Captain Kangaroo

Sept. 10 at Purdue Sept. 17 at Middle Tennessee State Sept. 1 Home Army (a guess on the date, but Army @ home in 2005 seems to be a given) If we can take care of business vs. MTSU, we should be in good shape for the OOC 2005 season. I think Orton will be gone, so Purdue should be a good game. We have Can't and OU at the Rubber Bowl. If BG moves back to the east, I'd hope we get them at home since Miami is @ Oxford. Games at Oxford and BG would be tough. Also...who's the crossover game? I'd love to play Toledo since we haven't met in about 8 years. NIU at the Rubber Bowl would be great too.

Beautiful November evening for a game. Tailgate lot was a bit wet, but temp had to be in the upper 50's. Couldn't ask for better. Tailgate lot was full! Kudos to all the folks that made it live up to the nickname: "The Greatest Neigborhood in Northeast Ohio." Had the pleasure of sharing beers with Big Zip for the first time, as well as former Zips Paul Ondrusek and Brad Detweiler. Guest appearances by Z-P, ZipDude and ZFF made for a great evening. Thanks to all for stopping by! Things looked really good at the beginning. Too bad it was short lived. Opening couple of possessions were a joy to watch. The defense played well all night. I wish our OL and DL had the depth to go into the 4th quarter, but against Miami it wasn't going to happen. Missed FG at before halftime hurt. Gave Miami some hope, and took some major wind out of our sails. With the transfer kicker from Wisconsin now in the fold, was this Swiger's last game? Biggs is so damn good when he gets some room to run. Unfortunately there were few. As was the story the entire season vs. "good" teams, Biggs got no decent holes, and was held to negligible rushing yards. Ringer did a nice job on his few carries. Hixson was outstanding. I can't wait to watch him next season. He could dominate. Mongomery had a hell of a game as well. Why did we abandon the TE after the 2nd quarter? Dan Basch had a great RAC on a screen, mowing down several would be tacklers. Shades of what could have been if injuries hadn't bit him. Beacon's front page sports feature story was the Zips!! On the OSU/Michigan day, nonetheless??!! Has hell frozen over? Wish Elie would have pulled in that easy INT. It didn't hurt us, but man that would have given us some momentum. Frye was awesome. Simply awesome. Damn, I'll miss him. I hope Luke Getsy was taking good notes. That's how you lead a team. The last game of the year is usually Dr. Z, me, players, parents, the band and referees. Total of about 500. To see 17,500 at the Zips final game was awesome. Thanks to the team, staff and Marketing for proving what all of us have said for years...give the Akron fans a quality product...compete for championships...and they will come. Will the MAC take notes on this, and keep the "big" games reserved for late in the season? If attendance is going to be a factor in staying D1, then the MAC MUST schedule its better teams to meet late in the season. You get both fans, and TV interest at a time of year when weather takes a big toll on MAC crowds. I've seen enough of 700 person crowds at the end of the season, vs. Buffalo or Can't. Keep the cupcakes for the beginning of the season. The Zips should now be considered a championship contender and play the Miami's, Toledo's and BG's of the world in November. Let Buffalo play Western Michgan in November, not the Zips. Sucks to see the opposing team celebrate on your turf. Hope to do it to Miami some time soon. Great showing by the students. Stood up an cheered the entire game. It was great to see Hixson gesturing to the endzone crowd (mostly students) getting them pumped up. Nice to have Sullivan back next season. He had another solid game. DB's played great all night. I wish they'd have tightend up the coverage on those sideline passes a bit earlier, but in general you can't complain. Betts had nothing deep all night, and he usually had all day to throw. When we play the crappy MAC teams we get "Players of the Week" on DL. When we play good teams, they turn into "Players of the Weak?" We never could get a decent rush on Miami..or Marshall...etc. Against OU, or UCF...man we were like Gastineau and Klecko. I said before...but I'm too lazy to go back and find the quote...that Murphy would hurt us more than Clemens. We need more speed on D...and better discipline to "stay home" and guard against the cutback next year. The shifty RB's killed us all year. Clemens also had a solid game, but he worked for his yards. We contained him fairly well until the end. Zipboy was right...the beer tent was PACKED! Unlike the Detroit Pistons' fans, apparently Zips fans have the class enough to simply have a couple beers, and enjoy the gamenight. Classiest ending to a Miami/Zips game in a while. No garbage, as I have personally witnessed in some recent games. Teams were very respectful at game's end. Zips need some impact OL's and DL's in this recruiting class if we're going to give these guys a run in Oxford next season. They are a solid, well coached football team. And we aren't all that far behind them. Hell of a game Zips. Be proud. You exceeded everyone's expectations and gave us fans a kick-ass fall 2004. I expect to see all graduating seniors in the tailgate lot next fall!!! Unless of course, you're playing somewhere on Sundays!

SSA football players of the year : Grant Hrabovsky By Dave Schrecengost VALLEY NEWS DISPATCH Thursday, November 18, 2004 At 6-feet-3 and 285 pounds, Grant Hrabovsky makes a big impression on people. "A lineman my size at Shady Side Academy stands out," Hrabovsky said. "I outweigh all the other linemen on my team except one by at least 50 pounds." While Hrabovsky's size caught people's attention, it was his play on the football field that really turned heads. A dominant two-way lineman who started at nose guard and offensive tackle, Hrabovsky was a force on both sides of the football for Shady Side. "(Hrabovsky) was one of our biggest question marks coming into this year, but he really showed he could play at the next level," Shady Side coach Dave Havern said. "He did everything we asked. By the end of the season, everybody was running away from him and double-teaming him, but he still kept making plays." Hrabovsky, The Herald's choice as Shady Side's Football Player of the Year, put up some impressive numbers on defense. He recorded a team-high 53 tackles, including 16 for loss, had six quarterback sacks and forced four fumbles. "He made a lot of tackles, and six sacks -- that's a hell of a number for a noseguard," Havern said. "As big and strong as he is, he had an incredible bull rush, but he could move really well laterally, too." Hrabovsky spent countless hours in the weight room during the off-season, dropping a few pounds while adding muscle. He set team records in the bench press (385 pounds), deadlift (510) and squat (605). There aren't many players with Hrabovsky's combination of size and strength playing at Class AA schools in the WPIAL. Those attributes also make Hrabovsky, who lives in Fox Chapel, attractive to college scouts. Division I Akron and a slew of smaller schools have been recruiting him. "People at the next level are going to like him," Havern said. "He's still raw, but he has a a good mind for football, and he could probably put on another 30 pounds. He has the frame where he could go up to about 310 (pounds)." Hrabovsky's leadership on and off the field were needed during Shady Side's 3-6 season. "I wish we could have won some more games," Hrabovsky said. "I'm just happy that we played our best." Havern says the graduation of Hrabovsky will leave a huge hole in Shady Side's program. "He was a great mentor for some of our younger linemen," Havern said. "We had nine great seniors, but he'll be the hardest to replace because of his size, strength and durability."

Him, Dwight Smith and Jason Taylor. All should be in the "Ring of Honor." I wouldn't retire the jersey.

Put down the crack pipe.

Woo hoo!

I ALWAYS have extra pops in the chiller for Z-P! I'll bring some for the 'dude too...but he doesn't show up much anymore? Victim of some sort of assasination plot? I will be in the lot by 4pm. Hopefully earlier.

I'm guessing 22K? I haven't heard much Marketing push for the game? Do any of the 20K that left in the 3rd quarter of the Marshall game return for a few more quarters Saturday? Another question is: Will the Akron fans be vocal? I know the fans in the endzone were pretty clueless for the Marshall game. They sat quietly on their asses for 2 quarters, then filed out early. I can guarantee Miami's fans will be pretty boisterous...and it wouldn't shock me to see 6-8k worth of those white turtleneck and red sweatshirt wearin' bastards in the stands belchin' up their tailgate foie gras and Bordeaux, screaming for their team. 49 hours til kick off...

Sorry if you missed it...but it is still football season in Summit County!

Since I bitch every time DL Morgan writes a poorly-researched, factually incorrect cut-n-pasted column, it wouldn't be fair for me not to mention it when he writes a good one. Nice job, DL. Unfortunately, your percentage of "good" columns hovers somewhere between Bryan Hipsher's FG percentage and UCF football's winning percentage.

Click for Tuzze Article

Zips are good at stopping the straight ahead run, so they should be able to keep Clemens in check. Zips defense gives up yards, but also generates turnovers. Every game for the past 5 has been a "playoff" game for the Zips, so the jitters probably won't be there. Frye is 0-3 vs Miami. He's due. Zips 31-Miami 27

Why not?

Miami (7-3, 6-1 MAC) at Akron (6-4, 6-1 MAC) - 6:00 Television: FOX Sports Net Ohio/Empire Network (Ron Thulin, play-by-play; Rob Otto, analyst). Site: Akron , Ohio - Rubber Bowl (35,000/AstroPlay) Series: Miami leads 10-4-1 ... the RedHawks have won three in a row and six of the last seven ... Akron 's last win was in 2000, 37-20. Coaches: MIA-Terry Hoeppner (47-23, sixth season); UA-J.D. Brookhart (6-4, first season). Game Notes: * It's all on the line for the East Division championship in this game. * Miami is the defending MAC Champion and also won a co-divisional title in 1998 - the Zips shared the East tile in 2000 and are after their first ever post season action since going to I-A in 1987. * Akron has won five in a row, a school record for its I-A competition. * Miami has captured five in a row also and its last two road games have resulted in wins ... the Zips have come back from 28-7 and 13-0 deficits the last two games for wins. * QBs Josh Betts ( Miami ) and Charlie Frye ( Akron ) rank third and fourth, respectively, in the league in passing efficiency. * Frye needs 13 completions to reach 900 for his career. * The Zips have allowed four punt returns for a score this year and will be challenged by Miami specialist Ryne Robinson, a sophomore who holds the MAC all-time record with five punt returns for a touchdown - the Zips have rebounded from a 1-4 overall start to the season with two five-point wins and one three-point victory among its five-game winning streak. Comment: Akron is very focused and has done a great job winning five in a row, but Miami does have more talent and is used to playing in and winning ‘big games’ when they count. Expect Miami to pull away late. Nick’s Pick: Miami 35 – Akron 24 Line: Miami by 8

After the 3rd overtime period you are forced to go for 2 points on TD's. There are no more ties in football...just like there's no crying in baseball. I maintain: You gotta get out of Mahoning County.

Ummmm....they've had overtime in college football for about 6 years. Dude, you gotta get out of Mahoning County.

Wow is that a confused column. Is DL Morgan doing some grad work at U of A?

It's interesting to look at...but pretty irrelevant. Was it rainy one when Miami played, and sunny when Akron played...was a key player(s) from an opponent out vs Akron, but played vs Miami...has the opponent declined or improved in the time between their Akron and Miami games...was Akron learning an entirely new system, while Miami's players were familiar with theirs...and so on... Akron doesn't play a wide open, shoot-em-out style. We rely on hard hits, turnovers and nonstop agressiveness to win on D. That has proven to give us a better-than-average chance to win over the past 7 games. By nature, we don't have many blow-outs. On offense, we are balanced. We move the ball and don't make many mistakes. We also have the intangable at QB in 5th year senior Frye. He can put the team on his shoulders, much like Roethlisberger could. If Miami tries to grind it out against us, I like our chances. From what I've seen from Clemens, he isn't a cut back runner, which is good. The shifty guys give our defense fits. Maybe Brandon Murphy gets more than his normal carries to take advantage of this? Regardless, it will be a great game Saturday. The Zips are playing solid football and have a lot of confidence at the moment. Add the home field to the mix...can't wait for kick off!

My guess: The Zips need to win-out to go bowling. Assuming BG is in (which they are), I would be shocked if a bowl chose Akron over NIU, Toledo, Miami or Marshall...even if we'd have beaten 2-of-the-4. Zips gotta take it one game at a time, starting Saturday.

The Zips QB next season will be Getsey. He was slated to be the #2 QB at Pitt this season, but transferred to Akron in early September. Obviously, it will be a step down from Frye...but it is reasonable to expect it will be similar to the Roethisberger-Betts transition. Our OL will take the biggest hit, losing 4 senior starters. But...the OL has been hot/cold this year. I can't believe the drop off will be too bad. We lose Fuller, Blackburn and Agyeman...and LeFall on defense. Replacements shouldn't be too much of a problem. I expect to be very competitve next season. And, if you're happy with your 2004 season...you can't begin to imagine how I feel about ours!

The loss of Marshall creates a void in the East. I really hope the Miami/Akron rivalry fills that void. It should...with Marshall's departure your coaching staff now needs a fresh press box to smash, and we need a replacement MAC East opponent to slap around 2-out-of-every-three years! All I know is, if the Zips win this Saturday, I'm staying the F away from the Miami staff when I rush the field!

To quote my buddy Zipsrifle: "Who's Lee Owens?"

* Hell of a road win for the Zips! Outscored OU 31-6 to close out the game! Defense held the OU offense to 13 points! * Biggs and the OL still struggling to post a big games vs. anyone but a bottom-feeder? Biggs needs a big game vs. Miami. Can he do it? * I love seeing the Zips win, with #5 hovering around 200 yards passing. Dude is all about winning...not stats...and it has carried us to a MAC East Championship game! * What is the Marketing push for this one? No need to give out freebies. Should be a great crowd...screw OSU! * I just shake my head and smile when I think of the progress this team has made over the course of the season. Warms my heart! * A Duane LeFall sighting?? Where'd that come from? I hope he and Kiki are ready to do some damage this week! * Scary thought...Miami's Betts is really playing well right now. We need to get pressure on the guy, because Miami's WR's are right up there with Marshall's. * Miami's defense ISN'T playing all that great. Expect a shootout Saturday. 38-31-ish score. * Our D gives up yards, but sure is making big plays and winning games!! * I have three distinct memories of the last time Miami played Akron @ the Rubber Bowl 1.) Roetlisberger running in front of the Zips bench waving the "#1" finger at the Zips after tossing a deep TD pass. 2.) Frye going SACK, SACK, SACK on a critical series, as the Zips tried to mount a comeback. 3.) Hearing, from the parking lot, the Miami team whooping it up in the Rubber Bowl locker room at games end...it was a raucous celebration. Frye and the Zips are 0-3 vs Miami. This game is for all the marbles (until the MACC game). I want to see #5 walk off the field victorious in his final home game, and doing it vs a Miami team would be the sweetest exclamation point to put on an awesome career. Additional exclamation points can, of course, be added in the post season.