skip-zip

Amen...lets hope it draws a nice crowd. I am looking forward to the tailgating.

johnnyzip....I'm so happy that there are fellow old timers on this site like you who remember that 1992 game against Toledo. I was about 30 years old at the time, which did not prevent me from running out onto the field with the students when Alcorn kicked that field goal. It was an Acme Zip game, our first game as a MAC member, and a totally electric atmosphere at the bowl that night. I still rank that as my #1 Rubber Bowl moment of all time. If I recall, the Mr. Irrelevant award was because Alcorn was picked in the final pick of the draft, before players start to go to teams as free agents....correct? Which actually reminds me to inform the younger folks of another interesting fact. Victor Green, who had a long and successful NFL career, never got drafted. The Jets picked him up that same year, and I think by about his 2nd year, he was the starting safety. I think it's just amazing to relive the fact that one of Akron's best players ever in the NFL was not even drafted!!!Anyway...anything that reminds me of that night would be great. But I don't think this is a slump at all. We knew going into this year that those early games against BSU, BG, and Cincinnati were going to be tough games for us to win. I'm just happy we are in the position we are in right now. And can you imagine people talkign about JD for coach of the year? We were picked to finish LAST....I'm really enjoying this.

Well...you have to ask yourself....if he is not doing well at that level, then he didn't belong playing QB at this level. I just wish that we could have gotten him to stay, and used his athleticism at another position. Obviously, he wants to play QB.

After a 2-1/2 week layoff, this game could go two ways....1) The rest did us some good.2) We'll have execution problems after a long period of not having real game situations.Again, anything can happen in the MAC, but I am just happy right now that we find ourselves in a position to possibly win this division after being picked to finish last. I just hope we take care of these two homes games, and go from there. Let's just hope Toledo doesn't have another effort like they had against Michigan left in them this year.

I can already hear "Zeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeke" echoing from the rafters in JAR Arena. I hope he delivers as advertised. It could change our program forever.

Captain...I don't know how you find these things.I will say, I personally find Bill to be the most approachable member of the coaching staff. A very talkative and friendly guy. And he has tons of experience at several programs. I'm glad to have him here.

I remember that season well. By that time, we had about 5 years under our belt as a 1-A team, had finally gotten up to 95 scholarship players like the other teams in 1-A, had some good recruits coming in (and FINALLY some much-needed depth), and really started to show that we would indeed be the first team to turn 1-A...AND be able to stay there. None of us old timers were prophets at that time, but we all agree today that we saw what was coming. For those who don't remember....we started playing in the MAC the following year, and posted the best record (7-3-1) we had in our 1-A era. In fact, that record still stands today. Anyway....to answer the post....there were some tough teams on that schedule in 1991 who beat up on us, but overall it was a little weak. But it was a great schedule for a program still trying to grow. I wouldn't want to see us playing a schedule like that today. The one schedule that always bothered me was the 03 schedule that had us playing Cal Poly SLO and Howard as our out-of-conference home games. We were way too well established as a 1-A by that time to be playing two teams of that quality, and those games were quite boring.

The Captain's point about already paying for his tickets is a valid one. Why is he paying $60 for 4 people, and so many other will pay $4 to bring 4 people? I say....add incentive by giving away vacation trips, free seat cushions, and a spectacular halftime show. But, it doesn't seem right to me that the price to attend will be sooooo much less for the people who do not already have their tickets.

Ok...I'm only going to say this....I've been around this football program for almost 30 years. And I understand the added incentive of the last game at the Rubber Bowl. But, I can't see the Bowl being filled for a weekday game, against Buffalo. If it was 75 degrees, and a Saturday night... well...we might have something to talk about. No, the tarps are not going to be removed. From what I know, it's simply an unsafe area. We didn't even need the tarps removed for a perfect September day last year vs. Can't. Why would we need to remove them now?Ok...some might be thinking that "well...we've sold out the Bowl several times for Acme/Zip games by giving ticket incentives". Well, true...but those were home openers....in September....on a Saturday night. I'm actually quite upset that our final Rubber Bowl game is not on a Saturday night. Although, if the weather stinks, nobody is coming....even if you do give the tickets away.I don't know who said it...but the Marshall game in 2004 did not fill every seat in the house. It was a nice crowd, and a fun night.....but....no.

I can say with a pretty high degree of certainty that we'd elect to go independent before we did that. As someone who was a student when we turned I-A, I know how much the school has invested in getting into the higher division, and staying there over the years. We wouldn't give it all up now, especially with the investment into the new stadium.Beyond that, I'd like to believe that if the MAC split, and certain schools dropped out and went back to I-AA, we'd certainly be one of the schools that would stay. There's quite a few others who do not have the factors we have that would keep us among the top teams.

zipseuph...don't worry about it man. You are a loyal Zips fan, and I wish there were thousands more like you. You show a lot of enthusiasm. I just like to point out that we've been through so many of these obstacles already as a program over the last few decades, and we're still not getting very far. We have a lot of work ahead of us. I can only hope that people like you, and the friends you bring to the games, really does eventually lead to a dramatic change in our fan base. But I only show skepticism because so many things have been tried and failed during my time, and our progress has not been what I had hoped. Much like yourself, I had sincerely hoped that winning a MAC title would bring more people out at the beginning of the following year, and it simply did not happen.....even with a couple of big early wins...one being against a BCS school. I hate to say this again, but it's MAC football...and not enough people care about MAC football. sgm...I've been critical of past posts from you, but your point #1 is exactly how I feel. We have some work to get done at the present level we are at, before any "larger" conference is even going to take a look at us. And if that happens, yes, I think our fan interest, recruiting, and media attention will increase. But again, we are far from being at a point where we have what it takes to impress a "better" league.It's funny that you mention "scoreboard". I remember being at the OSU/Akron football game last year, and I did take a picture of the scoreboard at halftime, just to give myself a continual reminder that we hung with those guys, and trailed by one point at halftime. Our lack of depth in the 2nd half certainly hurt us, but I still think our boys (as well as the guys at OU this year) showed that the gap between the "haves" and the "have nots" really is continuing to close. And by the way...I have plenty of friends and family who support OSU. They all understand the "Suckeyes", "OSwho", and all of the other phrases as just being banter from sports fans. It's all in good fun. And obviously, those kinds of things should be accepted as the norm on a competing teams fan website.

Ahhh...you know how the MAC can be. I'd like to hope that we win out too, so that none of this matters. But, don't be fools and not be at least HOPEFUL that the teams the closest to us in the standings lose. I don't think that too many sports teams have won titles without a little help from their friends This is playing out well for us.....our key game against Buffalo will be on "Farewell Rubber Bowl" night.

wow....I certainly regard differences of opinion as being acceptable, but when people don't check their facts, that's another issue.Zipseuph....I'm sorry, but we WON our home opener against N. Texas in 2006, right after our MAC title, and bowl appearance. AND we went into that game having just beaten NC State, our first ever win against a BCS team, a couple of weeks earlier. Do you know what the attendance was that day? It was 16.000 people. If you want the truth, that's actually much LOWER than our attendance at plenty of home openers over the last 30 years....even when we stunk. Let me add one more thing....I know plenty of people who were in the athletic dept. at the time of our MAC championship, and they all acknowledged that it would be unwise for us to expect the huge throng of fans who showed up at the MAC Championship game, and at the bowl game, to continue to show up at the Rubber Bowl the following year for regular season games. That's just the way it is...it's MAC football. ZippyTuba...thanks for the fact check. But those of us who have been around a long time already know that there are not very significant changes in attendance among MAC teams, win or lose. CMU?...on the verge of it's 3rd straight MAC title?...and they draw a couple of thousand more than us? I think that says it all. If we are ever to achieve excellence and attendance, we still have loads of work ahead of us.

Very well said Zen. I have plenty of friends and family who are OSU fans, and they completely understand the rhetoric. But for some reason, a few select others seem to be offended. Once again....FYI....an Akron fan site will produce fans that are partial to Akron. I'm sure OSU has plenty fo fan chat sites of their own.

zipseuph.....I love your passion for our Zips. We both have the same goal...for the Zips to have a better program. And in that respect, I'll take any advantage we can get at this point. Truthfully, a lot of things need to change to turn this thing around, but relying on the few of us diehards to recruit our friends to the games has not had much impact on attendance in the last 3 decades in which I have supported this program, and neither has providing every incentive in the world for fans to attend. And some of the winning season we've had at the I-A level have not translated into many changes the following year, even after the MAC championship year. Will several winning seasons in a row have an impact? Maybe so, but long, sustained dominance by one team is not something that is common in the MAC. However, a Marshall situation is certainly possible. And don't think that recruiting staffs don't look at opportunities to steal players from areas where the big program is showing signs of weakness on a national level, as per my example. But, I respect your opinion. We certainly need to continue to try to take care of our own business to make this work as well. Don't think I am being negative here. I've just seen many efforts tried and failed over 30 years. This is why any situation that looks to provide some sort of help for us is reason for optimism. Let's hope the new stadium provides us with the spark we need to help gain some kind of momentum as well, and start us on the road to getting this program to another level.Go Zips!!

I think that Zen and Ziptrumpet are seeing the right track here with some of their thoughts. Zen...In my opinion, you have a very good understanding of how this can be a beneficial situation for us. You mentioned how media coverage changes when the Suckeyes are out of the picture for a national championship. Again, yet another factor that can only help our Zips. Ziptrumpet....I like your comments about how getting into a bigger conference would be the biggest boost to recruiting and fan support. You're right. I have said 100 times on this website that being at least in a "perceived position" to compete on a national level would elevate this program more than anything else could. But, unfortunately, I think our road to getting accepted to a conference of that level would be a very difficult sell with our present situation.Please keep one other factor in mind. When the NCAA reduced the number of scholarships a few year back, it helped level the playing field tremendously. More than anything we could have ever done on our own. Just think....every top level program in the country now has 10 fewer players to "stockpile" on their rosters, and instead those players have drifted down to "lower" schools. It certainly doesn't take a mathematician to figure out that when 10 players drop from each of the best teams in the country, it pushes each more potential high level recruits further, and further and further down the chain. Bottom Line...The MAC teams are getting access to much better players than they used to, and again, that can only help our Zips. And Zen...thanks once again for saving me the few keystrokes out of my busy day to once again remind Buckzip that this is an Akron Zips fans website.

zipseuph...we are not going to rise above Ohio State. I'm sorry. At least, not in my lifetime. But we have a chance to recruit more fans and players when Ohio State is performing at less than expected levels. And none of us are comparing Pitt to Ohio State. It's just an example of a once-prominent program that lost recruits during a poor period.

Guys....I appreciate all of the comments and interest in this topic. That's why I started it. But, let me ask all of you to get back to why I started this discussion, because it seems that we have drifted a bit.This had NOTHING to do with whether someone should be able to be an OSU and Zips fan simultaneously. My goal here was to point out a couple of things.Now, this post could turn into an argument over whether the season for OSU has been successful, or hasn't. But as Johnnyzip stated, two losses is devastating to them at this point. Especially since several key players in Cowlumbus stayed when they could have gone to the NFL. Do you think they stayed to have a 2-4 loss season? NOT A CHANCE. They thought they had the makings of a national champion, and they failed big time. And regardless of Buckzip's rants about how anything negative about OSU is being "jealous", please read my initial post.....which simply was addressing the issue of the impact of a bad OSU season on Akron football. Nothing more, nothing less. Anyway....here are the couple of things I am pointing out........as far as Akron is concerned...... 1) When the Suckeyes have an unsuccessful season, it can only help Akron in terms of fan interest.Refer back to my comments that I received from a friend who is an OSU fan on Saturday, who inquired about Akron's remaining schedule. Don't think....for second...that at least SOME local sports fans won't take an interest in Akron's season based on OSU now being out of the picture in the national title race this long before the end of the season. 2) When the Suckeyes have an unsuccessful season, it can only help Akron in terms of recruiting. Again, refer back to my original post, and our success recruiting good players from Western PA back in the 80's, when Pitt was a down program. This is not to say that OSU is in some way headed into a downward spiral. But again....also don't be naive enough to think that Akron does not have a shot at more Ohio players in light of the recent failures at OSU.

In light of the fact that we occasionally have people come on here to praise the almighty Suckeyes (even though they have their own fan websites, if you wish to post there) I will focus this post primarily on what impact last night's happenings have on our Zips.First, lets confirm again that when Ohio State fails...it's good for the Zips. You want the perfect example? Look at the Faust era here in Akron, when we recruited many, many great players from the Pittsburgh area....when Pitt was experiencing some lean year following their once-prominent national spotlight period. I don't think that anyone can dispute the fact that when players get the mindset that "well...I can go to a MAC school instead and play right away, since the team in Cowlumbus does not appear to be national championship material right now"....this is a great thing for our program. But lets go beyond that. We all know that a large portion of Suckeye fans are bandwagoners. In other words...when they look to be in contention for a national title, everyone is on the wagon. But right now, with no chance left, that faction of fans will TOTALLY lose interest. Sorry, but it's the reality. That's the only reason they were there in the first place. They just wanted to be a part of something big, which is not going to happen, and they'll subsequently just drift away into other interests this fall.So, you want an example of that too? Search for some of the stories that talk about how many people show up at the OSU parties to "send the players off to the national championship game".....and then.....read about what they say about how many people show up a few days later when they return and people are supposed to be there to "thank them for a wonderful effort". So...is this also good for the Zips? It sure is. One of my best friends, who is an OSU fan, called me last night to say, "hey...I see Akron is having a surprisingly good year...are you going to these last few games?..it looks like they have a chance to win the MAC East year."Just one example, but these are the kinds of things that happen when Ohio State takes themselves out of national championship contention this long before the end of the season. It's all good for us, and I hope that with the help we got from the other MAC teams last night, this situation will have some people paying more attention to their local college team than usual.

Yes, a Buffalo loss on Tuesday would cap off an outstanding situation for us with all that has transpired this week. But I'm really not concerned about Buffalo considering that they still have to play us in Akron, on a historic night for our city and our University. We simply won't lose that game.

I'm still in shock about this. I tried to tell myself that he was just protecting himself, or trying to slide by the QB to get out of the way, and just happened to get hitBut I keep looking at the footage, and have a hard time seeing it that way the more I look at it.

Ok..for the sake of discussion (since we have two weeks off)...I was actually just thinking and talking about A. Allen, and thought it might be a good time to assess where we are at as a team going into next year. Heck..we have a chance to win the East this year....but, I think that next year looks even better on paper, based on where I think our key losses will rank against what teams normally lose in a given year.Offense (2):M. Poindexter TEA. Jones WRWOW....this looks awesome. But of course, this is based on A. Allen being our #1 running back, even though he is injured.Defense (5):M. Graham DBB. Anderson DBB Williams DBK. Grant LBE. Lively DLThe defense concerns me, of course. We are not a good defense, and lose some key guys. As I've said previously, JD did one heck of a job rebuilding our offense over a couple of year period. Will the defense follow the same path and surprise us all? I sure hope so.

Thanks Captain. I'd hate to be left with no experienced RBs next year. And frankly, at times I've felt like Allen was the best of the 3 primary RBs that we have. So, maybe we'll be lucky enough to have our best guy back next year.

Whenever we are on TV....I wish I could see the game, and have French's voice dubbed into the telecast. I have always thought he is that good. He has given us some very memorable moments over his career here....dating all the way back to his call of D. Alcorn's 56 yard field goal to beat Toledo at the Bowl in 1992....to his call of Andre Jones' punt return at Western last year....and still today. Makes me look forward to radio games.

Just think...we complain about Jac's 81 QB rating.....and us Browns fans have to deal with DAs 60 QB rating. Do we really have room to complain? He's doing a pretty good job. I'd like to take away a few late-game mistakes...but he's surely made huge strides since last year.