Zone Podcasts

With the College Football Playoff picture tightening, the host walks through Saturday’s key games: USC at No. 9 Indiana, No. 2 Utah at a dangerous Arizona, Texas Tech on the bubble at Oklahoma State, surprise-story Wake Forest at SMU, and No. 6 Texas at a three-loss LSU team that can’t afford another slip. He points out that every two-loss team in the Power Four can still reach the playoff, and that any conference champion gets in regardless of record. Then he turns to the main event, Tennessee at Texas A&M. The Vols control their own path: win out against A&M, LSU and Vanderbilt and they’re in the playoff, maybe even the SEC Championship game. The numbers favor them. A&M, picked by many to contend this year, is 4–5 overall and last in the SEC in scoring offense at about 16 points a game. Tennessee’s defense, second only to Georgia, gives up almost exactly that much. The game plan he sees is the one that beat Kentucky: win field position, punt when in doubt, and let the defense go to work. On offense he expects defenders stacked to stop running back DeSean Bishop, which should open up deep play-action shots for quarterback George MacIntyre, who’s been growing more poised each start. He also expects Faizon Brandon to be used more in goal-line and short-yardage spots, which forces A&M to prepare two separate game plans. The keys to winning are few turnovers, no drive-killing pre-snap penalties, avoiding sacks, and getting the ball to playmakers like Matthews and the tight ends. His closing message is that Tennessee has put itself in position with two last-second losses by a combined three points and two top-11 wins, but in November “you got to finish it.” On the road, rule number one is don’t beat yourself.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tony Barnhart and Dennis Dodd join Coach Doug Matthews for a wide-ranging college football segment. It opens with the fallout from the nationwide flight disruption. Almost every school found a Plan B to reach its game, except Oklahoma and Ole Miss: Ole Miss couldn’t rebook its charter, so the SEC moved the game to Sunday at 1 p.m. Central. Commissioner Greg Sankey told Oklahoma AD Roger Denny the Sooners would forfeit if they refused to play, and the reporters say they can’t remember a commissioner talking to a sitting AD that way. Dodd thinks Sankey is “feeling his oats,” pointing to his recent shots at broadcasters. Barnhart counters that calling out your commissioner in public is risky, since Oklahoma’s AD is mostly answering to angry fans. From there the crew turns to the second CFP rankings. Dodd is fuming that Indiana fell from No. 4 to No. 9 without playing, and Barnhart notes that if the field were set today the SEC would get five teams to the Big Ten’s two. They preview the big games, from USC at Indiana and Utah at Arizona to Texas at LSU, where Lane Kiffin is under heavy pressure after a 6–3 start despite a reported $91 million price tag. The second half mixes stats with big-picture debate. Barnhart’s stat: South Carolina is chasing its first five-game SEC win streak since Steve Spurrier’s 2005 team. Dodd notes the preseason No. 1 has missed out on a title shot in four of the last five years. Matthews raises a suggestion from Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz to get rid of conferences altogether. Dodd sees a breakaway “super league” coming someday, while Barnhart argues for tradition. Their under-the-radar picks include Boise State’s Dylan Riley, the nation’s leading rusher, who stayed loyal to his school after his father died; the defensive coordinators Jim Knowles at Tennessee and Will Muschamp at Texas; and first-time FBS head coaches Bob Chesney at 10–0 UCLA and Morgan Scalley at unbeaten Utah. The segment closes with what may be its strongest news hook. Mississippi State re-signed quarterback Kamario Taylor for a reported $6 million to $7.5 million, more than his head coach makes. Dodd follows with a warning about Philip Rivers jumping from high school straight to NC State, noting how often high school coaches have flopped at the top level.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Charles Davis, “old No. 22,” joined the show ahead of today’s No. 9 Indiana vs. No. 18 USC game. He called it a prove-it game for the Trojans. USC has felt like a new team before, after the Penn State win, and then got hammered at Wisconsin. Still, beating Ohio State was a monster win, and a closing stretch of Indiana, Maryland and UCLA gives them a real chance to climb. Davis said Indiana’s drop from 4 to 9 during an open week has more to do with a weak schedule than with how they’re playing. He thinks the defending champs could still take one more loss and get in. His bigger worry is the offense: under 20 points a game over the last four games after averaging 45 in the first five. Curt Cignetti’s team is “a pinky toe away” from being undefeated, but it also survived back-to-back overtime games. Indiana had unusual special-teams mistakes and lost a streak of more than 30 games without losing the turnover battle. Davis expects defense to decide today’s game. On the rest of the board, Davis said No. 16 Oregon has “rediscovered the joy of just playing.” He traced it to the 21–10 loss at Illinois, after which the Ducks changed play callers, cut the playbook down and went with “players over plays.” He picks Oregon over a Michigan team he called a mess. Asked to judge teams by the eye test, he praised Georgia’s quiet efficiency under Kirby Smart, a UCLA defense people keep underestimating, and Notre Dame’s big win over Miami. He called Texas–LSU today a massive game for both teams. On his alma mater, No. 11 Tennessee, Davis said the dominant win over Kentucky looked like a team that wasn’t going to let another one slip away after South Carolina. Kentucky hadn’t been favored in Knoxville since 1977. Next comes Texas A&M, the “Lane Kiffin Bowl” against LSU and Vanderbilt, a stretch he thinks the Vols can win. He closed on Utah, now No. 2 with BYU at No. 10. Davis said the Utes’ AD is taking a “victory lap” after moving Kyle Whittingham out and promoting Morgan Scalley, while Michigan is having second thoughts about hiring Whittingham.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tom Kreager of The Tennessean joins Tate Matthews and Coach Will Hester for his weekly visit. He doesn’t sugarcoat round two: it was “not a great night” for Middle Tennessee. Oakland, Brentwood, Ravenwood and Antioch all lost, so 6A will crown a new champion, and both west-side semifinals will be all-Memphis matchups. Kreager says Memphis football, which took a step back after missing the COVID season, is “officially back,” with four of the city’s nine 6A teams still playing. He suggests that should cool complaints about how the Memphis regions are set up. He also admits he didn’t see Trent Dilfer’s young Lipscomb Academy team reaching a semifinal in his first year back in high school coaching. Then the panel turns to East Nashville and Pearl-Cohn, the only two Metro Nashville teams left. Both drop in classification next year, and East Nashville has already beaten a 6A quarterfinalist despite a 1A-sized enrollment. That has smaller schools grumbling, and the panel’s response is to get over it. Looking ahead, the crew picks Page at Beech as the midstate game of the week, featuring two of the area’s most underrated coaches, Charles Rathbone and Anthony Crabtree. They’re also watching the Lipscomb–Brentwood Academy rematch after BA’s 20–14 win just weeks ago. Kreager calls Greeneville at Alcoa, a matchup of two unbeaten teams, the best game in the state. The panel breaks down Riverdale’s first playoff road trip, to Cleveland, a team that went from 1–9 last year to the quarterfinals. That game puts two Mr. Football semifinalist quarterbacks head to head. The segment ends in a friendly, admittedly biased debate over who has the best quarterback left in D2. The hosts take Brentwood Academy’s QB over Baylor’s, though they agree Baylor’s running back may be the best player on the field. Kreager signs off by wishing his Indiana Hoosiers luck.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brentwood Academy head coach Paul Wade came on the morning after the Eagles beat the McCallie Blue Tornado 21–6 in the Division II-AAA playoffs. He called it an “ugly win” and said that’s still a good win this late in the year. McCallie had an unusual season by its standards, but Wade said the red helmet still brings out every opponent’s best. His offense stalled early against a defensive look it wasn’t ready for. After halftime the staff figured out how McCallie would line up and stayed in the same formation about 95% of the time. Even with that, the first touchdown came on a play the Eagles had run maybe once all season. Wade also explained how one formation hides six plays: quarterback Cruz chooses based on what the defense gives him. That’s why Cruz can throw for 400 yards one week and 123 the next, and BA still wins. Next up is a home semifinal on the 20th at Carlton Flatt Field against Lipscomb Academy, a team BA played just two or three weeks ago. Wade has been on both sides of fast rematches, so he’s not assuming the first result will repeat. He’ll start the week close to the first game plan and get ready for the onside kicks and trick plays Trent Dilfer’s group showed in Week 10. Wade credited running back No. 2, fullback Liam Titus, and an offensive line coached partly by former BA player Eli Sutton and his own son, Parker Wade. He also praised Braylon, a Mississippi transfer who scored on a 25-yard catch while defenses focused on Keyshaun and Lex. The hosts expect a physical game with few passes and sent Wade off hoping to talk to him again “come Chattanooga time,” meaning the state final.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Smyrna Bulldogs head coach Mark Williams called in on just a few hours of sleep. The team buses pulled in around 2 a.m. after a long road trip, and he got to bed around 3:30. Smyrna won that road playoff game 48–6, its most points scored and fewest allowed all season, right as the 6A bracket tightens. Williams credited his players for staying focused on the trip and for sticking to the team’s identity of commitment, discipline and physical football. He gave a lot of credit to his senior leaders and his coaching staff, which is full of former head coaches like Steve Williams and Doug Green. He also thanked his brother Matt for building much of that staff. Williams said the program’s real goal goes beyond wins and losses to raising good young men, and that “everything we do starts with love.” Quarterback AJ Jackson led the way, going 8-for-11 for 74 yards and a touchdown. He also threw a big block on a reverse that got the offensive line fired up. Defensive back Yani Morales had two interceptions, returning one 60 yards for a touchdown. His second pick came right after back-to-back Smyrna fumbles to open the second half and helped turn the game back around. Now Smyrna is one of eight teams left in 6A and heads to Maryville. Williams last coached against Maryville in the 2010 state championship game. He said the coaches there may change, but the program stays disciplined, well-coached and strong on special teams, and it doesn’t beat itself. His message for the week: “We can’t beat ourselves,” because Maryville doesn’t need any help from silly mistakes or penalties. The hosts ended the call by praising Williams. They said he’s done as good a job as anyone this year after taking over the program from his brother, which is “not easy to do.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Round two of the Tennessee high school football playoffs is in the books, and host Tate Matthews and in-studio analyst Coach Will Hester of Blackman go through the results class by class. The biggest story is how rough the night was for Middle Tennessee in 6A. Antioch, Ravenwood, Brentwood, Clarksville and Green Hill all lost on the west side of the bracket, which guarantees a Memphis team will play in the 6A state final. On the east side, Smyrna and Riverdale kept the midstate alive. Smyrna’s Mark Williams calls in after his team’s buses rolled in at 2 a.m. following a 48–6 road rout of Dobyns-Bennett. He credits a veteran staff full of former head coaches, quarterback AJ Jackson’s leadership, and Yani Morales’s two interceptions, one returned for a touchdown. Next up is a quarterfinal at Maryville, a disciplined program Williams last faced in the 2010 state championship. In D2-AAA, Brentwood Academy’s Paul Wade talks through a 21–6 win over McCallie that he calls “ugly.” He explains why rematches are a chess match, since BA hosts Trent Dilfer’s Lipscomb Academy in the semifinals just weeks after beating them 20–14. He also shares how he sold senior dads on running one formation over and over: one look, six plays built in. The Tennessean’s Tom Crager (spelling unconfirmed) closes the show with his weekly look around the state. He says Memphis football is officially back, with four of its nine 6A teams still alive. He was surprised Lipscomb has come this far with such a young team. He also points to the classification debate around East Nashville and Pearl-Cohn. For games to watch next week, the panel picks Page at Beech, Lipscomb at BA, Greeneville at Alcoa, and Riverdale at a surprise Cleveland team that went from 1–9 to the quarterfinals.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Best of  The Buck Reising Show- Titans Trade Amani Hooker, Evaluating Mike Borgonzi, & Alex Daugherty on PredsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

3HL - 11-13-26 - Hour 3 - Jarrett Guarantano breaks down Tennessee vs Texas A&M. https://x.com/brentdoughertyhttps://x.com/TheRonSlayhttps://x.com/DawnDavenportTNhttps://x.com/jmbonanno13https://x.com/3HL1045https://x.com/1045TheZonePodcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/3hl/id1103395659 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1045thezone/I Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/3hl/ https://www.instagram.com/brentdougherty3hl/ https://www.instagram.com/theeronslay/ https://www.instagram.com/dawndavenporttn/ https://www.instagram.com/1045TheZone/ Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@1045thezonehttps://www.tiktok.com/@3hl1045 #1045TheZone #TennesseeTitans #NFLFootball #Titans #NFLFootball #TennesseeVols #NashvilleSCSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

3HL - 11-13-26 - Hour 2 - College teams around the country affected by the FAA flight stoppage...including the Vols, college basketball this weekend and a high school football update. https://x.com/brentdoughertyhttps://x.com/TheRonSlayhttps://x.com/DawnDavenportTNhttps://x.com/jmbonanno13https://x.com/3HL1045https://x.com/1045TheZonePodcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/3hl/id1103395659 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1045thezone/I Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/3hl/ https://www.instagram.com/brentdougherty3hl/ https://www.instagram.com/theeronslay/ https://www.instagram.com/dawndavenporttn/ https://www.instagram.com/1045TheZone/ Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@1045thezonehttps://www.tiktok.com/@3hl1045 #1045TheZone #TennesseeTitans #NFLFootball #Titans #NFLFootball #TennesseeVols #NashvilleSCSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.