Football

Here’s another Rasor’s Edge. With so much excitement going on this week, I couldn’t help but write a second column…

Akron reached the magic number of six wins by beating Kent State last week. Many college football fans assume that a team becomes bowl eligible after reaching that mark. Look deeper into the NCAA Postseason Regulations Handbook and you’ll see that six isn’t so magical after all.

To be bowl eligible, a team must also have a winning percentage above .500. The Zips (6-5) will play Northern Illinois (7-4) for the Mid-American Conference Championship tonight at 7 in Detroit. After doing some first-grade math, you’ll see that if Akron loses, it also loses bowl eligibility.

However, if Akron wins, the Zips will travel to Detroit again for the Motor City Bowl. The MAC champion will probably play Houston, Memphis, Connecticut or Louisiana Tech.

This game is, without a doubt, the biggest game in University of Akron history. Sure, the Zips already won the MAC East, but with a loss to NIU, the Zips are only a .500 team. They won’t even be bowl eligible. A win tonight and the 2005 Akron football team is the best in the program’s 114-year history.

Fear not. I deeply believe Akron will win. Forget "experts" who haven’t watched a MAC game all year. Danny Sheridan for USA Today said NIU will win by 13.

I have watched an average of two MAC games a week. You might consider me an Akron homer. However, remember that after the Akron/Miami game I said the team looked like "a squad of undisciplined thugs."

I am certainly not a homer.

Pay close attention to these three reasons why the Zips will be victorious tonight on ESPN.

1) Akron already beat NIU. It was a game the Zips dominated in the first three quarters. Akron was winning 42-21 at the end of the third quarter. It was nearly a blowout until the Zips secondary quit playing. Akron still won the game in overtime after a Diontre Henry interception and Brett Biggs touchdown. That kind of meltdown won’t happen again. The Zips defense has matured into the team’s greatest asset since that game.

2) NIU doesn’t have its starting quarterback. Phil Horvath is one of the MAC’s best QBs. He broke his arm four weeks ago and won’t play tonight. Horvath’s backup, Dan Nicholson, has done a decent job in two games since then. However, Akron should have an advantage because nobody roasts kangaroos like Horvath. On Sept. 24, Horvath threw for - brace yourself - six touchdowns on 486 yards.

3) Akron seems to have Garrett Wolfe’s number. He is one of the nation’s best running backs. Still, the Zips shut him down for 52 yards on 21 carries. Wolfe did not score a touchdown in that game.

The athletic department paid to send 800 students to Detroit with free tickets and free transportation. Once you get there, be loud in support of the Zips - so much is riding on it.

Football

Terry Pluto has been my favorite writer since I could read. This morning, I read one of his best columns ever about senior kicker Jason Swiger.

Football, Men’s soccer

If you want to go to the MAC Championship game Thursday, you can still go for free if you’re a student. The university started with 800 spots; it is down to 400. It will be an amazing trip, so don’t delay. The deadline is Wednesday at 5 p.m. to sign up at the Rhodes Arena ticket office, or by calling 1-888-99-AKRON.

A precious few spots also remain for men’s soccer’s game against Maryland on Saturday. Out of the 150 bus seats, 25 are left. Get those soon.

I suggest that if we can’t fill the buses with students, we open it free to alumni (as long as they can prove to be actual alumni). I don’t want bums.

Football, Men’s soccer

Here’s today’s Rasor’s Edge…

What a weekend!

Since the last issue of the Buchtelite, the soccer team has progressed from the Round of 32 to the Elite Eight. Since Nov. 22, the football team’s bowl chances went from life support to stable condition.

The games over Thanksgiving weekend turned this season into the most successful sports season in University of Akron history.

Men’s soccer could become the university’s first national champion.

Although the team has never won the NCAA Tournament, it has come close. The team’s greatest success came in 1986 when the Zips lost to Duke in the National Championship game, 1-0. The trail of success goes further back. The Zips were ranked No. 10 nationally in 1975.

Since entering the MAC in 1993, Akron soccer has won eight regular-season conference titles and six NCAA Tournament berths. And once they got there, it hasn’t always been one and done. Two years ago, Akron advanced to the Round of 16 in the 2003 NCAA Tournament before losing to No. 2 Maryland, 1-0.

Have you heard who Akron is playing on Saturday? It’s Maryland. You better believe seniors Ross McKenzie, Dino Campellone and Yohann Mauger remember the painful loss to Maryland.

Akron had a great chance to tie that game in 2003. Mauger, a sophomore at the time, drilled the crossbar from 30 yards away in the second half. But it’s hard to win while being outshot 16-4, like Akron was.

Campellone, a midfielder, watched that game from the sidelines. On Saturday, he will be active in reversing that statistic with the Zips’ incredible ball control and passing. And McKenzie, the Charlie Frye of the soccer team, will do anything to keep his final season alive. The only suitable end to his UA career will be raising the MVP trophy while coach Ken Lolla stands by with the national championship plaque.

The payback will not be easy. Akron is better than Maryland, but the teams will play on the Terps’ turf. Their fans will be crazy. The Zips will need support as well.

That is why the athletic department is paying for 100 students to take a bus ride to Maryland for the game. As of Monday evening, 25 tickets remained. If you are lucky enough to be reading this early on Tuesday, run by the Rhodes Arena ticket office or call 1-888-99-AKRON.

Besides, what else is there to do Saturday between 4 a.m. and 11 p.m.?

Also, thanks to last week’s games, the football team will have a chance to play in Akron’s first bowl game in over 30 years and first since becoming a Division I-A program in 1987.

The football team lacks the history of success that men’s soccer has. That makes the Mid-American Conference Championship against Northern Illinois even more important. If Akron wins, it will establish the Zips in Division I-A, which Akron hasn’t done since coming from Division I-AA in 1987.

Frye is probably the only thing college football fans and high school recruits know about Akron football. A bowl berth the year after Frye graduates would mean the program is improving despite losing the best player in school history.

Also, winning the game will allow coach J.D. Brookhart to say the Zips have played four games on national television. That is almost as many as some Big 10 teams.

Brookhart is already an outstanding recruiter. You can bet he will milk every minute of exposure.

The university also is offering free transportation and tickets to students for Thursday’s game in Detroit. The bus will leave at noon. Follow the same instructions as with soccer to take advantage of this offer. As of Monday night, 600 bus seats and tickets were available.

The Zips beat Northern Illinois in overtime at the Rubber Bowl earlier this year. Experts don’t expect a repeat. Danny Sheridan from USA Today says Northern Illinois is a 13-point favorite over Akron. But if the Zips defense shuts down running back Garrett Wolfe like it did earlier this year, Akron can win.

This weekend will be an exciting time to be a Zips fan. Make sure you’re there.

Men’s basketball

Regrettably, I was not able to attend the Zips game against Youngstown State (Journey concert, which was outstanding). Akron did win, but it was closer than it should’ve been. I followed part of the game on the radio. Shockingly, Akron was down big in the first half. It wasn’t until late in the second half that the Zips recovered from a 15-point deficit. Matt Futch had one point, but 13 rebounds. Romeo Travis tallied a career-high 25 points. Nick Dials hit some big 3’s.

The Zippers will play Duquesne (do-KANE) Wednesday 7 p.m. at Rhodes Arena. Then the Zips will fly out to Berkely, Calif. to play the California Golden Bears on Saturday. The Buchtelite is going with the team, so I’ll have our reporter call me after the game so I can update you as soon as possible. The game will be important if Akron is a tournament "bubble" team.

The real test will be Dec. 10 when Akron travels to Louisville, a top-10 team nationally.

Men’s soccer

The Zips beat UConn on penalty kicks today. Now they’re off to Maryland for Saturday’s game against the Terrapins at 1 p.m. Akron beat Maryland earlier this season in an exhibition game at Lee Jackson Field, 2-0.

Although Akron has already beaten Maryland, this game will be played at their place without the August Akron weather. I would travel to the game, but I have to work at the ABJ on Saturday. If anyone reading the blog is going, please post after the game to let us know more than what we can read from the UA press release.

This weekend just became the best in university athletics history. You will read me talk about the "best" or "most important" game in UA history a lot the next week. The football and soccer teams are making that happen.

Football

Akron had its most significant achievement since entering the MAC by beating Kent State 35-3 to win the MAC East Championship, propelling the Zips to the MAC Championship Thursday against Northern Illinois in Detroit.

For anyone who wasn’t there, it wasn’t a pretty game. The field was covered in snow. Players (and fans) dealt with very harsh wind and temperatures. I couldn’t feel my feet or toes until a few hours later.

Kent had no chance. Akron opened with a fumble return for a touchdown and never looked back. Kent’s passing game is its only redeeming quality, but Mother Nature silenced Michael Machen. Kent’s QB passed for seven yards on four completions. Akron’s Luke Getsy was a little better. He threw for 47 yards on five completions. He also had two touchdowns. The biggest pass of the day, however, may have been Brett Biggs’ 27-yard completion on a halfback pass.

Biggs was, without a doubt, the player of the game. He rushed for 149 yards on 36 carries. Domenik Hixon had a difficult time in the snow, but also had a huge touchdown catch in the second half from Getsy. The ball was thrown into the wind — almost a toss up for whoever wanted it more. Hixon did, and he hauled it in.

Attendance was, as I expected, low. Why Akron played on Thanksgiving morning without a commitment from ESPN or ESPN2 (not ESPNU), is beyond me. Oh well. Long story short, the Zips are bound for Detroit. They will play the NIU Huskies, whom they already beat in overtime this year at the Rubber Bowl. NIU has one of the country’s best running backs in Garrett Wolfe. I saw him play Akron last year in DeKalb, Ill. and this season in Akron. He’s not big, but he’s quite elusive. He will be a challenge to Jay Rohr and the Zips linebackers.

More on the game is coming. I’m just giving you a brief rundown while I recover from gorging myself at the dinner table. If you would like to add comments from the game, please feel free.

Football

Tomorrow morning’s Zips game is the most important game of the year. It is against Kent State, the 117th worst team in the nation (out of 119).

The Buchtelite did a nice preview of the game, although it included the same mistake that my blog and the MAC site made. You can read about Charlie Frye and Josh Cribbs’ bet on the game or the seniors’ last game or the position-by-position breakdown. Once again, the Buchtelite knocked it out of the park. But I may be biased.

If Akron wins, the Zips will play Northern Illinois for the MAC Championship on Thursday, Dec. 1 in Detroit. I’m going, one way or another. I will correspond with you from there (assuming Akron can pull out a win on Turkey Day).

Men’s soccer

Akron beat West Virginia today at noon, 5-0, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Lee Jackson Field. It was a slow, evenly matched game for the first half. Then the Zips said, "Enough of that," and scored four more goals. Once again, Akron’s passing and ball control was superior. They almost scored as many goals as the Mountaineers had shots on goal (6).

It turns out West Virginia fans don’t like to hear their players being called "inbreds." Oh well. The player deserved it. He was running his mouth all game at the Zips, tried to pick a fight with Yohann Mauger, and then he told the referee that he was "f-ing up the game for him." His name is Andy Wright from Liverpool, England. He is officially my least favorite soccer player.

There was a decent fan turnout, given that it was played at noon on a work day. No. 8 Connecticut (16-3-1) is the next victim on Sunday at 1 p.m. Akron will travel to Storrs, Conn. for this game because the NCAA screwed us over on seeding. Akron is one of 16 teams left in the tourney. The Zips are two wins away from the Final Four. Keep it up, guys.

Football

Akron is still alive after one of the most thrilling games I’ve seen all year. Toledo beat Bowling Green in double overtime. They kept saying on ESPN2 that Akron will win the MAC as long as they beat Kent State. That doesn’t match what the MAC says: Toledo must win, Northern Illinois must win.

Men’s soccer

If you haven’t left your house all day, you probably don’t know the snow fell like crazy. As a result, the Akron/West Virginia NCAA Tournament game was postponed to Wednesday at noon. I have plenty of work to do, but I’m definitely going to go after class.

Football

If there is a three-way tie between Miami, Akron and Bowling Green (which would happen if Toledo beats BG tonight), then Akron still has a chance.

They would need help from Northern Illinois in beating Western Michigan on Wednesday in order to win the tie-breaker for three-team scenarios. It’s confusing. Just read this.

I completely overlooked this possibility. And according to a colleague of mine, so did www.mac-sports.com. A "thank you" goes out to the kind gentlemen who informed me that the MAC’s Web site corrected itself.

GO ROCKETS!