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When you get home from the game at midnight, you don't feel like posting any thoughts on it. Then you drive home for 6 1/2 hours the next day, and you don't feel like posting anything either. Then on Monday, you try to catch up on all the things you didn't do around the house because you were in Evanston all weekend. And here you are... There isn't much to be said that hasn't already been said regarding the game. Some people bemoan the lack of stars in the Akron recruiting classes, but there was no shortage of stars for the Zips on the field Saturday night. Bell...Nelson...Williams...anyone with the surname Davis or Brown... it was an amazing second half. Very reminiscent of the 1999 Akron @ Navy game, where the Zips were down 20 in the first quarter and rallied back for the win. The first half penalties were maddening, but even with the late second quarter TD drive, you never got the feeling that Northwestern was going to dominate. One play that stood out to me towards the end of the first half was the Zips 4th and 1 QB run. Kato took the snap and slammed into the line as hard as he physically could. He didn't get the first down, but it really stood out how badly he wanted it. I'd never seen a small (he's no Woodson) QB hit the line with such reckless force. It showed me how badly he wanted to win, despite how horrifically the bulk of the preceding offensive possessions had played-out. The Zips clock management at game's end was baffling. The chasing of points that began in the 3rd quarter was puzzling. The 48 yard FG attempt late in the 4th qtr was ummmmm thought-provoking? But all that said, the Zips gutted out one of, if not THE greatest wins in program history. Back in 2005 the Zips beat NC State. You really thought the Program had arrived. Then we stumbled to a 5-6 season record. The apparent breakthrough 2014 win at Pitt ended up a lone highlight in an otherwise forgettable 5-7 season. But this year seems different. You always win with defense, and the Zips have their best defense in memory. Sort of like 2015, but with the addition of Dwight Smith impersonator Alvin Davis in the secondary (for you youngsters out there, Google "Dwight Smith Akron" to see my GZOAT). Iowa State will be a much bigger test than Northwestern. Back-to-back Power 5 games always are brutal for MAC schools. But the MAC has done it before. Toledo beats Power 5's with regularity. NIU too. Remember in 2003 when NIU began the season with wins against Alabama, Maryland and Iowa State? Why not the Zips? It's about time another MAC school broke through the Glass (Bowl) ceiling! As lunch draws to a conclusion, here are a few closing thoughts on the Northwestern trip - * Great to put a face to the name of @LZip and @Ham. Fun meeting them, & their spouses/families! Very nice to meet the Reinke's too. * The Zips alumni had a nice party at the South Golf Course lot...coincidentally only about 100 feet from where we were tailgating. Thanks to Willie for stopping by and inviting us over. * The Golf Course lot was awesome. Just like the old Rubber Bowl grass lot. Corn hole...footballs flying...kids running around everywhere...it was a fun time. It was a little like Lord of the Flies as the kids took control of the green on hole #13. I wouldn't want to putt on it come Sunday morning. Here were a couple of Zips tailgates - And inside the stadium, here were some of the boisterous Zips fans: Nice people in Evanston. Very gracious in their defeat. Fun college town. Couldn't have had a better weekend. Thank you Akron Zips!

He’s an idiot.

If you go on Ohio.com, it says that the Akron/NW game article was most read in last 24 hours!! At work, there was some buzz about the game. One buddy had family and a roommate that went to NW and was happy Zips won. Others just loved the 1890s aspect of it.

TB stated in his post-game presser that they had specifically worked on this type of end-of-game scenario and that it had "always gotten us 7 seconds". He went on to state that the reason it didn't in this case was because the D, having seen several rollouts from Kato already in our burn-the-clock sequence, was collapsing on him at a faster rate than planned for and he had to get rid of the ball sooner than he wanted lest he risk getting hit/tackled, etc. I agree with TB's assessment there but I have to disagree with several of the clock/game/point management decisions they made prior to that penultimate play. Coaches are often unduly criticized for good decision that have bad outcomes so I think it's only fair to not criticize them too harshly for poor decisions that ended up with a good result.

I was unable to make the trip, thanks to @Captain Kangaroo who was able to take a few shots from his seats while cheering on the Zips to victory.

@ZipsVoice Thank you for this video which is the best way to hear how the players pronounce their own names. Listening to this video, Diogo Pacheco pronounces his last name the same as the Portuguese (Portugal) in the 2nd link that I posted. (I removed the first because it may have caused confusion being the Portuguese (Brazilian), which may be the reason for your comment.) My post was intended to clear up confusion because the stadium announcer was so far off from any of the pronunciations I provided above. He made me question whether I had been pronouncing it correctly or close to correct. The athletics department should provide a pronunciation key to its announcers. Realize that the fans rely on the announcers since most fans don't hear the pronunciations directly from the players. I certainly needed, and appreciated the help with Ampaipitakwong when I first saw his name. Even with a pronunciation key, it helped to hear it from the announcers; today, it seems straightforward. Anyone can have a bad night; I understand. My post was meant to clarify for anyone who may have been confused, as I was, and not be a condemnation of the announcer.

You might want to listen to this before you post pronunciation guides....

On a serious note, i believe ECU/UNC was washed out, and I'd love to play either

Looks like NU is finalizing a deal to play Northern Alabama on Oct 27. That did not take long to settle after we beat Northewestern.

Man I hope this is the case

I honestly did not know the answer when I posted the tweet from the MAC office. I definitely remember Victor having 3 PK goals against Michigan State. This info is included in an article on gozips.com Registering a hat trick, while adding a pair of assists, including on the game-winning tally, Egbo's eight-point performance marked the best single-game effort for an Akron player since Victor Souto recorded a hat trick and an assist in a 4-1 victory over Michigan State on Oct. 21, 2015. His effort represented the second multi-goal game of the season for Egbo, who leads the Zips in goals (6), assists (3), points (15), shots (16), shots on goal (9) and game-winners (1).

I recall Victor Souto having 3 pk goals in one game. Did he also have an assist to make it 7 points?

We catch Iowa State between Iowa, OU and TCU.. If there was ever time for a let down game, this is it. Unfortunately we just had to go win at NU last week, so we may have their attention

That was a painful article. The truth is that despite all of these talent rankings, there are reasons we do not let bots handle recruiting, yet. Putting your eggs in the talent ranking basket is always a gamble. There are injuries, kids do not work out as hoped, chemistry, coaching, and then the intangibles emotional element. My question to NU is, "Where was your player leadership?"

Iowa State Football: Five things to know about Akron Linebacker done for 2018, Noland emerges at quarterback

Long-winded for sure....and from a school known for journalism.

Geez. That guy likes to read his own prose. I couldn't get thru the whole article. I did like the comment that Akron didn't "earn" anything. Uh...we earned $1+million. Thank you!

Thanks - the comments are a good read too..

Anyone think NIU is going to knock off FSU this week? Seems like this is the worst FSU team in a very long time.

She must have appreciated quality play, lol.

Last year I was a vocal critic of Milwee. I thought then, and I still think now, that with the talent he had he significantly under-performed and deserved to be replaced to focus on being the QB coach alone. I also said TB was very loyal and would not replace him so I prayed Milwee would find a way to improve. So far this year I believe he is doing just that. Of course better talent helps. I have no complaint about his play calling. I thank you for reminding me that I should also give him credit where it is due for a job well done. Coaching makes a difference. I hope he continues and drives the Zips O to the top of the MAC.

I think you have this one right on, but don't count on them looking past us. Without the 3 TO's, if we play 4 quarters like the second 1/2 , look out. We will hang with most. I really think Sat is a toss up, but I also feel like lack of experience at their QB will make a difference. He is not that green, but I think TO's will make a difference again. We will fly the flag for the second week, and get a few votes in the polls!

good point. it was Williams.

We have been talking about our senior laden D. I think we saw their leadership come through. This victory sure had their stamp on it! The scene after the game with the fan contingent in the corner and the locker room fight song really gives me a feeling that these young men have come together. I can't wait to see what kind of a team shows up at Ames. I think any fan should think real hard about making the trip to Ames so you would have the chance to see this squad really come of age.

College sports madness awards Brian Bell. Kato named to Davey O'Brien Great 8 list for week 3. This week’s eight honorees, as determined by voting from the award’s selection subcommittee, are: Anthony Brown (Boston College), Alan Bowman (Texas Tech), Taylor Cornelius (Oklahoma State), Dwayne Haskins (Ohio State), Kelvin Hopkins, Jr. (Army), Kyler Murray (Oklahoma), Kato Nelson (Akron), and Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama).

I often enjoy the background reaction to the action being photographed. The players and coaches on the sidelines, the cheerleaders, the crowd, even the referees sometimes. Look at the photo of the Andre Williams touchdown celebration. Notice anything interesting?

Really happy for Jojo to get a return like that. If the Rams don't keep him, someone will.

Jojo got the game ball yesterday

I knew the Rams lost their returner after week 1 but I hadn't followed to see they signed JoJo to the active roster (he hadn't signed on as a practice squad anywhere after his Rams release). LA Times - Special Kicking Game performance Video of 60 yard return

Zips fans, it is game week here in Ames, Iowa. Whoever is coming to the game, please see my other posts about parking, tailgating, etc. I will be glad to try to help in whatever way I can for Zips fans coming to town. If nothing else, we have learned how to be hospitable during football season. Just ask Oklahoma. We could win 70 years in a row and still just have the series lead by one game. The average score during my lifetime is 33-10. Seriously, I've made some friends on this site and at the game in Akron last year (in addition to friends and family in the area). I even sold some nice seats at a very fair price to someone I met here. If anyone wants to tailgate with us, we usually get a great spot (we had 100+ on grass last week without being crowded). We will even fly an Akron flag (my favorite is the one with angry kangeroo eyes). Send me a private message or post here and I will give you the details about our tailgate or anything else with which I can help as you come to town.

The Indian lady with an NU jersey seems happy to be celebrating the TD with the Zips!