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InTheZone....if you read Racer's post, they are obviously referring to using two DTs and two DEs. We simply don't have the personnel, or the depth to pull this off.I am aware of how we use Brion Stokes as a 4th defensive lineman. But that is a situational alignment, and not a change in personnel.

In defense of the coaching staff, I think they have a plan for what they want to do, and the guys just aren't executing it very well right now.This brings you back to the age-old argument. Do you change your schemes from year to year to fit your talent? Or do you get your young players to adapt to a scheme that is already in place?I don't think anyone has an answer to that question. Personally, the one play I keep screaming for is where CJ runs laterally, fakes the handoff to the one slot back, hesitates for a second, and then drops back and fires the ball past the linebackers to a wide open tight end.It almost worked once to Poindexter in the first half. I'd like to see that more often. If that play becomes successful, it opens up both your ability to run the ball (linebackers won't commit to running plays quite as quickly) AND the perimeter passing game (safties have to guard the middle of the field).

There won't be a 4-3 defense. We are way too thin on the defensive line, and that would be a total change from the current scheme.

JD's weekly press conference transcript is posted on gozips.com.Among the highlights...He thinks John Mackey's injury is an ACL (like we already heard), and he is going to fight to get him a medical redshirt. Was anyone aware that Can't was 3 for 15 on 3rd Down?? WOW. So much for K.E.N.T's coach saying that our defense couldn't stop them. There's a lot of things to "clean up", including the play of our QBs, who JD thinks did not play well.

His rankings tell us just how big that win was last Saturday. If we had lost that game, and still had to play OU and Bowling Green (road), our chances of winning the MAC East would have been very slim.

If my observations are correct, when Mackey left the game we saw quite a bit more of Wayne Cobham and Brandon Anderson the rest of the game. I believe Cobham is the one listed as Mackey's #2 on the depth chart, but isn't he much more of a safety than a linebacker? And Anderson is definitely a DB. I'm not really concerned about our ability to cover receivers. I've seen Cobham make some good plays in the secondary in practice. But, losing such a great tackler when he plays up near the line of scrimmage might be where we'll miss Mackey the most. Maybe we'll throw an athletic linebacker like Paris McNeal into the game more in running situations to cover for the loss of Mackey. I'm interested in your thoughts.

That could have been a bad time to make a mistake. That would have given them one more play. Nice job by the coaching staff to be "heads up" at a really frantic time of the game.

I see that the K.E.N.T. coach's "sore loser" comments are now getting posted everywhere I see an article about the game.

Woot...I think you are confusing two different things here.Sure, Ohio State fans got a good laugh when Michigan lost to App. State. It's funny to see your rival lose to a low-level school.But the other scenario is when a fellow Big Ten school is playing a top-ranked opponent. In this case, I know Ohio State fans that will root for Michigan to knock off a big school since it brings more notoriety to the conference, and elevates the conference's ranking.You can't make the statement that no Ohio State fans ever root for Michigan. It all depends on the circumstances.

At the beginning of the season, I saw this game as one of the road games we'll need to win to have a shot at being a .500 team this year. But I see now that Connecticut is much better than I thought they would be. Sure, maybe they are weak for a 4-0 team, but obviously someone sees something in what they are doing to list them as a 14 point favorite. Let's do what we didn't get done in Indiana this week !!!

Way To Go Zips fans....this round was big. We're now in the #1 overall spot, and look like we'll cruise to a playoff spot if we just keep coming back every week, and doing what we are doing.Remember, our opponent each week is not the fans of the mascot we are going up against. It's the other people who keep voting against us so that we lose.Great Effort!!

sgm...the debates you decide to jump in on, and the arguments you make, just leave me scratching my head sometimes.ANYTIME a MAC school beats a BCS-level school, especially the most recognized program in our own state, it brings media coverage, attention to the conference, and most importantly, a perception among potential area recruits that you have opportunities to win games against big schools if you go to a MAC school.Can't beating Ohio State would be HUGE!! The effects would last for years.Oh, by the way, Derek Anderson is now 1-4 as the Browns starter, and you might as well make that 1-5 since he played most of the Steelers game. There's a reason why this guy could not beat out Charlie Frye for the starting job over the last two years. Plus, like we've said all along, THE QUARTERBACK IS NOT THE PROBLEM.

I really hate to keep repeating this, but to those of you who think that we need to switch conferences, please understand that no conference that is larger than the MAC is going to have any interest in Akron as long as most of our home games show about 5,000 people in the stands. The bigger conferences want money. And we can't show them that we can generate revenue. It's as simple as that.

It's understandable if you think about it.If Can't can beat Cowlumbus State, it helps show that the MAC (and other mid-majors) are indeed closing the gap on the BCS-level schools. And it further helps all of us, as a conference, on the recruiting trail. Personally, I can never root for Can't. But, I can certainly understand the benefits of a Can't win in that game.

GP1...you are right about students entering with a student ID counting as paid admission. It counts the same as a sold ticket in determining the annouced attendance number. Actual attendance is always going to be lower than ticket sales because of no-shows. I've never seen a case where the number of bodies in the seats would exceed actual ticket sales. The number annouced at the game (21,000) would have been ticket sales, so you can assume that the actual "butts in the seats" count is lower.

I'm thinking this is clearly a case where everyone is voting against the front-runner. Lets hope we can still pull off the win.

Lets worry about how we'll fill John Mackey's shoes, and get a BIG road win next week. I don't want to look beyond that.If we can win this game next week, and pull an upset against Miami on the road, we can get to 7 wins. But, we'd still need to beat the defending MAC East and MAC West champs at home (Ohio and Central). And that will be no small task.

And....McNeal wears gloves.

Here's my observations....I applaud the student involvement. It does indeed make for a better football atmosphere. I just hope that they keep coming in large numbers as the season progresses. I've been around this football program for nearly 30 years, and Can't/Akron games have always seemed to draw better in the past. I was at the Can't game in Can't last year, and I don't think there was a empty seat in the house.Although many sections may have looked good in a picture, there were many, many empty seats, even in the prime reserved sections on the home side, where I was sitting. I really thought that the crowd would be larger for this one.I'm sure you guys know that the 21,000 was ticket sales, and not actual people in the seats. That number is always going to be lower because of no-shows. Be careful in assuming continual sellouts just because we have a new stadium. Once the novelty of the new stadium wears off, you know that there will be people that will lose interest, and stop going.Enjoy the win. It was a great win for our program, and lets hope that the crowds can stay remotely close to this number for the remainder of the season.

Doesn't seem to me that Martin is giving much credit to Akron for winning the game. That's my take on it. He just sounds like a sore loser. This will add more fuel to the fire in this great rivalry. Sure, we got some turnovers. But at times, our defense was dominating them. And their QB only completed 8 passes the entire game. That's because of good defense. Give credit where credit is due.

We won the turnover battle at Ohio State, and that didn't matter either. But I do believe that the turnover right before halftime was key to keeping us in the game. I was impressed when I heard Edelman's poor passing stats. That was obviously a big difference for me. I have to tell you guys, I really thought we were going to lose that game for 3 quarters. If a team ever willed themselves to win, this is one of those games.The John Mackey injury really has me upset. I'm going to enjoy this. This was a huge win for the Zips' JD era program. And I got my payback for having to witness them kicking our butts at their place last year.

For those not familiar with this concept, Cleveland has wanted to "regionalize" Northeast Ohio for years. Akron chooses to remain separate, and for good reason. Lets keep it that way. Enough said.

Our head-to-head matchup this week is still WAY too close. I think that everyone that is voting is trying to make sure they knock us out of that #1 spot.LET'S GO ZIP FANS !!Time for a big weekend rally.Please vote before you come to tailgate tomorrow

Sorry Zen. Unless we can win a national football or basketball championship, this is all we have for now that would give us significant nationwide attention.

Doesn't Can't State and Youngstown State also have a piece of NEOUCOM?If any merger makes sense (and I hate to say this) It's combining Can't and AKron because of georgraphic proximity. Then they'd have to change our name to the Golden Zips. Lets hope that never happens. Most people in Akron want nothing to do with Cleveland. I'm certainly one of them. Distancing ourselves as much as possible from that city that has absolutely nothing to offer anyone is the best situation for us.