The University of Akron Athletics
ALLTEL Sponsors Football Home Opener
September 11 | Football
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AKRON - In the University of Central Florida, the Akron Zips face maybe the fastest-growing program in college football. UCF started a football program in 1979 at the NCAA Division III level.
Two years ago, in just their third season of Division I-A football, the Golden Knights were on the national map at 9-2, thanks in large measure to quarterback Daunte Culpepper, now with the Minnesota Vikings.
The Zips have made a similar climb, after playing for the NCAA Division II championship in 1976, joining the I-AA ranks in 1980 and making the move to I-A in 1987.
This Saturday evening's matchup at The Bowl is pivotal for both squads. UCF is 1-1, after a 19-7 win over I-AA power Northwestern (La.) State Saturday at the Citrus Bowl. The Zips slipped to 0-2 following Central Michigan's 17-7 upset win in Mt. Pleasant. ALLTEL Corporation is sponsoring Akron's home opener, replacing the traditional Acme-Zip Game.
We've made some improvement on defense, explained Zip coach Lee Owens after Saturday's loss. But based on today, it's hard to judge. The Zips forced Central to punt eight times, but one big play and one long drive were killers.
More frustrating might have been Akron's offensive output. The Zips mustered 252 net yards against Central Michigan one week removed from a 410-yard outing at Virginia Tech.
The Zips are the first of three Mid-American Conference teams set to play UCF this fall. The Knights also have dates remaining at E. Michigan (S 30) and at Northern Illinois (O 7).
Game Day Information
Date: Sept. 16, 2000
Site: Akron, Ohio
Stadium: Rubber Bowl (35,202)
Kickoff: 7:07 ET
Team Records: UA is 0-2, 0-0 in the MAC; UCF is 1-1. The Knights
are a I-A independent.
Radio: ESPN 1350-AM. Steve French and Joe Dunn are the talent.
TV: Sunshine Network in FLA. More than 5 million subscribers in
Florida.
Series: 2-0, Zips
Zip Football Quick Facts
Location: Akron, Ohio (NE Ohio, pop. 223,000)
Enrollment: 23,264
Founded: 1870
Conference: Mid-American
President: Dr. Luis M. Proenza
Interim AD: Mike Rodriguez
Head Coach: Lee Owens
Alma Mater: Bluffton, 1977
Age: 44
6th Yr. at Akron: 19-38
Overall: same
1999: 7-4, 5-3 MAC (3rd East)
HS Record: 89-32-2 (11 yrs.)
Offense: Offset-I
Defense: Flex 50
UCF Coach: Mike Kruczek
At UCF: 14-10, third season
Overall: Same
Zip Sports Information
Phone: (330) 972-7468
FAX: (330) 374-8844
Web Site: www.GoZips.com
MEDICAL UPDATE: Reserve DE Josh Hill (sprained ankle) vs. CMU is doubtful for Saturday. Reserve QB Ryan Uhlenhake (broken his right ankle Aug. 14) is out 4-6 weeks.
SERIES: Zips lead 2-0. Akron topped UCF in 1984 (26-21 in Orlando) and 1986 (20-17 in Akron). The Golden Knights, led by quarterback Daunte Culpepper, posted a 9-2 mark in 1998, only their third season at the Division I-A level. Last fall, UCF slipped back to 4-7, but played four ranked teams to open the campaign. The Knights are 9-2 vs. the MAC the last four seasons, including a nine-game win streak which ended in the 99 finale with a 33-30 OT loss to Bowling Green in Orlando.
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Butchie Washington |
ALL-MAC: Three Zips were named to the Football News preseason All-MAC first team. Record-breaking quarterback Butchie Washington (Columbus/Beechcroft) and speedy wide receiver Lavel Bailey (Cleveland/JFK) along with rugged DB Dwight Smith (Detroit, Mich./Central) were tabbed on the elite unit.
Already Akron's all-time leader in total offense and passing yardage, Washington threw for 248 yards (14-of-30, 1 TD) at Virginia Tech. Bailey, who a year ago ranked third in the nation in yards per reception at 22.4, is 28 catches shy of breaking UA's career mark. Bailey has 100 career grabs to Dan Ruff's (1967-70) 127. Smith, listed among the nation's top 20 corner backs by The Sporting News, has been a consensus first-team All-MAC selection after tying for the league lead in passes defended a year ago with 18 (16 breakups, two INTs).
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Rich Reliford |
THINK YOU'RE BUSY?: Akron senior captain Rich Reliford learned on August 28 that he and his wife, LaTonya, are expecting twins one boy, one girl in early January. Reliford, a defensive back out of Bolingbrook, Ill., carries a 3.03 GPA as a mechanical engineering major. Richard was speechless when the doctor told us, says LaTonya, also a student at the University. I'd never seen him like that.
MAKING THE GRADE: Forty-five Zips took classes this summer and the results were pleasing to coach Lee Owens. Akron gridders took 191 credits and achieved a composite 3.14 GPA with no failing grades. Any football coach in the country would be thrilled with that level of academic achievement, added Owens.
CAPTAINS: The Zips have selected their captains for the 2000 season seniors FB Tony McCray (Akron/Buchtel), DB Rich Reliford (Bolingbrook, Ill.), DB Dwight Smith (Detroit, Mich./Central) and QB Butchie Washington (Columbus/ Beechcroft). McCray is the younger brother of former Zip captain Andre McCray and maybe the fastest fullback in the MAC. Reliford and Smith might be the best pair of corners in the MAC. Washington ranked fifth in the MAC in passing efficiency a year ago and broke the UA career total offense mark at Virginia Tech.
GREYHOUND EXPRESS: One Zip gridder who has taken this senior season stuff pretty seriously is tailback Jimmie Gray. In two contests, the Greyhound Express has rushed for 166 yards on 25 carries. A north-south runner and one of the Zips' kick returners, Gray's career average is 6.1 yards per carry. He now has rushing games of 88 (vs. Ball State), 86 (vs. Cent. Michigan), 84 (vs. Navy) and 80 (vs. Va. Tech) to his credit. The former Cleveland Heights grid and track star came to Akron as a WR.
MILESTONES: Wide receiver Lavel Bailey caught his 100th career pass at Central Michigan. His yardage total of 1,813 is second best in Akron history. He is 187 yards shy of 2,000. Bailey trails Dan Ruff (1967-70) in both departments: 127 recs, 2,531 yds.
At Central Michigan, tailback Brandon Payne scored his 16th career touchdown in 13 college games. His career point total stands at 98. With his next touchdown, Payne will move into 17th place on the all-time Akron scoring list. He is 86 rushing yards shy of 1,000 for his young UA career.
At Virginia Tech, Butchie Washington added yet another Akron record to his growing collection. The senior signal-caller leap-frogged from third to first in career total offense with a 237-yard day (248 passing, -11 rushing) and now stands at 4,928 yards. Washington already owns career passing yardage (4,696) and completions (350) marks. He is 72 yards shy of 5,000 total offense and 304 short of 5,000 passing. Washington will make his 30th consecutive start against UCF.
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Dwight Smith |
PRE-SEASON NOTICE: Three Zips have been nominated for national awards. Zip senior defensive back Dwight Smith (Detroit, Mich./Central) is on the 40-man Watch List for the Jim Thorpe Award. Smith, a preseason top 20 pick at his position by The Sporting News, tied for MAC leadership in passes defended (16 break-ups and two INTS) last fall. He was a second-team All-MAC selection. Smith is the second Zip (Andre McCray having been tabbed in 1998) in three years to be listed by the Thorpe Award, which recognizes the nation's premier defensive back.
Sophomore tailback Brandon Payne's (Rankin, Pa./ Woodland Hills) is on the Watch List for the Doak Walker Award, which recognizes the nation's outstanding running back. The 1999 MAC Freshman of the Year rushed for 845 yards last fall and ranked second in the league in scoring with 14 touchdowns.
Sure-handed Tim Ritley (Perry/Lake Perry) has been nominated for the inaugural John Mackey Award, symbolic of the country's outstanding tight end. A top candidate for Academic All-American, Ritley had two receptions for 54 yards in the opener and has 22 career catches and three touchdowns in two-plus seasons.
SAY CHEESE: Zip tailback Brandon Payne is prominent in last week's issue of Sports Illustrated. Payne is photographed by Al Tielemans (page 62) trying to go over the top against Va. Tech.
YOU SEEM FAMILIAR?: UCF fans probably are familiar with the most famous Zip football of the late 1990s: Jason Taylor, now in his fourth season with the Miami Dolphins. Zip tailback Brandon Payne hails from the same high school program which produced Taylor Woodland Hills in suburban Pittsburgh, Pa.
EATON: The Zips' punting chores will stay in Eaton. Redshirt freshman Andy Jerdon of Eaton, Ohio, won the No. 1 job in camp. Andy had an unbelievable camp, said Lee Owens. Jerdon, originally a walk-on, punted seven times at CMU (40.3 avg.) and dropped four kicks inside the 10. His season avg. is 41.7. A year ago, senior free safety Jonathan Eaton was also the Zips' punter. Akron's nominee for the Vern Smith MAC Outstanding Player Award, Eaton was released in August by the N.Y. Jets.
ELDER STATESMAN: Zip offensive guard Jeremiah Danielson (American Samoa/City College of San Francisco) will turn 28 on Sept. 28. Along with Florida State's Chris Weinke, Danielson is one of the two oldest players in Division I-A after having served four years in the Navy, including two-plus years with the Presidential Honor Guard in Washington, D.C. He enrolled at City College of San Francisco in January of 1997.
Q&A with Jeremiah Danielson
PRE-SEASON MAC POLLS: The Zips have been picked to finish anywhere from first to third in the seven-team Mid-American Conference East Division. The MAC News Media Association preseason poll had the Zips second in the East behind three-time defending league champion Marshall.
RADIO COVERAGE: ESPN 1350-AM is the flagship station for play-by-play coverage of Zips' football. Steve French is returning for his 12th year as the Voice of the Zips and will be joined by Joe Dunn in the broadcast booth. The 15-minute pre-game show is set for 12:45 p.m. this Saturday.
NICE TO SEE YOU: Expect to see more of these three Zip defensive linemen: Josh Hill, Dwayne Fefall and Quentin Murdock. Coach Lee Owens was dissatisfied with the Zips defensive push up front against Va. Tech and has vowed to rotate enough players to keep that corps fresh. Hill, Lefall and Murdock should give the Zips a more athletic look. You want fresh legs when you are chasing a quarterback down at the end of the game, said Owens.
BACK HOME: Four Zips returned to their home state last Saturday: redshirt freshman LB Marques Hayes (Flint, Mich./Southwestern), senior DB Dwight Smith (Detroit, Mich./Central), senior WR Nevara Smith (Detroit, Mich./Cass Tech), and soph DB Ty Washington (Southfield, Mich./O. Lake St. Mary's).
A JOB WELL DONE: In addition to freshman DT Quentin Murdock, coach Owens also reports that redshirt freshman punter Andy Jerdon (Eaton) and true freshman defensive back John Fuller (North Canton/Green) have gone on scholarship. Jerdon is the Zips' No. 1 punter, a job he won in preseason camp. Fuller, who reminds Zip coaches of Jonathan Eaton (Akron's MAC MVP nominee last season), is expected to redshirt this fall.
ALLTEL TO SPONSOR HOME OPENER: ALLTEL Corporation joins The University of Akron as its new partner for the Zips' home-opening football game Sept. 16. The Zips' home opener is a traditional draw for the community as well as football fans, giving the area its first in-person look at the team. This year, the Zips will battle Central Florida University at 7 p.m.
Akron Zips fans attending the home opener can participate in Tailgate City, which features inflatable games for children, food vendors, circus clowns and face painters. FirstEnergy Corp. will sponsor an exciting postgame fireworks show in the skies above the Rubber Bowl.
Tailgate City will open its doors to fans beginning at 5:30 p.m. More than 1,200 blue and gold balloons will be launched prior to kickoff.
ALLTEL, based locally in Hudson, is a leader in the communications and information servicesindustries. It has more than 10 million communication customers, nearly $7 billion in annual revenues and more than 26,000 employees nationwide. ALLTEL provides information services to telecommunications, financial and mortgage clients in 55 countries and territories.
"As we look to build awareness in the Akron market, we are pleased to partner with The University of Akron as they celebrate 100 years of football," says ALLTEL Vice President and General Manager Joel Braun.
"The University is an integral part of the community and ALLTEL prides itself on being involved at a grassroots level in the community. This is a mutually beneficial partnership."
MAC ROUNDUP
This Week's Schedule
---Sept. 16---
UCF at Akron, 7 p.m.
Miami at Ohio State, Noon
C. Michigan at Wyoming, 2:00 MT
Ball State at Kansas State, 6:00 CT
Bowling Green at Temple, 6:00
Youngstown St. at Kent, 6:00
Indiana State at W. Michigan, 6:00
Connecticut at Buffalo, 7:00
E. Michigan at South Carolina, 7:00
Tennessee Tech at Ohio, 7:00
Eastern Illinois at Toledo, 7:00
Idle- No. Illinois, Marshall
Last Week's Scores
---Sept. 9---
Central Michigan 17, Akron 7
Pittsburgh 34, Bowling Green 16
Michigan State 34, Marshall 24
Miami 34, Eastern Michigan 17
Western Illinois 24, Ball State 14
Purdue 45, Kent State 10
Western Michigan 27, Iowa 21
Ohio 23, Minnesota 17
Rutgers 59, Buffalo 0
No. Illinois 52, Illinois State 0
Toledo 51, Weber State 0
2000 MAC Standings
East Division Conf* Overall Miami 0-0 2-0 Marshall 0-0 1-1 Ohio 0-0 1-1 Akron 0-0 0-2 Bowling Green 0-0 0-2 Buffalo 0-0 0-2 Kent 0-0 0-2
West Division Conf* Overall Toledo 0-0 2-0 E. Michigan 0-0 1-1 C. Michigan 0-0 1-1 Northern Illinois 0-0 1-1 W. Michigan 0-0 1-1 Ball State 0-0 0-2 *Conf record will count only games within the division. Cross-over games will be used in the event of a three-way tie.
Oct. 6, 1984
Akron 26, Central Florida 21
Orlando, Fla.
Zips 14 0 3 9 26 Knights 14 0 0 7 21
ORLANDO - The Akron Zips rallied from a 21-17 deficit in the fourth quarter to beat UCF, 26-21.
Sophomore Mike Clark rushed for 105 yards and one TD on 30 carries. The Zips outgained the Knights 362-321. Akron turned the ball over three times and survived with UCF not giving it away once.
The Zips did however block a punt into the end zone during the first quarter which was recovered for an Akron TD by Steve Rafac.
Tony Lauro scored the game-winning touchdown with 1:53 to play.
Scoring Summary
UA Clark 1 run (Klaus kick)
UA Rafac recovers BLK punt (Klaus kick)
CF Makar 12 pass from Thyhsen (O'Brien kick)
CF Thyhsen 1 run (O'Brien kick)
UA Klaus 19 FG
CF McCombs 6 pass from Thyhsen (O'Brien kick)
UA Klaus 35 FG
UA Lauro 2 run (pass failed)
Sept. 27, 1986
Akron 20, Central Florida 17
Akron, Ohio
Knights 0 14 3 0 17 Zips 7 6 0 7 20
AKRON - Zip running back Mike Clark rushed for 225 yards and the game-winning touchdown with 3:10 to play as Akron defeated Central Florida, 20-17.
Clark broke the UA all-time rushing mark of 3,080 yards previously held by Jack Beidleman (1967-70).
Zip quarterback Vernon Stewart also topped the career passing yardage record of 3,335 yards held by Don Zwisler (1965-68).
UCF led 14-13 at intermission and increased its advantage to 17-13 with a third-quarter field goal.
Clark was named Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Week. Senior tackle Ron Pasquale was named the OVC's Offensive Lineman of the Week.
Scoring Summary
UA Small 25 pass from Stewart (Dombroski kick)
CF Davis 2 run (kick blocked)
CF Davis 3 run (2-pt pass)
UA Clark 19 run (Dombroski kick)
CF O'Brien 25 FG
UA Clark 37 run (Dombroski kick)
Sept. 9, 2000
Central Michigan 17, Akron 7
Kelly Shorts Stadium, Mt. Pleasant, Mich.
Zips 0 0 0 7 7 Chipps 7 3 7 0 17
MT. PLEASANT - Tailback Robbie Mixon rushed for 164 yards and one touchdown and also turned a short pass into an 86-yard scoring play as the Central Michigan Chippewas upset Akron, 17-7, on a sun-drenched day at Kelly Shorts Stadium.
The Zips, picked by many experts to contend in the MAC East Division, fell to 0-2. Central, thought to be in a rebuilding mode under first-year coach Mike DeBord, won its home opener and improved to 1-1.
"Central played inspired football," said Akron coach Lee Owens. "They were well prepared, didn't make mistakes and deserved to win."
The Zips seemed out of sync the entire day. Offensively, Akron took possession of the ball five times in CMU territory and came away with one touchdown. The Zips had one 12-play, 77-yard drive which stalled at the Central 3 when they misfired on 4th and 2. Akron's next best drive was a 35-yard march for its only score, which came with 9:11 to play trailing 17-0.
Central keyed on Zip tailback Brandon Payne and limited the 1999 MAC Freshman of the Year to 31 rushing yards on 13 tries. Senior back Jimmie Gray had his second straight impressive performance, carrying the ball 13 times for 86 yards.
Meanwhile, Akron's passing game self destructed. Zip receivers dropped at least six passes. Senior quarterback Butchie Washington struggled with his touch, was picked off twice late in the contest and finished 8-of-24 passing for 68 yards.
The Zip defense forced Central to punt eight times, but yielded an 86-yard pass play from Pete Shepherd to Mixon in the first quarter and a 15-play, 97-yard touchdown drive to make it 17-0 in the third stanza. Mixon finished with 265 all-purpose yards and was the story of the game.
One bright spot for Akron was the punting of redshirt freshman Andy Jerdon. The Eaton, Ohio, native averaged 40.3 yards on seven kicks, but more importantly pinned Central inside in its own 10 four times.
Scoring Summary
CM Mixon 86 pass from Shepherd (Savich kick), 2:20
CM Savich 25 FG, 1:57
CM Mixon 2 run (Savich kick), 3:29
UA Payne 2 run (Derr kick), 9:11
Team Stats UA CM First Downs 15 17 Rushing yards 39-184 50-171 Passes 8-24-2 9-19-0 Passing yards 68 173 Total offense 63-252 69-344 Punts-avg 7-40.3 8-33.6 Fumbles-lost 0-0 0-0 Penalties-yards 4-26 9-44 Possession time 26:25 33:35
Individual leaders
Rushing UA: Gray 13-86, McCray 8-47, Payne 13-31; CM: Mixon
42-164.
Passing UA: Washington 8-24-2-68, CM: Shepherd 9-19-0-173.
Receiving UA: Schifino 6-51, Bailey 1-15; CM: Mixon 3-101, Hannah
2-28, Gooch 2-27, McClure 2-17.
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