Akron Football Travels to South Carolina on Dec. 1

Saturday, December 1

Columbia, SC | Williams-Brice Stadium

Noon

University of Akron

South Carolina

Akron Football Travels to South Carolina on Dec. 1

November 26 | Football

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

Gameday Coverage:
Buy Tickets
Listen to Free Audio Stream (TuneIn.com)
Follow Free Live Statistics
SEC Network - Watch ESPN

AKRON (4-7, 2-6 MAC) at SOUTH CAROLINA (6-5, 4-4 SEC)
Saturday, Dec. 1

Williams-Brice Stadium [80,250] | Columbia, SC
Noon ET | SEC Network Alternate

THIS WEEK
Akron closes out the 2018 season at South Carolina on Saturday, Dec. 1, with a Noon game at 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 SEC Network Alternate will televise the contest with Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Cole Cubelic (analyst), and Dawn Davenport (sideline) calling the game.

To access the SEC Network Alternate channel, here are the channel numbers for various providers:

AT&T U-Verse: 608/1608 HD and 609/1609 HD
DirecTV: 611-1
DISH (National): 596-597
DISH (Hopper): 404.1-404.2
Spectrum: 385
Verizon FiOS: 322/832 HD

The Zips' radio broadcast will air on the Akron-IMG Sports Network [SportsRadio 1350 AM (WARF) in Akron (flagship), 1220 AM/96.9 FM WHKW in Cleveland, 1440 AM 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 4-7 overall (2-6 in MAC play) after a 49-28 loss at Ohio on Nov. 23. 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 558 yards and three touchdowns on 147 carries. Under center, sophomore QB Kato Nelson (Hollywood, Fla.) is 159-of-303 for 2,151 yards and 15 touchdowns. Sophomore WR Andre Williams (Orlando, Fla.) is the top receiver with 649 yards and six touchdowns on 46 receptions. Defensively, junior LB John Lako (Monroe, Mich.) is the top Zip with 118 tackles, 9.5 TFL, three break-ups, a fumble recovery, and a hurry.

In the NCAA statistics, Akron is ranked No. 3 in red zone offense (0.952), No. 6 in defensive touchdowns (4), and No. 30 in fumbles recovered (9). Individually, junior CB Alvin Davis, Jr. (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) is No. 13 in interceptions per game (0.4) and No. 13 in total interceptions (4). Freshman Jeremiah Knight (Jefferson, Ohio) is No. 5 in punt return touchdowns (1). Junior LB John Lako is No. 8 in solo tackles (6.2) and No. 17 in total tackles (10.7). Senior PK Nick Gasser (Liberty Township, Ohio) is No. 23 in field goals (1.36). Sophomore QB Kato Nelson is No. 21 in passing yards per completion (13.53), while senior DE Jamal Davis II (Canton, Ohio) is No. 26 in tackles for loss (1.3).

The Gamecocks, under the guidance of third-year head coach Will Muschamp, stand 6-5 overall and 4-4 in SEC play after a 56-35 loss at No. 2 Clemson on Nov. 24. South Carolina returns 53 letterwinners, including 16 starters, to its no-huddle offensive and 4-3 defensive schemes.

Junior RB Rico Dowdle is South Carolina's top rusher with 547 yards and four touchdowns on 104 carries. Under center, junior QB Jake Bentley is 209-of-322 for 2,754 yards and 24 touchdowns. Redshirt senior WR Deebo Samuel is the leading receiver with 849 yards and nine touchdowns on 58 receptions. Defensively, junior LB T. J. Brunson has 88 tackles, 10.0 TFL, four sacks, three hurries, a forced fumble, and a break-up.

In the NCAA stats, South Carolina ranks No. 4 in net punting (42.08), No. 20 in passing efficiency (153.75), No. 21 in tackles for loss (4.73), and No. 22 in passing offense (284.5). Individually, redshirt senior WR Deebo Samuel is No. 6 in kickoff return touchdowns (1) and No. 27 in kickoff returns (24.6). Junior QB Jake Bentley is No. 14 in passing yards per game (275.4), No. 20 in passing efficiency (155.1), and No. 24 in passing touchdowns (24).

AKRON-SOUTH CAROLINA CONNECTIONS
Akron has no players on its roster from South Carolina.

South Carolina has one player on its roster from Ohio– redshirt senior QB Danny Gordon [Worthington, Ohio | Worthington HS | Miami (Ohio)].

Akron redshirt freshman DB Jeffrey Lubin (Hollywood, Fla.) and USC redshirt freshman OL Jordon Carty were teammates at South Broward HS. Redshirt freshman LB Sammy Laster (Miami Gardens, Fla.) and USC sophomore DB Jamel Cook and junior DL Keir Thomas were teammates at Miami Central HS.

Akron head coach Terry Bowden and USC head coach Will Muschamp go way back. While the head coach at Auburn, Bowden coached against Georgia in 1993 (W, 42-28) and in 1994 (T 23-23) when Muschamp played on defense. Upon graduation from Georgia, Muschamp joined Bowden's staff at Auburn as a graduate assistant for two seasons [1995-96]. Muschamp also served as the defensive coordinator at Auburn in 2006-07 and 2015.

Bowden returns to Williams-Brice Stadium for the second time in his coaching career. In the Auburn-South Carolina game from 1997 (Auburn W, 23-6), Bowden coached the game from the press box following surgery. He will be on the sideline this week with Akron.

AKRON-SOUTH CAROLINA: THE SERIES
This is the first meeting between the schools on the gridiron.

AKRON VS. SEC OPPONENTS
Akron stands 0-5 all-time against opponents from the SEC. Since 1988, UA has faced four teams from the SEC– Auburn [0-1 , 1988], Kentucky [0-1, 2010], LSU [0-1, 1997], and Tennessee [0-2, 1989, 2012].

South Carolina is 8-3 all-time against MAC teams, but hasn't played a team from the MAC since 2000 [win vs. Eastern Michigan].

LAST GAME
In its Mid-American Conference finale, Akron football gave a valiant effort in its 49-28 loss at Ohio on Nov. 23, at Peden Stadium. The Zips accumulated 388 yards of total offense, including four passing touchdowns.

Zips' sophomore QB Kato Nelson had a career day. He threw a career-high 24 completions on a career-high 41 attempts for a career-high 356 yards and a career-best four touchdowns.

Sophomore WR Andre Williams led the Zips with seven receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown. True freshman WR Jeremiah Knight (Jefferson, Ohio), who made his first appearance in the starting line-up, followed with a career-high 94 yards receiving on four catches. Sophomore WR Jonah Morris (Akron, Ohio) had 61 receiving yards.

Defensively, senior DE Jamal Davis II (Canton, Ohio) led Akron with 11 tackles.

POSTGAME NOTES

True freshman WR Jeremiah Knight made his first appearance in the starting line-up. He finished with a career-high 94 yards receiving on four catches. Knight also had a career-high six kickoff returns for a career-high 68 yards
Senior TE Brian Reinke (Akron, Ohio) caught his first career touchdown, a six-yard reception in the fourth quarter.
Senior DB Kyron Brown (Boynton Beach, Fla.) had a sack for a loss of six yards. It was the first sack in his collegiate career.

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.

BAGGETT NAMED TO GOOGLE CLOUD ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT TEAM
Safety Jamal Baggett (Oak Park, Ill.) has been named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Google Cloud Academic All-District 5 football team. A participant in all 10 games, Baggett has played primarily on special teams, working with the punt and kickoff return units. Baggett earned a bachelor's degree in sport management with a minor in marketing in May 2018. He is pursuing a master's degree in sport science with an emphasis on coaching. He sports a 3.700 grade-point average.