K92

The MAC basketball tournament seems like forever ago. It's been a while but I am ready to STAND UP, CHEER AND SHOUT FOR THE AKRON BLUE AND GOLD. Man, I need a Zips fix.

I would be shocked if it sold out, but happy.

I saw a player update his facebook status with "UCF vs. Akron sold out". Can this possibly be true?

Glad to hear that Dr. Z liked the PBCC Porter. It's probably not for everybody, but I really like it. The 2nd bottled offering from Fat Head's is out... I am still crossing my fingers for bottled or at least as a consolation prize. Also, I went to the Portage Lakes beer store today. Pretty nice selection. Check it out sometime.

My take on today's scrimmage: Offense The running game looked good. It appears that the Zips have some depth at RB. Chisholm looked leaner and ran hard. I saw nice runs out of Quentin Hines & Conor Hundley. Hakeem Lawrence looked extremely shifty and speedy. That was the positive. The passing game was not impressive as neither quarterbacks nor receivers shone brightly. Many open receivers were thrown uncatchable balls. There were also more than a couple passes dropped. I think Marquelo Suel looked good on a couple of plays and Keith Sconiers looks to be pretty steady. There were definitely some nice pass plays, but overall it appears that this aspect of the offense is still under construction. Red zone offense was ineffective. I really liked the pace. Very quick with no time wasted. The defense was definitely put under some stress keeping up with the rapid fire offense. Defense Kurt Mangum appears to have taken the role of vocal leader of the defense. He looked good. As did Justin March, who had a couple of slobberknocker hits. Overall, the linebacker play looked solid. Defensive line was solid overall, I thought. Albert Presley looked to get upfield quick. Helluva burst. Too quick on a couple of occasions and was whistled offsides. Caponi and Grice looked stout in the middle. The secondary has to be the most improved unit from last year. Everyone seemed to be on the same page as there were no blown coverage breakdowns. I watched Avis Cormack quite a bit. He was stuck to his man like glue. He got right in the wide receiver's hip pocket and stayed there. Very impressive. On the goal line, the D just plain got nasty. Lots of pads were a poppin'. Other than getting ripped on a few long runs, the defense looked good. They seem to have a bit of an attitude, which I like. Of course, all these impressions were gathered from watching the Zips playing the Zips. Who knows how they will stack up against real competition, but I came away from the scrimmage with the feeling that things are going in the right direction and this group of guys is going to competitive before the end of the year. LET'S GO ZIPS!

Wow. First of all, I can't believe you recognized me. Do I stick out like a sore thumb or what? I wish you would have introduced yourself. The 2 guys I was with are board guys too. After the scrimmage, we went to Europe Gyro for a quick lunch and a couple beers. We would have liked to met you. What did you think of the scrimmage?

I would like to know as well. This is the last chance to watch practice before the UCF game. I believe they are closing practice to fans on the 20th.

This article confirms (again) how bad it got with Ianello. I shudder to think what additional damage might have been inflicted if the administration would have decided to give Rob "one more year". I am glad the sole survivors from the 2009 recruiting class are going to finally have a chance to have fun playing football again.

I created a facebook page for anyone to talk tailgating or to post pics. http://www.facebook.com/AkronZipsTailgaters I have never done a facebook page before so. . .If you are on facebook, like the page, share it with your Zips circle, add pics, etc. Tell me what to do on the page and I will. (You might have to tell me how to do it, though.) Anyone who is able to access facebook from their smartphone can now upload pics from tailgates in real time. Let's see where this can go. We might find some new contributors for ZN.o as well.

I was wondering the same thing, JZ. I am going to try to get there early enough to save a couple with the ever popular "strategic trash can placement" technique. I don't have very much new stuff this year. Just a few improvements. The best stuff I will be bringing is liquid. I've got a couple of goodies for you.

Maybe the new nickname will stick and the cheerleaders will change up the defense cheer and do "Ahhhhhhhhhh Blue Swarm!!"

You don't have to bring a whole lot, Spin. You could just walk in and have a good time. Just bring a chair if you are the sittin' kind, something to drink and something to throw on the grill. Or you could just walk over to Europe Gyro and get an order to go if you don't want to bring food.

@Dr. Z At some point I want to get a vehicle exclusively for tailgating, but couldn't quite justify it for this year. I was going to build a tailgate trailer but decided that was just a stop-gap half-step. I need a tailgate van. For this year, I am going to bring a full size grill on a cargo carrier along with my table top stuff so we can cook better. @NewZipsFan I will be there as soon as someone else will agree to meet me. Just name the time. @AkSportsFan Come on down!! By 3 o'clock I will be several beverages deep.

If you just want to test the tailgating waters, you might want to inquire about single day passes. When my tix came, I was surprised to see a Lot 9 pass for each game, which leads me to believe they might be selling single days for the Z-fund lots. If that is the case, you might be able to test out a couple of different lots and see what you like. My tent is always open to anyone who would like to party. If you don't have a lot pass, just park somewhere close off Exchange and bring your cooler. I will have plenty of cooking capacity this year for visitors to use. Only stipulation is love for the Zips.

Good to see Akronnnnnnnn back! Thanks for the report. I have heard nothing but good things about Southern Tier. I had the 2X Stout and liked it. Now you and JZ are testifying to some of their other styles, I am going to have to try them. Probably the best beer I have been drinking this summer is Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout. Love it.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

The top returning tackler is not in line to start? I'd think that would be a pretty big story.

Big 'ol table full o' swag & I missed it! I guess the Bowden Backer sticker they sent with my tickets will have to suffice.

I missed the festivities, but there are some good pictures from the event showing up on facebook. Wish I could have been there. Anybody able to make it?

Zipmeister. Never met ZM, but somehow feel like I know him...or at least get him. Sum a y'all need ta catch up!

Jamel Turner is listed as a Junior. I was under the impression that he hadn't used any of his eligibility yet.

I am looking forward to tasting that cherry stout. I have tried Dreadnaught, Arctic Panzer Wolf & Blackheart from 3 Floyds and although all 3 are high in IBU, they do not taste as bitter as Lake Erie Monster to me. I don't know if it's due to different varieties of hops or what...but I would say the Dreadnaught is probably more balanced beteeen the malt & hops with more complex flavors. Sometimes, when I drink a hoppy beer, it is not enjoyable. Fat Head's Headhunter is a good example of a highly rated IPA that was just way too bitter for me, but I have heard people say that about the 3 Floyds stuff too. Hopefully, this year we can do a lot more sharing and comparing at the tailgates. BTW, I am down in SC, for a wedding and one of my wife's cousin's boyfriends is from Kalamazoo, so we had a really nice talk about Bell's and craft beer in general. Also, I went to Total Wine looking for some goodies and saw Hoppin Frog & Thirsty Dog on the shelf.

Jarrett Lee got the starting job due to Jordan Jefferson's suspension. When JJ came back, he was inserted as a nice change of pace with his running ability. IIRC, Jefferson reclaimed the starting role due to Lee's performance against Alabama part one. Then when they got to the BCS championship game only Jefferson played as the Tigers struggled to make it past mid-field.