zipper

I heard it was minor and being fixed.

Totally correct. If Fergie were outstanding, he'd be playing. Now whether or not he ends up being better, in the long run, than Getsy remains to be seen. I remember a certain guy named Frye got his chance because the starter hurt his toe. I think Getsy's just being inconsistent. My guess is JD wants him to get his confidence back, and benching him would do the exact opposite.

You know what I wonder about? I'm not sure Miami is one of the top teams in the MAC anymore. They sure haven't shown that this year, and whether we win Saturday or not, this question will still be on the table. In other words, my point isn't about Akron vs. Miami, just Miami in general. Heck, we KNOW we're in a rebuilding year. Miami just hasn't done anything so far this season to hang onto its reputation as a top program in the MAC.

We made it, gentlemen: http://gozips.collegesports.com/sports/m-s.../101005aaa.html Congrats to Coach Lolla and the team. Now keep it up and beat St. John's!

GP1, you nailed it. There's a difference between a team knowing how to win and a team knowing how to put the screws to 'em. I believe our guys THINK they know how to win, but they have to overshoot the goal, if you know what I mean, and go for the blowout. Every play, every quarter, every game.

Did anyone else catch the Fantastic Four piece in the ABJ yesterday? Great idea and very well done. Where can we get the poster? Will these be available Friday at this event? The women's photo was good too and nice to have the whole team.

I think we'll be number one now. New Mexico was ranked first but they had a tie game over the weekend. We have a tough schedule still for the rest of the season. Coach Lolla sure doesn't shy away from a challenge.

This is big news: http://gozips.collegesports.com/sports/m-s.../100305aac.html

Hear, Hear.

Thor, I'll give you everything else but this one - how long you been a Zips fan? UAM has done more in the last five years in the Thomas regime than has ever been done here before. Waddel and Co. have an incredibly difficult job and I think in the face of it they try new stuff all the time. What's the gripe with Giant Eagle? Or am I missing your point?

CMU's defense was keying on Biggs. I think we abandoned the run when it wasn't working...at all. Did any of you visit NIU's website after we beat them? Full of self-flagellation. Fact is, we played and coached better than NIU that night. And last night, CMU played better and coached better than Akron. It appears in the future there's going to be as much parity in football in the MAC as there is in basketball. We'd all better get used to it, including our players who seemed to think they were going to walk in and win just by showing up.

UAM, why no more fireworks pregame?

All for the cannon, and love the fireworks to start the game.

I agree with the Captain. This is not the same old CMU - I think it's going to be a VERY evenly matched game. Our guys better bring their A game or it ain't gonna be pretty.

In all fairness, I'm not sure David Lee Morgan has the authority or pull to get his articles in or placed well. My guess is he gets equally frustrated and would like to have the funding to travel with the team to away games. I say we keep the pressure on the ABJ. The squeaky wheel...

I concede that point. Can we agree LO couldn't recruit defensive coordinators? Incompetent as a coach? All talk and no walk?

This is not luck. Sorry, but LO never had a top recruiting class in the MAC. Talk to a few of the players who are still playing (and only had LO two or three years). Heck, ask Charlie Frye. They'll all say the liked LO (well, actually, not all of them at all), but in the next breath they'll tell you how much they learn from JD, how much they respect him, how much the love playing for him, etc. He and this staff are just much more knowledgeable about the game, they can recruit the pants off LO's staff, and they command respect. The guy's just got it. You all can wait it out, that's usually me, but this time I just know. My prediction for this year was I'd be happy with four wins. This was supposed to be big rebuilding year, remember? If JD and Co. has 7 wins this year, they're all geniuses, in my book.

Akron is currently ranked 70th in the CFN poll: http://www.collegefootballnews.com/2005/Ra...FN_Rankings.htm

According to GoZips.com, men won 4-0, women lost 2-1. I know Kentucky is also in the MAC for soccer, but don't know why.

What makes you think they'll shut up? This is going to be a tough one, make no mistake about it. Novak is a very good coach, and they have a great RB. Our guys better come out rarin' to go, because this may be the second best team they will face all season (after Purdue). I make no predictions on this one.

Regarding the soccer game, we're planning on hitting a home soccer match this year. Went to the pre-game tournament in town (Westfield? Cup) and I don't think I'll get the chance to see this level of play very often. I'm not a big soccer fan but the Akron's men's team looked extremely talented and big time. This ain't your CYO soccer. These guys can do amazing things with the ball, and even a non-soccer guy like me can appreciate it. I was just surprised at the appreciably higher quality of the talent at this level. It was fun to watch. And hey, we won (and keep winning. Aren't they undefeated?) I will be surprised but extremely pleased if we beat NIU. I think we'll hold our own with them, win or lose. I wouldn't drop dead of shock if we won, either. Should prove interesting.

Our game was the only one he missed on?

I am thrilled that they are overlooking us. Pray it keeps up.

Men's soccer at Akron continues to be a national player. Found this on gozips.com: http://gozips.collegesports.com/sports/m-s...occer-body.html

I believe you have to subtract out the actual value to come up with a tax deduction figure. The tickets clearly have a dollar value, so that is easily subtracted. I'm sure there are IRS guidelines for figuring out the value minus the perks received.