clarkwgriswold

Yep, there's going to be some pain. Please keep reminding me that it's about where they are in February and March.

CMU is better than their record indicates. UA is, unfortunately, just what their record indicates. Another long afternoon at Infocision. The Beacon has a big ad today from UA giving a free ticket to any area high schooler. They really need to go back to the $10 ticket they had for homecoming.

It can't get here fast enough!

I think Bubba's situation is a familiar one. He's a kid who they didn't recruit that appears undersized and not particularly fast. He doesn't have the measurables and that's where many coaches start when reviewing kids that aren't "their's." I see a player who is aggressive and never out of position that has stuck it out through now 3 coaching staffs and has the track record to be on the field. I've also seen nothing special in the players he's sharing time with. As such, I'd only have him off of the field for breathers.

Here's hoping they also look for some DBs.

...and like Zips football enthusiasm and confidence, it is at its fullest in the heat of August.

I'm afraid that given the results and the transfer portal culture, that the staff's biggest off-season challenge is going to be convincing the better talent like Irons to stick around.

The offense works. The Zips were one of the worst 5-10 teams in the FBS last year. Anyone expecting a quick turnaround was wearing their Zips glasses or was unaware that every team participates in the transfer portal. Yes, losing sucks. No one enjoys it. Improvement this year may be going from being the number 130 team in the country to the number 100 team in the country. Any improvement may not show in the win loss record. In any event, 37 days into Morehead's first season as Zips head coach is a wildly premature point to make an assessment. And no, I am not being an optimist or a pessimist. I am being a realist.

Sometimes I just can't help myself. Aaaah memories. That was an exciting 14 yards.

Not in the win column, but yes.

This defense is allergic to being down only one score.

Why does it feel like the D is about to let us down again?

It seems like every time there's a ray of hope that Zips defense kicks us in the nuts.

Fixed that for you.

I think this is another "teaser" game, where the Zips show promise and improvement but have nothing to show for it in the win column at the end of the day. Here's hoping it is injury free and that we see a decrease in turnovers and stupid penalties. OU- 35, UA- 21.

It might help if a sweatshirt isn't $69.99.

So, let's say without Dawson we end up with a lineup with three "smaller" guards (X plus two of Tribble, Hankerson and Clarke) and the two big guys (Freeman and Hunter). Do we see a little more up tempo as a result or do they slow it down having less depth now? Do we see more zone to protect the smaller guards? It's going to be a very interesting first half or 2/3 of the season as we see how Groce brings this together. In Groce I trust.

Morehead just looks and sounds like a football coach. Arth always sounded like a high school kid that had been woken up by being called on after nodding off in class.

I get your point with Tribble but putting Maishe Dailey in the same boat as a Walton is a little misplaced. Maishe was a disappointment overall, but he contributed and played hard. I am looking forward to seeing how Tribble developed in the off-season. I really like his flexibility in that he can play the point or the two and plays defense hard enough to face up against the bigger wings.

Hankerson shoots the 3 at about the same percentage as X so that will help to make up for some of the loss, though at 6'2" he's a very different type of player. The Zips will need shooters on the floor as this will also force more floor time for Tribble. I am afraid they are really going to miss the 6'5' to 6'7" wing presence on defense and offense.

You can see it on the sidelines. How many times last year did we see kids on the sideline that were disinterested or dejected? You don't see that this year as the kids are fired up and focused on the game.

Way too many instances of the first tackler not getting the ball carrier down. This was one of the worst teams in the FBS last year. While it would be nice to see wins, we may need to be content with just seeing improvement on the field. I do think we've seen some of that.

Yes, and would have lost miserably yesterday.

The offensive line, defensive backs and special teams are killing this team. Areas to focus on in recruiting. I really like Morehead's offense and playcalling. I taught little kids two rules the Zips haven't mastered. One, do not field a punt inside the ten. Plant your feet on the 10 and do not back up. Two, nobody gets behind you if you are a DB. Those types of things make me worry that the coaching staff is either not on top of communicating with the kids or that they're putting kids in positions they're not equipped to handle (e.g. a freshman fielding punts). They gave a game away but an Arth team accomplishes nothing at halftime and gives up much earlier and loses by double digits. This team at least kept fighting. We have to accept the small victories when there's so far to come.

6:16 is the perfect amount of time for a 97-yard drive.