Leaderboard

Sometimes you just gotta be the tallest midget. Clutch play by Bruno! 🇩🇪💪🏽 5-wins despite the smallest staff, smallest budget, no NIL, can’t even afford grad assistants, no travel allowed for recruiting, going stretches without a meal plan, limited to 25% fewer practices than his competition…the Zips should have been UMass this season but instead won 5. As much as my eyes burn from watching the game tonight I give the staff and players mad props for going .500 in the MAC and winning 5 games for the first time in 8 years while being blindfolded, with two cinder blocks tied to each coach’s legs. We’ll see what the future holds for the 2026 Zips. The ball is in Goodrich's hands to objectively determine how much the restrictions placed on this staff contributed to the close losses to Wyoming, UAB, Kent etc. And to figure out a plan to break free from the crippling financial shackles imposed on this year’s team. UA needs to invest in football within reasonable and responsible limits. Completely handcuffed, the Zips were within an eyelash of bowl eligibility. By providing the team with just the basics…the ability to travel to recruit talent, practices like everyone else, a couple grad assistants, a few bucks to keep some key players…it is the difference between winning 5 games and winning 8.

This is another reason I'm very hesitant to knock JoeMo. This year was Year 4 but... it was really more like Year 1 than Year 4. Next year will be Year 1 all over again. Every year is Year 1. I hate it.

Most wins since 2017 and people on here choosing to be miserable. Sheesh! Go Zips!

I've seen some posts online that the tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ... but that is Atlantic Standard Time. Tipoff for us is 5:30 EST. Don't complicate things for me, please. 😂

I know we’ve already got at least one thread going about the portal, but I’m going to try and streamline everything here. A few things I’m not completely sure about are which players are actually on scholarship, and which of the former JUCOs, redshirt seniors, or grad students still have any eligibility left. QB: (3) Roggow (R. So.) Broughton (R. Fr.) Beals (Fr.) * Portal / Out of Eligibility: Finley M. Johnson RB: (5) Curry (R. Sr.) Gant (R. Sr.) Gee (R. Jr.) Williams (R. Jr.) Patrick (R. So.) Portal / Out of Eligibility: WR: (8) Davis (R. Jr.) Hills (R. Jr.) Louis (R. Jr.) Mason (R. So.) Monteiro (R. So.) Ma. Williams (R. So.) Witherspoon (R. So.) Sivon (R. Fr.) Portal / Out of Eligibility: Adams Grear Walker Polk (R. Jr.) - Portal TE: (3) Newell (R. Sr.) Whisner (R. Sr.) Cravaack (R. Jr.) Portal / Out of Eligibility: OL: (10) K. Davis (R. Sr.) Fox (R. Sr.) A. Jones (R. Sr.) Shor (R. Sr.) Mann (R. Jr.) Morris (R. Jr.) McManus (So.) Gould (R. Fr.) Barthelemy (Fr.) * Rollins (Fr.) * Portal / Out of Eligibility: Archer George D. Johnson Lyons J. Moore Motley-Simmons King (R. Sr.) - Portal Ndaiga (R. So.) - Portal (Walk-on) DL: (17) Laventure (R. Sr.) Murphy (R. Sr.) Musika (Sr.) Cheatom (R. Jr.) Dall (R. Jr.) Durham (R. Jr.) Mixon (R. Jr.) Vega (R. Jr.) Hull (Jr.) E. Davis (R. So.) D. Frazier (R. So.) J. Frazier (R. So.) Brown-Demery (R. Fr.) Kavals (R. Fr.) Watkins (R. Fr.) Collins (Fr.) * Smith-Ray (Fr) * Portal / Out of Eligibility: Madden LB: (7) Spriggs (R. Jr.) Benenge (Jr.) Hocker (R. So.) Boswell (R. Fr.) James (R. Fr.) Reeves (R. Fr.) Curtis (Fr.) * Portal / Out of Eligibility: Cooper Summers DB: (11) Flowers (R. Sr.) Reed (R. Sr.) Kamara (R. Sr.) Thomas (R. Sr.) Somerville (R. Jr.) White (R. Jr.) AA. Branch (Jr.) Hunter (R. So.) K. Johnson (R. So.) T. Davis (R. Fr.) Cobbold (Fr.) * Portal / Out of Eligibility: Anderson AL. Branch David DeWalt Jarmon D. Johnson Stepney ST: (3 - Counting for K, P, LS) Miner (R. Sr.) Castle (Sr.) Samaha (R. Jr.) Wiley (R. Jr.) Schramm (R. So.) Portal / Out of Eligibility: Denis B. Johnson

The Beacon Journal is doing a nice job of promoting Zips mens soccer this week. Malone Pioneer posted an excellent article from the Beacon(about zips seeding and possible opponents) .....under the ratings and RPI topic. This morning, The Beacon did a very good article on Stefan Dobrijevic. (attached below) I greatly admire Stefan for his tremendous improvement as a soccer player over the past 4 years. After reading this article, I also greatly admire Stefan as he is true definition of a "Student-Athlete". Congratulations to Stefan on his success on the soccer field and also for his succcesses in the class room. https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/sports/college/zips/2025/11/19/stefan-dobrijevic-akron-zips-soccer-ncaa-tournament/87320211007/ Dobrijevic grew up in Akron as an Akron Public Schools student, attending Salem Elementary School, STEM Middle School and Firestone High School. His family moved to Uniontown when he was 16, but he remained at Firestone, where he took engineering, college level and advanced placement classes, recorded a 4.7 GPA and graduated in December 2021. Dobrijevic played club soccer with Internationals Academy, which is based in Medina, and started taking classes at UA in January 2022. He has a 3.8 GPA, earned a degree in business administration with a minor in marketing in December 2024 and is working toward an MBA.

Here is the dilemma, neither party is happy. JoMo doesn't want to be here and powers that be don't want him to stay. If the optics weren't so bad, UA would just pay him off and send him on his way. JoMo holds all the cards. Hopefully he can find a job somewhere else and everyone will get what they want. I would rather take my chances on an up and coming guy who doesn't act like he is entitled to someone else doing all the heavy lifting required to engage the fans and community. That is the only way out of our football pit of Hell. JoMo will never be that guy.

Back when there were talks of Akron getting a new arena ~10 years ago I kind of spoke against the 7k-8k seat arenas for this purpose. Although it would have been taxpayer funded through the city so not much pull the school would have had. It took exactly 1 game at Infocision for the new smell to wear off. I'm not sure we've hit 80% occupancy in a game since. Basketball after a season or two would almost certainly be back to averaging ~3k fans. I always thought the game day experience is better with the arena 80%-100% full, which leads to more fans wanting to return. It kind of sounds counterproductive but fewer seats can actually help improve attendance averages as it creates a false sense of scarcity and makes it a more desirable ticket to have. Particularly in an age where those under 30 want to brag on social media. It also creates a sense of urgency for people to get season tickets or buy single game tickets in advance. Key example is I would never feel the need to buy a ticket to Akron football in advance because I know I could show up to the gate and there will be 10k+ remaining. I do buy tickets in advance for Akron-Kent basketball because I know the risk for selling out is very high.

Absolutely no problem with the Zips effort. Groce always gets the kids to play hard.

As we head into a long offseason, I figured I’d look back at the players we lost, give a brief synopsis of how 2025 played out, see how the departed transfers fared at their new programs, and take an early look at what 2025 could be. Keep in mind, the portal will surely change some of these takes. QB: Departed Players: Bullock (Colorado State) Added Players: Johnson (FAU), Broughton (Freshman) I came into the season with high hopes that Finley would make a major leap in year two of Moorhead’s system — the same kind of jump I’d hoped to see from Irons in 2023. Neither scenario played out. Irons couldn’t ever seem to get or stay healthy, and while Finley may have shown slight improvement in a few areas, it wasn’t by much and his statistical output was similar to 2024. That said, it was obvious how much the offense struggled to move the ball without him. Bullock transferred to Colorado State and ended up seeing even less action for the Rams than he did here, and Johnson was brought in as his replacement. Early on, Johnson had a situational role much like Bullock’s, but his snap count fell off a cliff after the Toledo game. Looking Forward: Roggow (R-So.) and Broughton (R-Fr.) look poised to battle it out for the starting job, with highly touted freshman Semaj Beals joining the competition. I’d still expect coach Moorhead to bring in another strong-armed transfer to push that group. My hope is that regardless of who wins the job, we finally have an adequate backup who can keep the offense moving if pressed into action. RB: Departed Players: Simmons (Georgia State), Kellom (Eastern Illinois) Added Players: Gant (Tennessee Tech), Curry (Louisiana-Monroe), Gee (Colgate) The portal favored the Zips this offseason at running back. Gant ended up being a major pickup and became Akron’s first 1,000-yard rusher in years. Patrick split snaps with Gant early in the season, but an injury opened the door for Gant to take over as the main man. Patrick still appeared in most games, just in a reduced role. Williams was a distant No. 3 on the depth chart. Transfers Curry and Gee both dealt with injuries. Curry saw limited action in three games, while Gee missed the entire season. Portal departure Simmons had a reduced role in Georgia State’s offense and started only a handful of games. Kellom transferred down to the FCS level and ended up leading EIU in rushing. Looking Forward: Assuming no one leaves, this room is set for 2026. Gant and Patrick would immediately form one of the best backfields in the MAC, and if Curry and Gee are healthy, the offense would have two bigger-bodied backs capable of thriving in short-yardage situations. WR: Departed Players: Golden (Louisville), Norton (Marshall), Rush (Alcorn State), Wilson (Tennessee-Martin), Campbell (?), Granger (?) Added Players: Grear (Fresno State), Hills (Washington State), Monteiro (Pittsburgh), Williams (Marshall), Sivon (Freshman) Talent-wise, I wouldn’t say the portal hurt us here. However, I’m willing to concede that having basically a new group of receivers played a part in the losses to Wyoming and UAB. We had far too many drops early in the year and finished with 34 total, per PFF — the most in a season under the current regime. Williams, Polk, and Mason developed into a three-headed monster, and each has a legitimate chance to land on an All-Conference team. Hills held down the kick return duties, Monteiro served as a key backup, and Grear played a solid role before going down with an injury. Golden transferred to Louisville and hardly saw the field. Norton became a starter for Marshall a few games in, but he’s nearly 600 yards short of what he put up last season for the Zips. Rush and Wilson transferred down to FCS Alcorn State and Tennessee-Martin, respectively, and are having the best seasons of their careers as starters. I have no idea what happened to Campbell or Granger. Looking Forward: I believe Walker, Adams, and Grear are out of eligibility. If Adams is granted another year, the question becomes whether he returns — and if so, what his role would even be. I mentioned back in the spring that he didn’t look like the same player, and that was confirmed in the first game of the season. Williams was playing as well as anyone in the MAC to close out the year and has a real chance to be the best receiver in the conference if he returns. Mason proved to be as dynamic as expected and should only get better with added mass and reps. Sivon has speed to burn and could make a name for himself next year with a strong offseason of development. Polk has already declared for the portal, so we know we’ll need to replace at least one productive wideout. TE: Departed Players: N/A Added Players: N/A Injuries slowed down Newell this season, which led to Cravaack logging more than double the snaps of any tight end on the roster. The tight ends weren’t used as much in the passing game this year as they have been in the past, but they were a key blocking part of the offense posting its highest rushing average of the Moorhead era at nearly 135 yards per game. Looking Forward: All three tight ends still have eligibility left. Witherspoon has been reclassified as a wide receiver on the roster, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see another player added to this position during the offseason. OL: Departed Players: Blanchard (Grad.), Thomas (Grad.), Burrell (Morgan State), James (Mississippi State), Seymore (Western Kentucky), Williams (Georgia State), Mitchell (?) Added Players: Archer (East Carolina), Johnson (Western Kentucky), Jones (West Alabama), King (JUCO), Moore (East Texas A&M), Motley-Simmons (North Alabama), Gould (Freshman), McManus (Freshman) Ten linemen rotated and played early in the season as offensive line coach JRod worked to narrow down his best group. In the end, the line settled in left to right as Johnson, McManus, Lyons, Davis, and King — with Archer, Jones, and Morris rotating regularly. Morris proved invaluable, playing nearly every position on the line this year. The OL still gave up too many sacks and will finish in the bottom third of the conference in that category, but the numbers were substantially better than in 2022 or 2023. Conversely, run blocking was tremendously improved compared to any other season in the Moorhead era. Burrell transferred down to FCS Morgan State and was the starting right guard. James was the starting left tackle for Mississippi State. Seymore was the starting right guard for Western Kentucky. Williams started at left guard and center for Georgia State. I’m not sure what happened to Mitchell. Looking Forward: King has already declared for the portal, which isn’t a surprise given his size, ability, and the success he had at offensive tackle this year. It’s always going to be hard for us to keep good tackles considering how high the demand is for that position in the portal. There’s a chance Jones, Davis, McManus, and Morris return, which would give the Zips a solid nucleus of experienced players heading into 2026. A handful of others may be ready to contribute more consistently as well. JRod has lived in the portal and JUCO ranks since his arrival, and it’d be great if this is finally the offseason where he only needs to add depth instead of hunting for multiple new starters. DL: Departed Players: Adler (Grad.), Kapongo (Grad.), Lavea (Grad.), Richards (Grad.), Graham (JUCO), Moore (Purdue), Nunnally (Purdue), Brockington (?), Proffitt (?) Added Players: Durham (Arizona), Laventure (Penn West), Duncan (JUCO), Musika (JUCO), Vega (JUCO), Brown-Demery (Freshman), Kavals (Freshman), Watkins (Freshman) The starting group of Durham, Laventure, Hull, and Dall played more collective snaps than any other starting defensive line in the MAC. In fact, only a handful of individual linemen across the league have more snaps — or even have a chance to surpass them in their final game — than Durham, Laventure, and Dall. The defense as a whole produced its highest sack total (27) and pressure total (178) of the Tibesar era, with 15 of those sacks coming from the defensive line. Former defensive line coach Wart deserves credit for most of the DL already in place, while new defensive line coach Leonard brought Laventure with him from his previous stop. From there, he aggressively attacked the JUCO ranks for depth, but outside of Laventure, production from the new additions was limited in 2025. Moore played in three games for Purdue. Nunnally has started for Purdue since Week 3 and has put up numbers similar to what he produced last year at Akron. Graham went the JUCO route, and I have no idea what happened with Proffitt or Brockington. Looking Forward: Even with some sort of NIL funds, it may be difficult to keep Dall from collecting a payday at a P4 program. If Laventure were bigger, I’d say the same about him, but his size likely limits his options to the G5 level. Hull also came into his own this year and could draw some interest as well. Outside of Murphy and Mixon, the backups gave us very little. We entered the season with question marks and could go into next season with many of the same concerns. There’s some unproven young talent, along with a few of the 2025 additions who barely saw the field, but again — it’s all unproven. With that being the case, there may be more portal and JUCO activity to bring in players with more mature bodies who are more likely to be plug-and-play options. LB: Departed Players: Fish (Sam Houston), McCoy (Oklahoma State) Added Players: Boswell (Freshman), James (Freshman), Reeves (Freshman) The trio of Cooper, Spriggs, and Summers were solid and reliable in 2025. Those terms might sound like I’m underselling the linebackers, but that’s not the intent — according to PFF, they were the most sure-tackling group of the Tibesar era. PFF also graded Summers as the highest-rated defensive player on the team, with Spriggs fifth and Cooper seventh. Fish and McCoy were starters for Sam Houston and Oklahoma State, respectively. Looking Forward: Cooper and Summers should be out of eligibility at this point, and Spriggs may choose to listen to other suitors. He has the athletic ability to play at a higher level, and the light seemed to finally come on for him this year. The defense has steadily improved since Tibesar’s arrival, in large part due to his ability to identify under-recruited players who fit his system and then develop them. There’s plenty of young talent on the roster, but the question is whether they’ll be ready by next season. If not, expect an upper-classman or two to be brought in to bridge the gap. DB: Departed Players: P. Lewis (Grad.), Golden-Nelson (West Virginia), Hunter (Memphis), D. Lewis (West Virginia), Owens (JUCO), Proby (Houston Christian), Greenwood (?) Added Players: Al. Branch (Kent State), Aa. Branch (JUCO), Flowers (Penn State), Kamara (Upper Iowa), Somerville (James Madison), Stepney (Marshall), Davis (Freshman) It was a mixed bag for the defensive backs this season. DeWalt and Reed were excellent at cornerback — PFF graded them as the second- and third-highest defensive players on the team — while safety and nickelback play left plenty to be desired at times. Johnson and Anderson were the most reliable safeties, but injuries and depth issues opened the door for Hunter, Flowers, and Somerville to get reps. At nickelback, the Branches handled most of the snaps. Darrian Lewis was a starter for West Virginia, while Golden-Nelson, Hunter, and Proby each played in a handful of games at their respective schools. Owens went the JUCO route, and I’m not sure what happened to Greenwood. Looking Forward: DeWalt should be out of eligibility. If Reed, White, and Kamara return, that’ll give coach Littlejohn a trio of long and athletic defensive backs to work with heading into 2025. I expected there would be a drop-off at safety after losing coach Renna and the departed players. Throw in a few injuries, and there was definitely a step back in consistency from the position. That said, there were positives — Hunter, Flowers, and Somerville all flashed as they settled in. I believe Anderson is out of eligibility, and David should be as well unless he receives a medical waiver. At nickelback, Alex Branch should be out of eligibility, and I thought Aamii Branch played fairly well over the last few games. This is still a position that could be addressed in the offseason. ST: Departed Players: Book (Grad.) Jackson (Grad.), Reardon (Northwestern) Smith (Florida Atlantic) Added Players: Dennis (Colorado State), Johnson (Bethel), Samaha (Michigan), Schramm (Freshman) If I recall correctly, Schramm took over field goal duties around the Ball State game. Wiley continued to handle kickoffs, and Castle did most of the punting, although Johnson handled some as well. Looking Forward: Outside of long snapper Dennis and punter Johnson, all the specialists should have eligibility to return if they choose to do so. It would be nice to go into 2026 with the kicking duties already sorted out. Reviewing the players who left for “greener pastures,” only James, Lewis, McCoy, and Nunnally truly made impacts at power programs and became full-time starters. Almost all of the others — excluding those who dropped to FCS but including the ones who made lateral moves within the G5 — would have been better off staying put from a purely statistical and playing-time standpoint. Hopefully the funds raised over the next eight weeks help turn the tide and keep the 2025 roster mostly intact heading into 2026.

Gotlieb's presence alone accomplishes that.

It's so ridiculous that we have to start a thread like this. You should be able to go into any area Walmart, JC Penney, Kohl's, Target, etc. and find a selection of merchandise. I don't get why the university keeps dropping the ball on this. Plus those posts about another new bland apparel piece are unexciting. Quit trying to maximize profit and sell most stuff through the bookstore. The idea is to get your name and logo out there in as many places as possible at reasonable prices then the money will come. Old man rant finished.

We just got a 100k donation for the recruiting, absolutely huge!

Akron Felt is no more, the old owner didn't pay taxes for multiple years. One of the former employees started his own business doing the same thing. https://www.simos.cc/ He has totally rebuilt the business but is doing a great job, we use him to do all the repairs on the RubberDucks uniforms, highly recommend

@Z.I.P. 11:30am today for you if I'm not mistaken. You're welcome, you lucky, Hawaii-living son of a nutcracker. 😂

The only proven formula to make the tournament - WIN THE MAC.

I've wondered this as well. I feel like he was pretty visible around the program for a few years and not so much anymore.

Fill the Hill

All of these posts from national guys happening the day after the season ended and Franklin gets hired

We have posted before about Kam Warnke... Kam had 20 goals and 10 assists this year for the state runner up Auroroa Greenmen. Nice to see all of the Akron logos in the signing announcement

Horrible QB. Leads the MAC in TDs. Second in the MAC in total yardage. Scholar athlete of the week in the MAC this week. Joe found a guy like this with essentially no NIL money and convinced him to stay for 2 seasons. Good luck finding better in 2026. I like Broughton a lot. I hope Zips fans get to see him at Infocision one day.

The University has never once publicly mentioned any of the crippling limits placed on the football program in the name of budget cuts. They’ve hung Joe out to dry with a historic lack of support, whistling through the graveyard, and by their silence painting Zips football as having the same resources as every other MAC program. It isn’t fair to Joe, and I expect that grates on him. And it should. Bobby Knight once famously said - "If you're getting raped, you might as well lay back and enjoy it." Joe has bit his tongue 95% of the time, but who can blame him if, when pressed, he vents on his lack of recruiting budget, training tables, staff, and on and on? UA isn’t holding any pressers stating “You gotta understand the situation we’ve placed Joe Moorhead in. I can’t believe the guy won 3 games, let alone 5.” It's Zips Football against the world. Maybe the same geniuses at UA who’ve blundered every football-related decision since Jim Dennison’s firing will identify a "unicorn" coach that only wants a $300,000/year salary, that flits about Summit and Stark counties with a wicker basket collecting NIL money from scores of donors happily willing to fill it up, while also coaching Akron to MAC Championships and bowl victories. Wish in one wicker basket and poop in the other...see which fills up first. I have no clue what Goodrich will do regarding football. Maybe he spends a year crafting a new logo, quits his job and moves on to the next rung on his AD ladder? Maybe he’s empowered, independent of thought, and implements a plan to elevate Zips football to respectability? That would be awesome. Historically new AD’s "check their box" and hire “their guy” to run either the football or basketball program. On paper, Joe is on the hot seat. It it were me, I would fix the budget BS, show Joe a little love, and see what transpires in 2026. Joe took over a 1-11 Fordham team and went 38-13 during his tenure, winning 11 and 12 games in successive seasons. The guy can win big at the FCS/G5 level. It’s proven. But not when he’s hamstrung and unsupported. No one can.

Top Drawer soccer did a preview on the regional that the zips are in. https://www.topdrawersoccer.com/article/?categoryId=21&articleId=55371&articleTitle=mens-ncaa-tournament-region-3-preview 4. Akron(m) (11-4-3) - 1.56 goals per game (76th ranked), .667 goals allowed per game (12th ranked) Offensive Leader: Stefan Dobrijevic (8G, 10A) + Strong defense + Performed well against nationally ranked opposition - Offense can be inconsistent There is no doubt Akron has the defense for a playoff run; the question is if the offense can score enough in a region packed with high-powered attacks. Losing the Big East semifinal was not encouraging, but the team will be well-rested after receiving a first-round bye.

Iona beats Princeton by 20 at home. They are now 4-0 and a KenPom of 160. Game on!

I so badly want a marketing campaign to troll the big conferences. Something like… “Akron Basketball, good enough to play in the Big Ten, SEC, ACC, Big 12 and the Big East.”* * Based on Kenpom rankings on 11/18/2025. If they don’t like it they are welcome to send Rutgers, South Carolina, Utah, Boston College or DePaul amongst others to Akron to prove us wrong. Go Zips!!

This is great! We have such a diverse group of players!

BTW I may be in the minority but I said this last year when all the Joe rumors were swirling. Very similar this year. I absolutely agree with whoever mentioned it in the past few days .. the rumors are all being generated by Joe’s agent. Watch other rumors pop early in the search cycles for OCs in the NFL etc. I believe Joe’s options to leave for bigger and better pastures are extremely limited. I don’t believe James Franklin will look at him as a first choice or maybe second/third based on how he’s building his staff. I also think he remains comfortable from the standpoint of family life, nice house in Hudson, grandkids around - his son is off next year to play college ball and he has his routine at Akron down to where maybe he can keep a better eye on his son’s career va working his ass off as a OC for some other program with less familiarity. I could be completely wrong but this is my gut feel.

Nor that Goodrich will be particularly bothered either way.

On a more positive note. A member of the womens volleyball ball team was chosen to putt in the Wentz Financial Group hole-in-ine contest. I think she is the first person to win the jackpot.

For many years, I have thought about the same thing on billboards in and around Columbus trolling the brainwashed OSUcks zombies about our men's soccer program being the best in the state of Ohio.

We pick him off the scrap heap after Pitt ditched him and this is the thanks we get... If I want to say something nice about him - he played hard against BG. Guys like Mumpfield and Norton completely tanked their last games before hitting the portal.

Maybe the conversation could sound something like this. "Mr. Commissioner, you are killing us with the schedule. All we ask is to play our rival when the weather is nice on a Saturday early in the season so we can have a decent crowd. You did it for the BG/Toledo rivalry and all they did was sell out a stadium and put on a very exciting game. We all know the only people dedicated to weeknight games are drunks and degenerate gamblers. Gamblers will bet on anything and drunks will drink to anything, so trading Kent for another MAC school on a Tuesday night won't matter. Would it be too much to ask for you to dislodged your head from your ass for a few minutes to schedule the Akron/Kent rivalry early in the season?" There you go. Problem solved.

I can't believe you didnt just say Tim Tyrell. 😉

Don't forget about Max Crosby, too.

The only way out is just another coach? There is so much wrong at Akron that another coach isn't the answer.

We're in year 4 of a highly paid coach. Kent is in year 1 of an interim-turned-permanent coach, reacquired the Wagon Wheel, and has a chance to not just match our win total but possibly go bowling. The little victories were fine in years 1&2. It's unacceptable in year 4. 2 losses to first year HCs and we couldn't muster 10+ pts vs Wyoming at home. If it wasn't for UMass joining the MAC, we'd probably be capping out at 4 wins again. I don't see an improved product on the field, at least not what you'd expect from JoeMo in his 4th year. It's hard for me to celebrate barely beating BUGS who is objectively horrendous.

https://x.com/awfulannouncing/status/1990982220949942290?t=OgtiHl73LlFxiLtt6J5FtQ&s=19

After 12 years of college basketball.

Duquesne plays its annual game at SVSM this Saturday at 4:00 against Northeastern. I've been to 2 or 3 of these now and its interesting to watch a D1 basketball game in that intimate of a setting. I wasn't a fan at the start of these as I was afraid it was in part a recruiting ploy but I haven't seen that happening. It's free D1 basketball in our own backyard.,

We attended the Akron at YSU exhibition game earlier this month and was mildly impressed with their arena. They didn’t do a full redesign but replaced all the old seats (in a very similar design. Lower level chairs upper level bleachers)with new chair backs with cup holders and armrests from floor to ceiling on both sides for 1.8 million last year by Hussein seating out of Maine. Still holds 5700 down from 6300

Game Day Notes: Bowling Green is down to its fourth quarterback of the season in Washington State transfer Hunter Najm. He wasn’t asked to do much in his last outing, and when the game shifted to the fourth quarter, things started to unravel for him. Still, with ten days to prepare, the Falcons have had ample time to craft a game plan and try to get Najm settled for this matchup. The running back room remains the strength of the offense. They have multiple backs capable of producing chunk plays, and BG would love nothing more than to ride that group all evening. Mizzou transfer Austyn Dendy has taken the lead role of late and brings explosiveness every time he touches the ball. Cameron Pettaway and Chris McMillan rotate in and give the Falcons solid depth. The receiving corps, however, has been all over the place. Tight end Jyrin Johnson — more of a tweener than a traditional inline tight end — is the lone true playmaker. The wideouts have shown they can catch the ball, but outside of that, they rarely offer much in terms of creating after the catch or winning consistently. Up front, the offensive line is built to run the ball. Pass protection has been another story, as they’ve struggled with the rotation of quarterbacks and have surrendered 18 sacks in conference play alone. Defensively, the Falcons are fairly similar to Akron in points allowed and rush yards given up. The biggest gap comes in the pass game. Bowling Green’s secondary has been stingy, but the defensive front hasn’t consistently generated pressure. Akron, on the other hand, has given up plenty of passing yards but is one of the better teams in the MAC at creating pressure. The turnover battle also favors the Zips, as BG has struggled to force them while Akron has been one of the conference’s best in that department. Linebacker Gideon Lampron is one of the best defenders in the MAC, and edge rusher David Afogho provides a real threat off the edge. Defensive backs MJ Cannon and Kal-El Pascal round out a defensive core that can make things difficult for opponents. MAC Stats Only: Finley heads into his final game as the current MAC leader in passing yards and touchdowns. He’s also tied for second in interceptions. Gant leads the conference in rushing yards and needs 54 more to hit 1,000 on the year. Marcel Williams now leads the team in receiving yards and is second in conference action. Mason is ninth in receiving yards and tied for third in touchdowns. Polk is fifteenth in receiving yards and tied for second in touchdowns. Laventure is fourth in tackles for loss and tied for eighth in sacks.

And a guaranteed big name opponent.

Notre Dame is the lowest rated RPI....selection.... St. John's at 42....Notre Dame at 44....both get in Georgia Southern at 34 and Gardner Webb at 35 do not get in.... Michigan lost 5-0 in the Big Ten final....to UCLA I like this draw for the Zips

This draw scares none of us. The team is ready and they are confident they can play, and beat, anyone. Having the matchup with either of the two Midwest blue bloods of D1 sports is perfect for us. The guys will have no problem playing at a pace that breaks their opponent down. The future is in their hands and this schedule has them ready.

fitting venue for Kent

The ceiling is very high for the 2025-26 Zips...if they quit biting on every pump fake and fouling 3-point shooters.

I thought we protected the ball fairly well. We only had 10 turnovers, which was 2 fewer than Purdue in what was a very fast paced game. Being outrebounded 45-26 was the real issue. They had a lot of easy 2nd, 3rd, and 4th chance points. I get we weren't going to win the rebounding battle, but Lyles only having 1 board just can't happen. Let's say he had 7 instead. That would have meant Purdue would have won the rebounding battle 39-32, which would still be a healthy margin, but not so large that you couldn't make up for it elsewhere.

This is the best Akron team I have seen against a quality opponent. Groce has them ready to play. Only down by 5. I am not sure we can play this well for 40 minutes but really impressed with the ball movement, hustle, and breakouts. Tevari looks like he can play with these guys and Scott has hit some great shots.