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Speaker 1: This is Tony Pike Cincy three sixty about Cincinnati from Cincinnati,

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Speaker 1: sponsored in hard by Penn Station East Coast Subs. Hand

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Speaker 1: prep it hot grilled subs, fresh cut fries and lemonade.

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Speaker 1: It's all about good taste. Penn Station East Coast Subs

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Speaker 1: orderum line Today. This is ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports Station.

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Speaker 2: All right, welcome back our number three. We thank our

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Speaker 2: friends at Penn Station. We thank you for sticking with us,

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Speaker 2: listening along on ESPN fifteen thirty or via the iHeartRadio app.

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Speaker 2: Let's keep it going on a Thursday afternoon and our

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Speaker 2: number three. We kick things off now and through the

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Speaker 2: college basketball season with our guy covering the Bearcats for

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Speaker 2: Bearcat Journal dot Com. Kegan Nickoson is with us right now. Hi, Kegan,

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Speaker 2: how are you?

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Speaker 3: I could not be better.

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Speaker 4: It's Thursday at two, so it's my favorite minutes of

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Speaker 4: the week.

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Speaker 3: Wow.

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Speaker 2: Thank you, Kegan. We appreciate that. I can tell your

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Speaker 2: excitement to join us today. Does that match, in your opinion,

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Speaker 2: the excitement from Wes Miller about playing tomorrow night at

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Speaker 2: Heritage Bank Arena.

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Speaker 4: It matches my excitement for me getting a crown on my.

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Speaker 3: Teeth like in a month maybe, or getting like a

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Speaker 3: root canal, because that's what the Arcy cola is going

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Speaker 3: to do to my life. But I don't know.

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Speaker 4: This whole situation is weird. I don't know the exact

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Speaker 4: ins and outs of how scheduling these things works or

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Speaker 4: why they couldn't do a home and home. I'm sure

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Speaker 4: as every negative thing about College of Athletics, it came

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Speaker 4: down the money, just like the Arrowhead.

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Speaker 3: Game to start the football season. So yeah, I don't

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Speaker 3: think he loves it.

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Speaker 4: I don't think Pat Kelsey loves it, and I know

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Speaker 4: the fans definitely don't love it seeing the amount of

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Speaker 4: tickets that are still available for this game.

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Speaker 2: All right, so let's take away the arena, which I

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Speaker 2: know makes a difference with depth, perception and things like that.

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Speaker 2: Let's take away the arena. Let's take away the crowd

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Speaker 2: this game itself. Is there a path that you see

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Speaker 2: can keep this close and put pressure on to maybe

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Speaker 2: upset Louisville late in the game, And if so, what

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Speaker 2: is that path?

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Speaker 4: I think the path is using your size. I think

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Speaker 4: that they're more talented at the center and the four

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Speaker 4: with Baba Miller and your staffa cham than Louisville is

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Speaker 4: at those positions.

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Speaker 3: But I just think that.

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Speaker 4: Their guards are way too good for you see to

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Speaker 4: deal with them. And you see has two good defensive

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Speaker 4: guards in Dayde Thomas and Sincere Harrits, who are both

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Speaker 4: they might have to play like thirty minutes. It's louis

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Speaker 4: built in order to come out with a win somehow.

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Speaker 4: But you know, Isaac McNeely, Ryan Conwell, Michael Brown and

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Speaker 4: then that kennisaf State kid, they're all really, really, really good.

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Speaker 4: And I think Brown is averaging nineteen point eight and

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Speaker 4: Ryan Conwell is averaging nineteen point three through four games

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Speaker 4: this year.

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Speaker 3: Both had really good games against Kentucky.

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Speaker 4: So I think the past is there as in it

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Speaker 4: can happen. Cincinnati's a talented team with experienced players, but

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Speaker 4: I would be really really surprised if they were able to.

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Speaker 3: Pull out a win. I think Louisville, as I said

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Speaker 3: last week, is a national.

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Speaker 4: Championship contender, and they've shown it through four games so far,

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Speaker 4: and especially against Kentucky.

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Speaker 2: If the Bearcats can rely on something I know a

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Speaker 2: lot of people look into Ken Palm, you see as

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Speaker 2: rated very highly as it comes to team defense in

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Speaker 2: Ken Pom what makes them so talented or such a

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Speaker 2: tough matchup on the defensive side of the ball.

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Speaker 4: I think it starts with since Your Harrison and Daya

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Speaker 4: Thomas taking away opposing team's best scorer. They did it

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Speaker 4: against Dayton with Javon Bennett kind of struggled in the

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Speaker 4: first two games. Jelanie Hamilton scored a lot for Georgia State,

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Speaker 4: and then the other leading scorer I think was at

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Speaker 4: Cole Stansbury.

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Speaker 3: For whoever they played first.

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Speaker 4: It's hip in my head right now, but I think

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Speaker 4: he went for twenty plus as well, so they kind

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Speaker 4: of got that together since then. But then you look

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Speaker 4: at the size and Nustafa Cham He supplies a lot

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Speaker 4: down low and he's starting to get his blocks going,

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Speaker 4: which is one of his best features of his entire game,

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Speaker 4: which he didn't really contribute much through the first two

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Speaker 4: or three games. So I think it starts to Sincere

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Speaker 4: Harris taking away a leading scorer, and if he could

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Speaker 4: do that against MIKEL.

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Speaker 3: Brown or Ryan Combo, whoever he's.

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Speaker 4: Going to be on, I think that would just contribute

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Speaker 4: a lot to the game and kind of putting Louisville

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Speaker 4: off of their game plan maybe or catching them off

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Speaker 4: guard and then that's when you can attack. So I

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Speaker 4: think with those two with Dana Thomas and since your

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Speaker 4: hair it's big, with the Dustafa Cham's length, it's big,

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Speaker 4: but then also.

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Speaker 3: Got the glue.

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Speaker 4: Guys like Tyler McKinley have played a really really good

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Speaker 4: role and especially rebounding and turning over.

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Speaker 3: Possessions for Uce.

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Speaker 4: So yeah, I mean, Wes Miller loves defense and he's

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Speaker 4: always going to pride himself on defense, and I am

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Speaker 4: kind of surprised that he's been able to consistently have

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Speaker 4: that top fifteen, top ten defense and it looks like

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Speaker 4: he's got another one this year. I have.

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Speaker 2: Offensively, I know it's a little bit different style and

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Speaker 2: a pace in which they play that could be conducive

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Speaker 2: to turning the ball over a little bit more than

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Speaker 2: what is comfortable. They cut down on the turnovers against

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Speaker 2: Mount Saint Mary's and by the way, you watch Dayton

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Speaker 2: go on the road and beat Marquette last night, that's

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Speaker 2: a good sign. Mount Saint mary on the Road took

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Speaker 2: Maryland overtime. But the way they play and their style offensively,

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Speaker 2: is that just going to lead to this team turning

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Speaker 2: the ball over a little bit more than maybe you're

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Speaker 2: comfortable with.

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Speaker 4: Probably, I would say they'll probably be in the outside

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Speaker 4: top one hundred of offenses in terms of turning the

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Speaker 4: ball over when you look at those numbers about the

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Speaker 4: entirety of the season. But I think where the game

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Speaker 4: is decided and where you really.

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Speaker 3: Have to pay attention is those last eight minutes.

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Speaker 4: How is the opposition handling the offensive and defensive sides

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Speaker 4: of the.

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Speaker 3: Ball and are they wearing down?

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Speaker 4: Are they committing fouls? They are they committing turnovers? Are

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Speaker 4: they getting beat on the boards because they're just half

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Speaker 4: a second too slow because of UC's pace and how

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Speaker 4: much they've been able to wear them down.

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Speaker 3: I think that's the important thing.

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Speaker 4: You saw that against Mount Saint Mary's, you saw it

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Speaker 4: against Dayton, and how YUC is just kind of able

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Speaker 4: to take over the game and run run away with it.

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Speaker 4: So yeah, I think you're going to turn the ball

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Speaker 4: over and it's going to be frustrating. But I think

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Speaker 4: Cincinnati fans are pretty familiar with frustrating stuff with the

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Speaker 4: basketball team over the past few years, especially the free

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Speaker 4: throw numbers. But as long as they're winning and as

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Speaker 4: long as they're making a push a kidding in the tournament.

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Speaker 4: If you turn the ball over a few times, I

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Speaker 4: don't think fans will be that upset. String together some

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Speaker 4: key wins in the non conference, and as long as

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Speaker 4: the turnovers aren't horrible.

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Speaker 3: And costing you games, I think they'll be okay with

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Speaker 3: the pace.

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Speaker 2: Let's switch gears to Saturday, big noon kickoff comes to

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Speaker 2: town BYU comes to town. This game a little less

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Speaker 2: big game feel because UC did not get it done

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Speaker 2: against Arizona and it was a lot of the same.

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Speaker 2: Just this team offensively has not had answers, it seems

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Speaker 2: to man demand has not had many answers to pressure.

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Speaker 2: We saw that against Nebraska, saw it against Utah, saw

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Speaker 2: it again last week against Arizona. How concerning is that

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Speaker 2: for you going forward, that these three toughest opponents have

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Speaker 2: caused this offense to sputter at times?

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Speaker 4: Yeah, it's very concerning, especially since YU is going to

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Speaker 4: come in and probably play a lot of man as well,

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Speaker 4: not as much as Utah for Arizona did, but they

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Speaker 4: have the horses on defense to give U see a

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Speaker 4: lot of trouble. I think another big concerning thing is

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Speaker 4: they had thirteen days after the Utah game to try

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Speaker 4: to figure out a plan, and they all knew that.

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Speaker 3: You know, teams are going to see what Utah.

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Speaker 4: Did and see that as the blueprint, and then they're

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Speaker 4: going to bring pressure and play tight man, and they're

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Speaker 4: going to see if they can beat us. And they did,

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Speaker 4: and there wasn't really any response. If you look at

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Speaker 4: that offense what they have done without those two big

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Speaker 4: plays by Toylie Walker, I think it was a forty

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Speaker 4: and fifty yard rush to kind of set up some scores.

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Speaker 4: So this offense cannot thrive on boom or bus running

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Speaker 4: plays and that's what it's been. And I think you

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Speaker 4: have to get back to your identity up front and

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Speaker 4: just run for six and seven yards of play if

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Speaker 4: you can, and then hit those play action shots. But

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Speaker 4: right now, I mean, the Joe Royer thing is really

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Speaker 4: interesting to me.

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Speaker 3: How he only has four targets through the last three games.

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Speaker 4: I don't know how much of a different Evan Pryor

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Speaker 4: can make besides maybe just bring some relief. And I'm

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Speaker 4: not under I'm not underplaying him at all because I

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Speaker 4: think he can make a big difference and just being

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Speaker 4: a guy who can get a dump off and make

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Speaker 4: a guy miss and go for fifteen yards in a

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Speaker 4: play that was.

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Speaker 3: Going to be an incompletion or maybe even a sack,

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Speaker 3: and then Caleb Goodie can take the top off.

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Speaker 4: But I think the issues with this team are much

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Speaker 4: bigger than what those two guys coming back can fix.

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Speaker 4: And it's kind of feeling like last year when it's okay,

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Speaker 4: they just don't have the players that can beat Man

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Speaker 4: and they just have to get those players in this

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Speaker 4: offseason and then attack it again. And you know, they

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Speaker 4: took another step forward this year compared to last year,

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Speaker 4: And are you going to be able to get that

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Speaker 4: good of guys to the point where they can beat

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Speaker 4: zone and Man, Because those are the kind of guys

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Speaker 4: where LSU, Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, Notre Dame, those big

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Speaker 4: time teams are going to be knocking on the door

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Speaker 4: offering those guys a ton of money. So yeah, I

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Speaker 4: think it's going to be tough to fix it for

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Speaker 4: the BYU game.

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Speaker 3: And that's probably why you see BYU being a favorite.

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Speaker 4: But let me let me ask you, Tony, You've taken

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Speaker 4: a lot more snaps at a power for or a

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Speaker 4: Division I college football team at quarterback than I have.

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Speaker 4: What are you seeing that I'm not seeing or that

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Speaker 4: most fans might not be seen, you know?

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Speaker 2: To me, for it's just I don't know if it's

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Speaker 2: a lack of confidence, but but I go back to

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Speaker 2: the answers and not having them. You know, it's one

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Speaker 2: thing if you're just exhausting the playbook. This team doesn't

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Speaker 2: run many screens to slow down the rush. You don't

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Speaker 2: see a ton of crossing routes against Man. Demand to me,

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Speaker 2: Joe Royer is the answer. He's the guy that you're

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Speaker 2: you're look leaning on to win those matchups. He's not

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Speaker 2: getting targeted. I feel like every defense pushes them outside

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Speaker 2: the hash marks. I feel like they don't attack the

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Speaker 2: middle of the field nearly enough.

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Speaker 3: And I'm with you.

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Speaker 2: I think the alarming part is having the bye week

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Speaker 2: to come up with a game play and understanding, Okay,

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Speaker 2: the book's out, We've got to have an answer against Man,

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Speaker 2: and it doesn't feel like they have the answer. So

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Speaker 2: I think it's a little combination. I think Brendan Sowerzby's

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Speaker 2: playing with a little less confidence, which is easy to

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Speaker 2: get drawn into that when you're not winning and seeing

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Speaker 2: the results. But I also think they haven't equipped him

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Speaker 2: with enough answers to the puzzle that the defense is

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Speaker 2: throwing at him. And I feel like they have the

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Speaker 2: personnel to do that. That's the frustrating part. And to me,

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Speaker 2: it starts with Joe Royer, as you mentioned.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, and I'm also curious because Isaiah Johnson has been

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Speaker 4: really really good with the ball in his hands, especially

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Speaker 4: with those like pop passes and and to rounds. Is

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Speaker 4: it as easy as just, hey, let's draw up a

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Speaker 4: play for him, see if he can get a first

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Speaker 4: down and get the offense and rhythm or is that

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Speaker 4: something that you have to get into like as the

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Speaker 4: offense starts working now.

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Speaker 2: I think that's something important in like those first ten

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Speaker 2: to fifteen scripted place which we've seen at times this year,

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Speaker 2: and then we didn't see as much motion last week.

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Speaker 2: We didn't see as much formation changing last week, and

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Speaker 2: I think there's something to be said for that as well.

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Speaker 2: How much, in your opinion, we saw this team get

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Speaker 2: the five and two last year and lost their last five.

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Speaker 2: This year, they win seven in a row, they've now

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Speaker 2: dropped too in a row. How much do they need

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Speaker 2: Saturday Night one because there still is an outside chance

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Speaker 2: things happen and you can find your way back to Dallas.

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Speaker 2: But two, if you lose Saturday and then you got

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Speaker 2: to turn to TCU to try to avoid losing four

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Speaker 2: in a row to to end the season, I feel

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Speaker 2: like it just almost erases the goodwill that was building

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Speaker 2: those seven games. How much importance of because of that

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Speaker 2: do you put on Saturday Night?

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Speaker 3: Absolutely? And I think that the.

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Speaker 4: Pitchforks are going to be out if they've finished seven

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Speaker 4: and five as much as they were after last.

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Speaker 3: Season finishing five and seven, because.

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Speaker 4: There was so much made about how much more talent

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Speaker 4: they brought in, and I think that they did bring

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Speaker 4: in a ton of talent, and I think think that

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Speaker 4: all the receivers are much better. And we've talked about

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Speaker 4: all this and the running game was so good for

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Speaker 4: so long. Brendan swersby having a great season and then

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Speaker 4: somehow you're still finding ways to lose games that if

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Speaker 4: you want to be a Big twelve contender, which is

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Speaker 4: what they say their goal is, it's to play in

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Speaker 4: a Big twelve championship, you have to win those games,

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Speaker 4: and you're finding ways to lose them, and sometimes it

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Speaker 4: just seems like.

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Speaker 3: You're latantly unprepared to play those games.

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Speaker 4: So I think the difference between nine and three and

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Speaker 4: seven and five is obviously huge, but the difference between

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Speaker 4: eight and four and nine and three is also pretty big,

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Speaker 4: because if you lose the BYU and then beat TCU

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Speaker 4: is proving that they're just not a great team.

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Speaker 3: Still, people are going to think, Okay, who did.

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Speaker 4: You really beat and whether it's fair or not, that's

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Speaker 4: what they're going to say. Because I think that an

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Speaker 4: eight and four season for this team is good and

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Speaker 4: I think it deserves the momentum.

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Speaker 3: But people are just going to think we were right.

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Speaker 3: They're so close to.

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Speaker 4: Get into a big Toeve championship and get into back

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Speaker 4: to feeling like it's twenty twenty one, maybe even getting

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Speaker 4: into a playoffs, a few games or a few plays

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Speaker 4: for your way in that big top championship game, and

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Speaker 4: then it's just a complete and other collapse.

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Speaker 3: At the end of the year.

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Speaker 4: So yeah, I think Saturday is huge. If they win,

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Speaker 4: if they beat YU, I would expect them to carry

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Speaker 4: that momentum over and beat TFU, finish nine and three,

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Speaker 4: and then that sets them up for what can be

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Speaker 4: a successful offseason and then and then bouncing back next year.

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Speaker 2: On the defensive side of the ball, Key, and I

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Speaker 2: feel like people are starting to grow a little impatient

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Speaker 2: with this bend but don't break style of defense, not

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Speaker 2: because of what it does for much of the game,

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Speaker 2: but in key moments a third down or a fourth

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Speaker 2: down where an easy throw is made and they move

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Speaker 2: the chains. And yes, they've done well to shrink the

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Speaker 2: field in the red zone, But do you sense a

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Speaker 2: little bit of a growing frustration in the style of

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Speaker 2: defense and their inability to get off the field at times.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, The only thing I would say is that there's

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Speaker 4: a growing frustration, mainly because the offense is starting the

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Speaker 4: play worse. Like everyone was talking about, Hey, this defense,

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Speaker 4: this defense is at the end of the day.

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Speaker 3: Good enough. Like they're good enough.

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Speaker 4: They're playing good enough to win games. They have good

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Speaker 4: enough players to make big plays with Jake Goldey, Jalen

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Speaker 4: Hunts had a really good year, Micah Coleman had a

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Speaker 4: good game against Arizona. And I think the other big

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Speaker 4: thing is Matthew McDoom was supposed to be a lockdown

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Speaker 4: player before the season, and then through the first six

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Speaker 4: games you kind.

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Speaker 3: Of saw, Okay, maybe we should peel back our expectations.

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Speaker 4: He's not going to be that guy where he just

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Speaker 4: takes away a whole side of the field, but he's

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Speaker 4: still playing decent enough to prevent huge plays. Now against Arizona,

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Speaker 4: he gives up multiple big plays. I think he gave

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Speaker 4: up eighty four yards and was targeted eight times, so

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Speaker 4: that's a glaring issue. And then you're starting to see

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Speaker 4: the lack of discipline and safety's biding on run fakes,

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Speaker 4: leaving areas of the field wide open for Arizona to

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Speaker 4: hit through the pass.

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Speaker 3: So I think the defense.

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Speaker 4: Against Arizona, despite everything I just said, still played good

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Speaker 4: enough for them to win that game.

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Speaker 3: I don't think anyone would argue that.

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Speaker 4: But the offense, it's the offense struggling just puts such

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Speaker 4: a magnifying glass on everything, especially since they were scoring

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Speaker 4: like thirty eight points a game for so long.

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Speaker 3: But yeah, I think.

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Speaker 4: Anytime the team's losing, the frustrations are going to be magnified.

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Speaker 4: But I also don't blame people for when it's third

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Speaker 4: and five and the dv is playing nine yards off,

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Speaker 4: basically just handing them a first down as a great

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Speaker 4: opportunity to get off the field and get the offense momentum.

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Speaker 2: Lastly, Keegan Saturday Night not only a nip at night,

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Speaker 2: but it's senior night as well. Talk about the importance

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Speaker 2: of what this group of seniors, a guy like Dante

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Speaker 2: Corleone has had on this program. Not only is time here,

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Speaker 2: but on the trajectory of where they're trying to go.

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Speaker 2: Always a special night for Senior Night, especially in this

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Speaker 2: it's such a different college football now with transfers and

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Speaker 2: guys not hanging around as long. How special and how

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Speaker 2: appreciative should those fans be of this group of seniors

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Speaker 2: on Saturday Night?

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Speaker 3: Yeah? I think they should be very appreciative. And I

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Speaker 3: think one of the big things that guys like Dante Corleone.

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Speaker 4: Gavin Gerhart, and even Brady Lichtenberg did was they kept

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Speaker 4: belief in the fan base because a lot of the

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Speaker 4: fan base probably would have thought, well, why aren't these

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Speaker 4: guys leaving like they probably had better opportunities to play elsewhere.

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Speaker 3: I know for a fact Dante corleon did after.

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Speaker 4: Last offseason the seeries that he had coming after him.

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Speaker 3: So they kind of.

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Speaker 4: Infused the leaf to tell the fan base, Hey, if

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Speaker 4: they're not leaving and if they see something in this

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Speaker 4: coaching staff, maybe there's a chance that they could turn

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Speaker 4: it around and for this season they did. There's a

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Speaker 4: chance that it could be, you know, another flop with

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Speaker 4: these last two games, but I'm happy that these guys

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Speaker 4: got to go out on what could be a successful season.

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Speaker 4: Like Gavin Gerhardt has basically been a Bearcat since his

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Speaker 4: sophomore year of high school when he committed to U SEE,

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Speaker 4: and then he was at every game day for basically

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Speaker 4: every for all the seasons through his high school year,

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Speaker 4: and then he's six years that you see, he's pretty

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Speaker 4: much vacationed at Higher Ground every summer since he was

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Speaker 4: like fourteen, which is crazy.

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Speaker 3: And then Dante Corleone could have.

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Speaker 4: Went to the NFL after last year, decided to come back,

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Speaker 4: and I talked to him after practice on Tuesday and

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Speaker 4: he said, hey, like, I think a lot of high

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Speaker 4: school recruits in Cincinnati should heavily consider playing for the

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Speaker 4: Bearcats because it's awesome to represent your hometome program. And

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Speaker 4: then he also just said, look, it's fun to have

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Speaker 4: moms cooking, so don't overlook how good it is to

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Speaker 4: have moms cooking when you're in college and be able

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Speaker 4: to drive twenty minutes down the road. But those guys

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Speaker 4: have been high character, great personality guys who have been

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Speaker 4: great representatives of the university University of Cincinnati, and I

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Speaker 4: think it's the end of an era when you see

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Speaker 4: those guys, especially like Kevin Garhart and Datta Cordeo, and

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Speaker 4: play their last game at Nippers Stadium. So I'm looking

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Speaker 4: for those guys to play out of their minds knowing

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Speaker 4: that it's their last chance to kind of get the

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Speaker 4: home crowd pumped.

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Speaker 2: Up, make it extra special to have it Nip and

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Speaker 2: Night be that last opportunity. Fans have been waiting for

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Speaker 2: it They've finally delivered. It should be a great atmosphere

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Speaker 2: Saturday night, a great opportunity Tomorrow night, Keegan. For those

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Speaker 2: following along, whether it's hoops, whether it's football, or everything

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Speaker 2: else bear caav related, what's the user way to do

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Speaker 2: so with.

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00:19:40,600 --> 00:19:45,119
Speaker 4: You follow at ka Nikos and forty two on X

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00:19:45,200 --> 00:19:47,280
Speaker 4: and then make sure you're subscribe to Barricutt Journal.

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Speaker 3: I'm going to have a ton of great stuff for

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Speaker 3: the Louisville basketball.

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Speaker 4: Game coming on Friday and then also the DYU game

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Speaker 4: coming on Saturday, So it's going to be a really

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Speaker 4: exciting weekend in Cincinnati.

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Speaker 2: Awesome, ke and I appreciate your time as always. Tell

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Speaker 2: my favorite Nickoson. I said, Hi, I'll talk to you tomorrow.

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Speaker 3: Wow.

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Speaker 2: Yes, it's Keegan Nickoson Ferkat journal dot com. Why don't

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Speaker 2: you get his brother to come on next week? We

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Speaker 2: knew we should have that happen. We need to make

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Speaker 2: that happen. I'll tell you who's coming on next. The

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Speaker 2: head coach of the Cincinnati Bearcats ahead of his tilt

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Speaker 2: tomorrow night at Heritage Bank Arena. Wes Miller joins us

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Speaker 2: next on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

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Speaker 1: Is no better way to spend your afternoon unless you've

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Speaker 1: got Brooklyn Decker with you, and you don't. Lowagar Day

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Speaker 1: at three oh five on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station,

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Speaker 1: NITA space Ats Festives on and Tell