Lee Adams

I think a significant number of us have been sseing that. Akron can do nothing to change the direction of DI football.Lets stop talking about basketball. Its a different world. For god's sake a a major university just hired $ Bill Belichick as its HC. He hired Ernie Lombardi as his GM! $ Bill said he was going to run UNC like a professional football team. There is no reason for teams at the MAC level to play or be connected with programs like that. We can hem and haw all we want about what we think would make Akron football consistently competitive where it stands now. Given the current state of the University overall, especially financially there is little reason to believe that the Administration is going to make a bigger commitment to football specifically or to athletics generally. Its time for athletics programs at the MAC level to either collectively or individually go a different direction. By the way, do we have a new AD yet?

Well, first of all he doesn't have to be looking for a "P4" HC job. We may know that soon. The portal has already started to open. We still have to see how many others bail. They are losing key D players to graduation. In this day and age its hard to evaluate a team's overall roster until the dust from the portal has settled. What may look good in December may not look so good in April. I am HOPING that Moorehead can keep most of this group together through 2025 and see if he can get them to maybe 5 wins in the MAC.

And its only gonna get worse. Its the hamster on the wheel. It keeps moving but ends up in the same place. The 'mid-levels' like Akron and the rest of the MAC now have to overhaul their rosters pretty much every year. They get a decent player from the portal. Whether its a DI castoff or a prospect from 1-AA or DII. Those kids either don't work out or contribute little taking up a scholly or they come in, play well, hit the portal and get picked up by a better program. Maybe a few who play well stay a second year but probably not enough to keep the roster very competitive. The 'mid-majors'( with the 1-AA's second) may be in the worst position of all. Their best players are gonna move up, or try to constantly leaving holes in their rosters. Look what Cignetti did to James Madison. Took a bunch of kids to Indiana. You are right its 'grotesque'. What do you do. Can't compete with the Big Boys. Its even difficult to be consistently competitive at this level. Stuck in the middle is know place to be. Either gotta be a top dog or get out of the rut. I know what I would do but nobody wants to hear it again. And, I'm not suggesting dumping football.

If he goes all bets are off for 2025. Possibly a lot of his recruits would bail. All new staff. Too bad.

The wins that count are the wins in the MAC. The yardstick for me is being competitive in the MAC. They haven't even done that recently. I'm looking at a minimum of 4-4 in the MAC on a regular basis. When you get to 5-6 wins there you have a good shot at playing in the MAC Championship game. And, most likely you are going to be bowl eligible. You beat your 1-AA opponent and hope you are competitive against another mid-level team. Win games in October-November. Hopefully thats how it sets up for 2025.

That entire 2005 season was memorable. Beating NIU during the season, the'Snow Bowl', the MAC Championship win, then the almost comeback win against Memphis State in the Motor City Bowl. But I'll go back a lot farther. The 1976 season when Akron won 2 DII playoff games at the Bowl. The second was deemed the Knute Rockne Bowl. My buddy and I were there with a bottle of Southern Comfort as I recall. It was cold. Zips won the first overtime playoff game in NCAA history. They were good.

I looked at the stats and play by play of the game. If I hadn't known the score I would have figured Toledo won. A few observations: 1)while Akron didn't have a huge number of yards on the ground Moorehead seemed committed to putting more running plays in the offense. Hope he remembers next season; 2)Finley and Bullock were on the field at the same time a little more. At least created some confusion for the defense; 3) No picks by Finley. Not a great % or yardage, but took care of the ball. No fumbles either. 4) The defense showed up. 'Bent but didn't break'. Gave up a lot of yards, but made plays. Nunnally, is just a beast. Hate to see him go. McCoy, Summers, Lewis in on lots of tackles. Didn't think Akron would win this one. Ya, Toledo helped. But ya gotta hope that there is some carry over to next season. Hopefully they can keep some key guys, but some bigger schools are going to come looking. But its hard to predict with a new AD coming in, the portal etc. Enjoy this one right now.

That was adumb play call.

So the new AD will have to accept the situation into which he/she had no input? That person HAS to keep the current HC? Or,everybody has already been fired, its all yours? The caveat is that the administration has already picked a new AD, got that persons input and will go with that persons decisions. If thats the case just name the new AD? Still think if Akron somehow beats Toledo it might change the equation.

Conclusion?

They better. There will be big decisions to be made regarding the coaching staff on Wednesday 11-27. The University needs to stay out in front of the situation or its going to be even more difficult than it already is to get a decent AD candidate. And, there won't be any decisions on coaches until the new AD is here. I'd like to see them take a shot at an AD from a succesful lower division program. I'd look at DII as well as 1-AA. With a new AD I'm not so sure that keeping the current coaches around is a lock. I know finances are an issue as always. But, will a new AD agree to come in here and agree to keep the coaches? Maybe not real appealing to a good AD candidate. Beat Toledo and the leash might get a little longer. We shall see.

Nice to beat KSU. But, please curb the overall enthusiasm. Coming up a 7-4 Toledo team that just got beat by one of the 2 best teams in the MAC. They are in a bowl game. Don't know what their attitude will be on Tuesday. If you can beat them that might change the equation for what happens the next day. But, a sign of progress would be beating a really good MAC team, finally. Stay tuned.

Complicating the issue further is the news that the University is looking at general layoffs ,again, over the next year. Of course the President new that was coming before he fired Guthrie. If coaching changes are anticipated in the football program how do general budget cuts affect athletics?

At least some of us thought that the defense might have been the strength of the team this season. There are some individually good players no doubt. But as a unit this group of players and coaches has shown little ability to help control a game enough to help the team win. They have been pretty much getting gouged by the run and big plays all season. NIU did exactly what it wanted to do. That was to be rugged and beat up the Akron defense on the ground. We are way past trying to figure out why the offense does what it does. Three seasons in, this is not where the program should be.

Didn't the defense just give almost 300 yds. on the ground? Thats hard to imagine but I guess not unexpected. Thas what NIU does. NIU probably didn't even need to throw a pass if they didn't want to. Hard to imagine if they had thrown the ball more what the score might have been.