Game 8—@Ball State Cardinals

[zipsoutsider]

23 minutes ago, zippy5 said:

On top of it, looks like he redshirted his freshman year because of an injury, which would make it a pretty cut and dry case for a sixth year if he wanted it. 

 

That said, I'd much rather have him back this year with this team. We could give WMU a run in Detroit with a healthy team 

The red shirt counts against the five year clock and wouldn't earn special consideration, from what I understand. That clock starts when you enroll as a freshman. So, if a kid redshirt as a freshman and then sits out a year as a transfer, he only can play for 3 years at the new school. Ball red shirted, then plated 3 full seasons. Th8s is his 4th year if playing and 5th of eligibility.

 

The medical hardship is generally only used to extend the 5 year clock if the student athlete has missed 2 full seasons due to injury. Ball did not miss the majority of any of his other 4 seasons due to injury, unless it was not filed as an injury and was just filed.as a regular red shirt and he can prove he did not play as a true freshman due to injury.

Edited October 23, 2016 by zipsoutsider

[72 Roo]

Nice analysis. I disagree when reviewing the play of Pittman and hamilton. I feel they are both underachievers. They take plays off and don't muster any passion when they are out there. Thier talent is top of the MAC, but their effort is bottom of the MAC. Our D has to find a way to get better. I agree the LB's are not a factor in the game. That being said, I'd give more time to the younger guys like Lako if the vets aren't getting it done. In the end I can't see us competing with Toledo or WMU (again) with what we have. The are better teams. 

[Blue & Gold]

Quarterback Thomas Woodson Returns to Lead Zips Over Cardinals

 

http://www.ohio.com/sports/zips/akron-35-ball-state-25-quarterback-thomas-woodson-returns-to-lead-zips-over-cardinals-1.721399

 

Zips D only allowed 70 yards rushing in the 2nd half.

Edited October 23, 2016 by Blue & Gold

[Blue & Gold]

A few video highlights & a brief interview of Coach.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqjoVkE6Ktw&feature=youtu.be

 

Over 500 yards total offense.  100-yard rusher & OL didn't allow a sack to the #5 sack defense in the country.

[zippy5]

1 hour ago, Blue & Gold said:

A few video highlights & a brief interview of Coach.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqjoVkE6Ktw&feature=youtu.be

 

Over 500 yards total offense.  100-yard rusher & OL didn't allow a sack to the #5 sack defense in the country.

Austin Wolf's block on the Van Edwards TD run! 

[Dr Z]

12 hours ago, zipsoutsider said:

Great team win, today. The first half felt like everyone was adjusting to different personnel but they seemed to gel towards the end of the first half. We are a different team with Tommy Woodson. It's not just his arm, it's his fire.  He knows when to hold it, and when to throw it. He picked up a couple of nice first downs with his feet today at key times. I love that we can have the confidence to put the ball in his hands to throw a big pass at the end of the 4th to seal the deal.

 

JoJo Natson continues to be a workhorse for us and a warrior. I love that other teams cannot focus solely on Jerome or Natson without paying for it with Coney or Wolf. It was also nice to see Newman Williams catch a couple, but he seemed to hobble out a bit after his second catch. I hope it was no big deal. Nice to see Jerome Lane looking more like Jerome Lane, again. I like that we are keeping TC5 engaged. You never know when he might be needed, again, but also, he does gives a good look inside of the 10 yard line and in 4th and sort situations.

 

The OL and run game were impressive. So much for having the second least experienced OL at the beginning of the season. These kids are playing their butts off, and we lose none of them this year. Quigley did a very nice job playing for Gathney, today.

 

When you look at the stats, the thing that sticks out to me is that all of our tackles are coming from LBs and secondary. None from a DL, today. I think what it means is that Chuck Amato pulled off some defensive scheme magic today to shut down a productive run game with a patched together unit.

 

I have heard people belittle the team's record, saying we have only beat losing teams. Ball State is a .500 team and they probably won't end up with a winning record, looking ahead at the rest of their schedule, but they are no slouch, either and have played well this season.

 

This team has overcome a lot of adversity this year and they continue to find ways to win. Part of it is a higher level of talent, and part of it is a different culture. I am not sure if it is me or if it is noticeable, but TB seems much more personally connected to the players this year. He is celebrating with them when they come off the field after a great play and there seems to be more personal interaction. There could be a host of reasons for this (more reasons to celebrate, no longer deeply grieving losses of nephew or Tank, he was more involved with recruiting these kids, etc..)

 

The Good:

• 100% conversions (all TDs) in the Red Zone
• 0 interceptions thrown
• Nearly even time of possession
• 8/12 on 3rd down, 2-2 on 4th down conversions
• Offense gave up 0 sacks to the second leading sack defense in the country
• Team rushed for 177 yards, Van Edwards over 100 yards, set up the HB pass from Morgan. Both RBs stepped up played a big game for us. Van Edwards is explosive and starting to move to another tier of RB.
• Trick plays worked - Woodson lined up, as a WR,  TC5 rushed for 1st down, pass from Morgan to Wolf
• Lane was more productive.
• Alvin Davis and Ulysees Gilbert are beginning to emerge as defensive threats. Kyron Brown, Jordan George, and Larry Hope are also playing well for us. Featherstone is also making an impact. 
• 2nd half play calling made Milwee look like a genius.

 

The Not So Good:

• 8 penalties for 51 yards, 3 from Letuli for illegal formation - not sure if it was a ref with a bug up their butt or if Letuli was doing something wrong. Seems odd to start getting them at this point of the season. Maybe he was so distracted by how badly the TV announcers butchered his name. Ekkins was getting an earful from TB about this. We had another illegal substitution on defense. We have to fix this It has been an issue for 2 straight games. The revolving door defense is surely contributing to this, but after 2 games, we need to find a way to address it. The revolving door is the new reality, for now and we have to make it work. We can't afford to give up those types of penalties.
• 1st half run defense was like a sieve. Kickoff tackling wasn't tremendous.
• Bizarre play calling for final drive of the first half. Let's hope a reporter actually asks about that drive this week.
• Had to depend on a couple of reviews being upheld on fumbles. Thankfully, they both fell our way, but let's do a better job hanging on so we don't have to depend on good officiating.

Side notes:

• Neither team gave up a sack today.
• Bowden said something to the effect, "Losing teams talk about injuries, winning teams talk about the next man up." on the post game interview.
• We wore that same uniform combo at Marshall.
• Ball was listed as out, but was dressed. Hopefully, that means he will be back, soon. He might have had a 200+ yard day, today.
• Camara went down in the 4th. He is the back-up DL. We really can't afford to lose any more guys there. I hope he is OK.

Nice job zipsoutsider. 

 

Woodson is the MVP of this team. Coach said it right, he throws the ball before the receivers turn around, that's hard to defend. If I were coaching, I would have a hard time taking Woodson off the field and punting the ball anytime I was anywhere near midfield. I am still amazed at the play of Alvin Davis. He is always around the ball, his anticipation is great. Congratulations to the defense for stepping up in the second half and winning that game. They looked like a totally different unit the second half. Nice job of mixing the run and the pass second half, AJ seemed to get into a good groove, and a great halfback pass call. The staff must have a great environment created if they have guys like Jamal Marcus willing to play injured. Very unselfish move. I like rooting for a team with guys that have that kind of team attitude. Makes me think of that video posted when coach gives the team the definition of pride. 

 

 

[zipsoutsider]

A couple of other quick thoughts. Yesterday's 3rd quarter reminded me a lot of the KSU 3rd quarter from 2015, where they never had an offensive play. We dominated the third quarter time of possession with 11:46. Interestingly enough, their first half ToP was 19:43 and ours was 10:17. Our second half ToP was 19:17 and theirs was 10:43. The difference was that we are able to convert on our opportunities and they had to go for a FG, once. I of think the ToP made not just a huge scoring and momentum change in our favor, but also seemed to somewhat demoralize BSU. It was almost like they had a, "They are who we thought they were" attitude about us.

 

 

 

 

[UA1987]

I thought Venckus had a great game at D/E. His TFL really helped when our defense was in full retreat.  

[LZIp]

40 minutes ago, UA1987 said:

I thought Venckus had a great game at D/E. His TFL really helped when our defense was in full retreat.  

Agree. He may have been the best DL yesterday. Besides him, I think Jest made few plays (I want to continue seeing more of him) and Pittman made one. Everyone else was non-existent.*
 

*Marcus did have some pressure, although he never really got close to a sack when he was in. He was the only DL getting any penetration on passing downs.

[MDZip]

At least the best of the East is not worse than the worst of the West. Akron has the only victory against the West (the East is 1-6 vs. the West) and looking at the rest of the schedule I don't see another obvious victory for the East. Its reverse basketball

[zipsoutsider]

Bowden presser:

 

Ball is close to returning. Either this week or next week.

Buffalo is also playing on a short week. Defensive improvement during the second half was mostly just calming the kids down and showing them how to adjust.

 

Alvin Davis was supposed to be a grey shirt but someone no -showed and he was scholarshipped....he's only 150 lbs.

 

 

 

[LZIp]

Thanks for posting these every week @zipsoutsider. As for Davis being 150lbs, I'm not shocked at all. He looks pretty small out there. Luckily he plays a lot bigger than he is, kind of like the guy on the other side of the ball.

[Dr Z]

10 hours ago, zipsoutsider said:

Ball is close to returning. Buffalo is also playing on a short week. Defensive improvement during the second half was mostly just calming the kids down and showing them how to adjust. Alvin Davis was supposed to be a grey shirt but someone no -showed and he was scholarshipped.

I think the best question (JJ) and answer was the last one about the offensive line coaching. Worth listening to.

 

I appreciate how coach knows the point spread of every game. 

 

BTW, if you are at any of the remaining games, take your eye off the ball for a series and watch Alvin Davis. 

[zipsoutsider]

1 hour ago, Dr Z said:

I think the best question (JJ) and answer was the last one about the offensive line coaching. Worth listening to.

 

I appreciate how coach knows the point spread of every game. 

 

BTW, if you are at any of the remaining games, take your eye off the ball for a series and watch Alvin Davis. 

Thanks. Yeah, there was no succinct way to explain what he said about OL coaching. It is interesting to not that the head coach coaches his coaches. I am sure he doesn't need to do it with Amato, but I wonder how well young head coaches do at coaching and developing their coaches? 

 

Alvin Davis: I am going to take you up on your suggestion...maybe I will go grab last week's footage and do that. I did that with DeAndre Scott a few times and realized that we never hear his name this year because his coverage is impeccable and nobody wants  to throw to the guy he is covering.

Edited October 25, 2016 by zipsoutsider

[Blue & Gold]

1 hour ago, Dr Z said:

BTW, if you are at any of the remaining games, take your eye off the ball for a series and watch Alvin Davis. 

 

I don't know half as much about football as you, Good Doctor, but I'm proud to say I've done this and continue to do this on occasion.  I noticed him the very first time he stepped onto the field for kickoff coverage during our first game.  I simply noticed a small #1 & didn't know who he was.  When I looked at the program, he wasn't even listed on the roster!!!  

 

He got his name called a couple times that day, so at least the announcer knew who he was.

 

I remember him having a real spring in his step - he almost bounces when he runs - & thinking he looked like a extremely confident baller.

 

He's become one of my favorite Zips.

Edited October 25, 2016 by Blue & Gold

[Blue & Gold]

3 minutes ago, zipsoutsider said:

I did that with DeAndre Scott a few times and realized that we never hear his name this year because his coverage is impeccable and nobody wants  to throw to the guy he is covering.

[Dr Z]

22 hours ago, zipsoutsider said:

Alvin Davis: I am going to take you up on your suggestion...maybe I will go grab last week's footage and do that. I did that with DeAndre Scott a few times and realized that we never hear his name this year because his coverage is impeccable and nobody wants  to throw to the guy he is covering.

It's hard for me to follow a guy on a broadcast because he is out of the camera view so much. I'm amazed how many times AD1 ends up effectively covering, or tackling a TE (comical size difference). I got a shot of defending a TE in the Miami game. Here is one of him violently throwing his body at the RB for a tackle too. I thought it was interesting, in the above presser, how coach said he is worried about him getting hurt because he is so small. 

 

You're right about Scott, I hope he gets a chance to shadow Corey Davis the entire game in December. He didn't get that chance in October. It seemed like (to me) a coaches decision to not follow Davis when he lined up at different positions (X,Y and Z). 

[zipsoutsider]

1 hour ago, Dr Z said:

It's hard for me to follow a guy on a broadcast because he is out of the play so much. I'm amazed how many times AD1 ends up effectively covering, or tackling a TE (comical size difference). I got a shot of defending a TE in the Miami game. Here is one of him violently throwing his body at the RB for a tackle too. I thought it was interesting, in the above presser, how coach said he is worried about him getting hurt because he is so small. 

 

You're right about Scott, I hope he gets a chance to shadow Corey Davis the entire game in December. He didn't get that chance in October. It seemed like (to me) a coaches decision to not follow Davis when he lined up at different positions (X,Y and Z). 

Nice shots!

 

Yeah, you are right. I did catch that we are still lining Brian Bell up at DE, sometimes. I think he is doing better at that position than he is at LB.

[Captain Kangaroo]

A few closing thoughts as we move on from the Ball State game -

 

I liked how Woodson reflected back during the post game interview on his 5 INT's in one half  two seasons ago at Ball State. Allowing Kato Nelson to redshirt this year should really bode well for his development as a QB. He'll miss out on those "forced-into-duty-before-I'm-ready" lumps that Woodson endured and be ready to rock and roll in 2018. 

 

If Chapman is going to be our short yardage "wildcat" QB, he's got to protect the ball better. He doesn't secure the ball well when he runs. And he runs almost exclusively in very critical situations. Fumbles aren't an option.

 

Another Zips comeback. We've outscored 6 of our 8 opponents in the second half this season. Conversely, we've outscored 3 of our 8 opponents in the first half. 

 

We ran outside the tackles for the first time all season. And Van showed some serious wheels once he got in open space. He makes us miss Ball less and less every week.

 

Getting Woodson back was like getting Lane + Woodson back. 

 

Quigley did an OUTSTANDING job filling in at center. The OL didn't skip a beat. Damn is that OL gonna be goon in 2017!

 

Bowl eligible in October? LET'S DO IT!!!

[zipsoutsider]

36 minutes ago, Captain Kangaroo said:

A few closing thoughts as we move on from the Ball State game -

 

I liked how Woodson reflected back during the post game interview on his 5 INT's in one half  two seasons ago at Ball State. Allowing Kato Nelson to redshirt this year should really bode well for his development as a QB. He'll miss out on those "forced-into-duty-before-I'm-ready" lumps that Woodson endured and be ready to rock and roll in 2018. 

 

If Chapman is going to be our short yardage "wildcat" QB, he's got to protect the ball better. He doesn't secure the ball well when he runs. And he runs almost exclusively in very critical situations. Fumbles aren't an option.

 

Another Zips comeback. We've outscored 6 of our 8 opponents in the second half this season. Conversely, we've outscored 3 of our 8 opponents in the first half. 

 

We ran outside the tackles for the first time all season. And Van showed some serious wheels once he got in open space. He makes us miss Ball less and less every week.

 

Getting Woodson back was like getting Lane + Woodson back. 

 

Quigley did an OUTSTANDING job filling in at center. The OL didn't skip a beat. Damn is that OL gonna be goon in 2017!

 

Bowl eligible in October? LET'S DO IT!!!

I 100% agree with everything in this post.  It's pretty amazing that Quigley was able to jump in like that.

 

I hope someone is helping Kato see the value of his redshirt. I am not sure a lot of kids understand it when they come in, but yes, it will allow him to grow into the position and be ready when it's his time.

 

The run game was stellar, outside of the tackles and that certainly opened up the middle, too. Our offense is so much fun to watch.

 

Bowl eligible in October? Incredible. Most regular season wins in our D1 history? Bring it! Considering that we had a much tougher schedule than last year, it is tough to argue the progress of the progrum.

[Dr Z]

13 minutes ago, zipsoutsider said:

I hope someone is helping Kato see the value of his redshirt. I am not sure a lot of kids understand it when they come in, but yes, it will allow him to grow into the position and be ready when it's his time.

Agreed. I see Kato in every timeout huddle near the sideline during the games. He seems involved IMO. 

[zippy5]

I love that we potentially have our QB situation in good hands through 2020. 

[Blue & Gold]

Touchdown & Takeaway Tuesday: Akron -v- Ball State

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Udlz_ffhQ-A