Captain Kangaroo

I forgot to mention - Finley did throw an INT in the 2nd half that was returned about 40 yards. Pretty sure it was Rodrick Hunter (Fr from Georgia). See bottom left of the A logo, #13 breaking on the ball. I though out secondary looked very good. 3 INT's. But I guess you never know until you go up against someone other than your own offense.

#10 Ben Finley is the hands down #1 QB. He began the scrimmage with a 20 yard pass to Adrian Norton, then a 30 yard TD to Norton. A severely blown coverage nets #88 TE Jake Newell an easy TD Ben sprinted to the endzone to celebrate The OL acquitted itself well today. The starters were #55 Blanchard, #58 Burrell, #56 Davis, #54 Williams and freshman Jayvin James at RT #15 Terrance Thomas broke up this pass intended for Adrian Norton. It was one of the few times Norton was stopped on Saturday morning. Isiah Jones made a nice over the shoulder TD catch in the back of the endzone. Boding well for the future, it came courtesy of a nice Brayden Ruggow toss. Jordon Simmons got a lot of PT today. He looks to be the #1A RB. Kellom looks to be #1B. Simmons breaks the goal line for a 10 yard TD. Tahj looked better today than in the spring, but there is no QB competition. He'll likely get some early season opportunities as we try to keep Finley as healthy as possible for MAC play. But he's entrenched at #2. Tahj moved the team down the field, but an ill-advised pass was snatched by Syracuse transfer Aman Greenwood and taken the distance for a pick 6! Like the Zips, the scoreboard remains a work in progress. Oddly enough, it's probably as effective right now as it was the past 2 seasons? Joe addresses the team after the scrimmage. Overall he was happy. He liked the physicality. I agree, as there were some hard hits, and tough running. It was a noticeable ramp up from the spring. He like that the defense generated 3 turnovers, and made several stops on 3rd and short. A few final words from the Coach before the players hit the shower. Owen Wiley hits a FG. We seem in MUCH better shape with special teams this year. The FG/XP holds were flawless. #47 and #99 hit some solid FG's. #99 and #36 both nailed KO's into the endzone. #95 Castle had some great punts. #37 Garrison Smith (McNees State transfer) kicked two second half FG's (both < 30 yards). Hoban's Grant Gainer pulls in a swing pass from Brayden Ruggow and waltzes into the endzone. #3 Jarvis Rush (Jr. JUCO from Mississippi) eyes a deep ball from Ben Finley... ... and pulls it in for the TD! A guy I am very high on is #9 Paul Lewis III (Safety). He's all over the place on coverage, physical against the run, fun personality...you will LOVE him. Shown here dapping up #13 Rodrick Hunter. Adrian Norton, celebrating after a Finley TD pass, can't be stopped in 2024. He seems to be Finley's go-to guy. He has great hands, and uses his body to shield-off defenders really well. #7 Alex Adams showed so much promise 2 seasons ago. If he could regain his 2022 form, the Zips could have a hell of an aerial attack. Other notes: Marquese Williams, the Minnesota transfer, seems to be the #3 RB. #29 Jordan Castleberry got some carries, and also scored a TD. Starting DL was #95 Andre Proffit, #90 Demitri Madden (UTEP), #16 Fr. Dahvon Frazier and #94 Kabbash Richards Bennett Adler is wearing #1 this year!?

Amen.

Like everyone else! I LOVE this kid!

He’s using the “Z” logo?I want this kid in a Zips uniform soooo badly!

So this is the benchmark for a great AD nowadays? I’ll be impressed when he rescinds his Arby’s “A” logo, and puts 20k butts in InfoCision for a game.

Arkansas Pine Bluff must have already been booked?

I'll agree with that one. What is a "basketball reunion"? Is Eric McLaughlin coming back? If Enrique Freeman is making a showing, wouldn't you think it'd be worth mentioning?

First Ever Meeting

Over the past several years, playing lower-caliber opponents only means the Zips lose by fewer points. I look forward to the day the Zips play G5 opponents and it positively affects our win/loss record and not just the point differential.

Next stop...

Player I most want to see - A healthy, next-level Nate Johnson. Fan favorite - Evan “We Want” Wilson

I assume they’ll tack on a 3% convenience fee to every transaction? Of course you’ll also get the option to tip your concession worker 20%|30%|40% too.

I’d expect he’d be a 2-way player to begin the season and split time between the G League and the Pacers. Pacers are pretty good, so it’ll be pretty shocking if he logs any appreciable minutes this upcoming season.

Should we have just told Learfield "No thank you. Our dilapidated 2008-era scoreboard is perfectly fine in 2024."?

So they're already placing an over/under on the halftime score? Or is that number referencing the value, in millions of dollars, that each team would need in order to match the other's NIL fund?

Brad Stevens and Groce are pretty tight. I don't know that Boston would take him with the 30th pick, but definitely would with the 54th.

Relegation is a bizarre concept that would never fly. I just won't...no use even discussing it. A G5 division would fly. Especially if it's a model that uses NIL for it's original intent - Not to pay players like professionals from donor slush funds, but to allow players to promote a local car dealership, or get money from a jersey sale. To begin, maybe it only consists of 30-40 like-minded teams. But there'll quickly be late-adopters who find they're going broke trying to keep up with the Ohio States and Alabama's of the P5 landscape. They'll join the new G5. It would be interesting to see if any upper-tier FCS programs (NDSU) would join. The Zips Football Program barely has two pennies to rub together. Where's the $25k per MAC wide receiver going to come from? And the Zips aren't the only ones. All P5 and G5 schools are acting like they have ample donors lined up to fund this new era of Professional Free Agent College Football. But I don't believe it.

I thought he was erratic and had limited range.

You just watch...he'll hit 85% of his kicks this upcoming season, with a couple from 50+. 🤪

It would be a killer for baseball...but I doubt we'd ever be able to field a competitive baseball team regardless of our available scholarships. Soccer would find a way to match whatever the P5 boys would do. And few of them will ever take soccer seriously. If P5's went to 95 football scholarships I don't think it would matter. You can still only play 11 guys on either side of the ball, and the guys that can't cut it will transfer out within a year. Stupid era we're in in college sports right now. I hate it. But it isn't going to get better.

Would a kid rather see the field and win some championships at Akron, or be #25 on the bench at OSU for 4-5 years? Kids are already fleeing P5 basketball programs left and right for the G5's now. I think Akron soccer is well-funded and supported enough that it will always be an upper-echelon program. I don't think an kid worth his salt in 2024 is going to accept being the 95th scholarship at OSU if they can see the football field elsewhere. I'm all for a new league of like-minded G5 programs. I'm shocked that there seems to be zero traction on this idea nationally. I guess the G5 football schools don't want to lose the prestige of being "D1"? The advent of professional, millionaire "college" athletes has to accelerate the conversation, right?

Brandon Council transferred from UA to the other UA a couple years ago. Auburn a pipeline to Akron...started all the way back in the Bill Muse era. 😄 Tulane has to be crushed that Chambers left them at the alter.

Would not have predicted that one…

4 hour drive.