Zipsrifle

If he's winning we're worried about him leaving. If he's losing, or just besting .500, we're hoping he would leave. I hope we go 10-1 this year, after that, there is nothing I can do. At least the next coach will have a great foundation.

GP1, My thoughts exactly. Well put.

Why do I hate OSU? Well, that's a good question, and I'll try to answer it by not "attacking" anyone. To start off with, OSU fans are very rude and aggressive. Now I know that not EVERYONE is rude and aggressive, but as a rule of thumb, they are. For example, after the Zips vs. OU game last year, I was going to crash at my sisters house in Columbus. She mentioned that we might head out and take in a little of Columbus, but I'd better take off the Blue and Yellow fleese I was wearing. I assured her that a complete stranger would not come up to me and start talking smack and try to pick a fight just because I happened to be wearing Blue and Yellow. She assured me that, indeed, she has seen it happen many times. Now I live and work near Ann Arbor, there are quite a few OSU fans here, and nobody gives them crap (except for the last week of the season). In fact, after the 2003 Michigan, OSU game in the Big House, some OSU fans I know went to a restaurant. After their meal was finished, they were informed that their meal was paid for by a Michigan fan. Having lived in Ohio and Michigan, I can honestly say Michigan fans are much more cordial than OSU fans. The second reason I don't like OSU fans, is because of how they affect the Zips. Honestly, my hatred for the Buttguys has grown tremendously since I became an avid Zips fan. I get so PISSED when I walk into BW3 on the Zip Strip before an Akron game, with my Akron Jersey and am amid a crowd of OSU fans. If I ask them if they are going to the UA game, a common response is "I'm Watching REAL College football Man". NO, it's because it's easier to watch a team that wins 90% of the time and claim they are "Your Team".... so you can say "Your Team" is playing for a National Championship....so you can feel like a "Winner". The media covers OSU for these people, the pseudo "Hard Core" college football fan. When I first moved to Michigan, I had season tickets to the Big House. Why have I dropped those for a 4 hour drive to sit in an empty Rubber Bowl? Because I got sick and tired of hearing Michigan fans, like OSU fans, complain when they only won by 10 points, or how the coach should be fired because he lost 2 games. How REDICULOUS! Akron fans are HARD CORE! Those 8,000 people who I sat with in the rain at the Ball State game last year are some of the most avid college football fans in the country! Though I'm sure there are a LOT of hard core OSU fans, I think there are many, many more pseudo "Hard Core" OSU fans. Because of them, those 8,000-10,000 Akron fans who sat in the rain against Ball State don't get to see their team on any prominent page of the AKRON paper or on the news. Nope, their victory that was a turning point in a great comeback season was relegated to some obscure section of the AKRON paper, and probably not even mentioned on the Cleveland news. I don't expect Akron to be on the front page of the New York Times for beating Ball State, but for GODS SAKE, can we generate some pride in the hometown here! I firmly believe that a University is possably one of the biggest assests a city can have. If the people of Akron want want to live in a cool city and generate excitement and jobs in the area, then they have got to stop considering themselves as a suburb of Cleveland or an "Ohioan" and have pride in their city! Akron has taken many devistating blows in the past and I firmly believe UA is far and away, the best way for the city of Akron to prosper in the future. The people of Akron need to get behind the University, use the knowledge and acclaim it imparts on the local area to remake Akron. But as long as nobody knows this jewel known as UA exists, Akron will continue to be just a suburb of Cleveland.

Boy, It will be a tough game. Right now, my pre-season predictions are worthless. This team has come out WAY stronger than I thought. I think NIU being favored to win is justified. Realistically, NIU is stronger, but the Zips have something intangible this year that has me very excited. I'm going to go against what I realistically think should happen and go with my Gut. Zips 38, NIU 35.

HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!..........HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!...... HA! HA! HA! Johnson gets cut! Akron isn't the SEC, and it Definately isn't the NFL! HEY DOUG, How Far is Akron from the NFL NOW?!

I get to do both. Watch the Buttguys lose and tailgate. Maybe the Michigan game will be on.

In the past few years, I figure about 17,000 Akron fans have showed up to the home opener. I think NIU will bring a couple hundred, and I expect a few more new fans due to last years late season excitement. I say, 20,000+ at the game on Sat.

I hear you Zipper! We're still a young team, and though I am very excited, this will be a very tough game. Remember, these guys spaked us last year. We need to see continued improvement to stay competitive in this one. If we play the same as last week, the final score will be 17-42 instead of 17-7. Their OL is awesome (don't they have an All American in there?) and Wolf and Harris are avg. over 7 yards per carry. Sounds like they don't have much of a passing attack (or at least their fans aren't very confident in their QB) and they have some doubt as to their passing defense. Defense could be the difference in this one. If the Zips D continues to improve, we should be able to keep their running game reasonable (I don't know if anyone can stop them, over 200 yards against Michigan). The more effective the D is against their running game, the better. I think the Offense will need to score early and often too. They are going to put up some points, we'll need to also. 17 points ain't gonna cut it! Bottom line, we'll need to play a near flawless game to win this one. This team has suprised me twice this year, so I am not going to count them out. I'm expecting a battle, and hopefully the new attitude Zips can pull off another Upset!

OK, where do we go???? Not like there are a ton of papers in town.

That boy can hit. I thought he did a GREAT job at the Purdue game. He's gonna be a star!

Good Stuff Cap'n, as always! Any ideas on Zips injury's?

Shoud be a great game next week. I really think that the Zips will come ready to play, and if we can minimize mistakes, we have an excellent shot at another upset. I expect an above average crowd, if the weather is good. When I ordered my season tickets, the guy at the ticket office said that season ticket sales were on track to well exceed last years total. Anybody have any idea what the final number was or how much higher than last years it is? Over the past 3 seasons, the home opener seems to bring in about 17,000 Zips fans. I wouldn't be suprised if the total tops 20,000 including new Zips fans and NIU fans. It will be interesting to see how the new Zips Tailgating area works. I'm to cheap to pay for that stuff, but I did make some substantial improvements in my tailgating equipment! Anybody else make any upgrades? It would be nice to see continued improvement in the pre-game festivites. I think it is important to have a good showing in the lower lot when the opposing team's bus comes in. Unlike other stadiums where the tailgaing is spread out, that is pretty much the only area at the RB, and the opposing team has to drive right by it. I see it as the opening shot of the game. Mentally, if the opposing team sees a ton of cars and Zips fans :blink: , they will get it in their mind that the crowd will be against them. There is one thing that has me concerned. Typically, I sit in the endzone, but nosing around the seating chart, I see that section is now blacked out. What's the deal with that? I know the seats were taking a beating, but I don't think they were so bad that you had to close them off. I'll be Pissed if I have to move. :angry: If so, I'm sitting in Section 20, just so I can piss off the other team and it's fans! 2005 Seating Chart

I doubt it will be on TV, but who knows. Should be a spirited contest!

I believe it was 20,000 seats and a grass hill in the endzone that could seat 10,000 more, so around 30,000. Buchtelite Article

Here are my thoughts on the game. Bottom line...ZIPS WIN! We really needed this and boy, I don't ever remember feeling this good at the beginning of a season...EVER! MTSU was a quality team, we were underdogs and pulled it out. We were close to making this an ugly game, 35-7 was not far away on the 30th best D in the COUNTRY! Like I said above, I listened on web radio, and assuming the announcers were as bad as they were at Purdue last week, this is what I come away. I would put much more stock in any comments from people who were actually at the game than what I say. GREAT FIRST QUARTER! Put them on their heels with an opening drive and then dominated with the Defense. I felt they were a team that didn't have a winning mentality, and I think that the first quarter kept them that way. I was suprised how much we relied on the pass early. Seemed like we didn't run at all. I was also getting frustrated with Getsy, :angry: I guess Butchie and Charlie spoiled me, but seemed to be a lot of incomplete passes. Were our receivers just dropping them? What Luke got away with last week bit him today. 3 INT's. Sounds like one time, in the 3rd, he could have just thrown it away. That's one thing 5 always did an EXCELLENT job of, knowing when to just eat it. It is only his 2nd game and he did throw the ball what, 36 times? We got the win against a tough D so I can't give him too much grief! What really suprised me was how we were able to run the ball in the 4th. After thowing the ball on almost every play in the first 3 quarters, we decide to run in the 4th. Personally, I had flushbacks to LO days when there was 11 minutes on the clock and we decide to try to run it out. WTF! Put the damn game out of reach! But, I have to say, I heard the announcers say this about 10 times "Biggs for only a yard or so..... oh wait, he's still GOING!" JD put the game on Brett's shoulders and he came up bigtime. the announcers said they were running plays, ESPN Play-by-play says they were passes, which was it? I hope that we continue to make big improvements week to week. Seems we still couldn't get it done on 3rd and short. We would have really put this thing away if that was the case. Hopefully that come around, we're going to need everything we can get next week. I continue to hold my breath on Kickoffs. Dom went down, someone said he was OK, I sure hope so. That guy is really taking a beating! To sum it up, GREAT WIN!!!! I was still telling myself with 6:00 left that we desperately need to score or we would surely blow this one. Didn't happen! The D must have been awesome. We didn't even give up any late scores like we used to with LO. Wow, two weeks ago I had this one chalked up as a "Winnable" game, but probably a solid loss. JD and the team has me VERY, VERY impressed! Like I said earlier, we could've taken them out back the woodshed! I really feel that the team has a totally different attitude than a year ago. They come every game to play and are starting to slam the door when it's necessary. I can't believe this is a rebuilding year! I'm going to have to start working on my attitude now! F-IT, LETS MAKE A RUN AT THE MAC CHAMPIONSHIP!

THOR, I was initially going to quickly dismiss this post, but then I stopped and thought about it for a minute. I like the grass roots effort you're starting here. In the past, we have always just dismissed the coverage of the ABJ and said that it would never improve. The answer to those that did e-mail the ABJ got back was "There is more of a market for the Buttguys than Akron". I don't think many of us actually voiced our opinion to the ABJ, I didn't. So, thought a few complained, there was really nothing to dismiss the ABJ's argument that there is no markes for the Zips. I'm going to start shooting off a well versed e-mail about the Zips and the lack of coverage in the ABJ about once a week. In the end, it can only help the situation. We should find out who DLM boss is and copy him also. If the coverage still doesn't improve, then it's their problem. Maybe we should also e-mail the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Start a little competition between papers!

I listened on web radio and tailgated in my driveway! Great feed from yahoo, except when it cut out for about 5 min in the first. I can't wait to see what the Cap'n posts about the game. It sucks listening to the radio......good thing I'll be at almost all the rest of the games!

Thanks SW. I do have to say, your fans are a class act. Most other fans come in here and start spoutnig off your mouths. It was refreshing to have some fans come in, make valid points about their teams Offense and Defense. Look at it this way, you guys did the same thing to us last year and we ended up playing for the division championship and being bowl eligible. Good luck with the rest of your season!

What a great thing Dwight and UA are doing. I don't see why he shouldn't be able to raise $24,000 at one football game alone! If everyone at the first game just gave $1, he would raise close to $20,000. I wouldn't be suprised if by the time this fund raising drive is over and done with, UA helps raise $50,000. Dwight Smith Drive for 24

YES! I know I'll get burned one day. I'll either have to beg someone give me the play by on the board, or just mope around the house till the final score comes out. I know, I'm cheap. I won't learn my lesson until it happens though.

If we'll have a shot, it'll be in 2007. Man are we going to be loaded, especially if we can keep rolling in Big recruiting classes! Wouldn't that be a cool first game at the new stadium, if OSU came to town? I know, it'll never happen, but it would still be cool.

I think the Zips will pull off the upset this weekend. I try to be a realist on things, and though it will be a close game, I think we'll take it. Why? Well, JD is the reason. Sure, the players are the ones who make it happen, but I have to say that the preparation and the play of the Zips at Purdue last week was well beyond what I and IMO, most others expected. Outside of the rough start last year, he has REALLY impressed me with how prepared the Zips have been. He doesn't make many dumb calls and has changed the attitude on the Zips. We I really think we went from "Please don't let us lose this game" to "We're going to win this game!" I think the Marshall upset last year on national television was the turning point mentally. I've nosed around on the MTSU board a little bit, and it seems that their in crisis mode right now. Their coach is on the rocks, they're 0-2 and everyone is already talking about how a loss to Akron would ruin the entire season. They are pleading with their fans to attend the game against us so they have some support. Seems the hardcore fans have the "Lets not blow this one" mentallity, and I speculate the team has the same mentality. They blew a game last week on turnovers and that will be HUGE on Saturday. I think JD is playing some head games with them. All of his comments about turnovers maybe has them thinking about NOT TURNING THE BALL OVER. If you focus on not doing something, then you aren't focusing on what you should be doing. Often you end up doing what you were telling yourself not to do. With all that has happened in the MAC already, it is apparent things are not shaping up as everyone expected. At this point, I see a young Zips team that truely believes it can make a run again at the MAC East crown. I think they'll come out pumped up! So, I think what we need to do on Saturday is keep MTSU out of the game mentally. Again, I say we go for a quick score early. I really think we'll see the ground game come alive. The line was performing much better than expected and I think we'll have a BIGGS game. We've got the passing attack, and I would love to see Dom run one back. The new, faster D will have a golden opportunity to find itself. They've dominated the offense in fall and spring ball. MTSU isn't Purdue so I expect to see them giving the Blue Raiders fits. JD will have the Zips ready. I really think he is the coach we were looking for. I want payback for the loss last year! Lets kick them early while they are down!

It's pathetic when you need to go to an opponents home town paper to find an article about your new QB who had a hell of a game. Well done once again ABJ Found this on the MTSU board

I would imagine that they would rely on the fanbase to raise a certain amount of that money. Like someone mentioned earlier, sell bricks or something. If they can raise all the money prior to starting construction, then all the better. I wouldn't doubt that by having student housing built into the stadium, they were able to defer some of the construction cost with public money. I know what they could do to raise money, sell the seats in the rubber bowl. Those of us who have sat in the same spot for years might just cough up some money.

I think the biggest D1-A win was against Marshall in 2002. They were nationally ranked at the time and we shocked them at home. That is the game where Leftwich got hurt, and Akron went from having a joke of a Defnese, to being "Too Rough" according to several media outlets.