Dollard Rushes for 165 Yards, Zips Fall at Ohio, 24-10

Tuesday, November 10

Athens, Ohio | Peden Stadium

7:00 PM

University of Akron

0-2 , 0-2

Ohio

1-1 , 1-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Akron

Ohio

Dollard Rushes for 165 Yards, Zips Fall at Ohio, 24-10

November 10 | Football

Box Score

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BOXSCORE (PDF) | AKRON PRESS CONFERENCE | OHIO PRESS CONFERENCE

ATHENS, Ohio - The University of Akron football team garnered a career-high 165 yards rushing from junior RB Teon Dollard (Lake City, Fla.), as part of a 217 overall yards on the ground, but the Zips (0-2, 0-2 MAC) were unable to earn the road victory as Ohio (1-1, 1-1 MAC) registered a 24-10 triumph on Tuesday, Nov. 10 inside Peden Stadium.

Akron finished the contest with 435 combined offensive yards, including 218 through the air and 217 on the ground. Dollard's 168 yards represented the highest single-game rushing total since Jawon Chisholm ran for 184 yards against Kent State on Nov. 28, 2014.

Redshirt freshman QB Zach Gibson (Alpharetta, Ga.) passed for a career-high 218 yards (18-of-30), including connecting with six different receivers. Redshirt junior WR George Qualls, Jr. (Caruthersville, Mo.) and freshman WR Tony Grimes, Jr. (Pittsburgh, Pa.) recorded career-high marks in receiving with 64 (3 catches) and 60 (5 catches) yards, respectively. Senior WR Nate Stewart (Bethlehem, Pa.) added five catches for 59 yards.

Redshirt junior LB Bubba Arslanian (Aurora, Ohio) led the Zips with eight tackles, including a pair of sacks, while contributing five, four and four tackles, respectively, was junior LB Brandon Bischof (Akron, Ohio), sophomore S Adetutu Daranijo (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and redshirt junior Jordyn Riley (Citra, Fla.).

The Bobcats scored on the opening of the evening when De'Montre Tuggle rushed nine yards to cap a six-play, 62-yard drive to put Ohio up 7-0 with 12:10 remaining in the first quarter.

Dollard got Akron off to a strong start running the ball taking the first three snaps for rushes of 15, 2 and 11 yards, respectively, to move the Zips to the Ohio 49-yard line. Gibson followed with a 10-yard run to push Akron to its opponent's 39-yard line. The Zips went for a 4th-and-5 play from the Ohio 34-yard line, but Gibson's pass attempt to Grimes Jr. came up short.

The Zips' defense was up to the task on the ensuing drive as a key sack by Arslanian forced the Bobcats into a punt.

Gibson to Grimes on a 15-yard pass got the next drive off to a promising start before a penalty forced Akron into a punt which redshirt freshman P Kyle Romenick (Fort Mill, S.C.) delivered a 50-yard strike to pin the Bobcats deep in their own territory.

Bischof made a key tackle on a 3rd-and-4 play to thwart the ensuing Ohio drive and flip the field on a punt.

After a 14-yard strike from Gibson to Grimes, the Zips suffered a turnover at the 13:40 mark of the second quarter that the Bobcats converted into a touchdown after an Amani Rogers' one-yard run with 12:27 left before intermission.

Arslanian came up with his second sack of the evening to short circuit a Bobcat drive with 10:48 left before halftime.

The Zips started their next drive on their own 3-yard line. After an offsides penalty on Ohio, Gibson delivered a strong pass down the sideline for 35 yards to Qualls Jr. for the first down.

Following a nine-yard pass from Gibson to Dollard, the Zips found themselves with a 4th-and-1 play from the Ohio 48-yard line. After an Akron timeout, freshman S MyJaden Horton (Cincinnati, Ohio) lined up in the wildcat formation and took the direct snap for a 2-yard gain to collect the first down.

A 21-yard pass from Gibson to Grimes move the Zips to Ohio's 23-yard line, before Akron found the endzone on a 14-yard touchdown strike from Gibson to Stewart at the 4:25 mark of the second quarter to cap a nine-play, 97-yard scoring drive.

The Zips' defense then forced a three-and-out to regain possession with 3:08 left before halftime.

On a 2nd-and-10 play from the Ohio 45-yard line, Gibson connected with junior WR Timothy Scippio (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) for a 14-yard reception to set up a 50-yard field goal attempt by redshirt sophomore Cory Smigel (North Royalton, Ohio) with four seconds left in the half. Smigel was unable to split the uprights as his attempt went wide.

Gibson finished the opening half 10-of-16 passing for 131 yards and one touchdown, while Dollard muscled 69 yards rushing on 11 carries. Gibson connected with six different receivers in the first half, led by four catches from 50 yards from Grimes Jr.

The Zips outgained the Bobcats 239-177, including 131-93 and 108-84 edges, respectively, in passing and rushing. Akron went 3-of-7 on third-down conversions, while the Akron defense held Ohio to 1-of-5 as Bischof and Arslanian paced the Zips with four tackles each.

Dollard became Akron's first 100-yard rusher since Van Edwards Jr. ran for 109 yards vs. Morgan State on Sept. 28, 2018, with a 39-yard scamper on a 3rd-and-1 play from the Zips' 39-yard line.

Akron advanced the ball to the Bobcats' 17-yard line before Smigel split the uprights on a field goal from 34 yards to bring the Zips within four, 14-10, with 9:47 left in the third quarter. The 5:13 scoring drive was 10 plays for 58 yards.

The Bobcats extended their advantage to 17-10 at the 6:27 mark of the third quarter when Tristian Vandenburg connected on a 44-yard field goal.

Ohio capitalized on an Akron turnover as Jett Elad intercepted the Gibson pass with 12:41 left in the game returning the ball to the Zips' 19-yard line. The Bobcats were unable to convert the opportunity into points as Vandenburg saw his 28-yard field goal attempt go wide right.

Trying to convert on a 3rd-and-5, Gibson had his pass intercepted by Keith Thompson at the Akron 46-yard line with 9:47 remaining in the game. The Bobcats again were thwarted as Vandenburg missed a 29-yard field goal wide right at the 8:05 mark.

Ohio extended its lead to 24-10 when Tuggle crossed the goal line on a one-yard run with 2:02 left in the game.

Akron continues its 2020 campaign traveling to Kent, Ohio, for a 7 p.m. showdown at Kent State as part of the Crystal Clinic Orthopaedic Center Wagon Wheel Challenge on Nov. 17. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU as well as on the Akron Radio Network 640 WHLO AM with Dave Skoczen and Joe Dunn calling the action.