2009 Akron Zips football team
Encyclopedia
The 2009 University of Akron Zips
Akron Zips
One of the unique nicknames in all of intercollegiate athletics belongs to The University of Akron. Originally Zippers, athletic director Kenneth Cochrane officially shortened the nickname to the Zips in 1950. Twenty-five years earlier a campus-wide contest had been conducted to choose a nickname...

 football team
Akron Zips football
The University of Akron Zips are a college football program representing the University of Akron that competes in NCAA Division I FBS Mid-American Conference football...

represented The University of Akron in the college football season of 2009
2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on September 2, 2009, progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in Pasadena, California on January 7, 2010, featuring the...

. They competed in National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...

 (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 during the football season
2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on August 28, 2008, progressing through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in Miami Gardens, Florida on January 8, 2009, where the #2...

. Akron competed as a member of the Mid-American Conference
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...

 (MAC) East Division. The team was coached by J.D. Brookhart and played their homes game in InfoCision Stadium.

Before the season

Much of the anticipation leading up to the season involved the grand opening of the new on-campus Summa Field at InfoCision Stadium
Summa Field at InfoCision Stadium
InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field is the home stadium of the Akron Zips football team at the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio. New for the 2009 football season, the official ground-breaking ceremony for the stadium was held on April 4, 2008 and it opened on September 12, 2009 for a sold out game...

. The University set up webcams, allowing fans to watch the progress of the stadium being built. Fans watched online as the final stages of the stadium were pieced together, including a 40-foot by 25-foot video scoreboard and ribbon boards along the east stands.

The first Spring Training Scrimmage took place on March 12, after only five practices. With the offensive side down two key running backs (DeVoe Torrence and Alex Allen), the defense was able to win this session, along with the second scrimmage on March 28. In the annual Blue-Gold game, the defense came out victorious again, winning the game with a score of 28-24. Key plays in this game included a blocked field goal by Norman Shuford and an interception by Kevin Davis.

Alex Allen was one of the 106 nominees for Allstate
Allstate
The Allstate Corporation is the second-largest personal lines insurer in the United States and the largest that is publicly held. The company also has personal lines insurance operations in Canada. Allstate was founded in 1931 as part of Sears, Roebuck and Co., and was spun off in 1993...

's AFCA
American Football Coaches Association
The American Football Coaches Association is an association of over 11,000 football coaches and staff on all levels. According to its constitution, some of the main goals of the American Football Coaches Association are to "maintain the highest possible standards in football and the profession of...

 Good Works Team. According to the Press Release, this list "honors college football players who make outstanding contributions in the areas of volunteerism and civic involvement."

Recruiting

Schedule

Roster

The Zips lost relatively few starters from the 2008 football season. However, the starters that they did lose include lettermen Dennis Kennedy and Chris Kemme, the latter of which signed for the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...

 after the 2009 NFL Draft
2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft consisted of two rounds on the first day starting at 4:00...

. On the defensive side, Akron lost all three linebackers to graduation, and Strong Safety/Kickoff Returner Bryan Williams
Bryan Williams (American football)
Bryan Williams is a American football defensive back, who currently plays for the Pittsburgh Power of the Arena Football League.-Early life:He was born the son of Sterling Campbell....

 signed a free agency deal with the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

.
As of 2009-08-17


Wide Receivers
  • 1 Deryn Bowser - Senior
  • 6 Curtis Brown - Sophomore
  • 7 Dashan Miller - Senior
  • 9 Gary Pride II - Sophomore
  • 12 Jeremy Bruce - Senior
  • 19 Nolan Procter - Freshman
  • 21 Andre Jones - Senior
  • 29 Randy Greenwood - Freshman
  • 80 Nadir Brown -
    Freshman
  • 81 Anthony Meriwether - Freshman
  • 82 Jeremy Lafrance - Junior
  • 83 Dee Frieson - Freshman
  • 83 Shawn Roberts - Sophomore
  • 86 Troy Eison - Junior
  • 87 Richard Sandilands - Junior
  • 88 Jerrod Dillars - Freshman


Offensive Line
  • 51 Elliott Bates - Senior
  • 53 Dan Ronsman - Sophomore
  • 63 Joe Pachuta - Freshman
  • 64 Mitch Straight -
    Freshman
  • 65 Adam Bice -
    Freshman
  • 66 Sean McCarthy -
    Freshman
  • 68 Andrew Colosimo -
    Freshman
  • 69 Casey Estrada - Senior
  • 70 Paul Simkovich - Sophomore
  • 71 Mike Ward - Junior
  • 72 Zac Kasparek - Sophomore
  • 73 Jake Anderson - sophomore
  • 75 Corey Woods - Junior
  • 76 Joe Petrides - Freshman
  • 77 Joe Vidovic - Freshman
  • 78 Zack Anderson - Senior
  • 79 Jason Sekinger - Junior


Tight Ends
  • 84 Rhyne Ladrach -
    Freshman
  • 85 Kyle Weber - Junior
  • 86 Jake Brandt - Freshman
  • 94 Grant Williams - Freshman
  • 95 Jon Root - Freshman
  • 98 Nick Legger - Senior
 

Quarterbacks
  • 2 Jared Wackerly -
    Freshman
  • 5 Matt Rodgers - Sophomore
  • 11 Chris Jacquemain - Senior
  • 13 Jordan Miller -
    Freshman
  • 16 Patrick Nicely - Freshman


Running Backs
  • 3 Dale Martin - Sophomore
  • 4 DeVoe Torrence -
    Freshman
  • 10 Alex Allen - Senior
  • 14 Thomas Miller -
    Freshman
  • 15 Nate Burney - Junior
  • 17 Norman Shuford -
    Freshman
  • 22 Broderick Alexander - Freshman
  • 25 Nathan Cope - Sophomore
  • 32 Joe Tuzze - Senior
  • 42 LeVon Morefield - Junior


Defensive Line
  • 13 Shane Shead - Sophomore
  • 44 Abdullah Homayed - Freshman
  • 45 Joe Rash - Sophomore
  • 52 Marquinn Davis - Sophomore
  • 44 Antoine Jones -
    Junior
  • 56 Almondo Sewell - Junior
  • 60 Dan Marcoux - Sophomore
  • 67 Deni Odofin - Junior
  • 90 Phil Tonga - Junior
  • 91 Nick Bridenbaugh - Sophomore
  • 92 Ryan Bain - Senior
  • 93 Chris Henderson - Freshman
  • 96 Hasan Hazime - Sophomore
  • 97 James Harvey - Sophomore
  • 99 Cowles Stewart - Sophomore
 

Linebackers
  • 5 Troy Gilmer -
    Freshman
  • 8 Shawn Lemon - Junior
  • 18 Will Fleming - Freshman
  • 20 Mike Thomas - Junior
  • 23 Sean Fobbs - Junior
  • 24 Aaron Williams - Sophomore
  • 28 Amin Kabir - Senior
  • 29 Da-Von Moore - Sophomore
  • 30 David Anderson - Freshman
  • 34 Brian Wagner -
    Freshman
  • 42 Larry Dawson -
    Freshman
  • 47 Al-Teric Balaam - Senior
  • 49 Matt Little - Sophomore
  • 50 Mike Polinski - Junior
  • 54 Blake Fraley - Freshman
  • 57 Nate Schuler -
    Freshman
  • 58 Marcus Lemon - Senior
  • 82 Viktor Rajek - Junior


Defensive Backs
  • 1 Diamond Weaver - Junior
  • 2 Jalil Carter - Junior
  • 6 Manley Waller - Sophomore
  • 9 Doug Richardson - Junior
  • 11 Miguel Graham - Senior
  • 15 Marvase Byrd -
    Freshman
  • 16 Jordan House - Freshman
  • 25 Jake Delmonico - Freshman
  • 26 Kevin Davis -
    Junior
  • 27 Wayne Cobham - Senior
  • 31 Emmanuel Lartey - Freshman
  • 33 Josh Richmond -
    Freshman
  • 35 Bryant McMillon - Senior
  • 36 Jared Province -
    Freshman
  • 45 Bill Alexander - Freshman
  • 48 Tyler Campbell - Junior


Punters
  • 8 Zack Campbell - Sophomore
  • 38 John Stec - Senior
  • 40 Josh Couch - Freshman


Kickers
  • 37 Branko Rogovic - Junior
  • 45 Igor Iveljic - Junior


Long Snapper
  • 43 Adam Steiner - Freshman
† Starter at position     * Injured; will not play in 2009.


Coaching staff

The Zips made hired three new coaches for the 2009 football season. Shane Montgomery
Shane Montgomery
-External links:* * *...

 was the head coach of the Miami Redhawks
Miami RedHawks football
The Miami University RedHawks, known as the Miami Redskins before 1996, are a NCAA Division I FBS college football program that competes in the Mid-American Conference...

 for the past four seasons, and moved over to serve as Akron's Offensive Coordinator and Tight Ends Coach. During his time at Miami, he led the team to a first-place tie in the MAC East Division in both 2005 and 2007. Walt Harris
Walt Harris
Walt Harris is a former American football player and coach in the United States. Harris served as the head football coach at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California from 1989 to 1991, the University of Pittsburgh from 1997 to 2004, and at Stanford University from 2005 to 2006,...

 is best known for being the head coach of Pitt
Pittsburgh Panthers football
Pittsburgh Panthers football is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American college football...

 from 1997 to 2004 and Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...

 in 2005 and 2006. A week later, Akron announced the hiring of new Linebackers coach Vince Okruch.
Name Position Year at school
J.D. Brookhart Head Coach 6th
Walt Harris Asst. Head Coach
Pass Game Coordinator
Quarterbacks Coach
1st
Jim Fleming
Jim Fleming (American football)
-References:...

Defensive Coordinator
Safeties Coach
6th
Shane Montgomery Offensive Coordinator
Tight Ends Coach
1st
Brian Callahan Run Game Coordinator
Offensive Line Coach
6th
Dana Chambers Defensive Line Coach 4th
Reno Ferri Recruiting Coordinator
Running Backs Coach
6th
Emmanuel McDaniel
Emmanuel McDaniel
Emmanuel McDaniel Emmanuel McDaniel Emmanuel McDaniel (born July 27, 1972 in Griffin, Georgia is a former professional American football defensive back who played seven seasons in the National Football League for the Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts, New York Giants, and the Arizona Cardinals...

Cornerbacks Coach 3rd
Mauro Monz Wide Receivers Coach 4th
Vince Okruch Linebackers Coach 1st

Penn State

Ninth-ranked Penn State
Penn State Nittany Lions football
The Penn State Nittany Lions football team represents the Pennsylvania State University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference. It is one of the most tradition-rich and storied college football programs in the...

 built a 31-0 halftime lead, holding Akron to 28 total yards and minus-17 yards rushing in the first half. Akron was able to get on the board in the second half on a 40-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Chris Jacquemain following a Penn State turnover. The Zips finished with 186 total yards, only 28 of which were from rushing. Penn State amassed 515 total yards including 379 from passing, mostly from quarterback Daryll Clark
Daryll Clark
Daryll Lawrence Clark is a football quarterback who is currently a member of the Chicago Rush. He was signed by the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League as an free agent in 2010. He played collegiately for the Penn State Nittany Lions. He is the Nittany Lions' all-time leader in...

, who also threw 3 touchdowns. Following the win, the Nittany Lions rose to #5 in the polls and improved to 4-0 all-time against the Zips.

Morgan State

The Zips opened Summa Field at InfoCision Stadium
Summa Field at InfoCision Stadium
InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field is the home stadium of the Akron Zips football team at the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio. New for the 2009 football season, the official ground-breaking ceremony for the stadium was held on April 4, 2008 and it opened on September 12, 2009 for a sold out game...

 against the Morgan State Bears, a Football Championship Subdivision team. This was the Zips' first meeting with the Bears, as well as the Bears' season opener. The Bears were led by Carlton Jackson, who had previously played for the Zips in the 2007 season. He battled for the starting quarterback position with Chris Jacquemain in that year, who prevailed and led the Zips in this game.

Logistically, the game went on without any major problems and the new stadium was well-received by fans. The biggest problem according to fans was finding their appropriate parking lot. During the game, Akron amassed 436 total offensive yards, which included 186 passing yards. This was the most passing yards allowed by Morgan State since a 2008 game against Towson. Despite the 250 yards rushing, no running back individually rushed for 100 yards, because six different backs were used.

Indiana

The game marked the second meeting between the two teams, the first being in the 2007 season
2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on August 30, 2007, progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in New Orleans, Louisiana on January 7, 2008, where the top...

 at Indiana's Memorial Stadium where the Hoosiers
Indiana Hoosiers football
The Indiana Hoosiers football program represents Indiana University Bloomington in NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football and in the Big Ten Conference.-Bowl games:...

 won 41-24. Indiana faced Akron in their third game of the season and first road game after defeating Eastern Kentucky
2009 Eastern Kentucky Colonels football team
The 2009 Eastern Kentucky Colonels football team represented Eastern Kentucky University in the college football season of 2009–2010. The team was led by Dean Hood, the 2008 Ohio Valley Conference Roy Kidd Coach of the Year. Hood was in his 2nd season as head coach. Also, the football season...

 and Western Michigan
2009 Western Michigan Broncos football team
The 2009 Western Michigan Broncos football team represented Western Michigan University in the 2009 NCAA football season. The WMU football team was coached by Bill Cubit and played their homes game in Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan...

 at home. This was also the first time a team from the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...

 had played in Akron. In the days leading up to the game, however, the Zips met with some adversity when it was announced September 18 that starting quarterback Chris Jacquemain would be indefinitely suspended for a violation of team rules. No reason was given in that suspension nor was a timetable provided for his return.

Behind Ben Chappell's two touchdown passes and Ray Fisher's opening kickoff return, the Hoosiers were able to again defeat the Zips by a final score of 38–21. For Akron, new starting quarterback Matt Rodgers
Matt Rodgers
Matt Rodgers was a college football player for the University of Iowa from 1988-1991. He was a quarterback that started for the Hawkeyes in the 1991 Rose Bowl game and won the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year award in 1990.-Background:...

, who had just two days of practice as the starting quarterback, completed six of his eight passes in the first half, but threw four interceptions in the second half. Two of the interceptions would lead to touchdowns for Indiana. The Zips were able to score touchdowns on a blocked punt early in the game as well as a Rodgers rushing touchdown.

Central Michigan

Akron began the MAC
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...

 schedule with an away game against Central Michigan
2009 Central Michigan Chippewas football team
The 2009 Central Michigan University Chippewas football team represented Central Michigan University in the college football season of 2009. They competed in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football during the football season. Central...

, their first meeting since a 35–32 Central Michigan victory at the Rubber Bowl
Rubber Bowl
The Rubber Bowl is a stadium in Akron, Ohio primarily used for American football. From 1940 to 2008, it served as the home field of the University of Akron's Zips football team...

 in 2007. The Zips faced more discouraging news in the week leading up to the game. First, it was announced on September 23 that Jacquemain had been dismissed from the team. The next day, the University announced that sophomore Cowles Stewart had been suspended from the team after he was charged with felonious assault and Running Backs coach and Recruiting Coordinator Reno Ferri was put on paid administrative leave as the University began to investigate violations of NCAA Compliance rules.

Central Michigan Quarterback Dan LeFevour
Dan LeFevour
Dan LeFevour is an American football quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Central Michigan University...

 had a career day against the Zips, scoring six touchdowns in becoming the seventh MAC quarterback to pass for 10,000 yards in his career. Matt Rogers achieved a pass efficiency
Passer rating
Passer rating is a measure of the performance of quarterbacks or any other passers in American football and Canadian football. There are at least two formulae currently in use: one officially used by the National Football League and the Canadian Football League, and one used in college football...

 of 120 with no interceptions. He completed 12 of his 19 passes for a total of 127 yards. Running Back Joe Tuzze also ran in for a score, which was the first in his collegiate career. The Zips fell to 8-14 all-time against the Chippewas with the loss.

Ohio

After an off-week during the season, the Zips awaited their next MAC Opponent, Ohio University
Ohio University
Ohio University is a public university located in the Midwestern United States in Athens, Ohio, situated on an campus...

. Overall, the series between these two schools are tied, 12–12–1, with the last game a 49–42 loss in Athens
Athens, Ohio
Athens is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Athens County, Ohio, United States. It is located along the Hocking River in the southeastern part of Ohio. A historic college town, Athens is home to Ohio University and is the principal city of the Athens, Ohio Micropolitan Statistical Area. ...

. However, this series is heavily favored year after year towards the home team. The last game that was lost at the Rubber Bowl was in 1997 when the Zips lost in a four point decision. Prior to the game, previously suspended running backs coach Reno Ferri had resigned from his position, effective November 1. This resignation comes amidst an internal investigation by the University regarding recruiting violations.

The woes only got worse once the game started for Akron. During the second quarter, starting quarterback Matt Rodgers
Matt Rodgers
Matt Rodgers was a college football player for the University of Iowa from 1988-1991. He was a quarterback that started for the Hawkeyes in the 1991 Rose Bowl game and won the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year award in 1990.-Background:...

 suffered an ACL injury and was removed for the rest of the game, possibly the rest of the season. To replace him, the Zips had to turn to their third quarterback, Patrick Nicely, who was originally planned to have a redshirt year. The lone touchdown for the Zips came in the third quarter when running back Joe Tuzze ran for a 3-yard score. Other than that, the game belonged to Ohio. The Bobcats' scoring came from two field goals and two touchdowns (one two-point conversion
Two-point conversion
In American and Canadian football, a two-point conversion is a play a team attempts instead of kicking a one-point convert immediately after it scores a touchdown...

 attempt failed).

Buffalo

Akron began a three-game road series with a trip to UB Stadium to face the Buffalo Bulls
Buffalo Bulls
The Buffalo Bulls are the athletic teams representing the University at Buffalo in intercollegiate athletics. The Bulls currently play in Division I , and are a member of the Mid-American Conference for all sports except women's rowing who is in the Cononial Athletic Assocition . They have been a...

. Akron leads the overall series 8–2, but Buffalo has won each of the past two meetings, including a 40–43 quadruple-overtime decision in the 2008 season
2008 Akron Zips football team
The 2008 Akron Zips football team represented The University of Akron in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football during the football season...

. That was the last game in the historic Rubber Bowl
Rubber Bowl
The Rubber Bowl is a stadium in Akron, Ohio primarily used for American football. From 1940 to 2008, it served as the home field of the University of Akron's Zips football team...

, as the University was working hard on the new stadium. The Zips, 1–4 on the season, had been in this same position in 2005, when they won the most conference games in the school's history as well as the MAC Championship.

Akron began the scoring in the second quarter when Mike Ward recovered a Patrick Nicely fumble in the endzone. However, Buffalo quickly came back with 8:47 left in the first half and tied the game on a Maynard pass to make the game 7–7. Buffalo scored again only four minutes later with another pass to Roosevelt, and the game went to halftime with the score 14–7. After the break, Zips running back Alex Allen tied the game once again with a 1-yard touchdown run, and kicker Branko Rogovic gave Akron its final lead of 17–14 with 9:57 remaining in the game. However, Buffalo was able to make the last score as Mario Henry made a 1-yard touchdown run with 6 minutes remaining in the game. Akron was never able to recover.

This game was high in injuries as the Zips lost two significant players as a result of this game. Leading receiver and senior Deryn Bowser left the game in the first half with a broken fibula. Along with Bowser, Sophomore linebacker Aaron Williams suffered a broken arm in the 21–17 loss. Both players will not return this season. The Bulls also lost players due to injuries, with tailbacks Ike Nduka and Brandom Thermilus both going down with sprained ankle injuries. Junior tight end Kyle Brey also left with a shoulder injury.

Syracuse

In the middle of the season, the Zips took a break from Mid-American Conference opponents and traveled to Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...

 to take on the Syracuse Orange. The series between these two teams only began last season, as Akron traveled to the Carrier Dome
Carrier Dome
The Carrier Dome is a 49,250-seat domed sports stadium located on the campus of Syracuse University in the University Hill neighborhood of Syracuse, New York, USA. It is home to the Syracuse Orange football, basketball, and lacrosse teams. High school football championships are also held in "The...

 and came out with a victory, 42–28. This victory was seen as an upset
Upset
An upset occurs in a competition, frequently in electoral politics or sports, when the party popularly expected to win , is defeated by an underdog whom the majority expects to lose, defying the conventional wisdom...

 by many journalists, although the Orange finished the season 3–9 and finished last in the Big East Conference
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...

. Syracuse was poised for revenge against Akron.

Freshman quarterback Nicely got the first touchdown of his collegiate career when he connected with Andre Jones in the first quarter. After moving to the wide receiver position due to Bowser's injury, Andre Jones became the only player in the nation to start at four different positions, three on offense and one on defense. Early in the second quarter, Syracuse got its first score from running back Delone Carter
Delone Carter
Delone M. Carter is an American football running back for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Colts in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at Syracuse....

 on a 7-yard run with 12:20 remaining in the half. The Orange was able to score again with 4:14 remaining when Carter scored another touchdown. With the score 14–7 in Syracuse's favor, Akron's kicker Branko Rogovic missed a 29-yard field goal to send the game into halftime. The second-half kickoff was returned by Dashan Miller for 98 yards to tie the game, but Syracuse scored two more touchdowns, one by Marcus Sales and another by Carter, to win the game.

Northern Illinois

With hopes of playing in a bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...

 all but lost, the Zips traveled to Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University is a state university and research institution located in DeKalb, Illinois, with satellite centers in Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Rockford, and Oregon. It was originally founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895 by Illinois Governor John P...

 to take on the MAC West Huskies. The Zips have faced the Huskies a total of nine times, including the 2005 MAC Championship Game
2005 MAC Championship Game
The 2005 Marathon MAC Championship Game was played on December 1, 2005 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. The game featured the winner of each division of the Mid-American Conference. The game featured the , of the East Division, and the , of the West Division. The Zips beat the Huskies...

 on Ford Field
Ford Field
Ford Field is an indoor American football stadium located in Detroit, Michigan, USA, that is the current home field of the NFL's Detroit Lions. It is owned by the Detroit/Wayne County Stadium Authority. It regularly seats 65,000, though it is expandable up to 70,000 for football and 80,000 for...

. Northern Illinois leads the overall series 5–4, although Akron has won the last two meetings. The previous match up between these two teams was in the Championship Game. Northern Illinois was ahead 30–24 with only 17 seconds remaining in the game when Luke Getsy
Luke Getsy
Luke Getsy is an American football coach and former quarterback. He is currently the quarterbacks coach for the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Crimson Hawks football team.-College career:...

 connected with Domenik Hixon
Domenik Hixon
Domenik Hixon is an American football wide receiver and return specialist for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Akron.-Early years:Hixon was born to an African American...

 for a 36 yard touchdown pass to give the Zips a 31–30 victory. Akron won both meetings in 2005 with a combined score of 79–62.

Along with the Zips, the Huskies have been having quarterback problems as well. In an earlier game against the Toledo Rockets
2009 Toledo Rockets football team
The 2009 Toledo Rockets football team represented The University of Toledo in the college football season of 2009. They competed in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football during the football season and as a member of the Mid-American...

, starting quarterback Chandler Harnish
Chandler Harnish
Chandler Harnish is an American football quarterback for the Northern Illinois University football team.-Early life:A native of Bluffton, Indiana, Harnish attended Norwell High School in Ossian, Indiana. At Norwell, he passed for 4,760 yards and 48 touchdowns, and also ran for 2,343 yards and 35...

 was sent off of the field with a knee injury. This forced the team to start their backup, DeMarcus Grady, for the Miami
2009 Miami RedHawks football team
The 2009 Miami RedHawks football team represented Miami University in the college football season of 2009. They competed in the Mid-American Conference East Division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football during the football season...

 and Akron games. In the first half of the game, the only scoring was provided by Northern Illinois kicker Mike Salerno when he scored field goals in the first and second quarter. In the third quarter, however, the momentum shifted when Akron was able to make two scores to take the lead. Branko Rogovic provided the first points by kicking a 34 yard field goal in their first possession after kickoff, and then scored a touchdown on an 80 yard pass from halfback Alex Allen to Andre Jones to make the score 10–6.

Northern Illinois would prove to bounce back in the fourth quarter however, and put three touchdowns on the board to win the game. The first came only 1 minute and 25 seconds into the quarter, as running back Chad Spann rushed 28 yards for a touchdown. Spann would score again with eight minutes remaining to put the Huskies ahead 20–10, and the game ended on a Nathan Palmer touchdown with only 46 seconds remaining.

Kent State

Every year, The University of Akron and Kent State University
Kent State University
Kent State University is a public research university located in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university has eight campuses around the northeast Ohio region with the main campus in Kent being the largest...

 face off in a rivalry game for the Wagon Wheel. While Akron has won 29 of the 51 matches against Kent State, the Golden Flashes held the lead since the Wheel was introduced in 1946. This year's game is unique in the series, in which both teams' quarterbacks are pure freshmen who just came out of high school not even six months ago. Kent State quarterback Spencer Keith took over the job as the original starter, Giorgio Morgan suffered an ankle injury in an earlier game.

Kent State was able to score on their first drive, moving 60 yards down the field to set up a field goal by Freddy Cortez. However, Akron immediately responded with a drive on their own, but ended up scoring a touchdown to take the lead 7–3 in the first quarter. The lead was extended in the second quarter by a 59 yard reception by Jeremy LaFrance, to set Akron's score at 14. The Golden Flashes
Kent State Golden Flashes
Kent State University's intercollegiate athletic teams are known as the Golden Flashes or simply as the Flashes. The university fields sixteen varsity athletic teams, all of whom play in the Mid-American Conference and in the NCAA's Division I...

 were able to come back at this point, scoring ten unanswered points which were finished by a field goal in the ending seconds of the first half. In the third quarter, it had appeared that Jeremy Bruce had fumbled the ball, which was recovered by a Kent State defender and returned for a touchdown. After the review however, it was determined that Bruce's elbow had hit the ground before the ball coming loose, therefore the player was down. That play proved to be crucial to the Flashes, as they ended up losing the game by potentially one touchdown, with a final score of 28–20.

Temple

Bowling Green

Eastern Michigan

Team

class="wikitable" style="white-space:nowrap;"> Akron Opponents
Scoring 231 345
  Points per Game 19.2 28.8
First Downs 199 237
  Rushing 88 106
  Passing 92 111
  Penalty 19 20
Total Offense 3611 4412
  Avg per Play 4.9 5.3
  Avg per Game 300.9 367.7
Fumbles-Lost 16–11 20–6
Penalties-Yards 70–610 67–600
  Avg per Game 50.8 50.0
class="wikitable" style="white-space:nowrap;"> Akron Opponents Punts-Yards 60–2202 52–1847   Avg per Punt 36.7 35.5 Time of Possession/Game 27:13 32:47 3rd Down Conversions 48/150 (32%) 85/173 (49%) 4th Down Conversions 3/14 (21%) 6/15 (40%) Touchdowns Scored 30 46 Field Goals-Attempts 7–17 (41%) 8–17 (47%) PAT-Attempts 30–30 (100%) 43–45 (96%) Attendance 104,293 195,052   Games/Avg per Game 6/17,382 6/32,509

Scores by quarter


Rushing

Name GP-GS Att Gain Loss Net Avg TD Long Avg/G
9–4 55 251 7 244 4.4 2 17 27.1
5–3 59 217 19 198 3.4 0 22 39.6
12–2 59 216 28 188 3.2 5 22 15.7
8–0 25 167 0 167 6.7 0 22 20.9
5–3 40 226 70 156 3.9 3 28 31.2
7–3 30 160 14 146 4.9 0 31 20.9
12–10 8 110 2 108 13.5 1 29 9
8–2 28 69 12 57 2 0 10 7.1
5–0 14 52 5 47 3.4 0 13 9.4
8–7 42 149 103 46 1.1 0 29 5.8
12–9 6 34 0 34 5.7 1 18 2.8
12–5 8 38 5 33 4.1 0 9 2.8
2–2 10 27 11 16 1.6 0 8 8
5–0 2 8 0 8 4 0 7 1.6
3–0 1 2 0 2 2 0 2 0.7
12–12 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Team 6–0 6 0 29 -29 -4.8 0 0 -4.8
Total   393 1726 305 1421 3.62 13 31 118.4

Passing

Name GP-GS Effic Att-Cmp-Int Pct Yds TD Lng Avg/G
8–7 108.61 120–222–6 54.1 1349 6 59 168.6
5–3 93.22 39–69–6 56.5 405 1 49 81.0
2–2 145.64 26–44–1 59.1 320 4 40 160.0
3–0 140.48 4–5–0 80.0 36 0 16 12.0
12–2 1102.00 1–1–0 100.0 80 1 80 6.7
12–9 0.00 0–1–0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0
Total   113.32 190–342–13 55.6 2190 12 80 182.5

Receiving

Name GP-GS No. Yds Avg TD Long Avg/G
12–12 43 520 12.1 2 59 43.3
12–9 33 553 16.8 4 80 46.1
12–5 29 219 7.6 1 20 18.2
6–6 21 307 14.6 5 49 51.2
12–10 16 257 16.1 0 27 21.4
8–0 8 37 4.6 0 12 4.6
12–2 6 40 6.7 0 13 3.3
12–1 5 67 13.4 0 36 5.6
9–1 5 64 12.8 0 34 7.1
5–0 5 40 8 0 12 8
9–4 5 29 5.8 0 11 3.2
7–3 5 8 1.6 0 4 1.1
12–4 4 26 6.5 0 13 2.2
8–2 2 17 8.5 0 15 2.1
5–3 2 3 1.5 0 2 0.6
5–0 1 3 3 0 3 0.6
Total   190 2190 11.5 12 80 182.5

Defense

Name GP Tackles Sacks Pass Defense Interceptions Fumbles Blkd
Kick
Solo Ast Total TFL-Yds No-Yds BrUp QBH No.-Yds Avg TD Long Rcv-Yds FF
12 72 60 132 7.0–18 1.0–4 3 2 2–33 16.5 1 32 2–0 2
12 39 32 71 2.5–6 6 2–0 0 0 0 1–0
12 35 23 58 3.0–14 0.5–3 3 1–11 11 0 11 1 1
12 29 24 53 5.5–11 1
12 38 14 52 1.5–3 12 3–62 20.7 1 62 1–0
12 29 20 49 8.0–24 3.0–15 2 1 1 1
11 25 24 49 1.5–7 1 2–24 12 0 24
11 34 13 47 1.5–2 6 3–50 16.7 0 37 1
12 20 21 41 6.0–22 1.0–10 1 1–0
6 18 16 34 4.0–9 1
11 21 10 31 0.5–0 1 1
11 12 14 26 1.0–1
11 14 10 24 6.5–25 3.0–15 1
11 10 13 23 4.0–8
12 10 11 21
11 10 9 19 2
10 12 6 18 1
12 5 10 15 6.0–22 1.5–11
12 8 7 15 1.0–5 1.0–5 1
8 5 8 13 1.5–2
12 9 4 13 1
12 6 3 9 1.0–1
10 6 3 9 2.0–4 1
11 1 5 6
10 1 5 6
7 2 4 6
4 4 1 5 1.0–2 1
9 4 4
2 1 1 2
3 1 1 2
5 2 2
12 2 2
7 1 1
8 1 1
12 1 1
12 1 1
1 1 1
10 1 1
12 1 1
12 1 1
12 1–0
Team 6 1
Total 12 488 377 865 65–186 11–63 38 5 13–180 13.8 2 62 6–0 10 4

Special teams

Name Punting Kickoffs
No. Yds Avg Long TB FC I20 Blkd No. Yds Avg TB OB
32 1168 36.5 49 3 10 4 0
27 1034 38.3 76 2 2 3 0 1 47 47 0 0
1 38 38 0 0
46 2658 57.8 3 2
Team 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Total 60 2202 36.7 76 5 12 7 1 66 2743 57.1 3 2

Name Punt Returns Kick Returns
No. Yds Avg TD Long No. Yds Avg TD Long
9 24 2.7 0 13
4 22 5.5 0 11 3 86 28.7 0 38
4 18 4.5 0 7 3 59 19.7 0 27
1 20 20 0 20
1 38 38 0 0 13 246 18.9 0 42
0 0 0 1 0
31 798 25.7 1 98
1 6 6 0 6
1 4 4 0 4
1 -2 -2 0 0
1 6 6 0 6
1 8 8 0 8
Total 19 122 6.4 1 20 55 1211 22.0 1 98
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