Blue & Gold

TC5's QB rating for the game was 136.26. But, as someone mentioned above (statistics, statistics), against a better defense there would have been a pick or two. We need Tommy back if we hope to try and make it competitive w/ WMU.

This was our 6th consecutive MAC win; first time in program history. http://www.ohio.com/sports/zips/university-of-akron-football-backup-quarterback-tra-von-chapman-leads-zips-to-35-13-win-over-miami-redhawks-1.717864

I told my friend yesterday, and I'll be brave enough to post it here, I'm expecting to get blown out.

Zips Wary of Winless RedHawks http://www.ohio.com/sports/zips/university-of-akron-football-zips-wary-of-winless-redhawks-1.717672

Btw, what's in the water in Akron? We always crank out some of the best RB's the state has to offer. How many Mr. Football RB's has the Akron area produced? This year alone we have four elite, D-1 level RB's: Marquise Bridges (Ellet) Todd Sibley (Hoban) Jemarulin Suggs (East) Weston Bridges (Copley) And I'm going to add one more. King Sanders (Woodridge) There can't be any other metro area in the country w/ that many D-1-caliber RB's. It's insane, really.

Saw Callaway for the 2nd time last night. I'll say he passes the eyeball test. Legit 6-1 w/ long arms. He doesn't pile up many statistics though because he doesn't play WR (East doesn't really throw the ball, anyway) and he plays corner. If he played S he'd probably be in on more of the game. But, to his credit, he simply covers whoever is out wide & sticks with them like glue. He does all that he's asked to do at a high level. I saw he did blow one coverage last night that went for a TD. There was some sort of miscommunication between he and the S. But that was a mental error; not like being physically overmatched. Idk. He's a good looking athlete (built like current Zip Kyron Brown) who does his (somewhat easy job) at cornerback. That's about all I can say about Callaway. We'll see how it translates to the next level against better WR's & QB's who can really throw the ball.

I was able to attend the Ellet -vs- East game last night to watch four future Zips in action. Marquise Bridges absolutely blew me away. Nothing I write here will appropriately convey how fast this guy is. I've literally never seen anything like it and I've been watching high school football for 20 years & have seen some great RB's. I've never seen a burst like this. I was sitting on the East side (who won, btw), and no one was comfortable till the clock hit 00:00 because Marquise will take it to he house from anywhere on the field. If there is a crease, forget about it - gone. No one's catching him. Something I also like about Marquise is that if nothing is there, he'll put his head down and at least get one yard, maybe two. I thought this showed a lot of smarts for a home run hitter. He is the biggest home run hitter I've literally ever seen (again, his speed is breathtaking), but, instead of dancing around, changing directions five times and losing yardage, he's not afraid to hit singles. This guy's the real deal. Reminds me of the type of RB who would play at Oregon. Not huge, but you're always on the edge of your seat because he can house the ball on every play. I do wonder if, in an attempt to get Marquise the ball in space one-on-one, if the Zips won't try to play Marquise in the slot (ala, JoJo) instead of at RB? Much like JoJo, no one, and I mean no one, can keep up with this guy. Edit: Let me add one more thing. Hoban's Todd Sibley is a hammer at 5'10, 205. Marquise is only 5'10, 180. Definitely not the physical presence Sibley is. But I've seen Hoban play a handful of times over the past 2 years and I would take Marquise 10-times-out-of-10 if given the choice between the two. Marquise Bridges for Mr. Football. (Can you tell I was impressed )

Was able to attend the East -vs- Ellet game last night and saw two juniors I really hope we're recruiting. The first is Daishawn Brimage. Little brother of future Zip DeAndre. "Little" as in both younger and smaller. Lol. DeAndre is 6-1, 265 and plays DL. His little brother plays safety/WR & is "only" 6-1, 195. Lol. Great size for a WR/S. He's muscular, athletic & fast. He had 1 INT last night and returned a kickoff for a 80 yard TD. He's a great looking athlete, who probably isn't going to ever put up a lot of stats at WR just because East is a run-oriented team and East's QB isn't the best passer in the world. And speaking of East being a run-oriented team, there will by no means be a drop off in East's RB department next year - even after stellar RB and future Zip Jemarulin Suggs graduates. The second player I hope the Zips are looking at is RB Devanier Floyd. This kid is a beast!! He's 5'9", 200 lbs. & fast with a mean streak (much like Suggs). This guy, even with weight like that, is fast to the edge & has breakaway speed. Great looking RB who's totally under the radar right now because of Suggs getting most of the carries. This buck's gonna blow up next year, I guarantee.

http://www.maxpreps.com/high-schools/springfield-spartans-(akron,oh)/football/schedule.htm

Kobie had a nice game last night. From the ABJ: Barberton 37,
Tallmadge 6 Kobie Booker rushed for a touchdown, caught a touchdown pass and returned an interception 95 yards for a touchdown to lead the host Magics (5-2, 1-2 American Conference) over the Blue Devils (2-5, 0-3). Kobe's a stud. I saw Barberton play earlier this year & while I was still outside the stadium buying a ticket, I could see Barberton's team warming up & I could tell which one was Kobie - this was from about 40 yards away. Young buck's built like a freaking brick wall; looks like he's 25 years old.

McKinley (Junior) LB Josh Chandler. 6-1, 225 http://www.fridaynightohio.com/news/two-stars-part-attraction-saturday-nights-jackson-mckinley-game Frankly, Idk if he's really any good. But McKinley puts out nice D-1 talent pretty regularly. At least worth a look since he plays just down the road.

Here's the latest Homecoming Game story from the Beacon Journal. http://www.ohio.com/sports/zips/university-of-akron-football-zips-face-uncertainty-at-quarterback-heading-into-game-against-miami-1.716861 Oh, wait... this is 3-days old

Great question. I sure do. Against TC5 I still stack the box & play tight man-to-man & make him prove to me again that he can beat me with his arm. (Btw, I think he can. I think we watched the game slow down for TC5 during the K.e.nt game.) Gameplay against a healthy Woodson? Good luck. But Woody can't be that injured, can he? I wouldn't think so... not if he was ready to go against K.e.nt & his not playing was a last-minute decision. But I think we can beat Miami without Woody, so I'd rest him up for WMU & let him get fully healed. No sense re-aggravating an almost-healed injury against the Red Turkeys.

Gotta post this picture again because I love these throwback uni's so much. Plus the board's slow this a.m. so no one will mind. When we wore these the first time I loved them so much I was hoping we'd wear them once a year. I was disappointed when they sold the jerseys & never saw them again. Already having the nicest uniforms in all of football (and the most famous mascot in the universe), we should incorporate the throwbacks once a year. The rich keep getting richer!

With Tommy Woodson likely out, Tra’Von Chapman will man the quarterback position after a lackluster performance at Kent State, where he completed 39% of his passes for 237 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions, and a pair of sacks. Statistics, statistics. TC5's 1st and 2nd halves were entirely different. Hopefully we witnessed a QB grow up right before our eyes. TC5's QB ratings: 1st Half = 30.71 2nd Half = 208.63

Those are some of my favorite uni's they've ever worn. I believe that was the negative 80-degree Thanksgiving Day K.e.nt game when we won the MAC East, right? And, know what? ^^They only wore those uni's once. Lol.

Beautiful!

^^Cribbs is a cool dude. Man, he was a terror.

Those sound like some very interesting potential articles. ABJ?... Anyone?... Bueller?

Done.

I'm more of a pregame restaurant/bar type of guy, but if you wander around the lot under the scoreboard you'll meet a lot of friendly Zips fans (many who post on this board). Just walk up & introduce yourself. They'll make you feel right at home. Zip Fest is outside the stadium to the west (press box side). It's fun to walk around there. Also, the team walks from the indoor field house to the stadium before the game. I've alway's thought I'd want to be there to wish them well, but I've never made it. I'm not even sure what time the walk is.

Yep! The dude is a baller. He's just one of those guys with a knack for putting the ball in the hole (kinda like Antino). But he's got a slight build & is only 5'8. Will he be able to defend at this level? We'll see. And tbh, 5'8" might be even a tad generous. I saw TDM at a football game. Well, I'm 5'8" and he is definitely no taller than I am. Maybe a bit shorter. He's one of those gambles you've got to take at the mid-major level.

It is! And that was a huge decision by Paul Haynes - especially considering we only needed to get into field goal range to possibly send it into overtime. I remember when K.e.nt short-kicked it. I was shocked. I was thinking, "It's not like we've got JoJo Natson back there returning kick offs." But then in watching the replay, man, Van Edwards was eating them up on returns! Paul Haynes definitely knew what he was doing. Van Edwards changed the game!

Tavian Dunn-Martin.