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Inspired by recent events, I decided to update this for 2015: Twas the night before Christmas, when all through Zipsnation Not a ‘puter was stirring, not e'en a Playstation; The posts were all hung on each new thread with care, In hopes that the moderators would not strip them bare; And KD was nestled all snug in his bed, While visions of tournaments danced in his head; And Zippy in sweater, and I in my cap, Were jogging around the JAR for a lap, When far beyond Carroll there arose such a clatter, We sprang from the track to see what was the matter. Away to the circle I flew like a Zip, Jumped over some hedges and banged up my hip. The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow Gave the luster of Lot 9 to objects below, When, what to my wondering eyes should unfold, But a beautiful field, no light poles to behold, With a lush brick facade, and no grass to mow, I knew in a moment it was the INFO. More splendid than all in this quirky conf’rence, I named them aloud as I leapt o’er a fence; "There’s, Yager! there’s, Peden! There's UB and Dix and! The Glass Bowl, Doyt-Perry! all suited for Blitzin'! Rynearson and Scheumann, Waldo in K-Zoo! Huskie, Kelly Shorts, now I think I am through." As dry leaves that within the December breeze fly, When they waft the scent of football to the sky, So up to top of the press box I flew, With Keener, ZipsWin! and Cap’n Kangaroo. And then, in a twinkling, I saw in my head the end of Zip losing and seasons of dread. And I drew in my hand, a most stunning portrait of Bowl vict'ries for Akron for 7 years straight. TB dressed in fur, from his head to his foot, And his clothes were all swollen with jewelry and loot; A bundle of trophies he flung on his back, And he looked like they proclaimed him King of the MAC. His line -- how they guarded! his QB how merry! His wide-outs caught plenty, e’en more than Matt Cherry! His halfbacks were tough, his returners could go! As they sped down the sidelines, they looked like Pat Snow; His defense was mean, taught by Coach Chuck the Chest, Of his players, Jatavis was clearly the best; They had a large line, lead by Cody and Coe, A progrum unmatched, not e'en by State-O. TB stood with pride, a dadgum jolly coach, A confident stare, beyond all reproach. A wink of his eye and a nod of his head, Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread; He spoke not a word, but I knew right away, That this place would be filled, on each Fall Saturday, With Zip fans aplenty, exhorting the team, Then TB glanced over to finish my dream; He sprang to his legs, to his team gave a whistle, And away the Zips ran like the down of a thistle. But I heard him exclaim, ‘fore he fizzled from sight, "Happy Christmas to all, and to all Zips good-night."

Thank you. It was so much fun hosting 3 NCAA soccer matches and going to KC, then going to Las Vegas to see Mens Basketball on the 21st and 23rd and watching the Potato Bowl in one of the lounges with numerous Zips fans. That was topped off by flying home on the same United red eye flight as the Basketball team. Very nice of the United flight attendants when we arrived to welcome us to Cleveland and then say We would like to congratulate the Akron Zips Men's Basketball team on their 2 wins in Las Vegas ... which was followed by passengers' applause. It's been a great Fall.

Well that will be one game I’ll probably watch a dozen times or so, just to soak it all in. There are so many intriguing little stories within the big story that it would be difficult to number them. And the big story is huge – nothing short of the pumping life into a football program that was clearly teetering on a possible downward slide only 5 games ago. This 5 game win streak, and all the additional unprecedented feats that go along with it, finally gives TB and his staff the ammunition they’ve previously lacked when hitting the recruiting trail. I realize the 2016 class is currently low on numbers, but I would wager that both the quality and quantity will improve greatly before February 3rd rolls around. Here are some of my favorite little stories that emerged from the game: A perfect Stein – Robert’s 3 of 3 on FGs to close out his career was merely the exterior surface of a fantastic story that I’m not sure too many of us fully understood before TB enlightened everyone during the post-game press conference. As one of the numerous UA engineering grads who follow this board, this subplot resonated strongly with me and is one of the most inspiring I’ve ever come across as a Zip fan. Robert declining the offer to have his scholarship reinstated is the definition of a selfless act – what a breath of fresh air!Woodson to Pratt – I can’t agree more with K92 regarding the enjoyment I experienced in seeing Andrew have a career (literally) day after many fans (including yours truly) were critical of his mistakes over the years. There is another aspect to this, however. When I heard French say during the pregame that Austin Wolf would be unavailable (groin), I wondered who would step up knowing Lane would see plenty of double coverage. Andrew certainly came through, but I also give credit to Tommy for recognizing the mismatch and exploiting it.Best Zip LB EVER – Jatavis didn’t need to do anything yesterday to further convince me of this, but that sack strip and ensuing return by Coe will forever go down with Getsy to Hixon, Andre Jones game ending KO return, and Daron Alcorn’s 56 yard FG to beat UT in Zip football D1-A/FBS folklore. And who just happens to make the tackle on USU’s botched/fake FG in the 1st half? I’m not sure a Zip player was ever more valuable to his team than JB1.Fiery TB – Sure his hair during the Penn State game last year was reminiscent of the Heat Miser, but the Tater Bowl ended up being the one where his burning drive to win was most prominently displayed. I believe that was the most competitive emotion he’s shown in his UA career and I really think the players fed off of it, especially after going down 14-13.Sweet Emotion – Although I did not hear the interviews 1st hand, the post-game radio discussion with French/Dunn and Cody/Jatavis in particular were apparently quite emotional given the amount of adversity anyone associated with the program has withstood over the years. I hope I get to hear a recording of this someday. For those of you who heard it, I’d be curious to get your take.Now where can I get me a 2015 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Champion tee-shirt? Go Zips!!!!

After being maligned for years, I loved seeing Pratt step up big in his last game.