Captain Kangaroo

7 seconds is about the absolute maximum time you could hope to burn off under a best case scenario. That play could never have used 8 seconds. Punt. Even though we had a bad snap earlier in the game. Or, teach Kato the pooch punt. Regardless - we won.

When you get home from the game at midnight, you don't feel like posting any thoughts on it. Then you drive home for 6 1/2 hours the next day, and you don't feel like posting anything either. Then on Monday, you try to catch up on all the things you didn't do around the house because you were in Evanston all weekend. And here you are... There isn't much to be said that hasn't already been said regarding the game. Some people bemoan the lack of stars in the Akron recruiting classes, but there was no shortage of stars for the Zips on the field Saturday night. Bell...Nelson...Williams...anyone with the surname Davis or Brown... it was an amazing second half. Very reminiscent of the 1999 Akron @ Navy game, where the Zips were down 20 in the first quarter and rallied back for the win. The first half penalties were maddening, but even with the late second quarter TD drive, you never got the feeling that Northwestern was going to dominate. One play that stood out to me towards the end of the first half was the Zips 4th and 1 QB run. Kato took the snap and slammed into the line as hard as he physically could. He didn't get the first down, but it really stood out how badly he wanted it. I'd never seen a small (he's no Woodson) QB hit the line with such reckless force. It showed me how badly he wanted to win, despite how horrifically the bulk of the preceding offensive possessions had played-out. The Zips clock management at game's end was baffling. The chasing of points that began in the 3rd quarter was puzzling. The 48 yard FG attempt late in the 4th qtr was ummmmm thought-provoking? But all that said, the Zips gutted out one of, if not THE greatest wins in program history. Back in 2005 the Zips beat NC State. You really thought the Program had arrived. Then we stumbled to a 5-6 season record. The apparent breakthrough 2014 win at Pitt ended up a lone highlight in an otherwise forgettable 5-7 season. But this year seems different. You always win with defense, and the Zips have their best defense in memory. Sort of like 2015, but with the addition of Dwight Smith impersonator Alvin Davis in the secondary (for you youngsters out there, Google "Dwight Smith Akron" to see my GZOAT). Iowa State will be a much bigger test than Northwestern. Back-to-back Power 5 games always are brutal for MAC schools. But the MAC has done it before. Toledo beats Power 5's with regularity. NIU too. Remember in 2003 when NIU began the season with wins against Alabama, Maryland and Iowa State? Why not the Zips? It's about time another MAC school broke through the Glass (Bowl) ceiling! As lunch draws to a conclusion, here are a few closing thoughts on the Northwestern trip - * Great to put a face to the name of @LZip and @Ham. Fun meeting them, & their spouses/families! Very nice to meet the Reinke's too. * The Zips alumni had a nice party at the South Golf Course lot...coincidentally only about 100 feet from where we were tailgating. Thanks to Willie for stopping by and inviting us over. * The Golf Course lot was awesome. Just like the old Rubber Bowl grass lot. Corn hole...footballs flying...kids running around everywhere...it was a fun time. It was a little like Lord of the Flies as the kids took control of the green on hole #13. I wouldn't want to putt on it come Sunday morning. Here were a couple of Zips tailgates - And inside the stadium, here were some of the boisterous Zips fans: Nice people in Evanston. Very gracious in their defeat. Fun college town. Couldn't have had a better weekend. Thank you Akron Zips!

While not a winner this week, I am pretty happy with the accuracy my prognostication.

A few Zips fan sightings in the south golf course lot, Free beer for anyone that stops over!

Sitting at an Einstein Bagels in Evanston. Beautiful day! Can’t wait for kickoff!

My son is a HS senior this year and wants to check out the campus Saturday morning. I'll keep an eye open for you around 2:30pm. Hope some other Zips fans will stop by too.

I guess they can be on either sideline? Maybe since they were on the away side last week and lost, they'll return to the home side?

Former Zips Defensive Coordinator doing well at Rhode Island

I think if the Zips can hit the 350 yard mark Saturday night, they’ll win. Sampson, Gilbert and Davis should have big days, leading to multiple INT’s for our veteran secondary. in my perfect world, this is a Marshall Part II game. Kato comes of age and leads us to a blowout. But I’ll go with Akron 34 Northwestern 27.

Possibly missing two starting tackles on Saturday?

NW Message Board

From as little as you can tell from a game in the rain against a bad 1-AA program, I'm pretty amped up about the Zips defense. I think the pressure we'll put on the opposing QB's this year is going to lead to a lot of INT's. Feel terrible for DeMarcus Lloyd. Has an early, season-ending injury last season, and gets a medical hardship to play in 2018...works hard in the off-season and earns the starting nod for Game #1...and it lasts 2 plays. The player I'm most excited about is Dre Williams. He's a playmaker. I can't wait to see him get the ball in the open field. Nice to see Deltron Sands healthy after the game. The snaps on FG's and extra points scare me. Hope we shore that up quickly. Justin Sampson seems to have taken a big step forward this year? I'll be interesting to see how effective he is when going up against a Big 10 offensive line. This was a good game for Kato to get his feet wet. Overall I thought he looked ok. He threw some nice deep balls, and ran adequately too. The hot-headedness continues to be a concern. As well as INT's. I know the McGriff drop wasn't his fault, but there were a couple other tosses that a better team would have picked on Saturday. Van Edwards acquitted himself well. Can he do it against a Big10 team though? I saw less of Maverick Wolfley than I'd expected. But when Williams is healthy we're pretty deep at the TE/H-back position. Should be a fun game on Saturday evening. If we can avoid turnovers, and create a few of our own, I think we've got a solid chance for a win.

Got my South Lot parking pass today form StubHub. 30 bucks after all the fees were included. See everyone there! It would be cool to have 20+ Zips fans centralized. I'll also be flying a Zips flag. Expecting to arrive around 2:30 pm (CST).

WMU May surrender 70 to Michigan today.

Any umbrellas or rain gear?

Had a "Naughty or Nice" Christmas Ale on tap at a bar in Twinsburg a couple nights ago. I thought it was outstanding. It had the viscosity and body of Great Lakes, but much more spice-forward. Mucky Duck Brewery

Maybe this guy can help you.

North, Central or South?

On his Twitter feed he says "I prefer to be called by my last name." Zipmeister's new favorite player?

That would be great. Sub hub has parking passes for 20 bucks. Let me know if you’re in the central or north course lot and I’ll get a pass.

Tickets done. Hotel booked. Next up is identifying the best tailgate lot... Thread on NW Tailgating Bleacher Report Article

I splurged for the $13.00 tickets ($19 after all the Stub Hub fees). Row 12. Section 107.

Northwestern game day info Nice thread on Northwestern game day info

Bizarre. If the Zips were so bad as to completely drop out of the top 25, how could NC State’s win over the Zips be so impressive as to vault them from 17 to 4 ?

Did George VanHorne say something that pissed off Lincoln Riley?