Dr Z

Part of the credit for that should go to former Akron coach Lee Owens, who recruited the likes of John Fuller, Domenik Hixon, Dwayne LeFall and Frye, who all have emerged as team leaders. I had to look up what the Randel EL you were speaking of. I can't believe I am about to defend Terry Pluto but, he is right, Lee did recruit Charlie and Hixon. How much credit he should get for the victory can be questioned. I agree with you, in the same situation I don't think Lee's staff comes through there. I wonder how long before we stop referencing Lee's coaching ability with every win or loss? For those of you that don't read the Beacon here is the whole article: Discipline helps Zips succeed By Terry Pluto Hang on to the ball -- or bear crawl. That's one of the messages that Akron Zips football coach J.D. Brookhart delivers to his players. If you have the ball in practice, hold it tight. ``You never know when one of the coaches or even the managers will come up behind you and try to knock it loose,'' Brookhart said. ``It could happen in a drill, or maybe just when you least expect it.'' And if you fumble? Down on all fours, and get ready to crawl for a while. Works great for a bear. Of course, the rest of us do much better on two legs. ``It's about discipline,'' Brookhart said. And what are the results of that focus? ``(In Mid-American Conference play) our turnovers are excellent. We've forced three more than we've made.'' That's just part of the reason the Zips are the MAC's surprise team, owning a 5-1 league record and tied for the East Division lead with Miami and Marshall. The Zips have won four in a row, including Friday's stunning 31-28 victory over powerful Marshall at the Rubber Bowl. In that game, the Zips kept their cool after falling behind 28-7 in the third quarter. Marshall seemed to wilt and appear disorganized as Zips quarterback Charlie Frye led an amazing fourth-quarter comeback. Brookhart praised the composure of his players. ``We have the fewest penalties in the MAC,'' he said. ``I'm proud of that, too. It comes from practice. If you jump offside, you do grass drills.'' That means you run in place until a coach whistles, then you drop to the ground. Then you get up -- and then go down again. ``No fun,'' Brookhart said. The coach said his team has grown so football savvy, the offense can start plays with different snap counts -- something that requires tremendous concentration. Brookhart said he could never do that when he was coaching previously at Pitt. Part of the credit for that should go to former Akron coach Lee Owens, who recruited the likes of John Fuller, Domenik Hixon, Dwayne LeFall and Frye, who all have emerged as team leaders. ``Frye, Fuller and some other guys never wavered,'' Brookhart said. ``We had some seniors who sort of had one foot in with what we were doing, one foot out. But they hung in there, and now they are leading the underclassmen, too. These seniors have a real sense of urgency to do something special.'' Brookhart talked about defensive lineman Kiki Gonzalez, ``who would quit in some of the drills during the spring. Now, he's pushing himself hard and pushing the other guys.'' Brookhart knows he did not inherit a team in turmoil. The Zips were 7-5 last season, 5-3 in the MAC. They lost their top receivers and runners, but did have future NFL draft pick Frye returning at quarterback and some experienced linemen back, too. The Zips had no excessive academic or behavioral problems. Brookhart wanted to put his own stamp on the team, to stress ``accountability,'' one of his favorite words. Miss a class or study hall, be ready to run at 6 a.m. In the office and at meetings, players wear no caps. They dress neatly. Brookhart said when he was a young assistant at Pitt, coach Walt Harris had several rules that seemed like nothing more than nitpicking. ``I told myself I wouldn't do that,'' he said. ``But now that I sit in that head coach's chair, I do it. And I understand why Walt did it. You want to establish a culture, a mind-set.'' He believes these qualities helped the Zips come back from a 1-4 season start, where they were crushed at Penn State (48-10), Virginia (51-0) and Northern Illinois (48-18). ``These are tough-minded guys,'' he said. ``They have been through a lot. They have a high desire (to please), to succeed. Our defense had felt like step-children for years. Now they are helping us win games. I'm proud to coach this team.''

Vegas eh? Didn't have to go all the way to Vegas to bet on the game. Hope you took the Zips straight up and got 4:1 odds like me. I honestly forgot about my bet until after celebrating on the field. I was walking out of the stadium and thought, oh yeah, I just won money on that game. Now you know the game was good for me to forget about money Hey Z-P, did you see me on ESPN2 with Charlie in Vegas? No kidding.

Thanx. Good Work. I looked for something like this in the Beacon today I pick (I) SI gives some Props to Frye

Maybe Zip fans are tired of Marshall fans posted photos of Goddard on their board. You can debate all day who had a better game. Fact is Frye put up over 300+ yards passing and the Zips put up 500+ yards of offense on Mr Goddard. One thing you can NOT debate is: Frye = W Goddard = L

Just do what most Marshall fans do. Hook up your trailer and park it at the Rubber Bowl. Sleep there that night. I think last time, the APD turned their sirens on at 9am the next morning to boot everybody out.

Little help, Mr. President? University of Akron could sure use about $60 million to replace 64-year-old Rubber Bowl By Tom Reed OK, President Bush, the Ohio voters -- 51 percent of them anyway -- helped secure your re-election. Now, in the immortal words of Caddyshack's Carl the Greenskeeper: ``How about a little somethin' for the effort?'' We need jobs. We need better health care. We need about $60 million to replace the concrete eyesore that is the Rubber Bowl. Send the check in care of Mike Thomas, University of Akron athletic director, and consider it the first investment in your ``No Athletic Program Left Behind'' initiative. The Zips, who have ranked no higher than 108th in Division I-A football attendance since 2000, would certainly qualify. You are familiar with the decaying 64-year-old Rubber Bowl, aren't you, Mr. President? Someone had to give you a guided tour on one of your 250 trips to the Buckeye State in the past four months. You already have spent more time in Northeast Ohio than Browns owner Randy Lerner. As a virtual resident, you must know about tonight's Zips game against Marshall to be played here before a national television audience. The program has one of the nation's best quarterbacks in Charlie Frye. The Zips have a bright new coach in J.D. Brookhart, who has them contending for a Mid-American Conference East Division title. Only one problem -- the game is at the 35,202-seat Rubber Bowl. As a former major-league baseball team owner, you understand the importance of a fan-friendly facility. The Rubber Bowl radiates the warmth and charm of Prince Charles without the royal lineage. Any wonder why ESPN hasn't televised from here in 18 years? The university ran an ad slogan to ``Fill the Bowl'' for the 1986 contest against Murray State. The game drew 18,402 fans. Network cameramen are forever looking for the Rubber Bowl's good side. So are UA coaches who must take prospects to the stadium on recruiting visits seven miles from campus. It's too bad, Mr. President, because there are lots of good things going on at the UA campus. The university recently celebrated the opening of five new buildings: the Student Recreational Wellness Center, the Honors Complex, Simmons Hall, the second phase of the Student Union and the $12 million Athletic Fieldhouse. How deflating it must be to show potential recruits all that progress and then take them to the Rubber Bowl, built in 1940. There are some great old American stadiums and arenas still standing. This isn't one of them. The location is remote. The seats are uncomfortable. A climb to the pressbox rivals an ascent to the Empire State Building observation deck. Then there is the traffic, Mr. President. For major high school playoff games, it's a nightmare. There are Massillon football fans still searching for a parking space for the 2001 state semifinal game against Cleveland St. Ignatius. Unfortunately for the Zips, that's seldom a problem. Thomas remains frustrated by the program's inability to engage its estimated 80,000 alumni in Northeast Ohio. Not fielding a consistent winner obviously contributes. So does the fact that the MAC historically struggles to draw fans. Last season the Zips ranked 110th in attendance (averaging 13,812 fans) out of 117 Division I-A programs. They finished ahead of four fellow conference schools, including nearby Can't State. Thomas knows a modern, on-campus stadium would make a significant difference for the program and how it's perceived. He believes it could be done at a cost of between $40 million and $60 million. A consulting firm that toured UA last month echoed those comments. UA president Luis Proenza, however, has said there is no funding in place to act on the project and he doesn't want to pass on a large portion to the student body. That's where you come in, Mr. President. In two consecutive elections, Ohio -- for better or worse -- has been your lead blocker to the White House. It's time to reach for the checkbook. It will be our little secret. Let's just tell everyone that ESPN, while removing those light poles this week, dropped them on the stands causing structural damage. You swoop in and declare the Rubber Bowl a disaster area. It's hardly a stretch.

WHO CARES ? Beat Marshall.....Again.

Griz is over a half a foot taller than little 5'11" Johnny. He outweighs the poor little guy by 70lbs. Doesn't seem fair to me? Zips 28 Terd 19 ---------------------------------------------------- Ticket to game Free Parking $3.00 Watching the Zips beat Marshall AGAIN...Priceless. Up Next...Sportscenter ---------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------- .....E_nvy Zip.S .....P lay .Co N ference USA ----------------------------------------------------

Heavy money going on Akron. Line at 8.5 right now. When is the last time you seen a line move 2 points in one day ?

Since you wouldn't answer my question, I'll answer it. Marshall favored by 10.5 Any Zips fans who are confident enough the zips will win, if you wave the points and take Akron straight up, you should be able to get 4 to 1 odds right now. To Marshall fans that think it's going to be a close game, take the Zips and the 10.5. Bet your house.

I thought this would go a little better. I did a search under the word "predict" under 'My Assistant' and come up with some. Mastodon did a pretty good job (not bad for a Marshall fan) Hey Zippers! I’m the fan of another MAC school and I just thought I would bring a little disparity to the board. While waiting for football season, I predicted each MAC team’s season (all subject to change). Here’s how I see Akron performing for the 2004 season: PENN ST* 26-34 L MIDDLE TENN ST 38-24 W VIRGINIA* 24-45 L Can't ST* 51-31 W NORTHERN ILL* 31-37 L BUFFALO 56-21 W UCF* 41-31 W BALL ST 42-21 W MARSHALL 34-38 L OHIO* 49-27 W MIAMI (OHIO) 31-41 L (6-5; 5-3) This is not meant to be inflammatory; I just want to get some discussion going. I know it’s early but tell me your predictions or thoughts (about Akron or anyone else). http://zipsnation.org//index.php?showtopic=372&hl=" target="_blank">thread source

Feel free to dig up old post and paste 'em in here to "brag" about your early predictions. Or dig up your old post and tell us why you change your mind about your early predictions.

Starting to get old dude.

Based on that analogy, what would you say the opening line is going to be on the Akron Marshall game?

One of ESPN's BOTTOM TEN teams was REAL afraid Click here to find out what bottom ten team sent Johnny home with his tail between his legs

You peeked my curiosity Z-P. Wayne State (1-6) Ashland (3-5) I can still hear David L(oser) Morgan telling Ellen Alexander at JD's hiring press conference... "How come they didn't hire Winters, that was a slam dunk, I had to look this guy up?"

Zips, reason for Roethlisberger getting his name "Big Ben" Read 4th paragraph Ohio State makes new poll. JT recruits starting to "shine" Anybody want to play a drinking game? Listen to the game on the radio, anytime JJ or Joe or whatever his name is this week says "no doubt about it" drink half a beer First time I really listened to a game since Stams started. I like him. Better pound Ball St this week, can't wait for Marshall

Akron early 10 point favorite against #8 (on your list ) Ball State this week. Can't wait for the Marshall game !

This is why, when you listen to the game on the radio, you can hear the gym door open and shut every time a cheerleader takes a squirt.

Also take something to throw into that dumb mascot's "scream machine" (which is a trash can, no kidding) Maybe those boiled peanuts they have

The Dolphins released fullback Doug Easlick from the practice squad and waived wide receiver Ronald Bellamy from the 53-man roster. . . . The team had long snapper Shawn Lynch, offensive tackle Lance Nimmo and wide receiver Jake Schifino in for work outs. . . . Defensive tackle Tim Bowens will return to practice today.

I'll give you the cheapest solution. Make one. Here is a link to vector graphic artwork. You can blow these up to billboard size if you want. My friends and I made magnets for our cars like this. Zips Helmet logo (with some minor editing) Take off the circle

Virginia has the same thing, it is AWESOME. This is a GREAT idea, trust me. How many games has it rained at the Rubber Bowl in the last say, five years?

Don't leave out the coaches

Doesn't look good right now. Looks like French and Stams. Sunshine network is showing "Ballroom Boxing" instead of UCF football ESPN Gameplan is showing the "red hot" Buckeyes going for 3 straight....Go Hawkeyes!