MAC Conference Experts: Need ur help

E.T.G.

E.T.G.

One of trus baby mommas
I'm very close to putting this bet in, need some opinions from you guys who know this conference.



Akron-4

Big rivalry game for these 2 teams but I believe Akron this year has been a more competitive team.

Akron: Trailed Wisky 17-10 @ half, lost 38-17, they hammered Cuse on the road, and hung with Cinci the whole game to lose17-15.

Kent: lost 21-0 @ BC, lost by 20 @ Iowa St, and lost by 17 @ ULL.

Both teams have losses by similar scores to Ball St.

Kent St goes as far as Edelman will take them. His passing is not great by any means but his running is. Akron DL was suffering from some injuries earlier in the year but they got some of those guys back last week in the game versus Cinci. Kent will also be without RB Eugene Jarvis which hurts their offense.

Akron has more balance on offense, has played tougher teams and they have been more competitive. I am not worried about a let-down for Akron here after the Cinci game because this Kent game means the season, the same can be said for Kent facing Akron in this rivalry, I just believe this is a 10+ point win for Akron, the better and more tested team.

Thoughts?
 
Kent is 0-11 ATS in their last eleven games; I'm not sure what else I can add to that.
 
There is really no HF adv. in this game...the crowd will be 50-50 as these teams are only 7 miles apart...

Eugene Jarvis who is the leading, returning RB in the country (rushing yards) will probably not play.

Akron who had 39 listed on their injury report last week could have easily beat Cincinatti in that game. They will get some of their DL back this week. This game traditionaly has a lot of points (from what I remember) but I think the total is too high.....I see a 24-14 type game(not sure who will win though lol)

hope it helps...i will be here for about 30 minutes if you want any more thoughts...
 
not advising against it BUT

That Wiscomsin game they should have lost by 40...Wisky threw 2 picks inside the 20 or so and Akron scored with 18 seconds left
 
No play for me, but the following is an interesting local read on the game.


KENT: This week's rivalry game against Akron couldn't have come at a better time for Kent State, which hosts the Zips at noon Saturday at Dix Stadium.
With four losses over the first five games of the season, the Golden Flashes once again are headed in the wrong direction. Morale is shaky.

On offense, a high ankle sprain has sidelined standout running back Eugene Jarvis, whom head coach Doug Martin tabbed ''doubtful'' to play against the Zips. It would mark the third consecutive week he has had to sit out.
On the other side of the ball, injuries claimed two more starters in linebackers Cedrick Maxwell (broken left fibula) and Cobrani Mixon (broken bone in left foot) in last week's 41-20 loss at undefeated Ball State.

''Nobody's feeling sorry for us,'' Martin said. ''The next guy has got to go play. We're
coaching as hard as we can with who's there. . . . We've just got to keep going, but the injuries have obviously been a problem around here for a long time.''

And so the rival Zips (2-3 overall, 0-1 in the Mid-American Conference) will make the 14-mile trek to Kent just in time to divert the attention of the Flashes (1-4, 0-1) from their myriad problems to a much-anticipated matchup played for Wagon Wheel Trophy bragging rights.

One of the players intent on bringing the wheel back to Kent is senior quarterback Julian Edelman, who has been one of the Flashes' few bright spots this season. The maturing play-maker has gained 374 yards on the ground with four touchdown runs and has thrown for 665 yards and five touchdowns to lead the team in both categories.

Despite KSU's overall lack of success, Martin believes Edelman is playing the best football of his career since joining the Flashes two seasons ago from junior college.
''I guess I'd agree with him in that I think I'm playing my smartest football,'' Edelman said. ''I'm not turning the ball over and trying not to take a big hit — stuff [Martin has] been emphasizing to me over the last few years.''

KSU's mounting injuries and a slumping defense that hasn't played up to par the past two games have negated much of Edelman's recent success.
''We've got to play better on defense, and we've got to start creating some turnovers defensively,'' Martin said. ''We're not getting a lot of pressure from our four down. We need Monte Simmons to come back and start making some plays off the edge to where he can't get single-blocked, and the same with Kevin Hogan.''

Kent State may need a lot of things right now, but this week, at least, one of them is not added motivation.
''Oh, I know our players are excited about this game,'' Martin said. ''This is what college football is all about. It should be a great atmosphere.''
 
thank you for the article CB, thank you for the insight on the Wisky game Yessir
 
aaaahhhhh the wagon wheel

should be a relatively close game, but i'm definitely on your side, which definitely doesn't bode well for you considering i'm down over 8 units so far this week ahhahah1. until kent proves that they aren't as bad as they've played (pretty sure they haven't covered a lined game yet this year, and they were awful ats last year), why not fade them. i thought they'd be a good bet in conference this year, but they haven't showed me one damn thing defensively.

some concerns i'd have

-- home team strong in this one, with kent winning 12 of last 19 at home

-- bayes is emerging at kent on the outside as one of the first real dependable guys that edelman has to throw to not named jarvis

-- jarvis is very very good, but flowers and terry are quality back-ups (both averaging more than 4 ypc) and edelman obviously a big part of their rushing attack as well...not as big of an impact as it appears, especially with the amount the two have played this year already

-- pretty rough schedule (4 out of 5 away from dix stadium) so far and a new OC could be reasons why kent has struggled (although the offense hasn't really struggled that much)

-- line value - not getting much here as i think kent is favored at the beginning of the season due to the outlooks of both teams

-- kent had 375 net yards last year and outgained akron by 130 yards in last year's loss, but shot themselves in the foot (a pattern with this team) with failed conversions and untimely turnovers (4 of them)

things i think work in your favor:

-- matchups - the akron offense matches up well here with the kent d ...jacquemain has shown he has a good arm and create plays after struggling last year (he still throws picks though), they also have multiple options in the running game in kennedy and johnson (allen is still out) in the running game - kent can't exploit akron's main weakness too much which is the secondary

-- weather - akron would struggle if it was raining...clear skies forecasted

-- akron has a HUGE coaching edge imo

-- akron has showed up on the road...4-1 L5 ats (BUT, 3-12 su L15)

-- other trends: akron has beaten kent 4 out of 5 at dix stadium covering all 4 times; 9 of 11 overall L13;

-- edelman had an awful game vs akron last year; jim fleming owned him...he went 8 for 21 with 2 picks for a measley 155 and only 65 yards on the ground on 20 carries!!!!

-- akron won last year despite being outgained and having 100 yards in penalties..their offense has looked significantly better this year...


special teams should be about even in this one imo...just depends on if the kent defense shows up, which i wouldn't count on...and turnovers, which kent has had an awful margin for the last couple of years.

i like akron by about 10 points....i'll be at the game; should be a good one
 
More on the rivalry from a blogger out in the area



Kent State vs. Akron.
The next in a series of epic gridiron battles to determine possession of the Wagon Wheel trophy.

I compiled all sorts of quotes form both sides about how players think about this fight for regional pride all year long, how they see each other in the local mall, but don't speak, and how when they do finally exchange words on the field, its all very clever trash talk.

There was a time when I used to allow myself to get caught up in all of these side notes to the rivalry. After all, conflict sells newspapers.
But right about now I don't really care too much about all the hype surrounding another Golden Flashes-Zips game.

I do care about the game. I love college football and as a writer covering the sport locally, I 'd like to see one or both of these struggling programs find a way to start playing competitive football week in and week out, fix their on and off-the-field issues and eventually represent the region for a Mid-American Conference championship.

All of the other stuff just seems silly and pointless, especially the night after watching two vice presidential candidates "one who doesn't seem to know who was president during the Great Depression and the other who somehow believes man and dinosaur once walked the earth together " square offin a debate that has me scared to death about our nation's future.

Many of us in the media are to blame for all of the overblown hype surrounding this game. In the past, the fans have also played a role. For some reason, though, fewer insults have been lobbed through the internet between Flashes and Zips supporters than in past years during Kent State-Akron week. To their credit, most fans are probably busy following the votes on the Wall Street bailout and trying to figure out what they mean.

Much is made of the fact the Flashes and Zips play their games a little more than 10 miles apart. Instead of an understanding based on shared experiences, that physical closeness has inspired a hatred between two fan bases who have a difficult time filling up their respective stadiums.

On the Kent State message boards, they call Akron's team "the Zits" and its town "Crackron." On the Akron message board, fans call the Flashes "Can't State."
For some, this is all in good fun. But for many, the hatred is rabid. And it has spread.
In the last two years, the Kent State-Akron rivalry has taken on an ugly form on the field. KSU players and coaches are convinced Akron players have intentionally tried to injure running back Eugene Jarvis in those games. Akron's players and coaches insist that's not true.

The Zips, meanwhile, were offended by the swarm of their sideline two years ago at Dix Stadium when the Flashes "stole" back the Wagon Wheel trophy in the final seconds of their last victory in the series. And they may have a point. I had a friend who was in the stands that day. He thought KSU's celebration was a display of poor sportsmanship.

Based on talk and action, it's pretty clear there isn't a whole lot of mutual respect.
Instead of worrying about foolishness between the two teams, they could be spending their time improving their performance on the field, doing a better job in marketing and promotion and finding ways to get people interested again in their respective programs.

As a writer who has to cover this game and a fan of college football, I simply need Saturday as an escape from the stress of the real world. I don't need the fighting, the name calling, the finger-pointing, and I don't even need all of the hype. Its all hubris, and coming out on top in those battles leads to no real tangible victory.
 
kent state coach doug martin's press conference from monday:



Opening Statement
“It’s going to be nice to play at home for the first time in awhile. We’ve had five games and one home game, so it’ll be nice to be back in Dix Stadium. We had some long trips. I think we got back at four in the morning from Iowa State and five in the morning from Louisiana and Ball State’s a long trip, so it’ll be nice to play in front of the home crowd. I know our players are excited about this game. This is what college football’s all about. You get to play your cross-town rival. It should be a great atmosphere.”

On how rash of defensive injuries impacts game plan
“We’ve still got guys that have played. Dorian Wood has played a lot of football, and he’ll step up and play well. He’s played a lot this year. Derek Burrell has obviously been playing a lot. The guys that we’ve moved are mainly in the backup roles so unless we get another guy hurt, they probably wouldn’t play very much anyway. We’ve got to go play better on defense, and we’ve got to start creating some turnovers defensively.”

On what needs to be done to improve pass rush
“We’re not getting a lot of pressure from our four down. We need Monte Simmons to come back and start making plays off the edge to where he can’t get single blocked, and same with Kevin Hogan. The main thing with us is that we’ve got to continue to stop the run. We played the run better at Ball State. We just couldn’t get stops on third downs, and a lot of that is because we couldn’t get pressure on the quarterback. We may have to start bringing more pressure. We tried to bring a little bit more pressure at Ball State from the perimeter.”

On dealing with injuries
“Nobody’s feeling sorry for us. The next guy has got to go play. We’re coaching as hard as we can coach with who’s there. That’s who we’ve got to go play with. It’s a great opportunity for the guys who are going to go get a chance to play. Jon Simpson is playing his best football since Jameson Konz went out. We really haven’t missed much of a beat right there. He’s one guy that’s taken the opportunity. We’ve just got to keep going, but the injuries have obviously been a problem around here for a long time.”

On motivation provided by taking on rival Akron
“You usually don’t have to work very hard at motivating guys to get up for this game. It’s one of the games we usually have a nice crowd here at home. It’s like I told our guys, we’re 0-1 in the conference but so is everybody else on the East side. Akron’s 0-1 in the conference. We both lost to the same team by about the same score. If our guys want to make it to the MAC Championship Game, they’ve got every right to do that. All they’ve got to do is go play like they’ve capable of and win a game and go win the next game. That’s where we are. They need to quit feeling sorry for themselves and go play.”
 
One more for you under the radar degenerates like me. Best of luck this weekend!

University of Akron senior tackle Chris Kemme might have trouble distinguishing between ownership and possession, but he is clearer about his last participation at Kent State's Dix Stadium.

It was Sept. 30, 2006, and Kemme was a sophomore starter in a game thoroughly dominated by the Golden Flashes. With the 37-15 victory, KSU reclaimed the Wagon Wheel Trophy awarded annually to the winner of the game between the neighboring rivals.

In 2007, Kemme was happier when the Zips did the reclaiming in a 27-20 triumph. The Wagon Wheel — first awarded in 1946 — once again is up for the taking at noon Saturday when UA and host KSU meet for the 51st time.

In no way does Kemme want a repeat of his 2006 visit to the Flashes' home field.
''A couple of years ago, when we went there, it was not a pretty sight when they came running over to our sideline and stole the Wagon Wheel from us, so I would definitely like to go out on top,'' said the 6-foot-6, 310-pound Kemme, a second-team All-Mid-American Conference selection as a sophomore and junior. ''We have to play well and keep the thing here.''

Semantics aside — Kent State would prefer to say it earned the trophy, not stole it — the Zips want the Wagon Wheel back in the school's football office, where it has been for the past year.

''Every day, when you walk into the office, the Wagon Wheel is the first thing you see, so it's constantly on your mind,'' said senior linebacker Kevin Grant, who was third-team All-MAC in 2007. ''You see the Wagon Wheel, the first thing you think of is Kent.''

The Wagon Wheel might provide tangible evidence of the rivalry, but it is only part of why it is the most coveted victory of the season for the teams.
The schools are 14 miles apart, and vie for attention from area sports fans and the media. The players are familiar with each other. The coaches know each other. The coaches recruit from the same general pool of prospects.

The Wagon Wheel is nice, but the players would take a stick of gum if it meant a victory.
A loss in the game ''stays with you throughout the year,'' UA coach J.D. Brookhart said.

Grant learned about the ferocity of the KSU-UA rivalry early in his career. It was 2004, when he was being redshirted, and the Zips were hours away from playing a game at Dix Stadium that would result in a 24-19 victory.

''In the pregame, I think it was Chase Blackburn who flipped over the table in the dining room,'' Grant said about the linebacker now with the New York Giants. ''At that point, I realized the scope of the rivalry.''

Kemme's first exposure to the game came in 2005 when he started as a freshman at home in a 35-3 Zips victory.

''I didn't really know until I actually stepped onto the field and saw how much they hated us and how much they wanted to win,'' said Kemme, a graduate of Upper Arlington High School in suburban Columbus.

The Zips (2-3, 0-1) might have begun formal preparations for the Golden Flashes (1-4, 0-1) soon after their frustrating 17-15 loss last Saturday at the Rubber Bowl to the University of Cincinnati, but informal ones have been ongoing.
''It's something that is extremely important to this football team and to this community,'' Brookhart said about the rivalry and the Wagon Wheel. ''We make a point of it all year long. It's not something we talk about just this week.

''It's something that we talk about and do things about in the spring. We address it in the summer, do extra things for Kent. It's a constant reminder around here and always will be.''

UA holds a 28-20-2 edge in the series, including a 9-2 mark since 1997. In the 37 games in which the Wagon Wheel has been at stake, KSU has a 19-17-1 edge.
 
wow awesome shit guys, thank you for the newspaper clippings and Broadway, solid breakdown
 
E.T.G. said:
Thanks guys

OK, is anyone advising against an Akron play
Click to expand...

Kent State or pass for me. I dont get the Akron love what have thet done ? They should have not beat Cincy both teams made mistakes in that game , the Kent loss @ Ball State looks alot better for Kent IMO as Akron hosted then and lost in the same manner and definetly recall how Akron stole the meeting last yr. Sure Kent was shutout by BC but there defense has beeb very good this yr . Akron stunk @ Army going 1-9 on 3rd downs and amssing low 300s in yards lead jsut 9-3 at H and 12-3 after 3 Q....., Cuse is horrible true and Akron was dogged and it was tied at 28 with less then 10 minutes to play just so happens Akron finished them off but allowed over 200yds rushing as well. Wisky as mentioned had a few costly miscues and should have crushed them . Kent we dont know what they are vesides overvalued on the road...:shake:
 
i'm no expert here...but i almost played kent with the 3.5 pts.

kept myself from touching this game, but i think they win SU.
 
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