LoyalZIP

Long way to go this season. Love the opponent though.

Tribble, Hankerson, Hunter, X, Freeman

The new-look Zips begin the season @ Oakland tonight at 8:00pm. The Golden Grizzlies went 15-15 last year, going 1-2 against the MAC. They beat MAC-worst CMU and lost to Toledo and BGSU. This is a huge year for coach Jackson, needing to prove she can win without the best player in the league. This is a fun team, and a very easy group to cheer for. Go Zips!

I bet against the Zips constantly during the first two Groce seasons. I knew they would struggle, but were also shaping up to be good in the future. Pay a few bucks for a win, or get paid to lose was pretty much how it was. I don’t miss those days, and I’m very happy to be on top and expect to win or have the expectation of being able to win every night.

I tend to agree, but -7 is a pretty safe number against Akron. I was expecting it to be around 10 or 11, in which case I would be much more inclined to take Akron. Perhaps the sports books miss the Arth days of going 1-11 ATS?

FWIW: Finally paid $20 for the advanced KenPom stuff. Pretty fun to read, and as the season goes on, I would imagine it gets more accurate. Preseason calculations have Akron winning tonight 76-70 (covering -4). The model has Akron going 21-8, 13-5 in the MAC with a 0.1% chance of going 18-0. The KenPom model also predicts a 15-game winning streak from 12/30 vs. Concord, ending with a loss at Toledo on 2/21.

Since early October of 2018, Akron has been a bottom 3 MAC team, and has not budged, spending most of that time firmly in last place. Evaluating the team throughout a lot of this time has been like searching for a needle of success in a haystack the size of the field house. For the first time since then, the team overall is performing consistently, from the standpoint that they score a decent amount, give up a lot but not as much as before, and usually come up with a one-score loss somewhere in the neighborhood of 33-30ish. I took a look at conference games since 2019 to see exactly how much closer they've gotten. In 2019 MAC games, Akron gave up 36.3 ppg, while scoring 8.3 (-27.9). In 2020, they gave up 41.3 ppg, while scoring 17.2 (-24.1). In 2021, gave up 37 ppg, scoring 20.3 (-16.7). This year, they have given up 35 ppg while scoring 24 (-11). The product on the field has certainly improved, but still has its fair share of ugly showings. I would love to see an advanced look at the sacks the offense surrenders. How much field position, yardage, and potential scoring has the offense given up just through sacks? Those numbers have to be so bad, I cannot even imagine. Eastern Michigan struggles a bit more against the run, and of course they've got Jose Ramirez leading the country in sacks. Offensively, they have some weapons with Samson Evans and Jaylen Jackson in the backfield, along with Hassan Beydoun, Tanner Knue, and Darius Lassiter out wide. They've beaten Arizona State, while also losing to NIU at home by 29 and Buffalo at home by 19. This is a tough team to get a read on. On a good night, I feel like they could roll into Infocision and win by 3-4 touchdowns. On a bad night, I could see Akron striking a couple times early and them not being able to keep up without consistent QB play. Austin Smith and Taylor Powell have combined on the year for 1,816 yards, 12 TDs, 10 INT. I think EMU will win by a score or two, unless the Zips can somehow force some turnovers. It's just so hard to win unless you get a couple more possessions than the other team. And Akron is far from good enough to score consistently while also constantly giving up scores on defense. They're always one step forward then two steps back. It will be a small crowd with some decent weather for November. A big thank you to the seniors for putting up with this unbelievable losing for their Akron careers. Shoutout to Shocky for taking a shot in your final year to be here, it's been fun to see him make some plays. Is one win too much to ask for? Go Zips!

Last year, I went into the season wanting and needing to see a lot of development from guys that had been here for a couple years. I was most concerned about how Ali, Trimble, Freeman, Dawson, and Bandaogo would take the next step after a few years in the program. Mixed results, I would say. The big thing, of course, was replacing LCJ's production, which was essentially everything. This year is quite different. While technically losing the leading scorer, we did not lose our most important player. I also feel much better about the structure of the program and the team itself, though I am disappointed and a little worried about losing Dawson coming into the season. We have a lot of fun looking new guys to look forward to. I think Hunter has the potential to be the most impactful. I like having a proven MAC shooter in Hankerson. I'm eager to see how the redshirts from last year perform. And I'd like to see a freshman or two get some time. As far as returners, I feel we know what to expect. Rique will be Rique, X can hopefully put a full season together after a slow start last year and an awesome finish, I'd like to see Clarke go from role player to game-changer, I'm hoping Tribble can develop into a stronger finisher and more of a serious threat on the offensive end. I love the opponent. This team knows how to win games. And their schedule this year is a gauntlet. On back to back nights early in December, they play at Kent and at Bama! This is one of the better nonconference teams to come to the JAR in a long time, and I'm hoping some of the public has taken notice of both the Akron program and what is has become under Groce, and the quality of opponent coming in. As far as the game goes, I am not going to get too up or too down based on the result in the W/L column with 35 of these things to go. I think it's a fantastic early season test, as is Friday, but I'm not really concerned about RPI and at-large bids in November. Maybe I should be, but I really couldn't care less. As high as my expectations are for this season, I realize that this is a new team that may not be playing the same slow, low possession style anymore. There are new pieces that may take time to make things work. It was a thrill last year to watch the ups and the downs as the team worked out kinks. Groce & Co. put together a masterpiece that came to fruition in March. I look forward to another fun, long, sometimes sad, usually happy journey to Cleveland. GO ZIPS!!!!!!

One of my favorite moments of the entire season! Bud does a ton for the program, and it's cool to have a big money guy like that get so into it. This is when Tribble got the And-1 to go up 7 before the media timeout. Unfortunately, a whole lot of people were texting me and jinxing the game at that point. Damn, so close!

We’ve made it! Happy Gameday!

Fun environment tonight. Zips have their hands full once again Saturday. WMU could play spoiler in the tournament.

Zips open at +7. I would have expected it to be closer to 10. A tough matchup, but again winnable.

Even a “shirsey” would be awesome, and honestly a lot more affordable and practical for most fans. Again, no reason not to!

They could make a killing selling jerseys. NIL money for players, revenue for the university, free advertising when people wear them around.

@Captain Kangaroo I'm very curious to see what the Tommy Evans renovations turn out like. I forgot to grab a pic while at soccer on Wednesday, but the rounded front glass windows are gone and it looks a little more 21st century as a solid block shape, in addition to the LED lights. A cash bar with draft beer would be fantastic.

I agree. Unfortunately, it isn’t about the die hards and this stuff has a lot of influence on why people hate that place and are embarrassed by it.

I wish he would have spent more time explaining the plan. A very basic rendering was shown and that was pretty much it. Currently, outside of football needing to get going (process is underway and out of his hands), making the JAR a decent facility and an attractive place to watch a game is Guthrie's priority, or at least it should be. And will he even be around here long enough to make it happen or see it through? I'm skeptical.

Cool event! Good food. BBQ meatballs, spanikopita (Greek spinach/feta pies), shrimp, charcuterie, cash bar. Nice to mingle with all the athletes and coaches. Groce and Jackson seem like they love coaching their teams, lots of returners for both. Melissa said they had 20 and 29 assists in scrimmages, emerging from a few years of Dawson carrying the team. Groce emphasized they are not defending the title, they are attacking. And it’s imperative that the team realizes they ain’t won s*** A cool event I hope becomes a tradition! It definitely got me pumped up for the season a bit more.

Whatever it is, I'm sure they'll be 🔥 UA dining services puts out really good stuff

So bad. Fortunately for UA, I think it's bad enough that some of the worse coaches (a lot of them stink) will be sticking around longer so the uphill climb won't be as bad. Back in the 2009-2015ish era, the MAC was very top heavy and only 2-3 schools per year were going to compete for a title. Not anymore. Ball State's head coach at the time, Pete Lembo, left head coaching altogether despite being really good at BSU. He just couldn't get over the NIU hump. Those BSU teams would win the MAC going away this year.

BG’s coach is a joke and they’re 4-1! Their point differential in MAC play is -4. Amazing.

I'm real happy for our buddies over at Over The Pylon (Ball State board). That was a beautiful way for Kent's home win streak to end. It was a little bittersweet, though, because UA really should have beat them last week. If we had a little better QB, we would have. Akron is a couple of touchdowns away from being 3-2 in MAC play, and Kent is a couple of touchdowns from being 1-8 and 0-5 in MAC play. What a fun/terrible league this is.

Down goes Kent. Home win streak over. To a below average Ball State team. Zips are closer than you think.

Trimble is at Missouri State Bandaogo is at Utah Valley Kalle is at Evansville

This week's advanced box score tells the story very well once again: https://collegefootballdata.com/boxscore/401416631 I wouldn't call Akron's out-gaining of Miami completely meaningless or shallow, though it is certainly not a moral victory. It is important to realize that Akron plays a successful offensive system, with a QB that can be successful in that system by using his arm and his legs. Okay, so the QB and passing game is successful. That leaves RBs and run game, defensive front stopping the run, defensive front creating pass-rush, defensive backs stopping the run at the 2nd level, and defensive backs creating havoc in the pass game. It also leaves FG kicking, punting, and kickoff/coverage. So yes, those yards matter, but everything else does too, and this program has a long way to go. After letting the game stew in my head for the last couple of days, I am coming out of it more optimistic than I did on Saturday around 4:00p. While I do agree with coach that a step back was taken Saturday, I think it was pretty much bound to happen at some point. Sure enough, it came against a good team that has been disappointing for a lot of the year. The Doctor has ordered our last few struggling opponents a prescription for a game against Akron, and they took it as directed. I agree that the defense played well and has played better lately, it just isn't a good defense by any stretch. I have a hard time putting into words what I feel about this defense. It kind of reminds me of high school hockey. In the state playoffs in Ohio, the juggernaut hockey teams play the worst teams in the state in the first rounds of the tournament. Most of the games are 10-0 mercy rules, but a few of them go down to the wire or end in crazy upsets. How do they do it? They are completely overmatched, but they decide to focus all they have on playing defense and not allowing the opponent to score at all costs. Any goals the worse team scores would be lucky or thanks to a breakaway. They expend all of their energy just keeping the opponent in front of them, and laying out to stop goals at all costs. Does that analogy make sense at all? I don't know. But when I watch Akron play defense, I see a front 7 that is capable of stopping RBs at the line at best, if not allowing 4-5 yard chunks on a good day. I see a front 7 that can get a pair of lucky sacks on a blitz that isn't picked up every once in a while, or they make the QB scramble after looking downfield for 4-5 seconds. I see a pass defense that prays for bad throws, prays for bad/simple routes, and prays that receivers don't get behind them. What does that all mean? This defense doesn't make plays, at least not many. Teams can pretty much have their way as long as they execute. Akron has had much worse defenses in the last 5 years, no doubt. But this one lacks playmakers. We will struggle or be lucky to win games without playmaking on defense. They don't force turnovers. Most of the few turnovers we've seen this year were thanks to mistakes from the other team or luck. Off the top of my head, the 2 turnovers at Liberty and the first pick at MSU are the only forced turnovers of the year. Morton had a shot against CMU, but the stripped ball went OB. Slim pickins. With that said, schematically, I don't have too big a problem with the defense. They just need better players, and hopefully the recruits & portal can make this an average MAC unit in 2023. As for the offense, I still have faith that they can somehow take one of these last 3 games. Worse teams with worse coaches (see 2021 Akron Zips) have done it, I'm hoping these guys can. One win would feel like 10 at this point. I am not great at analyzing offensive line play, but from what I saw Saturday, I must say I am in love with Kamarii Landers. That's not to say he's perfect, and he may have not have had a great game, but Akron hasn't had a true freshman offensive lineman look that good in a very long time. I wish we could fast forward to 2024 to see the other freshman join him along with a JoeMo QB in the backfield, a Sr. Alex Adams, etc. Speaking of Adams, on that first drive he definitely should have caught that ball over the top. It was a tough play, but he beat his man and DJ put it on the money. Maybe he lost it in the sun, I don't know. But that could have made the game quite a bit different. Also, the George fumble on the big catch is just icing on the Growing Pains cake. Just sucks, as one of the best plays of the day became one of the worst. Special teams are a mess. Gettman is an okay punter, he's not quite as reliable as I would like. The Miami punter was straight $ and hammered that thing downfield. I also don't understand the inability to keep the kick inbounds or kick it out of the end zone. After the last 4 years, it feels good to be disappointed and upset after an 18-point blowout. Last year, Akron lost home MAC games by 17, 35, and 38, including a road loss by 35, and you can throw in the ass-kicking at the hands of a bad Temple team at home. So Saturday pretty much continued to follow that silly Bowden mold. In year one, Akron has lost close in most games against similar competition level, with 18 being the big-loss outlier. I am still as hopeful as ever for the future, but I have pretty much come to grips with this team simply not being ready to win. They are fairly consistent, just not consistently good enough. We can still play spoiler a little bit here, and perhaps pick up a historic for the program win at NIU to close out the year. I'm disappointed with the make-up of the WIN/LOSS column, as it's been tough to have sad beers after all these games, despite many of them being close. I want at least one happy post-game beer before the end of the year. Just one! But my excitement level in Joe and the future of this program is as high as it has ever been. It's just about time to see what a full offseason and recruiting season with this staff in place can do, and that is without a doubt very exciting. Go Zips!