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First - You know it's going to be a monsoon for that game...it always is for a big game at InfoCision. Either that, or a few key Zips players will get suspended. If we avoided aforementioned Curse of InfoCision, and Kent brought in a decent team, I think we could approach the 21k butts-in-seats number. Very smart, and blatantly obvious move by Larry Willliams to move that game date up from late November. It will be a fun day on campus.

https://gozips.com/schedule.aspx?path=football Good things the first time we get our home Kent game earlier in the season (also Homecoming) in a long time so hopefully we will have a decent crowd. bye week before Kent 4 Home Saturday games prior to October 19 which allows for potentially decent weather Close the season with Miami and OU which I assume will be two of the top teams in the East Not so good things 3 MACtion weekday games including 2 at home

I'm not completely sold on Groce quite yet but his situation and Dambrot's were considerably different in the players inherited and the situation. KD had continuity from being on the staff and inherited some talent while Groce had essentially bare cupboards and a late start. Do I wish they were further along and won these close ones? Hell yes. But, Rome wasn't built in a day. If they don't take a substantial step forward next year, then I'll be far more critical. In the interim, I reserve my right to pee and moan along the way.

We played a good first half on the road...what could possibly go wrong?

I like this montage

If we still had Cotton on this team I'm betting we would have won a lot of those close games (with Cotton on this team we may have won those close games comfortably). On the other hand, with Cotton still with us, the team may have imploded half way through the season. IMHO Cotton not working out hurt more than one might think & set us back another year.

This is my sentiment.

They were there under Hipsher (though KD gets major credit).

Dambrot also inherited a roster that had Romeo Travis, Dru Joyce, and Jeremiah Wood. Groce had to pretty much patch a team together as we only had 4-5 scholarship to start with and he wasn't hired until April after pretty much every HS already signed. Because we were pretty much forced to sign a bunch of players in year 1 who frankly weren't good enough to compete at a high level in the MAC in the 1st place, we then had to turn over the team again. I feel now the roster has finally been stabilized enough that we should be in a better position to recruit for the future instead of having to look more towards plugging an immediate need. I feel Xeyrius Williams will be a nice piece for us next year. Riak gets $#!+ on a lot here, but he's one of the best defensive centers in the MAC. If our guards weren't struggling so bad at scoring, his liability on the offensive end wouldn't be so glaring.

To be fair, none of those types of players were recruited in by KD his first two years. The freshmen on the 2004-05 team were Walther, Middleton, Goddard, Milum, Kanaan and Sowers. The 05-06 squad brought in Linhart and Rybak. I do hope Groce brings in players of the quality of those on your list in the future (and fast).

You're joking, right? Hugh Freeze was hired BEFORE Arth and most of the other new coaching hires. Despite this Akron managed to finish 112th in 247 composite rankings. Liberty managed to finish 134th, which is dead last among FBS schools and even behind several FCS schools. According to the composite rankings, which is an average of all the major recruiting sites, Liberty has 0 4* recruits. Peter Hayes-Patrick, an Akron RB commit, had listed offers from Florida State, Georgia Tech, Nebraska, Ohio State, and a host of other schools. https://247sports.com/Season/2019-Football/CompositeTeamRankings/ Liberty plays basketball in the A-Sun, the 22nd rated conference, compared to the MAC being rated as the 8th best. A-Sun teams are the type of cupcakes that we pay to come to the JAR to take a beating. Akron's record would be much better if instead of playing a ranked Buffalo, we were instead playing teams like Kennesaw State, Stetson, North Alabama, Jacksonville, North Florida, etc. At the same time Liberty wouldn't be 23-5 in the MAC. That's not to say Liberty isn't the slightly better team this year. They probably are, but at the same time I'd rank them behind several of Dambrot's teams that Akron has had in recent years past. Besides I never said Liberty can't compete at G5 in football or at the mid-major level in basketball. I however am a firm believer they will never be able to compete at a P5 level in football or a high major level in basketball. http://warrennolan.com/basketball/2019/conferencenet I'm not going on a crusade against evangelical Christians. I'm simply stating facts. Up to this point they have shown no evidence that they will be competing at a P5 level in football or as a high major in basketball. They competed at the FCS level for 29 years. Guess how many FCS playoffs they made in that time? The answer is 1. They couldn't dominate the FCS, but you expect them to come in and dominate the FBS at a P5 level right off the bat. On the basketball side, the only postseason tournament game they've ever won is a CIT game.

I've always been a fan of hosting Kent State early in the season. Attendance and the game atmosphere is so much better. Anyone remember when we opened the season with them in 2003. The ending sucked but the Rubber Bowl atmosphere was electric.

The last time we hosted Kent before the month of November was in 2007

The Ken+/Akron game should be played every year at the end of September/beginning of October. I get that's not the traditional rivalry week, but that's the part of the year that will generate the most fan excitement surrounding the game. Miami/OU should do the same. We can then finish the season off playing OU at the end of the year and Ken+ can play Miami or vice versa. Edit: I believe the 2009 Morgan State game is the only sell out we've had at Infocision. Anyone think we'll fill the stadium for Ken+?

It's only been two years...but I also remember never stepping foot in the Q.

Exactly! Need to start recruiting 4 year HS players. This juco transfer strategy has to stop. Yes this will take time but I think it's the best course of action in the long run.

I, for one, agree with you. Retain the core (minus Ivy of course), fill in some depth and this thing could get turned around in a big way, and rather quickly. That said, the motto for the 2018-2019 Zip men's hoopsters could be "keeping it close, with Coach John Groce"

Good idea

How many steps can you count Turner take to the layup? ? I'm going with five.

Watching Zips basketball this season will have that effect.

What a cluster f... I love it!

I'm prepared to take the abuse for saying this but I think that Groce has done a tremendous job with this particular team. We don't have the offensive talent, we don't have depth and yet we are right there every night. It's unrealistic to expect a whole lot more with this bunch.

I can't wait for Groce to get a roster full of his guys. Although I'm very impressed with how this team has bought into the game plan. We just need one. more. shooter.

Do we play drinking games at halftime?

Great play by Groce setting up Utomi!!

He must have been referring to getting 3 point shots off, not making them.

Just gave up a 4 point possession to give BG the lead. I guess this is the part of the game we have our meltdown.

Ask the defenders of Smollett how instantly believing the "victim" worked out for them. I didn't pass judgement on anyone. I believe I've actually said I want to see what all the facts say. I just struggle to understand how someone can beat the snot out of someone unprovoked, especially in a sport where altercations are somewhat common, but involve actions by each party involved. It's common sense to think there would be some sort of provoking history. I didn't blame the victim for being the victim, though.

Credit to @TennZip for pointing me to this article which is tucked away in a Preseason section of MLSSoccer.com... Reunited in Ohio: Wil Trapp, Caleb Porter lead Crew in new era ...Over seven seasons at the University of Akron, head coach Caleb Porter built a machine. During his final two before departing for Major League Soccer, Porter's midfield lynchpin wasn't an upperclassman, but a kid who would spend two seasons on campus turning heads, winning individual awards and team trophies before also heading to MLS. It was a local kid, born and bred in Ohio, the 2010 NSCAA National High School Player of the Year. Together, the pair won two regular season MAC titles as well as one MAC Tournament title, with two NCAA Tournament bids over those two memorable years. Now, Porter and former Akron standout Wil Trapp have reunited in Ohio once again as Porter inherits a Crew side led by that familiar face. ...

I never said couldn't. I just see many being turned off to them due to it, especially 4* and 5* athletes who have a long list of options. You know the type of players you need if you hope to build a power house program. You're naive if you believe it has no impact. Do you not think teams recruiting against them aren't bringing up the issue? Edit: I really don't care to have a debate on Liberty athletics on an Akron board. You think they will be a great team in 5-10 years. I think they will be about what they are currently. Only time will tell which of is correct.

One of my fondest Rubber Bowl memories was when YSU played us, and as usual, they outplayed the Faustians...and after a score by the Penguins a lone YSU student was running around the bottom of the bowl with a Y flag, and “jolting Joe” Dunn punched the kid as he ran past!!! Got suspended I think....??????

They can have the nicest facilities in the US and it wouldn't matter. Good luck trying to recruit African-American athletes when the university president is a neo-nazi/white supremacist apologist. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/21/us/jerry-falwell-liberty-university-trump.html

Liberty is doing a major upgrade on their football facilities too. They have leveraged the profitability of their online program for their traditional campus program, including athletic facilities.

Horrible charge call on Utomi.