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The Ohio Supreme Court kept their stay of the Court of Appeals decision in place today, which allows Evan to play. That could change after they consider the memorandum in support of jurisdiction but he's good for now.

Bowden went 4-8 in his final Akron season. That’s the same year he beat Northwestern. Academics no longer factor into D1 football. Every year the Zips lose 1/2 the team…over 40 players…to the portal. Every team does. Players today majoring in NIL money and maintaining eligibility outnumber the ones taking advantage of their free education 4:1. Education is parsley on the D1 plate. Why does no one mention Lee Owens when discussing the most successful Zips HC’s (post Dennison). The guy was 7-5 when he got fired. 5-3 in the MAC. Greats like Dwight Smith, Frye, Hixon, Blackburn, Cherry, Arthur, Payne …they were all his recruits. And he convinced them to play at The Rubber Bowl, with no Stiles Center. His final year at Ashland he went 10-2. In the tallest midget competition, Lee Owen’s dwarfs the field.

It's pretty exciting that we have three former Zips active in the G League right now - Enrique Freeman (Iowa/Minnesota), Shammah Scott (Texas/Dallas), and Nate Johnson (OKC). The Charge host Iowa on 11/17 and 11/28. It would be cool if we can get a big Akron contingent up there to cheer him on.

Basketball tipoff event tonight was good. A few things I found interesting: - Ford credited the returning players for locking in portal recruits this summer and mentioned MMK and Halligan specifically. He said it's his job to get recruits on campus and the current players to make them want to stay. - Wentz mentioned they have a system in place that tracks the analytics of every basketball player in the country so they are fully prepared to act when the portal opens. They've had it up and running for several seasons for the men's team and now have it for the women's team, too. - Henderson was on crutches and had a brace on. Burton didn't have anything on his foot. Also: - Coach Ford has so much authenticity and charisma to him. I really believe in him being successful here. - It was fun to see the players' personalities come out a bit. Chabi and Evan both in particular. - House Three Thirty was an excellent host. I enjoyed it a lot more than the events at the JAR.

Should sign today. Wolves Re-Signing Enrique Freeman To Two-Way Deal | Hoops Rumors https://share.google/9U20mvIGdolH9Okq7

Interesting stuff from EvanMiya.com

LCJ jersey retirement this year. LONG time coming.

But I'm left to wonder if Mount Union could beat Hoban? 🤔

Situation has been dealt with. Sorry it got to this point. Genuinely sorry.

I'm going to take the word of John Groce and Dustin Ford as to what role Zack plays. The Zips weren't great and seemed to be missing something early last year, though the OOC schedule, and Groce mixed it up starting Zack against EMU in the home opener and it added a gritty element to the team to open the games thereafter. Zack's never going to a star, but good teams need gritty role players lie Kurt Rambis, Craig Ehlo, John Paxson.....that do the dirty work and keep up the intensity.

You're too dismissive of the portal. How do you expect someone to build a culture with the scraps we get after the annual player exodus? You can't fix stupid. Our financial position leaves us with the dummies of the world. Did Indiana fix their culture or did Mark Cuban just buy a bunch of star players? Indiana's coach wouldn't be winning with the crap they used to put on the field.

Sure there is. Having a lower seed means less/no road games leading up to the College Cup. We got lucky last year in having a higher seed and remaining at home throughout because the lower seeds in our quarter bracket all lost prior to crossing our path. Also, an excellent coach/manager will always find a reason for his team to play to its full potential. I do not know how Embick operates, but Porter had an entire list of goals to accomplish for the season, and this list made the result of nearly every game meaningful.

I'm pumped for tomorrow with all the brand new players.

Not sure what's funnier. NIU beating Toledo in men's basketball Or NIU tweeting like this game actually counted

As @Zips1991 said in another topic, the zips are at more risk of not making the Big East tournament than they are of not making the NCAA tournament. if the zips win their last 2 road games, the zips will make the NCAA tournament and be seeded in the top 16. as far as the Big east tournament, the zips can only get to 15 points Georgetown is the only team certain to get in right now as they have 18 points and still have 2 games left to play. Creighton will win the Midwest division with 18 points if they beat Georgetown and DePaul in their last 2 games. Is it likely that Creighton beats Georgetown? Probably not. But they can still win the Midwest with a tie against Georgetown and a win over DePaul. UConn could finish with 18 points with wins in their last 3 games. Their last 2 games are against Xavier and Georgetown so they have a challenging path to finish with 18 points. As I mentioned in another topic yesterday, Seton Hall has the easiest schedule and they could finish with 17 points. Bottom line, I think that the Zips are in good shape to make Big East tournament if they win their last 2. however, if Georgetown loses their last 2(super unlikely), things could get complicated.

I get that there's some strategy to not sharing injury information, but I hate that such information is guarded like national security secrets.

Our long long long wait is over

These road games in the SunBelt challenge haven't treated Akron well. It should be a good early season test.

QB: Ohio has utilized several quarterbacks throughout the 2026 season due to injuries, and unfortunately for the Zips, they are now healthy at the position and will be rolling out their original starter, Nick Poulos. Poulos has thrown for 781 yards, completed 59% of his passes, and recorded 6 touchdowns compared to zero interceptions. He is excellent when kept clean, but can struggle under pressure, completing only 27% of his passes in those situations. However, he is rarely under pressure, as Poulos has the mobility to escape the pocket when needed and also plays behind one of the better offensive lines in the MAC. RB: The Bobcats primarily rotate two running backs in UConn transfer Victor Rosa and German native Duncan Brune. The duo has combined for 716 yards and 8 touchdowns. Although neither back has the breakaway top-end gear, they are both excellent at grinding opponents down. The most explosive back is redshirt freshman Irving Brown, but he did not play in the last game. Brown has rushed for 219 yards on just 23 carries. WR: Redshirt sophomores Riley Neer, Dom Dorwart, and Kentucky transfer Preston Bowman have been almost the exclusive options at wide receiver in 2026. The trio has combined for 1046 yards and 11 touchdowns. TE: Ohio will rotate several different tight ends in its offense. Redshirt sophomore Jake Furtney is the primary pass catcher, while redshirt sophomore AJ Miller and Kansas State transfer Andrew Metzger are mostly utilized as blockers. OL: This offensive line has only allowed 13 sacks and is also a big reason for the Bobcats effectiveness in the run game. LT - Jarian Shelby (6’4 295) (R. Sr.) LG - Tigana Cisse (6’3 314) (Gr.) C - Bryce Parson (6’3 308) (R. So.) RG - Seth Anstead (6’3 310) (R. So.) RT - Trumain Lawson (6’5 295) (R. Fr.) - Transfer from Long Island DL: Redshirt freshman Ike Ackerman and Michigan State transfer Tyler Gillison are the starters at edge. They have combined for 5.5 sacks. Redshirt freshman Ty Neubert and former Youngstown State transfer Nehemiah Dukes start on the interior. LB: Redshirt seniors Michael Molnar and Jack Fries handle the majority of snaps at linebacker. Both are likely in line for all-conference seasons as they’ve collected 138 total tackles and 7.5 sacks. DB: Incarnate Word transfer Barry Dillon and redshirt junior Kendall Bannister are the starting cornerbacks. Redshirt sophomore JT Haskins starts at nickleback, with former Zip Ronald Jackson rotating in. Elon transfer Darren James-Hamilton and redshirt junior DJ Walker are the starting safeties. ST: Kent State transfer Will Hryszko is 10 of 13 on fields goals and perfect on 26 extra point attempts. Magnus Haines is averaging nearly 44 yards per punt, with a long of 53 yards. Safety James-Hamilton is also the primary kick returner and has already taken two back for touchdowns. Keys on Offense: Run the ball as much as possible. The best path to success is keeping the ball on the ground, grinding out the clock, and limiting possessions for this physical Ohio offense. Keys on Defense: The phrase "Bend, But Don't Break" truly applies to this game. The Bobcats will likely look to run the ball early and often. Akron will need to commit an extra defender to the box to slow down Ohio's offense. It goes without saying, but the Zips' secondary cannot afford to have another performance like it did last week. Final Thoughts: Ohio is yet again one of the better teams in the MAC, and the odds are definitely in their favor. However, Akron has nothing left to play for but pride at this point, and sometimes the lack of pressure can allow a team to play more freely. I’m not calling for a Zips win, but I am interested to see how this program responds given the way this season has unfolded.

I like Evan taking on the point forward role. He will be difficult to stop when that big, strong body gets rolling towards the rim. The only thing is he has to be ready to shoot from deep. Stay confident and don’t allow defenders to sag. I think his shooting percentage from the outside is good enough (30%).

I can’t think of anyone else worthy of a jersey ceremony, but there are 2 Zips teams that I remember fondly for different reasons and that history won’t be kind to. That very first Groce team was like the land of misfit toys. This forum struggled dealing with losing to teams you hadn’t in quite some time. But the likes of Ivey, Utomi, Duvivier, Sayles, Olojakpoke and Lucas Smith played with a ton of heart. The rebuild had to start somewhere and kudos to those guys for sticking around and giving max effort. And then the Covid team. We will never know for sure, but that could have been the team destined to win a NCAAT game. It was a complete team before the NIL/portal era really took hold. The fact that their resume is forever incomplete is such an injustice.

What a great career he has had.

Evan Bush has announced that he will be retiring at the end of this season.

LOL.... That was quite entertaining... I usually don't come on this thread but glad I checked it out this morning.... Kreed you still with us? That fool didn't find you did he?

And that's why Eric was in at the end of games. He was better in that role while Zack was apparently better in the mix of the starters. You could aways tell who Groce trusted by who had in at the end of games, not the start.

Come on, how can you not love a guy who dives on the floor for the opening tip? I believe it was our home game against Can’t State.

Yes, it was I who brought Toledo into this. I really have no reason to dislike them as much as I do. I just throw an occasional stray at them because their fanbase and head coach are both insufferable. Otherwise I would view them no differently than a CMU or Ball State.

Also, an important note for context on the standings I posted above...Xavier and UConn play each other on Saturday, so that should help Akron assuming the Zips take care of business against Villanova. And Creighton plays Georgetown (on Friday). So, Akron could be tied for the division lead by the end of Saturday.

They did rings for regular season?

AKRON #7 RPI

If Burton is healed up we may just finally have the elusive "serviceable backup bigs." @NWAkron will be so excited!

I am headed to the game tonight, excited to see the new guys. I am looking to see if the combo of Burton and Barre can Hold he fort down and be productive. we don't need them to average 15 points a game but we do need Rebounding and Rim protection.

Had an absolute blast tailgating Saturday. Lot was packed early and weather was unbelievable. I agree with everyone's take that there was more than 12K there Saturday. But boy did I leave pissed off. I liked the Moorhead hiring but my god has it been a flop. Not asking for much just middle of the pack MAC football. I sat by the Akron baseball team and they all left embarrassed after that fake punt.

I emailed the ticket office and they said there's a delay with the parking passes. They said if you have a Lot 2 pass, they'll be sending out an email with instructions later today. If you have a Lot 1 pass (deck), you can just park there without a pass for tomorrow.

I found the full Big East table (12 teams, through Oct 24), which makes a real comparison possible. The national ranks I still have are the ones from Oct 23: shots per game 9th, corners 2nd, goals allowed 33rd, scoring 53rd. Akron vs. the Big East Metric Akron Conf. avg Rank (of 12) Shots/game 17.4 13.5 1st Corners/game 8.0 5.4 1st Shots on goal/game 7.07 6.0 3rd Shots on goal faced/game 3.43 4.98 2nd fewest Goals allowed/game 1.00 1.31 4th Goals/game 1.86 1.83 6th Shots on goal % 40.7% 44.2% 8th Conversion (goals/shot) 10.7% 13.6% 9th Goals per shot on goal 26.3% 30.7% 9th Goal differential/game +0.86 +0.52 5th The main problem is finishing, not creating chances. Akron takes about 29% more shots than the average Big East team yet scores only an average number of goals. With average finishing, its 243 shots would have produced about 33 goals, and its 99 shots on goal about 30. It has 26, so it is roughly 4 to 7 goals short. At 2.2 to 2.4 goals per game it would rank 3rd or 4th in the conference. Quality gap. Georgetown (3.13 goals/game), Creighton (2.94), and Marquette (2.33) convert 20% of their shots, nearly double Akron's rate. Georgetown gets more shots on goal per game (7.8) than Akron from 2 fewer shots. Part of Akron's gap is probably shot quality, since a volume style produces more low-value attempts. Its main shooters (Roman, Sullivan, Morck, Dreas) have taken 92 shots for 4 goals. The defense works by suppressing shots. Opponents get only 3.4 shots on goal per game, second-fewest in the conference behind Georgetown. Kaminski's .708 team save percentage is below the .736 conference average, so the defense is not riding on goalkeeping. Average goalkeeping would have saved about 1 more goal. Akron's four draws all came in games where it scored one goal or none. Offense is by committee. No Akron player is in the conference's top 10 for goals or points. Agunbiade (5 goals) and O'Rourke (6 assists) lead with 12 points each, while Georgetown's Baker and Van Horn have 25 and 26. That depth makes the attack hard to defend but caps the top-end production. Next: Akron plays at Villanova on Oct 31. Villanova's goalkeeper has a .844 save percentage and faces about 9.5 shots on goal per game, so the first game tests whether Akron's volume can beat a busy keeper. Akron then plays at Marquette (conversion 19.8%) on Nov 6. These averages include non-conference games, so they are rough benchmarks. I still couldn't get national ranks for shots on goal %, conversion, or saves.

IDK but we have the perfect interim in J.D. Brookhart.

There are so many new parts and wrinkles it’s hard to pick just one thing that intrigues me most about this new season. But with Barre being hurt so much of last season I am curious what his level of involvement will be this year.

Message from the ticket office- Parking passes have been delayed. We will have further communication when they arrive.

Akron improved from number 11 to number 9 in the college soccer news poll. https://collegesoccernews.com/college-soccer-news-mens-soccer-week-10-top-25-poll-georgetown-claims-top-spot-by-narrowest-of-margins/

All of this old stuff and it's Akron that has the actual Big East connection now

Fair. New plan - Kreed, I'm going to need you to stream the game from your phone. Bring a tripod so your arms don't get too tired.

Pay a student $40 for the game to operate the camera, tell them to just follow the ball to each side of the court, give them free concessions at the half, and make it happen. I don't need a score bug for an exhibition.

FYI InfoCision Stadium is in the discussion of proposed future sites for the Championship Games.

Shammah in this video.

Ahh. The illusive home and home ZN so craves.

Stoked that this is on ESPN+. Can't wait to see what this team looks like in action, even in an exhibition.

Zips move from #11....all the way up to #4 in top Drawer soccer poll Big East teams have 3 of the top 4 rankings https://www.topdrawersoccer.com/college-soccer-national-rankings/men

Ianello and Arth did more damage to Akron football attendance than these midweek games did if we're to be honest. Joe isn't helping the matter either. If Akron was as consistently good as Toledo or WMU instead of being a borderline playoff caliber FCS team more would attend.