Marty Whims II, an Akron season-ticket holder, is officially calling plays for the Zips’ opening drive in today’s Week 2 game against Robert Morris, and if that is not wild enough, the man got some direct advice from the greatest coach in the sport’s history, Nick Saban. The legendary seven-time national champion dropped some serious wisdom on ESPN’s “College GameDay” for a fan who is about to step into the fire.
The Legend’s Unexpected Playbook for a Fan
You know Saban, right? The guy who ran Alabama like a machine for years, sent tons of players to the NFL. So when he speaks, you listen. And his advice to Whims was classic Saban, with a wild twist at the end. First up, get that play call in early. “Don’t get marbles in your mouth,” he told the fan. Simple, direct, no messing around. Then, he hit him with the classic coach-speak: “Stay ahead of the sticks.” But here is where it gets interesting. Saban said, “Run the ball. All the fans are going to want you to throw it. Run the ball…run it. You won’t get criticized as much.” He knows the fan pressure is real.
But then, out of nowhere, Saban, who actually graduated from Akron’s rival Kent State, gave the ultimate advice for a fan taking over the headset: “Don’t get cute.” Classic. Then the kicker, the line everyone is buzzing about: “But if you’re gonna get cute, throw the damn flea flicker. The fans will love it.” You gotta be kidding me! The greatest coach ever told a fan to unleash pure chaos with a flea flicker. Saban’s background is totally defensive, too, so this advice is even more spicy coming from him.
Akron’s Bold Gamble on the Opening Drive
Why is all this even happening? Whims won a highly publicized contest, giving him this one-time shot to be the offensive coordinator for Akron’s opening drive. And trust me, Akron needs something to spark the offense. Their Week 1 performance was rough, losing by 22 points to Wake Forest. They only managed 305 yards, 16 points, and a measly 4.4 yards per play. That is just not going to cut it in college football.
Head coach Joe Moorhead is a respected offensive mind, having run productive offenses at Penn State and Oregon before coming to Akron. But clearly, things are not clicking yet this season. So, handing the reins to a season-ticket holder for the first drive, armed with Saban’s “throw the damn flea flicker” instruction? This is either pure genius or pure desperation. Either way, it is going to be appointment viewing.
This afternoon, with kickoff at 3:30 p.m. ET, Whims will script those opening plays against Robert Morris. The stakes are simple: get the Zips moving. Saban had one more piece of advice for him before he jumped into the coaching fraternity: “After this game, after you call these plays, stay off of social media.” Good luck with that, Marty. Every single college football fan will be watching this opening drive.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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