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This years Duquesne OOC schedule makes some of his prior Akron OOC schedules look like a gauntlet. I'm guessing all the tourney caliber teams must have been "too afraid" to play Duquesne this year...

I count ten...TEN cupcakes to begin the season for the Dukes. Ah ah ahhhhhhhhh!

Me too! Surprised Ms. Voice let me, as had it on while she was watching DWTS in the other room, and I was "distracting".

We were out rebounded 24-12 in the 1st half. We actually held our own in the second half as we finished -12 for the game. Riak and Xeyrius did well in boxing out and getting boards. This is probably the one opponent we'll face all season that will be able to exploit Reece size.

He's having a beer with Bob Dyer waiting for some bad UA news to write about.

Zips showing some grit. Obviously outmanned but playing hard with a lot of heart.

Have to like the effort Zips are playing with. Trimmed the 22 point deficit to 10 before that made 3. Banks and Cheese are both playing pretty great.

I was going to wait until after the season to dive into this, but I've got the itch this morning. There is no denying the coaching doesn't have room for improvement, but really trying to limit this discussion to players. Without a doubt, many holes need filled for this team to be competitive in the MAC again. My approach if I were the coach based on expectations to become bowl eligible next season without sacrificing the future: QB: I admire Kato's toughness and how he has seemed to grow as an individual throughout his career. However, his passing and decision making have not seemed to improve since he was a freshman and he seems to be less of a running threat now than ever. I don't believe he is a fit for the offense Arth is trying to install and I believe we've seen the last of him on the field. I propose a 3 way competition heading into camp - Gibson, Marousek, and a transfer QB (D. Clark maybe?). Another QB needs brought in to compete with Gibson. He could be the future, but I haven't seen enough to just hand him the job. RB: Tough to get a good read with the OL, but I believe Hayes-Patrick and Reese are pieces to work with. Still want to bring in a transfer for competition/depth, and at least 1 freshman. TE: We lose Junk, Johns, and Long after the season, leaving only Wofley on scholly. Need to bring in at least 1 transfer and true freshman. WR: Should be okay here for next year with Stewart, Scippio, Hicks, Knight, Morris, and Mathison. Need a few true freshman though to have guys ready after they are gone. OL: Council and Gray are building pieces. Another hole is opening up as we lose Brown. It will not bode well if the current starting C is starting next season. We have some true freshman who aren't playing this year, but if they aren't able to get on the field this year, will they be adequate next year? Bring in 2 transfers here...this is priority #1 with the team if you ask me, but there doesn't seem to be a lot out there in JUCO/transfer portal. Still bring in 3 freshman on top of that so this issue is hopefully fixed once and for all. DL: Cross has improved as the season has went on and I think Mitchell is adequate to plug the middle. We are bringing in one JUCO DL already for competition. The staffs current approach here is likely OK. Add 2 freshman. OLB: Scott, Sampson, Richardson, and Lawson are probably fine here. Really only one of these on the field most of the time with the use of the Nickel..add 1 freshman. ILB: Arslanian, Glover, and Watts are adequate I think. Need 2 freshman. CB: Hooks has developed well over the year. We have a few options to fill the other position, but I haven't seen enough to bank on natural development. 2 transfers and 2 freshman. Safety/Nickel: We are good with Watts and Thomas. There are a couple guys to step up and fill the other starting spot (Daranijo and Mack). I'd bring in 1 transfer and 1 freshman here. Scholarship breakdown based on the above: QB: (2) - 1 freshman, 1 transfer. RB: (2) - 1 freshman, 1 transfer. WR: (2) - 2 freshman. TE: (2) - 1 freshman, 1 transfer. OL: (5) - 3 freshman, 2 transfers. DL: (3) - 2 freshman, 1 transfer. OLB: (1) - 1 freshman. ILB: (2) - 2 freshman. CB: (4) - 2 freshman 2 transfers. Safety/Nickel: (2) - 1 freshman, 1 transfer. Total: 25 new additions. 16 freshman, 9 transfers. The biggest key for acceptable results next year is going to be the staff basically bringing attrition to a halt and have a very good hit rate on the transfers so we are getting immediate improvement. Go Zips..

ABJ: Two prominent Zips get one last chance for win John Lako & Alvin Davis. Weather is supposed to be pretty nice for this time of the year. I'm going to be there. Go Akron!

Best of both worlds with Jaquan Green...JUCO kid that's ready to contribute immediately. And also from NE Ohio (Youngstown).

Miss Mary Mack Mack Mack All dressed in black, black, black With silver buttons, buttons, buttons All down her back, back, back. She asked her mother, mother, mother For 50 cents, cents, cents To see the elephants, elephants, elephants Jump over the fence, fence, fence. They jumped so high, high, high They reached the sky, sky, sky And they didn't come back, back, back 'Til the 4th of July, ly, ly!

or more!

Great job here LZ, and lots of thought in it. My only addition is that just because someone who played sucky this season at a position, and they return next season at that position, we shouldn't assume they won't make progress, learn, grow, get comfortable and thrive in the future. Case in point, at center. if current position holder busts his butt, gets coached up, and has some serious competition for his starting job, he could become a competent player as he matures. Just using that position as an example - but we can't think about this as a static situation and that the current crew won't improve as players.

Youngstown State, USC Upstate, NC Central, Louisville, and the Zips have all played each other as part of the Global Sports Shootout. Akron- Louisville is the final game. Each team has played the other four. While this event doesn't use seeding it is easy to see that they expected Akron and Louisville to be the top two teams in the event with Louisville hosting each of their game and the Zips only travelling to play the Cards. Plus, they purposely scheduled the Akron-Louisville game last for the entire event.

Some nice thorough analysis. I don't think I'm as sold on the defensive front 7 as you are. We're 126th in the country in total sacks and are giving up 210 rushing yards per game.

New York Times story on taxation features Akron, Ohio.

Thanks, @zippy5 ?

I'd have to read it Danny (other than the first and last line), and at an obvious 500 words plus of stuff we've most assuredly read before, that's very unlikely.

The 16 point half-time deficit was just a little too much to overcome. It's kind of hard to fault Xeyrius for taking those 3's. Those were all good looks within the flow of the offense. He was brought here to be a stretch 4 so those shots are well within his game. He's shown at Dayton he can make them. It has to be a mental thing at this point.

I really like that Groce takes his team on the road to play tough teams and doesn't complain about it! I had to do it old school tonight with French and Dunn. #throwbacksunday

Great effort vs the #2 team in the country. Could have gotten ugly, but we fought back and only lost by 6. Won't play another team near this talent level all year. Take what you can from the game and get better for it. Fun game to watch. Go Zips!

I agree with you.

While we're on the subject of putting butts in the seats, if anyone has had any remote connection to high school bands you know that their parents are some of the most loyal and will go to Timbuktu to watch their kids march in band shows and or halftime shows. Those of us that remember the Acme-Zip games knows that their were hundreds of kids from various marching bands performing, and that in turn brought in lots of relatives/parents. So, every season, we have something called "Band Day" at one of the Zips games, and the bands end up being from an APS school with maybe 30 kids in it, local rural schools with bands not much bigger. So who's in charge of recruiting these bands to perform at InfoCision? How come we can't get Stow, Hudson, Wadsworth, Green, Medina, etc. to attend and perform? I think Hudson has 200 kids in their band, Stow probably the same. Is it our Director of Bands Galen Karriker? I say, fire him now! ? Is it our crackerjack marketing department? I think we should demand Karriker step down if he can't bring in 300 kids next year on band day! (Bored - felt like writing - but still!) ?

I had to deal with him years ago. He's mean spirited, arrogant and has no interest in the truth. Once he gets the angle he wants nothing will change his mind or his writing. I don't know how the Beacon hasn't folded yet or become the Akron branch office for the PD.

#4 was actually the HOF drum and Bugle show. 15k attendance. All in the west stands.

Top 5 InfoCIsion Crowds this year: 1. Hoban/Massillon 2. Hoban/SVSM 3. Founders Week Gathering 4. UA Basketball Ice Cream Social 5. Neighborhood Kids breaking into stadium to play football

0-11...

I was watching "The Boys" on Prime Video last week and noticed a reference to Akron. "Well (SIGHS) I mean, what about my crime itinerary? I think the best thing's just to, you know, get out there and put some points on the board." - The Deep "Not much crime in Sandusky. I mean, we're not a shithole like Akron." - Jeff