LoyalZIP

"He’ll become a play-calling coordinator here in a very short time, and I would suspect within 10 years, he’ll be a head coach somewhere.” Joe still has the keys, but looking to turn them over soon. Thank you for sharing.

Kickoff has been announced for 7:30p. on B1G Network https://x.com/AkronZips/status/1701958991549526380?s=20

https://www.instagram.com/p/CxG5AsBRUF-/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== Sharron Young, looks like on a second visit to UA.

I’ve heard great things about Wilson too, but that position is very deep. Those guys have delivered when called upon so far. The talent level of the skill position dudes on offense is incredibly high, they just don’t even have a game manager to help them out it all together at this time.

Great win!

Unfortunately, the real number was significantly lower than what they announced. With that said, I found it admirable that so many students actually stuck around the entire game. Around 1100 student IDs were swiped for the game. Not too shabby, we'll see how many come out next time. The team shop, while expensive, has a nice selection as do the various local Rally House locations. As for ZN.o, I feel like the few Akron fans who want to discuss online just fire up the Twitter and see what that garbage Zips Barstool account says. ZN, though I've only been a member a little less than 10 years, used to be one of the only places on the internet you could find fellow Zip fans. Since then its pretty much been passed through word of mouth. UA administrators used to talk about ZN and its posters all the time behind closed doors, now there's so much turnover and other places to see what people think of Akron athletics.

This week's Advanced Box Score: https://collegefootballdata.com/boxscore/401532399 When I was looking at it yesterday morning, it had postgame win expectancy at Morgan State-92%. Now, it's Akron-59% after the rest of the advanced numbers came out. Interesting. Defensive TDs will do that. Anyway, Akron got the football inside the MSU 40 on 8 different occasions and only mustered 10 points from it. Very concerning. I was shocked when Joe opted for the FG after the quick 3&out after the blocked punt. Maybe just wanted to get that unit a rep? Red zone scoring was an enormous struggle last year, and they finished those drives last week. Against MSU, the Zips didn't find themselves in the red zone often, but I think it's safe to say everyone was a little uneasy when they weren't able to punch it in from 1st&Goal to start the ballgame. Another spot that jumps out to me is defensive havoc. This was the first time under Moorhead where the Akron defense really dictated the game. They were not perfect and allowed the TE to get loose too any times, but Akron won this game because the defense created opportunities. I talk a lot about doing more than just making stops. When the defense just gets stops, we get the Temple game, which is just fine. But when the defense can create havoc and force turnovers, the wins will begin to come. Akron was more penalized and lost the turnover battle. In so many ways, we were lucky to win that game. Here's to hoping it helps everyone's mentality and they start to believe they can win no matter what instead of always expecting the worst. Temple was like watching your own death slowly happen, Morgan State was too--until they came back to life. Practice this week will have much better energy being 1-1 than had they opened 0-2. Go Zips!

Joe incredibly high on Nunnally, understandably so. That is as impactful a game as an Akron DL has played in a long time. Zach Morton had some flashes the last couple of years, but I'm hoping that even at his smaller size, CJ can take the role of being a feared DL in the MAC to take some of the attention to himself and get opposing teams flustered so we can generate some pass rush. It's amazing to see Joe's body language after that one. He, like us, was in disbelief of what happened that night. But, they did technically finish and win the game, which has been the goal all along. It's funny. The Zips are at 1-1 now after losing a game they should've won and winning a game they should've lost. Real close to 2-0 and just as close to 0-2.

Bad bad bad bad bad game. I registered almost no emotion the entire 2nd half. It had all been beaten out of me. I knew JU was going to throw a pick to cost the game. I knew we weren't going to move the ball with ease. It was just one of those days. My mind raced the entire 2nd half. So if Moorhead can't do it, who can? I have been to all but one home game at that stadium since August of 2012. And I have never left feeling the way I did yesterday, which is strange considering Akron actually won a football game. That includes an 0-12 season where we didn't score a TD for a month. The last 3 FCS games have been Bryant, St. Francis, Morgan State. All 3 pretty similar. Bryant was tied going into the 4th quarter, SF took OT, and whatever the hell that was last night. Yet--this Akron team as currently constructed is the best team Akron has fielded in 5 years. I cannot wrap my head around why the offense is so...blah. The defense is actually becoming quite fun to watch, we'll see what happens as opponents get better. But that Akron sideline was frustrated last night. Big time. I suppose that is an improvement on the Bowden sideline that took naps when things weren't going well or an Arth sideline where nobody cared. These guys know they are better than what they've shown. We'll see if coach or anyone or anything can get it out of them. So on the 4th play of the game last night following a pair of sacks, we block a punt and take over inside the 10. Last week, a 77-yard TD on the 2nd play. It's almost like these big plays are made early and they just expect everything to be easy. Anyway...Gameday experience was just okay. Band doesn't seem to play as much as they used to. I don't love the piped in music between plays, I prefer the band, but that kinda just is what it is. AS FOR THE PA....goodness gracious. Did they just bring in some random dude off the street? Clearly didn't do any prep, was lost numerous times with what was going on, didn't seem to know the rules of the game. The previous announcer, who does the Browns, Zips MBB, MAC football title, MAC basketball tournaments, no longer wants to do Akron football. I'm hoping this guy was a temporary replacement until they get someone else in there. Woof. Talk about minor league. Got one in the correct column, but nobody can really feel too great about how they got it. This is a big time work in progress.

The MAC is BAD.

Had em all the way

Worse than Gardner Webb. Akron is the worst team in the MAC.

This is actually crazy. I’m in shock and disbelief.

Good ol’ Akron football

Sure would be nice to wear this thing out today

Happy Gameday!!! Looks like we’ll have some great football weather!

I think it’s the Touchdown Tire, maybe the Turnover Tire too but this defense hasn’t forced one yet. Either way, perfectly Akron and awesome!

Football is a funny game. Had the Zips scored one more TD on Saturday, I would probably be flying high and expecting a 4TD minimum blowout this week. Literally, DJ just has to put it on the money on an easy toss to Bobby Golden and everything would change. Now, I'm having some doubts. I would be shocked if Akron loses to Morgan State, but not shocked if it's within a couple scores. That doesn't make me feel very good. It's almost like the team overachieved in playing so close last year that all of a sudden I'm instantly expecting them to win and win big every week. That NIU game last year messed with my head. I had high expectations coming into this year, and this team really did deliver in just about every aspect outside of QB play. Playcalling was fine, but could have been much better. So when you put all of that together, alarms aren't quite being set off yet. Now if you're 1-3 and trailing Buffalo by a couple scores in the second half, as I said the other day, we may be in some trouble. ESPN's Bill Connelly came up with a rating system known as SP+. Every week, the teams are ranked by their rating and he determines a score of the game based on that rating. Last week, it predicted Temple (107) win 31-20. This week, it has Akron (123) winning 28-17. I guess any win is a win, but I'd like to see the guys play loose and comfortable with the lead. And I'd like to see them get guys like Bullock, Anderson, and Lingard more involved. If the OL is this much improved, use them!

Airs Tuesday evening on Bally and posted to YouTube about 12:15a on Wednesday. I guess since the ABJ no longer really exists or covers Akron football they do not have a presence at the weekly presser and it is just Joe Dunn asking a couple questions.

As I mentioned before, and something our good friend @NWAkron says all the time during basketball season where the Zips play on a Friday, losing on Labor Day weekend is always harder. More time to think about it. Which brings me to this morning, nothing to do but dig deeper into this game. Liberty, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Kent State, Eastern Michigan, Buffalo, and now Temple all have something in common for Joe Moorhead. Close losses. It is wild that we struggle so mightily to close out games, whether we are playing with the lead, or trying to come back but have played close. St. Francis, funny enough in the first game, was the only close win this program has had. It has been nearly 5 years since an Akron football team beat an FBS opponent in a 1-score game. Thanks to BG x2 and NIU, the wins have been comfortable. Somehow. The advanced box scores that I enjoy going through put Temple's win expectancy at just 57% after the game Saturday. That is essentially a calculation based on the two teams' stats from the game, predicting who would win if the same game was played a thousand times. St. Francis last year had an 86%. I felt the games were pretty similar, and they came down to who won the turnover battle. 1-0 both times. If The Zip D forces one or DJ doesn't throw that one and we down and win, everything is much different today. The devil is in the details. In 2021 Northern Illinois had 7 wins by one score or less, including all 6 of their MAC wins. Their MAC losses were by 5 at Kent and by 21 to WMU in a game they sat their starters. 2023 opened in a nearly identical fashion, as they went to Chestnut Hill and beat BC in overtime, two years ago coming off an 0-6 2020, they opened with a 1-point win over Georgia Tech. So, through 13 games as the head coach at Akron, Joe Moorhead is now 1-6 in one-score games, with Liberty not technically counting toward that total. I find it fascinating. I don't have any answers and couldn't really tell you the reason why it continues to happen. If you take the mean of Saturday plus last season and compare it to the last 5-ish seasons of Akron football, your head would spin when you see how much better they are. But the wins just have no been coming like you would expect considering all of the changes we have seen. Is it coaching? Execution? Choking? Mental preparedness? It is probably a combination of all of the above. And while I still have not been more optimistic as an Akron football fan in ages, a lot of that excitement will begin turning into frustration and resentment if this trend continues deep into the season. So, realistically, Akron will likely be 1-3 going into conference play, 2-2 with some luck and perhaps some big changes or improvements at a particular position. Then the first two MAC games are at home. What happens with this team if they are 1-3 and find themselves down 4 to Buffalo in the 4th quarter, with the ball, 3 minutes to go. I hate to say it, but I think we are past the point of any fans really believing they can drive it down and win the game. My question is, do these players believe they can do it? At one point do the close losses begin to creep into their intrusive thoughts during a game, or has that already happened? Two games in a row, granted 2 different QBs, we have had the ball with a chance to drive and win the game, and a pair of forced throws have resulted in INTs. Throw in the Clyde Price gaffs last year, special teams miscues against BG, early picks against Kent, and it's almost like there is a greater power at play than execution. Simply put--these players do not know how to win. They are a lot like the 2013 Akron Zips. Best talent in years, best coaching in years, they just don't know what it feels like to be successful and win a football game (unless they are overpowering a team like NIU). That 2013 finally broke through with a close road win over a dreadful Miami team. When will this team's breakout moment be? We are to a point where I look at this schedule, Kentucky included, and I see no reason why we shouldn't compete with everyone on it. That's great, awesome, happy for coach. But now the hard part. FINISHING. That is a tall task for this coaching staff. It is the difference between another boring December or the 4th bowl appearance in program history. They must finish. I don't know what all goes into that, or how you can even coach it, but it is beginning to become overdue.

Unrelated to FB in particular, but today was University of Akron day at the Guardians vs. Rays game. According to Willy Kollman, it was the largest college day of the season there. 700 Zips attended. With a special ticket package, you received a Guardians hat with an Akron logo on the side, and a pregame reception area. President Miller threw out the first pitch. I was blown away by how many people came out, and it felt really good to see after that stinker in Philly yesterday. I’m pumped for Saturday, getting this fanbase and community back together again. Home games are so important as the MAC fanbases dwindle year after year. This program needs to make the most of them now more than ever.

Our first advanced box score of the season! https://collegefootballdata.com/boxscore/401531387 I agree with the general consensus that the team, as a whole, looked much better than at most points last year. That is, if you look at each individual unit, they were hitting above their previous average...except for the most important position on the football field. The first think that stuck out to me in the advanced box score was the fact that UA hit 1.000 in scoring opportunities, and they were obviously both in the first half. A scoring opportunity is when you get the ball inside the opponent's 40, and Akron scored touchdowns both times they did that. When watching the game, I felt good about our chances specifically because that was an area this team was terrible in last year. Yesterday, it was like a bizarro world. They couldn't move the ball between the 20s. It was alarming. As for the defense, I talk a lot about them not making plays. Yes, they made plays most of the time they needed to yesterday, but when will this defense begin to read the QB and force some turnovers? Or make its presence felt in the backfield? Props to Warner as he is a damn good QB and their whole M.O. is protecting him, but not forcing any havoc, as displayed in the advanced box score, was costly. Temple, on the other hand, wasn't doing anything in the secondary to make things that difficult for DJI. Even when he did want/need to tuck and run or scramble, he seemed hesitant whereas last year he could have carved them up. Some of the individuals that stuck out to me are as follows: Bobby Golden (WR): I was hoping we would see more of him last year, not sure if the muffed punt had anything to do with that. Seeing him drop that punt yesterday made my heart jump out of my chest. Maybe time to put Adams or Hester back there. Anyway, I thought he looked the part out there. He should have had a TD catch and quite a few yards as well, not sure he could have done much more on the OB sideline throw. He will be a solid contributor as the season goes on. Lorenzo Lingard (RB): I just don't understand why he didn't get more touches yesterday. Same with Drake Anderson. But that play to get LL the TD was freaking awesome. It's a shame it was wasted in a loss, a damn shame. Lingard looks to be tremendously physical and has speed to separate from the D, as displayed on the TD. I'd like to see Joe mess around with he and Bullock like he did with Barkley and McSorely at Penn State. The package of Irons & Bullock got me really excited. We'll see how willing Joe is to open up the playbook Bryan McCoy (LB): A blossoming star. He and Fish delivered some big hits throughout the day, and to the untrained eye, seemed to make a fair amount of plays. If we have Bubba, maybe we get more pressure on the QB and get a different result, but I am happy with our LB situation considering the circumstances. All DBs: While not everyone played great, I feel the unit as a whole did a really nice job against a QB and an offense that scored a ton of points and racked up a lot of yards down the stretch last season. They allowed a few big plays later in the game, possibly in part to being on the damn field the entire second half. But, they forced 21 incompletions on the day and made those guys work really hard to score 24 points The negatives largely stop at QB play. Special teams look to be improved as a whole Dante Jackson is a big step up from Gettman. Not sure on FG kicking yet. But QB and probably DL are the two areas that proved to be most costly. The aforementioned lack of pressure and push from the DL kind of is what it is given the personnel. I thought they played okay, and I'm hoping for improvement but not sure how much we will see considering who is available. The QB....my lord almighty. I have always been an Irons supporter, but have also had plenty of reservations with him being the QB that really makes this thing take off. He was fine in his time in 2021, and he was good last year as a game-manager and a guy who could put the ball where it needs to be to dink and dunk down the field. But yesterday was flat out appalling. He has still never started at QB in a game where Akron defeats an FBS team. I trust Joe for obvious reasons, but I would question why he would give Irons a long leash, especially when he is clearly not the same QB that he was last year. Not many of us, except maybe @Hilltopper have seen Bullock work along side these guys in practice, but considering how quickly Joe involved him in the offense yesterday, I have a feeling they're more confident in his abilities than they are leading on. In 2015, Bowden started Tra Chapman at QB the first three games and yanked him during the Savannah State game for Tommy Woodson, who lit up the scoreboard most of the rest of the year. Maybe the same thing will happen with Bullock. In 2023, Joe Moorhead cannot take losses due to bad QB play. Simple as that. Let's get to 1-1 and get this $h!+ figured out.

I definitely share in your disappointment. While I am not so disappointed in the result—as Akron football has seemingly never won a road game in week 1—I am tremendously disappointed in how we got to that result. If you had told anyone who knows anything about the current state of this program that we score on the 2nd play of the game, hold a 2-score halftime lead, and only give up 24 points the whole game, they would tell you Akron wins without question. However, this felt very much like last year and like a 2018 game. They were in it all the way, but once Temple even began to flirt with the lead, it felt like we had no chance. Every time Akron took over on offense, the hope was there but I began to expect incompletions and penalties. Not a very good way to set the tone for the season. All goals are still on the table, but adjustments must be made. The offense in the 2nd half was not even remotely up to standard. Not even Joe would be proud of that, as a man who received phone calls from the NFL and Nick Saban just 6 months ago.

That was an instant classic. Toledo had them dead to rights, and in a bit play where Toledo could have ended it, they got a hit in the QB and blanket coverage in the receiver and Illinois still came down with it somehow. Gut-wrenching.

Well said @catdaddyp Thanks for getting us prepared for this season. A lot of what you have said all off-season could be seen today. Some of the good and some of the bad. Very disappointed in the second half offense. Happy to see Golden involved with the offense, but would have liked more of Lingard and Drake Anderson. Much to build on.