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Our first advanced box score of the season! https://collegefootballdata.com/boxscore/401531387 I agree with the general consensus that the team, as a whole, looked much better than at most points last year. That is, if you look at each individual unit, they were hitting above their previous average...except for the most important position on the football field. The first think that stuck out to me in the advanced box score was the fact that UA hit 1.000 in scoring opportunities, and they were obviously both in the first half. A scoring opportunity is when you get the ball inside the opponent's 40, and Akron scored touchdowns both times they did that. When watching the game, I felt good about our chances specifically because that was an area this team was terrible in last year. Yesterday, it was like a bizarro world. They couldn't move the ball between the 20s. It was alarming. As for the defense, I talk a lot about them not making plays. Yes, they made plays most of the time they needed to yesterday, but when will this defense begin to read the QB and force some turnovers? Or make its presence felt in the backfield? Props to Warner as he is a damn good QB and their whole M.O. is protecting him, but not forcing any havoc, as displayed in the advanced box score, was costly. Temple, on the other hand, wasn't doing anything in the secondary to make things that difficult for DJI. Even when he did want/need to tuck and run or scramble, he seemed hesitant whereas last year he could have carved them up. Some of the individuals that stuck out to me are as follows: Bobby Golden (WR): I was hoping we would see more of him last year, not sure if the muffed punt had anything to do with that. Seeing him drop that punt yesterday made my heart jump out of my chest. Maybe time to put Adams or Hester back there. Anyway, I thought he looked the part out there. He should have had a TD catch and quite a few yards as well, not sure he could have done much more on the OB sideline throw. He will be a solid contributor as the season goes on. Lorenzo Lingard (RB): I just don't understand why he didn't get more touches yesterday. Same with Drake Anderson. But that play to get LL the TD was freaking awesome. It's a shame it was wasted in a loss, a damn shame. Lingard looks to be tremendously physical and has speed to separate from the D, as displayed on the TD. I'd like to see Joe mess around with he and Bullock like he did with Barkley and McSorely at Penn State. The package of Irons & Bullock got me really excited. We'll see how willing Joe is to open up the playbook Bryan McCoy (LB): A blossoming star. He and Fish delivered some big hits throughout the day, and to the untrained eye, seemed to make a fair amount of plays. If we have Bubba, maybe we get more pressure on the QB and get a different result, but I am happy with our LB situation considering the circumstances. All DBs: While not everyone played great, I feel the unit as a whole did a really nice job against a QB and an offense that scored a ton of points and racked up a lot of yards down the stretch last season. They allowed a few big plays later in the game, possibly in part to being on the damn field the entire second half. But, they forced 21 incompletions on the day and made those guys work really hard to score 24 points The negatives largely stop at QB play. Special teams look to be improved as a whole Dante Jackson is a big step up from Gettman. Not sure on FG kicking yet. But QB and probably DL are the two areas that proved to be most costly. The aforementioned lack of pressure and push from the DL kind of is what it is given the personnel. I thought they played okay, and I'm hoping for improvement but not sure how much we will see considering who is available. The QB....my lord almighty. I have always been an Irons supporter, but have also had plenty of reservations with him being the QB that really makes this thing take off. He was fine in his time in 2021, and he was good last year as a game-manager and a guy who could put the ball where it needs to be to dink and dunk down the field. But yesterday was flat out appalling. He has still never started at QB in a game where Akron defeats an FBS team. I trust Joe for obvious reasons, but I would question why he would give Irons a long leash, especially when he is clearly not the same QB that he was last year. Not many of us, except maybe @Hilltopper have seen Bullock work along side these guys in practice, but considering how quickly Joe involved him in the offense yesterday, I have a feeling they're more confident in his abilities than they are leading on. In 2015, Bowden started Tra Chapman at QB the first three games and yanked him during the Savannah State game for Tommy Woodson, who lit up the scoreboard most of the rest of the year. Maybe the same thing will happen with Bullock. In 2023, Joe Moorhead cannot take losses due to bad QB play. Simple as that. Let's get to 1-1 and get this $h!+ figured out.

This team has improved. That leaves us in pain because we could have beaten Temple. The OL is much better (with more to improve still). The DL is OK, but has to get to the QB. The other areas have the talent to win. Our coaches have a change to make. The DJ we saw today cannot win games. No arm velocity, locks onto one receiver - no progression, no accuracy, questionable leadership. Bring in a new QB against Morgan State so the team can get used to him. We have seen these coaches can make a team better during the season. Start now.

DJ's body language is an issue and always has been unfortunately. DJ's shoulder may or may not be cooked. Unfortunate if so, but the talk yesterday was that he wasn't even able to start fall camp on time due to recovery. He's either cooked/hasn't improved, or it'll just take some time to get back to 100%. I want the best QB out there who gives us a chance to win. Obviously yesterday raises doubts for everyone, but it may just take some time for him considering the injury situation.

Can’t stress enough how incredibly disappointing this game was

Can’t do much defending of DJ today, but coaches see all these guys in practice. I’d assume he looks the best for them to put him out there. If he was confident in Bullock throwing, feel like he would’ve seen that at least once today.

Some quick thoughts regarding a disappointing loss to begin the season. A lot to be excited about, but also new concerns we didn’t expect. OFFENSE: Irons is not the same QB as last year. He’s missing velocity on the far side/deep out routes he routinely exhibited last season. Outside of a handful of passes, he also struggled with his accuracy. Hard to envision he stays QB1 by the time MAC play starts, much less the entire season. No doubt the running backs are more explosive than last year. Question is, why didn’t they see more touches? Fair to say it was a bad day for the receivers. They’ve got to help their QB by reeling in some of the catchable passes that weren’t perfectly thrown. OL was excellent in pass protection until the last few drives. Run blocking was okay, not great, but there also weren’t a ton of opportunities. I believe about 20 runs were actually designed as such. DEFENSE: Run defense looked much improved. There weren’t many missed tackles and the linebackers in-particular landed a few big hits. Terray Jones, Ryan Johnson, and CJ Nunnally stood out along the DL. Antavious Fish, Bryan McCoy, and Shammond Cooper stood out at linebacker. Pass rush was disappointing. Temple threw the ball 49 times and Zips collected 0 sacks. I’m pretty sure I can count the number of times we touched the quarterback on one hand. Considering all of that, the secondary was impressive and played physically. There were some penalties that hurt, but at the same time they continued to be put in situations where the QB was allowed to have clean throwing opportunities. That’s a tough ask for a full game. FINAL THOUGHTS: Zips fans have every right (and probably should be) pissed. That’s a game we had a legitimate chance of winning. A game where everyone and their brother (outside of some in the Akron fan base) picked Temple to win. Most picked Temple to win big. There was not a talent discrepancy and Temple will likely win their fair share of games this year. If the defense can figure out a way to generate a pass rush, look out, because the physicality is there. Now the offense needs to figure out the quarterback situation. This game will not make or break the season. If anything, it shed some light on adjustments that need to be made. And FYI, I’m still not changing my season prediction. Wouldn’t be surprised to see this one get recouped somewhere along the way.

I haven't seen Bullock because I don't attend football practices. Very few get that privilege.

catdaddyp, keep it up! I need people like you to occasionally talk me off of the Zips football edge!

That was the thing for me, he was fussing at everybody and the coaches, its no leaders on this team i see. Your QB should be the leader and hes not, everytime the pocket brakes down he runs instead of looking down field.

I am usually not the "downer" guy and I do have faith in Moorhead, but as long as the Zips are losing to bottom 20 teams I don't have much interest in moral victories or "looking on the bright side."

A-freaking-men, GP1.

In 2023, redshirting is an antiquated idea. It has been for over a decade now. Player attrition, voluntarily or involuntary, needs to made up by ready to play freshmen. QBs, and most others skill players, come to college better prepared than ever. Some even graduate HS early in order to participate in spring practice. If the second best QB is a freshman, than that's the spot you put him.

Just an FYI, Rattler ripped apart both Tennessee and Clemson last season. He also went 30 for 39 with 353 yards in a loss last night. He’s playing for South Carolina and helped guide them to 8 wins last year. Uiagalelei will suit up for the first time tonight for an Oregon State team who won 10 games last year. Not exactly apple to apple comparisons, but I get your point. Agree that a change is needed at the QB position after what we witnessed yesterday.

We saw a much improved Zip squad, but penalties continue to be a problem. Irons may need more time to recover from off season surgery, but next week should give us an oportunity to look at #2QB. The 2 late sacks were not entirely the fault of the OL. Temple totally sold out on the run and went all out on rushing the passer. Often the biggest improvement comes in the second game. I'm hopefull.

it's the same guy they've been watching in practice. maybe they're hoping he will continue to rehab, get back closer to his old form, and still give us the best chance to win games.

Is this groundhog day? We have been seeing this year after year. How are we going to blow the game? How many of you knew that after the commentator indicated that the Zips line had improved and had not given up a sack that a sack was coming on the very next play? Or our punt returner who was catching everything was going to let the last punt go and it would go out of bound on the 4 yard line? Or that DJ would find some way not to finish the drive? (Pick one: interception, fumble, missed or blocked field goal or out or downs). Or that a Zip would commit some stupid penalty to end any chance of a come back? I am so glad we are competitive and the defense played so well, when will it translate into a W?

Gotta be quicker to make changes.

Not an acceptable loss under the circumstances. Up by a significant margin at half against Temple. Then your offense tanks? Defense did its job. Again, not an Irons fan after all these seasons. In Moorehead's offense the QB HAS to make plays. Has to be accurate and know when to get rid of the ball. We have seen this from Irons for too long. He is not a first or second year guy. Not accurate, holds the ball too long. After Saturday the schedule gets a lot tougher. Time for the coaches in the second season to make some tough decisions.

Still many of the same old issues, along with a few positives. Penalties and 3rd downs, like I said, are always crucial. Zips were dreadful in both categories. Turnover battle too, lost it late. Defense not quite good enough to force big plays in the form of TFL and TOs, but they do look much better. If I’m being optimistic, which I still am, we’re way ahead of where we were at this point last year. Of course, I hoped for more today. Especially after that 2nd play. Still 11 more of these things, hopefully they keep a short memory and make some adjustments on offense. Go Zips!

I too attended Thursday night versus Dayton. A long-time season ticket holder for MSOC, I attend 2-3 WSOC matches per season. I love futbol. If I am the HC, I would make adjustments in my personnel once I go up early 2-0 to a side thought to be superior. Especially since defending is my team's weakness. Keep formation and system the same but move my best talent back in the formation. In particular, move F to MF. (Defensive midfield is where the Zips got crushed.) Give some bench players a fresh look at forward. Close out the contest. I am familiar with freshman F Rachel Wenzel, having watched her play for many years in HS and in club. She played the full 90. I was surprised to discover that Rachel is among the best players on the roster. In fact, most of the Zips players who caught my eye are underclassmen. Sophomore F Emma King is a player. Freshman GK Sara Bower is tough and technical, if not a bit short to play GK. Freshman D Hannah Langstaff had a rough night, but her talent is evident. Freshman Anna Simmons showed some spark off the bench at offensive MF. Players listed above will be better in the future, and they are already among the best on the quad right now. So, I disagree with zippy-claws regarding the recruiting of late. Coach Jen Simonetti is a coach I would have hired as an Athletic Director. She has the player pedigree and the coaching experience perfect for the position. To speak with her personally, or to watch her conduct practice, one comes away impressed. "There is a leader I would fight for," is the common response. But you guys are right; results are what matter at this level. Jen must convert these players and/or bring in a few of her own. She has until next year to show real improvement. It bears repeating that the facilities and resources at Akron deserve a topflight WSOC team. And the girls' programs in NEO are among the very best in the country, whether HS or club. Recruiting in this area should not require superhuman effort. In summary, the Zips are a team of fast athletes playing the game very slowly. They are thinking way too much instead of letting it flow. Passes are tentative and without conviction, leading to passing inaccuracy and possession turnover. Futbol is not classical music, it is improvisational jazz. Zips are making sure to read the music correctly instead of just finding the groove. Sorry zippy-claws, but the coaching staff of MSOC hardly should be held up as a shining example for WSOC to emulate. The current MSOC staff has never won an NCAA Tournament match, and Embick/Coppinger last won an NCAA Tournament match in 2018. MSOC have their own problems to fix.

We had 238 1st-half yards. WE ONLY HAD 41 2ND-HALF YARDS?!?! 😳😳🤬

In a bit of symbolism my shoes fell apart leaving Lincoln Financial Field as badly as the Zips in the second half. 🤣