Jump to content

End of Season Thoughts

catdaddyp

By catdaddyp
in Akron Zips Football

 Share

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 66
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Popular Posts

catdaddyp
catdaddyp

What went Right and what went Wrong?   Quarterback: Unbeknownst to much of the fanbase, DJI had offseason shoulder surgery and was not the same QB coming into 2023. He finally settled i

Blue & Gold
Blue & Gold

I still feel we were just a mediocre QB away from 5, maybe even 6 wins.

catdaddyp
catdaddyp

I would argue Moorhead may have taken over a roster in worse shape than Arth and I can only imagine how bad Arth’s final recruiting class would have finished had there not been a change. I don’t belie

Posted Images

72 Roo Proficient

72 Roo

Posted
Posted

In a QB the winning foundation has to be there. In Bullock I don't see it. With him decision making and accuracy are lost. He has had a spring season (I think), off-season, pre-season and a full season to show progress. It hasn't been there. If Joe is counting on him we are building a house of cards that will collapse under pressure. A new QB or two must be brought in. I am most curious to find out why there is zero mention of Steele Wasel 6'3" 215. His signing was heralded and supposedly we beat out Oregon so he must have had some ability. Why has he seemingly fallen off the radar? Even when we were desperate for a win he was not discussed as an option. Did the staff find he was way below expectations?

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Zipsfan10 Enthusiast

Zipsfan10

Posted
Posted
On 11/27/2023 at 1:33 PM, 72 Roo said:

In a QB the winning foundation has to be there. In Bullock I don't see it. With him decision making and accuracy are lost. He has had a spring season (I think), off-season, pre-season and a full season to show progress. It hasn't been there. If Joe is counting on him we are building a house of cards that will collapse under pressure. A new QB or two must be brought in. I am most curious to find out why there is zero mention of Steele Wasel 6'3" 215. His signing was heralded and supposedly we beat out Oregon so he must have had some ability. Why has he seemingly fallen off the radar? Even when we were desperate for a win he was not discussed as an option. Did the staff find he was way below expectations?

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
zipsfan33 Enthusiast

zipsfan33

Posted
Posted
8 hours ago, clarkwgriswold said:

I'm watching the Toledo/Miami MAC championship and it is damn depressing seeing how far the Zips are behind these teams. 

Now wait a minute, in the last minute of the 1st half Toledo scored 3 times, only to have them called back on penalties.....Then when they actually scored they had their XP blocked.  I am 100% positive the Zippers could do all of that! 

  • Haha 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites
MangoZip Proficient

MangoZip

Posted
Posted
14 minutes ago, LZIp said:

Jeff Sobol. Joined us last season from Kent after Lewis left for Colorado. I don’t know, but as @catdaddyp alluded to, could be reuniting with Lewis at SDSU.

I meant who is the new guy…thought you meant they hired a new one already. I’m sure Sobol is reuniting with Lewis in San Diego 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
LZIp Grand Master

LZIp

Posted
Posted
26 minutes ago, MangoZip said:

I meant who is the new guy…thought you meant they hired a new one already. I’m sure Sobol is reuniting with Lewis in San Diego 

No clue. Just sharing Sobol was leaving, and mentioning this will be the 3rd S&C coordinator Joe Mo will have  in 3 years.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Lee Adams Collaborator

Lee Adams

Posted
Posted
On 11/25/2023 at 8:51 AM, catdaddyp said:

What went Right and what went Wrong?

 

Quarterback:

Unbeknownst to much of the fanbase, DJI had offseason shoulder surgery and was not the same QB coming into 2023. He finally settled into a groove against Indiana, but even during that game it was DJI’s running ability that stood out as opposed to what would he considered a prolific passing day. JU was put in a tough position and expected to do more than he was capable of with the exception of 3 games (Kent, EMU, and Ohio). In those 3 games, the offense used more max protects in the passing game and relied heavily on the run. JU was 58 of 92 (63%) for 624 yards and 2 touchdowns versus 1 interception during that span. The biggest difference in those 3 games was the limited amount of turnovers as he still completed around 60% the rest of the season. Bullock simply was not ready and it seemed his accuracy issues stemmed from processing too slowly. He has all the tools physically to be a premier QB in the MAC, but he is not where he needs to be mentally at this point.

 

Running Back:

Lorenzo Lingard was as good as advertised and criminally underused during the first half of the season. This year’s offense needed a big back who could break tackles and potentially provide an explosive play at any given time. Lingard was that back. Despite the lack of touches earlier in the season, Lingard still finished close to 1,000 yards total (rushing and receiving combined). Drake Anderson was underutilized to some extent as well. The better offenses figure out ways to get players like Anderson the ball on the perimeter and in space, whether that be moved into the slot, screens, sweeps, etc. Something we did not do much of this year.

 

Wide Receiver:

Adams never seemed quite right and it was later confirmed he attempted to play through an injury. Losing one of, if not the best, WR in the MAC will hurt any offense. Gathings really came into his own and if he can keep his emotions in check, should continue to develop and become a legitimate weapon in the future. George was unable to improve on his 2022 season statistically, but a lot of that had to do with the issues at QB. Same could be said about Caleb Anderson, just to a lesser extent. Walker and Golden provided solid options from the slot, while Adrian Norton seems like a star in the making and will be exciting to watch in the coming years. 

 

Tight End:

It was thought TJ Banks would take a larger role in the offense and provide a threat across the middle of the field. Although Banks was solid, it was Newell who really surprised. Newell continued to improve as the year progressed and he has the potential to be as good as any TE in the MAC. This year’s offense was most effective when Banks and Newell were on the field at the same time.

 

Offensive Line:

Although the OL showed improvement by end of year and gave up less sacks than 2022, they were still subpar as a unit. Blanchard, Kindred, and K. Davis missed substantial time due to injuries. All started at points in the season. Chambers was shifted from the right side and ended up receiving the most starts at LT. Frank nailed down LG and is now out of eligibility. T. Williams was inconsistent at C, which is to be expected from a redshirt freshman. The RG spot saw a number of different faces before Lyons became the starter in the last few games. Nate Williams was moved back to RT and played really well the last 3 games. This unit had more depth this year, but unfortunately not enough quality depth to lose starters for significant time. The 2022 and 2023 classes brought in a substantial upgrade in athleticism. Unfortunately, outside of T. Williams (2022 freshman) and Frank (transfer portal), we didn’t get to see much of that improved athleticism this season.

 

Interior DL:

There was some concern coming into the year with Holt and Harper moving on. Terray Jones stepped in and was just as good as either player. He was also the only pass rush threat on the interior. Lavea was a load against the run and provided a solid combo with Jones. Robinson never lived up to his 3 star rating coming out of high school, yet became a key contributor as a backup. Freshman Marcus Moore looks to be another star in the making and should only get better from here. JUCO Tyler Carter (I believe he should be listed as a redshirt senior, not redshirt sophomore) did not contribute much and his claim to fame as a Zip will be getting ejected on back to back penalties with under a minute to go to finish out the season. Kiawan Murphy did not show much and will need to improve in the offseason to at least provide depth going into 2024.

 

Edge:

Ryan Johnson was the only for sure starter heading into the season and he transferred out after 4 games. CJ Nunnally burst onto the scene from the JUCO ranks and was one of the MAC leaders in sacks and tackles for loss. It’s not easy to find a lineman that is equally strong against the run and pass rush, but Nunnally is. LaJoshua Jackson and Antonio Smith were also JUCOs who flashed some pass rush ability in backup roles. JUCO Kabbash Richards was hurt for a portion of the season and did not contribute much. Bennett Adler came on as the year progressed and became more than just a run stuffer. He displayed a bull rush against Ohio, exhibiting some pass rush ability.

 

Linebacker:

Despite losing Bubba before the year began, linebacker proved to be the strongest position on defense. Former JUCO Antavious Fish flashed his hard hitting prowess in 2022 and the lightbulb came on in 2023. He and sophomore Bryan McCoy finished the year with just under 100 total tackles a piece. Transfer Shammond Cooper proved to be the best blitzer of the bunch and graded out the highest amongst the LBs. Jaharon Griffin moved into a bigger role with the injury to Andrew Behm and may not relinquish that role going into 2024.

 

Cornerback:

While not considered a top unit in the MAC, this group was much improved from 2022. Durant again made it difficult for anyone to beat out him out and ended up starting 10 games. Judson Tallandier had an up and down season in pass coverage, but was excellent in run support. Joey Hunter and Golden-Nelson had their moments and also missed substantial time with injuries. Cam Threatt did not play much of a role and may be moving on as it sounds like he already has his degree.

 

Safety: 

I expected this unit to take a significant leap and become one of the better units in the MAC. That did not happen, yet this group was still solid. Nate Thompson was inconsistent, but did finish the season strongly. Although KJ Martin does not have the stats to back up, I thought he had a better year than 2022. Corey Thomas was the biggest surprise and proved to be extremely versatile. Thomas also finished the year as the highest rated player on defense. Lewis was one of the reasons why the defense was improved in 2023 as he was a major factor at the nickel position. 

 

Special Teams:

The punting unit was strong and Dante Jackson was an upgrade over the previous punter. Kickoff and kickoff return were also solid. Field goal kicking was a disappointment until the final few games and part of that has to be placed on the coaching staff. It’s difficult for any kicker to be replaced from game to game and in some cases kick to kick. There has to be some consistency with the unit.

 

Coaching:

The offensive play-calling was maddening for most of the season. As much as the staff deserves credit for last year, they also deserve just as much criticism this year. The majority of the season it felt like round pegs were being forced into square holes and the staff did not adapt to their personnel until the end of the season. On the other hand, the defense was much better than some probably realize as they were forced into bad positions time after time. Tim Tibesar and his staff did an excellent job on that side of the ball.

 

Recruiting and Wrap-up:

I still 100% believe this staff is recruiting at a high level and had the best class in the MAC this past offseason. I also 100% believe the offensive staff badly underperformed with the talent at hand as mentioned above. I was wrong in that 2023 would be the turnaround year. There were 7 games decided by one score. This program is close to turning the corner and should have already done it. I expect another strong recruiting class will be brought in, which will finally give the program several strong classes stacked. That being the case, 2024 must be the turnaround year. Talent gap will no longer be an excuse and it probably shouldn’t have been an excuse this year outside of Kentucky, Miami, and Ohio. There was enough talent in place, with good coaching, to make a bowl game. Portal opens in December and I think our last commitment came in June, so we have about 7 months of roster transition ahead.

Is Nunnally going to be a senior in2024? Or is he done. They have him listed as a Jr. right now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
LZIp Grand Master

LZIp

Posted
Posted (edited)

In Gilbertson's two years, he had 4 all MAC performers. Can't say I'm surprised to see him get an opportunity. On its face, its G5 positional coach to G5 positional coach position, but im sure Mountain West budget is a lot bigger than ours. Such is life in the MAC. Thats why I said I'd rather that $$ from whoring ourselves out to blue bloods go to staff salaries and recruiting budget as opposed to stadium renovations on a ~15 yr old stadium... We should be able to prevent our staff from making lateral moves to peers.

Edited by LZIp
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...