Captain Kangaroo

Thanks!And you're right...3rd and 5 and the receivers are covered downfield, seems like Jacq defaults to risky/bad passes rather than running up the wide-open middle and moving the chains. Hope he continues to learn and improve.

Improvement? Hell, they've "built a program!"Funny when JD wins 4 or 5 games they call for his head. An opponent wins 4, and "they've built a program." Sub-.500 forever...no championships forever...these guys are true program-builders.

They haven't won squat either. What were Temple and Buffalo's records last year? The year before?

I'm guessing we'll have a 15-20 person tailgate. This is your last chance to PM me if you want to join "Zips City" on the bank of the beautiful Hudson River!

I've said this many times...I will say it again...Winning at UA is not easy. If it were, Faust would have won something in his 9 years. Owens would have won something in his 9 years. But they didn't.JD came into the UA job with a different approach. He wanted big, strong, BCS-level athletes. He forgot one thing...they needed to pass classes to see the field. That miscalculation was his fault. But it was also the University's fault. The academic support at UA was terrible 3-4 years ago. At BCS schools, student athletes who struggle with the books get such a helping hand it is ridiculous. At UA, these kids were on their own. Nice combination...at-risk kid + no support. Here is where Mack Rhoades needs to earn his paycheck --JD changed his recruiting strategy. You can see it already. The 2007 class is 95% in-tact. The 2008 class is on the roster, as it was in February (LOI day). That's in stark contrast to 2005 and 2006.Mack needs to sift through the effects of JD's early decisions + the University's athletic & academic support effects, and take a hard look at the direction of the program TODAY. Are the kids that are here NOW, on-track? Are the kids that are here NOW solid D-1 athletes? In my opinion, you get a mulligan or two at UA that you wouldn't get at BCS schools. At Alabama, Notre Dame, Florida...those schools are "machines," where tradition, history, support, income...all that is stacked to the ceiling when you step in the door. If you can't win in 4-5 years, you're gone. It's on the coach. 100%. At UA, you gotta figure out a situation that BCS coaches would NEVER need to deal with. A situation that the last two coaches couldn't figure out in 9 years (each). It ain't easy.I give JD until the end of 2008 to see how things play out. That's a full 5 seasons to gauge the program's direction (not the 2008 record, the program's direction). And unless there's a train wreck of a 2008, with 4-or-less wins and a loss to pathetic K.e.n.t, I'm guessing Mack give JD a short extension. In such a scenario, he should. But it should be made clear -- JD's has used his mulligans. It is time to show clear progress.I think JD's figured things out. Unfortunately, there's no single player or recruiting class that can change a program's fortunes overnight. It takes time @ UA. More than 5 years...but not 9.

Akron 48Army 20This should be the one game our defense can hold a team below 28 points.

We all know you hate JD. Give it a rest.

For the last time...F-O-R-G-E-T about Bain! Maybe by some miracle he finishes the season, but asking about him this week or next week...or the week after is a waste of your time. He's O-U-T. Ryan Bain...the DaVon Moore of 2008.

I voted "better." The difference in offense between now, and last season is unreal. OL is solid. We have three solid WR's for the first time since Sparks, Irvin and Cherry. RB is 3-deep. Jacq has exceeded expectations. Hell...go back two years...our offense was basically Getsy-to-Harvey. We had no running game of note, and if opponents took Harvey away, they shut us down.Defense is below expectations. Is it because of the 3-3-5? Or because four DL's who should be in our 6-man 2-deep have a combined one game played (Bain - 0, Lively - 0, Odefin - 0, Stewart - 1). How would Lee Owens swiss cheese defenses have fared if he lost Gargaz, Shultz, Hayes and Lefall simultaneously? Consider that horror story for a few minutes.If SOMEHOW we can find a way to stop the run and get even a little pressure on the opposing QB, this team will win 7 games. Oh yeah...CJ11 needs to play within himself too. When he tries to do too much, it kills our offense. And we need to score 28/game if we're to overcome our defensive deficiencies.

I will be there. PM me if you'd like to exchange cell numbers. I know of a few other Zips fans attending, so we could have a decent tailgate party Saturday morning?Hopefully some other fans and player parents join us. If you'll be there and want to join the Zips party, please PM me and I'll organize it. I know a lot of parents check out the board, but elect not to post. Take 30 seconds to sign up on ZipsNation. PM me if you want to hook-up. You never need to post, and there's no "catch." No spam emails. No nuthin'. Just a quality tailgate party this coming Saturday.

I expect "instant." Unless the University does something so profoundly stupid that it defies logic...like outlawing tailgating w/alcohol and arresting those customers who aren't eating University supplied cookies and milk...the new stadium will be a monster hit in year #1. The University has one chance to make a 1st impression with the Akron public and students in 2009. DON'T BLOW IT!!"Lasting?" That will take effort. At least to consistently be at 20k+. A real, butts-in-the-seats 20k too, not the fabricated numbers we see in the paper all the time.If we have sub-.500 teams, attendance will struggle after about 2 seasons. That's not unique to Akron, that's a universal constant. It is imperative we are competitive if we want to pay off those stadium bonds.

Click for Black Knight Banter

One thing I forgot to mention -- I saw that K.e.n.t. had to resort to fake FG's to beat lower 1-AA Delaware State. That's terrible. Lee Owens used to pull the same stunts, but only after we were up 41-14. He didn't need to do it to win the game.

Column The column lists our attendance @ 16,000 for the past two seasons. If we have a brand-spanking new $60 million dollar stadium...have our home opener vs. Indiana, + home vs. K.e.n.t, both of which will be GUARANTEED 30,000 SRO...there's no way on God's green earth we should average 20,000!! Only 4k more than at the Rubber Bowl!!?? That's lower than the most low-aiming expectation I could have expected to see in my worst nightmare.I expect 25k. Anything less is unacceptable.

From above:

Always great to read a Zipboy overview!My overview...and I have 10 minutes to type so forgive the errors...The low attendance was to be expected. What a freaking miserable morning/early afternoon. At least it was warm. If you expected more fans...based upon the torrential downpours and the mass of orange and red on the radar, well... you just aren't realistic (how's that for being politically correct?).This Davis is good, he'll play in the NFL, and he and Love are a great combo...but I'd take his brother Jose' w/Eugene Baker any day. Jacq's performance brought back memories of his bad decision-making of 2007. But, only sporadically. He had to play a near-perfect game to outscore Davis & Co. and he didn't do it. But the drops and tipped INT's were as much the WR's fault as they were his. The passes were typically errant...a little high, a little behind...but the WR's still had their hands on the ball. Bruce, Miller, Poindexter...the all dropped very important balls that could have put points on the board and sustained drives.Ball State was a lot like us...good offense and poor defense. The difference was -- They took advantage of mistakes and had playmakers. The Zips never had someone step up and make a big, game changing play on either side of the ball. At lease positive, game-changing plays.Ball State circa 2007 is where we are now. They have a swagger, experience and confidence that comes from having a bowl team in 2007. If we can somehow get a manageable semblance of a defense this year, a bowl remains a distinct possibility. Can Fleming do that? Because I'm a fan, I'll remain hopeful. BTW - I overheard that Bain is done for 2008. Unofficial, but from a pretty reliable source.If Alex Allen plays this week @ Army, I give him my "Paul Pierce Award."Please tell me this is the last I've seen of Branko Rogovic.Stec was terrible. In a game where we really needed to pin BSU deep...and had ample opportunities...he was shanking balls and kickin 'em into the endzone. We really wasted some great kickoff returns.Bowser continues to shine. Man, he has some hands.If I'm Army...and the Zips are at my 20 yard line, I'm watching Andre Jones in the right corner of the endzone. And sending a safety to help my CB. That's 2 games in a row Jacq has put that one on the money. Pretty play.The OL did a really nice job again.Teams rarely stay the same during a season. They either get better or regress. I think this Zips team has a ton of upside. And I agree with Zipboy that the body language on the sidelines is worlds better than the past few years. It is very positive. This sounds like a stupid point, but in the past few years you really wondered if half the team cared whether it won or lost.Can we try a few of our reserve OL's at DL?I hope Gary Pride gets some snaps this week. If Alex is out, he should.I predict Bruce gets a 50+ yard TD reception this week.I'll be at West Point. Not the market, the city.

Another Orange Squeezing

That's an absolute classic. What was Owens record in his 8th year at UA? I forget. Can someone help me here?

I just landed a sweet salmon off the back of my truck. He hit on a hula popper, if you can believe it? As soon as the water recedes he's goin' on the grill!

How about a couple?Reid Scheidt and Joe BuckinghamGoldie Hawn and Kurt Russell?

Look out the window. There will be PLENTY of cheap/free tickets available in the parking lot. Even if the weather clears, I would be shocked if you had to shell out a dime for GA tickets.

There is only one real tailgate lot at The Rubber Bowl -- The parking area adjacent to the airport runway. Below is a crappy, but usable map. Tailgating is in the "General Parking" area. The closer you get to the area marked "Tailgate Area," close to the stadium, the better. But be aware that "tailgate area" is a paved lot reserved for donors and is off-limits to the general public. It is usually empty until 2 minutes before kick off too.Directions? Take I-77 south to the 224 exit. Drive about 1-mile (on Rt 224) until you hit a stop light. Go left at the light.About 300 feet up the road you can take a left. Do it. You'll shortly end up facing the massive air dock. Go right (Derby Downs?), down the hill and you're "there." Get there early if you want a good tailgate spot!Bars? There's a BW-3's on campus (keep in mind the Rubber Bowl is 7 miles off campus, and there are no real bars nearby). After that, there are several decent bars downtown. Ohio Brewing Co. and The Barley House are decent places and seem to support the Zips. Both are a stone's throw from Canal Park, on Main Street.

Better?

I wonder what Delone Carter is thinking of his decision to go "big time," out-of-state rather than attend UA?

I may be wrong, but I think that those $17 jerseys are the old white jerseys left over from the Lee Owens era - when they still used yellow instead of gold. If not, please correct me because I'd buy a $17 blue & GOLD jersey, but not a blue & yellow one.You can always call and ask?Also - For the past several years there has been a table set up prior to the home opener that sells old game jersey's and other discontinued apparel pretty cheap. Last year it was up by the beer garden.