skip-zip

bearcat fan....not sure what game you were watching, but the running back, Dennis Kennedy, was still in the backfield during that grounding call. He was leaking out towards the right side of the formation (might have been a screen play developing) when our QB got disrupted.

Apparently, the Cincinnati fan who jumped on here commented without knowing the rule. You can indeed throw towards a receiver behind the line of scrimmage without getting a grounding call. I think what irks me the worst is not that it was called...bad judgement calls happen frequently during a football game....but this one was called in a situation where a referee was going to essentially decide the final outcome of a game by making the call. And referees should not decide football games.Like they said in the post game report on the radio. that play happens every day in football, at every level, and QBs get the luxury of being able to avoid a loss by throwing at the feet of a nearby receiver. In fact, they are TAUGHT to do that. On another note, I don't understand why a couple of you are criticizing those who feel good about our showing today. We were a couple of points away from beating two BCS schools in the same season....which would have been another accomplishment for the program. Irregardless of the chances we had to win the game, it was surely still much closer than anyone expected. I take Akron losses pretty hard, but I'm certainly more hopeful today that this team will grow as the season progresses.

Actually, a number of things went bad for us that could have made a difference...I'll add....1) Roughing the punter in the end zone when we would have gotten the ball at mid field.2) Bruce's dropped pass in the back of the end zone.3) The missed extra point before halftime, which forced us to go for 2 when we scored in the 4th quarter. If we had successfully kicked both extra points, the game would have gone to overtime.4) The illegal block when we would have had a first and goal at the one or two yard line was HUGE. 5) A couple of plays later...should we have gone for the field goal? I'm not sure, but with Johnson getting hurt when we went on 4th down, it sure ended up being a really costly call. Racer...the personal foul penalty on the Jones fair catch was a wash. They interferred with Jones, so the penalties offset each other, and the ball was placed at the spot where he caught the punt. They did not back us up 15 yards back from where he made the fair catch. I have to say...I rarely blame refs for costing a team a game, but making such a poor intentional grounding call at such a critical juncture late in a game has to really be questioned. On a positive note, I think you could really tell today that we played fresher up front through 4 quarters than we have all year. Having two DLs back really helped a lot. Overall...I'm happy we played competitively for 4 quarters against a team that is decidedly better than us on paper. If this is a sign of our improvement this year, I hope it continues.

I agree. The preseason rankings have a lot to do with this problem. You put the top teams from the top conferences at the top of the list every year, and then they have to lose before anything changes. It's a disadvantage to some teams that may actually be better than them.I believe that the major shift happened when the scholarships got reduced. It prevented the previous "big programs" from stockpiling talent, and diverted them down to the other schools. This is why you see the little boys competing with the big boys more often now. The gap is certainly closing. Of course, you can't say that D is #1 because A beat B, C beat B, and C lost to D....but....there is certainly an argument for the Big-10 (or whatever they call it now) losing yet another chunk of credibility by what has transpired over the last couple of weeks between the Ohio State vs. USC game, and the USC vs. Oregon State game.And we all know....a weaker Big-10 certainly helps the MAC in recruiting....which helps the Zips.

As Bob Dylan once said.So...what are we to think of the slaughter of the Suckeyes at the hands of the USC Trojans...only to watch USC get manhandled by fellow PAC-10 member Oregon State this week?The playing field has SIGNIFICANTLY leveled in D-1A football. It has been for years. If our ability to take Cowlumbus State into the 4th quarter in two previous visits within a touchdown is not evidence enough, the OU game this year was yet another story (and OU is not even projected to be a good MAC team this year).I know one thing....I guess this will mark the end of Suckeye fans complaining that USC "does not play any good team in their own conference".I had an OSU fan, who is a friend of mine, say to me tonight that the team down in the middle of Ohio should not even be in the top 25 after what we saw happen in the USC/Oregon State game tonight. We'll see.The point is....things are changing fast....and it's all to Akron's benefit.

I've heard today that Bain is seeing a foot specialist. He is still having problems with his foot.

I hope you're kidding about the 25,000. Remember, we had a home game this same time last year, and the weather was beautiful, it was Can't State, and it was the first home game of the year, not the 2nd......and it only drew 18,000. Unless Cincinnati brings tons of fans, I think you're probably looking at maybe half of that 25,000 estimate.

Bringing in that 4th down lineman was only a formation adjustment to contain the QB in the option offense. We don't play another team like that all year, so you won't likely see it again. Like I try to remind people, in the 3-3-5 set, the flexibility is there to bring extra people up to the line of scrimmage. It all depends on what the defensive coaches call on any particular play.

I'll add to this....Yes, it is supposed to be a great day, so attendance will be higher, and the tailgating will be a lot more fun this week. It's obvious we need to do a lot of things well to win this game, but here are the keys....1) We have not been finishing opportunities to score. We need to take advantage of a high percentage of those opportunities on Saturday.2) I'd like to see more of the offense that we ran in the "good" parts of the Wisconsin game. Shotgun with quick plays in multiple receiver sets. It will give Jac his best opportunity to be productive, and negate the heavy pressure that he is sure to see. Mixing in some of the draws off of that formation, like we did against Syracuse, will hopefully work if we can move the ball through the air. 3) I don't like relying on the "bend but don't break" defensive philosophy either. But, we'll have no choice but to play that way this week against such a potentially explosive offense. Let's just hope we can make some big plays defensively to end some of those drives.Remember this.....over my 30 years following Zips football, we seem to always play at least one inspired home game every year. Some of the more recent ones include the Can't and Central Michigan games last year, the Miami and BG games the year before, and the Northern Illinois game in 1995. Let's hope that THIS is one of the home games where we produce that kind of effort this year.

Happy to be able to give you guys a perspective, being at the OBC for each of the last two games. There was indeed FAR more people there for the Syracuse game, and pretty dramatically. I'd say the size of the Syracuse crowd compared to the Army crowd was about 3 to 1. I hope that's not a bad sign. zipseuph....thanks for speaking up for us. Listen...you all know I speak like I do about OSU because they compete against us for athletes, fans, students, media attention, etc. And of course, I am fully aware that more people in Ohio support that school than any other. But, I think it's incredibly ridiculous (and I see all of you agree) for an AKRON bar to be hosting an AKRON party, hiring a DJ to play AKRON songs, giving away AKRON prizes, playing the AKRON game on nearly every TV in the place......but....Having your staff dressed in OSU gear?Just makes no sense.

Let me be a little negative for a moment. Yes, it's nice to see the fans have somewhere to go that is dedicated to Akron. They even hire the DJ to cater to us, play our fight songs, and give out Akron prizes. But I had two obvious observations today.1) Good turnout? That place was absolutely packed, upstairs and downstairs, for the Syracuse game. Will fan interest for these road games drop off as the season progresses, much like attendance does for home games? Lets hope not, but lets be honest...there was a dramatically smaller crowd for this week's game.2) Why in the world are so many staff people at the OBC wearing Suckeye State gear? Does that make any sense? As far as I am concerned, someone needs to communicate to the staff that there will be an AKRON crowd.It was funny to be there today. Watching the 5 or so Suckeye fans sitting there with their heads down and getting frustrated all afternoon. And they couldn't even hear their game, and could only see it on a few monitors. I loved it For God's sake, this is Akron...and it should be that way. SeeTee...the Suckeye fans will appear here again soon, as soon as they figure out what to say this week. Cowlumbus State spends more money than any school in the county on athletics, returned 19 starters, and the only thing they have to show for themselves through 4 games is a convincing win over a 1-AA team. Sad.

Johnnyzip is right. You have to throw to whoever is open on any given play. And that's probably best since the opposing defense has to cover everyone. But, I do believe that Bowser has serious talent, and might turn into the star of the group.

And idiot and POS is your idea of maturity?This is a fan chat site....fans of The University of Akron....and we just happen to be enjoying watching a team get their butts whipped that competes against us for athletes, students, and media attention. What do you expect?

I'm only a little bothered by the fact that some people are seeming very critical of our team right now after we just lost a very hard-fought game to a very, very good football team. I don't get it. I mean, this was no upset. And for the most part, I think it went pretty much as most of us predicted. This game was only a tipped ball or two away from being a different game. I'm not feeling all that bad today (except for my hangover).

Ok...let's please clear up a few things....especially regarding the former coach...1) Didn't Owens have an overall record somewhere around 25 games under 500?? JD is going to really have to fall apart over the next few years to even remotely meet that level of futility for his career at Akron. 2) JD's early success had a lot to do with bringing in Getsy and Biggs, and moving Hixon to WR. So, the argument that we won a MAC title only because he had another coaches players is really a hard argument to make.3) If you think the former coach's recruits were so much better, how come he couldn't win with them?Ok..now on to the Ball State game....As I predicted in a pre-game thread, we weren't going to be able to hang with these guys if it stopped raining. And actually, we didn't do too bad. Keep in mind that they got one touchdown by picking a fumble off of the ground and running it in. That always kills you. For the most part, we matched them moving the ball (the total yardage was close to even), but the mistakes KILLED us. Ball State is going to pile up a lot of yards, and a lot of points against plenty of other schools in the MAC this year as well. I think at least 1 or 2 of the interceptions we threw were the result of tipped balls. We're still having tackling problems on defense. No doubt. The one that frustrated me the most was how they were running out the clock late in the game, and were still able to run for first downs. When you know they are going to run, and you can't stop them, that's a problem. I'd like to see some of those guys go to Tackling 101 school. I'm not going to criticize the defensive set. As we all know, the guys on the field have to make plays.We're only a week removed from a great win for our program...on the road against a BCS school. Yes, Syracuse is no big conquest right now, but it still helps our program. We all knew Ball State was a good team, and they showed it. Let's just move on to week 4 and see what happens.

I must admit, I am having fun reading all of the articles this morning about the Suckeyes game last night. And one pretty common theme seems to follow every article.... the fact that USC is talking about how they were seeing a Cowlumbus State that was running both offensive and defensive sets that were exactly what they expected to see. And since we seem to get a few fans of the red and silver that come on here from time to time praising their almighty team, I have to bring this to the forefront...Please...all of you...stop with the bull about how they "take it easy on MAC schools", and "don't show their playbook". The truth is, the playbook is unimaginative against every opponent. The Ohio U. game last week, that was too close for comfort, and our game against them last year, which had us at 3-2 at halftime and within a touchdown through 3 quarters, is just what you should expect as long as you keep the current coach in place. So, what happens when you play teams that have this knowledge AND the talent to do something about it? Refer to last night's game and the last 2 national championship games for the results. Find ways to justify this all you want this morning, but like a few of the article said....the entire nation knows what's going on, yet the entire Suckeye Nation (and their vast bandwagon of fans) appears to be in complete denial. And the Big 10 continues to sink in overall strength, which seems to also indicate another troubling trend that isn't going to help their situation.

Rain During Game: Akron 21 Ball State 20No Rain During Game: Ball State 42 Akron 30As I said previously, I think our depth and talent at RB will win the game, if the conditions are poor.

That's a pretty good defensive line, probably the strength of the defense, IF all of the starters were there. For now, we'll have to do what we can. I don't want to get into a shootout with these guys, but nobody is mentioning a key factor ....THE WEATHER FORECAST. Our solid and deep backfield might just be the difference if this turns into a game where it is difficult to throw the ball.

Much like the captain on this thread, I commented about the poor play from our Rover position, but on another thread. Let me continue that discussion here...I think that one of the keys to running a successful 3-3-5 is to have a Rover who has the ability to play like a linebacker....in addition to having a linebacker who can play like a defensive end.You probably all recall that last year we lost two excellent players to graduation who filled these two roles....Mackey and Stokes.But back to the Rover specifically....I caught 3 situations where Wayne totally whiffed on tackles. I mean...didn't even look like he even got a hand on the guy coming at him. He got totally juked. So what happens if you've only got 6 guys on the interior who really can tackle a RB? Well...just what happened in the first two weeks.The 3-3-5 has the flexibility to look like a 3-4-4 or a 4-3-4 on any given play. So, what they call it really doesn't make much difference to me. But what does concern me is if we don't have a Rover who can step up near the line of scrimmage and play like a linebacker when needed. Wayne isn't looking like that guy. Let's hope and pray that the return of our DL starters will improve the situation by getting more of an initial push up front at the snap of the ball. If not, we are going to need to score a lot of points this year to win games.

I know it's only been 2 games, but JDs moving Williams to DB is looking pretty darn good. We certainly didn't have a need for 4 RBs. And being able to identify that one of them could help somewhere else could be just the kind of move that makes us a much better team than people predicted we would be. Nice job.

I see I am one of the first post-game posters. Not surprising knowing that all of the younger folks are still back at the Ohio Brewing Co. celebrating.Here's a couple of thoughts I had today.1) Beating a BCS conference team is great, no matter who they are. This win should give us a lot of confidence.2) Our offensive scheme is looking surprisingly good. And Jac threw very few bad passes. I sure hope he's come along as much as we are hearing that he has. That INT he threw was an awful read, yet he came back and played great after that. Probably a good sign of a maturing QB. 3) I was reserving my comments about the run defense until this game, and I think it stinks. How many times did our new Rover get flat-out juked by a Syracuse RB? I counted 3 times. John Mackey is sorely, sorely missed. There's simply nobody on the interior defense right now that I can say is a run stopper. 4) Give a game ball to the kid (I don't remember who it was, I was yelling and jumping around so much) who made the stop on that 4th down play late in the game, held on, never let go, and dragged the Syracuse RB to the ground on his own. 5) We can't POSSIBLY be the worst team in the MAC, as many of the prognositactors have said that we are.

Without a doubt. They probably don't feel that letting the same school win the title two years in a row is any benefit to them. And it is a privately run competition by a company, so I guess they can do whatever they want. It still bums me out though.

We just have to play a good game, like we did at NC State. I sure hope the run defense is ready to play. Let's face it, Wisconsin has a great running attack, but it still concerns me.

Did anyone else know about this March 10th arrest that it talks about in the article? According to my calendar, that would have been just days before the MAC tournament started. And I know he played in the MAC tournament.

True...the tournament adds an opportunity to save an otherwise mediorcre or poor season, whereas football does not provide that. Please take my post to be more of an analysis of how we stack up for the MAC season, without factoring in all of the improbables that sometimes do happen at tournament time. But....I'd surely take a MAC title any way we can get it I was a senior in school the last time we went to the big dance. It's been WAY too long.