This interview was recorded Tuesday morning at the TVCC Fieldhouse with Coach Sherard Poteete and Michael V. Hannigan.
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The TVCC Cardinals will be kicking off the season in Utah Thursday night when they face No. 5 Snow College.
Coach Sherard Poteete isn't surprised the Badgers are ranked that high to start the season.
"Week in week out, year in year out, they're always a Top 5 team," he said. "It wasn't but two football seasons ago they were playing for the national title."
Coach Poteete said the game will be a great measuring stick for the Cardinals.
"For us (it's a chance) to see and learn a lot more about our football team," he said.
Thursday's game will kick off at 8 p.m. CST and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Topics in the podcast:
I. Travel Plans (1:23)
Not only are the Cardinals starting the season against the No. 5-ranked team in the nation, but the team is also getting on a plane to fly to Utah and organizing the logistics of traveling to Utah and finding space to practice while there has been complicated.
"Throw the routine out the window this week," said Coach Poteete. "There is nothing routine at all about this week. But I know our guys are excited about hitting somebody else in a different colored jersey."
II. Spotlight on TVCC (2:59)
Thursday night's game will also be streamed nationally on ESPN+. The Cardinals will be featured twice by the network in the first five weeks of the season.
"I'm fortunate, our kids are fortunate, that the people who support us made the decision to allow that to happen," Coach Poteete said.
"It's not just going to be a Henderson County thing, or a state thing, or an East Texas thing, we're kind of getting to a national audience now," said Coach Poteete. "Maybe that helps us in recruiting down the road or just get our guys a little bit more exposure moving on to the next level."
III. What to Expect From Snow (5:27)
With so much turnover at the Juco level, teams change from season to season. It can be difficult to know what to expect in Week1.
One thing Coach Poteete knows is that the Badgers will be big and tough.
"They're going to run the football and they're going to run power," he said. "They're going to try and do some of that against us and I know they are going to throw the ball vertically. That's just kind of what they've done offensively the last few years."
"And then they're going to bring the pressure on defense," Coach Poteete said.
IV. What About TVCC (6:51)
Coach Poteete said the Cardinals are deep along the defensive line and he is looking for that group to penetrate and cause problems for Snow.
"That will be a key to us having success this week," he said.
Offensively, sophomore Tucker Yarbrough will get the start at quarterback Thursday night. Yarbrough has experience in the system for the Cardinals.
"That's one of the things that separated him from the guys right behind him," Coach Poteete said. "Tucker has been in our offense for a while. He knows it. Tucker has made some really good plays the last few weeks doing a great job of when the box is loaded up, making some really good checks, delivering really good footballs, playing under pressure, and making good decisions with the football."
V. Prayer Box (11:25)
Outside the Coach's office, there is a prayer box set up by a player for people to leave prayer requests.
"We've got some really good young men that care about each other," said Coach Poteete. "We don't always know what people are going through in life."
Coach Poteete also talked about how the Cardinals were hosted by First Baptist Church of Athens and Gates Community Church the past two Sundays.
"We get to use the game of football but there's more to it than just football," Coach Poteete said.
These posts are free thanks to Hannigan Media sponsors Athens Screen Printing, Tinsley Law & Title, Gibson Pharmacy, R&R Lawn Specialist, Gilbert Electric, Hunan Buffet, and Holt Wrecker.
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