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Since 2010, Zip coaches in their first season are a combined 3-40. Joe is so obviously in over his head. They’re losing games the same way Arth did in his first year. No progress. Just had an RB set the single game completions record and throw for 400 yards. I mean what is this guy doing? Put the 6’6” dude at RB you dummy!!!! Look, nobody on this board has sugar coated anything about what they see on the field this year. @catdaddyp isn’t some lifelong Zip die hard cheerleader. The dude just loves football and has picked the Zips, freaking awesome. And folks are clowning him for saying the team has made immense progress from last year and the prior couple years. As for myself, I have numerous times for weeks noted that Akron is still a bad football team, and I had higher hopes for 2022. But reality set in quickly, as similar mistakes from the past have been mixed in with some very efficient and impressive performances here and there. It hasn’t hit the win column, and it’s frustrating as hell. But as someone who has been to every single game at Infocision for over a decade, the steps forward are obvious. How soon the blowout home losses to Temple, Ohio, Buffalo, and Kent just last year alone are forgotten. Sure, almost doesn’t count. But not getting embarrassed and being in a position to win for 75% of the games against G5 teams this year is a pretty damn clear step forward to me. If we’re at this 1-6 point come next year, concerns will be had. But it’s just mind-numbingly stupid to me that someone would be out on THIS coach and THIS team after THESE 7 games. The same way how many people were “out” on Groce after 2 years of underwhelming when it was also painfully obvious that the program was improving and would take more than 5 minutes to build into something worth a s***.

Excellent as always. Thanks @catdaddypand glad you enjoyed the game. It sure was a great day at the yard, and would’ve been perfect with a win! Maybe more thoughts from me tomorrow, but I really don’t want to have to think about this one too much more. Bottom line is, if DJ & Price complete the transfer one way or another, the talk of this game isn’t about mistakes, bad running game, losing on top of losing, etc. Like other posters say, the margin for error when you lack talent is razor thin. With that said, DJ stepped up and made some big throws today. Took far too many sacks, with the pass blocking taking a step back due to personnel issues, and CMU has a hell of a defense. After all, Ball State was 0-13 on 3rd downs against them last week. And Ball State is far better than Akron. Defensively, more bend-don’t-break, with just a bit too much break. The Bubba blitz was awesome though, a big time play I want to see more of. And they were so close to getting a big fumble recovery on the sack on the CMU drive after Akron tied it. Once again by Morton. If the Zips recover that, again we may be having a whole different discussion. The room for error is so damn thin, it’s amazing to think about and to watch every week. Damn it. So here we are. 1-6, 0-3 in the league. Lost 3 of the last 4 by single digits, had two straight home losses by a score while having the ball with a chance to win in the dying minutes. The Zips have comfortably graduated to “bad” on the college football spectrum. As much as I grew to resent everything about the Bowden experience, Joe quoted him today on the lose big—> win big thing. And his teams never consistently followed that mold and I find it to be kind of a silly philosophy. However, while many folks had higher expectations for this team in 2022, I really like the steps being taken. Though I just had to step back and laugh at that unbelievable way to lose today, I don’t feel apathy. I’m absolutely fired up. I can understand how some posters and Zips fans are upset and disappointed and checked out. But I’ve had a lot of fun watching the last handful of Akron games, which is far more than I could say the last few years. It will be an interesting week at practice. I’m not sure there can be a more hungry group of student athletes after what these guys have been through. What better time to put it all together and come out on top? You never know.

Clearly he doesn’t. He needs to run the touchdown play more often and run the stop the touchdown plays on defense more often. These close losses show that he is completely lost, and lackluster QB and WR play have resulted in an offense that doesn’t move the ball and doesn’t score any points at all. It’s very disappointing to see, and things are more bleak now than under Arth, Ianello, and the bad Bowden years. Time to quit now. Pack up and go home. Time to buy some Golden Flashes tickets and move on from this now loser program and coach.

LZip must really be connected to be able to get you tickets to a Zip's football game.

Joe Mo & Co did a nice job filling in a lot of holes with the transfer portal this past offseason. The "hit rate" (defined by average MAC starter) doesn't appear to be 100%, but that is difficult to accomplish with the # of players brought in. I also still hope some of those players will continue to come along as they still have eligibility left beyond this year. My thoughts on the needs below come from consideration of players leaving due to graduation and what we've seen so far by underclassman who would look to take their spots. Per the roster online, and excluding special teams, we lose the following estimated scholarship players (12) after this season: Jalen Hooks (CB), Ryan McClain (OLB - may get a medical redshirt), Nic Ognenovic (TE), Bubba (LB - may have an extra year from last year's injury), Curtis Harper (DL), Ravontae Holt (DL - may have an extra year due to his injury history pre-Akron), Victor Jones (DL), Zach Morton (DL). Shocky (WR), JKP (S), Chu Ogbonna (CB), Tim Terry (LB), Anthony Whigan (OL). We currently have 14 non-special teams players committed, but we shouldn't be counting on any freshman to come in and fill holes right away. Based on the current production from the players above, we need somebody to replace potentially 2 LBs (1 if Bubba comes back), 1 CB, 3/4 DL (depending on Holt), 1 WR, 1 S, and 1 OL. There will also be a number of players transfer out, hopefully mostly due to not having the talent to elevate our program rather than players currently playing and showing promise. DL - I don't see any young DL playing and showing promise, and DL needs addressed as is. I say bring in 4 more DL transfers. LB - A couple guys show flashes - Fish and McCoy. The staff is high on Griffin, but we still don't have the proven depth we need there. Need 1 transfer LB, 2 if Bubba is gone. CB - I think Golden Nelson and Amankwaa are a capable pair of starters, but would like to see them challenged, and we need more depth regardless. 2 more transfers here. Lewis has Nickelback on lock and Durant should probably be his back up as he showed flashes there last year..he isn't an outside corner. S - I think we are good with Thompson, Martin, and Woods for the next year or two. OL - We lose Whigan, and have some promising freshman, but I still say bring in 2 OL for security to ensure OL is upgraded. The OL play is holding the offense back the most. RB - I think we're okay. Biggest reason for lack of production here is run blocking. QB - think we're okay. DJ is the guy and Undercuffler should at least be a serviceable back up if/when DJ goes down, though he isn't as mobile. Darius Jennings and Steele Wasel were also pretty highly recruited, so would hope one of those 2 could step in and be serviceable if needed. TE - we should be set for the foreseeable future with Brank, Banks, Clark, and Darnell. WR - Staff is high on Golden, Grimes is alright, Anderson doesn't get many targets though does have some potential, and Gathings has looked alright as well, but he's only been healthy enough for I believe 2.5 games in 2 years for us so far. I'd bring in 1 transfer to replace Shocky to ensure the passing game keeps humming since none of the aforementioned are showing that type of potential yet. With the 14 commits, and up to 11 transfer needs, that would put us at a total of 25 new signees. With up to 12 guaranteed to move on, this means there will be at least 13 scholly players with eligibility left no longer on the team next year., not going to speculate individually (think upperclassman/players who have been here a few years and aren't sniffing the field), just hope additional holes don't get opened up. I think Joe is actually going to look to bring in more than 11 transfers, however. Hitting on the majority of those with the likeliness of a few players on the team taking the next step, our holes are filled at the starter level and we have some depth. Filling holes doesn't mean we are MAC contenders next year, as there's still positions you probably need to upgrade to take that next step, but I think it reasonably gets you to .500 play. We may not see much if any improvement in the win column this season, but I strongly believe we will see encouraging results in getting our program to at least an above average conference team is in the near future. Go Zips.

Tough loss today. This team is so close, but just can’t quite get over the hump. That time is coming though. I really enjoyed the game day experience. The crowd seemed invested in the game and desperately wanted a win. If InfoCision gets even 75% full, it’ll be a serious home field advantage. The band is excellent, the sound system certainly works, and the cheerleaders/dance team were cohesive. Everything is in place, now the football team needs to win and get butts in the seats. Offense: - It’s like musical chairs on the OL at this point. Gray, Daniels, and Lyons are hurt. Whigan and Banes were hurt at some point during the game. Not sure why Landers didn’t play, but Chambers got the start at LT. Robarge and Beckman filled at the guard spots when Whigan and Banes went out. I thought I saw Kilbane play some snaps at C but it was mostly Georges there. - Pass protection was ok, but could have been better. I thought DJI was the cause of a few of those sacks and not the OL. Run blocking is still a struggle. - SJL consistently created separation. Caleb Anderson is a tough matchup that we should continue to take advantage of near the goalline. It’s unfortunate his TD catch did not count. - I thought it was a well called game and we definitely left some plays out there that should have been made. Defense: - I’m not sure why the staff hasn’t narrowed down the linebackers to Bubba, McCoy, and Terry. When those 3 aren’t out there in some capacity bad things happen. Fish will eventually be there, but he still looks lost at times. - Great to see Bubba get a free run at a sack today. He was a tackling machine. - Thompson was MIA and replaced by Woods, who wasn’t great, but was solid. - Hooks started, but I don’t recall seeing him in the 2nd half. Amankwaa was solid in the passing game at CB, but struggled against the run. Off the top of my head I recall 3 edge busts by him. However, it was good to see him cover well. - Richardson played the most he has all year, but I don’t recall him making much of an impact. - We still struggle to get much of a pass rush. I know there is probably some frustration and apathy building, but it’s easy to see this program is close to turning a corner. CMU is built differently than the other MAC opponents we’ve played, so today’s game brought a different set of challenges for this team. Despite the loss, I left feeling even more confident about the turn around that is surely coming. I don’t know how many wins we finish with this year as our chances are becoming fewer, but another recruiting class and offseason with this staff is exciting to think about.

Here's some more you might be able to incorporate in future posts. "Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” –Lou Holtz “Leadership is a matter of having people look at you and gain confidence. If you’re in control, they’re in control.” –Tom Landry “You have to perform at a consistently higher level than others. That’s the mark of a true professional.” –Joe Paterno “Football is like life. It requires perseverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, dedication, and respect for authority.” –Vince Lombardi “Success isn’t measured by money or power or social rank. Success is measured by your discipline and inner peace.” –Mike Ditka “Self-praise is for losers. Be a winner. Stand for something. Always have class, and be humble.” –John Madden “The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.” –Vince Lombardi “No one ever drowned in sweat.” –Lou Holtz “No matter the circumstances you may be going through, just push through it.” –Ray Lewis “Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it.” –George S. Halas “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size in the fight of the dog.” –Archie Griffin “When you’ve got something to prove, there’s nothing greater than a challenge.” –Terry Bradshaw “It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get back up.” –Vince Lombardi “When you don’t give up, you cannot fail.” –Adrian Peterson "I have yet to be in a game where luck was involved." –Urban Meyer “I may win and I may lose, but I will never be defeated.” –Emmitt Smith “There is only one way to succeed in anything…and that is to give it everything.” –Vince Lombardi "You cannot make progress with excuses." –Cam Newton "Success isn't owned, it's leased. And rent is due every day." –J.J. Watt “You can learn a line from a win and a book from defeat.” –Paul Brown “It’s not the will to win that matters. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters.” –Paul “Bear” Bryant “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will.” -Vince Lombardi “Set your goals high, and don’t stop till you get there.” –Bo Jackson “To do things you’ve never done before, you have to do things you’ve never done before.” –Sean Payton "The man on top of the mountain didn't fall there." –Vince Lombardi “Remember, once you set a goal, it’s all about how hard you’re willing to work, how much you’re willing to sacrifice and how badly you truly want it.” –J.J. Watt “The most valuable player is the one who makes the most players valuable.” –Peyton Manning "Today I will do what others won't, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can't." –Jerry Rice "If what you did yesterday seems big, you haven't done anything today." –Lou Holtz “Winners never quit and quitters never win.” –Vince Lombardi

Gilbert signed to Bucs practice squad. https://steelersdepot.com/2022/10/former-steelers-lb-ulysees-gilbert-iii-reportedly-signing-to-buccaneers-practice-squad-ahead-of-matchup-on-sunday/

Yep. Price had nothing but green in front of him. Unbelievable. I took four acquaintances to what was their first Zips football game on Saturday. After the kick to the nuts I told them that at least they had an authentic Zips Football fan experience. Was InfoCision built on an ancient Indian burial ground?

Bingo. There is no quit in this team - they play for JoeMo. They believe in what he's doing, and fans should, too. There just isn't enough talent in the cupboards yet to play a less-than-perfect game and overcome the inevitable mistakes to win. We will get there.

Nice work, thank you very much for putting this together @LZIp . I’m very much looking forward to the few weeks following the season when the portal carousel starts to spin. And the QB competition with Irons, Jennings, and Wasel will be fun to watch for next year. I hope Wasel can come in for the spring so we can get an earlier look at him. I’ve got a feeling the staff has their eyes locked in on him for the future of this program.

I don't think the Zips have a QB on the roster who can challenge Irons for the job, but I'd love to see some competition get brought in for a QB competition next year. Irons while I think has the tools to he really good seems to hold onto the ball too long, which leads to many costly sacks. I get our o-line isn't good, but he needs to get better at throwing it away or checking down instead of taking costly sacks.

On D, I liked what I saw of Bubba, Lewis, Amankwaa (in coverage, he did a good job shutting down CMU's best WR), and Woods. Woods was in on some plays and didn't get beat. No drop off at all in his first start compared to the other safeties that were out.

I hear what you’re saying. Consistency has been an issue. It seems players and/or positions take turns, not only from game to game, but within the game itself sometimes. Which is mark of a young or inexperienced team. We have some veteran players, but it’s hard to call them that when they are all in a new system and have different expectations. I follow recruiting and turnaround situations closely which is why it’s easy to see what’s coming. The next step for this team is just to win another game. The following step will be to string wins together. This off-season I tracked all of the new FBS staff’s recruiting classes. Out of the G5 schools, I thought UCONN easily had the best class followed by Akron. New Mexico State probably had the 3rd best with UMASS having the worst. (I won’t go through the rest) Unfortunately, our roster was so bad - and I couldn’t just say certain players shouldn’t be at this level in the preseason outlook - that it’s taking a little longer than expected. Improvement is clearly there, but the wins have yet to follow. At some point this team will display its best self and we’ll see a complete game. When that happens, we should be able to beat anyone left on the schedule.

Two steps ahead of ya. Tennessee has the talent to overcome miscues; we're not there yet.

This isn’t a bad coaching staff. It’s a staff that took over one of the worst rosters in FBS and has had one recruiting class. The roster was flipped by nearly 50 players and will likely have another 30ish flip this offseason - whether that’s through graduation and/or the transfer portal. I agree about not attempting to establish the run earlier, but to me it shows a staff that doesn’t trust the OL to get any push more than one that outsmarted itself. I mentioned in one of the threads in the preseason that we had a solid RB corps but it would be contingent on our OL how much room they had to run. A poster (don’t remember who, nor am I going to spend time flipping back through posts to find out) said something to the effect of we’ve had successful runners in the past so the OL should be fine. My point was/is our OL as a whole is not where it needs to be just yet. Hard to say this game was lost in the first half when we were in scoring position and running out the clock to win the game in the 4th quarter. It seems to me this team has played to its competition level in the MAC. I don’t see why that would have been our last winnable game, but we’ll find out.

You sure?

Sorry I didn’t respond sooner. I was at the game today with a buddy. Big shoutout to @LZIp for hooking us up with tickets! Edge contain was the biggest issue, but give credit to the RB. That kid was really good. I saw him shake Bubba (twice), Fish, Terry, and Martin all in tight space. Definitely not easy to do that to Bubba. Our run fits weren’t always great in between the tackles and the edge was especially weak, usually due to the DB and DE either pressing in too much or not enough. I was impressed with CMU’s OL and DL. Their skill players weren’t particularly impressive, but they were stout in the trenches.

I can't believe we lost on a fumble return for TD on a run that would have put us in make-able, even for our kickers, FG range. I knew we were on the way to winning that came. But in the end we lost because our OL is a sieve. Too many sacks and pressures. No holes for the running game. This year we are losing because of poor execution. Last three years we lost because of zero coaching. Execution can, and will be, fixed. Jo knows what he is doing. Trust the process.

Same thing just happened to Tennessee. It isn't just Akron.