I am encouraged

[zipboy]

Seemed like multiple post game threads so I thought that I would add one more.1. Jacq made 2 big mistakes. One was the fumble and 2 was the crazy pitchout that our RB covered. Someone made a good point after the Syracuse game, quick reads, release the ball. He is pretty good looking for the primary or secondary guy. After that it if is not there, he should live for the next play. On the fumble, he was trying to make something happen. Frye and Getsy were the masters at improv, Jacq is not. With this offense, a defense may guess right one or two plays in a row but probably not 3 times. What was encouraging about yesterday is that the only was the Zips offense was stopped was to stop themselves. If everyone just plays within themself, they will score 30+ the rest of the season.2. Good to see Alex Allen back on the field on crutches. When I saw the stretcher, my 1st thought was is he not moving. He became one of my favorite Zips 2 years ago hobbling on crutches cheering Andre Walker on a TD run. Also, Kennedy is running as well as he did 2 years ago. There is a drop off with Allen in the game, but DK has played well. If Alex is out for an extended time period, we need Torrence We need 3 good backs for the season.3. Defense was better than I thought. I was hoping for 2 punts going into the game. Pendleton made a difference against the run. His pass rush is weak and conditioning wise he is only good for about 20 plays but he can plug the middle. I also liked Aaron Williams a lot, he flies to the ball.4. Ray Siler and Kevin Grant splitting reps fairly evenly (pass vs rush downs). 5. Secondary did better than I expected. B Williams was all over the field. BSU did not get many yards after the catch, the coverage for the most part was solid. I only remember 2 guys getting behind our secondary. 6. Special teams looked good. 7. I had a good vibe watching the sideline, no pouting, people looked like they knew what they were doing.7. We win next week, we lose to Cincy and Akron is 2-3 heading into Can't and the heart of MAC play. At that point we get a couple of guys back on the line, and I like our chances over the final 7 games. 7-5 still looks very reasonable to me.

[zipboy]

I should review my posts before clicking ok.3 mistakes by Jacq - the INT on the 3rd and 7 where he underthrew Bruce. Still not a horrible play, he underthrew the ball but we would have only gotten another 15 yards with a punt anyway. 2nd point, I meant to say there is a drop off when Allen is not in the game.

[johnnyzip84]

I agree, zipboy. I just hope we can correct these mistakes against Army this week.

[Captain Kangaroo]

Always great to read a Zipboy overview!My overview...and I have 10 minutes to type so forgive the errors...The low attendance was to be expected. What a freaking miserable morning/early afternoon. At least it was warm. If you expected more fans...based upon the torrential downpours and the mass of orange and red on the radar, well... you just aren't realistic (how's that for being politically correct?).This Davis is good, he'll play in the NFL, and he and Love are a great combo...but I'd take his brother Jose' w/Eugene Baker any day. Jacq's performance brought back memories of his bad decision-making of 2007. But, only sporadically. He had to play a near-perfect game to outscore Davis & Co. and he didn't do it. But the drops and tipped INT's were as much the WR's fault as they were his. The passes were typically errant...a little high, a little behind...but the WR's still had their hands on the ball. Bruce, Miller, Poindexter...the all dropped very important balls that could have put points on the board and sustained drives.Ball State was a lot like us...good offense and poor defense. The difference was -- They took advantage of mistakes and had playmakers. The Zips never had someone step up and make a big, game changing play on either side of the ball. At lease positive, game-changing plays.Ball State circa 2007 is where we are now. They have a swagger, experience and confidence that comes from having a bowl team in 2007. If we can somehow get a manageable semblance of a defense this year, a bowl remains a distinct possibility. Can Fleming do that? Because I'm a fan, I'll remain hopeful. BTW - I overheard that Bain is done for 2008. Unofficial, but from a pretty reliable source.If Alex Allen plays this week @ Army, I give him my "Paul Pierce Award."Please tell me this is the last I've seen of Branko Rogovic.Stec was terrible. In a game where we really needed to pin BSU deep...and had ample opportunities...he was shanking balls and kickin 'em into the endzone. We really wasted some great kickoff returns.Bowser continues to shine. Man, he has some hands.If I'm Army...and the Zips are at my 20 yard line, I'm watching Andre Jones in the right corner of the endzone. And sending a safety to help my CB. That's 2 games in a row Jacq has put that one on the money. Pretty play.The OL did a really nice job again.Teams rarely stay the same during a season. They either get better or regress. I think this Zips team has a ton of upside. And I agree with Zipboy that the body language on the sidelines is worlds better than the past few years. It is very positive. This sounds like a stupid point, but in the past few years you really wondered if half the team cared whether it won or lost.Can we try a few of our reserve OL's at DL?I hope Gary Pride gets some snaps this week. If Alex is out, he should.I predict Bruce gets a 50+ yard TD reception this week.I'll be at West Point. Not the market, the city.

[Buckzip]

Always great to read a Zipboy overview!My overview...and I have 10 minutes to type so forgive the errors...The low attendance was to be expected. What a freaking miserable morning/early afternoon. At least it was warm. If you expected more fans...based upon the torrential downpours and the mass of orange and red on the radar, well... you just aren't realistic (how's that for being politically correct?).This Davis is good, he'll play in the NFL, and he and Love are a great combo...but I'd take his brother Jose' w/Eugene Baker any day. Jacq's performance brought back memories of his bad decision-making of 2007. But, only sporadically. He had to play a near-perfect game to outscore Davis & Co. and he didn't do it. But the drops and tipped INT's were as much the WR's fault as they were his. The passes were typically errant...a little high, a little behind...but the WR's still had their hands on the ball. Bruce, Miller, Poindexter...the all dropped very important balls that could have put points on the board and sustained drives.Ball State was a lot like us...good offense and poor defense. The difference was -- They took advantage of mistakes and had playmakers. The Zips never had someone step up and make a big, game changing play on either side of the ball. At lease positive, game-changing plays.Ball State circa 2007 is where we are now. They have a swagger, experience and confidence that comes from having a bowl team in 2007. If we can somehow get a manageable semblance of a defense this year, a bowl remains a distinct possibility. Can Fleming do that? Because I'm a fan, I'll remain hopeful. BTW - I overheard that Bain is done for 2008. Unofficial, but from a pretty reliable source.If Alex Allen plays this week @ Army, I give him my "Paul Pierce Award."Please tell me this is the last I've seen of Branko Rogovic.Stec was terrible. In a game where we really needed to pin BSU deep...and had ample opportunities...he was shanking balls and kickin 'em into the endzone. We really wasted some great kickoff returns.Bowser continues to shine. Man, he has some hands.If I'm Army...and the Zips are at my 20 yard line, I'm watching Andre Jones in the right corner of the endzone. And sending a safety to help my CB. That's 2 games in a row Jacq has put that one on the money. Pretty play.The OL did a really nice job again.Teams rarely stay the same during a season. They either get better or regress. I think this Zips team has a ton of upside. And I agree with Zipboy that the body language on the sidelines is worlds better than the past few years. It is very positive. This sounds like a stupid point, but in the past few years you really wondered if half the team cared whether it won or lost.Can we try a few of our reserve OL's at DL?I hope Gary Pride gets some snaps this week. If Alex is out, he should.I predict Bruce gets a 50+ yard TD reception this week.I'll be at West Point. Not the market, the city.

Any news on when Bain will return? We haven't heard anything for a while.

[Captain Kangaroo]

Any news on when Bain will return? We haven't heard anything for a while.

From above:

BTW - I overheard that Bain is done for 2008. Unofficial, but from a pretty reliable source.

[johnnyzip84]

Any news on when Bain will return? We haven't heard anything for a while.

From above:

BTW - I overheard that Bain is done for 2008. Unofficial, but from a pretty reliable source.

What about Cowles Stewart? Done for the year? Also, is Harvey's broken hand something that he might be able to play with? One thing is for sure. If Pendleton WAS in Fleming's doghouse, he now has a royal opportunity to make a rapid ascension from the doghouse to the penthouse and I sure hope he takes full advantage of it. I have no idea what the issues have been, but on the field I think this guy can make some plays.New Hypothesis: The 3-3-5 causes injuries to the nose tackle?

[UA1987]

Any news on when Bain will return? We haven't heard anything for a while.

From above:

BTW - I overheard that Bain is done for 2008. Unofficial, but from a pretty reliable source.

What about Cowles Stewart? Done for the year? Also, is Harvey's broken hand something that he might be able to play with? One thing is for sure. If Pendleton WAS in Fleming's doghouse, he now has a royal opportunity to make a rapid ascension from the doghouse to the penthouse and I sure hope he takes full advantage of it. I have no idea what the issues have been, but on the field I think this guy can make some plays.New Hypothesis: The 3-3-5 causes injuries to the nose tackle?

I believe I heard on the pre-game show, on Saturday, that Stewart is out for the season.

[Captain Kangaroo]

One thing I forgot to mention -- I saw that K.e.n.t. had to resort to fake FG's to beat lower 1-AA Delaware State. That's terrible. Lee Owens used to pull the same stunts, but only after we were up 41-14. He didn't need to do it to win the game.

[RACER]

c/k you brought up something that i totally missed.you are right that the punting game was not very good.if we get 20-30 yard punt sthe zips might as well go for it on 4th down if we are inside the opponets 40.i hope this is not true that bain is out for the year. lively does not return soon,and bain is out we will be lucky to finish 6-6.i am not blaming anybody,but or defense cannot stop anyone.maybe jd can move somebody over from the ol to dl.what is going to happen if pendelton gets hurt? the offense is going to be able to run the ball to keep the defense off the field.the zips need a win and army is a team we should beat.what scares me is if army controls the ball running,and the zips offense does not get alott of opportunites.

[gozips19]

from the gozips.com press conferenceHow many players are you down on the defensive line?We are very thin on the line right now and we lost our fourth nose guard during pre game on Saturday. Currently we are down Eric Lively, Ryan Bain, Deni Odofin, Cowles Stewart, James Harvey, and Hasan Hazime. We are expecting to see some of them back this weekend.wish we knew who??????

[Buckzip]

from the gozips.com press conferenceHow many players are you down on the defensive line?We are very thin on the line right now and we lost our fourth nose guard during pre game on Saturday. Currently we are down Eric Lively, Ryan Bain, Deni Odofin, Cowles Stewart, James Harvey, and Hasan Hazime. We are expecting to see some of them back this weekend.wish we knew who??????

No doubt. Maybe JD wants to surprise Army...

[ctmjbowes@sbcglobal.net]

from the gozips.com press conferenceHow many players are you down on the defensive line?We are very thin on the line right now and we lost our fourth nose guard during pre game on Saturday. Currently we are down Eric Lively, Ryan Bain, Deni Odofin, Cowles Stewart, James Harvey, and Hasan Hazime. We are expecting to see some of them back this weekend.wish we knew who??????

No doubt. Maybe JD wants to surprise Army...

Like I noted in an earlier post (must have been WAY back, maybe like post 6, can't remember that far back very well) There was a dude cheerleader on the sidelines this week who, I swear to God, looked to be as big as some of our linemen. With the hemorrhaging on the D-line, it's time to suit him up, put that footwork to use.GO ZIPS.SeeTeeZip

[HELLOZIPS]

c/k you brought up something that i totally missed.you are right that the punting game was not very good.if we get 20-30 yard punt sthe zips might as well go for it on 4th down if we are inside the opponets 40.i hope this is not true that bain is out for the year. lively does not return soon,and bain is out we will be lucky to finish 6-6.i am not blaming anybody,but or defense cannot stop anyone.maybe jd can move somebody over from the ol to dl.what is going to happen if pendelton gets hurt? the offense is going to be able to run the ball to keep the defense off the field.the zips need a win and army is a team we should beat.what scares me is if army controls the ball running,and the zips offense does not get alott of opportunites.

Rumor has it that Pendelton is already playing hurt. That's probably why he's only good for 20-30 plays. If he gets playing time this week, just watch how he walks off the field. The kid is playing in pain. We do need Bain and/or Lively to heal fast. However, the previous post stated that Bain is done for 2008. I wonder what the problem is with him. Why the coaches aren't being honest and upfront about the injuries?

[johnnyzip84]

from the gozips.com press conferenceHow many players are you down on the defensive line?We are very thin on the line right now and we lost our fourth nose guard during pre game on Saturday. Currently we are down Eric Lively, Ryan Bain, Deni Odofin, Cowles Stewart, James Harvey, and Hasan Hazime. We are expecting to see some of them back this weekend.wish we knew who??????

No doubt. Maybe JD wants to surprise Army...

Like I noted in an earlier post (must have been WAY back, maybe like post 6, can't remember that far back very well) There was a dude cheerleader on the sidelines this week who, I swear to God, looked to be as big as some of our linemen. With the hemorrhaging on the D-line, it's time to suit him up, put that footwork to use.GO ZIPS.SeeTeeZip

Why not? He (the converted cheerleader) would have about as much chance to play as Marquinn Davis

[UA1987]

from the gozips.com press conferenceHow many players are you down on the defensive line?We are very thin on the line right now and we lost our fourth nose guard during pre game on Saturday. Currently we are down Eric Lively, Ryan Bain, Deni Odofin, Cowles Stewart, James Harvey, and Hasan Hazime. We are expecting to see some of them back this weekend.wish we knew who??????

No doubt. Maybe JD wants to surprise Army...

Like I noted in an earlier post (must have been WAY back, maybe like post 6, can't remember that far back very well) There was a dude cheerleader on the sidelines this week who, I swear to God, looked to be as big as some of our linemen. With the hemorrhaging on the D-line, it's time to suit him up, put that footwork to use.GO ZIPS.SeeTeeZip

Why not? He (the converted cheerleader) would have about as much chance to play as Marquinn Davis

I never did hear what's going on with Marquinn Davis. Go-Zips.com indicates his grades are OK.

[johnnyzip84]

from the gozips.com press conferenceHow many players are you down on the defensive line?We are very thin on the line right now and we lost our fourth nose guard during pre game on Saturday. Currently we are down Eric Lively, Ryan Bain, Deni Odofin, Cowles Stewart, James Harvey, and Hasan Hazime. We are expecting to see some of them back this weekend.wish we knew who??????

No doubt. Maybe JD wants to surprise Army...

Like I noted in an earlier post (must have been WAY back, maybe like post 6, can't remember that far back very well) There was a dude cheerleader on the sidelines this week who, I swear to God, looked to be as big as some of our linemen. With the hemorrhaging on the D-line, it's time to suit him up, put that footwork to use.GO ZIPS.SeeTeeZip

Why not? He (the converted cheerleader) would have about as much chance to play as Marquinn Davis

I never did hear what's going on with Marquinn Davis. Go-Zips.com indicates his grades are OK.

I was always intrigued by his reported size, speed and athletic ability. I don't recall seeing him on the sidelines the last two games.

[ZippyRulz]

Like I noted in an earlier post (must have been WAY back, maybe like post 6, can't remember that far back very well) There was a dude cheerleader on the sidelines this week who, I swear to God, looked to be as big as some of our linemen. With the hemorrhaging on the D-line, it's time to suit him up, put that footwork to use.GO ZIPS.SeeTeeZip

I wouldn't count on it. Dude cheerleader is probably content to stay on the sidelines handling the female cheerleaders rather than being on the field gettin' physical with some big sweaty other-dudes.

[ctmjbowes@sbcglobal.net]

Like I noted in an earlier post (must have been WAY back, maybe like post 6, can't remember that far back very well) There was a dude cheerleader on the sidelines this week who, I swear to God, looked to be as big as some of our linemen. With the hemorrhaging on the D-line, it's time to suit him up, put that footwork to use.GO ZIPS.SeeTeeZip

I wouldn't count on it. Dude cheerleader is probably content to stay on the sidelines handling the female cheerleaders rather than being on the field gettin' physical with some big sweaty other-dudes.

Good point! Dude is probably playing it just right. GO ZIPS.SeeTeeZip

[johnnyzip84]

from the gozips.com press conferenceHow many players are you down on the defensive line?We are very thin on the line right now and we lost our fourth nose guard during pre game on Saturday. Currently we are down Eric Lively, Ryan Bain, Deni Odofin, Cowles Stewart, James Harvey, and Hasan Hazime. We are expecting to see some of them back this weekend.wish we knew who??????

The depth chart has been updated. It looks like I only see Hazime (from the list of the wounded) added this week on the two-deep (as a back-up to Rash at Tackle). Marcoux is listed as the starting NG with Pendleton as a backup. The DE spot has Sewell in his usual spot (sure wish we could clone him) with Lemon in reserve.Akron/Army Notes and Depth ChartBTW, as I was looking over the defense, there is one player who stands out to me so far this year that has been way too quiet. We NEED captain Doug Williams to step up and have a big game this week. Let's Go Zips!

[RACER]

the guys we need back are lively and bain.does anybody have inside info on when/if these guys will return.not to say we don't need the other guys back either.thos two guys were counted on to plug up the middle.if we can get by army we then have another week to get some dl guys back before cinnci.not that these next two are not important games,but we need to get as many guys healthy for the next mac game.starting 0-2 in the mac means we are pretty much out of it.if we take care of the football we should be able to beat army.i have not seen cinnci play to even make a guess how good they are.the one other thing this team has to do is to control the football with the running game.we need to keep the defenese off the field.if we cannot do that,or the d-lineman cannot come back it will be along season.

[brianwood@the2]

I am somewhat encouraged ... I spoke with some players & some people close with the program this evening .... here is what they said about some injured players:Bain - the players feel that he will be back by "conference play", the person who knows the program very well feels that he will be lucky to make it on the field this yearLively - consensus is that he will be back for the Cinncinatti game at the earliest, Can't St at the latestAlex Allen - is done for the year, broken hipFobbs - will be back soon, probably by the Cinci gameDevoe Torrence - is the real deal, JD would prefer to redshirt him but at this point he may take over AA's role as the "inside runner" If Jaq recognizes that opportunities present themselves to tuck it and run instead of forcing passes into coverage, Akron could become a very very solid offensive team

[Blue & Gold]

I am somewhat encouraged ... I spoke with some players & some people close with the program this evening .... here is what they said about some injured players:Bain - the players feel that he will be back by "conference play", the person who knows the program very well feels that he will be lucky to make it on the field this yearLively - consensus is that he will be back for the Cinncinatti game at the earliest, Can't St at the latestAlex Allen - is done for the year, broken hipFobbs - will be back soon, probably by the Cinci gameDevoe Torrence - is the real deal, JD would prefer to redshirt him but at this point he may take over AA's role as the "inside runner" If Jaq recognizes that opportunities present themselves to tuck it and run instead of forcing passes into coverage, Akron could become a very very solid offensive team

Alex Allen - ouch. I had thought that he HAD NOT broken his hip. So that's really bad news.Bain being out for the rest of the season? 300 pounds of ouch. Did he fracture a bone in his foot, or what? I believe the only info we can get is that he has a "foot injury." What's that mean? And is it college football's policy to keep the public in the dark concerning players' injuries because they're afraid it may effect a players' draft status? Otherwise, why all the secrecy?

[ctmjbowes@sbcglobal.net]

I am somewhat encouraged ... I spoke with some players & some people close with the program this evening .... here is what they said about some injured players:Bain - the players feel that he will be back by "conference play", the person who knows the program very well feels that he will be lucky to make it on the field this yearLively - consensus is that he will be back for the Cinncinatti game at the earliest, Can't St at the latestAlex Allen - is done for the year, broken hipFobbs - will be back soon, probably by the Cinci gameDevoe Torrence - is the real deal, JD would prefer to redshirt him but at this point he may take over AA's role as the "inside runner" If Jaq recognizes that opportunities present themselves to tuck it and run instead of forcing passes into coverage, Akron could become a very very solid offensive team

Alex Allen - ouch. I had thought that he HAD NOT broken his hip. So that's really bad news.Bain being out for the rest of the season? 300 pounds of ouch. Did he fracture a bone in his foot, or what? I believe the only info we can get is that he has a "foot injury." What's that mean? And is it college football's policy to keep the public in the dark concerning players' injuries because they're afraid it may effect a players' draft status? Otherwise, why all the secrecy?

Oh man, let's hope Bain isn't going to become a Zydrunas Ilgauskas. That's too much MAC domination to lose for this Zips D. Come on Bain, big man, get healthy and go kick some ass.GO ZIPPERSSeeTeeZips

[Captain Kangaroo]

I am somewhat encouraged ... I spoke with some players & some people close with the program this evening .... here is what they said about some injured players:Bain - the players feel that he will be back by "conference play", the person who knows the program very well feels that he will be lucky to make it on the field this yearLively - consensus is that he will be back for the Cinncinatti game at the earliest, Can't St at the latestAlex Allen - is done for the year, broken hipFobbs - will be back soon, probably by the Cinci gameDevoe Torrence - is the real deal, JD would prefer to redshirt him but at this point he may take over AA's role as the "inside runner" If Jaq recognizes that opportunities present themselves to tuck it and run instead of forcing passes into coverage, Akron could become a very very solid offensive team

Thanks!And you're right...3rd and 5 and the receivers are covered downfield, seems like Jacq defaults to risky/bad passes rather than running up the wide-open middle and moving the chains. Hope he continues to learn and improve.