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Busy weekend, so just some notes off the top of my head. - This team talks way too much to the opposing team and to opposing fans. It’s a sign of being undisciplined and it came back to bite us in crucial situations. That needs to be cleaned up. - Outside of the two interceptions, Irons was the best he’s looked this season. He moved around well in the pocket, was able to push the ball downfield, and his scrambling ability was a difference maker. - Most of the pressure came from the right side of the OL between K. Davis and N. Williams. Williams struggled mightily against the speed of Indiana’s edge rushers. - The DTs did a great job all game keeping the OL off the linebackers. McCoy, Fish, and Cooper were routinely running free to the ball. - There were several option plays Indiana ran that would have gashed us last year, but the athleticism and discipline of our DEs and LBs stood out. - Speaking of the LBs, McCoy had a standout performance with 12 total tackles and seemed to always be around the ball. - The red zone and goal line stands by the defense were incredibly impressive. DT Kyle Thomas was stout in that area again. - Good for Andrew Behm. I’ve been critical of his play and it was nice to see him snag the interception. - KJ Martin had one of his best games as a Zip. Too bad he dropped an interception that could have iced the game. - Special Teams once again created another turnover. Unfortunately, once again missed at least one field goal, which was another missed opportunity for this team. - The identity of this offense has to be to run the football first. Lingard saw his most touches with 14 attempts and produced 113 yards and a touchdown. He was close to breaking a few other runs. I’ll continue to say it, give him the ball. Between the running ability of Irons/Bullock and Lingard/Anderson, is what will keep the offense on the field and eventually open up more one on one deep ball opportunities. It will also limit turnovers. - Total Yardage: Akron = 474 Indiana = 282 - Time of Possession: Akron = 34:24 Indiana = 25:36 This team could be 3-1 or 0-4. Instead, we’re 1-3 heading into MAC play. I thought the team would have turned the corner by now, but we are still fighting some of the same issues of finishing games with 2 losses of a combined 5 points. Sooner or later this group will put it all together. Side note: Blanchard went out with what looked like a knee injury and did not return. QB - Irons (Bullock) (Undercuffler) RB - Lingard (Anderson) WR - Gathings (Walker) WR - Adams (Golden) WR - George (Norton) TE - Banks (Newell) LT - Blanchard (Chambers) LG - Frank (Kilbane) C - T. Williams RG - K. Davis (Kilbane) RT - Chambers (N. Williams) DE - R. Johnson (Adler) DT - Lavea (K. Thomas) DT - T. Jones (Robinson) DE - Nunnally (A. Smith) (L. Jackson) LB - Fish (Behm) LB - Cooper (McCoy) NB - C. Thomas (Lewis) CB - Hunter (Durant) CB - Tallandier (Golden-Nelson) S - KJ Martin (C.Thomas) S - N. Thompson (C. Thomas)

On the bright side, DJ has found himself again, we at least know who the starting QB will be next week

The "Field of 68" puts out an incredible comprehensive preview almanac. I'm probably biased since they are very high on the Zips, but it seems like, somehow, they put in the homework on all 360+ D1 teams. Best $20 I spent this year. They have Akron winning the MAC too. They have the Zips #4 in their preseason mid-major top 25. No other MAC team is in it. They have Enrique Freeman as their #4 Mid-Major player to watch. Again, no other MAC players made the cut. Some snippets from their Akron review: "The 2022 NCAA Tournament appearance is still fresh in the minds of Zip nation. Usually, it’s a stretch to draw parallels between teams two years apart. However, there are some déjà vu vibes brewing with this 2024 rendition." "As a coach, it’s not always wise to look backwards and fixate on what worked in the past. Today, competitors adapt, players change and the game itself continuously evolves. For John Groce, however, a stroll down the 2022 memory lane may illuminate a proven path back to the NCAA Tournament in 2024." "The boomerang transfer return of Ali Ali will light the way, as will the impending return of Mikal Dawson, a quasi-starter on the 2022 squad who missed last season with injury. The reunion of Ali and Dawson is a storybook backdrop to what could be a special season for the Zips. " "Don’t let Sammy Hunter get lost in the frontline shuffle, especially after his coming-out party in March." "Rookie Darrion Baker is a man-child in the middle and may be plugged in to bigger bully lineups. If he played anywhere else in the league, Baker could be a fringe starter." "In short, Akron’s combination of depth, talent and experience is second to none in this league." "In the team’s foreign tour this summer, Freeman displayed a newfound comfort zone along the perimeter, including shooting 3s off movement. That’s a scary proposition for the rest of the league, assuming he can convert at a high clip. The same goes for Dawson, who must regain his shooting stroke and shake off a year’s worth of rust." "Don’t dismiss this perimeter nucleus. There are question marks, sure, but Groce’s hit rate with freshmen and transfers deserves the benefit of the doubt. " "The bedrock of the backcourt is Greg Tribble, a defensive specialist who sets the tone for Akron’s coverage. Tribble’s offensive limitations can be frustrating, but his defensive value more than outweighs those flaws. He’ll be asked to run point in spurts this year, though his upside as a lead creator is limited by his rim-or-bust shot diet." "Another guard on deck is Ryan Prather Jr., a former three-star recruit who redshirted last season. It’s not often three-star prospects are slapped with the redshirt tag in this conference, further proof of Akron’s depth and robust internal competition. Groce said Prather was still nursing an injury over the summer, so he may not be cleared to play until fall." "The rocketship that is Hunter, coupled with the return of Dawson, gives Groce an endless supply of wings and forwards to play with." "The roster imbalance, however, portrays the perimeter as the Zips’ weakness. Whether that’s actually true or just a misnomer, comes down to Thornton, Scott, Tribble, Nate Johnson and Tavari Johnson. Collectively, this quintet runs the gamut of prototypes — but none is a bona fide scorer." "'Guys like Xavier Castaneda, and (Loren) Cristian Jackson — those guys were scorers,' Groce said. 'Our scoring this year will be carried from the frontline. We need the point guards to make open shots, but their primary job will be facilitating for others and defending.' On that note, role acceptance will also be pivotal this season."

This team will win games, this year to be exact. Our coaching is good with the potential to be great. Our talent is no longer an issue. Yet we still find a way to lose. Maddening as this is I believe it is due to one issue, discipline, mental discipline. Repeatedly we find ourselves in position to win, yet we don't. An argument can be made that we could be 4-0, certainly 3-1. Mental discipline is the difference. We have not found a way to gain that extra 1-2% that separates winning from finding a way to lose. Though I believe some on the team have it. First Lingart, Fish, McCoy and Jones comes to mind. There are many more, yet not enough. This lack of mental discipline was seen last night in: Three interceptions (two due to DJ locking on one receiver and not following his progression; one due to Undercuffler throwing behind Banks) Unsportmanlike conduct on Frank for stupidly jumping IU players on their sideline leading to the loss of a much needed 1st down Two S & C coaches leaving our bench and crossing all the way to the other side of the field to restrain our players and antagonize the refs. Inexcusable! Dropped TD pass by Adams with no one around Repeated holding calls on N. Williams Missed gimme FG by Jackson Dropped interception by KJ Martin that may have sealed the game Unsportsmanlike conduct on Gaithings pushing an IU DB in front of the ref after he had secured a 1st down catch These mistakes alone amounted to near 20% of our offensive plays. We are our own worst enemy. Correct our mistakes and we win consistently. Joe and staff will get us there. Mental discipline comes slowly, but when we get it this team will roll. And it will begin this season. Just my thoughts.

Those standings are wrong, They weirdly decided to do the standings by overall winning percentage, instead of by, you know, how soccer does it by the point system. If you use that and conference games, the zips are actually in last place in their division, and overall are only ahead of the two other teams they have tied. Not that this is not recoverable but it's not the optimal start.

Next week is the biggest game of the Moorhead era. The first time Akron will be taking the field vs. an FBS opponent as the betting favorite and expected to and *needing* to win.

What's so frustrating to me is that right now, the difference between winning and losing has been razor thin, and most of the handicap against winning is self-inflicted.

Fantastic preview. They know the Zips better than most Zips fans 😳

Volleyball lost to Ohio too. 😊

And imagine if he weren't out for a large portion of the 2nd quarter...no pick six, we win kneeling on the ball to end the game in regulation.

The best part about feeling this pain is that I get to go through it tomorrow afternoon as well. Just a great way to spend my weekends.

This team could be 3-1 or even 4-0. But also 0-4 if not for a miracle fumble recovery. I don't know what to think.

As predicted 1-3 coming out of non-conference. It sucks because we could have won any of the 3 games we lost.

DJ is THE MAN! 😉

We’re staggeringly good at blowing opportunities.

Northwestern was way less beatable than this Indiana team. We’ll never have a better chance to beat a big 10 team than tonight .

The thing I'm most shocked about? That there wasn't a penalty on that touchdown run. 🤣😂

It is so painful to know that after I've watched a Saturday of sideline passes, drops, penalties, etc., I get to do it all over again with Stefanski's Browns on Sundays.

Zips need to shoot at least 12 times in the 2nd half. Rain is coming down in sheets. Artificial turf. Up a man. Down a goal. LET IT RIP!!!! Shoot from distance. GKs make errors in this weather.

Damn lucky Indiana dropped that one and then screwed up their special teams play- must have been watching our film.

Video presentation by St. John's is so poor. I really can't comment much on the first half. Akron video does a very nice job with replays. St. John's did not show a replay of the goal. St. John's did not show a replay when a player got a red card for clobbering Gyuwon. FloFC should be embarrassed to charge money for the poor video quality tonight. For the first 10-15 minutes, there was a guy in a red shirt that walked in front of the camera a few times. They had some kind of glass with lights that showed on the right side of the screen for a while. Just laughably poor video quality.

Great review! Thank you for posting!

72 Roo listed much that needs to be addressed. I would add the 2 point attemps in OT. Both IU chances had wide open recievers. We had no chance? I still think we can have a soccessful season.

And as much as it sucked for Akron to lose that way we weren't the only ones to miss a short field goal at the end in a tied game and then lose in overtime. If Clemson can't find a reliable kicker, it might be more difficult than you think.

There is some pearl clutching on the board about the MAC not beating the Big Ten this year. That's not worth worrying about. What is cause for worry is the poor showing against other G5 schools yesterday. EMU lost to Jacksonville St. If I'm not mistaken, they were D2 not long ago. Horrible loss for Kent, Ball State and EMU blown out by G5 schools. NIU, CMU and Buffalo lose closer games, but still.... These measuring sticks are important for the MAC on a credibility level because they are results against like schools. The MAC failed badly yesterday. However, when television revenue trumps winning, these are the results.

After a timeout.

Up two men for a good portion of a game that we dominated, but we can't get a second goal?! What is going on?! That's three games in a row that we should have won yet come away with ties. These new OT rules definitely do not work in our favor. They let inferior teams sit back and defend and play for a tie or lucky counter attack. Another 30 minutes of OT onslaught makes that much more difficult. Between this and football it was not a good night for the Zips.

Tough as hell loss. But we took Kentucky until the end of the 3rd quarter without our offense clicking and we took Indiana until 4 OT even with a lot of dumb mistakes. Winning record in conference play is very realistic in my opinion with the only likely loss being to Ohio.

Seriously, we would already be done celebrating for the night and happily fast asleep while the guys enjoy a fun and happy flight home to get ready for a pair of home games. Life as an Akron football fan is nothing if not consistent.

The absolute masters of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

I'm sure there's not a single person on this board. That's surprised. One of the most heartbreaking losses ever.

Damn it! How did we lose that game?! Shoulda gone for it on 4th!

We’re literally about to get everything but the win aren’t we?

Shoulda gone for it on 4th!

D's been strong all night. One more series?

Defense to win it. Let's go.

That could have easily been called for holding. Lucky

Apparently both our kickers suck.

That was a good drive. Man we needed that. Defense needs to keep up the intensity now.

Goal Rui Reis!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Adams has dropped so many TDs in his short Akron career. As great as he’s been, 2 years later in a row he starts the year with tons of drops.

Northeast Ohio Football. Great defenses and absolutely abysmal offenses with terrible QBs.

When JoeMo was hired, a struggling offense was never in the realm of possibilities in my mind. This is flat out embarrassing. I just don't understand how we are capable of making moving the football down field look so difficult.

November 14th: Zips v Heidelberg.

Turnovers and penalties, Akron's signature plays.

The penalties are the most frustrating thing. Those you should be able to minimize. 60 yards in penalties over half of what the offense has gained.

We should be running the ball on offense for no other reason than to shorten the game and give our D a chance in terms of total plays over the course of the game.

BTW - zero RB runs on the first drive. And the one time Lingard touched it, he broke a tackle at the LOS and gained 13....I dont get it.

For what it's worth, CollegeHoopsTop50.com has Akron winning the MAC this year. With other league powers facing the task of replacing proven stars and the outstanding duo of Enrique Freeman and Ali Ali joining forces for one more run, the Zips are going to be too much to handle. If Tribble can knock down a few jumpers this year, he and Thornton will be a terrific duo to keep Freeman fed, and Sammy Hunter & Tavari Johnson are poised to take big steps forward. If you'd like to hear almost 3,000 more words about why we think the Zips will be the class of the conference, check out the full-length preview here: https://collegehoopstop50.com/2023/09/23/92-akron-zips/

Can I start a debate? 😄 To completely overlook the team Groce assembled in the COVID cancellation year because the didn’t make the NCAA tournament unfairly skews the coaching success comparison. That team would have lapped the field at Rocket Mortgage, and had the Zips best chance at a tourney win that we may ever see.