catdaddyp

Didn’t see that coming. Feel like there’s more to the story here. Hence was a core special teams guy and Woods only saw significant time on defense in the first game. He was mostly special teams besides that. Ryan Johnson led the team in pressures despite not collecting a sack. I see Hence and Woods have already been removed from the roster. Johnson is still currently listed.

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)

A few columns and views from the Indiana side: Keys to the Game: Indiana vs Akron Game Preview: Indiana vs Akron Behind Enemy Lines: Akron Staff Picks: Indiana vs Akron

No, but I’ll see what I can find out. Been swamped lately and haven’t had a chance to speak with many recruits since the season started.

Pretty good listen this week. - 14-3 score late into the 3rd quarter. Not the same situation in the two P5 games last year. - Knows the team has to push the ball downfield, but OL needs to block better and receivers have to get open. (I’d add the QB has to throw the deep ball accurately). - Not enough explosive plays on offense. - Still trying to find the right combination along the OL, but helps having K. Davis and N. Williams back. - Too many penalties and coach takes the blame for that. - Gathings had his best game. - Wants to get Golden and Walker involved more on offense. - Defense is playing physically and has a lot of depth on that side of the ball. - Nunnally has been the biggest surprise on defense. - Outside of the obvious performances, K. Thomas, McCoy, and Cooper had solid games. - Knows the team is outalented against a team like UK. Wanted to see the team compete and give themselves a chance. - Freshman Adrian Norton is going to be really good. - Some talented OL are being redshirted and some really good ones committed for next year. - Local guys Lewis and Durant played well. Wants as many local players as possible but they have to be able to play at this level and want to come here (he’s said this before).

https://youtu.be/xxi_bu4TivQ?si=jXU6ETuTaiNzQKr8

Yes. As @LZIp mentioned both N. Williams and Keylen Davis were back this week. Others that were credited with snaps: WR - Adrian Norton OT - Jayvin James DT - Andre Profitt LB - Jaharon Griffin S - DiMarco Johnson Pretty much same cast of characters and subbing patterns outside of that.

Where to start? Going to do a little different format this week. Offense: - From what I could see on tv, it looked like UK was not going to let us beat them over the top and were willing to give up some underneath options. That being said, the few deep shots we took were poorly thrown. UK also got plenty of pressure on DJI by bringing just 4 rushers most of the time. DJI actually did a nice job maneuvering in the pocket considering all the pressure he was under. More on that below… - The OL had their worst game of the season. The OTs struggled all night. The interior of the OL was better than the OTs in pass pro but struggled with UK’s blitzes, which usually coincided with a 3rd down. Of the 34 pass attempts, DJI was pressured for 25+. - If we’re going to take all of the underneath throws, the ball placement has to be accurate enough to allow the receivers to catch, turn, and potentially create yards after catch. Basically, no deep ball = no explosive pass plays, unless they are created by YAC. Too often the ball was catchable but not thrown where the receiver had a chance to make further advancement. To compound the issues, perimeter blocking was as bad as I’ve seen under this staff. - This offense is not good enough (at this time) to overcome penalties. Once we get into 3 and 9 or longer, it’s basically a dead drive. - I sound like a broken record but Lingard and D. Anderson need the ball more. Whether that’s in the run game or passing game, they need the ball. Defense: - The defense did enough to keep it a game. Unfortunately, the sack that turned into a touchdown was a backbreaker and the offense did little to help the D throughout the contest. - Consistent play came from Nunnally, T. Jones, KJ Martin, Tallandier, and Lewis. Although, Lewis did get beat on one TD. - Our DL held their own against UK’s OL. As far as pressure goes, Zips had nearly as much on UK as against Morgan State. - It may have seemed like there were a lot of missed tackles, but that’s misleading as they came in bunches. We had 13 for the game, which is what we average on the season. Really not much else to say here. It was a wasted effort that ended up with a lopsided score. Special Teams: - The punt muff can’t happen. - The missed FGs are disappointing, but heck of a job by the holder getting the high snap down on the made FG. - Jackson was fine (not great) punting the ball. - Nice job by the punt team recovering UK’s muffed punt. - Kick off coverage was solid. Defense and special teams forced a combined 3 turnovers which should have been enough to keep us in the game. Until the offense gets on track, it’ll be more of the same. UK’s talent level helped exploit some of the same issues we had last week.

UK relentlessly going after Thompson.

I think so, but I’ll try to verify.

Follow up on Seymore. He’s enrolled, but won’t play until next year.

Outlook from the Kentucky insiders.

While the offense does run a number of RPOs, not every play is an RPO. If it was, you would see some type of mesh between the QB and RB every play. To say the defense dictates the calls is somewhat true. Anytime the numbers are even, 5 vs 5 (it’s usually 5 vs 6) or 6 vs 6, a run is always an option. They just haven’t been called as much as they could (and probably should) have been. Lingard even had a 5+ yard run last game when the numbers weren’t in our favor. Coach has said himself that they need to run more, get the running backs more touches, and have the OL run block more efficiently. No one is saying run the ball against a stacked box. Although, RBs should be expected to make one person miss, especially when running inside/outside zone. Also keep in mind most of the sports media is filled with people that never played or coached football, so how they present the information is in a view with limited background.

- Coach knows he needs to get the running backs more touches. - Wants to see better run blocking by the OL. Some guys have been shuffled and are playing out of their natural position. Hopes to have Keylen Davis and Nate Williams back from injury soon. - Trying to figure out the quarterback situation. - Again said WR is the strength of the team and the playmakers are there. - Spoke highly of the defense and gameplan the DC put together. - Mentions the 3 freshmen wide receivers as young guys progressing on offense. Kam Cheatom at DE, Melvin Spriggs at LB, and some DBs on defense.

Agreed. Nunnally made most of the plays from DE Saturday night, but Ryan Johnson has also been solid. One source has Johnson credited with 6 pressures which is twice as much as any other defender on the roster. He just needs to finish. Needless to say, the DL and LBs have been pleasant surprises. It’s too bad we didn’t get more pressure on Temple. Games like that can be exhausting. Looked like JoeMo was battling a bit of an illness as well. I’m curious to see where this team goes from here. I’ve seen it time and time again when a team is counted out and they come out with an explosion no one saw coming. When that will happen, I don’t know, but there is too much talent on the roster and too good of a staff in place to not get it right. Good example is South Carolina last year beating Tennessee and Clemson back to back to close out the season or Illinois going on a 6 game win streak after losing to a terrible Indiana team. The offense is still trying to find some sort of “identity” without the level of play we had last year from DJI. The defense seems to be legitimate and improving. Special Teams also seems not far off from being really good. Unfortunately, poor QB play is masking everything.

Hope Landers makes it back. Dakota Thomas is also at JUCO. Although, I don’t know what his plans are beyond that. T. Williams played the majority of the game. Thinking back, I’m not sure if N. Williams played. I think I got him mixed up with Chambers starting at RG.

This is not me hyping up a Zips win, but UK has been less than impressive so far. Leary has surprisingly struggled throwing the deep ball, completing one pass for over 20 yards and the Wildcat defense has been suspect. Before the season began I thought Indiana would be the best opportunity out of the two P5s. At this point, it looks like UK is it. Of course we have our own issues at QB that need to be figured out before we beat anyone else. Frustrating that the team is better in every area on the field vs 2022 except at QB.

I’m good with however coach chooses to do it as long as it works. The one thing I’m sure about is the RBs need more touches. Can’t go away from running the ball for what seems like 5+ plays if one run doesn’t work. Here’s a crazy stat, Undercuffler went 18 of 22 for 209 yards and a TD if the 3 interceptions were removed from the equation. Get a run game going and convince Undercuffler to play within himself (like he did at the spring game) and the offense will be fine.

The good, the bad, and the ugly. OFFENSE: QB - The problem position that no one saw coming. Undercuffler came in and looked like the QB that played in the spring game. Then the issues crept in. I won’t hammer home the 3 interceptions that were bad decisions and poorly thrown. I also understand what he was trying to do on the last INT by putting it far back corner in the endzone for his receiver to run under. Unfortunately, it was under thrown. I’m not sure where the staff goes from here, but the offense at least moved up and down the field with Undercuffler. The overall decision making has to get better and I feel if there is a heavier focus on the run game then it will make things easier on the QB. RB - I’m still at a loss why Lingard and Anderson are not receiving more touches. I counted only a handful of carries that went for 2 yards or less and two of those were at the beginning of the game when Lingard tripped on the turf. There was one carry where Morgan State had 8 in the box and Lingard still managed a run over 5 yards. The duo combined for 13 rushes for 51 yards, which is a 3.9 average. WR - The receivers did their part catching the ball. Although, I can’t always see what’s happening downfield on their routes when watching on tv. There were a few missed blocks on the perimeter that caused some decent play calls to be blown up. OL - The offensive line could have been better, but they weren’t bad. I believe Blanchard played the entire game at LT. If he didn’t take every snap, he was close to it. In my opinion Lyons and Kilbane have been our best options at LG and RG, respectively, though two games. QB - Irons (Bullock) (Undercuffler) RB - Lingard (Anderson) TE - Banks (Newell) WR - George (Wilson) WR - Adams (Golden) (Walker) WR - Gathings (Anderson) TE - Banks (Newell) LT - Blanchard LG - Frank (Lyons) C - T. Williams (Georges) RG - Chambers (Kilbane) RT - Kindred (Chambers) DEFENSE: DL - It looked like an FBS DL vs an FCS OL. Jones and Nunnally were dominant as the DL collected 4 sacks. That’s following a week where just creating pressure was an issue. LB - McCoy and Fish are dynamite. No other way to put it. The duo had over 20 tackles combined and McCoy iced the game on a fumble return for a touchdown. Cooper was also solid for the second week in a row. DB - Lewis had one of his best games as a Zip. He was active in coverage and especially effective when coming up for run support. He nearly had a few sacks himself off blitzes. - Golden-Nelson may have had his best game as a Zip with solid coverage and an interception return for a touchdown. - Martin had to sit a half, but his presence was felt on his return. He also had an interception. - N. Thompson played a major role coming up in run support. That being said, either he or Woods took a few bad angles on a couple of plays. I couldn’t tell who by the number. - The other DBs didn’t do much noteworthy statistically, but coverage was usually solid. - Hence, Hunter, and Thompson(?) gave up the passing TDs. DE - Nunnally (Jackson) DT - Lavea (Thomas) (Adler) DT - Jones (Robinson) DE -Johnson (Smith) LB - Fish (Behm) LB - McCoy (Cooper) NB - Lewis (Thomas) CB - Durant (Hunter) (Hence) CB - Tallandier (Golden-Nelson) S - Thomas (Woods) S - Thompson (Johnson) (Martin) Special Teams: Mixed bag here. Not where we need to be yet, but can see signs of what this unit can be. No, it was not pretty but the team got it done. Sometimes all it takes is a spark and the fire gets lit. Am I saying this team will come out and beat UK and Indiana? No, although I wouldn’t be surprised if this is a catalyst for much better play. The staff showed last night they are not afraid to make a change at QB, so that tells me they are willing to make the necessary changes to get this offense back on track. This team is 1-1 with plenty left to play for. The defense ramped it up, now the offense needs to join the party.

Unfortunately (or fortunately?) missed most of the game. Will have to go back and rewatch it. FYI, Buffalo lost to Fordham and NIU lost to Southern Illinois today.

https://x.com/xklvsive00/status/1700560720948027478?s=61&t=_TFqePY4lFXUo5BavIxA3w Gameday commitment! OL transfer from Miami. Trying to find out if he’s a late addition to 2023 or if he’s 2024.

3 areas I’d like to see some clarification on today: 1) Quarterback. While DJI may not have the same natural arm strength he had a year ago, he still has enough. Decision making was decent last week (outside of the glaring INT.), but can still use some improvement. If I’m going to lean to the bright side, maybe the injury turns out to be a blessing in disguise if his throwing motion continues to improve and he eventually becomes more accurate than he was before. That’s a big if. Otherwise, it’ll be time for someone else to be given a chance. 2) Pass Rush. If we can’t create it this week, I’ll be worried. I doubt that will be the case though. Terray Jones, Ryan Johnson, and CJ Nunnally provided small glimpses into what they could become against Temple. Those 3 are currently the most complete players along the DL. 3) Run the football. This is more of a request. The offensive line is much improved. The running backs are much improved. Give them the ball.