“Here’s an equation for the 2007 Zips football season:- QB – OL – S – PK – PL + D = 4, as in the number of games the Zips win this year. If you’re thinking four wins is a little low, the Zips lost nine starters – including three to the NFL (Andy Alleman, Kiki Gonzalez and Luke Getsy), and one to the CFL (Jermaine Reid)- from last year’s 5-7 team.”
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Here’s an equation for the 2007 Zips football season:- QB – OL – S – PK – PL + D = 4, as in the number of games the Zips win this year.

If you’re thinking four wins is a little low, the Zips lost nine starters – including three to the NFL (Andy Alleman, Kiki Gonzalez and Luke Getsy), and one to the CFL (Jermaine Reid)- from last year’s 5-7 team.

1. -QB-OL=Inexperienced quarterbacks and offensive line: Replacing Getsy is top on the list for head coach J.D. Brookhart. It’s a two-man battle for the position between sophomores Carlton Jackson and Chris Jacquemain.

Jackson was Getsy’s back-up last season and received limited time. He played in four games and completed one pass in two attempts. Jacquemain, who has a slight edge in the battle halfway through fall practice, never has taken a snap.

Even with a dozen or so snaps of experience between the two candidates, they may never get enough time in the pocket to make plays. The Zips return just one offensive lineman in Chris Kemme.

2. -S= Rough schedule: Another situation that works against the Zips’ young squad is their tough schedule. The Zips play five home games, but their season opener against Army on Sept. 1 is considered a home game even though they play at Cleveland Browns stadium. With five of the first six games away from the Rubber Bowl and two of those coming against Ohio State and Indiana, it will be tough for anyone to find a comfort zone.

3. -PK= No proven kickers: Along with the quarterbacks, the second biggest question UA faces is in the kicking game. Last season, Matt Domonkos struggled. He made just two field goals in eight attempts and missed four extra points before Brookhart had to snatch Jon McClain from Caleb Porter’s soccer team to kick. This year, McClain is gone but redshirt freshman Igor Iveljic is healthy and each is pushing each other in practice. The kickers have both had some good and bad moments in practice but neither have shown they can perform under game pressure.

4. PL= Players lost: As mentioned, the seniors who have moved on will hurt the club, but every program in the country goes through that every year. But the Zips lost three key players who still had their eligibility.

The most costly is Freshman All-American David Harvey, who didn’t meet academic requirements. Harvey was an enormous threat on the gridiron. As a wide receiver, he led the Zips in receiving yards and touchdowns as a true freshman and he was second in the country in yards-per-kickoff return. Another was the loss of Sean Hakes, a highly recruited dual-threat quarterback who left the team in August. Hakes was going to figure in the battle and looked like he was on par, if not slightly ahead, in the quarterback battle after spring practice. The Zips also lost their fourth leading receiver in redshirt freshman Jermaine Lindsay, also for academic reasons.

5. + D= Defense will be solid: The main strength of this year’s Zips will undoubtedly be their experienced defense, which returns eight starters from last year. Cornerbacks Reggie Corner and Davanzo Tate are back with the entire secondary, except for strong safety Jason Nedd. Also back is senior corner back/saftety/linebacker/kick holder John Mackey, the teams motivator and top defensive playmaker.

It’s not that the Zips don’t have enough talent. There are just so many obstacles that it seems the Zips are mathematically eliminated, even before the season starts.

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