gozips19

Had a chance to make to down to Akron to watch the game and I got to hit up Luigi's for a pregame meal Just about everything has been discussed so I'll just add a few things I agree with and a few things I heard during the game. 1. Nitro looks like he's sleep walking! Not sure what is up with the man but even when he does good it's not enough. 2. Nik seemed to be pouting while on the bench and when Tree was in the game. Not sure if he has the temperament to be the guy on the sidelines encouraging his teammates or not but he needs to be for the team to gel quicker. 3. Love Chancey in the starting lineup. Said it before the kid brings a ton of energy the second he steps on the floor. Plus that will leave Harney, Q, Tree, and Brett off the bench and that's a nice group. 4. Not sure who mentioned the story of KD getting on Chancey for not "Shooting the damn ball" but it had everyone in my section cracking up. 5. Zeke was the man last night! Ok now for a few things I heard from some peeps from the AD 1. Winters is the guy. This will be the first and only time I'll post about this until they hire someone. I hate speculation but I know people on the board like to hear this stuff. 2. Alex update. Partially torn meniscus. Anyone watching the game could tell he was hurting. Was told he'll have surgery on the 22nd and will be ready for MAC play. 3. Harney update. Should be able to play Saturday. Big stretch of games but I really like the rotations the team is working with. Time to smooth things out and get ready for conference play!

Was at the game too so I'll add a few takes. Sat by McNess. Man we could've used him. I really liked that they went with a 3 guard look to start the game. Very disappointing in the the results as Brett is as Capt. put it "M.I.A.". Thought AA looks a half step slow but I heard he has a torn miscues so that explains some loss in lateral quickness. Hope he can play with the pain. Tree is a beast! Living up to the hype. Would like to see a little high low with him and Zeke. Would clear up the box for Zeke and Tree is quick enough to finish at the rim from the line. KD needs to find 15 mins a game for Gilliam as he changes the typo of the game the second he steps on the court. Still gets lost from time to time but he seems to be a guy that needs to figure it out on the floor. The biggest issue I still see are the seniors. Every year KD has been a coach there's been seniors who have stepped up their game and lead the team. I thought for sure that would be Nik but he seems lost. Seems to me that he still doesn't know how to play with the youngsters. He needs to figure this out if this team wants to be special. There's a ton of variables on this years team but the talent is off the charts. Kind of remind me of some of Daytons teams in the past 5 years. Hopefully they'll find more consistency. Liked the fight I saw against a pretty good CSU team. Looking forward to the next 5 games to see how much the team can improve. The schedule is pretty favorable.

He sat in the student section Saturday and went back to the locker room with the team at halftime. He should be back next game. that's really good to hear as this team needs him more than ever

isnt Tree sitting on the bench? violation can't be too bad? now alex......haven't seen him on a bench in a while.

I hope Alex is watching this and is as sick as the fans.

just heard on the radio Tree is suspended for the game....oh boy

don't think any big name coaches will take the Akron job. Not now. Not in the future.The same could have been said about Ohio but they paid a premium (at the time and for a MAC school) to land Solich. Akron could get a guy like Stoops as he's from the area and no BCS school would hire him right away. If Akron is willing to up the salary to say 500k I think they'd have a shot.

Big upgrade coming for the Cougars click me funding should be done by end of the year

I agree here. no, but it's his job to organize a better play. At least one of those two times. I have no problem with the final two play calls. ball screens for your guards was the only play working all night. Nitro didn't have anything and he forced it. The play to end the game you put the ball in Q's hands. We've seen him win games like this in the tourney. He makes a go for broke bad decision and we take a L. That's on the players not the coach. uh, Keith can't coach poise in the middle of crunch time. I'll go ahead and say it, we flat out choked in the final minutes +1

I agree here. no, but it's his job to organize a better play. At least one of those two times. I have no problem with the final two play calls. ball screens for your guards was the only play working all night. Nitro didn't have anything and he forced it. The play to end the game you put the ball in Q's hands. We've seen him win games like this in the tourney. He makes a go for broke bad decision and we take a L. That's on the players not the coach.

Did you see Diggs, McClanahan and Abreu finish out? Did you see the shots? Seriously? No points for the final 4 minutes? We choked. Period. I Speak Truth...and it sometimes hurts. You both are right

You honestly think KD said lets run a play for Nitro or Hey Q jack up a 25 footer?????? You can't be serious?????

+1

paging Nitro???? paging Nik????? if anyone has seen them please send them to the JAR. Where's the senior leadership???? this loss will make coach sick for a week!

Looks like KD kept him out on purpose so he can ride him through the 2nd half. Lets hope the refs allow Akron to play a little more physically. all those foul shots :zzz: :zzz: :zzz: :zzz: :zzz:

Valpo has 21 ft attempts wow...... Gilliam still looks a little lost playing the team game. It'll come though. The kids look really good!

It's 1036am est and Can't state still sucks! Does that help???

Can't say that i agree with the call but we are forgetting one very important thing. The play worked....Price just dropped the ball. That and the dropped td by the TE were huge!

Need to catch up on the list.During the VMI game: Genny Cream Ale, Blatz, Bush, and Old Style (Yep we drank them all)During the FIU game: Abita Amber, Abita Purple Haze, and Abita Turbo Dog.* Was in New Orleans and was checking the score and did check the nation to make sure the beers counted!

CUSA and MW to merge? click me

awesome!

Thanks for all the kind words @Jhonny84 Williams played a lot when one of the ends went out. Saw in the paper that it was Hazmie. I just noticed he was getting off the line pretty quick and was in on a few plays around the line of scrimmage. He should be a good addition.

Thoughts from my Cincy visit.First off I had a blast! Took in a Red's game on Friday. The park is very nice and I love how open it is. A little too small for my taste but that is made up for in the food and crowd. Had a big red and a local German beer. Lots of Brewers fans there and they are awesome! Die hard fans that love to party. Also took in the Oktober fest downtown after the game on Saturday. They draw over 500k to the fest over the course of the weekend and it was fun. Still liked the Cleveland fest but you can't beat tons of people walking around with boots filled with beer!Cincy's campus was a little nicer than I remember from the last time I was there (about 8 years ago). The campus reminds me a lot of Syracuse but a little less hilly. Due to the Oktoberfest there weren't any hotels in downtown Cincy so we stayed by the airport (in Kentucky) and that turned out to be a blessing in disguise. We were able to take the bus downtown and then transfer over to campus. Worked out very well and was by far the cheapest option. We started at a bar called Uncle Moes and that was a true blue college bar. Most of the staff were college kids and they were still drunk from last night! Think Bob's or Joe's before they were torn down. Also hit a bar right next to the stadium and ran into some zips fans.Everyone there was super nice and really respectful of Akron. Most would say "Didn't Akron used to be good" and "I hope you are able to turn things around quickly" Many referenced the last time Akron played Cincy at Akron with Akron coming up just short. On to the game:Dr. Z you asked me to pay close attention to Clayton Moore and the Wide outs. I did and I have mixed feelings about him. I can't knock him on the fumble as he was trying to make a play. The first pick 6 I think is a case of him thinking he could make an out from the far hash. The second pick was almost the exact same throw. He has to learn from his mistakes and can't make that throw. I still think he has more to offer than Nicely as he looks just like the same from last year. Looks the part but has no touch and no feel to the pocket. Moore can make things happen and the team responds to him more than Nicely. With that being said it doesn't matter who the QB is until the line improves. Too many times were you see no push on running plays and blown assignments leading into the quarterback getting killed. I don't think there is an answer for the line this year. I expect better results against the bad teams and poor results against the good teams.Way too many drops by the tight ends and wide outs. Fleming gets open but either has poor hands or it's a lack of concentration. Haven't seen enough of him to figure that out. Price also had a big drop. These could've lead to potential points in the first half. Since I am more optimistic by nature I'll now move on to the second half. Granted Akron played against the 2nd and 3rd string but they were able to win that half and make some plays. I was really happy they went back to Moore and he showed something by hitting on some big plays. Jawon is a big play back and will keep getting better. Good vision and good speed for his size. He's gonna be a good one. I tried to play attention to other freshmen and Ford, March, and Williams all stood out. When watching this team play I have tried to keep things in perspective. They've played 3 teams that are much better than Akron and they have no chance in those games right now. They are playing 12 true freshmen and a lot of young players. They have shown flashes and as they get bigger the team "should" get better. These next two games are huge for the team and the fans. Win both and the players continue to buy in and the fans start to relax. Lose both or one and it could get ugly. Very interested to see how VMI goes. I'll be on the field so I'll try to add more next week. Let's hope the team builds on the second half.Cap if you can add the following beers if they haven't been added:OTR (over the Rhine)PBRSam Adam's Summer AleChristian Moerlein

the three biggest things that stood out to me were the o line, poor tackling by the back 7, and kick coverage.O Line: They are just flat out bad right now and that's the most disappointing part of this team. I understand they are a little thin due to injuries but they get blown off the line a lot. Their pass protection is even worse as Moore had little time to throw. I think there was 8 or 9 sacks? A few were Moore's fault but there were a ton ton of times when he was running for his life. He was lit up on the interception he threw. Moore and Jawon have shown flashes but need the line to gel to get consistently better.Poor tackling: I don't think this has been talked about enough. GP1 has mentioned on the board that Wagner makes a lot of plays but are 5 yards past the line. You can say the same for the other linebackers as well. They are not flowing to the ball well at all. Then you have the secondary. I hate to pick on a specific player but Richmond may have to be the softest strong safety I've ever seen. Very athletic and can help in coverage but he's not a run stopper. This shows up time and time again as he blows tackles that lead to long runs or short passes that turn into a big gain. I know Ford is a true freshmen but I'd like to see him get some more reps. The hit he made to force a fumble is what this team needs. Would also like to see Seth Cunningham get some more reps if the D plays nickle. This way you can move Waller on the slot and you have 2 bigger db's on the edge. Every time Waller is matched up on a bigger receiver he has to play off and the bigger wide outs eat him up. He has ball skills but doesn't get a chance to use them. The slot would be a better spot for him. Kick coverage: This is on the coaching. You can't have your coverage teams consistently start behind the 20 and expect your offense to bail you out. On the flip side the lane discipline on covering kicks is junior varsity. This needs to change for when Akron plays lessor competition and is in closer games if they expect to win any games this year.I didn't expect Akron to win the game but I didn't expect the final score either. I'll echo some of the statements on the board that most people in the stands were just sad. I saw some people trying to fire the team up and some people pissed. Simkovich comes to mind. Nobody would have been shocked if Akron starts 0-3 before the season started. I just hope we see improvement on Saturday and then get their first win against VMI.Was in in lot 9 for the first time this year and had a good time. Miss the younger crowd but the food was an improvement. Cap if you can add the following beers:Great Lakes NosferatuLeininkugel OktoberfestLabatt Blue and Light Heading down to Cincy to watch bad football and participate in an awesome Oktoberfest! Anyone heading down feel free to IM

I'm anxious to see what RFr Jamar Williams (5-11, 210) can do on the field. He was rather highly thought of coming out of HS. agreed. he was on the 2 deep coming into fall. if this team is going to be decent the front seven needs to play at a high level. someone will need to step up that doesn't have a lot of experience. also really excited to see if ty williams can contribute right away and how they plan on using him. again some big if's but if he's ready he could be a fun one to watch.