While numbers don’t lie, they don’t always tell the full story. That’s the message that Booger McFarland conveyed at halftime of Saturday’s SEC clash between Alabama and Tennessee. Only, he was more creative with his words.
Despite having a first half that was objectively awful, the Volunteers were very much in the game at halftime, trailing only 7-0. During the studio halftime show, host Kevin Negandhi asked McFarland an important question. “How is Tennessee still in this game?”
McFarland was prepared with an answer. Fellow analyst Dan Orlovsky may not have been expecting what was coming.
“There’s an old saying I learned a long time ago. Stats are like bikinis. They show some things but not all things,” McFarland said.
“There’s an old saying I learned a long time ago: Stats are like bikinis. They show some things, but not all things.” – Booger McFarland (and see Dan Orlovsky’s reaction) pic.twitter.com/IjhVhAgoS2
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 19, 2024
As fellow analyst Dan Orlovsky tried his best to stifle his laughter, McFarland continued.
“If you look at the stats, Tennessee should be getting blown out in this game. Two missed field goals, three turnovers, they can’t run the football but because of their defense, specifically that defensive line, they’re in this game.”
The Volunteers were indeed very much in the game. Tennessee erased the seven-point halftime deficit and defeated Alabama 24-17.
[Photo Credit: ABC]

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