Captain Kangaroo

Lol, I love the Tarver reference.Can ZipWatcher get "Go Tarver" T-shirts printed before the next home game? I'm in for THU-REEEEEEEEEEEE!!

If that were the case, we would have been playing 2 on 5 last night ...On second thought .. maybe we were. If you give up 80+ at home .. you're not guarding anybodyNo one shoots 65% in a game unless:a.) They flat-out over match the opponent (like when my intramural team got waxed by BUS FREE AFRIKA back in 1988)b.) They have confidence out the ying yangNIU didn't over match us. They're a bottom-feeder MAC program. They were supremely confident, because they knew they could get their shot off. It is SO much easier to shoot if you know no one's going to bother you.I agree with ZW - KD needs to figure out another way to win. Winning with defense isn't going to happen...these guys simply aren't good defensive players right now. And I don't think that's going to change over the next couple months. It'll take the whole summer.When Pitino got replaced by O'Brien a few years back, the Celtics progressively started playing better defense. A reporter asked Paul Pierce "What gives?" Pierce replied - "When Pitino was here, he yelled at us 'PLAY DEFENSE!'. When O'Brien got here, he TAUGHT us how to play defense."KD has some teaching to do with the youngsters. Until the "D" starts clicking, I'm inclined to let the McKnights "go Tarver" and take our chances until Wood returns.

Our 22 game home win streak got snapped by a team that was 0-10 on the road. Said team shot 65% against the Zips. To quote Luis Proenza: "Wow..."

Screw that -- Do whatever it takes to win THIS season! The MAC East is still there for the taking, and it would be a disservice to the seniors to put this team in a "rebuilding" mode, even for one game.No - You don't run Dials and Middleton into the ground. But you don't stick Bardo out for 30 minutes just for the sake of giving him "experience" either.Like Dambrot alluded to in the post-game Saturday:Bubba left, and Middleton stepped up his gameWood got hurt, and Travis stepped up his gameWood is out, and C McKnight seems to be stepping up his gameThis is an opportunity for a youngster to seize. We need someone to step up and be an impact player for the rest of the season. Regardless of how the season plays out, we will not go into The Q with a bullseye on our back this season. It'll be fun to be the underdog for the first time in a while.

CJ7 is no longer a Zip. But I do agree...I don't see him improving, regardless of where he ends up. If it does, we are in a world of hurt. No one is banking on them. That's why we signed the JUCO guys. They are the key to the WR position this year. That, and a QB that can get them the ball.

I've heard similar rumbling. I think it would be awesome.From what I've heard, he has a legit shot in the NFL as a DB. But probably not as an RB. It would also allow us to put our best 22 players on the field, instead of sitting Allen or Johnson.

He was ineligible in the fall, so like any fall non-qualifier, he would not be eligible in the spring. Assuming a minor miracle, you could see him in summer camp.

Since you bring up the topic of scheduling...I hear rumors that the Florida State Seminoles could end up on the Zips 2009 schedule (away). That would be a sweet road trip. Regarding getting upper-tir B11 teams @ home...forget it. It ain't happening. Michigan can get 110,000 paying customers to see them play 1-AA schools. UA would need to charge $2,000.00 per ticket to get anywhere near close to the $$ required to get OSU or Michigan to come to our 30,000 seat stadium.Like other MAC schools, we need to get the Syracuse's...Rutgers'...Purdue's...Iowa State's...Cincinnati's..Minnesota's...teams of that ilk to make an attractive non-conference schedule. Or, we waste our brand new stadium and play a neutral-field game in Cleveland againsts a top-tier school. I want to tailgate in Akron and watch games in Akron once the stadium is built. Why spend 55 million dollars, then play games in Cleveland's stadium? Why screw the local merchants who invested in business around the new stadium by giving Cleveland our $$.As far as innovative ideas to grow the fan base - Play better, win games and do so for an extended period of time. That will draw fans. I think the Zips' 2009 team will be excellent...we'll have the new stadium to showcase them...and the bandwagon will spontaneously erupt, much like the Motor City Bowl's "instant" Zips following. And for once, I think people will pay for their tickets and we may actually start crawiling out from the red.

I saw Larry Dawson didn't catch on anywhere either.

Harvey is in school this semester. That's all I know.

I wouldn't sell Alex Allen short. In my book, Williams is #1, Allen is "#1a" and anyone else has a lot of proving to do to beat those guys out for playing time.

So much for waiting 2 days for gozips.com... Thanks, Cap.Two days was generous. I'd have guessed a week!

Click for List

Which (below) is OSU's Kosta Koufos?Answer - Both. Picture #2 was taken during Koufos' post-game interview.

I think the soccer, softball and rifle squads would beg to differ on the "everything" generalization. Regarding everything else - I think if UA had OSU's budget and corporate sponsors, you'd see a slightly different level of marketing that what's presently on the street.

Add Fleming, Straight and Colosimo to the list!

Thusfar, as of 8:17am, I can confirm Shuford, James Harvey, Nate Schuler, Manley Waller, Ryan Ladrach and Joe Pachuta has submitted their paperwork, and are "officially" Zips!If I hear more, I'll be sure to post it.

He was listed as a soft commit on scout.com.Do we get Marquis Avery now?I doubt Avery is an option. I also wonder if the Gardner info is true. It is crunch time, so I'm not going to bug anyone for "scoop" info. The next 18 hours or so will be pretty frenetic.

Scout.com "announces" 2-week old news. And people pay for it? I gotta get in on that scam.... Can't wait for Jarvis Givins' name to roll off the fax machine tomorrow...per Scout.com

CK, you got inside dirt on that start time?Everything seems to point to an 11am ESPN2 game. But, that's just my guess.

Thanks for checking in. The game will definitely be a good one. The game is important to us on several levels. VCU is a much better opponent than our Austin Peay draw of two years ago. The Zips struggle to get quality mid-majors on the schedule, so drawing a respected team like VCU is great for 2008, but maybe even better for 2009. Ditto VCU gets an opportunity to match up with one of the quality programs in the midwest.Our post season tourney credentials aren't quite VCU's, but when teams bank in 40 footers to beat you in the tourney finals...and the NIT snubs you after 26 wins...it is tough to build much of a resume'. Such is life in a 1-bid conference. Prior to this coach, we had two really bad ones...for 9 years each...thus our lack of much semi-recent tourney history from 1990-2003. I look forward to seeing VCU in person. I saw the George Mason game a little over a week ago, and GM took it to you guys in the end. They reminded me a lot of Ohio U with their size, so the OU/GM matchup will be great to watch afterwards.I'd offer to buy GM fans a beer before the game, but 11am starts kinds put a damper on it. Maybe BW-3's afterwards?

Checking in on the 2008 class, it appears nothing has changed. You never know until the signatures come off the fax machine, but right now what you see is what we'll get. No new commits or de-commits as of 12:30pm today.Minor notes:Barring a major development, we're out of the Marquis Avery sweepstakes.No...I repeat NO...public press conference is being held to announce the 2008 class. I am checking into attending the media press conference.Wisconsin is pretty much off the Zips 2008 schedule.Wish I had more...

That's how we roll. Jorts make it look like a tailgate for a country music concert.Your jealousy is so transparent.

We're excited to have you Joe! Enjoy tomorrow...getting a D1 football scholarship is an awesome accomplishment!

I promise to focus on the upcoming WMU game, but since the topic is hot:Click for Pick