Captain Kangaroo

"it's the Cincinnati coaches and players....who flat-out got matched, blow for blow, from an inferior opponent." I don't buy into the "Cincinnati is superior" and "Zips are inferior" adjectives. There are much more appropriate ones to be used.Cincinnati got the best of us on a late-game field goal. I don't feel all that inferior.

Seems like there are two threads ongoing...one "Akron Sucks" and one "Great Effort." I'll place mine under "Great Effort."Here's my weekly objective-as-possible, "16 Thoughts on the Gameday" --Inside the 5 yard line:1.) The missed extra point wasn't Igor's fault. There was a jailbreak up the middle due to a gaping hole in our OL the likes of which hasn't been seen since Moses. 2.) Prior to our TD to Bowser, we had a 12 man in the huddle penalty??!! When we were on the 1 yard line?!! 3.) Poindexter plows into the UC punter in the back of the endzone??!! He's a Team Captain, right?4.) We had a 4th and 1 on the 5 yard line, and come away with zero points? 5.) Did running the QB up the middle when we went for the 2pt conversion make any sense? Jacq can get 1 yard up the middle. But 2 1/2 yards, with his slow feet, it ain't gonna happen.Once we get inside the 5 yard line, we turn into Larry, Moe and Curly. Whether it is special teams or offense, we show little or no poise.6.) As Z.I.P. stated, Jacq is a solid passer...up to, MAYBE, 20 yards. After that, he's really random. WHY OH WHY, on 4th and 1 and 3rd and 1 do you make Jacq throw the ball 30 yards downfield??!! Such a play has a 1-in-8 chance of succeeding. At best. Plunge Jacq up the middle and you have a 4-out-of-5 chance for success.7.) After the bogus grounding call, the interception by Jacq was tragically comical. All that was missing was a slide whistle sound effect as the ball floated up, then down into the Cinci defender's hands. He had his chance to create a Frye-to-Montgomery Moment...and instead left us with UC student chants of "This is our house" and the ever-popular "Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey, good bye." Sucks to hear that in the Rubber Bowl.8.) Igor's missed field goal...officially becoming a trend...was crippling. I had a 1981 Chevy Citation. You never knew when you turned the key what would happen. Sometimes it would smoke...sometimes it would start...sometimes it would squeal. When JD sends Igor in, he has to feel the same uncertainty. I often wondered why Branko Rogovic was on our roster. Now I know.That was 8 bad things...now the 8 good things.9.) When Jacq isn't tossing his rally-killing 30+ yard bombs, he's a very efficient QB. Overall, I thought he played a very nice game.10.) The defensive performance was as good as I've seen against a major opponent since we beat Marshall 34-20 several years ago. Pass rush was good, LB's were flying around and DB's were in position to make plays. We forced numerous punts. My hat is off to them.11.) Take away Zach Anderson's two personal fouls and the OL played OUTSTANDING! AGAIN. We've played some excellent competition to-date, and the OL had performed admirably in every game.12.) Nice crowd. Great tailgate lot atmosphere. 13.) Poindexter caught a very difficult pass. I guess that was a positive.14.) Bowser atoned for his early drops with some nice plays. That TD catch was awesome.15.) Kevin Grant may have had his best game as a Zip.16.) UC's coach Kelly has a ridiculous recruiting advantage over JD. I'm sure his 2009 recruiting class will be ranked somewhere in the top 40 nationally. He's coming off a 10-win season and a high-visibility bowl game. He needed a late-game field goal to beat us. The Zips played the Bearcats even...but their kicker sacked-up, and ours folded. That was the difference after 60 minutes. As baffling as some of our short-yardage play-calling was...I saw the same calls coming in from the UC press box. The Zips were ready to play, and, overall, executed very well. I watched a good college football game yesterday. We lost, but it was a compelling and entertaining game.Based upon what I've seen from the 2008 Zips, we are firmly in the hunt for a MAC East Championship. None of the remaining teams on our schedule scare me if we play as we did yesterday. K.e.n.t. is next. They stink. There's no way this Zips team should lose to K.e.n.t. Prove me right, JD.Oh, and Bates...get those freaking snaps down!!!

Just so it is clear --1.) #3 for Akron is Dennis Kennedy. #3 is not a defensive lineman. He is a running back. 2.) Quarterbacks are allowed to throw balls to running backs, receivers and tight ends while in the pocket. If you notice, such instances happen...oh, I dunno...maybe 60-80 times per game?If any UC fans aren't clear on this NCAA football rule, a rule which applies to pretty much all levels of HS, College and Pro football, them please send them the link to my description. UC fans seem to like links.

Bearcat is the one on the right.

Click here for directions and a crappy mapThis lot gets rocking pretty good. The area along the fence fills up first. Grills and beer are welcome and encouraged.One note: Our students are notorious for stealing anything you leave out during the game. It is embarrassing as hell, but year in year out for over a decade stuff gets stolen. Pack up your grills and tents prior to kickoff. Also - remove any team flags from your windows. Kids LOVE to snap those off. If you pack all your stuff away during the game, you're fine. Post game tailgating usually ensues for a couple hours if you're into that.

Pike - Lurch

And the other ten were the result of "phantom" holding calls, I assume? Instead of giving up twenty, you ACTUALLY shut them out? A few other bogus calls really hurt the Bearcats on offense too. The score SHOULD have been 72-0.

If he can do it...good for him.

Just because A beat B and B beat C doesn't mean that A will beat C. Football is a game of emotions and coaching....and matchups, and schemes, and playcalling, and gameday dynamics.......and tailgating.

We've used our TE plenty this year. His catch total is low because he drops 50% of whatever hits his hands.

He's not. Move on. Questions about Bain in 2008 are as useful as one's regarding David Harvey.Barring a miracle, forget about Bain in 2008.

If sorry-a$$ Miami scored 20 on them, and Oklahoma rolled up 56...I'm pretty confident we can break the 20-point "barrier."

Jacob Flint - John Mackey?Mark Spieler - PopeyeJesse Minter - Groucho MarxKeith Gilmore - Harris from Barney Miller

Why would he want to do it (6 years)? I wonder if he will even want to play again and risk further injury. Two "out on a stretcher, 12 month rehab" injuries within 3 years would really make me consider finishing my degree and coaching some high school ball. The prospect of walking without a cane at 55 years old is a great incentive to say "I gave it a good run" and move on.

Mardy Gilyard & Lil Jon

Read for RedZone Statistics

Michael Cook and Gary Busey?

Yes YesWisconsin or Ken.tucky had to go. Wisconsin increased their payout so we went to Madison and stiffed the Wildcats.

Cats bring 8k, we get 21k total. Take it to the bank.

Jabari Practice #1

Didn't the leg-weary Iowa kicker miss a PAT? I could have sworn it was only 34-0?

Had Ommegang Abbey Ale the night prior to the game. Any Belgian from Ommegang is a "must drink!" For the tailgate, I found Blue Point Toasted Lager. It was really nice...big flavor for a lighter lager. Great for tailgating. I'm guessing it is Blue Point's "Dortmunder" equivalent (micro brew for the masses).Ommegang can be found about anywhere in Ohio. I don't think you'll find the toasted lager anywhere close by. If you're in eastern NY/Pa, I'd recommend checking it out.

This picture doesn't do justice to how beautiful the area is. The tailgate lot was alongside the river on the left, where the river begins to turn.Here's the mini tailgate. The guy shown (NOT me) must have got a good deal on an old Ron "Two Heisman" Powlus jersey?This is a ground-level view of the Hudson river as we walked towards the shuttle bus.They had these "Trojan Horse" looking things in the lot that my son loved throwing a football through. For being the worst team in Division 1 football, they got a decent crowd.Of course, even in West Point, there are those too cheap to pay for a ticket.Bobby Knight was inducted into the Army Sports Hall of Fame? After Army's performance, had he been the football coach Saturday, I can only imagine the post game press conference. Zips set to punch one in -Great day. If the Zips ever return, I'm there!

195 lb safetys and 215lb linebackers. Give me a 4th guy at 6'4", 260 any day. Especially against Cincinnati's OL.

Like Delone Carter?