72 Roo

Your observation about Joe calling the plays is not to be overlooked. Fesler did a horrible job last year. We had the best back in the MAC and Fesler refused to increase his carries when everyone in the stadium wanted to see Lingard pounding the ball more. When you are a Zip football fan you cling to the smallest sign of hope!

Thanks to Captain for giving us a shot of hope that we are getting better. This week I was on campus visiting athletics. The word I got was Seymore has not healed and is not ready to start. Additionally football is running a bare bones operation. Athletics took a $3M cut and football has suffered. No GA's, no publicity, cuts in support staff. The money games are saving the budget this year. The attitude seemed to be 4-8 is reasonable and it will be the foundation for a better year next season.

NOOOOO! 😱 Stop the madness. In these days of mental health awareness you are close to getting a call from the police regarding the deliberate infliction of harm and duress on the U of Akron community. Talk about crimes against humanity!

Good Lord I hope you are right! Reality I think supports my 4-8 prediction. We have yet to solve our OL problems. Behind it we have only one true D1 QB. Our DB's had turnover again. Our RB's need rebuilt. We lost WR's and our kicking game is questionable. If all those areas pan out we can go 7-5 or better. Reality and Akron history strongly say otherwise. The bottom line is that we, the public and fans, have no idea what we have. The flow of information and preparation of this team is non-existent and that is a flaw in the sports information dept and athletics marketing. Yet to end with some hope, I pray you are right. The last 5 years seem to indicate differently.

Thanks LetsGo. I enjoyed the article in that I felt there was some honesty. I was surprised at how many AD's seemed to like the weekday games of MACtion. I don't and never have. I especially respect the comments of one AD who said rivalry games should absolutely not be played on weekdays. The respect the AD's had for Toledo was anticipated, but I was surprised at how much credit is given to WMU. I don't see that. Perhaps their new arena has influenced them. I understand the mention of Akron as one of the most difficult places to coach in football. Yet last year we lost 7 games by seven or less points. I wonder if three of those games had gone our way would they still feel the same way? History is what it is and we deserved their low opinions. When we do turn the corner I bet they will be envious.

A few thoughts on last night's basketball celebration and reunion. The event was the brainchild of Karl Schwarzinger, former 70's player and huge supporter of Zip basketball. The night sold out. Tickets were $100 each plus fees. Approximately 220 were sold, but not attended. It was a class event. I asked if the proceeds were going to NIL. Karl said no, but they would go to the program. The team showed up. They are a great group of guys. Groce once said if you go to Akron you have to buy into our culture because we don't change for you. These players have bought in. They are very athletic and because of that, and no dominant low post player, for now, Groce said they will play faster and emphasize transition. All have bought into defense. Josiah Harris came over and introduced himself. He is very personable. I asked him how he liked the team and he was very optimistic they will keep Akron at the top of the MAC. I asked him why he came to Akron. He said he liked the program, Groce, the tradition and it got him closer to home (Canton). He loves the new practice facility. He thought it was equal to what he had at WVU. Tressel was there. You could not get to him as all the old, deep pocket supporters were always surrounding him. When he spoke he was typical Tressel. Joe Dunn asked him to comment on the changing world of college athletics. His answer was 5 minutes long and he said zero. My friend leaned over to me and said "that is why the media in Columbus called him the senator. He talked and talked and said nothing concrete." Huggins was asked to describe how he built Akron by Joe Dunn. Hugs answered he got guys who wanted to get better and would play defense. That's it. He has lost weight, but he now looks like a recluse or hermit: beard, long hair, slicked back. At my table were three players who played for him. To a man they all loved him as a coach and said he made them better every day. Bud Wentz talked. I thought he and Len Paul were the best speakers of the evening. Bud said he is having more fun with Akron basketball than any other time in his life. He said our NIL will aid in retaining players, not poaching them. Akron was one of the first schools to set up a collective. Bud contacted the lawyer who set up the first collective he knew about, for Arkansas baseball, and learned all he could about doing it right. His enthusiasm for the program, the coach and our future are very high. Len Paul, perhaps the best player to ever play for UA, spoke more from the heart. He said if he had it to do all over again he would still go to Akron. He loved Wyatt Webb and his teammates. Brian Westover, a 6'8" center on one of Len's teams told his wife that the reunion with his teammates was one of the best moments in his life. Len actually left a school in Texas to come to Akron. When Wyatt called him he was already in Texas but said send me a ticket and I'll be on your team. The rest is history. Guthrie was very circumspect about leading an athletic dept in these changing times. He noted he is talking more with lawyers that anyone else. He believes the MAC is the best place for UA. Our focus would be conference championships, not trying to find a seat with the big boys. He noted the AD's and presidents do not want to get into player bidding wars, which we will not win. Instead Akron needs to focus on retaining players thru offering a place that cares about them, builds personal relationships, gives them great facilities and educates them. He told me later NIL will play little role at Akron. Football has little, if any, NIL money to offer. Basketball has what it needs to hold our players. Finally, other administrators feel we need to be ready for a G5 championship. This was not said in any remarks by the speakers. There were many other speakers like Steve McNeese, Eric Mclaughlin, Dr. Climon Lee and Enrique Freeman. All talked glowingly about their time at Akron. Thru the eyes of these former players you realized we have a special place at UA, despite all its challenges. The last speaker was Groce. He captured the crowd. His thoughts on continuous improvement got you excited for the future. We were listening to someone who was ready to move the program still higher. And he knows how to do it. Another night like this is already scheduled for the last weekend in July 2025. The focus on using this weekend for all teams to reunite will be emphasized.

We all understand why this is happening, but we don't have to agree with it. Everything good about college football can't always be measured in dollars and cents. The top 35 programs are doing all they can to ruin the game in their unquenchable thirst for more and more money. A champion from the Big Ten and SEC is not a national champion. Just the richest.

It seems Joe has done a good job in retaining his recruits altho' I hate to lose Jester and Laing-Taylor.

Damn, I'd run thru a wet toilet paper wall for this guy. All Bruins everywhere have got to be pumped. With his kind of motivation UCLA will easily finish in the top 16 out of the 16 members of the Big Ten.

After reading that article I wanted to go out and hire him again. Then reality set in and I was reminded a very simple fact, he's a horrible head coach. Thank you reality!

Thanks to Catdaddyp for his comprehensive review of our last two classes. Being ranked both years in the top two is something to get excited about. Yet it is fascinating to see that Joe's peers don't place much credence in the thought of UA turning it around. Hence the ranking of 11 out of 12 MAC teams. We only outranked the team at PCCC. The guys who are paid big bucks to know their opposition don't see much to worry about in UA. Can we prove them wrong?

This is a nice, feel-good post, but it's not based in reality. It seems to me it's based on someone not able to believe that Joe Mo could have another team below .500. Until I see better evidence I'm sticking to my 4 win prediction this season. Please prove me wrong Joe.

I wish him well. He made a tough, but good decision to prioritize his health and family over ego and football. That's not easy for anyone to do regardless of profession. Like most of the Arth era coaches I felt he was in over his head at UA, but I was impressed with his enthusiasm and kindness. He will be OK if he sticks to the advice of healthcare professionals.

Meister, don't you know the low man always wins in line matchups. That is why we went after Marshon hard. There was a three footer that we wanted but OSU got him with their limitless NIL money. 😁

Just finished watching this interview. it was another reminder of the exceptional person that is Enrique. Thanks go to Let's Go for sharing this.

OSU is the richest program in the country. Last year's revenues were at 276 M, 6M higher than Texas. I doubt anyone at OSU is lining their pockets. The deficit is only because OSU has continued on a facilities upgrade for all programs. Recently Tennis, field hockey, gymnastics, wrestling/volleyball and softball got new venues. Construction has begun on a new ice hockey arena with future plans for soccer. All of these projects have been self-funded which accounts for the deficit. I do not like OSU, but I appreciate how they run athletics. BTW, this academic year saw over 800 athletes (from 37 varsity sports, more than any school in the country) achieve a GPA of over 3.0. This monster is unbelievable in the money they bring in and spend.

So will Guthrie. He has the cost of many improvements covered at a time that he knows the cost to maintain a full athletic dept is growing. Keep in mind the payouts for cannon-fodder games go into his general fund and are not kept by the football program. Guthrie is free to spend these funds on other sports (improvements or operations) if he presents a good enough case to the president and CFO.

Sorry your experience at the Shoe was not positive. Mine was the exact opposite. With 100,000 people in the stadium the atmosphere is electric, like nothing you have ever experienced. The real attraction for a Zip fan is the tailgating before the game. If you wear Zip gear invariably someone will invite you to their tailgate party and serve many cold ones. I go every season to a game just to experience the event with good opponent. Be prepared for stupid questions like how long has UA been D1, don't you have lots of streets running thru your small campus, does the MAC have D2 members, etc. As far as the stadium, when Andy Geiger was AD he spent over 160M on renovating the stadium. It is as good as any top venue. There is no dilapidated sections I've seen. Be prepared to leave at the half as most of the students will do, but only after the band show. That will be better than the game. Their band is fabulous so make sure you catch the pregame and halftime shows. At least we will get a good paycheck from this.

I don't think it is fair, but I do feel a ninth ranking is deserved. He has to do better on the field and win games.

Fantastic news! Now our baseballs will be playing with the same number of schollies our opponents have. Things look very bright for this once destroyed program. Good news is always welcome, but more so in this time of little Zip information.

I don't have a clue as to everything that went into his decision to hit the portal, but I'll offer this. If he was going to sit behind other QB's he might as well go to Oklahoma and sit in a place that is close to home. He loses a scholarship but maybe he's happier being close to home while having the chance to win a scholly if he does well. Akron is a long way from home just to sit on the bench.

Catdaddyp, your analysis as usual is superb. Yet your comment that SC has a ton of if's applies even more so to us. With QB, OL, WR, DB and special teams I feel we have much to work on to compete with them. Obviously QB and OL are the key to us making a leap forward. Against this schedule I don't see that coming. I can't see us winning more than 4 games this season. Thank you for your thoughtful contributions.

I appreciate your perspective. I'm glad you support the program. Look deeper into the program. You will find assistants that cannot compare to Mitchell's, lack of local (Ohio) recruiting, few if any performances ranking in the top 25 in the country. Winning the MAC is not an endorsement. But if you are saying it's a start, I agree.

Agreed. Take WKU because they make the MAC a stronger conference. Take MTSU also if they make us stronger or give us a better TV package since they bring the Nashville/Tennessee TV market.

CUSA looks downright ugly. I hope WKU comes to the MAC very soon. It makes more sense than staying in CUSA.