Ham

.Stats are one important measure, but they don't tell the whole story. I don't know how Catdaddy makes his (VERY welcome) evaluations, but I want to see the whole field and be able to go back over the tape as much as l need. We absolutely need to utilize those free four games to see what we have on the bench. For some that could be now; for others that might need to come later after a few months getting acclimated to D1 FB. I'm not ready to give up this team or Joe. There is a lot of FB yet to be played. Recruiting, retention, and NIL: Many have bigger budgets, bigger staffs, lots of NIL$. So, roll over and play dead? Very few of our athletes play professionally, but we can show recruits that possibility. With the lack of NIL $, what NIL "value" can we offer? Employment possibilities after graduation? Intern possibilities in school? Things a 4 or 5 star wouldn't sniff at, but a 2 or 3 star might find of value. That is where we live. When a starter leaves to sit on the bench at a lower P4, is that NIL$ going to make a difference next year or in 5 years? What else can we come up with to add value to come and stay at Akron?

The mental component of the game is so under rated. Those 2 early goal line stands at Lincoln showed what our D can do. When things got out of hand, that little bit of mental brake down let the roof cave in. Today, l don't think we pitch a shut out, but we will limit UAB's O. Our O has been abysmal. Just like batters go through streaks, I think today the O will put their slump in the rear view mirror. The O line will step up. The RB's will chalk up even more yards. The receivers and QB will live up to their expectations. Zips. 41 / UAB 27 Go Zips.

Sept 5 pick: Nebraska 34 Zips 7 Bend but don't brake defensive effort with one defensive score. Patrick or not, we average 1 yard/carry. Finley completes less than 50% for under 100 yards and 2 int's. Back up QB's : no passes--5 runs for -10 yards. I had called earlier for this to be a throw away game. Let at least 2 back up QB's and plenty of others get some meaning full snaps. (That could make it 80 to 7). At least this time we leave Lincoln with a check. Ham and bride will have a great time pre game tailgating in down town Lincoln. Go Zips

Findley is rated the fourth best QB in the MAC. God help those other 9 teams. Nebraska will be a throw away. We should treat this like a pre-season game. We should see at least 3 QB's have a shot. Just maybe; one will show something under pressure. I don't mean to put the loss on Findley, but so much more was expected. If he is going to make mistakes like a true FR, we might as well see them from the back ups.

Groundhog Day 2.0 !! Frost's debut at Central Florida has been canceled. I wonder if the Knights will stiff Jacksonville like they did the Zips. This will open fresh wounds for next week's match up in Lincoln.

I think this will be a high scoring affair for an opener. Zips 41 / Cowboys 37

My first year as a Zip was 1962. We played Baldwin-Wallace with 36,000 Acme Zip fans in attendance. Since our marching band needed to form their A single file, I think it was Alliquipa(?) HS band that was brought in to perform. When we came out to warm up, we had to wait for the soccer match to end. They were not playing B-W. I don't think B-W even had a soccer team then. I think soccer played Michigan State (College cup semi-finalist in '62). I looked back , but I couldn't find season results that old. I do remember soccer playing at the highest level with all of the rest of us playing at the college division. A great tradition was started that has been carried on!

I'm pleased that the Nebraska game is at night. I'll be able to drive 3 hours; tailgate all afternoon; then enjoy the game. I have a room booked at the Marriot (tailgate central). Down town Lincoln is a fun place on game days. It's a short walk to the stadium. If you are planning a road trip this season, Nebraska would be a great choice.

... to use some of our NIL money to get this suspension tossed.

GP1, ringers are not needed. It's not just Akron. Look at what most of the "scholar" athletes list as their major. Grades are not a problem when assistant coaches teach the classes. With this formula, it only takes a handful of players that are not cutting it on the field to bail and screw the whole team.

Kreed, thanks for doing the leg work. If I had a boss use this type of formula to evaluate my performance, I would look for another job. I couldn't work for someone that stupid! I was thinking about the injured player that was not interested in playing school. What about the many players that enter the portal and don't land anywhere?

@kreed5120 are you sure about the APR formula? 85 athletes earn 2 points each achieve 1000 score. If 12 of those athletes fail to earn one of those two points the "score" would be 158/170=0.929 (929). What if a player is injured or otherwise decides to just drop out of school? The formula can't be that simple.

I bet Illini Zip is smiling as Pearl goes home!

My thoughts on Evan from very far(no in person games). He is supreme support for his teammates. They all show how much they appreciate that when he does get a chance to get on the court. His enthusiasm is contagious. I expect that he will have a roll after graduation if not under JG some where. I think he could do a wonderful job with the younger players.

Maybe we are gearing up to meet the FCS scholarship limit for a move down.😀