Zips let finale slip away
Posted November 23rd, 2007 by mrasor
Football
Akron nearly committed grand theft by pulling out a victory against Central Michigan, despite being outgained by more than 300 yards.
CMU’s Dan LeFevour led the Chippewas down the field for a touchdown to win 35-32.
Akron nearly sealed a victory with four minutes left. Chris Jacquemain found Jabari Arthur open for a gain that would have put the Zips in field goal position and given them a chance to run out the clock. A holding penalty negated the long gain and ultimately resulted in good field position for LeFevour to begin his game-winning drive.
Arthur caught eight balls for 111 yards in his final collegiate game. Bryan Williams was the Zips’ other star, scoring two touchdowns and running for 145 yards.
I’ll have more on the game later. My frozen fingers don’t want to type, but feel free to comment about what you saw in the mean time.
November 23rd, 2007 at 4:43 pm
Close only counts in horseshoes, Zips. Too many close games just slipped away this year, which is the diff between good teams and also-rans. Supposedly the defense was a *strength*? In whose fantasy? Maybe Corner and Mackey were solid, but how could we give up 30+ points so many times? That forces the often-inept offense to outscore the opp, and our guys were not up to that task very often. Please, someone give me some hope for 2008, because this 4-8 (3-9) finish leaves a real bad taste.
November 23rd, 2007 at 8:09 pm
Umm…where do I start? Things started well, sort of. How many fumbles did Jacquemain have? And how many times was he sacked? How much easier would it have been to go for the field goal instead of trying to do extra and screwing up? How is it that our dear QB can make screw up after screw up and still play, yet when the better choice makes one error and gets yanked? Maybe the coaches just do not want to win. It’s not just QB…there’s other positions that could use a change from time to time. But hey…I’m just a fan.
November 23rd, 2007 at 9:42 pm
JD Brookhart will be released from his contract within the next 48 hours. I heard this from a great source and also from several of the players who were not too happy about it. Seems as if JD was told via phone after the game and that the assistants have been calling players this afternoon and telling them there is a team meeting set for 10 am on Saturday morning at the Field House.
Mack has already identified his new coach, former UTEP assistant and current James Madison Head Coach Mickey Matthews.
Under Matthews’s leadership, James Madison achieved a Division 1AA national football championship in 2004. His overall record as a head coach at JMU is 60-41.[1]
Matthews started his coaching career as an assistant coach at Lamar High School, in Texas, working with offensive backs. During the 1978 season, he joined Kansas State University, as an assistant coach. During the 1980-1981 seasons, he served as a defensive coordinator of Southwest Texas State. From 1982-1985, he became an assistant coach at UTEP. In the following 1986 season, he worked at the University of Houston as a defensive backs coach. In the 1987 season, he held that same position, only at Texas Christian University. During the 1988 and 1989 seasons, he coached at Southwest Texas State. From 1990-1995, he served as the assistant head coach at Marshall University. From 1996-1998, he became an assistant coach at the University of Georgia. Finally, since 1999, he has been the head coach at James Madison University.
November 23rd, 2007 at 10:38 pm
Interesting. I’m doing some work to validate/discredit that.
November 24th, 2007 at 12:32 am
Mike, I am not buying into this rumor. What about a search committee interviews, selection committee, etc. Rhoades can’t just go hire someone without a process. This is bogus.
November 24th, 2007 at 12:45 am
Rhoades brings people in from UTEP. He doesn’t search for talent. Just look at what he’s done already with the AD administration: almost all UTEP people, and he goes around firein anybody not from there, or at least makes their job hell, from rumors I’ve heard.
I bet he had this planned for a while, if it’s true.
November 24th, 2007 at 12:52 am
I haven’t been happy with JD the last 2 years, but even so I would think UA would keep him for at least one more year. If nothing else its one less year to buy out of his contract. Also 5 years means next year all the recruits are his.
But - I know the administration wants a good product on the field for the opening of the new stadium in 2009 and maybe they don’t want to start 2009 with a new coach.
But it does seem odd as Chris mentioned that no search committee was used.
November 24th, 2007 at 12:58 am
You mean UA officials are “thinking about more” than “parking a lot?” What a scintillating front page story. This little piece of news, true or not, trumps it in every way. Though, unless it’s been in the works behind the scenes, I don’t think Rhoades weilds quite that much single-handed authority. Still, any change may be a good change. I’d rather have Chris Spielman.
November 24th, 2007 at 1:08 am
If true, this has been in the works for a while now.
This can’t come together this fast unless it’s been done before now.
“IF TRUE”
November 24th, 2007 at 1:15 am
One thing we do know: If there is any truth to this story, David Lee will report on it in his blog sometime in February. Is UA his beat, or what? Really?
November 24th, 2007 at 1:29 am
For those who want to rush to J.D.’s defense (since there’s no defense on the field, that is), let me remind you: How did this regime capitalize on the once-in-a-lifetime Bowl appearance? Did attendance or excitement grow? No. The program has steadily declined, with in-fighting, poor QB play, little depth at key positions, and an ongoing inconsistency in nearly every phase of the game. Does the AD see light at the end of the tunnel? Do you or I?
As for the argument that next year all the recruits would be J.D.’s…I believe that was the case THIS year. And really, are you so enamored with his other recruits who ARE playing (Carlton Jackson, Chris Jacquemain, et al) that you believe these other few redshirts will turn things around?
There is big, big money being funneled into the football program, and has been for years (state-of-the-art indoor facility, etc.), and if I were overseeing the athletic program, I would not allow mediocrity to continue…not when the guy was brought in to BUILD UP attendance at games, like he did at UTEP. What’s been the average the last two games, 3,000 heads? Tops? Might as well just let Massillon play at the Bowl on Saturdays.
November 24th, 2007 at 4:31 am
Please vote for Zippy…it’s a CLOSE race right now…
http://www.capitalonebowl.com/Voting/Default.aspx
November 24th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
W-E-L-L-L-L-L-L??????? What’s happening? Has anyone sniffed out a shred of scoopage here, or was it a bogus rumor? Surely someone knows something by now, either way, since the supposed team meeting was happening at 10am. Speak! Speak!
November 24th, 2007 at 12:15 pm
P.S. When Zips fans are reduced to voting for a mascot’s victory week-after-week, you know something is SERIOUSLY wrong with the football team.
Look at the coaches with better records who are already dropping like flies (Nebraska, Texas A&M). Does UA have the second-coming of Knute Rockne patrolling the sidelines, screaming non-stop at the refs? How about working on some better schemes, Skipper.
November 24th, 2007 at 1:36 pm
I said in the other well known forum on Zips football that you don’t open the new stadium with a losing team and a new coach. The last thing you want is 2-3 bad seasons after the new place opens. People show up the first year because its new. Then the fans want to see a truly competetive team,new stadium or not.
At least if the rumor about Matthews is true the AD is bringing someone in with headcoaching and recruiting skills already established. It makes sense even if it doesn’t happen.
November 24th, 2007 at 1:43 pm
Somebody found this and linked to it on Zipsnation:
http://www.footballscoop.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2669
November 25th, 2007 at 4:38 pm
Bottomliner, you are right. However, the mentality at Akron is if we are a 500 team, we are good. We would be happy at 6-6
At 7-5 we would be elated. At 8-4, wow…..
Other coaches get fired for having consecutive 9-3 or 8-4 seasons. If Akron were to have an 8-4 season everyone would think we won the NC and want to give the guy a lifetime contract.