(Robert Lester, left, and Kevin Minter, lead their respective defenses)
Alabama leads the nation in red zone defense and it leads the nation in a lot of defensive categories. Opponents have scored touchdowns 40 percent of the time when they get in Alabama’s red zone (4 rush TDs, two pass TDs in 15 opportunities). LSu is 115th in the country, giving up touchdowns 76 percent of the time when opponents are in the red zone (eight rush TDs, 5 pass TDs in 17 opportunities). What’s deceiving about those percentages is the opponents have had 15 chances in the red area against Alabama while opponents have had  17 chances against LSU. While opponents are more successful against LSU in the red area, they get there only two more times than they do against Alabama.

Alabama leads the country in red zone offense scoring  TDs 74 percent of the time in the red area (26 TDs nin 35 attempts; 16 rushing, 10 passing). LSU is at 47 percent (16 TDs in 34 attempts; 14 rushing, two passing). So Alabama’s offense is much more of a sure thing inside the 20.

But the more significant stats in this game are total defense. Alabama leads the nation allowing 203.13 yards per game, while LSU is third at 243.38. In scoring defense, Alabama leads the country at 8.13 points allowed, while LSU is ninth at 14.63. In rush defense, Alabama leads the country giving up approximately 51 yards per game, while LSU is eighth at 95 per. In pass defense, Alabama is first giving up 145 yards per game. LSU is fourth giving up 148.5 per game.

Finally, and maybe the key statistic of the game, Alabama has a +17 turnover margin (14 ints, nine fumble recoveries vs. six turnovers lost). That’s second in the country. LSU is +9 with 13 interceptions and eight fumble recoveries (21) against 12 turnovers lost; good for ninth in the country. Kent State leads the country at +21.

One last stat: Alabama leads the nation in pass efficiency defense with opponents completing 51% of their passes, while LSU is second allowing opponents to complete 51.79% of their passes thrown.

So it should be tough for both teams to move the ball.

On offense, Alabama is 41st in the country in total offense averaging 436 yards per game, while LSU is 74th at 386 per game. The key there is the explosive plays because with the kind of defense that is going to be played, one or two explosive plays along with turnover advantage for one team  could be the difference. Alabama defines explosive plays as runs of 12+ yards and passes of 15+ yards. The Tide has 44 passes of over 15 yards or longer, including 25 of 20 yards or longer by A.J. McCarron. On the ground the Tide has 39 rushes of 12 or more yards. T.J. Yeldon has 16 and Eddie Lacy has 10.

Couldn’t find LSU numbers there, but they are considerably less I imagine. Before the South Carolina game, two games ago, LSU had five explosive plays of 20+ yards. I’ve got them at about two or three more against South Carolina and A&M, so about seven or eight right now.

I’ll look at some of the individual players tomorrow and give you my prediction.

Sumlin makes $2 million a year. He signed a five-year contract for $2 million last year with A&M. He inherited some good players at A&M, but he built a strong program at Houston prior to that. He looks like the real deal to me. We’ll see.

 (Could this coach be a possibility?)
I will have much more tomorrow in an extensive column on Alabama, AU, the SEC and national scene. Just some thoughts on ‘Bama and AU. What can you say about Tide? Just a terrific football team. Can they get any better? I’m sure S can find things to work on this week as it is a huge game. But everything is in place for another national title; number 15. There’s work to do for sure. Baton Rouge on Saturday Night at 7 PM CT on CBS is not going to be a cake walk. But the Tide certainly looks better than LSU and should win this game if they play the way they’re capable of , which they’ve done pretty much all season. Just incredible consistency. It’ll be hostile down there, but this team seems to be able to handle any circumstances, any environment, any adversity. They just deliver. More on the Tide tomorrow.

It’s painful to watch AU now. Sad for the Auburn nation who deserve much better than this. I went to Vanderbilt and our goal is to get to bowl games at this stage; the Independence Bowl, the Liberty Bowl, any bowl is a successful season for Vandy. Maybe one day the program can have higher goals. James Franklin might make that happen.

But I say that to contrast that with Auburn, which has a rich history of football success. The resources/passion are there for the Auburn family. Success is expected and this is just unacceptable. Auburn can do much better than this. Auburn should be in the upper echelon of SEC football every year and in the national discussion most every year. The program has proven with a good coach that it can do that every year. Pat Dye certainly did that. Tommy Tuberville had his moments, 2004 especially. Even Terry Bowden had a good year or two (1993 comes to mind). The regime needs to change. I know Jay Jacobs and Gene Chizik are dedicated Auburn men, but they’re not getting it done. Who could take over at Auburn? Maybe Jacobs survives, but he needs to hit a home run in this next hire. They need a new coach. I’m sorry for Chizik. He has tried his best and seems like a pretty good man, but he can’t right this ship. Kevin Sumlin, the guy who crushed Chizik last night, is a guy I could see making a difference for the Tigers. He was actually born in Brewton, Al, so there is an affinity for him to this state. He’s impressive. He looks to have a pretty good situation at A&M, his recruiting class is close to the top 10 in the country, and his quarterback, Johnny Manziel, is a redshirt freshman, who is a stud right now and has an unlimited future and could take the Aggies to some big time moments. So Auburn would really have to do a great sales job to get Sumlin to Auburn. Then again, he might want to crawl to Auburn to have that opportunity. Would be a very good hire in my opinion. Not sure what AU will do with Jacobs. Chizik won a national title in 2010, so you have to give him that. The Cam Newton situation was very suspect, but the performance on the field was not; it was stellar. So you have to give Jacobs credit for that at least. But it’s not going well now. Basketball hasn’t gotten it together, baseball doesn’t seem to be improving much– though both teams could be better this season. But football, the bell cow of Auburn University athletics, is not getting it done. So Jacobs is responsible for that. We’ll see what President Jay Gogue and the Board want to do. Maybe they need to hire two new guys. Chizik has to go; no doubt about that. I hate it for any coach to lose his job, but, as one would say about the Obama administration, look at the record. It tells the truth. Coaching is a tough profession, particularly in the SEC, but you’re expected to win at Auburn. That’s the standard. So change is necessary.

Auburn can find a new coach and get the program where the Auburn nation wants it to be; competing for SEC titles and getting back on the national landscape. Auburn should be competing for BCS bowls and maybe playing for it all some years. As I said, AU fans deserve better. Kevin Sumlin and a new athletic director may be what the program needs.

A look at the weekend’s games and the season going forward tomorrow. A lot to discuss. Please stay with the blog.

 (KIrby Smart, C.J.Mosley and ‘Bama D will be tested)
‘Bama is a 24-point favorite over State. Wow, that’s a big line, but that’s how much respect the experts have for this football team and their coach. I don’t think I’d take the points though. This is going to be a competitive game; the toughest game to date for the Tide. If it was in Starkville it would be even more interesting. Tide just needs to keep proving it every week, and this should really give us a gauge of where this football team stands as far as being the best team in the country. They look like they are to me, without a doubt. Kansas State, Oregon, Florida and I think Oklahoma can make an argument for their respective teams. Notre Dame, I just don’t think they’re strong enough offensively though they have a pretty solid defense, which can win them a lot of games. But Notre Dame is not strong enough to knock off OU in Norman. Like the Sooners in that one; a huge national game.

This State team is for real. They can run it, they can throw it and they can play some defense. They’re solid in special teams as well. Jonathan Banks is a stud corner and a fantastic punt returner. He could be the best cornerback in the country, though Dee Milliner gives him a pretty good run for his money. On the other side, Darius Slay is excellent at corner as well. This will be interesting to see ‘Bama’s bevy of receivers led by the phenomenal Amari Cooper  go against the State corners. State plays solid defense, LaDarius Perkins is an excellent running back (he’s quite a physical specimen and player), and Tyler Russell has found his rhythm at qb and is playing excellent football. The offensive line is big and can move. Should be an interesting matchup there with the ‘Bama dlinemen. Chad Bumphis  is the key guy at wide out. He is highly dependable in catching the ball, has sprinter’s speed and can make a lot happen after the catch. State employs a posse like ‘Bama does at receiver. If Russell has time to throw, he’ll be  dangerous. Should be a fun one in T-Town.

This week’s predictions:

Last week: 12-0; Overall: 78-23 (77 %)

All rankings are from the BCS Standings

No.11 Mississippi State @ No.1 Alabama

Where: Bryant-Denny Stadium (capacity:101,821)

When: 7:30 PM CT

Network: ESPN; Brad Nessler and Todd Blackledge on the call. Holly Rowe sideline reporter

Line: ‘Bama by 24

This is a very good State team. Are they great? I don’t think they’re at that point yet. But they are very good. Excellent test for what I would consider the best team in the country. The usual things need to happen for the Tide: the oline needs to control the line of scrimmage for opening holes for Eddie and T.J., who don’t need much, and give A.J. time to throw and dissect the secondary. The line is very dependable in that area. That’s critical as usual. Key matchup is the Alabama receiving corps versus the State secondary. Can State hold the ‘Bama passing game in check? I think the State defense will do well, but I think the Tide will just be too strong at the end. Like State to score some points, but C.J. Mosley and defense will get it done when it counts. State will play well. They’re a very good football team that thinks they can win. They lead the country in turnover margin at +17; interesting stat there. Tide is third at +15. Tide is the best team in the country, so I don’t think State can get over the top in Tuscaloosa. Should be a tough game though.

‘Bama 31, State 21

No.20 Texas A&M @ Auburn

Where: Jordan-Hare Stadium, Pat Dye Field (87,451)

When: 6 PM CT

Network: ESPNU

Line: A&M by 14 1/2

AU is still trying to figure out who their starting quarterback will be. That’s a tough one. Do you go with Clint Moseley, who hasn’t been terrible, but just can’t seem to get you in the end zone enough? Or Kiehl Frazier, who has the talent, but just can’t get this offense down and struggles throwing the ball?  I’m at a loss here. Auburn needs to figure out something really quickly to get this offense going or there may be no wins in SEC play this year. I know the Tigers are going to run the ball a good bit with Tre Mason and Onterio McCalebb, but they’ve got to be able to throw it some as well. I guess Chiz will decide based on today’s practice; it may be tomorrow or a game day decision. Frazier, to me, can make some more plays than Moseley can with his legs and with his arm. So I’d choose Kiehl. We’ll see what Chizik does (note: Clint Moseley was chosen as the starter Thursday evening).

Meanwhile, the defense will be severely tested by an offense that lights it up led by redshirt freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel. They’ve got some playmakers in the backfield and on the perimeter as well. They’re decent on defense. Can Auburn find some way to turn this disastrous season around? I don’t think they can this Saturday. A&M’s got too much explosiveness on offense and the quarterbacks haven’t given us any evidence that they can get the job done and lead their team to victory. So I’m going to go with the visitor. AU has a shot in this one, but I just don’t know if there is much enthusiasm left on the Plains; particularly if they fall behind on Saturday. Another tough night for the Tigers unfortunately.

A&M 35, AU 24

No.2 Florida vs. No.10 Georgia

Where: EverBank Field, Jacksonville, Fl.  (84,000)

When: 2:30 PM CT

Network: CBS; Verne Lundquist, Gary Danielson, and, as usual, “The Wolf” on the sidelines

Line: Florida by 7

Georgia is 4-18 in this series since 1990 which has led Georgia football coach Mark Richt and others to call for the game to be played as a home and home series and alternately in Jacksonville and the Georgia Dome every four years. Jacksonville is located 342 miles from Athens and only 73 miles from Gainesville. But the ticket distribution is equal and the schools make $3.4 million every two years as opposed to making $2.2 million every two years if the game was played as a home and home series. But the “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” is still in Jacksonville for now, and this game is a blockbuster as far as the SEC East race is determined this season. The winner of this game will more than likely win the East. If Florida wins they’ll clinch it, and if the ‘Dawgs win, they’ll have to win out in the SEC to claim the title. Georgia will still have a home game against Ole Miss and a road game at Auburn to finish off  the SEC slate, but those two games are very winnable and if the Dawgs can somehow pull this out, they’ll be highly motivated to finish this thing out. But the Gators are playing some of the best defense in the country, led by linebacker and defensive leader Jon Bostic, defensive backs Matt Elam and Loucheiz Purifoy, and stellar defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd. This Gator defense is tough, rugged and very opportunistic. The offense is good enough. Running back Mike Gillislee has been held in check on the ground the past two weeks, but quarterback Jeff Driskel threw four touchdowns against South Carolina last week. Both Driskel and Gillislee can really run it. The Gators also have playmakers in Trey Burton, Jordan Reed, Quinton Dunbar and Omarius Hines among others on the perimeter. They’re very good in special teams as well. Georgia has a very good football team. The lopsided loss to South Carolina was an aberration. Aaron Murray can light up a defense if he’s given time, and the young backs, Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall, are explosive even though Kentucky held them in check last week. That was a surprise. Wide receivers Malcolm Mitchell, Marlon Brown  and particularly, Tavarres King, are game changers on the outside. The o line has been pretty good. The defense is a real mystery to me. There is so much talent over there with linebackers Jarvis Jones, Alex Ogletree, safety Bacarri Rambo and powerful nose guards Jon Jenkins and Kwame Geathers.  There is talent all over that side of the ball for the ‘Dawgs. The Gamecocks torched them though. But that was three weeks ago. They’ll be better against the Gators this time. I like Murray and the offense to get it done and the talented Georgia defense to come through as the ‘Dawgs get back on track with a huge one over the Gators. Just don’t trust the Gators totally. Think the ‘Dawgs are better.

‘Dawgs 27, Gators 24

Other games:

South Carolina 28, Tennessee 27

Missouri 31, Kentucky 24

Arkansas 28, Ole Miss 21

Kansas State 35, Texas Tech 24

UAB 38, Tulane 21

Vanderbilt 45, UMass 7

Oklahoma 31, Notre Dame 24

Ohio State 24, Penn State 20

 (Amari Cooper looks like a Julio-type, maybe better.)
A.J. was unreal on Saturday Night in Knoxville. So was Amari Cooper. A.J., to me, has put himself in the Heisman race with a spectacular performance on Saturday Night. A.J. was 17-of-22 for 306 yards and four more TDs. A.J. now is 106-of-154  (69%) for1,476 yards, 16 TDs and 0 ints on the season. He hasn’t thrown an interception in his last 238 attempts dating back to last year’s Mississippi State game after Saturday’s game against UT. He did throw three ints in the A-Day game, but he threw it 42 times, completed 29 and threw for two TDs against some pretty stout defensive players. These numbers are out the roof. Amari caught seven passes for 162 yards and two TDs. One of his TDs, a leaping 54-yard grab which he took into the end zone, was as beautiful as the Eli Manning to Victor Cruz 77-yard TD pass that won the game for the Giants over the Redskins yesterday. If you didn’t see that one, that was spectacular and so was Amari’s. Amari is a special player that is for sure. He’s a freshman who looks like an All-American right now. Is he better than Julio? I think he has a chance. Julio is one of the most dynamic players to ever play wide receiver at ‘Bama and is tearing it up with the Falcons this season, but Amari looks just as good and may even have better hands than Julio. A.J.’s knee looked fine as he was flying down the field to shoulder bump Amari after the 54-yard TD pass.

T.J. Yeldon ran for 129 yards and two touchdowns and Eddie Lacy ran for 79 without a TD. The offensive line is fantastic. I will officially put A.J. on my Heisman watch list. There is still time. This thing is usually not decided till the last couple of weeks of the season and it’s changes constantly from week to week. A.J. put his hat  in the ring after that performance. Collin Klein is the leader after Saturday’s performance against a weak West Virginia defense in which he threw for three TDs and ran for four more. He’s a heckuva player, but A.J., to me, is much more of a pure passer. A.j. can’t run like Klein and he has some first round draft picks around him; if not this year, whenever they come out. Chance Warmack is first round in 2013. Barrett Jones is borderline and I bet he will be a first rounder. D.j. Fluker has a shot. Anthony Steen is the underrated guy on the line; he’s a player. Cyrus Kouandijo will be a first rounder when he comes out after next year most likely; but the Tide will have him for 2013. And some of these other receivers like Kenny Bell, Kevin Norwood andChristion and Cyrus Jones are underrated. And Amari is definitely a first rounder, but that won’t happen for another two years after this season which I know ‘Bama fans are happy about. So A.J. has the line and the weapons, but he is flat out gettin it done. If he keeps this up, he’s first round material next April.

Defense was solid with C.j. Mosley playing an excellent game and Robert Lester with an awesome interception. ESPN analyst Todd Blackledge said during the game that there are no first rounders on this defense, but collectively they’re the best unit in college football. No doubt about that. Florida and LSU are good, Florida probably better than LSU, but I like the Tide defense the best. I would say C.J. has a shot to be a first rounder next April, Robert Lester will go early second or middle second and Dee Milliner could be a first rounder. There are plenty of top four round draft choices in this bunch. And, more importantly to Alabama fans, they’re the most dominant defense in college football this year. Maybe not as talented as last year or 2009, but pretty doggone good.

But enough of the draft talk. It’s time to focus on the rest of the season. Mississippi State comes to T-town this weekend for a pretty competitive matchup. The Bulldogs are playing well and playing with a lot of confidence. They have good balance with a quarterback, Tyler Russell, playing solid ball, making a lot of excellent throws and not making mistakes. He’s a similar qb to A.J. though not as good. State has some solid wide receivers and a pretty good running game led by LaDarius Perkins. Their oline is solid, and their defense is good led by first round draft pick Jonathan Banks, a superior cornerback. He’ll probably matchup on Amari which will be interesting. They have another pretty solid corner in Darius Slay, so they’ll make A.J. work hard. ‘Bama is in for a pretty good fight here. I like them to get this done, but it’s not going to be easy. Dan Mullen is doing a solid job at State and the future looks bright in Starkville. Alabama will have their work cut out for them Saturday Night. When I asked a young high school player, who was very intelligent and  a very good linebacker,  about five years ago when his team was undefeated three quarters of the way through the season, what was the key to keep it going. He listed a couple of things and then the last thing he said was: “We’ve got to stay humble.” Now that is something the Tide has to do. They have to prepare every week like each game is the biggest game of their lives and then play that way. Staying humble is the key to me for this Crimson Tide team.

Auburn is just done. They’ve become irrelevant. And they’ve got to do something about it. I wrote a satirical piece last week on hiring Bobby Petrino and while I don’t think Auburn should do that for integrity reasons, there are coaches out there they can get. They’re out there. The offensive coordinator for Florida, Brent Pease, really impresses me. He has gotten Florida back to playing very well on offense. He would be a good candidate. I hate to close the book on Chizik, but after losing on Saturday to Vandy, that  sealed his fate. Vandy should have beaten Auburn by a couple of touchdowns really if it wasn’t for some costly fumbles and some questionable play-calling. Auburn is just spiraling downhill and it doesn’t look like they’ll recover. They play Texas A&M and Georgia at home and Alabama on the road for their last three SEC games. They’ve got a couple of kick in non-conference foes in between, Alabama A&M and New Mexico State. But it looks like Chizik is done. It’ll be a little expensive to let him go, but the buyout is not as  bad for Auburn as it’s only $200K and change a month till 2015 and he’ll probably land another job and that salary will be subtracted from the monthly buyout payments. He’ll land somewhere as a defensive coordinator or as a commentator. I feel sorry for the guy, but his 5-19 record coming into Auburn from Iowa State should have raised a caution flag to begin with. I’m not going to get into how Cam Newton came to Auburn, but it was under questionable circumstances that Auburn won a national title. The Chizik era should be over. Auburn needs to start over. They’ve got a very solid recruiting class, so the key is keeping these players and adding a few more. Rivals has Auburn ninth and 247 Sports has AU seventh in the recruiting rankings and both have Auburn with three, five-star recruits in defensive tackles Dee Liner and Carl Lawson and linebacker Reuben Foster, who is a beast according to what I’ve heard.

But Gene Chizik is not going to get Auburn where it needs to go. He doesn’t impress me at all in his interviews. He always states the obvious, but never has any specifics on how to adjust or correct things. He doesn’t seem able mentally to do that. After his wife wrote that crazy stuff on Facebook a couple of weeks ago, I do question’s Chizik’s intelligence, both as a football coach and as a person. He can’t get results out of his team. It’s just not working out. I’m not sure who could replace Chizik, but there needs to be a change. Brent Pease is a guy who deserves an interview. He has turned Jeff Driskel into a solid SEC quarterback and has turned that Florida offense into a pretty good unit. He’s still got some work left to make the Florida offense stellar, but he’s done an excellent job so far.  Their defense is very good too, but their offense has really made a 180 since last year. He was terrific at Boise State as well. He had a very fine offensive head coach in Chris Peterson at Boise, but Will Muschamp is a defensive guru, and he’s left the offense up to Pease. And Pease has excelled. He could be a strong candidate and Auburn may not have to pay him as much as they would a Bobby Petrino or a Butch Davis or a Jon Gruden, whose name always comes up in coaching searches. Could be a possibility.

Florida looks legit. They are solid. Kansas State looks very legit. Bill Snyder is an exceptional coach and Collin Klein a tremendous quarterback and leader for K-State. Oregon has that blazing speed and a pretty solid defense this year with some playmakers on defense,  some big, strong safeties and linebackers, who have combined for 13 ints on the season led by Avery Patterson who has three, and a great pass rusher in defensive end Dion Jordan, who has seven tackles for loss for 26 yards and five sacks on the season. They are excellent. Oklahoma looks like they’re back in the picture. They play a big game against Notre Dame this weekend in Norman, and I think the Sooners will beat  the Irish by 10 to 14 points, maybe more. The Irish are good, but not great. Oklahoma has it going after crushing Texas two weeks ago, 63-21. Pretty impressive offensive bunch.

So there are some very good teams out there. Alabama looks great to me, but there is a lot of work left.  K-State and Oregon look like they’re special and Florida is close. Oklahoma could get there. Some people are talking about Southern Cal, but I don’t see it. Oregon will dispose of USC when they play.  Oregon State is undefeated, too, but they’re not as good as these other  teams. LSU not totally out of it, but I just don’t like this team near as much as their team last year. Just seem to be missing something on offense, and while they’re good on defense, don’t think they’re great like they were last year.

Anyway, a lot of good stuff coming up this weekend. Here is the SEC schedule this weekend. Florida-Georgia is the marquee game with Alabama-Miss State right there. I don’t know what to think of Georgia. They’re always a mystery under Mark Richt. Never know what you’re going to get year to year from the ‘Dawgs.They have the talent to be elite it seems like, but they never seem to get it done under Richt.  They just got by Kentucky, 29-24. Probably looking ahead. This should be a pretty good football game. Georgia is capable of beating Florida. They have the talent. If they do, they’re in the drivers’ seat for the East title. But Florida is going to be tough for them. They have a better offense than Florida, but not as good of a defense. And that will probably tip the scales for the Gators.

Will have predictions on Thursday. In the meantime will have some more stuff as it comes up this week.

Mississippi State @Alabama, 7:30 PM CT, ESPN

Texas A&M @ Auburn, 6 PM CT, ESPNU

Florida @Georgia (Jacksonville), 2:30 PM CT, CBS

Tennessee @ South Carolina, 11 AM CT, ESPN

Kentucky @ Missouri, 11 AM CT, ESPNU

Ole Miss @ Arkansas, 11:21 AM CT, SEC Network

UMass @ Vanderbilt, 6 PM CT, Fox Sports South

Key National games:

No.14 Texas Tech @No.3 Kansas State, 2:30 PM CT, FOX

No.5 Notre Dame @ No.8 Oklahoma, 7 PM CT, ABC

 (The next Auburn coach?)
 

Jimmy Rane calls Bobby Petrino and conferences in Pat Dye and Bobby Lowder.

“Hello.”

“Bobby, it’s Jimmy here down at Auburn.”

Petrino: “Hey, Jimmy, what’s up?”

Yella Wood: Well, you may know why I’m calling Bobby. What you been up to.”

Petrino: “Just got off a ride with a couple of coeds down at Arkansas State. Gus set me up pretty good down there, but as Larry said a while back, ‘Keep it down home Cuz.’ “

Wood: “Just a couple of dadgum steaks and that kid reported us to that 60 minutes program!. But that’s for another time. BIg Boy, I’ve got Pat and Bobby conferenced in with us.”

Dye: Hey Bobby, good to talk with you. You hangin in there?”

Petrino: Yeah Pat I’m good. Ready to get back in the business though.”

Lowder: “Well young man, we’ve got a little proposition for you. We want you to be our next coach.”

Petrino: What about Chiz? He’s such a stellar coach? (Laughter).

Dye: Yeah, I told ol’ Finebaum that we really love him that he’s our coach forever. Wanted to pull a fast one over on him and his listeners. You know that Finebaum, he’s got a lot of power so I’ve got to use him when I need  to.”

Lowder:”Bobby, we’re ready  to win and kick some Saban backside. I’ve had enough of this and I speak for Pat, Jimmy and the rest of the family.”

Yella: “Milton’s in too, but he’s got to take care of that Strange character in Montgomery. He’s been greasin some palms around the state though. You know ol’ Milton. He knows how to get things done. Glad we got rid of that Gilley canary.”

Dye: “Bobby, we want you on board. Players will be no problem. Got some ministers in Georgia who have some five star sons. One’s a quarterback. They’ll get some care packages if you know what I mean.”

Petrino: “That’s what I need to hear. I need that commitment. I would say I’m glad y’all are all in, but I don’t want to refer to that guy who loses all the time.”

Dye: “We don’t either. Man, Bobby, if I was 10 years younger I’d come in and be your defensive coordinator. Now we’d win some championships. But we can buy some coaches. That won’t be any problem. Just gotta get rid of this guy and his lunatic wife.”

Lowder: “I think she handles snakes in Sand Mountain. Got to with some of those comments.”

Dye: Wish I could put a couple rattlers from my farm in her mailbox. That’d shut her up.”

Petrino: So when are y’all comin up?

Lowder: “Jet touches down in Little Rock at 11 hundred. Need you there Bobby.”

Yella: “Got some stock options in my company, Bobby. You can do some cowboy commercials with me in the summer that we’ll put out in the farm. Got some real good ideas on that.”

Petrino: “What about coeds?”

Dye: “Got you covered hoss.”

Petrino: “OK, I’m interested. What about money.”

Lowder: Don’t you worry about that big boy. We’ll have you well covered. There’s a cheerleader or two we’ve already talked to as well. So you’re good in that department.”

Petrino: “When can I start?”

Dye: “We’ll get all in, all-out after the season and you can take right over.”

Yella: “We’ll get you close to some Tuscaloosa numbers in that contract, hoss, and once you start beating that boy from Tuscaloosa, we’ll pay you more than him.”

Petrino: “I’m in.”

Lowder: “OK, the three of us will be there tomorrow. We’re making sure Gogue and Jacobs don’t know about this. They think they’re going to decide this, but we’ve already decided and they’ll be forced to go along.”

Petrino: “I’m good.”

Dye: “OK, we’ll be there at wha, Bobby 15 hundred?”

Lowder: “Pat I just said 11 hundred.”

Dye: “Oh, I was just fiddlin with my Finebaum show. Got him on the other line. Trying to do two things at once.”

Yella: “So it’s a deal, Bobby?”

Bobby: “Jimmy  (Sexton) and I will see you in the morning.”

Lowder: “We’ll be there big boy. Welcome to the family.”

Dye: “You’ll have your players, Bobby. You just gotta win. None of this 8-5 stuff, that we’ve been getting lately. Tired of that. Looks like 2-10 this year. That’s not going to happen with you is it?”

Petrino: “I’ll get it done.”

Yella: “That’s all I ask, big boy, just get’er done.”

Lowder: “OK, hoss, tomorrow at 11.”

Petrino: “You got it.”