Akron Faces In-State Showdown at Ohio

Saturday, October 8

Athens, Ohio

2:00 PM

University of Akron

Ohio

October 06 | Football

Akron (1-4, 0-1 MAC) at Ohio (2-3, 0-1 MAC)
Saturday, Oct. 8
Peden Stadium
Athens, Ohio • 2 p.m.

Series History: Ohio leads 24-13-1
Live Stats: www.GoZips.com
Live Stream: www.GoZips.com (subscription may be required) and ESPN App
Television: www.GoZips.com (subscription may be required) and ESPN App
Radio: 640 WHLO AM (Dave Skoczen - pxp and Joe Dunn - color)

WHAT'S AHEAD
The University of Akron football team continues Mid-American Conference play on Saturday, Oct. 8, traveling to Athens, Ohio for a showdown with in-state rival Ohio. The 2 p.m. tilt will be broadcast on the ESPN3 with Anthony Lima and Bob Gennarelli calling the action with a link on GoZips.com.

HEAD COACHES
Ohio: Tim Albin (Northwestern Oklahoma, 1989), overall record: 30-20 (Fifth Season)/record at Ohio: 5-12 (Second Season)
Akron: Joe Moorhead (Fordham, 1996), overall record - 53-29 (Seventh Season)/record at Akron - 1-4 (First Season)

SERIES HISTORY
Akron is meeting Ohio for the 39th time in program history with the Bobcats owning a 24-13-1 series advantage. In the last meeting between the two schools, Ohio registered a 34-17 triumph past the Zips on Oct. 2, 2021 at InfoCision Stadium. Akron and Ohio last met in Athens on Nov. 10, 2020 as the Bobcats posted a 24-10 victory.

The series between the two schools dates back to the 1912 campaign when Akron earned a 27-0 home victory over Ohio. The Zips and Bobcats have met every season since 1992 and Akron is in search of its first road triumph over Ohio since posting a 31-19 victory over the Bobcats during the 2004 season.

SCOUTING OHIO
Ohio comes into play versus Akron at 2-3 on the campaign, including 0-1 in the Mid-American Conference, following a 31-24 overtime setback at Kent State on Saturday, Oct. 1.

Redshirt junior QB Kurtis Rourke directs the Bobcats' attack passing for 1,517 yards, including throwing for 11 touchdowns. Redshirt freshman RB Sieh Bangura has rushed for 266 yards, while running for a pair of touchdowns. The WR quartet of senior WR Sam Wiglusz, senior WR James Bostic, junior WR Jacoby Jones and sophomore WR Miles Cross have hauled in a combined 74 passes for 290, 282, 291 and 203 yards, respectively, and seven touchdowns.

Defensively, the trio of senior LB Keye Thompson, senior S Tariq Drake and redshirt junior S Ben Johnson have combined to record 31, 29 and 29 tackles, including posting 17, 22 and 10 solo stops, respectively. Ohio has tallied 11 sacks and 27 tackles for a loss.

As a team, the Bobcats average 28.8 points per game, while their opponents net 42.0 points per outing. Ohio has thrown for 315.4 yards and rushed for 106.6 yards per tilt.

As a team, the Bobcats rank ninth in the NCAA in fumble recoveries (6) and blocked kicks (2), 13th in passing offense (315.4), 16th in kickoff return defense (15.83), 24th in defensive touchdowns (1), 28th in time of possession (31:55), 38th in red zone offense (.895), 41st in completion percentage (.655), 46th in fewest penalties per contest (6.00) and 48th in team passing efficiency (146.68).

Individually, Rourke is ranked 12th in the NCAA in total offense (316.4), completions per game (25.40) and passing yards (1,517), 13th in passing yards per outing (303.4), 26th in passing touchdowns (11), 27th in points responsible for (80), 30th in points responsible for per game (16.0), 34th in completion percentage (.683) and 39th in passing efficiency (154.2). Additionally, redshirt sophomore WR Keegan Wilburn is rated first in the NCAA in kickoff return touchdowns (1), fifth in combined kick returns (340) and 16th in kickoff returns (26.2) and senior LB Bryce Houston and redshirt freshman DE Bradley Weaver are first in fumble recoveries (2).

IN OUR LAST MEETING (OCT. 2, 2021 - AKRON, OHIO)
Akron led 17-10 early in the third quarter, but could not overcome 24-unanswered points by Ohio as the Bobcats posted a 34-17 win to open Mid-American Conference play on Oct. 2, 2021, at InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field.

Akron generated 333 yards of total offense with 19 first downs as redshirt junior QB DJ Irons (Lawrenceville, Ga.) completed 14-of-17 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore TE Tristian Brank (Asheville, N.C.) recorded his first career touchdown reception at Akron.

Irons led the ground attack with 64 of the Zips' 112 total yards gained. Irons carried the ball 16 times, while sophomore RB Blake Hester (Ashland, Ky.) followed with 13 rushes for 51 yards.

Senior CB Jaylen Kelly-Powell (Detroit, Mich.) led the Zips' defense with 11 total tackles and sophomore CB Ronald Jackson, Jr. (Detroit, Mich.) followed with 10 total tackles.

ZIP TIDBITS
• LB Bubba Arslanian surpassed the 300-tackle plateau for his decorated career at Akron with a 12-tackle effort against Bowling Green on Oct. 1. Additionally, his 16 tackles against Liberty stand as the eighth-best single-game effort in Division I this season.
• The Zips have posted an interception in four of Akron's five games this season.
• Twenty-one different Zips recorded a tackle versus Bowling Green, including 10 newcomers.
• Junior DL Julian Richardson (Albany, Ga.) and redshirt senior DL Ravontae Holt (Sacramento, Calif.) made their season debuts against Bowling Green.
• Four different Zips posted five or more tackles against the Falcons, led by a team-high 12 tackles (five solo and seven assists) from LB Bubba Arslanian and an Akron career-high 10 tackles from DB Nate Thompson.
• RB Clyde Price III rushed for a career-high 71 yards and his first Akron touchdown versus Bowling Green, while also pulling in four catches for 26 yards. QB DJ Irons led the Zips with a game-high 105 yards rushing.
• WR Alex Adams added a career-best 96 yards on four catches, while finding the endzone twice to score his second and third touchdowns of the season.
• Senior P Noah Gettman (Daytona Beach, Fla.) averaged 49.7 yards over three punts against Bowling Green, while freshman PK Noah Perez (Phoenix, Ariz.) was a perfect 4-for-4 in extra-point attempts.
• WR Shocky Jacques-Louis has registered a pair of 100-yard receiving games this season pulling in eight catches for 122 yards against Saint Francis (Sept. 1) and nine receptions for 103 yards at Tennessee (Sept. 17).
• Akron is rated 25th in the NCAA in blocked kicks (1), 28th in punt returns (11.60), 31st in kickoff returns (23.78) and 39th in interceptions (5).
• Individually, QB DJ Irons is rated 26th in completions per tilt (22.40), while WR Shocky Jacques-Louis is ranked 18th in combined kick returns (251), 24th in kickoff returns (25.1) and 32nd in all purpose yards (121.6). LB Bubba Arslanian is rated seventh total tackles (11.0), 13th in solo tackles (5.8).
• LB Bubba Arslanian has sparked Akron's defensive efforts over the course of his decorated career having recorded 156 solo tackles, including 29 this season, and 154 career assisted tackles. He is ranked 20th among active career leaders across all divisions in total tackles (310), 26th in assisted tackles (154), 38th in solo tackles (156) and 57th in total tackles per game (7.95). Additionally, he is rated eighth in Division I in total tackles (310), ninth in total tackles per contest (7.95), 10th in assisted tackles (154), 17th in solo tackles per tilt (4.00) and 18th in solo tackles (156). Arslanian has had 10 or more total tackles in 20 of the last 27 games he has played in overall. Arslanian surpassed the 300-tackle plateau for his career against Bowling Green on Oct. 1, 2022.
• Junior QB Jeff Undercuffler, Jr. (Delran, N.J.), is rated 26th among active career D1 leaders in touchdown passes (59), 32nd in passes per game (28.64), 33rd in total plays (6,099), 35th in total touchdowns responsible for (60), 38th in passing yards (6,483), 41st in passing yards per game (196.5), 46th in total offense (6,099) and 55th in completion percentage (.548).
• P Noah Gettman is ranked fifth among active career leaders in punting yards (9,365) and 10th in punts per game (5.27).
• Arslanian has paced the Zips in tackles over 17 of Akron's last 20 contests he has appeared in dating back to the 2019 campaign.

UP NEXT
Akron hosts Central Michigan on Oct. 15 in a 12 p.m. game at InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field.