Zips Fall to Ball State

Saturday, October 18

Muncie, Ind

3:30 PM

University of Akron

2-6 , 1-3

Ball State

3-4 , 2-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Akron

Ball St.

Photo by: Bobby Ellis/Ball State Universit

October 18 | Football

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MUNCIE, Ind. - Although leading at the half, the Akron football team fell to Ball State 42-28 on Saturday.

Ben Finley (Phoenix, Ariz.) led Akron's passing attack with 291 yards through the air, tossing three touchdowns, two going to Israel Polk (Richmond, Calif.), and two interceptions.

Jordan Gant (Lakeland, Fla.) paced the Zips' rushing attack by accumulating 94 yards over the course of the game, averaging 4.9 yards per carry. Sean Patrick (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) added 24 yards on the ground.

Tim Grear, Jr. (New Orleans, La.) reeled in a career-high four receptions while also setting career-highs in receiving yards (87) and longest reception (37). Polk added to the Zips' receiving numbers, tying his career-high for touchdowns (2) and receptions (5) while adding 72 yards. The Zips also got 53 yards receiving and one touchdown from Kyan Mason (Cleveland, Ohio) in the contest.

Defensively, Akron held up fairly well against the Ball State passing attack, holding the Cardinals to 158 yards. The Zips' defense disrupted Ball State's backfield all game, racking up four sacks and eight total tackles for loss.

Julien Laventure (Upper Darby, Pa.) led the Akron defensive effort, collecting a career-high nine tackles, 2.0 TFL, one sack, and one recovered fumble. DiMarco Johnson (Irmo, S.C.) added eight tackles and one interception and Cyrus Durham (Atherton, Calif.) had four tackles, 1.0 TFL, and one sack in the loss. Bruno Dall (Hamburg, Germany) added to his team leading sack total (4) with one coming against the Cardinals while adding four tackles. Markus Boswell (Austin, Texas) recorded one sack resulting in a loss of 14 yards. Boswell also had four tackles and a forced fumble.

The Cardinals improved to 3-4 on the year and 2-1 in Mid-American Conference play, while the Zips fell to 2-6 overall and 1-3 in the MAC.

How It Happened

Akron scored first with 11:42 left in the first quarter to take an 8-0 lead after Finley hit Polk on a 19-yard pass while Michael Johnson Jr. (San Jose, Calif.) connected with Max Whisner (Lee's Summit, Mo.) for a successful two-point conversion. Ball State responded and went ahead 14-8 before the Zips scored again on a 37-yard touchdown reception from Finley to Mason to jump back ahead 15-14.

Ball State fought back to take a 21-15 lead before Matt Schramm (Dublin, Ohio) hit a 29-yard field goal to close the gap with 7:28 remaining in the third quarter and make it a 21-18 game. Ball State scored to expand its lead to 28-18 before the Zips scored, with Finley finding Polk on a four-yard pass to make 28-25.

Ball State expanded its lead to 35-25 until Akron scored again to close the gap with 5:47 left in the fourth quarter on a Schramm 19-yard field goal to make it a 35-28 game. Akron didn't score again, and Ball State tacked on seven more points to finish off the scoring.

Game Notes

» Akron outgained Ball State 419-374, including a 291-158 advantage through the air.
» The Zips had two players with more than eight tackles. Laventure led the way with nine, while Johnson had eight.
» The Zips racked up eight tackles for loss and added four sacks.
»Akron's defense recorded its seventh consecutive game with 60 or more tackles.

What's Next?
Akron continues MAC play in Buffalo, N.Y., battling the Buffalo Bulls on Saturday, Oct. 25. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. on ESPN+.