Breaking Down the National Championship Game with Terry Bowden

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00:00All right, so I just want to start by saying what a gift it's been for me personally all season long

00:07Having made a new friend in Terry about I just think the guy is just a fantastic

00:14Person and a legendary coach obviously, but I had so much fun

00:19Talking college football with this guy every single week throughout the college football season

00:22I just want him to know how much I care about him and how much I enjoy him

00:26I loved him on the show

00:28I thought he was fantastic and it really means a lot to me that he spent the entire season was because I made a new

00:34friend and I think very highly of you coach and I've really

00:38Found it a special time for me every week to be able to have you on the show and it means a lot to me

00:43And I just thank you very much. I think you're a terrific person

00:47Well, I do appreciate that. It's always great to talk college football and not just NFL but college football

00:54Which we've enjoyed doing and it's come down to a pretty good game

00:59Between two historic teams from a national college football perspective. These teams are about as historic as they come

01:06I gotta tell you as you know, you're going big onions tonight

01:12To win the game outright

01:14They're getting nine, but I think they can win the game

01:18I believed in the commanders that they could win on Friday. I said they would win

01:23I said they would play the Eagles in the NFC title game. Both of those things came to fruition

01:28I think Notre Dame can win this game

01:31Despite the fact that frankly no one on the face of the earth thinks they have a shot and you know

01:37I said to my son today coach. I said if they have no shot

01:40Why isn't the spread 16 or 18 points because they get talked about like they're dog food Notre Dame

01:47Let me tell you what Notre Dame's got it's not analytical and you can't statistically look at it

01:52They have they have chemistry that after they lost in Northern, Illinois, and I watched that coach

01:59React to his players and the players react to him. They've had something special and very few times. Do you get that?

02:05They've got a team that finds a way to win now. I've got them covered and not I've got them with the points

02:12I haven't gone as far as you have but it wouldn't shock me because of the chemistry they have

02:17The rapport they have and that's the fact that they find a way to win. They've got a quarterback distance

02:22He knows how to win if they need three yards. He gets three yards for a first down

02:26He knows when to tuck it and get the first down. He won't kill you with his passing yardage

02:30He won't kill you with his total rushing yardage every yard. He makes that will be valuable. So I can see where

02:36Notre Dame has a way to win the football game. I just can't pull away from the town turnovers big plays will be a factor

02:43They've got to get a couple of things like that. Both defenses are so good. You can't expect an over

02:49I don't think in this game goes both we're talking about the number one scoring defense and the number two scoring defense and then we're

02:55Talking about no, they've got the number one pass defense in the country. So I don't see a lot of scoring

03:01But I do see Notre Dame having a chance to pull it off just because what they've done with their season

03:06Coach I saw Michigan punch Ohio State in the Adams Apple with a sucker

03:12Haymaker and beat him in Columbus

03:15I saw Texas sit at the one-yard line with first and goal at a tie game

03:20Blow the game with bad play calling by Sarkeesian and his OC without a doubt going sideways

03:26Pitching the ball back and running sideways. I thought they blew the game. So I've seen Ohio State in trouble twice

03:34I never thought they were in trouble against Oregon in Eugene

03:38I thought they blew the game with bad clock management by Howard

03:42But I have seen them make mistakes and get beat so

03:47Why am I to think that they're so awesome and that literally everyone in the country that matters that does TV?

03:54Nationally or otherwise, I mean is there a soul on the side of the earth that isn't picking Ohio State to run away with this

04:02Game, I don't understand it. You would think that

04:06Ohio State was playing the Little Sisters of the poor

04:08Yeah

04:10Now, I mean that's what you look at the DDO scoring defense is probably the most important stat that you can have with a football

04:17Team and they're both at the very top which means the game's got a great chance to be closed and turn the ball

04:23Don't turn it over. Don't give up a big play and let me go back that their coach has a special report

04:28It's almost like he's so young. He's naive. He doesn't stand on the sideline like he's fearful. Everything bad is gonna happen

04:35I think the players respond to him that way and that's why I don't think you can be

04:39Shocked if Notre Dame does go out there and play and win the football game

04:43I still go with you know talent being the most important thing

04:47There is my dad said used to say I can win a championship if I have great leadership and I don't have injuries

04:53It's the one thing Notre Dame has not been able to control. They've lost about five key players. That's why I'm saying they're there. They're

05:01Strength is their synergy their chemistry

05:04That's the way they pull together and believe they can win something happened at Northern, Illinois

05:09to Notre Dame

05:10That has changed the way they are and by the time I watch the way they they thump, Georgia

05:15Now George is not as good as they were in their championship years

05:17But that game wasn't close, you know, and a lot of people are picking Georgia to be in this championship game

05:22So I think you're hey, I think you got plenty of argument

05:26Still think if you look at most of the people and reason the lines out there

05:30You've got a high state still with more talent in almost every position

05:35From wide receiver to running back to defense and you've got to go with an intangible

05:40What's your that gut feeling that visceral feeling not cerebral?

05:45But the visceral feeling these son of a guns are going to find a way to win

05:48So, you know, I understand what you're saying. I don't agree that

05:52their defense is

05:54Better. I think their defense is more

05:59NFL physical in terms of their hitting they are so fast and the way they hit reminds me of NFL hitting

06:07On the outside the edges the corners the safeties

06:10They hit like they're in the NFL

06:13But I think Notre Dame's defense is every bit as good as Ohio State without question now

06:20Let me ask you this so you go into the locker room and you've got a team that's 11 and 1 that has won every

06:27Game since the Northern Illinois game you're playing for a national championship. No one thinks you can win the game

06:33What do you say to them before this game as they go out on the field because I believe

06:39That they believe I believe that the Irish believe that they're going out tonight to win

06:46If you're not going out to win, then why even make the trip at all?

06:50Yeah, well, then I think you the defensively you hit that point

06:55There is no difference between these between these two deep

06:58Defenses in there the way they played all year and that evens things up

07:02But if I'm the head coach and I look at massive men

07:04Let's just go do what we've been doing the last 11 weeks

07:07You know as well as I do you can beat this football team not by something magical

07:12Not by something happened out of the out of the ordinary go out and play your game go after kick their ass

07:18Play your game and you go out there and win this guy

07:21I think you talk with complete confidence like everybody there knows exactly what they're capable of doing

07:27Do you think Riley Leonard will screw this game up?

07:32No, he's I think he's one of the reasons they win

07:35He won't throw for a lot and he's not fast enough to run for a lot of yardage

07:39But as I've seen two or three games that I've studied them if he needs three yards to get a first down

07:44He'll get three and a half if he needs to scramble on second down instead of waiting for a second receiver to get open

07:51He'll get it down to a third and one and two

07:53He makes great decisions and I think it's his decision-making

07:57Not as I'm not talking about NFL talent or the strongest arm or the fastest legs. He's got it

08:03Whatever it is. He's got it

08:05He'll make the plays to keep their drives going make first downs and to me

08:10He's always in control of himself and what he needs to do on every play

08:14Do you think they should have played this game on Friday night and not on Monday night so long?

08:21since they played the Thursday and

08:25Well, you know what it is what it is not I think both coaches would agree with you

08:29You don't want to sit around after after getting here

08:32you don't want to sit around as long as they've sat around because so many things can happen and

08:37Also, you just lose that in both of them coming off big wins a couple of big wins and you sit and things can happen

08:44You can lose that mo that momentum you can lose that that feeling and so no

08:48I think I wish they would have played it on Friday

08:50But the fact is whatever affects one team has all the opportunity to affect the other team

08:56Coach, I certainly pray to God that I get to do this again with you next year during the college football season

09:02I can't thank you enough. I've had a blast. I think the world of you. I'd love to do it with you again

09:08You're the best enjoy the game tonight and have a fantastic

09:11Happy and healthy 25 my pal

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