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NEWS, NOTES & QUOTES FROM CBS SPORTS' "COLLEGE FOOTBALL TODAY" WITH TIM BRANDO, SPENCER TILLMAN AND TONY BARNHART

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CSTV'S "CHICK-FIL-A SEC TAILGATE" SHOW, HOSTED BY GREG AMSINGER FORMER
GEORGIA ALL-AMERICAN DAVID POLLACK AND KENTUCKY LEGEND TIM COUCH

 

CBS Sports pre-game show COLLEGE FOOTBALL TODAY hosted by Tim Brando, along with analysts Spencer Tillman and Tony Barnhart of the Atlanta Journal Constitution prior to SEC ON CBS broadcast - LSU-Kentucky

 

¨ (On Kentucky being set for an upset)

Spencer Tillman:  You don't see it as a potential upset? LSU has clear path to the national championship they are sky high. Meantime, this Kentucky bunch...coming off one of the worst performances I have seen over the last couple of years in terms of the way they executed.  You don't expect them to play as poorly as they have in back-to-back games. 

Tim Brando: Especially with a quarterback as good as Andre Woodson

 

¨ (On Early Doucet and LSU)

Brando: (Matt) Flynn has not been as impressive. Early Doucet, his go-to receiver has not been there.  Early word out of Lexington is he's dressed and ready to go.

Tillman: I think that's a bit of a smokescreen.  We know the nature of his injury.  That's problematic.  Kentucky doesn't play defense, but they can score.  LSU can't play small ball from behind.  It's going to be very difficult for Les Miles to duplicate the performance he had last week against Florida and come away with the win. 

 

¨Tony Barnhart: One of the things that have happened in the last couple of years was that Les Miles has been sort of portrayed as the caretaker of the LSU program.  You know what? Not anymore.  Last week, Les Miles put his stamp on that program, and it wasn't just the 5-5 on fourth down, it was the fake field goal, it was all of that, and he showed a lot of confidence in his football team and that kind of confidence is  contagious. 

 

¨ (On the BCS Poll)

Brando: I see a huge yellow flashing light, red light, the perfect storm from South Florida.  The team is unbeaten.  They're a BCS. School.  Never has an undefeated BCS team sat at home while a one-loss team got past them.  Boston College is ahead of them right now.  How can that possibly happen given the resume that this South Florida team has? They've beaten West Virginia, a third ranked team.  They've beaten Auburn on the road.  I think there are a lot of voters out there that don't even know they are in the Big East.  Folks, they are.  This fly in the ointment is not Boise State, and if Boston College is ahead of them now, imagine where USC or Oklahoma -- maybe even South Carolina -- might be if they win out. 

 

Barnhart: Timmy, you've got to relax.  Don't worry about South Florida.

 

Brando:  I'm loving it. 

 

Barnhart: Because of that win over Auburn, because of that win over West Virginia they're going to get a lot of love from the computers.  They'll be number four tomorrow I promise you, when the BCS comes out. 

Brando:  The computers are not the humans and the humans have weight.

NOTES FROM CBS SPORTS LEAD COLEGE FOOTBALL ANALYST GARY DANIELSON AT START OF LSU-KENTUCKY GAME

  

¨On LSU:

Danielson: It was once taboo, you couldn't use two quarterbacks but success breeds imitation. LSU has two quarterbacks.  They're a little bit different.  One's a senior.  He's the pocket passer, Matt Flynn.  But (Ryan) Perrilloux comes in and gives this offense another dimension.  Perrilloux is a thrower.  He was 20-25 against Middle Tennessee State.  I expect he will throw the ball today.

 

The heart and soul of this football team is Jacob Hester.  When things get tough, fourth down, they go to this guy. He is money.  He doesn't turn it over.  He's a first down and touchdown machine. 

 

¨On Andre Woodson:

He's special.  He really is.  He's got his hands full in this football game but Andre Woodson has the pedigree to carry a football team.  He's been here through the tough times.  He is a pure pocket passer.  He doesn't do the Tebow thing from the shotgun in the spread; he will be a sitting target in the pocket.  Will LSU get to him? If they don't, he will be a huge factor in the football game. 

 

 

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The "CHICK-FIL-A SEC TAILGATE" is CSTV's new, weekly comprehensive pregame show, which serves as the ultimate source for coverage of SEC Football, offering a complete look at all the news and action from around the conference, analysis of the week's games, along with the SEC traditions and culture live from the heart of the tailgate parties.  The show is broadcasted live at NOON, ET every week from the site of CBS Sports' SEC Game of the Week. 

  

Today's show originated from outside of Commonwealth Stadium, in Lexington prior to LSU-Kentucky.  Hosted by CSTV's Greg Amsinger and David Pollack, the 2002 SEC Player of the Year, the weekly show features a rotating guest analyst.  This week's show featured legendary Kentucky quarterback Tim Couch.

  

¨On Kentucky:

Tim Couch: What a great weekend. We have Billy Gillispie's first big blue madness and the Kentucky Wildcats about to upset the number one team in the country. It's good to be from Lexington.

 

David Pollack: We are in Lexington, Kentucky and it's not basketball season. It's incredible. These people are excited about football. The complexion of the SEC is changing. Kentucky is saying we're for real.

  

¨On Jacob Hester:

Pollack: They'll have to stop Jacob Hester. He is not the biggest or the fastest but he has the biggest heart. He makes plays, lowers his head...fourth and one, they're giving this guy the ball and he's saying I don't care if I run into my own lineman, I'll stretch it out. They're going against the 91st ranked number defense in the country. You'll see a lot of him. This guy is really good. This guy is stepping up and leading the team.

 

Couch: Jacob Hester is a good football player. You have to load up that box and make them make Matt Flynn and Ryan Perrilloux get it in. Kentucky's defense is 91st in the country versus the rush. They have to load it up in there and try to make this team pass it to beat them.

  

¨On LSU:

Pollack: They're mean up front. LSU is a mean football team in the trenches.

 

¨On Les Miles

Pollack: Did you see some of the calls he (Les Miles) made with the fake field goal? This guy just rolled the dice and said I believe in my team and I can get one yard. This is how they're going to win a national championship, whatever it takes. If I'm a player, I think, this coach believes in us and he knows we're going to get it done and you fight that much harder for him.

 

¨Is Florida in the hunt to play in SEC Champ?

Couch: I don't think so. They are dealing with the death of a teammate; they have also lost two SEC games for the first time since 2004. They are young and inexperienced and that will come back to haunt them plus they may lose another SEC Game.

 

¨On Tennessee:

Pollack: Tennessee has a great shot to make a run. They have a favorable schedule down the stretch. Last week the way they played against the University of Georgia, they completely shut them out. They held them to 69 yards rushing, dominating them statistically. They have four home games after Mississippi State and Alabama on the road. Then we might be back here to see if they can clinch the SEC East against Kentucky.

 

¨ On Andre Woodson:

Andre Woodson is the best quarterback in the country right now. I think he's going to have a long NFL career. He makes tremendous decisions. He threw 300-some passes without throwing an interception. He utilizes all of his targets. This guy makes throws with great velocity and a great touch.

 

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