The University of Akron Athletics
After Early Lead, Football Falls to Rival Kent State, 35-24
November 02 | Football
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KENT, Ohio – Dalton Williams led Akron with 312 passing yards and Jawon Chisholm rushed for 115 yards, but the Zips fell 35-24 to neighborhood rival Kent State in the PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge on a chilly Saturday afternoon at Dix Stadium.
Williams achieved the school's single-season record for passing touchdowns with 24, tallying two today during a 30-for-41 passing performance. Chisholm notched his fifth 100-yard rushing game of the season on 16 carries, after sitting out last week's contest at Central Michigan due to a shoulder injury.
Akron (1-9, 0-6 MAC) led 14-0 after the first quarter, with Williams connecting with Jerrod Dillard on both TDs. The first was a 13-yarder to end a 14-play, 89-yard drive; the second a 21-yarder to close a seven-play, 70-yard sequence. Those were Dillard's only catches of the day.
Kent State (8-1, 5-0 MAC) pulled to with 14-7 on a 1-yard run by Trayion Durham early in the second quarter, and the Zips made it 21-7 after a career-long 50-yard scoring run by Chisholm completed a nine-play, 94-yard drive.
KSU quarterback Spencer Keith scored on a 4-yard keeper to make it 21-14 with 3:19 left in the half, but UA pushed its cushion to 24-14 when Robert Stein converted a 32-yard field goal as the first half clock expired. UA's scoring for the day ended there.
Durham again found the endzone on the ground, from six yards out, midway through the third quarter and Dri Archer made his way across the goal line from 30 yards away with 6:13 left in the third. That score came three plays after the Flashes recovered a Chisholm fumble at the Akron 37.
The Flashes, who won their third-straight in the all-time series with the Zips, scored again with 38 seconds remaining in the game on a Durham 15-yard run. Akron got the ball back with 29 seconds left, ran two plays and got as far as its 44-yard line.
Akron led in total offense, 442-364. Kent State had 261 yards rushing, led by Archer's 126 on 11 carries and Durham's 107 on 24 attempts. Keith threw for 103 yards and completed 14-of-19 passes.
Kurt Mangum led the Zips defensively, with a game-high 11 tackles, and Troy Gilmer had 8 stops for UA.
Akron plays its final regular-season home game on Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. ET when it takes on UMass on Senior Day.
Zips Notebook: QB Dalton Williams' 3,003 passing yards is third-most in a single season in school history ... he entered the game ranked fifth (2,691) in that category and passed Chris Jacquemain (2,748, 2008) and Charlie Frye (2,824, 2002) today ... Williams' 301 pass completions also established the program's single-season record (278 by Luke Getsy, 2005) ... LB Kurt Mangum has five double-digit tackle games this season ... K Robert Stein has converted six-straight field goals, dating to the game against Morgan State (Sept. 15) ... Stein had not attempted a FG in three-consecutive games, with his last being a career-long 46-yarder against Bowling Green (Oct. 6) ... despite today's loss, Akron leads the all-time series with Kent State 30-23-2 ... since the coveted wooden Wagon Wheel has been at stake (dating to 1946) KSU maintains a 22-19-1 edge ... CB Anthony Holmes and TE/FB Will Fleming were not in uniform today due to injury.
