K92

Yeah. That's gonna happen.

Of course RI is going to "stay the course". What else is he going to say? "Last year we didn't know what we were doing and that is why we are going to change everything this year"? He had a plan coming in that he thought would work. I doubt if there is anything that happened last year that made him question that plan. He said in the interview with Bruce Drennan that Wisconsin is the template. He thinks that template will work. He is going to stick with it. I don't see anything wrong with that. Changing philosophy after one year would be much more disturbing to me and make me think he really DOESN'T know what he's doing. He uses the Miami example to show what "staying the course" in the midst of critical fan opinion can succeed. Whether or not Akron will succeed under RI remains to be seen, but I sure can't fault the guy for not being a wishy-washy, see which way the wind blows, waffling wimp.What I do grow tired of is taking the time to read an article on the Zips that I learn nothing from. This, like every other interview with RI, is totally non-informative. I long for a forthcoming, revealing interview with substance. Unfortunately 99% of all coaches are unable to converse in anything but the dreaded "coach speak".

Zach, I 100% disagree. Rob's message is

I don't really hate Ohio State. That emotion should be reserved for Can't. A thread about them IS relevant since we play them this year and I don't think its shameful that this thread has so many comments.However, this storyline has run its course and it is approaching the LeBron James 24/7 saturation level. As GP1 said then, "PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!"

Man would that help out our secondary!You're right. A d-line that can control the line of scrimmage makes Bryan Wagner even better as well. We need three and outs. Make 'em punt the ball to Tyler Williams. Can ya tell I'm getting excited? Are you readyfor some foooootbaaaaaallll?

+1You are absolutely correct about Griggs. He should have been on the list. Defensive line may wind up being a real strength for the Zips in '11.

As the season rapidly approaches, who are you most excited to see perform? I listed the players I am most curious to see, but I am sure I left some out. Jason Chisholm's performance in the spring game left me wanting to see a lot more from him. Oren Wilson's absence in that game really leaves me wondering. But the guy I really want to see is Tyler Williams after he ran wild in the all-star games.

June Jones. Wow, I would like to see a Zips offense with June at the helm. Saturdays would be very entertaining at the Info.

My best (hazy) memory is the 1986 Murray State game. What a night. I believe it was the first time the Zips were ever on ESPN. If memory serves me correct, Zippy stole the head away from the Racer mascot before the game. Zips won. Beat Frank Beamer. Who knew he would go on to the success he's had? If anyone else remembers, wasn't this the game with the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders at halftime?

Let's hear it...

Two excellent points there JZ84. I also agree that the protection must be better in 2011, but our recievers need to do a better job of getting open. On quite a few occasions last year the o line looked worse than it really was because our receivers were blanketed. At any rate, here's to Nicely proving a lot of us naysayers wrong or to Clayton proving a lot of us hopefuls right!

Dave, you absolutely right, Moore's upside potential is great. Still, Akron was only one of a pair of schools willing to give him another shot. Akron isn't the only program looking for a stud QB, so that makes me believe a lot of coaches were leery of his past.Yes! Kudos to the coaching staff for bringing him in. My only point was, if I am Ianello's shoes, I want to make damn sure this kid isn't going to leave me with egg on my face. With his approval rating somewhere down around that of Congress, Rob surely doesn't need to give his critics any more ammunition.I am hoping for big things from Clayton. If he proves he is still a "stud", hopefully the coaching staff, teammates and fans rally around him.

I only have one nagging concern.....If Nicely somehow holds the starting job, what would that tell us about Moore? Again, why would this guy accept an offer from a school like Akron to come up here and sit on the bench behind one of the worst QBs in D-1A? If that were to happen, I guess we'd have to assume that Moore failed miserably in his opportunity to impress the coaches. I presume Clayton Moore was told he would be given the opportunity to earn the starting position. That's really the only assurance a coach can give. That is what Bret Bielema said he told Russell Wilson, even though he appears to be a no-brainer selection to start. I would imagine anything less than starting every game in his Zips career is going to be a disappointment for CM. I guess we just have to wait and see if any unforseen developments prevent him from achieving his goals. If I was the coach, I would want to make sure the kind of episode that put Clayton on this alternate path is behind him. Hopefully it is and he can make the most out of his second chance.

Actually, his original Scout profile lists some big time programs who offered. My apologies. I looked at his Rivals profile, which I now see is inaccurate.

This was the big topic of conversation on Finebaum yesterday afternoon. Tennis player beats out Cam for SEC athlete of the year Seems the ADs got their heads together and decided to make a statement. Tennessee tennis player ranked 10th in nation.

Who offered Moore other than Mississippi and Syracuse? Two schools is not a slew, Zach.

Beating Can't in '09 has to be the greatest moment so far. Alex Allen's 91 yard run against Miami was also exciting.

Washington Times has the Zips at 115

Verbals as of 7/3/2011 Temple-21 Miami (FL)-20 Texas A&M-20 Texas-18 Michigan-18 Texas Tech-16 Brigham Young-15 Washington-15 LSU-15 Alabama-14 Duke-13 Florida State-13 Virginia-13 Virginia Tech-13 Cincinnati-13 Syracuse-13 TCU-13 Florida-13 Clemson-12 Northwestern-12 Arizona State-12 Vanderbilt-12 North Carolina-11 Baylor-11 Missouri-11 Connecticut-11 Indiana-11 Penn State-11 Notre Dame-11 Central Michigan-11 Kentucky-11 Maryland-10 Oklahoma-10 West Virginia-10 Michigan State-10 Minnesota-10 Houston-10 Southern Miss-10 Boise State-10 Stanford-10 Auburn-10 Georgia-10 South Carolina-10 North Carolina State-9 Ohio State-9 Tulsa-9 USC-9 Utah-9 Louisville-8 Rutgers-8 South Florida-8 Wisconsin-8 Mississippi State-8 Boston College-7 Georgia Tech-7 Oklahoma State-7 Arizona-7 Oregon-7 UCLA-7 Arkansas-7 Ole Miss-7 Pittsburgh-6 Purdue-6 Southern Methodist-6 San Diego State-6 Colorado-6 Oregon State-6 Iowa State-5 Iowa-5 Nebraska-5 Tulane-5 Miami (OH)-5 Washington State-5 Arkansas State-5 Kansas State-4 Illinois-4 Buffalo-4 Wake Forest-3 Kansas-3 East Carolina-3 Marshall-3 Ball State-3 Eastern Michigan-3 Northern Illinois-3 Toledo-3 Western Michigan-3 Air Force-3 Tennessee-3 Rice-2 UTEP-2 Can't State-2 New Mexico-2 California-2 Bowling Green-1 Ohio-1 Florida Atlantic-1 Florida International-1 North Texas-1 Troy-1 Western Kentucky-1 Fresno State-1 Louisiana Tech-1 Nevada-1 Utah State-1 Memphis-0 UAB-0 Army-0 Navy-0 UCF-0 Akron-0 Colorado State-0 UNLV-0 Wyoming-0 Louisiana Lafayette-0 Louisiana Monroe-0 Middle Tennessee-0 Hawaii-0 Idaho-0 New Mexico State-0 San Jose State-0

I just have to share this because it's funny as hell. I'm sitting here at the computer when my 7 year old nephew comes to see if I can fix his bike. The chain came off. I said I would in a minute. He said "Why are you reading Zips?" I said "because the Zips are the best." He rolls his eyes. Then he goes down through the sports, football, basketball, baseball, asking who's the best and I say "Zips" and the kid is basically just beside himself in disagreement. Then I ask him "Who's the best soccer team?", thinking he would either say Ohio State again or say he didn't know. He hesitated for a minute, then the light bulb went off and he said "Zips!" It was priceless.

That's because the Zips are going to thrash the Flashes in front of a sold-out, standing-room-only crowd at Infocision Stadium November 12. (just had to beat dreal to the punch!)

GP1, I understand what you are saying about taking the easy way and having someone else do your work for you. The most successful charity auctions I have been a part of have been the ones where I played the role of consultant to answer any auction questions, how it works, what kind of items sell well, etc. An engaged beneficiary means the world. For 2 years I organized a NASCAR sheetmetal auction for charity in conjunction with the Craftsman Truck Series race at Mansfield Speedway. I contacted every CTS, Busch and Cup team in the greater Charlotte area, then we came to NC with our trailer and picked up swag from all teams that were willing to contribute. When all was said and done, we were able to raise some money a worthy cause and it was a labor of love for me. But at the end of the day, the person who cared most about it was me. That's why it is better for me to work with a group that cares from day one. There may be no one in the athletic department that would buy in. Your link to UNCC's event displays the potential. My question to the group here, which is the base, is whether or not there is interest in attending an auction event with merchandise like what MU is offering, plus much more. If there is interest here, you can take the next step. If it doesn't excite anyone here at ZN, it ain't gonna excite anyone else either. Since the MU event was held up as an example of something another MAC school was doing, my thought was that we could blow that out of the water on our first attempt.

I don't know if you clicked on Zach's link for the Miami promotion, but they are offering up prizes to MU season ticket holders, which is great to try to energize your base. Would a benefit auction be of interest to ZN.Oers? It would probably not be best to do it as a stand alone event, rather in conjunction with other festivities, I'm thinking Homecoming, but could be for another event as well. I have been involved with benefit auctions from "show up with my p.a. at 7" to organizing the whole thing. They can be a great success. With the right merchandise, you can energize the base and draw in community folks. I won't bore you with any more details right now. Let me send this out as a test balloon to see if there is any interest in exploring this further. I have tons of ideas but one voice in the wilderness won't make it happen.

Looking down through the list of MAC commits, I don't see that many great gets. There a few to be sure, but most of these kids didn't have anyone else interested but the team they verballed to. I am not ready to press the panic button yet, but I am getting a little anxious, since we are tied for last with EMU and WMU. I think Bill Cubit has been a late recruiter historically, though. So we're basically sucking hind tit with Eastern. Fabulous!

Mister Blu...