Men's basketball

Returning to the form of last season, Humpty Hitchens found a rhythm in the second half of today's game against Drake, scoring 17 points and dishing an assist to Darryl Roberts for the game-sealing jumpshot.

Akron won its first game of the season against Drake, 63-59.

The Bulldogs led by as many as nine in the second half before the Zips went on a 10-0 run. Neither team led by more than four the rest of the game.

Akron will conclude the Glenn Wilkes Classic in Daytona Beach, Fla., with an 11 a.m. game against Howard tomorrow.

Football

If you look at the stats from last night's game, it's hard to see how Bowling Green won by 16.

Two plays come to mind. First, Dale Martin's fumble on the Bowling Green 12-yard line. Second, the attempted onside kick that the Falcons returned for a touchdown.

Aside from that, Akron and Bowling Green each had 21 first downs. The Falcons held a slight edge in total yardage: 474 to 430.

This was far from the beatdown I envisioned. Akron hung in there, exchanged blows with a strong offense, but Bowling Green scored 28 points within a 13-minute span.

The most obvious positive from this game was the play of Patrick Nicely. Folks, you're watching a talented kid learn his trade and make progress every week. You can tell his timing is improving. His accuracy is getting better. And from Day One, he has possessed the poise to stay in the pocket and be patient for his receivers to open up.

Also look at Brian Wagner, who tallied another 15 tackles. He is the next in the line of great Akron linebackers, going back to Jay Rohr, John Mackey and Kevin Grant.

Broderick Alexander showed great bursts of speed at times. He reminds me of a young Alex Allen. A string of injuries is all that has kept Allen from his all-conference potential during his career. We also saw some good things from Nadir Brown and Anthony Meriwether at receiver.

This is not a team devoid of talent. Nor is it a team without experience. Perhaps what the team lacks is experienced talent — or senior leadership.

Next week, Akron will finish the season against Eastern Michigan. Is there a difference between 2-10 and 3-9? Not really. Is there a reason for the casual fan to attend? Not really. If there is some solace in a bad season, however, it's neat to see the next generation of Zips fight their way to the top of the depth chart and learn what it takes to be an elite college athlete.

I think there are several on the roster.

Football

Akron moved the ball, but a couple costly mistakes and an inability to stop Tyler Sheehan's passing attack led to a 36-20 Bowling Green win.

With tonight's loss, Akron's record is 2-9. I'll have more on the game tomorrow.

Men's basketball

N.C. State shot 65 percent in the Wolfpac's 66-45 win over Akron, which shot only 31 percent from the field.

Humpty Hitchens led Akron with 10 points. Zeke Marshall was 1-for-6 from the field, scoring two and grabbing four rebounds.

The Zips play again Saturday at 1:15 p.m. as the Glenn Wilkes Classic from Daytona Beach, Fla., continues.

Football

At the beginning of this season, a lot of Zips fans believed that Akron would be in the position that Bowling Green presently occupies: pretty close to .500 with two games left, having a good chance to sneak to the top of the division and/or play in a bowl.

Like Akron, the Falcons started the year 1-4. They turned the season around by winning five of their next six. Coach Dave Clawson said an interesting quote, which almost sounds as if it was directed at Akron: "When you start out a season 1-4, if you don't have good senior leadership that can quickly become 1-5, 1-6, 1-7."

The Zips sit at 2-8. Is it senior leadership? Akron certainly had plenty of seniors on offense, where the bulk of this season's problems arose. Would things have been different if Chris Jacquemain wasn't kicked off the team? I really don't have the answer.

Regardless, the Zips face an explosive offense this evening. Bowling Green averages about 35 more passing yards than anyone else in the MAC.

Freddie Barnes and Tyler Sheehan should both be candidates for MAC Player of the Year. Barnes is leading the nation in receptions — and it's not even close. Sheehan is passing for about 50 yards more than anyone else in the conference.

The way to beat Bowling Green is on the ground. The Falcons surrender an average of 130 yards more on the ground running than they accumulate. Their pass defense, however, is pretty good.

News and notes…

Tom Gaffney's preview talks about how Barnes and Sheehan developed their connection.

The Falcons are 10.5-point favorites.

Here is what I wrote about Bowling Green on July 29, when 67 percent of readers thought Akron would win.

Prediction…

This is the easiest prediction all year. Bowling Green is an awful matchup for the Zips. The running game is not what it needs to be to take advantage of the Falcons' only weakness. Can Miguel Graham keep up with Barnes? Maybe for a quarter, but this game will turn south quickly.

Akron 13, Bowling Green 47

Football

Below are my answers from this week's MAC blogger roundtable. I will preview the game against Bowling Green on Friday…

1) Do you like the MAC's current bowl setup, where the bowls get to pick, rather than a 1 goes to A, 2 to B, etc? How would you change that, if you could?

At this level, it makes sense for the bowls to pick, because the bowls will mostly consider the fans. If this was the Big Ten, we wouldn't want the bowls to pick on the whim of which team could draw the best attendance. But let's be honest, MAC bowl games are about the players and fans, not national rankings. If the MAC ever gets a Boise State or TCU, the situation will work itself out.

2) Recognizing that probably no one will be fired this year, who do you think will be the NEXT coach in the MAC to get a pink slip?

I would argue that question is based on a faulty premise. Even supporters of J.D. Brookhart would say they'd be surprised if Akron's coach was permitted to stay on during the final year of his contract. I don't like to speculate on coaches being fired. Brookhart has a family. He has devoted a lot to this school. It just hasn't worked out. You can't have four-straight years of losing records, especially with the MAC's best facilities. As far as the rest of the MAC goes, no other coach is within two years of firing. Doug Martin of Kent State consistently keeps his extremities near the bandsaw. I'm not sold on him, but the Flashes are doing well this year.

3) What do you think can be done, if anything, to get the MAC more bowl tie-ins?

I think the current bowl set up is fine. For the most part, it allows each deserving MAC team to participate in the postseason. If you want to get more tie-ins, each university can pitch to their biggest corporate donor a plan to have a bowl named after them, with the requirement that the MAC gets a tie-in.

4) Who do you like in the MAC's only pick-'em game of this week, NIU at Ohio, and why?

I like Northern Illinois. Ohio did not impress me when I saw the Bobcats come to Akron. I'll take the Huskies by a field goal.

Men's soccer

Akron will only play games in one or two cities for the remainder of the season. Thanks to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Zips will host all games until the Final Four, where the venue shifts to Cary, N.C.

As Caleb Porter put it, Akron put itself in the best possible position heading into the 48-team tournament, which gives Akron a first-round bye and potentially three home games before heading to 2009 College Cup.

The first opponent will either be Stetson or South Florida on Sunday at 4 p.m. at Lee Jackson Field. South Florida knocked Akron out of the 2007 NCAA Tournament, but the Zips beat the Bulls 3-1 in an exhibition game this season.

Football

Here is what J.D. Brookhart had to say in his weekly press conference.

Football

Another week. Another beatdown.

Akron started with a loud burst of energy, which eventually dwindled to a soft hum. Any team can come out of the locker room with adrenaline and make noise. It is the disciplined, smart team, however, that sustains the momentum and plays for four quarters.

As a result, Temple scored 49 unanswered points. I don't think you'll ever see such a statistic in a game between two MAC teams.

Despite all of that, Patrick Nicely looked very sharp in the first half. I love the velocity at which he delivers the ball. Arms like Nicely's are rare. His accuracy has improved each week. It's such a relief that we don't have to worry about a quarterback for the next three years.

Overall, the offense and special teams made big mistakes. Temple took advantage by marching over the Zips defense, which had become demoralized. Before you knew it, a 17-7 lead turned into a 56-17 blowout.

This season has been disappointing. But until yesterday, I always saw the players fighting hard. Last night, I didn't see that. On Temple's extra point attempt before the half, Akron's line barely came out of their stance to contest the kick.

It doesn't matter if there is one year or five years on J.D. Brookhart's contract. When you invest $60 million into a facility that only one team will use (for the most part), you better go the extra mile and pay an extra $400,000 to get a coach with a track record of success. I hope that is one thing the board of trustees realizes.

We knew that attendance would be better this year. Most people understand that winning games is what puts butts in the seats in November, when the weather normally sours. Akron has had great luck with fantastic weather every week. Everything has been in place for a packed InfoCision Stadium except for the product on the field.

We are in our fourth consecutive season of a losing record. Every year, there have been injuries, adversity and a realm of other excuses. I buy Brookhart's excuses. Like I said, however, excuses can pass for a year or two. Eventually, the accountability falls on the coach, who serves as lead scout, general manager, head strategist, chief motivator, manager of personnel and sometimes the play caller.

Akron plays two more games this season — the season that seems like it will never end. Next week, the Zips are at Bowling Green. The Falcons do through the air what Temple does on the ground. The Tyler Sheehan-to-Freddie Barnes combination might be the nation's most productive.

Then Akron finishes the year at home against Eastern Michigan. It will be two of FBS's worst teams playing on a Friday at 2 p.m. in late November. If actual attendance breaks 5,000, I will be surprised. Go Zips.

Men's basketball

Humpty Hitchens was named an honorable mention All-American for mid-major schools, according to CollegeInsider.com.

Rodney Pierce of Buffalo, David Kool of Western Michigan and Jarrod Jones of Ball State are on the list as All-Americans. (I am looking forward to the Jones vs. Zeke Marshall matchup.)

The Zips will begin the regular season tomorrow vs. Austin Peay at 2 p.m. I will liveblog from Rhodes Arena.

Football

I have been getting numerous text messages from my friend who works in Kent State's athletic department. He wants to know what I think is going to happen tonight. How many points will the Zips score? Can they stop or limit Bernard Pierce?

Indeed, although Akron is miles from contention, the Zips' final games will have an impact on who plays in Detroit. Last week, Akron soiled Kent State's ability to control its own destiny. Tonight, the Zips have a chance to bring Temple back to the pack, which will make Ohio, Bowling Green and Kent State very pleased.

The Owls are undefeated in the MAC, however. This is mostly due to a shocking amount of output from Pierce, their freshman running back who leads the MAC in rushing by more than 40 yards. Pierce averages an unbelievable 134.6 yards per game, which is third in the nation.

And then you have the Temple defense, which gives up the second-fewest yards in the MAC. The Owls have a tough, physical front seven. Defensive end Adrian Robinson leads the conference with nine sacks.

News and notes…

Here are responses from the other MAC bloggers on the Roundtable.

Temple is favored by between 3.5 and 5 points. The over-under is between 44 and 45.5.

Phil Sheridan of the Philadelphia Inquirer chronicled Temple's season, which started with a loss to Villanova. The Owls picked up a little confidence in their loss at Penn State. They haven't lost since.

Here is Tom Gaffney's preview.

Prediction

It will take a lot of things to go right for Akron to win. First, the Zips' offensive line has to repeat its performance from last Saturday. There is little chance that the Zips be successful in running the ball, but their goal should be to not make the running game a significant weakness. The offensive line must give Patrick Nicely a chance to deliver the ball, as well.

When Temple has the ball, Akron must stack the box. Pierce will get his 150 yards, but the Zips can keep that total in check by bringing the safeties closer to the line of scrimmage and relying on single coverage in the backfield.

All in all, this is one of the few teams in the MAC that I am convinced has more talent than the Zips (Central Michigan and Northern Illinois being the others). For the Zips to win, it will be a major upset. I don't see it happening.

Temple 31, Akron 17

Football

I asked Dave at The Owls Nest a few questions about Temple. Here are his answers…

1) What is your reaction to Bernard Pierce's amazing season? Can you describe how he runs?

After seeing some highlights films of Pierce prior to arriving at Temple, many Temple fans knew this kid had potential. He was a powerful, well-built back coming out of high school. I expected sophomores Kee-ayre Griffin and Ahkeem Smith to take over the running back position for the 2009 season. To be honest, I'm not sure many expected to see the results that Bernard has shown so far. I really wish we would have seen him more against Villanova and Penn State. Who knows where we could be now with him starting the beginning of the season.

2) Who are the impact players on Temple's defense?

Temple's defense is made up of many impact players. For one, the defensive line has played extremely well when defending the run these past few weeks. Senior Andre Neblett, sophomore Muhammad Wilkerson, and sophomore Adrian Robinson have played extremely well getting to the quarterback more than ever on the d-line. At linebacker, Alex Joseph and Peanut Joseph (no relation) have been quite impressive this season. In the secondary, both safeties Dominique Harris and Jaiquawn Jarrett have made great strides towards improvement since last year.

3) What is your prediction for Friday?

For both teams, there's no calling for an "easy win". This game will be hard fought, as Akron in my opinion has the ability to take out any quality MAC team. This is definitely going to be a down to the wire game, with both teams firing back and forth.

Click here to read my responses to his questions.

Football

Here are my responses to this week's questions…

1) There are several mid week MAC games this week, with only one game being played on Saturday. Which game are you most looking forward to watching or has the most interesting matchup? OU @ Buffalo (Tuesday). Toledo @ CMU (Wednesday). BGSU @ Miami (Thursday). Ball State @ NIU ( Thursday). Temple @ Akron (Friday). WMU @ EMU (Saturday).

Ohio and Temple are facing trap games at Buffalo and Akron, respectively. I don't expect the West games to be tumultuous.

2) Bernard Pierce of Temple is only a Freshmen yet is the only one in the conference with over 1,000 yards rushing to date (1,211) good for 3rd in the nation. He has found the end zone 14 times already and has not yet fumbled or turned the ball over. Does Pierce have an amazing offense line or should we expect this from him for 2-3 more years?

I haven't seen Pierce in person. I look forward to it on Friday. The scenario reminds me of when Jamario Thomas of North Texas led the nation in rushing in 2004 with 1,801 yards. His next three years of production combined did not match that freshman year. Pierce can turn out to be the best running back in the history of the conference, but nothing is certain.

3) This is a sore subject for some teams (IE – Buffalo, Toledo) but discuss the major injuries your team has endured this season and what your projected outcome WOULD HAVE BEEN if everyone was healthy. We expect 100% homerism.

Akron might have an extra win without injuries to a linebacker and top receiver. It also lost the second-string quarterback, but that allowed a talented true freshman to improve a lot in the last month.

4) Outside of the MAC, which other college program(s) most closely mirrors your respective MAC school ? Who's performance / problems / coaching / etc. is similar ?

I would have to discuss the NFL's Browns to find a comparable disappointment. It all went south within about seven days. The starting quarterback got kicked off the team. A coach was investigated for recruiting violations, and he resigned. Another player was arrested for assault. The team lost two games by a combined 44 points. The team's biggest donor had a serious heart problem. It was just one thing after another. It snowballed into a six-game losing streak that (graciously) ended Saturday against Kent State. … Only in Cleveland (or Akron).

5) If you could reorganize the MAC divisions, how would you see it divided to better promote competition, rivalries, recruiting, etc. ? What groupings would you like to see ? (Can be any number of divisions)

Football has a great thing going in the West division. Basketball is strong in the East. I wouldn't change anything, except maybe adding another football team to make scheduling a little easier.

Football

I tell you what, beating Kent State cleansed most of the bad taste from my mouth. Is it going to give Akron a chance at bowl eligibilty? No. Will it save J.D. Brookhart's job? Probably not.

But for one evening, it was good to root for the Zips. With perfect weather and a great effort by the players, it's the kind of evening that Akron fans envisioned when InfoCision Stadium was being built.

Here are the grades…

Quarterback – Last night, we saw two players who will be stars in the MAC East for the next three years. Spencer Keith and Patrick Nicely looked like poised gunslingers, not green teenagers. Akron and Kent have serious assets with these two. Nicely played the game I expected. He completed 19-of-34 passes with two touchdowns, one interception and 261 yards. Watching his development has made this season entertaining, despite the negative aspects. Grade: A-

Running back — Eight players took carries for Akron. The most impressive, at times, was Broderick Alexander. You can tell Alexander has talent, but he needs to play without fear. The times when he takes the ball and goes, you can see he's going to be a great runner. The times when he hesistates after the handoff, you are sure to see Akron take a loss on the play. Joe Tuzze and Dashan Miller showed bursts of effectively used energy on their opportunities. I like using Andre Jones in the Wildcat formation, too. Grade: B+

Receiver – Jeremy LaFrance scored two touchdowns with 126 yards. Jones caught six passes for 93 yards. If Deryn Bowser was healthy, this would be a phenomenal receiver tandem — the one we thought we would have in the preseason. Grade: A

Offensive line — Do you want to know the difference between this week and the previous eight? The offensive line played well. It kept Nicely from getting sacked. It opened big holes, particularly in the second half. If you don't win in the trenches, you will struggle to score. This is Akron's first victory in the trenches in a long time. Grade: A

Defensive line — Deni Odofin and Hasan Hazime combined for three tackles for loss. Hazime showed a new violent side, which I liked. You can't overstate the importance of holding Kent to 1.8 yards per carry. It put a tremendous burden on the Flashes' true freshman quarterback. Grade: A-

Linebacker – Brian Wagner continued his All-MAC season with 15 tackles, including two for loss. Mike Thomas made an interception. The whole corps did a great job filling gaps and stifling Kent State's running game. Grade: A

Secondary – It's true that Keith threw for 377 yards, but he also had 59 attempts to do it. I thought the Zips secondary did a fine job, particularly Jalil Carter, who made a few punishing tackles. Wayne Cobham and Manley Waller grabbed interceptions. Miguel Graham broke up six passes, which is a huge total. Grade: B

Special teams — Zack Campbell has turned out to be a fine punter. He pinned Kent State inside the 20-yard line twice. On the other hand, I think it's time to officially announce a problem at place kicker. Branko Rogovic missed a 27-yarder. Grade: C+

Coaching – It pains me to read how Brookhart talks about the team "not quitting." The upside is that it's true. They really have not given up on this season, despite a long losing streak, suspensions and injuries. The Zips have beaten Kent State three-straight times, and Brookhart is 5-1 against the rival team. At some schools, beating the rival is all you really need to continue as coach. I think that, combined with strong finish to the season, might (might) be enough to keep Brookhart. Right now, it's an easy decision. The team is 2-7 and has underachieved. But if it finishes the year on a four-game winning streak and has a young, improving offense, it will give Tom Wistrcill a tough decision. Grade: A

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