By Jennifer Lewis
Kirk Herbstreit, a five-time Sports Winning Emmy Award winner, two outstanding Event Analysts, joined ESPN in 1996 and has worked alongside the greats like Rece Davis, Desmond Howard, David Pollack, Lee Corso and his longtime cohost and colleague Chris Fowler. They are both pretty excited to be working together again in the booth for the College Football Championship. The advantages that he has with Chris Fowler in the booth – just the familiarity and the cadence of the broadcast, small nonverbal communication skills, just knowing each other, and 26 years of experience working together. The game of course will be played Monday night at the new and elite SoFi Stadium, one that per Kirk is unlike any other stadium, not a dome but similar and very high tech. Unlike any stadium he has been in.
That being said when asked about the upcoming game and his insights, one reporter asked if he could remember another Cinderella story like TCU, and he said No. In all honesty I did not know this, but Max Duggan was not supposed to be the starting quarterback this year, Chandler Morris was, but he ended up with a sprained knee and that knocked him out of TCU’s season opening win over Colorado. Here we are.
Having a new coach, Sonny Dykes (he came from across town at Southern Methodist) to TCU, first full season and only the THIRD coach in his first season, take a losing program the season before, to the National championship the next year, Coach Dykes first year at TCU. Coach Dykes and TCU is the first Texas team to make a National Championship game. The fact that TCU gas been able to keep winning and get here is a testament to Coach Dykes and Max Duggan in that they have created the atmosphere cultural, chemistry and belief are what matters and the fact that TCU is showing us that is important, TCU has created a TEAM and that is something to believe in. Coach Dykes has been the game changer for the Frogs!
When talking about the national favorites to win this game, the name Kirby Smart is
unmistakable with Georgia Bulldogs. Some folks remember him from his Alabama days and it was probably smart for him to stay and learn from Saban when he was initially offered the job of DC in January 2010 because it seems that the student may have become the Professor, in this case. Coach Smart has created a brand of his own “GA is developing players, he is recruiting, he has found a way to keep motivation and continue on. Kirby has found a way not to do that. GA keeps the edge and all credit to Kirby. “
Last season and even the beginning of this season some GA fans wanted Daniels to be the quarterback…. I love what Kirk said “Stetson gets the opportunity to write his own story and gets the opportunity to prove everyone wide wrong. He hopes that Stetson gets the outcome he wants, that being said he is not stating whom he wants to win the game, just at the end of the day. What is Kirby’s decision to stick with Stetson as his quarterback – and his decision to stick with Stetson, he was hoping that JT would get better and the fact that Stetson kept making plays last year and this year and the decision was basically made for him. “
I was able to ask who Kirk thinks will be the game changers, the quiet game changers for this game, and he said that he thinks from Georgia, Adonai Mitchell # 5 wide receiver who is coming off of an injury and Demari Demacotta # 3 backup back for TCU who had 150 yards last week against Michigan.
When asked what the Achilles heel is for both teams, he mentioned their secondaries because both offenses are so sure fire. Can GA get pressure on Duggan before the wide receiver can make plays? For TCU, how do they match up against Stetson and the tight ends? can they coral Stetson?
At the end of the day, well night on Monday we will have a great team in the box and on the field, both playing and on the sidelines.
I look forward to seeing Chris and Kirk at it together again.
