Captain Kangaroo

I agree, and I disagree.Faust never got credit for some of the players he recruited. Beyond Jason Taylor, he also got some great talent to attend U of A...and with facilities and infrastructure that Owens would have died to have (pre-Natatorium, pre-MAC days). Guys like Brian Hilk, John Motten, Derek Alston, Robert Lyons, Sean Vincent, Vic Green, Mike Johnson...all were great. If I recall correctly, Faust went 7-3-1 one season? However, something went wrong with Faust's teams.Faust's last season, that team was rock-solid Division 3 material. YSU came on to our field and I bet they outweighed us by 20 lbs per man. They whipped us 19-0 and it wasn't even close. One of the Junko's was our LB and he was something like 6'2 168 lbs. We went 1-10 that season...eeeking past an 0-11 OU team in a miserable freezing rain to get our sole victory.Faust had some good talent...and recruited it with little campus to offer...even no MAC or real bowl opportunities to pimp...but the team he left Owens in 1993 was overall very very bad...probably the worst in Akron D1 history.

I know. Hence the smilie.

The Zips nab a kid from Oak Hill? Recruiting IS on the upswing!

Hey, can I play too??!!We beat NIU twice in 2005 so there's no question who the better team is. The Zips were a better team than NIU in 2005. Quarterback, schmoorterback. Their defense blew goats.Regarding BG - Quarterback, schmoorterback. Yeah Jacobs is great, but we waxed them by 10 on their home field in a game that meant the world to them. Once again, their defense blew goats. Please reference the Boise State game where the Fighting Smurf's completely shut Jacobs down and ran roughshod over their goat-fellating defense. Jacobs in 2005 was MUCH more mortal...even when healthy...than the Jacobs of 2004. I don't know whether or not we beat BG if Jacobs were healthy this season, but it would be a good fight. I also know Biggs would still have killed BG.

Jimal's 40-spot was against Xavier. Eric McLaughlin was McFadden's nemisis. Hard to believe it has been 20 years since that CSU/Akron game. I wish I took pictures of the JAR. No one would believe it today...7,500 people. True story.Does anyone honor the 20th anniversary of our last NCAA appearance this season? (Coincidentally the same anniversary of my "breakout" intramual 13-point effort vs. The Stormtroopers of Death?)

My problem isn't with Owens, it is with the premise for the column that began this thread. When approached to contribute to the column I feel Owens and Stacy should have declined. It looks like sour grapes. It comes off "like a whining woman," as someone stated above. The article was written solely because some Canton writers are abject shills for Lee Owens. They can't accept that Brookhart did in two years what Owens couldn't accomplish in nine...they can't give JD one ounce of credit. The above column was flat-out generated to make The University of Akron look bad for firing Lee Owens & Staff. Simple as that. And, it won't be the last one.Owens and staff...still bitter over their dismissal...were all to obliging contribute. That's not professional and it reflects poorly on The University of Akron. That's what I have a problem with.Hey...I post pictures of Kotex boxes so what do I know about professionalism, right?

I have to disagree. I think it is a good example of how Owens is blindly revered in Stark county and how the local papers schill for him. That pisses Zips fans off. Here is the place we can "vent."Shocking that Todd Porter played for Owens in high school. You'd never guess it from his columns. They're always soooo objective.

Peterson and Wood come to mind. I'm sure there are others too. IMO Nate isn't doing anything outstanding, he's rock-solid but not spectacular. It will be interesting to see his progression from Fr. to Soph.When I first saw him I was thinking "Brian Wood" all over again. I was wrong. He'll be way better than Brian Wood ever was.

That statement calls for some:

I haven't seen Brian Howe enough to have an opinion on him. Stokes, Rorh and Grant saw 90+ percent of all the LB time last season. Is Howe any good? If so, why no real PT in 2005 or before?

Rasor column says this guy is a Zip:Click to See 8M .mpg - Download itJUCO LB with 3 years of eligibility remaining. I'm sure a former Zips asst. coach help to get this kid to Akron.

Per the PD, the Zips received a commit from Armin Kabir, a 6' 1" free safety from Warrensville Heights. Seemed to be lightly recruited, with EMU, Toledo, YSU and Ashland on his list?

Must....bite....tongue....sooo....very....difficult....must....exercise....restrint....blood pressure....rising....

I recall you were once a coaching candidate on footballscoop.com!

First Buffalo, mow Ole' Miss. Seems like Pry's resume is out there?

"Winning out" in MAC play is impossible. A great season would mean we win out at home and lose only 3 on the road. 7 is the maximum amount of losses we could have and still possess a reasonable shot at an at-large berth. If we had beaten Clemson, we'd be a shoe-in.8 losses and a MAC tourney exit in ANY round = NIT. 9 losses or more...we'd better make the "Q" finals if we want an NIT bid.10 losses...forget it.Also - we need to get our home attendance up if we want any sort of chance at a home NIT game. Or....we win it all at the "Q" and the above points are all moot. We'll find out a lot about the Zips competitive level in the MAC this Saturday. Hell, WMU ripped BG by about 20 the other night so our trip to Kalamazoo tomorrow is going to be a tough test as well.

I agree. It was one of the best start-to-finish beatdowns of a decent team the Zips have layed down in some time. I saw a UA official after the Motor City Bowl and we talked a few minutes about hoops. He was supremely confident the Zips would be in the NCAA's this season even if they stumble at The Q. I personally think that's a bit of a reach (at-large bid), but you can see where this team has it's "bar" set. And, they're quietly going about their business as a real "team." No Tarvers or Hollingsworthless' running around on the floor trying to get their individual numbers. These 14 guys give 100% on both ends of the floor.Futch did play well and kept his keester in the paint. That was a treat to behold. Toledo was missing their 6' 9" center, so Matt's life was made a bit easier than it could have been. Regardless, he played his best minutes of the season.Middleton was OUTSTANDING. Many on the board felt he would really blossom if given more than 10 minutes per game. Thank you thank you thank you Bubba Walther for giving Cedric this opportunity.Linhart gets better and better. Very solid, very steady. Kind of reminds you of a little Larry Bird with his all-around inside/outside game and assists. No, I'm not putting him in the hall of fame just yet, but he seems to have all the tools you need to become an outstanding all around player in the MAC. And, alot faster than anyone could have expected.The cartoon was awesome. I can't wait until it is played at the K-ent game. The place will erupt!Why was Dials still on the court with 4 minutes left and an 18 point lead? Is his knee better than we're lead to believe?Dru had another quietly solid game. I like his comments after the game too.Peterson's game wis alot like Bubba's in that he looks for his shot first...and also second...then thinks about passing. With both he and Bubba on the floor, defensive lapses and quick, ill-advised offensive shots were inevitable. With only one offense-centric player left on the team, I thing it will actually work out in our favor. Darryl can fill it up. And if his defense or rebounding isn't there, we have 4 other guys on the court to fill in. Darryl had a great game last night overall. 7 rebounds in limited minutes! Yet another plus taken from Bubba's departure.Nice end-to-end dribbling by Preston! Can you imagine how good this team would be if Bryan Hipsher hadn't transferred? Bad timing by the sound guy blasting the Zips fight song as the Joy Street kids are marching out of the arena. He should have given them time to finish their "thing" and exit.Big match up next week vs. NIU. Hope they play that clip of Hixson's catch on the big screen against those buggers!Final note: HOLY HELL....HELL HAS FROZEN OVER...SOMEONE ACTUALLY DECIDED TO INFORM THE CROWD REGARDING "Leading Rebounders" "Leading Scorers" "Assist Leaders" etc!!!!! I never thought I'd see the day??!! Now, can we get it right and put that info on the middle scoreboard? And do updates with some frequency? If that happens I'll die a happy man.

Screw him. He's now the enemy. I hope KD shuts him down every time we meet. OU will love his defense, ball handling skills and attitude. I wonder if he will ever see the court for OU? If he wanted PT he should have transferred to one of the directional Michigans.

We will end up with a top flight soccer coach. I am 100% certain of that. I really have nothing left to comment on the coaching situation that I didn't already state below. I wish we'd hired one sooner, but I also want to make sure we get the right guy.When all is said and done I doubt it will take much longer to replace Lolla than it did Owens. It is also tough hiring around the Holidays.

Word on the street is the stadium will "officially" be annouced in mid-summer. It will be a 30k seat, open air venue. The cost of a dome exceeded 2X the open air option (more than 120 million $$)...and such a facility just isn't in our budget.The stadium will be on campus. It will not be downtown. Downtown was considered, but lack of sufficient space for a 30,000 seat stadium was the stumbling block. That, and the fact that the stadium is needed ON CAMPUS. Having the new stadium directly on campus is an absolute, uncompromisable "must." One of the reasons donors have so strongly stepped up to the table to back the stadium project is the fact that it is a major campus improvement. The donors are not as excited about upgrading the downtown area. Also - word is there will be a MLS/Wolstein 30k soccer arena built in Northern Summit county soon. It will be soccer-only. There was no possibility the University's new stadium needs could co-exist with the MLS taem's schedule, requirements, etc. so two stadiums will be built. Maybe we play a couple "big time" soccer games there one day, but that's about it.More will follow in the coming months, but take the above info to the bank. The only thing I'm not sure of is the completion date. I'll see what I can find out.

Wait until next fall when all the girls on campus are strutting their "Fear the Roo" lower back tatoos!

I hear ya, CK. I think U of A soccer is in the same boat as Memphis basketball. Memphis far outclasses all CUSA hoops opponents. CUSA hoops, minus Memphis, is pretty weak. However, Memphis has the "power" to continue playing top-level competition on their home court, hiring the best coaches, playing in the best facilities and maintaining their Top 20 (Top 10?) program. Mack Rhoades should call the Memphis AD to get his thoughts on maintaining an "elite" program in a "mediocre" (soccer-wise) conference.

Boise State nearly beat BC on Boise's home field. Boise State...not Penn State, not Ohio State, not Florida State...B-O-I-S-E STATE. I remember similar "we're going to lose 65-0" cries when we played Virginia Tech at the Rubber Bowl several years ago. We almost beat them.If Boise State can take BC down to the game's final play on their home field, the Zips could do as well or better in 2006. We could certainly also do worse too...but that is the same regardless of any team we'd play.

Tell me one college stadium where the seats didn't go empty when "X" team stopped winning. To not build a new stadium to replace the crumbling Rubber Bowl because "we might stop winning" is crazy. Why build all those new buildings on campus...hey, enrollment "might" go down?We are committed to being a real D1 school. Look around campus. This isn't 10 years ago or even 5 years ago. This is today, and tomorrow is the future. Thank God the University has a President that can see beyond yesterday. People in Akron seem to fear success and growth like the plague. I don't get it.

I hear it is a "done deal." The Seagate Center will host the Big East Basketball Tourney in 2009-2015. I agree. What a laughable thing to tell a recruit. Of course he did only say "a chance." There's technically also "a chance" that Can't State football will go 13-0 next season and win a national championship.