 --> 00:07:15.439
the room this year, and I think they're a lot
132
00:07:15.500 --> 00:07:19.620
healthier as well. And, you know, I'm really looking forward
133
00:07:19.660 --> 00:07:22.019
to seeing how they match up with Zach Arnett, who
134
00:07:22.060 --> 00:07:25.350
I have so much respect for. And I just think
135
00:07:25.529 --> 00:07:29.149
overall it's going to be– because that's another big key
136
00:07:29.170 --> 00:07:34.839
to this game because– I mean, I think, honestly, Zach
137
00:07:34.920 --> 00:07:37.870
Arnett can make a big difference. Mississippi State was so
138
00:07:37.930 --> 00:07:40.310
bad defensively under Coleman Hutch in the last two years.
139
00:07:40.670 --> 00:07:43.449
They're so much better now. They'll be even better in
140
00:07:43.470 --> 00:07:47.389
the future as Zach gets his guys and reestablishes the culture.
141
00:07:47.410 --> 00:07:50.129
But it's going to be much more difficult for Alabama.
142
00:07:50.410 --> 00:07:52.610
But they're going to have to be able to create
143
00:07:52.649 --> 00:07:56.529
some semblance of balance because I'm just telling you, I
144
00:07:56.569 --> 00:07:59.420
know Mississippi State's going to score. Alabama's going to have
145
00:07:59.459 --> 00:08:01.240
to score. I think Alabama needs to get in the
146
00:08:01.300 --> 00:08:05.339
high 30s to do this, and Keelan Russell certainly is
147
00:08:05.420 --> 00:08:10.279
the key to this offense, and he's an outstanding player,
148
00:08:10.720 --> 00:08:12.319
and he's going to have to play well like he
149
00:08:12.360 --> 00:08:14.060
has the last two weeks, but they're going to need
150
00:08:14.439 --> 00:08:16.899
something from the running game. It wasn't quite as good
151
00:08:17.180 --> 00:08:19.449
last week as it was the two weeks before, but
152
00:08:19.490 --> 00:08:22.449
Daniel Hill will be a key. They have to control
153
00:08:22.490 --> 00:08:24.689
the ball. They have to, in my opinion, get off
154
00:08:24.709 --> 00:08:27.730
to a good start, make Mississippi State chase them, Because
155
00:08:27.750 --> 00:08:29.730
if you let this crowd get really involved and you
156
00:08:29.750 --> 00:08:32.409
start slowly, it's not going to be easy to come
157
00:08:32.450 --> 00:08:35.210
back because of the environment. And then, like I said,
158
00:08:35.250 --> 00:08:37.269
you have to be balanced. And I think they need
159
00:08:37.350 --> 00:08:40.450
at least 150 yards rushing out of these four guys.
160
00:08:40.750 --> 00:08:43.210
And they need to create some big plays, maybe an
161
00:08:43.269 --> 00:08:45.889
explosive play or two. And if they do that, then
162
00:08:45.909 --> 00:08:47.409
they can win the game if they take care of
163
00:08:47.429 --> 00:08:51.059
the football. That, you know, whoever, you know, wins the
164
00:08:51.100 --> 00:08:54.679
turnover battle and makes the most explosive plays to me
165
00:08:54.740 --> 00:08:56.539
is going to win it. I don't think, you know,
166
00:08:56.879 --> 00:09:00.149
and I think whichever defense can get four or five stops,
167
00:09:00.230 --> 00:09:04.429
whether that's turnovers, turnovers on down or, you know, or
168
00:09:04.470 --> 00:09:07.789
just a clean making a team point. I think you've
169
00:09:07.830 --> 00:09:10.100
got to get four or five stops total in the
170
00:09:10.129 --> 00:09:13.450
game if you want to win it. My pick is
171
00:09:13.470 --> 00:09:16.450
37-28 Alabama, and I certainly respect the heck out of
172
00:09:16.490 --> 00:09:20.350
what Jeff Levy's done. And I think Zach Selman showing
173
00:09:20.450 --> 00:09:24.480
the patience with him has really paid off. And then
174
00:09:24.500 --> 00:09:26.519
their commitment to Kamario Taylor, this is going to be
175
00:09:26.539 --> 00:09:27.500
a heck of a ballgame.
176
00:09:28.440 --> 00:09:32.159
Make sure to get him on exit, DrewD977ESPN. And, of course,
177
00:09:32.340 --> 00:09:35.000
you can get him at tighterinsider.com. You can stream their
178
00:09:35.029 --> 00:09:35.590
station at 977ESPN.
179
00:09:35.450 --> 00:09:35.590
Com.
180
00:09:37.490 --> 00:09:39.929
Drew, appreciate you, brother. Be safe coming over to Starkville
181
00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:41.580
on Saturday, and enjoy the ballgame.
182
00:09:41.600 --> 00:09:42.179
We'll talk soon.
183
00:09:43.179 --> 00:09:43.720
Thank you, Jake.
184
00:09:44.159 --> 00:09:46.480
Thanks so much. Drew DeArmond on your radio. Make sure
185
00:09:46.500 --> 00:09:48.139
to get him on X, and if you want more
186
00:09:48.179 --> 00:09:50.419
on the Alabama side of things, they can provide that
187
00:09:50.460 --> 00:09:51.700
for you. Again, we're brought to you by Dr.
188
00:09:51.740 --> 00:09:52.039
Pepper.
189
00:09:52.379 --> 00:09:57.470
Take Dr. Pepper with you everywhere you go. Go to thezone1059. com.
190
00:09:56.190 --> 00:09:58.850
Fresh new look on our websites, courtesy of Connoisseur Media.
191
00:09:59.289 --> 00:09:59.730
Click on the Dr.
192
00:09:59.730 --> 00:09:59.950
Pepper logo.
193
00:10:00.179 --> 00:10:00.539
Logo.
194
00:10:00.799 --> 00:10:03.090
Register for an opportunity to win tickets to the national
195
00:10:03.120 --> 00:10:06.039
championship and the college football playoff. We'll take a timeout.
196
00:10:06.080 --> 00:10:06.740
More coming up in a bit.
197
00:10:07.240 --> 00:10:09.200
Do you stay up at night thinking about the lack
198
00:10:09.240 --> 00:10:11.940
of push from your team's offensive line? Do you spill
199
00:10:11.960 --> 00:10:14.980
your Dr. Pepper arguing with your TV because pundits are
200
00:10:15.059 --> 00:10:18.340
torching your defense? You're not crazy. You're a fan. And
201
00:10:18.419 --> 00:10:21.419
no college football fan can fander their fullest without the bold,
202
00:10:21.600 --> 00:10:24.639
one-of-a-kind taste of Dr. Pepper. It won't fix any of
203
00:10:24.679 --> 00:10:28.330
the problems we previously stated. but it's delicious and drinking
204
00:10:28.370 --> 00:10:29.980
it at a tailgate will make you look like a
205
00:10:30.039 --> 00:10:32.759
ball knower which is a great consolation prize for the
206
00:10:32.799 --> 00:10:36.379
lack of push your offensive line gets college football it's
207
00:10:36.419 --> 00:10:36.960
a pepper thing
