Captain Kangaroo

My prediction from the July Season Prediction thread. I still feel the Zips will cover. Maybe with the opponent's injuries, it'll be closer than I thought?

Word on the street is - Ravontae's scheduled to see his first Zips action on October 1st vs. BGSU. Long road back to the field for the kid. Hope he can stay healthy. He will be a force if he can avoid the walking boot.

Since 2009 (InfoCision opened), we're 42-112 overall. Maybe we have 25 total home wins spread across 13+ seasons?

I think a lot of people feel if InfoCision doesn't sell out @ 30,000 butts in seats, it's a failure. That's not true. It should be filled near 30k for a big game, where a "big game" equals - A well-promoted season opener, in a season where the Zips have realistic MAC championship aspirations Kent game, in a year where the Zips have realistic MAC championship aspirations P5 team, when the Zips have realistic MAC championship aspirations Championship-caliber opponent @ InfoCision, in a season where the Zips are also contending for the championship If the Zips aren't championship contenders, all bets are off. Even in a championship-level season, if a mediocre-to-bad Ball State or NIU team visits Akron, no one cares, and you can only expect a mediocre crowd. I feel when the Zips are winning 9...10...11 games in a season, which top-tier MAC programs have proven is possible, and where Joe and Co. are capable of taking the Zips, that averaging a 2/3rd's full InfoCision over the couse of a season is a realistic goal. And that would eliminate the need to travel for payday bludgeoning's like the last two week's, because we'd be making money at home. And winning.

When Joe and Co. turnaround the Zips football program, and we start winning 9...10...11 games per season, the realistic average attendance expectation should be 67% of capacity. Playing Toledo with the MAC championship on the line, or home games vs. Kent, should be near sell-outs. Playing middling MAC schools or FCS programs won't probably ever draw more than 15-17k. Terry Pluto famously wrote: "If Tom Arth can't win at Akron, who can?" Joe and Co. can, will get the Zips to be championship contenders within a couple short years. Hopefully "The Next Scarborough" or "The Next Wistercill" doesn't come along and screw it all up. That's my only concern regarding the future of Akron football. Otherwise, it's incredibly bright. And attendance will climb.

At the Tennessee game there was a family behind us with two sub 5-year old kids. Sitting in front of them, you repeatedly got kicked, or their pom poms shaken in your head, or their cotton candy stuck to your back or your seats. Gimme an empty InfoCision over that any day of the week.

I made the trip to Knoxville with my wife. It had been a couple years since I'd made a Zips road trip, so I was overdue. Irons was indeed fantastic. Amazing he could move the Zips against a top SEC defense, with no threat of a running game whatsoever. It seems Gibson made the smart move transferring to Georgia Tech. It is probably better to sit the bench close to home, rather than do it 600 miles to the north. It'll be interesting to see what Joe tries in order to kick start the Zips running attack. Norrils can break some tackles. Like others have said, I'd like to see him get a crack at a few consecutive series. Bungling in the red zone was costly. Missed FG, dropped passes, fumble...a shame the Zips never gave themselves a chance to make Tennessee sweat a little. And for my wife and me to cheer a little. If Irons got UA Player of the Game for his valiant performance coming off an injury, co-POTG would be Noah Perez. Off the bench, as a 140 lb true freshman, hits two FG's in front of 90,000+ hostile fans. I think there were 50 names from the 2021 roster that weren't on the 2022 roster. Even with 32 scholarships to give, that's an impossible number of holes in the dike to plug. Cornerback recruiting seems to have been the primary victim of that numeric impossibility. Being outscored 115-6 in the past two games is beyond rough. But Arth and Larry Williams left a huge mess for Joe and Co. to clean up. They'll get it done, but turning around a D1 football program that has beaten no FBS programs outside of BG in the past 4 calendar years is not an overnight process. You don't plant a garden on Monday, and eat tomatoes on Friday. The Tennessee fans were predominantly nice. Fun environment. Result aside, we had a great time. Beautiful day in the south. Ate too much. Drank too much. That's what life's all about. 😁

Jinxed them big time.

Zips pass blocking was good tonight. Wonder if we’ll be able to run the ball this year?

There is a Zips fan who said he was forfeiting his season tickets if Irons was our QB.

Morel bungling. Should be 28-10, worst case. But it isn’t.

It’s easy to stop ones that don’t.

Can’t bungle against Tennessee. Dropped 1st down pass and the missed fg are inexcusable.

Irons on the sidelines ready to play!!

Your distance estimate is dead-nuts on. Yet to see any other Zips fans. But the Vol fans around us are very drunk and congenial.

Z-I….

If I were betting with my head and not my heart, that'd be my guess too. I hope we can keep them below 30 at the half.

I have recently had to clear space. It is a bummer that you might need to delete some older pictorial history, but that's what you have to do. Generally speaking...no one is going to go back 8...10...12 years to view those images anyhow. They belong to the ages...

The year the Zips beat Pitt, we were 5-7. The year we beat Northwestern, we were 4-8. The year we beat NC State we were 5-6. The year we battled Michigan to the final gun we were 5-7. The year we lost to Virginia Tech 21-18, we were 4-7. I recall a terrible Greg Gromek-led Zips team went into the locker room knotted 7-7 at Illinois once. So why can't the 2022 Zips play Tennessee tight this weekend? I hope we can string together some first downs, and Undercuffler channels his "inner Dalton Williams". And, the defense continues to improve. Then, maybe we have a shot to keep it close. The Zips seem to show up and play a great marquee game when it seems completely improbable. Here's hoping some Zips players catch lightning in a bottle this Saturday and, if not shock the world, at least give it a respect-worthy kick in the nuts.

For anyone making the trip - Tennessee football game day information Parking/Tailgating Info My goal is to tailgate in the Fort Sanders area. If you see a Zips flag waving in the wind, feel free to stop by. I'm sure I can find a cold beer somewhere in my cooler for you! 😁🦘🏉💪

@Sergeant Zip you've kept ZipsNation updated on the comings and goings of Zips in the NFL for many many years. I just wanted to extend my thanks for doing it. It is much appreciated!

The Beacon sports page is up to 7 pages?! I'll assume 6 of them are ads for ED treatment?

I thought that, until Irons was injured, it was the best a Zips team had looked since we beat Northwestern. Great offensive play calling and execution (sans turnovers, of course)...fast and aggressive on defense. We looked like we belonged on the same field as a solid Big10 team, for an extended period of time. I wasn't too keen on seeing more of Irons running. Not because he isn't a great running QB, but because he's not proven to be the most durable Zips QB. And he's our key to a competitive season. I was so encouraged by how we looked to begin the game...and by the beginning of the 4th quarter I had to turn the TV off. I've seen how that type of beatdown plays out too many times over the past few years. You get tired of repeatedly hearing the opponent's fight song, and seeing the opposing fans mugging for the camera and dancing in the stands. Undercuffler has less arm strength than Irons, less pocket awareness, and can't run nearly as well. It is a big step down. I hope Irons is healthy by MAC time. With him healthy, we are a solid MAC team, and can win at least 4 MAC games. Without him, I don't know how much Joe can coach up a kid who's glory days were 3 years ago, against the likes of Central Connecticut State, Bryant and Lafayette. If anyone can, it's Joe. Maybe we run the wishbone against the Vols next week? 😁 I'll be in Knoxville. I've seen the Zips lose every game they've played against a P5/G5 opponent not named BGSU for the past 4 calendar years, so waiting another week or two for Joe and Co to start seeing results of their work in the win column ain't no big thing. 🦘💪

I wish we were facing them with our starting QB, and the team we saw for the first 1.5 quarters (3/8th's) of the Michigan State game. But I'm not too confident that will be the case. Regardless - The wife and I will be in Knoxville to cheer on the Zips. I was there 33 years ago when they had Carl Pickins, Chuck Webb, and a host of other NFL-caliber players. It was a great time. I think we lost 52-9, but that was irrelevant. 😁

Yes. He’s a mediocre FCS QB. If he’s our QB the rest of the season we’ll be lucky to win another game. If Iron’s is healthy we have a chance to win 5 more.