- 18 minutes ago
DawgNation Daily host Brandon Adams joins Andy Bunker and Abe Gordon in studio to react to Georgia’s thrilling road victory over Alabama. From Dwight Phillips Jr.'s breakout game to Gunner Stockton’s elite playmaking, the guys break down why UGA is firing on all cylinders, and why Bama fans are tying themselves in knots over the officiating.
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00:00Tuesdays at 1.20 are when Brandon Adams stops by, host of the Dog Nation Daily Podcast.
00:06Always, always in a good mood.
00:07Always, but especially right now.
00:09Yes, always happy to join us and hang out and talk college football.
00:12But you have to imagine after Saturday night, going into Tuscaloosa and getting that win,
00:16things are feeling pretty good.
00:17Felt pretty good.
00:18Been a pretty fun week here thus far.
00:20Even watching all the controversy unfold after the game, honestly, that's pretty entertaining, too.
00:24Because I like watching these Bama tie themselves in knots trying to make excuses.
00:30Talk about that a little bit.
00:31Because, I mean, look, I get it.
00:33Your team loses.
00:34It was a missed call, whatever.
00:35But, like, the reaction to it has felt so...
00:38It's almost as if people have never seen a bad call before.
00:41Well, I think Alabama fans have forgotten what the rest of college football fandom feels like.
00:46I mean, their team, for a long time, really never lost.
00:48They certainly never lost at home.
00:50And I think against Georgia, they sort of expected Georgia to be the team that would
00:54make a boneheaded thing late or not come up clutch.
00:57And so, when that didn't happen on Saturday, I do think it creates a new world for them
01:01to live in.
01:02And, look, I get it.
01:03I mean, a lot of people believe that the pass interference should have been called on K.J.
01:07Bolden.
01:07I understand that.
01:08But here's the other thing.
01:10And it's kind of an unwritten rule.
01:11Is that the majority of people who tune in to watch these games on television are neither
01:15Georgia nor Alabama fans.
01:16They just want to watch a game.
01:17And they don't want the games called tightly.
01:19So, if you want to explain, like, how does something like this happen?
01:21But the officials know that to serve the larger, because you're going to have like 10 million
01:26people watching this game, to serve the larger television audience, you are supposed to call
01:30the game pretty loosely.
01:32They don't want every pass interference called.
01:33They don't want every holding called.
01:35And, by the way, that loosely officiated game with these judgment calls, it's just as likely
01:39to help you as hurt you.
01:40In the case of Alabama, they would say it hurt them on Saturday night.
01:44But that's just kind of the way it goes.
01:45And what do you take of KJ Bolden's comments about he would have wanted that called?
01:52Well, I mean, listen, anytime something, look, everybody wants everything called against
01:58your opponent and nothing called against you.
01:59So, I think what KJ Bolden expressed in the interview with, I guess, Zach Klein is just
02:04human nature of, yeah, I mean, if I was on the other side, of course I'd want it to be
02:07different.
02:07But it's not exactly revelatory to say, if things were different, we would feel different.
02:11Of course that's the case.
02:12You know, I love that KJ Bolden was honest about it.
02:14And he didn't try to lie and be like, no, I played it perfectly.
02:17Like, yeah, no, if that happened to us, I'd want to call.
02:19Of course.
02:20But it's important to remember from the Alabama side of this, that the alleged pass interference
02:26against KJ Bolden, that they would say, that was not the final play of the game.
02:30There was actually more to happen after that.
02:32And for the Bama fans who want to say, well, we lost the game because of this, well, actually
02:36your own coach disagrees with that because he told Dijon Lee on the field that night as
02:41the television broadcast picked up, you cost us the game because of the punch on Craig
02:45Dandridge at the end.
02:46I've never seen him like that.
02:49Obviously watched a lot of games that he coached and won at Washington and was always a pretty
02:55even keel guy.
02:57I mean, I get it.
02:58It's a intense moment and it was a big mistake.
03:01But I've never seen Kalen DeBoer sort of having that sort of behavior on a sideline.
03:05But I didn't have a problem with it, though.
03:07I mean, look, you're coaching in a pressure cooker situation and, you know, we do live
03:13in a world in which my guess is Dijon Lee's probably making a good bit of money.
03:17And I think it's fair to describe what Lee did as unprofessional and having an intense
03:22response to an unprofessional moment from a well-paid athlete.
03:25I don't think that DeBoer's in the wrong for being that way.
03:29We saw Dwight Phillips take a star role with Nate Frazier being ruled out.
03:35We already knew Chauncey Bowens was out.
03:36He's a little bit different of a back.
03:38I mean, the speed really plays.
03:41And I thought Georgia did an outstanding job getting him to the perimeter, finding some
03:44holes where he could take advantage and really get some big plays.
03:48Obviously, in the scenario, huge game on the road, the biggest game of his young career.
03:52Yeah, I thought what was most interesting about Phillips was he actually did traditional
03:56running back stuff pretty well.
03:57We already knew that it's kind of a backhanded compliment.
04:00Sometimes you describe guys like this.
04:01Oh, he's a gadget guy.
04:02He's a guy you can run special gadget plays with.
04:06But actually, on Saturday, Dwight Phillips, even though he's much smaller than the traditional
04:09running back, actually played a traditional running back role well.
04:13And of all the things for Jordan in the game, probably the most amazing thing was down your
04:18top two running backs.
04:19You know, they ran the ball exceptionally well, especially in the second half.
04:23A concerted effort to continue running the football there.
04:25And it worked really well.
04:26And Dwight Phillips, among others, offensive line had a great day.
04:30Bo Walker had a couple of nice runs.
04:31But Dwight Phillips really had a coming out party.
04:34He'll be remembered in Georgia lore forever.
04:37I mean, he may go on to continue to do very good things for Georgia.
04:40But this moment in this game against this opponent, he'll be a part of the folklore of Georgia
04:44football forevermore.
04:46Brandon Adams joining us here on the Midday Show with Andy and Randy, host of the Dog Nation
04:49Daily Podcast.
04:50As a guy who's watched every snap Gunnar Stockton's taken, and probably multiple times, and talked
04:57about him on your show hours on end, and heard people talk about him as well, the development
05:02that he's made this year, what part of that impresses you the most?
05:06Well, I love the fact that, you know, last year, the big thing that everybody said is,
05:11hey, we just want to see him cut it loose and let it rip.
05:13Well, on Saturday, I felt like he cut it loose and let it rip.
05:16He had a pick, could have had more, but I'm okay with that.
05:20I mean, I'm a big believer that if you're a quarterback who just goes so far out of your
05:25way to avoid all mistakes, you're also probably not making very many plays either.
05:29And Stockton had a couple of miscues with throws on Saturday, but ultimately it was a
05:34mindset that said, I'm going to try to make something happen.
05:36And he made some of the most, you know, into tight windows, you know, definitely making
05:41a bold decision to release the football.
05:43It's that willingness to showcase a moxie that I think helps demonstrate why he's in
05:50my mind, anyway, through the halfway point of this season, so much more improved from
05:53where he was this time a year ago is he's just playing with a lot of confidence right
05:57now, despite the frustrations of the Bama fan base and some of the factors that decided
06:03that game, uh, they lose a game and don't drop in the AP poll.
06:06They're still ranked number six at Keelan Russell looks like the real deal and not to go
06:10with like the Bama's back nonsense, but they, they do look like they're going to be a factor
06:14in the playoffs, potentially more so than Texas at this point.
06:17They're good.
06:18They really are.
06:18And I got to give them a ton of credit for that.
06:20And I'll tell you that what Georgia fans like is for the season started, Georgia said,
06:24we want to be more explosive on offense.
06:25We're going to be more disruptive on defense, improve the pass rush.
06:27Well, the two big missions that Georgia says it's on halfway point of the regular season,
06:32they're actually accomplishing those pretty well.
06:35The Alabama side of things, and we heard from some of their former players, they were very
06:39unhappy with how soft they thought Alabama was last year, not physical enough, especially
06:44when it comes to running game.
06:45Well, you know what?
06:46That seems to be an area in which Alabama has improved in as well.
06:49They were much tougher in this game than we probably saw them be at the, certainly at
06:53the end of last season.
06:55So, yeah, I would say right now, Georgia and Alabama look like the two top teams in
06:58the SEC.
06:59Very good chance they play at least once more.
07:01They can still play twice more.
07:03And rematches could go, you know, anyway, right?
07:07I mean, Alabama, to their credit, is a very good football team right now.
07:10And honestly, as many good quarterbacks as they've had, it is certainly possible that
07:13Keelan Russell is the best of them all.
07:15It really is.
07:15He is very good.
07:16He might be.
07:17Yeah, he's fantastic.
07:18And he's only six games in.
07:19You know what was shocking to me post-game was watching him.
07:25Congratulate Gunnar Stockton.
07:26Really classy.
07:26Pretty cool.
07:27Well, the size disparity.
07:29Oh, yeah, he's a big dude.
07:30Yeah.
07:30Because Gunnar's not a small dude.
07:31Yeah, people, people, Keelan Russell is bigger than people realize.
07:34But yeah, Keelan Russell really stands well.
07:37I agree with you that those two teams that played on Saturday night are the best two in
07:41the SEC.
07:41It's always fun when there's a matchup like that that kind of lives up to it.
07:44And obviously when your team wins, or my friends in this case, most of them, their
07:48team won.
07:50And after them, there's a lot of good teams in the SEC that seem to continue to beat each
07:55other, taking turns.
07:56What is your sort of outlook on that next level of team in the SEC?
08:00I was shocked by LSU's loss to Kentucky.
08:02Could not believe that.
08:03I thought they would assert themselves after the loss to Ole Miss, and maybe they're just
08:07not going to.
08:08Maybe this is more the same for Lane Kiffin.
08:09You know, Ole Miss did go on the road.
08:11They had the dominant win against Vanderbilt.
08:13Well, that's an opponent that Georgia has to go on the road for, so that's a very tough
08:16game.
08:17But, you know, I was of the belief that, hey, maybe in a full season for Pete Golding,
08:23maybe they wouldn't quite be it.
08:25But, I mean, you've seen a lot of carnage in the SEC right now.
08:28A&M far below the preseason expectation.
08:31LSU, boy, not living up to the hype around Lane Kiffin.
08:34You know, Florida, with all due respect to Abe, you know, two losses in a row for a team
08:40that had lots of pats on the back.
08:41Make it three Saturday.
08:42Abe did call it.
08:44He said this is what was going to happen, so credit to him.
08:46So, I mean, it's a deep SEC, but it's almost starting to feel a little bit like what the
08:50SEC has been the last couple of years, where it's more of a glut in the middle than it
08:55is a top tier of national title contenders, because right now, I don't believe, I know
09:00it's just one loss, but I don't believe that Texas is playing like a team that can win
09:03the national championship, and I say that knowing full well they've beaten Ohio State.
09:07They're just not moving the football and scoring enough points for my taste.
09:10It feels like all the teams that are sort of out for, quote, revenge this year in the
09:15SEC end up getting it, and it's not real revenge, but you know what I mean?
09:18Like, Ole Miss beat LSU in that matchup, and, you know, Georgia was able to beat Alabama
09:25on the road in the regular season.
09:26Well, it's also been a very tough time to have a lot of people saying good things about
09:29you, and Georgia is going to have to be careful about that, right, because they get the big
09:32win, and you've still got, you know, a good run through the SEC still yet to come, and
09:37so how you handle success, and even Alabama is getting patted on the back for how they
09:41played and lost, how you handle the praise you're getting, some teams in the SEC have
09:45not handled that particularly well.
09:47Would that mean Austin Simmons gets revenge on Ole Miss on Saturday?
09:51You know what it very well could.
09:52Would that be the revenge?
09:52Yeah, very well, that's a team in Missouri.
09:54That's going to be a fun game.
09:55Yeah, they're playing very well right now.
09:57You've got to give them credit.
09:57Yeah, Ole Miss favored by six at home, matchup at number 13 versus number nine, one of the
10:02many, many great games.
10:04Stanley Eli Drinkwits is showing you he can beat ranked-type opponents.
10:06It's kind of a big deal.
10:08B.A., we appreciate it.
10:09Good to be with you, as always.
10:09Great stuff.
10:10We'll come back, answer all your questions.
10:12What's the name of this song, Bo?
10:16Okay, so it's World Trap France Full.
10:21World Trap France Full.
10:23Remember the guy yesterday?
10:25I hope he's listening.
10:26Yeah, it's by Alibi.
10:27Alibi.
10:28And I guess they do a lot of free music.
10:31There you go.
10:31Alibi is the library, not the band.
10:33Whatever.
10:34It's going to be tough to search for.
10:35That's what I was trying to preface yesterday.
10:37Dang it.
10:37Because if it's on YouTube, it's probably copyrighted.
10:39We did our part, though.
10:40We said the next time it played, we would tell them the name of the title.
10:43We're men of our words.
10:44All right.