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What a great atmosphere to be among the Zips fans at Xavier supporting our team on the road. Significant contingents of Matt Dreas', Ashton Kamdem's, and Jack Roman's family and friends and Zips Men's Soccer alumni players and/or family.

Notes from the Tip-off Reception: * Evan Mahaffey is the real deal. He could be one of Akron's best ever by the time he is done here. * Cody Head is better than expected. * The Serbian will get some minutes. * The team is fully healthy as of a week ago. * Barre is a good fit as he can get up and down the floor. * Nate had 9 serious high money NIL offers. * The entire team looks like they've spent a lot of time with the strength and conditioning coach. * They beat Wright State in an exhibition. * Every player that has completed their eligibility at UA in the last 9 year left with a degree. * Every scholarship player who has completed his eligibility at UA in the last nine years has played professionally. * 26 practices so far. * They are going to play fast again this year. * The emphasis in practice all pre-season has been on defense. * The JMU Game will include the ring presentation and raising the banner. * There will be two fan experiences- trips to Vegas and New Orleans. * This group is really tight on and off the court. * The proceeds of the YSU scrimmage are being split between the schools' collectives.

Akron moved up to #20 in this week's United College Soccer Coach's poll. https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/soccer-men/d1/united-soccer-coaches RPI Rank https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/soccer-men/d1/ncaa-mens-soccer-rpi 14 Akron 107 Marquette 45 Creighton

Akron 31 Buffalo 24 I will go out on the mother of all limbs and predict the Zips go 3-1 to finish the season.

My guess is Groce and Tod K. I can't see Tod giving Groce much credit for anything. Their post-game hand shakes are quite brief.

I suspect some of us with make the short trip to Youngstown for this one and the rest will want to know what happened, so I figured this scrimmage was worthy of its own thread. Here's a preview for YSU- https://ysusports.com/news/2025/9/23/mens-basketball-faulkner-meets-media-to-preview-2025-26-campaign.aspx

This is very well deserved. Congratulations, Stefan !!!!

I will say this is also with the league practice restrictions in place because of our grades. I fully blame the full administration for that but the fact we are still performing this well with that stipulation as well is something to make note of

For future reference, I can highly recommend the Zip Burger at Zip's Cafe, ~3.5 miles from Xavier's soccer field. Tasted great, especially following a 3-1 Zips WIN!!! https://www.zipscafe.com/menu/

QB: Finley found his rhythm in the second half, getting the ball out quicker and settling into the flow of the game. The first half was more of a roller coaster. Ultimately, he did enough to get the job done and lead a few scoring drives. Finley’s 38-yard touchdown run should’ve been a loss, but instead turned into the best run of his career. RB: There wasn’t a ton of running room for the backs, but Gant made some nice cuts to squeeze out yards where there wasn’t much to work with. Gant and Patrick combined for 104 yards on the ground. WR: The negative: there were four drops in the game, most of which came in the first half. Outside of that, it was mostly positives — Mason hauled in another outstanding touchdown grab, while Polk and Ma. Williams came through with some timely catches. Hopefully Walker is okay, though I’m not sure Mason even gets that opportunity if Walker doesn’t go down, as he’s been backing him up. True freshman Luke Sivon also saw some action, and the kid can absolutely fly. He didn’t record a catch but did draw two pass interference calls. Ideally the staff keeps working Sivon in and doesn’t worry about the redshirt. TE: Newell returned after missing the last few games and was underwhelming. Cravaack played well again and PFF finally graded him as such. OL: The OL was solid in pass protection throughout, but looked noticeably better in the second half when the ball was coming out quicker and the backs held up a bit longer. They were credited with just seven pressures allowed all game. Not to take anything away from the OL, but I still stand by saying Buffalo isn’t great at generating pressure — and we saw that play out today. Of note is that backup center Delvin Morris started and played every snap at left tackle. DL: Dall was an absolute nightmare for Buffalo. The stats might not show it, but he blew up a bunch of plays that let others rack up the numbers. It may not have been his best game statistically, but it was probably his most disruptive in terms of wrecking the opponent’s offense. Hull and Laventure were also very active on the inside and gave the Bulls’ offensive line all kinds of trouble. Mixon even got in on the action, picking up his first career sack. LB: How about Melvin Spriggs?! Honestly, up until this game, he hadn’t quite played to the level I expected from him this year. Usually, it’s Cooper, Summers, and Boswell leading the charge, but against Buffalo, Spriggs had the game of his life — a reminder of the potential he showed on his high school film. I’m happy for the kid; he’s come a long way in his development, and hopefully this is just the start, not the peak. And not to be outdone, Summers had a whale of a game himself. Buffalo might have the best linebacker corps in the MAC, but Spriggs and Summers made a strong case otherwise — at least for one game. DB: Despite the secondary coming away with two interceptions, it wasn’t their best day. We played a lot of man coverage and got torched by Snow in the first half and McMillan in the second. Still, the defense as a whole forced five turnovers and made sure this one didn’t slip away. One guy who did play really well was Somerville, who saw his most snaps at safety and also played on special teams. ST: Outside of the botched punt that led to a safety, special teams did a nice job of keeping Buffalo’s units from making an impact. Smart strategy to make sure the ball consistently stayed out of Snow’s hands. Coaching: I don’t think anyone can argue much with the second-half game plan. Sure, it’s fair to say the offense got a bit too conservative too early in the 4th quarter, but the defense was holding their own. My biggest gripe came at the end of the 2nd quarter, which led to a fumble and an eight-point swing. There was no reason to rush to the line and try to run extra plays. Just run out the clock and head to the locker room. In no world was Finley or Gant breaking off a 60+ yard run. Just a boneheaded move that thankfully didn’t cost the game. Defensively, it was a very impressive performance. Buffalo’s offense was going to get their yards, so it was all about preventing points. Holding the Bulls to their season low, minus Minnesota, while forcing five turnovers was remarkable. Next week is our “bye” week, and we’re back in action the following Tuesday night for another very winnable contest against UMass on 11/4. QB: Finley HB: Gant Patrick WR: Ma. Williams Gear WR: Walker Mason Louis WR: Polk Monteiro Sivon TE: Newell Cravaack Whisner LT: Morris LG: Archer McManus C Lyons RG: K. Davis RT: King A. Jones DE: Dall D. Frazier DE: Durham J. Frazier Cheatom DT: Hull Murphy Musika DT: Laventure Mixon Madden LB: Summers Boswell LB: Spriggs Boswell NB: Aa. Branch CB: DeWalt Kamara CB: Reed T. Thomas S: Flowers Hunter S: D. Johnson Somerville Offense (20 snap min.) C - Lyons RT - M. King LG - McManus TE - Cravaack RG -K. Davis Defense (20 snap min.) LB - Spriggs S - Somerville DE - Dall LB - Summers DT - Hull

wonderful picture. Tremendous credit to the zips fans..that traveled down I-71 and I-70 to support the Zips

I never thought after the ending in the first half we would win this game. One of the best games I have watched. We beat an undefeated team on the road. When is the last time a Zips fan has said that.

Had a Great Lakes Oktoberfest in the hot tub, then moved on to a French Rose’ to go with dinner. 🤘 I huffed some airplane glue after lunch, but I can’t believe that caused any issues?

Richie Laryea had major hamstring surgery in 2024. Richie rebounded in 2025 and had a fantastic year. Congratulations to Richie on being one of the 3 finalists for MLS comeback player of the year. https://www.torontofc.ca/news/richie-laryea-named-mls-comeback-player-of-the-year-finalist

And Bassitt has an excellent inning of relief in the 8th in game 7 of the ALCS.

Tough to predict a record because I think this team could beat last year's team, but I think it's a tougher OOC schedule and the MAC is up a bit from last year.

As for "expectations," difficult to surpass 17-1. 2 recruits from different schools in Westerville?

Zipped Up's season preview- https://akronzippedup.substack.com/p/akron-zips-mens-basketball-2025-2026?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=2970576&post_id=175211323&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=52p862&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email

I wouldn't be terribly heartbroken if he decides to leave on his own free will. Getting to 5 or 6 wins is kind of his ceiling at Akron IMO. He comes off more as an old school coach and not the smooth talker who can get boosters to open up their checkbook. In this NIL era you need a salesman. Not someone who just complains about the shitty hand they're being dealt. Edit: All that said I'm also not cheering for him to leave either. We can and certainly have done worse.

November 26, 2022. Akron beat NIU, Kent beat Buffalo

Even 5-7 would be our best season since 2017 and it’s objectively still taking the program upward even with all of our all conference players transferring/graduating from last year.

As I recall, our Zips missed the MAC Tournament in 2022, but earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Kobe Mitchell plays for Walsh. He was the leading scorer last year.

This forum? Never /s

really was an up and down game. first half was all defense and didn't get anything from the offense but somehow pulled it together in the second half. Really is there to go 6-6. if I was the head coach. i would focus on UMASS like it was a playoff game and a must win. it is the only game that matters. they cannot overlook them and think they are an easy win. they took buffalo all the way to the end and should have won. They have an edge rusher, #16 white, that is one of the top in the country and he plays all over. Whartman is there now and this will be a special game for him. I am sure there will be a lot of incentive for his guys to play hard for him. One game at a time, UMASS is the most important game of the season. AN ABSOLUTE MUST WIN FOR JOE MO AND THE ZIPS !

Guys we just beat the best record in the mac before this result. Lets party 🎉

Very thoughtful of Coach Embick to do post game interviews after road games. It is much appreciated.

Buffalo imploding like they're the Zips. This is a wild change.

Run Finley Run. Watch Finley Run. Touchdown Finley. And who made fun of Finley sprinting to the locker room at halftime. He was just warming up. With that said, I still think Akron can lose this game but I hope I am wrong.

As catdaddy pointed out, ANYthing can happen in the MAC. Bulls struggling rushing the passer could lead Finley into a great game passing. This week he will exceed 65%. Zips 38 - Bulls 27

I've never sat courtside, but that's a pretty incredible deal. Especially once you consider those will likely be 2 of the better teams we will be facing at home this season.

Akron currently sits at #14 in the RPI, the highest RPI in the Big East. We're seemingly in no danger of missing out on an at-large bid if needed (unless we lose the last three matches 😬). However, it would be interesting to see how the committee would handle a team not making their conference tournament, as we're currently outside of the top 4 in the conference standings. Anyways, today's only game that would directly affect Akron's RPI is Ohio State (RPI #94) at Washington (RPI #25) at 10 pm EST.

Spend money to make money. The Rubber Bowl was decrepit; the University was in a situation where they were going to spend money on a stadium regardless. Maybe the Info should've had a smaller, more affordable design, but it doesn't seem like the stadium was built for Akron to stay in the MAC. If it was built smaller, would it have been possible to go back and add seating given the area? I don't know. However, and I've stated this before, the moment a decision was made to bring the football stadium on campus, a subsequent plan should've been made to develop East Exchange and Spicer into a college tailgate hub that distances itself from the otherwise urban setting. Creating a fun atmosphere around the stadium would've been a nice safety net to ensure its worthwhile for fans to come to a game regardless of the result. City universities are struggling all over the US compared to their more rural counterparts and it's partly because of the environments around rural campuses. They're simply more inviting and more fun. Look at Kent. They've had a crappy football team for the majority of my lifetime, but their campus environment is 100x what Akron's is which is one of the biggest reasons why they have better enrollment. A fully renovated JAR would go a long way with the community. Akron has been one of the most successful mid majors for the better part of 2 decades, but the average attendance has gone down. The average fan sits in GA seating which includes nothing but uncomfortable, backless wooden bleachers. Not to mention if you sit high enough, the banners get in the way of the scoreboard. Want something from the concessions? You'll have to wait for a while pregame or during halftime, even in a half full arena. The JAR, when it's rocking, is one of the best mid major atmospheres in college basketball. Outside of that, it BLOWS. Step 1 is winning at the national level in March. Step 2 is renovating the JAR (or building a new arena entirely, although less feasible IMO). The jolt those two things would give the program could really propel the University as a whole to the next level.

InfoCision has never been the problem. The lack of a winning product, virtually zero student activity usage such as concerts or other events, and zero vision for developing the area around the Info have made the Info seem like a problem. While I agree NIL investment would go a long way, the JAR is a detractor from one of the most successful athletic programs at the university, and quite frankly our #1 $$$$ sport. Having an attractive 5k+ seat arena for basketball and other events would go a long way for optimism at Akron.

I honestly just don't see the value in ~$30+ million renovations unless the JAR was reaching the point of collapse. Bud is a smart man. $30 million in an endowment would generate $1.5 million/year (using a 5% withdrawal rate) in perpetuity. Having $1.5 million annually for NIL would do more to solidify the program than a shiny arena. Infocision has been a financial drain on the football program and athletics as a whole. Let's not repeat that with basketball. At least with football the Rubber Bowl was dilapidated and a safety hazard so our hands were kind of tied. I've never seen any reports that the JAR is in a similar state.

Yes, to warm the hearts of Zips fans, Ohio stunk up the joint against Wright State (at Dayton). Lots of new pieces for the Bobcats; not sure they fit together. Could be the end of the Boals era unless they make it to the MAC semis... BTW, if you've never seen a game at UD Arena, you really need to. The lower "bowl" of that arena would be perfect for Akron and would, in my opinion, be achievable through a $20-30MM investment in the JAR. Awesome sightlines from every angle.

Rule #1: Have a pulse Rule #2: Have the ability to make corrupt, greedy people in power a lot of money

PFF has updated their stats following the week 8 game. I admit was critical of Laventure because of his size (6'1 270) but he has proven me wrong week in and week out this is one guy that Leonard got right, in my opinion one of the very few, but Laventure is crushing it.... PFF today has him rated 82 in ALL OF FBS AND FCS out of 902 interior defensemen with a rating of 77.1 and 442 snaps. That is incredible. Dall climbed up and is now ranked 205 out of 846 with a rating of 73.9. He has consistently been in the top quarter of all FBS and FCS again very consistent. The rest of the D line though leaves much to be desired and a lot of questions in my opinion. The edge rushers have a total of 7 sacks and that is very misleading. Durham had 2 against Central Michigan and Dall had 2 against Duquesne. And they only have 11 QBH's combined. Nothing from any edge rusher other than Durham and Dall. Durham is now 726 out of 846 with a below average rating of 59.8. Yet he has more snaps than any edge in all of FBS and third in all of Division 1. His stats don't justify it. He isn't that good. The Frazier twins are worse. D. Frazier is 839 out of 846 and has a rating of 51.5 and j.Frazier is 55.7. They each of one solo tackle. Just by playing in 8 games you could have a solo tackle. Where is Cheatom (17 snaps week 1)??? Where is Duncan (8 snaps week 1 and 2), Brown (15 snaps week 5), Murphy (11 snaps week 2 and 4) Watkins and Kavals were both highly recruited out of high school there are four games left are we going to see them? It is almost mathematically impossible for them to be worse than the Fraziers. The Fraziers are not edge rushers, they are linebackers anyone can see that. They are athletic freaks and should be playing linebacker. Laventure has 3 sacks and 5 qbh's tied for second on the team with Durham. Laventure, Dall, and Durham are the only D Linemen with sacks and with the exception of 2 qbhs by Hull and 1 by Kaiwan Murphy, Laventure, Dall, and Durham are the only ones with any QBH's ! Laventure, Dall, Durham TFL's 20; Sacks 10, QBH's 15 - The rest of the entire defensive line combined - TFL's 1.5; Sacks 0, QBH's 3... Laventure, Hull, Murphy, and Mixon are pretty much the only four interior defensive linemen that play. Rankings, 82, 511, 714, 841; what happened to Madden he is a redshirt senior and has played 15 snaps, Vega has played 3; Brown-Demery is 6'5 320 depending on what you look at he can't go in on specific plays and get pressure?

James Madison chosen as pre-season favorite in the Sun Belt- https://sunbeltsports.org/news/2025/10/20/james-madison-tabbed-2025-26-sun-belt-mens-basketball-favorite-odus-davis-named-preseason-player-of-the-year.aspx Oddly, they received only one first place vote and 8 teams received a first place vote. That shows you the uncertainly that comes in the age of player mobility.

I didn't copy the link from the post but I saw on Twitter earlier that Enrique has made the opening night roster for the T-Wolves as one of their 3 two-way players. And he's wearing the #25 jersey.

Good post. I find mid season firings silly as well. They mostly just satisfy blood lust but loud alumni, boosters or members of the press. It doesn't give a school a head start in any search. It's just dumb.

You're right. And we finally have a tip time (7PM) and network (ESPN+).

Kind of surprised they are again. Not complaining though.

I failed to appreciate that Keiryn McGuff is now a Zip! She played 2 seasons at Bowling Green where she played sparingly. However, the most interesting part of the story is her family bio. Her father is Ohio State head coach Kevin McGuff.

Akron back into the coaches poll top 25, coming on at #23. https://unitedsoccercoaches.org/rankings/college-rankings/ncaa-di-men/

Excellent - it looked pretty scary. 👍