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Showing content with the highest reputation on 09/30/2019 in all areas

  1. John, there are only a few stinkers here. Stay with us. Better days are ahead.
    5 points
  2. It is doubtful that either Ali or Edwards will be redshirts. Both have enough talent to see the floor during games. Remember that Edwards was originally a Buffalo commit. He is a prototypical Buffalo recruit, 6'6", long arms, fast and super athletic. After seeing Ali this week I was impressed with his size, athleticism and ability to handle the ball. You don't get quality players if you tell them you are going to redshirt them.
    4 points
  3. The small crowd in the stands belied the well attended parties in the stadium parking lots. There was no doubt Julian Hicks' foot was in-bounds for his first TD reception in a Zips uniform. The Zips celebrate after DeMarkus Glover snared his first career INT. ...and the Zips faithful got to break out The Takeaway Pencil! Boogie Knight nets 39 of his game high 100 yards receiving. Kato Nelson feels the force of the UMass pass rush. All day long it seemed like there were more UMass blockers than Zips defenders. Nate Stewart hauls in a 17 yard TD pass. Robbie Kelley had 8 pass attempts before giving way to Zach Gibson. An exuberant Zack Gibson bumps butts with Trevor Brown after leading the Zips to withing 8 points, late in the game. Gibson's strong play breathed life into a Zips team, and staff in desperate need of some positive vibes. 12-16 for 173 yards and a TD, Gibson did it all, even hauling in a 2-point conversion from WR/QB Nate Stewart. UMass QB Michael Curtis high steps it into the endzone untouched. The Zips' Zach Gibson does some high-stepping of his own. True Freshman KR/WR Michael Mathison continues to impress. Gibson gets a taste of what Kato Nelson has been feeling all season. Kato's status for the Kent game appears to be a game day decision...at best. In 1975 Time Magazine wrote "I've seen the future of rock and roll, and that future is Bruce Springsteen." For the Zips faithful that made the trip to Amherst, maybe...just maybe...in the abyss of what appears to be the mother of all rebuilding seasons...they saw the future of Akron football in true Freshman Zach Gibson. Time will tell.
    4 points
  4. Each of us fans, long term or otherwise, is ENTITLED to demonstrate our displeasure with the team we love, so long as we are not menacing, or profane, or Etc. etc. I booed them openly and loudly on Saturday. Not sure I have ever done that before, and if so, it has been decades since. l have abiding affection and support for our coaches, and for our players. But all that will NEVER compare to the undying love I have for University of Akron Soccer. This program is bigger than any one of them, and it is bigger than any one of us. Our team is woefully shabby and lousy right now. Without grit. Without pride. And I am FULLY justified in angrily expressing myself about it. I make no apology in doing so. Appalling? Appalling?!? Repeated lame-assed slow hospital balls across one’s own goal mouth is truly appalling! Get real. I will be there Wednesday in full voice. You know where to find me.
    3 points
  5. I've never inspired anyone or anything before (other than looks of disgust from girls in high school).
    3 points
  6. Eeegads, political talk on a sports forum. To think I come here to get away from the real world.
    3 points
  7. Appalling lack of effort and/or focus!
    2 points
  8. There will be plenty of chances to watch the baseballers during the weekend. Once the weather gets semi-acceptable, weekend home series against conference opponents about every other week will be common place. Re weekday games: the norm will be a single game each week (about half at home) against a nonconference foe. Apathy on the part of fans from all stripes will be responsible for low attendance; if they average over 150 per home game I will be impressed.
    2 points
  9. YipaZip, Zip_ME87 has been the only Non-parent that has been to all 5 road games this year. Truth be told, there are probably akron-cleveland area parents that have not been to all 5 road games. This is not a criticism of the parents of the local players. Traveling to Omaha, Huntington, College Park, MD, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh is very expensive and time consuming. Zip_ME87's love and support for this team is undeniable. YipaZip, did you travel to Wake Forest for the round of 16 last year and did you travel to Louisville for the NCAA quarters in 2017? YipaZip, Fknuflobo, ZIP_ME87 and many other "regular fans have been following the zips for 10+ , 20+ , 30+ years. They are not band wagon fans. I am more disgusted by season ticket holders that only show up for NCAA tournament games. I distinctly remember myself being at a late October home game in 2016 when the zips lost 3-0 in 2016 to a bad West Virginia team. I was living in TN at the time and was only to make it to 3 home games that year(I did fly to LA that year to see zip games at SD State and UCLA). I would have got up and left that late October 2016 game in disgust if I had been to all 11 home games. Since I had not been to many games, I kept hoping that the team would get better during the game. That zip team in October 2016....made very little effort in that game. Yes, this team is talented. Yes, Jared, Ger and Michael Nanchoff are all great coaches. ZipaZip, are you going to criticize Jared for criticizing the players that were arguing on the field about passes that did not get made? YipaZip, are you going to criticize Jared for saying that all 11 players are not making a good effort for all 90 minutes? Bottom line, this team is not playing the kind of soccer that Akron soccer fans have seen over the last 65 years. All year long, we have seen one center back (on most pre-season all american teams) pass the ball almost exclusively to the other center back or to Sam Tojaga, the holding defensive midfielder. There have been many times when Bradley Chick or the right def. back has been begging for the ball. Akron soccer, especially in the Porter/Embick era, has been about spreading the field. Akron soccer is about giving your teammate a thumbs up when they have made a good pass...that did not lead to results. Akron soccer is about helping your young teammates with good suggestions, and not with whining criticism. I have not seen enough of the team support and leadership that I am used to seeing. David Egbo is one of the most brilliant, talented forwards in zips history. I will be kind and say that David sometimes get down and distracted when calls don't go the way that that he wants. Great goal scorers like Josef Martinez and Carlos Vela don't get down when things are not going well. This Akron team is not winning 50/50 balls in the midfield. Jared has said that many times in post game interviews or pre match interviews. Akron has been fortunate over the years to have tremendous ball winners in the holding midfield (Zemanski, Perry Kitchen, Victor Souto, Will Trapp). For this team to play true Akron soccer, Sam Tojaga and Henrique Cruz and Colin Biros must win more balls in the midfield. (perhaps , it is time to watch some game film of Perry Kitchen, the warrior from Indianapolis?) Jared has consistently said that this team is losing the 1 vs. 1 battles for the ball. That is a nice way of us saying that they are being outhustled. After the Pitt game, I posted that I hoped that the beatdown in that game....would be a gut check game for this team. I posted that I believed in the coaches and the talent on this team. In the last 2 games, the team has not focused for a full 90 minutes (Jared's words....not mine)....and they are arguing among themselves (Jared's words, not mine). I love Skye Harter....He is creative. He is hard working. I expected him to be a great captain this year. His off season surgery has prevented Skye from being the great on field leader that I expected him to be. I only want to see Skye back on the field when he is really close to being healthy. That being said, that puts a bigger burden on David Egbo as a captain to help the guys up front and for Carlo and Daniel Strachan as captains to help Bradley Chick, Tom Smart and the new guys in the midfield. I posted that after the Pitt game....that something had to change. Something has changed....as the last 2 games....did not show the effort and talent that the zips showed against Stanford. Soccer is a very hard game with no margin for error. The 2010 team was one of the most dominant teams that I have ever seen. However, they came so perilously close to losing to Cal on a bitterly cold, snowy day in the NCAA quarters. I was not a fan of the "unfinished business" signs and tweets from the athletic department early this year. That made it sound like the finalist team from last year.....could just step out on the field and get the results that they wanted. Colin Biros in the beacon article....said that the team probably thought that things would come easier to this group of talented guys. This team is in crisis. 0-7-0 is not good. Let's start the year afresh.....with a motto like "Soccer is hard, we are very good. and we will work harder than anyone else to get the results that we want". The coaches can't do it by themselves....David Egbo can't do it by himself, Carlo can't do it by himself........Zip soccer.......11 guys.....rooting and pulling for each other ....and working together to improve.......is the answer.
    2 points
  10. As always, taking photos and subsequently posting and commentating the day after a disappointing loss is a losing proposition. But I took the trip up to Amherst and thought I'd post what I thought might be interesting to Zips fans who'd never been to Amherst, and who may not have been able to watch the game. My wife and I arrived in Amherst Thursday night. It is roughly a 2-hour drive from Logan Airport to the UMass campus. Too bad we drove it in the dark, and in a rainstorm, because everyone who drove in during the day told me it was a scenic drive. Amherst is tucked away in the woods of western Massachusetts. The last 30 or so miles it took to get there reminded me of a trip to OU, winding through several rural small towns. We stayed at a bed and breakfast about 0.5 miles from the downtown restaurant and bar district, and a little over 1 mile to the UMass campus. We explored the campus during the day, and felt really old at night as we hit the bars where many of the kids were approaching 1/3 our age! But it was a great time. UMass has a small lake in the center of campus. If you take the library elevator to the 23rd floor you can see the entire campus, with the hillside in the background. It was surprising that we wore Akron gear the entire day, but not one person mentioned the game or seemed to notice. The game was promoted on campus. The stadium was open during the day, so we were able to get in and take some pictures. There was a great pizza joint on campus. Antonio's. Giant New York slices. We got some tortellini slices to end our Friday night. I wish there was a place like this in the Akron area! We set up shop in Lot 22, only 2 blocks from the stadium. It was a vibrant tailgate scene. Lots of cars, tents and music. Travelling by plane, it was tough to "seriously" tailgate, but we did the best we could. UMass fan Steve 1981 visited ZipsNation and invited us to his tailgate, so we stopped over and said hello. Super-nice guy, with a great wife and group of friends. I can't tell you how many great people I've met via ZipsNation.org, both in the Akron area, and across the country. We tailgated with new friends 3rd&twenty and his wife, and met up with Akronites Dave and Geno inside the stadium. UMass had a large, gated-off section where the students tailgated before the game. It was an absolute mob scene. Kids piled in from the dorms by the hundreds. It was like an army of ants! Unfortunately, the bulk of the students head back to the dorms after the block party. Very few made it in to the stadium. Game result aside, it was a great trip. If you've never traveled to a Zips away game, you should. I've seen some great wins @ Northwestern, Army, NC State and Navy over the years. Some close shaves at Wisconsin and Virginia. And some clunkers like yesterday. But it's always a great time travelling and supporting the Zips. See you @ Auburn next year!
    2 points
  11. I looked into this a little further....the NCAA does not have a rule as to how many players can play in a season, they just have to be on the schools roster at the beginning of the season.....the average D1 roster or squad list is 30 players. Only 10 scholarships per year are allowed in D1 mens soccer, actually 9.9!
    2 points
  12. I converted your posts to a poll. Any mistakes, let me know and I'll edit.
    2 points
  13. I don't think the Buchtelite was invented yet. Johnny Heisman was the football coach that year. We won
    2 points
  14. A new president begins on Tuesday. He was in the locker room before the Troy game so he is definitely interested in what's happening with the sports teams. This now all falls on his shoulders to stay the course or get rid of whatever is holding up the progress. At this point, it's fruitless using logic on here because some of the reactions to logice are purely emotional. If I say, Groce needed a few years to rebuild the basketball team, the first reaction is "Williams ran Dambrot out." Arth loses the first 5 games, and it's Terry Bowden (4-7 and an overall losing record) was the savior of Akron football and wasn't 'mediocre'. And Embick was a soccer god until this fluke of a season and that's the A.D.s fault for some reason. And I will make the requisite Arth/ICoach comparison. ICoach get a late TD against an awful CMU at home. Down by 1. He goes for 2 instead of sending it into overtime and of course they blow it. Arth has Gibson in, and he is smoking it. Momentum is on Zips side. Instead of going for the onside kick and getting a quick TD with 5 minutes left, he trusts the awful defense to stop them.
    2 points
  15. I can't recall a lower time for any Zip sports enthusiast. This is not a rant or a fire any coach, AD or BOT member call to action. It is merely a statement that our athletics culture is depressed. Football is now the worst of the bottom 10. Arth may raise us to the top of the MAC. I hope he does, but we have a lot more pain ahead before that happens. I'll give him a chance. Soccer is experiencing an unprecedented winless streak. Jared will fix it, he's too good a coach and we are lucky to have him. Tennis loses a coach who raised the program to the top of the MAC and then resigns days before the first fall season match for personal reasons. What gives? I don't believe why he left. There's more than that at play here. Track and Field can't have a spring home meet because the track is unsafe. Is this any way to treat a program that has made it to a top 25 national ranking? I don't believe this dysfunction is the result of one man's leadership, but rather a deteriorating culture that tolerates excuses and does not think of the university as able to achieve a high level of MAC competition. It's not always about money and funding. For us it's about expecting to lose eventually. There is little evidence of commitment to excellence. I've seen more passion on ZNO than I have ever seen from athletic dept staff. Their response always seems to be "This is Akron, what do you expect?" Well screw that. I expect to win and you coach, athletic staff member or administrator are supposed to find a way to make that happen. Not an excuse as to why it can't. Please men's and women's BBall gives us something to be proud of.
    1 point
  16. ... because SOMEONE had to start it.
    1 point
  17. Do I have to respect his decision?
    1 point
  18. I think they will be more "mentally" talented. There were a few emotional drains on the team the last couple years. Groce has the players HE can connect with and work with now.
    1 point
  19. Tribble is Trouble. He's going to be special.
    1 point
  20. Yes. They lost Ivey and Utomi which hurt, but I think the additions plus a year under the new kids from last year more than balances out those losses. I think they are also deeper than last year. I don't see them being world beaters and I haven't broken down the schedule, but I'd bet around 20 wins.
    1 point
  21. 'Seeing regular “fans” leave early' is appalling. I wholeheartedly agree. But, ask yourself, why? Why would such a dedicated fan who loves this team and these players to the exclusion of any other feel that he had to leave? Have you personally seen enough games this season to see what is going on or tell if there is progression? I have. I've been to every game and cheered and welcomed our players because I'm happily there when they arrive. I have no doubt that the coaches have done and continue to do all they can. I know of the injuries. I see them because I'm there. So, I know what to expect and not expect from some players. But by goodness, THIS IS AKRON! A player doesn't become good just by playing at Akron. He can't just show up and expect to win a National Championship or a MAC Championship. Akron is good because Akron players give completely of themselves and team means more than self. I'd ask these players if they have that attitude. I see it in some, but I'm struggling to see it as a whole. This team has talent, but talent without team attitude = 0-7-0.
    1 point
  22. Well stated TennZip. I've been waiting for an analysis like this. Jared and Caleb before him have had a real knack of recruiting talent, and as you stated and we know, this team is talent loaded. We've had top recruiting classes year end and year out. And this is no jab at all at Jared, but while we're recruiting talent, are we also looking at the intangible of finding players that fit the team chemistry? I know you can't see it until everyone's together on the practice fields, but sometimes you get a feel for it, a glimpse of it in their club team play. Are we looking for talent that plays together with teammates or just pure talent? Or is it that these guys play for so many different teams and clubs and national programs during the off-season that they don't develop team concepts and chemistry like Akron likes to play? Don't know, just kinda grasping at straws, because you are right about the lack of togetherness out there.
    1 point
  23. Posting facts about past records does not mean someone has given up. It's interesting how you post so little here, but yet you seem to consider yourself such a great fan. Part of being a fan is discussing what's happening, good and bad. Life isn't always rosy.
    1 point
  24. I actually went with the core improving as the #1 choice with X as #2. I'd have taken Xeyrius over any of the individual core players, but I was offered that group as a whole so I took that.
    1 point
  25. It seems to me like there are many of “us” who have given up on this team. We have to be positive for the team. Jared and staff did not become bad coaches over night. I am not a Cleveland native long but always been a college soccer fan. This team is talented. I, along with others, still believe in this team and staff. Seeing regular “fans” leave early on Saturday was appalling.
    1 point
  26. I'd say Xeyrius will have the biggest individual impact on our success, however, how much guys like Cheese, Riak, Banks, and LCJ improve from last season IMO will be what makes or breaks our season. Namely I'd like to see more consistency from Cheese, better late game decision making from LCJ, Riak being able to catch a simple dump off pass and dunk, and Banks emerging as a legit 3 & D guy.
    1 point
  27. DR is a solid player. What he lacks at the offensive end he makes up with defense and leadership. He also has an amazing motor. Never takes a possession off .This year we will have more offensive weapons.
    1 point
  28. Did you write short angry letters to the Buchtelite when they lost?
    1 point
  29. Just read an article on the UMass-Akron game that called it "the bottom 25 game of the century." You have to keep your sense of humor in this situation.
    1 point
  30. I think B&G has the right idea, especially to start the season. I thought Ali would be a good redshirt candidate this year as well, but maybe not now with the other two sitting out. Another question which will be interesting to learn is where Groce focuses Tribble this year. Remember Groce likes to limit Freshman to one position. I think it's going to be at point guard. And I agree with Let'sGoZips94 that Cheese is likely to help anchor the point guard position early on, especially against competition like West Virginia. But this off-season, Cheese is likely practicing at all three guard spots and LCJ is learning to play as an off guard with Tribble running the point. It's hard to predict how the team will develop through the course of a season, but here is a point guard heavy lineup that might not be a starting line up, but one I hope to see on the court by the time we get to Cleveland. Tribble LCJ Cheese X Riak
    1 point
  31. I cannot figure out the personnel decisions this staff makes. Arth seems to be going with "his guys" and it doesn't seem to be paying off. Players like Sampson, Brimage, and Lloyd were all regular contributors in prior years but hardly get on the field on D, if at all. DBs - How don't we know who our starting DBs are yet? Tried multiple guys at FS the first few games and ultimately settled on Davis. Oddly enough, Zaire Jacobs, who we all would have thought would have been the natural replacement with Davis at CB, never seemed to get a real look and now he's gone. We've also seemingly had endless combinations of whose at corner. True fresh Cochran seems to be settled in on one side, but Riley or Hooks...who is better...please make a decision, and are neither of them really better than a true freshman? Linebackers - Started the season with Watts at ILB, then moved to Bubba, now Glover. Scott and Richardson seem to both take extended turns at OLB opposite of Ward. Running backs - How does Floyd not get on the field at all? The player the staff seems the highest on (Lee) is the least effective to me. Too many negative plays for the usage he gets. Why bench your starting RB for the game after a fumble? Burton might be the highest I'm on of RBs that actually get on the field, but he's a 3rd string walk on oddly enough. QBs - It worked out I guess, but pulling Kelley as quick as they did for a true freshman seemed like and odd choice to me...but if the true freshman is better, why the heck wasn't he the back up to begin with? Oline - we sure like to experiment at every other position group, but not here for whatever reason and here is where we should be experimenting the most. I get there aren't much options, but at least try something. Recruits - all of these true freshman are getting playing time, except our two highest rated recruits in Thomas and Hayes-Patrick.What? We just seem all over the place in who we are playing and I can't follow the logic. We need to play the best players and only put in subs when they need breaks. Screw this platooning bull crap. Has our staff really been that bad at evaluating performance over camp and practice that all this crap changes on a week to week basis? Are they making a conscious decision to sacrifice winning now to get young players more time in hopes that its pays off down the road? If so, proceed with caution. I sat through 1-15 and 0-16 Browns seasons and nobody came out of that with their jobs. Playing your best players and coming up short is one thing. I can understand that, but from what I can see, we either don't know who our best players are or aren't trying to win at all costs this season and even fans as tolerant and optimistic as myself have to take issue with that.
    1 point
  32. I agree with this one. Remember when coach Bowden showed up at the basketball game and screamed BEAT KENT the minute he got here? Loved that. The other difference I see will be the lack of the Florida recruit. Coach Bowden had some great connections in Florida that landed some of our best athletes. Go Zips!
    1 point
  33. Difference between Arth and Bowden? How about a eff'n competent staff?? What an embarrassment. Larry Williams can go screw himself. We had one of the best staffs in place in the history of this University and he goes and fires them all, hires this numbskull and his band of D3 misfits. John Carroll called, they want their 15k stipend coaches back. Freaking amateur hour. They should call up Terry and beg him to come back.
    1 point
  34. We are probably the worst football team in division one and it is costing Akron $370, 000 to Tennessee Chatanooga to buy our Arth's contract, $630, 000 to pay Bowden's salary over the next 2 years and $500,000 to pay Arth's salary. Does anyone want to extend the contract of our Athletic director, Larry Williams?
    0 points
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