Captain Kangaroo

Gateway defensive end Jordan Stevens took an official visit to Kentucky last weekend. He also has scholarship offers from Indiana and most Mid-American Conference schools, and Iowa and Michigan State are said to be close to offering. Gators offensive lineman Chris Hanna added Can't State to the list of schools that have offered, which includes Akron, Duke, Eastern Michigan, Illinois, Ohio and Rutgers. His early leader is Illinois, where he's scheduled to visit next month.

There are a lot of reasons why Akron area people are OSU fans first, and MAC fans somewhere thereafter. To most people, Ohio State isn't a school, it is a football team. Ditto Miami Fla, USC or Notre Dame. Akron, Can't, BG, etc are thought of as schools first. For fans like me in their late 30's or beyond, Akron was in a lower division than OSU during their college years. There really was no comparison of the teams. Just like there's no reason you couldn't like Oberlin and OSU. Old habits die hard. Few people my age are willing to dismiss their favorite childhood team just because their school jumped to 1-A (like Akron in '86). For those in their 20's and low 30's...the Zips football teams have zero championships and very limited success during their formative years. Attitudes born from twenty years of losing or being mediocre don't change with an overtime win vs. Northern Illinois. It takes time. OSU and the BCS schools in general are a media monster. Radio...TV...newspaper...the Zips are battling this with what? GoZips.com and some ads in the BJ? OSU gets more coverage on sportstalk in Cleveland in 1 day than all the MAC schools get COMBINED in a year! I don't begrudge OSU fans for liking OSU. I hate OSU...but that my perogative. It does bug me when an Akron people (students or residents) root for OSU over the Zips or are condecending to the MAC schools. Win something. Do it consistently, and the Zips Nation will rise up. Compare YSU's football attendance now and during their championship years. Big difference. Look at Can't's hoop attendance prior to their championship runs and during the Huffman/Mitchell/Gates years. Big difference. If the Zips start winning, they will come and the fan foundation will quickly grow.

My inside source tells be he got lost on his way to an event at Canal Park and was simply asking for directons.

Miami is slowly adjusting to their new staff. Cincinnati sucks. That combination yields the result you saw last night.

I wonder if, not that it is obvious we're in the hunt for a championship, we get a few Fr.'s in the mix to spell Stokes, Rohr and Grant. Those guys played almost the entire game last week.

Football • Butler tight end Michael Ingersoll (6-foot-5, 260 pounds) has offers from Vanderbilt, Akron and Appalachian State, coach Mike Newsome said.

#1: Akron (previous week #5) – Major blowouts to Toledo and BG open the door for a new #1! Zips dominance over a good NIU team garners them the #1 spot for this week. #2: Toledo (previously #1) – Absolutely destroyed by Fresno State. Gradkowski was out, but the loss had little to do with it. #3: BG (previously #3) – Drilled by Boise State, and their defense is giving up points by the bucketfull. #4: NIU (previously #2): Tough September for the Huskies. They look to be like the 2004 Zips however. Expect a strong finish to their season now that they’re home, and playing MAC competition. #5: EMU (previously #7): Shockingly, playing very well. Beat CMU. #6: OU (previously #6) – 45-0 loss to Va Tech isn’t looking all that bad. They dominated Can't and proved that they can actually score a few points. #7: Miami (previously #8): Uninspiring win vs Can't. When will this team and their new coach begin to click? #8: Central Michigan (previously #4) – Loss to EMU drops them 5 slots. #9: Ken-t: (previously #9) – These guys are #9 only because the teams below them are atrocious. 24 year old QB “Beer Run” Machen appears injured. Their #1 MAC defense is getting shredded regularly. Giving up 35 to OU is embarrassing. #10: Western Michigan (previously #10) Drilled by Toledo, then nipped Temple in Philly. Lost their QB Cubit for the season. Hard to believe things can get worse for the Broncos…but they will. #11: Ball State (Previously #11) – Atrocious. Racking up embarrassing losses with regularity. #12: Buffalo (previously #12) – Thusfar in September, the Buffalo offense has been outscored by the Zips soccer team. One bad football team. #13: Temple: Lost to woeful WMU at home in front of about 1,000 “fans.” They need some of John Chaney’s goons on defense if they want to win a game this year.

I'm sure your right Hilltopper. Hard to express sarcasm in a post. I would have if I could in the above sub head. Post of the Month Winner!!!!

Yes!

Yes he did. Scroll down: Football Inks 22 Recruits on National Letter Day 2001 University of Akron Football Recruiting Class Brendon BANKS 6-0, 190, SS, Pittsburgh, Pa. (Woodland Hills) James BATTLE 6-0, 225, LB, Cincinnati (Colerain) Dorian BEARD 6-1, 250, DL, Verona, Pa. (Penn Hills) Geoffrey BEAUCHESNE 6-5, 230, TE, Montreal, Quebec (Du Vieux) Chase BLACKBURN 6-4, 215, DL, Marysville Mark CONLEY 6-2, 285, DL, Lakewood Diontre EARL 5-11, 230, LB, Toledo (Rogers) Dion ELIE 6-2, 185, WR, Atlanta, Ga. Lithonia/Euclid, Ohio Jamie GOODWIN 5-11, 160, WR, McKeesport, Pa. Justin HEIN 6-7, 335, OL, Lakewood Jeremy JACOBS 6-4, 245, OL, Uniontown (Green) Charlton LEWIS 6-4, 250, DL, N. Braddock,Pa.(Woodland Hills) Jason MONTGOMERY 6-1, 180, WR, Southfield, Mich. (Lathrup) Montae MURPHY 5-10 173, DB, Rankin, Pa. (Woodland Hills) Thomas PLUMMER 6-1, 215, RB, Etobicoke, Ontario (Henry Carr) Jerell RINGER 5-11, 195, RB, Dayton (Meadowdale) Brad SHELDON 6-2, 200, LB, Rochester, Mich. (U. of Detroit Jesuit) Richard SPAULDING 6-3 210, SS, New Albany Marcus SUBER 6-1, 185, SS, Sacramento City College Vince VAUGHNS 6-2, 185, RB/FS, Oklahoma City, Okla. (Santa Fe) Greg WILLIAMS 5-10, 185, SS, Canton (GlenOak) Chris WOOTEN 6-0, 240, LB, Bedford AKRON - A share of the 2000 Mid-American Conference East Division title and back-to-back winning seasons certainly made a positive impact on "National Letter Day" for the Akron Zip football program. UA coach Lee Owens today unveiled his seventh recruiting class and announced the signing of 22 student-athletes for the 2001 season. Based on early commitments, the class ranked first in the Mid-American Conference, according to RIVALS.com.

Hey Z-P: An old timer like you has to remember the similar talk of "How are we going to keep Lee Owens" about 2 years into Owens' tenure? I just cant participate in this debate 1.2 years into the guy's D-1A head coaching career. If CMU comes in and knocks us off...like they did Miami...everyone will be calling for the guy's head. Sports Talk in the 2000's is a funny thing.

We just beat NIU. Miami has already lost at home to a bad CMU team, and BG's defense couldn't stop St V's junior varsity. Buffalo...Can't...OU...? All W's. The question is more like "Are the Zips the favorite to win the MAC East?"

Wish I'd have thought of that? The problem with the Zipsfest turnout is more complex than the cost of the spot. If I see someone from the Marketing group at the next game, I'll explain. If they want to give me a call, I'm happy to discuss it. Sufficive to say: They should call up each and every one of the "vacant" spot holders and let them know their money is being refunded and people on the waiting list are being moved up front (they did keep a waiting list, right?). They should also move those fans who put the effort into making the thing an event together. Now. Not tomorrow. Your original spot number now means nothing. The organization of the students for the game was great, well planned, and worked out outstanding. Conversely: The Tailgate fest wasn't...and it flopped.

This is something I really wish Zips fans would do. If out-of-state fans come to the Rubber Bowl, it is every Zips fan's duty, if you cross their path, to welcome them to Akron and wish them luck in the game. That is class. It should be synonymous with "Akron" and it's fans. I went to the Nebraska game several years back and, to a fan, every one of those Huskers came up to me and did exactly what I stated above. At game's end, after beat-down, they couldn't have been classier. Their hospitality and class is forever embedded in my mind. That is what we as Zips fans need to do at the Rubber Bowl and you don't need to wait for some University-sponsored program to do it. CMU fans will be in our lot next week. Let them leave Akron with great memories of the city and it's fans, and bad memories of the game! Note: K-ent is the exception. You can be a bit obnoxious to K-ent fans.

I agree. The students were awesome. Credit UAM for their work in getting them out to the game and showing them what a good time being a student at The University of Akron can be. I would like to see the students take it to another level next week. It back-and-forth "AK"..."ROWDIES" is a great start, but they can be more creative. Keep it up!! Also...it was heartwarming to see a few endzone students hoisting silver flasks in the crowd! Ahhhhh "Tradition never graduates."

He's coached a full 1.2 seasons of college football. The Zips haven't won a damn thing. They haven't won a championship. They haven't beat a real BCS team (beating teams like Rutgers, Army or Temple don't count as marquee BCS wins). JD isn't going anywhere soon. Look at Toledo. Miami. BG. Those teams stay atop the MAC despite losing coaches. The day JD ultimately leaves, we'll be fine so long as we have the commitment from the top. I remember everyone freaking out about the QB position this year..."How will we ever replace Frye?" Worrying about that was a waste of time, just like worrying about JD leaving.

Zips ALWAYS play well at home vs top-flight competition. Today is no different...except for the fact that we have a defense to stop those last-minute drives. Zips 31 NIU 30 Off to the tailgate!

To give you some idea of where Larry Pantages is coming from, I submit my email correspondence with Larry from January 2002 for your review. Larry Writes: -----Original Message----- From: Larry Pantages [mailto:lpantages@thebeaconjournal.com] Sent: Tuesday, January 29, 2002 10:59 AM Subject: Beacon Journal sports reply Sir: I received a copy of your e-mail about the Acme-Zip coverage in the Beacon Journal. I can speak to coverage of Akron's road game athletic events. We have never covered EVERY road game for Akron in any season that I know of in nearly 30 years. When the team has played what even casual fans would consider extra newsworthy games (Pioneer Bowl, at LSU, at Nebraska, at Penn State, at Virginia Tech, at Ohio State), not only have we sent one reporter, but usually TWO, and a photographer also. When the Zips made the NCAA baseball tournament a few years ago, we also sent 2 writers & a photographer to Texas for tournament coverage. We had profiles of players and captured all the excitement. When the Zips made the NCAA basketball tournament with Bob Huggins as coach, the Beacon Journal put out an Extra Edition because the game was played in the late morning back in the days when there were quadruple headers played on the same day. When Joe Jakubick led the nation in scoring, we did many profiles and features and columns about him. When the soccer team reached the NCAA Final Four, we covered that. When Christi Smith made her mark in NCAA women's track, we had centerpiece section front coverage of that. I hope this helps round out your knowledge of the Beacon Journal's coverage of Zips sports -- both currently and in years past. Thanks for your e-mail. Larry Pantages Akron Beacon Journal Sports Editor (and BJ employee since 1972) I respond: ****************************************************************** ----- Original Message ----- From: Me To: lpantages@thebeaconjournal.com Sent: Tuesday, January 29, 2002 5:29 PM Subject: RE: Beacon Journal sports reply I appreciate your response. It is refreshing to see a person of your status at the Beacon aid in proving my point. If you need to refer to your coverage of Joe Jakubik(1983), the Pioneer Bowl(1976?), Bob Huggins(1986), the 1986 Zip soccer team and the 1997 baseball team to prove that your coverage of the University's 2002 sports programs is adequate, hey...what can I say? Good for you! I'm sure you did a great job covering John Heisman's first win at Buchtel College too. Do you expect to be applauded for covering the Ohio State / Akron game? Give me a break. Its sad to say, but I'd be more impressed if you gave David Lee Morgan the gas money to travel to Athens or Mt. Pleasant...that doesn't seem like too much to ask, does it? Could someone besides Terry Pluto write something insightful regarding the University's athletes and programs? Its a "bunny" to write about Dwight Smith or Christi Smith AFTER they win national awards. INSIGHT is telling everyone Dwight Smith's an All American BEFOREHAND. You mention the Penn State game. You know Terry Pluto's article on Butchie Washington...the one that appeared during Butchie's 5th year at Akron? I saw the same full-page story in a Penn State newspaper over a year earlier! David Lee Morgan's preview of the Zips 2001 football team touted Duane LeFall as the team's best defensive player. LeFall was announced as academically ineligible a week before the column was printed!! How did I know that, but the Zip beat writer didn't? Your 50-words-or-less previews of upcoming games are not worth printing. Your coverage of Akron's football recruit commitments are virtually non-existent...your 2 day old Zip News cut-n-pastes taken from GoZips.com? Why bother? Your coverage of the MAC in general...is there any? I could go on, but it’s not worth it. Check out papers in Toledo, Huntington, etc. sometime if you want to see what coverage of a "hometown" MAC school should entail. Best regards, Sir Larry's reply: ************************************************************ Mr. *Me*, If I helped in proving your point (from your point of view), so be it. My point is that when the Zips make a big splash in sports news, we play it big and throw our best resources at it. We get excited -- because there's something to get excited about. I'm sure there are stories we've been beaten on and I'm sure there are athletes that we could have profiled before they won national honors. But in the day to day coverage of Akron, I think our game stories, notebooks and features keep the general audience up to date on what's happening. We think daily readers -- especially those who are Zips fans -- are thrilled when Terry Pluto writes about the college scene. I can assure you there are many metro daily sports sections where the columnist settles into a routine of covering the pro teams and the hot national stuff. Some sports editors and readers satisfy themselves with that. With Terry, the local stories are very important -- and always will be. Again, thanks for writing. Sorry if I didn't pick up your name from the earlier e-mail but I don't understand these e-mail address shortcuts. Larry Pantages Akron Beacon Journal sports editor

If David Lee Morgan DOES write more regarding the Zips...will you learn anything? Do you really want to read it?

By TIMOTHY WOLFMEYER Northwest Herald After Mid-American Conference teams were outscored, 175-9 :blink: , against schools from Bowl Championship Series conferences last week – and because the conference has a 1-18 record against such teams this season – one question has to be asked. Is the TV exposure gained by playing these teams – Michigan, Virginia Tech, Auburn, etc. – worth the humiliation? "I think we all have to be a little more sensible about what we're trying to do," said Ball State coach Brady Hoke, whose team lost to Auburn, 63-3, on Saturday. "There is something to be said about exposing your program to the nation, but playing three BCS teams a year? That takes its toll." Only Toledo (3-0), the lone MAC program to not face a BCS team this season, has a legitimate chance at a major bowl. Every other team came out of non-conference play with at least one loss – most, like Northern Illinois (1-2), have more. "It's tough to come out of non-conference play with any confidence," Ohio coach Frank Solich said. "We need to be a little realistic about what we're attempting to accomplish in these games. You want to create exposure, but winning will also do that. It's tough to win when you're coming in as 20- or 30-point underdogs each week." Solich might be right about one thing. Winning might be the only way for a mid-major team to achieve true national attention. Those schools making a jump in the past few years, such as Utah, Boise State and Fresno State, have done so by going undefeated, not by losing to BCS schools. Impressive company: While no one is ready to include Phil Horvath in the elite list of college quarterbacks quite yet, the NIU junior has – at least statistic-wise – equalled their accomplishments thus far. Horvath, who has completed 52-of-78 passes for 701 yards and five touchdowns this season, currently ranks 19th nationally in quarterback rating (155.62), ahead of Texas' Vince Young, Michigan's Chad Henne and Notre Dame's Brady Quinn. "Phil's been doing a great job of getting the ball to the right guy this season," NIU coach Joe Novak said. "He's playing within himself, not trying to do too much. I'm real pleased with what he's been able to do so far." Horvath has guided the Huskies' offense to 513.7 yards a game this season, which ranks behind only Texas Tech (719.5), USC (633.5), Arizona State (633.3), Michigan State (566.0), Missouri (562.0), Bowling Green (559.5) and Minnesota (555.0). Extra points: Novak said running back Garrett Wolfe, who left the Tennessee Tech game with a shoulder injury, will be ready for Akron. "[Garrett] could have played in the second half [last Saturday], but we were trying to be smart about it," Novak said. "We'll watch him closely. His shoulder just slips in and out a little bit." ... Wolfe had been leading the nation in rushing before a 61-yard performance against the Golden Eagles dropped him to fourth. ... Bowling Green faces Boise State on Wednesday, beginning three consecutive weeks of mid-week MAC games televised on ESPN2. The network will air NIU's game with Miami (Ohio) on Oct. 5.

He played quite a bit at MTSU and did a nice job. He'll only get better too!

Male Athlete of the Week: Desmond Brentley By Kevin Gorman TRIBUNE-REVIEW Wednesday, September 14, 2005 Desmond Brentley School: Perry Traditional Academy Class: Senior Sport: Football Notable: The 6-foot-2, 228-pound quarterback was nearly perfect in completing 12-of-14 passes for 308 yards and three touchdowns to lead the top-ranked Commodores (2-0) to a 38-0 victory against Carrick on Thursday in City League play. "I should have completed all my passes," Brentley said. "I had one pass that I threw too far, another I threw too high. I've got to thank my linemen. Without them, I wouldn't have the time in the pocket to do what I can." Brentley is 17 of 27 for 430 yards and five touchdowns heading into Perry's game at McDowell on Friday. Brentley, who has offers from Akron and Temple, passed for 2,118 yards and 20 touchdowns last year. "I wouldn't say it was unexpected because I expect it from myself and my teammates," Brentley said. "We have high expectations as a team. Hopefully, we can keep it going."

One additional note I'll add regarding the MTSU game: Overall, the offensive playcalling was as aggressive as I've seen. Regardless of the 3rd down situation, we always tried to get a first down. Even at 3rd and 27, we're tossing the ball 30 yards down field. No Lee Owens 3rd down, "I give up" draw plays. If we lose on Saturday, we'll go down guns-a-blazin'. This staff really seems to now our strengths...have researched the opponent's weaknesses...and come into the games ready to win. If we continue to grow and improve, that BG game in late-October could be one a lot of people will be talking about. First things first...BEAT NIU!

Quality team? I saw that team perform three weeks in a row, and it seems that the quality had degressed. It went from 5 turnovers against North Texas to like 3 turnovers and 100 yards in penalities against Akron. Quality team? No, not unless we beat an undefeated Vanderbilt or an NC State team with a winning record additionally sweeping the rest of our Sun Belt competition. MTSU would win at least 4-5 games in the MAC. Your defense is pretty decent. Your offense needs some playmakers. Seems like you will be in need of a new coach in November too.

I was really surprised to see Donaldson on the field! He played fine. In general, the entire offensive line looked fine. It was the most time I've seen an Akron QB have to throw the ball in a couple years. Run-wise, they wore-down MTSU. MTSU's D-line is no slouch, so it doesn't bother me too much that we struggled on the ground in the first half. When we needed to move the ball in the 2nd half on the ground, when it really counted, the OL came through. Injury-wise: I am unaware of any major injuries. Hixson is fine.