InTheZone

Wouldn't the first Saturday in April be during the student's spring break?

The spring game should be well attended this year. Though last year in the fieldhouse was fun, I don't think that'll work this year due to such limited seating.

Amen. Do you people have any idea what a win over OSU in '07 would do for Akron?? The reward is well worth the risk my friends. Excuse the French, but FUCK OSU.

Indiana at home in '07. I like it. Very beatable Big 10 team. Who our OOC home game is going to be against next year though remains to be the question. Seven road games next season is going to be pretty brutal.

Yeah that does kind of piss me off a little bit, I'm not gonna lie.

Good deal for Hight. That's news to me but I'm thrilled. Feel bad for Terry though. Great kid, great football player, but had some bad influences in his life. Sad to see he's out of school.

Interesting you posted this ITZ. You have been conspicuously quite about this subject the past couple of years. I've always felt there was more than meets the eye about your lack of comment on this subject. That goes for others on this board as well. Happy New Year everyone. Well Charlie was great for the Zips and there was a lot of excitement around the University when he went in the 3rd round to the hometeam. I didn't want to rain on everybody's parade, but facts are facts. I wish Charlie nothing but the best, but I don't think he's an NFL franchise QB.

I'm not sure Frye will ever be a solid starter in the league. To me, he's more of a Kelly Holcomb type: a guy who lacks arm strength, has decent mobility, and plays with fire. He can give a spark to a team who needs one but I don't know if he can be the kind of QB to build a franchise around.

Mike, are you sure you aren't getting Hight and Terry confused?? Terry was in camp with the Zips this year, so obviously he had to have been in school at least at the beginning of the fall. I had heard that Hight never enrolled. Also, the guy who could be the best of them all, Marshall, is supposedly doing very well and will be suited up for the Zips in the fall.

Awww crap....I completely forgot about that . The only problem is I can't remember my bbs password (that's why I haven't posted over there in a while). I'll work on getting a new one and then I'll keep my end of the bargain. Congratulations to the Tigers, you were the better team on the field.

This is something I've noticed all year zff. The guy makes a lot of plays with his speed but if a team is pounding the ball he's ineffective because he's unwilling to take on blockers. He tries to hard to just avoid them and that doesn't work on 3rd and 2, 3. Brian Howe replaced him in a lot of those situations this year and there's a reason for that. Stokes got absolutely PLANTED more than a few times this year trying to run around blocks instead of taking them on. Most of Stokes tackles are either downfield or when he goes untouched.

BZ. Nothing will be known about the Prop players until after the Spring. They aren't eligible for spring ball and their eligibility for the fall is determined by the total number of credit hours they pass during the school year. I'll try to get some updates on how much progress our guys made this semester when I get the opportunity.

Chase had a lot of neck problems when he was at UA has well. Hopefully this is nothing too serious.

You know sitting in my seat watching our defense, I couldn't help but think that Stokes has got to be the most overrated player on our defense. The kid got absolutely dominated, especially towards the end of the game. He seems like he's fast and adds a lot in that area, but didn't look like he wanted to hit anybody. I know he was second team All-MAC and some of you may think I'm crazy, but I'd like to see Balaam or one of the others beat him out for '06. Kevin Grant is the only solid starter we have returning at LB.

Yeah the JAR sucks. Unfortunately I think we're a long way away from getting a new basketball arena.

Replacing Biggs, Hixon, and Montgomery to me will have more of an impact than losing Charlie Frye last year. Outside of one game, Arthur hasn't shown much and Long dropped a lot of balls this year. Running back is a position where we're going to be stuck with very little experience, but Alex Allen and Kennedy are talented guys who hopefully will develop. If we could somehow steal Wells from OSU, I'd feel pretty good going into next season.

There was also an article in the Beacon Journal about the Butlers (sorry Cap'n, I know you hate the paper). Apparently they were both also local high school players at Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy. Sounds like Brandon Butler had a pretty rough season, being injured, getting mono, and then losing to his brother. Ouch. Brothers hope for bragging rights Sibling rivalry heats up as Zips prepare to face Memphis in the Motor City Bowl By David Lee Morgan Jr. Beacon Journal sportswriter What a Christmas present for the Butler family. Keith and Janet Butler will have the opportunity to watch their two sons -- Blake and Brandon -- play in the Motor City Bowl on Dec. 26 at Ford Field in Detroit. The University of Akron will face the University of Memphis. Brother against brother. Blake is the starting center for the Tigers (6-5), and younger brother Brandon is a defensive lineman for the Zips (7-5). And it doesn't matter that Brandon hasn't appeared in any games this season. He'll be in uniform and on the sideline for the game, one that means a lot in the Butler home. ``It seems like every time we're home, we're arguing about who's the better team, who has the better conference, who put more players in the NFL and who has the better stats,'' Blake said. ``Whoever loses this game won't be able to say anything for a long time.'' Brandon said he has tried to show his older brother the light. He said last year's GMAC Bowl should have proved his point. He was referring to Memphis' 52-35 loss to Mid-American Conference representative Bowling Green. ``I've always told Blake that the MAC has the better teams (than Conference USA), just look at last year,'' Brandon said. ``Memphis played Bowling Green, which finished third (in the MAC West Division). They didn't even win the MAC, and they blew out Memphis. I think the MAC has shown the last two years that we're the top mid-major conference.'' Keith Butler, who is a former All-American linebacker at Memphis where he also was an assistant coach, can't wait for the big game so that the debate can be settled. ``Honestly, we're all glad in our house that they're playing each other because we've had arguments and arguments and arguments about who's better and who plays in the better conference,'' said Butler, who is the linebackers coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. ``All of those things have been argued for the last three or four years.'' Don't get the wrong idea. It's been a friendly argument. But both players want those bragging rights, which the winner will own for years. ``We argue but it's nothing serious,'' Brandon said. ``We're just a competitive family, that's all.'' The Butlers' competitive nature goes way back. Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy football coach Ray Carroscia saw it firsthand when the Butler brothers played for the Royals. At the time, Keith Butler was the linebackers coach for the Browns from 1999-2002 and the family lived in Hudson. Blake graduated from CVCA in 2002, Brandon in 2003. ``Blake and Brandon were very good football players for us,'' Carroscia said. ``They were aggressive and competitive players who had a great knowledge of the game being coach's sons. Blake was dominant on the offensive line, and Brandon was a very good defensive end and linebacker.'' The two players were also all-conference performers. ``They were fun kids to coach, and they brought a lot of positive energy to the program,'' Carroscia said. Keith Butler was hoping that both of his sons would play at his alma mater. ``Blake decided to go to Memphis, and I tried to get Brandon to go down there because that's where I went to school and where I coached for eight years,'' he said. ``Brandon wanted to go his own way and do his own thing, and I admire him for that.'' Brandon said several MAC schools, including UA, were actively recruiting him when he was a junior linebacker at CVCA. But after his junior year, he was moved to the defensive line because the Royals were hit hard up front due to graduation. Brandon accepted the challenge, even though he was undersized, and still made all-conference. ``I think a lot of schools backed off when I moved to the line but Akron and (former head coach) Lee Owens stuck with me and said they were still interested,'' Brandon said. ``That's why I chose Akron.'' This year, Brandon has battled through leg injuries and mononucleosis, which accounted for his 20-pound weight loss. He's 6-foot-3, 220 pounds. Brandon said a doctor in the Pittsburgh area advised him to shut it down for the season. That wasn't happening. ``When I knew we were going to play Memphis, I had to get cleared,'' Brandon said. ``I know I'm not going to play, but I just have to be on the sideline for this.'' Blake said: ``When I found out that we were playing Akron, I called Brandon right away and said, `Now, we can settle this.' '' Janet Butler is the one who is keeping everything in perspective: ``I knew that this could possibly happen, and I thought it would be great because I wouldn't have to worry about trying to be in two different places. But I think the argument is going to continue, regardless of who wins, because someone will have an excuse.''

Saw the billboard on the way up. AWESOME JOB UAM. Also, that picture of the hotel lights is pretty sweet. I'll bet the players got a kick out of that.

Man it was fun being at a game like that and hearing an absolutely thunderous roar everytime the Zips did something good. Beer prices were also down from the MAC Championship game which was a plus. Hated seeing the Zips lose, but the almost comeback was awesome, especially after Memphis had already dumped gatorade on their coach!! I can't wait to talk to a few players to see what they thought about the game, but from a fan's perspective it's probably ranks as my #1 Zips memory, even though we lost.

Well we're the Zips, not the Zaps, but thanks for the comments. Good luck to you guys on the b-ball floor.

If we're going to do this, let's do it right. I say build a 35,000 seat stadium for now, but architectually it should be built so it will be easy to expand to 50-60,000 if the need ever arises. Build a nice press box and at least 20 suites, and we'll see community support as well as the number of tv games rise.

He's always seemed like a great guy around me. He seems like a fiery competitor who wants to win, but nothing to me would suggest he's got a temper problem.

I don't think Antwon Hight ever enrolled at Akron. As for Garner, Marshall, and perhaps the biggest coup of all, Marlon Terry, they're all enrolled and should be eligible to participate by fall camp if they have their grades in line.

Actually, According to Memphis's board, they've only sold about 1300. They said to expect 3000 Memphis fans tops, maybe less due to those crazy Southerners being scared to drive in the snow and airline ticket prices being outrageous. I would expect 10-12,000 Blue and Gold faithful along with about 10,000 locals for an attendance of about 25000.

I honestly liked how the team sounded without Peterson. What he gives us in offense, I think we lose more in defense. He does a lot for us, but I think we need to start giving some more minutes to guys who D up and use Peterson more situationally.