Men's basketball

I have no stats, only this to report: Akron leads Niagara 34-23 at the half.

Football

Akron will play Niagara tonight at 7.

There are a lot of storylines surrounding the Purple Eagles, whom the Zips beat at Rhodes Arena in 2005's Bracket Buster game.

• The team's best player, junior guard Charron Fisher, won't play. Nor will he for another five games after that. Fisher, who averaged 18.3 points and 7.9 rebounds last season, is suspended for beating the hell out of a Niagara baseball player. Fisher was rehabbing from a torn ACL before the incident occurred Aug. 31 outside a Niagara Falls bar.
• The team suspended a total of seven players from the incident. Their suspensions are staggered. I'm not really sure who is set to sit out tonight. With all this turmoil, it should be no surprise, Niagara is 0-2.
• Binghamton, a future Zips opponent, beat Niagara 74-66. The Eagles lost another home game to Valparaiso last Saturday, 70-58. They have a pretty decent out-of-conference schedule. Unfortunately, it looks really bad losing these games at home.
• There have been some bright spots for Niagara. A trio of freshmen guards, whom coach Joe Mihalich said need to step up, have done so. Tyrone Lewis averages 13.5 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Javonte Clanton has played 16 minutes per game.
• You may recognize the third freshman, Rydell Brooks. He is a Buchtel High School product whom Akron recruited heavily with its final scholarship. Brooks was the City Series Player of the Year as a junior and senior. Once Brooks committed to Akron, that spot went to Steve McNees. Brooks has scored 7 points in 16 minutes per game.
• Without Fisher tonight, Niagara will rely on 6-foot-7 senior forward Clif Brown, who is averaging 15.5 points and 14.5 rebounds. He pulled down 21 boards against Binghamton. Because of Brown's presence, this team reminds me a bit of Arkansas-Little Rock.
• J.R. Duffey, a 6-8 senior forward, also will provide points and rebounds.
• Before the series of suspensions, ESPN expected depth to be a problem for Niagara. The site also said the Eagles probably would finish in the middle of the pack in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
• The problem so far has been shooting at just 32 percent from the field. From 3-point land, Niagara has made only 12 percent. They even struggle with foul shots at 57 percent.

It's pretty obvious that Akron needs to pack in its defense and allow Niagara some space on the perimeter. Rebounding has been a problem for the Zips, but they might mitigate that issue by laying off the Eagles on the perimeter.

Oddsmakers are saying Akron will win by eight. That is a fair spread.

Football

Terry Pluto covered the game for the ABJ.

One nugget interested me: J.D. Brookhart will ask John Mackey to step up into a leadership role next year. Maybe his staff is learning that you can't always expect leaders to emerge; sometimes you have to give them a boost.

As I consider what went wrong last night, I think a lot about the offensive line. But coming in, we knew Western Michigan's defensive front was its strength and that Akron's o-line was a weakness.

I suppose it's a broken record to attack the line. And maybe, you have to fault the coaching staff for not putting more blockers in the backfield. You can't just use a lack of talent as an excuse. Obviously, you must adjust for it. I did, however, see fullback Joe McDaniel on the field more than usual.

I still contend the 3-3-5 defense must go. Akron needs to analyze its personnel on the defensive line to see if such a switch is feasible. Looking at the roster, it's probably a close call. With a 4-3, however, a linebacker, such as Doug Williams, may be able to make a transition, sort of the opposite of what the Browns asked Kamerion Wimbley to do with their 3-4 scheme.

Brookhart told me the defense would stay. I still think he's going to look at some tapes and see his current scheme simply puts defenders in the wrong position to make tackles in rushing situations. It also hindered the pass rush.

A lot of your have commented that you wanted to see Carlton Jackson take over the offense in the second half once it became obvious WMU was taking a wrecking ball to the Luke Getsy statue in Akron's backfield. I agree with that.

However, I also see Brookhart's point of view. If you pull your seniors in their final game, with nothing really riding on the game, you lose trust. Younger players will see that and wonder if the staff will stab them in the back someday, too. Would Jackson have allowed Akron to win? Probably not. Would he have made the game more entertaining for fans? Definitely.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Jackson seems to have character problems. There have been whispers about the Florida product. Brookhart himself admitted Jackson didn't play one game because of an off-the-field problem.

Getsy, on the other hand, is an honor student and a good kid. Looking back, by leading the team to its first bowl game in decades, he probably earned a chance to finish out his career on the field. As a coach, what would you do?

Football

Blame the offensive line for the most disgusting loss all season.

Western Michigan beat Akron 17-0 as Luke Getsy was sacked numerous times and running back Dennis Kennedy only scurried for 18 yards on 12 carries.

The Zips never had a chance to move the ball with WMU's good defensive front charging into Akron's backfield all game.

The senior class to step up, but they refused. The defense played solid in the first half, but it became apparent they were on the field too long in the second half. Akron gave up two quick touchdowns to put the game out of reach.

In truth, the game was out of reach at 3-0.

I'll post more later.

Football

• The ABJ's David Lee Morgan talks a little about the Zips bowl hopes in his preview today.
• He predicts a 28-12 Akron win.
• Oddsmakers set the spread at Akron minus 2.5 or 3.
• The USA Today's Danny Sheridan offers a 1.5 point prediction in favor of the Zips.
• Dave Ruthenberg of MACReportOnline.com says it will be 24-17 Western Michigan.
• Nick of VanDelaySports.com says 23-13 Broncos.

This game is crucial to WMU's shot at the International Bowl. The Broncos (7-4) might also be scoreboard watching during pregame. Their main competition for the bid, Northern Illinois (6-5), is playing Eastern Michigan at 11 a.m. Kent State is another team seeking its seventh win. They play at Ball State today. I don't think the Flashes have such a great shot at a bowl since they have tailspun across the finish line.

If neither Kent State or Northern Illinois get their seventh wins, the door is cracked for the Zips at 6-6 to earn a bid to the International Bowl instead of 7-5 Western Michigan, who they would have just beaten. It sounds crazy and full of stipulations, but so was last season's division title.

All that said, I don't think Akron will do its part. The Broncos' defense features an intense pass rush. They also stop the run better than any other MAC team. Although they don't run or pass particularly well, the Broncos also find a way to score.

The Zips also will face the most feared defender of the season. Ameer Ismail, a linebacker, has 15 freaking sacks. Let's not forget the WMU secondary, which probably is close to tops in the nation with 21 interceptions.

Like I wrote in my column, the play of seniors has been disappointing. If Akron is to win, there must be a reversal. Specifically, the offensive line needs to excel in pass blocking and Luke Getsy will need a Motor City Bowl-like performance. While I'd like to have faith in those things happening, I wouldn't bet on it.

Prediction: Akron 21, Western Michigan 27

Women's basketball

Akron played well defensively and received another outstanding game from freshman Sarah Tokodi, but lost its home opener 50-49 against Valparaiso.

The Zips rallied from 10 down in the second half, but a Valpo free throw iced the game with 37.8 seconds left.

Tokodi finished with 19 points and four rebounds.

Football

Nothing's official yet, but Ohio will attend the GMAC Bowl and Central Michigan is headed to the Motor City Bowl — regardless of the MAC Championship's outcome.

As for Akron's hopes, here's the scoop. The new NCAA policy states that bowl with an at-large bid may not overlook a 7-5 (or better) team to take a 6-6 team. The rule is supposed to protect mid-majors from getting screwed.

However, the International Bowl has a MAC bid, not an at-large bid. Therefore, the bowl is allowed to overlook, say, a 7-5 Western Michigan team and instead invite Akron, who likely will bring more fans.

Will this happen? Probably not. The teams' records is important. You might also throw Kent State and Northern Illinois into the frey. Both teams also could move to 7-5 with wins against inferior opponents this weekend.

My main point is this: Friday's game could, COULD, mean something.

Football

Iowa, at 6-6, accepted an invitation to play in the Alamo Bowl.

I know 6-6 makes a team bowl-eligible, but I also know the rule is all the teams with winning records must be invited first.

I'm starting to get confused on this. I'll do some more searching in the NCAA Rule Book and get back to you this afternoon.

If it's true that a 6-6 team can go before a 7-5 team, I think it's very likely you would see the International Bowl choose Akron over Western Michigan. Of course, the Zips would have to beat the Broncos on Friday.

Football

If you haven't noticed, the seniors have let the team down this season.

My column explains the real reason why Akron is 5-6…

Three months ago, J.D. Brookhart coached the defending Mid-American Conference Champions, who many experts predicted to repeat.

Monday, Brookhart sat back in his chair at the weekly news conference, talking about his hopes to finish the season at .500.

"ItÕs hard to pinpoint why things went the way they did," he said. "You want to say your kids werenÕt playing hard, but they were. You want to say it was the scheme, but it wasnÕt."

The answer is more complex and less concrete. The past few months you watched a team that did the little things wrong. Basically, it was the opposite of 2005, when Akron relied on every good fortune and intangible to carry the team to a conference championship and the Motor City Bowl. It all harkens back to one fact: The team lacked leaders.

The Zips gave up the most penalty yards in the nation. The offensive line, in particular, struggled to avoid holding flags. Personal fouls, which are a sign of poor discipline, also were too prevalent.

Akron struggled to make extra points. Matt Domonkos and Jon McClain combined to miss six of 28… a sickening percentage for the equivalent of a tap-in putt.

Perhaps most devastating, the Zips transformed opposing quarterbacks into Barry Sanders clones. The 3-3-5 defensive scheme, known for deceiving passers, became just as fatal for Akron when that quarterback decided to run instead.

Brookhart agreed that this team missed vocal senior leaders, such as Jay Rohr and Brian White. He also said the team made more than its share of costly mistakes, such as interceptions in the red zone run back for touchdowns. Last weekend against Ohio, a botched snap on a punt turned into six points for the Bobcats.

"If you change a few plays, weÕre looking at 8-3," Brookhart said.

A lot of teams can look back to game-losing plays and say the same.

However, I still argue this yearÕs team was more talented than in 2005. Twenty years from now, it wonÕt matter. Fans will see the 2005 MAC Champions banner and wonder what happened the following year.

That stands to be this senior classÕs destiny.

Some might want to blame Brookhart for such a letdown. He is still a great motivator and terrific recruiter. A coach can only do so much when upperclassmen do not lead.

Friday will be the classÕs final chance to show its worth. Although the odds are highly against Akron reaching a bowl, a win would make 2006 the thirdstraight year Akron has been eligible for one.

For fans, it will be the last game to watch the Zips as defending MAC Champions.

They deserve better from this team.

Football

I can't believe this, but oddsmakers think Akron will win.

That's a lot of respect for a team that didn't necessarily earn it last week. My spread would be Western MIchigan minus four or five.

I'm still waiting for our web editor to fix Buchtelite.com so I can post my column. You'll hopefully see it up here tonight.

Football

Western Michigan is not headed to Detroit, but I argue the Broncos are the MAC's best team.

They do almost everything well. The Broncos have one weakness, pass defense, and they really aren't that bad at that either.

Like Akron, WMU boasts a win at an ACC stadium, beating Virginia 17-10. The Broncos gave Florida State a scare last week, as well.

WMU isn't playing in the MAC Championship because of losses at Ohio and Central Michigan. The Broncos already are bowl eligible at 7-4. A win locks up their bowl bid. A loss brings Kent State into the equasion, should the Flashes win at Ball State.

Here is how the Broncos stack up against the rest of the conference…

• Fourth-best scoring offense (Akron is sixth)
• Third-best scoring defense (fifth)
• Eighth-best pass offense (fourth)
• Fourth-worst pass defense (middle of pack)
• Best in MAC at kickoff returns (third)
• Best in turnover margin, including 21 freaking interceptions (fourth, with six picks)
• Sixth-best rushing offense (fourth-worst)
• Best in rushing defense (sixth)
• Best in total defense (fifth)
• 94 more sacks than any other team in the MAC (second-to-last)
• Second-fewest sacks allowed (seventh-fewest)

Individually…

• Running back Mark Bonds is second in the conference in rushing yards per game.
• Quarterback Ryan Cubit is fourth in passing yards.
• No WMU receiver stands out.
• But here's the scary part: Three of the top four pass interceptors are Broncos. Londen Fryar leads the MAC with five. Louis Delmas and E.J. Biggers have four each. C.J. Wilson has three of his own.
• Scary part, Part II: Ameer Ismail leads the conference with 15 sacks, 5.5 more than the second-best pass rusher in the MAC. He is definitely one of the conference's best linebackers.

To win, Luke Getsy will need to be nearly perfect. The offensive line will also need to have its best game of the year. WMU's defense is fearsome and the Broncos' offense can score, too. If J.D. Brookhart's Zips aren't prepared, this could be a blowout.

Here are some stories in today's Buchtelite about the team…

• Brookhart talks about what has gone wrong this year.
• Adam Ferrise previews the Akron-WMU game.
• My column explains why the Zips have more talent than last year, but will be much less successful. In a word: leadership. The Buchtelite's site has the link messed up. I'll try to get it fixed and post my column tonight.