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Famous Potato Bowl


GoZips88

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Saddest thing is that many of the guys are saying that the love they are getting in Boise is off the charts better than they get at Akron ................. Good for them, they deserve every minute of it

It is sad that the players don't feel the love in Akron. I would be interested to know who they feel more jilted by, the fans or their fellow students? I think the fans show the players a lot of love. They don't get the love that the coaching staff gets, but they also don't take the scrutiny that the coaching staff takes, either. I know your son is a freshman and he doesn't have a frame of reference, but I wonder if we asked a senior if things improved on the love meter during his time in Akron.

I know a former player that decided to transfer out for his senior year was partially due to the complete lack of respect shown to him from the student body which went as far as actually being openly mocked in the student union. Hopefully that kind of sentiment isn't around anymore.

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Two Zips' football articles in today's Canton Rep.

Focus on two Stark County players - Zips' long snapper Michael Buddenburg (Jackson) & Zips' DL Se'Von Pittman (McKinley).

http://www.cantonrep.com/article/20151220/SPORTS/151229996/1020/SPORTS

http://www.cantonrep.com/article/20151220/SPORTS/151229994/1020/SPORTS

Edit: THREE Zips' football articles in today's Canton Rep. Give them clicks as they're kicking the ABJ's arse into the dirt.

Focus on Green graduates Dylan Brumbaugh and Andrew Pratt.

http://www.cantonrep.com/article/20151220/SPORTS/151229995/2000/NEWS

Edited by Blue & Gold
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Keener. The sad thing about your post is that our STUDENTS should also be FANS. It's ridiculous that we have to separate them. I bet if you polled our own student population, especially the ones who are avid sports fans, they have far more interest in the success of their favorite "big programs" than the school which they attend.

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I'll be interested to find out tomorrow if things might start to trend in the other direction, to any extent. Will the students be filtering to the bars around campus to watch the Bowl Game? How many will be huddled around their TVs in the dorms and apartments? Does "just winning" change everything? Or, are we still a "small" program, who's conference is insignificant and their bowl game is meaningless, in the eyes of our very own students.

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Reading the comments after the article is ridiculous. I know Bowden isn't in the top tier of coaches, but the one guy is saying he has done nothing here. Obviously going from back to back 1-11 seasons to a bowl game is nothing to this guy.

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Saddest thing is that many of the guys are saying that the love they are getting in Boise is off the charts better than they get at Akron ................. Good for them, they deserve every minute of it

Well, they are getting love because they are all together in their Zips FB gear...they probably aren't seen in town like that too often. However, sometimes, it takes an outside light shinning in for folks to see what they've really got going on here. I saw a tweet where a UA student described a phone conversation where his mom had excitedly reported that the Zips were going to the Potato Bowl and the kid was far less impressed.

The Potato Bowl is another step in a long road to changing the culture. The influx of positive press locally and nationally helps not only the team with recruiting but the community and students to feel better about the program. The more we win, the more this will happen.

I really like the tone/feel of this video that was part of the Bowl Media Guide:

Reading the comments after the article is ridiculous. I know Bowden isn't in the top tier of coaches, but the one guy is saying he has done nothing here. Obviously going from back to back 1-11 seasons to a bowl game is nothing to this guy.

The best thing to do is out number the ridiculous comments with positive ones.

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Marla Ridenour with yet another story that fails to really recognize the significance of the Potato Bowl appearance and focuses on more negative than positive. Seems like Williams did his best to try to turn negative questions to positive.

It might not be saying much, but I feel this piece is less negative than some of the other abj pieces. I kind of came away with the opinion that the Marla portrayed this as a stepping stone that only matters if Akron builds upon in years to follow. There is reason to be cautiously optimistic as the only other time Akron went bowling, they followed it up with 9 straight losing seasons. One 7-5 season in which Akron failed to beat any team with a winning record isn't going to instantly sway public opinion.

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Not many people are able to make it out there, so I'm glad the players seem to be enjoying it. It's all for them. I'm really hoping to be able to leave early enough to catch the game tomorrow, but if not I'll record it. Hopefully the extra few weeks of practice and the experience will be something to build off of. Go Zips!

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It might not be saying much, but I feel this piece is less negative than some of the other abj pieces. I kind of came away with the opinion that the Marla portrayed this as a stepping stone that only matters if Akron builds upon in years to follow. There is reason to be cautiously optimistic as the only other time Akron went bowling, they followed it up with 9 straight losing seasons. One 7-5 season in which Akron failed to beat any team with a winning record isn't going to instantly sway public opinion.

I would have had less of an issue if this had come after the game. Let's focus on that, first. It's not like the ABJ has abounded in positive coverage.

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I don't think this has been mentioned, but I found it rather interesting.

I didn't realize that Logan, Utah (Where Utah State is located) is way up in Northern Utah. So, it's actually only 4-5 hours from Boise.

I'm not sure how good of a following they have for football, but it would seem like they have the potential to turn this game today into a Home game. I'm thinking that this would at least be comparable to our ability to get people to Detroit for a Bowl Game, in terms of distance.

If there's 15-20 thousand Utah State fans, and only a handful of Akron fans in that stadium today, it could have an impact on the game.

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My Keys to the Game:

1.) Woodson needs to be resilient. The Utah State defense is going to make plays. As long as he stays confident, and doesn't compound his mistakes, we are in good shape.

2.) Jerome Lane needs to make an impact. He needs 7 catches and a TD or two. If he has 2 catches for 38 yards, the Zips lose.

3.) Newman Williams is the wild card. Healthy for maybe only the 2nd time all season, he can be the key to us moving the chains with short yardage dump passes. And, blocking to keep the heat off Woodson.

4.) The OL needs to limit crippling penalties. Especially in the red zone.

5.) The D needs to do-what-they-do. Coe stuffing the run. Brown wreaking havoc. Marcus and Pittman pressuring off the edge. If the front 3/4 are effective, the secondary will get some pick opportunities.

6.) Milwee needs to play-call aggressively. Bowden too. If the Zips try to "manage the game" offensively and try to win it with defense, like they did vs CMU, they'll lose. This is my biggest fear.

Bowl games are crazy...you see teams down 28 points mount comebacks and win all the time. Fight the entire game and good things will happen!

Go Zips! Beat the Aggies!

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