Football

Former Zip and current New York Giant receiver Domenik Hixon scored three touchdowns on a Monday Night Football exhibition against the Browns.

Hixon started while regulars Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer sat out with nagging injuries.

The past 10 months, Hixon has established himself as a rising star in the NFL. He definitely needed a change in location after the Kevin Everett injury. One of Hixon’s three first-quarter touchdowns was a kick return, and that will be his main role in the immediate future.

The Browns’ backups did close the lead to 3 after Cleveland trailed 30-3, but it’s the starters whose performance really matters in these games.

Football

Randy Greenwood committed to Akron last week, then he broke his leg.

The injury will cost the Lake Catholic running back his senior season. He expects Akron to honor its scholarship offer.

Greenwood runs (ran) a 4.54 in the 40-yard dash, according to Rivals.com. He also has interest in Cincinnati, Iowa, Northwestern, Penn State and Pittsburgh. His high school coach said colleges should look into using him as a receiver or defensive back.

Notes…

J.D. Brookhart gave a good synopsis of the first two weeks of camp in a GoZips.com article. Basically, he gave thumbs up to the entire offense. He thinks there are playmakers on defense, but the unit needs to get healthy before he can truly evaluate it.

It pains me greatly to announce that my softball team had to dispatch the squad captained by ZipsNation.org’s Captain Kangaroo, en route to our first league championship. If you’re an Akron fan who doesn’t read ZipsNation, you’re a loser. It’s true.

Forgive me for some inconsistency in blogging the next couple weeks. School is starting, and I’m involved in some semi-hectic activities. I will try to get out to camp once again for another video update with Dan Kadar. We both appreciate your positive feedback.

Football

The Zips offense came alive Wednesday morning.

Chris Jacquemain and Matt Rodgers combined for 32-of-58 for 463 yards and five touchdowns.

“Tremendous progress,” coach J.D. Brookhart called it. “For the first time, we have two units that can operate.”

How good were things going for the quarterbacks? Lineman Zack Anderson caught a tipped Jacquemain pass and rumbled 32 yards with it.

Brookhart and the coaches will talk about naming a starter tonight. However, the coach said Jacquemain is clearly the No. 1 at this point.

“He makes good decisions 99 percent of the time,” Brookhart said.

The coach was also quick to prop up Rodgers, saying he was comfortable with having the freshman behind center.

Jeremy Bruce, Andre Jones and Dashan Miller were the main beneficiaries from the aerial attack. They should be the top three receivers on the depth chart.

Here are some notes from the scrimmage…

Anderson’s catch off the tip was the play of the day. It got a rise out of the team.

At halftime of the scrimmage, Brookhart came over to ask what we thought. He was pretty giddy about having the depth to scrimmage like this so early in the preseason.

Andrew Johnson looked really good. He might not be an every-down back, but he should be Akron’s equivalent of a Reggie Bush — a guy who can score on any play. He also has a good attitude.

Some of the injured players returned. Marquinn Davis is one. The defensive lineman looks like a black Rambo. Mark my words, the first time you see Davis’ size, you will gasp.

Jacquemain impressed me for the first time today. He didn’t do anything spectacular, but he moved the team and made smart passes. Rodgers threw some great balls. He is the more exciting player to watch.

Nate Burney, who is listed as a defensive back, got a lot of carries today in the absence of Dennis Kennedy, who sat out with a minor injury.

Brookhart said he has never seen so many injuries before. “It’s been ridiculous,” he said. Despite that, Almondo Sewell returned today. Deryn Bowser and Ryan Bain are probably a week or two away with their foot injuries.

Both candidates for the starting safety position, Jalil Carter and Tyler Campbell, were out today, too.

There was a minor scuffle between Chris Kemme and Dan Marcoux in the trenches. ABJ beat reporter Tom Gaffney chimed in: “If only I wrote about every time Nick Dials got in a fight at practice…”

Freshman update: Brookhart is pleased with defensive lineman James Harvey. “He’s just a big, powerful kid,” the coach said.

To answer a couple questions from Zipsnation.org… 1) Yes, the QB will continue to take signals from the sideline. The reason is to allow the offense to adjust to the defense’s setup. 2) The special teams look great. With the Zips’ fantastic returners and kicker and Brookhart’s obsession with special teams, it should not be a problem at all. In fact, MACReportOnline.com says Akron has two of the five best special teamers in the MAC.

Football

Sorry, Zipaholics. Due to a misunderstanding, Dan Kadar and I didn’t get video today. We plan to shoot the scrimmage tomorrow evening, however.

Despite that, I hung out at camp and jotted down some notes…

I got my first look at Jordan Miller. The freshman quarterback took a couple snaps in a redzone practice situation. He forced a couple throws into tight holes that were incompletions.

Gerry Faust showed up at camp today. For you rookie Zips fans, Faust was head coach of the Zips from 1986-1994. He came from Notre Dame, after four years subpar seasons of leading the Fighting Irish. Despite that, Faust is a good guy.

I think I figured out what the two top quarterbacks’ weaknesses are. Chris Jacquemain’s decision-making is terrible. He thrives on tossing the ball into high-risk, low-reward situations. Matt Rodgers, on the other hand, holds onto the ball too long. I know the coaches say Jacquemain is No. 1, but Rodgers gets more snaps than any backup I’ve ever seen.

As you may have read last week, J.D. Brookhart said he wants to use between six and eight wide receivers in a rotation. I will try to rank them according to playing time against Wisconsin: 1) Jeremy Bruce — He’s very versatile and seems to be open a lot. 2) Dashan Miller — Big target. The quarterbacks have seemed to like throwing to him so far. 3) Alphonso Owen – He knows the system the best. 4) Deryn Bowser — Would be higher if he was able to practice. He will be out for another week with a minor foot injury. 5) Andre Jones — Would be higher if we knew he could block and run routes. 6) Curtis Brown — Brookhart said he worked hard over the summer. 7) Gary Pride — One fast little whipper-snapper. He might need to wait a year to get more reps. 8 ) Brandon Williams — He also knows the system. If the new guys don’t pan out, he will climb the rankings.

D-coordinator Jim Fleming was not pleased with the defensive unit’s performance today. A lot has to do with the defensive line being hurt. Here is a rundown of the injured linemen: Eric Lively, Ryan Bain, Almondo Sewell, Hassan Hazime and Marquinn Davis. Brookhart said he does not expect any of the injuries to last into the season. Still, the coach expected a better work ethic from the guys who were playing. “They were not very enthusiastic,” Brookhart said.

There is a position battle for the third linebacker job (behind Doug Williams and Kevin Grant). The candidates are Aaron Williams, Sean Fobbs and Mike Thomas. Brookhart said Fobbs and Thomas have done a good job so far. The staff is converting Thomas from safety to linebacker. He transferred from Massachusetts. Williams is the touted recruit, who shows flashes of excellence but needs to understand the details of playing the position, according to Brookhart.

I asked Brookhart what he thinks about Sports Illustrated’s prediction of a 1-11 record. He said: “You can tell how much research they put into it. There wasn’t even any writing. They looked at our record last year and how many starters we have coming back and our quarterbacks.”

The coach also denounced the vandalism at Dix Stadium, saying fans should promote their team, not try to tear down a rival. “It’s wrong. People have invested money in the program,” he added.

With the depth at running back, you might be wondering who’s getting the snaps. Dennis Kennedy is No. 1. But what about Andrew Johnson and Alex Allen? The coaches have discussed divying the reps either 3-2-2, 3-2-1 or 2-2-2. DeVoe Torrence will probably not play running back this year. He should be a terror on special teams, however.

Football

The receivers and DeVoe Torrence impressed coach J.D. Brookhart during Friday’s practice, according to GoZips.com.

It was the team’s first practice in full pads. Torrence finished off the scrimmage with a long touchdown run. Dashan Miller and Andre Jones also made big plays.

I plan to drop by camp on Tuesday with Dan Kadar for another video update.

Notes…

You have probably read about the vandalism at Kent State’s Dix Stadium. Both sides are hoping KSU fans won’t retaliate. Actually, I hear the Flashes contingent has been rather busy in other ventures lately.

A new scholarship offer…

Vincent Williams, defensive back, Alpharetta, Ga.
Offers: Akron and Ball State
Height: 5-foot-10
Weight: 165
Speed: 4.46
Notes: Williams’ highlight video shows a heat-seeking missile who swarms to the ball. Scout.com also lists Williams as a receiver. Rivals.com does not have a profile for him.

Football

I posted the video from camp below.

Here are some other notes that didn’t make the video…

J.D. Brookhart told me he wants to use six to eight receivers in his rotation. Crazy!

Devoe Torrence got about five touches during the scrimmage drills. You can tell he has the skills to break a long run, but the defense was in proper position. Torrence probably won’t lose yardage on many plays. He will wear No. 4.

Gary Pride got a lot of touches. Watch out for this guy. Brookhart just needs to find a way to use him.

Chris Jacquemain threw two interceptions — both to Brandon Anderson. One of the interceptions is on the last part of the video.

The quarterbacks didn’t play well according to my untrained eye. Brookhart said some bad routes that led to mistakes, too. In fairness, Jacquemain looked crisp in spurts. Matt Rodgers was so-so.

Larry Dawson of Akron North High School is on the updated roster. I meant to ask about him, but I forgot. Last I heard, he was choosing between Akron and Bowling Green, but he did not commit on Signing Day.

Dale Martin came to Akron because one of the Zips coaches had a good relationship with Martin’s high school coach. Also, Martin heard that his former high school teammate, Ryan Bain, was having a good experience as a transfer.

Dennis Kennedy ran hard today. He plowed through the defense once in a way that made Dan Kadar and I think back to the glory days of 2006, when Kennedy was All-MAC caliber.

Speaking of Kadar, special thanks go out to him for filming the clip and coming up with the idea. We plan to do that a few more times before the season begins.

Football

The team announced the arrival of blue-chip transfer Dale Martin from Louisville.

The running back was a four-star recruit according to Rivals.com and Scout.com when he came out of Bolingbrook, Ill. — the same high school as Ryan Bain.

Louisville fans are calling this a big loss. They speculated that Martin may have been frustrated by some injuries, and he did not like his outlook to get playing time early. Also, Martin committed to Louisville shortly before coach Bobby Petrino left for the Atlanta Falcons. After Petrino left, Martin had to be talked into keeping his commitment.

Martin’s highlight videos show me a speedy runner with a tremendous sense of balance. To take down Dale Martin, you must pop him AND wrap him up.

Martin had scholarship offers from Nebraska, California, Florida, Tennessee and many others. He will sit out 2008 and be eligible next season. GoZips.com lists him as a redshirt freshman.

The unusual part about the transfer is that the university announced it. Typically, you have to milk these things from coaches.

Notes…

The ABJ’s Patrick McManamon gave his opinion on the Devoe Torrence saga. It seems like he’s in favor of giving him a second chance. In the story, Mack Rhoades said Torrence would not be a Zip if there were other sketchy pieces of his past.

The university is appealing the $3 million price tag on Joe Nemer’s land. A move by the board of trustees suggests that UA might back off buying it at that cost.

Check by the blog tomorrow. I will be at football camp in the morning with Dan Kadar. We will shoot a nifty video and get some cool interviews for you.

Men’s basketball

The feds charged former Toledo player Sammy Villegas with fixing games.

He allegedly biffed two free throws against Wright State in 2006. In three games against the Zips, Villegas averaged about 20 minutes per game and shot 4-for-6 on free throws.

Football

A few people have asked me what I think about Akron taking on Devoe Torrence. To be honest, I really haven’t formed an opinion. I will talk it out through this blog post. Hopefully, I will have an informed take on it by the end.

Optimist: There is no disputing Torrence’s talent. With the logjam of running backs this season, Torrence’s arrival does not sound like a necessary gambit. Next fall, however, we could be talking about how sorely the Zips need a reliable back since Dennis Kennedy, Alex Allen and Andrew Johnson have left.

It would be the equivalent to the Zips having an All-MAC passer on the burner when Luke Getsy retired. Rather, Chris Jacquemain and Carlton Jackson played patty-cake on the way to a four-win season.

Pessimist: But what’s the point if Torrence gets in trouble? J.D. Brookhart’s team already has NCAA sanctions to deal with. And what about all of those troubled souls whom he ejected last fall? Isn’t this just replenishing the supply?

O: But let’s not get carried away. Torrence was never guilty of anything. There is no indication he will be a bad student or leave the program, which would hurt the team’s Academic Progress Rate.

P: That may be true, but you have heard from a few people that Torrence is cocky. That won’t play well on a mid-major team, especially if he leads the offense. Torrence showed that he is not the ultimate teammate when he refused to play linebacker after transferring to Washington High School from Canton South.

O: He’s cocky. So what? Go up and down that roster and I’m sure you’ll find some guys whose heads don’t fit in the Airdock. I want to see you complain about cockiness when Torrence is trampling MAC defenses for 200-yard games.

P: Come on, Optimist. This stinks of desperation. Brookhart knows he’ll get canned without a .500 season or better. Torrence is a band-aid — and one that has more infection on it than medicine.

O: I stand by Brookhart. And I stand by this decision. The coaching staff has a lot to lose if it doesn’t work. They investigated and thought it to be a prudent decision. How do you — or any fan — have the knowledge or experience to dispute that? The team knows it cannot have an image problem when it’s trying to sell tickets for InfoCision Stadium.

P: OK. You win.

O: That’s right, I win. At least we can agree that Paul Rodgers is the best singer of all time.

P: Amen, brother.

Notes…

It’s not looking good for the Zips landing Chaz Russell, the four-star junior college cornerback. He recently visited West Virginia and told Scout.com that the Mountaineers are No. 1 on his list. A decision will be coming on Monday, so there is still hope.

I should be back at football camp on Thursday. The team won’t practice in full gear until then, at the earliest. I plan to provide a video report with my old tag-team partner Dan Kadar, who is now working at Ohio.com.

New scholarship offers…

Anthony Meriwether, wide receiver, Midpark, Ohio
Offers: Akron
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 185
Speed: Not listed
Notes: I cannot find a darn thing on this guy. If you know anything, feel free to comment.

Jack Jamerson, defensive end, Washington, Pa.
Offers: Akron, Army, Kent State, Miami (Ohio) and Ohio
Height: 6-4
Weight: 245
Speed: Not listed
Notes: Scout.com calls him the No. 158 defensive end in the nation. He also has interest in Maryland, Wisconsin, Pittsburgh, Penn State and West Virginia.

Football

Coach J.D. Brookhart confirmed today that top-recruit Devoe Torrence has joined the team.

Before making the decision, the coaches investigated the opportunity and met several times with Torrence, who recently was acquitted of rape of a 12-year-old girl.

“We’ve always stayed in contact (with Torrence),” Brookhart said. “He was not signed because of an incident that the United States declared him innocent.

“We sat down and had a lengthy discussion. We investigated him, and we feel good about him.”

Brookhart sees Torrence as a running back, where the Zips have a wealth of depth. However, the coach would not rule out seeing Torrence play this season.

“Everyone’s going to get a chance,” the coach said.

Other notes from camp…

My attention was focused on the quarterback competition. Although Chris Jacquemain enters fall with an edge over freshman Matt Rodgers, I expect Rodgers to overcome the incumbent junior. In the 30 minutes of scrimmage action I watched, Jacquemain threw three interceptions, picked off by Miguel Graham, Amin Kabir and Brandon Anderson.

According to Brookhart, Rodgers is further along than any freshman he’s ever seen. That is saying a lot. And given that statement, it would be a crime to leave his potential sitting on the bench in favor of a junior whose ceiling is rather low. Today, Rodgers looked crisp on short passes. He didn’t take as many risks as Jacquemain. About Rodgers, Brookhart added: “He gets it. It takes awhile to get it.” In particular, Rodgers has learned the game very quickly. His recognition of protection schemes should benefit him.

Last year, when Jacquemain was floundering and Carlton Jackson was being a knucklehead, Brookhart’s dad told him, “This might be the first time since fourth grade that you haven’t been good at that position.”

The only no-shows on Sunday were walk-ons. One of those walk-ons still may show up tomorrow.

The most open competition is for free safety where Tyler Campbell and Jalil Carter are battling to start. Brookhart conceded that he is worried about the entire secondary.

Despite that, he’s sticking with his move of Andre Jones to receiver. “Andre is so good with the ball in his hands,” Brookhart said. “He is an exciting player.” Brookhart might have kept Jones at defensive back, however, if Bryan Williams flopped there.

Brookhart went out of his way to say Curtis Brown worked hard over the summer, after showing up to spring practice not in shape. Brown’s teammates helped to motivate him.

There are a few rule changes this year. First, horse-collar tackling is prohibited. Second, kicking the ball out of bounds starts the offense at the 40-yard line, rather than the 30. Third, the play clock is now 40 seconds. It starts after the play. It will be 25 seconds on a change of possession. Brookhart has always been good at predicting how rule changes will affect the team. He took advantage of the longer kickoff distance last season by working to get his special teams to a higher level.

Football

A reliable source tells me that Devoe Torrence, the nation’s No. 6 athlete who was recently acquitted of rape charges, will join the Zips for fall camp which starts Sunday.

If true, Torrence would be the most touted recruit ever to play for Akron. He had scholarship offers from Ohio State, Michigan and other BCS schools before his legal issues arose. Torrence committed to Ohio State, but never signed a letter of intent in February because the Buckeyes retracted their scholarship offer.

Torrence was charged with having sex with a 12-year-old girl. The judge declared that evidence was lacking, mainly because the victim admitted her tendency to lie.

Torrence, 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, played running back at Massillon Washington High School. Although some colleges felt he’d make a terrific linebacker, Torrence was slated to play running back for the Buckeyes, too.

Running a 4.55 in the 40-yard dash, Torrence is not the fastest or shiftiest rusher around, but it takes a lot of manpower to tackle him. He is a physical runner who sheds tacklers with ease. Rivals.com gives him four stars and calls him the No. 66 player in the nation for the 2008 class. Scout.com is less praising, saying Torrence is only the No. 102 running back.

As I stated, this is from a source that I trust, but I cannot verify the story myself. Given that Torrence joined the team in the past couple days, the 2008 roster does not reflect his addition.

If true, Torrence would join a crowded backfield that includes incumbent (sort of) Dennis Kennedy, University of Miami transfer Andrew Johnson, reliable Alex Allen and short-yardage runner Joe Tuzze. His fastest route to the field might be on defense.