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[Zipmeister]

Tell me stories.

[Buckzip]

Tell me stories.

And show me pictures..

[Z.I.P.]

Announced attendance: 27,781. Actual attendance? Do we know how many actual seats Info has, vs suites, grass, etc.?

[cornbread]

do not purchase the streaming video solution offered by Akron via JumpTV for live events. the game was offered in two streams. One audio one video. You could only use one at a time. It costs $10 per month and was very low quality. It skipped constantly and would time out. The game looked awesome though from what i could tell. I wish I could have been there.

[Z.I.P.]

Announced attendance: 27,781. Actual attendance? Do we know how many actual seats Info has, vs suites, grass, etc.?

I guess I could go on with questions all day -- but what was the pre-game like? Not just tailgating please, but the march of players, band, etc.? Anything unexpected happen? Parking-Traffic-Concessions-Band...??? Sorry I couldn't make it in time. My flight just didn't materialize. Maybe I'll get beamed up for next week on ESPNU. THAT is the opening game for out-of-towners!

[bandzip]

As far as things for the band go, absolutely perfect. Couldn't have asked for anything better and my dad said everything from his experience was good as well. I'll give a more updated post later, going out to eat with the family right now.

[GP1]

I think everyone should enjoy the afterglow of a great day of college football and post tomorrow.

[bUAkronG]

It was definitely awesome. It was almost surreal to be there on campus for a football game.The student entrance was atrocious. There was a massive amount of cutting and it took about a half hour to get in. I hope they figure something better out next week.I had my camera on hand and have about 130 pictures to go through. Give me some time to post them!!

[Dr Z]

If you weren't there, you missed a good time. Perfect stadium. Can't complain about a thing. They did it right. Stopped by the student grass on the hill, whomever thought this wasn't a good idea was dead wrong. What a great place for the students to watch a game. Well done!

[BostonZip]

do not purchase the streaming video solution offered by Akron via JumpTV for live events. the game was offered in two streams. One audio one video. You could only use one at a time. It costs $10 per month and was very low quality. It skipped constantly and would time out.

I bought the package for a full year ($49.95, $4.16 per month). The video stream was of disappointing quality, freezing frequently, especially on live action. For some reason the replays played better. The picture looked OK in a small window, but terrible full screen (not uncommon in streaming video...should be better). I also was surprised there was no audio; I was expecting a broadcast team.Also, while it's true you can't play both the audio and video simultaneously, I watched the video on my desktop and had the audio playing on my laptop. They weren't in sync, but it worked out as most times the audio was describing the play as the video showed the replay.

[tbozeglav]

The simple fact that we students were able to ge echo chants going gave me the chills. It's surreal to experience this finally and I hope it grows from here. I didn't have a problem getting in... Then again I did show up like an hour and a half before kickoff. HahahaI just wish more students would have stayed in the stands than move to the grass. But it don't matter to me. Hope everyone had as good of a first experience as I had. See you all next weekend!!!

[cms133@uakron.edu]

HOLY CRAP THAT WAS AWESOME!!!! The fireworks last night, which I saw close up off my balcony at Fir Hill were awesome. I know now that they were planned but at the time my roommate and I didn't. That was a great touch. Walking around campus this morning with everything going on was spectacular. All frats and parking lots were boomin' and I wasn't even there for the full swing of tailgating. Walked around and saw the b-ball team tent with the players around in front of the rec. While standing there, waiting for friends, the football team walked into the field house while the crowd applauded them. They all had smiles on their faces like it was something new to them. Got a picture with Zippy in between the field house and the stadium. Past a guy in front of the stadium holding a sign saying "Akron U exploits Black Athletes"??. Got in line early (around 12:10) to get in and went through smoothly and quickly. We all sat in the student section on the east side and sat in the part lower to the field. I was a little nervous in the beginning seeing the stands less than full but all that changed when it got closer to kick off. The introductory ceremony was nothing short of amazing. All the speeches by Dr.P and company were awesome. The Goodyear blimp was flyin' overhead and then there were the drop troopers or whatever that friggin landed on the turf with streamers and a gigantic American flag. Fireworks and cutting the opening ribbon ensued. The crowd was ecstatic for the whole endeavor and it was absolutely overwhelming. By that time the stands were full, and LOUD. We picked up our streamers and shook them to death. I was a little embarrassed to cheer loud at first, but when I could no longer hear myself think, I lost it. Kids began rushing the grass area and tons of people were just standing around, I assume in admiration. Couldn't have asked for better weather imo. The game was crazy, a little worrying in the first few minutes, but crazy. We were awesome, Bowser was unstoppable, Allen makin plays (except for the whole up the gut thing) and the QB's consistent and accurate. But those are just a few starters, the entire team was great and more importantly, having a ball. Some time, when the lead got out of hand, they showed the team on the scoreboard, which was awesome in and of itself, dancing to the music and smilin'. The band was superb, not that my opinion counts for anything but I think they did an amazing job and looked flawless. Fast forward to the end of the game and I'm exhausted from standing and screaming the entire time. The team runs up in a group and just stands there, right in from of my section, staring at us with their helmets in the air cheering and dancing back at us. Upon leaving, an older fan stopped me while I was with my friends and said "You guys did a great job cheering. We were on the other side and it was great to watch you guys". Speaking of us cheering, from someone who was at the North end, how loud were we? Could you hear our chants, and how did you like the corresponding cheers from side to side? Walking away I was stunned...41-0, 27,000 plus fans, a stellar ceremony, I think it's safe to say this day was a HUGE success and was perfect. A new day in Zips Football tradition. The only downside of today; severe dehydration during the game and half of my body is sun burnt red.

[Zipmeister]

HOLY CRAP THAT WAS AWESOME!!!! The fireworks last night, which I saw close up off my balcony at Fir Hill were awesome. I know now that they were planned but at the time my roommate and I didn't. That was a great touch. Walking around campus this morning with everything going on was spectacular. All frats and parking lots were boomin' and I wasn't even there for the full swing of tailgating. Walked around and saw the b-ball team tent with the players around in front of the rec. While standing there, waiting for friends, the football team walked into the field house while the crowd applauded them. They all had smiles on their faces like it was something new to them. Got a picture with Zippy in between the field house and the stadium. Past a guy in front of the stadium holding a sign saying "Akron U exploits Black Athletes"??. Got in line early (around 12:10) to get in and went through smoothly and quickly. We all sat in the student section on the east side and sat in the part lower to the field. I was a little nervous in the beginning seeing the stands less than full but all that changed when it got closer to kick off. The introductory ceremony was nothing short of amazing. All the speeches by Dr.P and company were awesome. The Goodyear blimp was flyin' overhead and then there were the drop troopers or whatever that friggin landed on the turf with streamers and a gigantic American flag. Fireworks and cutting the opening ribbon ensued. The crowd was ecstatic for the whole endeavor and it was absolutely overwhelming. By that time the stands were full, and LOUD. We picked up our streamers and shook them to death. I was a little embarrassed to cheer loud at first, but when I could no longer hear myself think, I lost it. Kids began rushing the grass area and tons of people were just standing around, I assume in admiration. Couldn't have asked for better weather imo. The game was crazy, a little worrying in the first few minutes, but crazy. We were awesome, Bowser was unstoppable, Allen makin plays (except for the whole up the gut thing) and the QB's consistent and accurate. But those are just a few starters, the entire team was great and more importantly, having a ball. Some time, when the lead got out of hand, they showed the team on the scoreboard, which was awesome in and of itself, dancing to the music and smilin'. The band was superb, not that my opinion counts for anything but I think they did an amazing job and looked flawless. Fast forward to the end of the game and I'm exhausted from standing and screaming the entire time. The team runs up in a group and just stands there, right in from of my section, staring at us with their helmets in the air cheering and dancing back at us. Upon leaving, an older fan stopped me while I was with my friends and said "You guys did a great job cheering. We were on the other side and it was great to watch you guys". Speaking of us cheering, from someone who was at the North end, how loud were we? Could you hear our chants, and how did you like the corresponding cheers from side to side? Walking away I was stunned...41-0, 27,000 plus fans, a stellar ceremony, I think it's safe to say this day was a HUGE success and was perfect. A new day in Zips Football tradition. The only downside of today; severe dehydration during the game and half of my body is sun burnt red.

Great post.

[bobbyake]

The experience was very nice for my 4 yr old son, girlfriend, and I. The atmosphere was amazing and the stadium is more amazing than what I thought it would be. I need to go back for Grad school just so I can be a student again.

[ksu sucks]

The only downside of today; severe dehydration during the game and half of my body is sun burnt red.

You're not alone. Awesome post. Pretty much sums up my experience too.

[ZippyTuba11]

My Thoughts: The opening was dull. That guy who talked for what seemed like forever in the goldish suit was unintelligble. Students started cheering during his speech because he was such a bad speaker. Luis P's address was perfect. Short, sweet, and to the point. I bet he was drunk already.The Mayor was charismatic, but WTF did he and all those politicians have to do with the stadium? Just a PR meeting if you ask me.The paratroopers were great. Neat way to open the stadium.To the students that started cheering F*** Morgan State: Classless. They did stop when I yelled show some class though.Long lines to get into the stadium after the band marched over. Glad me and my friends got in line early. What really sucked was the truck handing out Frisbees -right- before the game as you wait in line, then not being allowed to take the Frisbees inside. PLANNING FAIL. THE BAND:Pregame was uninteresting. Granted, I was on the opposite facing stands, but it has lost a lot in just the way it gets on to the field. I think they could have done more to preserve a lot of the pregame tradition from the Bowl. I also miss God Bless America and the National Anthem. Signers are self indulging and take forever to get through it. The logo the band formed at the end looked AMAZING. I thought this was the only truly positive. The rest was just a little lack-luster. Not saying anything went wrong, it was just a little generic.Re: Half-time music selectionReally? Couldn't do better?New instruments looked great though. The sound when the band was facing my side was great.Concessions:I started early, so I avoided the lines. Food was good and not outrageously priced. Not cheap of course, but below what I thought they might charge.The Jumbo-Tron:Whoever operated this today should be fired. They sucked. Many downs were wrong. I remember it kept saying 4th down for a long time. It wasn't just a few plays. They consistently sucked the entire game.The replays were great. I love the video board.The mics worked all day for the refs. Small victory over the RB.Great sound system too.MiscellaneousI got a good laugh out of the first students having to leave the grass berm after so many rushed it. Then shortly later they were allowed to return. Grass seating looked great though. I might sit down there next game.Weather couldn't have been more perfect.I loved how much the student sections cheered through the first half. Really set a good example for the rest of the GA sections.Wish more people would have stayed to the end of the game, but it was really lopsided.Glad we did the ZI -PS and AK -Rowdy cheers right. I noticed on TV, nobody can ever hear the few people shouting AK, so all they hear is Rowdy, which makes no sense. When one side was cheering AK, and the other Rowdy, it worked great. I'm sure that will be amazing on radio and TV.The Stadium looked beautiful. It was truly awe-inspiring to see everything full. I hope next weekend the end zone is completely SRO, and we get the lodges full too.The rock band at Zip Fest could have been better, but I was really happy to see all the people there. This event has a lot of room to grow. This can be a really big thing in the future.Overall, great experience. There is room to grow, but everything went wellMy voice is gone, I'm sun burned, and I couldn't be happier.

[tim123]

Had a great time totally awesome ...Go Zips and beat the hoosiers..

[Zipsrifle]

I have to say that I thought it was a HUGE success. Yes, I may have some suggestions, but today met my HIGHEST expectation!Rolled in a little later to lot 34 than expected, but still early enough to not have to pay. Took a while to get my stuff set up, two years off will do that. Decided to be low key the first time to avoid any hassles, but UAPD did a great job. Packed up early so I could follow the band to the stadium. It really was great having the band march through campus and we eventually got a good crowd of people behind them. It was really cool when the went under the bridge in front of Auburn with the people up top and all. Watched them play outside the fieldhouse and went to the stadium. I tried to avoid the crowds and came in the SW entrance and only had to wait about 5 minutes. Granted I was at the stadium way earlier than I expected, but it was all good!I was a little worried at the number of empty seats at the beginning of the pregame ceremony, but it was full by the 1st Quarter! I really liked how the linked the RB and ICS...nice job! Everyone did a good job with their opening comments....this is a big moment and they all tried to make their speeches equal to the moment. It wasn't overly drawn out but everyone who really deserved a mention got it. I really, really like the paratroopers, nice touch. As everyone, I was a little concerned early on in the game, but eventually it turned into a blowout. I have to admit, I was too engrossed in the pagentry and the moment to really focus on what was going on until late in the third...team critique will come later. High points for me today were (in no order):1) Hitting EVERYTHING I wanted to before the game. Tailgate, meet up with some old friends, walk through campus with band, pregame ceremony.2) Kickoff!3) First score (though delayed) going to the Zips.4) Being below the West stands when the team scored. It was TOTALLY AWESOME to hear the cheer of the crowd erupt when you don't expect it. VERY BIGTIME FEELING!!5) Seeing the East Stands Full!6) Seeing the West Stand full!7) Seeing the grass mostly full! I got a decent picture from the North end of the stadium and the place is PACKED!8) STUDENTS WERE AWESOME!. I hope this type of turnout becomes a given.9) Grabbed a HOT brat and Fries at the concession stand and had to wait all of 2 minutes. 10) We won easily!11) Scoreboard! I'm so used to the RB, that my Sister had to remind me that they show replays on the scoreboard!!12) The people I sit around are great! 13) The aluminum bleachers....way LOUD!!!14) AWESOME SEATS~ My seats got the shade WAY earlier than the lower bowl, which is good for a 3 year old, I had great views of the field and it was an easy exit!Some suggestions...1) I would like to see the band Pregame/March done a little differently. I think it would be cool to send small packs of the band out to the tailgating lots and play in the lots about 1/2 hour before they leave from Guzetta. That would give people time to follow them into the game. It would also be nice if they changed the route from the "Urban Grit, down the street" path down Carroll to the senic "Look at this awesome campus we have" path down Buchtel Commons. Here are two options: a) March down Buchtel commons and up the steps towards Buchtel Hall. They then split and go AROUND Buchtel hall and meet in the back. This would look AWESOME from Carroll commons with the band wrapping around Buchtel hall and also would bring the people following through the heart of campus. I know it may be diffiicult with the steps, however. b ) March down Buchtel commons and turn at the JAR. Easier, more senic than the current path, not as technical. 2) They play the music before kickoff WAY TOO LONG!!! Can't get the crowd involved with the kickoff when it's playing so much!That's IT. Great, Great job by everyone! WOW, WOW, WOW. Can't wait until next week!!!

[uhgrad2002]

A few observations....I expected it would be neat to have the game on campus, but I was suprised at just how neat it was to be able to look around the campus and spend time in the student center prior to the game. I am a 1986 grad and get to the campus once in a while, but it was great to be on campus as part of an activity again.The campus, by the way, looks great. Clean, colorful. Everyone was in blue and gold and everyone was in the spirit -- even those working at the student center, etc.. The school paid a lot of attention to making this enjoyable and they were on the top of their game.I was also surprised at how soon the stadium seemed to be "home". By the third quarter it seemed like the only place for the Zips to play. And the students on the hill looked perfect. What a wonderful setting!I love the jerseys. I love the ones from last year too, but having "AKRON" across the front fit so well with the new stadium.I did notice a few glitches and wished the team shop was ready (the windows were covered today but last night I could see in and it is a long way from ready) but the university did so much so well that all I can say is "HEY - UA!"

[bandzip]

My Thoughts: THE BAND:Pregame was uninteresting. Granted, I was on the opposite facing stands, but it has lost a lot in just the way it gets on to the field. I think they could have done more to preserve a lot of the pregame tradition from the Bowl. I also miss God Bless America and the National Anthem. Signers are self indulging and take forever to get through it. The logo the band formed at the end looked AMAZING. I thought this was the only truly positive. The rest was just a little lack-luster. Not saying anything went wrong, it was just a little generic.Re: Half-time music selectionReally? Couldn't do better?New instruments looked great though. The sound when the band was facing my side was great.

Preserving the way the band performed run-on at the Rubber Bowl is impossible because of the position of the tunnel. We can't send everyone on from the goal line because there isn't enough space behind the endzone, and you know everyone would be disappointed if we didn't come out of the tunnel running. Because the entrance is at the corner of the endzone there really are very few options on how to do run on efficiently without coming out in the blocks. We can't do the walk on with Tubas and percussion leaving first anymore because it would be impossible for the band to hear the cadence from the tunnel and stay in step without phasing, I think it's way cooler with the Tubas and Percussion running on anyways. If you look at any of the old marching band videos this is actually much closer to how they used to do it than it was the last several years at the Rubber Bowl.We will be playing the National Anthem from now on, the singer was a first game only thing as decided by athletics. Everyone complained about God Bless America being boring and incorporating glide step in pregame so we made the whole thing chair step and way more high energy with little if any breaks between songs. In my opinion it is far more interesting and high energy than it has been in the past. As far as being generic, we still use the block A, we now have the UA symbol incorporated, we still do the traditional run off and all of the songs we play are Akron specific cheers with the exception of Temptation. I'm not commenting on half-time because everyone has their own idea of what it should be, and a lot of people told us they really enjoyed halftime. I think a celebration show was more than appropriate for the occasion. If you guys want to argue about it amongst yourselves then feel free, but the halftime style isn't going to change anytime soon.Having an on campus stadium is incredible. The march to the stadium was probably the coolest thing about the day. It was great to have a crowd of a couple hundred people follow us from Guzzetta, through campus and walk into the stadium before we started pregame. We did have some logistical issues with roofest, mainly because there were a lot more people there then we expected, which is definately not a bad thing. Plus, we got a two hour break to eat lunch instead of having to hang around for a few hours like we did at the Rubber Bowl. The cheering for pregame and halftime was unbelievable. On behalf of the band, thank you fans and Rowdies for supporting us, cheering with us, and especially to those of you who marched over with us and stuck around for the post game performance, which will happen immediately following every game. See you on the 19th!

[ZachTheZip]

It was surreal to see so many people all happy about something in Akron. To see the whole university united in celebration, parties on every street around campus, people talking and being excited, a real buzz. I saw alumni and random city-folk wandering around campus before and after the game in shock because they had no idea what it has been transformed into. This translated into a lot of newfound pride. I don't think that we have seen nearly anything of what this stadium has begun to do for the community and the university. Not yet. Things like this take a little bit to sink in. Just wait until the Can't State game.

[bandzip]

Some suggestions...1) I would like to see the band Pregame/March done a little differently. I think it would be cool to send small packs of the band out to the tailgating lots and play in the lots about 1/2 hour before they leave from Guzetta. That would give people time to follow them into the game. It would also be nice if they changed the route from the "Urban Grit, down the street" path down Carroll to the senic "Look at this awesome campus we have" path down Buchtel Commons. Here are two options: a) March down Buchtel commons and up the steps towards Buchtel Hall. They then split and go AROUND Buchtel hall and meet in the back. This would look AWESOME from Carroll commons with the band wrapping around Buchtel hall and also would bring the people following through the heart of campus. I know it may be diffiicult with the steps, however. b ) March down Buchtel commons and turn at the JAR. Easier, more senic than the current path, not as technical. 2) They play the music before kickoff WAY TOO LONG!!! Can't get the crowd involved with the kickoff when it's playing so much!That's IT. Great, Great job by everyone! WOW, WOW, WOW. Can't wait until next week!!!

Thanks for following us down there! We did look at some alternate routes but the one we took is the only one that logistically makes sense. Avoiding stairs as much as possible is necessary, I'd hate to see one of those shiny new horns take a spill on some concrete steps. We used to march to the fieldhouse for practice through the middle of campus and turn at the JAR, but with all of the tents, stations, and people set up for Roo Fest that path was all but blocked. I'm sure that by the end of the season there will be some changes, and I'll ask Mr. Karriker about sending out some small groups to the tailgating lots. We did have the two traveling bands during the third quarter along with the main band which I thought was a pretty cool idea and a lot of people seemed to enjoy it, so why not do it before the game too? Thanks for the suggestions!

[Zipsrifle]

I liked the new stuff better than what was done at the RB FWIW. Good job today Band! Very impressed!

[ZachTheZip]

One of the things that stood out to me was something that nobody noticed, and that's a good thing. I don't think there were any parking problems. Most people only notice something if it inconveniences them, and today parking wasn't really an issue as far as I could tell. Same goes for the stadium. The Rubber Bowl stood out because there were so many things wrong with it. A good stadium should be invisible. Nothing obstructing your view, no long lines for restrooms or concessions preventing you from seeing part of the game, no splinters in your ass from rotting benches, no having to march up dangerous concrete stairs to get to your seat or anything else no matter where your seat is, no airplanes buzzing the press tower, etc. Infocision Stadium was invisible as far as watching a football game goes, and that's a good thing.

[ctmjbowes@sbcglobal.net]

I was a little pissed that in the third quarter, as the golden sun had waxed enough so that our seats were in cool soothing shade, I was caught between the field being much too bright without my sunglasses, or being a tad too dark with them on. Ha!Actually, everything has finally changed for UA. On the campus and in the areas around campus there existed an energy unlike I've felt there before. Wonderful. I will agree with others who said that today was surreal. Ladies and gentlemen, our little commuter school is coming of age.Wonderful.GO ZIPS!STZ