johnnyzip84

WMU could not deal with the speed and quickness of our guards. The Zips consitently prevented them from smoothly setting up or running their half court offense. The Broncos haven't has a true point guard since , and now the Zips have the type of team to expose that weakness.

I'd say it was around 7,500 - and the balmy weather probably helped. It's crazy (but not too uncommon) that in one week's time Buffalo's weather went from low 60's (evening of game) to 5 feet of snow.

I was thinking about 250, K92 - it's always hard to figure home many are high up and out of the elements in games at the Info. Of the folks who were actually out there in the cold, it couldn't have been more than 300.

Well, Means and Bivins are now officially Zips

Count me in among those not so disappointed that we're changing offensive philosophy a bit. The Air Raid approach, even in full execution, seems to fall short for the most part. Malzahn is one of the true innovators out there. I'd rather copy him than Leach, Holgorsen, etc. Find the spread that works for the Zips, especially considering the talent currently on the roster.

Hustlebelt has an interview with Means Jr regarding his decision. I wonder who gets to wear #1 on offense next year? I know, I know - it's just a picture and they have lots of #1 jerseys for this purpose. Still, I hope that whoever wears #1 plays like it.

I believe the decision to redshirt this year’s entire recruiting class (with the exception of O’Leary) was a calculated gamble on the part of the staff that the program had reached a point where it could BOTH achieve success in 2014 AND build quality depth for the future. Obviously, the gambled failed (at least to some degree) in the end. But at 4-2, it sure looked like a fantastic decision to me. At what point should they have allowed Newman or others to play? The OU game looked to be heading our way until the fumble with but a few minutes left, so it’s completely understandable that you wouldn’t burn any redshirts in that one. You’re still 4-3 and leading Ball St by 8 at the half. The bottom falls out of course, but it’s very difficult for me to imagine Newman, Chandler or any other of the freshmen coming in and turning that thing around. That brings us to 4-4 with BG coming to town and KP16 returning to duty. In my mind, this might be the only time (in retrospect) where it makes even the slightest sense to possibly burn some redshirts. But the way BG handled us along both fronts, I just don’t think it would have made much difference. Buffalo physically dominated us as well. Without Frohnapfel, we didn’t need any help in blasting UMass. Burning redshirts in the last game of a season reeks of desperation to me, and once again it LOOKED like we might not need to used them to win the game. The bottom line is this. There were only two close games in that lousy stretch where a few extra talents might have made a difference. The 1st came when the Zips were still 4-2 and apparently headed to good things. The 2nd was the last game of the year. Considering this, it’s hard for me to complain too much about the staff making the decisions they did regarding redshirts this past year. It also tells me that they’re probably just as concerned as I am about their own dependency on short-time transfers over these 1st few years.

This is much needed - hope he's another Bowser. HUDL highlights I like the way he adjusts to the ball - a skill that for some reason is not as common as it should be.

You mean those Conor Hundley jerseys we got a few years back?

Maybe the Zips can beat Chryst again in 2016?

Thanks for the additional insight, CK How can I be underestimating when I said "at least"?

That statement (every single FR red-shirted in 2014) is questionable at the least. The PK from Atlanta (O'Leary) most certainly played, losing the starting job in the 2nd game at PSU. I don't know if they can get a RS year out of him once he's played and had no apparent injury. Maybe someone else has a better handle on this. I'll admit this isn't a very significant point, as certainly the bulk of the class did RS. I don't know how many are no longer in school, however. I was told that Travonte Junius was no longer enrolled during the season. Lee Adams is correct that a lot hinges on QB play (I thought that was pretty much a given). I didn't list QB as a weakness because we simply don't know that yet. I figure there's at least a 50% chance it will be a new face to the program. I refuse to assume that is a bad thing.

Perhaps LZip meant premiere OOC HOME matchup. RACER, I'm not sure I understand your comment. Neither EMU nor Michigan beat NJIT. EMU also hung tough with Dayton on the road. Maybe Rob Murphy finally has the horses to effectively play the 'Cuse 2-3 AND score enough to win?

Here's my early take on next season: Returning Players Who Took Major Steps Forward in 2014 DB DeAndre Scott – Had several big plays over the course of the season. I’m sure it must have happened more than once, but my only recollection of him getting burned for a TD was the early one OU put on us in Athens. It was a perfect throw as the coverage wasn’t too bad. It seemed as though MAC teams quit throwing his way midway through the season. LB/DE Jerome Lane – Showed tremendous ability to rush the passer in limited opportunities. I’d like to see him move to his more natural LB spot, but have him used as a primary rusher in blitz packages. Amato was seen on film calling him the best athlete he’s ever coached. Returning Starters with All-MAC Ability LB Jatavis Brown – With Mizell (never caught on with pass coverage) and March not quite living up to the hype, JTB1’s 2014 performance has set him up to go down as the best LB in UA history. DL Cody Grice – I think his 1st team all-MAC status was at least partially a result of his impact on the other side of the ball. I know I’m in the minority on this, but I hope he doesn’t carry it that much next year. Our lack of depth on the D-Line, coupled with his short yardage ball-carrying duties, wore CG36 out a bit and contributed to our struggles against the run late in the season (IMHO). He’s an excellent leader, so I hope he can focus on defense next year. WR Zach D’Orazio - A true, consistent bright spot in the receiver corps. Zach should be the safety blanket for whoever wins the QB job in 2015. P Zack Paul – Had terrific opening half of 2014 season, but lousy weather tapered off his stats somewhat down the stretch. Other Key Returning Players RB Connor Hundley – Hopefully will fully recover from knee injury in time for 2015 season. CH34 has certainly showed promise over the years when given a little bit of blocking. OL Tommy Brown – Proved to be an effective run blocker in short yardage situations. K Robert Stein – Only missed three kicks all year, but the one at Dix will probably serve as off-season motivation. DL Se’Von Pittman – Nagging injuries seemed to really slow his progress later in the season. He may benefit from being able to play more DE with Coe in the mix. WR Mykel Traylor-Bennett – Had a few really nice plays in 2014, but far too often he was a non-factor. He needs to step it up immensely in 2015. Redshirt Freshmen Who Could Have Immediate Impact LB Newman Williams – Should be able to slide in for Mizell as the run-stopping LB. May also see time as FB in short yardage situations. DE Brock Boxen – Was impressive in fall camp with his high motor. DL Anthony Clark – Has size not typically seen in a Zip D-Line HS recruit. QB Chandler Kincade – Should also be in the mix for the starting job. The Super Six Transfers RB Donnell Alexander – Rushed for over 5 yards per carry in two seasons with Colorado State. His size (219 lb) and speed are an unusual combination at UA. DL Rodney Coe – Iowa State transfer is the 1st 300 LB Zip D-lineman of the Bowden era. He should be the middle-of-the-line run stopper UA has lacked since Kiki Gonzalez. DB AJ Coney – Was 1st-team all Big-Sky (not that much different than the MAC) as a FR for Weber State. QB Tra’Von Chapman – Former 4-star recruit for Pitt is thought to be a favorite to take over as the starter by numerous observers. DB Larry Hope – Former Miami Hurricane will provide some size in the defensive backfield. DE Jamal Marcus – Showed promise in 2014 Orange Bowl for another college in the state of Ohio. Team Strengths Defense Special TeamsTeam Weaknesses O-Line Wide ReceiversSummary The UAB opportunity is a nice surprise. If there is ANY way the Zips can snag 1 or 2 ready-made WRs or O-linemen from the Blazer exodus, that would really help the Zips’ chances in 2015. There is enough talent on defense to be pretty good on that side of the ball. Special teams look to be set. Regardless of who wins the starting QB job, massive improvement in the O-Line and WRs is needed to compete for a MAC East crown in 2015. If the Zips are not improved as a whole in 2015, I’m afraid 2016 doesn’t look any better due to the reliance on transfers with limited eligibility. Simply put, it’s put up or shut up in 2015 for Zip football.

Pont played in a foursome with Hilltopper during one of the recent football golf outings. But it wasn't until the 4th or 5th hole until Hilltopper knew who he was Pont was a very accessible guy from a famous coaching family. It's hard to say whether this was his decision or TB's.

I haven’t posted anything on the last game for a number of reasons, the first being the obvious downer it is losing to K.E.N.T. at any time at anything. I also was a little burned out on Zip football, but that was mostly my own doing. Finally, the timing of the game with a busy Thanksgiving weekend for me did not make it easy to jot down any thoughts. Here’s my most objective take, hopefully devoid of the emotions felt immediately after the game. I was very happy for JC7 – wished we could have seen more of that over the years, but some of that was on him and some of that wasn’t. I turned to ZipsWin! after the Zips took the lead and said something like “this isn’t over”, because I was not at all convinced that our defense could keep them out of the end zone. IMHO, Amato allowed Reardon to be comfortable the entire game. Reardon had been showing signs of maturing towards the end of the season, but I think the Zips game plan assumed he’d be the same QB who self-destructed in the Info last year. In general, I’ve said all season that our defense is best in attacking mode. We don’t have the size, overall talent or depth to sit back and cover. I was hoping Amato would send Brown or Mizell (or Lane - why wasn't he in there?????!!!!) in on blitzes right when K.E.N.T. started the drive, but it never happened. Reardon calmly and coolly tore us apart. ZipsWin! was absolutely correct in his vocal disapproval of the Zips using 2 early timeouts in the 2nd half. If that had not happened, perhaps KP16 doesn’t have to throw into double coverage (that was almost a great play on both ends after I watched the replay) to effectively end the game. Needing only a FG to tie with all three timeouts is not that difficult of a situation. It was extremely disappointing to see a supposedly 1-dimenional team run the ball down our throats like that. In spite of TB’s claims of that this (2014) was not a step backwards, it clearly was based on a comparison of schedules (2013 versus 2014). UA may never get an easier MAC slate, and the end-of-the-season downturn was horribly timed for recruiting. This was a huge loss, not so much because it was our rival, but because of its place in the recruiting story. It probably means more transfers/jucos instead of HS recruits, and it’s getting a little late in TB’s tenure for that.

Toledo is playing Arkansas STATE.

The last D1-A/FBS program to drop football was The University of the Pacific in 1995. It just so happens, the Zips picked up RB Yasin Reeder from that squad and he went on to have a pretty productive year for UA in 1996 (as seen in the link, Yasin is now an assistant for Paul Winters at Wayne St). So heck yeah, go out and bring some of the ex-Blazers to Akron coaching staff! I prefer 1 RB, 1, WR and 1 OL in my stocking (don't want to use up too many schollies).

I guess someone else will have to step up and provide verbal instructions to the chain gang Go Zips!!

Well stated, K92 I like to think of Zip fanhood as "the road less traveled". I'm thankful for the great friends I've met along the way. Go Zips!!!

I described him as the team leader after I saw him play against Rochester and UMBC. That says it all for me.

.......and were a combined 2-5 as starting QBs versus the Zips

I'm not surprised at all. He certainly comes across this way on post-game interviews. Frenchy has even commmented on what a great radio voice Kwan has to boot. That late high school growth spurt of his has provided the Zips with a player of an unusual skill set. With a little more strength development, he can hopefully become a better rebounder - he's already shown me that he has worked extremely hard on his defense between this season and last. It's early still, but Kwan is one of several Zips in 2014-2015 who are threatening to at least partially disprove the commonly held notion that player development is nonexistent under KD.

Zips are 4.5 point favorites.

That's the way to rise to the challenge, men!