Football Travels to EMU for Saturday MACtion

Saturday, November 10

Ypsilanti, MI | Rynearson Stadium

Noon

University of Akron

Eastern Michigan

November 05 | 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:
Buy Tickets
Listen to Free Audio Stream (TuneIn.com)
Follow Free Live Statistics
WATCH ESPN

AKRON (4-4, 2-3 MAC) at EASTERN MICHIGAN (5-5, 3-3 MAC)
Saturday, Nov. 10

Rynearson Stadium [30,200] | Ypsilanti, MI
Noon ET | ESPN3

THIS WEEK
Akron travels to Eastern Michigan on Nov. 10 for a Noon game on ESPN3 at Rynearson Stadium.

ESPN3 will televise the contest with Dan Gutowsky (play-by-play) and Bobby Carpenter (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 4-4 overall and 2-3 in MAC play after a 36-26 loss to Northern Illinois on Nov. 1. 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 417 yards and three touchdown on 101 carries. Under center, sophomore QB Kato Nelson (Hollywood, Fla.) is 123-of-234 for 1,647 yards and 11 touchdowns. Sophomore WR Andre Williams (Orlando, Fla.) is the top receiver with 540 yards and five touchdowns on 36 receptions. Defensively, junior LB John Lako (Monroe, Mich.) is the top Zip with 92 tackles, 5.5 TFL, three break-ups, and a fumble recovery.

In the NCAA statistics, Akron is ranked No. 3 in defensive touchdowns (4), and No. 10 in red zone offense (0.938). Individually, junior CB Alvin Davis, Jr. (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) is No. 2 in interceptions per game (0.6) and No. 4 in total interceptions (4). Junior LB John Lako is No. 8 in solo tackles (6.4) and No. 9 in total tackles (11.5). Senior PK Nick Gasser (Liberty Township, Ohio) is No. 15 in field goals (1.63).

The Eagles, under the guidance of fifth-year head coach Chris Creighton stand 5-5 overall and 3-3 in MAC play after 17-7 win over Central Michigan on Nov. 3. Eastern Michigan returns 45 letterwinners, including 17 starters, to its multiple offensive and multiple defensive schemes.

Senior RB Shaq Vann is EMU's top rusher with 576 yards and five touchdowns on 13- carries. Under center, senior QB Tyler Wiegers is 143-of-216 for 1,619 yards and 11 touchdowns. Senior WR Blake Banham is the leading receiver with 682 yards and five touchdowns on 51 receptions. Defensively, senior LB Kyle Rachwal has 95 tackles, 8.5 TFL, four hurries, two interceptions, three break-ups, a forced fumble, and a sack.

In the NCAA stats, Eastern Michigan ranks No. 7 in red zone defense (0.714), No. 22 in turnover margin (0.60), and No. 33 in passing efficiency (148.25). Individually, junior DL Maxx Crosby and senior LB Jaylen Pickett are ranked No. 11 in forced fumbles (0.33). Crosby is also No. 10 in tackles for loss (1.6). Sophomore P Jake Julien is No. 15 in punting (44.4).

AKRON-EASTERN MICHIGAN CONNECTIONS
Akron has five players from the state of Michigan on its roster– sophomore LS Peyton Coffman [Grand Blanc, Mich. | Fenton HS], redshirt freshman RB Jerome Cooper [Stevenson, Mich. | Stevenson HS], junior LB John Lako [Monroe, Mich. | St. Mary Catholic HS], junior DL Michael Stuhldreer [Grosse Point, Mich. | Grosse Point South HS], and junior RB Chuck Turfe [Canton, Mich. | Canton HS].

Eastern Michigan has 13 players from Ohio– senior WR Eddie Daugherty [Mentor, Ohio | Mentor HS], freshman OL Brian Dooley [Bowling Green, Ohio | Toledo's St. John's Jesuit HS], freshman WR Dylan Drummond [Cleveland, Ohio | Cuyahoga Heights HS],
freshman DL Mikey Haney [Maumee, Ohio | Maumee HS], junior DB Brody Hoying [Coldwater, Ohio | Coldwater], freshman QB Preston Hutchinson [Mason, Ohio | Mason HS], sophomore DB Rich Jones [Columbus, Ohio | Bishop Hartley HS], sophomore WR Keyan Marshall [Toledo, Ohio | Sylvania Southview], freshman TE Gunnar Oakes [Swanton, Ohio | Swanton HS], freshman OL Samari Saddler [Cincinnati, Ohio | Moeller HS], freshman WR Carl Swopes [Cleveland, Ohio | Glenville HS], senior Dakota Tallman [LaGrange, Ohio | Elyria Catholic HS], and junior RB Breck Turner [Norwalk, Ohio | Norwalk HS].

AKRON-EMU: THE SERIES
Saturday's game is the 32nd meeting between Akron and Eastern Michigan in series history, which began in 1949. The Zips lead, 19-12.

In the teams' last meeting on Oct. 10, 2015, the Akron Zips racked up 500 yards of total offense behind sophomore QB Thomas Woodson en route to a 47-21 win over Eastern Michigan at Rynearson Stadium on a beautiful sunny afternoon.

Akron fired on all cylinders with huge performances in the running and passing games. In his third start of the season, Woodson went 14-of-22 for 222 yards and a career-high four touchdowns. He also rushed for 72 yards.

Sophomore WR Jerome Lane finished with a career-best two touchdowns and 104 yards (all in the first half), marking the first 100-yard performance of his collegiate career.

Senior RB Conor Hundley led all rushers with 119 yards and a career-high two touchdowns on 17 carries. Defensively, senior LB Dylan Evans racked up a team-high 10 tackles, including five solo stops.

The Eagles also had some impressive numbers. QB Brogan Roback went 23-of-34 for 204 yards and three touchdowns. Darius Jackson rushed for 112 yards on 24 carries, while Eddie Daugherty had 107 yards and a touchdown on seven receptions. Great Ibe led all defenders with 16 tackles.

On Oct. 4, 2014, the Zips dominated on both sides of the ball as Akron cruised to a 31-6 victory over Eastern Michigan in its Mid-American Conference opener at InfoCision Stadium–Summa Field. The victory was Akron's first win to open MAC play since the 2007 season.

Defensively, Akron forced four turnovers and held the Eagles to 279 total yards, including just 94 on the ground. Jatavis Brown led Akron with 14 tackles (12 solo), including two sacks.

Akron's very first game as a member of the Mid-American Conference was a 27-9 win at Eastern Michigan on Sept. 5, 1992.

SERIES INFORMATION
Akron all-time vs. Eastern Michigan: 19-12
Akron in games at Akron: 12-3
Akron in games at Eastern Michigan: 7-9
Akron in games at a neutral site: 0-0
First meeting in series: 1949, at EMU, W, 20-6
Last meeting in series: 2015, at Rynearson Stadium, W, 47-21

LAST GAME
Akron football hosted the Mid-American Conference West leader Northern Illinois for a Thursday night football game on CBS Sports Network as the Huskies remained undefeated in league play with a 36-26 win at InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field.

For the first time since 2016, two Akron receivers surpassed the century mark as sophomore WR Andre Williams and senior WR Kwadarrius Smith each recorded 100-yard efforts. Williams collected 129 yards on eight catches with a touchdown and a 29-yard long reception. Meanwhile, Smith grabbed four passes for 115 yards and two touchdowns with catches worth 51 yards and 45 yards. Williams' performance marked his first game over 100 yards receiving as a Zip.

Sophomore QB Kato Nelson started under center and completed 18-of-26 passes for a season-high 299 yards and two touchdowns. Senior RB Van Edwards, Jr. led Akron's ground attack with 38 yards on 12 carries.

On the defensive side of the ball, four players reached double-digits in tackles, while the Zips collected four sacks with 34 yards of loss. Junior CB Alvin Davis, Jr. (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) led the squad with a career-high 15 tackles, including six solo takedowns. Senior LB Brian Bell (Valdosta, Ga.) and junior LB John Lako collected 14 tackles apiece and both recorded sacks, while senior DE Jamal Davis II (Canton, Ohio) had 12 tackles and a sack.

POSTGAME NOTES

Junior DL Davon'te Jest (Ocala, Fla.) made his first collegiate start at tackle. In the third quarter, he had a fumble recovery, his second. Two plays later, the Zips scored a touchdown. Jest finished with four tackles.
Sophomore WR Andre Williams put UA on the scoreboard in the first quarter with a 22-yard touchdown reception. He led UA with a career-high eight receptions for a career-high 129 yards and a touchdown. Williams had 90 yards receiving in the first half alone. It marked the first 100-yard receiving game of his young career.
Redshirt freshman QB Alex Ramart (Richmond, Texas) threw his first career touchdown pass in the third quarter. He connected with Kwadarrius Smith for a six-yard TD.
Junior DB Alvin Davis, Jr. led the defense with career-high 15 tackles. Senior LB Brian Bell followed with a career-high 14 tackles, 2.0 TFL, and a nine-yard sack, his first.

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.

SENIOR STATUS
Akron's 31 members of 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.

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.
Akron has 37 student-athletes on its roster from the state of Ohio; 28 of those live within a 30-mile radius to campus.

UP NEXT
Akron closes out its home slate with Bowling Green on Saturday, Nov. 17 at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN3. The Senior Class will be honored in a pregame ceremony.