The University of Akron Athletics
No. 23 Northern Illinois Up Next For Football
October 11 | Football
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Pregame Coverage:
Akron at Northern Illinois Game Notes in PDF Format
Terry Bowden – Northern Illinois Week Press Conference Video
Terry Bowden – MAC Weekly Media Teleconference Audio
MAC Weekly – Oct. 7
Gameday Coverage:
Listen to Free Audio Stream (SportsRadio1350.com)
Watch ESPN3 / WatchESPN.com
Follow Free Live Statistics
GAME 7
Akron (1-5, 0-2 MAC) at Northern Illinois (5-0, 1-0 MAC)
Saturday, Oct. 12, 2013
5 p.m. ET
DeKalb, Ill.
Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium (24,000)
Television: ESPN3 / WatchESPN – Shawn Kenney (play-by-play) and Bob Chmiel (analyst).
Live Statistics: Available on NIUHuskies.com.
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), Joe Dunn (sideline) (4 p.m. ET airtime). Free audio stream at SportsRadio1350.com.
Akron Coach Terry Bowden (West Virginia, 1978): Is in his second season at the helm for the Zips and his 20th campaign as a collegiate head coach, owning a 142-78-2 record (2-16 at Akron). 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. He is 0-1 all-time versus Northern Illinois.
The Series: Saturday marks the 14th all-time meeting between the Zips and Huskies on the gridiron. NIU leads the series 8-5, including a 4-2 edge in games played in DeKalb. UA last visited Huskie Stadium on Oct. 31, 2009 (27-10 NIU win). The Huskies have claimed three-straight meetings, with the last two coming in Akron (50-14 on Oct. 2, 2010; 37-7 on Oct. 20, 2012). Akron defeated Northern Illinois 31-30 in the 2005 MAC championship game at Ford Field in Detroit (Dec. 1, 2005).
Up Next: The Zips visit Miami (Ohio) on Oct. 19 for a 1 p.m. ET contest on ESPN3.
Streaks, Storylines, Sidebars
• Akron (1-5, 0-2 MAC) travels to Mid-American Conference West Division opponent Northern Illinois (5-0, 1-0 MAC) Saturday for a 5 p.m. ET contest at Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium. The game against the Huskies, who are ranked No. 23 in both national polls this week, will be carried on ESPN3 and WatchESPN.
• NIU represents the sixth opponent for Akron this year that competed in a bowl game at the end of the 2012 season. In all, the Zips will face nine teams this year that played in a bowl a season ago (six of its eight MAC foes). Additionally, UA is the only team to face last year's top-three finishers in the East and West divisions.
• Since joining Division I-A in 1987, the Zips are 1-23 all-time versus ranked opponents. The win came courtesy of a 34-20 defeat of No. 25 Marshall at Akron's Rubber Bowl (Nov. 2, 2002). That was the game when Marshall QB Byron Leftwich was carried downfield by his offensive linemen after suffering a broken leg.
• Akron defeated Northern Illinois 31-30 in the 2005 MAC championship game at Ford Field in Detroit. UA's Luke Getsy threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to Domenik Hixon with 10 seconds remaining to secure the win and the program's only league title to date.
• UA looks for its first road win since a 42-35 victory at Eastern Michigan on Oct. 18, 2008 (stretch of 29-straight away losses). NIU has won a FBS-leading 22-straight home games.
News, Notes, Trends
• UA has recorded 16 sacks (season-high six at Bowling Green on Sept. 28), to equal its total from last season (16 ties as second most by a MAC team this year). UA's 2.67 spg average is fourth in the MAC and tied for 26th nationally.
• The Zips' 6.8 tackles-for-loss per game ranks third in the MAC and 34th in the country.
• After not giving up a sack in three-straight games (five total in its first five games), the Zips did so eight times last Saturday versus Ohio.
• UA has lost only two fumbles this season, which ranks 17th nationally (one at UCF on Aug. 29; one versus Ohio on Oct. 5).
• On kickoffs, the Zips are holding opponents to 18.39 yards per return, which ranks 17th in the country and third in the league.
Player Notables
• For the third-straight year UA entered the season with a new starting quarterback. Sophomore Kyle Pohl has been the starter in all six games and is 115-of-198 passing for 1,173 yards and eight touchdowns (11-of-26 passing, 101 yards, one INT versus Ohio last Saturday).
• Sophomore WR Zach D'Orazio leads the team in touchdown catches (four), total catches (19) and receiving yards (266). He had a season long reception of 77 yards for a TD against Louisiana (Sept. 21) (14th-longest pass play in school history). He had one catch for 10 yards versus Ohio (Oct. 5).
• Freshman WR Fransohn Bickley, has posted 11 catches for 111 yards and two TDs in the last three games (one catch for 17 yards versus Ohio last Saturday). He has 16 grabs for 172 yards this season (second most on the team). He also returns kickoffs (nine returns for 155 yards).
• Fifteen different UA players have caught at least one pass this year. Seven different players have made at least one touchdown catch.
• Junior RB Jawon Chisholm's 2,201 career rushing yards ranks tenth in UA history (470 carries). His 10 career 100-yard rushing games ties as the ninth most nationally among active players. He does not have a 100-yard game this year. Chisholm has rushed for 287 yards and one TD off 72 carries this season, and ties for the second most catches on the team (16 along with Bickley) for 120 yards (team-high 407 all-purpose yards).
• Junior LB Justin March leads the Zips with three interceptions this season (two at Michigan on Sept. 14, one returned 27 yards for a TD). His 0.5 INTs per game ranks 28th nationally and third in the MAC. His 32 tackles (21 solo) is third most on the team. He also has two tackles-for-loss.
• Senior CB Malachi Freeman leads the squad with 36 tackles (team-high 23 solo). He has made a team-best eight pass breakups to go with one interception (versus Ohio on Oct. 5).
• Sophomore P Zach Paul's 43.7 yard punt average ranks third in the MAC and 25th nationally. He has punted a season-long 65 yards, twice.
• Sophomore PK Robert Stein has made 49-consecutive point-after attempts (14-for-14 this year). That ties the school record set by Russ Klaus (1984-85). Stein has made 52-of-53 career PATs (last miss was at FIU on Sept. 8, 2012).
