johnnyzip84

Please add Fireman's Brew Brunette

QB Tra'Von Chapman DB AJ Coney DB Larry Hope DE Jamal Marcus RB Donnell Alexander DT Rodney Coe

Interesting? I'd call it incorrect We all know TB’s high school recruits have not been highly rated by the services and they’ve only yielded a handful of major contributors up to this point. But guys like Hundley, Deandre Scott (having a really good year somewhat under the radar), and Jatavis Brown are certainly a cut above the players he inherited. The real impact TB’s name has had is in acquiring the talented transfers. Players like Mizell, Capi, Moses McRay, would not have considered UA without TB and his staff in place. The "super six" sitting out this year are all supposed to be very good (all expected to start or compete for the starting job). I’ll be the 1st to acknowledge that the recruiting emphasis needs to shift towards more HS players and less on the transfers, and hopefully that happens in 2015. Let’s also realize that, besides the PK from Georgia (Leary), the entire freshmen class from 2014 was redshirted. I don’t know how you evaluate those guys without them getting a chance to play.

That’s pretty good insight, GP1. I hadn’t considered that there are probably different selection criteria between the upper-tier and lower-tier bowls. In recent years, often the lower-tier bowls have been forced to take teams from the MAC/Sunbelt/C-USA, many of which do not travel particularly well. So getting the locals to buy tickets is probably a bigger factor in these bowls. Now I see why TB would be popular in this scenario.

It might be kind of cool to have a Chris Bivins AND a Chris Givens in the same secondary

The chances of going 6-6 are pretty good, so being bowl eligible is certainly a good possibility. If the Zips somehow get selected AND win the game I would be in complete agreement regarding the large step forward. I realize there is a line of thinking that says a team coached by Terry Bowden presents a good option for one of the Alabama bowls. Now we all know bowls have never selected teams based on merit. It's always been about which teams would a) bring the most fans and achieve the highest TV ratings. So my question is as follows. Where does selecting Akron over other 6-6 options fit into this selection criteria? Looking at the stands the other night (and for the last few years), it certainly isn't the great throng of Zip fans expected to make the trip south. So that leaves TV ratings. Is Terry Bowden, by himself, enough of a national personality to give a network what it wants? This is an honest question on my part. Thoughts?

I wouldn't lump Bryant into that lousy bunch. They gave UConn fits in their opener.

In my opinion, if the Zips can retain the wagon wheel next week I will consider 2014 "reasonably" successful. The thing that keeps me from calling it an out-and-out success is the weakness of our MAC schedule. It was tailor made for a run at a championship. But, things happen and many of them are out of our control. I would view 6-6 this year as being roughly equivalent to 5-7 last year, taking into account the schedules. It would not really be a step forward in my opinion, but it's also not a step backwards either. Treading water can be enough to keep a program resurgance from running out of gas, but eventually you must win the important ones. It's very likely that, after the 2014 season is over, last year's Toledo game will remain the only victory for a TB-coached Zips squad over a team with a winning record. This needs to change in 2015, and a 2 game winning streak to close out 2014 is essential to making this happen, both from a momentum and a recruiting standpoint.

Now that my toes are finally back to normal temperature, I’ll give a few of my thoughts. Thanks for making my prediction wrong for the 5th consecutive game, Zips! Since he is the nation’s 6th leading passer (yards), it’s not too surprising that UMass would be a much weaker foe without Frohnapfel. But I didn’t expect them to turn into “Mr. Whipple’s Squeezably Soft” football team. It seemed like they wanted no part of it after the 1st couple of series. The crowd couldn’t have been larger than 500. I sat in my usual seat for the 1st half, and then joined the rest of the Lot 9’ers standing in the mezzanine at about the 50 yard line to watch the remainder. The stairs to several sections were roped off, so most of us figured the usual rules and regulations regarding seating/standing would be relaxed a bit given the conditions. That was wrong of course. There was a power hungry usher who kept harassing the group about not going over the “blue line” – it was reminiscent of getting scolded by the ride operators at an amusement park. On a positive note, the free hot chocolate and coffee provided by the vending services was a very good idea and much appreciated. I think we all figured that the staff simply HAD to emphasize the run given the conditions. We were wrong, of course, and I can’t really say I can argue with the game plan. KP16 must not mind the cold, because he was as accurate as he’s been all year. That was really quite a performance, regardless of the opposition. Kudos to the staff for getting the seniors, many of whom do not have a long standing association with the program, ready to play last night. The defensive intensity, in particular, was significantly better than last week. It was also nice to see so many seniors making special plays in their last game at the Info. I was glad the staff didn’t let the team talk them into going for it on 4th down after the end zone drop off of the fake to CG36. Stein has been money, and the points were important. I’m not sure why we were repeatedly snapping the ball with 15 seconds left on the play clock with 8 minutes and change left in the game. Finally, I believe K92 and ZipsWin! both deserve recognition for being the only known tailgaters brave enough to setup in Lot 9 before ultimately retreating to Score (formerly Pints) across the street. And the U didn’t even bother to have a “tailgater of the game” last night. Pfffffffft!

Reading this story, I have no idea how UA can be a 7 point (and rising) favorite. Even if Frohnapfel doesn't play, UM has a couple of quality backs with an offensive line that is improving. Woodley, in particular, was a highly recruited Floridian (maybe the cold is our great hope). Couple that with the body language of the defense over the last few games and I don't feel very confidant. I'm going to do something that I rarely do: predict a Zip defeat. If the Zips win, I'll be more than happy to eat crow. I'm just sick of having the Zips lose AND being wrong Minutemen 27 Zips 20

I have to assume Whipple's kid is expected to be the UMass starting QB, because the Zips are 7 point favorites. This makes me wonder. In the history of college football, how many teams have been favored for the 5th game in a row after losing four straight games? This is truly a strange set of circumstances.

The oddsmakers seem to be waiting for a status on Frohnapfel, as many haven't established a line yet. One might have it as a pick 'em?

Frohnapfel not ruled out for the game on Tuesday.

The tone was much different last night than Monday night, with KD back on the bench and a real game to be played. The young Zips showed a lot of promise. Kwan showed me that he has taken the role of playing a 4/5 seriously until Big Dog returns. He clearly had a focus on defense and rebounding in both his play and his post-game comments. It's really hard to believe he won't be 20 until August of 2015. The other thing he did well was feed Tree when they were playing a little high-low game. His court vision, a fortunate remnant of his days as a HS guard, is a real plus. It seems crazy to say this, but Noah has ALREADY established himself as a team leader. His calm, but confidant court demeanor is far beyond his age. Oh and he handles the ball very well and sets up teammates to score. He took a shot or two that reminded us that he's still a true FR. But with Antino also showing much ability (but not the polish as yet) at PG, the Zips are WAY ahead in this position already in 2014-2015 versus the past few seasons. They both even play steady, pesky defense (unlike a certain ex-PG in West GA). Tree was consistently double and triple teamed, but he made a few nice kick-outs off of these and played his usual high energy game to garner his double-double. The team's passing, lead by the play of the PGs (who played quite a few minutes together), was impressive for a season debut. Pat played a pretty good game, going to the basket aggressively a few times and gathering a number of boards. He did show his tendency to get tagged with fouls of the questionable variety. Reggie and Jake were their usual selves, hitting threes when open and helping the team in other areas. Reggie had a few lazy passes, but I attribute that to game rust. The opponent wasn't that great, but I came away pretty pleased indeed with where the Zips are at this point.

I did not, but I was concerned about this game even before the season took a nosedive. UMass is much better than their record. With Frohnapfel getting hurt, I expect Woodley will be expected to given plenty of opportunities to carry the rock. Coach Whipple's kid will probablt be the QB. Either way, the Minutemen should be favored.

Well played, CK

Thanks for trying to look forward with some hope, Jrship35 Here are a few additional tidbits on the class of 2014: Scott Boyett hasn't been able to garner PT and it does not appear that injuries are an issue. It seems to be a consensus that Blake Dennis is not a D-1 WR.Travonte Junius is reportedly not enrolled at this time. Newman Williams, Clark, Boxen and Bullard all look very good to me and should be major contributors quickly. Here are a few additional tidbits on the class of 2013: WRs Austin Wolf and Mykel Traylor-Bennett have both shown signs of ability. MTB has been frustratingly inconsistent though (and doesn't seem to have the coaches' faith at this point, though he has also been battling an injury), and Wolf was hurt just as he was flashing his speed and hands earlier this year. Gauthney has not been able to get PT, despite his size. I'm a little disappointed/surprised that neither Ericksen nor Kortokrax have been able to lend a boost to the O-line in 2014. Jerome Lane is one of the few bright spots during the 2014 losing skid. He can only get better. Speaking of Hope (Larry), TB has publicly touted the transfers who are sitting out this year. The key players in this group are those listed below: RB Donnell AlexanderQB Tra'Von ChapmanDL Rodney CoeDB Larry HopeDL Jamal MarcusDB AJ Coney There are some who think all 6 will start next year. That may be the case, but the reliance on transfers has to give way to solid FR recruits if the program is gain any stability IMHO. This tactic was understandable in the 1st few years, as it capitalizes on one of TB's strengths.

I'm not alarmed or anything, but I was simply hoping to see a little more of this against an "inferior" foe. Perhaps he did this more after I left about 6 minutes into the 2nd half (please don't ask why I left early ).

I said before the game that a loss here would be the worst on TB's tenure. Although U@B showed me a little more talent on offense than I was expecting, the dominating stats clearly confirm my initial thought. Some will blame it on coaching decisions, some on the team's collective heart, and there are good reasons to suspect both. I'll simply state that I put WAY too much emphasis on the Pitt result in raising my expectations for this program, particularly with regards to our defense. It has now been firmly established that any offense that can muster a run/pass threat can move the ball quite well against this defense. Like Lee Adams pointed out, the 2005 defense had a few overachieving players who made plays when they needed. The 2014 defense I had placed so much faith in probably has more talent, but it's clearly missing a few intangibles. The lack of size in the interior is also becoming painfully aware. I'm not sure where to go from here. As for the rest of 2014, UMass has a better team and should end the now ridiculous 4 game streak in which the Zips were favored. It's hard to imagine this team turning it on even with the wagon wheel at stake. BTW, we also had a number of injuries last night (Ford, Pittman) that won't make it any easier. As for 2015 and beyond, the losing streak has to be having a horrible effect on recruiting. At some point when a losing program is attempted to be turned around, the window of opportunity closes. This is especially true with an approach that leans heavily on transfers at the beginning. That hasn't happened here yet, but the window is clearly beginning to slip.

Well said, K92

Duff's >> Anchor Bar And that's about all I have to say

Tree definitely looked frustrated with his teammates at times. But I can think of at least one occasion when this was not warranted (i.e. he was the one throwing a pass no one could have caught and remained in bounds). Like many have said, I liked what I saw of the 2 FR PGs. Noah looks to be a little more polished and in command at this stage. I like that he is equally comfortable going to his right or left, and that he’ll finish with his left. I’m a little concerned that Gladden, hyped by a few on the board, did not exactly set himself apart against a pedestrian foe. Hopefully that’s just opening game jitters for a newcomer. The team looks like it’ll be competitive in the MAC. I’ll need to see a few more games before I think they should be favored to win it however.

Here's a view from the other guy's media.

I noticed EA was referring to an old forecast when I read his column last night. In his defense, the forecast has changed dramatically over the last few days because I’ve been monitoring it pretty closely. I have been more in the camp that thinks we’ve struggled to run the last few games as opposed to the camp that thinks we’ve simply refused to run. However, I think the Zips ought to have a little more patience against the Bulls who really struggled against the run versus OU. Here are a few predictions: U@B players will be wearing uniforms with a patriotic theme for Veteran’s Day. UA will set a season high in rushing yards, and numerous players (CH34, JC7, DJ25, AD12) will get in the act. UA will win the turnover battle, with JB1 being especially instrumental. Duff’s will have better wings than the Anchor Bar. A piece of Reggie Corner will make an appearance on the U tonight. 31-20 Zips Win!!!

And for the fourth straight week the Zips open as favorites, this time by 3.5 points.