LZIp

A bit of positivity - there are a few players missing, so who knows how they will be ranked by 247, and whatever your opinion is on rankings, for whatever reason, they seem to generally correlate with who the top teams in the conference are. With that said, we are currently ranked 10th in MAC (above Ohio and Buffalo) in cumulative team score. That ranking is driven by the individual ranking of players as well as the number of players in the class. Only looking at the ranking of players, we have the second highest average in the conference at 82.7 behind Toledo's 83.17 and just above Ohio's 82.59. Let's hope the staff can finish filling the class as good as they started it and that should be a good sign down the road....

Doesn't seem to be an official offer out there, but his tweets pop up on my timeline all the time with members of the current staff liking his tweets. That would indicate to me that we are recruiting him and its likely something is coming soon. However, we also have Bulley and possibly Childs committed as a RB already right now.

So you mention the university being strapped for cash in one breath and call for the firing of the coach in another? Seems like doubling down on the issue to me.

I sure hope it works out with Dawson. Have to this his grades kept a number of schools away. Also getting his eligibility clock starting a year later is good for development as well.

Check my post history bud. I gave Bowden much more benefit of the doubt than most posters. The difference between you and I is that I've moved on because there is nothing I can do about it. Also, the decision to fire him or keep him could have easily been argued either way. It wasn't like he clearly should have been kept or something like that.

Last I checked, UMASS got their first ever FBS win against a Terry Bowden led Akron.

Something in the water in NE Ohio. Browns fans..Zips fans..nobody has any patience. Fire, start over, fire, start over. Loser mentality. I'm glad we are stuck with Arth for a few years. A chance to see the process through and make the correct decision on how to proceed.

He is an unpaid Grad Assistant at Clemson.

Nothing is going to change this year. The players the staff has are the players they have and they are becoming more short-handed with each passing week. Some just are what they are. The O-line isn't going to miraculously improve and we are incredibly short handed at RB. Not the best mix for a QB who isn't an elite passer. I'll still watch every game hoping we can pull an upset (Kent was the last one I'm spending money on), but at this point I have no real excitement until the last 3-4 games of the year, when the young players who haven't gotten much time will hopefully get an extended look and give me some hope for the future.

Very unfortunate to read. Best of luck Dustin!

I get that your shtick is to be the board's resident smart a$$, but believe it or not, there are also divisions within our very own conference.

Running game will still suffer, but Zach Gibson allows Arth to run more of his offense and the Zips shock the world and Kent State still sucks. Need some positive vibes for this program.

Another freshman DB - Tyson McDonald - already transferring. Sheesh.

Hypothetical - if Gibson were to come out and look good and we beat Kent, do you go burn his redshirt in a lost season or go back to Kato?

nice lock screen wallpaper.

I've somehow convinced two out of towners with no connection to the University at all to come. We will have a fun time tailgating at least. Regarding the game...we will be coming off of a much needed bye with either a healthy Kato or a freshman QB who has had two weeks to prepare and Kent will be coming off getting crushed by Wisconsin, so there is a glimmer of hope...

I hope so. The potential is there but it all has to come together. I believe we were picked to finish 5th in our division, however.

Joining a fan message board to do nothing but be negative and push an agenda is an incredible display of not having a life. Congrats.

I think this guy has done a nice job breaking down the Zips this season. I just watched the ending of UMASS this evening and Gibson is very intriguing. I'm going to temper my excitement until I see him in a full game when a team has prepared for him, and that could very well be the next game vs Kent State. I prefer not to burn his redshirt in a lost season, but he could end up being the guy for this offense. Kato has done a great job leading (I've been paying very close attention to his demeanor) I think and he has improved, but he might not be the best fit next season. It just stinks. This year has been and will likely continue to be quite painful. We are going to lose more players and still be shorthanded next year (and still probably the year after that). Having a decent recruiting class this season that includes some transfers/JUCOs that can contribute right away is key to Arth's long term success I think. Multiple years of the worst team in FBS level play isn't going to work.

https://www.hustlebelt.com/2019/9/30/20891978/five-things-learned-umass-minutemen-akron-zips-football-analysis-week-5-2019

I cannot figure out the personnel decisions this staff makes. Arth seems to be going with "his guys" and it doesn't seem to be paying off. Players like Sampson, Brimage, and Lloyd were all regular contributors in prior years but hardly get on the field on D, if at all. DBs - How don't we know who our starting DBs are yet? Tried multiple guys at FS the first few games and ultimately settled on Davis. Oddly enough, Zaire Jacobs, who we all would have thought would have been the natural replacement with Davis at CB, never seemed to get a real look and now he's gone. We've also seemingly had endless combinations of whose at corner. True fresh Cochran seems to be settled in on one side, but Riley or Hooks...who is better...please make a decision, and are neither of them really better than a true freshman? Linebackers - Started the season with Watts at ILB, then moved to Bubba, now Glover. Scott and Richardson seem to both take extended turns at OLB opposite of Ward. Running backs - How does Floyd not get on the field at all? The player the staff seems the highest on (Lee) is the least effective to me. Too many negative plays for the usage he gets. Why bench your starting RB for the game after a fumble? Burton might be the highest I'm on of RBs that actually get on the field, but he's a 3rd string walk on oddly enough. QBs - It worked out I guess, but pulling Kelley as quick as they did for a true freshman seemed like and odd choice to me...but if the true freshman is better, why the heck wasn't he the back up to begin with? Oline - we sure like to experiment at every other position group, but not here for whatever reason and here is where we should be experimenting the most. I get there aren't much options, but at least try something. Recruits - all of these true freshman are getting playing time, except our two highest rated recruits in Thomas and Hayes-Patrick.What? We just seem all over the place in who we are playing and I can't follow the logic. We need to play the best players and only put in subs when they need breaks. Screw this platooning bull crap. Has our staff really been that bad at evaluating performance over camp and practice that all this crap changes on a week to week basis? Are they making a conscious decision to sacrifice winning now to get young players more time in hopes that its pays off down the road? If so, proceed with caution. I sat through 1-15 and 0-16 Browns seasons and nobody came out of that with their jobs. Playing your best players and coming up short is one thing. I can understand that, but from what I can see, we either don't know who our best players are or aren't trying to win at all costs this season and even fans as tolerant and optimistic as myself have to take issue with that.

We are down 20 mid-way through the 3rd and our coaches are even quitting by putting GIbson in.

Being the worst program in D1 college football is incredibly depressing. There is literally a 0.77% of that happening and it's us.

anytime you can throw a 5 yard hitch on a 3rd and 12 you gotta do it. SMH. Not good play calling.

Those points are on the coaching staff. Kick the damn ball deep and go into the half down 3 and get the ball 1st to start the 2nd. I really just don't get it.