ZachTheZip

It is obvious that "the curse" does not apply to UA athletics, with our MAC championships in football, basketball, and soccer, and NCAA championship in Rifle. The Rifle championship is the most important of them all, because it proves that a UA athlete can win on the biggest stage, not just on the conference level.Cleveland is in a funk like no other city on Earth. They desperately need a winner. We provided one in March when we went to the Q and won the MAC basketball playoffs, but only 9,300 people were there to see it, and after we won I didn't see any advertising bragging about it. Imagine the effect that some commercials congratulating our football team's MAC championship in 2005 might have had if they were run during Browns games, all those frustrated football fans watching their comicaly bad team being reminded that there's a winner located just down the road. What about the same thing for the basketball team run during Cavs games, linking LeBron and UA athletics (not just the university, like the ones run now)?There's a top media market going largely untapped just 40 minutes from campus. We can give them something to cheer for.(you hear me, marketing department? The next time a Zips team wins a MAC or NCAA championship, put out some commercials that contrast them with the relavant professional sport in Cleveland).

I thought Jared Wackerly was the 3rd string QB?

It's a tough road, for sure. He needs to take advantage of all the academic support offered at UA, and I know he can make it.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/11776517Watch what you say. Normally this isn't a problem here at Zipsnation. Sure we sometimes make fun of our own players, but most of it is done tongue-in-cheek or if they really did something to deserve it. Criticism can drive some people to become better, but it can also demoralize them to the point where they back off. I'm not saying that we should ignore problems with how the Zips play their game, but choose your words carefully.This ties into my recent posts about having confidence in our team. There's not a team in the country that the Zips can't beat in any sport, if they play to their full potential. The thing is that sometimes they don't play their best. They should be pushed to reach a higher level in that case. We should show confidence in the players that they can do it. Same goes for academics.When non-qualifiers come to Akron, we hope for the best, we don't tear them down, because we know that there's a system in place to get them on the field so long as they put the effort in.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09144/972377-364.stm

Yes. It's definitely a good marketing opportunity.

Sounds like it's up to JD whether he will go or not.I would let him go to this. It would give him an experience that he'll never get while fighting for our third string QB spot this summer.

I'm all for more home games, especially since we will now have a home truly worthy of them.But I'm more than glad to have the BCS games as well... for several reasons:1) Kids who commit to playing in an Akron uniform deserve the chance to play quality opponents.2) Playing quality opponents makes your team and your coaches better over time, and sends the right kind of message both to fans and to potential recruits.3) I'm much more interested in seeing how the team I cheer for stacks up against a Penn State or Michigan State than I am in watching us play Morgan State, a game that excites me about as much as a tuna salad sandwich.4) And finally, as the most expensive athletic program--by far-- football bears the responsibility for generating revenue to at least help offset its tremendous cost. The new stadium will sure help attract better draws at home, but it also means you've got to be willing to go get paid on the road, too. If you want to continue as a D-1 program, this is just the reality. And, frankly, I'm okay with it.Anyways. My two cents.Interesting points. Here is my response to your points and respectful disagreement.1. They deserve to play ONE BCS team per year. Starting out the year 0-4 does nothing for the program.2. Recruits want to win, not just compete against teams better than they are while losing. Winning records are good recruiting tools. Losing records result in coaches getting fired every three years which continues the cycle of losing.3. Is it better to lose 45-0 against PSU or win 45-0 against Morgan State? Both are uninteresting, but one gets you one step closer to a bowl which is REALLY interesting.4. Break the bank one game a year against a BCS team. Starting 0-4 does not bring people to the new stadium.1. Akron won't start out 0-4 because 3 of those four BCS teams are terrible. If we lose to Syracuse at home, JD needs to be fired.2. I won't argue with you that winning is the most important thing to recruits, but a true competitor also wants to be tested against the best. 3. I agree. Blowing out Morgan State gets us closer to a bowl, while also allowing the team to build some depth by getting the 2nd and 3rd teams some playing time.4. I would rather play bottom-feeder BCS teams than non-BCS teams. The level of competition is the same, but a win over a BCS team looks better, no matter how bad they are (see Syracuse and NC State). If we have the same chance of winning, why not? An interesting point, though, is you saying that starting 0-4 doesn't bring people to the stadium. That's why we need to have more early home games. I'm tired of having a majority of our home games in late October and November in the middle of the week.

Does anybody know what games we have lined up after this season?It appears that in 2010 we will have Syracuse at home, and Indiana on the road. There's still a possibility we're playing Kentucky on the road. 1 open slot, presumably a home game.In 2011 looks like we're playing at OSU to open the season, a return trip to Cinci, and FIU at home. 1 open home game spot.

I was flipping through the channels the other day, and came across College Football Live on ESPN. They were talking about what sets the SEC, PAC-10, and Big XII apart from the Big Ten. It was interesting to hear, because they basically said it wasn't lack of talent at the skill positions, worse coaching, or size. They said that what set the Big Ten back was one thing: speed in the trenches. We usually don't think about a center's 40 time or a DT's quickness, but it can make a difference in the game.I thought the same thing applied to us relative to the BCS schools. The MAC has plenty of talent at the starting "skill" positions, equal to most BCS teams. JD said it was difficult to recruit good defensive linemen, and this might be what he was referring to. It's one thing to be big and able to plug holes. It's another thing to be big while flying through the holes and terrorizing the backfield. Same with the O-line. It's easy to find big guys that can form a wall around the QB, but it's harder to find guys who can quickly get in position to stop any incoming LBs. Our linebackers are another issue. They just can't seem to get past the O-line and put pressure on the other QB. I think we're pretty good on the O-line for now, but the defense needs to be both faster and bigger. Or at least faster while playing bigger than they are.

http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/sports/452040Volleyball gets two recruits from Wisconsin.

Akron-Morgan State ESPN conversationTalk smack, even if they don't talk back. If nothing else it shows ESPN that Akron fans exist and care about their team.

PSUcks You've got the right idea.

It would be awesome if you are right.

I had my history wrong. Sorry about that, Big Guy in GA. What I know for sure is that even mentioning Walt's name to a Penn State fan elicits a response of rage stemming from that Pitt victory.It's all about confidence. Have the confidence that your team can go out and beat anybody if they play hard enough. Confidence is important to creating both a strong team and a strong fan base. I know that some of the players are more confident than others. I would ask the team captains or leaders to step up and show the rest of the team what it means to be confident in yourself and your abilities. Tell them that you can beat anybody.As for the fans, we need to grow up. Grow beyond the NE Ohio mentality. We don't have the least bit of confidence as a group of sports fans. I will tell you that confidence is contagious, though. It is what attracts more people to join you and want to be like you. If the Zips fan base was more confident you would see it grow very quickly because others would want to be a part of that. We suffer from underdog syndrome and it has to stop. Stop caring that teams are favored against us. Stop caring that we're viewed the way we are. A lot of that comes from us shying away from criticism. Some people might see this as unrealistic expectations that don't go along with reality. Reality can be changed, though. No amount of marketing can create a fan base like they have at schools that we as fans should emulate like ECU and Central Florida. They aren't BCS teams but they have attendance like them, talk trash like them, and believe in their team like them. Forget "cautious optimism". That tells me that you don't really believe what you're saying.If you believe that Akron can go out to Happy Valley and beat Penn State, I want to hear you. I want to hear you here to show the rest of us that we believe, and I want to hear you out amongst fans of other teams to show them that we believe.

This game will not be close, so long as the team doesn't decide to overlook the Bears. I can't imagine that scenario happening, though, with this game being our home opener in a new stadium.

I'm registered and have had full access to their general forum for weeks now. I don't have access to "Da Bear Cave" forum, which is Morgan State's actual school-specific message board.

This is his only year left, I believe. He lost a year of eligibility after a fateful trip to GNC.

I'm not sure they won't drop us during the switchover. It would be more appealing, though.

Please, oh please be true. He's the kind of guy who can change the whole dynamic of the defense.

Talking smack with folks from Baltimore could wind up with you getting shot.No more dangerous than walking south of Exchange at night.

I think that the revenue side of the argument is interesting. Track is generally considered a non-revenue sport but you have more kids paying tuition than you spend on scholarship. Also, the longer we can hold out in sports that other schools are cutting, the better we will become in those sports thanks to less competition for recruits and attention. Then when things look up and schools start adding the sports again, we'll be ahead.

I tried getting into "The Bear Cave" forum months ago. I guess they must've had one too many "what sort of field surface will be used on the new stadium" type arguments. Or maybe they're just not patient with trolls from other teams.Yeah, I can't get in either. The general MEAC forum might work, though.

I'm pumped. It's 3 1/2 months away, but I'm ready for football season to start.Rasor's Penn State previewI think we'll have a better chance to beat them than we've ever had before. We have a mostly veteran team who won't be scared or in awe of their crowd. Walt Harris knows how to beat Penn State at their place, and you can bet that he's doing all he can to get us ready to beat his old rival. Our strengths will be up against their weaknesses. A win there would give us the confidence to beat any other team on the schedule. They're our only truly difficult match up. ARE YOU READING THIS, ZIPS FOOTBALL PLAYERS AND COACHES? I want a win. There's no reason why you won't go out there and shock the entire state of Pennsylvania. I've heard that some of you don't think you can win. If that's true, the get the hell off the team and never come back. You are here to play Division I football against the highest level of competition. If you can't handle that, we'll find someone who will. This is what you signed up for. Anything less than 100% effort is a disgrace. You can win. You have all the ability you need to win.As for the fans, talk it up. Get under their fans' skins. Show that you have confidence in your team. Don't let them put you down as a weak opponent when we're clearly the best opponent on their non-conference schedule. Nothing can put doubt into their minds faster than a confident opposing fan base.Pennlive forumScout forumRivals forumESPN game discussionThey still haven't has any serious discussion us. Now's the perfect time to catch them off guard.It's go time! PSUcks! The Nittany Housecats are going down. Get angry! :gun:

http://community.meacfans.com/groupeeClosest thing I could find to a Morgan State message board.Zips fans need to talk more smack with our non-conference opponents. It's an easy and fun way to build more awareness and hype for our games.