The real indicator

[MDZip]

If anyone is holding out hope that the Zips might beat Temple, it's only going to increase your level of disappointment with the team when they lose. I'm afraid the best we can hope for is that the Zips aren't totally embarassed by Temple.

Dave,

There is always hope, otherwise we wouldn't be fans. Actually, Chisholm showed a few good fl.ashes against OSU, I'm interested in seeing what he can do this week.

[Lee Adams]

If anyone is holding out hope that the Zips might beat Temple, it's only going to increase your level of disappointment with the team when they lose. I'm afraid the best we can hope for is that the Zips aren't totally embarassed by Temple.

Dave,

There is always hope, otherwise we wouldn't be fans. Actually, Chisholm showed a few good fl.ashes against OSU, I'm interested in seeing what he can do this week.

30-0 last year. I don't believe the Zips will beat the Owls,but ya gotta score and the defense has to control the game better. I am beginning to wonder if you can really run a 'pro style' offense consistently,successfully here. It requires more phyisicality across the board than running a version of the spread,west coast or whatever. At least in the spread if you have a decent QB a decent receiver and a decent RB you can finesse your way around some of the teams that have more physical talent. It doesn't seem either Moore or Nicely fit the drop back mold. And the O-line certainly hasn't shown it can line up and cosistently control the line of scrimmage.

[skip-zip]

Bringing Nicely in was most likely the coaching staff's way of throwing in the towel; clearing the bench. Columbus, however, didn't oblige, as is customary, and kept blitzing.

awwwwww - were those mean Ohio State boys blitzing you guys. Maybe you can try scheduling Lake Erie College or Baldwin Wallace.

Wait a minute...Buckeye fans telling UA who to schedule... Lake Erie and BW are teams that tosu be adding to their schedule once they get through the rest of the MAC and a few more I-AA teams...

Someone who obviously forgot about OSWho's 60-something ranked SOS last season.

Funny how they don't bring up their 0-13 record either.

[Dr Z]

Like some people have pointed out, a very good Temple team might not be much of a difference from an OSWho team with a bunch of suspended players.

Everybody should be able to make a ton of money than. We are only 14 point underdogs.

[skip-zip]

Like some people have pointed out, a very good Temple team might not be much of a difference from an OSWho team with a bunch of suspended players.

Everybody should be able to make a ton of money than. We are only 14 point underdogs.

I'm not too upset about that. I was afraid I'd be sickened to see that we were a 20+ point underdog, at home, to a team in our own conference.

[GP1]

I already see progress from last year, even in that Columbus blowout.

I agree. The team is better than last year. The question is, will the wins improve? It is possible to improve and still only win one game. I don't look at as we won three in lieu of one so we are better. I like to look at things in a range. 0-4 wins is a disaster. 5-7 wins is average in the MAC. 8+ wins in the MAC is a really good year. We may still be in the low range at the end of the season. If we win three this year and four next year, are we getting better or are we still a terrible program?

Again, I don't want to speculate until Sunday. Let's see what happens and then we will have a better indication as to where the program is heading this season.

[RACER]

what akron is doing happens every year.they over schedule occ teams they have very little chance of beating.most likely we will lose to cinnci and temple.i just don't see a way we beat those teams.

then we go into the fourth game 0-3 against a 1-aa oppenent.by that time we have are usuall 7k fans at the stadium.the fourth game is a must win game.if we lose to a 1-aa team will be 0-4.

after that we will be lucky to 5k the rest of the way.if we can't beat vmi then they seriously need to

either find a new coach,or consider dropping down to 1-aa.all the die hard fans will never even consider dropping down to 1-aa.unfortunatley there will be only about ten of them if we lose to vmi.

if that means firing R.I. at the end of the season do it.i don't wan't hear that we cannot fire him becaus of his contract.you cannot afford to keep him.when you have 5k fans at a new stadium for the next four years how much is that costing the a.d. dept in ticket sales.

[Doug Snyder]

I heard Urban Meyer say during the OSU-Akron game that when he was at BG he would schedule teams from the BCS conference...but not the big boys. I agree. Let's stick with Indiana, Northwestern, Minnesota, Illinois, and some of the middle programs form the Big East and ACC. I do think it helps recruiting that we are playing teams from the BCS but we need to be more selective. Also...the middle programs may give us 2 or 3 for one contract where we eventually get a BCS home game. Playing Indiana at home is a far better recruiting tool than OSU on the road (IMO).

[johnnyzip84]

If anyone is holding out hope that the Zips might beat Temple, it's only going to increase your level of disappointment with the team when they lose. I'm afraid the best we can hope for is that the Zips aren't totally embarassed by Temple.

Dave,

There is always hope, otherwise we wouldn't be fans. Actually, Chisholm showed a few good fl.ashes against OSU, I'm interested in seeing what he can do this week.

Let's put it this way. If Jawon had been on the opposing team last week, he'd have had 2 or 3 long TD runs. The opponent's remaining backs, while bigger and more powerful, didn't break any long ones because they aren't as fast as Chisholm. And his one-handed grab coupled with the sense to scurry out of bounds further cemented my impression that he has good hands and also let me know that he understands the game. But he can't run through walls, especially walls that are moving toward him. I think he's the type of back that just needs a crease. Hopefully he gets some against Temple.

Like many, I'm extremely skeptical of how well the pro-set provides the Zips the best chance to compete. But any chance of competing is predicated on the running game having success.

I said we'd be at least a 14 point 'dog, so the 14 point spread sounds about right to me. I won't say this is must win.....but I do think it is a "must compete".

Edit: I'll clarify what I mean by "must compete". For lack of a better definition, I'll say it means the Zips must cover the spread.

[zips4ever2008]

I'll be at our game versus Temple and the Zips better be competitive. I would also prefer that the Zips win. I don't know if Temple is a must win, but it sure kind of feels like it. I feel it is an important game not only for the morale of the team but also for the fans. The best result is the Zips winning. We need positive momentum in football.

[johnnyzip84]

Like some people have pointed out, a very good Temple team might not be much of a difference from an OSWho team with a bunch of suspended players.

Everybody should be able to make a ton of money than. We are only 14 point underdogs.

The Dr speaks, and the bettors listen!

OK so it's only a slight shift, but it does indicate where the early money is going. We'll see where it lands at the end of the week.

[FBJunkie]

Bringing Nicely in was most likely the coaching staff's way of throwing in the towel; clearing the bench. Columbus, however, didn't oblige, as is customary, and kept blitzing.

awwwwww - were those mean Ohio State boys blitzing you guys. Maybe you can try scheduling Lake Erie College or Baldwin Wallace.

Hey now. The context of my quote was that we were trying to figure out what RI was complaining about to LF after the game.

Some of your fellow Suckeye fans are even questioning what was going on at the end of the game. It goes beyond the blitzing. He put his starting RB back in the ball game, and started giving him the ball on every carry while we had our bench-clearing defense on the field.

I applaud our coach for showing some real fight, and calling him out on it.

If you OSWho fans think this behavior is ok, don't you realize that it's doing nothing but adding to your reputation as a bunch of pompous idiots? Haven't you had enough bad publicity in the last 6 months?

Oh, that's right, you're THE Ohio State University. You are entitled to do whatever you want. So, how are you enjoying your only legitimate victory in the last two seasons, where you were not cheating by playing ineligible players?

I'm not a big Buckeye fan - but I just love how people in this forum like to rip everyone else so they can forget how horrible Akron is - it must make you guys feel pretty good to do so because it's obvious that the play of your football team does nothing for you.

[Doug Snyder]

Like some people have pointed out, a very good Temple team might not be much of a difference from an OSWho team with a bunch of suspended players.

Everybody should be able to make a ton of money than. We are only 14 point underdogs.

The Dr speaks, and the betters listen!

OK so it's only a slight shift, but it does indicate where the early money is going. We'll see where it lands at the end of the week.

Betters??? Or bettors?? One would think there are no betters ;-)

[johnnyzip84]

Like some people have pointed out, a very good Temple team might not be much of a difference from an OSWho team with a bunch of suspended players.

Everybody should be able to make a ton of money than. We are only 14 point underdogs.

The Dr speaks, and the betters listen!

OK so it's only a slight shift, but it does indicate where the early money is going. We'll see where it lands at the end of the week.

Betters??? Or bettors?? One would think there are no betters ;-)

Ouch.....bettors! You got me before Zipmeister did!

[ZachTheZip]

OK. We didn't see anything much different than last year. Which,against a well below par OSU team is troubling. The real indicator is Temple. A MAC opponent at home. If that game is not HIGHLY competetive and in my humble opinion if you don't win you must lose by a TD or less,the questions about the coaching staff and its ability to develop a program here become more legit. Given what we saw against a relatively weak OSU team the problems which existed last year are still there. Questionable QB play,poor D secondary,little pressure on the QB no running game...still there.I thought it a little odd that Ianello put Nicely in the game. He just told everyone that Nicely wasn't his guy,his guy doesn't show much at all,then he puts in the back up. Nicely has been in the sacrifice games before. He didn't need to experience that again just because the starter couldn't get it done.The Temple game is huge as far as the progress or lack thereof of this program is concerned.

...Well?

[Zipmeister]

I already see progress from last year, even in that Columbus blowout.

I agree. The team is better than last year. The question is, will the wins improve? It is possible to improve and still only win one game. I don't look at as we won three in lieu of one so we are better. I like to look at things in a range. 0-4 wins is a disaster. 5-7 wins is average in the MAC. 8+ wins in the MAC is a really good year. We may still be in the low range at the end of the season. If we win three this year and four next year, are we getting better or are we still a terrible program?Again, I don't want to speculate until Sunday. Let's see what happens and then we will have a better indication as to where the program is heading this season.

As the blind man walked into the blast furnace, he said "feels like it's going to be sunny today."

[Dr Z]

I already see progress from last year, even in that Columbus blowout.

I agree. The team is better than last year. The question is, will the wins improve? It is possible to improve and still only win one game. I don't look at as we won three in lieu of one so we are better. I like to look at things in a range. 0-4 wins is a disaster. 5-7 wins is average in the MAC. 8+ wins in the MAC is a really good year. We may still be in the low range at the end of the season. If we win three this year and four next year, are we getting better or are we still a terrible program?Again, I don't want to speculate until Sunday. Let's see what happens and then we will have a better indication as to where the program is heading this season.

As the blind man walked into the blast furnace, he said "feels like it's going to be sunny today."

The progress I thought I saw in Columbus was due to a poorly coached Columbus team. See Toledo vs Columbus.

[Lee Adams]

OK. We didn't see anything much different than last year. Which,against a well below par OSU team is troubling. The real indicator is Temple. A MAC opponent at home. If that game is not HIGHLY competetive and in my humble opinion if you don't win you must lose by a TD or less,the questions about the coaching staff and its ability to develop a program here become more legit. Given what we saw against a relatively weak OSU team the problems which existed last year are still there. Questionable QB play,poor D secondary,little pressure on the QB no running game...still there.I thought it a little odd that Ianello put Nicely in the game. He just told everyone that Nicely wasn't his guy,his guy doesn't show much at all,then he puts in the back up. Nicely has been in the sacrifice games before. He didn't need to experience that again just because the starter couldn't get it done.The Temple game is huge as far as the progress or lack thereof of this program is concerned.

...Well?

Well Zach thanks for that lead...I am sorely disappointed first and foremost. I was at least hoping the game would be competetive.In General: 1) Obviously they are light years away from being just competetive with the better teams in the MAC. 2) I am not convinced that this offensive scheme is going to be successful over the long haul unless the coaches make some adjustments to suit the personnel they have and will get at Akron.Specifically: 1)Neither the O-line nor the D-line can consistently control the line of scrimmage. These guys have some experience and are not playing like it. 2)Moore is not at his best as a 'pocket' passer. The coaches need to allow him to get his feet moving. Move the pocket,run some option from under center,run some more shotgun. Obviously he can and wants to run. But,he is short and has a hard time seeing receivers and getting the ball over/thru the linemen. They run a lot of crossing routes. Thats difficult if you can't see. It also might help the O-line because they won't have to hold blocks as long. Moore hit some longer routes because he could see downfield alittle and he could throw the ball up in the air. 3)Chisholm isn't as impressive against decent defenses. He isn't getting a lot of help from the line though. The 'wildcat' didn't really produce much either. 4)ALL of the linebackers are missing tackles at the line. They end up chasing downfield. They seem to either take bad angles or are slow. They may make tackles but those are after sizable gains in many cases. 5)The receivers are not comfortable with Moore yet. They dropped a few last night. But Moore was also throwing some of those crossing routes behind them. 6)The secondary is what it is. They didn't get torched more only because Temple was running the ball very well. And, their best back Pierce didn't even play that much. They can't cover big receivers, and guys like Waller are so small they get run over in run support.Its just a little surprising that this team has not made more progress after 14 games under this coach. They appear to be mostly playing hard. But that means that 'something' else has to happen before they are going to be competetive. Hopefully when they start playing the bottom feeders in the MAC they will pick up a couple of wins. Please though,lets not do the 'fire the coach thing'. Its not going to happen this year. Lets see if he makes more adjustments.

[Dave in Green]

Good analysis, Lee. As I said in another thread, the Zips look to me to be roughly where they were toward the end of last season. They might be able to hang with lower-tier MAC teams, but they're going to get blown away by any good teams they play. The Cincinnati and FIU games could be as ugly as the Temple and tOSU games.The only thing I really felt good about after the tOSU game was punting. After the 48-yard field goal last night, I feel a little better about place kicking.One thing that really disappointed me was the fact that the Zips are still penalty-prone, and that they too often kill their own chances of sustaining drives. I believe the Zips had six penalties in the first half to only one for Temple.Neither the players' play nor the coaching staff's coaching should get all the blame. From all I can see, the Zips do not have high level D1A talent, and the coaching staff is not getting the most out of what they have to work with.That's a pretty deadly combination.