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Akron4ever broke the news on zipsnation.org last Thursday.

I was able to get a close-up look at Saturday's epic match up. With no Dr.Z available for photography, I tried my best to get some shots to go along with the story. Here's how it went... Akron-Kent Game Day

Hustle Belt is usually a pretty reliable source but I don't know who provided them the information that the Zips defense "is one of the best in the conference". I do expect the Zips should win this game. And if we can get a few of our injured starters back (especially Woodson) I think it should come down to the final game of the year against Ohio. Nobody in the East scares me but everybody in the west does.

Hustlebelt:  Akron vs Kent in Pictures

Go man, and load the box. The true freshman....against the Ohio Bobcats last weekend in relief...14-of-25 for 154 yards and a td, despite the 4.4 yards per attempt

The band did expand, as the past president was a BIG fan of marching band. He authorized quite a bit more money for the band program, some of which was used to offer everyone in marching band a small scholarship. From a separate donation, the band also finally got new uniforms last year (their previous ones were bought around 96/97). From what I hear, there are over 70 alumni signed up to come back for the game this weekend and march this year. I'm one of them, and looking forward to it.

I watched the first quarter last night. Michael and Dustin kinda crapped their pants when TC5 trotted on for the first series after they had just previewed TW4 and broadcast him warming up before the game I'm not sure if Haynes poo'ed or was relieved at first. Man was that a long quarter...I wonder what the record is for timeouts called in the first 10 minutes of a college football game?

I wish we could count this Saturday's win before it happens It's only 5 straight. UMass, Miami, Buffalo, Kent...and then Kent again.

That is Joes lucky coat, we never lose when he wears that coat. BTW, it's a block A logo not a moving A. 71, don't worry Joe has plenty of Zips gear including the most current items.

Not sure how UPS, a corporate sponsor of both Kent and Akron felt about that flyover! I for one hope the powers that be learned from saturdays game day atmosphere and schedule next years game in late september/early october and NOT November.

Chapman called out as Ryan McGee's backup QB of the week in his ESPN weekly Flipping the Field Column: Frank Reich Backup QB Of The Week Award: Tra'Von Chapman, Akron. Just prior to kickoff Chapman was informed that starter Thomas Woodson would be sidelined with a sore shoulder. It all felt a bit serendipitous as Chapman would be taking the field at Kent State. In 2013, when he was a player at Pitt, he was arrested in Kent, Ohio, for allegedly assaulting an ex-girlfriend. The former four-star Kent Roosevelt High School prospect pleaded guilty to a lesser charge, spent several nights in jail in his hometown, was dismissed from Pitt and bounced from Division II Ashland to Akron to play for Terry Bowden, where he became the starter and then lost the job. Chapman fired a 43-yard strike to set up the game-winning touchdown as the Zips defeated Kent 31-27. "There are guys who make headlines for the wrong reasons and never get it turned it around," Bowden said late Saturday night. "But there are also kids who work hard to right their wrongs. This is one those of stories."

I guess one sure sign of TB's progress is that we are now able to knit pick wins... Mine: 1) As all have noted, the defense got torched by a single guy, a non-qb, on team that has been terrible offensively. Our D just got manhandled and run over much of the game. Again. Against Appy, they did get that last stop and the offense just couldn't get it done, but what has to happen/can happen to get the D to play more effectively? (Tackling being one thing, as has been noted...) One thought is that we need to chew up much more clock on offense... Kent had huge ToP advantage at half and it persisted through the game. Need to keep the D off the field and as fresh legs as possible. This should have been a blow out given their QB sitch, but ended up a nail biter. 2) If Woody's shoulder was dicey enough to not play, how could Chapman not have been getting some reps w the first team? He shouldn't have been so unprepared to start-- not really his fault. Probably a real benefit to all that this happened, but seems like there should have been some gameplanning around this scenario during last week. 3) MTB! Wow...I'd love to see him, Natson and Lane get more touches in innovative ways. Let's mix in that wildcat more often and not just in short yardage. There was a reverse to Natson but I'd like to see more with him getting the ball and a chance to fly. And also Lane.... there has got to be more ways to enable him to be a factor. And when Woody is back, how about figuring out ways to work Chapman in-- obviously a great athlete. Over the last few years we've progressed from a very conservative offensive (by necessity given the personnel) to one that now has the personnel to be much more wide open, but we are doing it in a somewhat "old fashioned" way-- throwing down field more. Given the talent on the offense and the gelling of the o-line, I really wish we had more innovative sets and plays. Seems like we should be able to pull that off... A win's a win, especially against Kent but man it was way closer than it should have been...

By special I meant 10+ win team that receives some national recognition a la WMU. Potentially getting another 8 win season, which won't be an easy task, is great for Akron standards (which are incredible low) but I still wonder what could have been. The MAC West probable has the 3 best teams in the MAC this season. If we had last years defense to go with this years offense, I'm confident that we would be as good, if not better, than WMU and UT. Edit: Winning games close isn't what concerns me. Our defense getting shredded week after week while showing no signs of improvement is my concern. What does it matter if we make it out of perhaps the weakest division in all of FBS if we go to Detroit just to get run out of the stadium?

I'm beginning to lose faith that this defense will ever turn their season around. It's a shame because if we had last years defense with this years offense, we could be having a very special season.

We rode on the backs of an exceptional front 7 for the last 2 years. They graduated and we didn't get the transfers to fill those shoes and the younger talent is not there, yet, and it remains to be seen whether they can get there. Hard to say what transfers we tried to get and didn't. My guess is that we will see more, again next year. I think last year's Zips D will be hard to ever match. But, we must get better. You don't build championship programs with a defense like we have this year.