The University of Akron Athletics
At Season's Midway Point, Football Continues MAC Play at Ohio
October 12 | Football
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Akron at Ohio Game Notes in PDF Format
Terry Bowden – Ohio Week Press Conference Video
Terry Bowden – MAC Weekly Media Teleconference Audio
Week 7 Video Preview – MAC Digital Network (MAC-Sports.com)
Game Day Coverage:
Listen to Free Audio Stream (SportsRadio1350.com)
Watch ESPN 3 Webcast
Follow Free Live Statistics
GAME 7
Akron (1-5, 0-2 MAC) at Ohio (6-0, 2-0 MAC)
Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012
2 p.m. ET
Athens, Ohio
Peden Stadium (24,000)
Television: ESPN3 – Dan Gutowsky (play-by-play) and John Gregory (analyst).
Live Statistics/Webcast: Live statistics available free of charge via OhioBobcats.com. Webcast not available due to ESPN3 coverage.
Radio: Akron-IMG Sports Network – SportsRadio 1350 AM (WARF) in Akron (flagship), 1420 WHK in Cleveland, 1440 WHKZ in Warren/Youngstown. Steve French (play-by-play), Brad Detwiler (analyst) and Joe Dunn (sideline) (1 p.m. ET airtime). Audio stream at SportsRadio1350.com.
Akron Coach Terry Bowden (West Virginia, 1978): Is in his first season at the helm for the Zips and his 19th campaign as a collegiate head coach, owning a 141-67-2 record. He was named the program's 27th all-time coach on Dec. 22, 2011, but is just the seventh person to hold the position since 1960. This is his first time facing Ohio.
The Series: Saturday marks the 29th all-time meeting between the Zips and Bobcats on the gridiron. Ohio leads the series 15-12-1, including a 10-1-1 margin in games played in Athens. The two programs have met every season dating to 1992. The Bobcats have won four-straight and five of the last six overall matchups. The Zips' last victory in the series was a 48-37 decision at Akron's Rubber Bowl on Nov. 7, 2007.
Up Next: Akron plays host to Northern Illinois on Oct. 20 at Noon ET in an ESPN Plus telecast. The Zips and Huskies last met in 2010 in Akron, with NIU claiming a 50-14 decision (Oct. 2, 2010).
Streaks, Storylines, Sidebars
• Akron (1-5, 0-2 MAC) continues Mid-American Conference play with a matchup against fellow East Division member Ohio (6-0, 2-0 MAC) on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET at Peden Stadium. The game will be carried by ESPN3.
• The Zips and Bobcats are meeting for the 21st-straight year. Ohio has won four-consecutive and five of the last six overall meetings in a series that dates to 1912 (27-0 UA win).
• At the halfway point of the season, four of Akron's six remaining games come on the road including a four-game stretch starting with the Ohio contest that features three away games.
• After leading 10-0 at halftime last Saturday against visiting Bowling Green, the Zips gave up 24 second-half points to fall 24-10. Akron RB Jawon Chisholm rushed for 100 yards on 16 carries and QB Dalton Williams threw for 228 yards, but the Zips were held to 36 yards of total offense after the break.
• The UA offense is ranked in the nation's top 40 in passing offense (8th, 339.5 ypg, 1st MAC), total offense (30th, 463.0 ypg, 2nd MAC) and scoring offense (t38th, 33.8 ppg, t3rd MAC).
• Akron's 2,778 yards of total offense ranks first in the MAC and 16th nationally. The Zips are on pace to break both their total offense (5,643 yards) and total offense per game (470.2 ypg) season records set during the 2003 campaign.
• The Zips are 0-2 on the road this season (47-26 loss at Tennessee on Sept. 22; 41-38 overtime loss at Florida International on Sept. 8).
• UA looks for its first road win since a 42-35 victory at Eastern Michigan on Oct. 18, 2008 (stretch of 22-straight away losses).
• 2012 marks the return of head coach Terry Bowden to the Football Bowl Subdivision sideline. He coached at Division-II North Alabama the last three seasons (20-6 record) and was head coach at Auburn from 1993-98 (47-17-1).
• Bowden is one of 59 coaches at FBS schools participating in this season's USA Today top-25 voting.
• Akron snapped a 10-game program losing streak and racked up a school-record 753 yards of total offense with a 66-6 victory over visiting FCS foe Morgan State on Sept. 15.
News, Notes, Trends
• QB Dalton Williams leads the MAC in passing yards (1,907), passing yards per game (317.8) and touchdown passes (15).
• 18 UA players have caught at least one pass this season, with seven of those grabbing 10 or more.
• Biletnikoff Award Watch List member WR Marquelo Suel leads the team with 43 catches (478 yards). He's made 23 catches over the last three games, including a career-high 12 at Tennessee (Sept. 22).
• RB Jawon Chisholm has posted consecutive 100-yard rushing games and three this season.
• UA's 18 team touchdowns through the air is six shy of tying the school record of 24 in a season set in 2005.
• UA's 44 completions against Morgan State (Sept. 15) is tied as the seventh most nationally this season (Marshall versus Ohio on Sept. 15). The Zips' 565 passing yards in that game rank as the fifth-most by any team this year.
• The UA coaching staff has used 24 first year players (13 true freshmen, 11 redshirt freshmen). That ranks as the fifth most nationally, behind TCU (27), Kentucky (26), UCLA (25) and USC (25). The 13 true freshmen number is tied for third most nationally (Colorado, Georgia).
• After giving up six sacks through its first five games, the Zips allowed Bowling Green to take down QB Dalton Williams four times last Saturday. Through the first six games of 2011, the UA line gave up 24 sacks.
2012 in Perspective
Here's perspective on how close the Zips have come to claiming additional wins this year...
• at FIU (Sept. 8): UA trailed 21-20 after three quarters, but took a 38-35 lead with 1:53 to go. FIU converted a field goal as time expired in regulation (38-all) and hit another to win in overtime.
• at Tennessee (Sept. 22): Score was tied 23-all at half and UA was within 30-26 after a field goal early in the fourth quarter.
• vs. Miami (Ohio) (Sept. 29): UA led 49-48 with 7:06 to go after twice tying the score, at 28-all and 35-all.
On this Date in Zips Football (Oct. 13)
1979: Paced by its defense, UA came up with three interceptions and three fumble recoveries to help break a three-game losing streak with a 24-12 win at Eastern Michigan. QB Bob Maxwell passed for 139 yards and two touchdowns.
1973: Akron rushed for 254 yards en route to 31-7 victory at Northern Michigan. The win opened a season-ending stretch in which the Zips won five of their last six outings to close the year with a 6-5 record.
1962: The Zips posted a 33-6 win over visiting OAC opponent Heidelberg to open the season 4-0. Dating to the previous year, it extended the program's win streak to six games. The team would close the season with a 7-2 mark.
Senior Signal Caller – Dalton Williams
• Through five games this season, senior QB Dalton Williams is 182-for-293 passing with 1,907 yards, 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He was 29-of-50 passing for 228 yards and one touchdown last Saturday against Bowling Green. The game against the Falcons marked his first outing this season when he did not have a pass intercepted.
• He leads the MAC in passing yards (1,907), passing yards per game (317.8), pass completions (293), pass attempts (293) and touchdown passes (15). He ranks third in the league and 21st nationally in total offense, averaging 311.8 yards per game.
• Williams owns two of the top-20 individual total offense numbers (t19th) this season (446 yards vs. Morgan State; 446 yards vs. Miami [Ohio]). Both performances are tied for 11th nationally for single-game passing yardage this season.
• His 1,907 passing yards ranks 12th in the Akron record book for a single season.
• His 446-yard passing performance against Miami (Ohio) on Sept. 29, set the school mark for most yards passing in a four-game stretch with 1,444 yards through the air. He passed Charlie Frye's 1,301 yards over a four-game stretch during the 2003 season. So far, Williams has set or tied eight individual school records, and has help the Zips set or tie 11 Akron and one MAC team record.
• Is one of two QBs in the MAC to have thrown for 400 yards in a game (446 vs. Morgan State on Sept. 15 and 446 vs. Miami on Sept. 29). Miami's Zac Dysert threw for a league season-high 516 against Akron on Sept. 29.
• Against FIU (Sept. 8), his five TD tosses matched the school-record mark set by Luke Getsy versus Northern Illinois on Sept. 24, 2005
• He was named MAC East Division Player of the Week on Sept. 10. On Sept. 17, he earned weekly honorable mention recognition by the Davey O'Brien Quarterback Award.
Noting Akron's Offense
• WR Marquelo Suel leads the team with 43 catches (478 yards). His 7.2 catches per game rank fourth in the MAC and 15th nationally. His 79.7 receiving yards per game is eighth best in the league and tied for 41st nationally.
• Suel caught a career-high 12 passes for 92 yards at Tennessee (Sept. 22). The 12 receptions was three shy of tying the school's single-game mark in that category.
• WR L.T. Smith follows Suel in the receiving category, with 28 catches for 251 yards (six for 40 yards against Bowling Green last Saturday).
• RB Jawon Chisholm, who broke the program's freshman rushing record with 961 yards and five touchdowns in 2011, has a team-best 88 carries for 498 yards (83.0 ypg) this season. He has four touchdowns this season, two on the ground and two in the air. He 17 catches for 140 yards (long of 34).
• Chisholm has three 100-yard rushing performances this season, including in back-to-back games. He had 100 yards on 16 carries last Saturday against Bowling Green after having a season-high 156 yards on 21 carries against Miami (Ohio) (Sept. 29). He rushed for 129 yards on 18 attempts against Morgan State (Sept. 15).
• RB Quentin Hines has 140 rushing yards on 22 carries, 70 of those yards came on a single TD sprint at Tennessee (Sept. 22).
• Backup QB Kyle Pohl has completed 8-of-14 passes for 130 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Against Morgan State (Sept. 15), he was 7-of-10 passing for 119 yards with three TDs and one INT.
• Freshman RB Conor Hundley posted two rushing TDs against Morgan State (Sept. 15) and had another versus Miami (Ohio) (Sept. 29). He has 27 carries for 99 yards this season. He's also been active on special teams, tallying one forced fumble at FIU (Sept. 8).
Noting Akron's Defense
• LB Kurt Mangum, a fifth-year senior transfer from Howard, leads the team with 46 tackles (25 solo). He also has 3.5 tackles-for-loss and one sack. Mangum had a season-high 13 tackles last Saturday against Bowling Green after posting seven stops against Miami (Ohio) (Sept. 29).
• DL J.D. Griggs ranks fourth in the MAC in sacks (0.75 spg). His 4.5 total sacks are tied for third most in the league. He has 26 total tackles (20 solo) and a team-high 8.0 tackles-for-loss that ties for eighth in the MAC and tied for 38th nationally.
• DL Albert Presley, a junior college transfer from Dean College (Mass.), has 23 tackles (17 solo) to go with 1.5 sacks and one pass breakup. He missed the Bowling Green game last Saturday due to injury.
• 6-foot-3 CB Avis Commack, a fifth-year senior transfer from Florida State, has 25 tackles (16 solo), six of which came last Saturday against Bowling Green. He picked off a Tyler Bray pass and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown 35 seconds into the Tennessee game (Sept. 22).
Noting Akron's Special Teams
• Redshirt freshman K Robert Stein has converted 7-of-10 field goal attempts this season and has been true on six straight. He made a career-high 46-yarder last Saturday against Bowling Green as time expired at the half. Stein has also kicked off 16 times in 2012.
• Stein was named MAC East Special Teams Player of the Week following the Tennessee (Sept. 22) game, when he converted 4-of-4 FGs versus the Vols including a 45 yarder.
• Redshirt freshman P Zach Paul ranks 36th nationally in punting average (42.9 ypp). Ten of his 32 punts this season have landed inside the 20. He also handles kickoffs, having done so 22 times this year (averaging 60.5 yards per kick).
Zips Live Coaches Show
Every Thursday throughout the season from 7-8 p.m. ET Akron head coach Terry Bowden can be heard on the weekly radio program Zips Live. The show airs locally on 1350 AM (WARF) and originates from the Winking Lizard Tavern in nearby Fairlawn. Visit GoZips.com/broadcasts to listen online.
Zips Football with Terry Bowden
Weekly throughout the season, head coach Terry Bowden will review the previous week's game and preview the Zips' upcoming opponent on the 30-minute television show, Zips Football with Terry Bowden presented by Wentz Financial Group. The show will be carried by SportsTime Ohio. Visit GoZips.com/broadcasts for a complete schedule of airtimes.
