A Zips perspective from a University of Akron student, fan and sports journalist.

Football

I have anticipated this game for two years. No exaggeration.

The last time the Wagon Wheel game was played in Akron, the teams met at the Rubber Bowl. Ever since then, I have wondered how cool it will be for the teams to meet on the University of Akron's campus at a brand new stadium.

Well, it won't be quite as cool as I originally hoped because of the Zips' 1-7 record. The team does, however, have a chance to keep its rivals out of MAC East contention. And that appears to be the team's mantra this week: Spoil Kent State's hopes for the division title.

Holding their jobs for six years, J.D. Brookhart and Doug Martin are the longest tenured coaches in the MAC. Brookhart's record is slightly better, but the teams have always seemed to peak at different times.

As a Zips fan, I don't think I will ever forget the 2006 matchup. In that year, Akron was the hot-shot favorite to win the MAC and it had just knocked off N.C. State. Kent State dusted them up at Dix Stadium, 37-15.

Now the roles are reversed. Akron is the hapless bunch riding a six-game stink wave. Kent State has as much momentum as the program has seen under Martin. The Flashes sit at 4-1 in the MAC and control their own destiny for a trip to the MAC Championship.

Despite the discrepancy in records and momentum, you will find that these teams are quite similar.

The most obvious similarity is that both teams will rely on a teenage quarterback. Spencer Keith and Patrick Nicely are true freshmen — highly touted — but still learning. This will likely be the first of four duels between them.

Both teams start young running backs — freshman DeVoe Torrence and sophomore Jacquise Terry. Both teams have sturdy defenses that, at times, have been let down by an offense that struggled to carry its weight.

But Kent State has gotten better results. The main difference between Akron's 0-4 MAC record and Kent State's 4-1 record is that the Flashes average about 60 more yards of offense per game. Another huge discrepancy is sacks per game. Kent State leads the MAC with 3.33; Akron is last with 0.75. The leader of Kent's pass rush is lineman Monte Simmons.

News and notes…

Tom Gaffney detailed the backgrounds of both young quarterbacks.

The Zips are between 3.5- and four-point underdogs. The over-under is 43.

Here is what I wrote about the game on July 9, when 82 percent of readers believed Akron would win.

Here are the MAC Roundtable answers for this week.

The Plain Dealer's Elton Alexander added some fun facts, such as that Akron/Kent State is the fifth-closest rivalry in college football.

Prediction…

It's fair to say that Keith is ahead of Nicely at this stage of their development. But with Nicely's poise and strong arm, it feels like he could break out with a 300-yard game at any moment.

Like every Akron-Kent State matchup, though, this one will come down to turnovers. The Zips must limit their fumbling. If they do, I think they will squeak out a narrow win.

Kent State 17, Akron 20

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Football

Happy anniversary.

It was one year ago today when Akron last triumphed over a fellow Division I-A team. The Zips beat Toledo 47-30 at the Rubber Bowl on Nov. 5, 2008.

So we have gone an entire year without Akron achieving anything meaningful.

Just like Lloyd Christmas' swap of a dogmobile for a moped, however, Akron has a chance to "totally redeem" itself on Saturday against Kent State. In my opinion, a win over the archrival is worth five over the directional Michigans of the world.

The stakes are not so high for the Zips, whose season has slumped over thanks to a six-game losing streak. For Kent State, though, this game is big. So big, in fact, that coach Doug Martin is downplaying the rivalry aspect, hoping not to divert his team. After three straight conference wins, the Flashes sit in second place in the MAC East, with the ultra-important ability to control their own destiny.

What better anniversary gift could J.D. Brookhart and the Zips present to fans than a soul-crushing upset against the hated rival? None, I say.

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Football

The banged-up Zips fell again today, getting plowed by the strong rushing attack of Northern Illinois.

Despite a final score of 27-10, Akron held a 10-6 lead heading to the fourth quarter. Northern Illinois packed the scoreboard with 21 points from there.

NIU outgained Akron in rushing yards 275 to 31 in a game where DeVoe Torrence did not play and Akron stripped the redshirt off Broderick Alexander.

The play of the game for Akron was when Alex Allen took a handoff and threw a pass to Andre Jones for an 80-yard touchdown. Hasan Hazime also blocked NIU's first field goal attempt of the game.

Mostly, the game was what I expected, except for the play of Patrick Nicely, who only completed 11-of-27 passes for 124 yards. Without a running game, though, it's hard to do much of anything through the air.

Akron will next embark on "Mission: Salvage the Season." Kent State visits InfoCision Stadium on Saturday for a 3:30 kickoff. If the Zips lose this rivalry game, 2009 will be a failure of Biblical proportions.

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Football

I was in DeKalb, Ill., the last time Akron traveled there to face the Huskies.

Garrett Wolfe trampled all over Charlie Frye's Zips for a 49-19 beatdown. The following year, Akron paid the Huskies back ten-fold with a last-second Luke Getsy-to-Domenik Hixon miracle Hail Mary for the MAC Championship.

The Huskies have been longing for a MAC crown since. Akron, meanwhile, went from Cinderella to cellar-dwellers.

As I said in an interview with NPR this week, Akron has a horrible record, but I would never count the team out from week to week. With a youthful, hungry core, the Zips are still a dangerous team.

Just not consistently dangerous. NIU isn't particularly consistent, either. But Jerry Kill's team has been better on its worst day this season than Akron on its best.

NIU wins its games in the trenches. It has averaged about 80 yards more per game in rushing yards than its opponents. Me'co Brown and Chad Spann have comprised a two-man run attack that is certainly the MAC's strongest. Both average 5.3 yards per carry. The run defense, meanwhile, held Miami to a negative 13 rush yards last week.

The other side of the coin is that the Huskies' pass offense and pass defense are among the MAC's least productive. Starter Chandler Harnish is questionable for Saturday's noon kickoff with a knee injury. The other option is an athletic sophomore DeMarcus Grady. The pass defense, meanwhile, gave up 348 passing yards to Miami last week.

News and notes…

Akron is a 12-point underdog. The over-under is 42. (The line for the 2005 MAC Championship, by the way, was NIU minus 14.)

Here is Tom Gaffney's preview for the ABJ.

Here is another good game breakdown from the Aurora Beacon-News.

Kill told the college newspaper at NIU that his team will have to throw more than 10 times to beat Akron. Grady only made 10 pass attempts last week against Miami.

Here is what I wrote about the game on July 3, when 68 percent of readers said Akron would win.

Dashan Miller was this week's MAC East Special Teams Player of the Week for his 191 yards worth of kickoff return against Syracuse.

Prediction

If Miami can throw for 348 yards, then so can Patrick Nicely. This could be his welcome-to-the-spotlight party. To me, this game comes down to whether Akron can keep up the scoring through the air. A mistake-free game from Nicely will put the Zips in position to win.

Akron 21, Northern Illinois 24

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