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This week on "Sports Files"
I'll preview Monday afternoon's
Autozone Liberty Bowl, and do
so with the head coaches for the
game, Kevin Sumlin of Texas A
and M and West Virginia's Dana
Holgorsen.
[theme music]
Happy Holidays everyone!
We certainly hope you
are having a joyous one.
'Tis the season
also for bowl games,
and for the Memphis Tigers,
their first trip to a bowl since
2008 was one to remember.
After blowing a ten point fourth
quarter lead against B-Y-U in
the Miami Beach Bowl, the
Tigers forced overtime late in
regulation on a fourth
down touchdown pass,
forced double overtime on a 55
yard Jake Elliot field goal,
then won it in double O-T on a
Paxton Lynch touchdown pass to
freshman Roderick Proctor.
The game would end on a Tigers
interception and then a may lay
would ensue that
got pretty ugly.
The Tigers ten win season
would be their first since 1938.
Congratulations.
Okay, since 1965, the city of
Memphis has played host to the
Liberty Bowl game.
This year marks the 56th
annual post season contest,
having started back in
1959 in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania.
The Autozone Liberty Bowl game
is one of the oldest and most
historic of the bowl games and
this year features a tremendous
matchup of the S-E-C
versus the Big 12.
Texas A and M
will rep the S-E-C.
The Aggies finished the
regular season seven and five.
Kevin Sumlin's team features
a high octane offense led by
Quarterback Kyle Allen, who
replaced Kenny Hill as the
team's starting
quarterback in week nine.
Meanwhile, West Virginia will
attempt to successfully fly the
Big 12 banner on Monday.
The Mountaineers also put
together a seven and five mark
which included a successful five
and four record in the Big 12.
And if you thought the Aggies
could light up the scoreboard,
West Virginia has
been a scoring machine.
Coach Dana Holgorsen's offense,
led by signal caller Clint
Trickett, finished 17th in
the nation in total offense.
Today I go one-on-two
with the head coaches,
Kevin Sumlin and Dana Holgorsen.
We'll get a preview of the
game, a look back at each team's
regular season thru the eyes
of their respective leaders,
and we'll hear what it was like
when the two worked together at
Houston, with Sumlin serving
as Head Coach of the Cougars,
and Holgorsen as one
of his assistants.
It's all coming up
next on "Sports Files."
[theme music]
Gentlemen, thanks so
much for joining me today.
Great to see ya.
Great to have you in the
Autozone Liberty Bowl game.
Kevin, let me start with you.
To date, how would you
evaluate your season?
Oh, it's been one
of ups and downs.
You know, we've
had some good wins.
We've had some close losses.
We've had some terrible losses.
So, we got a young team.
And I think we played that
way, weren't real consistent but
showed some signs of
being a pretty good team.
And then, you know,
with young teams,
sometimes guys were a
little bit overwhelmed.
So, we had peaks and valleys.
But overall, you know, I think
it's something we can build on
in the future.
Yeah, was that to be expected
when you're coming off a year
which was sensational and
you lost the talent you lost?
Yeah, we lost a couple of
guys and played a bunch of young
guys, particularly
the quarterback.
A couple of real young guys.
But, you know, I think
they grew as the year went.
They were excited to
play in this game.
Dana, I know you had some big
wins and some tough losses,
as well.
Talk about your season.
Well, it's kind of a very
similar script to Texas A and M
honestly.
I mean, you know, the
one thing about it is,
is we're fortunate to be able to
play in a good conference in the
Big 12.
We're fortunate to be able
to play a tough schedule.
We were competitive
-- for the most part,
competitive all year.
Unfortunately we didn't win a
couple of those close games in
the middle.
You know, played a
lot of young guys.
You know, obviously, you know,
not going to a bowl game last
year, it humbles ya.
So, our guys are pretty
fired up for this bowl prep,
pretty fired up for this game.
It's a great match-up when you
get a team from the S-E-C and a
team from the Big 12.
Two explosive offenses.
Everybody expects, alright,
fireworks galore with these two
offenses.
Is that what we should expect?
Dana, let me start with you.
Well, it depends on how
these quarterbacks play,
I think.
I mean, we've played a
couple of different quarterbacks
throughout the
course of the year.
Ended the year with
the young guy ourselves,
a sophomore.
You know, we're still going to
evaluate Clint Trickett to see
if he's able to play.
If he can't, then we're
going to go with a young guy.
And I know Texas A and M's got
a couple of young guys there,
as well.
So, two very
similar offenses and,
you know, you got to get those
quarterbacks playing pretty good
if you need to be successful.
Right.
And for those who don't
know the situation with Clint,
can you explain
that to our viewers?
Well, he just, you
know, Clint's had a great year.
You know, and he's not
the most physical presence,
you know, out there.
He comes in about
6'1", 190 pounds.
Throughout the wear
and tear of the season,
you know, he ended up kind of
getting knocked out of a couple
of those games.
So, we're
evaluating where he's at.
Had a tremendous senior year.
He's responsible for
getting us to a bowl game.
Kind of ran out of gas there
towards the end of the year.
So, we'll evaluate him
and see where he's at.
Kevin, I know it started out
with Trill Hill and just an
explosive performance as he came
on the scene in beating South
Carolina, that big
to open the season.
And then, of course, it's Kyle
Allen maybe midway to the end of
the season who put
up some good numbers,
as well.
Just talk about your
quarterback situation.
Yeah, I think, you
know, it's been documented.
Kenny started off
the year on fire.
Kyle has come on, you know, and
started the last four or five
games of the year and
continues to get better.
So, you know, both
of them are young.
One is a true sophomore.
The other guy is
a true freshman.
So, you know, I think Dana
hit it right on the head.
You know, the quarterback play
will be big in this game as far
as points and production.
But I think the guys have
gotten better during the year.
And we'll see how it works out.
I know we're still a ways
away from the game itself and
breaking down
each other's teams.
But on the surface when
you look at West Virginia,
what worries you the most,
concerns you the most about
preparing for them?
You know, I think
they've been really,
really solid on defense.
I think Dana hit it right on the
head that they had real close
losses to some really good teams
and beaten some good teams.
So, you see, you know, what
the trademark of West Virginia
football, what Dana has done.
They're playing hard.
They're playing fast, changing
the looks on defense and got
some explosive players.
So, you know, we're going to
have to match that type of
speed, game speed real
quickly in a game like this.
Otherwise, you
can get in trouble.
No question.
And Dana, when you
look at Texas A and M,
your concerns?
Good news is I've been following
Kevin his whole life here.
So, I've kind of got it figured
out what he's doing on all three
sides of the ball.
We've got to figure out what
they're going to do defensively
a little bit here.
But, you know, offensively
there's a lot of similarities,
what we're going to do.
I mean, we're cut
from the same mold.
We got the same systems.
Probably try to figure out
who can fool each other,
I guess, more than anything.
But, you know, Texas A and
M is a great football team.
They've played at
a very high level.
They've been competitive for
the majority of the tough losses
that they've had obviously.
And they're going to have
great athletes running around.
I know Kevin's been recruiting
hard for three or four years at
Texas A and M.
Got great O-linemen.
They do sons of the N-F-L every
year and just tons of athletes
on defense.
It'll be a challenge.
Alright, let's
expound on what you said.
Cut from the same mold.
You obviously have a
relationship and a history.
Dana, two years
under Kevin at Houston.
What can you tell me about
him, the man and the coach,
and what did you learn from him?
Well, I tell you what he
does a fantastic job is,
is being a C-E-O of the program.
You know, he came in
as an offensive guy,
like I was, but just a fantastic
job of being the C-E-O of the
program.
He does an
unbelievable job recruiting,
relating with his
players, you know,
building good
quality young men and,
you know, making sure that on
all three sides of the ball,
he's getting the right schemes
in place and getting them
motivated to play.
I try to take a lot of that
with me to West Virginia.
You know, being an offensive guy
myself and spending a lot of my
whole career on
offense, you know,
you're not going to win very
many championships if you're not
very good in recruiting, you're
not very good on defense and
you're not molding these guys
in to what they need to be.
So, it ws a good two
years under Coach Sumlin.
I'm pretty fortunate to be in
this game right now at West
Virginia.
Two of the top offensive
innovators in the game I'm
speaking to right now.
So, when you had Dana, what
did you see in Dana that has
obviously propelled
him to these heights?
I saw a guy who is
brilliant offensively,
creatively and across
the board in football.
A guy who is on
the cutting edge,
knew what he was wanting to do,
knew how to communicate it to
young guys, knew
how to motivate.
And, you know, like I said early
in his career when we first
called him, you know, if I
wanted somebody to come in and
get creative, do the things that
we wanted to do offensively,
he just took it from there.
And I'm not surprised he's
had the success he's had.
You mentioned earlier that
there's the improvement when you
look at West Virginia's defense.
This game has changed so
much, as you guys know.
Can you win big strictly with
offense and a mediocre defense?
Or to win it all, to
be in the playoff,
to win a championship, do
you have to have some defense?
Yeah, I think so.
I think you have to
have some defense.
You know, we struggled
there and we're getting better.
But without a doubt, you know,
the two conferences that we play
in, I think it bears out.
You know, and in particular in
the S-E-C and in the S-E-C West,
you better play some defense.
Otherwise, it will
be a long night.
Kevin White, speaking of trying
to play defense on this guy,
you have coached some
darn good receivers.
How good is he?
Well, I tell you what's been
fun to watch about Kevin is,
is just developing in to what
you currently see as a senior.
We're talking about a guy that
was in junior college for three
years, wasn't a dominating
player in junior college but was
-- had a ton of athleticism,
spent two spring practices and a
full year before he found some
confidence and a pretty good
rapport with the quarterback
that was on the same page with
them.
That doesn't hurt, as well.
But he's a tremendous young man.
He's going to get his degree
here over the Christmas break.
He's going to move on in to the
N-F-L and play football for a
long time.
Don't give away your trade
secrets but it seems like it's
almost impossible on paper.
Yeah, every time you look up for
what we do on Saturday night on
E-S-P-N, he's on the highlights.
So, it's the first guy that we
knew who he was and on video,
he does it against everybody.
So, we better have some
kind of plan to help them.
You have obviously all these
extra practices that coincide
with being in a bowl game.
So, you're preparing
for your opponent.
Obviously you want
to come out with a W.
But you're also
looking ahead to next year.
Is that the case, Dana, as
far as can you start preparing
already for 2015?
You can do it a
little bit of that.
But, you know, just like we
were talking about earlier,
there's so much
recruiting going on right now.
There's a week's full of finals.
Before you know it,
you're in game prep.
So, there's..
You're able to spend
some time with them,
which I think is important.
You're able to challenge
them a little bit more.
You know, the days of
being able to have 15,
16 practices, I think, are over.
You don't have that
much time with them.
But the little work that you
do, every little bit helps.
Is it normal game preps for
West Virginia or are there new
nuances that you throw in while
you're preparing for the bowl
game?
Well, you know, you've got time.
So, you know, coaches can be
their own worst enemy during
this time because we come up
with all kinds of stuff when we
have time on our hands.
And, you know, there's a lot
of familiarity with both of us.
So, I would assume that there's
going to be some new stuff from
this game.
I would imagine there
would be some traction.
I know this guy pretty good.
He's going to be
thinking of some stuff.
I'll tell you.
First thing we got to do
is, probably both of us,
is change our signals.
Right.
Familiarity, right?
Yeah.
Steve Ehrhart, the executive
director of the Autozone Liberty
Bowl, Harold Graeter, all the
fine folks that do such a great
job with this bowl game.
I know they're excited because
we're talking about two of the
great fan bases in college
football in Texas A and M and
West Virginia.
So, Dana, let me start with you.
What has been the reaction
and what type of support do you
believe you'll get for the
Mountaineers for this game?
Yeah, our fan base is fired up.
There's been some
intense talks, you know,
with the Liberty Bowl and West
Virginia for the last couple of
years when the Liberty Bowl
got involved with the Big 12.
And obviously West Virginia
because of geography was going
to be a good fit.
So, and again, don't mean to
bring this up too much but not
going to a bowl game
for a year, you know,
that humbles you.
It humbles your fan base.
Our fan base is
excited about traveling.
It's within driving distance.
And to be able to play a
national S-E-C team in Texas A
and M, I think, is going to
be something that everybody is
going to be fired up about.
Kevin, with the Aggie following,
what's it going to be like?
Oh, it's going to be great.
I think our fans are fired up.
A lot of them haven't
been in this area very,
very often.
I know our players
are excited to be here.
Fans are excited to be here.
You know, it's really a new
place for us and an opponent
that it's hard to
believe we've never played.
So, that's always good for not
only the game but good for the
fans, too.
So, can the 12th man make
a statement in Memphis?
Twelfth man can make a
statement where ever.
So, you know, I wouldn't look
for this to be any different.
I got to ask you, Dana,
about this Twitter deal.
Because, Kevin, I don't know
how much you're on Twitter.
I know Dana is.
And, look, you look
terrific, my friend.
I got to tell you.
But the Big Ern McCracken thing,
what's going on with that?
It was just some comedy.
You got to have fun with us or
this profession is pretty hard.
It's pretty
competitive, you know.
Everybody is always at each
other's throats when it comes to
recruiting and being
competitive on the field.
You've got to have some fun
with it a little bit as well.
That was just an exchange
between me and Coach to have
some fun with it.
Very entertaining, it was.
Recruiting -- how
is everything going?
Kevin, let me ask you.
Good, we're all over the place.
And just like
Dana said, you know,
you've got to mix this
time of year with recruiting,
home visits, official
visits and practice.
And so, the calendar
is going to change.
So, one thing has got to give.
And for what we're doing,
recruiting is not going to give.
We're not going
to budge on that.
And I tell ya, I would
imagine that the families,
it's tough on them because here
we are in the holidays and it's
probably the busiest
time for you guys.
Right, Dana?
Well, it is.
You know, and, you know, with
the whole recruiting thing..
I mean, Kevin has done a
great job of recruiting.
I learned a lot of
things that we've done.
That doesn't slow down.
That never slows down.
But when they let
the head coaches out,
we've got to get out there.
We've got to, you know, got to
get in to as many homes as we
possibly can and sell our brand.
Big 12 has been
great for West Virginia.
You know, it's allowed us to
recruit at a higher level,
you know, which is up and
down on the East coast.
Probably not going to
venture too far from that.
As far as the kids go
and their families,
you know, I mean, you know, it's
you don't want to stay at home.
So, if you have an opportunity
to travel and go to a bowl game,
I think everybody is
going to be excited about it.
First year for the play-off.
I want to get your
thoughts on that.
I know the Big 12 was shut out.
I know there was a lot of
controversy as far as that's
concerned.
But overall, you have obviously
your A-D with Oliver Luck is on
that committee.
Your thoughts on how the
committee did in this first
year?
Well, I think they did
a fantastic job really.
You know, it's the
first year of doing it.
If you think they're going
to get through it without any
hiccups, you're kind
of fooling yourselves.
So, you know, Big 12 is probably
going to have to tweak some
things just to put Big 12 on
an even playing field with
everybody else.
There's five great
conferences out there.
And there's only four spots.
You know, so, you got to
settle it on the field.
You know, I think T-C-U and
Baylor both agree that they
should probably should
have won that extra game.
So, it's going to
continue to tweak.
I think we're on
the right track.
Continue to tweak.
I know Bob Bowlsby has been very
vocal although he has not said
or committed to adding
teams in the future.
Do you think that's the way to
go if a waiver is not presented
to have a championship game?
The first step is the waiver.
You know, we submitted the
waiver quite some time ago.
I think all the Big 12
coaches would agree.
A championship game to put us
at a 13th game is going to be
something that we
need to entertain.
If the N-C-A-A
doesn't allow that,
then we probably got
to take some steps.
But that's way
above my pay grade.
I'm just trying to be
a football coach here.
That's why they get in those
meetings and hash things out.
And again, I think
we're on the right track.
I just think it's going to
take some time to get it right.
Kevin, your reaction to
year one for the committee?
Yeah, I thought
they did a great job.
I thought, you know, it created
the excitement that everybody
was looking for.
You know, the television
ratings and everything was..
Every week everybody was waiting
on Tuesday whether they want to
admit or not to
see where they were.
I think there's been some
discussion about how the
rankings every week
didn't really matter.
I think they did.
I think, you know,
football used to be,
for a lot of fans,
regionally watched.
And I think what it created was
a situation where people were
watching, in the South were
watching Ohio State in Oregon
because it affected
people in the South.
And all over the country, we
were watching different games
that maybe didn't watch before
just to see who was going to be
in that '14 play-off.
One team from the S-E-C gets in
in Alabama and who knows what
would have happened if Missouri
upset Alabama in the S-E-C
championship game.
With that said, and we know the
competitiveness in the Big 12
and all of the
power five conferences.
That S-E-C West, that's got to
drive you crazy preparing every
week for one of those teams.
Yeah, it's a grind.
But, you know, there's
a lot of good teams,
a lot of good coaches,
a lot of good players.
But like I said before, I
think what the play-off did,
what this whole set up did was
take people from really being --
watching regional football
as much but watching national
football because it affected it
and it affected your conference.
It affected who was going to
be in this play-off situation.
And I think from
that standpoint,
I think it's accomplishing
what we want to accomplish.
Dana, will there be time to go
to Graceland while you're down
here?
Well, the thing I'm really
excited about is getting to know
Memphis a little bit.
But I know our practice
situation is about two minutes
away.
We were in New York a couple
of years ago which made that a
little bit tough.
I was in Miami the year before
that which was a little bit
tough, too.
So, you know, it's
going to be a great bowl.
Our kids are
excited about coming up,
and practicing, and putting
their best foot forward but
also, being able to get away
and be able to see some of the
sights of Memphis, as well.
With that said, as
Coach Holgorsen said,
is it tough or is it easy to
balance having a good time with
the mission at hand
is to win the game?
Well, I think it's part
of the bowl experience.
You know, you've got a
chance to take our team.
For example, a lot of guys
have never been to Memphis.
And so, the ability
to explore Memphis,
to see new things,
get some good barbecue,
let them see
what's happening here,
it's all part of the experience.
And then, you know,
getting ready to play the game,
too.
Alright, final question.
Dana, what will it take for West
Virginia to hold that trophy
above their heads when
it's all said and done?
Well, we've had a little bit
of a problem this year with
turnovers.
So, at the end of the day,
you've got to make sure that you
hang on to the ball.
So, you know, a lot of that
has to do with your quarterback
play.
We're going to have to do a good
job of taking care of the ball,
you know, and trying to
get points when we can.
It's going to be a
competitive game.
It's going to be a fun game.
It's going to up
tempo, up paced.
You know, and at
the end of the day,
it's about taking
care of the ball,
getting some points when you
have the chance to get some
points.
As you guys said,
you've never met.
Both teams have been
in this bowl game once.
But only Texas A and
M played in Memphis.
West Virginia played
actually in Atlantic City,
New Jersey the one
year they had it.
So, Kevin, to add that trophy to
the nice trophy case at Texas A
and M, what will it take
to beat West Virginia?
I think the same thing.
We've had our
problems with turnovers,
too, you know, as a young team.
And being able to handle the
situation will be a big deal for
our young players.
But, you know, I
think I'd say this.
I think both teams better get
some sleep the night before
because there's going to be
a lot of plays this game.
There is no question
and we expect fireworks.
I know it's going to be a
great crowd for this game.
We're looking forward to it.
West Virginia, Texas A and M and
the Autozone Liberty Bowl game.
Dana, thank you so much.
Great to see ya.
Kevin, always good to see you.
Thanks so much for your time.
Thank you.
We'll take a short time-out.
"Overtime" is next.
[theme music]
So 2014 is just about over.
In fact, this is our
final show of the year.
Next week we'll usher in 2015
by looking at some New Year's
resolutions.
Today however I thought it would
be neat to take a quick look
back at the year in sports.
So, here we go.
In 2014, the name Richard
Sherman became a household name
as he led the Seattle Seahawks
to a 43-8 rout of Peyton Manning
and the Denver
Broncos in Super Bowl 48.
The Memphis Tigers men's hoop
squad would go 23 and 8 but just
12 and 6 in the
American Conference.
The Tigers would draw the
fifth seed for the conference
tournament played at FedExForum
and Memphis would get clobbered
in the quarter-finals by
eventual national champions
Connecticut The Tigers would get
an at large birth in the N-C-A-A
tournament in which they would
beat George Washington in round
two but fall to
Virginia in the round of 32.
The Memphis Grizzlies would
overcome obstacles both on and
off the court to win 50 games
and draw the seventh seed for
the playoffs in the
wild western conference.
The Grizz suffered key injuries
and a complete overhaul in the
front office with the firing
of President Jason Levien.
The Grizz would battle the
favored Oklahoma City Thunder to
a seventh game in round
one of the post season,
but a suspension to Zach
Randolph for game seven would
prove to be too much
for the team to overcome.
As for the rest of the playoffs,
the ageless wonders from San
Antonio would win another title,
as the Spurs avenged a loss from
a season ago to the Miami Heat,
winning four games to one for
their fifth N-B-A crown.
At the FedEx-Saint Jude Classic,
Ben Crane resurrected his career
with his fifth victory and
the first wire to wire win in
Memphis since Brian Gay
turned the trick in 2009.
He would hold off Troy Merritt
by a stroke despite a final
round 73.
On the diamond, the Memphis
Redbirds won 79 games and the
P-C-L American Southern Division
title but lost in the first
round of the playoffs, falling
to Omaha three games to one.
Off the field, huge news for the
birds who were purchased by the
Saint Louis Cardinals
from the city of Memphis.
The Cards have started
renovations to Autozone Park,
where as part of the deal, will
spend four-and-a-half million
dollars on upgrades.
In the bigs, the Cardinals once
again found their way into the
post season before falling to
eventual World Series champion
San Francisco.
The Cards surprised the Dodgers
before losing to the G-Men.
San Francisco would hold off
surprising Kansas City four
games to three to win
their third title since 2010.
Off the field, tragedy struck
the Cardinals organization when
a car driven by young star Oscar
Taveras crashed in his native
country of the Dominican
Republic killing Taveras and his
girlfriend.
It was discovered later that
Taveras's blood alcohol level
was five times the legal limit.
And finally, 2014 produced a
pretty memorable football season
for area teams.
The play of Ole Miss and
Mississippi State drew the eyes
of the college pigskin
world to the Magnolia State.
E-S-P-N game day even made an
appearance in Oxford for the
very first time with singer
Katy Perry stealing the show.
Tennessee qualified for its
first bowl under Butch Jones and
Arkansas showed vast improvement
and a promising future with
Brett Bielema at the helm.
And of course the Memphis Tigers
bounced back from a three win
season in 2013 to win nine
games in the regular season,
ten in all, and qualify for the
programs' first bowl game since
2008.
Head Coach Justin Fuente was
named American Coach of the Year
and was awarded with a new
five year contract starting at a
reported 1.4 million per season.
And that will do it for now.
Next week we'll talk plenty of
Grizzlies who will close out the
2014 calendar year with a home
game against Houston tonight,
a visit to Miami tomorrow
and a visit from the defending
champion Spurs on Tuesday.
Also, our next telecast of
Tigers Basketball here on
W-K-N-O we'll come your way
at 10:30 pm on New Year's Eve.
That's next Wednesday as the
Tigers open up conference play
against Houston.
Not a bad way to
usher in the new year.
Until then, have a great week,
Happy New Year and we'll see you
next time.
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Production funding for
"Sports Files" is
made possible in part by..
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Infiniti of Memphis has moved to
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north of Wolfchase Galleria and
is proud to support W-K-N-O for
its quality broadcasting and
service
to our community.
Quality and service --
No wonder Infiniti of Memphis
feels at
home on W-K-N-O.
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BY W-K-N-O, MEMPHIS.