The reason we lost to BG

[uafan]

[quote that being said akron should be 4-4 by saturday with a real chance to win the east. akron will have 4 road wins with a chance at 5-6 road wins. for those looking for progress under j.d. there it is. Akron should be 6-2 by next weekend. But, so many people on this board are happy with mediocrity. And that is what you will always get. I've said it before, we should demand excellence! Just because we are in a lousy conference is no reason to say that we are OK being right there with everyone else. We should be in first place right now! And we have a good road record. We are winless at home! And you are OK with that? We need to demand excellence!

[johnnyzip84]

Akron should be 6-2 by next weekend. But, so many people on this board are happy with mediocrity. And that is what you will always get. I've said it before, we should demand excellence! Just because we are in a lousy conference is no reason to say that we are OK being right there with everyone else. We should be in first place right now! And we have a good road record. We are winless at home! And you are OK with that? We need to demand excellence!

We're winless at home for a couple of reasons. Yes we have squandered our own opportunities and that should be put on JD and staff above all. But to dismiss the fact that the home schedule has been difficult to date is being ignorant to the facts. In fact, I DEMAND that YOU perform a more EXCELLENT review of the teams that have defeated us at the rubber bowl this year (insert Bill and Ted guitar riff here). I expect a full report on my desk in the morning.

[uafan]

We're winless at home for a couple of reasons. Yes we have squandered our own opportunities and that should be put on JD and staff above all. But to dismiss the fact that the home schedule has been difficult to date is being ignorant to the facts. In fact, I DEMAND that YOU perform a more EXCELLENT review of the teams that have defeated us at the rubber bowl this year (insert Bill and Ted guitar riff here). I expect a full report on my desk in the morning. You answered your own question. It needs to be laid on JD and the coaching staff. But there are those on this board who are satisfied with that. And that is what I'm talking about. We are so used to losing, that excuses are ingrained in us. (Hey, we're doing better than people thought we would, so we are OK.) Bullsh-t! We should have won our home games. We had those teams on the ropes, but let them come back to beat us. But I guess I should be happy with that, right? No, I'm not! Yes, they are both good teams, but if we want to get noticed, we need to beat those teams. Until we do, we will never gain any respect.Sorted, collated and placed on your desk.

[Dr Z]

You answered your own question. It needs to be laid on JD and the coaching staff. But there are those on this board who are satisfied with that. And that is what I'm talking about. We are so used to losing, that excuses are ingrained in us. (Hey, we're doing better than people thought we would, so we are OK.) Bullsh-t! We should have won our home games. We had those teams on the ropes, but let them come back to beat us. But I guess I should be happy with that, right? No, I'm not! Yes, they are both good teams, but if we want to get noticed, we need to beat those teams. Until we do, we will never gain any respect.

So what is your solution? Do you think the coaching staff can learn from their mistakes? Should we just replace the staff and go through new growing pains?

[uafan]

I think we need to start over with a new staff and head coach. JD has had 5 years, but I don't see where he is learning. We still make stupid mistakes, like the 3-3-5 defense, trick plays at the goal line, stupid penalties...

[GP1]

College football is not set up for a MAC school to achieve any level of excellence if excellence is defined by Top 20 rankings, etc. In fact, our soccer program is about he closest thing we have to excellence at the school. Ball State is the closest thing this conference has to excellence, but can anyone name a decent team they have beaten this year. Here is their schedule and you can decide for yourself. Maybe Navy is a good team now, but they weren't at the beginning of the season. Toledo...please, they beat Michigan and Michigan couldn't win the MAC this year.When you play in a league that is set up (insert about 100 reasons here) by the NCAA to make us average, excellence can not be expected. College football is set up for the BCS schools (and only about 20 of them) to get almost all of the good players and for us to get the remainder. When you are left with only a small fraction of the potentially good players, you have a lot of players who are mistake prone and a conference that is quite frankly difficult to watch at some times.When expectations are unrealistic, changes get made based upon unrealistic expectation. Instability is created. Do changes need to be made or expectations changed? My expectation each year is to win a minimun of 6 games and make ourselves available for a bowl game. Six wins makes the MACC. Excellence in the MAC is 8 wins a year, but since Marshall has left the league, nobody has been able to sustain a high level of winning. We are a good MAC team which means 5-6 wins a year. An average MAC team is 4-5 wins a year. I'm sorry you guys don't want to hear that, but the MAC is one ugly baby.

[johnnyzip84]

We're winless at home for a couple of reasons. Yes we have squandered our own opportunities and that should be put on JD and staff above all. But to dismiss the fact that the home schedule has been difficult to date is being ignorant to the facts. In fact, I DEMAND that YOU perform a more EXCELLENT review of the teams that have defeated us at the rubber bowl this year (insert Bill and Ted guitar riff here). I expect a full report on my desk in the morning.

You answered your own question. It needs to be laid on JD and the coaching staff. But there are those on this board who are satisfied with that. And that is what I'm talking about. We are so used to losing, that excuses are ingrained in us. (Hey, we're doing better than people thought we would, so we are OK.) Bullsh-t! We should have won our home games. We had those teams on the ropes, but let them come back to beat us. But I guess I should be happy with that, right? No, I'm not! Yes, they are both good teams, but if we want to get noticed, we need to beat those teams. Until we do, we will never gain any respect.Sorted, collated and placed on your desk.

I certainly appreciate the promptness of your report, and the appearance as well. PRESENTATION: A+Now to the other grades.I'm not quite sure how I answered my own question when I didn't even pose one. FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS: FIn the latest Sagarin ratings, Ball St is #19, Cincy is #41 and BG is #70. That is an average ranking of 43.3 and I challenge anyone to cite a more difficult 3 game home stretch in recent Zips history (or even all of Zips history). RESEARCH: Incomplete FINAL GRADE: C+ not quite excellent OK, I DO understand that a discussion of JD's future is not entirely out of line, especially if they lose in Ypsilanti this weekend (I don't think they're going to, but I also would not COUNT on a W either). I was only pointing out that strength of schedule needs to be considered when an AD is weighing his or her options, especially in the MAC. I just did a little research on MAC overall records since JD took over (excluding Temple, who would easily be under 0.500 as well), including this year. Here is a summary.UA 25-30Toledo 30-25EMU 15-38NIU 28-27WMU 27-27Can't 16-37UB 12-40BG 30-24Miami 24-31CMU 32-24Ball St. 25-29OU 25-30As you can see, only 4 teams were ABOVE 0.500 over that period. Here's another interesting note. It's Ball St.'s records under Brady Hoke.2003 4-82004 2-92005 4-72006 5-72007 7-62008 7-0If you look at the 1st five years, he's well under 0.500. What would have happened if Ball St. decided to give up on him after last season? I think if JD can finish 6-6 this year (much like Brady's 7-6 last year), he has to be given a chance to open the Info.

[uafan]

College football is not set up for a MAC school to achieve any level of excellence if excellence is defined by Top 20 rankings, etc. In fact, our soccer program is about he closest thing we have to excellence at the school. Ball State is the closest thing this conference has to excellence, but can anyone name a decent team they have beaten this year. Here is their schedule and you can decide for yourself. Maybe Navy is a good team now, but they weren't at the beginning of the season. Toledo...please, they beat Michigan and Michigan couldn't win the MAC this year.When you play in a league that is set up (insert about 100 reasons here) by the NCAA to make us average, excellence can not be expected. College football is set up for the BCS schools (and only about 20 of them) to get almost all of the good players and for us to get the remainder. When you are left with only a small fraction of the potentially good players, you have a lot of players who are mistake prone and a conference that is quite frankly difficult to watch at some times.When expectations are unrealistic, changes get made based upon unrealistic expectation. Instability is created. Do changes need to be made or expectations changed? My expectation each year is to win a minimun of 6 games and make ourselves available for a bowl game. Six wins makes the MACC. Excellence in the MAC is 8 wins a year, but since Marshall has left the league, nobody has been able to sustain a high level of winning. We are a good MAC team which means 5-6 wins a year. An average MAC team is 4-5 wins a year. I'm sorry you guys don't want to hear that, but the MAC is one ugly baby.

GP1, I think this is about the most sensible posting I have ever read on this board! What I am saying is not to be undefeated every year, but shoot for the 7-8 wins a year. I don't think that is unrealistic, and I feel we should have hit that mark this year. But I feel there are too many on this board who are willing and happy to win a few games because "we weren't expected to win that many by the experts." GP1 has expressed realistic figures, and I feel this is what should be expected. With these numbers, we would become the class of the MAC and be bowl bound almost every year. We would draw the better recruits and not have to take as many chances, and we would draw bigger audiences. And maybe even convince other schools to play us at home, giving us more then 4 home games each year

[Zips Win!]

Akron should be 6-2 by next weekend. But, so many people on this board are happy with mediocrity. And that is what you will always get. I've said it before, we should demand excellence! Just because we are in a lousy conference is no reason to say that we are OK being right there with everyone else. We should be in first place right now! And we have a good road record. We are winless at home! And you are OK with that? We need to demand excellence!Great discussion! Sure we should be 6-2, but we were not able to make one or two more plays in the UC or BG game that would have made us 6-2. Who is happy with mediocrity? But we are what we are!!! 3-4!How should we demand excellence? Who should do the demanding? What does this mean? In the end, you get what you pay for! UA's football program has been so poorly supported by the community and we have about the worst alumni base in D1 that you cannot really expect much more than what we got. I wish it was different, but until the alumni pony up and support the Z fund, attend games and buy tickets, I'm not sure how we can demand excellence when we don't give it.

[3rd&twenty]

I agree with you on this point. Sometimes I personally feel funny demanding anything since the fact is I did not graduate from, or even attend Akron. I moved here 22 years ago, bought season tickets right away and have had them ever since. I support the Z fund, attend games, buy tickets and purchase a lot of merchandise. I have never been able to understand why the community can't/doesn't support UA. I have no ties to UA other than a bunch of my friends went there. All those people who DO have ties and don't support the program(s) are the ones we really need to step up. And I personally know quite a few. But next year, with the new stadium, those people will be there acting like they've supported the Zips all along.

[ZachTheZip]

Akron should be 6-2 by next weekend. But, so many people on this board are happy with mediocrity. And that is what you will always get. I've said it before, we should demand excellence! Just because we are in a lousy conference is no reason to say that we are OK being right there with everyone else. We should be in first place right now! And we have a good road record. We are winless at home! And you are OK with that? We need to demand excellence!

Great discussion! Sure we should be 6-2, but we were not able to make one or two more plays in the UC or BG game that would have made us 6-2. Who is happy with mediocrity? But we are what we are!!! 3-4!How should we demand excellence? Who should do the demanding? What does this mean? In the end, you get what you pay for! UA's football program has been so poorly supported by the community and we have about the worst alumni base in D1 that you cannot really expect much more than what we got. I wish it was different, but until the alumni pony up and support the Z fund, attend games and buy tickets, I'm not sure how we can demand excellence when we don't give it.

People support the athletic programs by going to the games and buying overpriced concessions, donating to the Z-fund, and doing the whole grass-roots thing like the Facebook applications. We do all we can to try and make our favorite teams better. We have rich alumni that contribute and buy us field houses and soccer stadiums, and we have the backing of fortune-500 businesses. We have world-famous athletes that go out of their way to give us support. We showed more support than any other fanbase in the country when Zippy became the greatest mascot of all time. Should we be doing more? I don't think we can do any more than what we already have done and continue to do. The only way we can do more is to get more fans. The only way we get more fans is by the athletic programs to respond to what they already have and use that to grow into something more. It's out of our hands.

[Zips Win!]

I agree with you on this point. Sometimes I personally feel funny demanding anything since the fact is I did not graduate from, or even attend Akron. I moved here 22 years ago, bought season tickets right away and have had them ever since. I support the Z fund, attend games, buy tickets and purchase a lot of merchandise. I have never been able to understand why the community can't/doesn't support UA. I have no ties to UA other than a bunch of my friends went there. All those people who DO have ties and don't support the program(s) are the ones we really need to step up. And I personally know quite a few. But next year, with the new stadium, those people will be there acting like they've supported the Zips all along.

Thank you for your support.

[Zips Win!]

Akron should be 6-2 by next weekend. But, so many people on this board are happy with mediocrity. And that is what you will always get. I've said it before, we should demand excellence! Just because we are in a lousy conference is no reason to say that we are OK being right there with everyone else. We should be in first place right now! And we have a good road record. We are winless at home! And you are OK with that? We need to demand excellence!Great discussion! Sure we should be 6-2, but we were not able to make one or two more plays in the UC or BG game that would have made us 6-2. Who is happy with mediocrity? But we are what we are!!! 3-4!How should we demand excellence? Who should do the demanding? What does this mean? In the end, you get what you pay for! UA's football program has been so poorly supported by the community and we have about the worst alumni base in D1 that you cannot really expect much more than what we got. I wish it was different, but until the alumni pony up and support the Z fund, attend games and buy tickets, I'm not sure how we can demand excellence when we don't give it.People support the athletic programs by going to the games and buying overpriced concessions, donating to the Z-fund, and doing the whole grass-roots thing like the Facebook applications. We do all we can to try and make our favorite teams better. We have rich alumni that contribute and buy us field houses and soccer stadiums, and we have the backing of fortune-500 businesses. We have world-famous athletes that go out of their way to give us support. We showed more support than any other fanbase in the country when Zippy became the greatest mascot of all time. Should we be doing more? I don't think we can do any more than what we already have done and continue to do. The only way we can do more is to get more fans. The only way we get more fans is by the athletic programs to respond to what they already have and use that to grow into something more. It's out of our hands.I agree on all points except the following:You don't fund your athletic teams on concessions.Most of our alumni have never even bought a ticket, let alone contribute to the construction of stadiums.People voted for Zippy because it was free. If you had to donate $1 to the athletic program for every vote, Zippy would have come in LAST.We do need to get more fans but this should come from our alumni base.It's clearly in our hands--not out of them.

[Dr Z]

I think some of this will change with the new stadium (in time). You have to start to build your fan base with students.Students did not go out of their way to get to the Rubber Bowl. Info will produce more students at the game (hopefully).This will build your alumni support over the years. Of course winning while all of this happens sure will help.