Football
2008 ended with three straight losses. If Akron won two, they would be going to a bowl (and maybe the MAC Championship). If the Zips won one, they would have hope.
Instead, the Zips hit the Triple Whammy.
As a Northeast Ohio fan, I make it a tradition to look forward to next season after the previous one inevitably crashes like a house of cards in a light breeze.
- Breaking down each position for 2009…
Quarterback — My gut is telling me that J.D. Brookhart will stick with Chris Jacquemain. He did after a sorry 2007. Why not after a mediocre 2008? I give Jacquemain credit for progressing, but he certainly took steps back, as well. Outlook: So-so
Running back — Alex Allen is the only running back to return from the three that Akron primarily used this season. He is injury prone, so it will be nice to have DeVoe Torrence and Dale Martin behind him. Martin and Torrence are high-level BCS talents. 2009 should be similar to 2008 in terms of depth and talent. There is only a slightly smaller bit of uncertainty. Outlook: Shining bright
Wide receiver — Andre Jones and Deryn Bowser will return as the MAC's best receiving tandem. Dashan Miller and Jeremy Bruce will provide depth. Watch out for Curtis Brown to emerge. A car accident set him back after high school, but he can fly. The same goes for Gary Pride, but I think Brown is more polished as a receiver at this point. Outlook: Shining bright
Offensive line — The Zips return their entire starting line except left tackle Chris Kemme. In fact, Kemme was the only senior on the two-deep of Akron's outstanding line. Outlook: Shining bright
Defensive line – Eric Lively is the only player in the line's rotation to leave. In my 4-man line, I would put Almondo Sewell and Shawn Lemon on the ends, with Ryan Bain and Dan Marcoux on the inside. Even with a four-man line, you can easily go three-deep. The first linemen off the bench should be Joe Rash, James Harvey, Hasan Hazime and Wallace Pendleton. Outlook: Bright (if the 3-3-5 is gone)
Linebacker – This is the position where Akron lost the most. Mike Thomas and Aaron Williams are going to be really good MAC linebackers — the kind Akron fans always envy from other teams. Sean Fobbs showed he can play. Brookhart is excited about his freshman linebackers, such as Nate Schuler, Matt Little and Will Fleming. One or more of them will need to play in 2009. Outlook: So-so
Secondary – The Zips have three defensive backs they can count on in Jalil Carter, Manley Waller and Miguel Graham. The key will be to find a strong safety. Perhaps the position will suit Wayne Cobham better than rover. Outlook: Dim
Special teams — Igor Iveljic and John Stec are back after mediocre seasons. Judging by the end of last season, Brookhart will rely on Miller at kick returner and Pride or Jones at punt returner. Don't be surprised if Torrence creeps into the picture. Another important job will be to find a holder and longsnapper. Outlook: So-so
Men's basketball
Akron plays Niagara tomorrow on the road.
It's not the same Niagara you remember from 2007 (aka Buffalo's twin sister). The Eagles are 5-1, with their only loss coming to Villanova.
Their point guard, Rob Garrison, transferred from UConn. Although he played sparingly for the Huskies, he averages 15.7 points per game at Niagara. Also transferring from the Big East was Bilal Benn, a 6-foot-5 guard originally from Villanova who leads the team with 9.3 rebounds per game (also 12.3 ppg). Guard Tyrone Lewis leads Niagara with 17 points per game.
If the Zips win one of their next two games, fans should be very pleased.
Miscellaneous
I have three exams in the next five days, so my blogging will probably be sparse. I intend to attend the men's basketball game versus Dayton, though.
By the way, this blog is becoming more popular — statistically, at least. It is now the second-most read blog on Ohio.com with 18,929 page views in November. Still, there are a lot of Zips fans who do not participate online. Urge them to bookmark this blog and also ZipsNation.org. The Internet is the best way to grow a grassroots base of fans.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Pretty optimistic forecast for a team that's been 5-7, 4-8, 5-7 the past three seasons (and we all know it coulda been worse).
Glaring needs:
A center who won't snap the ball over the QB's head.
A kicker who won't miss the gimme-FGs and PATs, especially in close games.
A QB who will lead and get the most from his cast
Bowser to catch more balls than he drops
A defense.
A coach who inspires players to OVERachieve, not phone-it-in.
I think we all know it could have been better too. If they would've held on and won just two of the extremely tight losses against Ohio, Cincinnati, Bowling Green, and Buffalo this team which was picked dead last would be in the school's second ever FBS (1-A) bowl game. All of those games could easily have gone either way. Usually in situations like that the more experienced and/or battle-tested team wins those types of games. This was a young or at least fairly inexperienced team, especially on defense.
Mike, do you know anything about what Brookhart has in mind to do with LeVon Morefield? Where do you see him on next year's depth chart? He was a pretty good player on a pretty good team in high school and he always looked very good to me but hasn't seen any game action as of yet as far as I know.
Rick, Those are all legitimate needs. I think the defense will get much better with a 4-3 next season. I'm assuming it's going to be a 4-3 because, if not, most fans will riot. I might even retire from covering the football team. Probably not, but it would be very frustrating.
GJGood, I don't know about Morefield. He is 5-9 and weighs 215. Odd size for a DB, unless he plays SS.
Mike, good stuff. I noticed you left Marvase Byrd off the DB list. I think he will be a player.
Also, you have Flemming at LB. Is that official or your guess?
You also left Odofin and Cowels Steart off the DL list. I think they will be a player.
We have the numbers to play a 4-3, hopefully the talent is there.
You're an idiot if you think Bowser had more drops than catches. Sure, you probably said it facetiously, but name an Akron receiver who would have caught a lot of the passes he did that were bad throws. In fact, I'd say he had just as many drops as catches that were bad Jacquemain throws.
If Akron wants to go to a 4-3, Brookhart just needs to get a couple JC guys for depth on the line. There is clearly talent here.
Mike – I think that you are spot on with your assessment of Bowser. He is a great combo of speed and size but has the tendency to drop routine passes that end up being drive killers, which in turn gets the crummy defense back out on the field sooner than it should be. It's a shame that Bowser, Bruce, and Miller couldn't be counted on to consistently catch the ball with the raw ability that all three seem to possess.
Is it for sure Flemming is coming back as D-coordinator? His son was a safety at Hoban, I believe. I would love to see someone with size as a safety in a 4-3 with two deep. They need a kid with some size back there to do a little 'head hunting' in support of the run and to shut down the middle of the field against the pass. That defense cuts down on the big plays because they don't have everyone chasing receivers and leaving holes everywhere.
Dale Martin 4 star athlete and healthy right now!!! Your new corner Deannte Ball 4.3 speed and hits like a truck. Your future looks bright!!