Zipsrifle

I have to agree with what AstroNole has to say about them being fired up. In years past, they would have been looking far past us. After getting it handed to them last year and hearing everyone give them crap about how they suck, I think they are indeed going to come out fired up. Now, I'm convinced that everyone in the PSU clubhouse feels that they are superior athletes and that they were just playing below their abilities last year. We need to douse the fire. I don't think a quick early score will do it either. If the Zips can give them hell in the beginning and keep it close, at some point, the PSU guys may start to think that they aren't as good as they thought they were. As soon as we get some doubt in their mind, and their fans start to turn on them, we will have the advantage. I don't think it will take much for the fans to get pissed either. Remember, this is the Akron, the team they stomped 70-24 in 1999. Most of the people in the stands will probably be expecting a similar easy win. If things start out bad, I think they will turn quickly. If we let them get out to a quick lead, it will REALLY tough to get back in it. I know we aren't as deep as they are and hanging in for the entire game will be tough. We hung in against Wisconsin last year and I hope the better conditioning will put us over the top. Man, I hate all this speculation. Can't wait till the 4th!

100 chicken wings! :blink: Maybe we'll dump the second scholarship and give him unlimited chicken wings for 5 years at BW3! If that happens, they'll have to make the front door bigger! In the end, it'll cost as much as another scholarship.

I will hold my judgement on the outcome of the game right now. It's too early to be making predictions about the 3rd game, especially with a new coach. It could be a blowout or it could be close. I know we aren't going to go in there and stomp on you guys. At this point though, I do think that the UVA game will be the game at which Akron has the highest potential to catch our opponent off guard. We should have all of the bugs worked out from the PSU game and the MTSU game. The players should be well acquainted with the new O and D schemes. If we have a bad day in Happy Valley, and right the ship during the home opener, we stand an excellent chance of having a breakout game. If JD is the coach we are all hoping for, the one who moves us up to the Toledo, Miami, Marshall level, then I think we'll see signs of it in this game. We'll have to see how things play out. Right now, I'm taking it one game at a time. I don't think that UVA fans need to be telling the Zips to beware. You're ranked in the top 25 right now, that's a BIG flushING NEON SIGN that the Zips are all well aware of when we look at the schedule. It might, on the other hand, behoove of you to take your own advice. Of all the games this year, this is the one where you may need to BEWARE of the Zips!

Q: What do you call a great receiver that doesn't get thrown the ball much? A: Coach in training.

Now adays, whenever the MAC elite are mentioned, they talk about BG. From the time I started school to when Meyer took over, BG wasn't an elite. How did Meyer turn them around so quick? They went 2-9 in 2000 and the next year they were 8-3! I'm guessing that Meyer took over a team that wasn't in better shape than the Zips currently are. Is there any similarities between JD and Meyer? I sure hope the JD can do the same!

I'd think that if there was imbalance on Akron, it would be the opposite of what Charles Rodgers is talking about. We've got most of the OL and the core Defense back, but outside of 5, we're lacking in the other Offense skill areas an the D backfield. And maybe I'm just a sheep for believing all the hype about the new, more aggressive Defense. If we look at last year, yea, there is a huge disparity between the O and the D. But isn't that what Rodgers cautions against, looking at last year? Part of me is thinking that we may see something this year that I haven't seen in a while. A OL that keeps Frye upright most of the time and opens up more holes for Ringer and a D that dominates the middle and is in the O backfield more often. Hopefully the tough experience gained in the past few years bears fruit this season. I really don't know what to expect. New coach, loss of the majority of our wepons from last season. Should be exciting. As for the most overrated team, I'm pained to say it, but it's got to be Michigan. IMHO, they are historically rated higher than they should be. It always seems that after they lose a game, they only drop a few positions.

Yea, I think that that is one big advantage we'll have over PSU, we definately have the element of suprise. I'm sure that JD will have as much of the playbook as possible ready for use, holding nothing in reserve. On the other hand, PSU will probably want to leave a few tricks up their sleeve for later on. They probably don't want to blow their playbook on a MAC School. Do you think that JD will mix things up a lot early in the game to keep them guessing or do you think he'll come out pretty straight forward and try new things as the game goes on? Part of me thinks that if we can pull out the stops early on, get up on PSU, they might regress into last years mentality. But, if you use up all your tricks at the beginning, there won't be much to catch them off guard with if it's close late in the game. Like I've stated before, I hope that we can keep the mistakes to a minimum. If we can do that, we'll make a game of this one. IMO, if we're in this one, we keep showing them new things as the game goes on and keep them guessing till the 4th. When you get down and need to catch up, that hasn't been pretty for us. Honestly, in the last few years, we've been able to play with the BCS Schools. We just have made inopportune mistakes or just don't have that little push to get over the top. Hopefully JD is the key to change that.

I think this previous post will come in handy, again. This sounds to me like a case of the rich guy with the Hummer complaining to the poor tow truck guy bringing him more gas about how much fuel his Hummer uses. It's too bad that PSU has such a hard schedule. I also feel bad for the 100,000 fans who paid $50 a pop at every home game who had to sit there and watch those games...all 7 of them. I also feel bad for the Big 10, I mean 8 of the teams went to a bowl last year. PSU has a schedule like that because they are playing in the Big Ten. Now if PSU wants to come to the MAC, I'm sure we'd take them. Our schedule was so easy because that is our confrence, and we've got to play teams in our confrence and we've got to play some home games. That's why we fired a coach that went 7-5, because he should have won 9. I mean, if we had the #15 hardest schedule in the country last year, there wouldn't have been any home games. The BCS schools ( ) avoid the MAC stadiums at all costs. PSU should easily be able to take Akron year in and year out. You've got lots of fans, and lots of press coverage, lots of money and that all leads to first dibs on the best players and coaches. Hell, the local paper 3 blocks from campus gives more OSU coverage than Akron. So, I don't want to hear about how hard your schedule was, it's your high riding leather covered seat, so sit in it. I've got to hurry up and fill your tank with gas and get to the next job so I can pay the bills.

It's finally here, football season. Though my enthusiasm for pro football took quite a hit when Art took the Browns to Baltimore, I will be eagerly awaiting Monday Night Football tomorrow night! It's been so long. I do have to say that I was so disguested with Pro Football when the Browns left, that I started to watch more college football, somehow believing that it was less political, and not as corruped by money. Well, I was wrong but now I'm addicted and can't do anything about it. So tomorrow night should at least give me some relief for the agony of the offseason. Though it's not the Zips, at least the ball is pointed and the name has little to do with the actual sport. So...Go Redskins! I still can't forgive Elway for "The Drive" and the only team I hate more than Denver is Baltimore. If those two teams lose the rest of their games for all of time, I still won't be happy.

I remember last year, prior to stumbling onto the dreamwater board, there was some guy on the Wisconsin ESPN site who made almost the exact same statement. He did have the balls after the game to post that Akron was much better than he expected and that they were glad to come out with a win. I know this post makes me a hypocrite, but we should just have the thread end, as in no more Zip replies, once an intellectual like savannah makes a post. He's just here to get us fired up. I don't need him to do it, I just go to their board and that is more than enough. Oh yea, drove through Toledo tonight, Gradkowski on a big billboard right next to I-75 just South of Downtown. Nothing about the Hiesman, but still a primo spot for getting some advertising for the UT program. I hope to see something like this when I make my way to Akron for the MTSU game.

Actually, I've got a weekend planned at South Bass right after the Can't State game. My buddy is getting Married there and I was PISSED when I thought it was the same day as the Can't game. Luckily, the game is on Thursday and it should be the best weekend of the year after we smack around Can't.

I happen to agree that we probably shouldn't start out with a stadium much bigger than the Rubber Bowl. The key is that there is a plan and room for future expansion. Here is my thought process. First, it will be a lot cheaper to build a stadim that is 30, 35,000 and therefore it will have a greater chance of becoming a reality. Second, once the team starts winning, and the bowl starts filling up (and the Football team is making more money), reinvest it in the stadium. Continue this process till we are up to 111,112 fans and we win the NCAA Championship in 2012.

Well, apparently there is a typo on the old "Frye for Heisman" background that UA provided for download. A quick double check shows that it is indeed on the 5th. Damn, I was looking forward to a really short work week too!

OK, The last 2 days the headline picture on ESPN.com/College Football has been on the MAC QB's. Day 2 was Gradkowski in the West and day one was the East division with....Stan Hill?!? I don't subscribe to "IN" and at least Frye is in the group, but with Frye predicted to be the number 1-5 QB's drafted, why the hell did Stan Hill get his picture up? Not to take anything away from Hill's abilities, but my guess is that ESPN made a lot of money when a Marshall Fan was punched on Trs. night 2 years ago and this is a bit of returning the favor. Maybe I'm whining too much but, it just burns me. Hopefully on Nov. 4th this will be corrected.

So is the field house going to be the fulltime practice field for the team or are they going to travel to the Rubber Bowl a few times a week?

In additon to what I posted below, here is another thing. I believe that this stadium has nothing to do with the Zips. Pulling the Zips into the stadium is the only way the CLEVELAND SOCCER FANS can get a MLS team. The only thing that matters for them is that CLEVELAND fans can attend a MLS Soccer game. If it hurts Zips Football, they don't care....They don't go to the games anyway. If the stadium gets built, that's all that matters. I was under the impression that the reason they were building the stadium in Summit County was so that it was convienent for both Akron and Cleveland fans. There aren't enough fans in Cleveland so they need good access from all areas, hence the Turnpike and the location. Well, I see it this way. People in Cleveland don't support the Zips. They don't show highlights after the games on TV and and we get as much write up in the PD as the ABJ. If they want us to put our weight behind it, then build it in Akron. People in Akron and Canton need to travel to Cleveland to see the Cavs, Browns, and Indians. Why should the Akron Football fans now need to travel out of their way to see their hometown team so Cleveland fans don't have to drive as far? If UA is going to support this they need to take the stand that it is in Akron, period. Oh, one more thing, I don't really believe that moving a stadium closer to Cleveland will draw many more Cleveland Zips Fans either. I tend to believe we are a rather hardy bunch that don't mind a 1/2-3/4 hour drive to see a game.

Well put. We need to start building the fan base from the ground up. Groundlevel is the students. We need to get them in the habit of attending games. A stadium within walking distance will make this much easier. I know that the university has made every effort to get students to the Rubber Bowl, but it just isn't working. Why....It's kinda hard to sneak a couple kegs and a grill on the Zip Express busses. Second, we need the community to be more involved. If you can go to the game and then mosey on over to another entertainment establishment, that will be better than what we currently have at the Rubber bowl. The third and most important way to develop a fan base is to start winning consistently. So bottom line, downtown Akron/campus area is ideal for the stadium. I hope that if a stadium is planned, the University will recognize this. UA needs to be selfish. We need to take of our problems and not get intertwined with someone elses problems.

Man, I can't wait to get to campus to see this thing. Can't wait to see campus! :blink:

This sounds to me like a case of the rich guy with the Hummer complaining to the poor tow truck guy bringing him more gas about how much fuel his Hummer uses. It's too bad that PSU has such a hard schedule. I also feel bad for the 100,000 fans who paid $50 a pop at every home game who had to sit there and watch those games...all 7 of them. I also feel bad for the Big 10, I mean 8 of the teams went to a bowl last year. PSU has a schedule like that because they are playing in the Big Ten. Now if PSU wants to come to the MAC, I'm sure we'd take them. Our schedule was so easy because that is our confrence, and we've got to play teams in our confrence and we've got to play some home games. That's why we fired a coach that went 7-5, because he should have won 9. I mean, if we had the #15 hardest schedule in the country last year, there wouldn't have been any home games. The BCS schools ( ) avoid the MAC stadiums at all costs. PSU should easily be able to take Akron year in and year out. You've got lots of fans, and lots of press coverage, lots of money and that all leads to first dibs on the best players and coaches. Hell, the local paper 3 blocks from campus gives more OSU coverage than Akron. So, I don't want to hear about how hard your schedule was, it's your high riding leather covered seat, so sit in it. I've got to hurry up and fill your tank with gas and get to the next job so I can pay the bills.

From snooping 'round on the PSU boards sounds like their fans are so used to winning that they really don't know what to do when they are losing. Sounds like they sit on their hands when they first get down and if it gets too bad, they start booing their own team. Lets hope we can experience this phenomenon for ourselves. Another gripe along these lines, I've been to a lot of Michigan games at the Big House and it pisses me off how the fans complain if they didn't win by enough....WTF! I'm sure PSU was like this a few years ago, kinda nice for those fans to see the other side of the coin.

They booted you not only because you're right, but because they are embarrased to be taking S#!* from MAC fans

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that the Zips will go into Beaver stadium and roll over PSU. I agree that this is JD's first game and there are likely to be pleanty of mistakes. What amazes me is that PSU, despite coming off of a 3-9 season, still thinks that they will destroy any MAC team. In the past few years, Akron has held it's own in BCS Stadiums and if JD is going to make the improvment we all hope for, I think we'll see glimpses of it from day one.

They might know about Frye, but still think they'll easily kill us. They basically say that they are going to stomp the Zips into the ground. Even the posters that say we shouldn't be taken lightly predict we "stand about the chance of a no-legged possum on a freeway when the enter Beaver Stadium this year" and "they're a typical PSU squad that crushes a 3rd tier team like the Zips." They still have the MAC sucks mentality and think that they would have easily taken Miami last year. They remind us that "These MAC guys play in 15,000 seat stadiums". Apparently we will piss our pants when we enter Beaver stadium. They also think that Frye won't know what to do when "Charlie Frye's jersey is going to be covered in green turf and blue from Hali's and Wake's jereseys by the end of the day." Yup, lets just let them think that way. We won't tell them about going for the lead late in the 4th against Wisconsin last year (I think Camp Randall has 16,000+ seats) or the fact that Frye has seen his fair share of turf and still lit up opposing teams, even when injured. I hope they've got a computer in the new Field House locker room with a huge screen so they can show posts like this to the team every day. The good news is that we should be able to pull off a technical feat like this since we are on par with "Furman, Akron, South Hills Business School, Computer Learning Network, what is the difference?". Yup, it's a over a month till the first game and the PSU fans are already looking past us. We're a No Legged Possum on the freeway

Per Gozips.com, the Zips Caravan is headed to Frye's hometown Willard. I grew up in that general area and nobody in my town really knew that UA existed. We all knew about Can't, BG, Toledo, even Cleveland State. I think that this is a smart PR move by UA. Most people in my hometown (in the same county as Willard) don't even know who Charlie Frye is. This should get some press out in farm country and will hopefully pull a few hundred fans to the Rubber Bowl to see the local Heisman Candidate.

Bird...Huh?