Akron vs Can't game thread

[LZIp]

coach is losing the game for us.

[LZIp]

good no call. Glad the defense has stepped up. They are keeping us in it.

[akzipper]

That was 100% a clean hit. Lead with the shoulder, surprised they even threw a flag to begin with.

But, they need to me more consistent with calling holding and ball spots. Akron got screwed out of 2 yards and 1st down on the last drive. Apparently forward progress means nothing to MAC refs...

[LZIp]

Like I said. Most undisciplined team in the MAC. What a joke.

[LZIp]

Ok Zips..this is our drive. LETS GO!!!!!

[MDZip]

All right Zips, the D made a stop. What are you made of? Game ain't over yet. I just want to see them ruin akzipper's day.

[LZIp]

We dont run on 3rd and 1?????

TB doing a nice Pat Shurmur impersonation.

[you am i]

Crap.

Use the timeouts. Hold them to three plays and a field goal try and hope for a miracle ending.

[LZIp]

yea, now we are letting the clock run out. lovely!

[you am i]

Excellent play call by Can't to win the game.

It's minor consolation that anyone who bet on Can't lost their money.

Coach Hazell may be gone next year.

[LZIp]

Great effort by buy our team.

This loss is on Bowden. He did his best Pat Shurmur impersonation today in terms of conservatism, short-yardage play calling, and clock management.

[Wally B]

Great effort by buy our team.

This loss is on Bowden. He did his best Pat Shurmur impersonation today in terms of conservatism, short-yardage play calling, and clock management.

Sound's like you're cutting and pasting old standard responses.

From all account's I was impressed with the effort today. Especially given the dire predictions of a bowout. We've looked weak for the last few games, and rightfully so. With a few players back, TB was able to get back to what he wants to do. Take the first quarter. Wow! imagine the possibilities once we build some depth on both offense and defense. Yes, TB would like to take back a few calls, but that's a given. Point was, we had nothing to lose and pushed cant till the end. I LOVE IT!

[MDZip]

I was going to talk about our defense wearing down but realized we didn't score a single point in the second half. The self destruct sequence when we were deep in Can't territory at 3rd and 1 late in the game clinched it. Damn it, probably helped guarantee Can't a bowl game in the process. I think this makes next week's game a little critical for self respect alone.

[Lee Adams]

Talk about shitting down your leg....it all started with the weak decision to punt. TB had the opportunity to keep his team engaged and pumped up and he elected to take the air out of the ball and the team's excitement.

Sometimes when a head coach KNOWS he doesn't have the horses on either side of the ball, he starts trying to protect his team,HOPING they can get a break and somehow win. Good teams do what Can't did today. Akron looked good on the offensive side of the ball early in the season. They have never looked good on the D side. Yep, they need more defensive talent. But, unless the coaches can make adjustments on BOTH sides of the ball during games and week to week, we are going to get what we have been getting all year. Not convinced that all the problem on the D side is just lack talent.

[Lee Adams]

Wow! But....unless the Zips D can pretty much pitch a shut out in the 2nd half.... If K.E.N T. had a bozo D I would say Akron could outscore them again. But you can imagine what is going on in the other locker room at 1/2 time. Maybe the Akron D will step up for once but...my money is not there. If Akron only had a defense one more TD might do it.

But,TB obviously had them ready to play. Its fun to see this against that other team in Portage County.

Unfortunately, Can't pitched the shotout.

[LZIp]

Sometimes when a head coach KNOWS he doesn't have the horses on either side of the ball, he starts trying to protect his team,HOPING they can get a break and somehow win. Good teams do what Can't did today. Akron looked good on the offensive side of the ball early in the season. They have never looked good on the D side. Yep, they need more defensive talent. But, unless the coaches can make adjustments on BOTH sides of the ball during games and week to week, we are going to get what we have been getting all year. Not convinced that all the problem on the D side is just lack talent.

Calling out Amato, yet not Bowden? I recall two games this year that we were winning in the first half, but failed to score in the second half. If anything, I think our D is overperforming given the talent/depth/injuries.

[zestycoyote]

I think it's really funny how pissed everyone is getting about Bowden's coaching calls. This team is completely devoid of talent. Our best players this season (D'Orazio, Williams, Hundley, etc.) have largely been surprises.

Bowden is playing decent ball with what he has. Sure, a couple more wins would be nice, but I'll take a fun-to-watch team this year. Next year, however, my expectations will be higher.

[Aidan]

A couple of thoughts from me - not that anyone should care...

I thought at times this game was a microcosm of our season. So close, plenty of offensive firepower but just too many mistakes. It was 3rd and 7 with the game on the line and we committed back-to-back penalties totaling 20 yards. K e n t S t a t e isn't doing that this year and they also didn't seem to panic down 14-0.

No one likes Can't State but I am not going to be one of those troll fans who says they are a fluke 8-1. Troll fans who say every win by a team they don't like is because the opposition is overrated. K e n t is 8-1 and has won at Rutgers and we couldn't do that. They have won five MAC games. We can't do that. As much as it sucks, sometimes you have to give the slightest modicum of credit.

I love the fight in our kids. A little more discipline and a break here or there and we win that game.

Finally, I went to the game in my Zips gear fully expecting a very rude and hostile treatment in enemy territory. I didn't get that. Instead, I had a fellow Akron fan in front of me... 40s or 50s or so feel the urge to stand up and hit the Can't State fans with a barrage of f-bombs and middle fingers. A grown man acting like a junior high school punk. He gives us all a bad name and our team, university and fan base deserve better. I hope I never see him at one of our events again.

Go Zips.

[LZIp]

I think it's really funny how pissed everyone is getting about Bowden's coaching calls. This team is completely devoid of talent. Our best players this season (D'Orazio, Williams, Hundley, etc.) have largely been surprises.

Bowden is playing decent ball with what he has. Sure, a couple more wins would be nice, but I'll take a fun-to-watch team this year. Next year, however, my expectations will be higher.

You are correct, and this is something I should make clear.

I am proud of Bowden. I wouldnt trade him for another coach. I feel like he has gotten the most out of our players and have full confidence in him building our program.

However, it is just frustrating knowing we could have had a W.

[skip-zip]

I just have a few thoughts, good and bad:

1) On a few occassions this season, I felt that the defense actually played well enough for us to win, and the offense failed us. This was one of them.

2) I'll criticize our coach on one point. We had 3 opportunities (if my count is correct) to go on fourth down in short yardage situations near midfield, and I felt like we picked the most untimely of the 3 opportunities to try it. The best opportunity was on our opening drive of the 2nd half. We had a chance to go up 17 points. I just have a sick feeling that we were not taking advantage of some small gambles that could have changed the game. We were playing not to lose in the 2nd half, and I don't feel like we can play that way right now with the personnel we have.

3) The effort still FAR exceeds what happened in the Ken+ game last year at home. I hope the players see the potential of a light at the end of the tunnel.

[you am i]

A couple of thoughts from me - not that anyone should care...

I thought at times this game was a microcosm of our season. So close, plenty of offensive firepower but just too many mistakes. It was 3rd and 7 with the game on the line and we committed back-to-back penalties totaling 20 yards. K e n t S t a t e isn't doing that this year and they also didn't seem to panic down 14-0.

No one likes Can't State but I am not going to be one of those troll fans who says they are a fluke 8-1. Troll fans who say every win by a team they don't like is because the opposition is overrated. K e n t is 8-1 and has won at Rutgers and we couldn't do that. They have won five MAC games. We can't do that. As much as it sucks, sometimes you have to give the slightest modicum of credit.

I love the fight in our kids. A little more discipline and a break here or there and we win that game.

Finally, I went to the game in my Zips gear fully expecting a very rude and hostile treatment in enemy territory. I didn't get that. Instead, I had a fellow Akron fan in front of me... 40s or 50s or so feel the urge to stand up and hit the Can't State fans with a barrage of f-bombs and middle fingers. A grown man acting like a junior high school punk. He gives us all a bad name and our team, university and fan base deserve better. I hope I never see him at one of our events again.

Go Zips.

I agree with everything you said - except the part about Can't's record not being a fluke. I think it is a fluke. They are much, much improved from past years, but they struggled against a weak Akron team and their schedule is one of the weakest in all of football. Kentucky is a terrible team and they embarrassed Can't for their only win of the season. In the event that Can't wins the division, I expect Northern Illinois or Toledo to make short work of them. If they beat either NIU or Toledo, I'll become a believer. The Rutgers win was a great win for them, but the 8-1 record is deceiving.

[Dr Z]

The best opportunity was on our opening drive of the 2nd half. We had a chance to go up 17 points. I just have a sick feeling that we were not taking advantage of some small gambles that could have changed the game. We were playing not to lose in the 2nd half, and I don't feel like we can play that way right now with the personnel we have.

I felt the same at the time. I don't want to give any opponent the ball in the second half at this point and time of Bowden's time here.

[Lee Adams]

Calling out Amato, yet not Bowden? I recall two games this year that we were winning in the first half, but failed to score in the second half. If anything, I think our D is overperforming given the talent/depth/injuries.

Not 'calling out' anyone. Yep,the D doesn't have a lot of talent or by logic depth. It is basically doing now what it has done all year. Even when it was 'healthy'. Sometimes you have to adjust and adjust and adjust when you continue to get a bad result. Wouldn't say the D is 'overperforming' however.

Actually the offense is pretty much doing the same as it has all season also. It is putting up points against just about everyone. Its just not necessarily doing it at critical times. Coaching? Maybe.

These guys are a helluva' lot more fun to watch this year especially offensively. Unlike last season they have played their butts off all year. Hopefully,TB can load up on the defensive side in the off season and get some recruits whether they be JUCO's or transfers in who can play immediately next season. But I also think that a hard look needs to be taken in the offseason at the performance of the coaches. This team is going to need all the help it can get for the next couple of seasons.

[johnnyzip84]

Count me in the club who wishes TB had gone for it on 4th down during the opening series of the 2nd half. I think if you're going to pull off the road upset, those are the plays you need to make.

But if we're going to second guess the staff on plays like these, we also have to give credit where it's due. The Zips did a lot of things well yesterday against a solid, dare I say Vest-like, football team. UA looked like a team that had been preparing all week to WIN this football game.

1) After a few weeks of struggles in this area, I only recall one (maybe 2?) false starts.

2) DW13 was on time and on target almost the entire day.

3) Chisholm came back at 100%, in spite of the costly turnover. His 50 yard sprint for a TD in the 2nd quarter ranks right up there with most exciting Zip plays of 2012.

4) The staff obviously noticed that Nix, great player that he is, often gains an advantage by guessing on the snap count. The hard count developed was MASTERFUL and it directly resulted in one TD and set up one other.

5) Aside from one poor decision on a kickoff return, the special teams played very well. Granted the short kickoff strategy yielded consistently decent field position for K.E.N.T., but it was probably a better strategy than letting Archer take a shot at a home run every time. Stein and Paul are settling in as solid, dependable kickers (and that bodes well for 2013 and on).

6) The defense battled all game and allowed the Zips to win the yardage battle. They played with an attitude, yet kept things within the rules. They set the offense up with the ball and enough time (4 minutes and change) to win the game. They really deserved a better fate.

I look at it this way. Hazell's early game decisions nearly cost his team, a 21 point favorite at home, a chance to win the game. Even though he (Hazell) will likely be the head coach other schools come callin' for at the end of the season, I think TB clearly got the better of him yesterday.

[ZachTheZip]

Things really started going downhill with the final drive of the first half. How much time was wasted with Williams calling audibles at the line? At least 25 seconds per snap. We had a great chance to go down the field and score a TD, but we wasted so much time that we had to settle for a FG.

Also, do we have anybody on the team capable of fielding a kickoff return cleanly/intelligently? What's Jeff Bowden teaching these kids?