Captain Kangaroo

...word on the street is he will be the basketball beat writer for CSU this season. No word on the PD's coverage of the Zips and the MAC in 2009-10.

Zips 34Buffalo 16All points scored off special teams turnovers.Teams combine to set an NCAA record of 13 missed field goals in a single game.

ME_87 - You rule. :rock:One of my favorite quotes:"There are those who look at things as they are and ask "Why?". And there are those who look at things that aren't and ask "Why not?"Until I see a UA Athletic Director that has a "Why not Akron?" attitude, I will never believe collegiate athletic success cannot be had at The University of Akron.Too many sad sacks have graced our campus with the "Woe-is-me...we can't compete for the public's affection because of <insert excuse here>." Rosa Parks stood up one day and said "F-you, I ain't sitting in the back of that bus again." I want an AD that is tired of sitting in the back of the bus. It happened at Gonzaga. It happened at Boise State. It happened at Cincinnati. It isn't easy being Rosa Parks. It's damn difficult...that's why it took until 1955 for someone to step up and defy the system. But that's the attitude we need at Akron if we're ever going to reach our potential.God Bless Gonzaga...Cincinnati...Boise State...South Florida...they have sacked-up. I'm not jealous of ohio state. I'm jealous of them.

I noticed that this week's game is now on Fox Sports Ohio? Which will get better ratings in the 3:30pm time slot -- USC / ND, or Akron / Buffalo?

Isn't that what they are supposed to do? Can you write some thoughts that don't speak for themselves?

Gary Pride seems like a logical option.

I went to a BG / UA game at the Rubber Bowl 15 years ago. Homecoming. 70 degree, sunny October day. There were MAYBE 500 people in attendance.People have no clue how far game day attendance has come since Mike Thomas rolled into town and changed logos, started the AK-Rowdies, got rid of the bush-league vendors and team gear, got the stadium off the ground...etc.People want to plant a tree on Monday, and begin picking fruit on Thursday. It doesn't work that way. The AK-Rowdies of today won't pay dividends for several years. But they will pay off. It is the new AD's job to take the Program to the next level. The groups preceding him did.

Dr. Z - I see the chance of precipitation is down to 20% and the "Spectator Index" has risen from 4 to 5!

Against OU we missed two field goals, lost a fumbled kick off and had a punt blocked in the endzone for an OU TD. And our special teams had 2 full weeks to prepare for the game. Quite a season we are having, before our game last year Buffalo and Akron fans were arguing about who had the better team (this year its the worse team)..I did note that your kicker is worse but that may be because Gill usually does not give AJ a shot at anything more than 40HA! We have TWO kickers worse than AJ, and we alternate between them after every shank just to keep their confidence low.BTW -- Duff's or Anchor Bar? I haven't been to Duff's, but it seems to get the best reviews?

Beating someone of significance is almost worthless. It is a nice notch in the belt, but winning championships is what counts.JD is steaming towards his 4th consecutive losing season. That is why there are no butts in the stands. It is as simple as that.Watch the basketball team this season. Now that they've actually won a championship, they will begin filling the JAR with regularity. Humpty made the "million dollar shot." If he missed, the Zips are back to the same old 3k attendance. Now there's NCAA expectations, Zeke, 20-wins, a cake-walk schedule to ensure a fast start...it all comes together this season.Look at the soccer team. Selling out matches?! Why? Because they are winning, and winning consistently over an extended time period. People want to be a part of it.Look at the Cleveland Indians - They sell out when things are rolling...and dodge the tumbleweeds blowing through Progressive Desert when they stink.Look at the Browns -- Sure they technically "sell out." But when you see them on TV at season's end, half the "attendees" are disguised as empty seats? And the other half are rooting for the opposing team.Sounds like you may be backing off that recent 7-5 prediction just a tad.NEVER!

Against OU we missed two field goals, lost a fumbled kick off and had a punt blocked in the endzone for an OU TD. And our special teams had 2 full weeks to prepare for the game.

Here in lies the problem -- It is not that MAC football is not good. It CAN be good. It HAS been been good. BAD MAC football is not good. Good MAC football is good, exciting, capable of garnering national attention and Top 25 rankings, capable of selling-out stadiums, etc.Few people want to watch BAD MAC football. People WILL watch good MAC football.When BG is rolling, they sell out. When Toledo is rolling, they sell out. When CMU is rolling, they sell out. When a MAC program merits it, they get a Top 25 ranking. The Zips cannot control Eastern Michigan...K.e.n.t. State, etc. But they can control themselves. The Zips need to stop being a BAD MAC football team. They need to be a GOOD MAC football program.No one wants to watch Matt Rodgers lob passes into opponents arms. No one wants to watch Alex Allen over the left guard for 1 yard. No one wants to watch repeated 3-and-outs. No one wants to watch the home team get waxed 75% of the time, where JD's recent home win percentage hovers.Just because the Zips lose as they have, doesn't mean they are relegated to losing forever. Zips fans now have every possible reason to expect GOOD...even GREAT football. They are now paying top-dollar, the facilities are hands-down the best in the MAC and the University has made the $$ commitment to win.Now we need a coach that can win.Cincinnati was a sorry-ass program as recent as recently as 10 years ago. Now they're ranked above Ohio State!? If, back in 1999, someone would have suggested that Cincinnati would be ranked ahead of a 1-loss Ohio State team at mid-season they'd have been laughed out of the country! I repeat - Just because the Zips lose as they have, doesn't mean they are relegated to losing forever. What it does mean is -- someone's not doing their job. There are no longer any excuses.At halftime of the OU game, the Zips showed their "First Half Highlights" on the big screen. The first one was a Rodgers swing pass to Tuzze for no gain. That speaks volumes for where the Zips presently reside..."no gain" is a highlight. I refuse to believe that a good/great Zips football team will not sell out InfoCision with regularity. I already know that a bad Zips football program will not.It is up to Tom Winsrtcill to prove me correct.

Beating someone of significance is almost worthless. It is a nice notch in the belt, but winning championships is what counts.JD is steaming towards his 4th consecutive losing season. That is why there are no butts in the stands. It is as simple as that.Watch the basketball team this season. Now that they've actually won a championship, they will begin filling the JAR with regularity. Humpty made the "million dollar shot." If he missed, the Zips are back to the same old 3k attendance. Now there's NCAA expectations, Zeke, 20-wins, a cake-walk schedule to ensure a fast start...it all comes together this season.Look at the soccer team. Selling out matches?! Why? Because they are winning, and winning consistently over an extended time period. People want to be a part of it.Look at the Cleveland Indians - They sell out when things are rolling...and dodge the tumbleweeds blowing through Progressive Desert when they stink.Look at the Browns -- Sure they technically "sell out." But when you see them on TV at season's end, half the "attendees" are disguised as empty seats? And the other half are rooting for the opposing team.

Dead Horse will be sorely disappointed.

I will be there to watch "The Kid" get his first win.

This from a head coach? I hope this is just a poor choice of words. There are many successful people in this world who do things "beyond their years".You can read so many different things into those comments --Is JD trying to lower expectations and take the pressure off Nicely by downplaying his performance?Is JD trying to downplay the kid's performance and ability so he doesn't look so bad for not playing him sooner?I know what I saw Saturday night - "The Kid" has serious game. I look forward to 4 quarters of him vs. Buffalo.

1.) Nicely was at his senior prom after spring practice. He didn't practice with the Zips until August.2.) There are a lot of D-1 teams having terrible seasons. None has fired their coach. Mid-season firings of head coaches is simply not done in college football. Especially when the three losses (at that time) were to Penn State, Indiana and Central Michigan. And the AD was still unpacking boxes from his move into town 2 weeks earlier. The new AD's handling of the Reno Ferri situation raises concerns with me. His calculated approach to assessing the future of the Zips football program does not.Winstrcill needs to be putting out his "feelers" now. Once the season ends, then he can take action.Are you with Mike on the "Matt Rodgers is God" bandwagon too?

That is the game I think we'd lose. 5 of our next 7 games are against teams that are, or should be in ESPN's Bottom 10. If JD, after 6 seasons of building his program, can't go 6-1 against that...well...you know the rest.And yes, I do know that the Zips are strong contenders for "Bottom 10" consideration.In Nicely I trust. If he gets hurt, all bets are off.

Is there any other Division 1 school with post-game press conference notes that fit on 1/2 page?

Those of you old enough to remember may recall that on October 27, 1975, Bruce Springsteen made the covers of both Newsweek and Time. In one of the accompanying articles, Jon Landau, a critic for Rolling Stone, declared "I have seen the future of rock and roll, and his name is Bruce Springsteen."Well...I've seen the future of Zips football, and his name is Patrick Nicely.On the Zips first drive vs. OU, Rodgers looked left...LaFrance was covered...then pump-faked...still covered...pumped again...still covered...then threw the ball away. Fast forward to Nicely's first drive: He looked right...covered...looked left...covered...looked middle...then released a bullet. He stood tall in the pocket...went through his progressions and hit his receiver. I almost forgot what that looked like?Nicely was 9-of-23 for 98 yards, but the offense was night-and-day different than with Rodgers under center. It has to be heartening to the wide receivers to know that, if they are option #2 or #3, they still have a good chance of seeing the ball if they finish their routes.Rodgers is a tremendous student athlete and someone I'm very proud to have on the team. He's a gamer. But he had 2 weeks to prepare for OU, and he looked like a rookie. His passes were short, then long, then soft...everything but good.I give Shane Montgomery credit for recognizing that all Rodgers can do is run. And running him out of the shotgun until OU proved they could stop it. But Rodgers doesn't have the body of Tebow...or LeFevour...or Josh Cribbs or Julian Edelmann...it was only a matter of time until he got injured.I think it is justifiable that many on the board are bewildered that Nicely took so long to see the field. It really makes you wonder about a kid like Devoe Torrence. Is he another "player" who's talent isn't being recognized? I would LOVE to see Torrence get 20 carries. I've seen enough of Shuford and Allen to know they can't move the chains in 2009. And Tuzze isn't good for 20 carries. Hey Coach -- Pull the trigger. Start playing Devoe.Our offense scored 7 points against OU. Our soccer team scored 4 points against Western Michigan. You should be out-scoring the soccer team by more than three, Shane.OU is terrible. Their QB can't throw to save his life. Their RB's are pedestrian at best. Their defense is mediocre. Their OL is mediocre and loves to false-start. If these clowns win the MAC East they will get absolutely smoked by the winner of the West. CMU would beat them by 24.As Dr. Z correctly pointed out...it is amazing how well the offensive line looks when there's a poised QB in the pocket. Instead of worrying where Rodgers is going to scramble, or where he's going to crumple...they know where Nicely is going to be. In the pocket. If the pressure came from the back side, Nicely steps up and calmly delivered his throws. It is easy to block for him.Our defense held OU to 12 points. Sewell was a monster.After the game, the first thing that came to my mind was -- "Now I know what it feels like to be a K.e.n.t. fan." It sucks so bad to watch your team lose to a team with lesser talent, simply because you can't execute the fundamentals. Catch a pass. Punt the ball. Field a kick-off. Make a field goal. JD had 2 full weeks to get his special teams ready to play...and other than K.e.n.t. State, I've never seen a group play, across-the-board, so poorly. Every facet was pathetic. And seriously...make a decision on the kicker. Pick the one that sucks the least and go with him.JD stated the Zips would "...violently defend the home field." I think he meant "...we will violently offend in our home field." Going back to 2008, JD is now 2-6 on his home field. Shocker that over 10k seats remained empty...the Zips bandwagon is sooooo enticing. Who wouldn't want to root for a team that boasts a 0.250 home winning percentage over the past 1.5 seasons. It's a freaking party. It must be Marketing that's lacking. Yeah....that's it. I hearken back to a quote from former assistant coach, and the guy my University screwed royally, Reno Ferri when he spoke to the ZipsNation at the OBC during our recruiting preview: "Dr. Proenza doesn't want to be second in anything." JD is 2 losses away from his 4th consecutive non-winning season. The writing is on the wall.You want an prediction? Here's one for you -- the Zips will beat Buffalo this week. By double digits. Furthermore -- The addition of Patrick Nicely has so energized the team that the Zips will finish out the season 6-1 against the MAC Tripe Parade. JD will make the new AD's end-of-season decision an unexpectedly difficult one. In fact...I'll go a step further...I'll say that the AD announces JD won't be retained a week or two prior to season's end, just so he can do so while his record is still poor.OU...K.e.n.t....Miami...BG...Buffalo...they all suck. Temple is mediocre. They'll choke. The Zips will finish the season 7-5. Bet the house.

If we take Nicely off the field, I will return my season tickets.

I think it is important to note that this 17 k...and the 18k...and the 27k...were people who actually paid full price for a ticket. If you compare attendance numbers from the Rubber Bowl era, you should also compare income.17k (of which 8k really attended) at the Rubber Bowl @ $5.00 per ticket17k at InfoCision @ $20.00 per ticket.I'll take 17k, $20-paying patrons over 20k, $5 patrons any day.

So who's hurt? Rodgers and...?Bain has never played, so he doesn't count. How many WR's are hurt? Zero.How many DL's are hurt? Off the top on my head...zero? If Sewell is hurt...look at his body and tell me he is in bad condition.RB is healthy, with the exception of Allen. And blown ACL's coupled with broken hips will slow you down.This Zips team is as healthy as any team in the nation. There are so many legitimate things to complain about regarding the team...injuries? No way.

I agree...but it is tough to dedicate the time to smoking them.

If we get a top 4 seed, Northwestern better get their field ready. We might need to play there two or three times.