"Yes, it was a big opportunity lost," Akron head coach J.D. Brookhart said

[mivid12]

really, what's that about 4 this year? at what point does 'the coach' realize his 3-3-5 can't stop a youth team?last night made my decision reagard season tix next year...NEIN!i'll just pick a game to go to and that's it....hopefully the D will hold the oppenent under 50

[skip-zip]

Mivid......answer to the question at the top of your post:We also won a few close games this year too. That's the nature of college football.

[UAZipster0305]

Mivid......answer to the question at the top of your post:We also won a few close games this year too. That's the nature of college football.

I would not count the Can't game a close win for us this year. That game was handed to us. The EMU game was pure luck. I am yet to see a close game win where we take command of the game and take the win as opposed to having it given to us or lucking into it. The opportunity to do so existed in four other games and in all four, we've found ways to lose.There is no way we go bowling at 6-6 and IMO, we don't deserve to.

[ctmjbowes@sbcglobal.net]

You're nuts if you base your ticket buying decisions for next year on one game, or even one season. If InfoSumma were a High School small time stadium I'd STILL buy season tix just to be a part of the action for at least the first two years. There is not ONE fan who takes the time to register on ZN, follow the boards and post here who should not have already bought season tickets for next year. Students excepted of course. I'm bummed just like the rest of our fans are after yesterday, all the much more because of the Browns' pathetic loss today. However, if one game, or one season were enough to make you go away from the Zips, we all would have gone away long ago.Now, tomorrow, pick up the phone and buy your season tix for the inaugural season at InfoSumma. Just do it. You'll be happy as hell you did next Fall.GO ZIPS!SeeTeeZipper

[skip-zip]

trimmy10....In addition to the Can't and EMU games, you forgot about the Syracuse game. Although the final score wasn't as close as some of the other games, Syracuse drove down the field to tie the game mid-way through the 4th, and we really closed the deal in the final 8 minutes to score two TDs, and walk away with a 14 point win.Let me tell you. It's hard to argue with someone who believe that the close games we lost were "handed to us", but the close games we lost were because we did all of the wrong things. It's obvious you just want to hammer on JD, and you have every right to do so. But, this is college football. Don't try to make the assumption that we should have somehow expected ALL of the 5-6 close games we were involved in this year should have ALL fallen our way. That's simply a scenario that's not going to happen very often.

[UAZipster0305]

trimmy10....In addition to the Can't and EMU games, you forgot about the Syracuse game. Although the final score wasn't as close as some of the other games, Syracuse drove down the field to tie the game mid-way through the 4th, and we really closed the deal in the final 8 minutes to score two TDs, and walk away with a 14 point win.

I'll give you that, skip-zip. For the record, I'm not a JD hater. Just disgusted with where some of the coaching decisions have put us when IMO we have much better talent than the results demonstrate.Still, 1-4 in games that come down to the last half of the fourth quarter or OT is unnacceptable. The Can't and EMU games are not considered here because as I said before, we didn't win those games. As the rest of the MAC knows such situations, we Akron'd them. That is, the ball bounced our way and we won when circumstances could have very easily dictated otherwise.Everything else being equal, we should roughly be 0.500 in such games...meaning 2-3 or 3-2 is reasonably acceptable in my book. Apply that to our overall record and consider where we'd be. I would be very satisfied to be sitting at 6-5 or 7-4 right now. The OU game was a must have as were either the BGSU or UB games.

[mivid12]

trimmy10....In addition to the Can't and EMU games, you forgot about the Syracuse game. Although the final score wasn't as close as some of the other games, Syracuse drove down the field to tie the game mid-way through the 4th, and we really closed the deal in the final 8 minutes to score two TDs, and walk away with a 14 point win.

I'll give you that, skip-zip. For the record, I'm not a JD hater. Just disgusted with where some of the coaching decisions have put us when IMO we have much better talent than the results demonstrate.Still, 1-4 in games that come down to the last half of the fourth quarter or OT is unnacceptable. The Can't and EMU games are not considered here considered because as I said before, we didn't win those games. As the rest of the MAC knows such situations, we Akron'd them. That is, the ball bounced our way and we won when circumstances could have very easily dictated otherwise.Everything else being equal, we should roughly be 0.500 in such games...meaning 2-3 or 3-2 is reasonably acceptable in my book. Apply that to our overall record and consider where we'd be. I would be very satisfied to be sitting at 6-5 or 7-4 right now. The OU game was a must have as were either the BGSU or UB games.

apologists are what i hear....i've based my decision not on one game, but the last two seasons....stupid mistakes, underachieving....hey, if you guys wanna support medicore football have at it...(Still, 1-4 in games that come down to the last half of the fourth quarter or OT is unnacceptable)...rack that statementgood coaches and good teams beat ball st, cincy & BG AT HOME

[UAZipster0305]

trimmy10....In addition to the Can't and EMU games, you forgot about the Syracuse game. Although the final score wasn't as close as some of the other games, Syracuse drove down the field to tie the game mid-way through the 4th, and we really closed the deal in the final 8 minutes to score two TDs, and walk away with a 14 point win.

I'll give you that, skip-zip. For the record, I'm not a JD hater. Just disgusted with where some of the coaching decisions have put us when IMO we have much better talent than the results demonstrate.Still, 1-4 in games that come down to the last half of the fourth quarter or OT is unnacceptable. The Can't and EMU games are not considered here considered because as I said before, we didn't win those games. As the rest of the MAC knows such situations, we Akron'd them. That is, the ball bounced our way and we won when circumstances could have very easily dictated otherwise.Everything else being equal, we should roughly be 0.500 in such games...meaning 2-3 or 3-2 is reasonably acceptable in my book. Apply that to our overall record and consider where we'd be. I would be very satisfied to be sitting at 6-5 or 7-4 right now. The OU game was a must have as were either the BGSU or UB games.

apologists are what i hear....i've based my decision not on one game, but the last two seasons....stupid mistakes, underachieving....hey, if you guys wanna support medicore football have at it...(Still, 1-4 in games that come down to the last half of the fourth quarter or OT is unnacceptable)...rack that statementgood coaches and good teams beat ball st, cincy & BG AT HOME

I am not apologizing for anyone, I think I've made it quite clear that I am not satisfied with the results or the coaching. Period.(good coaches and good teams beat ball st, cincy & BG AT HOME)...rack that statement too. Well coached teams defend their home field. It's referred to as home field advantage, not home field disadvantage.

[skip-zip]

trimmy...I totally understand that you are airing some of your frustration over some of the close games. And I am sure you are a great fan. We need more like you. But, I'm sorry, I don't understand your logic for saying that Can't and EMU somehow do not count as close game wins. Let's recap....there were basically 6 games that were decided in the 4th quarter or overtime this year. We won 3 of them (Syracuse, Can't, EMU), and lost 3 of them (Cincinnati, Buffalo, OU). I really don't care to take the time to get into the shoulda/woulda/coulda scenarios. If you wish to not count Can't and EMU as close game wins, then that's your call.

[skip-zip]

mivid....I only ask that people on here look at things from every angle. Everyone who's commented about only winning 1 game at home this year forgets that we lost only one game on the road. One of those feats is less than what should be expected...true. But, the other feat is absolutely phenomenal, and should get tremendous credit...especially since one of those road wins was a BCS team.But beyond that, we knew at the start of the season that the majority of our most difficult games was going to be at home, with a ranked Cincinnati team (I'm thrilled that they agreed to come here..and we turned it into a great game), and who we expected to be the top teams in the MAC East...Bowling Green and Buffalo. And it all ended up being true.

[skip-zip]

Correction on the math on the road losses. Wisconsin was so long ago I forgot all about it. So, that's 4-2 on the road this year, and not 5-1.

[Big Zips Fan (220lb)]

trimmy...I totally understand that you are airing some of your frustration over some of the close games. And I am sure you are a great fan. We need more like you. But, I'm sorry, I don't understand your logic for saying that Can't and EMU somehow do not count as close game wins. Let's recap....there were basically 6 games that were decided in the 4th quarter or overtime this year. We won 3 of them (Syracuse, Can't, EMU), and lost 3 of them (Cincinnati, Buffalo, OU). I really don't care to take the time to get into the shoulda/woulda/coulda scenarios. If you wish to not count Can't and EMU as close game wins, then that's your call.

Don't forget Bowling Green.That makes it 3-4. One convincing MAC win against Toledo, close games against everyone else. This really does tell you something: that we are no better than anyone else in the MAC. Yet, we were still dreaming of a MAC Championship game and some unspecified bowl game as well. As Lee Adams pointed in another post, with an average quality defense this team would have won the East. So if this team can improve the defense to being of average quality for next year, then watch out.As far as attending the games, Akron was in every game at home. All of the games were exciting to watch.

[skip-zip]

Correct...Big Zip Fan. Seven games decided in the 4th quarter, and we were 3-4 in those games. I keep forgetting how many times my heart almost stopped working, there were so many close games.

[mivid12]

mivid....I only ask that people on here look at things from every angle. Everyone who's commented about only winning 1 game at home this year forgets that we lost only one game on the road. One of those feats is less than what should be expected...true. But, the other feat is absolutely phenomenal, and should get tremendous credit...especially since one of those road wins was a BCS team.But beyond that, we knew at the start of the season that the majority of our most difficult games was going to be at home, with a ranked Cincinnati team (I'm thrilled that they agreed to come here..and we turned it into a great game), and who we expected to be the top teams in the MAC East...Bowling Green and Buffalo. And it all ended up being true.

all of that is nice and dandy, i want akron to become what ball st is...i'm growing weary of middle of the road football....the year we won the mac this team was only 7-6...i'll say this about akron football it's entertaining if nothing else..unlike that garbage in cleveland...

[skip-zip]

Amen to that Mivid. I'd love to see a 12-0 team here too..or something close to it. And I've been going to games here for nearly 30 years. Remember, compared to most of the teams we play, we are a relatively "new" D-1A program. But, I'd sure love to experience a really, truly great season sometime in my lifetime.

[Lee Adams]

mivid....I only ask that people on here look at things from every angle. Everyone who's commented about only winning 1 game at home this year forgets that we lost only one game on the road. One of those feats is less than what should be expected...true. But, the other feat is absolutely phenomenal, and should get tremendous credit...especially since one of those road wins was a BCS team.But beyond that, we knew at the start of the season that the majority of our most difficult games was going to be at home, with a ranked Cincinnati team (I'm thrilled that they agreed to come here..and we turned it into a great game), and who we expected to be the top teams in the MAC East...Bowling Green and Buffalo. And it all ended up being true.

which means after 5 years we can't consistently compete with WINNING teams in or out of conference...

[mivid12]

Amen to that Mivid. I'd love to see a 12-0 team here too..or something close to it. And I've been going to games here for nearly 30 years. Remember, compared to most of the teams we play, we are a relatively "new" D-1A program. But, I'd sure love to experience a really, truly great season sometime in my lifetime.

really, how contagious would that be?...to be in a position to be ranked nationally...dominate the conference and demand attention a 10-2 season like that this year could have had massive propulsion going into a new stadium for attendance and recruiting...and in my mind, a 10-2 season could have been a reality this year...akron has to start defending their home turf...esp in the new stadium

[skip-zip]

no doubt Mivid.....There were so many close games this year, if all of them had fallen our way, it could have happened. This is part of the reason why I see some encouragement...seeing how we played against high level teams both in and out of our conference, compared to how we fared against them in previous years.