ctmjbowes@sbcglobal.net

Interesting, although I strongly believe, debt or no debt, these upgrades will pay huge dividends for the university, as a whole, down the line. It all comes down to perceived prestige, perceived value, what it takes to attract kids, their parents, and all of our money. And I very much hope that UA will continue to outspend the MAC, regardless of debt load, on sports programs. The MAC is below average to the point of being [crummy, bad, like waste material<<--changed to satisfy moderator] and we need to be setting ourselves up for better, much better. Also, where is Jupitertoo? He asserted within the last day or two that Akron's spending on sports programs lagged the rest of the MAC substantially, if I remember the pain of reading his post. I'm sure [that unclean person who is akin to a creature that patrols under bridges<<--changed to satisfy moderator] will pop his head up soon...GO ZIPS.STZ[To satisfy the moderator on duty this afternoon, I shall take great care not to use overly salty language for the sake of our nation's precious youth]

I must admit I had wondered a little about him as well. There was quite a buzz about him when he arrived at Akron, and as a semi-informed fan I assumed that a young RB with that kind of buzz would likely wind up as a starter sooner rather than later, without any waiting for upper classmen ahead of him. If the idea is that he is super talented and a stud, and that the coaches play the best player at each position, regardless of their class status/age, then I think many of us assumed he'd be carrying the rock for UA right away. I'll admit that I was surprised not to see him play in the first game, although it could obviously have been for a number of reasons that have nothing to do with where he'll end up as the season progresses. I think it's just human nature, especially when talking about RBs, to think that a young stud is going to blast into the fans' conciousness early.GO ZIPS!STZ

It has to not only be a dominant performance by the Zips, but the game day experience for fans has to be GREAT. This cannot be little old lady checking your ticket stub at the Rubber Bowl, crappy concessions, no excitement or tradition. The band marching through the campus, the team coming through to the stadium, the tailgating, the energy, excitement, the sound system, it ALL has to be great. This has to feel, to average fans, like genuine major college football through and through. Remember ZN, this Saturday isn't about us at all. ZN fans attended crappy football games played in a morgue. This is about the cynical and skeptical NE Ohio attendees who will give UA a couple shots at this thing. If they have a bad experience they won't come back and they'll tell everyone they talk to how bush league the Info was. If things are done right, then maybe word spreads, maybe people keep coming back, actually start to have a little affection for the Zips and UA in general. That's how this thing gets built. GO ZIPS!STZ

It was nice to see the coverage in the BJ today. I think that barring bad weather the first games this year are going to draw really well. After that, well, see my most recent posts regarding the direction of this football program.Regardless, I'll see the rest of the Zips Nation this Saturday!STZ

Started to listen but there was a huge amount of static/scratchy sound and couldn't hear voices very well. ? Would love to listen in though.GO ZIPS!STZ

Mr. Marketing Magic, the new AD, can't get here fast enough, IMO. It's time to push, push, push while the Info is new and shiny. There is a relatively short window of opportunity to build on the excitement of the new stadium, build new game-day traditions, etc.GO ZIPS!STZ

I love the Boise State tradition reference. I'm with you as long as it never includes horrible electric-blue turf! GO ZIPS!STZ

Man oh man, the Penn State posters who came here were so friendly and helpful that I can't help but think of the term "kill them with kindness". FWIW, I've long had the sports envy and hatred that is the norm for Ohioans who didn't attend OSWho, and the chatting with PSU fans here has only ramped-up those feelings. Here's hoping that PSU blows out the rest of the Big 10/11 and competes for the BCS trophy. If there's a way that path can encompass humiliation and pain for OSWho along the way, so much the better!Good luck the rest of the way, Nittany Lions. GO ZIPS!STZ

72Roo, good post, and I don't understand why so many posters are essentially shrugging their shoulders about this loss. You're right about the game planning on the offensive side of the ball, the pathetic and numerous runs right into the middle of the PSU D, Jacq's QBing and the O-line play. I don't care if you're playing the Pittsburgh Steelers, you can at least try some different looks, can't you? If a running QB gives you a better shot in a game like this, sit Jacq and see what Rodgers' legs can do for you on more than a handful of plays. The thrust of the negative posts about this game have been ignored by other posters who seem to simply accept that it's OK to completely suck ass when you're playing a really, really good team. That's bullshit. Of course UA was going to lose this game, short of some crazy miracle. But it was NOT too much to expect adjustments, smart and creative playcalling, inspired and physical play. I saw none of that. It was just boring, and that's about the worst thing you can see in a loss. Remember too that much of the offseason was sent cheering on the arrivals of Shane Montgomery and Walt Harris, genuine major college football coaches in their own right. What did they each do in this game to earn their keep? During most seasons this kind of boring, uninspired play would simply signify the first "money date" of the season, a woeful but predictable start to every MAC team's year. But this is the year of Infocision, and middling mid-major college football is not going to cut it anymore. Locals here will never buy into that kind of football. I believe that the administration has plans to use football and the rest of the sporting programs to grow the university. These programs, IF THEY ARE WINNERS, build prestige and bring $$$ toward the university. Infocision is a premier facility and it is likely that it was built NOT thinking about Akron's status in the shitty MAC, but with an eye toward bigger and better things. That's why Saturday was such a bummer for me, and ought to be for all of us. The old paradigm of "aw shucks we were murdered by Penn State but we got out with some $$ and we can now focus on the rest of the shitty MAC" doesn't work anymore. That approach will lead to failure. It will fail to fill seats at the Info, it will fail to generate any momentum or excitement in the community, and all of these things ultimately mean that the university will not be able to cash in on the hoped for prestige and revenue that successful sports programs generate. Proenza very likely doesn't care about football for football's sake. He backed this program for reasons of growth and prestige for the university. Why would anyone here assume that such an approach would accept middling football going forward, or even accept the idea of staying in the MAC, a conference in which only two or three other schools seem to want to grow their programs and facilities. College football has been packed for years now with upstarts that have built exciting and entertaining programs. Why would any Akron fan assume that we're not about to push in that direction? Why hire an AD who is clearly a glorified marketing guy if not looking to build something better? I expect more, and I'm not going to sit by patiently. GO ZIPS!STZ

Bumping this to the top until mid-late week.....

It's really just another missed opportunity by OBC, IMO. How many times are you supposed to call them and directly ask them whether they'll have the Zips on the tube before you get the right answer? I love their beer, I want to love OBC, but their stupid little mistakes and inconsistency drive me a little crazy. It's not your fault they're kinda screw ups JZ84. Hopefully they'll get their shiite together when they move down the street but I'm not holding my breath. I'm not blaming you Oh I didn't take it that way. I'm just as disappointed as anyone, and I wish I had made ONE more phone call to OBC late in the week. Because, I really could have used a few Alt Ambers to soothe my pain

I sense a complete disconnect between the obvious investment that the university just made and what some of us here assume to be our fate, our future. UA could easily have built a modified/glorified high school stadium (see Dix Stadium/Can't State) for much less than what the Info cost. The amount of brick work, the size of the battleship style super structure, the corporate loges and club boxes, the wrought iron and associated facilities, all of these are well beyond what would be expected for a middling MAC football program. It simply does not make sense to think that was done, in a shitty economy, to host the Morgan States and EMUs of the world every year. They also just hired a guy to be AD whose main accomplishment was marketing and selling out the new Minnesota facility. Something here does not add up. Anyone who knows the local area is aware that Akron football has been viewed, well forever, as rag tag, small time. If Akron continues to sorta hang out in the middle of the MAC pack, the Info will ultimately fail. Proenza will look like an idiot. Can you really believe that UA is willing to go down that road? How can you possibly believe that UA isn't paving a new road for the program? I strongly believe that the Pres will be hammering the AD to ramp up this program and to plant asses in those seats. They want those loges packed, they want concessions, they want parking money, they have bills to pay! The AD will be breathing down JD's neck to produce on the field. And if/when the Zips become something that really attracts fans, there will be a push to get into another conference. And for GP1, if you think these men are above playing around with NCAA rules to get it done, you're not an astute observer of human behavior. And if you also think that Marshall's struggles in CUSA are necessarily instructive, or will keep Proenza and Co. from pursuing better than the MAC, even if only to ensure they can pay for their new digs, you are mistaken, IMO.Frankly, after yesterday, within the context of having season tix to the Info and having seen our new home, damn it I want better than we've got with this team. I want the AD to be pissing on JD, and Proenza to be pissing on Wistrcill. I want pressure. I want better football at the Info. There is NO reason to accept the old Rubber Bowl woe-is-us mentality anymore. Put up or get the fu_k out, and that goes for the players and coaches, the AD and this shitty conference.

Hey all. I'm taking a few minutes from my ranting about yesterday's loss to check in regarding plans for next weekend. Four of us have parking spots in lot 4, but I'd like to hear what other fans are thinking before we decide how to plan our day. In no particular order:1) Pre-game grub and beverages. Are you tailgating in one of the lots around the stadium or are you planning to shuttle downtown/zipstrip (aka crack haven) for pre-game sustenance? I suppose one could park downtown and shuttle it to the stadium, or the other way around, and we're not sure which way to go yet. OBC is apparently planning a beer garden with basic grub at Katherine Place, but I'm not sure what else will be happening on the street in the area.2) Pre-game events. Is the band going to march through campus? What time? Any other pre-game rituals that you're planning on checking out? Perhaps a human sacrifice involving a K.S.U. or OSWHO player or fan? 3) Anyone know how early the gates will open? I'd like to spend some time, if the weather is good, checking out the place, walk the entire stadium, check out concessions, etc.That's all for now. Any event knowledge, concessions, tailgating info that you have dialed in would be very helpful to all of us, since most would agree that we don't really yet know what to expect from a genuine, on campus UA football game.GO ZIPS!STZ

Proenza and Co. just produced 61.5 million reasons (not including other improvements) that you're wrong on your last point GP1, at least going into the future. There is no way in hell that middling MAC shit football is going to put asses in those seats and we all know it. I believe that the new AD is going to demand whatever it takes to produce powerhouse football, no more lame MAC excuses, or UA will have a helluva time paying down the debt on that facility. This has become about big money. NE Ohio football fans are frontrunning fools and if UA doesn't produce some real excitement on that field heads are going to roll. Serious people who make serious investments expect serious results. If JD thinks he's still living in the mid-sized world of mediocre MAC football, expecting to maybe win 7 games and pack 13,000 people into a stadium that holds twice that many, he should start packing his house and getting ready for a move. You and I may be fans of MAC football, but the revenue producers (i.e. NE Ohio locals) don't generally give a rat's ass about the MAC. At a minimum Akron now needs to become Marshall before they left the MAC, the team everybody in the MAC hated, the team that crushed the rest of the MAC, the team that could compete with the big boys. Short of that, this whole spending spree is a big fat waste of time and money.Right now the new AD should be saying to JD "THIS IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH. YOU PRODUCE AND FILL THAT STADIUM OR YOU ARE GONE BIG FELLA."STZ Agreed. Let's not let post game anger get in the way of common sense.spoken like true fans of average to below average footballI am a true fan of UofA and the MAC. I also know it is average to below average football. Somehow it doesn't anger me though. I'm not stupid enough to believe it can be anything other than what it is and I still like it.

I've seen several who have said that Jacq has improved, but I don't see how we can judge that to be the case so far. I know they were eaten up as a team yesterday, but is there anyone here who can say that they were impressed by anything he did on the field yesterday? When he had time and open receivers he overthrew, underthrew, held the ball too long, did all of the things that a senior 3 year starter shouldn't be doing anymore. Those were on top of his staggering lack of foot speed. Like I said in an earlier post, this level of play is completely out of synch with where UA sees the program going, and with the level of investment that has been made in the team. I agree with you about QB play. The local fans, not the ZNation fans who will show regardless, the others who UA needs to fill this beautiful new stadium so that they can meet their financial obligations for it, those fans will simply not show up if this is the kind of Zips team, and QB, that plays on that gorgeous turf. No way, no how. Jacq may even prove to be a competent starter in MAC play, we may even earn the pathetic 7 wins likely needed for JD to keep his job, but it's still not good enough. Until local fans start to see D-1 football product that begins to approximate what we've come to expect from the BYUs, the Utahs, the Pitts, the MAC-era Marshalls, they simply will not buy tickets and show up. And Lilroodude you're right, a good-looking QB with some flush and dazzle must be a big part of that.

We needed Monster Hands aka The Tonganator out there today! Actually, as I noted above, I was much happier with the D than the O today. I'll say it again:Shane Montgomery, Walt Harris and JD, SHAME ON YOU for today's offensive game plan, game prep and execution. With a brand new marketing-driven AD whose first job it is to convince people to buy tickets to UA football, you are WAY on the hot seat, gents. You had better unEFF yourselves before you wreck yourselves. GO ZIPS!STZ I was watching at the Brittania Pub in Santa Monica. I was the only one wearing my AKRON ZIPS FOTBALL jersey. Did you see me. I sat upstairs. It was a sea of PSU Jerseys. They all kept doing that lame ass cheer with one guy leading the chant of "we are penn state". There were several PSU fans wearing those T-shirts that just say "We Are". I asked one such young lady fan if that was supposed to mean "We Are Marshall". She kinda smiled and gave me one of those blank looking PSU stares when she saw my jersey. I enjoyed the game. I just hope we learn from this experience and put it to good use. Obviously beating PSU at home for a season opener, is a major challenge for any team. I don't beleive we played to our potential but we need to just build ourselves up, put this game behind us, and play better/smarter for the rest of the season. PSU got some big plays. We messed up at some critical times. It's behind us. We move on and begin winning the rest of our schedule. I KNOW WE CAN.

What an absolutely pathetic, disgusting and embarassing showing on offense. The defense actually hung in there and made a few plays. Regarding the O, where to begin?1) Which coach should be effing fired for the terrible, unimaginative play calling? How many effing times did they try to run the ball right up the effing middle?2) Jacq sucks ass. I'm done with him. Slow, tentative. Of course, our change of pace QB apparently can run, but cannot throw the ball. Great. Maybe I'm ready to see true freshman Nicely. Jacq and Rogers just pissed me off today.3) I couldn't believe that after the off season of Walt effing Harris and Shane effing Montgomery, the offense sucked so hard. For god's sake, if you're going to blow, can you at least be a little entertaining? How about a little razzle-dazzle, at least an attempt to throw off the defense. Is this why those two are at UA? High school coaches call more imaginative plays than were called for the O today.4) End of the 1st half, 4th and a half yard, and you don't at least make a go for it? Bullshit. Absolute bullshit.There I am at the Barley House (nice showing of Zips fans by the way), watching Akron being slowly choked to death in an absolutely boring grind of a game, while on the next screen over little Navy was on the verge of kicking OSWho right in the balls. They were pugnacious, throwing the ball all over the field, making plays, at least making it fun in their loss. I'd much rather have seen that sort of performance from these Zips than what we saw today, even if it meant a worse loss somehow. How is it that they not only lose, but are incredibly boring at the same time? NOT GOOD ENOUGH. With the university having just sunk 61.5 million dollars into Infocision, this bullshit where "little" Akron gets eaten alive by Big Eleven teams is NOT going to fly anymore. If I'm the new AD I want to murder JD, Montgomery and Harris right now. How many potential ticket sales are lost on a day like this? Dude, it ain't good enough to beat the spread in a game like this. How the eff are they going to get asses in the seats in a town that has typically shown complete apathy toward the Zips? If you lose in the first "payday Big 10 game" every year, you had better at least play close and score some points, make it fun and interesting.Last piece of insane rant: if I'm going to have to deal with mediocre MAC football, can't these idiots at least make the games fun to watch? JD, YOU CANNOT STAY HERE IF THIS IS WHAT YOU PRODUCE ON THE FIELD. Today the Zips lost my interest by the 3rd quarter. That should NEVER happen, even in losses.JD, DO NOT BORE US.Am I really ready for JD to be gone already? I need a couple days to think about that one.

Let's all hope for a well-played college football game. No injuries, great fans on both sides, no post-game punches, and of course a soul-crushing defeat for the Nitanny Lions. GO ZIPS! GO ZIPS! ZIPS WIN! ZIPS WIN!STZ

Why the political mixed in with what should be pure fan sports talk in these forums? I can find enough of the health care debate on no less than one million cable channels, all day every day. The LAST thing I need is to chat about health care with other football fans. How about let's not mix pain and pleasure on the forums? Man, i'm torn here. You are right that the Dems are wrong to push their idiotic healthcare bill on all of us but what you have wrong is that the "Democrats" are likely OSU/Can't fans. The OSU/Can't fans would normally be the ones pushing stuff on us Akron fans. Zips fans are usually more intelligent and not sheep. So come on, jump to the right side and root for the Zips until the Suckeyes fans get out of our bars.

After watching the game last night (also missed the punch at the end) all I can say is WOW is it tough to watch game play on that blue smurf turf. I'd love to know what it does to the emotions/processing of visiting players. I don't know if it has the same effect on the eye as it does live, but man is that blue field jarring and disconcerting to stare at. I had seen it before but can't say I had watched most of an entire game on it. I think my eyes still hurt.GO ZIPS!STZ

OH SNAP! Zipgrad01, you are being tossed like the proverbial salad. When we're all done you may want to clean that mess from your chin my man. Oh, and by the way, why did you have to gratuitously mix in your political views about the freaking health care bill? You've been DISMISSED. How about heeding your own advice, Mayor of Simpleton. I'm not sure who is the bigger attention whore, you or jupiter2.

You do realize it has been 20 years since a team has put up 48 or more points against Penn state? I just can't see Akron putting up that many points. My perdiction is a 34-17 Penn State win.For goodness' sake man, can't you just let me have some fun with my predictions? PRE Season is our time of hope, of optimism. The pain will come. Just let me have this dream, and if somehow the Akron "Hoosiers" pull this one out, I hate to tell you that until the day you die as a Penn State fan, I will own you and call you my personal bitch. GO ZIPS!STZ

Whoa whoa whoa, I thought we were talking football on TV here...

I haven't had the chance to get to OBC in a couple of months, but let me express my annoyance with the Verich's. Last season they made a mildy big deal of being Zips GameDay Central (my term) with watch parties, the Zips on the tube most games and at least some of the time, their staff wearing Zips flair on game days. Now, anybody who has followed OBC knows that they tend to be flakey in little ways that become annoying. The food service is sometimes great, sometimes terrible, never predictable. It's hard to ever guess what beers will be on tap, and there have been times when inexplicably they would be completely out of one (or more) of their regular beers on tap. Nothing huge, and I love the beers they brew, but there seems to be a constant sense of unpredictability, an almost A-D-D quality to the place that is sometimes endearing, sometimes aggravating. Now, here we are at week one of a new Zips football season, with the university foot print creeping right up to their door, and nobody there considered what it might take to get the Zips on their flat-screen TVs? I kinda want to say "WTF" and not feel so bad about wandering to the Barley House to watch the game, even though the Barley House has become a quintessentially shitty college-kid scream-fest bar. Why can't OBC ever seem to consistently get things like this right? How much could it possibly cost them to subscribe to some TV service package that would include the Big Ten Network for crying out loud? I would bet they would make that amount back by the end of Saturday's game from us, the beer-guzzling Zips fans. GO ZIPS!STZ

1) Bootleg right, throw to TE in right space 12 yards. Hard tackle, but 1st down sets the tone.2) Hand off the Allen, running on the right side, squirts through the line for a gain of 3 yards. Hit hard by PSU linebacker, but pops up with glee, and ready to make up for lost time.By the way, the Zips will score on their first drive. Zips lead 7-0 to start the game.GO ZIPS!STZ