Captain Kangaroo

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.

He absolutely hates it. There's only FORTY THREE Ohio players on the Zips roster.

I'll re-place this post here. Seems like a more appropriate spot --The one thing that strikes me positively about our 2008 defense is its' "bend but don't break" steadiness. After playing two BCS opponents, the longest TD we've surrendered is 35 yards. The rest were under 15 yards. We get beat up...pushed around...but at least we're making tackles and making the opponent work a bit.I think that bodes well vs a team like Ball State, who thrives on the big play. The couple times Syracuse threw deep, the WR was blanketed by two Zips. If we take away BSU's deep play and make them work, Davis can, and will make mistakes. I have to believe Bryan Williams has Dante Love's picture above his locker. That should be an epic matchup.Can we get pressure on Davis? Maybe. I keep waiting for Christmas when we get our top 2 DL's back on the field. It really sucks not having Lively, Bain and, to a lesser extent, Deni Odefin anchoring our line. Sewell and Grant aren't nearly as disruptive as they could be.I also think our offense's sustained drives are helping our D stay fresh. To-date, we haven't seen the maddening 3-and-outs from last year. I hope it continues.Back in the earliest Lee Owens days we played Marshall w/Chad Pennington. Pennington/Marshall were all the hype that this 2008 BSU team is, and then some. We had a freshman DL named John Lutz that came out of nowhere and had an awesome game. He had 2 sacks, and then he hurt his neck. Unfortunately, he never played again. To beat Ball State we need some defensive "unknown" to step up and wreak some havoc. Maybe it is one of our AWOL DL's...maybe Sewell or Grant goes Virginia Tech-Jason Taylor on Davis' ass. But someone really needs to play at a higher defensive level.It should be an awesome, WAC-type shoot out Saturday afternoon. My grill is packed, the beer's awaiting the cooler and my rifle-like arm is ready to toss some balls around the Rubber Bowl lot!Go Zips!!

I always thought "The Tread Heads" would be a cool fan section to start at the Rubber Bowl.

That could very well be the case, BUT if I knew that one of my key players WAS able (not saying Ryan is) to return to action I'm not sure I would let this information out by simply putting him back on a depth chart that is accessible to the public. I have to think that his return this week is highly doubtful, but I'll wait until tomorrow when (I thought anyway) the injury report will come out. On a related note, I found a site that has injury reports for all FBS teams.Injury ReportsI had another thought earlier this week. Does anyone know if Bain has a red-shirt year left? I'd be the 1st to say how disappointing it would be to not have him be able to play at all this year, but if the season moves along and the Zips are at least playing 0.500 ball without him, maybe it'd make sense to hold him back for 2 years in the Info. Just a thought.He used his RS year last year for his transfer year.His injury must be worse that we were led to believe. I remember at one point there was talk of him playing at Wisci.Then I wonder if he'd be able to apply for a "medical hardship" which can effectively get you two red-shirt years. Maybe if the injury is well documented, he may have a good case for a 6th year of eligibility?Bain wants to play in the NFL. If he did need to sit out 2007 AND 2008, the only way I could see him playing a 6th year @ UA is if his draft stock was severely low. If he has a decent 2009, and that's asking a lot from someone who hadn't played in 2 years, I think he'd opt for the draft.BTW -- Ask Ben Mauk if 6th-year eligibility is something the NCAA freely hands out. It is pretty rare. Hopefully he starts healing soon.

What are you cooking this Saturday morning? I think we're going with the Fowl Balls theme...Swedish Meatballs made with cardinal meat...or turkey if I can't kill and pluck enough cardinals between now and Friday night.

Click for Cardinal Droppings

"The harsh reality: the Zips whipped the Orange" 'nuff said!Mmmmmmmmmmmmm...whipped orange......

The one thing that strikes me positively about our 2008 defense is its' "bend but don't break" steadiness. After playing two BCS opponents, the longest TD we've surrendered is 35 yards. The rest were under 15 yards. We get beat up...pushed around...but at least we're making tackles and making the opponent work a bit.I think that bodes well vs a team like Ball State, who thrives on the big play. The couple times Syracuse threw deep, the WR was blanketed by two Zips. If we take away BSU's deep play and make them work, Davis can, and will make mistakes. I have to believe Bryan Williams has Dante Love's picture above his locker. That should be an epic matchup.Can we get pressure on Davis? Maybe. I keep waiting for Christmas when we get our top 2 DL's back on the field. It really sucks not having Lively, Bain and, to a lesser extent, Deni Odefin anchoring our line. Sewell and Grant aren't nearly as disruptive as they could be.I also think our offense's sustained drives are helping our D stay fresh. To-date, we haven't seen the maddening 3-and-outs from last year. I hope it continues. Back in the earliest Lee Owens days we played Marshall w/Chad Pennington. Pennington/Marshall were all the hype that this 2008 BSU team is, and then some. We had a freshman DL named John Lutz that came out of nowhere and had an awesome game. He had 2 sacks, and then he hurt his neck. Unfortunately, he never played again. To beat Ball State we need some defensive "unknown" to step up and wreak some havoc. Maybe it is one of our AWOL DL's...maybe Sewell or Grant goes Virginia Tech-Jason Taylor on Davis' ass. But someone really needs to play at a higher defensive level.It should be an awesome, WAC-type shoot out Saturday afternoon. My grill is packed, the beer's awaiting the cooler and my rifle-like arm is ready to toss some balls around the Rubber Bowl lot!Go Zips!!