MDZip

Here's one - a little discussion on the Zips.http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=170&f=2350This is another a little bit on the Zips part of the way downhttp://indiana.rivals.com/forum.asp?sid=942&fid=725

I actually like this years schedule best (which is akin to your schedule #1). One payday game where we make some cash and at least have the opportunity to get some national attention with a big upset, one "we pay" game where we bring in someone to get a guaranteed six home games and then two against either lower tier BCS teams or upper tier of the other conferences, one home and one away.

I wondered if they would use it for that - that's great. Some of my fonder memories had to do with intramural football at the Rubber Bowl.

Yep, see this threadhttp://zipsnation.org/forums//index.php?sh...2&hl=Howard

Akron victories Yeah, I meant victories over Indiana but I can see how that could be taken the other way. Please gods of college sporting victories take no offense.!

Overall, met every expectation that I had. We were in lot 4 (they really should let the parking attendants know what the lot numbers are since some didn't know what lot they were attending, but very minor really) between Phi Tau and Delta Gamma and started tailgating around 11:15. I expected to see a few more tailgaters around that area but it still had the feel of a nice big-time program. The Zips Fest was well done but if anything it did seem that the demand was underplanned. I bought a few Zips shirts at a little Kiosk by Memorial and then went back and told my brother-in-law and by the time he got back there they were sold out (programs did disappear early - for crying out loud it was the opening game - didn't they think a few people might want them?). For all the gnashing of teeth about the huge traffic problems we could have had, we were in and out in minutes. Did anyone have any traffic issues?But any complaints were minor, being on campus and having a big-time feel about it was awesome. I thought it was great that some of the other sports had tents to celebrate, saw Zeke and a lot a the team beforehand, but the best thing of all was there was Zips gear everywhere. If they didn't have it, they bought it, very few other colleges represented other than Akron. I didn't even mind the lines going in that gives the feel of big-time football as well (ask me how long it took me to get into Penn State). It just seemed long because I was so eager to get inside. Giveways and atmosphere outside was outstanding (loved seeing all of the Greek houses having something going), pregame with the skydivers was great, and it was electric when the Zips entered. Loved the noise. We were down close (7 rows up and while I was a little worried when we bought the season tickets, turned out that was a great sight line and it's fun being that close. I would have even caught one of the mini footballs (I watched for the cheerleader with the weakest arm ), and would have had it if the guy in front of me didn't jump and get a finger on it. :)I know a lot of people were disappointed that we didn't open with a "name" opponent, but it seems to me that this was perfect. had a chance to work ou the kinks and having a pretty good chance of an opening week win which hopefully bring folks back next week. The seats were a little crowded (but I'd prefer that over there being no one there), the student hill was awesome (I wanted to go sit there too , and I loved that the Zips team shop was crowded with lines. A first class experience, I will be back next Friday for two Indiana victories!

I think the Paulus rental is somewhat bizarre and I'd love to see Penn State hammer them. Makes us look a little better and gives us more hope that we can take them out again this year. Penn State 41-7.

I'm glad that uakronkid is gone as well. That new Zach the Zip guy seems pretty good, though. I can't believe how much he has posted being on here just a short time.A little over 16 hours to go!BTW that's a very cool new avatar, MDZip! It's so ominous. It would be fun to put the alternating C D' "Jaws" music to go with it :thumb:Hmmmmm woudn't it be cool if you could get your avatar up on the big Info scoreboard and have the band play the "Jaws" thing? We could save it for times when we're in the Red Zone.Have to admit I found the basis for it on another page but I had to tear it apart and redo it in order to make it work as an avatar on this site. Don't know who gets the original credit for it but I thought it was pretty cool. Not much is truly original on the net anymore. As a side note, a woman I work with is a Morgan State alum. I better have bragging rights after I get back. 15 hours until game time, hitting the road in three! Go Zips!Are we playing at 2am? Thought it was 2pm. Dang, I'm getting so excited I'm way ahead of myself. Maybe I'll just chalk it up to an "any one, any place, any time" theme.

I'm glad that uakronkid is gone as well. That new Zach the Zip guy seems pretty good, though. I can't believe how much he has posted being on here just a short time.A little over 16 hours to go!BTW that's a very cool new avatar, MDZip! It's so ominous. It would be fun to put the alternating C D' "Jaws" music to go with it :thumb:Hmmmmm woudn't it be cool if you could get your avatar up on the big Info scoreboard and have the band play the "Jaws" thing? We could save it for times when we're in the Red Zone.Have to admit I found the basis for it on another page but I had to tear it apart and redo it in order to make it work as an avatar on this site. Don't know who gets the original credit for it but I thought it was pretty cool. Not much is truly original on the net anymore. As a side note, a woman I work with is a Morgan State alum. I better have bragging rights after I get back. 15 hours until game time, hitting the road in three! Go Zips!

I'm glad that uakronkid is gone as well. That new Zach the Zip guy seems pretty good, though. I can't believe how much he has posted being on here just a short time.A little over 16 hours to go!

36 hours and counting. I remember being excited when it was only around 36 days.

I'll take a win - then my gameday experience will be excellent no matter what.

Here are a few others, in order:1. The Kickoff2. Post game team handshake (no known punches thrown)3. Some actual protection for Jacq4. One of the few times we had Penn State backed up against their own goal line

Norman Shuford started at RB against Penn St, Allen played but it appears he played a little less still recovering from the injury. Devoe Torrence did not play. Here's hoping your fantasy team has an awesome week this week (at least from Alex Allen).

His name will go down in Zips football lore forever with Frenchy's "... Andre Jones is in the open field ..."

The NCSAA poll, Top Drawer Soccer, Soccer Times and Soccer America (not publicly accessible) all have the Zips at #1 now. The only major publication that has it wrong is College Soccer News (we are #3 there).

Nope, not decals, all 100% hand painted!Looks great - how did you get the exact color matches?

It appears that Alex Allen is not 100% healthy yet. When he is, he is our best option at RB so his production should increase (hopefully starting this week).

GP1, I agree that facilities alone do not bring an athlete (especially to a program with a history of losing), however poor facilities almost certainly keep them away. We've had the worst facilities in the MAC up to the last few years and yet still managed to be a middle of the pack MAC team. Your point with Wake is a good one, they don't have the firepower to keep up year after year in the ACC, but occasionally can rise to the top. All we're looking for is a team that can compete in the MAC now and we ought to be able to do that. The facilities help some for sure, but without them we were dead in the water. We do seem to be getting better and earlier commits and now we should. There is a ton of talent in NEO and kids who are not up to BCS standards may elect to stay near home as long as the playing field is at least percieved as fairly even. If we can actually start fielding some winners, then the whole equation starts to change. But at least we're now competing with the other programs at our level. Work on where you are, but always look ahead.

Maybe Mr. Kennedy is so disappointed that he didn't that he is starting a subliminal campaign to have the vote recounted. :)And I certainly hope the team could care less about the ranking but it is fun for us fans.

It was reported in GoZips that the Zips have risen to spot #2 in the Soccer America National Rankings (sse the end of the article). Not according to an article in Soccer America where they say the Zips are #1 (I can't see the poll itself). Akron finds some answersby Paul KennedyMEN'S NEWS ... Heading into the 2009 season, Akron had several question marks. Who would replace Hermann Trophy winner Steve Zakuani, who left after his sophomore season and signed with MLS's Seattle Sounders FC? And who would replace four-year starter Evan Bush in goal?After the opening weekend of play, it looked like the Zips have found a replacement for Bush but finding a goalscorer to replace Zakuani will be a bit harder.Freshman goalkeeper David Meves earned a pair of shutouts as Akron beat SMU and Tulsa by 1-0 scores to sweep the to the Radisson Tulsa Airport Classic and move into the top spot in the Soccer America Men's Top 25.For the time being, Akron will get its goals by committee. The Zips hit the post twice against SMU and needed a penalty kick from Blair Gavin to win on Friday. Another midfielder, Anthony Ampaipitakwong, had the goal against Tulsa.* It was not a great week for the three ACC teams ranked in the Preseason Top 25. North Carolina had to settle for a 1-1 tie with Northern Illinois and fell to No. 2 behind Akron in this week's rankings. Defending national champion Maryland lost to UCLA, 2-0, in its opener, while 2007 champion Wake Forest managed only four goals (one an own goal) in three games and went 2-0-1. But before you write off the ACC ...-- Virginia put a horrible preseason behind it and beat Portland, 3-0, and Washington, 2-1, at the Portland Nike Invitational. Sophomore Tony Tchani, back after missing the last part of the 2008 season with a knee injury, set the tone with two goals in the first 15 minutes in the opener against Portland.-- Duke and N.C. State both won two games at the Duke/Nike Classic to move to 3-0-0. Denver, the defending MPSF champion, arrived in Durham with a No. 25 ranking, but N.C. State blew the Pioneers away, 4-0, and Duke won, 2-0, two days later.I think it is possible that we could pick up another #1 in the NSCAA poll tomorrow. I am a little disappointed Indiana lost, it will take a little lustre off the game on the 18th.This is OUR year!

That's one of those "wish I had thought of that" moments. Outstanding. And psu1, yep, it was by the hospital. So while it might have been a mile and a half from the stadium at least it was a mere $20 to park.

Hey Z.I.P., I support both programs (financially and by attendance when possible). I agree with one statement above, we clearly don't and can't compete on the level of Penn State (I can name about 20 programs that truly can), however that doesn't mean I do not have hope for the future. When I started school (which was 29 years ago) we were a D-II program. We moved up to D-1AA while I was there and then D-1A in the early nineties. Quite frankly, we made a hell of a lot of progress in the last 30 years. It might take 30 more or it might never happen to get to something like that level but I think its smart of the University to at least position itself that way. I'd take being truly competitive in the MAC every year right now, but that doesn't mean I don't want to look ahead. If Proenza had taken that stance we'd still be Hilltop High. I have been to many, many college campuses and Akron stacks up with a lot of them. We had some pretty good football teams n the 70's but I can't imagine anyone thinking we should go play Penn State at the time. Not the case now - now we're upset because we didn't give a good enough showing (against the freaking #8 team in the country - and they deserve it). In 30 years since being a D-II program, that's actually not bad progress. So give me "Dollar General" football for now but that doesn't means I don't want to plan for moving up sometime. I voted with my wallet. Facilities do make a difference too, we hung around in the middle of the pack with the worst facilities in the league, the new ones will pay off soon.And yeah, you may be paying too much attention to soccer. Penn State's QB was All Big-Ten last year and he played a terrific game. Far from a first year QB.

I like the white background better.

I agree - I don't know if the mods can grab it and upload it but we have a real need for this now. Go Zips!