Texas A&M insider on matchup with Notre Dame 👀 Does Riley Leonard or Mike Elko have the advantage?

Published: Aug 28, 2024 Duration: 00:23:32 Category: Entertainment

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notame is about to make its first trip to Kyle Field in over 20 years and the experience could be unlike anything this team has seen before so what are the Irish in for against the agies on Saturday night a text A&M Insider breaks it all down next you are locked on Irish your daily podcast on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish part of the locked on podcast Network your team everyday what's what up and welcome into lock on Irish I'm your host Tyler rojack I'm a notre mum and producer at Fox Sports and I'm thrilled to have you here with me today on Thursday August 29th and thanks for making this your first listen of the day this show is free and available wherever you listen to podcast plus you can watch the full thing on YouTube as well if you are watching along please give this video a like And subscribe to the channel or if you're listening to podcast and you like what you hear please rate the show five stars leave a review And subscribe this episode is presented by 5 Hour Energy with sugar in a convenient portable size it is the perfect pickme up for getting stuff done go to 5our energy.com and use promo code locked on CFB to receive 20% off your order this offer is only valid until September 30th on one order and cannot be used with other promotions just go to 5our energy.com today okay today on the show we got tchm beat writer Carter carols on to break down the game from the agus perspective if that name sounds familiar to you it might be because he used to cover the Irish a few years ago as a writer for the South Ben Tribune and now he's back in Texas covering his alma mater for gigum 247 and given his ties to both programs I felt like he was the perfect guest to come on and talk more about this game as we get closer and closer to kickoff unfortunately Carter had to run a bit early so it's going to be a shorter episode than normal today but there is still a ton of great content on the feed this week to get you ready for Saturday and really the rest of the season so on Monday I broke down every OPP on the Notre schedule and shared my thoughts about how I think the season is going to play out then I gave my official record prediction at the end on Tuesday Luke Smith came on for our annual preseason award show we've been doing this for five years now and we handed out some classic Awards including the Club Fever award for who we think will be the top performing freshman this season the Kiren Williams award for who could have the best breakout season plus we handed out some new Awards as well it's always a ton of fun if you are a current Notre Dame student or if you're in Alum I think you might enjoy some of the references in that episode but we made sure it's a good time for every listener so I really encourage you to check that one out if you have not already yesterday I did my own Deep dive into the A&M game I tried to cover it from every possible angle by looking at the biggest storylines some interesting matchups plus the players to watch on the agies I also shared my keys to the game for the Irish and gave out an official prediction at the end then tomorrow I'm going to be right back here to react to the release of Notre Dame's Hard Knock style documentary that actually airs today on peacock the official name for the show is here come the Irish and it's going to provide a behind the- scenes look into the team as they get ready for the upcoming season and I am so excited about it I loved watching the uh a season with series back in 2015 on show time it was especially cool because I was a student at that time I remember seeing the camera C around uh campus sometimes and that was just a really fun season to be a part of and to be able to watch it up close like that was really cool so I have hopes for this peacock docu series I'm also going to answer some mailbag questions in tomorrow's episode so get those in if you got them you can submit yours in the YouTube comments below you can send them in on social media the Twitter account is lock Irish Instagram is lock. Irish pod so there is a ton of great stuff available to you now and coming your way tomorrow and I hope you enjoy it all but for today let's bring in Carter all right I'm Joy Now by Carter carols from gigum 247 and before we dive into the match up between Tex A&M and Notre D I want to ask you what it's like being maybe the most coveted man in all of sports media right now because you are everywhere you have become the source about this game given your connections to both schools and I'm just grateful I made the cut yeah man well I can't believe my voice is still working because yeah it's been fun I I used to cover Notre Dame 2018 to 2021 and I've been at A&M the last year and a half so um it's it's been fun talking about it you know a lot of these Notre Dame players I covered as recruits uh I can remember going to jack Kaiser's uh snowy playoff game and the middle of nowhere in Indiana and and getting to meet him and his family and so you know a lot of lot of fun people that I'm be able to see this weekend and media members and everything so yeah it's it's it's gonna be a fun one how would you describe the level of excitement and anticipation from the A&M side about this game because it's the first game under new head coach it's a ranked match up in prime time so obviously it's going to be a big deal but the agies also have home games against LSU Texas and Missouri on the schedule whereas on the Notre a side this is the biggest game of the year and it feels like so much is on the line yeah I think this game similarly for A&M you win this game and it's like oh my gosh that means that they're really good like if Notre Dame wins this game they're probably going undefeated uh because this might be the the hardest game on their schedule A&M is Notre name the hardest team I don't know but you only have to go 10 and two in the SEC to probably make the 12 team playoff so you win this game then hey are there three other games on the schedule that you're going to lose I'm not sure so uh I think for A&M the excitement is as high as it's been uh you know all offseason just because I think at the beginning of the off season there was you know kind of some battered miserable you know feelings among the fan base coming off of last year and firing the head coach and you know just just wondering where the direction of the program was headed and you know they they hire Mike gko and and it made sense but it wasn't like this super flashy higher and so you know took some A&M fans a while to kind of rally behind them but with what he did in the off season I think it's you know kind of rallied the fan base behind him because you know retaining a lot of the top talent from last year making some some great great hires and also adding a lot of nice players in the transfer portal you know it's created a situation where it's not quite going to be a rebuild like previously thought so the excitement's high and again you win this game and you have your whole season in front of you what are you expecting in regards to the atmosphere at Kyle Field on Saturday night because Notre Dame has not played a big SEC Road game since 2019 at Georgia I was there it was incredible so anything close to that is going to be electric but also it makes things very difficult if you're on the visitor sideline I was actually at that game too it it' probably be very similar to that environment um I think the athletic ran a list of their top 10 uh venues I think Georgia was nin A&M was 10th uh A&M is unique because not only do you have 105,000 fans but you got a 100 degree weather when it's August 31st and it's going to be humid as all get out this weekend uh now fortunately for Notre Dame uh looks like it's super hot up there this week so they're kind of able train through those conditions uh but it's gonna be especially in a game that I anticipate to be lowc scoring and you know a defensive battle and third Downs every third Down's going to be huge defensive kind of games even though some might say they're more boring they seem to bring more out of the crowd because every play matters every possession every third down matters because this game could be the difference between a long field goal or a you know a nice punt return like this this is really that kind of game where one big play or two could really matter so I think the crowd's going to be very into it and and it'll be loudest that Notre Dame hears all season one of the biggest storylines going into this game is Riley Leonard facing his Old Coach Mike Elco they both have great respect for one another and I thought Mike elco's quote about going up against his former player was really interesting he said that uh it's going to be kind of an uncomfortable situation he's not necessarily looking forward to it and he also said that Riley has an advantage because he understands the defense now I think there's a little bit of gamesmanship involved here but on the flip side El obviously knows all of Leonard's strengths and weaknesses better than most so who do you think has the bigger advantage in that respect I tend to lean with Elco because you know while Riley Leonard went against elco's defense for a couple years you know in practice you're really going against the scout team of the that's emulating the defense of the upcoming opponent you know you're going against Louisville's defense in practice you're going against Florida State's defense in practice when you're at Duke and you're preparing for your your upcoming Oppo opponent uh and so whereas I think Elco you know he was around Riley Leonard he knows his strengths and weaknesses and and and also got to play Notre Dame last year I think could be an additional benefit for him because you know he understands how good Mitchell Evans is he understands how good Howard cross is and you know where their strengths and weaknesses might be not just Riley Leonard whereas you know yes Riley Leonard is facing a scheme that he's familiar with but he's never gone up against Nick scorton and Shamar Stewart and those kind of guys so certainly some famili you know certainly some things he's gonna have to get familiar with also A&M's got a ton of transfers on defense they've got seven in the secondary alone and then up front you you got Nick scorton and and cases how at linebacker Scooby Williams uh Solomon the shields so you know you're not only facing you know a defense you've never played before they facing a defense with players from you know 12 different rosters so um I think the same things that play with A&M in a sense where when they're having to prepare for Notre Dame they're having a watch Duke film of Riley Leonard they're having to watch LSU and cincin Cincinnati film of Mike Den Brock the office of coordinator trying to get a custom of them uh they've got a receiver from Florida International I mean that's just the nature of the business so as much as they know each other there's still a lot that they had to learn in preparing for this matchup you brought up the transfers I want to ask about that specifically because the whole college football World watched Florida State loose to Georgia Tech this weekend A lot of people attributed that to the fact that Florida state had to basically reload in the transfer portal they did not look like a cohesive unit on either side of the ball I think that's playing the results a little bit but I do think that when you get had a bunch of guys in the portal it does have an effect especially early on in the season now Tech San basically had to rebuild their linebackers and their secondary via the transfer portal so what steps have Mike Elco and Jay baitman taken to improve that transition and make sure that those guys gel is quickly as possible because this is their first game together and it's a pretty big one yeah I think for the secondary you you look at this group last year and there was really no way to go but up for them I mean I know the numbers might average out a certain way but when they played the best passing offenses they got torched time and again they they had players out of position all over the place Josh Barry was a nickel he was playing Corner Bryce Anderson's a safety he was playing nickel uh it was just a bad fit in every way uh and so you know I think they only have to go up they have better depth with the guys they added uh last year lost you know a couple guys midseason and they're having to throw guys out there that just had no business of of being out there um as far as preparing the unit you know I think if you ask them today who's going to start against SRE Dame uh they may not know the answer to it I think that they come into this game you know they feel obviously very good about Bryce Anderson at safety and and what he can do there moving there but beyond him they've got competition at all the other spots uh the other safety you got Dalton Brooks and uh uh Trey Jones the central Michigan transfer competing and and the cornerback spots you got will Lee the starter from Kansas State Dez Ricks former five-star recruit from Alabama a bunch of names there but um I think what they've tried to do is just kind of mix a match as much as they can in preseason camp to really get a a solid evaluation of these guys um I think they added a good blend of you know guys that they may not be great but they're good depth and have experience and they're not you know true freshman that you're throwing out there guys who have potential like Dez rcks you know certainly looks the part as a former five-star recruit and then guys that like you know could be a starter like will Lee at coming from Kansas State Tyreek Chappelle also came back and is making the move to Nickel so a lot of guys that have experience are Junior and seniors not freshman and sophomores and then a good blend of other guys coming up the ranks like do Ricks Carter will be right back with us in a moment to provide his thoughts on what the floor and ceiling is for Aggie quarterback Conor wigman but before we get to that I want to tell you about 5 Hour Energy 5H Hour Energy fixes tired fast whether you have a long list to do for work or a list of DIY projects to tackle at home take a five-hour energy shot so you can check everything off your list if you're like me you always have a large list of projects to do at home or things to do at work and when you get supplies for your project or you're ready to knock out that to-do list at work do not forget the most essential Supply which is a 5H Hour Energy Shot with zero sugar and a convenient portable size it is the perfect pickme up for getting stuff done the 5-Hour Energy website is flavors Galore like watermelon tropical burst grae Berry and more there really is a flavor for everyone and you can try them all on the site you even have the option to build your own 12pack or 24 pack you choose the flavors and it is delivered right to your door so if you go to 5our energy.com that's the number five hour energy.com you can get some 5our energy product today and you can use my promo code locked on CFB to receive 20% off your order the offer is only valid until September 30th on one order and cannot be used with other promotions the code is not good on subscription orders but use my promo code locked on CFB to receive 20% off your order go to 5our energy.com today Dan br the NFL draft expert at the athletic has quarterback Conor Wegman ranked as the 24th player overall on his big board going into the season and I understand he's a former five star but he's also coming off a major injury and has not played a ton of college football then again he has flashed some serious Talent so what do you think is his ceiling and what's his floor yeah it's kind of it's interesting because this happens in the draft every year where yeah you have these late risers you're trying to project guys you know I remember when Mitchell trais went as high as he did no one who knew who that guy was the year before he had never really done anything and you know we found out how that went uh but there's guys that will arise and so you're trying to project and with wigman it hasn't been an issue of talent a lot of it's been just the availability you know this true freshman season in 2022 I feel like he should have been the starter day one I'm sure he probably felt that way too he didn't begin the season that way Jimbo really loved him some Han King and certainly H King is is looking a lot better now at Georgia Tech but it didn't really you know age well for him uh That season and then when he put in Conor wigman midseason lit up Old Miss he lit up LSU beat the number five team in the country in the regular season finale and did so with a group of players that went five and seven and he did that as a true fresh and then last year you know I felt like he really put you know did a great job the first couple games before getting hurt and and kind of struggled against Auburn too uh but in the eight starts we've seen of them 16 touchdowns two interceptions the stats have been good uh what he does really well is is extending plays and avoiding sacks and taking care of the football uh he's shown to be accurate as well um I think challenge for him this year will be he doesn't necessarily have that stacked receiver cast he doesn't have a receiver who's had 700 receiving yards for a power five School in a season you know it's one thing to not have a 1,00 yard receiver but when you have a guy that's had 700 at a power five a power four School you that could be a challenge so can he throw Guys open can his accuracy and his anticipation be sharp enough to where you know a guy who just has a sliver of space he can get it to through a tight window that's what you'd like to see from him this year as well as you know playing the whole season last question I have for you because I know you got to run there's been so much talk about not's young and inexperienced offensive line going up against Tex Adams very good defensive line and also not's good defensive line going up against Tex A&M's offensive line I understand that last year that was a big weakness on the agies their offensive line how much do you think that they' have improved going into the season yeah I think they feel really good about the left side but not very good about the right side and the center position the left side I think you've got two draft picks there Trey zun a three-year starter at left tackle I think he'll be a middle round pick in this upcoming draft we'll we'll see but he really started to come into his own last year Chase Banis he made the freaks list uh for Bruce Feldman on the athletic uh for the second year in a row he's somebody that you know athletically is very impressive he just played at the wrong position last year he was at right tackle out of necessity now he's moved to left guard I think he's gonna have a strong season there it's the other guys that you're concerned about uh they brought in armage Reed Adams from Kansas he makes sense his Right Guard and I think he could be pretty good there but they've moved him to right tackle some in preseason camp they they've kind of Switched between him and Ruben FY and I think the fact that they're doing that that late in Camp tells you that maybe they don't know who's the best five to go with uh over there so Center's another position it was a weak point for this team the last couple years rice Foster kind of began to fade uh after he tore his ACL 2022 he left for Kansas so that left open an opening for Texas at the center spot they've had Mark nabo there who kind of made sense as the guy to fill in that void but then they brought in a transfer from Utah Coy feu and they've kind of been battling there so again I think left side you're good but center right side that's where it begins to get a little tricky Carter I really appreciate you taking the time out of your day to do this you've got a very busy schedule enjoy the game on Saturday we'll have to do this again before uh next year's season opener yes sir thanks for having me man today's episode is also brought to you by FanDuel you've heard me talk a lot about FanDuel America's number one sports book well we have something a little different for you right now so now through September 22nd all FanDuel customers can bet $5 and get a three-week trial of NFL Sunday Ticket from YouTube and YouTube TV then with the YouTube TV base plan you'll be able to watch every regular season Sunday afternoon out of Market game all you need is a Google account in a current form of payment and you can cancel anytime I honestly cannot recommend this enough I've had YouTube TV for years and it's great affordable and the Sunday Ticket option makes it even better what's better than watching your favorite team every Sunday the ability to also tune in to every other game to check in on your fantasy team so you can watch your fantasy team get that win and your favorite team football season is so close I so excited and FanDuel allows you to get in on the action like never before just visit fanduel.com lockon to download America's number one sports book today's episode is also sponsored by Factor warmer sunnier days are calling fuel up for them with factors no prep No Mess meals meet your Wellness goals in time for summer thanks to the menu of chef-crafted meals with options like calorie smart Protein Plus and keto factors fresh never frozen meals are dietitian approved and ready to eat in Just 2 minutes so no matter how busy you are you'll always have time to enjoy nutritious great tasting meals make today the day you Kickstart a new healthy routine what are you waiting for with 35 different meals and more than 60 add-ons to choose from every week you'll always have new flavors to explore crush your Wellness goals this may and throughout the summer with dietitian approved meals and ingredients that you can trust make your day Delicious 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plus I'm going to answer some mailbag questions so get yours in and make sure you tune in for tomorrow's episode remember subscribe on YouTube or wherever you're listening to the podcast and for your second listen check out the lockdown college football podcast is spenc withc glin he does a great job I was on a show this week really enjoyed it and I think he will too I'll see you guys tomorrow

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