One Mass Thought on THE Game

[Quickzips]

We found out earlier in the year against NIU that you have to play all 4 Quarters of a football game to win it. NIU found the same lesson out tonight. Prevent defense does one thing, prevents you from winning.

As a NE Ohio sports fan I swore it was over after that INT off of Kennedy's hands. "No way," I said "do we stop Wolfe and the Huskies 3 and out and get this ball back." But hats off to our D man. When we needed the big stop they came up with it. For that I am forever greatful.

If you told me Wed. that Garrett Wolfe would run for 270 yards I would have told you we would lose by double digits.

If I wasn't so jubilated by the win that performance by Hixon would have brought me to tears. Kid was on the sidelines flat on his back, throwing up, with ice packs under his shirt not more than 10 minutes before that play. He wills himself up and back out onto the field, knowing at may be the last time he plays on the zips and makes the winning TD. That will forever be a part of Akron lore.

Getsy finally seemed comfortable with the little dumpoff route to Kasparek and it was there all night. If he can build on that for next year it is definitley a good thing.

Other than the dropped pass for the INT Kennedy looked pretty well tonight. We need to hand the RB job to him and let him work it out as the feature back this offseason. I think he could be an adequate replacement for Biggs.

This team is pure, 100% heart. No other way to put that one. ESPN showed a shot early in the 4th when it looked like we were cooked on the sidelines of one of our players (I forget who) getting the team up and you could see the sparkle come back into their eyes. I've complained about leadership most of the year, but tonight the entire team stepped up and lead themselves to victory. Props, major props.

I don't care if they are fair weather fans, I will take them. We just got to keep them coming back now. If we start off the season pretty well next year I think we could easily draw 20K averages in the bowl. For those of you who haven't been on campus lately I suggest making the ride over. The atmosphere is changing big time here. I know in my dorm there were people yelling up and down the halls after that one (myself included).

I know it's a little late. But JD deserves to be considered as MAC Coach of the Year. I know we've all given credit to LO's players, but noone can honestly say they think that LO's coaching would have won that game. JD is flatout a ball coach. You look at him and he was born for it. Tonight just proved it.

One of the big things that helped us win this game was we never really allowed their passing game to get things going. Minus the one big play on 3rd and 13 where the DB's gave their guy a cushion that I could have thrown the ball into they never really looked comfortable passing the ball. With that they had to make Wolfe responsible for most of their offensive production. It is hard to win ballgames like that.

Final thought:

This is a program on the rise. We've all said it many times before both here, in real life, and on MACbbs. Last night we proved it. Now lets go out and get a win this weekend from the soccer team in Maryland and pin down that NCAA Championship. FEAR THE ROO!!!