2009 Akron Zips football team

The 2009 Akron Zips football team represented the University of Akron in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Akron competed as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) East Division. The team was coached by J. D. Brookhart and played their homes game at InfoCision Stadium.

2009 Akron Zips football
Conference	Mid-American Conference
Division	East
Record	3–9 (2–6 MAC)
Head coach	J. D. Brookhart (6th season)
Offensive coordinator	Shane Montgomery (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Jim Fleming (6th season)
Home stadium	InfoCision Stadium–Summa Field (Capacity: 27,881)
Seasons ← 2008 2010 →

2009 Mid-American Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
Ohio xy		7	–	1					9	–	5
Temple x		7	–	1					9	–	4
Bowling Green		6	–	2					7	–	6
Kent State		4	–	4					5	–	7
Buffalo		3	–	5					5	–	7
Akron		2	–	6					3	–	9
Miami (OH)		1	–	7					1	–	11
West Division
No. 23 Central Michigan x$		8	–	0					12	–	2
Northern Illinois		5	–	3					7	–	6
Western Michigan		4	–	4					5	–	7
Toledo		3	–	5					5	–	7
Ball State		2	–	6					2	–	10
Eastern Michigan		0	–	8					0	–	12
Championship: Central Michigan 20, Ohio 10
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

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. The university set up , allowing fans to watch the progress of the stadium being built.^[1] 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.^[2] 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.^[3] In the annual Blue-Gold game, the defense came out victorious again, winning the game with a score of 28–24.^[4] 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's AFCA 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."^[5]

Recruiting

US college sports recruiting information for 2009 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40^‡	Commit date
Bill Alexander CB	Columbus, GA	Carver HS	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	4.49	Feb 4, 2009
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Broderick Alexander RB	Covington, GA	Eastside HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	–	Feb 4, 2009
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
David Anderson LB	Cincinnati, OH	Purcell Marian HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	–	Feb 4, 2009
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Deonte Ball CB	Yuma, AZ	Arizona Western JC	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	4.40	Dec 14, 2008
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Jake Brandt OT	Bexley, OH	Bexley HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	4.9	Feb 4, 2009
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 74
Josh Couch P	Carlisle, OH	Carlisle HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	–	Feb 4, 2009
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Jake Delmonico	Beaver Falls, PA	Blackhawk HS	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	4.42	Dec 10, 2008
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Jerrod Dillars WR	Adrian, MI	Adrian HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	–	Jan 19, 2009
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Blake Fraley MLB	Hilliard, OH	Hillard Darby HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	–	Oct 31, 2008
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Dee Frieson WR	Orange Park, FL	Fleming Island HS	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	–	Jun 16, 2008
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Randy Greenwood CB	Mentor, OH	Lake Catholic HS	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	4.54	Aug 14, 2008
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 67
Chris Henderson DT	New Berlin, NY	Milford Academy	6 ft 2.5 in (1.89 m)	313 lb (142 kg)	–	Feb 4, 2009
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 77
Abdallah Homayed SLB	Dearborn, MI	Fordson HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	5.09	Jan 22, 2009
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Jeremy LaFrance WR	Fullerton, CA	Fullerton JC	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	4.50	Feb 4, 2009
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A
Anthony Meriwether WR	Middleburg Heights, OH	Midpark HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	–	Dec 14, 2008
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Patrick Nicely QB	Willoughby, OH	South HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	4.70	Jan 21, 2009
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 71
Joe Petrides OG	Baltimore, MD	Archbishop Curley HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	240 lb (110 kg)	–	Nov 17, 2008
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Nolan Procter WR	Beverly Hills, MI	Wylie E. Groves HS	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	–	Jul 23, 2008
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 74
Jon Root TE	Erie, PA	Cathedral Preparatory School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	–	Feb 1, 2009
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Adam Steiner C	Canton, OH	GlenOak HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	–	Feb 4, 2009
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Phil Tonga DT	Wilmington, CA	Los Angeles Harbor JC	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	280 lb (130 kg)	–	Feb 4, 2009
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A
Joe Vidovic OT	Willoughby, OH	South HS	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	250 lb (110 kg)	–	Dec 7, 2008
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Diamond Weaver CB	Santa Rosa, CA	Santa Rosa JC	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	4.35	Dec 12, 2008
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A
Grant Williams TE	Louisville, KY	Ballard HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	–	Nov 19, 2008
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 116   Rivals: 69
‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Akron Commit List for 2009". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 20, 2009. "Scout.com: Football Recruiting". Scout.com. Retrieved August 20, 2009. "Akron Football Recruiting 2009". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 20, 2009. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved August 20, 2009. "2009 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 20, 2009.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 5	Noon	at No. 8 Penn State*	Beaver Stadium University Park, Pennsylvania	BTN	L 7–31	104,968^[6]
September 12	2:00 p.m.	Morgan State*	InfoCision Stadium Akron, Ohio		W 41–0	27,881^[7]
September 19	3:30 p.m.	Indiana*	InfoCision Stadium Akron, Ohio	ESPNU	L 21–38	18,340^[8]
September 26	4:00 p.m.	at Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium Mt. Pleasant, Michigan	Fox Sports Ohio	L 21–48	20,032^[9]
October 10	6:00 p.m.	Ohio	InfoCision Stadium Akron, Ohio		L 7–19	16,381^[10]
October 17	3:30 p.m.	at Buffalo	UB Stadium Buffalo, New York	Fox Sports Ohio	L 17–21	13,750^[11]
October 24	3:30 p.m.	at Syracuse*	Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York		L 14–28	36,991^[12]
October 31	Noon	at Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, Illinois	ESPN GamePlan	L 10–27	10,148^[13]
November 7	3:30 p.m.	Kent State	InfoCision Stadium Akron, Ohio (Battle for the Wagon Wheel)	Fox Sports Ohio	W 28–20	20,802^[14]
November 13	8:30 p.m.	Temple	InfoCision Stadium Akron, Ohio	ESPNU	L 17–56	10,927^[15]
November 20	5:30 p.m.	at Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium Bowling Green, Ohio	ESPNU	L 20–36	9,163^[16]
November 27	2:00 p.m.	Eastern Michigan	InfoCision Stadium Akron, Ohio	ESPNU/ESPN360	W 28–21	9,962^[17]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

^[18]

Roster

The Zips lost relatively few starters from the 2008 football season.^[19] However, the starters that they did lose include lettermen Dennis Kennedy and Chris Kemme, the latter of which signed for the Detroit Lions after the 2009 NFL Draft.^[20] On the defensive side, Akron lost all three linebackers to graduation, and Strong Safety/Kickoff Returner Bryan Williams signed a free agency deal with the Cleveland Browns.^[21]

As of 2009-08-17^[22]
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 19 Kevin Montgomery-   Freshman Running backs 3 Dale Martin – Sophomore 4 DeVoe Torrence –   Freshman 10 Alex Allen – Senior 13 Samuel Bullock- " Junior" 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.

See also: American football positions

Coaching staff

The Zips made hired three new coaches for the 2009 football season. Shane Montgomery was the head coach of the Miami Redhawks for the past four seasons, and moved over to serve as Akron's offensive coordinator and tight ends coach.^[23] 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 is best known for being the head coach of Pitt from 1997 to 2004 and Stanford in 2005 and 2006. A week later, Akron announced the hiring of new Linebackers coach Vince Okruch.^[24]

Name	Position	Year at school
J.D. Brookhart	Head coach	6th
Walt Harris	Asst. head coach Pass game coordinator Quarterbacks coach	1st
Jim Fleming	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^[25]	Recruiting coordinator Running backs coach	6th
Emmanuel McDaniel	Cornerbacks coach	3rd
Mauro Monz	Wide receivers coach	4th
Vince Okruch	Linebackers coach	1st

Game summaries

Penn State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Zips	0	0	7	0	7
#8 Nittany Lions	14	17	0	0	31

Ninth-ranked Penn State 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, 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.^[26]

Morgan State

 

A parachuter descends with American flag in tow onto the surface of Summa Field as part of the opening day festivities.

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	0	0	0	0	0
Zips	7	17	10	7	41

The Zips opened Summa Field at InfoCision Stadium 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.^[27] 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.^[28]

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.^[29] 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.^[30] Despite the 250 yards rushing, no running back individually rushed for 100 yards, because six different backs were used.^[28]

Indiana

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hoosiers	10	7	7	14	38
Zips	7	7	0	7	21

The game marked the second meeting between the two teams, the first being in the 2007 season at Indiana's Memorial Stadium where the Hoosiers won 41–24.^[27] Indiana faced Akron in their third game of the season and first road game after defeating Eastern Kentucky and Western Michigan at home. This was also the first time a team from the Big Ten Conference had played in Akron.^[31] 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.^[32]

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.^[33] For Akron, new starting quarterback Matt Rodgers, 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.^[34] The Zips were able to score touchdowns on a blocked punt early in the game as well as a Rodgers rushing touchdown.

Central Michigan

	1	2	3	4	Total
Zips	0	7	7	7	21
Chippewas	13	21	7	7	48

Akron began the MAC schedule with an away game against Central Michigan, their first meeting since a 35–32 Central Michigan victory at the Rubber Bowl in 2007.^[27] 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.^[35] The next day, the university announced that sophomore Cowles Stewart had been suspended from the team after he was charged with felonious assault^[36] 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.^[37]

Central Michigan Quarterback Dan LeFevour 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.^[38] Matt Rogers achieved a pass efficiency of 120 with no interceptions. He completed 12 of his 19 passes for a total of 127 yards.^[39] 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.^[27]

Ohio

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bobcats	3	0	7	9	19
Zips	0	0	7	0	7

After an off-week during the season, the Zips awaited their next MAC Opponent, Ohio University. Overall, the series between these two schools are tied, 12–12–1, with the last game a 49–42 loss in Athens.^[27] 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.^[40] This resignation comes amidst an internal investigation by the university regarding recruiting violations.

 

Akron Zips line up against the Ohio Bobcats in a football game at InfoCision Stadium.

The woes only got worse once the game started for Akron. During the second quarter, starting quarterback Matt Rodgers suffered an ACL injury and was removed for the rest of the game, possibly the rest of the season.^[41] 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 attempt failed).

Buffalo

	1	2	3	4	Total
Zips	0	7	0	10	17
Bulls	0	7	7	7	21

Akron began a three-game road series with a trip to UB Stadium to face the Buffalo Bulls. 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.^[42] That was the last game in the historic Rubber Bowl, 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.^[43]

Akron began the scoring in the second quarter when Mike Ward recovered a Patrick Nicely fumble in the endzone.^[44] 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.^[45] Both players will not return this season.^[46] 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.^[47]

Syracuse

	1	2	3	4	Total
Zips	7	0	7	0	14
Orange	0	14	7	7	28

In the middle of the season, the Zips took a break from Mid-American Conference opponents and traveled to Syracuse, New York, to take on the Syracuse Orange. The series between these two teams only began last season, as Akron traveled to the Carrier Dome and came out with a victory, 42–28.^[48] This victory was seen as an upset by many journalists, although the Orange finished the season 3–9 and finished last in the Big East Conference.^[49] 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.^[50] Early in the second quarter, Syracuse got its first score from running back Delone Carter 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.^[51]

Northern Illinois

	1	2	3	4	Total
Zips	0	0	10	0	10
Huskies	3	3	0	21	27

With hopes of playing in a bowl game all but lost, the Zips traveled to Northern Illinois University to take on the MAC West Huskies. The Zips have faced the Huskies a total of nine times, including the 2005 MAC Championship Game on Ford Field. Northern Illinois leads the overall series 5–4, although Akron has won the last two meetings.^[52] 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 connected with Domenik Hixon for a 36-yard touchdown pass to give the Zips a 31–30 victory.^[53] 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, starting quarterback Chandler Harnish was sent off of the field with a knee injury. This forced the team to start their backup, DeMarcus Grady, for the Miami and Akron games.^[54] 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.^[55]

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.^[56]

Kent State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Flashes	3	10	0	7	20
Zips	7	7	7	7	28

Every year, The University of Akron and Kent State University 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.^[57] 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.^[58]

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.^[59] 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 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.^[60] 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

	1	2	3	4	Total
Owls	14	21	7	14	56
Zips	17	0	0	0	17

Bowling Green

	1	2	3	4	Total
Zips	3	7	3	7	20
Falcons	7	2	14	13	36

Eastern Michigan

	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	7	7	0	7	21
Zips	14	7	7	0	28

Statistics

Team

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

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

1 2 3 4 Total Akron 62 59 65 45 231 Opponents 74 109 56 106 345

Offense

Rushing

Name	GP-GS	Att	Gain	Loss	Net	Avg	TD	Long	Avg/G
Joe Tuzze	9–4	55	251	7	244	4.4	2	17	27.1
Broderick Alexander	5–3	59	217	19	198	3.4	0	22	39.6
Alex Allen	12–2	59	216	28	188	3.2	5	22	15.7
Dale Martin	8–0	25	167	0	167	6.7	0	22	20.9
Matt Rodgers	5–3	40	226	70	156	3.9	3	28	31.2
DeVoe Torrence	7–3	30	160	14	146	4.9	0	31	20.9
Dashan Miller	12–10	8	110	2	108	13.5	1	29	9
Norman Shuford	8–2	28	69	12	57	2	0	10	7.1
Nate Burney	5–0	14	52	5	47	3.4	0	13	9.4
Patrick Nicely	8–7	42	149	103	46	1.1	0	29	5.8
Andre Jones	12–9	6	34	0	34	5.7	1	18	2.8
Jeremy Bruce	12–5	8	38	5	33	4.1	0	9	2.8
Chris Jacquemain	2–2	10	27	11	16	1.6	0	8	8
LeVon Morefield	5–0	2	8	0	8	4	0	7	1.6
Jared Wackerly	3–0	1	2	0	2	2	0	2	0.7
Mike Ward	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
Patrick Nicely	8–7	108.61	120–222–6	54.1	1349	6	59	168.6
Matt Rodgers	5–3	93.22	39–69–6	56.5	405	1	49	81.0
Chris Jacquemain	2–2	145.64	26–44–1	59.1	320	4	40	160.0
Jared Wackerly	3–0	140.48	4–5–0	80.0	36	0	16	12.0
Alex Allen	12–2	1102.00	1–1–0	100.0	80	1	80	6.7
Andre Jones	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
Jeremy LaFrance	12–12	43	520	12.1	2	59	43.3
Andre Jones	12–9	33	553	16.8	4	80	46.1
Jeremy Bruce	12–5	29	219	7.6	1	20	18.2
Deryn Bowser	6–6	21	307	14.6	5	49	51.2
Dashan Miller	12–10	16	257	16.1	0	27	21.4
Dale Martin	8–0	8	37	4.6	0	12	4.6
Alex Allen	12–2	6	40	6.7	0	13	3.3
Anthony Meriwether	12–1	5	67	13.4	0	36	5.6
Nadir Brown	9–1	5	64	12.8	0	34	7.1
Nate Burney	5–0	5	40	8	0	12	8
Joe Tuzze	9–4	5	29	5.8	0	11	3.2
DeVoe Torrence	7–3	5	8	1.6	0	4	1.1
Kyle Weber	12–4	4	26	6.5	0	13	2.2
Norman Shuford	8–2	2	17	8.5	0	15	2.1
Broderick Alexander	5–3	2	3	1.5	0	2	0.6
Curtis Brown	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
Brian Wagner	12	72	60	132	7.0–18	1.0–4	3	2	2–33	16.5	1	32	2–0	2	—
Mike Thomas	12	39	32	71	2.5–6	—	6	—	2–0	0	0	0	1–0	—	—
Jalil Carter	12	35	23	58	3.0–14	0.5–3	3	—	1–11	11	0	11	—	1	1
Almondo Sewell	12	29	24	53	5.5–11	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1
Miguel Graham	12	38	14	52	1.5–3	—	12	—	3–62	20.7	1	62	1–0	—	—
Hasan Hazime	12	29	20	49	8.0–24	3.0–15	2	1	—	—	—	—	—	1	1
Wayne Cobham	11	25	24	49	1.5–7	—	1	—	2–24	12	0	24	—	—	—
Manley Waller	11	34	13	47	1.5–2	—	6	—	3–50	16.7	0	37	—	1	—
Sean Fobbs	12	20	21	41	6.0–22	1.0–10	—	1	—	—	—	—	1–0	—	—
Aaron Williams	6	18	16	34	4.0–9	—	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Tyler Campbell	11	21	10	31	0.5–0	—	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	—
Will Fleming	11	12	14	26	1.0–1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Shawn Lemon	11	14	10	24	6.5–25	3.0–15	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	—
James Harvey	11	10	13	23	4.0–8	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Andre Jones	12	10	11	21	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Marcus Lemon	11	10	9	19	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	2	—
Amin Kabir	10	12	6	18	—	—	—	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Deni Odofin	12	5	10	15	6.0–22	1.5–11	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Dan Marcoux	12	8	7	15	1.0–5	1.0–5	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Kevin Davis	8	5	8	13	1.5–2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Marvase Byrd	12	9	4	13	—	—	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Josh Richmond	12	6	3	9	1.0–1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Matt Little	10	6	3	9	2.0–4	—	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Antoine Jones	11	1	5	6	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Doug Richardson	10	1	5	6	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Troy Gilmer	7	2	4	6	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Jared Province	4	4	1	5	1.0–2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	—
Joe Tuzze	9	—	4	4	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Diamond Weaver	2	1	1	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Joe Rash	3	1	1	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Matt Rodgers	5	2	—	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Jeremy Lafrance	12	2	—	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
DeVoe Torrence	7	1	—	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Patrick Nicely	8	1	—	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Branko Rogovic	12	1	—	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Mike Ward	12	1	—	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Al-Teric Balaam	1	—	1	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Adam Bice	10	1	—	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Corey Woods	12	1	—	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Jake Anderson	12	1	—	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Adam Steiner	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
John Stec	32	1168	36.5	49	3	10	4	0	—	—	—	—	—
Zack Campbell	27	1034	38.3	76	2	2	3	0	1	47	47	0	0
T.J. Marchese	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	38	38	0	0
Branko Rogovic	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	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
Jeremy Bruce	9	24	2.7	0	13	—	—	—	—	—
Jeremy Lafrance	4	22	5.5	0	11	3	86	28.7	0	38
Andre Jones	4	18	4.5	0	7	3	59	19.7	0	27
Diamond Weaver	1	20	20	0	20	—	—	—	—	—
Jalil Carter	1	38	38	0	0	13	246	18.9	0	42
Aaron Williams	0	0	0	1	0	—	—	—	—	—
Dashan Miller	—	—	—	—	—	31	798	25.7	1	98
Broderick Alexander	—	—	—	—	—	1	6	6	0	6
Joe Tuzze	—	—	—	—	—	1	4	4	0	4
Doug Richardson	—	—	—	—	—	1	−2	−2	0	0
Tyler Campbell	—	—	—	—	—	1	6	6	0	6
Jared Province	—	—	—	—	—	1	8	8	0	8
Total	19	122	6.4	1	20	55	1211	22.0	1	98

References

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