Western Kentucky is Beating Alabama: The TJ Finley Interview

welcome back to our interview series get to know where we get to know the person behind the player today we got TJ Finley just transfer West Kentucky played at LSU Auburn and Texas State most recently TJ how you doing man I'm doing good I appreciate y'all for having me on for sure of course of course we've looking forward to this one for a minute um so we know you're a Louisiana guy and it comes up on my Tik Tok all the time I don't know the account name but he does these crawfish boils and I just I got to know like our crawfish really like that in Louisiana because he does these massive boils and every time I'm like dude I got like I can't have crawfish unless it's in Louisiana like can you confirm or deny that they're really like that bro yes they you got fried crawfish tails you got regular crawfish you got the Crawfish that come out the head that you got a pill you got crawfish in gumbo and bro you can eat crawfish with anything do you do the method this guy does the method he's like you're not eating crawfish right and he like sucks the juice out of the head and you damn n got to crack the whole crawfish you can't have crawfish without cracking the whole thing and eating a Ze so even perfect segue what is the perfect TJ Finley if I'm visiting Louisiana what are like the top three or four food spots that you have to hit like if I'm going to Louisiana wherever it is where do you gotta go all right so Boom the first spot I'm G take you straight off the plane we going a place called man it's off of Clayborn Avenue in New Orleans so we gonna hit we're gonna hit man they got the best fried chicken in America boom go there so then for dinner we got a place called Freddy's it's a seafood spot downtown New Orleans we going we going to go over there they got the best I don't eat oysters but they got the best oysters they got the best catfish shrimp all that grilled fried whatever you want and then [ __ ] after that we can really go wherever you want they got the the the best like be Manning the um that what do you what are your thoughts on be in Louisiana are they also in the same vein as are they real like that bro whatever food you want in Louisiana they all up there like I don't care what you want you could bro you can want just regular fries like french fries bro we got the best french fries in America like better in Louisiana bro yes we got a hole in the wall spot down the road that that you can go get some fries you be like damn these fries good like telling you and we we I gotta stay away from home I end up being 270 if I stay out here Z going through it right now yeah literally he can't he can't get it figured out so we were we were trying to figure out some some really fun questions and the one that we wanted to ask you we didn't want to cause any problems but for the Louisiana people out there if you had to start bench cut little Wayne little boozy and NBA young boy who's starting who's getting benched and who's getting cut hopefully not to ruffle feathers if you can even decide out of those three what to do but being from Louisiana if you're start bench cutting those three guys what we all right I'm a I'm a young so like you got to put that in perspective too like I was born old2 so I'm just now turning 22 years old so I ain't really come up listening to Wayne for real I really came up listening to booy and then it transitioned into NBA young boy but I'm I'mma give respect where do I'mma put Wayne first I'm I'm a I'm a start Wayne I'm a bench booy and I gotta cut young boy just because like respect respectfully like them two came first and paid away for young boy you know what I'm saying now if you ask if you ask like a 17 18 year old they gonna start young boy for sure but that was the most quarterback answer of all was just like I tell you get one right there not ruffle any feathers but let him know where the heart liines that was that was Premier are you like so if you're in the pregame locker room who's your go-to guy then not out of those three but just like in general like who's your favorite artist what's your go-to guy before a game because Dave offensive line of TCU like we talked about his his was Lana Del R to kind of Bring Down The Vibes and make sure he locks in which I feel like it's kind of a shock when when he tells people so do you have like a go-to artist when you're warming up when you're getting ready to go yeah so I'm a big like I'm a big gospel guy like I listen to a lot of gospel music and before the game I like to calm down calm my nerves I don't really like to listen to all the r and all that now the night before the game oh I'm I'm on all that like all the ytb fat NBA like Kevin Gates all them like everybody but before the game like the pregame speeds the pregame walk all that you know what I'm saying when I'm walking the field this down the there I'm I'm straight Tasha COV like I'm listen I got like four five songs straight that I'm G listen to Tasha C for a good 30 minutes before the game start calm my nerves down do my prayer and and I'm ready to ball so that that's really how how I attack the the you know pregame Minds it how big is Faith for you because I mean I feel like that's kind of maybe an answer that would surprise a lot of people in terms because I feel like every NFL player you see they put these highlights out of them playing an NBA young boy and I think just as a fan you assume that in these locker rooms before you play football it's such a violent sport that they're trying to get up trying to get up but it feels like every time I talk to a player it's like no I try to try to listen to something to bring my nerves down I feel like that's kind of a unique answer so what role do you think Faith plays in your life yeah it's it's a huge it's a huge role bro I'm not GNA lie and and I was talking to my girlfriend the other day and I was telling her like looking back at at when I was coming out of high school I would have never thought that I would have ended up at Western Kentucky right and you know just just seeing how everything comes back full circle so we played Western Kentucky in 2021 when I was at Auburn yeah and then we had my my old line coach will friend was at Auburn with me coach Bernardi was at Auburn with me and to see two year two years three three years later that we all rekindled and got back together at Western Kentucky is kind of you know it's a small world and so you know faith faith plays a lot you know when I think about stuff like that um and at the end of the day everything happens for a reason you know you don't go through something um for no reason and it's either to build build your character or God trying to test you and so you know I kind of get caught sometimes looking at guys that's my age or younger than me that you know has already made their their their way to the NFL but you know I kind of sit back and humble myself and realize that you know everything that I'm going through is for a reason and and God ain't you know I'm not where I'm at for no reason and so I try to make an impact on whoever I need to make an impact on um at the time and realize that you know when my time come I need to capitalize on it and and uh it it's gonna come for sure would you say that's kind of like the Mantra that you try to live your life by in terms of everything happens for a reason or is there a saying or something in your life that's really powerful to you you try to remind yourself every day I know for us we do we do a morning show every day and our whole thing is like just take one step forward for us right like you know how hard life can be we're not asking a Sprint or jog just take one step forward every day and by the end of the year you'll be running um is there something that you know you try to remind yourself every day is it everything happens for a reason or is it something else yeah I'm not I'm not a real big guy on say but if I were to you know think back on how I've attacked life day dayto day um I would say that would be the number one thing that I would say is everything happens for a reason whether it's you know good bad or or or whatever um you know and I like what you guys say take one step at a time because that that ties into everything happening for a reason as long as you you know put one one step in one foot in front of the next um you know you'll always be making progress to whever you want to be at yeah 100% um not to change gears a little bit but good bad ugly we had a funny question because you know we were dming the other day and unfortunately we couldn't do the interview yesterday because you had an emergency with your kids obviously we were thinking about them but we thought of a rather funny question we wanted to ask you just being a quarterback what do you think's harder to deal with like the infant child or a wide receiver because I feel like both have their drawbacks and their attitudes for being a new father what do you think has been harder to uh to deal with a wide receiver that it's real in his head or or an inant child I'm I'mma keep it a 100 way like a 100% honest with you the hardest thing to deal with is a receiver because because listen check this out I was with my kids yesterday and they was a little fussy right yeah so the only thing I needed to do was put a bottle in their mouth and they and they be quiet like I ain't gotta you know what I'm saying with a receiver they want the ball yes but how do they want the ball they want the ball right here they want the ball right here they want the ball right here if I'm running this rout I want the ball right here it's just and it's always it's never good enough you know what I'm saying and and not only do they want the ball once but they want they want it again and they want it again and they want it again a baby bro I if they crying if they fussing whatever they either want to go to sleep or they want to be fed it's only two things and so that's easy to figure out to me that's my opinion but a receiver especially if he a diva oh my [Laughter] Lord Dave talks about it all the time because I'm like you know I never got to play football I have the build where if I stepped on a football field I think my dad did did me a favor by keeping me out of it I think I'd be snapped in half so I mean as just like as a casual fan never got to play the game my favorite position is the wide receiver because I think it's you know the cool position they make crazy plays but Dave is always like dude in the locker room nightmares nightmare bro but but at the end of the day they the ones that make the plays for you so you you got to deal with it so you know what I'm saying and and I've learned to you know I'm a big people person so I like I I know how to cater to to different types of receivers and I done had all types of guys I didn't had guys that really didn't care if they got the ball and and was amazing when they got the ball in their hands and I done had guys that TJ if you don't get me the ball I'm I'm I'm not gonna play you like so I I didn't had all both both sides so do you think being a quarterback I mean because that sounds like a really interesting situation that I don't think a lot of athletes in different sport have to go to where I feel like your job relies so heavily on other positions and other positions especially job relies solely on your ability to do to do your job you said you're a people person how do you find juggling personalities like that is because I feel just for myself a gut reaction if someone was like yo if you don't get me this ball I'm not gonna play I would almost be more inclined to be like all right then don't play but I feel like the situation that you're in you need guys like that sometimes like you need a wide receiver that's like yo I need the ball or I'm not playing because obviously if he feels like that hope his skills up to that level so how do you find juggling personalities like that how hard that really is and if you have like a method that works for you is it just kind of like okay yeah yeah and then going about your day or what do you think how do you juggle that yeah I said I think it it says a lot about character right it says a lot about the patience and the ability to understand um you know other people's point of view and you know just how other people are um and when you look at it you know just at the history of of you know good good quarterbacks and ultimately great quarterbacks good college quar quarterbacks good NFL quarterbacks um you know the the common denominator is that majority of them you know are good people like they're good I don't know how to say it people persons persons people whatever you know what I'm saying like they they understand um you know how to how to connect with those type of guys um because at the end of the day like like I said like those are the ones that that make you look good and yes the the o line and the running backs helps but you know when you put that ball in the air 30 you know 30 35 yards down the field and that receiver just goes up and and makes a hell of a catch like those are the type of guys that that you need plan for you and that you want um to have on your side so you know just building that chemistry building that trust for show um you know that a you know it just says a lot about a guy's character you know if he can connect with a guy that you know is is misunderstood or you know a lot of the coaches don't really want to deal with it um but you know you need him so um you know it's just to me it's a big character thing it's it's it's how you were raiseed is how you you know how you respect other guys opinions and how you respect other guys you know wants and needs how do you think becoming a new father has helped develop your character because I know you know every athlete every person even people in my personal life that are going through having kids are always like dude it'll it'll change your whole perspective it'll change your whole world speaking of you know being a people's person and you know character development how is being a new father kind of affected your character development yeah it just it it showed me a lot of areas that I needed to mature in right I I I you know when I when I first got him you know they first were delivered you know I was a a bit impatient and I'm and I'm GNA be honest with you guys like I I make impulse decisions you know at times and that just comes with being a 21 year old father 22 year old father um you know I I've had times and situations where I've made some bad decisions and and You Know It ultimately costed me down the line um but it just taught me patience it taught me unconditional love it taught me you know how to how to take care of what's mind talk me um and it boosted a level of of responsibility you know in my head that you know I'm not just out here living for me like I I can't to be making decisions for TJ finer like I got two little boys that you know at the end of the day they look up to me whether they know it or not right now um that I'm trying to pave way for them to not ever have to to work a 9et to5 you know dur in their Liv so um I think I think those are the biggest things that you know kind of um came over me you know once they got um you know once they came into the world yeah 100% I've heard that kids can be just World Changers for you like perspectives the way you carry yourself the dayto day um but speaking of you know TJ Finley you said you're you know working for them now but we want to kind of get to know the baller TJ Finley as well I know Dave has been itching to ask you some football questions he W was wishing and hoping that you were going to TCU but Western Kentucky we excited to watch you next year but I know Dave had a couple things he wanted to ask you yeah uh before I get on Western Kentucky I want to take you back a little further just uh kind of get in your head what was the earliest memory with you playing football what what was it honestly I and I joke around with my little brother all the time I don't remember anything from the time I was like six years old before that like I don't remember nothing that happened when I was five years old nothing happened when I was four years old so to me like the earliest memory was we got a little city like 35 minutes away from New Orleans called Hammond Louisiana and that's where my grandma Liv and so that's when my mom was raised and all that so I played bitty ball bitty football peeee football out here um around the time I was like seven eight years old um and my my uncle was my coach his name was Ilia and so um that was really my earliest memory um with them and I remember us going undefeated all year until we got to the championship um and we played a team called Kentwood which is they're on the north side of of um New Orleans and they came out there and and I started crying cuz a kid hit me too hard and my daddy grabbed my face mask and threw me down and and ultimately I I think we came back and won like a close game or whatever but um that probably was the earliest memory for me were you a quarterback back then I'm assuming yeah I played quarterback all all my life and which quarterback did you look up to during that time did you have like an idol that you shipped your game around um and did that change throughout time yeah for so my so my first number ever wearing was number seven and so my dad was a big Michael Vic fan um so I you know when I was smaller I used to be a little fast um so I used to model my game after Michael Vic just running around ball in one hand just making miraculous throws out of nowhere um and then as I got a little older um you know being an African-American guy and seeing a lot of guys um you know my color you know go to the league and have success and all that went from RG3 to Cam Newton um those type of guys I when I got to LSU I met um JaMarcus Russell and and you know he he kind of um influenced me in in a lot of ways to to not go down the same path that he went on um and then as I got a little older um mentally I started to try to model my game after Tom breedy um pton pton Manning um you know all those type guys just because they they had the game one in their head before they ever even did it physically and so um you know tied in a both a mixture of those guys um and still to this day you know I still try to model my game after those guys that's good as a kid from Louisiana you know we did our research before uh we got on the set with you you were at Texas State one of the offensive elen list was Lindsay Scott right another went to Zachary High won a state championship at Zachary High went to LSU mizou then then uh finish his career out at UIW and obviously Ed another Louisiana kid starting at LSU um going to Auburn Texas State and now Western Kentucky one um did you kind of get to share each other's experiences did you you know obviously some more divise from somebody that can relate coming from that background but also what uh did going through those experience like teach you and to the and shape you into the TJ fly that we see in front of us today yeah so so Lindsay was a a very big help last year you know um coming into a new office that he had ran the year previous at UIW um you know me and him and I don't think people realize this but I didn't get to Texas State until August and that was like a week before fall Camp so you know that that's a testament to show you how much work that me and Lindsay put in after the you know after you know after film on the field and stuff like that um to really digest the offense and really get a good understanding to be able to go in week one and beat bayor um you know so that was he was a big help for me and as far as the experience part you know him him being at you know multiple different schools and stuff like that and US kind of having the same uh story you know as far as being transferred and stuff like that finding a place that you know we can go and and succeed at um you know that all of that stuff and with us being from Louisiana for sure we we kind of just connected from the first day we met you know I really didn't know Lindsay he was so much older than me um coming out of high school and when he was at LSU and stuff you know I was still a little boy so being able to connect with him you know as a as the TJ fer I am today I was able to understand everything that he went through and kind of correlate that to my story um and take you know what he did and just run with it you know just being able to have those man-to-man conversations with him about when I was struggling or when he was struggling and we you know we just sat down and understood each other and and that helped me um you know it just it taught me how how much perseverance you need to really play this game you know and at the end of the day you know the goal is the goal and the goal is to get to the NFL and so whatever you know whatever steps you got to take whatever you know you got to go through to get there you just got to be willing to go through it yeah and as far as Next Step obviously this one thing you being in Bowling Green Kentucky and you know for all the hilltop fans out there what are they getting from TJ fin a grown man you know they they getting a guy that can that can come out there and take care of business and I pride myself on you know doing what I say I'm going to do and I come to win you know I I told Coach hton from the day one that he recruited me that I'm not coming to you know I I want I want to win a bowl game yeah but I want to get to the playoffs you know they they they they made a 12 team playoff this year and and week one we go play Alabama I didn't seen Alabama for four years straight and threw for 150 yards every every time I played them whether I was 18 or whether I was 21 and so you know being able to to take that mindset um and really understand what coach help is trying to get done coach friend is trying to get done and come in and and and do my job you know um and that you know also I also want to make other people better around me um that's my goal too but at the end of the day it's about winning you know now now is the time for me to submit myself into you know the top five top 10 quarterbacks of this next year class and I'm ready to do it for sure what so I'm fired up I don't know that I don't know if that got anyone else going but that's fired me up um speaking of Alabama I know our producer Josh we actually had a question like directly about that experi experience you want to go ahead uh yeah so obviously you played for a couple schools in the SEC um two the biggest programs in the entire country uh I want to know which school brought more juice on game day was it Auburn or LSU okay well you gotta bear with me right now because when I was at LSU it was Co year right so yeah true it was kind of rough to be on the field it was kind of hard to be on the field and really get the feel for how LSU fans really truly are now during my recruitment I was locked into LSU the whole time so I really didn't take many visits um anywhere else but I can tell you this Auburn fans are and I'm G be respectful when I say this but they are kind of sick in the head like they are they are ruthless they are and when they love you they love you when they hate you they hate you and so you know they're they're pretty crazy um but I would say it's about 50-50 you know LSU can get like that too um you know I remember when Les Miles was there in 18 um and they played Florida and and that place I think it was I think it was Les I think that was his last year um or it might have been 17 but when LSU played Florida and Florida came to to um Louisiana to play man that probably was the best game I ever and I was sitting in the stands on that game so that probably was the craziest atmosphere I ever been in other than when we went to pen State um in 21 and and Penn State was pretty crazy too so I actually would love to ask you a little a little bit about that I think you know we talk about that as fans too in this house we got a couple people that went to Big 12 schools a couple people that went to SEC schools talk to me about being because you know I feel like the as these fan bases they treat you know you guys are still kids at the end of the day when you're in college regardless of you know how many years are there fifth year six year it seems like a lot of the time we as fans love to treat college football players especially like their grown men like they have everything figured out talk about being in an environment where you're 19 20 21 years old making mistakes in in a game right and then having to come off the field and have your own fan base turn on you or praise you kind of that like what have you done for me now lately how do you kind of break through that that mental because I feel like that can take a lot of guys down you know you have a bad game and turning on your phone and seeing especially in this era of social media there's no barrier for fans to be able to not get to they can get to any way they want now and it can be you're just checking social media to see what your buddies are up to and you got 20 DMS of a fan telling you how worthless you are and then the next game telling you that you're the greatest thing on earth so how do you kind of handle that as a kid yeah it's kind of it's hard you know I I struggled with it you know you know my first game at LSU I was a 18 year old guy um you know my first start was South Carolina after miles Brennen had unfortunately got injured you know and luckily I had a good game that game so you know me looking at social media was kind of you know claps and and and and appraises so you know but but the biggest thing for me and I found out you know once I got the off um the consistent thing for me was just prayer you know being able to come to God and and really um Express to him how I felt and and stuff like that and my family was there as well like my family was at every single game they traveled to away games and home and home games um so that for me was the biggest thing um and just knowing who you are as a as a man right just knowing who you are knowing your true identity knowing what you're at that college to do which is you know ultimately impact the younger generation that's coming you know after you um you know you you're you're never really concerned about what someone else has to say um when you think about it like that you know cuz at the end of the day you know karma is real and the same stuff they're gonna sit there and say about you you know they have to realize either they have kids or they're going to have kids or someone in their family um you know might end up with in a situation maybe not a game maybe not you know they're not losing their life savings over a fandu a bet that they're placing on a game or something like that but it's G to be something you know that kid maybe you know coming out of high school and maybe looking to get a scholarship at a school and and you know it's just you never know right and so being able to think about it like that um and just knowing and understanding who you are as a person I think that helps a lot for sure and I feel like I got to ask you because I feel as though you know you get to experience what I would put up there in sports is I think top five allburn Alabama the iron ball just talk to me through what that is like as an experience just as as a whole I mean you got to start in it you got to play in it you took him down to the wire I mean just like talk to me about that experience the week leading up to it what it's like being in the locker room before the iron bow because the ironbow takes over your entire week as a fan of college football AB once that game is getting like real close that whole week it's ironball week like everyone's excited for it everyone's getting up for it it doesn't matter who you support it's Auburn playing Alabama and it's the ironville right yeah so it's it's crazy you know and it's it's it's something like I've never seen you know and and um I thought the battle of the boot at LSU was something you know LSU versus Arkansas I thought LSU vers Florida was a big Rival game until I got to Auburn and I heard all uh the you know Auburn Alabama um the iron bowling so you know being able to start in that game and play in it you know was a dream come true especially after you know hearing about it for the whole week um you know we we damn near had a pep r at Auburn like and it's it's just something about Alabama you know no matter how bad an Auburn team is no matter how good an Alabama team is that game is the records are z00 z00 we talk about it all the time literally that game it doesn't matter the Auburn family the whether it's home or away and it's really it's really more so when it's a home game for Auburn um that that Auburn just turns into a different team you know and we were struggling that year we we were struggling to find our identity we were struggling to to stop people on defense we were struggling to score on offense but that game it was just like a a win just took over us and we were able to move the ball we were able to catch Alabama off guard and and they were pretty good that year they had Jameson Williams they had John M you know B and all those guys um and those guys were balling so you know luckily and I mess with my Auburn guys all the time luckily J Mo got got kicked out of the game in the second quarter uh but but you know we gave him a run for their money and we should have won that game um you know before overtime but you know every like I said everything happens for a reason you know maybe I would still be at Auburn to this day if if we would have won that game so U you know you just never know right and you take it for what it is and take it to the chin and you move on talk to me a little bit about because I've always wondered in a game like that do you ever just take a minute whether it's pre- snap pregame just to like drink in an environment like that or is it one of those things where I feel as though athletes almost in today's day and age it's like I just need to lock into the point where it's almost like I black out I don't know what the fans were doing I don't know what they were saying I'm just so locked in on the game but I know as a fan like there are just moments where you wish you were on this field just drinking in the energy and the environment like were there ever moments in a game like that where pre- snap you're just like whole holy [ __ ] this is insane yeah for me it's it's always uh pregame it's always you know running out the tunnel you know right before you get ready to start you know embracing the the the energy within the stadium right just being able to to see all the fans the smiles on their faces everybody calling your name you got kids with your jerseys on and all that type stuff able to just see that and embrace that and at the end of the day that that that puts a reminder in your head that you're out there to have fun you know you're out there to to you know ultimately the goal is to win the game but at the end of the day you're having fun you know doing something that you love to do um it's just like an accountant going to work and him him looking at his bank account and he got a bunch of money in there because he's been doing his job right um it's just like that and for us as athletes you know um yes it's a bigger stage and a lot more at stake um you know with our livelihoods but at the end of the day we're just kids out there having fun um and being able to embrace that and and have coach on the sideline that understand that um you know is a game changer I couldn't agree more than just kids having Fu like I feel like if we forget that just like as fans I don't know why I'm looking at Dave he played the sport but like I just feel like that's just like a great way to put it um Josh you have one before we get to our fun game yeah you had another one that you wanted to ask I think that was it yeah that was it all right so TJ we want to play a fun game I want to give you three scenarios and we just want to see what your call would be all right just just the true Ballers test is what we're going to call this one let's do it all right so you got three scenarios I just want to see what you're called be all right we got the game opener how we starting the game are we taking the top off if TJ Finley's in charge we're starting the game game opener first drive what are we doing excuse my language but [ __ ] right and and if I'm being honest with you we I've I've had enough of the you know let's run the ball first and second down just to see what the no let let's let's get in in 10 Personnel let's run four verticals and let's see if these DBS can cover in real life if if it's not there I'm checking it down to my running back and or if they give us a five man box I'm checking inside Zone and we'll live with a four yard gain and then second down we gonna take another shot I love that take the [ __ ] top off absolutely all right fourth and three at your opponent's 30 and Coach lets you call it what are we doing fourth quarter fourth and three your opponent's 30 just outside of field goal range what are we doing okay so we going to go FIB we're going to go right hash we're going to go FIB I got two receivers on my on my right I got a receiver on my left we in 11 P I got a tight end um I got a tight end we I'mma call it twins right twins left I got two receivers on my right right hash pitch this with me I got my tight end we're gonna short motion him to from the left side of the he's he's he's right behind the left tackle yeah he on short motion to the right the right tackle we're gonna run double post we're gonna run will with the with the uh the tight end we GNA heavy play action right so let's say inside Zone to the right so we're we're acing to the wheel backer leaving the mic for the backside attack on the backside Guard we're going to heavy play action I got a dig on the backside just in case they give me free Accel or we can put a slant you know just in case they want to bring field pressure heavy play action get all the linebackers to step up I'm going one to the Deep post two to the wheel if it's cover three or cover two where the corner is sitting I want my tight end to just stop at the at the um first down marker and I'll back should it first down every time that's good beautiful that was literally amazing also what for people out there FIB means formation in boundary reason he's bringing that tight in motion is so allows him to read the defense and then know which one of them is going to BU he really wants to post that's why he's not Saye right now he really wants some puss and I love because because in the SEC fourth and three they still in quarters oh yeah so that if that safety come down with that first post that big boy post over the top wide open and if they don't that backer he's so he so it's Fourth and three so the backers are thinking oh might run the ball heavy play action and get them to step up now I'm painting it on the back shoulder of the tight end first down gone slinging gone slinging got Brock BS up the sideline for foot seven let's go let's go in Las Vegas next year all right fourth quarter we're third and goal in the red zone and we need a touchdown what's the TJ Finley call we're we're in the Huddle it's like TJ we need to get one right now fourth and goal four fourth and goal okay so now we gonna go we gonna go we can go right has left has whatever we're we're in a a 10 a 10p personnel or we can go 11 P and put the tight end at number three right so we got we let's say we're left has again so I got my X to my left I got my y my H and my Z to my right right so we got the starting from inside out on my X I'm G have just a fade ball right I got whatever I got you know a grown man over there we might just take a chance that might be my third down call just to throw the fade but if we're in fourth down right here we're gonna go my Y is is number three right he's going to run uh what we call a pivot route which is a whip route right we're going to call him he got the whip route he's my check down just in case the guy's over the top isn't open right so my number two guy which is my H he's going to run a Sit wheel so he's gonna boom he's gonna run five yards sit and he's goingon to show me his numbers and then he's goingon to whe to the back pil line over on the outside my Z he has the post right so he's trying to collect two I want him if if we have a press Corner which would be great right here he's going to collect that that corner and that safety over the top that's supposed to be guarding um let's say you know they two High's let's just go two man right he has the Deep half as soon as he see that that that post cross his face his eyes going there right so now I'm going I'm going one to the sit wheel two to the pivot and three hell I'm just I'm just making something happen with my legs it's not there is you got three yards yeah that's true yeah and if that corner is not disciplined on that Sig go he's gonna be right rub the [ __ ] open absolutely absolutely and I think our last question I mean that was you want to be the certified St I mean that was beautiful was lit that's a quarterback that's a quarterback right there lit I felt like I was in school for a second that was but it was like a class that I wanted to pay attention to um we talked about it a little bit before we got on here and I think just to kind of wrap everything up put a bow on it we felt like this would be you know the perfect question we're going to Western Kentucky they've got quite a reputation for letting that thing go right Gunslinger offense let that thing go Western Kentucky quarterbacks have combined for 133 passing touchdowns in the last three years for all of our Hill topper fans out there is TJ Finley excited to step up and just let that thing go all year Absol freaking lutely I'm G watch my language on that one Absol freaking lutely I I I honestly and genuinely cannot wait to get out there um with the mindset that I have right now the the the physical um you know the way I'm in shape the way my body feels um the the weapons that we have around me the defense that we have the head coach that we have we have all the pieces we need to make a run U um this year and whether we go to Alabama and win or not um you know we're gonna we're gonna show Alabama that you know this ain't no this ain't the regular you know Western Kentucky that you just gonna roll over and do anything like that it's a whole new ball Club um Alabama has a whole new ball club that people have to take into consideration that they might not be who they who they think they might be um and and as uh what What's your boy on Tik Tok say will it Blitz Bama Blitz and they changed the narrative they got to see you guys this year you know what I mean it's how you guys got to see them they got to see Western Kentucky this year absolutely let's go well thank you so much for coming on TJ we really appreciate it um we can't wait to watch you play this year we were so excited for this um we're definitely going to try to make it out to West Kentucky game but um I mean we just literally cannot wait to see you in that offense I mean absolutely for everyone out here I mean you in a position where it's just let that thing Go and Let It Go often I think is going to be electricity for not only Hill topper fans sports fans but just like America in general absolutely it's going to be beautiful and again like you you consider yourself God's timing is always right right and there's a uh there's a reason why you at Western Kentucky now now it's just time to go absolutely well I appreciate you guys for having me on whenever y'all come out there to West Kentucky everything on me so just let me know let's do it let's do it thank you so much man we appreciate TJ absolutely sure