72 Roo

Not going to happen. It doesn't work that way with minor (non big time revenue) sports. Nice idea tho'.

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.

Lots to be excited about this team. This game was an impossible task, but the team played tough. We can't do much about height, but we can reduce the turnovers and shoot better at the foul line. We will be good this year and super at tournament time. Groce has a plan and its is playing out.

What a nice post in lieu of the CSU game. I watched that game and saw nothing but disgusting basketball. The mistakes were constant and never corrected. CSU did not press or play 94' of basketball and yet we had 20 turnovers by the middle of 3Q. Last year it was all the injuries. In year three we were supposed to be turning it around with culture, talent, recruiting, schemes, etc. Everyone I know on campus who knows coach Gensler says he is a great guy with a superior basketball mind. They believe in him. But I look at the results and scratch my head. How can we be so bad in year three? I hope he is a miracle worker.

After calming down I still want offer a few thoughts on the Kent game so bear with me. Our biggest problem Tuesday night wasn't JoMo, player stupidity, the refs, or the cold. It was Kent State. They came believing they could win. They didn't have the talent, but they had a plan and they stuck to it. The game was exciting. The rivalry is renewed and heightened. The public wants a good game between these two schools and they will show if they believe it is going be a good game. Zip football can recover. It will be slow and it will be a series of addressing issues one at a time. Nemer wants a good team. Goodrich has been told to build up the program. He believes he can, but only over time. He is building up NIL now. It will not be great, but it's a start. Jo will not be fired or bought out. If he leaves no one in administration will talk him out of it. Jo told his team he didn't believe in them when he kicked a FG on 4th and one. They were on the 11 and all they needed was one f**king yard. It was the first series of the game and they had nothing to lose. Why? The Zips weren't prepared. On the first series of each half a TO called to straighten out the team. What a waste! What team uses TO's tat early in the game. That's an indictment on the staff, not the players. Also how can DeWalt be running to the ball on a punt when the receiver ran away from it thus exposing DeWalt to a bounce that goes his way, hits him and gives the recovery to Kent. That's stupidity and poor coaching. High school kids know not to do that. Speaking of coaching, I watched Kamara after giving up an 89 yard TD to Clark. He went to the bench, threw his helmet down and no one talked to him. Not fellow players, not captains , not a coach. He sat alone for several plays until a coach told him to get up and join the DB's. No coaching was given and guess what? He blew it again for another Kent TD. We were the better team, but we lost. Jo coached teams do that every year he has coached. Not once, but two or three times each season he has been here. After four seasons why would we expect it to stop. Jo has yet to show he can correct it. He may feel he hasn't gotten a fair deal here and he would be right. Sill he has compounded the problems and for that he can't blame anyone else but himself.

This staff has a brilliant record in developing players. Of course Enrique comes to mind, but also how about Amani, MMK. If Briscoe and Barre are willing to work the staff will have them ready for more minutes.

Creighton is a good team, no doubt. They have one of the best stadiums in the country, but not surfaces. They are also riddled with thugs and cry babies. They are not as quality of a program as I once thought. How sweet it was to win the division at their place, in front of their fans and end their season. Go Zips! on to the BE tournament and a high seeding in the NCAA's.

I dated a lovely southern belle who graduated from MUW. She was from Alabama and enjoyed the distinction of being Miss Dothan Alabama. It is quite prestigious to attend and graduate from the "W", as it is called in that area of the country. Needless to say she dumped me and later married a TV executive from Cleveland. The girl obviously had good taste.

Not the type of play that will advance us in the playoffs, but it was enough to beat Marquette. This is a curious team. They have the talent to play at the highest level, yet they have not put it all together. Where was Remi? Ferguson cannot play FWD at the level we need. He would be better converted to D so he could get playing time in the future. I also echo another poster: where is Borneo? Is he back in the doghouse? Regardless our MF doesn't have it. They were all world against St L. U. and then fell off the face of the earth. Stefan and Jack Roman are consistent and bring quality. The rest have to show up sometime. As we are playing now we cannot go deep in the tourney. We'll get in, but I'm not expecting a lot.

This doesn't surprise me. I have long believed, and still do, that fans in Summit County/NE Ohio know good football and will show up if you play it. On the other hand if you play terrible ball they will not show, even if they are graduates. Put a better product out there with a chance of winning and they will return.

Ya gotta hand it to them. EMU has some nice facilities. Over the years they are pouring more and more money into the athletics program. That being said they still suck in MBB.

Love watching Darlington play. From the Zips to his stint with the Crew he was the best at his position in with every team he was with. I hope he stays with the Crew in some role. My only fear is that Jimmy Haslam owns the Crew and he has proven to be an idiot with all teams he owns. He only cares about the dollar and that hs led to many bad decisions.

This makes sense if football is all you care about.

In no other sport is a single position as important as QB is to football. How can the staff be in its fourth year and not have a viable backup when they know one will be needed? That's a failure of leadership plain and simple.

At this point coach Moorhead is gone. The only question is how. We can't afford a buyout. Perhaps Joe would consider his resignation for his peace of mind and ours. This crap can't wear well on anyone, even an offensive genius. Regardless of what happens we need to accept that there will be another mass exodus of all our better players at the end of the season. Joe can't turn this around and a new staff will need time to turn it around. The better players will leave, and they should. The greatest single factor in achieving success is the people who lead. Akron football does not have the right leader.

Last night I went to the VB match against Miami with a friend. We had a good time. The ladies have a team we can be proud of. Despite Miami being 10-1 we took it to them. Our only weakness was serving. We gave up too many points when hitting it into the net or hitting it too long. That was the difference in the game. Our ladies play with power and are athletic. They blocked or return some spikes by Miami that were incredible. The vibe on this team is contagious. It appears they love playing the game and each other. One thing that impressed me was that there were big team contingents from swimming & diving, baseball, track & field and lacrosse. Nice to see our programs supporting each other. If you are thinking of attending a VB match, do it. You won't be disappointed.

Passing thoughts on the game b/c I have nothing better to do: Forget the rankings, the Zips are a top ten team. If what we saw from SLU was true to them, they are not a top 20 team. Akron was the far better team tonight. Our MF's were outstanding, especially in the first half They won the 50/50 balls They set up many beautiful shooting opportunities They filled the passing lanes so well SLU rarely put together more that 2 passes They repeatedly played the ball on the ground out of severe pressure. Having Freddy returning to the backline steadied the defense. I wish he was in there against UConn. The character of this team was on full display. They showed no fear of SLU or memory of having lost the last two. This team is confident and proud, but not arrogant. Jack Roman has emerged as a threat every time he has the ball. Coming from the wing he will force teams to widen their back four. Mitch and Ashton are both 1st team All-Americans. They will play in MLS. Matt Dreas is the unsung glue to our MF. Credit to our coaches for filling 8 open positions this season and for continuing to find the best combinations of players. We are getting better and finding a lot of depth.

Against UAB the Special Teams did not show up and the defense showed up for only one half. That's disturbing, but I see three incidents in the game that are more troubling. First, with the Zips driving at the three and the two minute timeout coming up the offense is clearly waiting for the timeout to plot their next plays. Yet at 2:02 the center snaps the ball. Finley was surprised and barely covered the snap. A probable touchdown was lost. A field goal resulted. The lost points were the difference in the final score. Who was in control? Who was communicating?Who was listening? Second, Durham took the bait when a UAB O-lineman pulled him down after the whistle. Durham responded with a forearm shivers to the UAB player's chin. Right in front of a ref. We were hit with a personal foul and the drive, that may have been stopped, was renewed. On the sideline after the play Joe high-fived Durham, put his arm around him and joked. Where was the accountability? Finally, after a failed second half drive Joe tried to talk with a frustrated Finley. Joe walked after Finley talking while Finley walked away, never turning to his head coach. It took an assistant coach to turn Finley around to face Joe. An argument followed. Where is the respect for the head guy? Do these guys even believe in Joe? Joe may be an offensive genius, but there is not much evidence he is a capable head coach.

Thanks for providing these charts Catdaddy. I find them very interesting. Like you said they are as objective as you can get in this day and age. It I'll be fun to compare them as the season goes on. While I feel we had a dismal start, there are many more games ahead of us and many more chances to develop this team. As I look at it we will be as good as Finley goes. So far we are lousy.

Tonight was a fun night for Akron soccer. The OSU Buckeyes were a good opponent, but not a great one. We were the better team. Nonetheless I hope we continue playing them and build a rivalry. What struck me about the Zips was that, despite not playing our best, we got better tonight. We found we have good depth and the staff came closer to finding who are the players who need to be on the field in crunch time. Remember this season saw 8 players needed to be replaced. The coaches deserve credit for finding the players, building chemistry and continuing the Akron style of play. That is what brings players to Akron despite offers of NIL money that has been in the $30,000 range. This is a team to enjoy.

More thoughts: By the end of the first quarter everyone in the stadium knew Finley didn't have it. Why stick with him? When Johnson came in for the obvious running play the Zips still got the yards they needed. Let him stay in or go to Roggow. That gives us a chance. Finley doesn't give us any. The win is most important. How you get it is not. In the second half my buddy and I started watching Finley as the offense came off the field. Only once did a coach talk to him and it wasn't Joe. For an offensive genius Joe never said a word to his QB. Finley was alone. Only Johnson came over next to him and seemed to try to pump him up. If the guy is having a bad day help him. Coach him up. Nothing was done. Is Joe mailing it in? Finley on the other hand did not pump up his teammates. He sat and stewed. The only emotion we saw was when he attacked a Gatorade water cooler with his helmut. It was Johnson who came over and picked the cooler up and put it back where it belonged. Johnson seems to be a high character kid.

It is so exciting to be talking about marginal rates 2 days before one of the most interesting and competitive football opening games. I'm pumped! Damn the fact that this is a sports forum. Bring on more economics. It is more relevant and exciting. Who cares if we have a legitimate chance to be bowl eligible, providing Goodrich can get the NCAA to rescind its ban. I bet Moorhead is glued to this conversation. I know I am.

Thanks for the update Captain. This was like water in the desert for fans craving something about football. I believe this team will be improved and capable of playing good football. Still I do not have confidence we can go better than 5-7. We are on the right road to recovery if we stick to a long term vision.

Where did he go?

How did this go? I was in town for meetings and hoped to stop by, but The meetings went too long. Were there a lot of Zips there? Any thoughts offered on all the fall sports?