Zips hit stride in new offense
After struggling to adjust, Akron is 2-1 in the MAC behind NFL prospect Charlie Frye.
By Alan Schmadtke
Sentinel Staff Writer
October 14, 2004
When his playing days are done, which he hopes are at least a decade away, Charlie Frye sees coaching in his future. He'll have some experience to highlight on his first job interview.
"That's the one thing I'll remember most about this season, how I've helped guys learn and hopefully get better," said Frye, Akron's record-setting quarterback. "It's been a tough season in some ways, but it's been fun in that way."
Despite a less-than-seamless transition of coaches, Akron (2-4, 2-1) hits Orlando for a Saturday night Mid-American Conference date with UCF -- also undergoing a less-than-seamless transition of coaches -- with its best conference standing in more than a decade.
This was supposed to be a monumental season for Frye, a mobile, 6-foot-4, 225-pound senior with 39 career starts. He holds 49 school records, ranks in the MAC's top 10 in career offense (10,121 yards) and is the latest in a string of its quarterbacks to draw NFL attention.
Coming off its first seven-win season in five years, Akron entered 2004 returning Frye, four starters on the offensive line and promising new runners and receivers. It also came in with J.D. Brookhart as coach in place of Lee Owens -- and with a new offense that puts Frye in the pocket instead of rolling out, one that asked quarterbacks and receivers to read and adjust on the fly.
"I'm really enjoying the drop-back game. Every week I've felt more comfortable," Frye said. "It's a nice change from rolling out every play like we did the last couple years . . . but this offense, it requires me to see the same things the receivers see and for them to see the same things I see."
So far, the Zips are unbalanced and mistake-prone. They're last in the league in rushing (86.3 yard average) and 12th of 14 teams in total offense (298.3). This from a team that a year ago was third in the MAC in total offense, averaging 301 yards passing and 158 on the ground.
"It's a lot of little things," receiver Domenik Hixon said. "We'll have a third-and-6, and a receiver will break off a route at 5 yards. We'd end up with fourth-and-short. Or one of us [receivers] would see something different than Charlie, and there's some miscommunication. And there have been times we've had penalties."
Last week, little things got fixed. Akron produced season-highs in points (44) and rushing (172) in beating Buffalo.
Despite the frustrations, Akron can move to 3-1 in the MAC for the first time since 1992. It is one of the few teams that controls its own conference destiny.
"We've made great strides in a short time," Frye said. "It just took a while to get on the same page and then make adjustments under live fire. We're getting better every week we go out there."
Spoken like a true teacher.
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