Western Michigan Earns Victory Over Akron in 2020 Season Opener

Wednesday, November 4

Akron, Ohio

6:00 PM

University of Akron

0-1 , 0-1

Western Michigan

1-0 , 1-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Western Michigan

Akron

Western Michigan Earns Victory Over Akron in 2020 Season Opener

November 04 | Football

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AKRON, Ohio - The long-awaited debut of the 2020 Mid-American Conference football season started on Wednesday evening at InfoCision Stadium – Summa Field as the visiting Broncos of Western Michigan (1-0, 1-0 MAC) defeated the homestanding Akron Zips, 58-13.

The contest marked the first in a six-game regular season for Akron (0-1, 0-1 MAC), which will face its fellow MAC East Division rivals in its next five outings.

The Broncos got on the scoreboard first, connecting on 48-yard field goal by Thiago Kapps to assume a 3-0 lead at the 10:33 mark of the first quarter.

Redshirt freshman QB Zach Gibson (Alpharetta, Ga.) turned in a solid outing in his first start for Akron, completing 18-of-30 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown. The ground game was equally productive for the Zips, as junior RB Teon Dollard (Lake City, Fla.) gained 67 yards on 16 carries.

The Zips took the field for its first offensive drive of the season and on a 4th-and-1 play from their own 36-yard line, Dollard broke open a 45-yard sprint down the sideline to give Akron a first down on the Broncos' 19. Dollard took the next snap for a five-yard run before Gibson hit sophomore WR Michael Mathison (Covington, Ga.) for a 14-yard touchdown pass with 7:32 left in the first quarter. Dollard registered 57 of a possible 73 yards on the scoring drive. It was the first opening-drive touchdown for the offense since the Sept. 28 contest against Massachusetts last season.

Western Michigan answered with a seven-play, 60-yard drive capped by a five-yard touchdown pass from QB Kaleb Eleby to WR D'Wayne Eskridge at the 3:48 mark to regain the lead, 10-7.

On the ensuing possession, Broncos' safety A.J. Thomas intercepted a Gibson second-down pass and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown to extend the Broncos' lead to 16-7 after a missed extra point.

The Zips answered, as redshirt sophomore K Cory Smigel (North Royalton, Ohio) delivered a 41-yard field goal to culminate a 10-play, 51-yard drive to cut Western Michigan's lead to 16-10 at 13:04 of the second quarter. Senior WR Nate Stewart (Bethlehem, Pa.) recorded 29 yards receiving on three catches in the drive.

The Broncos added a 10-play, 76-yard touchdown drive before a 28-yard field goal from Smigel brought Akron to within 10, 23-13, with 3:41 remaining before halftime. Mathison had three catches for 20 yards on the drive.

With 1:34 remaining in the opening half, Western Michigan put seven additional points on the board for a 30-13 halftime advantage.

Dollard led all rushers in the opening half with 57 yards, while redshirt junior RB Jeremiah Knight (Jefferson, Ohio) logged 29 yards. Mathison hauled in six passes in the opening half for 44 yards, while Gibson completed 13-of-19 passes for 104 yards.

Th Bronco's momentum carried into the final half, adding 28 second-half points en route to 484 yards of total offense for the game.

The Zips were aggressive from the outset, attempting an onside kick to open the game, throwing the ball 19 times before intermission and going for it on multiple fourth downs throughout the game. Seven different receivers caught a pass for Akron, with Mathison topping the squad on the strength of six receptions for a team-best 44 yards.

Redshirt junior LB Bubba Arslanian (Aurora, Ohio) spearheaded the defensive effort for Akron, notching 11 tackles. Redshirt junior LB Michael Scott (Tallahassee, Fla.) added a sack for an 11-yard loss for the Zips.

Akron continues its 2020 campaign traveling to Athens, Ohio, for a 7 p.m. showdown at Ohio on Nov. 10. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network as well as on the Akron Radio Network 640 WHLO AM with Dave Skoczen and Joe Dunn calling the action.