OSU's preview of Akron

[ZachTheZip]

http://www.aroundtheoval.com/story/2007/8/8/225536/0410So here's the upcoming game from a scarlet and gray perspective. Lots of backhanded compliments.

[zen]

lol, what did you expect?"Oh noez! Akron is coming! Run for your lives! Save yourselves!"It wasn't too bad. I actually think that he wasn't trying for backhanded compliments. I think his motive was to try to make the game seem slightly more interesting to OSU fans than just "ho hum, a MAC team..."

[RowdyZip]

I love how players are pretty good "by mac standards" and "'(insert player) transferred from (insert bcs school) so they're clearly the most talented player in the(insert offensive/defensive unit).Whatever. 28-14 last time, and we've come a long way. Here's to optimism

[Bleacher Bum]

Whatever.  28-14 last time, and we've come a long way.  Here's to optimism 

Here's to me making it out alive and without getting my ass kicked after celebrating what will be the greatest upset ever!

[RACER]

the last time we played them the score was 28-14.we also had the best qb to play at akron.both tackles,and a wr that were drafted in the nfl.while i think out defense is probably going to be better than last time;our offense personel is not even close to that team.

[ZipGrad93]

And, OSU's defense is the strength of their team. It could be a long day for CJ and the running backs...If Akron can contain Wells, then they MAY be able to keep it to something like 28-14. I think that's wishful thinking at this point. Who knows, though...ZipGrad93

[Buckzip]

And, OSU's defense is the strength of their team.  It could be a long day for CJ and the running backs...If Akron can contain Wells, then they MAY be able to keep it to something like 28-14.  I think that's wishful thinking at this point.  Who knows, though...ZipGrad93

Sorry, but unless Wells is pulled because of a blowout, he will rush for over 200 yards.The 3-3-5 can't stop a good running back.Edit, the 3-3-5 can't stop any running back.

[timsum1283]

that guy was a pretty funny writer but i hope his prediction was wronggood news is that i beat them in NCAA Football 08 17-0 with a safety by Marquinn Davis who inexplicably plays DE in the game. Also, the option helped

[Zipsrifle]

If I remember correctly, didn't an Akron DB tip a pass (Should have been intercepted) in the 2nd half and it was caught by OSU and ran in for a touchdown? I also seem to remember the announcers saying that if it was intercepted, it would have probably been 6. I would say we should try run-run-run with what appears to be a pretty good stable of backs, but I don't think our O-Line is ready to try that against OSU. I hope we minimize our mistakes, and capitalize on theirs. BTW, how does the special teams look this season? Hopefully we can pin our opponents deep.Someday, I hope the stars align. We'll be stacked with veterans, comming of a MAC Championship season and catch a Big Ten team in a rebuilding year. Upset!

[RACER]

i was at the game and we made two big mistakes.im not saying we would have beat em but we would have had a really good chance at the upset.on of our db's tipped a pass and went right to there wr for a td.also we fumbled the ball on our own 1.osu got two easy scores because of our turnovers.the big thing that may help is we have army as the first game to help our offense line get some pt together

[skip-zip]

If you look at that link again, you'll see that someone comments about how we played them in 1994 and lost 63-14. At least, that's what it looks like they are saying. Ummm...dude...whoever you are. We didn't play the Suckeyes in 1994. We played them in 2001 and almost beat them.I'm happy if we turn this into a running game battle with Kennedy and Allen, and give our new OL a good workout. It also will shorten the game, and is the only way we have a chance to win.

[Zipsrifle]

I'm very glad we have Army first in CBS. Hopefully there is a decent crowd, because that place is LOUD! The guys will get good experience, but we'll still be very green when we arrive in Columbus. As for almost upsetting OSU in '01, I don't know if I would go that far. We played them very well that year, and we should have given them more of a scare than we did.

[ZachTheZip]

Special teams will decide this game. If our defense holds Wells reasonably well and we avoid giving up the big play, the Zips can run the ball all day long with our relatively deep stable of running backs. Wear away the clock and get good field position or possibly return a kickoff/punt for a TD. Score your field goals. We could put a nice scare into them. On the unlikely chance we win or even go into OT, I will be very interested to see the effect it would have on the local community and fan support.

[Buckzip]

Special teams will decide this game. If our defense holds Wells reasonably well and we avoid giving up the big play, the Zips can run the ball all day long with our relatively deep stable of running backs. Wear away the clock and get good field position or possibly return a kickoff/punt for a TD. Score your field goals. We could put a nice scare into them. On the unlikely chance we win or even go into OT, I will be very interested to see the effect it would have on the local community and fan support.

Special Teams???????????They are far superior to us there too. Not that it matters.Come on now. We aren't playing Can't, or Ohio, or Miami, or BG. We are playing a top 10 team that other than QB has a lot of returning talent. And by the way, their QB this year is going to surpise a lot of people.Sorry, but just because we have a lot of running backs doesn't mean we can run the ball.Even if we had Jim Brown in his prime he still needs a line to block for him.Our o-line will get pushed off the ball a day long. OSU will rotate in 7-8 d-lineman all of which are better than anything on our roster. Our defense will get beat up by their strong experienced o-line. Between Wells and a great OSU line, our thin d-line will be done before the 3rd quarter is over. I know I sound negative and I know you all will hate me for it, but I am trying to be a realist. We were not very good last year. Now we have a bunch of guys playing that weren't good enough to beat out the not very good guys last year. That combo doesn't sound good. I think many of you are thinking we are a lot better than we are.Maybe in a few years we can give OSU a good game, but not yet. I would love this to be a close competitive game, but I fear it will be a major rout.

[ZachTheZip]

Akron always plays their best at OSU, it seems. It will be a lot closer than most OSU fans think. OSU has a better kicker and punter as far as I can tell, but I'm liking Gary Pride as a kick returner that can really give you the occasional big return. OSU won't expect him since he is a frosh. OSU's QB may suprise a lot of people, but who is he going to throw to? A new QB and new recieving corp usually means lots and lots of running. Wells is not as good as people in Columbus seem to think. I grew up watching this kid and saw many of his games at Garfield and unless he has changed completely, he is not ready to assume the main RB position at an upper Big 10 school like OSU. Look for our linebackers to stuff him pretty well. He will get his yards, but there will be no big runs and few game changing plays coming from him. We'll all see what happens next month. For now, lets focus on blowing out Army and finding a way to get a good crowd into Browns Stadium.

[UA Fan]

If you look at that link again, you'll see that someone comments about how we played them in 1994 and lost 63-14.  At least, that's what it looks like they are saying. Ummm...dude...whoever you are.  We didn't play the Suckeyes in 1994.  We played them in 2001 and almost beat them.I'm happy if we turn this into a running game battle with Kennedy and Allen, and give our new OL a good workout.  It also will shorten the game, and is the only way we have a chance to win.

It looks like that was a PSU fan comment so I think he was referring to the Zips v. PSU in 94 when we were no match for their speed. Tressel and The U. of Ohio State (I like that name, until people stop saying Akron U.) will still be licking their wounds from the bowl game so I expect they won't be napping on us at all. I hope our QB-to-be can chuck some long balls down the field to maybe surprise them or at least keep them a little bit honest. I think we will give them a good workout but over 4 qtrs it's pretty tough. IIRC, the last time we played them they probably could have scored again at the end of the game but ran it out so no, we weren't going to upset them that day. My main goals for 07 are to develop the QB's and OL, recruit-recruit-recruit, and get the new stadium site acquired and levelled.

[skip-zip]

uakronkid...I like your optimism. But let's be realistic about our chances to stop The University of Ohio State's running game. Our defense, even with Kiki and Jermiane, and many of the same LBs and DBs that we have now, have struggled against lesser opponent's rushing attacks over the last couple of years. We'll be a good defense in MAC play, but you better hope that we just do enough to not get totally embarrassed by The U of OS's running game. I'll be pleased if we can just make enough plays to keep this game within 3-4 touchdowns.

[Buckzip]

Akron always plays their best at OSU, it seems. It will be a lot closer than most OSU fans think. OSU has a better kicker and punter as far as I can tell, but I'm liking Gary Pride as a kick returner that can really give you the occasional big return. OSU won't expect him since he is a frosh. OSU's QB may suprise a lot of people, but who is he going to throw to? A new QB and new recieving corp usually means lots and lots of running. Wells is not as good as people in Columbus seem to think. I grew up watching this kid and saw many of his games at Garfield and unless he has changed completely, he is not ready to assume the main RB position at an upper Big 10 school like OSU. Look for our linebackers to stuff him pretty well. He will get his yards, but there will be no big runs and few game changing plays coming from him. We'll all see what happens next month. For now, lets focus on blowing out Army and finding a way to get a good crowd into Browns Stadium.

I appreciate your confidence, but Hartline and Robiskie are future 1st day draft picks.Small is the next Ginn. The top 4 OSU receivers are still very highly rated.Trust me when I say, other than Kemme and Corner, not one player on the UA team would make the OSU 2 deep. Not one.In this case, being a fan also gives you the opportunity to know the opponent.

[Zipsrifle]

I agree with a lot of the points Buckzip made. Our O-Line and D-Line is inexperienced and OSU has a LOT more depth than we do. We'll be gasping for air, no matter how close, late in the game. Purdue 2 years ago, the score was close, and we were threatening late in the 3rd. It seemed at that point we ran out of gas. You could see Purdue just running guys in every play, our guys stayed out there, and Purdue pulled away. With that said, I don't know if I would make blanket statements like OSU's D-linemen are better than any of the Akron players...I detect some bias in this statement. I agree that OSU has better talent, but that is a pretty strong statement. We could have some stars on our hands but don't know it yet...I guess if your screen name was ZipBuck, I would give you the benefit of the doubt, but since Buck is first, I get an idea of where your loyalty lies.

[UADavid]

lets focus on blowing out Army and finding a way to get a good crowd into Browns Stadium.

The home team seating assignments are a good way to get people to the game.

[Buckzip]

I agree with a lot of the points Buckzip made.  Our O-Line and D-Line is inexperienced and OSU has a LOT more depth than we do.  We'll be gasping for air, no matter how close, late in the game.  Purdue 2 years ago, the score was close, and we were threatening late in the 3rd.  It seemed at that point we ran out of gas.  You could see Purdue just running guys in every play, our guys stayed out there, and Purdue pulled away.  With that said, I don't know if I would make blanket statements like OSU's D-linemen are better than any of the Akron players...I detect some bias in this statement.  I agree that OSU has better talent, but that is a pretty strong statement. We could have some stars on our hands but don't know it yet...I guess if your screen name was ZipBuck, I would give you the benefit of the doubt, but since Buck is first, I get an idea of where your loyalty lies.

Rifle, Loyalty has nothing to do with this. Actually my name is Buckzip instead of Zipbuck, because the first board I signed up on was an OSU board 7 years ago. There were no Akron boards. The name Zipbuck was taken. Therefore I went with Buckzip. Like mahy people do with passwords, I use the same name everywhere. That way I don't confuse my tiny little noggin.What I say is what I have seen. I have been to both spring games.It has nothing to do with loyalty. I could post the OSU d-line 2 deep, but it would mean nothing to you. You will have to believe me when I say not 1 Akron player would beat out 1 of those guys. If you can't see it, then it is you being bias or wishful.I am truly sorry that you think there is any bias here. I say what I see.I follow recruiting very closely. That is why I am always so frustrated with the players UA gets that are highly rated because they rarely make it to UA.All of the guys OSU has were 4-5* recruits. All of UA were 1-2* recruits. Maybe a 3* mixed in somewhere. I know stars don't mean everything. I know there are quite a few 5* that flop(Nate Robinson) and quite a few 2-3* that become stars.(Charlie Frye) However, in this case, the talent isn't even close.The OSU d-ends are faster than our LB's. Here we have speed and we have power. At OSU they have speed/power. Don't believe me if you don't want to. That is your choice. I still say the only way this game isn't a blowout is if Tressel calls off the dogs or if they take us too lightly.Sorry if I offended you, I really hope I am wrong.

[skip-zip]

Buckzip, yes, Ohio State is superior to us. I've already stated that. But, that's quite an exaggeration to think that Akron's players couldn't make The University of Ohio State's roster. And I got news for you, the Suckeyes recruits aren't always 4-5 star players. Sure, most of Akron's players could never start, but there's plenty of our players that the U of OS would love to have.And, you can't possibly believe that watching both team's spring games gives you much more knowledge about how the two teams match up than what we know already.

[Zipgrad01]

He is right that not one player on Akron's roster would make the 2 deep (not the roster, but the 2 deep is what he said). If you think there is...name that player and tell me where he would play. Think about it...our deepest position is probably running back, but not one of our running backs would crack the top 4 or 5 at OSU. Not one. They would be behind Wells, Saine, and possibly the other Wells. Plus, they have a few other running backs that are at least as good as anything we have. Our receiving corp is decimated. Do you think we have one that can break the 2 deep of Robiskie, Small, Lyons, Dukes, Hartline, Washington and Sanzenbacher? Their linebacker corp is by far the best in the country and they have HANDFULL"S of 4 star players that can't break the top 3 on the depth chart. I could go on and on at other positions. They have Robert Rose who is a BEAST 5 star DE that is 2nd string because of Gholston and Wilson at the end positions. Their DB group is sickeningly deep.Typically, Akron may have 1 or 2 players that Ohio State would make a trade for. However, I don't see anyone on this team "yet" where they would do so. I would say they would possibly have taken David Harvey if he were still around, but that is about it.

[jeaglet1]

If you look at that link again, you'll see that someone comments about how we played them in 1994 and lost 63-14. At least, that's what it looks like they are saying. Ummm...dude...whoever you are. We didn't play the Suckeyes in 1994. We played them in 2001 and almost beat them.

I'm guessing that this was part of his signature. Of course the only game in 1994 with a score of 63-14 was the game they lost to then #1 Penn St. in Happy Valley, so who knows what hes talking about.

[Buckzip]

Buckzip, yes, Ohio State is superior to us.  I've already stated that.  But, that's quite an exaggeration to think that Akron's players couldn't make The University of Ohio State's roster.  And I got news for you, the Suckeyes recruits aren't always 4-5 star players.  Sure, most of Akron's players could never start, but there's plenty of our players that the U of OS would love to have.And, you can't possibly believe that watching both team's spring games gives you much more knowledge about how the two teams match up than what we know already.

Skipzip, reread my post. I didn't say not one Zip player would make their roster. I said the 2 deep. . And even there I said other than Corner and Kemme. I still stand by thatOf course not all of their recruits are 4-5* recruits. I said most are. And they are.Please pracice your reading skills.Furthermore, you state " I already stated that", like you were talking to me. My post was never in response to one of yours. And yes, I think seeing both teams spring games tells a lot about the talent levels in each program. No, it doesn't tell everything, but it tells a lot.I don't get the Uof OS either. Would that be like Calling UA ASU for Akron Stste U.?Please explain. I am sure it is an attempt at a dig. I just don't get it.It must be the 2 years at OSU over riding the 4 years at UA that has my brain not working.