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Zips basketball TOMORROW!

And still only one loss in two years of regular season conference play. Man where would the Zips be if they hadn't choked those two away against Temple and IU-Indy? But that's ok, maybe make some folks underestimate them.

452 yards of offense and 4 turnovers…. QB: Finley caught fire in the 4th quarter and absolutely torched the Buffalo defense. Unfortunately, outside of the 4th quarter and the first drive of the game, it wasn’t a great showing. The interception was another instance where he under threw the ball and allowed the safety to make a play. Bullock was stuffed twice on 4th down conversions, but had his moments at other points in the game. RB: Outside of the fumble by Kellom, the backs ran the ball fine. True to form, they didn’t have that many opportunities - collecting 80 yards on 16 carries. WR: Norton came alive in the 4th quarter. He’s one of those receivers where many times he may be covered, but he’s really not covered. Meaning give him a chance to make a play against single coverage and he usually will. Golden and Granger had their moments too. On the downside, we still had a few drops. Freshman Kyan Mason flashed his ability to make a difficult touchdown snag. He’s going to be a good one down the road. TE: Newell hasn’t been used as much in passing situations with the emergence of Cravaack, but I’ve seen him bark at guys over the past two weeks who were unsure of the play. He’s clearly had enough of people not knowing their assignments. Newell and Cravaack combined for 5 catches for 55 yards. OL: The amount of pressures that were allowed on either side of the RG was unacceptable. At times, K. Davis and Burrell looked like they were playing their first game of collegiate football. The stunts and blitzes caused all kinds of confusion for the right side of the OL. At this point in the season, these guys have played enough football to know what to expect. It was downright bad for portions of the game. The left side had a few mistakes too, but nothing like the right side. We also failed to get push on key downs when we needed to convert. It’s frustrating that the OL can get it together in the 4th quarter and struggle so much throughout much of the rest of the game. DL: The starting defensive line was decent against the run. The 45 yard TD run by the RB was due to a DB (I didn’t catch the number) taking a terrible angle to fill the gap. The backup DTs and DEs didn’t give us much production. For the second straight week, Moore played over 60 snaps and Kapongo played over 50 snaps. That’s too much. We were without Lavea and Brockington and that played a role. The defense as a whole continues to struggle to create pressure. In fact, I can’t recall a single time we created pressure without a blitz. Teams have figured out they can slide protect against Nunnally and then double one of the DTs and we will struggle to rush the passer. LB: McCoy was lights out good. He probably had his best game of the season. Fish also played well. Benenge, Spriggs, and Summers saw a good amount of action again. Summers made a few plays in the 2nd half. DB: Golden-Nelson and Reed started at CB again. Reed struggled some after playing well last week. Hunter, DeWalt, and Jarmon saw action. DeWalt played about 50 snaps, which is his career high. If DeWalt ever figures it all out, he could be a really good player due to his length and natural ability. Our lack of depth at safety reared its ugly head. When Anderson went down, we proceeded to have multiple mistakes from the DBs. D. Lewis and P. Lewis finished out the game as the two safeties. Greenwood and Thomas rotated at nickelback. ST: The wind seemed to play a factor on a few of the punts. Overall, special teams were good again outside of the fumble. There’s really no excuse for the fumbling issue to still be happening. Coaching: More of the same. Offense and defense looked well prepared on the opening drives and then the turnovers started. We had a handful of penalties and personal fouls were limited, so that’s at least progress in that area. We’re not going to win any games when we lose the turnover margin 4-0. Our “sudden defense” was bad. They held up at times during the flow of the game and in the 4th quarter, but were woeful after turnovers. It’s been that way all season. The fact that we only lost by 11 with 4 turnovers says something. One would think Buffalo would have won by a lot more. We were only down by 8 before the final turnover happened and sealed our fate. Yet, it’s another way this program has found a way to lose. Edit: I noticed Hunter and Bullock walking on senior day. They still have a year of eligibility left if they want it for football, but I would not be surprised to see them move on. Hunter has dealt with injuries and fallen behind on the depth chart. Bullock supposedly reached out to Rutgers this past offseason and they said “no thanks.” Someone may take a chance on him this offseason though after seeing his versatility. QB: Finley Bullock (played multiple positions) RB: Simmons Kellom WR: Norton Davis WR: Golden Rush WR: Granger Mason TE: Cravaack Newell LT: Blanchard Shor LG: Morris Seymore C T. Williams RG: K. Davis Burrell RT: James Thomas DE: Adler Dall DT: Kapongo Madden Murphy DT: Moore Proffitt Hull DE: Nunnally Richards Cheatom LB: Fish Benenge Summers LB: McCoy Spriggs NB: D. Lewis Greenwood T. Thomas CB: Golden-Nelson Hunter DeWalt CB: Reed Jarmon S: P. Lewis D. Lewis S: Anderson D. Lewis Top Players on Offense: QB - Finley WR - Granger TE - Cravaack RB - Simmons WR - Norton (I imagine Norton will be #1 by end of the week) Top Players on Defense: LB - Fish LB - McCoy CB - DeWalt S - P. Lewis DT - Moore

The good news is that Zips basketball starts tomorrow.

No. Yes.

Shout out to Hilltopper for the club tickets. An absolutely first class experience on the club level… hopefully the on field product improves and more people get to experience it. Exciting fourth quarter and a beautiful day.

It's more than a place for higher learning. It's a taxpayer supported public institution. As such, it needs to be responsible with the taxpayers of Ohio money. I find it disheartening that only one in three employees are full time faculty. The scandal is not the cutting. The scandal is the poor management of universities throughout the country. This mismanagement has resulted in students having to pay an enormous amount in tuition and fees to support a bunch of people nobody can exactly figure out what they do for a living, or what their value is to the students. These additional fees have largely been paid for with student loans that harm both the student and society long term.

This reminds me of the Ralph Kiner story about his negotiations with the Pirates as a player. If we can finish last (or next to last) with them, we can certainly finish last without them. There isn't a player on this team I'd lose sleep over losing.

Negative Nancy's, you are tiring! I saw a team that could have rolled over and played dead come off the mat to have a chance in the end. Mistakes are killers. We need to clean them up . Please come forward if you have any ideas to work on cleaning up our game. Talent difference? I think we could see that in our OOC games, but not in MAC play. What do you expect? Winning for sure. Over coming the beat down OOC schedule is harder than you think. For me, our 4th quarter play was very encouraging. It could be the spark that will turn things around.

So does Simmons.

2024 rules changes, a pdf of the NCAA Soccer Rule Book can be downloaded from the NCAA website at https://www.ncaapublications.com/p-4692-2024-and-2025-soccer-rules.aspx Sudden victory OT returns for post season games only... For postseason games, which include conference tournaments and NCAA tournament games, the following procedures shall be used when a game is tied after the regulation 90 minutes. 7.2.1 Up to two sudden-victory overtime periods of 10 minutes each shall be played. The first team to score wins the game.

I would like to recognize and celebrate Malik Henry today. Josh Hardin was one of the players sitting on 4 yellows. For the majority of the 2nd half, Josh came out of the game. Malik moved from right winger to right back...with Maximus Barboto and Jack Roman getting most of the time at right winger I thought that Malik was outstanding in the 2nd half at right back. Malik would probably get more all league and all region recognition if he played all of his time at right winger. Malik probably does not get the recognition that he deserves because he splits his time between right winger and right back. This Akron fan.....greatly appreciates Malik being a true unselfish team player....and doing what is best to help the soccer zips win. Thank you much, Malik.

The Gensler Era enters its second season kicking off hosting Georgia State in the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge Monday night. I'm not really sure what our expectations should be with Reagan heading to West Lafayette and a lot of new faces on the squad but I'm looking forward to seeing the girls back in action.

IndyEleven lost 3-2, but what an AWESOME goal by former Zip Aodhan Quinn…

No, it's an institution of Higher Learning, not a Business. And treating educational institutions as if they are businesses is what has led to their decline. I mean, we can equate athletics to this. The amount of debt accepted by the U to expand athletics when you couldn't ever actually be competitive in it (football) is one of the biggest blunders in the history of the University. But it's fine, we'll just continually cut the people who do the real work of the University (educating students) and balancing the budgets on their backs, so administrators can make absurd salaries padding their resumes so they can move onto something more lucrative somewhere else and fund their yachts. It's sick, and the fact that you can even attempt to defend it is sick.

A week after a big win and they don't show up for the first three quarters of the game? Sorry, but that's utterly unacceptable. You need to realize that we're likely to lose more than a handful of the most talented payers to NIL this year. Why would they stay after another losing season and next to zero fan support in the stands?

You seem to take solace in the fact that they woke up late in the third quarter. They were pathetic during a majority of the game. That's on the coaching staff. It's time to PROVE you're better than a 2-10 team. They've not done that thus far. I see zero fire in this coach. I would have been angry about my team's ineptitude during the first half+. Don't look for silver linings...demand accountability.

warhawksoutsider

Suck it, Drunken Horses.

Here is what I saw. After the Zips first possesion when they ran some and Finley made some nice throws I thought maybe they built on something from last week. Imposible hermano! After the 2 fumbles game over. Rest of Zips points in garbage time. Finley for some reason makes a really bad throw. Blame Moorehead for not sticking with the run and continually putting the QB in bad spots.Got him hurt again later. Other side of that is, as usual the defense is incapable of ever bailing out the offense. More chunk plays through the air and on the ground. Every week. Putting Bullock on the field was useless. He didn't even look like he wanted to be in uniform. Made an awful throw on an 8th grade rollout/squareout that should have been a first down. Bottom line here is no real progress week over week. Thats coaching. We have been watching this for almost 3 full seasons. Sure, there are a few talented players. Feel bad for them. They wasted their time here. Didn't think I would be at this point, but unless they can come up with at least 2 more wins, I have seen enough of this regime. If Moorehead is here 2 more seasons, so be it.Afraid that just delays the invitible.

Most programs don't have Akron level expectations.

I didn't previously respond as I didn't want to feed the troll. Two bowl appearances in 7 years would get any coach fired from any program in the country. Heck, Louisiana Monroe canned him after 3 seasons.

Agreed. The up side is that Arkansas State also has a number of new faces. They also had a tough time in an exhibition against Trevecca Nazarene last week.

Absolutely!

Don't like that Georgetown dropped to number four. Partly because I think they're the second best team in the conference, but even more so the semifinals will be held about 40 minutes from their campus.

Norton used to have The Nest. What makes you think they deserve better?

I went to see Max McAnally at the Newberry Opera House last night with Mrs. GP1 the luckiest woman in the world. I made it a point to be near my house to watch the Zips and watched an entire game for the first time in a long time. First of all, watching first quarter between when the QB threw an arm punt until the end of Q1 was a shocking display of incompetence. The seemingly nonstop turnovers to the coach going for a first down in a bad place was a disastrous display of events rarely seen in college e. I feel almost honored to have seen it. I've spent the last 18 years watching a low level ACC school struggle weekly to succeed and at times actually succeed. What makes them succeed is a level of talent just god enough to succeed with good coaching. I didn't realize it until this week after watching an entire game. The Zips are lacking in talent, in an a really bad way. If you want to blame the coach, go ahead. He's been at Akron for 3 years. There should be better talent. The coach is responsible for getting talent. I could go on for a long time, but pretty drunk. I predicted 3 wins at the beginning of the season. I'll stand by that. This program is in a horrible place.

Zips still have work to do to lock up ncaaa spot.

Geez, the band show is usually the best thing. 🥁🎺

Bullock better be QB on the next possession

Two weeks in a row Kellom fumbles. Two weeks in a row Finley throws a terrible int. The umpteenth week in a row the defense folds at an alarming speed after an offensive blunder. For the umpteenth time the Zips are beating themselves.

This scoreboard is too effing loud.

My prediction: zips 102 ASU 34 Evan Wilson MVP with 6 made 3s

3 days away from the first game... and I'm getting excited. I remember the feeling in the spring of not knowing what would come of this team post-Freeman. Who would've thought Groce would come back with arguably his deepest team? I have no idea how good the top-end talent will be because they're all new guys, but I do know we are legitimately 10-11 deep. F: Okonkwo, Lyles W: Harris, MKK G: NJohnson, TJohnson, Scott, Young, Gray, Wilson, Hardman Again, true level of production is TBD, but I can't recall a Zips team that is expecting to get legitimate production from their 10th and 11th guys. What leaps will Lyles, NJohnson, TJohnson, and Scott take? How does Young fair as a true freshman? Can Okonkwo establish himself as a force down low? How will the 3 pt shots of Harris, Wilson, and Hardman be? I think Gray will be our most consistent player (Tyler Cheese-esque). Despite this, Akron isn't getting any love in the preseason expectation opinions. Ohio and Toledo are the representatives from the MAC for the mid-major rankings, and even Kent is getting more love. Akron's "dark horse" ride will last as long as it takes the chemistry to come together. If that's sooner rather than later, look for the Zips to quickly climb the mid-major ranks.

Well....we HAD a chance....