No Head Hanging Here

[ctmjbowes@sbcglobal.net]

Was at the game yesterday. Great weather, decent crowd, incredibly exciting game. The hitting was tremendous, as evidenced (unfortunately) by four players being ambulanced/carted off of the field. Of course there were mistakes, the Big East officials were making questionable calls all afternoon, but for crying out loud this was supposed to be a game where the Bearcats came in and blew up the Zips. Instead, the Zips D was blowing up plays all afternoon, Lemon and Grant were all over the field, the offense was able to move the ball. Right to the end of the game, I sat there thinking that this was real, legitimate, major college football. This Zips team has been woefully underrated this year, and perhaps the Bearcats are overrated. Was I ppisssed at the bad calls? Was I angry at some of the kicking gaffes, the funky play calling a couple of times? Did I want to throw my bottle on the field at the refs a few times? Hell yes I did. However, even with the let down that ended the game, as I walked to my car I felt good about these Zips. This is a hard-hitting, fighting, tough scrabble team here in town, and they should (please, please) get better. If we can crush Hippy Tech next week, we'll be about as positive a 3-3 as many of us would have hoped for going into the season.Based on the HUGE questions going into the season, and most of the predictions that I saw, this team is overperforming and looks to be a MAC team on the rise. GO ZIPS!SeeTeeZip

[ZippyRulz]

The team is supposed to play hard...they're being paid thousands of dollars to. No extra credit for that. Because Cinci thought they were going to dominate us at home we're supposed to be happy to just stay close? They were not that impressive and gave us opportunities to win or at least go into OT, including a couple of turnovers. Make the PAT. I guess it only really matters in the end whether Mack was impressed or not. I think JD should be re-interviewed for his job at the end of his contract along with a host of new candidates. The new stadium on campus will draw a new level of coaching talent and interest.

[GP1]

I think JD should be re-interviewed for his job at the end of his contract along with a host of new candidates. The new stadium on campus will draw a new level of coaching talent and interest.

SeeTeeZip, good post.Reinterviewing JD for his job is silly. If an employee needs to reinterview for a job, the employee needs to be terminated.The new stadium will draw a new level of coaching talent and interest? From whom and why? If JD is let go, all we have the ability to do is bring another JD in to coach. A coach is better off being a coordinator at a major BCS school than coach of a MAC school. It pays better and the exposure is better...Hell, the ESPN crew can't even figure out who our coach is on the sideline.When I look at the schedule, I still see five wins. I think we could win six, but five is still the best bet. I didn't see the game yesterday, but it seems as if we still have the 20+ year curse of "lose at all cost" mentality. When I saw we had 15 points, I immediately thought, "high school score, what went wrong?". I said this last week and I'll say it again, there are schools out there that when they score a TD it means 7 points. When Akron scores a TD, it means 6 points and MAYBE 7. Of course the team is deflated when they don't convert the EP after seeing it happen so many times. It places the team a horrible situation where they have to chase that point all day. The players work their asses off to get a TD and then they blow what should be the easiest play in football. For those of you focusing on red zone offense, an EP is in the red zone and two freaking weeks in a row now, we can't convert on the easiest play in football. That alone placed the Zips in a positon where they were scrambling for points late and not converting on a 2 pt conversion which is deflating after scoring a TD. It kept the Zips from going in to OT.Big East officials..... this is the most corrupt group of officials in college football. They routinely punish any team in their own conference who is playing well againt a Top 20 Big East team. What happened to the Zips yesterday should be no surprise. It is in fact par for the course.Have a good day everyone.

[RACER]

you can't blame the officals.we blew plenty of chances to win the game.the big penalty was the personal foul on the last punt.we would have been in great postion.the missed extra point was big also; since we had to go for two.if we make the extra point we could have tied the game with the next one.

[UA1987]

While it is disappointing that we played even with Cinci, and lost, it was a great game. I think Lively made a difference on 'D'. As a fellow senior with Grant, these two seemed to inspire each other. The play of Lemon and Sewell was also exceptional.The offense to a man played their hearts out as far as I could see. Special teams were not so special. I sat close to the Cinci fans to get a feel for what they thought. They were very cocky talking of a blow-out and doing their OHHHHHHHHHH, OHHHHHHHHH, UC chant. but were very quiet whenever Akron took the lead. I would like to see this series extended, but I'm not sure UC fans or coaches are up for it. We stood up and socked them in their jaw. Akron played hard and executed well, for the most part. Despite the loss, we took a step forward.Now on to Can't. We need to play there better than we did two year's ago. Keep the Wheel. Fear the Roo is alive. Go Zips.

[Captain Kangaroo]

Seems like there are two threads ongoing...one "Akron Sucks" and one "Great Effort." I'll place mine under "Great Effort."Here's my weekly objective-as-possible, "16 Thoughts on the Gameday" --Inside the 5 yard line:1.) The missed extra point wasn't Igor's fault. There was a jailbreak up the middle due to a gaping hole in our OL the likes of which hasn't been seen since Moses. 2.) Prior to our TD to Bowser, we had a 12 man in the huddle penalty??!! When we were on the 1 yard line?!! 3.) Poindexter plows into the UC punter in the back of the endzone??!! He's a Team Captain, right?4.) We had a 4th and 1 on the 5 yard line, and come away with zero points? 5.) Did running the QB up the middle when we went for the 2pt conversion make any sense? Jacq can get 1 yard up the middle. But 2 1/2 yards, with his slow feet, it ain't gonna happen.Once we get inside the 5 yard line, we turn into Larry, Moe and Curly. Whether it is special teams or offense, we show little or no poise.6.) As Z.I.P. stated, Jacq is a solid passer...up to, MAYBE, 20 yards. After that, he's really random. WHY OH WHY, on 4th and 1 and 3rd and 1 do you make Jacq throw the ball 30 yards downfield??!! Such a play has a 1-in-8 chance of succeeding. At best. Plunge Jacq up the middle and you have a 4-out-of-5 chance for success.7.) After the bogus grounding call, the interception by Jacq was tragically comical. All that was missing was a slide whistle sound effect as the ball floated up, then down into the Cinci defender's hands. He had his chance to create a Frye-to-Montgomery Moment...and instead left us with UC student chants of "This is our house" and the ever-popular "Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey, good bye." Sucks to hear that in the Rubber Bowl.8.) Igor's missed field goal...officially becoming a trend...was crippling. I had a 1981 Chevy Citation. You never knew when you turned the key what would happen. Sometimes it would smoke...sometimes it would start...sometimes it would squeal. When JD sends Igor in, he has to feel the same uncertainty. I often wondered why Branko Rogovic was on our roster. Now I know.That was 8 bad things...now the 8 good things.9.) When Jacq isn't tossing his rally-killing 30+ yard bombs, he's a very efficient QB. Overall, I thought he played a very nice game.10.) The defensive performance was as good as I've seen against a major opponent since we beat Marshall 34-20 several years ago. Pass rush was good, LB's were flying around and DB's were in position to make plays. We forced numerous punts. My hat is off to them.11.) Take away Zach Anderson's two personal fouls and the OL played OUTSTANDING! AGAIN. We've played some excellent competition to-date, and the OL had performed admirably in every game.12.) Nice crowd. Great tailgate lot atmosphere. 13.) Poindexter caught a very difficult pass. I guess that was a positive.14.) Bowser atoned for his early drops with some nice plays. That TD catch was awesome.15.) Kevin Grant may have had his best game as a Zip.16.) UC's coach Kelly has a ridiculous recruiting advantage over JD. I'm sure his 2009 recruiting class will be ranked somewhere in the top 40 nationally. He's coming off a 10-win season and a high-visibility bowl game. He needed a late-game field goal to beat us. The Zips played the Bearcats even...but their kicker sacked-up, and ours folded. That was the difference after 60 minutes. As baffling as some of our short-yardage play-calling was...I saw the same calls coming in from the UC press box. The Zips were ready to play, and, overall, executed very well. I watched a good college football game yesterday. We lost, but it was a compelling and entertaining game.Based upon what I've seen from the 2008 Zips, we are firmly in the hunt for a MAC East Championship. None of the remaining teams on our schedule scare me if we play as we did yesterday. K.e.n.t. is next. They stink. There's no way this Zips team should lose to K.e.n.t. Prove me right, JD.Oh, and Bates...get those freaking snaps down!!!

[skip-zip]

SeeTeeZip...right on the money. I'm just not understanding some of the negativity. Yes, we could have won the game, but how about a little recognition that we even played well enough against a superior opponent to even have ourselves in a position to win the game? This Cincinnati team, on paper, looked to be capable of blowing us out of the water before halftime. In fact, I was prepared when I went to the game to be sitting in the parking lot early and having a good time, since the game was very likely to not be competitive. Maybe this is a testament to some of the success that JD has had because he's won a MAC title, and beaten BCS teams already. The bar has been raised higher now. I assure all of you who are speaking negatively today that performances like this against this level of competition would have been viewed as exceptional to everyone just a few short years ago. Is it bad for fans to be wanting more now? Of course not. I wanted to walk out of there with a victory too. Many, many times over my 30 years of following Zips football, I have walked out of the Bowl feeling dissappointed. This was definitely not one of them. And, among the large group of people I was with, who have also been followers of the program for the entire 25 years that we have played D-1A, I did not detect anything other than positive feelings regarding the effort put forth by our coaches and players against a much higher rated opponent.If anyone should be under fire today....it's the Cincinnati coaches and players....who flat-out got matched, blow for blow, from an inferior opponent.

[ZachTheZip]

I'm just not understanding some of the negativity. Yes, we could have won the game, but how about a little recognition that we even played well enough against a superior opponent to even have ourselves in a position to win the game? This Cincinnati team, on paper, looked to be capable of blowing us out of the water before halftime. In fact, I was prepared when I went to the game to be sitting in the parking lot early and having a good time, since the game was very likely to not be competitive. Maybe this is a testament to some of the success that JD has had because he's won a MAC title, and beaten BCS teams already. The bar has been raised higher now. I assure all of you who are speaking negatively today that performances like this against this level of competition would have been viewed as exceptional to everyone just a few short years ago. Is it bad for fans to be wanting more now? Of course not. I wanted to walk out of there with a victory too. Many, many times over my 30 years of following Zips football, I have walked out of the Bowl feeling dissappointed. This was definitely not one of them. And, among the large group of people I was with, who have also been followers of the program for the entire 25 years that we have played D-1A, I did not detect anything other than positive feelings regarding the effort put forth by our coaches and players against a much higher rated opponent.If anyone should be under fire today....it's the Cincinnati coaches and players....who flat-out got matched, blow for blow, from an inferior opponent.

The thing is, that's a losing attitude. It's not enough to say that we could have won. It's that we should have won, but we found a way to lose. I will never be satisfied until we stop finding ways to lose close games.I just can't be happy with a close loss at home, where we had every opportunity in the world to win and we threw it all away. I was happy with the outcome of the Wisconsin game, but I was disappointed with this game. Some of the players just didn't want to win.

[skip-zip]

uakronkid...nobody here is conveying a losing attitude. We all wanted to win this game (and my voice shows it today). I think you're missing the point. We're simply giving our analysis, and recognizing a good performance by the coaches and players in a game where we probably should have been blown off of the field.

[johnnyzip84]

Seems like there are two threads ongoing...one "Akron Sucks" and one "Great Effort." I'll place mine under "Great Effort."Here's my weekly objective-as-possible, "16 Thoughts on the Gameday" --11.) Take away Zach Anderson's two personal fouls and the OL played OUTSTANDING! AGAIN. We've played some excellent competition to-date, and the OL had performed admirably in every game.Based upon what I've seen from the 2008 Zips, we are firmly in the hunt for a MAC East Championship. None of the remaining teams on our schedule scare me if we play as we did yesterday. K.e.n.t. is next. They stink. There's no way this Zips team should lose to K.e.n.t. Prove me right, JD.Oh, and Bates...get those freaking snaps down!!!

I posted an opinion on another thread regarding the O-Line, but I'll reiterate it here. For all the criticism (warranted to a large degree) JD has received in terms of recruiting (ratings vs. reality), he and his staff deserve HUGE props for assembling this very effective unit. And they are all HS recruits (Estrada doesn't get much PT, does he?) of JD's staff. OL was actually a strong point of most of Owens teams, but I think this is the best UA O-Line ever.

[GoZips]

I think Cap'n summarized the game rather well. I had a tough time at Mass this morning notthinking about comments I want to make. CK got most of them.The Zips are a lot better football team than we were led to believe. Cincinnati really is an excellentBig East team. They will do some damage even without their QB. Tough break for the kid.This was the first game I went tailgating in a number of years. The tailgating has really grown up.That was as good of a party as most of the ones I have encountered when the Zips travel to nameprograms.Thank you to the many fans (UC included) who helped me gather more than thirty pounds of mostlyempty beer cans for young Trevor Weigand. I will be can collecting at the next three tailgatingevents. Thanks again. Please leave the cans on the ground in a pile. It makes it a lot easier tocollect them. Thanks to the AK-Oldies for the free tee shirt.I invited a close friend who is a light weight Zips fan and heavy weight knowledge base on football.He pointed out two things that I believe are critical and pertinent. First, that UC coaching went forit on fourth and ten on our twenty. They did this because they had no respect for the Zips defense.When UC moved the chains with an eleven yard pass their disdain got much worse. Which in turnled to the scornful going for it on fourth and one at our goal. The game turned on that play. TheZips stepped up and stopped the run. Great team effort. That grew the defense.Unfortunately, JD did not learn from goal line stand as he elected to go for it on fourth and one atthe UC five when a field goal would have ultimately given the Zips eighteen points (which would have won the game). Bad decision on JD's part. He, not the kids and their miscues lost this game.The roughing the passer was a chance you take. Frank Beamer at Virginia Tech takes that risk.The kids learn from such mistakes and it pays dividends later. I think it will for the Zips as well.Poindexter blocks the punt. Zips recover in the end zone and UC's lights go out. It was a smartgamble.I thought it was a really well played game by both teams. If UC and their fans did not come awaywith a lot of respect for Akron then they are truly fools. When you are a big time program tryingto get up the next rung of the ladder a game like this one humbles you. I got a chuckle out of the UC fans acting like they had just beaten tOSU. All they had was a two point win over theteam picked to finish last in the lowly MAC East. The Zips are a lot better than most of youposters are whining about.Like Cap'n, I see five or six more wins and a trip to a bowl game. It is up to the kids.Go Zips ...!!!! Go Zeke ...!!!! Go Trevor ...!!!!

[Captain Kangaroo]

"it's the Cincinnati coaches and players....who flat-out got matched, blow for blow, from an inferior opponent." I don't buy into the "Cincinnati is superior" and "Zips are inferior" adjectives. There are much more appropriate ones to be used.Cincinnati got the best of us on a late-game field goal. I don't feel all that inferior.

[zipsbandman]

The big east stinks. Not one of these bcs schools are in the top 25 so far. Cincy is obviously a good team, but the big east is not the big ten and it shows given that a mid-level MAC team outplayed a "good" big east team. I knew we could play with them at home and we did. With that said, when you essentially lose because of a failed extra point you hang your head. We missed a tremendous opportunity in a year prior to our big move into the new digs. For a school that has aspirations to play in this conference in the future, these are games you must win especially when they are in reach.

[UADavid]

The big east stinks. Not one of these bcs schools are in the top 25 so far. Cincy is obviously a good team, but the big east is not the big ten and it shows given that a mid-level MAC team outplayed a "good" big east team. I knew we could play with them at home and we did. With that said, when you essentially lose because of a failed extra point you hang your head. We missed a tremendous opportunity in a year prior to our big move into the new digs. For a school that has aspirations to play in this conference in the future, these are games you must win especially when they are in reach.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/rankingsindexReview and revise comments.

[skip-zip]

The "superior" and "inferior" are in reference to the huge disparity in ranking coming into the game...not how the two teams played on the field yesterday.

[ZippyRulz]

Prior to yesterday, Cinti. had beaten two bad teams in EKU and Miami and got spanked at Oklahoma...I don't see where they should have blown us off our home field. If they play their best ball then yes they should beat us but they handed us the opportunity to win and we said 'no thanks'. But at least only 2 things went wrong on the PAT (high snap and hole in the OL) and not 3 or 4 [/sarcasm]. There will always be some mistakes but it's all about limiting them to a few. JD is getting into a position of must-win the division to save his butt.

[johnnyzip84]

Prior to yesterday, Cinti. had beaten two bad teams in EKU and Miami and got spanked at Oklahoma...I don't see where they should have blown us off our home field. If they play their best ball then yes they should beat us but they handed us the opportunity to win and we said 'no thanks'. But at least only 2 things went wrong on the PAT (high snap and hole in the OL) and not 3 or 4 [/sarcasm]. There will always be some mistakes but it's all about limiting them to a few. JD is getting into a position of must-win the division to save his butt.

The UC-OU game was 28-20 with 9 minutes left in the 3rd quarter IN Norman, Oklahoma. Take a gander at what the Sooners have done to everyone else on their schedule, including a 35-10 DRUBBING of a very good TCU squad yesterday, and the game UC played against them looks pretty impressive in comparison.OU-UC Box Score

[skip-zip]

OH boy. First negativity about us not winning the game, and now "well, Cincinnati is not that good". I'm not getting this. They were ranked about 50 spots higher than us in power rankings. They were ranked higher than any team in the MAC, except Ball State. And, they were getting votes in the top-25 polls.Come on now. This would have been one of the highest ranked opponents we have beaten in the history of Zips football.

[UAZipster0305]

Come on now. This would have been one of the highest ranked opponents we have beaten in the history of Zips football.

I thought we beat #25 Marshall in the Rubberbowl during Frye's tenure?

[ZippyRulz]

7.) After the bogus grounding call, the interception by Jacq was tragically comical. All that was missing was a slide whistle sound effect as the ball floated up, then down into the Cinci defender's hands. He had his chance to create a Frye-to-Montgomery Moment...and instead left us with UC student chants of "This is our house" and the ever-popular "Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey, good bye." Sucks to hear that in the Rubber Bowl.8.) Igor's missed field goal...officially becoming a trend...was crippling. I had a 1981 Chevy Citation. You never knew when you turned the key what would happen. Sometimes it would smoke...sometimes it would start...sometimes it would squeal. When JD sends Igor in, he has to feel the same uncertainty. I often wondered why Branko Rogovic was on our roster. Now I know.

Good idea. The PA announcer should do the slide whistle on every dead quail pass and do the BOI-OI-OI-OI-OING sound effect every time we make a bad kick.

[RUMPLEMINTZ]

The team is supposed to play hard...they're being paid thousands of dollars to. No extra credit for that. Because Cinci thought they were going to dominate us at home we're supposed to be happy to just stay close? They were not that impressive and gave us opportunities to win or at least go into OT, including a couple of turnovers. Make the PAT. I guess it only really matters in the end whether Mack was impressed or not. I think JD should be re-interviewed for his job at the end of his contract along with a host of new candidates. The new stadium on campus will draw a new level of coaching talent and interest.

YOU DON'T KNOW SQUAT DUDE! JUST BECAUSE YOU'VE MASTERED MADDEN DOESN'T MEAN YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR TALKING ABOUT. I NEVER RESPOND AFTER BEING A MEMBER FOR YEARS HERE, BUT HAD TO RESPOND TO YOU. THAT TEAM IS DECIMATED BY INJURIES AND THOSE KIDS PLAYED THEIR HEARTS OUT AND THE HEAD COACH HAD THEM READY, BUT IDIOTS LIKE YOU TALK CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[GP1]

The team is supposed to play hard...they're being paid thousands of dollars to. No extra credit for that. Because Cinci thought they were going to dominate us at home we're supposed to be happy to just stay close? They were not that impressive and gave us opportunities to win or at least go into OT, including a couple of turnovers. Make the PAT. I guess it only really matters in the end whether Mack was impressed or not. I think JD should be re-interviewed for his job at the end of his contract along with a host of new candidates. The new stadium on campus will draw a new level of coaching talent and interest.

YOU DON'T KNOW SQUAT DUDE! JUST BECAUSE YOU'VE MASTERED MADDEN DOESN'T MEAN YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR TALKING ABOUT. I NEVER RESPOND AFTER BEING A MEMBER FOR YEARS HERE, BUT HAD TO RESPOND TO YOU. THAT TEAM IS DECIMATED BY INJURIES AND THOSE KIDS PLAYED THEIR HEARTS OUT AND THE HEAD COACH HAD THEM READY, BUT IDIOTS LIKE YOU TALK CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good emotional outburst rumplemintz! I'm sure you know after reading this board for years that there are a certain number of posters who have wanted JD fired from day one and anything that goes wrong is his fault. They will not let the facts of an injury decimated team get in the way of their NE Ohio bitter sports fan attitude. We have a coach who won a league title with much lesser overall talent than what he has right now. Hell, as much as I like KD, he can't say the same thing and everyone slurps him up left and right and his teams have had MORE than their share of collapses in big games and even some small ones. Regardless of what happens this weekend, if JD wins five games, he stays. This team is much better than last year. I fully expect them to win Satruday.I've been saying all year that the Zips need a winning attitude. Part of having a winning attitude is being determined to and doing the little things right. For example, making extra points, not roughing the kicker twice and really stupid mistakes. At some point, the players have to stop looking to the coach for inspiration and look to themselves. I really, really believe the Zips can win five to six games this season.....I just hope they do as well. I hope they believe they can win every game from here on out because they can. It is very frustrating and there are a lot of games to be played.

[RootforRoo44]

you can't blame the officals.we blew plenty of chances to win the game.the big penalty was the personal foul on the last punt.we would have been in great postion.the missed extra point was big also; since we had to go for two.if we make the extra point we could have tied the game with the next one.

No we CAN blame the officials. We missed opportunities yes, but we also had opportunities crushed by AWFUL/TERRIBLE/QUESTIONABLE/UNFAIR/POSSIBLY BIAS refereeing. I've never been so shocked at continuous flags thrown at opportune times for one team. It was very fishy.

[RootforRoo44]

Come on now. This would have been one of the highest ranked opponents we have beaten in the history of Zips football.

I thought we beat #25 Marshall in the Rubberbowl during Frye's tenure?

That was a conference team though, nevertheless it would have been HUGE to win yesterday.

[apalmison]

There's not much I can add about the game that hasn't already been said. I will say that the game day experience was awesome. Everyone in my group, none of whom are Akron alums and none of whom had ever been to a game at the RB, had a blast at the tailgate and got to experience a good ball game. I also heard that attendance was 17,000 (sure, many UC fans added to that number). Nice send-off for the RB and I can't wait until 9/19/09! Everyone I brought to the game had a good time and plans on returning with me - that's what the new stadium and the direction this program is in is all about.Go Zips!