Lee Adams

Was at the game. Have been at every home game this season....so far. There are now some obvious patterns. The coaching staff appears not concerned about wins this season. They are playing an 'apparently' injured QB who can no longer make significant plays to help the team win. Missed a wide open receiver in the end zone in the first half. Throwing the ball into the ground on short outs. If he is hurting that badly then sit him. They seem to be running a high school level offense. Lee is not an every down running back, yet the staff keeps playing him. He is so small he gets swallowed up at the line.Reminds me of 'Metcalf up the middle'. The offensive line still can't run block. Riley is a HUGE liability at CB and opponents know they can go there for easy yards. The front 7 is still way below average. If games were at least competitive that would be one thing.. They should be! My concern is Arth is banking on 'his' recruits for a turnaround next season. May be. But,with a new Prez at Buchtel Hall who knows what his attitude is toward major money losing sports. The University is already in the hole financially. He may not want to tolerate that black hole of cash any longer. No more wins on the schedule this season. If Arth is wanting to preserve 'redshirts' we won't see any changes for at least another 2 or 3 weeks. My last game will be Buffalo only because we promised our granddaughter that we would take her to her first live football game. After that I am done for the year. No season tix next year. We will sit in GA for half the price and the same seats on the East side.

With all due respect, Bowden's team won the East Division one season. Got blown out in the MAC Champ game and the obligatory bowl game. The next season they had what 4 wins? There were Akron teams in the late '90s and early 2000's that had .500 or better records but didn't get chosen for bowls. Probably because there were not as many.Don't have to defend Arth at this point. He is a big boy and knows how this stuff rolls.

Well ya. Seeing as Ianello had how many wins his first year?And,Bowden had how many wins his first year? Who were the last two Akron coaches to have a winning season in their first years? If there is no significant improvement next season over this,then Arth will be a 3 year and out.

Akron credited with 1 sack. OH BOY! Akron was so bad Troy didn't need to pass. OR!? they didn't need to run?

Look fans. This will be no worse than a Bowden or Ianello first season. Was at the game early. Nothing has changed with the O-line,the run game or the pass rush. All garbage. my guess is but only a guess is that Arth will let Kelley start at QB sometime real soon. Had him in early today. Nelson is not the QB of the future here. Neither is Kelley but Arth is not likely to burn a red shirt on a QB he recruited this season. That said, there are way too many 'coaching' issues rearing their ugly heads for the 4th game of the season. Until they come up with a big RB,a consistent pass rush and some people who can actually play the O-line, as Mountain once said,'travellin' in the dark,can't see a thing'. Who do they beat this year? Any fearless forecasts?

No!!!!

WHICH problem?

As I said, Troy might be better than UAB this year! Yikes!

He is getting paid. No tears here!

It seems pretty apparent that the AD wanted to go with younger coaches hoping for a better long term return than SUB .500. OK! Then lets not compare b.ball and football. Two completely different situations. I am not going to assume that Arth and Co. are going to win a MAC champeenship. But I hope so! I didn't assume JD and Co. were going to win a MAC. NONE OF U DID! If u haven't figured it out by now, this is the sports life at U of A.. If U do not like it there needs to be a more drastic solution. Figure out what it is! See U at the game on Saturday! Right?!

I believe that coaches can put players in better positions to be successful. In this case stop having Nelson throwing the ball 40 times/game. In practice get the O-line working on the run instead of pass 'protection'. If you don't emphasize the run in practice you can,t do it in a game against good teams. I do want to see what this team looks like in November as opposed to now.

Troy MAY be better than UAB. Way too much talent for Akron to win the game outright. The best Sunbelt teams play at a higher level than most teams in the MAC. They have people coming back from last season. The new coach was there last season. Unfortunately unless something drastic happens and the lights come on for the Offense and defensive backfield the best that can happen is a 'moral' victory for Akron. Hopefully,Arth has a plan for next season. Whatever the problems with the O-line,and they are significant, I think Arth will take a hard look at another QB during the rest of the season. Will be at the game at least for a while.

This has to be a game where Arth starts changing his offensive approach. Throwing the ball 40+ times a game ain't makin' it. Bight the bullet and line up to run the ball. Keep the Akron D off the field as long as possible.

The O-line had to be a huge concern even before the season started. Thought the DB's would be a little more adequate though. If the lack of a run game is all about the O-line its been a problem for several seasons prior to this one however. This isn't just about Arth and Co. This goes back a while. Since what they are doing isn't working,how about going to a more 'power run' orientation. Use two backs. They did show a little I-formation a few times. Tighten up the formations and make the defenses crowd the line. Use the pass to make them respect the run. Might help Nelson and the Akron D.

Touche'. But I was just kidding about being 'out until they win'. LOL

Problem is as far as the game is concerned Troy is a whole heeluv'a lot better than Akron. Loss number 4. Wait until next year football fans!

Uh, no.

Yes we did.

I do believe Nelson will NOT finish as the starting QB!!! And, probably should not be for a program stating over.

Unfortunately, I am now convinced this will be no more than a 1 or 2 win season for the ZIPS. If You can't show any better than the worst team int he MAC, U are not going to win any games except by good fortune. EMU beat Illinois. Think that tells the tale of how bad this program is at this point. I am out until a win!

Troy is an amazing program at that level. They made what seemed to be an almost seemless transition to D1. They recruit really good athletes. They are always competitive in the Sunbelt where the caliber of athlete is generally better than the MAC. They have returning QB's. They have a runnig back who gained over 1,000 yards last season. The defense was in the top 3 in the Sunbelt. It has looks like 6 returning starters. Maybe not quite as good as UAB but looks pretty darn close. Beat a big 10 team last season. Handled a good Buffalo team in a bowl. Another tough one for the ZIPS.

Fully agree that Davis should move back to the back end. He is a 'security blanket' when he is back there. He knows how to play back there. And, yes Illinois and UAB had far superior athletes at almost every position. Bigger,faster. Thats the difference between Conference USA and most of the MAC. Concentrate on the MAC! Arth gets the same amount of time as the others before him. (I'll assume it won't be as bad as Ianello). CMU game is really important.

This game will be a barometer about what the rest of the season may look like for Akron in the MAC. A loss against another team with a new coaching staff and apparently in a rebuilding mode would indicate that the Zips are going to have a tough time with most of the rest of their schedule. You have to think though with a very experienced HC in McElwain and Charlie as the OC their offense might be a little more dynamic than expected. The mantra is the same this week. Finally find SOME sort of a consistent run game. No TO's Kato. No big plays behind Akron's secondary this week. Get ahead early by running the ball and using the short passing game. Keep CMU's defense on the field. That said,I have no idea what to expect from Akron in this game.

Or... maybe we should consider moving back to 1-AA or D2? Just sayin'.

Said that earlier. Some of the problems with the football program have been caused by AD's looking for the next job. Williams is a football guy. Lets hope he has a better feel for Arth than some others have.