johnnyzip84

Do you mean three left nuts, or three nuts total? Please clarify.

I was there as well. Two things killed the Zips that day. First, Faust and staff apparently thought they could continue to call running play after running play when K.E.N.T. had 8 or 9 players near the line of scrimmage on every play. Second, do you recall the crazy bounces that went their way, like the botched handoff that bounced straight up from the ground into a K.E.N.T. LB's hands just before he raced untouched for a quick TD? On the 1st point, I even called Faust on that old TV talk show he had with Joe Dunn and asked him if he would take a few shots in the air had he had it to do over again. To his credit, Gerry stated without hesitation in his gravelly voice "you bet I would". Regarding embarrassing games against K.E.N.T., I'd also nominate the game over at Dix when Jason Taylor was a Senior (I believe). IIRC, the Zips went from being ahead to being behind by 15 or 20 within the span of maybe 8 or 9 minutes on the clock. It was one of the worst attempts to "close" a game I have ever witnessed in any sport. So I guess we can say that K.E.N.T. has pulled a few rabbits out of the hat during this series. I know it's a longshot, but maybe we're due for a few fluke plays in our favor. Now back to the task at hand:

Thanks

Line is up to 21. I wonder what the line was when Marcel Weems and company were upset at Dix back in '92? skip-zip will quickly note this was Akron's finest year of D1-A (FBS) football (final record 7-3-1). K.E.N.T. finished a glorious 2-9 that year under their sucky ex-ND assistant posing as a head coach (Pete Cordelli). For that matter, I wonder what the largest line has been in this series? The biggest upset (per the line)?

I wonder if they'll move the game to its original 7:00 pm tipoff?

He had his faults, but old LO sure liked to roll the dice in these situations. I like the idea of taking some chances early. It's been a while since the Zips had a lead and maybe they'll feed off of that, especially in a game like this. I sure do like the looks of THIS.

Might be tough to land their QB (Jake Waters) with K-State and Penn St also extending offers, but TB can certainly demonstrate a willingness to air it out at Akron.

Well I just got done watching the coach's show and I'm feeling somewhat better about K.E.N.T. week at this point. I'm not saying I expect an upset, but TB made the statement that it sure would be nice to get Chisholm, Caponi and Presley back in a way that makes me hopeful we could see a couple of them return on Saturday. Certainly K.E.N.T. would have to cooperate with the cliche "letdown" after a big win, but if the Zips have near a full compliment and play reasonably well (NO turnovers, please) you just never know. Isn't that what a rivalry game is all about? Freeson was the offensive POTW and Grice was the defensive POTW. Cody is having a GREAT year, in spite of the record. TB is saying all the right things about this game. If anybody can get this team to rise to this seemingly impossible challenge, it's him.

1. I’ll always be dissatisfied to see the Zips lose, even though I realize the expectations have hit rock bottom over the last few years. The early season week-to-week improvement caused me (and others) to see some hope in winning a few games such as at CMU this past Saturday. But the Cap’n is correct: The injuries to key personnel coupled with the most competitive season in MAC football history are conspiring to squash pretty much any chance of a Zip victory this MAC season, aside from an equally struggling UMass squad. TB is probably surprised at just how good the conference is this year. And I’ve pointed this out before, but many of the keys players in the MAC are underclassmen. 2013 is shaping up to be another strong year. 2. Looking back, it’s apparent that the level of film study that occurs in-conference, where every team pretty much knows what the other is doing by the end of the year, has had a significant impact on the Zips’ MAC performances. As TB says, there are only so many things you can hide through scheming. Much of the early season success was likely due to the opponent not having enough familiarity or time to adjust. 3. I think skip-zip put it best when he boiled the recruiting question down to whether the staff can do this effectively under the current circumstances. I believe, regardless of the coach, there is a window of opportunity for turning a football program around. Given his history, TB probably has a larger window than many, but it’s not infinite. At some point, the momentum needs to turn positive. 4. Right now, if Darrel Hazell and TB both want the same kid, I’m not sure I like our chances. We need to get that guy promoted right out of Portage County ASAP. You would think he’s already done enough to garner considerable attention this off-season. 5. Few would argue whether TB is an excellent coach or not. But how much of his success can be attributed to recruiting salesmen or general football acumen? Recruiting at the lower levels is completely different, so I think you can only review his Auburn record to develop an opinion relevant to his current situation. 6. I remain hopeful, but I have definitely altered my expectation level for this program over the next few years. And while I still believe there is a much better than 50% chance TB will eventually succeed here at UA, I no longer agree with the notion that “it’s not a question of if, but when”. 7. It’s an obvious consideration, but I’ll be very curious to see if any of the staff choose to leave after this season.

JZ84, you have to be the dumbest emm effer on the planet.

Despite the bad news, thanks for the update I'm sticking with my upset special, at least until 7:00 pm tomorrow

Interestingly, this CMU-based story has a quote from Coach Bowden that makes it seem as thought Hundley and Chisholm will both see time against the Chips. It's prediction time. I'm going with a hunch that the Zips win the all important turnover battle and the game. Zips 44 Chips 40

GT article mentions that Nico and Albert are both out for CMU and it doesn't sound good for Chisholm either I'll bet Hundley has a nice game, but can the D slow down Radcliff and CMU?

CNNSI story on EMU's multiple transfer (NINE!) approach. They should be an interesting team to watch this year.

USA Today injury update Coach Bowden mentioned in his press conference that Broderick Alexander had season ending surgery a little while back. I must have missed this particular injury. We'll miss his blocking. He also said that Chisholm, Caponi and Presley are "day to day" and Bice is pretty much a "go", deviating somewhat from the USA Today report.

More on Anthony

Perhaps I place a little more importance on early season momentum than you do? I believe this is especially important for programs that are not familar with sustained success. We'll never know of course, but I believe if the Zips had defeated CMU that day the momentum of a three game winning streak (North Texas was horrendous that year) could very well have lead to more victories (despite Harvey, who hurt that team far more than he helped it) down the road. Now onto this week's CMU game:

Co82, those are good points regarding there being different ways to increase tempo without going all oug Moe (no D) on your players I really wasn’t expecting a UA version of showtime, but the use of various pressure defenses to lead to easy buckets is always welcome in my book. Here’s to hoping KD pulls the trigger on some of this in 2012-2013.

I'm inclined to agree with you and I thought the following quotes from Paul Westhead were enlightening:

GT article on Zips' continuing search for playmakers Based on this story, the coach's show, and other sources the injury front for Saturday looks like this right now: Bice in Caponi probable Presley? Chisholm?

Since there has been public talk from KD this off-season and private wishes from many Zip fans over the last few years on this topic, I thought THIS CNNSI STORY on the classic LMU/LSU game from 1990 was worth a read.

That definitely was a watershed moment back in 2006, and not just for the Zips but for Brian Kelly as well. If the Zips hold on to beat CMU, who knows if Kelly ever leaves Mt Pleasant?

The Zips are 5.5 to 6 point dogs. I actually expected it to be closer to 10. There are numerous injury updates that will play heavily into how I feel about our chances. Go Zips!!!

It hasn’t been part of the offense LATELY. The Zips threw more deep balls earlier in the year, so I also wonder why we don’t see them taking more (any?) shots in recent games. But some of the reasons might be as follows: 1. Pass protection was just about rock solid for the 1st 4 or 5 games. Beginning with BG, it’s been an increasing concern. 2. Up until NIU, Chisholm was getting some nice gains on 1st down. Perhaps the staff became a bit complacent with that, taking away the best opportunity (1st down) to stretch the field without having to deal with a salivating pass rush. 3. It’s probably not DW13’s strength. You don’t need a cannon to throw deep effectively (Brian Sipe), but the timing has to be even that much more precise if the QB doesn’t have a strong arm. 4. Lack of pure speed at WR. Coach Bowden has said a number of times that they need to throw over the top of the defense when its sitting on the short stuff. I’ll be curious to see if he brings this up himself at this week’s press conference or if someone asks him about it (hint, hint, GT!).