The Legacy of Tyler Kozlov

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Redhawks stun Zips, make them East's first elimination from bowl eligibility

"Wide right, the kick sails wide right!"

Tom O'Leary fell to the turf, his head in his hands as a flood of red stormed the field in celebration. The Miami Redhawks capped off a major rally in overtime to pull off the victory over the scrappy Akron Zips who had fought for their opportunity to remain bowl eligible. Yet it would be the kicker that would cost them, O'Leary missed an extra point and a pair of field goals in a game that ended with almost no separation.

The first half appeared that the Zips would be complete control, the defense was largely in support of the adage, "Bend don't break". The offense was rolling with the Zips pulling out to an early 21-7 lead through the end of the first half thanks to a strong first half by Jawon Chisholm that saw him pile up nearly 100 rushing yards as he was virtually unstoppable.

Tom Tupa, the quarterback for the Redhawks struggled in the first half going 4-11, with only 28 yards. Backup, Gus Ragland came in for a pair of plays when Tom [Tupa] left with Back spasms and completed a 43 yard pass on his first attempt, than an incompletion on his final attempt of the game, the drive would stall and result in a punt.

Yet that would change between the revitalized Redhawk offense began to pick up traction on the ground with Spencer Treadwell dominating as the everydown back while Spencer McInnis seemed to be the touchdown specialist, scoring twice in the fourth quarter. The turnover bug bit the Zips again, Kyle Pohl threw three interceptions in the second half. Two in the fourth quarter in critical positions. The Zips made a huge stop on the Redhawks in the redzone, and their kicker missed their field goal attempt to keep the game tied at 21-21. With a little over two minutes to go, Kyle Pohl tried threading the needle and it would be intercepted and brought back to the Zip 14, where the Redhawks would punch it in, two plays later to take the lead.

Kyle Pohl would answer back with a touchdown pass to Imani Davis, but the crowd was loud in favor of the home squad which rallied from a 21-7 deficit to take the lead and ultimately force overtime in a 28-28 affair.

The overtime seemed to stem the tide, when on third and long a deep pass to Keith Sconiers would be hauled in for the go ahead touchdown and the defense was in control for the first three plays, a sack that resulted in a 13 yard loss on Tom Tupa, than two in completions including a dropped interception. On fourth and 22, Tom [Tupa] hauled up a pass that would be pulled down by Dawan Scott for a huge touchdown where the coverage simply broke down over the middle.

That blow seemed to demoralize the Zips who allowed a field goal on the following Redhawk drive, and the offense absolutely collapsed, picking up just one yard across three plays before Tom O'Leary missed the field goal wide right. A loss that is a testament to the entire Zip season where they have just fallen apart on the football field, and today that has cost them their bowl eligibility.

"It hurts." Was all Jawon Chisholm could said as he left the field, visibly frustrated by the loss. The loss drops the Zips to 1-7 and they are the first team in the MAC East to lose their bowl eligibility. While other teams are certainly close, it appears that the grind of so many games in a row has taken it's toll. This team just wore out at the end, and with a looming matchup against the Ball State Cardinals whom are in second place in the Western Division, it doesn't appear they will pick up a consolation victory in the wake of this defeat.

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The Bayou Bengals struck big off the field, even despite a lackluster season on the field. The LSU Tigers picked up a big commitment as the top player in the country opted to head to Les Mile's program in a press release published on Friday evening. The move is a big push for the resurgence of the Tigers program which has been on the outside looking in for the past several years. It won't help the program much this season, but with two of the top five opting towards the bayou, it shows that the future is very bright for this program.

Jointly, it has been a lucrative two weeks for Tiger programs as the Clemson Tigers closed in on another highly touted athlete to join their program, while the Auburn Tigers added the top rated center to improve an already strong point of their unit, the rich just got richer as the letters of intent continued to roll in. Clemson (#3) and Auburn (#5) both fit into the top classes at this point in the season, while Notre Dame which has an impressive 12 recruits, including 2 5*'s and 3 4*'s lead the pack and don't appear likely to relinquish control anytime soon.

The UCLA Bruins are a team that are benefiting mightily by their impressinve run this season. The Bruins rank #3 in the nation in the polls while they are #4 for their recruiting class. The Bruins haven't managed to pull in a 5*, but they have a lot of depth accrued with 8 recruits fitting into the 4* and 3* ranks which has rocketed them up the recruiting ranks.

Focusing however, to the action on the field had quite a few big games that shuffled the polls. The Arizona State Sun Devils took the biggest hit when they faltered on the road against a Washington Husky team that is catching heat at the right time. While the Huskies caused some early season buzz, a loss sent them back to irrelevance, at least until this week where they proved they belong among the top teams and made a strong case for their contention in the PAC 12.

The Auburn Tigers kept themselves alive in the national championship discussion by holding off a Texas A&M rally that has the Aggies just tumbling down the rankings. The team doesn't appear to have much going for it and is just continues to fall down the rankings, it wouldn't be a surprise to see them dip off in the coming weeks.

Another team that is falling down the ranks at a breakneck speed is the South Carolina Gamecocks, who have dropped 17 spots in two weeks, this time with a defeat to the unranked Tennessee Volunteers sending them down even further in the rankings. Steve Spurrier was at a loss of words in a post game conference, his team had once been in the running for a potential NCG birth but hasn't lived up to expectations in recent weeks as they continue on a two game skid.

West Virginia falls out of the polls after a quiet rush had them climbing the polls earlier in the season, the team couldn't keep their momentum going and ultimately would be taken from the polls entirely when they fell in overtime to the unranked Red Raiders of Texas Tech.

Looming on the horizon is a huge matchup, this week #3 UCLA travels to Eugene, Oregon where they will battle the #1 Oregon Ducks. The winner will likely take the #1 spot in the country. Florida State will likely be the biggest beneficiary for this, as they continue to fall despite dominating ACC opponents. A loss would likely cause them to the very least move to #3 in the country.

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Jawon Chisholm shows poise; leadership as Zips knock off Ball State

Who said this team had no motivation to finish out the season.

"It's my last year ****it, I'm going to go out there and leave it all out on the field. They couldn't stop me, I ran through them, around them, whatever I had to do to make sure we got the win." Spoke Jawon Chisholm, who was clearly excited in his teams victory which largely came on his shoulders. He carried this offense.

For the first time this season, there wasn't a passing touchdown, as Kyle Pohl tossed two early interceptions that forced Tyler Kozlov to adopt the run game as the premier part of his offense, and the defense did just enough to keep the game close, while Kyle Pohl managed to make a few good throws to set up the running game in this one.

Jawon Chisholm finished with 166 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns for the Zips, scoring most of his teams points, the only exception being on an option, Kyle Pohl kept it and ducked into the end zone for a score in the fourth quarter to make it a one touchdown game. Chisholm was unstoppable however and that opened up so many options for this offense, especially in the running game as the read option became a deadly part of the offensive repertoire.

"We had to adjust. They took away the passing game and instead of forcing the issue, we just needed to shift our game. It was hard to do, given the deficit but this team came out and made the case for why we can be successful. It's a testament to this team to come out and deliver, after hearing the media proclaim the season was essentially over for the past week. This is a big time for our seniors to show the younger players how Zips play, and you can expect to see some younger players getting worked in to get a few reps as well."

Could that spell the end for Kyle Pohl? The embattled quarterback is the NCAA leader in turnovers with 18 interceptions and 4 fumbles lost. He leads the NCAA in the first category and it can be a major part of why this team has struggled in it's close contests. Pohl, a fourth year junior could have played his way to the bench for his senior year.

For the Cardinals, this defeat essentially guarantees they won't have a ticket to Detroit come the end of conference play, the loss knocks them to third in their division and two games behind the leading Huskies. A suffering blow for a team that appeared to have control of this one through most of the first half. They would crack however, and the Zips emerged victorious.

Ozzie Mann was the leader for the Cardinals offense, with Jahwan Edwards accounting for 55 yards on fifteen carries, the quarterback found himself atop the rushing and passing boards with a strong presence in the read option and making a few strong armed passes throughout this contest. The Cardinals dip to (4-5) and suddenly they find themselves potentially on the outside of the bowl bubble, while the Akron Zips are simply playing for pride at this point, with a 2-7 record on the season.

The Zips will take on the Kent State Golden Flash (3-6) next week, and the Zips would love to spoil a teams season for the second consecutive week. A Zip victory eliminates the Flash from post season consideration and moves the Zips further up the division standings.

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Another week and another top ten team falters against an unranked foe, this time the SEC isn't the culprit. Traveling out west, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish took on the Air Force Falcons of the Mountain West and were absolutely stunned by the military program. The Falcons piled up 387 rushing yards while shutting down Everett Golson who had three turnovers as the Falcons got their marquee victory over their independent foe.

The highlight game of the week ended up being the bore of the week. In Eugene, the Oregon Ducks smashed the UCLA Bruins and solidified their spot atop the standings with a big victory that saw their first place votes nearly double from the previous week. Marcus Mariota accentuated his heisman campaign with a masterful performance in this matchup, tossing at a brilliant 66% clip, with a pair of touchdowns and two hundred yards. He would also add a touchdown on the ground as he earned player of the game honors in the 45-20 thrashing of the UCLA Bruins.

In the ACC, Florida State knocked off the undefeated North Carolina State Wolfpack in a 30-17 decision, despite the quality victory, they remained entrenched in the rankings at the four slot. The Ohio State Buckeyes would leapfrog over the Seminoles with their 38-24 victory over the unranked Purdue Boilermakers. This has elicited a bit of outcry as fans of the Seminoles clamor for change in the BCS system, as the Seminoles keep winning but continue to fall down the polls.

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Defense brings the Wagon Wheel to Akron

Akron retains the series lead with a crucial victory over their divisional foe and main rival in Kent State. The Akron Zips won on virtue of a tremendous defensive showing coupled with a few lucky breaks in favor of their squad to keep the Zips who despite 4 turnovers still managed to eke out the victory.

The Zips defense turned in their best performance of the season, albeit against their weakest offensive foe that was missing three starters across the offensive unit due to injuries. They only managed to pick up 139 yards, including only 86 yards through the air and a season best 53 rushing yards. The Zips did allow a touchdown on the ground, even so, the Flash only kept it a game due to a defensive touchdown and a kick return score.

Akron struck first, a good offensive drive ended up stalling after Kyle Pohl tossed a pair of incompletions to lead to a fourth down in Golden Flash territory. The Flash had allowed Jawon Chisholm to pick up 44 yards on the ground in the opening drive, and Tom O'Leary hit the 38 yard field goal cleanly to put the Zips temporarily up by 3. That would only last one play.

Ernest Calhoun would field the kickoff on the goal line and find a seam, bursting through it, he would fake out Tom O'Leary in the open field and go untouched the entire way to the end zone, a 100 yard score and the first touchdown the special teams unit gave up this season. It would breath life into the Golden Flash who looked absolutely flat otherwise on defense. The Zips offense couldn't get much going through the first quarter.

Washington State transfer, CJ Mizell jumped the route on a Connor Reardon drop back pass and hauled in the interception. Mizell would bring it 51 yards for the touchdown and the Zips took the lead, the crowd that gathered grew loud in celebration of the teams first defensive touchdown, a big one that would keep the Zips ahead at the end of the first.

In the second quarter, the Golden Flash appeared to find some momentum and dominated the period. The Flash answered back midway through the period with an interception return of their own. Malcolm Pannell caught an errant pass from Kyle Pohl and brought it back for the go ahead touchdown in the second frame. A fumble on the kick off sent possession right back to Kent State inside the thirty and it wouldn't take much before Anthony Meray would score from fifteen yards out on the ground further solidifying the lead. 20-10. The final drive of the quarter would result in three points for the Zips with Tom O'Leary knocking in an easy 25 yard chip shot to make it a 13-20 score heading into the half.

The second half was a defensive struggle, neither side gained much traction. It would break open in the fourth when tight end Jake Allen caught a pass in the seam for a 28 yard gain that would set up the tying score, Jawon Chisholm took a rush off tackle for gains of 13 and 15 before a read option had Kyle Pohl sneak between guard and tackle and eke out a 7 yard touchdown rush. The Zips tied the game. 20-20.

The defense would hold true at midfield and stop the Flash on fourth down and with a little over two minutes left, the Zips got the ball. A big completion to Zach D'Orazio and Keith Sconiers netted gains of 18 and 31 yards to set up the Zips in field goal position. With a minute to go, the Zips churned out yards on the ground until only :03 seconds left. A timeout was blown, than again a time out from the Flashes side. The ice wouldn't work however and as the final whistle blew, the ball cracked the net at the end of the field.

The Zips stormed the field, winning their rivalry game to improve to 3-7 on the season. By winning against their rivals, they eliminated them from post season eligibility as the Flash fall to 3-7 on the season. Akron will have to evaluate if they want to keep Kyle Pohl under center, Pohl leads the NCAA in interceptions and just increased his margin by tossing another pair today.

The Zips will get their first week of rest in the upcoming week, with only two games yet to be played the team could diversify its lineups with two throw away games remaining it may be time to let the younger players get a little experience.

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If one were to look out for upsets in the past week they would be sorely disappointed. The top of the rankings look to remain within the status quo as every top ten team remained in the top ten, and following that teams jostled due to bye weeks and victories. No team seemed to tumble much besides the teams that were knocked from the Top 25.

Texas got stunned at home by the Kansas Jayhawks in a score that no one expected. Kansas has had a football program that has been terrible and had next to no expectations this season but Charlie Weis has managed to add one thing to his resume, he beat Texas. Maybe in a down year for the Longhorns but even so, the Jayhawks would eke out the win.

The Gamebirds lost to the Mississippi Bulldogs by a 4 point decision and ultimately would fall out of the rankings thanks to three consecutive defeats. They were at #6 and than fell completely out of the rankings, one of the worst drops in history especially for this point of the season. They fell from grace and hit bottom hard. They may continue to fall, it's yet to be seen if they could turn it around.

Northwestern got destroyed by the Nebraska Cornhuskers who took their spot in the polls following the 42-20 thrashing of the Wildcats in Evanston. A tough pill for them to swallow but many considered the Wildcats to be overrated to be in the polls and this loss just knocks them more in line with perceptions.

In the heisman race, Marcus Mariota continues to shine and his Ducks top the polls but for some reason things just are clicking for the pollsters who have decided to have Cardale Jones replace him in the top five. The Ohio State quarterback hadn't received much fanfare until recent weeks and big victories.

Switching to recruiting news, the focus will shift with many letters of intents funneling in, the national media will focus upon the top position players and their potential landing zones. Starting on the offensive end, we look across at the top quarterback and it's very likely he will be heading to South Bend. J.J. Porter has done everything shy of committing to the Fighting Irish in his recruiting bid and has never considered any team a top choice aside from the Irish.

Cornelius Henry, the top wideout in the nation is still undecided but his choices are narrowed to Alabama and Florida. LSU remains a darkhorse candidate for his signature but it's very unlikely the Bayou will claim another top prospect. Henry is an athletic freak and could contribute big for the Tide in the coming years. He could be another major wideout prospect that this team produces for the NFL.

Johnny Evans, the top tackle is looking to also decide between Alabama and Texas A&M. This would be a huge coup for the Tide to pull the top wideout and tackle in this class, and it's very possible. Texas A&M has surged as of late in his interest, but Evans has been steadfast in supporting the Crimson Tide.

Finally, in committment news, the top offensive guard will be taking his talents to the Seminoles, where Ryan Parks has officially signed his letter of intent to play for the Florida program. "There's just too much on the plate here, there's talent to win, but enough freedom that I can build my own legacy." Spoke Parks, which is quite substantial words for an offensive guard, but he projects as a NFL talent.

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Zips conclude week off with big news

There was a lot of news surrounding the 3-7 Akron Zips football program this week, some of it good and some of it not so good. Starting with what at best could be called bad news. Akron Zips starting quarterback, Kyle Pohl has been benched for the remainder of the season. Tyler Kozlov put it simply that, "Pohl needs to take some time to study the game. He's forcing things and we can't have our potential starter doing that to us next year. Closing out this year with trying a few things, we will have Tommy Woodson start the Massachusetts game and for his final game wearing the Akron jersey, we will have Nick Hirschman under center for the matchup against Toledo."

The news doesn't come as much of a surprise. Pohl has posted a high yardage rate, but has the most interceptions in all of NCAA, along with a high amount of fumbles and missed pitches on options that has had many spectators wondering when the string would be pulled. It's too late for their chances at a bowl this year but with no quarterback signed in the upcoming recruiting class and losing Hirschman this upcoming offseason, the Zips want to get a good look at Tommy Woodson under center. Chandler Kincade won't be an option as the team looks to keep his redshirt in tact and gain the extra year of eligibility from the quarterback.

"It's a honor to be given the start. I'm going to do everything I can to prove that next year I should be under center!" Spoke an excited Tommy Woodson to the school paper in an interview following the Monday release that Woodson was practicing with the first team, while Pohl was off studying film the entire practice.

Jawon Chisholm is drawing NFL scouts, with scouts from Baltimore and New England planning to visit the Massachusetts-Akron game to get a glimpse at the back as a potential late round pick. Chisholm has 662 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns on the season and has been a strong factor in this offense. Chisholm missed a good portion of the season due to a muscular tear, but since his return he has played with a chip on his shoulder.

Looking to the future, three more letters of intent have been faxed to the athletic department. The biggest of which was Nick Higgins. Higgins is a four star prospect from Alabama and seemingly caught into the aura of the sudden insurgence of funding and support the Zips program has received. Higgins was seemingly spurned by his home state teams and was minimally recruiting throughout the entire process which made his choice even easier. Many teams question whether his ranking was warranted as he had a lackluster senior season and his team missed the playoffs. Joining him is a giant tight end, Justin Matthews hails from Minnesota and boasts an impressive 6'7 stature with a bench press of 400 lbs. He will be a force for this team if his hands become more reliable, but luckily he is a capable blocker. The other recruit to sign was junior college transfer, Chris McCormick. McCormick stays in his homestate to attend Akron after graduating high school and attending a junior college in Maumee, he remained in Ohio.

[TheOtherPotterGuy]

Re: The Legacy of Tyler Kozlov

A 6'7 tight end that can bench press 400 pounds? Did J.J Watt go back to high school? Should be interesting to see how he develops for you. I like this a lot!.

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Re: The Legacy of Tyler Kozlov

A 6'7 tight end that can bench press 400 pounds? Did J.J Watt go back to high school? Should be interesting to see how he develops for you. I like this a lot!.

I didn't even realize that he did that until he committed, I realized I needed a second tight end and saw him interested and he comes in like that! One of the few 2* recruits that actually has me really excited! If his hands were better he would be a monster from year 1!

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Week 11

This week saw another upset as the SEC is quickly beating itself out of the national title race with the Mississippi State Bulldogs being the latest casualty of an intense SEC race that has seen numerous teams fall. This time, the Bulldogs underestimated the Texas A&M Aggies who managed to hang around in the rankings and finally made an upwards climb by virtue of their victory versus the Bulldogs. A 27-10 knockout punch that with only three to four games yet to be played, unless a lot of teams get struck with the "L" bug, they have been eliminated from championship contention.

The Baylor Bears picked up a big victory, knocking the Sooners down the Top 25 polls. The Bears managed to climb upwards, but with just a few top contenders, the Big 12 won't have any hopes at a championship bid. With just five teams left undefeated, the race to the championship is on, and the Big 12 joins the SEC on the outside looking in.

Shooting up the rankings once again is Everett Golson, Golson had slipped from the polls for weeks as the Irish struggled on the gridiron, the Irish however have mounted a small winning streak and proceeded to see their quarterback start to rise in the public eye as a result, however Todd Gurley remains the favorite to win the trophy.

The Alabama Crimson Tide can rejoice as they mount one of the best recruiting classes in recent history by pulling in two more recruits that are the top recruit at their position. Last week, we visited the opportunity that the Tide would land them and this week it's official. the top wide out, Cornelius Henry and top tackle Johnny Evans will be traveling to Tuscaloosa where they will spend their next four years.

The Washington Huskies scored the top player in their state with the signing of Lorenzo Chase. The defensive end put up huge numbers in his senior year and will be a dominant force on the Huskies defensive line. On the defensive end, Middle linebacker Chris Massey is seeing a strong push from the home state Gators, but the Bulldogs of Georgia remain the likeliest choice for the linebacker who will stay in the SEC.

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Blake Frohnapfel powers Minutemen past Zips

It's odd to say that Akron had momentum rolling into this game but they did. A late season two game winning streak saw the Zips become suddenly competitive against the backend of the schedule, even though there is a severe difference in talent from top to bottom at the back end.The Zips were expected to win this game and roll into their matchup with winless Toledo on a winning streak that would've had them a game shy of post season birth.

It wasn't the case however.

The Minutemen came to play and did so by jumping out to a quick 14-0 lead thanks to the power ground game they brought to the table. With Marshall transfer Blake Frohnapfel under center the team had a scrambling and throwing threat that made it difficult for the Zips to keep up with at least in the first quarter. The offense was virtually unstoppable for the Minutemen in their opening drive and Shadrach Abrokwah would capitalize after picking up 40 yards on the drive, he would be responsible for the touchdown to cap off the drive.

It didn't take long, Tommy Woodson was hugely ineffective in this game through the air, and would only serve as a read option quarterback throughout this one. He would throw an interception on an ill advised pass to end the second drive of the evening, Akron fans already disappointed at what has presented itself as an opponent to Kyle Pohl as a starter. He wasn't very good in this one.

After the interception, two plays later, the read option call for Blake Frohnapfel saw him take it outside tackle and follow his blockers to trace the sideline and make his way into the endzone for the score. A quick 14-0 lead in favor of the Minutemen that would take the Zips anemic offense two quarters to even up with.

In the second, the Zips took a more focused approach to their ground game and utilized Tommy Woodson's speed to break the edge rush and force the read option to be a deadly part of this offense. A few big gains would set the Zips inside of the redzone and finally, on a keeper, Tommy Woodson darted up the middle and was pushed into the end zone for the score to make it a 7-14 game.

It would take until the end of the third quarter before the Zips would manage to score again. The Zips defense put the shutdown on the Massachusetts offense, something previously appearing impossible in the first quarter. It wouldn't be enough however, the Zips offense wasn't gelling and it'd take a CJ Mizell interception to bring the ball inside the thirty.

Finally, Tommy Woodson dropped back and hooked up with Imani Davis on a quick slant. Davis broke free and crossed into the endzone untouched for the twenty yard score. The Zips were knotted and the game was going into the fourth, this game appearing to be a battle of attrition.

Than the flood gates opened. Midway through the period, Blake Frohnapfel dropped back to connect on a rocket to his wideout, a short seven yard score after a long drive chipped away at the Zips secondary. Tommy Woodson would force another pass that would be intercepted returning the ball to the Minutemen in the red zone, where Blake would turn upfield and make easy work of the Zip defense, scoring when he ran the option to the right side and went untouched intoo the end zone to make it a 28-14 game with just 2 minutes to go.

This would require a perfect execution of the two minute drill to even make it be competitive, a few big gains would favor the Zips, but the clock would keep running, and finally on third and 3 from the 19, Tommy Woodson opted to tuck the ball and run it, going untouched as he dived for the pylon to set up the score. Only 20 seconds remained and the Zips only had 2 time outs, the Minutemen receiving the ball wasn't an option.

On came the onside unit, and the ball was spiked at the ground, it ricocheted off an opposing Minutemen and the Zips dived on it, piling up on the ball and emerging victorious in the small scrap. The Zips offense had 20 seconds to make magic happen and force overtime. The Zips needed a miracle. A first down 17 yard completion brought the Zips past midfield, but a quick three incompletion's saw the Zips suddenly facing fourth down, five seconds and the game on the line.

Tommy Woodson's arm strength is poor and a deep lob wasn't an option, the quarterback struggled on passes over twenty yards and it was apparent that if this was going to be successful, they would need to make a dent and get down quickly. The snap was clean and Woodson dropped back, seeing an open Zach D'Orazio cut to the sideline, he made a pass, but it would be overthrown and fall harmlessly. The Minutemen burst from the sidelines before being forced back by referee's, the kneel on the following play would end the game, and the Zips would suffer a brutal loss to the Minutemen.

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Week 12

The season is almost at it's conclusion and the race for the national title is on, another contender sees their hopes dashed while it boosted a different team and makes the Iron Bowl have national title implications with the Crimson Tide leapfrogging the Auburn Tigers and potentially making them a play for the title game. Naturally that would require quite a few dominoes to fall, the teams above them are undefeated and it's not likely to expect four undefeated teams to drop in the final few weeks, aside from championship week, it isn't entirely likely.

The Crimson Tide demolished the Mississippi State Bulldogs in a 52-17 destruction that essentially removes the Bulldogs from any discussion for anything such as a BCS Bowl. This team got absolutely destroyed and blown up. It cast a major shade of gloom over the SEC which the Bulldogs have largely been strong in this season. Nick Saban made a highly successful game plan and the Tide executed it to a T. Dak Prescott threw four interceptions as two interceptions were returned for a touchdown.

In other SEC action, the Auburn Tigers and Cameron Artis-Payne outperformed Todd Gurley and the Georgia Bulldogs as the Auburn Tigers continue to win but saw themselves fall a spot in the polls this week due to the impressive victory from the Crimson Tide.

Amongst the top five teams, the Oregon Ducks destroyed the Utah Utes in a 59-17 shellshock that saw the Ducks second string outperforming the starters for the Utes. The Ducks are the class of the Pacific 12 and they've shown that no team is on their level in that conference this season. Marcus Mariota appears to play like a man on a mission.

Ohio State shut out the Illinois Fighting Illini for a 41-0 victory in a game that was over almost before it started. Scoring two touchdowns in the opening five minutes gave the Buckeyes the breathing room they needed, Urban Meyer's squad just continued to pile it on from than on. Scoring all 41 in the first three quarters before killing the fourth to end the game as quickly as possible. Urban Meyer's squad came out of no where to find themselves in the NCG race.

The Florida Seminoles pick up another key victory, this time against the Syracuse Orange, a 44-14 blow out. The Seminoles are being hurt by a fairly weak ACC that isn't making much of an impact in the nationwide level. Jameis Winston has his team performing at a high level but he isn't able to turn the national attention in favor of his team quite yet.

The Louisville Cardinals picked up a victory with a 35-9 victory over the Houston Cougars. The Cougars have become a shell of a program that they were when Case Keenum was under center and the Cardinals bullied them in this victory. Allowing just three long field goals, the Cougars never touched the red zone.

The lone undefeated outside of the top four, the UL-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns picked up a lone first place vote as they rise to number nine in the rankings, but a near upset from Georgia State has many wondering if they could truly be a BCS Buster. It's unlikely they will fall this season, but do they deserve a BCS bid when they are starting to struggle with low end Sunbelt talent?

The top five heisman contenders continue to jostle for position with Todd Gurley's strong performance against Auburn retaining his status as the favorite to claim the Heisman. It's still a toss up however as any of the five are within striking distance to claim the trophy. Todd Gurley has slowed down in recent weeks and his competitors are catching up.

In recruiting news, the shock of the year is that Rutgers has suddenly pulled ahead for the top quarterback recruit in the nation. There is truly no rhyme or reason as to why he suddenly has a favorite in Rutgers, he isn't from the region, and Rutgers is far from a powerhouse, yet they appear to be gearing to make a huge splash, and he could make a massive impact for a program seeking that one player to spur them past mediocrity.

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Nick Hirschman story headlines senior day activities

Nick Hirschman transferred from Colorado post graduation in hopes of revitalizing his football career in Akron. Kyle Pohl however had entrenched himself as the starter and Hirschman found himself holding a clipboard, however with the team out of bowl contention, head coach Tyler Koch has opted to give the senior a proper send off. He will start the final game of the season.

The decision was pretty easy to make, Tommy Woodson struggled against the Massachusetts defense and Kyle Pohl despite a high yardage total had a lackluster season that was crippled by several costly turnovers. While this will be far from a potential evaluation, as this will be the final college game Hirschman plays in.

"It'd be different if we were playing for a bowl, but with that out of our hands, expect a lot of our young players and seniors to mesh in this final game. We want to get new players some experience and let the seniors play hard in their final game representing the University of Akron. This may be a class I haven't recruited and won't get to spend much time with, but it's a class I will remember. We came through, and powered out some good victories and caused some havoc in the MAC. It's time to put on a show one last time for our home fans."

Tyler Kozlov answered the question effortlessly following Monday's practice and seniors were taken off the field by the underclassmen as per tradition on Tuesday. The final contract practice for seniors who will focus on film sessions and be given their commencement awards through the remainder of the week.

The Zips have no recruiting news of note, and no injury news. Kyle Pohl is reportedly unhappy that he was benched the final two games of the season but has spoken with Tyler Kozlov in recent days and no news has come from the junior quarterback as of yet.

[K0ZZ]

Re: The Legacy of Tyler Kozlov



Week 13

Weekly wrap up, chaos edition.

Down goes Oregon, Louisville, Arizona State, Minnesota and Texas A&M. Suddenly the picture for the championship looks significantly different as two top contenders go down in embarrassing fashions, while several other top twenty-five teams found themselves on the wrong end of the scoreboard.

Oregon carried a 13-3 lead into the fourth quarter where they allowed the Arizona Wildcats to mount a tremendous 24 point quarter such that they ultimately came back and routed the heavily favored Ducks on Saturday. Marcus Mariota tossed both of his interceptions in the final frame, while the Arizona offense seemed to fire up on all cylinders to conclude this matchup on a positive note. This victory sends the Wildcats up into the Top 25 rankings by virtue of their record and their defeat of the top team in the country.

Shifting the attention to Louisville, the Cardinals had a somewhat tough test on their slate when they drew the Memphis Tigers. The Tigers have had an up and down season. They were projected to be slightly better than their modest record but at the same time, they've underachieved. They seemed to fix their fortunes by stunning the American's lone shot at the championship game by downing Louisville by a pair of scores.

The top 25 rankings look significantly different and in the top 3, the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns took advantage of the chaos, leapfrogging several teams to boost their way into the national championship picture. Imagine the chaos that could ensue if Florida State or Ohio State loses in the next two weeks and the Cajuns finish undefeated, would Alabama leap frog the Sunbelt squad or would the Sunbelt get their first ever national champion participant?

Recruiting news has slowed down as most players have found a home for themselves. The biggest exception being J.J. Porter, J.J. hasn't wavered in his support of the Rutgers football program, he has however continued to downgrade his interest in the Fighting Irish as he now rates the Irish behind the Auburn Tigers in terms of his desire to attend.

[K0ZZ]

Re: The Legacy of Tyler Kozlov

Toledo runs away with game on Senior night

"Senior night is the opportunity to make your legacy, to show those fans what you've contributed to this program over the past four years. Seniors you are all starting this game, and will play every snap that you can handle. This is your legacy. From the practice field to game day you've contributed years of your life for the betterment of his football program and yourselves as men. Go out there and show them just what it means to play Zip football!"

The motivational speech from Akron Zip head coach Tyler Kozlov didn't seem to register with players, who despite coming out of the tunnels energetic, their offensive play was anything but. In some ways it was to be expected. Kozlov trotted out several players who hadn't started all season, especially so on offense and hoped to have a cohesive unit from the start. It was ill advised but with the meaning of the season long gone and the big rivalry game already a victory, Kozlov took an opportunity to honor the players that would be playing their final snap in organized football for their lifetime.

It would be a scoreless first quarter for both teams, which came as a shock to some as the Zips offense has always been pretty strong coming out of the gates, but an interception and the ground game being non-effective posed little trouble for the Rockets. It would be into the second quarter before the scoreboard operator had to perform some extra work, when a Tom O'Leary field goal sliced through the uprights to make it a 3-0 contest in favor of the Zips. Naturally, the lead wouldn't stay for very long. As a matter of fact, the Rockets would close the game on a 0-27 run, largely due to their opportunistic defense. They would knot the score at 3-3 to close the half.

Nick Hirschman had an awful game and it didn't completely unravel until the second half. Where he threw three interceptions including one that would be returned for a touchdown, all three interceptions led to touchdowns for the Rockets. Logan Whiteside managed to turn an interception from his defense into a quick touchdown drive that almost didn't happen. Third and long, Whiteside connects with Olack in the seam who breaks away for the touchdown, the first of the game and a sudden burst of scoring for the Rockets. The following Zip drive saw Nick Hirschman lead his team downfield before tossing an interception to Jordan Haden, Haden would bring it back all the way, 72 yards for the score. Suddenly going into the fourth quarter, what looked like a see-saw 3-3 game was blown open to a 3-17 deficit with no momentum in favor of the Zips.

It wouldn't ever pick up for Akron, who has made a few comebacks this season, the offense would never get rolling and the fourth quarter was largely a lot of incompletions, poor runs and a lot of disappointed fans leaving their seniors to their defeat before the final whistle. The Rockets would knock in a field goal with over a minute left that essentially guaranteed the victory, three scores in a minute would be virtually impossible, not that two was very likely by any stretch.

A Nick Hirschman interception quickly became another seven points when Logan Woodside took a read option to the right side and would go 46 yards untouched for the touchdown. 21 points off turnovers with the senior in his only game of the season tossing 4 interceptions. Luckily no one will be saying "what if" he had started all season after this little experiment could've blown up in Kozlov's face, but it's clear that the quarterback position has it's issues and it will need to be rectified in the offseason if this team wants to be serious in the MAC next season.

The Zips fall to 3-9 on the season, which is still as many wins as they had gotten in the three previous years combined. A sizable improvement for the team which has teetered on the edge of one victory for a few seasons before Kozlov's employment. With a strong recruiting class, there's no telling what the future holds for the Zips. Toledo finishes the season 2-10 with the Rockets winning their final two games in a row.