Captain Kangaroo

I don't have a problem with the Owens mention. It was 3% of the column. The main focus was on the players and this year's staff.

Very easy to find pics of Al-Tariq Balaam on the web. Trust me...that's a good thing!

I think it is fair to say there were 29,000 people in attendance, but maybe 13,000 "fans." I love everyone that came out to see the Zips...but I can't really call the 10K that left at halftime "fans." It will take a while...and a lot of convincing...to create a real fan base. We took a quantum leap forward Friday night. I guarantee there were about 10,000 people in NE Ohio that were kicking themselves at 11:00pm that evening. They'll be back, and they'll probably stay a bit longer next time. We just have to keep the newbies "on the hook." Beat OU and they'll return for Miami. Beat Miami...and you create some real "fans."

It went in the shitter?

"Unlike everybody else...I really want to go to this game."

Game is scheduled for "next weekend." Hope it is late Saturday or Sunday. If the weather is good I'd check it out.

You forgot the 2008 ending: "...and I watched it all with my 5 buckeye buddies from my house in Mineral Ridge." Get your butt out of Mahoning County and get up here for a game, you bum! Ridge is out of the playoffs, so there's no excuse! Signed, CK Alumni of the 2004 State Cross Country Champs Mc Donald High School

I'll catch up on the overview later, but I wanted to quickly check in and say "Thank You!" to all the players, coaches and fans! What a God damn awesome night. I'm still hungover (and that's no joke).

Try reading about U of Akron football in the Akron Beacon Journal. That paper ranks the Zips lower than high school football. You need a magnifying glass to find anything about Zips football. The fact that you both read and reference the Beacon Journal speaks volumes. Can you reference Curious George, or perhaps Dick and Jane literature next time?

I think it is unfair to say "the mighty have fallen." They got hosed by the weather this season...they got hosed in their opener by the lights, plus the fact that Colorado State backed out on them and left them with the ever-so-attractive Indiana State Sycamores. 15k "quasi-rule" is a joke. It won't survive. Bank on it. BTW: If the Akron/Marshall game were held tonight...I'd guess the crowd to be 127 people. I think I just saw a witch on a bicycle fly past my window. Today's weather is similar to what Miami was up against Tuesday night.

Is this recent enough for you? Player arrested for role in fight September 2004 Defensive tackle Roger Garrett charged with malicious wounding By ANTHONY HANSHEW - The Herald-Dispatch HUNTINGTON -- Marshall football player Roger Garrett was arrested Tuesday and charged with a felony count of malicious wounding of Ohio State defensive end Redgie Arden, according to a Huntington police official. The arrest is the first directly related to what Huntington police described as a large fight involving Arden on Aug. 22 across from Joan C. Edwards Stadium. Arden, a former Ironton High School standout, suffered a broken nose and other facial injuries in the ruckus. The investigation is ongoing, but further arrests are not expected, said Capt. Steve Hall of the Huntington Police Department. Garrett turned himself in, appeared before Cabell County Magistrate John Rice and was released on his own recognizance, Hall said. Garrett has a Sept. 16 pretrial hearing where he is expected to plead not guilty. The 6-foot-1, 286-pound Garrett will not travel with the Thundering Herd football team for Saturday’s game at No. 9 Ohio State, according to Marshall football coach Bobby Pruett. "Roger will not be available for the game Saturday," Pruett said. "We will let the judicial process run the course." Garrett started last week’s season-opener against Troy and totaled three tackles. The sophomore defensive tackle from Moultrie, Ga., did not attend Tuesday afternoon’s practice. Following the Aug. 22 fight, Marshall defensive end Jonathan Goddard was arrested after allegedly shoving a police officer who tried to pull him off a Huntington man. The Huntington man, William Green, was later arrested on drug and weapons charges. Goddard pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor last week in Cabell County Magistrate Court.

Not true. I was at the CSU/Akron game in '86. There were all of 7,700 pepole in that building.

The Rubber Bowl never seated 40,000...at least in the last 30-something years. The 40K attendance numbers were inflated by Red Cochrane. Actual capacity...oversold, and SRO, is probably 34K. The JAR crowds were in excess of 5,800 several times in the Huggins era. They sat people in the walkways, stood them in the doorways...they basically let everyone that would fit in the building in it. Fire Marshalls didn't like that, and capped the entrance number around 5,800. No more 7K crowds. F Marshall(s)

I actually found a person in Akron afraid of Marshall QB Stan Hill!! Look for Stan at a local Burger King...Thursday night...'bout 2:30am ********************************************************************** Football players arrested for public intoxication By Matt Riley Published: Friday, February 28, 2003 Marshall University quarterback Stan Hill was arrested early Tuesday morning on a misdemeanor for public intoxication. The arrest is the second for Hill, 21, in four months. He was arrested in October and is still awaiting his trial date for misdemeanor traffic charges. Huntington Police responded to a call from Burger King about a disturbance. Hill and teammate, offensive lineman Jarrett Baisden, were arrested by police at 1:21 a.m. The incident report stated both players smelled of alcohol and had bloodshot eyes. Both players were walking from Burger King when police arrived. The report said Hill used "very poor judgment." Hill, a Tupelo, Miss., native, was taken to Prestera's substance abuse unit at Mildred Mitchell-Bateman Hospital before being arraigned. Baisden, 20, a Huntington freshman, was taken to jail. Baisden played at Spring Valley High School before joining the Herd. He was arrested for underage consumption and released on $500 bond. Hill was released on $100 bond, according to Cabell County Magistrate Johnny McCallister. Both players are scheduled for a plea hearing on March 10, McCallister said. If convicted, Hill faces a $100 fine, while Baisden faces up to three days in jail and/or a $500 fine. "We're going to let the process take its course," Marshall head coach Bob Pruett said. "That's what we have to do with everything. It's just an allegation right now." Hill gained fame when he started in place of an injured Byron Leftwich last season and led the Herd to a dramatic 36-34 victory over rival Miami (Ohio). Hill ran for a touchdown in the final minutes to give the Herd the win. In October, Hill was accused of driving recklessly, resisting arrest, second-offense driving on a suspended license, failure to drive right of center and failure to obey a traffic light. He is accused of fleeing the police and his trial date for the first arrest is set for May. Hill is in competition for the Herd's starting quarterback job next season. Baisden is expected to compete for playing time next season on the offensive line. Hill and Baisden could not be reached for comment. Employees of Burger King were also instructed not to comment. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Hey Herd fans, I hear that, due to the rash of arrests involving Herd players over the past several years, that Court TV has offered to televise your games for the remainder of the season. True?

Other insulting threads will be deleted. They clutter the board. Anything but abject profanity is likely acceptable in this thread. If you are easily offended, leave it immediately. Of course, clever insults are recommended.

Marshall lost by 3 to a 5-3 Big Ten team (respectable) Akron lost by 38 to a 2-6 Big Ten team (embarrassing) BTW, didn't Ohio State just beat Penn State? Anybody want to further debate this topic? Good arguement...IF teams didn't improve over the course of a season. Zips of November are much improved over the Zips of September. Marshall...they scored 13 offensive points vs. UCF in October...while putting up 21 vs OSU in September. Herd doesn't seem to be improving? I wish we played Penn State in November. (the guy in front is JoePa, and the guy in back is JD) Oh well...maybe we can play Ohio State in the Motor City Bowl!

1.) Who's team doesn't get a few "Players of the Week" when they play UCF?! 2.) Your offense only put up 13 points against UCF? Holy mackeral...we had that before the band finished the National Anthem!

Random thoughts to pass the lunch break: * Does JD have a trick play in his playbook? Fake punt/FG...onside kick...reverse...Statue of Liberty...hood and ladder...fumblerooskie...WR or RB pass? I don't think I've seen one all season? Friday would be a good night to let and tricks out of the bag. Will he? * Although the weather is supposed to be cold (40 deg at gametime) I still expect 20K+ * Why is it so f-ing difficult to find out how injured Jabari really is? * Marshall fans make a big deal out of Goddard. If Biggs gets things rolling, I think that greatly diminishes Goddard's pass rush ability. * Can Biggs keep things rolling vs. the MAC's #1 defense? * Marshall's wide outs have always had great size, speed...and bad hands. Ok, Moss could hold onto the ball, but in other games I've seen it has been a problem. Wonder how this year's crop of WR's is? * Marshall's 3-point loss to OSU isn't that impressive anymore. The loss to Troy doesn't seem that bad, and their loss to Georgia is questionable...Georgia is a team that tends to overlook allegedly "lesser" opponents with regularity. * Regardless of the strength of schedule, the Zips recent run is impressive. Seems like we're up to playing 3 1/2 quarters of solid football now? Hope the week off alows us to work on that final 1/2 quarter...which is essentially controlling the ball on offense in the 4th quarter. * How nice did "Akron 4-1 MAC 4-4 overall" MAC East Standings info look on the screen last night during the ESPN game? Looked a hell of a lot better than the 1-5's directly beneath them! * Does Frye have it in him to seize the moment tomorrow night? What separates him for the Leftwich's, Roethlisberger's and Pennington's of the MAC is "big wins." This would be bigger than the last Marshall game because, obviously, there's a championship on the line. * I love the screen to Biggs with the OL's leading the charge downfield. Hope I see it several times Friday. * What do you think I can get for my season tickets if I try to scalp them Friday? I'm guessing 25 cents. Oh well..it goes to a good cause. * I'll be in the tailgate lot (along the fence) at 2:00pm. Look for Zippy on a Stick. Anyone is welcome to stop over...even Marshall fans. * Does JD have the guts to put the ball in Ringer's hands for 5-7 carries? If not, do we even have a second back to spell Biggs? BTW: Biggs/Kennedy combo should be awesome next year! * Marshall's OL was allegedly "10 deep" to start the season. They haven't lived up to the billing. Can the Zips Sack Exchange (Street) keep up the torrid sack pace vs. these guys? * How many camera's will ESPN use? I hope it is like last night's MAC game. They showed all of the stands, and had some nice close ups. * If it comes down to a field goal...can Swiger sack-up and hit it? * Will the Zips WR's do a better job of coming back to #5 if he's got heavy pressure? My prediction: Zips 27 Marshall 24. I think Biggs will continue his 150 yd / game pace, which will loosen up the CB coverage...which will free Frye to toss for 280 yds + a couple TD's. This is #5's time to shine.

I think the AD's have to take the 15k "quasi-rule" seriously. However, I can't see any way it will stand up in court. Miami...and just about ever other MAC team will face this problem every November if the rule stood as-is. But, it won't. Regarding the Zips game...the reason for free tix is two-fold. 1.) The 15k "quasi-rule" must be addressed 2.) This game is a 3 1/2 hour commercial for Zips football and The University of Akron. If the Zips go out and win, the highlights will be on Sportscenter nation wide. A full Rubber Bowl will look awesome on national TV. JD and company can sell that hard to recruits. A half-empty Rubber Bowl would be catastrophic from an image point of view. Without handing out freebies, there's little chance of a full Rubber Bowl. 17k is probably the best case...6 k of those being Marshall fans. We'll probably lose $100,000 in cash for the Marshall game, combining the loss in ticket revenue (freebies vs. bought tix...and those 6k Marshall fans would have bought tix...plus the $75,000 for light removal/replacement. However, it it money well spent from an advertising point of view. That is IF...I repeat...IF we take advantage of it and pull out a win.

The MAC “Elite” #1) BG: Last week #3: Omari Jacobs is killing people. 41-20 drubbing of EMU...the latest in a string of impressive wins...vaults BG to #1. #2) Marshall - Last week #2: Beats UCF 20-3. No reason to move them up or down. Marshall offense has to be a concern for the Herd faithful. #3) NIU - Last week #1: Barely beating UCF...then needing OT to beat Ball State. You don't hang on to #1 that way. The “Upper-Middle of the Pack” #4) Miami - Last week #4: Holds their #4 rank for another week. Big game vs #5 Toledo tonight #5) Toledo - Last week #5. Big game vs. #4 Miami tonight. The “Middle Rung” #6) Zips - Last week #6 – Zips will be playing in PRIME TIME Friday night, that is for certain. "Are they ready for PRIME TIME? is the question. To win, the offense must control the clock in the 4th quarter...something they've struggled mightily to do all season. The "Captain's Key to the Game": No turnovers and no 3-and-outs in the 4th quarter, and the Zips win. “Struggling BIG Time” #7) CMU - Last week #8: Decent showing against Toledo, followed by a win over rival WMU. CMU showing signs of crawing out of the MAC basement? #8) Ball State - Last week #8 : Took NIU to the wire at home. Seem to play well in Muncie? #9) Can't - Last week #11: Mauled the woebegone Bobcats. flushes were due to beat someone, and OU was ripe for the picking. #10) Buffalo: Last week #10: Bye. #11) OU - Waxed by Can't State. Team has officially quit. How will OU recruit this winter with their second coaching change in 5 years? #12) EMU: Last week #12. 21 point loss to BG. Pretty good, by recent EMU standards. #13) UCF - Last week #13: Held Marshall to 20. Only scored 3. O’Leary cashes another check from the $700K/yr salary. How does he cash it with a straight face? #14.) Western Michigan - Last week #14. Another loss. Darnell has Blackney disease. Brought the team from "championship caliber" to the bottom of the MAC. Makes you scratch your head...

There's no exact science to the mod job. I agree the "inbred m@therF___er" term can't stay. "Ass"...I'll let that one slide. I amended the post. Hope Dave doesn't have too much of a problem with it. I'll do the same with any overly profane Marshall-based posts.

"Weak by weak?" That's a great Freudian slip regarding the caliber of our recent competition!

I expect 25,000 at the game. HUGE marketing push. Bank on it. DO NOT...I repeat...DO NOT stay in a hotel near the stadium. There are only a few, and I wouldn't even recommend them to a Marshall fan. If you want a "feel" for the University, the city and the campus, stay in a downtown Akron hotel. Radison or Quaker Square Hilton. Downtown has a good bar and resturaunt district near the Aero's stadium. Everything in walking distance. I'm guessing $70.00 per night? Check on-line. If you want a nice, inexpensive place (under $60.00), look towards North Canton. Only 8 or so miles from the University (south) and 5 miles from the Rubber Bowl. Nice area...typical chain resturaunts and bars. Tailgate down by the Blimp hanger. Get there early, or get shut out.

No restrictions on RV's. Park along the fence. $3.00. I'll be there around 1:30pm. Stop over! I'll look for you.