Akron Visits Buffalo in Season Finale

Friday, December 2

Buffalo, N.Y.

1:00 PM

University of Akron

Buffalo

November 30 | Football

Akron (2-9, 1-6 MAC) at Buffalo (5-6, 4-3 MAC)
Friday, Dec. 2
UB Stadium
Buffalo, N.Y. • 1 p.m.

Series History: Akron leads 11-10
Live Stats: www.GoZips.com
Live Stream: www.GoZips.com (subscription may be required)
Television: www.GoZips.com (subscription may be required)
Radio: 640 WHLO AM (Dave Skoczen - pxp and Joe Dunn - color)

WHAT'S AHEAD
The University of Akron football team travels to Buffalo, N.Y., for a showdown with Buffalo on Friday, Dec. 2. The 1 p.m. tilt will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Ben Shulman and Randy Buffington calling the action with a link on GoZips.com.

HEAD COACHES
Buffalo: Maurice Linguist (Baylor, 2006), overall record: 9-14 (Second Season)/record at Buffalo: 9-14 (Second Season)
Akron: Joe Moorhead (Fordham, 1996), overall record - 54-34 (Seventh Season)/record at Akron - 2-9 (First Season)

SERIES HISTORY
Akron is meeting Buffalo for the 22nd time in program history with the Zips owning a 11-10 series advantage. In the last meeting between the two schools, the Bulls registered a 45-10 triumph past Akron on Oct. 23, 2021 at InfoCision Stadium. The Zips and Bulls last met in Buffalo on Dec. 12, 2020 as Buffalo posted a 56-7 victory.

The series between the two schools dates back to the 1999 campaign when Akron earned an 17-10 road victory over Buffalo. The Zips and Bulls have met every season since 2014.

SCOUTING BUFFALO
Buffalo enters action this week against Akron at 5-6 on the campaign, including 4-3 in the Mid-American Conference, following a 30-27 setback versus Kent State on Saturday, Nov. 26.

Junior QB Cole Snyder directs the Bulls' attack passing for 2,501 yards, including throwing for 14 touchdowns. Senior RB Ron Cook and redshirt freshman RB Mike Washington have rushed for 600 and 547 yards, respectively, while running for 11 combined touchdowns. The duo of senior WR Justin Marshall and senior WR Quian Williams have pulled down 47 and 54 passes, respectively, for 627 and 613 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Defensively, the duo of junior LB Shaun Dolac and redshirt senior LB James Patterson have combined to record 122 and 101 tackles, including posting 86 and 60 solo stops, respectively. Buffalo has tallied 19 sacks and 68 tackles for a loss.

As a team, the Bulls average 29.5 points per game, while their opponents net 27.6 points per outing. Buffalo has thrown for 230.0 yards and rushed for 154.2 yards per tilt.

As a team, the Bulls rank ninth in the NCAA in red zone offense (.919), 10th in defensive touchdowns (3) and time of possession (33:19), 11th in fumble recoveries (12), 17th in first down defense (203), 20th in fourth down conversion defense (.400) and turnovers gained (22), 21st in turnover margin (0.64), 25th in third down conversion defense (.333), 28th in fewest penalty yards (535), 29th in fourth down conversions (.613), 41st in kickoff returns (21.30), 47th in fewest penalty yards per outing (48.64) and 49th in tackles for a loss (6.2).

Individually, Snyder is ranked 35th in the NCAA in completions per game (20.64). Additionally, Dolac leads the nation in solo tackles (7.8) and is third in total tackles (11.1), while Cook is rated 27th in the NCAA in all-purpose yards (121.30), 37th in kickoff returns (21.6) and 40th in combined kick returns (408), and junior S Marcus Fuqua ranks seventh in interceptions (5) and in interceptions per contest (0.5) and 22nd in fumble recoveries (2).

IN OUR LAST MEETING (OCT. 23, 2021 - AKRON, OHIO)
Akron dropped a 45-10 Mid-American Conference decision to Buffalo at InfoCision Stadium on Oct. 23, 2021 as the Bulls led 24-10 at halftime and scored 21-unanswered points while generating 484 yards total of offense.

The Zips registered 304 total yards, including 229 yards on the ground as sophomore RB Jonzell Norrils (Toledo, Ohio) led the way. On his first touch in three games, Norrils traveled 74 yards for a touchdown. The 74-yard run marked a career long for Norrils and the longest run for the Zips since Tra'Von Chapman broke-off a 70-yard run for a TD against Miami in 2016. Norrils finished the game with 155 yards on 11 carries for a 14.1 yards per carry average.

The Akron defense was paced by redshirt senior S Jaylen Kelly-Powell (Detroit, Mich.) with 16 tackles followed by sophomore LB Andrew Behm (Appleton, Wisc.) and redshirt junior LB Jeslord Boateng (Dublin, Ohio) with 14 and 11, respectively.

ZIPS EARN 44-12 VICTORY AT NORTHERN ILLINOIS
The University of Akron football team scored 27 unanswered points en route to a 44-12 win over Northern Illinois behind a career performance by junior QB Jeff Undercuffler, Jr. (Burlington, N.J.) at Huskie Stadium on Saturday.

The victory marked the first for the Zips versus the Huskies since a 48-42 triumph in the Mid-American Conference title game and the initial road win in Dekalb, Ill., since a 34-17 decision in 1996.

The Zips (2-9, 1-6 MAC) generated 512 yards of total offense as Undercuffler threw for a career-best 312 yards and a career-high three touchdown passes on 21-of-32 passing with one Interception. Undercuffler found sophomore WR Alex Adams (Osyka, Miss.) for two touchdowns, including a 61-yard strike for six points. Adams led the receiving corps with 150 yards on seven snags and gained 83 after the catch. Redshirt junior WR Daniel George (Fort Washington, Md.) hauled in seven passes for 96 yards and a touchdown with a 43-yard long reception.

On the ground, redshirt sophomore RB Cam Wiley (Las Vegas, Nev.) averaged 5.3 yards per carry and gained 128 yards on 24 attempts with a 29-yard long run. The Zips registered a total of 200 yards on the ground as redshirt sophomore RB Clyde Price III (Kansas City, Mo.) followed with 45 yards on seven carries with a touchdown, while freshman RB Charles Kellom (Cincinnati, Ohio) had two carries for 27 yards.

The Akron defense denied the Huskies a touchdown, but scored one of their own as sophomore CB Tyson Durant (Copley, Ohio) recorded the pick-6, scampering 76 yards for a touchdown. Akron forced the home team to settle for four field goals. Redshirt junior DB Nate Thompson (Sanford, N.C.) and redshirt senior LB Bubba Arslanian (Aurora, Ohio) led the defense with nine tackles apiece as Thompson had six solo stops with three assisted takedowns and Arslanian posted five solo, four assisted and one tackle for a loss. Redshirt senior DL Victor Jones (Sacramento, Calif.) recorded both of the Zips sacks for 16 yards of loss as part of his five tackles on the day. Collectively, the Zips posted nine pass break-ups and five quarterback hurries on the afternoon.

After the Huskies (3-9, 2-6 MAC) established a 6-0 lead on a pair of field goals, Undercuffler marched the Zips down the field with a seven-play, 59-yard drive that ended on the foot of redshirt junior PK Cory Smigel (North Royalton, Ohio) connecting on a field goal from 33 yards out. The Zips followed two touchdown drives as Undercuffler found George for the Zips first touchdown catch and Adams for the second. Smigel connected with a 31-yard field goal and Adams posted a 61-yard touchdown reception for the Zips 27-6 advantage by the 10:45 mark in the third quarter.

Following a 34-yard field goal, Akron added 17 more points on the scoreboard as Price found pay dirt on an eight-yard run, Durant returned an interception for 76 yards and Smigel launched a 31-yard field goal attempt through the uprights.

FIVE ZIPS EARN ALL-MAC ACCOLADES
Led by redshirt senior LB Bubba Arslanian and WR Alex Adams, who were named First-Team All-Mid-American Conference selections, five members of The University of Akron football team were among those honored with All-League accolades by the conference on Wednesday, Nov. 30.

Hauling in Third-Team All-MAC laurels were redshirt junior QB DJ Irons, redshirt senior WR Shocky Jacques-Louis and redshirt senior OL Anthony Whigan (Lexington Park, Md.).

The first-team selections of Adams and Arslanian marked only the second time in program history that an Akron offensive and defensive player have earned first-team accolades in the same season. In 2007, WR Jabari Arthur and DB Reggie Corner collected first-team honors for the Zips

ZIP TIDBITS
• WR Alex Adams and WR Shocky Jacques-Louis own 838 and 837 receiving yards, respectively, on the campaign and are on pace to become only the fifth and sixth Zips to post a 1,000-yard receiving season. The duo would join Domenik Hixon (1,210-2005), Jabari Arthur (1,171-2007), Dan Ruff (1,041-1968) and Jerome Lane (1,018-2016).
• The 69 receptions for WR Shocky Jacques-Louis rank as the fourth-best single-season mark in program history, while redshirt junior WR Daniel George's (Fort Washington, Md.) 60 catches is two shy of cracking the top-10 leaderboard. Jacques-Louis surpassed Matthew Cherry (2003), who won an Academy Award in 2019, and Domenik Hixon (2004) for fourth place with a four-catch performance at Northern Illinois. He enters plays at Buffalo five shy of Hixon (2005) for third place.
• QB DJ Iron's 2,606 passing yards ranks as the eighth-best single-season effort in program history. He enters the Buffalo game 17 yards behind Charlie Frye (2,623-2004) for seventh place and 56 yards shy of Luke Getsy (2,662-2006) for sixth place.
• QB DJ Irons is on pace to become only the fourth 3,000-yard single-season passer in program history joining Charlie Fry (3,549-2003), Luke Getsy (3,455-2006) and Dalton (3,387-2012), while his 260.6 passing average ranks as the fourth-best single-season mark in program history.
• Akron boasts a league-best three receivers in the top-eight in the MAC as WR Alex Adams, WR Shocky Jacques-Louis and WR Daniel George rank first (83.7), fourth (76.1) and eighth (63.0), respectively.
• Twenty different Zips recorded a tackle versus Northern Illinois.
• Seven different Zips posted four or more tackles against the Huskies, led by a team-high nine tackles (six solo and three assists) from DB Nate Thompson and (five solo and four assists) courtesy of LB Bubba Arslanian.
• WR Alex Adams posted his fourth consecutive 100-yard receiving game against Northern Illinois pulling in seven catches for 150 yards.
• The Zips have posted an interception in six of Akron's 11 games this season.
• WR Shocky Jacques-Louis has registered four 100-yard receiving games this season pulling in eight catches for 122 yards against Saint Francis (Sept. 1), nine receptions for 103 yards at Tennessee (Sept. 17), 11 catches for 152 yards at Ohio (Oct. 8) and nine receptions versus Miami (Oct. 29) for 103 yards. He enters play against Buffalo rated 16th in the NCAA in receptions per outing (6.3), 28th in receptions (69) and 45th in receiving yards per contest (76.1).
• Akron is rated 19th in the NCAA in passing offense (285.7), 34th in completion percentage (.646) and 35th in kickoff returns (21.61).
• Individually, QB DJ Irons is rated eighth in completions per game (25.30), 19th in completion percentage (.668), 28th in passing yards per game (260.6) and 50th in passing yards (2,606), while WR Blake Hester is ranked 24th in kickoff returns (23.5). LB Bubba Arslanian is rated fifth total tackles (11.0) and 27th in solo tackles (5.0).
• LB Bubba Arslanian has sparked Akron's defensive efforts over the course of his decorated career having recorded 182 solo tackles, including 55 this season, and 194 career assisted tackles. He is ranked 15th among active career leaders across all divisions in total tackles (376) and in assisted tackles (194), 36th in solo tackles (182) and 57th in total tackles per game (8.36). Additionally, he is rated fifth in Division I in total tackles per contest (8.36), seventh in total tackles (376), eighth in assisted tackles (194) and 18th in solo tackles (182) and solo tackles per tilt (4.04). Arslanian has had 10 or more total tackles in 24 of the last 33 games he has played in overall. Arslanian surpassed the 300-tackle plateau for his career against Bowling Green on Oct. 1, 2022.
• Arslanian has paced the Zips in tackles over 23 of Akron's last 26 contests he has appeared in dating back to the 2019 campaign.

UP NEXT
Akron's contest at Buffalo marks the conclusion of the 2022 campaign for the Zips.