Captain Kangaroo

I disagree with that statement. Anything Charlie does in the pros is 100% through his own hard work and that of his coaches. Whatever Pennington, Leftwitch or Roethlisberger has done, is doing, or will do in the future has no bearing on Charlie Frye. It isn't like any of those guys was a 7th rounder. They were all 1st round draft picks.

Getsey will be the #1 QB for the next 2 years. You don't transfer from Pitt's #2 QB to become Akron's #2 QB. Ferguson will likely be #2 next year, with Jabari going to full time WR. Flaherty doesn't seem to be in the mix at all. The new kid...assuming he'll be a QB...would redshirt next season, then be in the mix for back up QB in 2006. It wouldn't shock me if we signed another QB. Maybe Ferguson doesn't want to be a career back up and transfers. Does Flaherty have Ashland on his mind? The writing seems on the wall that his PT will be very limited over the next couple years. My 2 cents.

1.) You are correct. 25K guaranteed. 2.) 15k "myth" discussion is getting old. Wait...it was "old" 6 months ago.

Overheard at the Ball State tailgate was the concept of "Casual Frye-day" on November 5th. The idea is to get as many Zips alumni and fans in the area to wear Zips gear to work/school on Friday November 5th in support of the team's big game that evening! Come on, Zips Nation! Get your lame-ass co-workers to hop on the bandwagon and get behind the team! Will the Zips store be offering any deals on Zips gear if you mention "Casual Frye-day?" Stay tuned...

Click for a little more info Wonder where he'll play? QB, WR...DB? Seems like a great all-around athlete from a great football school (they were USA Top 25 last year).

Actually, CMU lost to Toledo 27-22. I loved that 52-0 halftime lead in 2002 Click here if you want to see pain! Editied the list. Thanks.

The MAC “Elite” #1) NIU: Last week #1: No reason to drop them. A sound thrashing of WMU. Put up 59 points. #2) Marshall - Last week #2: 48-14 beating of hapless Buffalo is about right. No reason to move them up or down. #3) BG - Last week #3: Drilled OU 41-14. QB Omari has something like 20TDs and 2 INT's? That's incredible. They are nipping the The Herd's heels. The “Upper-Middle of the Pack” #4) Miami - Last week #4: Holds their #4 rank for another week. Dubbed UCF...but who doesn't? #5) Toledo - Last week #5. Narrow beating of Central Michigan, no reason to move them. The “Middle Rung” #6) Zips - Last week #7 – Despite a shaky ending, the Zips manhandled Ball State. Zips offense needs to play a full 4 quarters if it wants wins vs Miami or Marshall. Needs to stop with the late 3-and-outs and late turnovers. Defense is again more than acceptable, getting some sacks, hurries and turnovers. They're playing well enough to win. “Struggling BIG Time” #7) OU - Last week #5. Absolutely manhandled by Toledo last week, now BG this week (41-16?). Like Lee Owens, OU will probably "can" it's coach a year too late. Team appears to be quitting on him. #8) CMU - Last week #9: Decent showing against Toledo. #9) Ball State - Last week #8 : Waxed by the Zips. Late scores make it look respectable. #10) Buffalo: Last week #10: 48-14 loss...I've seen worse. Typically this is a 6307 affair. #11) Can't - Last week #11: At least they didn't lose this week? #12) EMU: Last week #12. Peee Yweeew. #13) UCF - Last week #12: O’Leary cashes another check from the $700K/yr salary. How does he cash that check with a straight face? #14.) Western Michigan - Last week #14. Waxed by NIU this week. Put up some garbage time points to make it a "respectable" 21 point blowout.

I see where you're going with that statement, but I disagree a little. Chevin Pace's play has been nothing short of outstanding. Without him steping up, our secondary looks real bad...there isn't anything behind him. Hixson has also been outstanding. We'd be in big trouble without him. The other WR's struggle enough...if Hixson wasn't drawing the opponent's best CB every play we'd be in be up a creek. Biggs rules. No doubt about it. However, we had Hendry last season...who was more than a capable back...and like Z-P stated....Owens never threw him a screen, and many times echewed handing the ball off entirely (Miami/UConn games, choosing instead to throw every freaking down. Beyond that, all those stupid f-ing draw plays to the RB out of the shotgun that Owens and Winters ran incessantly are out of the playbook. JD's playcalling is giving the RB a much better chance for success than Ownes/Winters ever did. I'll hold off on giving Biggs the MVP for another week...but that's probably all. It is definitely his award to lose at the moment. I will say it one more time: How freaking nice is it not to see that stupid delay draw play on 3rd and 8??!! I thought of that in the Ball State game when we had 2nd and 35. We actually tried to get the first down. JD actually said "We have a damn good QB...let's get 35 yards in two plays. As opposed to Owens, who consistently took the ball out of Frye's hands in any situation beyond 3rd and 6. Much better play calling on offense this season....MUCH better...

Fast, random notes: Biggs is awesome. Runs hard, strong and square to the endzone at all times. What a workhorse. I can't count how many times in the stands we turned to eachother and said "That was a hell of a run" or "man I LOVE him" after a run. Can our offense finish off a game? Last night we fumbled in the 4th to let them back in it...dropped a punt snap and cam up short on a 4th and 1. Somehow our offense needs to put together a 4th quarter drive of 6 or so minutes in the 4th to "ice" a game. Our WR's were really bad at times last night. The OL did a fantastic job of pass blocking last night and too many times the WR's (Hixson excluded) did exactly what Z-P stated...ran around aimlessly...didn't break off their routes...gave up on the play. I hope JD addresses this in the next 2 weeks. It is the JD's specialty (WR's) so we'll see. Biggs on the screen was awesome. Big OL's got out in front...little guy hid behind them until they cleared a path and BAM, off to the races! Frye was solid. Better WR play would have helped tremendously. OL did a great job of pass blocking and run blocking. Whoda thunk is 4 weeks ago? Hixson is awesome. The punt returner/WR skills are reminicent of Cherry. 10K Zipper? Man, I want to hit YOUR tailgate party, man!!?? Z-P's right. 2K max. Empty parking lot. It would be nice to have a #2 RB step up. Ringer is scary to insert at the moment. You GOTTA have sure hands in the 4th quarter! Looking at #84 Kasparek as a Fr., I never thought he'd be a contributor. He's really playing well. Hats off to him. Defense comes through again! Good pressure all night. Tight coverage most of the night. Looking forward to Marshall! If we can keep from "freezing" on offense in the 2nd half, we have a great shot vs. the Herd. Our defense is playing well enough for us to win.

Take a look at what was posted on GoZips.com October 18th. Look at Cut-n-Paste Morgan's article. Tell me why he has a job: Q: What are the advantages to having a smaller running back? A: "You look at the NFL and the good portion of the backs are 5-foot-10. Athletically changing direction, you wouldn't think a 6-foot-4 could change direction like a 5-foot-10 kid. A lower center of gravity has its advantages." Q: Are you at the mix where you want to be in terms of running plays versus passing plays? A: "We should have done a better job of going after big plays. With the run game developing like it did, we should have had bigger pass plays. Play-action should have been effective and some other things we should have gone to. I went back and critiqued my play calling and there are a number of things I would have done differently." Q: Do you grade yourself? A: "Absolutely. After we watch the tape, we go around the room and talk about each position and talk about lessons that could be taken from that particular game. We also talk about things the coaching staff could do different and improve on. I critique myself and I also have my staff critique me as well."

Thanks for the heads-up. That sucks.

That's clever stuff!

I can't play those "Annoucer Drinking Games" anymore. I used to do the one where you drank a shot of Wild Turkey every time Hipsher said "Well exactly...." I was in la la land before tip-off every week! I agree with Stams. I think he does a nice job. He adds legit insight. The comment I remember from last week was, after a 9-yard pass completion by UCF: "The defensive line and the cornerbacks need to communicate better. The DL's need to tell the CB's to tighten up their coverage. The DL's are getting great pressure on Moffett, but the CB's coverage is so soft he can still lob out passes for big gains." It wasn't rocket science, but commentary like that gives the listener a better idea of what's transpiring than "rah rah we're great" stuff. Does Biggs run 25 times this week? Does Ball State go to school off the last 2 games and stack the line? If so, is Frye's finger well enough to take advantage of it? Will Jabari play...how serious is his shoulder?...Is our DL suddenly that good, or are UCF and Buffalo's OL's that atrocious? Is Brookhart running so heavily because of Frye's finger, or because run blocking is the OL's strength and it is our best chance to win? Whatever the reasons...I give the new staff credit for keeping the team together after such a tough start and actually putting us in a position to play for a championship. I give them credit for adapting their game plans as situations necessitate (my biggest gripe regarding the former staff). Of course, kudos to the players who, from Dec '03 to November 2nd '04 had numerous reasons to pack-it-in, but put forth the effort to make a championship run! Biggest game is Zips MAC history Saturday? Beat Ball State, and fill the Bowl for Marshall!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think this looks like a great event. Unfortunately I will be out of town. The only drawback is the date...won't a lot of communities have their trick-or-treat Sunday night between 4-7. I know mine is.

Since you offered the last word, I'll accept. My main problem with mandating the PSL's is obviously not that I want to perpetuate the "JV mentality" that's been SOP for years. My problem isn't even with PSL's. You are correct in your assessment that the majority of Division 1 schools mandate such fees for their "better" seats. Furthermore, there appear to be many fans in the lower bowl who feel the seats merit the price? If I'm U of A, sure I'm going to get market value for my product! My problem is: We have had a horrible basketball program for 15 years. The MAC is a two-bid-once-ever-5-year conference. The MAC upper echelon plays good ball, the bottom doesn't...and Akron has been at the bottom for seemingly forever. In those 15 years virtually all MAC teams have wins vs. ranked opponents, conference championships, post season wins, tourney berths and wins. I needn't go on. The Zips have 15 years of "nothing." Down the road, Can't fans are having a blast. I wouldn't mind a PSL if the team was a contender. I wouldn't mind PSL's if we played an exciting non-conference home schedule. But, we haven't been a contender, haven't beaten any big nonconference teams, and bring no major teams to the JAR. The few decent teams we've brought to town: Wyoming, Purdue, Cincinnati, didn't draw well because we were so non-competitive. We've seemed like we want to match the "big boys" in ticket policies without making the commitment to match them on the court. The filling of the lower bowl has been a problem. Empty seats have been pretty commonplace for the past 15 years. Does cost play a factor? I bought 3 upper-reserved season tickets this year, because the cost was only $99.00. With my son being so small I probably didn't need to do that. But for $99.00, it was worth it. Planning ahead, he'll need a seat next season. If there were no PSL's in the lower seats, would more of them be sold? You know better than me. Now forget everything I just said. 2004-5 is a new season. Hope springs eternal with the new coach. Players seem to be in shape. The "motion" offense is dead!! Bryan Hipsher is 1,000 miles away. The future looks so bright, I need to wear . The PSL issue will fade about 32 seconds after opening tip-off of game #1. I'm ready to see what we've got with Dambrot and Co! In closing, I'll say: No one else has chimed in on this topic. That leads me to believe that the vast majority don't care about the PSL's, or actually prefer them. People click on this site to see what's on other fan's minds. University employees do too. They should, it is a free way to get a pulse for what fans are thinking & needing. Since the fans are the customer, I'm sure the feedback is welcomed..be it positive or negative. If this season's team does well, the tiny JAR will sell out. I guarantee it. That will also lead to future PSL's for the upper-reserved? Betcha it would. And you know...I'd pay it in a heartbeat if we actually got to that point. Lunch is over. Thanks for your ear.

The MAC “Elite” #1) NIU: Last week #2: Looking solid on both sides of the ball. Every team’s going to have a letdown over an 11 game regular season…their was UCF, and they still won. They’ll only get better as they get healthier. #2) Marshall - Last week #1: Looked horrible vs. Can't. Offense has looked bad all season. #3) BG - Last week #3: Drilled Ball State. Looks like a focused crew. Could boot Marshall out of #2 with a strong showing next week. Omari looks like a drop-in replacement for Josh Harris. BG is improving every week. The “Middle of the Pack” #4) Miami - Last week #4: Unimpressive 25-7 win vs. Buffalo…at least by last season’s standards. Not enough to drop them to #5, however. #5) Toledo - Last week #6. Another big offensive day! Waxed a thusfar overachieving OU squad on ESPN. Early season problems seem far behind. The “Bottom Rung” #6) OU - Last week #5. Absolutely manhandled by Toledo. Win over Kentucky keeps them from falling too far. #7) Zips - Last week #8 – Defense is carrying the Zips!! Turnovers…sacks…what’s up with that? Two conference road wins! At some point, #5 will need to start tossing for 250+. Biggs left, Biggs right, Biggs middle probably is enough to beat Ball State…but not Marshall or Miami. “Looking to Schedule Cal-Poly or Howard Soon” #8) Ball State - Last week #7 : Waxed by 30+…again. The week #1 “close call” vs. BC seems like an aberration. They stink…again. #9) CMU - Last week #10: 42-10 beating this week at the hands of NIU. Beat Can't. Sounds like the Zips? #10) Buffalo: Last week #10: Pasted George O’Leary’s UCF squad. Held mMiami to 25, which ain’t too bad. #11) Can't - Last week #11: Up 17-7 at the half vs. Marshall, then panic set in. The textbook example of “A Team that doesn’t Know How to Win.” #13) EMU: Loss to a 1-AA school…followed by a loss to mighty Idaho. Beats Western Michigan? #13) UCF - Last week #12: Absolutely annihilated by a woeful Buffalo squad. Loses to the Zips at home. O’Leary cashes another check from the $700K/yr salary. Obviously not all his fault, but how does he cash that check with a straight face? #14.) Western Michigan - Last week #12. Lost to EMU. I repeat…How the mighty have fallen....

Hey,_Guest_Zipper…those are some great sites. I have a few you should take a look at: Washington_State www.We_play_in_the_freaking_PAC_10_with_home_games_vs_UCLA_CAL_Washington_and_Or gon_State_and_Arizona_We_play_in_a_beautiful_10000_seat_arena_How_much_would_our fans_pay_in_PSLs_to_see_that_schedule_and_venue_swapped_with_the_likes_of_Buffal _Marshall_Eastern_Michigan_and_Central_Michigan_at_the_JAR?_hardy_freaking_har.com Boise_State www.We_have_home_games_versus_Tulsa_UTEP_Hawaii_and_San_Jose State We_have_a_12,300seat_state-of-the art_arena. We_are_the_only_major_sport_within_500_miles_of_the_campus._We_were_23and10_last season._We_ride_the_coat_tails_of_our_Top_20_football_team_Get_a_freaking_clue._ ow_can_you_compare_Boise_State_to_Akron._It_is_a_joke.com Rutgers www.While_you_sat_there_watching_dan_hipsher_lose_year_after_year_we_went_out_an _hired_Gary_Waters._We_played_in_the_NIT_the_past_two_seasons._We_offer_our_fans home_games_versus_Noter_Dame_UVA_Pitt_BC_Temple_Syracuse_and_Georgetown_while_yo _schedule_D-3_Schools._Our_local_population_base_is_2million_people._Our_arena_was_renovated in_1998_unlike_your_piece_of_garbage_JAR._That_is_why_our_fans_pay_PSL’s.com Pitt www.We_have_a_palatial_new_arena_in_downtown_Pittsburgh_and_we_play_in_the_NCAA_ ourney_with_regularity._We_win_20+_games_per_year._Our_fans_are_treated_to_Notre Dame_Georgetown_Syracuse_Rutgers_etc_at_home_every_season._That_is_why_we_charge PSL’s.com Virginia www.We_play_in_the_brand_new_John_Paul_Jones_15000_seat_arena._We_treat_our_fans to_Duke_North_Carolina_Maryland_Georgia_Tech_etc_at_home_every_season._That_is_h w_we_justify_PSL’s.com Toledo www.we_win_20_games_with_some_regularity_unlike_the_Zips_who_haven’t_won_20_ga es_since_the_mid-80’s._We_scheduled_Nevada_at_home_for_our_home_fans_and_not_Wooster._We_win_mo e_games_in_a_single_weekend_at_The_Gund_than_the_Zips_do_in_a_decade._We_give_ou _fans_the_opportunity_to_say_“We_beat_a_Top_20_Team”_because_we_play_Duke_an _Vanderbilt_in_2004_while_also_playing_in_the_San_Juan_Shoot_Out._How_dare_you_c mpare_Toledo_Basketball_to_Akron_Basketball.com Youngstown_State www.How_does_any_self_respecting_person_discussing_collegiate_athletics_use_the_ rgument_of_“Youngstown_State_Basketball_does_it_so_we_should_too”_to_justify PSL’s?_YSU_basketball_is_a_total_JOKE._YSU_GAVE_each_football_season_ticket_holder_men €™s_season_basketball_tickets_because_they_were_so_desperate_for_attendance._Giv _me_a_break.com What has the University given the loyal Zips fans over the past 15 years? Nothing except a hand out for more money. The teams have been horrible. The arena blows. The pre-season strength of schedule is the weakest in the MAC aside from EMU, year-in-year-out. No wins at Seagate Center or The Gund …hell…we’ve only made it out of the JAR for post-season once. Countless home tournament losses…Bryan Hipsher playing meaningful minutes…I could go on all day… Say I give Akron the PSL money. What will the money be spent on? A million dollar scoreboard that, for two seasons, has been used for nothing but a “rotating kangaroo head graphic” and “little kangaroos hopping from side to side”? Payouts to bring top-notch teams like Wooster, Hampton and Radford to town? How about a beautiful, 4-color, 16 page brochure that is required for me to understand the complexities of the ZAC policy? Maybe membership to that sweet Tommy Evans lounge that overlooks The JAR floor…oh, wait…it overlooks Buchtel Avenue...you can't see the court. Once you've built something like Can't basketball has, you can start the PSL process. When you've built something akin to The Collegiate Washington Generals, as the Zips have been for a decade and a half, it comes off as pretty weak. Again, for the record, I like my $99.00 upper reserved sets. Love the Zips. Hate the concept of mandating PSL money from lower reserved fans while providing nothing but "L's" in return. Then again...Youngstown State BASKETBALL does it...why shouldn't we?

Can't listen to it from the bowling alley. Any insight to this week's game or the stadium? FYI to UAM: To replay the coaches show sometime...even before the Saturday football game(?) would rule. Or, to be able to listen to a replay from GoZips.com would rule too.

As of 5:00pm...poll results: 55% for 45% against

Isn't Muse @ East Carolina now? Their loss...he's a dick. :angry:

Anyone else find it funny that: 1.) The stadium story broke on Channel 3 news, and not The Beacon? Was the "leak" done to put the thumbscrews to the BJ for it's shoddy Zips coverage? 2.) Nothing regarding the stadium on GoZips.com? Did channel 3 have a "mole" at the architects office that leaked info to a news source a tad early? It will be interesting to hear the discussions on the coach's show tonight.

I saw the PAX23 report on the stadium this evening. The report interviews focused on the 2 senior citizen families living in Spicertown and their concerns about being displaced!!?? No players, coaches, students, faculty, etc. interviewed. Small wonder I never watch that channel. The only things I learned were: 1.) Groundbreaking is planned in 2 years 2.) No student money is intended to be used for the project 3.) PAX 23 may be a worse news source than the Beacon

"Tavernous Rubber Bowl?" You must be sitting near our section!!!

When I entered the stadium I saw Matt Cherry, Marques Hayes and a few other 2003 Zips on the field (behind the team). Later on they were up in the stands. Talked to Nick Sparks, Cherry and Brandon Payne for a while. Nick is working at a furniture store and working out, hoping to get a shot in the Arena League or NFL Europe. He's postponing a career related to his degree so he can focus on football. Matt got a look from New England last week, and hopes to be in Europe this summer. Brandon Payne is teaching disadvantaged youth in the Pittsburgh area. Great to see all of them! Saw Hendry, Cummins, Griz and Ritley in the tailgate lot befor the game. Great to see the guys around town, supporting the program and having a good time in the Zips Tailgate Alley! Look for more Apple Pie @ the Ball State game. I swear the October 9th batch was gone 3 minutes after I cracked open the bottle!!?? Time to double up on the recipe.... If you don't stop by Zippy-on-a-Stick before kickoff the 23rd...your loss! BEAT UCF! Then, VIOLATE THEIR CORPSE!

As Dr. Z said, you couldn't be more wrong regarding the grass seating at the open end. 1.) The "grass area seating" will comprise only about 10% of the total seating area. 2.) It will look awesome 3.) How much has the grass seating hurt Blossum Music Center...they get 10,000 people on their lawn every week during the summer? A blanket, on the lawn is a great way to spend an afternoon/evening watching football! Ever see Virginia's stadium up close? You'd love the grass...classy...collegiate campus-look. Kudos to the architect!!!