1981 grad

You could see it on the TV. When the Zips were driving in the 2nd half right before the Finley score Akron called timeout and JoeMo was yelling and pissed. On TV you could also see the frustration between Finely and JoMo when he tried to talk to Finley and he walked away.

During the last dozen years of Zips football we have seen a lot of losing and "dumb butt plays" like trying to catch a punt on the one yard line and then fumbling the ball or taunting penalties that have killed a drive. Last night we had three "dumb butt plays" that prevented us from winning because that is what losing teams do. Which dumb butt play do you think hurt the most: The special teams player that called out a cadence in a field goal attempt that led to a penalty and first down and then a touchdown instead of three. With 2:05 left in the first half and the ball on the UAB 3 yard line instead of letting the clock run down to the 2 minute warning we tried to draw them offsides and the center snapped the ball unexpectedly leading to a loss, and then a field goal instead of a touchdown. UAB then scored a touchdown right before the half. (Giving up a touchdown before the half is an Akron tradition) The unsportmanlike penalty when we had driven the ball to the 15 and instead of 1st and 10 we had 2nd and 19 at the 34. We did not move the ball after that play and missed a field goal. (Lets be real, we have seen that a lot in the last 12 years)

He has played so well tonight and then he just cannot make that big play. Can our defense hold a 2nd time to give us one more chance?

Can our defense step up and keep them from scoring. Would like to see an Akron win despite us shooting ourselves in the foot at least 3 times.

I have never bet or sports so I guess I am a diehard fan and have been following the Zips since attending school in the 80s. Actually, the game was frustrating but it was not a blowout. The defense had some great stops on 4th down, played well and we had some excellant punts. Findley had his worst game as a Zip and very dissapointing offense.

The TV experience was worse. Reghi continued to call out the wrong players when doing the play by play and a few times even got the down wrong. The TV was showing the player's name on his jersey but Reghi was not watching the monitor. It was ugly. And how many times can he indicate our coach is an offensive genius when we cannot score a point. And how many times can we watch the same wrestling commerical? 50 times and counting.

They TV team indicated that the coaches told Finley not to try to win the game by himself and to trust the system. It seemed like he was not throwing any high risk passes downfield that would lead to interceptions. However, that interception in the end zone was so reminicent of the terrible passes he threw last year. He threw it to the defense, the Akron receiver was not in frame, and he was closely covered. I was hoping that they would try to run the ball since Finley has thrown so many stupid passes in his career. Does anyone want to guess when Akron will have their first score. Does not look good next week against Nebraska.

Great news!!! I guess it was a done deal but had to wait until today to announce it. I hope he continues to improve and Indy regrets their decision to release him.

Any updates on Freeman? If he does not get an offer on a 2 way contract, would it be better for him to sign with another team as a free agent or go to Europe and play and make some decent money. Did not see anything that Minnesota offered him a 2 way.

Can anyone put names to the players on this picture?

He came very close to getting a roster spot in February according to news reports: Their most pressing need is at the center position. While Jahlil Okafor is currently on a 10-day contract, they’re keeping options open. The buyout market could yield interesting prospects like Mo Bamba, who offers mobility and three-point shooting ability that fits Indy’s style of play. The Pacers are also considering converting one of their two-way players to a standard contract. Enrique Freeman stands out as a strong candidate due to his impressive play with the Mad Ants and potential as a modern big. This move would allow them to sign another player to a two-way deal, maximizing roster flexibility.***

I do not remember. It just really surprised me.

I saw something that I have not seen in years. A TV ad promoting Akron football. Can anyone remember the last time you saw any paid advertising for any Akron sports program?

I agree my comment was snarky and it does not apply to all the football players just like our comments about Kent does not apply to all of the Kent student athletes. I am sure there are student athletes on our football team who do well academically so I would apologize to those players. I hate to be a hypocrite and find it hard to denigrate the Kent program with our own failings academically in football.

If you want to read postings, go to the football forum where our football team is the only team in the country to not qualify academically and cannot go to a bowl game. Kent players may suck and include want to be felons, but at least they can read and do not get lost on their way to class. Hard to take the high ground when our football program is mired in a quicksand of stupidity.

Great to see this rivalry on the list. We have had some great games with Kent.

They can make more money in college than the pros. Why declare for the draft.

Isn't an athletic scholarship a contract? It would not work if only one school used it because athletes would not sign with that school. However, it should be enforceable.

So Akron's next athletic scholarship should indicate that if a player jumps to a program for greater pay that Akron will get 20% of the amount that is greater than the fee the player is getting from Akron as a development fee. Sounds fair to me.

Can somebody name one Akron player who jumped to the next level and excelled at the next level? I just don't see Okonkwa, Nate or TJ excelling at the next level where they will be playing against bigger, faster, and more talented players each game. I think these players benefitted from weak MAC competition, Groce teamism, and years of good coaching. I really hope they succeed and enjoy great success. But my gut tells me they will have the Ali Ali experience their senior year and when they need film for Europe, if will be when they played for the Zips.

Seeing Nate get 1.5 million. Can anyone blame him for leaving and cashing in on his last year.

Do you think with Akron losing 2 players, we raised the amount of money we are paying our players to keep them in Akron?

I am sure if TJ reads that it will sure give him a reason to test the open market. That is the state of college basketball.

I hope he does well at Kansas State but my common sense tells me he will struggle against better competition on a daily basis. Obviously the coaches at K State must think he can play at that level.

Does anyone remember a time when the basketball board went nearly silent in March and April because the season had just ended and there really was not much discussion about Akron Basketball? Instead, people were posting about spring football and how the Zips were going to look next year.