ITG 97 - Week 6 Preview with Phil Steele
ITG 97 - Week 6 Preview with Phil Steele
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00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - Welcome in everybody.
00:06 It is Phil Friday, In the Gun, episode 97.
00:09 As always, this episode of ITG brought to you
00:12 by BetOnline, where the game starts.
00:15 I'm Skylar Cowling, that's Jed Drenning.
00:17 Again, we'll be joined by Phil Steele here in a moment.
00:19 There's no West Virginia game this week,
00:20 but we're gonna talk to him about his thoughts
00:22 on West Virginia's win over TCU,
00:24 and maybe a sneak peek into what they have left
00:28 on the schedule, as well as the top 25
00:31 and big 12 matchups to watch.
00:32 So, Jed, before we get into that,
00:35 let's go ahead and talk about our picks from last week.
00:37 West Virginia TCU, as you know,
00:39 we always end the show with a couple of handicap picks
00:42 that we like to go with,
00:43 and we kind of create here on the fly.
00:45 But let's see how we did this past week, Jed.
00:48 I didn't do too hot last week.
00:50 Hopefully you got some better news for me this week.
00:53 - Well, the first one's painful for both of us,
00:55 because time of possession has played an interesting role
00:58 in recent years in this game.
01:00 One of the reasons West Virginia took TCU
01:03 into the final minutes in a one-score game
01:05 before TCU separated in Morgantown last year
01:07 was the Mountaineers held the ball for 36 minutes.
01:10 Last time we won in TCU two years ago,
01:12 we held the ball for 35 minutes.
01:13 So we pegged the over-under at West Virginia,
01:17 33 and a half minutes, over or under.
01:20 We both took the over, 33 and a half minutes,
01:23 so technically 33 minutes and 30 seconds.
01:27 West Virginia held the football Saturday night
01:30 for 33 minutes and 27 seconds.
01:32 So we both missed.
01:34 - Oh, man.
01:35 - It was not-
01:36 - I actually think that's even more impressive on your part.
01:39 You're like Vegas right there.
01:40 You nailed it.
01:41 - Oh, I hit the over-under, yeah.
01:44 - Gee whiz.
01:46 - Well, I'll tell you what,
01:47 we hit another one here, we'll get to in a minute.
01:49 But the second one we asked was,
01:52 will West Virginia outrush TCU?
01:54 Interesting question.
01:55 We knew that had to be the strengths,
01:57 one of the strengths of what we were going to try and do
01:59 from a game planning standpoint.
02:01 Of course, it was in and out
02:03 with the quarterback situation.
02:05 Garrett ends up being the starter.
02:06 Garrett played a critical role in that, obviously,
02:10 as the team's leading rusher.
02:12 But what made it interesting was,
02:14 Imani Bailey came into the game
02:15 as the Big 12's leading rusher.
02:17 He's dynamic.
02:18 TCU was really a handful on the ground.
02:21 So it was a simple question.
02:23 Will West Virginia outrush TCU?
02:25 You said yes, I said no.
02:28 You hit that one.
02:29 West Virginia ended up with 201 yards rushing,
02:32 TCU with 135.
02:34 That might've been one of the more impressive things
02:36 West Virginia did.
02:37 - Yeah.
02:38 - Was Imani Bailey to 55 yards
02:39 and less than three yards a carry.
02:41 'Cause that, I'm telling you, that's an NFL bat.
02:43 He's a stud.
02:44 - Absolutely.
02:45 - So moving forward to number three.
02:50 One of the big things last year in Morgantown,
02:53 of course, one of the indictments, rightfully so,
02:55 against the West Virginia defense overall last year,
02:58 was the sheer mass of big plays
03:01 that the Mountaineer defense allowed,
03:03 particularly on the back end through the pass game.
03:06 But in the loss against TCU in Morgantown,
03:09 the 41 to 31 loss,
03:10 one of the big differences in that game was
03:13 the Frogs had four plays of 50 plus yards.
03:16 That was kind of the poster child for bad football
03:19 of the West Virginia defense last year,
03:20 giving up those big plays.
03:22 So based on the overall improvement
03:24 of the defense this year,
03:26 they had allowed one play of 50 plus yards
03:28 through four games.
03:29 And that was the early touchdown by Penn State on the pass.
03:33 So we said, okay, quite simply,
03:35 will TCU have one play of 50 plus yards?
03:40 - They sure did.
03:42 - Well, you said no.
03:44 I said yes.
03:46 John Paul Richardson on their first possession, 59 yards.
03:50 For the touchdown, they ran an RPO.
03:52 We missed a tackle in space.
03:55 They made a nice play, 59 yards.
03:57 That was the only play they had of 50 plus yards.
04:01 So I hit that one.
04:03 So it looks like we were both two and, well,
04:06 let me tell you about it. - I was one and two.
04:07 - We were both one and two.
04:08 We both missed the first one.
04:09 I missed the second one.
04:10 Yes, we were both one and two.
04:12 - We had a bad beat on that time of possession though,
04:15 but that's, again, comes down to you knowing something
04:18 with Vegas and the numbers and all that stuff.
04:20 - We were close with the 50-yard play.
04:22 - Yeah, yeah.
04:23 - We said, well, they have one,
04:24 and we were close with the time of possession.
04:27 - And I just still can't believe,
04:30 like when you go back to that game
04:32 and how things kind of felt going into halftime
04:35 with TCU scoring at the end of the half,
04:36 they have the ball coming out,
04:38 you're kind of thinking that's a crucial part
04:39 of the game, right?
04:40 Like this is a potential part, yeah,
04:44 where they could just kind of take over this thing.
04:47 And West Virginia comes out, gets the three and out,
04:49 and it's a completely different ball game.
04:51 They have one total yard of offense in that third quarter.
04:54 - One total yard, 129 to one we outgained them
04:57 after giving them 312 yards in the first half.
05:01 - You don't see that very often.
05:02 - No, we talked about this, Skyler, off air.
05:05 A big part of what played at half
05:08 the critical junctures in that game,
05:10 even though West Virginia, we had four sacks
05:12 against a team that was tough to sack.
05:13 They'd allowed the second few of sacks in the Big 12
05:15 and then we studied them on tape.
05:17 The more impressed I was by their O-line
05:19 after losing Steve Avilla.
05:21 They lost some really good pieces
05:22 to that offensive line last year,
05:24 and they've done a great job of coaching them up
05:26 with some replacements.
05:27 And they had done a super job of protecting Chandler Morris.
05:30 Well, we didn't give up a single sack
05:32 and they led the Big 12 in sacks.
05:34 And we sacked him four times,
05:36 but not only did we sack him four times,
05:38 we kept hitting him.
05:40 And now West Virginia is to the point,
05:41 one of the metrics that you look at,
05:44 some people call quarterback knockdowns
05:45 and track it differently.
05:46 Sports Info Solutions, my pro football focus,
05:49 calls it quarterback hits.
05:51 Well, one of the key metrics for West Virginia this year
05:54 has been that quarterback hits metric.
05:57 We now, through five games, have eight,
06:00 or excuse me, have 30 quarterback hits through five games.
06:04 And through all of last year, we only had 22.
06:08 Now, that's terrific news.
06:09 Now, one of the issues that we have to find a way
06:11 to compensate the team leader with eight quarterback hits
06:14 was Trey Latham, who really had found his match
06:17 for getting to the passer and impacting things,
06:20 even if it wasn't a sack
06:21 and you didn't get all the way home.
06:23 But West Virginia, with 30 quarterback hits,
06:26 and trust me, as a former quarterback,
06:28 that impacts things.
06:30 And I'll tell you what it's impacted.
06:31 West Virginia, through five games defensively also,
06:35 has held the opposition to the lowest completion percentage
06:38 in the Big 12 at just 50%.
06:40 Those two things are directly interlinked.
06:43 I'm telling you, as a former guy
06:46 that used to stand back there and take those shots,
06:48 that has an impact.
06:50 It makes it difficult for opposing quarterbacks.
06:52 So kudos to Jordan Leslie and this West Virginia defense
06:55 for finding ways that don't even always show up
06:57 on the statutes sheet or on paper
06:59 for impacting the football game
07:00 and helping West Virginia out.
07:02 - Yeah, absolutely.
07:03 And the one thing that I've kind of took away
07:05 from these last two games against Texas Tech and TCU,
07:08 if you get a tempo team or an up-tempo team
07:11 to play more your style of football,
07:13 that physical in the trenches, defensive slug it out game,
07:15 they don't like to play that.
07:17 They don't like that.
07:18 Yeah, and that is a thing that West Virginia can do
07:21 and live by every single week.
07:23 So I think if you can win in the trenches,
07:25 play good in your front seven,
07:27 you've got a chance every single week,
07:28 especially when you can run the ball as well,
07:30 West Virginia's doing all those things.
07:32 So they head into the bye week four and one,
07:34 two and oh in Big 12 conference play.
07:36 And real quick before we get into Phil here,
07:39 a word from our friend JR and his buddies there
07:42 at Toothpin Ford.
07:44 We all know cars cost less at Grafton
07:46 if you're looking for an automobile,
07:47 go ahead and get your butt to Grafton
07:50 and see our guy JR to get you a new car.
07:53 So let's say we get right into Phil here.
07:57 We'll take a quick break.
07:58 We'll be back with Phil to preview the top matchups
08:00 in the, well, I guess it is pretty much the SEC this week.
08:03 We've got a lot of SEC games on the slate for the top 25,
08:07 the Big 12, and then we'll ask Phil on his thoughts
08:09 for West Virginia and TCU.
08:11 So we'll be back here with Phil in just a moment,
08:14 right here around the break.
08:14 You've been in the gun.
08:16 - Nobody supports the blue and gold Mountaineers
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08:19 With over 20 NIL deals and counting,
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08:41 Toothpin Ford, where cars cost less,
08:43 in Grafton and at toothpinford.com.
08:47 - All right, guys, we are back with the man,
08:49 the myth, the legend, Phil Steel.
08:51 Again, you can get his magazine at Barnes & Noble,
08:54 books a million.
08:55 Phil's with us every Friday,
08:57 breaking out Big 12, Top 25 and WVU.
08:59 Phil, how you doing, my man?
09:01 - You know, I am doing great,
09:03 but probably not as great as you guys.
09:05 Outstanding four one start for West Virginia.
09:07 - Yeah, we feel pretty good about it.
09:11 Four one is something I think everybody would have signed up
09:14 four or five games in based on the third toughest schedule
09:17 in college football.
09:18 So we feel pretty good about it.
09:19 But Phil, we're gonna jump right into some SEC action.
09:22 We can't be sitting here in the Mountain State
09:24 and do a podcast like this without asking about the matchup
09:28 with Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher, Alabama,
09:31 heading to Texas A&M.
09:33 Last time they were there a couple of years ago,
09:34 Jimbo managed to pull the upset.
09:36 A lot of different things going on with these two teams
09:38 this time around.
09:39 How do you see this unfolding?
09:41 - Yeah, and remember last year,
09:43 both teams were without their starting quarterback
09:45 and the game was in Alabama.
09:47 Texas A&M was struggling through a losing season.
09:50 And yet at the end of the game,
09:52 A&M's at the two yard line of Alabama,
09:54 throwing with the chance to win the game
09:56 on the final play down by five points.
09:57 So A&M has matched up well against Alabama.
10:01 And to me, this is a matchup game.
10:03 And a matchup I'm gonna isolate on, guys,
10:05 is the Texas A&M defensive front.
10:08 The last two weeks in SEC play,
10:10 they've had 15 tackles for loss each week,
10:14 seven sacks in both games.
10:16 In fact, they've got 20 sacks on the season.
10:18 They're getting to the quarterback nearly 20% of the time.
10:21 What's Alabama's weakness this year?
10:23 Well, it's not defense.
10:24 I think Jaylin Milrose, good enough.
10:26 I think their running backs are good enough.
10:29 Their wide receivers are not what you're used to at Alabama,
10:32 but their weakness is the offensive line.
10:34 They've given up 20 sacks this year.
10:36 That's a sack every 18% of the time
10:39 as the drafts back to pass.
10:41 That's ridiculous for Alabama.
10:43 So I love that matchup for Texas A&M.
10:45 College Station, it's gonna be loud.
10:46 They won the last time here.
10:48 They're confident.
10:49 They know they can beat Alabama.
10:50 They've done it.
10:51 And the matchup I love is their defensive line
10:54 against the offensive line.
10:55 So add it all up, I think the wrong team's favored here.
10:58 I like A&M not only to win this game,
11:00 but they're my favorites to win the SEC West this year.
11:03 Wow, yeah, and I can see that happening, certainly.
11:07 So keeping in the SEC, LSU at Missouri.
11:11 This seems like it's a crucial game for LSU.
11:13 Obviously, they dropped that shootout last week
11:15 to Ole Miss, they're now three and two.
11:17 They go on the road against Missouri, who has won now.
11:20 I counted one, two, three, four straight one-score games.
11:24 But they also have maybe one of the better quarterbacks
11:26 in the country no one knows about, Brady Cook.
11:29 Can the Tigers keep it close and maybe even pull off
11:32 the upset in this game against the Tigers?
11:36 Yeah, and Brady Cook just set the SEC record
11:39 for most consecutive passes without an interception.
11:41 So that's impressive.
11:43 He's got 11-0 ratio this year,
11:44 but that dates back to last year.
11:46 Now, as you mentioned, when you look at Missouri,
11:49 they're a team that hasn't really blown teams away.
11:52 You know, Kansas State had a couple
11:53 of double-digit leads on 'em.
11:55 They got past Memphis by seven.
11:57 Last week, the Vanderbilt game was actually a 14-point game,
12:01 and Vanderbilt got stopped on downs on its own 19-yard line,
12:04 and then Missouri tacked on a touchdown late
12:06 to get the cover there.
12:07 So it hasn't been overly impressive.
12:09 I think it's a desperate game for LSU.
12:12 They absolutely have to win this game.
12:14 They've shown they can go on the road and win.
12:16 Remember, they went to Mississippi State
12:17 and won that thing comfortably, 41-14.
12:21 So add it all up.
12:22 I'm gonna go with LSU to come out of here
12:24 with the win on the road, but Missouri will give 'em
12:26 a good game.
12:27 - Okay, we have the Maryland Terps at 5-0,
12:32 2-0 in big 10 play, unranked.
12:35 Mike Loxley, obviously, gonna be playing the disrespect card
12:38 as they head to Columbus to face number four, Ohio State.
12:42 How do you see this thing, Paul?
12:43 - Yeah, yeah, I love the job Coach Loxley is doing.
12:48 In fact, you know, this spring,
12:50 they lost a lot off the offensive line.
12:51 They lost a lot off the defensive line.
12:54 So when I talked to Coach Loxley,
12:55 I was going over to the team with him,
12:57 I voiced my concerns about the offensive line,
12:59 and he was a little concerned,
13:01 but said, "We'll probably be better than expected."
13:02 And they're doing well.
13:03 They've only given up three sacks all year.
13:05 They're averaging 5.1 yards per carry.
13:07 Now, granted, they've taken on a pretty weak schedule.
13:09 They haven't really taken on any team
13:11 that's gonna get to a bowl game yet this year.
13:13 Charlotte, Virginia, Michigan State, and Indiana,
13:16 none of those teams are gonna get to a bowl.
13:18 They're taking a large step up here.
13:19 And defensively, same thing.
13:22 I voiced my concerns about the defensive line.
13:24 He said he was a little concerned,
13:25 but felt they'd be better than expected.
13:27 They're only allowing 3.5.
13:29 But this is gonna be a much better test.
13:30 And for Ohio State, Kyle McCord, he struggled early,
13:34 and they sorta limited him early.
13:36 But I thought that last drive against Notre Dame
13:38 might be the one that flips the light switch on for him.
13:42 The one thing I like best about this game,
13:44 I think Maryland will give Ohio State a game,
13:46 but the thing I like best is probably the over in this game.
13:49 When I look at Kyle McCord,
13:51 I think that Ohio State offense
13:52 will be able to put up the points.
13:53 And the last eight times these teams have met,
13:56 the game has not only gone over the total,
13:58 they've averaged 80 points per game,
14:01 and the total's in the 50s here.
14:03 So I like over in the Ohio State-Maryland game
14:05 is my favorite play there.
14:07 I do think Ohio State wins,
14:09 but I think it'll be somewhere around the line.
14:11 I don't think it's gonna be a blowout,
14:12 and I don't think it's gonna be
14:13 a three to seven point game either.
14:15 - Another big one in the SEC, number 20, Kentucky,
14:18 on the road, taking on the top dog, Georgia Bulldogs.
14:22 And Kentucky, man, they had a heck of a day
14:25 on the ground last week, and just ran all over Florida.
14:28 Last year, this was a 16 to six game.
14:31 They kind of, it was a very slow,
14:33 offensive kind of pace day.
14:35 Mark Stoops just hung his hat on the way
14:37 that they've played defense over the years,
14:39 but the offense has gotta show up in this one.
14:41 Doesn't look like they've been very pleased
14:44 to this point with how Devin Leary's played.
14:46 Do they have enough answers offensively
14:49 to pull a stunner down there in Georgia?
14:51 - No, I think Georgia, you know, there's a lot of talk,
14:56 why are they number one in the country?
14:57 'Cause when you look at their body of work from the year,
14:59 and their opponents, they really haven't blown anybody out,
15:02 and they haven't really played that big.
15:05 I mean, South Carolina and Auburn, okay, they're good.
15:07 They're probably both being bowl games,
15:09 but not an overwhelming schedule this year.
15:11 However, I think this week, Georgia does play its A game.
15:15 You're talking about taking on a 5-0 Kentucky,
15:17 a ranked Kentucky team,
15:19 and what you just mentioned about the rush.
15:21 Georgia last week gave up 219 yards on the ground.
15:25 Kentucky ran for 329 yards.
15:28 So Georgia will look at that,
15:31 and go back and look at that Auburn game
15:33 a little bit closer.
15:35 66 of those 219 yards came between the tackles.
15:38 Most of it was quarterback runs.
15:40 They had that one long run that Thorne had down the sideline
15:44 and it was a lot of outside stuff.
15:46 Well, guess what?
15:47 Devin Leary is not gonna run the football here for Kentucky.
15:50 And last week, Devin Leary only hit nine of 20 passes
15:53 for 69 yards against Florida.
15:54 Granted, he didn't have to throw,
15:56 but it was a very unproductive game.
15:58 So I think Georgia takes away what Kentucky does,
16:01 and they've been able to shut down Kentucky in years past.
16:04 Kentucky's got very few yards and points against Georgia.
16:07 In fact, if you look over the last four years,
16:10 they've totaled 22 points in the four games,
16:12 average about five points per game.
16:14 I think Georgia plays its A game this week.
16:16 I like the Bulldogs to play their best game
16:18 and win this one by more than the spread.
16:20 - Last one, Phil, before we get into a Big 12 play.
16:24 We mentioned the 5-0 yet unranked Maryland Terps.
16:28 Well, now we have the 5-0,
16:30 but barely ranked at number 25 Louisville Cardinals
16:34 hosting Notre Dame,
16:35 who have held on for a nice win at Duke last week.
16:37 - Yeah, and I was concerned
16:41 about the Notre Dame-Duke game last week
16:42 because of the situation Notre Dame was in.
16:45 They were coming off that last second,
16:47 well, I mean last second, end of the play game,
16:50 loss against Ohio State, a game they had won,
16:52 and you wondered if they'd be able to get up.
16:55 Duke, meanwhile, was off an easy game.
16:57 They had game day on hand.
16:58 They were fired up, and Notre Dame handled the task.
17:01 They pretty much controlled the first half of the game,
17:03 but needed a comeback to get the win.
17:05 I don't think they're in a bad situation this week.
17:08 I think they're in a good situation.
17:09 They've had their another week removed
17:11 from that tough loss to Ohio State.
17:13 And if we look at Louisville,
17:14 and put them under the microscope a little bit,
17:16 you know, the Georgia Tech game,
17:18 they actually got out gained, only won the game by five.
17:20 The Indiana game, remember,
17:21 Indiana's at the one-yard line with a chance to win.
17:24 They go for it, fourth down and get stopped.
17:26 Once again, a very close game statistically.
17:28 In the NC State game, they trailed the entire game
17:31 until they'd taken the lead in the fourth quarter
17:34 and pulled out a 13-10 win.
17:35 Haven't been blown away with Louisville overall.
17:39 I have been blown away with Notre Dame.
17:41 I think they're a team that's a legitimate
17:42 national title contender.
17:44 They've won 30 straight games against the ACC,
17:46 but more importantly,
17:48 they've covered the last 10 games against the ACC.
17:51 They're laying less than a touchdown.
17:52 I like Notre Dame to take care of business on the road
17:55 and win this by more than a touchdown.
17:57 We'll flip on over to the Big 12 now.
17:59 Kansas State at Oklahoma State.
18:01 Mike Gundy likes to play quarterback roulette down there
18:04 with the three quarterbacks he's got.
18:06 I don't know if he's ever going to settle on one
18:08 or maybe even two guys at this point,
18:10 but Phil, I mean, is this just an easy week here
18:14 for Kansas State?
18:14 Are they actually going to get a little bit of a run
18:16 for their money?
18:17 - Well, I just have a lot of respect for Coach Gundy.
18:21 I think he's one of the better coaches out there
18:24 and with a bye, with the team at two and two, desperate,
18:29 they got to turn it around.
18:30 I think they will.
18:31 And he stuck with Alan Bowman last week
18:34 in their last game against Iowa State.
18:37 Bowman played the entire game through for 278 yards
18:41 and the offense actually came to life.
18:43 They put up 409 yards against a pretty good
18:46 Iowa State defense.
18:47 This is one of those circle the wagons,
18:49 back to the wall type of games.
18:51 Remember the Baylor Utah game a couple of weeks back.
18:54 This is one of those games for Oklahoma State.
18:56 They're taking on a ranked Kansas State team.
18:58 They're at home, they need a win
19:00 and they're a big underdog.
19:02 And I think sticking with Alan Bowman last week
19:04 was the key.
19:05 I look for Oklahoma State to play its best game
19:07 of the year.
19:08 I like the Cowboys in a potential upset here.
19:10 - Wow.
19:12 Wow, how about that?
19:13 That's a bold pick, we like it.
19:15 All right, now let's go to Red River.
19:17 A year ago, and I think Oklahoma has mentioned this
19:19 a time or two in their locker room since,
19:21 49-0 Longhorns.
19:24 Something tells me, I don't know what'll play out,
19:26 but it might look different than Oklahoma
19:28 throwing for 39 yards because it's not gonna be
19:31 Davis Bevel behind center.
19:33 This time it's gonna be Dylan Gabriel
19:35 who missed that game a year ago.
19:37 - Yeah, and that is a huge, huge part of this.
19:42 And that's why Oklahoma's able to get Jackson Arnold
19:45 in there as the backup quarterback.
19:46 They needed somebody that if something happens
19:49 to Gabriel, and it's been a great offense this year.
19:52 Now, they have struggled in a couple of games.
19:54 You go back to that SMU game, they only led by seven
19:56 in the fourth quarter, ended up winning by 17.
19:59 The Cincinnati game, I wasn't blown away
20:01 with Oklahoma in that one.
20:02 They only won 20 to six on the road.
20:05 So the offense has been potent.
20:07 They've been putting up big numbers, 510 yards per game,
20:11 but they're taking on by far the best defense
20:13 they've faced all year in Texas.
20:15 I can't say that for Texas.
20:16 Texas putting up 478 yards per game.
20:19 Are they taking on the best defense?
20:21 Oklahoma's got a good defense statistically,
20:23 but I'll take Alabama's defense over that.
20:25 And yet they put up 454 yards against Texas.
20:28 I think the offenses are close.
20:29 And while the defenses statistically are close,
20:32 my eye test says that Texas has the better defense,
20:35 better athletes, better front seven, better secondary.
20:39 My eye test also says Texas has the better special teams.
20:41 So I do think Texas is the better team.
20:44 This is a robbery game.
20:45 Oklahoma's playing with legitimate revenge.
20:47 They have Dylan Gabriel.
20:48 I'd like Texas to win the game probably by about seven.
20:51 So it's right around where the number is.
20:53 I'm surprised the number's under seven in this one.
20:56 So I actually like Texas a little bit.
20:58 I think they win this by around the touchdown,
21:01 but it should be a great game.
21:02 And you know what?
21:03 It's been since 2011 that these two
21:05 have matched up undefeated.
21:07 It's good to see these two back as powers again.
21:10 - UCF at Kansas.
21:13 And man, what a heartbreaker for the Golden Knights
21:16 or the Knights last week against Baylor.
21:18 My goodness, that was one of the crazier games
21:21 in all of college football, maybe this year.
21:23 If you go back and watch how that game unfolded there late,
21:27 they blow a 28-point lead to the Bears,
21:29 an opportunity to get their first pick-12 win.
21:31 They don't, how do they respond going on the road
21:35 to Lawrence against the Jayhawks?
21:36 - And who knew Jalen Daniels wasn't gonna play last week
21:40 for Kansas against Texas?
21:42 Sort of surprised the nation we didn't show up.
21:45 And you know, kind of handed it to Kansas.
21:47 They played a good first half.
21:48 They were only down 13-7.
21:49 They had been greatly outgained, 342 to 139,
21:53 but they were in the game and then ended up
21:55 getting blown out 661 to 260 yards.
21:59 You know, Jason Bean had done well
22:01 in the reserve role last year
22:02 when he was thrown into the lineup.
22:05 Just struggled against a very good Texas defense.
22:08 But this is a different animal.
22:09 Kansas has played very well at home.
22:11 They beat Illinois by 11.
22:13 They beat BYU by 11.
22:14 And UCF hasn't played as well on the road.
22:16 You go back to that Kansas State game,
22:18 I believe they got a late touchdown that game
22:20 to pull within 44-31.
22:22 So I just think the home is the difference here.
22:25 I like Kansas to get this one at home.
22:28 I do think Jalen Daniels plays.
22:30 I don't know if John Rice Palmile played.
22:32 Timmy McClain has looked pretty good.
22:33 How about that play that McClain had
22:35 at the end of the game, escaping like 27 tackles
22:38 and throwing a first down on third and long.
22:40 But I gotta go with Kansas to get this win at home.
22:44 - And talk about that UCF game, Phil.
22:46 Well, Baylor was standing at one and three.
22:49 They were down by 28 points late on the road.
22:52 Their season was absolutely on the brink.
22:54 They pulled it out.
22:55 Now they return home feeling probably pretty good
22:58 about themselves against the Texas Tech team
23:01 that had a bounce back game against Houston.
23:03 But here we go again with the specter
23:05 of that poor Texas Tech record on the road.
23:08 One and six in true road games under Joey McGuire,
23:11 heading to Waco.
23:12 This is a very fascinating matchup.
23:14 - Yeah, and it's interestingly,
23:18 you know, when I had my conversation with Coach Aranda
23:21 over the, after spring was over,
23:24 we were going over to the teams.
23:25 I asked him point blank.
23:26 I said, "Coach, what's the difference between 2021
23:30 and 2022 and why the four game losing streak at the end?"
23:34 And he gave me a long thing, a dissection of what happened.
23:39 But basically summing it up,
23:41 it was that the team in 2021 believed it could win
23:45 at the end of the game.
23:46 And 2022, they didn't really have that same belief.
23:49 And when it got, when the going got rough
23:51 in the fourth quarter, they sort of didn't follow through.
23:55 I think that win over UCF will give this team that belief
23:58 that the 2021 team had.
24:00 So I'm looking for Baylor to have a great finish
24:03 of the season based on the fact that now
24:05 when they get to the fourth quarter,
24:06 it doesn't matter if they're down by 10 points,
24:08 they're gonna think they can win the game.
24:10 And I think getting Blake Chapin back last week,
24:12 they helped as well.
24:13 Chapin didn't have a great 2021.
24:15 He's not a great quarterback,
24:17 but he is better than Sawyer Robinson.
24:19 Getting him back, I think was huge last week.
24:21 And then we've talked about it all year with Texas Tech.
24:25 I like Texas Tech at home.
24:26 I don't like Texas Tech on the road.
24:28 Now they lost at Wyoming.
24:30 They lost to West Virginia.
24:31 I gave you the record over the years and summed it up.
24:36 And they're going on the road as a favorite at Baylor.
24:39 I think Baylor is the better team at home.
24:41 I like Baylor to pull the upset here and get the home win.
24:45 - Man, that'd be incredible to go from a potential one
24:48 in four, they storm all the way back to UCF
24:50 and then they get back to even there.
24:52 The last one on the Big 12 slate, it's TCU at Iowa State.
24:56 Obviously, the Cyclones got beat up pretty good
24:58 by Oklahoma last week,
25:00 but no one's gonna fault them for that.
25:01 A lot of people aren't gonna have that issue.
25:04 TCU, obviously, we're gonna talk about that here
25:06 in a minute with West Virginia,
25:07 but they fall to the Mountaineers 24-21.
25:10 How do you see this one playing out, Bill?
25:13 - Yeah, and I like what I've seen out of Iowa State
25:15 for the most part this year.
25:16 You go back to the Iowa game that they lost,
25:18 they had the yardage edge,
25:20 a 19-9 first down edge in that game.
25:23 The Ohio game was a defensive struggle as expected.
25:26 And even the Oklahoma game, if you're watching the game,
25:29 in the second quarter, it's 21-20,
25:32 and Oklahoma had an interception return for a touchdown
25:35 at the start of the game.
25:36 So Iowa State had basically played 'em even,
25:38 maybe even outplayed 'em a little bit,
25:40 and then Oklahoma, bam, bam,
25:42 and they got an interception, a touchdown
25:43 with like seconds to go in the half,
25:45 and then the second half was a different story.
25:47 Oklahoma just dominated from there,
25:48 but the first half was very even.
25:50 I think Iowa State at home is a very dangerous team.
25:54 Jack Trice Stadium, you've got Rocco Bectis playing,
25:57 better than expected, hitting 60% with a 9-5 ratio.
26:01 And TCU has proven they're not last year's TCU.
26:03 Their best game of the season,
26:05 you know, was probably SMU and Houston,
26:07 but against the best competition,
26:09 Colorado and West Virginia, they've come up short.
26:12 Now they're playing a pretty good team on the road.
26:14 I like Iowa State to potentially pull the upset here.
26:16 - But they're tough.
26:18 I'll tell you what, they're tough under the lights
26:20 of Jack Trice, I can speak to that.
26:22 But let's get your thoughts real fast, Phil.
26:25 West Virginia's win at Fort Worth,
26:27 that line had climbed, as we talked about last week,
26:30 up to, in some places, 14 points
26:32 by the time we got down there.
26:34 Two years ago, West Virginia won on the road down there.
26:36 Since that game, the Frogs had won 10 of 11 in that facility.
26:41 And we handed Sonny Dykes his first regular season loss
26:45 as a Big 12 coach.
26:46 So what were your thoughts on West Virginia's win at TCU?
26:50 - You know, I thought they played a great,
26:53 they played the game that they needed to play in that game.
26:56 You know, in the first half, it wasn't pretty.
26:59 It got out-gamed, got out, you know,
27:01 we're trailing by seven at the half.
27:03 You're hoping they can hang in there,
27:04 but what a second half that they played.
27:07 And I thought Garrett Green had an excellent game.
27:10 They did what they had to do.
27:12 They ran the football, which I think takes TCU
27:15 out of its game, as I mentioned last week.
27:18 And, you know, running for over 200 yards against TCU
27:21 is a very good thing to do, especially on the road.
27:24 Wasn't an overwhelming pass game,
27:26 but that's how West Virginia's style.
27:28 You know, when I talked to Neil Brown,
27:29 he talked about the offensive line,
27:30 talked about the run game, that's their strength.
27:32 And they were able to assert themselves in the second half.
27:35 And I love the way the defense is playing this year.
27:37 They're actually holding opponents to 47 yards per game
27:39 below their season average.
27:41 That's top 40.
27:42 So I think this is a West Virginia team that's,
27:45 as each week progresses and each win comes in,
27:48 now they're expecting to win.
27:50 And they've got a winnable game coming up
27:52 against Houston on the road.
27:54 Yeah, and, Phil, before I get you out of here,
27:56 I got to ask you, I mean,
27:58 this team is absolutely surpassing expectations.
28:01 They were picked 14th,
28:03 obviously dead last in the Big 12 Conference.
28:04 That's something that this team has kind of held,
28:06 hang its hat on to use as motivation throughout the season.
28:11 You look at these final seven games,
28:12 and, I mean, there's a real chance,
28:14 I think, that they could get to maybe nine or ten wins.
28:17 I mean, I'm looking at the schedule here.
28:18 We'll throw it up on the screen.
28:20 They're probably going to be favored, I would assume,
28:22 in at least five of these last seven games.
28:25 Do you feel like there's a chance
28:26 they could get to that nine or ten win mark?
28:30 Well, I do think they'll beat Houston.
28:32 They should be favored against Oklahoma State at home.
28:34 So those are two they should be favored against BYU at home.
28:36 I think they could beat Cincinnati.
28:38 At UCF, it's going to be tough.
28:41 The bounce house is always one of the tougher venues out there.
28:43 They play their best ball there.
28:45 I think they'll be an underdog there.
28:46 They'll be an underdog at Oklahoma.
28:48 And if the switch is turned for Baylor,
28:51 and Dave Miranda has his team playing
28:53 like I think he can the second half of the year,
28:56 they'd be an underdog at Baylor in that game.
28:58 So that would be eight wins.
29:01 But then again, I didn't expect them to beat TCU.
29:04 I thought they'd play TCU very tight last week.
29:07 Didn't expect them to win the game outright.
29:08 They did.
29:09 So I think nine is a possibility this year.
29:12 Right now, I'd put their total at about eight.
29:15 Yeah, and I think if you finish with eight wins,
29:17 that's a very successful season.
29:20 Considering the circumstances, all the hot seat talk
29:23 about Neil Brown, he's going to go from maybe the hot seat
29:26 to the coach of the year in the Big 12 if he does so.
29:29 So, Phil, we appreciate your time once again.
29:32 Every single Friday, you can catch Phil Steele
29:35 previewing Big 12 Top 25 in West Virginia here on In the Gun.
29:39 Phil, we thank you for your time.
29:40 We'll chat next week.
29:42 Hey, Phil, real fast.
29:42 Hey, sounds--
29:43 So I saw another podcast.
29:45 Do you have your own podcast that you want to hit here?
29:47 It looked interesting.
29:48 I was listening to you on something.
29:50 Yeah, every Friday morning, I put out the Phil Steele Plus
29:54 Tour with selections.
29:56 And what I do is I show you all the stuff
29:58 that I have on Phil Steele Plus, graphically say
30:01 why I like a game, and show you some very interesting things.
30:05 And Phil Steele Plus highlights things in green and red.
30:08 So check it out.
30:09 Go to philsteele.com or YouTube, and it's a Phil Steele Plus
30:12 Tour with selections.
30:14 And you picked a good week, because this week, I'm
30:16 actually guaranteeing a winning week on there.
30:18 You get a free issue of my newsletter next week.
30:20 So it should be a lot of fun.
30:22 But do check that out if you get a chance.
30:24 Yeah, I'm going to that right as we speak.
30:29 Phil, we appreciate your time once again.
30:31 And we'll chat next week.
30:34 Hey, sounds great.
30:35 A lot of fun talking with you guys.
30:36 And congrats on 4-1.
30:38 Let's keep this thing rolling this year.
30:41 Yeah, absolutely.
30:42 The Mountaineers don't have to worry about a game this week.
30:46 We can feel good about this weekend.
30:48 So 4-1, 2-0 in Big 12 Conference play.
30:50 Again, that's Phil Steele.
30:52 You can get his stuff at Barnes & Noble and Books
30:54 & Million, and obviously, where he just plugged there as well.
30:57 So thanks to Phil.
30:59 We're going to be back here in a minute to wrap things up here
31:01 in the gun.
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32:11 [ELECTRONIC BEEPING]
32:15 All right, Jed, so we'll wrap things up here.
32:17 Phil, always great talking to him.
32:20 I love the fact that he loves how West Virginia is playing.
32:24 And he even kind of gave the 8-4 prediction a little bit.
32:28 But again, I mean, there is a path for 9 or 10 wins.
32:31 But if you get to 8-4, you still have
32:33 to be extremely happy with how things
32:35 have unfolded this season.
32:37 So anyways, again, we have the bye week this week.
32:41 So there's no game.
32:42 There's not going to be a preview.
32:44 But we are going to have an abbreviated week next week
32:47 because of the game being on Thursday against Houston
32:49 and Dana Holgerson.
32:51 So Jed, go ahead and enlighten the people
32:53 how we're going to be bringing the coverage to them next week
32:56 because of the shortened week and how we're going to go about
32:59 it.
33:00 Yeah, we're planning on having Big Daddy.
33:03 Of course, I have to pow wow with the rest of the crew.
33:06 But Big Daddy, we'll get together with him
33:08 and have it out on Tuesday.
33:10 We should have our Houston preview on Wednesday.
33:14 And at least I'm planning right now,
33:18 we will have Philip on Thursday for a handful of hours
33:21 before the Thursday night game against Houston.
33:23 I might be taping that in a Houston hotel room
33:26 the way it looks right now.
33:27 But that's what's interesting about it.
33:30 But I'd just close in this.
33:32 He always brings such tremendous insight.
33:36 I'll tell you what I found fascinating
33:38 before we hit some West Virginia stuff to close out.
33:41 The fascinating part was he's gaming this out
33:43 for Texas A&M and Jimbo saying that, hey, they
33:45 might be the leader in the clubhouse
33:47 to win the SEC West and go to Atlanta for the SEC title game.
33:52 And he takes them to knock off Nick.
33:55 That'd be two wins in a row, College Station.
33:58 And as he said, they almost knocked them off
34:00 in Tuscaloosa last year.
34:01 But that was pretty fascinating.
34:03 But as far as the West Virginia projections,
34:06 here's where I always go on this.
34:08 Him saying that he sees us as an eight-win team,
34:10 it makes perfect sense the way he's looking at the schedule
34:13 and gaming that out.
34:15 I always think this.
34:17 One of the most difficult things in college football to do
34:21 is to win all the games you're supposed to.
34:24 That is one of the single most challenging things
34:28 is to go an entire season winning
34:30 every game you're supposed to win.
34:33 You don't just show up and do that.
34:35 That means you show up and took care of business and brought it.
34:38 So yes, West Virginia is going to be favored
34:40 in a number of these games.
34:42 And as he said, he didn't expect us to go on the road
34:44 and win this TCU game.
34:46 So maybe there's another game or two that you snatch out there.
34:49 But be careful because there might also
34:52 be a game lurking on the horizon that you don't see coming
34:55 that you're about and don't know it.
34:57 You're about to take on some team's
34:59 best effort of the season.
35:01 And you don't play as well as you should.
35:03 And you're going to find yourself clawing out of that.
35:05 That's the mark of a good team.
35:08 A good team can, of course, have a chance or a puncher's chance
35:12 to win when it plays well.
35:13 But all teams don't play well every week.
35:16 You also have to be a pitcher who
35:18 doesn't bring your best stuff and find a way
35:21 to dig down deep and win some of that.
35:23 And you've seen West Virginia do that so far.
35:25 We haven't played our best football.
35:27 Neil Brown says this all the time.
35:28 Our best football is in front of us.
35:31 So at what point will we see that or will we see it at all?
35:34 There's no guarantee we will as we
35:36 strive toward getting better.
35:38 But yeah, that's the challenge I always look at.
35:41 I've told you, Skyler, I have my 12 teams theory.
35:45 And I've said this--
35:46 And this is smart, too.
35:48 It makes a whole lot of sense.
35:50 Well, people always ask, well, how can you
35:52 beat this team but lose to that team?
35:55 Because you're never the same team.
35:57 There's 20-year-old kids.
35:59 There's 100 of them in a locker room.
36:01 They're never the same team twice,
36:02 or they're rarely the same team twice.
36:04 So if you play 12 games, there's really
36:06 12 versions of who you are as a team in terms
36:09 of your best version down to your worst version.
36:12 Now, I would argue maybe the more consistent teams
36:15 don't have 12.
36:16 They have five or six or seven or eight versions,
36:18 if that makes sense.
36:19 But you're never going to be the same team every week.
36:23 I always ask people, have you ever made a foul shot?
36:25 And their answer is, of course they have.
36:28 Just about everybody walking the planet, including even me,
36:30 has made a foul shot.
36:32 Well, then my follow-up question is, well,
36:34 have you ever missed one?
36:35 Well, if you made the last one, there's
36:37 no variables that have changed.
36:39 It's three seconds after you made one.
36:41 Why can't you always make the next one?
36:43 It's the same rim, the same distance, the same ball.
36:46 You haven't changed.
36:47 There's nothing else going on in your life
36:49 that's new from three seconds ago.
36:50 Make the next one.
36:51 But see, sometimes you miss the second one.
36:54 Well, now just imagine 118 to 22-year-old kids
36:58 in a locker room with all the influences and all the things
37:02 that are going on in their lives on a daily basis
37:05 that you don't know.
37:06 Sometimes you do.
37:07 Sometimes you address it.
37:08 Sometimes you can't.
37:09 And you're facing a team with 118 to 22-year-olds
37:13 in their locker room.
37:14 It's never the same team twice.
37:17 It never is.
37:18 So the question is, how consistent can you be?
37:21 And how close to operating at maximum level can you get?
37:26 So that's why it's infinitely challenging to, in a given
37:30 year, win all the games you should win.
37:34 And when I look at schedules, that's
37:37 one of the first things I consider.
37:40 You ask yourself, hey, if the season is starting
37:44 and you have a 12-game schedule, let me ask you,
37:48 if you were to pick out the three toughest games
37:53 and remove those, are you pretty sure
37:55 that you could go 8-1 or 9-0 with the other nine?
37:58 You see what I'm saying?
37:59 No, not at all.
38:01 It's always been difficult, no matter who you were
38:03 and where you were.
38:04 So it's about trying to get better each week.
38:09 That's what you're striving towards.
38:11 That's why you hear coaches say it all the time.
38:14 And again, when you look at the limitations West Virginia has
38:17 shown, particularly in the past game,
38:20 I mean, there are areas this team
38:22 needs to get better to continue to find ways to win.
38:25 But if you can get a little better each time out
38:28 and just build on some of the things that you do--
38:30 we have a lot of good things going on.
38:32 Obviously, the improvements on the defensive side
38:34 of the football at all three levels.
38:36 Now you're going to have to overcome some critical injuries
38:38 on that side.
38:39 Your depth is a pretty big issue.
38:41 We have depth at D-line, not so much at back,
38:44 or not so much in the secondary.
38:46 On the offensive side, we feel like we have a ground game
38:48 we can run on.
38:49 But it's not cranking to the point
38:52 that we needed to crank quite yet.
38:54 And we obviously need to get the pass game going.
38:56 We need to be a more well-rounded offense.
38:58 Special teams is playing a critical role
39:01 in helping us win games.
39:02 Now you need to continue to improve there.
39:06 So you need to continue to improve in the area of playing
39:11 smart football.
39:12 Yes, we're avoiding penalties.
39:13 But you heard what Neil said about how
39:15 we responded to that second block field goal.
39:17 That was nearly catastrophic.
39:19 Oh, yeah.
39:20 We want to keep finding little ways to get better.
39:22 We're playing smart football.
39:24 We're playing solid football in most areas.
39:26 But there's some obvious areas we need to get better.
39:28 You're going to have some teams coming up.
39:30 I mean, we're going to be going to Houston next week.
39:32 There's a desperate, wounded animal that will pull out
39:35 all the stops at home.
39:37 Try and do what they can to overcome that.
39:39 I mean, they desperately need that win.
39:41 And then Oklahoma State's coming.
39:43 None of these are empty chairs.
39:45 None of these are layups where you just show up.
39:47 You really have to play that well.
39:48 And you just automatically win.
39:50 There's no such thing.
39:51 So how do you manage that with 18 to 22-year-old kids?
39:56 And now you're going to reach the point, even at 4-1,
39:59 heading into a bye week, where how do you handle even
40:02 a little bit of prosperity?
40:04 Because now the kids are going to start hearing, hey,
40:06 you're overcoming or you're overachieving the expectations.
40:09 You've defeated all these expectations.
40:12 And you're playing so much better than anybody thought.
40:14 Well, you've got to manage that.
40:15 Manage that success.
40:18 Manage that prosperity.
40:19 So there's different things to consider with all of this.
40:23 But again, never forget one of the single most difficult
40:27 things in all of college football to do--
40:30 now, people are going to point out the five or six
40:32 blue bloods that don't often lose a game they shouldn't.
40:35 What about the other 125?
40:36 Exactly.
40:38 Like us.
40:40 The other 125 or 130 teams playing college football
40:43 have to worry about what I'm saying.
40:45 And that is, it is supremely difficult to win all the games
40:50 you're supposed to.
40:51 That's all.
40:52 I mean, like Phil just said, I mean,
40:54 Oakland State, they have looked god-awful all year,
40:57 especially offensively.
40:58 Well, they found potentially an answer quarterback.
41:01 That could change their season.
41:02 Baylor, coming back the way they did,
41:05 that could change their season.
41:06 That's just two games right there.
41:07 And you know there's a guy or two or three or four
41:10 on that Houston roster that has this game
41:12 circled on Thursday night.
41:14 So you're going to get a lot of teams' best shots.
41:18 And especially UCF, you go on the road there,
41:20 like you mentioned, the bounce house is tough to play.
41:22 I believe that's their homecoming game.
41:24 So you're going to go into some tough environments.
41:28 You're going to play some tough teams.
41:29 Oklahoma is no stroll in the park, obviously.
41:32 They're going to be wanting revenge
41:34 from that loss a year ago.
41:35 So there's a lot of tough things.
41:37 The one thing I do want to note, though,
41:39 West Virginia still has all four newcomers in the Big 12
41:42 on their schedule.
41:43 And not a single Big 12 newcomer to this point--
41:46 again, it's only been a couple of weeks--
41:48 has beaten an original Big 12 team.
41:52 The only team that has a Big 12 win
41:53 is BYU, which came against another newcomer in Cincinnati.
41:57 Yeah, and what I'm saying, you heard
41:59 Phil talk about it, and as you just pointed out, Skyler,
42:03 Kansas State is going to have their hands full in still
42:06 order.
42:06 He made some great points.
42:07 Mike Gundy, a tremendous coach.
42:09 They're coming off a bye week.
42:11 They recognize this is a crossroads for their season,
42:14 an opportunity against the defending Big 12 champs.
42:17 They're going to take Oklahoma State's best shot.
42:20 Texas Tech is going on the road.
42:21 Baylor is starting to believe in themselves.
42:23 And meanwhile, I promise you, there
42:26 is a significant contingent among the Texas Tech fan base
42:30 that's thinking, oh, do you see what Texas did at Baylor?
42:33 Yeah.
42:33 You know, get rid of that UCF.
42:35 We should waltz in there and just handle business.
42:37 Come on, we're favored.
42:38 And there's Kansas State fans thinking, oh, come on.
42:41 Have you not watched Oklahoma State play?
42:42 Didn't you see that South Alabama game?
42:44 They got walloped by South--
42:46 that's an automatic win.
42:47 Be careful.
42:48 It's never as easy as you think.
42:49 It's difficult to win all the games you're supposed to.
42:54 And if you survive that one, there'll be another game
42:56 you're supposed to win.
42:57 Then you've got to survive it, and so on.
42:59 So now we're--
43:00 I'll tell you what, it's refreshing to have
43:02 these conversations again, that we're talking about expectations
43:06 instead of being on the business end of those expectations,
43:09 right?
43:10 So I mean, we're 4-1.
43:12 There's way more football left to play than we played so far.
43:16 So we have a lot to prove.
43:18 I mean, 2-0 in the Big 12 is a great start.
43:21 But we have a lot to prove.
43:24 Absolutely.
43:25 First and foremost, let's get to number five.
43:28 And then don't look now, but you're
43:29 bowl eligible with number six.
43:31 So you take these things a step at a time, a game at a time,
43:36 understanding that if you don't play well each week, favored,
43:39 not favored, I don't care.
43:41 I don't care if you're playing at home, on the road,
43:43 or on the moon.
43:44 If you don't play well, any of these teams can beat you.
43:48 And remember the 12 teams theory.
43:50 It's not going to be, well, how can the Western Virginia
43:53 beat TCU, lose to such and such?
43:55 It's not going to be that West Virginia team that beat TCU.
43:58 It's going to be a different version.
43:59 The question is, will it be a better version,
44:01 a similar version?
44:02 We don't know.
44:03 That's the difficulty in managing young football
44:06 players.
44:07 And the good teams are, if West Virginia puts their eighth best
44:10 version out, can that eighth best version still find a way
44:12 to win?
44:13 And also, I mean, like I said, there's
44:16 going to be a lot of games where West Virginia's going
44:17 to be favored.
44:18 And you kind of worry about how they handle that.
44:20 Well, again, Neal can still dangle that little carrot
44:22 out there, says, hey, look, it doesn't matter.
44:24 You're still preseason pick 14th.
44:26 So until the end of the season, you're
44:28 the 14th best team in this conference.
44:30 And I think he even said that in the little cinematic recap
44:34 that they put out there on Twitter.
44:36 Yeah, that you're 14th until proven otherwise.
44:39 So and I really like--
44:43 Hey, we won three games in a row, despite being right.
44:46 And you're still underdogs.
44:47 And we're 14-point underdogs.
44:49 He used the 14-point theme.
44:51 He said, we're 14.
44:52 That's what he told the team in the locker room,
44:54 14-point underdogs.
44:56 So yep.
44:57 And this is a great opportunity for West Virginia.
45:00 Again, you just survived.
45:02 Not survived, you passed that September test
45:05 with flying colors in a very, very tough schedule.
45:08 You have three games in the month of October.
45:10 You're three games away from playing
45:13 what everyone wants to get to, and that's
45:15 meaningful football in November.
45:17 And if you get to meaningful football in November,
45:19 that means you got a chance to do something special.
45:21 So it's a great time, as we mentioned time and time again,
45:24 for West Virginia to get to this bye week,
45:26 to get healthy somewhat.
45:28 They maybe find some answers to some of those injuries
45:30 that they're going to have to find answers to.
45:33 And who knows what can happen.
45:35 It could be a special 2023 season in Morgantown.
45:39 One final thank you to Fortis for roof performance
45:41 and financial certainty guaranteed.
45:43 Make sure to visit fortis.us.com.
45:46 And again, if you haven't yet, please participate
45:50 in our weekly picks.
45:51 It's a lot of fun.
45:52 It's a tough thing to do.
45:54 But we have the poll, I believe, on our Twitter account
45:57 in the Gunn podcast.
45:58 If you want to try to beat me, Jed, Owen, and Wes.
46:01 And if you get all four right, you're
46:02 getting a rookie card signed by Owen Schmidt, plus a shout out.
46:06 Who knows what else we'll come up with.
46:08 But it's a very difficult thing to do.
46:10 And we had one guy get three right last week.
46:13 So he's close.
46:15 Brian Moffitt.
46:15 We put his picture on the show.
46:18 Yeah, we put his picture on the show.
46:19 So we'll definitely make it worth your while.
46:22 And if you haven't also--
46:23 I have to say something.
46:24 Yeah, go ahead.
46:26 When Brian Moffitt submitted that,
46:28 and we saw his name on the play sheet,
46:30 first thing I thought was Ben Moffitt, the old linebacker
46:32 for South Florida.
46:34 I still have Ben Moffitt nightmares
46:36 from those South Florida games.
46:37 But anyway, congratulations to Brian Moffitt.
46:43 And lovely family.
46:45 He was telling us a little bit about himself.
46:46 He's a WVU grad, graduated in 2001.
46:49 But a Mountaineer for life.
46:51 He met his wife at WVU 25 years ago.
46:54 So exactly the type of person that we
46:56 think it's really cool to have him as a listener
46:58 and to be taking part in our Pick 4 contest.
47:02 That makes us really proud.
47:03 And as you and Wes really pointed out too,
47:06 I believe it was in one of the episodes earlier this week.
47:08 If you get this right, and you're the first one to do it,
47:11 you're an ITG legend.
47:12 Everyone's going to remember who your first person is.
47:15 Everyone will remember.
47:16 So you definitely want to be that first one.
47:19 Exactly.
47:19 So you can check out this week's episodes.
47:23 It's Big Daddy.
47:24 And then the preview is obviously not here this week.
47:27 So it's just Big Daddy, our weekly picks,
47:30 and then here with Bill Steele.
47:31 But we will be back again with that abbreviated schedule
47:34 next week.
47:34 We're going to wrap things up into one
47:36 with Big Daddy and our picks.
47:37 And then the Houston preview as well.
47:39 Make sure you hit that Subscribe button on YouTube
47:41 at In The Gun Podcast.
47:43 And let us know what you want to see coming up here
47:47 in the upcoming weeks for West Virginia.
47:49 Do you think they can get to 9 or 10 wins?
47:51 Let us know in the comments section here on YouTube.
47:54 So that'll do it for us here today.
47:56 For Judge Running, I'm Scott McKenna.
47:58 The one thing we ask of you is to be in the air
48:00 and tell in the air about your new favorite WVU football
48:02 podcast.
48:03 You've been in the gun.
48:06 (door closing)
48:08 [BLANK_AUDIO]