zipsoutsider

Going into Kent, I thought it was a terrific game for the D to grow. I think this is another one.

If a Woodson is a go, I'd line up both QBs in different formations and positions throughout the first series to totally throw off the D. I'd let Chapman throw one to Woody, let Chapman run it once, and let him throw a short pass, then let Woody take a snap and go for a home run.

Hustle Belt Preview Is Tommy truly, likely out? This is the first place I have seen this and the writer appears to be a Redhawks fan, so I wonder where he is or is not getting his information from about Woodson? Yes, the stats about TC5 are accurate, but a perfect case of stats not telling the whole story. Most of us would like to believe that the TC5 of the first half will not return, ever, again, in a Zips uniform.

Not until it is posted for replay.

I am really proud of some of the stories of kids in our program and this Darius is now at the top of the list, for me. I love that JB1 and Justin March are our representatives in the NFL right now; they are 2 excellent young men. I also love the stories of second chance kids who have had turn-around, like Bowden describing TC5 on Saturday. You also look at the story of a kid like Tommy Woodson who was written off at no fault of his own in high school, struggled when he came here to find his footing, but persevered and was ready when his chance came. These are the kids I think of when I hear football haters complain about spending money on spirts. What other opportunity would give these young men the chance for this type of character growth or to overcome the type of odds against them to the degree that D1 football has, apart from military service?

Really nice story about Darius. Wish we heard more if these stories from our local press. Fort Myers grad Darius Copeland overcomes odds at Akron

The other major point he made is how well Gilbert is developing and that he is as fast if not faster than brown and that he needs the experience to increase his football smarts. I like what I have seen from Gilbert and if he works as hard as JB1 did, we will have another NFL quality LB'S on the team in 2 years. JB1's work ethic, especially with studying film has been refererenced a lot this season in the San Diego nedia. The fact that he called the plays on D on Sunday is probably directly related to his study. I hope Gilbert learned those study habits from Brown.

Bowden presser: I love his remarks to GT about handing him the game plan.

It's hard to find the line between undisciplined and inexperienced. The defense off sides penalties have mostly gone away so there is some improvement. They are also more aggressive in swarming the ball than they were in the first 2 games of the season. Actually, Moore's hit on the Marshall QB was a bit of a turning point in terms of aggressive play for the D, IMHO. They have a long way to go, and I am not sure how far they will get there this season, but there is some improvement. they were able to make big stops in the last 2 games - not every time we needed it, but at least some of the times. Miami's starting QB will be out, again. http://www.hustlebelt.com/2016/10/4/13162920/freshman-noah-wezensky-start-qb-miami-ohio-football-jack-sorenson-wr-emergency-backup

My bad. But, when was the last the Zips could count that many consecutive MAC wins? I think those injury lists know less than the collective of this board. Hopefully, the defense is spending the week practicing tackling drills.

We have won 8 of last 10 games and 6 straight MAC games. Let's make it 7 straight.

What a great write-up. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

One thing that hasn't been really discussed is that it was a decent crowd, yesterday. Reported attendance was over 20,000. This was a much better atmosphere for a rivalry game than the week after Thanksgiving, when the students are away and people are with family.

I doubt we will know before Saturday.

It got banged up at Marshall (end of Q2). It appears to be a nagging injuring that turned out worse than anticipated and all expected him to be a go on Saturday until warm-ups. Personally, I'd like to see Lane help his sown cause a little more. elite receivers find ways to get open, even with double coverage. If he wants to be in that realm, he is going to have to work a little harder to get open. I think lining up more wide-outs, including Smith, more frequently, can help him, but he also has to do some things on hos own.

I think the fact that TC5 seemed to have no problem. Throwing completions to Kwadarius Smith might be an indicator that his issues are reps with the 1st team. With such speedy receivers, timing is pretty important. I remember reading that Tommy spent extra time in the off season working on timing with receivers. That being said, he did a much better job in the second half and I think it was more about his choices than anything. Looks like Kent found a new QB but the model they used yesterday isn't sustainable. I am not sure when I have seen such a single handed effort on the gridiron. Even from our rival, it's nice to watch that kind of football.

We rode on the backs of an exceptional front 7 for the last 2 years. They graduated and we didn't get the transfers to fill those shoes and the younger talent is not there, yet, and it remains to be seen whether they can get there. Hard to say what transfers we tried to get and didn't. My guess is that we will see more, again next year. I think last year's Zips D will be hard to ever match. But, we must get better. You don't build championship programs with a defense like we have this year.

Great win, lots of emotion and character shown today. Defense still has me anxious as we look ahead to more challenging games. Glad to see Brown and Moore getting reps on D as they both play with a tremendous amount of enthusiasm. This game was more about moments than stats and I hope that is the most our offense struggles all year. As has been noted, the character demonstrated by Chapman today was something amazing. What a tremendous young man. From Marla's article, linked above, this tells you a lot about this kid: Positive Take-Aways: Penalties were, again, lower (6-64) Kicker and punter played well Tra'von Chapman 2nd half turn-around Guiser, Jones, Gilbert played well JoJo, being JoJo Wolf, making ridiculous catches, again MTB with clutch plays Defensive stops at the end of Q2, and middle of Q4 Wagon Wheel stays home 3 wins towards bowl eligibility, 1-0 in the Mac, 3-2 overall More defensive penetration into the backfield, sacks Not so great: Defense - tackling was atrocious, overall teams can run on us, almost at will 1st half Tra'von Chapman mistakes No defensive take-aways

Marla Ridenour: Trip to Kent revives old pain, but UA backup quarterback Tra’Von Chapman finds redemption University of Akron 31, Kent State 27: Backup quarterback Tra’Von Chapman overcomes early struggles, makes big play to help Zips keep Wagon Wheel

Emotionally spent. What a game.

There were some questions when Natson was named a captain, but there is no doubt why he earned that distinction.

In addition to the significance of the win for the Wagon Wheel and for bowl eligibility, I think it was a win for the program as Chapman turned into a viable back-up in the second half. That needed to happen. The defense still scares me.

Yes!!!!!

Dadgum it, they called O'Leary, Shane Hines! Come on, ESPN.

In the first half none of us would have bought a prediction that Chapman would throw such a clutch pass to put us in scoring position. This kid showed a lot of character, today.