Captain Kangaroo

WMU was 1-10 two years ago and finished a strong 8-4 this season. K.e.n.t was 1-10 last season and won 6 games this year. While winning helps, it seems getting decent players has more to do with coaches selling the program/school, coaches building relationships and facilities than it does having recent success. Beyond that...I think 2006 was our first sub-.500 season in 4 years? This season was a downer, but our program is hardly in the "bottom-feeder" catagory.

As a homebrewer and potty humor aficionado, I gotta hand it to you. That's great!

K.e.n.t has Dicks Stadium. I think that cost John Holmes about $50.00 back in 1973?

Rumor has it rights to The Roo Zoo were sold. The student section will now be known as "The Odd Corner."

Unless the Heisman estate forks over several million dollars towards the facility...I would opt for a corporate name. Summa...First Energy...Jason Taylor/Charlie Frye Field...whomever shells out the most $$.

It should. If it doesn't, someone needs to (again) be fired. It will be because they didn't put forth any effort. Nevada may be Top 10 when that game rolls around.

My guess - The cracker-box JAR will sell out several times this season regardles of spending $$ on billboards. Why spend the cash for Marketing if people are going to come anyhow? The Zips aren't exactly swimming in money, so I think they need to be selective where it is spent.I do think there should be billboards arounf town to raise public awareness of the program regardless, but that's just my opinion. I don't think there is any fear that the basketball team won't meet expectations. If someone is afraid of that, they should be fired.

Aaron Williams is a big time difference maker. We have our share of Penn Hills ties with David Harvey and PH grad Coach Moorhead. I hope we win this one. We need a back like him in the worst way.

This is what happens when you recruit the caliber of student athlete that JD is recruiting. Big schools are trying to steal our recruits. That tells you something.

I agree. NIU will have their hands full with TCU, and the others should equate to 3 MAC bowl wins. All four teams will represent the MAC well.

What did I miss with Kemme this season? For as much grief as Crouch got all season, I didn't think Kemme or Donaldson were that much better.

I disagree. We need a coach that can win. Period. If he's winning, and another school covets him, good for him. We should have an AD in place who can select another great coach.

My home internet has been down for a week. Here are my thoughts regarding the final game. * Beautiful night for a football game...wish I saw one.* Our offense was absolutely pathetic. It was the worst offensive line performance I have seen at the Rubber Bowl in 20 years. Worse than Army. Say what you want regarding Luke's mobility...and you are probably correct...but no QB on the face of the earth would have had a snowball's chance in hell behind that line last Friday. WMU has a good defense...we made them look like OSU. How an offensive line consisting of 80% seniors...mostly 5th year seniors, could be so thoroughly dominated on senior day...at home...just makes me shake my head...Why?* When we were inside the 10 yard line...how predictable was it: A sack, followed by a Crouch holding penalty...followed by a missed FG. That's how we roll, I guess...* WMU's defensive complexity dwarfed our 3-3-5. You never knew where the WMU defenders were coming from. That said...our defense played a solid game. We still couldn't get pressure on the QB to save our lives...but played well enough to win if the O could have helped.* For all his competitive fire, for all his size (he dwarfs any MAC DB) Jabari still plays like a converted QB. He still has his head on a swivel awaiting a DB's hit. His fumble was a killer.* If Dennis Kennedy gets 90% of the RB carries next season, we are in a heap of trouble. In my perfect world he's a Marcus Allen or Moe Williams...someone that is primarily reserved for redzone situations. He can't carry the load for a full season. He was manhandled by the WMU defense. Yes the OL's invisibility had a lot to do with it, but he had ample opportunities to break a tackle...throw a stiff arm...spin...twist...fight...and he just goes down like a house of cards if someone sneezes on his shoelace.* John Mackey played his usual hard hitting game.* Our FG kicking was again atrocious. The call to use Domonokos on those two long FG's was correct...McClain would have been short on either of them. But Domonokos' fungoes were awful.* WMU is a solid team. Unlike the Zips, they beat an ACC team (Virginia) and didn't blow out their shoulders by patting themselves on the back afterwards. They scored a TD to go 26-28 on Florida State last week...only to have it called back on a phantom penalty. Funny how local scribes bemoaned the fact that the Zips played "big boys" and would get beaten up, while WMU plays an ACC school at year's end...narrowly loses to them...them follows it up with a 17-0 shut out of the defending MAC champs, on the road, the following week. Some teams "sack up" and other don't.* WMU will represent the MAC well in a Bowl this year. Had the Zips somehow eeeked into a Bowl, as a MAC fan I shudder to think how things would have panned-out.* BTW...WMU was 1-10 only two years ago.* In 20 years of attending Zips games, I can't remember a game I left early. I had to leave the WMU game with about 4 minutes left. It was too much to bear.* What a different feeling than last season. I can just hear Chris Berman: "Your soccer team didn't make the NCAA tourney...your senior-laden football team underachieved, going 5-7...Yes, It's a shitty time to be a Zips fan."I'll save any other comments for a season wrap-up column.

You're the man Balki...I second that. This chant is horrible, it is not even a chant... it is a commercial for something maybe. It must be the chant that replaces the old "Give....me...an...."A"....Give...me...a..."K"...Give...me...an..."R"...etc. cheer that that AC Slater look-alike rocked the JAR with early last season?

I saw enough of Paul Winters during Lee Owens' tenure. His offense put up points fine...until the game was on the line. There were countless games under his watch that required only a simple first down to "ice"...and Paul choked. Putting up 65 on Howard is great...but what matters is when you need a 1st down to ice a game against Marshall or UConn...or a TD vs. Wisconsin...that you can come up with something to get the job done. Winters NEVER came up with that play.If Paul Winters were selected as the next Akron football coach out of all the available candidates in North America, that would be the sign of a really stupid, lazy AD.K.e.n.t can have him after Martin shoots himself in the head.

Kemme in, Alleman not. Figure that one out.

Hopefully it is in response to some hot leads on OL and DL prospects. Several of them.

I truely believe that is true. But. I also believe in:AndUC's going to lose a successful coach (by UC standards this was a successful season) and fill the void with a 5-7 coach form Akron? I'm sure that will happen. UC trustees will sign off on that one without hesitation.

After all these years, zff's identity is revealed. Welcome to the board, Elton Alexander.

I have my own thoughts on this, but I'll save them for some ridiculousy lengthy post in a week or two. Click Me for ColumnAnd someone called him a "Polyanna?"

Just so you know the game has been changed to 3:30 PM to accomodate ESPN U. As of today...Wednesday...it seems many of the "hardcore" fans still are unaware of the Friday time change. I wonder how many people are going to show up at 1pm for the game? I'm betting quite a few. Oh well...at least they'll be there early instead of late.

I think Milum will make up for the loss of Preston's shot blocking. Mc Knight will cover for Futch's inside presence, and will likely shoot mant fewer 3's. I think the wild card for this team is the improvement of Linhart and the emergence of Conyers. Conyers can make up for the lost offense in Preston and Peterson, and then some...IF he fulfills KD's prophecy.I like this team's linup better than last season's. Preston was a "tweener"..a big man that played more like a "3." Futch was an enigma...a big man that too often wanted to be a "2" and who attracted fouls like K.e.n.t cheerleaders attract flies. And Peterson was either hurt, or in the doghouse too often. McKnight is a solid MAC "4" who doesn't seem to have any illusions of leading the MAC in 3's. Milum also knows his role, and plays D like a 7-footer. I think KD is just trying to motivate the guys. I think we're close to being set with our 9-man rotation.

Every tough team we've played this season has been on the road. We finally catch a break and play one at home, where we play decent ball. Zips 23WMU 21

Game time is 3:30pm, not 1pm. It was changed to accomodate a MAC doubleheader on ESPNU.Note: I received my local newspaper this weekend and it still had the game time listed as 1pm. What a blunder. I guess that's one thing the new administration will need to learn - don't assume the local newpapers will carry through on updating ads. More often than not, they will run the "old" ad with incorrect game dates and times. It happens every year. The papers need their hand held, and you need to follow up with them 10 times a day to confirm the changes were made. Even then, you only improve your chances of a "correct" game day ad to 50%.

I've noticed Dambrot and the players making some strong statements over the past few weeks too. It really seems like all of them are on a mission. You could see the attitude manifest itself in the Tiffin game. Instead of it turning into the sloppily-played dunkfest typical of such a blowout, the Zips played balls-to-the-walls the entire 40 minutes. You mention the football team. I think that's an interesting comparison. The vibe I get from this basketball team is they have a swagger, and a determination to be champions from top to bottom. I got that vibe from the football team @ NC State. But I never felt it the remainder of the year.