What have you seen watching him from, let's say, when he first took over as the starter to now as the biggest part of his progression?

I think, you know, his confidence command to that offense is Well, I don't think anyone will ever fully appreciate it, you know, just how much is on that guy's plate.

And now we're seeing it, you know, manifested in some of the throws that he's made.

You know, we've seen this before.

The fourth down throw last year versus Tennessee, Georgia loses that game without it.

It's a perfect throw.

And we saw a couple in this past game where, you know, I've seen some people pick it apart and they're saying, "This is a bad decision," et cetera.

Stinch, what do you think happened to Florida after everybody was building up top five, top 10, they're back, and then all of a sudden they've laid two eggs?

What have you seen watching him from, let's say, when he first took over as the starter to now as the biggest part of his progression?

I think, you know, his confidence command to that offense is Well, I don't think anyone will ever fully appreciate it, you know, just how much is on that guy's plate.

And now we're seeing it, you know, manifested in some of the throws that he's made.

You know, we've seen this before.

The fourth down throw last year versus Tennessee, Georgia loses that game without it.

It's a perfect throw.

And we saw a couple in this past game where, you know, I've seen some people pick it apart and they're saying, "This is a bad decision," et cetera.

Stinch, what do you think happened to Florida after everybody was building up top five, top 10, they're back, and then all of a sudden they've laid two eggs?

What have you seen watching him from, let's say, when he first took over as the starter to now as the biggest part of his progression?

I think, you know, his confidence command to that offense is Well, I don't think anyone will ever fully appreciate it, you know, just how much is on that guy's plate.

And now we're seeing it, you know, manifested in some of the throws that he's made.

You know, we've seen this before.

The fourth down throw last year versus Tennessee, Georgia loses that game without it.

It's a perfect throw.

And we saw a couple in this past game where, you know, I've seen some people pick it apart and they're saying, "This is a bad decision," et cetera.

Stinch, what do you think happened to Florida after everybody was building up top five, top 10, they're back, and then all of a sudden they've laid two eggs?

And even, you know, well, for the coaches that we visited with each week, and it's not the, you know, sometimes you get the coach speak where the team is talking up their opponent so that the victory seems even better, right? It makes sense to make whoever it is that you're about to play look as good as you possibly can.

can.Publicly, because, you know, things don't go well, well, it's more justified.

It's a good team, and if things do go well, wow, that just pumps up your win.

But it is universal, um, in that this will be our third game that we've covered South Carolina.

They have talent.

The, the, the team is capable of being much better, um, from a win-loss standpoint, and the folks at South Carolina know that.

The coaches at South Carolina know that.

What are you hearing from their coaches, and what do you sense from that, that program right now about an, an absolute must-win for them?

What have you thought about the ability to move the ball all over the field, like throw it all over the place because they've really been spreading it around, getting it to a lot of different receivers, and do you think that's gonna continue when you get into more quality opponents?

I think that it possibly can.

You know, th- they aren't...

They don't have a guy that you have to, you know, gotta get it to kind of a player.

There...

It's not because of a lack of talent.

It's that I think there's just not enough separation that says, you know, "Okay, we gotta get the ball to whoever it is." You know, last year, Zachariah Branch got a, um, skewed number of targets But that was a function of injury at wide receiver more so than anything else, and early on, lack of health, um, at running back.

I mean, it's gonna be hard to play to that same level, so maybe the timing for Florida is really good here.

What have you thought about the ability to move the ball all over the field, like throw it all over the place? Because they've really been spreading it around, getting it to a lot of different receivers, and do you think that's gonna continue when you get into more quality opponents?

I think that it possibly can.

You know, th- they aren't, they don't have a guy that you have to, you know, gotta get it to kind of a player.

There, it's not because of a lack of talent, it's that I think there's just not enough separation that says, you know, "Okay, we gotta get the ball to whoever it is." You know, last year, Zachariah Branch got a, um, skewed number of targets But that was a function of injury at wide receiver more so than anything else, and early on, lack of health, um, at running back.

And so he became like a de facto runner.

But you're not going to see, or at least it's not likely, a, you know, Amari Cooper-type offense.

You think way back then where, you know, Lane Kiffin, the whole offense basically ran through and around Amari Cooper, right? He gave him the football, and his numbers, you know, might not ever be matched at Alabama ever again.

I mean, it's gonna be hard to play to that same level, so maybe the timing for Florida's really good here.

They'll appreciate that.

Yeah, I'm sure they'll love it.

But that is the reality.

That's one of those where it's like, you want me to hurt you with the truth or comfort you with a lie? So we could pretend like there's some way that you can fix this, There are no, at least currently, there are no in-season trades.

So this is your roster.

Now, that was the big thing.

Surely everybody was following the saga that was not just LSU but a number of others.

What do you expect with Oklahoma, a team that should have been coming in as a top 10 team but won't be?

We all recognize it's inferior a competition, but... offensively when you put up 70 against anybody and you score plus 60 back-to-back weeks and the efficiency has been through the roof you got to take something from a positive standpoint from that so give me your thoughts on the offense through the first couple of games

yeah they've been pretty effective i mean you know every time they hand it off to nate frazier if he doesn't score we're all disappointed at this juncture because uh the ratio is pretty high um you know, they were gifted with some short fields on Saturday.

They, you know, the second possession, they hit an explosive on first down.

And so turn it into a short field, you know, the first two possessions, you know, for a time there, the worst starting field position was like the 50 yard line.

So the offense didn't have to go the hard to go the long way or make it that hard on themselves.

But what's been impressive is how so many different players have contributed and not just, At the skill positions, even along the offensive front, they've played, I stopped counting, at six different offensive line combinations, and they all seem to be relatively effective.

Now, some obviously more so than others, and there was some slop, but there wasn't bad ball.

Matt, how big was it for the SEC as a whole that Texas came back and got that win over Ohio State? Just to sort of stem the tide of the SEC has slipped in the national conversation.

and i do think

that a&m does have those pieces now oklahoma You could argue as two of those.

And they might have the third.

We'll see.

We'll find out.

It was much more, to me, last year it felt a work in progress still, whereas like a Georgia team, which I said has not only the best front in the conference but maybe in the country or should, and we'll find out, did not start the year off well, but we were playing with a lot of young guys.

And they ended up playing really good football in the back end of the season, only to lose that momentum on their 29- or 30-day layoff between the end of the season and, of course, the Sugar Bowl.

And that's

Seems like they've got a manageable path up until the Georgia game, and, and that's when it becomes problematic.

That's the thing.

It's, it's, when you look at these schedules, especially coming into a season, it's, it's not just the who or the where, it's the when, and what do you look like as your team when you're facing your toughest opponents.

Now, the good news for Alabama is you've got some games to where you can spool up.

So you've got East Carolina, you've got at Kentucky, new head coach there on the road, albeit Florida State, you know, South Carolina with their own question marks and challenges, at Mississippi State, but that's a short road trip for you, and then of course the Georgia game.

And that will be the, the first, I think, big test.

And because of that, because where it lands in their schedule, if you're Alabama, you gotta like the way that first month shakes out.

Matt, e- everybody, we're, we're about to move on from this, uh, maniacal part of the year when everybody's coming up with all kinds of crazy stuff, but I w- I would be curious about, um, some of the schools you've looked at and, and maybe one that isn't getting the attention that, that you're particularly interested in that you think could make a move.

See you in the aisles.

certainly, in that area more than any other team in the conference to get the ball downhill.

And, you know, the concerns around that are obvious in that, you know, it hurts the balance of your offense.

You don't want to have to live in the perimeter run game.

You certainly don't want to have to live in a passing phase all the time.

But that's effectively where they found themselves.

I don't know, you know, this week the opportunity is because South Carolina is pretty aggressive with some of their run defense schemes, meaning they will move their defenders.

What kind of game are we in for? Do you expect a final drive of the game determines it type of game? What are you sensing?