skip-zip

Exactly. Does anyone remember the first half of the Ohio game last year? Hint: 2 interceptions and a fumble into the end zone? 3 turnovers negated the 80 yards rushing. OK...since you bring up the Ohio game last year, lets talk about it.... Our starting QB fumbled while his leg was getting ripped off, while he was about to score the go-ahead TD against the eventual MAC East champs, during a half in which he was carry our offense both on the ground and through the air with almost 200 yards of total offense. Meanwhile, his replacement comes in and saves the day by completing only 9 of 23 passes, we muster nothing more than one 30-yard scoring drive, and the game becomes virtually out of reach early in the 4th quarter. Feel however you want about these two guys, who's better, etc. There's plenty that I don't like about BOTH of them. But, I'm completely baffled as to why you would point to the production of these two guys in the Ohio game as your supporting data in favor of Nicely?

There shoudl already be a designated area for tickets for the away fans at all of these games. So, if you want to sit with Zips fans, I'd contact our ticket office for more information.

I was only there for the 1st half, but I agree the team looked pretty sharp (Meves slip was no doubt influenced by the slick field at the beginning of the game) and the stadium looked great. The Rowdies were doing a nice job as usual (giving it to the ex-Zip keeper for VCU). I thought Kitchen was just a little tentative early on, but he seemed to settle as the game went on. On a side note, here's an article that quote's Porter as saying he think the team is ahead of last year's team at this point! Link I was thinking the same thing, Cap'n! Pretty scary to imagine that. Especially for those who are on our schedule this year

I hope so, but I think we might be just a liiiiiittle bit slim on data to agree or disagree with you right now. On this board, the guy is either going to be a hero, or the subject of much ridicule, in the posts we'll see on this date in 2013 or 2014

Johnny....you wake up too early Thanks for posting this. I think we've been left to speculate about some individual situations up to this point, and the coach's opinions about those players. It just seems like most of what we've heard to this point has been, "The offense...." or "The defense....."

I haven't looked closely at his rushing stats, but I believe he rushed for 80 yards in the first half alone in that Ohio game, before getting knocked out just before halftime. I hope we see him as well. He might never be a great QB, but he is a playmaker.

Your level of preparation is admirable. I wish there were 30,000 more people like you. Akron would be one heck of a party every Saturday afternoon in the Fall.

Looking back at the Sullivan thread (link), I'll concede that greatness at UA was not exactly predicted. My apologies BUT, your sources clearly thought the Zips had someone special by all of the Red and Silver references. You might say Alex wasn't given a fair shot here to prove or disprove that opinion. I don't think that's the case. But that's really another story. Link I know you've never actually said the words, but from your comments about Nicely it seems as though you think he has little to zero chance of being a quality QB for the Zips. It's just as hard for me to draw that conclusion at this point in time as it is for me to think he'll be a star for the next 3 years. Predictions and speculation are a big part of what a sports message board is all about. We discuss. We agree sometimes. We disagree others. No biggie to me. If we had to wait just for reliable information on Zip sports for every post, I think it might get a tad boring in here. On the first highlighted item, I do NOT think that Alex was not given a fair chance. But, I was hopeful that he would have stuck around long enough for us to see some of his abilities. And actually, considering the number of experienced guards ahead of him, I'm still surprised that we brought in another small guard at that time, regardless of his accolades. Obviously, our coaches were impressed with what they had seen/heard about him. The Red and Silver references are related to my disdain for OSWho Back to football... On the second highlighted item, I was actually was initially quite surprised by the negatives I heard about his game before he came here, and I don't like a lot of what I've seen of him since he's been here. And unfortunately, most of what I've seen has been consistent with what I was told to expect. On the third item, you are probably RIGHT. But, I could surely get by with a lot less of the "I'm right...You're wrong" fortune tellers, and the name-calling, which keeps so many other older fans I know away from here. But I appreciate your comments, especially since I know you're one of the older posters as well. I just try to pass along good information whenever I have it. Truth be told, there weren't any actually Red and Silver references.....it was Suckeyes. I just wanted to switch it up a little for Buckzip I rather like it that "Red and Silver" has caught on here. A guy I used to work with provided the inspiration. As you can tell, I like it too. Thanks for adding to my anti-OSU vocabulary

Especially the Nov. 26th game at 2pm. I love that game myself, but many people do have to work that day, or are out of town with family. And if we're not doing well, and the weather is cold, we look awful on TV with 2,000 people in the stands.

Ohio.com is saying that Nicely has been named the starter for the Syracuse game. I wish him luck, and to the rest of our team as well. Looking forward to opening day.

I was ready to raise my hopes for an upset a little bit, until I saw that this guy was a backup nose tackle. But, there are a few other players listed, and I would be curious to know their depth chart rankings.

Looking back at the Sullivan thread (link), I'll concede that greatness at UA was not exactly predicted. My apologies BUT, your sources clearly thought the Zips had someone special by all of the Red and Silver references. You might say Alex wasn't given a fair shot here to prove or disprove that opinion. I don't think that's the case. But that's really another story. Link I know you've never actually said the words, but from your comments about Nicely it seems as though you think he has little to zero chance of being a quality QB for the Zips. It's just as hard for me to draw that conclusion at this point in time as it is for me to think he'll be a star for the next 3 years. Predictions and speculation are a big part of what a sports message board is all about. We discuss. We agree sometimes. We disagree others. No biggie to me. If we had to wait just for reliable information on Zip sports for every post, I think it might get a tad boring in here. On the first highlighted item, I do NOT think that Alex was not given a fair chance. But, I was hopeful that he would have stuck around long enough for us to see some of his abilities. And actually, considering the number of experienced guards ahead of him, I'm still surprised that we brought in another small guard at that time, regardless of his accolades. Obviously, our coaches were impressed with what they had seen/heard about him. The Red and Silver references are related to my disdain for OSWho Back to football... On the second highlighted item, I was actually was initially quite surprised by the negatives I heard about his game before he came here, and I don't like a lot of what I've seen of him since he's been here. And unfortunately, most of what I've seen has been consistent with what I was told to expect. On the third item, you are probably RIGHT. But, I could surely get by with a lot less of the "I'm right...You're wrong" fortune tellers, and the name-calling, which keeps so many other older fans I know away from here. But I appreciate your comments, especially since I know you're one of the older posters as well. I just try to pass along good information whenever I have it.

Nice thought, but how many college teams in the country regularly get an NFL-caliber QB every 5 years? Hard to say how polished Nicely will become over the course of the next three seasons. But at least he has the size and arm strength to be a potential NFL QB, and those are two things that can't be taught. All the areas of criticism where Nicely could stand improvement are things that can be learned. It remains to be seen how much he will learn and how well he can consistently execute. The same situation exists on the basketball team with Zeke Marshall. He has the size and speed to be a potential NBA player someday. But he also displayed areas of weakness in his freshman season. No one really knows how advanced either of these players will be by the time they graduate. We know where they've been, but we don't know where they're going. This is a pretty balanced view on Nicely, IMHO. I'm not sure I'm ready to say Patrick WILL excel as a QB for the Zips, but I'm firmly in the camp that believes he has a far greater chance of reaching that potential than anyone else currently on the roster. As for those that doubt his potential, there are other folks besides us rose-colored glasses wearing Zip fans who also project good performances from PN7. Unless, of course, Dr Z moonlights as a writer for The Sporting News Actually I believe a Buffalo writer, who took over the TSN MAC coverage from that clown out of Muncie (Doug Zaleski), was the one responsible for selecting Nicely 1st team all-MAC pre-season QB. Why would the Buffalo writer have this opinion? Because Patrick played a very good game at UB. The UB message board had plenty of Bull fans who agreed. The general thought among UB followers was that the Zips had found themselves a QB. He also played quite well against K.E.N.T., outdueling Spencer Keith (who, I agree, is a talent to be reckoned with over the next few years, assuming he's healthy). Who really thinks we win that game without PN7? Were there poor outings out of Patrick? Of course there were. But, poor pass protection and a non-existent running game certainly didn't help his cause. The upside with Patrick is clearly tangible. His size, mobility, and arm strength are unquestionable. Can the staff get him to improve in the other areas? That's the proverbial $64,000 question. Hey, I was hoping to see a little more improvement in this past scrimmage myself. While he didn't move the ball consistently, the two throws to Carter were outstanding. Didn't the TD indicate some degree of "touch"? I'm more than willing to see how he fares over the course of a season. Finally, I'd caution against putting too much stock in a high school scouting report originating from one of my buddies, unless I was friends with Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, or Brian Kelly. This is doubly true is the aforementioned aquaintances were the same ones who predicted great things from Alex Sullivan at UA. I completely agree with you on the statement highlighted above. Lets hope it happens. Since your last paragraph may have been directed at me, I am not one to put too much stock in "a buddy's opinion" myself, unless in these cases you point out, my buddies are coaches in the Cleveland area, and in some cases have been coaches in that area for decades, and in some cases also know some of the players I have referenced over the years personally. Yes, quite a bit more reliable than your average beer-swilling sports fan, I agree. On Sullivan specifically, I reported that he was accepting Akron's offer on this board, and was flooded with responses such as, "maybe HE has interest in AKRON" or "We might take him as a walk on", etc, etc., for quite some time, before it was verified as being true. And although I have reported what I was told about his playing ability, and I am sad that he didn't stick it out, I can't recall anyone reporting to me that they predicted his greatness at Akron. But I do recall being told that he would likely redshirt his freshman year, which we know now was also accurate. It seems as if one of the purposes of this board is to report reliable information to fellow Zips fans. I think that WAY too much predicting goes on here.

The Great GP1 will not be attending. Going to the mountains for the weekend. To be honest, I wouldn't drive across the street to watch a college soccer game let alone 70 miles to Winston-Salem. Go to downtowon WS and start at the Mellow Mushroom. It is kind of in the center of the "things to do" area of the city. Pizza is good. Walking distance from Marriott and Embassy Suites. If you want to go to a really good BBQ place, go to a place called Gadzooks (I think). It is on the street that runs between the basketball arena and the football stadium up the hill on the same "block" and side as the football stadium. You will have to drive there as the bb arena and fb stadiums are off campus a few miles. Jim Noble has a great place to eat in WS as well. Eat a good dinner and go to the Fox and Hound across the street to watch sports after dinner. Ah Yes...you can't go to the Carolina's, and miss the opportunity to eat good BBQ Especially when it's a place that is recommended by someone who lives there.

I'll add some of the Captain's comments to the list that includes "he looks good in the pocket" and "I like his size". The problem is, a QB has to also complete passes, and move the offense down the field. As ZachTheZip says...baseless optimism. Let me state again, I am not thrilled with ANY QB OPTION we have right now. But, I'm just amazed at the high status that's being given to a guy that completed barely half of his passes, and accomplished little during an 8 game stretch besides a couple of home wins against two of the worst teams in the league and 1-A football. Plus, I'm even further baffled by the constant belittling of the other QB, who actually made plays and put points on the board for us. Have some of you forgotten that after the CMU game (Rodgers last full game) we didn't score more than 20 points again the rest of the season with the exception of those two games against lowly Ken+ and EMU? Where is this clear-cut decision in favor of Nicely that should have been so obvious to our coach? I certainly don't see it if production is a factor. But maybe a couple of you folks know best, and can see it in things like "the way he moves his feet while standing in the pocket". Big Zip...you hit again on something I've also heard from people who watched him during his HS career, and last season appeared to be a continuation of that. I've also heard about collapses against quality opposition. In fact, a couple of weekends ago I was around one of these people, and they overheard me telling someone else that he could be our starter, and he turned around quickly and laughed and said, "He's going to be Akron's starter? Good luck with that!!". Not what I wanted to hear.

Awesome! Are you going to the UNC game on the 3rd? I opted to go to the Syracuse Football game on the 4th and then fly into Greensboro on the morning of the 5th. So, I'll only be at the WF game. Hope we can meet up. You are the man!! I think many of the other 20,000 or so of us won't be getting out of bed early on Sunday morning.

I need to vent a little bit.... This whole QB situation has just been upsetting to me. After seeing what we've seen from these two QBs, I can't see anything about this decision to get excited about. And the designated starter is now facing the disadvantage of having received diminished reps with the first teamers with only 10 days left til opening day. I'm not sure that's the way they wanted it to be. But, from what we saw in 2009, I think it's understandable if they wanted to do plenty of evaluation before making a decision. I unfortunately see the Quinn vs. Anderson comparisons that many of you are seeing. Meanwhile, lowly Ken+ State has a freshman QB step in last year and play only 2/3 of the season, throw for well over 2,000 yards, including two late-season starts in which he threw for nearly 400 yards, and looks to have the potential for an amazing future. Barring any unforseen events, they probably have a solid starter for the next 3 seasons, with several good performances already under his belt. I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir with many of you who are done with the "they just need more experience" talk. I had hoped that Akron was at the point where we could nab a Charlie Frye-caliber QB once every 5 years or so. I guess I'll have to hope a little longer, unless our selected 2010 starter makes a dramatic improvement from what we've seen thus far from these two individuals.

I think in order to fall as far as #5 (based on just the UNC game), the team would have to lose -- on the road -- by at least 3 goals. Maybe if they lost to both UNC AND WFU by a total of 3 or more, then maybe #5 would be reasonable. But remember both opponents are themselves ranked top-5. In my opinion Carolina and Wake should each be between #2-4. Two draws would quite possibly keep us in #1 -- depending on what Maryland and whoever else is in the top-5 does. But that's spoken like an Obama-voting futbol fan. We could, on the other hand, just go 2-0 and not worry about the election season. You're right...lets just win the games so we don't have to worry about that. I would hope that we'd still be in the Top-5 if we lost. I respect you if you love soccer, but I might really have to question your choice for president.

Just a thought here.....but does this really matter at all considering that UNC and Akron play each other in a couple of weeks? The results of that game put us at a solid #1 or maybe somewhere in the #5 to #10 range depending on the outcome.

I'm not saying that we should emulate anyone, but we certainly should be looking at the things that lower-level teams are doing to get themselves into the upper ranks. The problem is, we have a looong road ahead of us right now just to be competitive....even in our own conference. I think that even the thought of being a Top-50 team nationally is a distant thought.

This is pretty much where I stand at this point, and I've said it before. So, I wouldn't be surprised if our coach feels the same way. Unfortunately, everything I've seen and heard tells me that we just don't have a good QB at this point. I'm leaning a little bit towards Rodgers mainly because of his playmaking ability, but I think his long recovery from that knee injury could make our coach go in the other direction right now. But, either way, I won't be too excited about either one of them starting, and that is why I hoped our coach could have brought in a transfer in the off season. In The Zone, unfortunately I pretty much agree with you on your assessment of Nicely at this point. That's another reason why I am leaning a little bit towards Rodgers since he had very little time to really get going last year. Eight games of Nicely was enough for me, and confirmed some of what I had heard about him.

Great find. I'm a little dissappointed that it does not mention the 3 seasons he played for the Zips. But, I guess that's real minor fact when you consider what he got to be a part of in his only season in Cincinnati. Another interesting fact: He hit a big, last second bucket to beat a great Ashland team at the JAR in his last season here before transferring. And, the coach of that Ashland team was?? So, who is that other top guard to ever play here? If it's McLaughlin, I agree with you, and I think Buford played his first two seasons here as his backcourt mate. At the risk of side-tracking the thread, I will answer your question. The best guard to ever play for Akron was Len Paul. Zipmeister....I consider myself an old Zips fan, but I was not living in the Akron area yet when Len Paul played his career here in the early 70s. If you got to see him play, I understand you got a real treat. I know that both he and McLaughlin both have their jerseys retired, so Len must have been a great player as well. But, I am glad I was here for the McLaughlin years. The way that little freshman showed so much maturity playing the point on our way to the OVC title and NCAA tournament was quite amazing. I'm surprised nobody jumped all over the opportunity to answer the question of what coach we were playing against when Buford hit the last second basket to beat Ashland 20 years ago. I'm sure many of you know the answer. But if you don't, you certainly know the coach.

Great find. I'm a little dissappointed that it does not mention the 3 seasons he played for the Zips. But, I guess that's real minor fact when you consider what he got to be a part of in his only season in Cincinnati. Another interesting fact: He hit a big, last second bucket to beat a great Ashland team at the JAR in his last season here before transferring. And, the coach of that Ashland team was?? So, who is that other top guard to ever play here? If it's McLaughlin, I agree with you, and I think Buford played his first two seasons here as his backcourt mate.

That's pretty cool. Glad we could see the footage.

I can't stop laughing. Oh, what a history you have when you're perenially one of the worst programs in D-1A football.