CINCY

[Lee Adams]

if you're going to get cincy, and have a chance this may be the week...playing another MAC opponent,on the road,before a Conference USA game,second string QB,man,here's a chance to beat a team thats actually good...they had little problem with mu however...cincy will play D first...they have seen that when CJ is pressured and has to move he is ineffective...they have seen the tapes of the ball state game...allegedly cincy is having some difficulty presuuring the passer so if the coaches can get CJ off early the ZIPS may hve a chance...unfortunately our D will have to stop the run against a bigger stronger O-line...if CJ can keep his wits about him under pressure and hang on to the ball so Johnson and Kennedy can run the ZIPS can keep it close...otherwise...supposed to be a nice day Saturday...

[zen]

:blink: erm... wow. yer all..... semi-optimistic....and stuff

[ZippyRulz]

we're 10 point home dogs & cinci has a good coach...I think they'll be ready. we need to pass well, catch well, punt & kick well and minimize the penalties to have a chance. zips 30-> <-cinci 27 in OT.

[johnnyzip84]

:blink: erm... wow. yer all..... semi-optimistic....and stuff

I was thinking the same thing . Lee, did you get into the kool-aid or something? That's a downright "rosy" prognostication for you Seriously, I think you have it just about right with your assessment. Cincy opens as a 10.5 point favorite, but I think the Zips have at least a "puncher's chance" in this one, but ONLY if JD and staff set the tone that they EXPECT to win this game. We all know that the Rubber Bowl can be the scene of some unexpected outcomes, and this has the feel of one of those to me. Injured or not, the defense is going to have to play a LOT of guys because of the Bearcat no-huddle and Kelly's willingness to "go for broke" given the opportunity. Jack needs to play solid and avoid the huge mistake. The WRs need to make plays and minimize the "dropsies". Finally, Stec and Igor are going to have to put in their finest games of the year to finish it off. It could make for some serious drama, and I can't wait. Go Zips!!!

[Captain Kangaroo]

From another thread, but I stand by it:And against Army, you can "manage the game" and win. Against Cincinnati, if Jacq "manages the game," we'll lose. He needs to make plays. Otherwise, it is Ball State Part 2.The big plays are there to be made. Jones and Bowser will be open. Jacq can't miss. If Jacq is a step slow, you'll see a lot of tipped INT's. He is also at his worst when scrambling. The OL needs to continue it's solid play. Once Jacq is flushed from the pocket, INT's and fumbles are inevitable.When we played at Cinci 2 years ago Getsy had two 1st quarter TD strikes to Harvey...then I don't think we gained a combined 25 yards for the next 3 quarters! The staff needs to figure out a way to move the ball for 4 complete quarters.The defense needs to improve from it's bend-but-don't break scheme, to one that starts wreaking a little havoc. We need turnovers. The defensive staff now has 4 game tapes to review and see who can make plays. They need to play the best guys. Not the oldest.

[skip-zip]

I'll add to this....Yes, it is supposed to be a great day, so attendance will be higher, and the tailgating will be a lot more fun this week. It's obvious we need to do a lot of things well to win this game, but here are the keys....1) We have not been finishing opportunities to score. We need to take advantage of a high percentage of those opportunities on Saturday.2) I'd like to see more of the offense that we ran in the "good" parts of the Wisconsin game. Shotgun with quick plays in multiple receiver sets. It will give Jac his best opportunity to be productive, and negate the heavy pressure that he is sure to see. Mixing in some of the draws off of that formation, like we did against Syracuse, will hopefully work if we can move the ball through the air. 3) I don't like relying on the "bend but don't break" defensive philosophy either. But, we'll have no choice but to play that way this week against such a potentially explosive offense. Let's just hope we can make some big plays defensively to end some of those drives.Remember this.....over my 30 years following Zips football, we seem to always play at least one inspired home game every year. Some of the more recent ones include the Can't and Central Michigan games last year, the Miami and BG games the year before, and the Northern Illinois game in 1995. Let's hope that THIS is one of the home games where we produce that kind of effort this year.

[Buckzip]

I'll add to this....Yes, it is supposed to be a great day, so attendance will be higher, and the tailgating will be a lot more fun this week. It's obvious we need to do a lot of things well to win this game, but here are the keys....1) We have not been finishing opportunities to score. We need to take advantage of a high percentage of those opportunities on Saturday.2) I'd like to see more of the offense that we ran in the "good" parts of the Wisconsin game. Shotgun with quick plays in multiple receiver sets. It will give Jac his best opportunity to be productive, and negate the heavy pressure that he is sure to see. Mixing in some of the draws off of that formation, like we did against Syracuse, will hopefully work if we can move the ball through the air. 3) I don't like relying on the "bend but don't break" defensive philosophy either. But, we'll have no choice but to play that way this week against such a potentially explosive offense. Let's just hope we can make some big plays defensively to end some of those drives.Remember this.....over my 30 years following Zips football, we seem to always play at least one inspired home game every year. Some of the more recent ones include the Can't and Central Michigan games last year, the Miami and BG games the year before, and the Northern Illinois game in 1995. Let's hope that THIS is one of the home games where we produce that kind of effort this year.

If the defense played the way it did last week, UA has an excellent chance. Of course we will need the Cincy offense to be as bad as the Army offense too. :blink:

[Blue & Gold]

When we played at Cinci 2 years ago Getsy had two 1st quarter TD strikes to Harvey...then I don't think we gained a combined 25 yards for the next 3 quarters! The staff needs to figure out a way to move the ball for 4 complete quarters.

If that happens again this year it will really demonstrate that Kelley is a much better coach than JD. Kelley (and his staff) made some very real and effective in-game adjustments 2 years ago while the Zips made, as far as we could all tell, absolutely none. IMO, in-game adjustments are one of the more important qualities of a good coach (and staff) & we've had some mild rumblings around ZipsNation about our lack of them.

[Blue & Gold]

The defense needs to improve from it's bend-but-don't break scheme, to one that starts wreaking a little havoc. We need turnovers. The defensive staff now has 4 game tapes to review and see who can make plays. They need to play the best guys. Not the oldest.

Agreed! I liked our 4 DL look against Army. IMHO the most disruptive thing a defense can do is put pressure on the QB - even if they don't get a sack all night, disrupting the QB's rhythm and the timing of both passing and running plays is vital. I watch the 3-3-5 and just see most of our players at least 3 yards off the line of scrimmage waiting for the RB to get to them. It very rarely produces tackles for loss.To give JD and his staff credit where credit is due, I thought the D played great against Army and I really appreciaed their flexibility to make the adjustment to the 4 down linemen!

[skip-zip]

Bringing in that 4th down lineman was only a formation adjustment to contain the QB in the option offense. We don't play another team like that all year, so you won't likely see it again. Like I try to remind people, in the 3-3-5 set, the flexibility is there to bring extra people up to the line of scrimmage. It all depends on what the defensive coaches call on any particular play.

[Captain Kangaroo]

Like I try to remind people, in the 3-3-5 set, the flexibility is there to bring extra people up to the line of scrimmage.

195 lb safetys and 215lb linebackers. Give me a 4th guy at 6'4", 260 any day. Especially against Cincinnati's OL.

[johnnyzip84]

Like I try to remind people, in the 3-3-5 set, the flexibility is there to bring extra people up to the line of scrimmage.

195 lb safetys and 215lb linebackers. Give me a 4th guy at 6'4", 260 any day. Especially against Cincinnati's OL.

Or 6'1", 220 LB (and THAT might be generous) if his name is Shawn Lemon and he keeps improving week to week like he has lately

[zips4ever2008]

We should have beaten Cinci two years ago at their place. We had that game and then we just folded in the second half. We should beat them this time. I haven't seen much of Cinci this year so I don't know how they look. I know they have a new QB. Our team needs to come out firing and play like that the entire game. Looks like the weather will be good so people should come out. They better. Zips' fans better wear blue and gold. I'm sick of seeing Suckeye colors. At the gates if people are wearing those colors, they should be given a shirt with Akron colors.

[BIXBOX]

When we played at Cinci 2 years ago Getsy had two 1st quarter TD strikes to Harvey...then I don't think we gained a combined 25 yards for the next 3 quarters! The staff needs to figure out a way to move the ball for 4 complete quarters.

If that happens again this year it will really demonstrate that Kelley is a much better coach than JD. Kelley (and his staff) made some very real and effective in-game adjustments 2 years ago while the Zips made, as far as we could all tell, absolutely none. IMO, in-game adjustments are one of the more important qualities of a good coach (and staff) & we've had some mild rumblings around ZipsNation about our lack of them.

Actually, Mark Dantonio was still in Cincy for the 2006 game. He was an excellent defensive coach and had very capable assistants who were able to make the necessary in game changes for that squad to have a successful season. Last year, Coach Kelly brought the spread offense to Cincy to go along with several veteran defenders that remained from the Dantonio regime. UC will play mostly 4 man fronts on "D" and sprinkle in some 3-4. DB's, LB's and most of the D-line are veterans. D end has been an area of concern for the Bearcats this season, as the consistent pass rush that we have been so accustomed to in previous years has not yet materialized. This of course puts pressure on the DB's and it doesn't matter how good they are, they can only cover a receiver for so long. Offensively the Bearcats have very capable WR's with great speed and an excellent possession receiver in Goodman who, while not the fastest guy in the world, can be elusive once making a catch. RB's are 200+ lber's with very good speed. QB Pike, who started his first game ever at QB against Miami, is a 6' 6" 220 lb guy who showed tremendous poise in the pocket Saturday night and can stretch the field. I very much look forward to the trip up to Akron and to what I think will be a very entertaining football game.

[ZachTheZip]

I'm pretty sure they pass more than they run on offense, even with the backup QB. I don't think our offense will have too much trouble, assuming we don't have tons of turnovers like against Ball State. We have more of a shot than anybody is giving us credit for. This would be the biggest home win ever, and what's great is that I am actually optimistic about pulling it off.

[johnnyzip84]

When we played at Cinci 2 years ago Getsy had two 1st quarter TD strikes to Harvey...then I don't think we gained a combined 25 yards for the next 3 quarters! The staff needs to figure out a way to move the ball for 4 complete quarters.

If that happens again this year it will really demonstrate that Kelley is a much better coach than JD. Kelley (and his staff) made some very real and effective in-game adjustments 2 years ago while the Zips made, as far as we could all tell, absolutely none. IMO, in-game adjustments are one of the more important qualities of a good coach (and staff) & we've had some mild rumblings around ZipsNation about our lack of them.

Actually, Mark Dantonio was still in Cincy for the 2006 game. He was an excellent defensive coach and had very capable assistants who were able to make the necessary in game changes for that squad to have a successful season. Last year, Coach Kelly brought the spread offense to Cincy to go along with several veteran defenders that remained from the Dantonio regime. UC will play mostly 4 man fronts on "D" and sprinkle in some 3-4. DB's, LB's and most of the D-line are veterans. D end has been an area of concern for the Bearcats this season, as the consistent pass rush that we have been so accustomed to in previous years has not yet materialized. This of course puts pressure on the DB's and it doesn't matter how good they are, they can only cover a receiver for so long. Offensively the Bearcats have very capable WR's with great speed and an excellent possession receiver in Goodman who, while not the fastest guy in the world, can be elusive once making a catch. RB's are 200+ lber's with very good speed. QB Pike, who started his first game ever at QB against Miami, is a 6' 6" 220 lb guy who showed tremendous poise in the pocket Saturday night and can stretch the field. I very much look forward to the trip up to Akron and to what I think will be a very entertaining football game.

Welcome BIXBOX. I am curious as to how many fellow Bearcat fans you estimate might follow you to the Rubber Bowl this week? Also, I read somewhere that Kelly has experimented with Demetrious Jones under center running the more "run oriented" aspects of the spread. Do you think there is a chance Jones will see any "real" action (non garbage time) on Saturday?

[BIXBOX]

Thanks JohnnyZip. As far as Jones is concerned, I doubt very seriously if he'll see any "real" playing time Saturday. Coach Kelly seems to be committed to Pike as his #1, and with Pike's limited experience under center, I am fairly sure he will be at the helm for the duration in preparation for Big East play here in a couple of weeks. Jones has been recovering from shoulder surgery and does not yet have command of the offense, at least not enough for Kelly to feel comfortable. However, he is an excellent athlete who can make the most out of a busted play as he demonstrated in the spring game. I feel if Pike would have struggled last week against Miami than Jones would be getting a lot of reps in practice this week, but, since Pike was 20-24 for 240 with three TD's, he has earned the starting job.I think UC will travel well. I will refrain from throwing out an estimate until I can check and try to get a realistic number for you here in the coming days.

[jstoudemire]

I'm pretty sure they pass more than they run on offense, even with the backup QB. I don't think our offense will have too much trouble, assuming we don't have tons of turnovers like against Ball State. We have more of a shot than anybody is giving us credit for. This would be the biggest home win ever, and what's great is that I am actually optimistic about pulling it off.

Round trip ticket to Akron: $400, Getting time off of work to go to Akron: $200.......Sitting on a 7 hour plane flight to come see Akron pull of one of the biggest wins in current history...PRICELESSSee u @ da Game.

[johnnyzip84]

I'm pretty sure they pass more than they run on offense, even with the backup QB. I don't think our offense will have too much trouble, assuming we don't have tons of turnovers like against Ball State. We have more of a shot than anybody is giving us credit for. This would be the biggest home win ever, and what's great is that I am actually optimistic about pulling it off.

Round trip ticket to Akron: $400, Getting time off of work to go to Akron: $200.......Sitting on a 7 hour plane flight to come see Akron pull of one of the biggest wins in current history...PRICELESSSee u @ da Game.

Will look for you jstoudemire! Make sure you are wearing a ZIP hat And do a few push-ups on the way here just in case

[subflea]

Jones has not seen the field yet this year. If UC can get out to a big lead I could see either him or redshirt FR Chazz Anderson getting some mop up duty just to get them a little game experience.

[Lee Adams]

I'll add to this....Yes, it is supposed to be a great day, so attendance will be higher, and the tailgating will be a lot more fun this week. It's obvious we need to do a lot of things well to win this game, but here are the keys....1) We have not been finishing opportunities to score. We need to take advantage of a high percentage of those opportunities on Saturday.2) I'd like to see more of the offense that we ran in the "good" parts of the Wisconsin game. Shotgun with quick plays in multiple receiver sets. It will give Jac his best opportunity to be productive, and negate the heavy pressure that he is sure to see. Mixing in some of the draws off of that formation, like we did against Syracuse, will hopefully work if we can move the ball through the air. 3) I don't like relying on the "bend but don't break" defensive philosophy either. But, we'll have no choice but to play that way this week against such a potentially explosive offense. Let's just hope we can make some big plays defensively to end some of those drives.Remember this.....over my 30 years following Zips football, we seem to always play at least one inspired home game every year. Some of the more recent ones include the Can't and Central Michigan games last year, the Miami and BG games the year before, and the Northern Illinois game in 1995. Let's hope that THIS is one of the home games where we produce that kind of effort this year.

If the defense played the way it did last week, UA has an excellent chance. Of course we will need the Cincy offense to be as bad as the Army offense too. :blink: well put

[Lee Adams]

:blink: erm... wow. yer all..... semi-optimistic....and stuff

look i got like this in '06 too...so don't get carried away... actually this is CJ's opportunity to 'take over'...to become a leader...frankly...i don't see him being a CHARLEY type emotionally...but this team is begging for a leader on the field especially on offense...if CJ was EVER going to do it this is his opp...somebody send this thread to him before saturday...BUT...the D still stinks...can i sneak a pint into the Bowl? i'll be there!

[ctmjbowes@sbcglobal.net]

In a very brief checking of Cincinnati forums, it appears that many of their fans are looking for a killing at the Rubber Bowl this weekend. Here's hoping we can send them home with happy and positive memories of their warm Akron welcome, PLUS a miserable and crushing loss on the field! :wave: :wave: GO ZIPS!SeeTeeZip

[3rd&twenty]

...can i sneak a pint into the Bowl?

get a beer bellyhttp://www.thebeerbelly.com/Or go out at halftime.

[Lee Adams]

...can i sneak a pint into the Bowl?

get a beer bellyhttp://www.thebeerbelly.com/Or go out at halftime. the sports bra with the pouches was neat too...have to be careful where we go with that one though...