LZIp

What a sour end to the season, eh Zipsnation? After starting 4-2, the Zips finished 1-5 against the easiest MAC schedule we have had in years. Same record as last season and let our horrible rivals end any chances we had at receiving a bowl bid. Trying to look at positives (while still disappointed), we did finish 5-7. Strictly looking at records, which is all that really matters, we did not progress or regress as a program. Bowden's first year here, we did not progress as a program with our record and we only had one direction to go- up. The next season we saw a nice jump. We also had probably our best win in program history going down to Pitt and really controlling them and playing a great game. We shut down their great RB and contained their star WR. They are playing for a bowl game this week. We also had some disappointing losses. I think this is a fair assessment of where our program is right now; good enough to beat some programs that we shouldn't but not good enough to beat teams that we should consistently. I think to continue the progression of the program, there are some changes to be made. 1- It is time to show the OC the door. Let's take a look at stats over the 3 seasons of the Bowden era. Year 1- We had the 61st ranked offense in the nation.312 passing yards/game, 114 rushing, and 26 points. Keep in mind that this is with a career FCS back up QB who had obvious limitations to his game. Not a knock on Dalton, just is what it is. Year 2- 109th ranked offense in the nation. 219 passing yards/game, 122 rushing, and 20 points. Ironically, we managed to go 5-7 with these stats. Year 3- 87th ranked offense in the country.255 passing yards/game, 118 rushing yards, and 22 points. The offense has regressed since Milwee has taken over, and he has had more developed talent to work with. Pohl who once looked promising in his first real playing time in that last game of 2012 against Toledo has won us some more games than we are used to, but just "some more" isn't good enough. He he not improved in my eyes. There needs to be an open QB competition and I believe there will be. I think we will have a nice QB come out of the pack with Chapman, Kincaide, Woodson, and even still Pohl. I hope that Pohl stays with the program if he loses the job. We all saw how not having an experienced back up can derail a season. Pohl doesn't deserve all of the heat, though. WRs had way too many drops and the running game was inconsistent. I am confident and excited to see Alexander getting carries next season. I am happy with what Amato has done with the defensive unit. I still would like some more depth in the secondary. I did think that Givens, Scott, Ford, and Durant had good seasons. Both starting corners returning is nice. In summary, the season was not what we wanted, but isn't a complete disappointment. It's important to remember how bad this program was when Bowden took over. We were still working with players who played under Ianello. I can deal with one year of stagnation, but its important to keep moving forward. The bottom line is that Bowden and Co. need to bring in better talent. Western Michigan has turned it around fairly fast. Why? Well I think they have a nice coach in Fleck, but they have also done some really nice recruiting!

What about replacing Bre Ford at SS? We need more help with the d-backfield than anything.

I think Jerome has a very bright future on the defensive side of the ball. He has made some nice plays as a freshman when given the opportunity.

Cheek was absolutely horrible that drive. Come on Pohl..give us one drive!

OLine obviously needs upgrades too. 5 vs 3 and losing seems to have been way too common this year.

That lazy play call fade has worked approximately zero times this season. And I take back what i said about Stein.

Hard to believe Pohl has about 5 seconds of protection and still can't find someone to throw it to

Nice kick by Stein. He has had a really nice year actually. Still makes me wonder what the coaches saw in Leary over him..And I totally agree about the talent we need. I am comfortable at QB though with Kincaide and the former 4 star from Pitt, and even another year for Woodson to grow. The cream will rise. l also like the RB transfer currently sitting out. Unfortunately there isn't much to look forward to at the WR position. MTB has had a better year, especially in the OOC, but doesn't have that "it" factor. Too passive to me. It would be Nice if we could combine MTB's skill set with LT's toughness. D'Orazio is a nice player, but not a true game breaker. More of a possession guy.

I'm ready to move on from Pohl and Milwee at the end of the season. I feel I've been more supportive than most on the board and even I've had enough.

We look like shit. Mizell sticking out to me on defense and the whole offense.

Let's kick these guys' ass and finish the season on a good note!

Cant find where the discussion on the RNC was, but found this tidbit in a Crain's article http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20141030/FREE/141039969/downtown-residential-population-exceeds-13000-in-latest-downtown

Ever hear back on this?

I've stated already that I'm comfortable saying he will be the MAC freshman of the year, and that is without knowing what other freshman talent is in the conference. He is a great get. It's rare to see freshman of any caliber come in and play this well/efficient right away.

Thanks MD. For those of you curious, Jelani Jenkins also played at Florida around the same time Janoris did. Easy to get confused.

I don't think this would be our first bowl appearance since 1885.

I'd rather take in a player who has a problem with a party drug and has sought help on it rather than say... A player charged with felony grand theft. A player accused of severely beating a freshman student. A player accused of rape. All of the above mentioned have came to UA from another program and have represented the university well. Like I said above, I have zero reason not to trust Bowden's judgement on giving players second chances when considering who he has brought in before and how they have carried themselves here. Jelani Jenkins is another player who has greatly benefited from Coach Bowden.

Whoever is in charge of traveling arrangements needs to do a better job. It is the same distance from Phili to State College at it is from Akron to State College. From Akron you don't need a wasteful flight and save a few hours.

sounds right unless he can graduate early.

ESPN rankings are a joke. But it has nothing to do with Akron.

For an All-American? Definitely worth the chance. Bowden has brought in lower character (based on past records) and lower quality players for 1 season. None of them were a detriment to the program and all of them have seemed to stay out of trouble completely here. I trust Bowden's judgment in this area. It appears Spence wants to head to the draft. I think another season may be best for him to show scouts he has corrected his problem. The NFL drug policy is strict as us Browns fans know. Noah could make himself a lot more money by showing teams they don't have to worry about him.

Yep. Not a good night. I still give us a 50% chance of getting selected. Root for FSU and root for Miami to beat Pitt to keep the ACC with the least amount of bids as possible. It would be a lot easier to predict if we knew where each bowl was in the picking order.

For those who care what bowl projections say, I do not see Akron listed on ESPN's or CBSSports, both of which they were on last week. I did not see Ohio, either. I also checked SportingNews, Phil Steele, and SBNation. The only one that has Ohio or Akron, is SBNation, which has us in the Camelia Bowl vs Texas St.

I've went over all our of possible secondary tie-ins along with the number of eligible teams of each conference affiliated with the bowl on the previous page(s). I'm 95% sure a MAC team is going to the Quick Lane Bowl as long as what most likely will play out, does. The others, I'm not so sure, but there is a chance the MAC gets a 7th bid as well.

at least you are listening to an eventual Zips victory