Captain Kangaroo

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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?

MAC "Power Rankings"

From another thread, but I stand by it:And against Army, you can "manage the game" and win. Against Cincinnati, if Jacq "manages the game," we'll lose. He needs to make plays. Otherwise, it is Ball State Part 2.The big plays are there to be made. Jones and Bowser will be open. Jacq can't miss. If Jacq is a step slow, you'll see a lot of tipped INT's. He is also at his worst when scrambling. The OL needs to continue it's solid play. Once Jacq is flushed from the pocket, INT's and fumbles are inevitable.When we played at Cinci 2 years ago Getsy had two 1st quarter TD strikes to Harvey...then I don't think we gained a combined 25 yards for the next 3 quarters! The staff needs to figure out a way to move the ball for 4 complete quarters.The defense needs to improve from it's bend-but-don't break scheme, to one that starts wreaking a little havoc. We need turnovers. The defensive staff now has 4 game tapes to review and see who can make plays. They need to play the best guys. Not the oldest.

John McKay, here are a few othersGood stuff. Here is another you will appreciate. Chuck Noll was asked during his first year with the Steelers what he thought of his players and he said something like...."The bad news is we are not very good. The good news is half of these guys won't be here next year."Here's one from The Simpsons:Homer changed his name to Max Power (got the idea from a blow dryer).Homer: "There are three ways to do things...the right way...the wrong way...and the Max Power way."Lisa: "Isn't the Max Power way the same as the wrong way?"Homer: "Yes, but faster!"I think of that one every time Rogovic line-drives a kickoff. Same result as Igor, but faster.

It is a fine line to walk between letting the starter know that if he screws up repeatedly, there's someone waiting to take his spot. And...ruining his confidence by having him look over his shoulder every time he makes a mistake (insert the second Dan Hipsher reference of the thread here).I just want to win. And against Army, you can "manage the game" and win. Against Cincinnati, if Jacq "manages the game," we'll lose. He needs to make plays. Otherwise, it is Ball State Part 2.The big plays are there to be made. Jones and Bowser will be open. And Jacq can wreak serious havoc if he consistently hits them in the numbers.

1.) Beautiful day for a game. The endzone seats were in the shade...about 70 degrees and shady the entire game. Perfect.2.) Beautiful campus and tailgate area. After sifting through a bunch of misinformation from a local policeman the evening prior, I called the Army ticket office and got the lowdown on the best tailgate lot. It was a great place down in the valley alongside the Hudson. Absolutely perfect. The only downside to the area...like all West Point parking areas...was the fact you needed bussed to the stadium. There was no parking within a mile of the place. 3.) Met some great people in the tailgate lot. Met a few Zips fans after the game, but only one prior. He was living in New York, but attended UA about 10 years ago. Also ran into SoFlaZip in the 4th quarter. Always a treat!4.) I thought Jack had his second consecutive poor outing. His stats didn't look terrible, but he should have had double whatever he ended up with. 5.) Poindexter and Bruce do not appear to need flu shots this fall since they can't catch anything. I want to see more Al Owen next week!6.) Another good outing by the OL. 7.) We've returned to the * Set up* Pause* Look to the sidelines* Reset* Snap the ball I HATE that. And, it wasn't effective. 8.) I would like to see Matt Rogers get a series or two. I don't know if he's any good, but I do know our receivers and OL are. If he's at all capable, he should be able to move the ball.9.) Second week in a row Jack put the ball on the turf while scrambling. 10.) Four DL's for most of the game??!! Holy hell!! The results were mixed, but I am ecstatic to finally see some flexibility. 11.) Waller and Byrd got time at DB, and Waller made a nice break for his INT. 12.) Aaron Williams made a great TFL slicing through the Army OL during the second half. He looks like a playmaker. I want to see more of him.13.) Igor pouting since he was removed from kickoff duties? He seemed to right the ship, so hopefully it was just a hiccup.14.) Stec was bad yet again. I don't care what his average was...his punts were lousy. BTW - With a limited 65 person travel roster, why do we bring two kickers and two punters? 15.) We did miss Alex Allen in the red zone. He would have dominated Saturday. But Johnson and Kennedy should be good enough. Tuzze reeled off some good chunks of yardage late in the game too.16.) We need to score 42 points to beat Cincinnati. That means we need an almost-flawless offensive performance. We need to be the aggressor offensively. Defensively -- Stay in the 4-man front and hope for the best. If we play solid football, we can beat just about anyone on our schedule. I couldn't say that last season. Let's see if the players and staff can put together a solid game plan and execute it vs. Cinci.

Try walmart, Kohls, steve & barry's, the University Book Stores. It's not as hard to find now-a-days. So sorry they have no excuse.Call me crazy, but shouldn't a University employee walk across the street the OBC and say "How many shirts do you need, and what size?" Then, about 25 minutes later, walk in and say "Here are "X" shirts, free of charge. All we ask is that you wear them on game day. Thanks for your support."Then walk out the door, into the sunset.

Arrived at about 3:30pm. We're about 10 miles outside of West Point. We tried to check out the stadium, but unless it is gameday, you apparently can't enter campus? Also, it seems like the close, primo lots are all reserved? We located a lot about 1 mile away. I guess the shuttle you to the stadium?Different environment than a traditional campus, that's for sure.Bought some Ommegang Abbey Ale and Blue Point Toasted Lager for the tailgate...but who knows what the tailgate will entail? Flying pretty blind on this roadie, that's for sure.BTW - Guy at the beer store recognized my Akron shirt and reeled off Vic Green, Jason Taylor, Hixson and Blackburn's names. Seems like the Zips are more well known in Eastern NY than I'd have expected?

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.