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I haven’t posted anything on the last game for a number of reasons, the first being the obvious downer it is losing to K.E.N.T. at any time at anything. I also was a little burned out on Zip football, but that was mostly my own doing. Finally, the timing of the game with a busy Thanksgiving weekend for me did not make it easy to jot down any thoughts. Here’s my most objective take, hopefully devoid of the emotions felt immediately after the game. I was very happy for JC7 – wished we could have seen more of that over the years, but some of that was on him and some of that wasn’t. I turned to ZipsWin! after the Zips took the lead and said something like “this isn’t over”, because I was not at all convinced that our defense could keep them out of the end zone. IMHO, Amato allowed Reardon to be comfortable the entire game. Reardon had been showing signs of maturing towards the end of the season, but I think the Zips game plan assumed he’d be the same QB who self-destructed in the Info last year. In general, I’ve said all season that our defense is best in attacking mode. We don’t have the size, overall talent or depth to sit back and cover. I was hoping Amato would send Brown or Mizell (or Lane - why wasn't he in there?????!!!!) in on blitzes right when K.E.N.T. started the drive, but it never happened. Reardon calmly and coolly tore us apart. ZipsWin! was absolutely correct in his vocal disapproval of the Zips using 2 early timeouts in the 2nd half. If that had not happened, perhaps KP16 doesn’t have to throw into double coverage (that was almost a great play on both ends after I watched the replay) to effectively end the game. Needing only a FG to tie with all three timeouts is not that difficult of a situation. It was extremely disappointing to see a supposedly 1-dimenional team run the ball down our throats like that. In spite of TB’s claims of that this (2014) was not a step backwards, it clearly was based on a comparison of schedules (2013 versus 2014). UA may never get an easier MAC slate, and the end-of-the-season downturn was horribly timed for recruiting. This was a huge loss, not so much because it was our rival, but because of its place in the recruiting story. It probably means more transfers/jucos instead of HS recruits, and it’s getting a little late in TB’s tenure for that.

The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. After you actually spend some time on the other side it becomes obvious that there is little to no difference. Unless we can make a major jump I don't think it would make any difference.

Against decent competition: Miami, 20 minutes 2 rebounds Penn State 27 minutes 3 rebounds S. Carolina 29 minutes 1 rebound Kwan has a great deal of potential. However, he needs to get stronger, learn to box out better, and be more aggressive to be a better rebounder. Without Tree, we really will need him to be a better rebounder when we play better teams.

The women's games are a great value at just $6 for general admission anywhere in the lower bowl.

Keep it up Zips! Zipsnation needs to start coming out in force to the Lady Zips games!

Honestly, I thought that Big Dog would be the major contributor first. I never doubted Kwan's offensive capabilities but thought it would take time to develop and that his defense would take even longer to develop. Kwan was a candidate for redshirting last season but just made the cut and got to play. But his play last season supported the concept that he would take time to develop. He played so little last season that he's already exceeded last season's minutes in just the first 8 games this season. Coach Dambrot recently mentioned that Kwan was also a candidate to redshirt this season. It was the loss of Tree that opened the door for Kwan to show his stuff, and he has surprised everyone -- including the coaching staff -- at how fast he's responded to the challenge. Circumstances can play a big role in how players develop. While Kwan has taken advantage of Tree's departure with rapid development, Big Dog suffered a pre-season injury that slowed his development. He came into preseason in great shape and poised to challenge for the starting center position. But his broken wrist opened the door for the previously maligned Pat, who, like Kwan, has responded to being the only healthy center by elevating his game to a new level. I guess what I've learned from this is that the Zips are pretty deep in talent, and that players who look lost on the court can quickly blossom and perform beyond expectations when the right opportunities arise. Maybe this shouldn't be a surprise. Players who develop early tend to end up at the big-name programs and schools like UA have to dig deep for players with potential who haven't yet arrived. Some develop quickly, some develop slowly and some never develop at all. We've lamented the number of players who've transferred out of UA in recent years because they didn't develop. Now we're seeing the other side with players developing beyond expectations.

And let that be a lesson to me: NEVER argue with DIG.

And the MAC East was miserable this year. The "champ" beat only East teams and lost all their West matchups (including losing to the FIFTH place West team). The Zips had the easiest schedule they could have had. And to one of the coaches wives who lectured a group of die hard Zips fans who actually bothered showing up because they dared boo after the Zips wasted their second timeout of the second half - FU. Who couldn't have been more condescending after explaining how the game is "complicated" and then whined about how she missed her box seats - double FU. Your loyalty extends as long as your husband has a job (which he owes partly to those fans), we have a life sentence.