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When Akron plays a I-AA school, Zips fans aren't too worried about it. We expect to win. With ease. We might even have a little air of superiority as we discuss the upcoming game and that probably ruffles the feathers of that I-AA school's fans and they might want to educate us Zips fans about how their team isn't a pushover. I am sure we all would give a I-AA team a lot of credit if their fans would have posted how their team had a chance to beat Ball State on the last play of the game in 2013 and only lost to Toledo 21-3 after being very competitive through 3 quarters in 2014. On top of that, there was that game in 2007 vs. Northern Illinois where the score was 3-2 at halftime and that we should take heed that this little ol' I-AA ain't no slouch. We would laugh at their fans. That's what Wisconsin fans are doing reading this thread. Please stop.

A lot this will be echoing a bit from what zips outsider already said. Yes, it's a (pass first) spread, no-huddle offense. Maybe TB decides to slow things down, but that would be a game-flow call. I'd expect 3-4 wide with the single back (Ohio State transfer Warren Ball) in the backfield with Woodson. Though, for this game, specifically, I wouldn't mind seeing our backup TE Newman Williams (a 6-2, 270-pound in-line blocker) take the place of Mykel Taylor-Bennett, a converted 6-3, 230 pound WR who is now a move TE. I think the Zips will need to run the ball and Williams, IMO, would be a better option crashing down on the line and trying to free up a running lane, and we saw Bennett struggle with that last week with a couple of holding penalties (though one was bogus on a big run that was called back) against a much-smaller and less athletic VMI front 7. While Williams can't create the same type of mismatches in the receiving game as Bennett can, Williams moves well enough where I think he could find some openings in the Badgers' 3-4 defense, if he is needed as an outlet receiver. The bigger reason for going with Williams, again this is all my opinion, is that this team now has weapons on the outside that makes having a move TE less of a priority. Like zipsoutsider said, Lane will be playing on Sundays. Physically, he is in the Josh Gordon mold, and he looks more like an actual WR (granted against an overmatched foe) than just a go-up-and-get-it target like he was last year. Most of his 10 catches and nearly 200 yards came off of WR routes. Then Natson adds a shifty game-breaker on the other side, along with Wolf (who was a state-final caliber100-meter runner at the big-school Ohio level in high school). As for Ball. Wisconsin fans will know this since they are also stacked at RB. He looks like a guy who could've started at 80-percent of colleges in the country (just happened to be behind the No. 1 RBs selected in the 2014 and 2016 NFL drafts, respectively) while at Ohio State. He has the size people drool about (6-1, 225). Not great speed, but has great feet. A one cut and go back, who has some shiftiness in the open field once he gets north-south. The question in the running game isn't Ball, who I think will have a Thomas Rawls type year. (For those who don't remember, Rawls was buried behind (lesser) backs at Michigan, transferred to Central Michigan for a year and was picked up by the Seattle Seahawks, where he supplanted Marshawn Lynch.) In the Akron running game, It's not whether Ball is legit, it's whether a pretty green Oline will be able to create any holes for him. That's TBD, big time. They struggled for the most part against VMI, but did open up some holes in the second half, where it seemed like Ball did most of his damage. The young Oline did do a good job in pass blocking, though, that will be a major step up in competition this week. On defense, both DEs are legit. Actually, both would likely be starting at Ohio State this year if both (who are OSU transfers) stuck around. Se'Von Pittman was a top 100 recruit who committed to Michigan State, then decommitted and went to OSU before deciding to transfer closer to home. Jamal Marcus was the starter for Ohio State (as a freshman) when the Buckeyes played Clemson in the Orange Bowl when 2016 NFL Draft early second-round pick Noah Spence was suspended. Marcus was the Buckeyes' best defensive player in that game. Inside, we'll see if the now locally infamous Miami transfer Jelani Hamilton does play this week. He's another former top 100 recruit who played early at Miami (Fla.) before injuries got him buried. But he is a guy the Zips will need inside against a powerful Wisconsin Oline. Darius Copeland and Brock Boxen are nice players, but they just can't match up physically. Hamilton, at 6-5, 305, can, especially since he has an elite pedigree. The secondary will hold up just fine against Wisconsin. The Zips have a likely NFL draft pick in DeAndre Scott, another Miami transfer Larry Hope and a Boston College transfer Bryce Jones. All three have a ton of experience. Zach Guiser is an All-MAC caliber player at FS. The question is the linebackers, but that was always the question. In Week 1, it was up-and-down. ... Though the upside is there. This unit has next to no experience but has guys who can run sideline to sideline with any P5 program ... and lay the wood with the best. The problem I noticed, however, was it was also the group that played the worst assignment football, which is too be expected for them being so young, of any unit on the team. You never want to take the aggressiveness away from a group like that, but you can get away with it against VMI, you can't against Wisconsin. It'll be a big coaching job this week for Chuck Amato to try to rein those guys in without making them think too much. But Akron has two LBers in the NFL currently (both probably starters in Justin March and Jatavis Brown). Ulysses Gilbert is easily going to be the third. Just a true sophomore, but you can tell he has "it". Brian Bell, the former Florida State recruit (before being black-balled on a bogus murder accusation) also looks to be a future star ... but he just got to the program during camp last year because of the political BS, so he is still learning. The one senior, John Rachal, made a couple nice plays last week and he is hopefully a guy who can shine now given the chance to play. One thing about him, is he knows Amato's system being a four-year guy. For the Wisconsin fans, trust me, you guys are the favorite. But you won't walk into this game and just out-athlete the Zips, who athletically, are probably just as good as any mid-tier Big 10 team. The two big advantages you will have is offensive line (and when considering it's Wisconsin, that's a huge advantage) and the Zips having a young, and if week 1 was an indication, kind of reckless LB core (which I guess could be a good thing against a run-first team like Wisconsin).

I'm w/ MDZip. I like Los Venerables. It's all been good natured. Go Zips! Beat the Possums!

Maybe we should go troll your board for a while and laugh about how after one big win, Chryst has changed his name to Christ. For the record Bowden 1, Christ 0. I am not for banning people, but this guy comes here to troll, not discuss. Can we get rid of him?

Was that Beaven's first article actually covering the team? I know he did the local connection article before, but wonder if this means it will be a regularity.

After one of Woodson's first TD tosses, a guy behind me said "I think he had more time to throw on that play than he did combined all of last season." If we can give Woodson some time to throw on Saturday, we'll put up some points. If the offensive line can create a few holes for Ball, we have a puncher's chance to win. I hope Milwee realizes Ball is likely a once-in-a-lifetime back for the Zips. He can't be used sparingly like Hundly or Chisholm. Ball should have 16+ TD's this season. I LOVE having him in the backfield when we're near the goal line.

Linebackers:

Demand, excitement, hey what is going on? For App St. Let season ticket holders buy extra in advance.

This one time.... In zips history.... We came within a score of a big ten team.

The Zips have not yet been sent to the elimination pile for the Playoff. Every other MAC East team has. "Congrats, Zips. It's a little early to crown you MAC East champions, but you were the only team in the division not to lose its opener."

Legend has it that, for a single season following a bowl appearance, the Zips had a WR who was the "real deal". Someone who was on another talent level compared to everybody else on the field. These days, and this is nothing but a rumor, sometimes if you walk the tunnels beneath the Rubber Bowl, you can still hear faint echoes of Steve French yelling "Getsy to Harvey! Touchdown Zips!".