The University of Akron Athletics
Akron Falls to Archrival Kent State, 37-15
September 30 | Football
KENT, Ohio - Julian Edelman threw for 305 yards and accounted for three touchdowns leading Kent State to a 37-15 victory over Akron Saturday at Dix Stadium in the 49th annual Battle for the Wagon Wheel.
Edleman's 4-yard touchdown run in the second quarter gave the Golden Flashes (3-2, 3-0) a 9-7 lead in the Mid-American Conference East Division showdown. He added a 15-yard scoring pass to Brian Bell with under a minute to go before halftime, giving KSU a commanding 23-7 lead heading into the locker room.
The Zips (2-3, 0-2) moved to midfield on their first drive of
the second half, but Colin Ferrell sacked Luke Getsy, causing a
fumble and setting up a Tony Howard 1-yard TD run on the ensuing
possession for a 30-7 advantage. Edelman was 3-for-3 on that drive
and was 17 of 21 in the game.
The Akron defense had no answer for Edelman who had 386 yards of total offense. He was also the Flashes leading rusher with 81 yards on 24 carries. The Zips defense yielded a season-high 461 yards of offense, including 170 on the ground, and allowed Kent State to convert 8 of 16 third-down opportunities.
Running back Dennis Kennedy was solid for Akron after missing last week with an injury. He had 91 yards rushing on 16 carries.
Getsy completed 19 of 38 passes for 261 yards and two
touchdowns. He did not throw an interception, but had a pair of
fumbles, the first leading to a first-quarter safety when he was
sacked and the ball went threw the back of the endzone. He was also
sacked four times.
David Harvey had four
receptions for a team-high 98 receiving yards, including a 39-yard
touchdown from Getsy on the second play of the second quarter which
gave the Zips their only lead of the game, 7-2.
Getsy's 36-yard scoring pass to
Jabari Arthur with 8:24
left in the third quarter seemed to give the Zips life, closing the
gap to 30-15, but the Golden Flashes answered with a three-play
drive, culminating in a 55-yard TD from Edelman to Najah Pruden,
who had four receptions for a game-high 156 receiving yards.
The win snapped a four-game home losing streak in the series for
Kent State. It marked the worst loss in the series for Akron since
losing 51-14 in 1974. The Zips had won eight of the last nine
entering the contest.
