The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
2-8 , 1-5
Northern Illinois
6-4 , 3-3
Akron Falls to NIU
November 13 | Football
DEKALB, Ill. - Akron fell 29-16 to Northern Illinois on the road at Huskie Stadium on Wednesday night.
Akron's special team unit came up big for the Blue and Gold with a blocked punt that resulted in a touchdown. Redshirt junior Noel Roach III came away with the block while sophomore Terence Thomas secured the first blocked punt for a TD since Dec. 12, 2020, against Bowling Green.
Redshirt junior Ben Finley led Akron's passing attack with 205 yards and one touchdown.
Redshirt junior Jordon Simmons totaled 56 yards to lead the Zips' ground attack, picking up 4.7 yards per carry.
Sophomore Adrian Norton reeled in two catches for 57 yards and one score, while sophomore Conner Cravaack hauled in three receptions for 22 yards and redshirt freshman Israel Polk finished with 28 yards. In addition, junior Bobby Golden had 27 yards on four receptions.
Junior Bryan McCoy led the Zip's defense with 11 total tackles while recording seven solo tackles. Senior Paul Lewis III tallied eight tackles against the Huskies with six of them solo tackles. Senior CJ Nunnally IV recorded six tackles and a sack while redshirt senior Nathan Kapongo had four tackles and one sack.
Defensively, Akron held up fairly well against the Northern Illinois passing attack, holding the Huskies to 144 yards through the air.
The Huskies improved to 6-4 on the year and 3-3 in Mid-American Conference play, while the Zips fell to 2-8 overall and 1-5 in conference matchups.
How It Happened
After Northern Illinois scored first to go on top 3-0, Akron responded to take a 6-3 lead with 9:46 left in the first quarter on a 40-yard touchdown from Finley to Norton. Northern Illinois then scored a pair of touchdowns to take a 17-6 lead before the Zips saw redshirt junior Garrison Smith hit a 27-yard field goal to narrow the gap and make it a 17-9.
The Zips got within one-point of the Huskies after Roach blocked a punt with 9:20 left in the second quarter and Thomas recovered the ball for a Zips touchdown to make it a 17-16 contest with Smith hitting the PAT.
Akron didn't score again in the game and Northern Illinois added 12 more points to finish off the scoring.
Game Notes
» The Zips recorded their first blocked punt and blocked punt for a touchdown since doing both against Bowling Green at home on Dec. 12, 2020.
» McCoy has recorded 10 or more tackles in a game five times this season.
» Akron converted 6 of 18 third downs while Northern Illinois was successful on 2 of 12.
» The Zips had two players with eight or more tackles. McCoy led the way with 11 and Lewis III had eight.
What's Next?
The Zips travel to rival Kent State to battle for the Wagon Wheel on Tuesday, November 19 at 7 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.
Team Stats
AKR 0, NIU 3
NIU - Woodill,Kanon 32 yd field goal 4 plays, 6 yards, TOP 01:34
AKR 6, NIU 3
AKR - Norton,Adrian 40 yd pass from Finley,Ben () 7 plays, 68 yards, TOP 02:38
AKR 6, NIU 10
NIU - Rudolph,Trayvon 58 yd run (Woodill,Kanon kick), 3 plays, 70 yards, TOP 01:21
AKR 6, NIU 17
NIU - Pardridge,Dane 39 yd pass from Rudolph,Trayvon (Woodill,Kanon kick) 4 plays, 55 yards, TOP 02:21
AKR 9, NIU 17
AKR - Smith,Garrison 27 yd field goal 11 plays, 78 yards, TOP 04:33
AKR 16, NIU 17
AKR - Thomas,Terence 0 yd punt return (Smith,Garrison kick)
AKR 16, NIU 23
NIU - Barnes,Grayson 32 yd pass from Hampton,Ethan () 7 plays, 82 yards, TOP 03:42
AKR 16, NIU 29
NIU - Williams,Gavin 71 yd run (), 1 plays, 71 yards, TOP 00:09
