UofAZIPS.com Blog

FINAL MONTH CRUCIAL FOR THE FALCONS

Once you read this article in The Toledo Blade, you’ll feel the Zips are going to run away with this one. But reality tells us the Zips are in the same difficult position as the Falcons, and still, BG is 7 point favorites!

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FALCONS BATTLING INJURIES AND DEFENSIVE WOES

Maybe there is hope for the Zips yet this Saturday…BG News reports.

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FALCONS SEEK STRONG FINISH…Bowling Green Sentinel-Tribune.

The Sentinel-Tribune also reports on the shoulder injury of BG quarterback Tyler Sheehan.

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MAC BASKETBALL PREVIEW

Even though the Zips lost the MAC basketball player of the year (Romeo Travis) they should still compete for the MAC East title again…so says The Sports Network in their MAC basketball preview. Included in the preview is a team by team breakdown. Not a bad read.

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THEY’VE HAD ENOUGH

After months of negotiation, The Big Ten Network has pulled the plug on Time Warner Cable.  The Plain Dealer 

Bowl Eligible

The Muncie Star-Press reports that the winner of the Indiana-Ball State game will chalk up their sixth win, thus becoming bowl eligible. What’s going on in the Hoosier state?

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FORMER KENT COACH HONORED IN THE GREAT WHITE NORTH

Jim Corrigall, who coached the Golden Flashes from 1994-99, was recently named to the All-Time All Argos team by the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. By the way the Flashes were playing when Corrigall was their head coach, you would have thought they were playing by Canadian rules! Article in the Record-Courier.

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REDHAWKS NUMERO UNO!

Congratulations to the Miami hockey team for being ranked number one in the whole danged country…Oxford Press reports.

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BOBCATS FACE QUICK TURNAROUND AFTER WIN

OU and Temple duke it out in what will be an interesting MAC East contest…The Athens Messenger.

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UT TALKS AGAIN OF A WINNING SEASON

After destroying Northern Illinois last week, the Rockets are gaining some self-respect…The Toledo Blade reports the season may not be a total loss after all.

SHADY DEAL?

Is the son of a UA trustee who owns an apartment building at the new football stadium making out like a bandit? You decide. The Columbus Dispatch reports. One question: why wasn’t this story in the Akron Beacon Journal?

Contact Don Olson at: donolson160@yahoo.com

Notes from Coach Brookhart’s weekly news conference

On the loss versus Buffalo…
“Obviously, it was a frustrating game in many ways. In the end I think we played hard. Buffalo made the plays that counted at crucial times and we did not. We missed conversion opportunities. I think in the red zone right now we have eight touchdowns in 27 tries. We just haven’t converted for points at a high enough rate. We have talked about efficiency and we were not efficient on Saturday. For a portion of the game I thought we played well enough to win, but we did not convert well enough to win.”

On missing the big plays…
“This week it was difficult with some of the plays Buffalo ran against wide receiver Jabari Arthur. At one point, I thought we had one big play but the receiver did not look for the ball, we had one that we dropped and we had missed opportunities. On the season, we have not had a lot of big hit plays, part of that is by design because we want to consistently move the football, but we still have to take some chances and look for those opportunities. We have not made those plays. We have to play smart and efficient football but we also have to make plays.”

On how quarterback Chris Jacquemain has played to date…
“He is very good in the first half and struggles in the second half. I don’t have a good reason for it right now. It’s been fairly consistent throughout the year. The grades overall at quarterback would be a “C”. In the first half he is hitting high numbers, in the second half he has not converted the same way.”

On running back Dennis Kennedy…
“He is our third tailback right now and plays on almost every special team. He is not running as well as he once did and I’m not sure why but he has done a nice job on special teams.”

On upcoming game against Bowling Green…
“I think they are very content in throwing the football, it’s their main operation. In the Boston College game I think their quarterback made a number of mistakes and then got a little gun shy in the next game. I think that’s why they decided to go back and run the ball a little bit more, they had some success and now it looks like they have a decent mix between the throwing and running game. We have to play both. A lot of what they are doing is running the ball thru short passes.”

On Bowling Green’s defense…
“They are very similar to a year ago, they will get you in some zone, some blitz’s. What they are is a matured football team; they were very young a year ago and took their chances by playing some of those young guys but now it’s paying off for them.”

(source: Akron Media Relations, photo: Jeff Harwell, Zips Sports Photography)

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Brandon on Zips, ‘They’re a competitive team in the MAC’

Bowling Green coach Gregg Brandon says playing weeknight games are difficult to deal with. However, he says, it’s nice to play on TV.

Brandon gives his take on Akron’s defense and offensive troubles this season in his weekly news conference.

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ZIPS MACKEY FIGHTS TO RETURN

The Beacon Journal chronicles defensive captain John Mackey’s return to uniform after a knee injury against Kent State. The article doesn’t mention coach Brookhart’s attempt to obtain a medical red shirt for Mackey…so who knows what was up with that?

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TOUCHDOWNS SCARCE IN RED ZONE VISITS

The Buchtelite writes up the Buffalo game.

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Sagarin has Akron #108

After the Buffalo loss, Akron drops from #96 to #108 in the Sagarin ratings. In the conference ratings, the Colonial slips past C-USA, which is now #13. The MAC hangs in there at #11, however slips behing I-AA Southern. The Sun Belt remains the lowest-rated D-I conference at #15.

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AKRON MAY BE ARRIVING IN ALASKA WITH AN ATTITUDE

CSTV.com reports that the Zips are poised to make an impact in the BP Top of the World Classic.

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REPLACING LEGENDSD MAIN POINT FOR ZIPS

The Buchtelite previews the 2007-08 basketball season.

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Zippy can clinch this week

Now at 7-0, Zippy can wrap up a playoff berth in the CapitalOneBowl competition with another win this week…GoZips.com.

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Buffalo Bulls stand in the way of Miami Redhawks in Mid-America Conference East…The Plain Dealer’s MAC Insider.

Safety Mike Newton gets MAC East Defensive Player of the week for stuffing the Zips on Saturday.

Getting Bullish…MACReportOnline Week #9 recap.

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Contact Don Olson at: donolson160@yahoo.com

AMHERST, N.Y. (AP)–Drew Willy tied a career high with three touchdown passes as Buffalo defeated Akron 26-10 in Mid-American Conference play Saturday.

Buffalo (4-5, 4-1) broke an eight-game losing streak to the Zips and remained unbeaten in the MAC East.

Willy connected for touchdowns with Ernest Jackson for 11 yards, Naaman Roosevelt for 9 and Chris Scharon for his first career touchdown reception from 3 yards out.

Willy threw for 125 yards, completing 11 of 14 attempts as wind and rain grounded the Buffalo?s passing game. The Bulls ran 51 of 65 plays, and James Starks rushed for 91 yards on 24 carries.

Akron (3-5, 2-2) dropped its third in four games and struggled offensively.

The Zips managed 327 yards as Bryan Williams ran for 87 yards on 21 carries. But Akron committed three turnovers, converted 7 of 17 third-down opportunities and went 0-for-4 on fourth down.

Akron scored on a 1-yard run by Alex Allen and Igor Iveljic?s 26 yard field as time expired in the first half. QB Chris Jacquemain completed 19 of 37 for 185 yards and had two interceptions.

Akron scored on its first possession, driving 80 yards in 13 plays culminating with Allen?s touchdown. Buffalo answered on its first possession as Willy found Jackson for an 11-yard score.

Willy hit Roosevelt on a 9 yard slant to give Buffalo a 13-7 lead with 1:50 left in the first half.

Buffalo?s A.J. Principe, after hitting for four field goals last week at Syracuse, connected from 32 and 35 yards.

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Buffalo rolls as Zips fade…report The Plain Dealer.

Zips fall to Buffalo…UofAZips.com.

Buffalo strikes a blow to Akron’s division hopes…The Beacon Journal.

Bulls stage MAC attack…The Buffalo News.

Willy throws for 3 TDs to lead Buffalo over Akron… OregonLive.com.

Buffalo blow past Akron to retain first place…UBAthletics.edu

Akron falls at Buffalo, 26-10…GoZips.com.

Surprising Bulls keep winning…MACReportOnline.com

Akron-Buffalo game stats (pdf)

(photo: Jeff Harwell, Zips Sports Photography)

MAC ROUNDUP

Balls State’s big play doesn’t hold up…The Muncie Star-Press.

Illini become bowl eligable with 28-17 victory…FightingIllini.com.

Power Conferences afford much stronger compliance staffs…reports The Muncie Star-Press.

Ball State falling behind in staff to check NCAA compliance…The Muncie Star-Press.

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CMU scores early, often to beat Kent…The Plain Dealer.

CMU offense piles it on vs. Kent… The Grand Rapids Press.

Morgan looks promising, but fall to Chippewas…The Wretched Courier.

Air attack key in CMU win...Mt. Pleasant Morning Sun.

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Rockets pound Northern Illinois….The Blade.

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Vanderbilt tops Miami…Miami Athletics

Injuries continue to pile up for Redhawks in loss…Oxford Press

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Falcons lose to Ohio…BG Athletics

Falcons can’t handle Ohio, drop to 4-4…The Blade.

Ohio defeats BGSU…Bowling Green Sentinel Tribune.

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Marshall, Bronco defense do their part…The Kalamazoo Gazette.

Contact Don Olson at: donolson160@yahoo.com

TALE OF THE TAPE

AKRON (3-4, 1-1 MAC EAST, 2-1 MAC overall)

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BUFFALO (3-5, 3-0 MAC East, 3-1 MAC overall)

SITE: UB Stadium (29,013) Buffalo, N.Y..TELEVISION: None

Radio: Sportsradio 1350/Akron, WERE 1490/Cleveland

SERIES RECORD: Akron leads 8-0…the series began in 1999 when UB joined the MAC…The Zips won the last game 31-16.

LINE: Buffalo favored by 1 point. Over/Under is 50

COACHES: UA-J.D. Brookhart (21-22, fourth season); UB-Turner Gill (5-15, second season)

GAME NOTES: UB’s 20-12 loss last week at Syracuse snapped a two-game winning streak…The Zips were idle last week and played most recently in a 24-20 home loss to Temple Oct. 13…Zips QB Chris Jacquemain has completed 60 percent (54-90) of his pass attempts for 679 yards and seven TDs the last three games…UB signalcaller Drew Willy, in his third year as a starter, has completed a league-high 66.5 percent (161-242) of his pass attempts for 1,686 yards and seven TDs…last week vs. Syracuse, Willy completed a school I-A record 32 pass attempts…UB’s offense has a MAC-high 88 percent (22-25) red-zone offense success rate…Bulls’ RB James Starks is second in the MAC in rushing touchdowns with 10 and fifth in rushing yards per game (84.1)…Willy will be challenged by a Zips defense that boasts of Reggie Corner, the MAC leader in interceptions with five…the Zips special teams have Andre Jones leading the league in punt returns (20.4) and Bryan Williams in kickoff returns (33.3)…Zips’ WR Jabari Arthur also find himself at the top of the list with his 103.7 ypg receiving.

(source: Mid-American Conference)

BUFFALO GAME NOTES

AKRON GAME NOTES

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BULLS WILL RIDE ON THE BACK OF SOPHOMORE STARKS

The Zips know he’s coming, but can they stop running back James Starks?  Article in The Beacon Journal.

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ZIPS SOCCER TEAM DOWNS BUFFALO

The Akron soccer team did their part in this Buffalo double-header weekend, defeating the Bulls 1-0 on their home field, The Beacon Journal reports.

IGNORANT AND OFFENSIVE

A Columnist for The Temple News (student newspaper) opines that just about everyone is to blame for the lack of black college head football coaches.

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LEARNED THEIR LESSON?

Before they take on Kent State, Central Michigan head coach Butch Jones is hoping the Chipps learned a lesson or two when they got their heads beat in by Clemson last week…reports the Midland Daily News.

Keep Perspective

The Saginaw News reports that Central coach Jones doesn’t want last week’s pounding by Clemson to have an effect on his team this week against the Golden Flashes.

Top “D” meets Top “O”…Central’s MAC-leading offense takes on Kent State, the MAC’s leading defense, previews CM-Life.com.

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EASTERN TO HOST BRONCOS

CM-life.com previews the Eastern Michigan-Western Michigan game.

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^{KICKOFFS NOTHING SPECIAL FOR UT}

The Blade reports that the Rockets have had difficulty with their kicking game this year.

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WEST OK TO CARRY LOAD DESPITE HIS ‘SMALLNESS’

Brandon West, a little running back for Western wants to borrow some weight from his backfield partners, reports The Kalamazoo Gazette.

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MACReportOnline previews week #9 action.

VanDelaySports.com week #9 preview.

^{Contact Don Olson at: donolson160@yahoo.com}

NOT THE SAME OLD BUFFALO

Since the University AT Buffalo joined the Mid-American Conference in 1998, they are 0-8 against The University of Akron in football. However, this year, a young and talented UB team will host the Zips on Saturday that is sitting atop the Eastern Division of the MAC at 3-1 and 3-5 overall and making a run for the MAC championship.

Young lineup

Buffalo is having its most successful football season since joining the MAC with one of the youngest depth charts in the league. On offense, the Bulls start only one senior, center Jamey Richard, while starting 5 juniors and 5 underclassmen. On defense its much the same with only three seniors, two juniors and seven underclassmen in the starting lineup. Especially young is the Bulls secondary with two freshmen and two sophomores.

Stopping Starks is key

The Buffalo offense has some pop. Led by sophomore running back and former quarterback James Starks. How much of a force is Starks in the Buffalo offense? Well, he has scored twelve touchdowns, that’s half of the total touchdowns the Bulls have scored so far this season. Starks averages 84.1 yards rushing per game with a total of 673 yards, just 31 yards short of his entire output in 2006. He seems to be getting better as the season goes on, scoring 10 touchdowns in just the past five weeks. His highest rushing game took place just two weeks ago, racking up 231 yards and scoring three touchdowns in Buffalo’s 43-33 victory against Toledo. However, Buffalo had a difficult time establishing the run against Syracuse. Starks was held to only 62 yards on 20 attempts.

WILLY CAN LIGHT IT UP

Despite having a running force such as Starks in the backfield, the Bulls recently have relied on the passing game to move the offense. Junior quarterback Drew Willy is coming off of an impressive performance against Syracuse. In last week’s game, Willy tossed it up a school-record 48 times, completing 32. Willy is averaging 211 yards passing per game, completing 66.5 percent of his passes. Look for Willy to challenge the Zips secondary. Willy’s favorite target is soph. wide receiver Naaman Roosevelt. After Roosevelt, he spreads the passing attack around pretty evenly to three other receivers, in addition to Starks coming out of the backfield.

SUMMING IT UP

Buffalo is looking for its fourth win of the season for the first time since joining the MAC - a less-than-stellar performance. The Bulls have shown signs of having a strong passing and running game at times, but still suffers from the inconsistency that comes with being a young team. In the meantime, the Zips defense, its strong point for the season, was, using the words of coach Brookhart, “gassed,” during the Temple game, especially in the second half. Key for the Zips will be to exploit the size advantage of wide-out Jabari Arthur against an out-sized and inexperienced Buffalo secondary. Will the Zips be rested after the bye week? Did they use the bye to get their collective act together on offense? With three games to be played in only 12 days, lets hope so.

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BIG WIDE OUT AWAITS UB

Buffalo has had difficulties containing quality wide receivers, such as the Zips’ Jarbari Arthur, who is the MAC’s leading receiver, averaging 103.7 yards per game. The Buffalo News also reports that the Bulls’ secondary will be at a size disadvantage against the Zips.

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ZIPS RUSH FOR BUFFALO

The Buchtelite reports that the Zips are excited about the possibility of linebacker John Mackey returning to the sidelines.

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DON’T OVERLOOK BUFFALO…warns Mike Rasor in the Buchtelite.

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NOVAK: NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE DEFLATING THE MAC

This article in the Naperville (IL) Sun would normally go under “Around the MAC,” however, I think it brings up a pretty good point. Northern Illinois head coach Joe Novak accurately states that MAC schools are beating themselves up by playing too many top-shelf BCS schools for the non-conference schedule.

Be it for a big paycheck, or an attempt to step up the program, MAC schools have been scheduling some pretty tough competition the past few years. Akron knows that more than anyone.

A flaw in scheduling or an attempt to prove yourself with the big boys? Everyone agrees that the MAC is down this year in football. Is the talent level really down, or, are MAC schools playing so far above their head that they’re too banged up by the time conference play rolls around.

For the MAC to step up, there’s no doubt that they have to schedule BCS schools. But to gain any respect, they have to start winning some of these games, and we’re not talking about ailing programs like Iowa State and Minnesota. Playing teams like Ohio State is just taking on too much. Why not start with mid-level BCS teams, then work your way up when you start winning consistantly on that level.

I wonder when MAC schools will realize that the six-figure payday they receive by playing way over their head, will end up being too expensive in the long run.

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EMINENT DOMAIN IS IMMINENT

In a rambling opinion piece, The Buchtelite is trying to say something about the new football stadium construction, although I’m not exactly sure what it is they’re trying to say.

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AKRON RANKED 14 IN MID-MAJOR POLL

The MAC press association may have picked the Zips to come in fourth in the East this season, however, the national media seems to have a different opinion.

TheCollegeInsider.com is ranking Akron #14 on its Mid-Major Top 25 - that’s the highest ranked MAC team. Kent State is close behind at #15. Other MAC teams on the Top 25 include Miami #17, Western Michigan #23, Central Michigan #24.

According to their Web site, the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major 25 is the only nationally-recognized basketball poll for mid-major programs.

Austin Peay, who the Zips beat in the Bracket Buster last year, thus owing a return trip to Clarksville, is ranked #12.

Entire Ranking Here

NO LONGER A TEMPLE OF GLOOM AND DOOM

The New York Times features the Temple Owls, the MAC’s comeback kids.

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VANDY AN UNUSUAL LATE-SEASON FOE

Miami is stepping out of the MAC East race for a week, taking on Vanderbilt of the Southeastern Converence, reports the Western Star (Lebanon, OH).

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BALL ST CORNERBACKS BECOME FEARED DUO IN THE MAC…reports the Muncie Star-Press.

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THE BALL STATE DAILY NEWS previews and predicts week #9 action in the MAC.

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TV Schedule

A light television schedule for the Mid-American Conference this weekend with only two games for the tube.

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The Lexington Herald previews the Miami-Vanderbilt game.

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If Boise State can do it, CMU can do it

Central Michigan coach Butch Jones says he likes playing games like Clemson last weekend, where they get destroyed 70-14. Go figure. CM-life.com has the story.

Adversity awaits CMU at KSU

CM-life.com reports this Saturday’s game will be the first road game for the Chipps this season following a loss.

Contact Don Olson at: donolson160@yahoo.com

MACKEY TO WEAR BRACE

Injured Zips linebacker John Mackey, who originally was thought to be out for the season, is being billed as “Captain Comeback.” And if the Akron defensive captain does walk back onto the playing field after tearing an ACL in the Kent game, it will truly be an accurate handle for the Uniontown native.

Mackey is going to wear a brace on his right knee. Is he going to play this week against Buffalo? If so, how much will he play? Will he make an impact? Just having Mackey in uniform on the sidelines has got to be an inspiration to his team mates.

This isn’t the first time Mackey has played hurt. During his junior year, he played with an injured shoulder that required surgery at season’s end.

With his comeback, Mackey is displaying a lot of guts and leadership.

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ZIPS MEN’S SOCCER TEAM CLIMBS IN POLLS

AKRON – After shutout wins over Penn State and Bowling Green this past week, the University of Akron men’s soccer team climbed in all four national polls, reaching as high as 16 in two publications. Also, a key component to the Zips’ defense in the shutouts, senior Corey Sipos, was honored by two national publications. GoZips.com

(photo: Jeff Harwell, Zips Sports Photography)

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BASKETBALL ZIPS FIT TO PLAY

GoZips.com reports that this year’s basketball squad has come into the season lean, mean and ready for action.
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BG rediscovers its running attack…reports The Toledo Blade.

The Blade also reports that the play of Toledo receiver Nick Moore improves with his self confidence.

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Freshman Giorgio Morgan has been tapped to take the place of injured Kent State quarterback Julian Edeleman…reports the Record-Courier. KSU coach Doug Martin had hoped to red shirt Morgan this year.

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Bobby Narang of the DeKalb Daily Chronicle, opines that UT and NIU are usually meeting on the gridiron for supremacy. However, this year, they’re meeting with hopes of staying out of the basement of the MAC Western Division.

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After a dismal performance so far this year, Ohio coach Frank Solich promises changes, but doesn’t elaborate, reports the Athens Messenger.

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Contact Don Olson at: donolson160@yahoo.com

BROOKHART SAYS MACKEY IS PRACTICING

Senior linebacker John Mackey, who suffered a torn ACL in the Kent State game, is practicing with the team once again with hopes of playing this season. In his weekly news conference, coach J.D. Brookhart said Mackey got in about 20 plays in practice, but it is still undecided if his lightening-quick comeback is for real.

Medical Red Shirt?

After Mackey was hurt in the Kent State game, Brookhart said that he would try to obtain a medical red shirt for Mackey. No word on the status of that request. If the Zips defensive captain does suit up for the Buffalo game, it has got to be a moral booster for the Zips, who are still feeling the effects of the Temple loss.

More from Brookhart’s news conference:

On how they spent the bye week…
“It was a good off week. I am hoping we handled it the right way. We gave them Monday off, which is their normal day off, Tuesday they lifted and ran. We came back Wednesday and we were in spiders. We tried to practice at a fast pace, get about an hour of work in and then we scrimmaged our young guys who weren’t playing. We scrimmaged Wednesday and Thursday. Then we gave them Friday and Saturday off. We had our first Buffalo practice yesterday. It was kind of a modified Tuesday practice. Our intent of the week was to heal, was to remain sharp with our fundamentals and to get ahead academically with all the mid-week and off day games that we have coming up. Hopefully, we accomplished those things.”

On playing the next three games in 12 days…
“That was part of the rest piece, having that time off to let the healing begin. We will begin to shorten practice, we did slightly yesterday, we will shorten it more tomorrow, a little bit on Wednesday, have a normal practice Thursday, they usually aren’t too long anyways. It’s an adjustment. We are going to have different times we have to practice, on Saturdays, on Sundays, on Monday nights, meet Monday mornings, different things like that to accommodate the class schedules. It will be a challenge, but we are not the only ones going through it.”

On the health of the offense…
“I think they are doing very good. A lot of guys had injuries they were playing through that have improved dramatically. John Mackey came back (tore ACL in the game against Kent State on 9/22) and practiced about 20 plays yesterday and did some individual work. You have got to love him; he wants to play and is showing he can do it. I don’t think we will know for another five or six days whether it’s for real and he can really do it, but if anyone can, it would be him. He is certainly great to have out there for the team, for the coaches, for everybody.”

On how the young guys looked in the Wednesday and Thursday scrimmage…
“They looked good. We have toyed with the idea of using a few of them in games, at this point we aren’t going too. You would hate to play them five plays a game. You hope that at this point in the season you don’t have to use your young guys that haven’t played yet. I think there are dire circumstances where we needed to pull red-shirts off guys with two games left. Its unfortunate, its not what we wanted but we had to do it.”

On upcoming game against Buffalo…
“They aren’t much different than last year. They do what they do, they’ve improved at it, they are efficient, they take advantage of opportunities, they have a go to guy in running back James Starks, they have a couple good receivers, on special teams they have a good punter and defensively I always thought they were pretty good. They continue to play well and play hard. I think one thing they have done is they take advantage of early errors in games and get up on teams.”

On the game plan versus Buffalo…
“I think we have to stop Starks. That is the best chance we have to win. He is their guy. Their quarterback is effective and they have good receivers but Starks is the guy that for two weeks ran over 200 yards. On top of that they are going to take advantage of him and use him in play action and try to get to those receivers. You have to stop big plays, its no magic.”

(source: Akron Media Relations, photo: Jeff Harwell, Zips Sports Photography)

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ZIPS STILL IN THE THICK OF IT…in the MAC East, reports Elton Alexander of The Plain Dealer.

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HERE’S HOW THE ZIPS MAKE THE GRADE, reports The Beacon Journal.

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BUFFALO TALKING BOWL?

The Bulls recent successes have got them talking bowl game. However, they must win three of their final four games to become bowl eligible. Their post-season aspirations begin this Saturday against the Akron Zips, reports The Buffalo News.

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Buffalo freshman receives MAC honors

Freshman kicker A.J. Principe was named the Mid-American Conference East Division Special Teams Player of the week. Last week against Syracuse, the frosh kicked a career high four field goals.

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ZIPPY DOES IT AGAIN!

The University of Akron mascot just won a sixth contest in the CapitalOneBowl Mascot Competition. This week, Zippy beat out Monte of Montana, the defending and two-time champion. It was a tight contest, but Akron fans pulled it out in the home stretch with an impressive come-from-behind victory. Zippy is now guaranteed a spot in the playoffs, but that’s no reason to stop voting now…we want to be undefeated and run the board!

Vote for Zippy here

Zippy may be blowing everyone away in the “official” Mascot competition, but not in the “informal” poll being taken by this blogsite. 

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AKRON JUMPS TWO SPOTS IN THE SAGARIN RATING!

You can’t lose if you don’t play. During their bye week, the Zips jumped from 94 to 92 in the Sagarin Rating.

Here’s an interesting factoid: The BCS may have Ohio State rated number one, however, ole’ Jeffy boy has the buckeyes at number three.

Conference-wise-the MAC hangs in there at number ten, however, C-USA drops to 12, with the Southern Conference rated ahead of the mighty Marshall conference at 11. Say, isn’t the Southern Conference I-AA? heh, heh

Oh, and by the way, the Big Ten (11) dropped another notch to 6th!

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UA SOCCER GETS SIXTH SHUTOUT IN A ROW…reports The Beacon Journal.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Temple QB Adam DiMichele underwent surgery to repair a broken left leg suffered in Saturday’s win over Miami.

The Mid-American Conference previews Week #9 action.

MACReportOnline recaps week #8

VanDelaySports.com recaps week #8 MAC competition.

Contact Don Olson at: donolson160@yahoo.com

 Ranking the teams after week 8

Another week of upsets within the conference. The MAC is really had to read this year. Here are my thoughts:

1) Ball State LW(3) 5-3-The Cardinals are still behind CMU in the West but helped themselves with a win over WMU. Ball State moves one step closer toward becoming bowl eligible.
2) Bowling Green LW(6) 4-3-The only other team above .500 so far. Nice win over KSU keeps title hopes alive.
3) CMU LW(1) 4-4-Completely embarrassed by Clemson. The Chips stay near the top because of the .500 record and strength within the conference.
4) Miami LW(2) 4-4-Lost to Temple this week. The rollercoaster ride continues for the Redhawks. They have looked great some weeks while looking very beatable on others.
5) UB LW(5) 3-5 Lost to Syracuse but is in sole possesion of first place in the MAC East.
6) Temple LW(8) 3-5 The Owls have a three game winning streak and could make an arguement that they are the hottest team in the conference right now.
7) Akron LW(6) 3-4 The Zips enjoyed a bye week and are resting up.
8 ) WMU LW(4) 3-5 Lost to Ball State gives CMU the upperhand in the race for the West.
9) EMU LW(11)2-6 Lost to Northwestern. EMU is good at staying in games but bad at finishing them.
10) Toledo LW(12) 3-5 Defeated OU in an exciting game. Maybe the turning point the Rockets needed to get back on track.
11) Kent LW(10) 3-5 Another loss to a MAC East opponent really kills any chance this year. A team with a lot of talent despite 3 MAC loses.
12) OU LW(9) 3-5 Lost to Toledo. Not much to say other than this season has to be disappointing for the bobcat faithful.
13) NIU LW(13) 1-7 Embarrassed by Wisconsin. The Huskies are only playing for pride now.

MAC EAST-BG, Miami, Buffalo, Temple, Akron, Kent OU
MAC WEST-BSU, CMU, WMU, EMU, Toledo, NIU

Looking at these it is hard to rank BG ahead of Miami after last week. Could we see a MAC Championship game of UB/CMU? I am guessing no one would have predicted that before the season.

MAC HIGHLIGHTS

Saturday MAC Football Results

Conference

Ball State 27, Western Michigan 23

Temple 24, Miami 17

Bowling Green 31, Kent State 20

Toledo 43, Ohio 40

Non-Conference

Wisconsin 44, Northern Illinois 3

Clemson 70, Central Michigan 14

Syracuse 20, Buffalo 12

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EDELMAN OUT FOR SEASON AS KENT LOSES TO BG

You can count the season officially over for the Golden Flashes, as Kent State star quarterback Julian Edelman broke his arm in the fourth quarter, The Beacon Journal Reports.

DISAPPOINTMENT TURNS TO DISASTER, reports the Record-Courier.

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TEMPLE’S DiMICHELE OUT FOR THE SEASON…Kent State isn’t the only one who lost their number one quarterback. Just as Temple begins to win in the MAC, they lose Adam DiMichele, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer.

TEMPLE TOPPLES REDHAWKS…reports the Cincinnati Enquirer.

REDHAWKS WIN STREAK VANISHES AGAINST TEMPLE…reports the Lebanon Western Star.

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OHIO TURNOVERS AID ROCKET WIN..The Toledo Blade.

PARMELE HELPS UT ON RETURNS…The Toledo Blade.

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BADGERS CRUSH HUSKIES…The DeKalb Daily Chronicle.

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The Ann Arbor News reports that turnovers were costly to the Eastern Michigan Eagles (Hurons) against Northwestern.

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BALL STATE CARDINALS BEAT WESTERN MICHIGAN ON THE ROAD…reports The Muncie Star-Press.

WESTERN MICHIGAN’S TITLE HOPES DEFLATED AGAINST BSU…reports the Kalamazoo Gazette.

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UNVERSITY AT BUFFALO IMPROVES, BUT LOSS TO SYRACUSE STILL STINGS…The Buffalo News.

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CLEMSON ROLLS OVER CENTRAL MICHIGAN…ClemsonTigers.com reports.

Complete MAC Results

This week’s summary from the Mid-American Conference.

Contact Don Olson at: donolson160@yahoo.com

Quoting Head Coach Keith Dambrot

On the outlook for the season:
“The players we have back are all better than they have ever been. I think what people fail to realize about our team is that it has never had a guy score more than 14 points a game. We have been built on team and never had a player that we just built the whole program around. It’s funny to me, that no one wanted Dru Joyce out of high school and that Romeo Travis only had a couple of scholarship offers, and now that we lose those two we are no good again. It’s funny how the knife cuts both ways. We have three players back who could be 1,000-point scorers. We have two very good guards in Nick Dials and Cedrick Middleton. We have arguably the best post-man in the league, in Jeremiah Wood. A lot of people may not see it that way, but I think he has proven he is right up there with anyone in the league. We have a small forward (Nate Linhart) who has started since he was a freshman, and Quade Milum made a huge jump last year. I think there are a lot of coaches in this league who would like to have those five players.”

On recovering from last year’s loss in the MAC tournament championship:
“The thing that hurt the guys more than anything was that mentally the loss was shocking, but also then not getting a post-season invite. I probably recovered more quickly than them. I try to control what I can control, and I can’t control those types of things. No matter what happened no one could take away how hard our players worked all year.”

On Quade Milum:
“Quade is an unbelievable athlete, you don’t high jump seven feet in high school without being a great athlete. On top of that he is a high-character person, just a quality person. What happened with Quade is he played behind some really good players in recent years, so in fairness to him we probably didn’t give him enough opportunity his first two years and probably stunted him a little bit. When he got the opportunity last year, he showed he was a good player. He’s been better in practice this year than he was anytime last year, because he wants to start.”

Quoting senior forward Jeremiah Wood

On being a leader:
“I have been here for five years, which is the longest of anyone else on the team. I know everyone, and talked with most of our players when we were recruiting them. I think I have a big responsibility on the court this year.”

On last year’s MAC tournament championship loss serving as motivation this season:
“It has motivated us a lot, because we are all working hard right now. We all felt the pain last year after not losing very many games. It took a while to get over that because you can’t have an amazing season like that every year.”

On being picked to finish fourth in the MAC East:
“I think everyone is underestimating us because Romeo and Dru left, but our team last year was based on everyone. There weren’t even enough shots for anyone to average more than they did last year. We had good players and passed the ball. If you put (Nick) Dials on a different team he could average 18 (points). If you put Cedrick (Middleton) on another team he could average 16. I could average 14. But we didn’t have that type of team. We don’t have the big numbers and they underestimate us.”

Quoting senior guard Nick Dials

On last year’s senior class:
“Dru and Romeo were really good leaders and were good guys, but first and foremost, they were fun to be around. The one thing that Dru and Romeo did was take a lot of people under their wing. Not just showing them the ropes of the program, but developing a relationship with everybody. Last year we had a close-knit group and that had a lot to do with those two. I started doing more of that during the off-season.

On Akron’s 40-2 record at home over the last three seasons:
“We take a lot of pride in doing well at home, and a lot of the credit needs to go to our fans for the type of atmosphere they create. But we take a lot of pride in protecting our home court, as everyone should.”

On preparing for the season:
“We have taken the right steps this summer, and have worked the hardest we ever have. We have done things together outside of basketball just as much as any other year. We all feel the same after how last year ended, and have vowed together to not let that happen again.”

Akron Basketball Prospectus

(source: Akron Media Relations, photo: Jeff Harwell, Zips Sports Photography)

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AKRON’S WOOD NAMED TO PRESEASON ALL-MAC TEAM

CLEVELAND — Ten of the league’s top men’s basketball players have been selected to the preseason All-MAC teams for the East and West Divisions as announced by the league office. Voting for the teams was conducted among members of the MAC News Media Association as well as the leagues head men’s basketball coaches.

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The West Division representatives are Peyton Stovall of Ball State, Giordan Watson of Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan’s Carlos Medlock, Kashif Payne of Toledo and Joe Reitz of Western Michigan.

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The East Division squad is comprised of Akron’s Jeremiah Wood, Mike Scott of Kent State, Miami’s Tim Pollitz and Ohio’s Leon Willams and Jerome Tillman.

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Pollitz was named to the All-MAC First Team last season after leading the RedHawks to a MAC Tournament title and automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. Pollitz finished MAC play ranked third in scoring (18.1 ppg) and second in field goal pct. (.629) and was the only MAC player to be ranked among the top five in both categories. He was also ranked among MAC statistical leaders in all games in scoring (16.1, 3rd), field goal percentage (.574, 5th), rebounding (5.6, 11th), defensive rebounds (3.73, 13th), offensive rebounds (1.91, 15th) and blocked shots (0.58, 15th).

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Williams will enter his senior campaign having started each of the 94 games in his career. The Bobcat power forward has earned MAC postseason honors following each of his first three seasons, including Honorable Mention as a freshman and sophomore, and Second Team All-MAC honors as a junior. Williams finished ninth in the MAC last season with 14.4 ppg. and ranked second in the league in rebounds after pulling down 8.8 rpg.

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Tillman will look to pick up where he left off a year ago after finishing seventh in the league in scoring (14.6 ppg.) and fourth in rebounding (8.2 rpg.). Tillman earned All-MAC First Team honors and was just one double-double behind the league lead with a team high 12. He scored in double figures in 29 of Ohio’s 32 games and reached double figures in rebounding on 12 occasions.

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Wood led the Zips in rebounding (7.8 rpg.) and ranked third in scoring (10.3 ppg.) last season. He also led the Zips in both of those categories in the MAC Tournament (15.7 ppg. and 8.3 rpg.) – helping them advance to the title game for the first time in program history. Wood was recognized for his performance at the MAC Tournament by being named to the All-Tournament squad.

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Scott was the only Golden Flash to start in all 32 games, averaging 9.4 ppg. He ranked seventh in the MAC in rebounding at 6.4 per game and was named to the All-MAC Honorable Mention squad after the season.

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Reitz is a two-time Second Team All-MAC and Academic All-MAC honoree and was 12th in scoring (13.9), third in rebounding (8.6), eighth in field goal percentage (.560), third in offensive rebounds (3.12) and second in defensive rebounds (5.47) in the MAC last season. Reitz was also named to the 2006-07 ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America First team and became the first in WMU history and only the seventh first team honoree in MAC history.

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Payne became the second Rocket ever to earn MAC Defensive Player of the Year honors last season and led the team with 4.2 assists per game (4th in MAC) and ranked third in MAC with 1.71 assist/turnover ratio. He averaged 10.7 points per game with 40.4 3PTFG% (19-of-47) in conference play.

Medlock has been the starting point guard for the Eagles since the first game of his freshman year. Has earned two varsity letters after playing in 46 career games, 45 as a starter. He has a 12.5 ppg. career scoring average and a 3.3 assist mark. His 75 career three-pointers ranks 16th in the EMU record book.

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Watson was a First team All-MAC selection last season and will look to become just the fourth multiple first team All-MAC honoree in school history. He ranked second in the MAC in scoring last season and 47th nationally with 18.8 points per game. He also ranked sixth in the MAC with 4.16 assists per game and led the league in conference action with 19.8 ppg. Watson will enter the season as the league’s active career scoring leader with 1,255 career points.

Stovall rounds out this year’s team after scoring 8.8 ppg and recording 2.6 rpg. for the Cardinals last season. He has scored 979 points in 90 career games and needs 21 points to become the 24th 1,000-point scorer in the 86-year history of BSU men’s basketball.

(source: Mid-American Conference)

TODAY’S MAC FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

^{Saturday – October 20}

^Conference

^{Miami at Temple, noon – ESPN Plus/ESPN Game Plan}

^{Ball State at Western Michigan, 2 p.m. – Comcast Local}

^{Bowling Green at Kent State, 4 p.m.}

^{Ohio at Toledo, 7 p.m. – WSFJ/Ohio Package}

^{Non-Conference}

^{Northern Illinois at Wisconsin, 11 a.m. (CT) – Big Ten Network}

^{Central Michigan at Clemson, noon}

^{Buffalo at Syracuse, 4 p.m. – ESPNU}

^{Idle this Week}

^{Akron (Oct. 27 at Buffalo)}

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^{MAC QUICK HITS}

^{LAST WEEK (Oct. 13) - Miami stunned Bowling Green with a 47-14 victory as the RedHawks tied Buffalo for first place in the East Division. Western Michigan edged Northern Illinois 17-13 to remain as one of two West Division teams undefeated in divisional play. Temple’s 21-point fourth quarter rally led to a 24-20 win at Akron, the Owls second consecutive conference win. Ohio stopped a four-game losing streak with a 48-42 triumph over Eastern Michigan. Buffalo scored a cross-divisional win over Toledo. Ball State (Western Kentucky) and Central Michigan (Army) were victorious in non-conference action. Kent State lost at Ohio State.}

^{THIS WEEK (Oct. 19-20) - Four conference games plus Eastern Michigan hosting Northwestern of the Big Ten in a Friday night game at Ford Field in Detroit on Oct. 19. Two East Division games have Miami at Temple and Bowling Green at Kent State. The lone West Division game is Ball State at Western Michigan. A cross divisional match up has Ohio at Toledo. Non-conference contests feature Central Michigan at Clemson, Northern Illinois at Wisconsin, and Buffalo at Syracuse. Akron is idle.}

^{NEXT WEEK (Oct. 27) - Five conference games are on tap with divisional battles between Akron at Buffalo and Ohio at Bowling Green in the East, and Western Michigan at Eastern Michigan and Northern Illinois at Toledo in the West. A cross-divisional game features Central Michigan at Kent State. Two teams step out of conference with Ball State at Illinois and Miami at Vanderbilt. Temple is idle.}

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^{MAC Matchups - Game for Friday, Oct. 19, 2007}

^{Northwestern (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten) at Eastern Michigan (2-5, 1-1 MAC West, 1-2 MAC Overall) - 7 p.m.}

^{SITE: Ford Field (65,000/Field Turf) - Detroit, Mich.}