Game 5—Ohio Bobcats (Homecoming)

[Jrship35]

2011 .... 1-11 and Bowden hired in December 2011

2012 .... 1-11. First full season to recruit. With no tools to recruit with other than facilities. Bowden told he had to honor all scholarships. Freshman class not really Bowdens (IMO)

2013 .... 5-7 You have to admit progress ... Maybe not to ones expectation, But progress. Bowdens first real recruiting class and transfers

2014 ... 5-7. This was a disappointment season as we should have been 6-6/7-5 and bowling ! But turned over strength and conditioning staff and philosophy. New OL coach. Two huge changes in a program

2015 .... Through first 5 games my expectation was 3-2.

I know I'm still a rookie Zips fan and haven't lived through football hell as you all have. But I think that if you look into everything it takes to change the culture of a losing program, you have to still have some hope. ....... I'm sure I may get torched here, but what the hell

[skip-zip]

I think we're finding that this is somewhat related to all of the basketball discussions over the last several years. We just want to get BETTER.

The difference is that we're not yet to the level in Football where we can be satisfied. And yes, we're playing competitively with teams that had blown us out a few years ago. Being near .500 is a dramatic improvement, but we've been stuck there for a few years now.

Guys, we're a win or two away from the difference between mediocrity and competing for a MAC title and going to a Bowl game. In fact, after yesterday, you can say that we were only a field goal away from possibly getting over that hump. I hope this is the year. And I still believe that Terry is the guy who can get us to the next step.

[Balsy]

Go Zips! Don't dwell on this one, on to the next one at EMU.

Not to look to far ahead, but anything can happen in the MAC.

[mivid12]

True...Ianello was the football reincarnation of George W Bush.

i put crapanello more in line with oblowhard...supreme incompetence...i'll bet ianello luv'd America tho

[UAZip0510]

i put crapanello more in line with oblowhard...supreme incompetence...i'll bet ianello luv'd America tho

Oblowhard? Weak.

[Jrship35]

because I'm a stat guy and was interested in how the other MAC Coaches did in their first three years (or prior coach if there is a new coach)... You obviously have to understand the condition of the program they inherited which I believe we can all agree that UA was probably the if not one of the worst ever so :

Bowden - UA 1-11, 5-7, 5-7. 2-3

Babers - BGU 8-6, 3-2 .... I believe they were in much better shape when Babers took over

Leipold - BU 2-3 Quinn was 2-10, 3-9, 4-8 in his first three

Hayes - Can't 4-8, 2-9, 2-3

Martin - Miami 2-10, 1-4 Treadwell was 4-8, 4-8, 0-5

Solich - Ohio 4-7, 9-5, 6-6

Whipple -UMASS 3-9, 1-3

Lembo- Ball St 6-6, 9-4, 10-3

Enos - CMU 3-9, 3-9, 7-6 **2015 is Bonamego's first

Creighton -EMU 2-10, 1-4

Carey - NIU 12-2, 11-3, 2-3 ** Program was rolling when taken over by Carey I believe

Campbell - TOL 9-4, 7-5, 9-4

Fleck - WMU 1-11, 8-5, 1-3

With the exception of a couple of programs that were already on a good path, I honestly would say that Bowden has done a good job of at least putting the ship in the right direction. Certainly not to anyone on this boards satisfaction, but realistically speaking.

For what it is worth ..... which may be nothing

[Jrship35]

37 Freshmen or red shirt freshmen on 2015 roster .... 18 true freshmen of which I would estimate 15'ish will be red shirted

23 Sophomore and red shirt Sophomores

23 Junior or red shirt Juniors

24 senior or red shirt seniors ...................................

56% of the roster are Freshmen or Soph's .......... With an estimate of 25% of those probably being red shirted this season

22% are seniors

I know we want to win now and don't really give crap about the future .............But the above numbers seem promising to me for the future. With the starting Oline being Seniors, I would anticipate that position to be a concentration for transfers and grad seniors next year. But I an not familiar with how the the development of the young O-lineman is going.

[Dave in Green]

I'm not talking about Bowden. I'm talking about the Bowden Backers. All objectivity has,been lost on this board. All we have are the backers and the bashers, each of whom inspire the other to entrench deeper in their viewpoints. Just like Dees & Ars.

Forums are for discussing different points of view. When anyone brings up negatives, it's only natural that others counter with positives and vice versa. When extreme opinions are stated, some will present extreme counterpoints. Doesn't mean everyone is an extremist. Many on this forum have balanced, realistic opinions and refuse to be drawn into crazy talk. Many are still open-minded about Coach Bowden, appreciating what he's done so far, hoping for more and willing to give him a fair chance to prove himself.

[zipsoutsider]

This game was decided by the Play that was called back when we were First and goal was the backbreaker. I honestly beleive that the Zips would have punched it in, if given the chance. This is a type of game where "Winning Ulgy" builds caratcher would have done so many things.

All the Flags at the worst times decided this game, not poor play. Every Team at any level needs the Meat Grinder at least once to see where you are at and where you are going.

Remember: Poverty(in the Football relam), builds Carcather.

We will be fine and the MAC East is a goal right now. Just win out.

This exactly right. We continue to get hammered by penalties. Great defensive adjustments after the first two TDs. It is easier to make those adjustments when you have rich, experienced talent.

The offense is getting better. I thought Woodson continued to show improvement. The accuracy and timing will continue to improve the more reps Tommy has. His decision-making was good, Ohio was just prepared for him. I also wished we had made more of an effort to run the ball to open up the pass a little more, but I am guessing play calling was focused on what they had seen on film from OU and where they thought there were opportunities. I believe Woodson has the ability to be every bit as good as Vick in another year or so. I hope we stick with him. Pohl would nit have done any better as we know there is basically one passing play with Pohl, the fade, because he doesn't throw with enough velocity fir other types of plays. The receiving corps still needs to get better, however.

Punting was unimpressive. Kicking was excellent. Kicking in 4th and 9 was a no-brainer.

We played a good game against a better team.

[mivid12]

Oblowhard? Weak.

like his entire monarchy over America..petulant sociopath

[Balsy]

I know we want to win now and don't really give crap about the future .............But the above numbers seem promising to me for the future. With the starting Oline being Seniors, I would anticipate that position to be a concentration for transfers and grad seniors next year. But I an not familiar with how the the development of the young O-lineman is going.

Thanks for posting this Jrship35. I was going to post some of these stats at the end of the season for some objective views of our progress (or lack there of) under Bowden's tenure.

I think for the sake of analysis it's also important to include all the "firsts" or rather "disaster-streaks" that Bowden and Co. have ended:

2012 QB holds the passing record at UA

2013 Broke an embarrassing road-game losing streak

2013 Won second game in one season in almost 4 years

2013 Beat teams at our level (or worse)

2013 Regained the Wagon Wheel

2013 Beat a higher ranked team (Toledo)

2014 First season we went 4-2 for the first time in the Stadium's History

2014 Beat a Power-5 Team

The biggest thing that we can hope for is to add to this list. We've already begun to continue some of these postitives this season, like winning a road game. The goal should start at getting to 6-6, which hasn't been done in almost 7-years. If we can reach 6 wins with more games on the schedule, we should shoot for 7. So and so forth. This team is being turned around. I know patience is difficult, but if Bowden can't get it done...I really do fear that no-one can.

[Jrship35]

One of the hardest things to change in a poor program is the discipline ... Which as we all know, is a major issue right now for us !!!! With a higher number of transfers and JC guys, there are attitudes and habits that have got to be broken .... Stupid undisciplined penalties have definitely been a big contributor in the Pitt game and in my mind, lost the game yesterday.

This has got to be addressed and changed or we will see another 5-7 type season. Period

[zipsoutsider]

One of the hardest things to change in a poor program is the discipline ... Which as we all know, is a major issue right now for us !!!! With a higher number of transfers and JC guys, there are attitudes and habits that have got to be broken .... Stupid undisciplined penalties have definitely been a big contributor in the Pitt game and in my mind, lost the game yesterday.

This has got to be addressed and changed or we will see another 5-7 type season. Period

Agreed. A lot of the selfish penalties have come from our transfers. They don't have the same commitment to team as do the guys who ha e slugged through harder times, like Cody Grice, JB1, and others.

We won the stat game in every category, except points. It's tough to feel good about a lost, but you can feel better knowing you won the stats game. The endzone will come. The Ohio defense was very good. Even if we loose to BG, it is still very conceivable that we will go 8-4 and win a bowl birth and I think most of us would feel really good about that.

[UAZipster0305]

Overall, a pretty good game for Zips fans to watch. I was entertained, we had a chance to win all the way to the end, and I can see the improvement. The field goal on 4th down was absolutely the right call. It gave us a shorter field to have to drive for the winning score at the end. Solid game from Stein in spite of the bad field position penalty at the end. As others have said in retrospect, the penalty inside the ten preventing a touchdown likely cost us the game. In general though, there are many things to improve and fix.

I am convinced going forward that we are making progress and the team and program are improving. However, I am concerned that the rest of the MAC is also improved and we have not advanced much relatively speaking. EMU, UMass, Can't, and Buffalo are all respectable and could be losses. CMU just beat NIU, so I'm not expecting to win that game.

Even though I believe we have shown improvement, I think a final record of 6-6 or above will be difficult and 5-7 realistic. Unfortunately, to all of you only impressed by W's, this season will likely not be our break-out year. Consider me satisfied for another Bowden season if we continue to be competitive in all MAC games and finish 6-6 though.

[MDZip]

Sue the Kansas City Chiefs. They have done nothing but kick fields to Cincinnati touchdowns today (halftime was even a painful 14-12 score). Then late in the game on an important kickoff they kicked the ball out of bounds. That's OUR schtick. I hope someone copyrighted yesterday's game. Crank up the lawyer machine!!

[Balsy]

i put crapanello more in line with oblowhard...supreme incompetence...i'll bet ianello luv'd America tho

like his entire monarchy over America..petulant sociopath

Oblowhard? Really? I mean really...c'mon man! Unless you're talking about Kanye West, leave the petulant sociopath speech at home.

[LZIp]

Looking ahead, the schedule may not be as easy as we all would've thought at the beginning of the season. EMU hung tough down at LSU yesterday for most of the game. CMU just beat NIU.

[skip-zip]

I always see something around this point of the season, and I always have to comment on it.

With 7 games remaining, I am already seeing the "If we just win out..........."

We're not going to "win out". We've already lost a home conference game to a team who's likely not even the best in our division. Looking at what will happen if we do win out is just so unnecessarily looking at ridiculous scenarios right now.

I think we CAN win about 4 of them.

Hopefully a bonus occurs, and we'll get the 5th one that would basically guarantee a bowl bid.

A few things happen to OU or BG, and we might have a chance at the East title game bid.

I'll stick with this realistic hope, based on what I've seen.

[Dr Z]

Lots of photography here from Thomas Ondrey, and EA of the PD writes:

Consider Ohio's 14-12 victory a program win, as the game was statistically a wash overall with the difference being Akron never could crack the end zone, getting four Robert Stein field goals instead, while the Bobcats took advantage of the two early scoring opportunities as QB Derrius Vick generated a pair of touchdowns. The Zips seemed to have a "take what they give you" game plan, making a lot of passes, instead of taking what they wanted, which is running the football behind a senior-dominated offensive line. In the end, that might have cost them.

More photography at GoZips dot com too.

Replay of the game on ESPN3 if anybody would want to watch, or rewatch.

[Captain Kangaroo]

I thought the Zips played a tough game against one of the MAC’s Top 3 teams. Woodson had a decent game, considering the conditions. The fact that he’s a sophomore is heartening. He’s made huge strides from last season. I’d expect it’ll continue for the next 2 ½ years. Hope our young WR’s improve with him.

Penalties hurt us. The lost 1^st and goal from the 5 yard line looms the largest. Although no one’s mentioned it - the roll-out where Woodson had a wide-open Coney, and/or 15 yards of open field in front of him, and chose Option #3 – throw the ball out of the endzone, was a huge mistake in such a tight game.

Coe was a force. Sans OU’s initial couple possessions, the entire defense was unbelievable. Scott’s interception was awesome. Stein was clutch.

This is essentially the same Zips crew that tanked it in the last half of the 2014 season. I hope they are motivated to not let it happen again. Losing the MAC opener by 2 points to OU is hardly a reason scrap the season, or can the coach. Of the 7 games left on the schedule, 5 are imminently winnable, and the other two are possible W’s if we stay healthy and continue improving.

Nice job Zips on Saturday. You fell a couple points short, but only 4 years ago your program was losing to Western Michigan 66-6...in the 3^rd quarter! You’ve come a long way, but you need to finish the job this year.

Beat EMU and shock BG (a team that’s coming back to earth a bit). Then come back healthy after a bye week and punch CMU in the face. In a steady, cold rain, of course.

[3rd&twenty]

Penalties hurt us. The lost 1^st and goal from the 5 yard line looms the largest. Although no one’s mentioned it - the roll-out where Woodson had a wide-open Coney, and/or 15 yards of open field in front of him, and chose Option #3 – throw the ball out of the endzone, was a huge mistake is such a tight game.

This! On that roll-out, Woodson shook off the blitzer nicely but then kind of peed his pants. Inexperienced mistake. Stuff like that will be fixed going forward, I'm sure.

Edited October 5, 2015 by Dr Z

[johnnyzip84]

While it was a pretty frustrating game to watch as a fan, it had to be infinitely more frustrating for the players and coaches. The loss definitely makes "the turnaround season" (7-5 or better by my definition) considerably more difficult to achieve. And I've said it before and I'll say it again. If the big turnaround doesn't occur in 2015, I certainly don't expect it to happen in 2016 - WAY too many holes to fill, especially on defense. It's unfortunate for the staff that the MAC in 2015 appears to be as generally competent, top to bottom, as it ever has been.

The only coaching thing that had me a little bothered/puzzled concerns the 1st two plays called once the Zips got the ball back with ~2 minutes and 2 TOs left. It seemed as though we were trying to hit a big play at the time when I felt we should have concentrated more on getting a couple of 1st downs. The safety blitz that resulted in a sack on 2nd down was a killer - it didn't seem like there was anyone to check down to on that play (or Tommy just didn't have the time/awareness to spot it). Hopefully there will be no residual blues within the team heading into EMU. The staff might have their work cut out for them in this regard.

[Captain Kangaroo]

It's unfortunate for the staff that the MAC in 2015 appears to be as generally competent, top to bottom, as it ever has been.

Lee Owens would have struggled against this year's MAC. He always banked on the K.e.n.t., Buffalo and EMU games to get him around .500.

I still like our chances. EMU is ok, but they're still EMU. Miami, K.e.n.t., UMass, Buffalo...those should all be wins for the Zips.

Playing 4, 2014 bowl teams to begin the season is a tough stretch for a team in Akron's situation. I want to see how we fare against teams of like, or lesser talent.

[skip-zip]

Johnny, unfortunately I have to agree that beating Ohio at Home was a key early piece of the puzzle that we needed to get to 7 wins.

As I said earlier, I still think we can win 4 more games to get to 6 wins. But without OU, we need a big bonus somewhere else to get to 7 wins.

I'm still going to stick with 2 key plays that really cost us on Saturday:

1) The end-around trick play that failed miserably on the first drive, when it seemed we were easily headed in for a TD.

2) Inexplicably kicking the ball out of bounds and giving OU the ball at the 35 right after that Field Goal to pull within 2 points, which absolutely killed our potential field position when we got the ball back for a final drive.

[Jrship35]

I have a question ( and am not questioning or challenging anyone). I know that the kick out of bounds was ridiculous and probably gave them another 10 yards (assuming a touchback) ..... But am I mistaken to say that the intentional grounding penalty kind of equaled that out ?

I'm probably missing something .... Or maybe I had too much to drink LOL

Edit. Never mind. I guess there was no penalty called !!! Ha ha. I'm OK.