Game 2 - Temple

[zipsoutsider]

8 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

Coach JB from Last Chance U was on the Pat McAfee Show yesterday, and mentioned Akron by name as a program he could turn around. I'm not saying I want JB with his questionable past, but this program desperately needs someone like him from a competitive, out-of-the-box thinking sense. 

 

We make this whole football thing look a lot harder than it really is. 

 

Is it possible, in the age of weird contracts to fit any situation, to include a clause where, if a certain record isn't met, the remainder of the contract is voided upon firing?

That would be an epic failure. This guy has no moral compass. I don't want a D1 program if you have to bring in that kind of guy to win.

[Let'sGoZips94]

Just now, zipsoutsider said:

That would be an epic failure. This guy has no moral compass. I don't want a D1 program if you have to bring in that kind of guy to win.

 

Hence, "I'm not saying I want JB."

 

We need an outside-the-box guy with a competitive spirit who will deploy creative tactics for recruiting & play calling. 

[Football grandma]

Do the coaches even review the game films? One offensive lineman was responsible for many of Temple's big plays! If these "first stringers" can't get the job done, drop down into your depth chart. Those players have put in the work and time, too. Let's see what they've got.

Edited September 11, 2021 by Football grandma
Wrong word

[NWAkron]

1 minute ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

Hence, "I'm not saying I want JB."

 

We need an outside-the-box guy with a competitive spirit who will deploy creative tactics for recruiting & play calling. 

who is JB?

[zipsoutsider]

13 minutes ago, Football grandma said:

Do the coaches even review the game films? One offensive lineman was responsible for many of Temple's big plays! If these "first stringers" can't get the job done, drop down into your depth chart. Those players have put in the work and time, too. Let's see what they've got.

Is last chance u already here?

[Captain Kangaroo]

On 9/8/2021 at 12:56 PM, Captain Kangaroo said:

I see this game playing out slightly worse than the the UAB game a couple years ago. Temple 45 Akron 23. I don't see us stopping Temple, no matter how badly they appeared to play against Rutgers.

I’ve become an expert on bad football.

[Lee Adams]

Wasn't going to post this season. But... Went to the game and for 1Q I saw a good RB running behind some decent blocking by the O-line. Problem was the when Temple adjusted and shut down the running game Akron didn't or couldn't adjust. All Temple did was sit back in a 2 deep, played a 3 or 4 man front and their linebackers and corners  were able to react to stop the run or clutter up the secondary. Akron couldn't pass block, receivers were running into coverage and both Kato and Irons were afraid to throw the ball. Coaching staff didn't help with some of the play calling. I don't think either Nelson or Irons are real comfortable as pocket passers. Seems that maybe if you ran some play action like the Browns do with Mayfield and get them out of the pocket they might be more effective. Defense doesn't look a lot different, still not much pressure.

That could have been a nice win for a struggling program. Next week might be the only other chance this season.

Gulp!

[NWAkron]

7 minutes ago, Lee Adams said:

Wasn't going to post this season. But... Went to the game and for 1Q I saw a good RB running behind some decent blocking by the O-line. Problem was the when Temple adjusted and shut down the running game Akron didn't or couldn't adjust. All Temple did was sit back in a 2 deep, played a 3 or 4 man front and their linebackers and corners  were able to react to stop the run or clutter up the secondary. Akron couldn't pass block, receivers were running into coverage and both Kato and Irons were afraid to throw the ball. Coaching staff didn't help with some of the play calling. I don't think either Nelson or Irons are real comfortable as pocket passers. Seems that maybe if you ran some play action like the Browns do with Mayfield and get them out of the pocket they might be more effective. Defense doesn't look a lot different, still not much pressure.

That could have been a nice win for a struggling program. Next week might be the only other chance this season.

Gulp!

Great post.  Thank you.  nice to read real football knowledge instead of the "piling on."

[clarkwgriswold]

Did any of you suffer the misfortune of hearing Arth's postgame comments with Joe Dunn.  Other than a lot of old tired cliches and looking on the bright side, Arth thought that the turning point was the long jet sweep for a TD.  He thought that the players lost their confidence and positive attitude as a result of that play.  That tells me that you are recruiting or training the weak minded, neither of which is a good reflection on the staff.  No mention of failing to use a challenge on the real momentum changer.  I shut it off pretty quick as the Dunn-Arth positive "some good will come out of this" was making my stomach churn. 

[GoZips88]

38 minutes ago, NWAkron said:

Great post.  Thank you.  nice to read real football knowledge instead of the "piling on."

 

I've heard it said that the opposite of love is not hate ... it's apathy. One could argue that's where the REAL "piling on" is happening. Many who have cared deeply or even shown casual interest in the past have quietly just moved on. Those who complain or "pile on" on boards like this at least still have SOME level of G.A.S. left in them or they wouldn't even bother to stop by to post. UA football (athletics in general?) is in a bad way right now. We'll see if Arth (including staff and players) and the athletic department have what it takes to turn this mess around.

Edited September 12, 2021 by GoZips88

[NWAkron]

18 minutes ago, GoZips88 said:

 

I've heard it said that the opposite of love is not hate ... it's apathy. One could argue that's where the REAL "piling on" is happening. Many who have cared deeply or even shown casual interest in the past have quietly just moved on. Those who complain or "pile on" on boards like this at least still have SOME level of G.A.S. left in them or they wouldn't even bother to stop by to post. UA football (athletics in general?) is in a bad way right now. We'll see if Arth (including staff and players) and the athletic department have what it takes to turn this mess around.

Fair enough.  I guess my point was simply that I liked the fundamentals analysis of what was going wrong on the field.  Helps me understand.  No fan of Arth here, and I understand this is our only place to vent.  Lee's post was a welcome break from mine and other just shaking our heads posts.  

[TheZipCat]

3 hours ago, clarkwgriswold said:

Wow, is this bad..

 

So, we get a three minute review on this catch and no review on the Kato fumble/injury.  How could Arth not request a review on such a huge play?

I think you answered your own question...

[TheZipCat]

2 hours ago, dre22era said:

And we continue to be loved for the wrong reasons

 

After Today This Program is Dead 

Its over for Arth 

He has no business EVER being on our Sideline but Backdoor Privilege got him the job 

Worst Decision in this Program's History that may put us in a financial and cultural debt we may never recover from on a FBS I-A level. 

A Shitty Football Program who can't draw fans to a stadium they have yet to pay off. 

 

Unfortunately I have to agree. We all had hope that Tom Arth would be able to work some logical recruiting magic and perhaps turn-around Terry's sputtering program. But perhaps we're witnessing Akron's saturation point.

[TheZipCat]

44 minutes ago, GoZips88 said:

Many who have cared deeply or even shown casual interest in the past have quietly just moved on.

Absolutely 100% true. This describes what happened to me.

[zippy-claws]

Say what you want about the offensive side of the ball, but where in the world is the defensive abilities, either on the field or in the coaching office?  They are terrible!  A stop somewhere along the line might have given the offense a little boost of confidence too.  Or give them the feeling they still had a chance.  Every time the offense got their hands on the ball it was the result of a kickoff after a Temple score.  No turnovers at all.  Temple punted on their first possession, the first possession of the second half, and then not again until 3 minutes left in the game.  Just pathetic defensive play.  Either lack of talent from poor recruiting or lack of coaching or coachability.  

[Zipmeister]

So the game was played on a Saturday in what (from a distance) appeared to be great football weather, so at least attendance must have been good, right?

[zipsoutsider]

The band never gave up. They kept playing.

[LZIp]

13 hours ago, Football grandma said:

Do the coaches even review the game films? One offensive lineman was responsible for many of Temple's big plays! If these "first stringers" can't get the job done, drop down into your depth chart. Those players have put in the work and time, too. Let's see what they've got.

I think you're onto something with this. I noticed it some at Auburn, but was willing to give it a pass. Coincidentally, we scored on Auburn when this OL wasn't in. I noticed it again yesterday....when the play breaks down, it starts with a certain OL getting beat on the outside the majority of the time. He doesn't seem to do well pass blocking in space.

 

As for other thoughts on the game, Feeney just might be this staff's Milwee. I don't like the 4-2-5. We have DL who can't get off blocks or put pressure on QB. Puts a lot of pressure on our LBs...and the extra DB doesn't seem to make much a difference considering QBs seem to complete passes at will on us. We apparently changed up strategy on DL by going "smaller or more athletic" this year, including bringing in a number of transfers who haven't yet made a difference. I though they should have brought in a transfer DB to upgrade the position opposite of Watts, and it still would appear to be an issue. Kelley-Powell, a Michigan transfer, hasn't made a single play since he's been here. Any time we force the offense to punt, it seems like a miracle. Temple ran a very vanilla offense yesterday. Same 2-3 running plays with a couple pass plays mixed in.

Edited September 12, 2021 by LZIp

[Zipmeister]

13 hours ago, Football grandma said:

Do the coaches even review the game films? One offensive lineman was responsible for many of Temple's big plays! If these "first stringers" can't get the job done, drop down into your depth chart. Those players have put in the work and time, too. Let's see what they've got.

 

I hope the coaches drop down into the depth chart and your grandson gets into a game soon.

[LoyalZIP]

I love that analogy, LZip. Feeney is Milwee. The head coach's boy who is under qualified and isn't making any progress after a few seasons. I have a hard time believing that our defensive personnel are actually as bad as they seem. There are some great athletes out there. However, they aren't put in any position to be successful. I've never seen a zone defense that allows for so many pass catchers to be open underneath with nobody within 5-10 yards. I feel like I'm watching Rob Senderoff basketball of trying to stick a square peg in a round hole. It's not working. Make some changes. Own that you were wrong and admit it. At this point, that may be the only way to keep a shred of respect from the fan base.

 

Akron dominated that first half outside of 3-4 plays, which just goes to show you the difference between being good and bad in this sport. Catastrophic sequences like that have plagued this program for a long time, and unfortunately much like previous coaching staffs, they lack the ability to lead and motivate. The Irons pick 6 was pathetic, why is that play in the playbook and why would you run it at that point in the game? And I get he's young, but why is he trying to make that throw? That was when I knew right there. I might as well have left.

 

One other thing. In the second half before the game was completely out of reach, Akron was driving somewhat deep into Temple territory. On third down, Irons got rushed and took a bad sack that knocked Akron out of field goal range. I believe a TD would have made it a one-score game. After the play, Temple received a taunting penalty. Great! First and ten at the 20, right?!?! NOPE!!!!! Joey Marousek, Akron's 9th string QB with a headset, said something and ran out onto the field, making the fouls offset, giving Akron a 4th and a mile out of field goal range, leading to a turnover-on-downs. P A T H E T I C.

 

With that said, for my own good and sanity, I'm looking forward to the win next week, as meaningless as it will be. And then we open MAC play with two seemingly similarly bad conference opponents, so I look forward to talking myself into a couple of wins there haha. 

[clarkwgriswold]

I've tried to remain objective and balanced with respect to the Zips under Arth.  I was not a Bowden fan for a number of reasons and thought it was a good time for a change when Arth was hired.  While the team struggled through the transition I urged patience and asked others to not pass judgment on Arth prematurely.  I sat back and hoped we would see steady improvement as Arth built his vision of the program.  After yesterday, I think I've seen enough.

 

The Zips were up 14-0 with 4:26 left in the first quarter.  Over the next 43 minutes in the game they gave up 45 points while scoring only three.  From Arth's postgame comments he thinks the long early Temple TD demoralized the team and impacted the rest of the game.  If that's true, it's not a positive reflection on the staff that a single play can have that kind of impact.  Rather than a demoralized team, I saw a team with less talent and worse coaching than a bad team playing a backup freshman QB.  I could come to no other conclusion than that Temple's players were bigger, stronger and faster than the Zips players.   I regularly saw Zips dominated at the point of attack and players out of position.

 

I didn't expect vast improvement.  I didn't even expect a win yesterday.  I just wanted them to show some heart and be competitive.  It doesn't help that while I await this improvement, our rivals to the east continue to improve their program in just the manner I hoped for the Zips.  I realize that it's not necessarily an accurate comparison, but John Groce came into a completely dismantled program after KD left but with him we saw signs of steady improvement.  Certainly, a basketball programs can be turned around much faster than a football program but we should seeing some signs of progress and improvement on the field 33 months into Arth's tenure.  

[monrowe]

Charles Guthrie Should immediately text RDL relocations contact  info to Matt Feeney and Tom Arth. Mr.AD can relieve them any day now he didn’t hire them.

 

[NWAkron]

2 minutes ago, monrowe said:

Charles Guthrie Should immediately text RDL relocations contact  info to Matt Feeney and Tom Arth. Mr.AD can relieve them any day now he didn’t hire them.

 

I think it's RLD, and we would all love that.  Maybe schedule another pay out game and use it to buy out the contract. 

[clarkwgriswold]

An alum at Pitt gave the school $20M to get the naming rights of the head coach position. The head coaching position at Pitt is now named the "Chris Bickell '97 Head Football Coach."  Given Akron's history of coaches maybe RLD Relocation and Logistics would want to step up and do this at UA.  

[bigjim]

16 hours ago, zippy-claws said:

Say what you want about the offensive side of the ball, but where in the world is the defensive abilities, either on the field or in the coaching office?  They are terrible!  A stop somewhere along the line might have given the offense a little boost of confidence too.  Or give them the feeling they still had a chance.  Every time the offense got their hands on the ball it was the result of a kickoff after a Temple score.  No turnovers at all.  Temple punted on their first possession, the first possession of the second half, and then not again until 3 minutes left in the game.  Just pathetic defensive play.  Either lack of talent from poor recruiting or lack of coaching or coachability.  

I went back and looked at the ESPN stats on the number of tackles from the defensive players.  I confirmed my thoughts after watching the games that the DL produced very little over the first two games.  We are getting little to nothing from the DL.  All successful teams have a solid defensive line that can stop the run and pressure and sack the QB.  I see nothing that will improve this situation as the season goes along.