25 Questions That Roo the Day

Do or Do Not.  There is no try.

What is their body of work?

They are 1-3 so far with their only win over James Madison.  Just to get the whole thing out of the way, they haven't won on the road in 28 games and they haven't beat an FBS team since 2010.  Now, they were like one second from winning at the Big House and could have beaten Louisiana-Lafayette as well.

I can't stand playing teams like this.  I feel the same way as when we played Temple in their losing streak.  Sooner or later this will break free for them.  Please let it not be Saturday.

How many seniors and juniors on the two-deep?

30, which is a huge number.

Who are their statistical leaders?

Zach D'Orazio is 9th in FBS in TD receptions.  Nico Caponi is #13 in sacks.  Zach Paul is #15 in punting.

What is their turnover ratio?

They are flat even.  I don't think too many teams are even and 1-3.

Offense:

How is their QB Play?

Their QB is Kyle Pohl, a sophomore from Farmersville, OH.  He's off to a good start.  Pohl ranks in the top 35 nationally in completions per game (26th, 20.50), passing touchdowns (27th, 7) (tied for 2nd in MAC) and passing yards (34th, 873) (1st in MAC).  He has 300 yards in each of his last two games.  He is 7th in passing efficiency due to having 6 INT, 4 of those in the last two weeks.

What was their scoring and yards per play?

They have 24 points per game and 5.6 yards per play, both of which are in the middle of the nation.

Can they run the ball?

They are not having a lot of success.  At 3.8 yards per carry, they are 89th in D1.  The Zips are attributing that to being behind a lot, which may be true.  Jawon Chisholm is a good back, but only getting 4.1 yards per carry.  He had 100 yards in 16 carries against BG last year.

Do they pass the ball?

See above.  They are 5th in the MAC in passing efficiency, and Pohl appears to be developing chemistry with D'Orazio, who is their most productive WR.

How is their run/pass balance?

They run on 44% of their plays, which is low but not terribly low in today's environment.

Don't give me that, you love it.

Do they convert on 3rd Down?

They are very, very good.  48%, which is 2nd in the MAC.

Do they score in the red zone?

They have 5 TDs in 7 red zone trips (5 points per trip) which is good but only 7 red zone trips in four games is not a good number.

Do they protect the quarterback?

They have allowed 5 sacks in 154 attempts, which is 3.2% and about average.

Defense:

Topline: Scoring and yards per play.

They are allowing 33.5 points per game and 6.1 yards per play, both of which are below average.

Do they defend the run effectively?

They are actually pretty good against the run.  This is going to be a big part of the challenge.  Akron allowing only 4.1 yards per carry.

Can they be passed on?

Yeah.  Here is where the whole thing falls apart.  They are 10th in the MAC in pass defense efficiency.  They are allowing 65% completions with 13 yards per reception.  They do have 5 INTs, but 3 were courtesy of Devin Gardner.

Do they get off the field on 3rd down?

No, they are 10th in the MAC with about 46%.

Most ridiculous thing I ever saw.

Do they defend in the red zone?

Not good...19 opponent trips (as opposed to 7 for the Zips) with 5.05 points per trip.  Not a strong point for the team..

Do they pressure the QB?

They do.  They have 9 sacks which is 6.1% of passing attempts.  That's a lot of pressure.

Special Teams:

Punting?

They are really good.  They are #1 in the MAC and #12 in FBS in net punting.

Punt Return?

They get 7 yards a return, which is decent.

Placekicking?

Their guy is not good.  His name is Stein, go figure.  He is 2-6, 2-5 inside 40 and he did make a 49 yarder.

Lest We Forget

Kickoff?

Not very good.  Teams start on the 28.

Kickoff Return?

Their returns are not great, but they are starting on the 29.

Miscellaneous: Overall atmospherics and intangibles.

First, Akron is going to win sooner or later.  As mentioned, please let it not be tomorrow.  In a corollary, Terry Bowden is going to win here.  He's won everywhere, including Samford and North Something or other.  I think BG is the better team, should be able to move the ball and should have Martin back.  Still, I will be glad when this one is over.