johnnyzip84

Frenchy made reference to this on WNIR this morning. He added some quip like "geesh, I hope this guy doesn't read the OSU and Michigan message boards".

I sort of hate predicting this game because of the nature of the rivalry. The loss in 2006, while painful, is not what I am worried about. I actually think that game wasn't a fluke.....the flushes were just better that year.I'm more concerned with the type of game where the better team manages to find a way to lose. I can think of TWO other games at Dix where the Zips were definitely the better team yet somehow managed to lose. In 1992, the Zips had what may have been Faust's best team (finished 7-3-1) yet Can't stuffed the box on D and Zips QB Marcel Weems was hand-cuffed by a seemingly rigid, run-based game plan. A fumble returned for a TD ws a killer in that 20-16 defeat. In Jason Taylor's last year (1996) the Zips were leading in the 4th quarter to have the game completely blow up in their faces with the unlikely final of 32-17 (it seemed like the flushes scored 8 TD's in that disgusting 4th quarter). Mind you, UA had just come off a 27-7 win over Western Michigan the week earlier, and this was the same team that gave Va Tech fits in the Bowl.Having said all of this, I still feel as if the Zip O-Line will dominate and lead UA to a solid win. Edelman might make it scary for a while, but I look for WHOMEVER at RB for UA to run well, particularly in the latter stages of the game.Zips 30flushes 20

The coaching staff is no doubt trying to assess two things in regards to DeVoe's RS. First, will Andrew Johnson be able to come back any time soon. Second, do they think they can beat Can't w/o DeVoe. If the answers to both of these is YES, then I think there's a good chance that the RS will continue. However if the answer to either one is NO, then I'll bet DeVoe not only plays but gets quite a few touches on Saturday.

Elton Alexander has an article in which JD discusses the RB options for Saturday.Link

ESPN just showed Big Ben's 70 yard TD pass against the Zips. This was the 1st time I have seen a decent film of this play. Now I know why French was so disgusted. UA DB (Fuller perhaps) simply handed that one to a Miami receiver. It made me appreciate this year's team that much more!

Nothing earth shattering here, but Greg Bach does a nice job in pointing out the upside of players that haven't seen the floor yet.Link

I couldn't think of anything, so I asked my buddy, Clark. Clark Can't. So I guess nobody can.says -->

I thought there was a limit. Thanks #1 rowdy!OK, let's see. My calculations are as follows. $5,000,000 divided by 65 equals $76,923.08, if we assume a full share for each player that dresses. That's not bad for a day's work!! I just hope that little stunt doesn't provide the flushes the extra motivation needed to top our zipsYes, but don't we all suspect that these were Can't students POSING as Rowdies? If any of you have seen the Kurt Russell/Robin Williams movie "Best of Times" you will note a similar situation

I thought there was a limit. Thanks #1 rowdy!OK, let's see. My calculations are as follows. $5,000,000 divided by 65 equals $76,923.08, if we assume a full share for each player that dresses. That's not bad for a day's work!!

Obviously visiting teams in college football limit the size of the squad that travels to manage costs. I think the MAC even has a guideline/rule for this? My question is, since Can't and Akron are only about 12 miles apart are the Zips permitted to travel with more than they typically take to an away game? If so, DO we typically take more to Can't? I am asking because this is an essential piece of information for a very significant research project I am working on

I hear this kid's a real ACE!OK, OK, I know it's a dumb joke AND the spelling is different, but what the hey

The services that USA Today reports currently have the Zips as 3.5 to 4 point favorites.USA Today Odds

The 12000 is your average attendance after 2 games. The 15.8k in Youngstown is the average attendance after 3 games.Don't you have a "Fire Heacock" meeting to attend?

You mean when he's not fumbling or throwing interceptions? He'll hit 10 turnovers for the season in this game. That makes K-ent's QB alone a -10 in the turnover margin. Every bit of good he does with his feet, he cancels out with his clumsiness. That being said, the kid tends to have a good time vs. Akron defenses. Do we play 4 DL now that K-ent has instituted a pseudo-option offense?Good points, RowdyZip, although I think Edelman's TO's are usually a result of him trying to do too much. He looks anything but clumsy to me out there. I would think the defensive game plan would be to try to make him beat us with his arm. It's not like he can't throw effectively. It's just that I think he poses a larger risk with his legs. I do like the idea of going with 4 DL's, at least some of the time. With Edelman's elusiveness, we may need to play the "speed" DL's a bit more (Lemon, Sewell) though. I'm not saying that we don't rotate (depth is an advantage we don't want to squander in this game), but maybe it should be more on a situational basis.

A projected line based on a comparison of computer rankings (such as Sagarin's) rarely reflects the Vegas line. I personally give a lot of credence to rankings like Sagarin's, because there is no "human" bias involved with them.

I'm pretty sure that the MAC pre-season polls released by the conference are based on media input, so we might expect to see the Zips picked pretty low when those come out as well. The funny thing is, IF you had the COACHES making these predictions there is NO WAY they would pick UA in the 4th or 5th spot. THEY know better. From all accounts (as Blue & Gold mentioned) Humpty should step right in and perform at a high level. I'm more concerned over who will make up for the inside presence of J Wood. Still, I'd be shocked if KD doesn't have this team in the top half of the MAC East by season's end.

Especially when you have one of the best punt returners in the nation standing at the 50.How many punts has Akron blocked in the past 5 years? 2? 1? Frank Beamer ain't coaching our special teams.The odds of Jones running the kick back to UC's 35 yard line, or better, were about 50/50. The odds of us blocking the punt were 1-50. TERRIBLE gamble.IMO, unless there is next to no time left on the clock, you should just about never call for the block when the opponent is kicking out of their own end zone. Even if you get to it, the most likely result (by far) is a safety given the proximity of the field boundaries. It looked to me like the staff had called for the block on that play, because of the number of bodies that got near the punter. I'd much rather call for the block when there is a bigger reward to be gained (TD return, big change in field position).

The UC-OU game was 28-20 with 9 minutes left in the 3rd quarter IN Norman, Oklahoma. Take a gander at what the Sooners have done to everyone else on their schedule, including a 35-10 DRUBBING of a very good TCU squad yesterday, and the game UC played against them looks pretty impressive in comparison.OU-UC Box Score

I posted an opinion on another thread regarding the O-Line, but I'll reiterate it here. For all the criticism (warranted to a large degree) JD has received in terms of recruiting (ratings vs. reality), he and his staff deserve HUGE props for assembling this very effective unit. And they are all HS recruits (Estrada doesn't get much PT, does he?) of JD's staff. OL was actually a strong point of most of Owens teams, but I think this is the best UA O-Line ever.

If Pride is 100% healthy he would likely provide a huge "change of pace" at RB,with the ability to "bust it" at any given time. With Tuzze getting short yardage plays and DK playing his usually role, this could possibly be an effective trio. On the other hand, if Devoe is unquestionably the most talented option at RB, then I think it's time to shelve the RS year and let him get plenty of reps in practice this week before unleashing him against the flushes.

It's kinda hard when the staff was raving about Bain as the greatest thing since sliced bread.Now we are supposed to turn of the excitement as well as the curiosity?Just go away eh? "move on... nothing to see here"Why did the information well suddenly go dry once the news got bad? That's all I wanna know.Yep, same old same old with JD recruiting.JD has received warranted criticism for having a large "fall out" rate, particularly in the 2006 class. But as I continue to watch one unit of 2008's team perform admirably, week to week, against very good competition, I have to say that JD deserves a LOT of credit for recruiting this special group of offensive linemen. Mark Jackson was a "fall out" at the position, but by and large the staff has made very good decisions in this area in terms of recruiting (OK, Estrada hasn't exactly panned out, but we don't really need him at this point). It's time this is recognized.

He's not. Move on. Questions about Bain in 2008 are as useful as one's regarding David Harvey.Barring a miracle, forget about Bain in 2008.Yeah, fine Cap'n, but why? Why does it seem somehow verboten on the board for (1) all of us to ask about the mystery behind Bain's status, and (2) for those who represent themselves as bring "in the loop" to discuss what's going on with the kid. Until there is a sense that we have some clue as to what's going on with Bain, the questions will continue. SeeTeeZipperOne thing is particular I am wondering. I am pretty sure I saw Bain on the sidelines in steet clothes at Syracuse from my end zone seat. I have not seen him since. Has anyone even seen Bain lately? I understand he's NOT playing....just want to know how close this situation is to a total washout.BTW, if the guys available keep playing with the heart they showed yesterday, I think the Bain obsession will subside quickly

That is something I never thought I would hear. Making that kick yesterday was huge for him. He has been very inconsistent all last year and early this year. He lost his job after the first game because he was missing EP's. Now this is ironic. Earlier one of UC's fans said something to the same effect about Zip QB Chris Jacquemain. Now if last year ight about this time a statement like that would have drawn laughter and raised eyesbrows to just about all Zip fans. It just goes to show, these guys are still young men and they mature as FB players at different paces. BTW, your PK's big advantage IMHO is that his balls seem to shoot at a 45 degree angle just about every time he strikes it....great distance AND height. We don't see that from our PK's, particularly the height (although the blocked PK wasn't Igor's fault). Good luck to UC the rest of the year.

The grounding call was a tough one, but the bottom line is the Zips just didn't take advantage of the opportunities that were presented. The D played with as much passion as I've seen under JD. I see SO much to be hopeful for, BUT in the end we NEED to beat Can't this week or the season will get away from us I am afraid. I think the Zips are definitely the better team, but anything can happen in this rivalry (as we all know) game and I just hope Ball St. hit Can't as hard as Cincy hit us today. This week of practice could very well make or break things as far as JD is concerned. It's a real shame, too, because it's not hard to imagine this bunch turning the corner if they can just get over this hump.

We need "Tom Hagen" to provide another aerial shot ASAP. Let's make him an offer that he can't refuse