Stories Inside the Man Cave
Stories Inside the Man Cave
The Pass Rush with Stevie Lee: It's Cheez-Its Citrus Bowl gameday, start acting like it!
We size up Texas at the Citrus Bowl with a shorthanded roster, a steady O-line, and a mandate to dominate while younger players seize real snaps. Coaching changes, NIL pressures, and portal churn frame a candid look at how college football actually works in January.
• bowl branding spectacle and why it works
• Arch Manning on leadership amid opt-outs
• Texas mindset to prove dominance and build momentum
• depleted run room versus Michigan’s front
• O-line continuity stabilizing a young offense
• rotational depth at RB and WR and return roles
• defensive shift with Muschamp and player emotions
• penalties, consistency, and clean football as priorities
• CFP jokes, picks, and broader playoff context
• Stevie’s Cotton Bowl story and culture of legacy
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Hey, there is nothing wrong with a good new freshly opened box of Cheeses. But I never thought I would see the day to which a college football bowl game is sponsored by Cheeses. But we do have the Pop-Tart ball. But you gotta give it to the folks at Pop Tart. They own it. They create a real large life-size Pop-Tart at the end of that game for the champion through a makeshift, make-believe oven. Human Pop-Tars jump into it, and you have this baked, delicious Pop-Tart that shoots right out. It's kind of weird, but they own it. And it kind of, I don't know. I want to ask Stevie, it almost like if you don't go to the CFP, it's become a destination ball. Or am I crazy? I'm thinking I am. I guess you could call this the Longhorn pregame show, if you will, because today is the Cheese It Citrus Ball. And shout out to Hargrove Roofing. And one more shout out. We gotta give, hey, in case you're trying to get your beverages lined up for the game and for tonight, this is where you need to go. Yeah, Northwest Hills Liquor on Far West Boulevard. Um Dave Ramirez, where he really emphasizes you're not a customer, you're a guest, good friend, friend of the pod. Um I'm almost positive he and Stevie Lee are going to link up and smoke a few stovies one day and discuss their love for certain wines and bourbons. But I do want to play for you before we go to Stevie Lee. Um Arch Manning was asked a multitude of questions during this citrus bowl week. You know, I just from experience, those bowl games, especially the big ones, you're there for about five, six days, and you have multiple media obligations and openings. It gets old, it gets really old. And and I can only imagine how old it gets for a player when you're saying the same things over and over and over. That's when you got to get creative. But here we go. This is I just want you to hear from Arch Madden as he talks from being a leader to a team that is missing roughly a third of his former teammates.
SPEAKER_01:Definitely important for us two to step up, just um two guys that have been here a while and good players left. Um, and also for these younger guys to step up, get more reps, and um kind of get our timing down with them.
SPEAKER_08:Stevie's been there. He's he's uh been the underclassman, become the upperclassman, and let's not waste any more time. Episode 4504. Let's run.
SPEAKER_03:You know, like we're a dominant football team or physical football team, and you know, whether we should have been in or not, you know, that's up to the college football playoffs, but we're just here to send a message and go and dominate this game.
SPEAKER_08:Stevie Lee, I like that soundbite from the young, somewhat young old linemen. Going to dominate this game regardless of why they were left out. This is an opportunity to prove who you really are.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, that was uh that was refreshing, man. I said it this is kind of like a uh prequel for next year, what's what's gonna happen next year. So go out there, have fun and um and dominate, like you said, and then roll that over into the spring, spring practice, spring, uh, spring game, and roll that over into uh summer workouts, and roll that over into two of days, and roll that over into the season.
SPEAKER_08:It's pretty simple. You've been there, done that. Um, you know, you can this is not something that uh I think a lot of Texas fans, and I think a lot of fans who are gonna be watching this game today, they're still like, we're missing 21 players. Yeah, but that's that's college football today. College football today. We got to get past it. It is what it is, it's not changing. Um, we gotta give this was gonna be something that I uh wanted to play last week, and I couldn't wait to play for playmaker Mike Adams because I will love you know how he gets to cooking on certain topics. Uh when Texas AM was eliminated from the CFP at their home by the Miami Hurricanes, the other playmaker, Michael Irvin, well, he was literally putting belt to ass. And I love this piece of video, not because of where it was, but I couldn't wait to hear what Mike Adams, because you know, uh MA, he he's very professional, very highly respected, highly regarded, but to get him to crack him out of that character with some humor, I would have loved to have seen some reaction from him to this piece of video. But he got criticized for that, Steve. Y'all know.
SPEAKER_06:Well, I I it's fun, all fun, uh, but you only won by one touchdown. So that's the criticism for me. Yeah. Now, if if you would have come out there and won by two, three touchdowns, then you can say you put belt to ass.
SPEAKER_08:Belt to ass.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, you you won by one score.
SPEAKER_08:Now you know what BTA means. Yeah. Not you.
SPEAKER_06:I got you.
SPEAKER_08:Yeah. So which leaves this, and I didn't know about this term, Stevie, until recently. I I had never heard of this before. Battered Aggie syndrome. Have you heard of that?
SPEAKER_06:Uh yeah, they get their hopes up high, and then all of a sudden, womp womp. Poor Aggie.
SPEAKER_08:You know, our Aggie brothers and sisters, they have ever I get it. They've embraced it. This was this was sent to me by an a friend of mine who has three degrees from AM.
SPEAKER_06:Oh wow.
SPEAKER_08:Aggie died through and through it, loves our show. He doesn't like the long horse, but he respects it and loves the rivalry. But he says, Man, we we just been battered. And I said, and then he sends me this, and I was like, there's actually a t-shirt. Okay, okay. Unless that's AI generated, you never know these days. But I get it, I get it. Um, but hey, you made it to CFP CFP, but Texas did uh beat AM again. But uh so this is game day. Two o'clock, Texas, Michigan. Texas played Michigan last season, the season opener, I believe, in that great year, Quinn Yours last year, uh, as the Longhorns had a great day. Um, but as we said, both these teams, Stevie, uh, look very different. Uh, missing 21 players. Um Wisner's not going to be there. And a lot of others, those the ones who are going to the NFL draft, that's completely understandable. But what are you looking forward to seeing today from both? I mean, not so much both teams, but in this game. Because the Citrus Bowl has always been one of those New Year's prestigious type games.
SPEAKER_06:I do not have a box of cheeses. I should go get uh but uh what I want to see is consistency from Arch. Uh you know, he's been building off the end of the season, building on um uh on everything. And then um Michigan has a really good run defense, and I won't we we don't have any, you know. Well, we do have some running backs, but most of our running backs are gone. We have a depleted running back room. So I want to see us um do something in the run game um uh and see some of the offensive linemen dig in and uh actually make some something happen in the run game.
SPEAKER_08:Nibblet will be used at running back and return. Your guy from Shreeport, Simon. Simon and of course, Christian Clark. There's gonna be a lot of young people playing in this game, and you know, um Kyle Flood, which is known, he's known for his get his prowess as an old line coach. Some criticized him for not getting portal guys in before the year started, but he's also the co-head coach. He was asked about how many players will be rotating in the game because they're I I think you tell me, I interpreted what Kyle Coach Flood said this week is a lot of people, I mean a lot of longhorns will be playing in this game.
SPEAKER_00:I think it's it's really position by position. Uh I don't think you know quarterback for us has ever been a rotational position, so I don't really see that. Um, but there are other positions now where the running back room is a little bit different than it was you know two weeks ago. You know, so there's gonna be guys that you know, Ryan Niblik, Christian Clark, Michael Terry, James Todd. All these guys are gonna have a role in the game. So I think it's really just more position by position on the offensive line. We're fortunate. You know, in our starting five, you know, they're all here for the game, they're excited to play. Um, but there's other positions where where the rooms have changed a little bit over the last two weeks, and and I think there you're gonna see uh a little bit more rotation, a little bit more flexibility in terms of the game plan.
SPEAKER_08:Is that what you heard too? I mean, you're we're gonna see a ton of people play.
SPEAKER_06:I heard that we will see a ton of people play. Um we kind of have to anyway. So but um I want to see what Nibley can do with the ball in his hands behind the line of scrimmage, and then you know, crossing the line of scrimmage is his his field awareness has been fantastic when it comes to fielding punts and finding a hole. So um that that'll be fun to watch, and he has breakaway speed. I I just want some consistency from the offense, yeah, is what I really want. And then um Simmons, they they got they got him moving around in practice at different positions and things like that. So I'm wondering if it if that's a um if that's uh direction from Mush Champ. Because if I'm understanding correctly, Muschamp is not coaching this game, correct?
SPEAKER_08:He's observing. Oh, to my knowledge, hell, I'm I've been known to be wrong.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, so uh I'm looking forward to seeing um so it's not his whole defense that's not gonna be that's gonna be in the game, but you know, some things is kind of rubbing off already, yeah. Uh and moving people around and doing different things on defense.
SPEAKER_08:And it's good because Colin Simmons, one of those versatile guys, and speaking of, that's a great, nice segue there, uh uh Stevie. Um that back end of the defense or the defensive backfield. Uh they've you know, they're missing some guys, and Anthony Hill. They're going to NFL. We're talking guys who are going to NFL. Um, and you just mentioned it, you know, Will Muschat's coming back, um, Pete Kwakowski gone. Did I thought did a great job, but there was something there that it was time according it's something a reason we are reasons we're not aware of yet. Um maybe uh uh PK wanted to make a change, and maybe Sark they just wanted to bring in Muschant for a specific reason. We'll find out, it'll all be revealed. But you know, as a player, when you lose your position, coach or coordinator, it's tough because you have relationships with these people, and you you mentioned it. Kylin Simmons, well, he point blank said this was not an easy transition.
SPEAKER_04:That one hurt a little bit, you know, with PK being my coach coming in um from high school, uh, you know, putting me in the right positions to go make plays and stuff like that. But, you know, like Coach Nansen said, it's a it's a business, and you know, things happen. Um so all we gotta do is just, you know, keep on keep on building from that.
SPEAKER_08:That's all you can do. How do you handle it?
SPEAKER_06:I mean, well, yeah, I'm glad he said that um it is a business because he's gonna if if he goes on to play in the NFL, goes on to play um, you know, life after college football, it is a business, and things like this happen. So um, you know, you you you're a football player, coaches coach and and players play. So go and play, just play. And I understand it. It's there's a uh a bond that you have with uh your coach that that that gets here. Uh I had a bomb, a bond with uh Carl Reese, and then um Coach Brown made a decision. Yeah, no question. Coach Brown made a decision to to uh hire uh Greg Robinson also. Oh right, yeah, so um and Dick told me.
SPEAKER_08:Um my god, yeah, yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_06:Man, I feel like I'm getting old, man. All my coaches are dying off. But um, yeah, so um uh it was uh a little bit of a transition uh shocker at first, but then when Greg Robinson came in, he was like, Oh, okay, this is some new energy in the in the building right now, and it actually worked out for us.
SPEAKER_08:That's a good perspective. Yeah, did you am I reading too much into this? Um I'm not gonna be one of those guys that's because you can't judge what's going on behind the scenes by interviews. All the players have been great in the interviews leading up to this game, but they don't look overly enthused. It's either because they're ready to play, or what do you I mean, am I reading too much into it? I've seen another one.
SPEAKER_06:Um there's some there's some things that you can read into it. Um, you know, you have to be in the at the bowl game a week before the kickoff, right? And so that that spilled into Christmas, right? And so, you know, people are at home and and enjoying the Christmas life, and then all of a sudden you have to go and play a game down in Florida, you know, and some people think that Florida's not the blessed best place, but I like it. Um you know, it it may be an energy deal where um, you know, you're you're going up against a depleted Michigan team, you know. Michigan has a lot going on, and they all of a sudden have to play a football game. Um, so you know, it's I th I I I always got up for the Bulls because as an underclassman, I played for my upperclassman. You always want them to go out on a win. Um, and then my senior year, you know, I was in between of going to still working out for um scouts and or um you know hanging it up. So I was like, this might be my last time putting on a uniform, and uh come to find out it was, and um, and so um that those emotions are going through your head the whole week, you know. So uh I don't know if their energy is down, I just think that there's a lot going on, yeah, right now. And then you got players looking at the portal, you know. Um there's it's a lot of business going on, a lot of people in their ear right now, a lot of uh renegotiating NILs and all that stuff going on, man. So it's a it's a lot that these kids have to go through as well as keeping their grades, you know.
SPEAKER_08:So that's it's a lot, yeah, it's a lot for a young person. Um and if you go back and watch our debut with Tess, uh she calls it, that's what we're that's our series, she calls it semi-monthly. We talk about the NIL, these kids get their valuations, and that's what they present to the table in the you know, renegotiation. That's what this is basically another contract. Um, and that's what's happened to some of these for Texas and other programs. No, we're not. This is what we'll offer. Well, this is what I want. It's his business. It's all so let's get to it. What do you expect today after a kickoff of the Citrus Ball at 2 p.m. I believe?
SPEAKER_06:I expect really honestly, I expect the uh kids that we don't know about to actually step up and become Texas football players um at the University of Texas. I mean, they've waited a long time some of these guys waited a long time to get uh significant playing time on the field and they'll get it this game. Um I expect um a clean game. Um I although we had a lot of penalties all week all year, uh I expect a clean game and you know, let's see two two, three touchdown win.
SPEAKER_08:Okay. Yeah. Um talk about clean, that's good because Texas was, I think, the third most penalized team in the FBS subdivision.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah.
SPEAKER_08:Uh of Division One. You know what? I I I'm looking forward to seeing those young receivers, those freshmen coming in. And I, you know, I think uh Coach Flood said something that means a lot. All five of the starting O line is is playing in that game. Um and it's and it's gonna be interesting. You're gonna have some breakdowns in the Texas secondary, but I'll take Texas by 17. I'll say something like uh 34-17 win, and that'll give them their tenth win of the year. Yep.
SPEAKER_06:I'm with you. I'm not gonna argue with that.
SPEAKER_08:So you mentioned the CFP or the CFP and bowls, you know, you're there for a week for a bowl. CFP, you don't you're not there that long. You're you you I mean, you you usually get in a couple of days before, it's just more business. But I I loved it. Speaking of the CFP, uh Bijan Robinson and his Falcons, by the way, he's had a great year.
SPEAKER_06:They were phenomenal game on Monday.
SPEAKER_08:Phenomenal. It's uh Bijan had the mic after practice, and they were chumming it up about the CFP. Unfortunately, I don't think Bijan got to he didn't get to experience the CFP as a longhorn, but he was quick to point out who would never see the CFP.
SPEAKER_05:What did happen to him? My brother, he went to Michigan State. They will never see the college ball playoffs. Ever see the college ball players. Hey, my other brother right here. He was BYU. They will never see the college ball playoffs. Hey, hook him.
SPEAKER_08:BYU and Michigan State. BYU may be. They came close.
SPEAKER_06:They came very close. Yeah, I I'm I I tend to agree with B John. With Bijan. But BYU can do it. Uh they win the Big 12.
SPEAKER_08:Yeah. And you know, that Bijan, he is almost the face of the NFL right now. He's getting closer.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah.
SPEAKER_08:Class Act. Love hearing him speak. Loves everybody. He'll anyway. That's a whole nother podcast. But here we are, the bracket for this weekend, uh, beginning today. Um let's go with it. Starting today, Cotton Bowl. Uh I believe it's the Cotton Bowl for the first game. That's tonight. Uh or just go around the horn, man. Let's start from right to left. What who are your picks to advance?
SPEAKER_06:Uh, from right to left. I got um Ohio State and Georgia advancing. Okay. And then oh man, I got Oregon. And that Illinois and Bama game is a toss-up to me, man.
SPEAKER_08:Indiana? Indiana. I'm sorry, Indiana. Indiana.
SPEAKER_06:I'm sorry. Indiana and Bama game is a toss-up to me, man.
SPEAKER_08:It is.
SPEAKER_06:I'm gonna take Bama.
SPEAKER_08:All right. I'll go right to left. I'll take Ohio State. Definitely taking Georgia. Georgia's on an is in another gear. Oh miss, we'll we'll come to play, but they're they're going through some things. Uh transition. Uh, but they've still had a good team, but Georgia's on another level. I'm gonna take Texas Tech to advance. I I I was sitting on Oregon, Oregon to go and make it to the championship, but man, the more I just let it marinate with the Red Raiders, I feel like they've got something. I really do. I think Texas Tech advances to the Final Four here. And I'm, you know, Indiana's missing their defensive end. Bama's playing better. But I wouldn't, I that was a good win over OU and Norman. But man, I'm taking the Heisman winner, Coach Signetti, and the Hoosiers. And to go to the Final Four and football. Usually we'd be saying this about basketball, but yeah, that's the beauty of all this. Um that's our thoughts. Those are who we think, how it's gonna happen. And you know what? Since we're talking about bowls and college football playoffs, we love Stevie storytelling. We got to end the first segment this way. All right, Stevie, real quick, is there a man cave story involving one of your bowl game experiences that is uh short, but really just it drives home what the experience was like.
SPEAKER_06:Um, my favorite game that I ever played in at the University of Texas is um a bowl game. It was the Cotton Bowl against LSU.
SPEAKER_08:Yeah, of course.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, it's the Cotton Bowl against LSU. I'm playing against some of the people I played with in high school. So Phillip Maxwell, linebacker, uh Byron Dawson, um uh defensive tackle, um a couple other guys on offense that I played with, and then played against Josh Reed, um uh who was there, I believe he was there, and then the running back who we recruited really, really hard, and he ended up going to LSU. Um, so that was my favorite game to ever play in at the University of Texas because I was playing against some guys from Louisiana that I played with and played against in Louisiana, and um that leading up to that bowl week, it was a lot of fun. I've actually gone to I went to lunch uh about a month ago with Phillip Maxwell, who spends half his time here in Austin. He was a linebacker there, he remembers talking a lot of trash to where he had gotten in trouble for talking too much trash during the bowl week, not not even at the game, like leading up to the game. And um, he was telling us, you know, we're gonna kick there or whatever. You know, he was just being a freshman, yeah, yeah. And um, that was the start of the restart, I guess, of the the Nick Saban legend, the net legend of Nick Saban. So I tell people all the time, man, I beat Nick Saban. I ain't scared of him.
SPEAKER_08:So y'all didn't just beat him.
SPEAKER_06:You y'all whipped LSU that well, we we whipped LSU when Roy Williams woke up and started catching everything under the sun from uh from Chris Sims, wasn't it?
SPEAKER_08:Yeah, I think so. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_06:So that was a fun game in the Cotton Bowl against all my um my rivals and friends that I played with in high school. That was my that's my story.
SPEAKER_08:It was always that may have been the last cotton bowl at Cotton Bowl Stadium.
SPEAKER_06:No, I don't think so.
SPEAKER_08:There was a few more.
SPEAKER_06:There was a few more, yeah. There was a few more because uh I remember uh Jerry World being built when I was out of college.
SPEAKER_08:That's true. I got a little ahead of myself. Yeah, you did 52's hitting hard on the on the right side of my brain. But hey, I I was it was it was a good thought, you know. It would have been a great poetic way to end it. Yeah, great story. Yeah, good trade. Great manufactured story, manufactured, fake news, fake news, so to speak. Hey, we're gonna take a quick break on the other side after Stevie uh promotes uh hargrove roofing, as he does it best. How do you say it?
SPEAKER_06:Hargrove roofing. Know who's on your roof.
SPEAKER_07:That's it. We'll see you on the other side. Hi, I'm Stevie Lee, former defensive tackle for the University of Texas. And I'm Clyde Hargrove. I'm a roofer. Also saw action in 52 games. And I fix a lot of roofs. Also won a Rose Bowl and never lost the AM. And I uh fix a lot of roofs, right, Stevie? Oh, all right. I'm sorry, I zoned out a little bit. So are you gonna say the thing about Hargrove Roofing? Hargrove Roofing. No who's on your roof. Is this even gonna work as a commercial?
SPEAKER_02:I just walked past the refrigerator and noticed that there was some new artwork that was not there before. And at first glance, I thought maybe it was something one of my kids drew.
SPEAKER_10:But no! Here we have a little Mickey Mouse, stained glass situation. A cat great stuff from the kids, and then I noticed. Do you want to know who made that? I'll give you one guess.
SPEAKER_09:I found a brand new box of crayons that we haven't used, and I have a board. Explain the rocket rocket ship.
SPEAKER_10:A rocket ship.
SPEAKER_09:Next stop uranus. It's where this guy's traveling to. You see how the marks mean it's going fast. It's the fuel line.
SPEAKER_10:That's the fuel line?
SPEAKER_09:Fuel line. Fuel tanks. Squishy, so they when they let when they land, it's not a bumpy landing.
SPEAKER_02:A window. Yeah. And there's a little man.
SPEAKER_09:A bunch of little men inside here somewhere.
SPEAKER_10:There's a large crew.
SPEAKER_09:There's a big crew on this job. It's a bigger says next stop Uranus.
SPEAKER_10:Oh, the planet.
SPEAKER_09:The planet Uranus.
SPEAKER_10:Right.
SPEAKER_09:Uranus. Uranus.
SPEAKER_10:That's what you meant?
SPEAKER_09:Yes.
unknown:Okay.
SPEAKER_08:So the the beautiful lady friend in my life said that man in that video was 138% me. Something I would do.
SPEAKER_06:100%.
SPEAKER_09:Hey Ben, tell me something good.
SPEAKER_08:Alright, my brother. Jesus. Citrus bowl, game day. Tell me something good, my brother.
SPEAKER_06:Something good is we get to see our longhorns one last time on the field today. And I'm really looking forward to it. And I'm really, really looking forward to next year and what uh what we have in store for next year, man. It's gonna be fun. I'm looking forward to it.
SPEAKER_08:I do too. I do too. I'll tell you something good. Um I think we can all say that there's something beautiful about uh we're on the last day of the year, 2025. Uh many blessings to all of you. Uh the good thing I was gonna say, man, it didn't end, didn't start really well last year, uh but it is ending a tremendous way, and I hope it's doing the same thing for you. Great ending to uh the year 2025. Much love to you guys and continue to support our podcast and and and tolerating us and continue, share, like, follow, and to the city of Shreveport, Louisiana, the home of the Stevie Lee, the Stevie Lee, and to my beautiful hometown, Austin, Texas, and to my college alma mater town, Nacadosis, and to each of you wherever you may be. Much love and to Stevie Lee and his beautiful family. Much love to you guys. Happy New Year's, and to the OG Man Cave boys, that being Harbaugh Hard, Big Mike, and Me Coach Mo. What do we tell him, Stevie Lee?
SPEAKER_06:We out.