Football Finishes MAC Play at Ohio on Black Friday

Friday, November 23

Athens, OH | Peden Stadium

Noon ET

University of Akron

Ohio

Football Finishes MAC Play at Ohio on Black Friday

November 19 | Football

Pregame Coverage:
Akron Game Notes in PDF Format
Bowden's Weekly Press Conference Video
MAC Weekly Media Teleconference Audio

MAC Weekly Release

Gameday Coverage:
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Listen to Free Audio Stream (TuneIn.com)
Follow Free Live Statistics
CBS Sports Network

AKRON (4-6, 2-5 MAC) at OHIO (7-4, 5-2 MAC)
Friday, Nov. 23

Peden Stadium [24,000] | Athens, OH
Noon ET | CBS Sports Network

THIS WEEK
Akron finishes Mid-American Conference play at Ohio on Friday, Nov. 23, at Noon at Peden Stadium.

CBS Sports Network will televise the contest with John Sadak (play-by-play) and Randy Cross (analyst) calling the game.

The Zips' radio broadcast will air on the Akron-IMG Sports Network [SportsRadio 1350 AM (WARF) in Akron (flagship), 1420 WHK in Cleveland, 1440 WHKZ in Warren/Youngstown] with Steve French calling the action, Brad Detwiler providing analysis, and Joe Dunn with sideline report. The pregame show starts one hour prior to kickoff. A free audio stream is available at SportsRadio1350.com, iHeart Radio, and TuneIn.com/Akron Zips.

Under the guidance of seventh-year head coach Terry Bowden, Akron stands 4-6 overall and 2-5 in MAC play after a 21-6 loss to Bowling Green on Nov. 17. UA returns 58 letterwinners, including 15 starters, to its spread offense and 4-3 defense.

Senior RB Van Edwards, Jr. (Cape Coral, Fla.) is the Zips' top rusher, gaining 539 yards and three touchdowns on 136 carries. Under center, sophomore QB Kato Nelson (Hollywood, Fla.) is 135-of-262 for 1,795 yards and 11 touchdowns, while redshirt freshman QB Alex Ramart (Richmond, Texas) is 9-of-32 for 61 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore WR Andre Williams (Orlando, Fla.) is the top receiver with 568 yards and five touchdowns on 39 receptions. Defensively, junior LB John Lako (Monroe, Mich.) is the top Zip with 110 tackles, 8.5 TFL, three break-ups, a fumble recovery, and a hurry.

In the NCAA statistics, Akron is ranked No. 5 in defensive touchdowns (4), No. 4 in red zone offense (0.941), and No. 30 in fumbles recovered (9). Individually, junior CB Alvin Davis, Jr. (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) is No. 9 in interceptions per game (0.4) and No. 9 in total interceptions (4). Freshman Jeremiah Knight (Jefferson, Ohio) is No. 5 in punt return touchdowns (1). Junior LB John Lako is No. 7 in solo tackles (6.5) and No. 12 in total tackles (11.0). Senior PK Nick Gasser (Liberty Township, Ohio) is No. 18 in field goals (1.50).

The Bobcats, under the guidance of 13th-year head coach Frank Stolich, stand 7-4 overall and 5-2 in MAC play after a 52-17 win at Buffalo on Nov. 14. Ohio returns 49 letterwinners, including 15 starters, to its multiple offensive and 4-3 defensive schemes.

Redshirt senior RB A.J. Ouellette is Ohio's top rusher with 973 yards and 10 touchdowns on 169 carries. Under center, junior QB Nathan Rourke is 149-of-238 for 2,141 yards and 22 touchdowns. Redshirt senior WR Papi White is the leading receiver with 834 yards and nine touchdowns on 55 receptions. Defensively, senior LB Evan Croutch has 67 tackles, 9.5 TFL, six break-ups, 3.0 sacks, three hurries, and two interceptions.

In the NCAA stats, Ohio ranks No. 5 in turnover margin (1.18), No. 10 in passing efficiency (159.99), No. 11 in scoring offense (40.5), and No. 12 in rushing offense (251.4). Individually, junior QB Nathan Rourke is No. 8 in passing yards per completion (14.25), No. 10 in passing efficiency (163.3), and No. 23 in passing touchdowns (22). Redshirt senior WR Papi White is No. 15 in receiving touchdowns (9).

AKRON-OHIO CONNECTIONS
Ohio has two players on its roster form the Akron area– redshirt senior OL Joe Lowery [Tallmadge, Ohio | Tallmadge HS] and freshman LB Keye Thompson [Barberton, Ohio | Barberton HS].

AKRON-OHIO: THE SERIES
Friday's game is the 35th meeting between Akron and Ohio in series history, which began in 1912. While the Bobcats lead, 20-13-1, the Zips won last year's contest, snapping a nine-game OU win streak.

Last fall, Akron earned bowl eligibility for the second time in three years with a 37-34 win over Ohio on Tuesday night at InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field.

Redshirt freshman QB Kato Nelson and junior WR Kwadarrius Smith led the Zips' offense with career-high numbers. Nelson tossed a career-best 322 yards in the air with a career-high four touchdowns, while Smith led the receiving corps with 132 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Seniors WR A.J. Coney and WR Austin Wolf also added touchdown receptions.

Senior RB Manny Morgan led the ground attack 55 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, while Nelson followed with 45 yards on 14 rushes. Defensively, the Zips picked-off two passes, while junior LB Ulysees Gilbert III paced the defense with 11 tackles.

In the 2016 regular-season finale with bowl eligibility and a MAC East title on the line, it all came down to the last play. The Akron Zips ended their 2016 season with a 9-3 loss at Ohio in Mid-American Conference action at Peden Stadium on a Tuesday night.

With 22 seconds remaining in the game, UA redshirt senior Tyrell Goodman threw a 25-yard pass to senior WR JoJo Natson in the end zone to tie the game, but the pass fell incomplete. Goodman had one more shot on a fourth-and-11 but the pass to WR Austin Wolf was broken up, ending the Zips' hopes for another bowl bid.

The Zips finished the season at 5-7 overall and 3-5 in MAC play, while Ohio clinched the MAC East championship with an 8-4 overall mark and 6-2 record in MAC action.

In his first collegiate start at quarterback, Goodman went 12-of-27 for 136 yards while rushing for 25 yards. Junior RB Manny Morgan led the efforts on the ground, rushing eight times for 47 yards. Junior WR Jerome Lane was the top receiver with four receptions for 60 yards.

Defensively, junior LB Andrew Hauser and freshman CB Alvin Davis led the Zips with six tackles each.

UA committed no turnovers in the game.

At InfoCision Stadium– Summa Field in 2015, Akron's kicker Robert Stein made a career-high four field goals, but it is not enough to overcome Ohio's two early touchdowns as Akron fell to Ohio, 14-12, in the Mid-American Conference opener on Oct. 3.

Stein scored all 12 of the Zips' points, connecting on FGs of 40, 33, 41, and 30 yards. Sophomore QB Thomas Woodson threw for 231 yards, completing 18 of his 38 pass attempts and had 11 yards rushing. Senior RB Conor Hundley ran for a team-high 66 yards on 18 carries to lead the ground game.

Defensively, Zips seniors LB Darryl Monroe and CB Kris Givens made eight tackles apiece with six solo stops. Redshirt junior DE Jamal Marcus also registered six tackles during the contest with four for loss. Junior CB DeAndre Scott picked off Ohio QB Greg Windham in his only drive of the game.

In the teams' last meeting at Peden Stadium on Oct. 18, 2014, Akron football dropped a 23-20 decision at Ohio in Mid-American Conference play.

SERIES INFORMATION
Akron all-time vs. Ohio: 13-20-1
Akron in games at Akron: 10-6-1
Akron in games at Ohio: 3-14
Akron in games at a neutral site: 0-0
First meeting in series: 1912, at UA, W, 27-0
Last meeting in series: 2017, at InfoCision Stadium, W, 37-34

LAST GAME
In its home finale, Akron football dropped a 21-6 decision to Bowling Green in Mid-American Conference action on Saturday afternoon at InfoCision Stadium–Summa Field.

The Zips, which honored its 29-member Senior Class prior to their last home contest, have lost three consecutive games in MAC play. The Falcons claimed their second consecutive MAC win on the road.

Zips' sophomore QB Kato Nelson returned to the starting line-up. He went 12-of-28 for 148 yards but was held to negative rushing yards. On the ground, senior RB Van Edwards, Jr. led UA with 69 yards on 18 carries. Senior WR Kwadarrius Smith had three receptions for 37 yards.

Defensively, senior DB Jordan George (Dayton, Ohio) had a career-high 12 tackles, and interception with a 53-yard return, and a forced fumble to cap his final game at home.

POSTGAME NOTES

Senior PK Nick Gasser (Liberty Township, Ohio) nailed a 38-yard field goal in the first quarter to put UA on the scoreboard first. He added a 32-yard FG in the second quarter.
Sophomore DE Justin Sampson (Akron, Ohio) had a sack for a loss of six yards in the second quarter. It was the third sack of his career and his first this season.
In the third quarter, senior DL Brennan Williams (Akron, Ohio) had a 10-yard sack. It was the third sack of his career. He finished with a career-high eight tackles, including two TFL, and 1.5 sacks.

AKRON ADDS GAME WITH SOUTH CAROLINA
The University of Akron and the University of South Carolina have agreed to play a football game on Dec. 1, 2018, at Noon in Williams-Brice Stadium.

The game replaces UA's Sept. 1 contest at Nebraska, which was canceled due to lightning, and USC's Sept. 15 contest against Marshall, which was canceled due to Hurricane Florence.

The game will be televised on the SEC Network Alternate channel and can be streamed on SEC Network+ and the ESPN App on connected devices. The game will be broadcast on the Akron-IMG Sports Network (radio).

This is the first meeting between the schools on the gridiron.

POWER-FUL SCHEDULE
For the first time in its FBS history (since 1987), Akron (MAC) has scheduled four Power 5 schools in one season. The Zips, who have played two Power 5 teams in one season several times since 1987, have faced Northwestern (Big Ten) and Iowa State (Big 12) so far, going 1-1. UA upset Big Ten West champion Northwestern, 39-34 in Evanston, Ill. Because the season opener at Nebraska (Big Ten) was cancelled due to lightning, the Zips scheduled a game at South Carolina (SEC) for the end of the season [Dec. 1]. Playing three Power 5 teams in one season will be a program first.

SENIOR STATUS
Prior to the home finale with Bowling Green, Akron honored the 29 members of its Senior Class– S Jamal Baggett, LB Brian Bell, LB Nathan Bischof, DL Brock Boxen, DE Walter Brady, CB Kyron Brown, OL Undrea Bullard, DB Denzel Butler, CB Darian Dailey, DE Jamal Davis II, RB Van Edwards, Jr., CB Mark Ellis, OL Nick Fazio, PK James Fonseca, H/P Kyle Foster, PK/P Nick Gasser, DB Jordan George, LB Ulysees Gilbert III, RB Caleb Green, LB Travonte Junius, QB Robbie Kelley, WR Brandon Mitchell, PK Tom O'Leary, TE Brian Reinke, OL Kyle Ritz, WR Kwadarrius Smith, WR Mykel Traylor-Bennett, DL Brennan Williams, and TE Newman Williams.
This is the third five-year graduating class to play under head coach Terry Bowden at Akron. The 2018 Senior Class may leave campus as the all-time most productive class in program history. In the past three-plus seasons, they were a part of the re-building process, helping the Zips to at least five wins [2015 (8), 2016 (5), 2017 (7), 2018 (4) = 24 total] each year. The Zips became bowl eligible twice in three seasons, a program first. They claimed the 2017 MAC East title and four consecutive Wagon Wheel trophies.

Twelve of the seniors have already earned their undergraduate degrees and are pursuing master's degrees.

Individually, the Zips have re-written the record books and climbed the career charts while racking up weekly honors. Off the field, they've represented UA in the community with several activities, including game week visits to Akron Children's Hospital. Congratulations, Seniors!

POMP & CIRCUMSTANCE
Twelve Zips competing this fall already have their bachelor's degrees: S Jamal Baggett (sports management/marketing), LB Nathan Bischof (sport management), DE Walter Brady (leisure, sport & tourism from MTSU), CB Kyron Brown (political science/criminal justice), OL Nick Fazio (mechanical engineering), P/H Kyle Foster (sport management), QB Robbie Kelley (business management from Quincy), TE Darryl Long (sport management), WR Brandon Mitchell (criminal justice), TE Brian Reinke (sport management), OL Kyle Ritz (biomedical engineering), and WR Mykel Traylor-Bennett (organizational supervision). The 12 Zips rank fifth nationally with players with degrees. UAB leads the country with 19 graduated players on its roster.

ZIPS QUICK HITS

The players elected seniors CB Kyron Brown, LB Ulysees Gilbert III, and OL Kyle Ritz as team captains for the 2018 season.
Five of Akron's 2018 opponents— Northwestern (Music City), Iowa State (Liberty), Central Michigan (Famous Idaho Potato), Northern Illinois (Quick Lane), and Ohio (Bahamas)— participated in bowls in 2017.
(as of Nov. 18) This fall, six of Akron's 2018 opponents are bowl eligible already– Northwestern, Iowa State, Buffalo, Northern Illinois, Eastern Michigan, Ohio, and South Carolina.
Akron has 37 student-athletes on its roster from the state of Ohio; 28 of those live within a 30-mile radius to campus.