72 Roo

Great idea Capt'n. If I was able I'd find some business to do in N.E. Ohio and drive up from Columbus for the event. Unfortunately, I've got to go leave tomorrow for a national sales meeting in Arizona. Nice weather, but no time to enjoy it. Kinda like a hostage crisis situation.BTW, why did the powers that be decide to drop the signing day hoopla? With this class and the excitement of the opening of Info it seems like a natural thing to do. I don't get it. Why not show the recruits and the public we are proud of this recruiting class.Any ideas? Enjoy the brew.

Racer, you are killing me with your never ending quest to discover capitals and punctuation. You can't be that lazy or did you really go to Can't? Hopefully, you are just a student who doesn't give a damn. The real world will be a shock one day. It is Christmas, though, and we should love everyone, even Can't fans. On second thought, let me think about that for a while. But you do have a good point in that our D lacks any linebackers with the size to make an impact at the line when plugging holes. We have rarely had the size at LB to play the 3-3-5. Yet we stay with it. I assume the coaches are doing their best to bring in the talent we need. That being said we have to show the flexibility to use the defensive scheme that suits our talent and is effective. The 3-3-5 may suit our talent, but is not effective. Hence JD has got to change. If he opens next year in the 3-3-5 I would read that as an open admission that he is beyond his coaching ability and we need to plan a change at the end of the season. There has got to be a potential D coordinator out there who can do a better job than Fleming did if Fleming is not committed to change. I hope JD finds that guy this off-season.What a nice Christmas present that would be. BTW, let's throw in a QB who can win games in the fourth quarter.Happy New Year!

Skip, you may be right, but I think Racer makes a good point. The D has to do its job. Jones gives us instant experience and talent to boot. While I agree he is a great receiver with the best hands on the team, you have to consider the great need to put a defense out that can stop anyone. We will need that if we are going to win the MAC. I would give his suggestion serious consideration.

Outstanding Post! I would expect nothing less from a Zip-aholic. Really cool to read. Makes me want to wish away the next 7 months.This made my day.

This is a depressing outcome. We were the better team, but didn't play like it. Yes, the NCAA screwed us and that can't be changed. Let's not forget that this team was good enough to play with anyone in the country. How many other Zip teams can make that statement? They never quit. They played as a team with great purpose, leadership and confidence. If the football team had done that they would have been 9-3. I'm going to let myself feel bad for a short time and then look to how we can get better.Trimmy hit it on the nose with his three points. I agree Mac has got to get us out of the MAC, not only for soccer, but for the future well being of all Zip athletics. Unfortunately, I can't see us getting a better facility next season unless we are ready to give up playing on campus for a full season. It will take that long to tear down the tennis courts,relocate and rebuild the field. My biggest worry is losing Porter. This kind of loss hits coaches in the heart and kills their optimism for getting it done at a school like Akron. Only Mac and Dr. P can solve this issue. They have got to convince Caleb that he will have the commitment, resources and facilities to win a national championship. If he feels, at any time, that is lacking he will be gone. There is too much demand for talented coaches like him to think he will stay w/o our Zip leaders supporting him. I, for one, plan to drop Porter a note thanking him for getting us this far and confirming my belief he will take us all the way to a championship.As we post our frustrations on this thread, let's not forget that this team is part of the solution, not part of the problem. They did all they could and next year looks brighter. I'd hate to see an air of pessimism linger over this program when it has such a great future ahead of it. Remember we started 4 freshmen, 4 sophmores, 1 junior and 2 seniors. We are loaded and will bounce back.Feel bad for now, but the Zips will be back. The NCAA hurt us but didn't kill us and we will be better and stronger.

I can't seem to get the stream up and running. I've followed the directions but the streaming doesn't pop up. If anyone can help me I'd appreciate a call 614-888-7590. I'm dieing! Steve

Forget the importance of next year. J.D. has not earned the right to continue. He has mis-used coaches (fire Fleming), mis-used philosophy (3-3-5), mis-used talent (Jacq under pressure, wideout drops, special teams, last three games, etc) and failed to lead (lost 4 games that should have been won ( Temple, BG, UC, Buffalo). These are the same issues we have talked about before and after the last two seasons. Nothing has changed and a new stadium will not bring a diferent style of coaching. Only a new coach will bring that. Make the change to get better. The present coach has shown he can't do it left to his own devices. He has had a fair shot. Time for a change, if we can afford to eat his contract.

How does your club baseball team differ from our varsity one? Why have a club team? Can you play intramurals?As for this thread, I by no means want JD to lose his job. But based on the philosophy that I use to run a successful busines, i.e. past performance is the greatest single predictor of future success, J. D. has not earned the right to continue as coach. Let him go.

The action by the NCAA is as demoralizing as anything I have ever witnessed in many decades of following Zip sports. In this instance I have a special perspective, that of a former soccer player. We lost a home playoff game several years ago because UConn could put more fans in the stands. We lost Ken Lolla because he felt he could never win a national championship at Akron. I fear this will hit Caleb hard too. He is coming off two #5 recruiting classes and this next one could well be #1. But if the selection committee refuses to respect the program, he, like any of us, will think twice when the big offers come after this season. I'd hate to lose him because he sincerely believes he can work hard enough to make even the NCAA sit up and take notice of the quality of our program. Today's action by the NCAA says that ain't gonna happen soon. So does he stay and fight or does he listen to offers from programs with better pedigrees and deep pockets? That's scary to think about.We got screwed today, no doubt about it. We should all be mad as hell. Vent all you want but at some time think about what can be done. Here's my two cents:1) Get out of the MAC and get affiliate status with Conference USA the same as Kentucky did when they left the MAC. That may have implications for all our other programs and would certainly cost the MAC an automatic soccer berth as it would drop below the mandatory 6 members 2) Mac Rhodes has to find the money to move the field to its position for when the new stadium will be built. That will require tearing down the tennis courts. Then moving the field 50-100 feet closer to the student center. Next they will have to dig down the foundation for drainage, sewer, electrical and water lines. All that is expensive and not real exciting as donors have nothing much to show for their money. But it is absolutely necessary as we are seeing now with the state of the Jack's turf, or mud. 3) Doing all that, you have got to buy a tarp to protect the field against deterioration in the late season. If it eventually drains well and is covered we are golden.4) For right now, the adminstration should consult, complain and consider seeking an injunction against the NCAA (a long shot). But if we can prove we have adequate facilities near Akron, I think we deserve to be heard. Hell they don't respect us now, so what does it hurt.5) The team has to rally and get real pissed off. Develop an us-against-the-world attitude and use it to feed their emotion. Go to NU and kick their butts. Win against NU and we only have one game stopping us from getting to Frisco, Texas. There the weather favors us with our speed and skill.Behind closed doors Mac has to vow to never let this happen again. I don't want to be him now because to solve it he needs a lot of money. But Caleb is one of those core coaches (Caleb, KD, Mitchell, Engle) you don't want to lose. So even with Info opening, you need to find the money Mac or get Luis to allocate something from the UA Foundation that has money for contingencies.We all know this soccer program is a top five program in the country. If we get screwed out of further tournament play we should never, ever forget it. I don't want to run like Lolla did, but i also don't want to stay put and complain. Our future belongs outside the MAC with better facilities. Without that we are doomed to see this injustice again and again.

Brian Kelly has always been looking out for Brian Kelly first. If he is the top choice for the UT job I bet he takes it. At CMU he was the highest paid coach in the MAC at near $400,000. UC came calling and offered $850,000 and BK left to start recruiting early. UC has since sweetened BK's contract ($1.1 M I think) but he will go to UT IMHO because of the money and the prestige.JD is nowhere near any list of replacements coaches at UC. He has a mediocre record, his team has not gotten better during the season, his recruiting is undistinguished, he is not experiencing any momentum in his career now and he has developed a rep for not being able to coach defense. In short he's not a hot commodity. I agree with the other poters that there are better candidates at Utah, CMU, Ball State and Navy. For what it's worth, if we weren't strapped for cash I believe JD would be gone at the end of this season. We have three games in which we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory i.e. BG, UC,and Buffalo. That's too many to be coincidence or bad luck. That's a lack of leadership and preparation. I'm not a JD hater, I just haven't seen any evidence that he can do the job. One thing I wouldn't do is give him a long contract extension based on one good year, 2009.The way we are improving the state of athletics at Akron, I feel the program is carrying JD rather than him leading or accelerating its growth. Still .

Thanks True Blue. It was truly an exciting game to watch. There was no quit in either team. I respect the way both sides battled.Other posters have already offered some areas of concern so here are mine:1) Can we make any adjustments at halftime to shut down Sparks out of the backfiled and Roosevelt? That was their entire passing game. I'm no genius, but I can see who's killing us and rotate the defense to stop them. Let's make the other players beat us if we limit those two.2) How can Jacq miss easy throws in big games. There were at least five passes that he short-armed his throw and subsequently put it in the turf or no where near open receivers.3) Can we get any pressure on athletic QB's like Wiley? I have no confidence in our defensive scheme. Please see any previous rant by any nation poster re: 3-3-5.4) Dropped balls drive me nuts. I'm real basic regarding them i.e. you drop it, you lose playing time.All that being said I came away with greater respect for the players and a sense that JD will one day do the job. Unless the team really collapses in the last two games, I feel JD has earned more time at the helm. I hate to see the bowl go out this way, but tonight was memorable and the game was contested as hard as the team could. I love these kids heart. Now let's find a D coordinator who can coach and not blame his lack of players.Congrats to the Bulls. They are a fine team. I hope a rivalry, with crowds, grows. It would be good for both programs. But when you next visit us at Infocision the atmosphere is going to be completely different. And very hostile as it should be.Didn't like the outcome, yet I loved the hope this team gave us.

JohnnyZip, can't I romance the bowl with a feminine gender to add warm fuzzies to the story? In truth, it might be better like a coyote ugly date. Both are scary! Maybe you have had better luck than me, but sacrificing an arm was a serious consideration many years ago. See you tomorrow night buddy. I'll be the guy with one arm.As for my friend Can't State Sucks, we do have great fans and that plays a factor in where a guy coaches. But keep this in mind, many programs outdraw us. This year UC Santa Barbara has twice had crowds over 8,000 for example. UCONN has gone over 5,000. If you go to Soccer America and look up the top attended games you will see some figures that blow us away. That being said, we all know that Akron fans are so rabid that if we can get better facilities and amenities the crowds will grow. Best of all they will bring much more revenue to continue building the program (altho no NCAA soccer program broke even last year).Beat the Bulls!

Gotta agree with the Captain. Ken Lolla did not have the patience to see his work thru to fruition. He had a kneejerk reaction to getting screwed by the NCAA selection committee and listened to the glowing story Univ of Louisville AD Tom Jurich painted for his soccer program. Lolla got a better stadium and conference, that's all. The Zips matched everything else U of L was offering. Plus Akron offers a future stadium that will be one of the best in the country. Mac has told Caleb that there will be shovels in the ground right after the conclusion of next year's season to begin moving and building a better field. He hopes the stands will be coming the season after that. Ken has to have had second thoughts about his decision. His wife is from this area and has never lived anywhere else. Greater Louisville schools are lousy. Think of your kids in Cleveland city schools to understand their situation! Ugly thought.Our program can still get better, believe it or not. Caleb thinks that after having two #5 recruiting classes the past two years he will have the #1 class this year. Mac is actively exploring getting the soccer team as an affiliate of Conference USA to get us the hell out of the piss pour MAC. If that happens and the new stadium becomes a reality we will have established a dynasty that even the selection committee can't ignore.My biggest concern is that we lose Caleb to a school with deep, deep pockets. That's why Mac needs to keep Caleb happy. The new stadium and conference would do it I suspect. See you all at the Buffalo game. I hope we beat the hell out of them in night never to be forgotten. I love the bowl, but want ICS more. The bowl has been on life support and it has come time to let her go. I grew up in Ellet and remember my mom and dad letting me walk a couple miles to the bowl for games there. I know she looks like a tramp, but in my mind I will always remember her as a beauty.

Z.I.P.I'm only catching you if the Rowdies agree to help out. Offer them some Mai Tai's and I'm sure they will be on board. This team is a true top 5 team and they start 4 freshmen and 4 sophmores. Get 'em a new conference, like affiliation status with Conference USA, and a stadium and we will be in the top five every year.I've said it before "It's good to be a ZIP."

Thanks. Caleb is right on the mark. The Zips weren't at their best, the defense fell apart. But the Rowdies were the greatest. Truly a fantastic night to never forget.

I went to this game with my wife. It was a classic for the Zips. At the half we led 1-0. OSU didn't sit back, as in the past, and hunker down with their defense. They actually tried to attack. At times they were very good and gave us some concern. But our D was playing tight and very composed. Our forwards and midfield had yet to put together a penetrating attack, but they were taking what OSU gave. The start of the second half saw OSU come out as a different team. They seemed to be a step faster than us. Our D relaxed, got loose and left men unmarked. It was soon 2-1 OSU. We seemed to wake up and use our speed on the flanks and the great possession and penetration of Steve Zakuani. He drew two defenders everywhere he went. But, good Lord, did he rise above it. He has got to be the top runner for the Hermann Trophy (soccer's answer to the Heisman). His speed and footskills were better than many in the MLS. With pressure, speed and a great counterattack the Zips made up two more goals after conceding one more to OSU. Zips 4, OSU 3.It was a great atmosphere in spite of playing in one of the worst soccer stadiums in D-1. 2/3's of the crowd were Zip fans. I live in Columbus and the local OSU fans were impressed. The stars of the game were unquestionably the AK-Rowdies. They started strong, got a little quiet when we went down 2-1 and then rose to the occassion with support for the Zips that put OSU to shame. They took over the place. There were three busloads of them and an equal number of fans in cars. After the game it was shear joy to watch the reaction of the team to them as the Rowdies lined the fence and the players ran over to them in celebration. I even saw a few Lambeau Leaps from the players. Many OSU fans stopped exiting and watched in jealousy. There is a true love affair between this team and the fans. Caleb came over to the Rowdies and spoke to them but I couldn't hear what he said. A few idiot OSU fans decided to start cheering as everyone else quieted down to hear Caleb. Too bad they were drowned out by the Rowdies all game long. Can any of the Rowdies share what Caleb said? Whatever it was the Rowdies went nuts. I've heard and seen the Rowdies at many games. They are one of the best cheering sections in college sports. As their number grow I can see them taking over any playing venue. They can, and do, make the difference in some games outcomes. You Rowdies are the best. I can't wait to hear you in Infocision, our future soccer stadium and the JAR once again.

I talked to a gentleman this week who was the liason between the state university presidents and the Ohio legislature. He said Akron is free to build all the dorms they want if we can afford it. No new money would be coming from this biennial state education budget or those in the future. For those of you who go back a way you may recall that the satate board of regents capped the on campus housing for Akron because they never saw us as the residential university of NE Ohio. That went to K.E.N.T. That policy was later abandoned as the regents decided to let the market regulate housing. Ever since UA has been ramping up housing and Proenza has said before he leaves Akron will have a big residential student segment, at least 5,000. We will not have enough housing to meet demand for at least 10 years. But every year the situation will get better, just not as fast as most of us would like. The dorm growth is tied to the money we can get w/o hurting our bond rating. The university is doing a great job with what it has to work with. Give 'em time and you better believe Akron is emerging as one of the most attractive universities in the Midwest.On a personal note, I taught in the College of Business as part of their Professor For a Day program last week. I came away impressed with the students attending Akron. You guys are super. I'm looking forward to the energy you bring and the contributions you are making now.

MD,Great pickup on this article. Now all we have to do is get Kofi a gold polo shirt like the rest of the baclkine.This would be one hell of a time to be a Zip fan if the football team had a few more wins to go with the great success of the soccer team and the excitement over BBall.

I spoke to Caleb about the new stadium design. He said there will be a grassy hill, like now behind the east goal, but, like now, there will be no hill behind the west goal. There will be grass seating all along the sideline opposite the grandstand. The grandstand will replace the current bleacher type stands currently on the south touchline. When up the new stadium will be one of the finest in the country.The problem is funding. Caleb was told by Mac that the first phase would start no later than the end of next year's season. In that phase the field would be moved to accomodate the grandstand, water and irrigation would be installed, so would electric, sewer and drainage. actual construction of the 3,500 grandstand may be 3 years away.Let's hope the national ranking, phenominal success of this team and the chance to leap into the top 10 programs in the nation will spur some movers and shakers to find funding sooner. I'd hate to lose Caleb to a program with deeper pockets. Don't think it can't happen. Universities are coming after him as we speak (so to speak). Don't get me wrong, there remains many reasons for him to stay, I just want to give him more. Akron should be his home for years to come.

It is insane to keep going with a QB that can not meet the challenges of the game. CJ was a huge factor in the Cincinnati loss and repeats that again tonight. Is Rodgers so much worse that we must stay with CJ and hope he doesn't kill our chances? Maybe some of you who are closer to the practices can comment on how much ability Rodgers truly has. I thought he had a lot, but I don't see that being developed in any game situations. JD owes it to his team, the university, alumni and the fans to get better quarterbacking. If this is his answer for last season and now this one, I can't support him keeping his job. I'm tired of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Twice now this season. I thought I would be more upset about this, but I'm not. This outcome is what I've come to expect from this coaching staff. That, in itself, tells you how sad the situation is.

Lee, ZipAlum and any others,If you remember Schroeders you have instantly become my best friends. I remember going to Schroeders with friends and having a beer in the afternoon. I'd have one and call it a day. My friends did not see it the same way. My friends did not graduate. What a great place for the university. There was a story with everyone who walked thru the door. Not a place I would want my kids to frequent, but somehow I survived my stops there. This thread started about the transformation of the campus. It is nothing short of incredible. Yet I liked it when I went decades ago. The best part of the situation is that the growth will continue with more resident halls, the finishing of Coleman Commons this Spring, a new education building, a new international business building, a soccer stadium and a new arena all on the books in the next several years.If your son is serious about Akron, it will be a great place to be. You will be proud of your decision. Go Zips!

Thanks so much for that clip. It was great to relive those last few seconds. You made my day, what little there is left of it.We didn't play well, Didn't deserve to win. But we did and that's all that matters. Good Lord, it's great to once again reaffirm that On to beat BG.

Thank you. It's nice to get one right, even if it is so damn obvious. Winning cures all. As for K.S.U., I care about this rivalry more than any other in college football. I hope we leave the MAC and go to Conference USA or, in my dreams, the Big East. But K.e.n.t. will always suck and I will always relish beating them.

Great topic. I like your suggestion of a BC style jersey. Our numbers are too big for the field they are on. Especially in front. I'd also do away witht he slanted numbers and go with the style wore by the St. Louis Rams. On the pants I'd put a more dominant "A" and I'd leave the helmut alone. Not sure if i like it, so I'm giving it time to grow on me. Love the idea of gold tops instead of white.Get psyched. This is K.e.n.t. week! Enough said.

For what it's worth, I felt he attendance wasn't 10,000. People were spread out on both sides. I sat with a friend on the general admission side at the 50 yard line in row 40 and we didn't have anyone within 2 rows of us. Sadly, I felt UC brought as many fans on that side as we did. To me, attendance is an issue and will be this entire season. The fans don't know what they will get with this team. We've lost the magic of our Motor City Bowl run and the casual fan wants to be convinced before they spend their money. Even if Zip football is a great bargain. We need to start winning. Compounding this dilemma is the fact that the Rubber Bowl is decrepid. We need InfoCision desperately. It will bring out the fans for a while. But if we fail to win that will not be enough to keep 'em.This is K.E.N.T. week and the most profound thing I can say is