catdaddyp

I don’t have much to say about this game, so I’m mostly going to speak in general terms. It was pretty clear that WMU is one of the most physical teams in the conference and has more depth than we do. They may be the best team we’ve played outside of the power conference opponents. About the only way to beat this year’s WMU squad is to get ahead early and force them to throw the ball. Otherwise, they just punish teams on the ground. If we played that game ten times, I’m honestly not sure we’d win more than once. And I can’t confidently say we’d even win that one. Offensively, I thought we were mostly manhandled along the line of scrimmage. CB made a few beautiful throws, but the overall performance was otherwise unimpressive. Our backs and receivers did what they could, but it’s hard to do much when you only have the ball for maybe a fourth of the game. Defensively, we again saw a rough performance from our secondary. I thought the defensive line and linebackers played well at times, but they looked fatigued as the game wore on. PFF had us down for 14 missed tackles, but I would guess there were more than that. I didn’t think effort was the problem. It was more a combination of poor technique, alignment, angles, and fatigue that ultimately did us in. The good news is that the next two games are winnable. Whether we actually win them is a different story. QB: Broughton RB: Gant Patrick WR: Williams WR: Mason WR: Burris TE: Cravaack Hook LT: Slayden LG: Smith C Lyons Mobley RG: Hampton Fox RT: Jones Gould DE: Durham Waye DE: Frazier Abor DT: Hull E. Davis DT: Williams Brown-Demery DT: Mixon Highland LB: Johnson Jones Buchanan LB: Nunoo Curtis Hocker NB: Branch Moss CB: Hobson Thomas Newsome S: Hunter Flowers S: Davis Top Rated Offense: WR - Williams RB - Gant WR - Burris C - Lyons QB - Broughton Top Rated Defense: LB - Nunoo DE - Durham S - Davis DT - Mixon LB - Johnson

QB: Broc Lowry is the reigning MAC Offensive Player of the Year, and the former Indiana transfer is having another great season. However, he hasn’t run the ball nearly as much as he did in 2025, which is where he really separated himself from other quarterbacks, rushing for nearly 1,000 yards. Lowry still has the ability to make plays with his legs, but he has rushed for just 259 yards thus far. Through the air, he has completed 62% of his passes for 1,397 yards and 11 touchdowns compared to just 3 interceptions. One area worth watching is his performance under pressure, as his completion percentage drops to just 41% when pressured. RB: Redshirt senior Jalen Buckley is another All-MAC returner for this Bronco offense. He is on pace for another All-MAC season, having rushed for 711 yards and 8 touchdowns. WR: Redshirt junior Baylin Brooks and sophomore Aveion Chenault are the primary targets at receiver. The duo has combined for 53 receptions, 759 yards, and 6 touchdowns. TE: Presbyterian transfer Nate Levicki and New Mexico State transfer Adam Parks are the starting tight ends and play a big role in this offense as blockers. They will also be utilized in the passing game, combining for 23 receptions and 3 touchdowns. OL: WMU has made a few changes along its offensive line over the past few games, so this starting lineup may look different come game time. In general, it’s a big, physical offensive line that is typically better at running the football than protecting the quarterback. However, Lowry’s mobility has limited sacks allowed. LT - Chad Schuster (6’6 305) (R.Sr.) LG - Hunter Whitenack (6’6 340) (R. Sr.) - Illinois Transfer C - Liam Vaughn (6’1 295) (R. Fr.) RG - Gavin Dabo (6’5 305) (R. So.) RT - Ben Roebuck (6’7 330) (R. So.) - Michigan Transfer DL: Long Island transfer Scoop Gardner and North Carolina transfer Austin Alexander start at edge. Houston transfer Zavian Tibbs, Ohio State transfer Ahmed Tounkara, and redshirt junior Dalton Gustwiller rotate along the interior and receive the majority of the snaps. This defensive line is one of the best pass-rushing units in the MAC, having collected 18 sacks this season. LB: JUCO transfer Justyce Betts and redshirt seniors Domanick Moon and Dillon Moore are the starting linebackers. This is an active linebacking corps, with all three ranking as the team's top tacklers. DB: Seniors Jarvarius Sims and Joshua Franklin start at cornerback, with Franklin being another All-MAC returner. Redshirt junior Joey Pope and Louisville transfer Daeh McCullough start at safety. ST: JUCO transfer Dieter Kelly is 11 of 12 on field goal attempts and perfect on all 29 extra point attempts. Redshirt junior Ryan Millmore averages 45.3 yards per punt, with a long of 69 yards. Cornerback Joshua Franklin also handles kick returns and has taken one back 92 yards for a touchdown. Keys on Offense: While WMU’s defense has been susceptible to giving up plenty of yards through the air, they don’t give up many points. The temptation will certainly be there for the staff to throw the ball more than usual, but this Akron offense fares much better when leaning on the run game. CB’s mobility will be vital, as he will be facing one of the best pass-rushing defenses in the conference. Keys on Defense: WMU is at its best when running the football. However, their staff sometimes stubbornly tries to throw the ball more than necessary. The Zips defense will need to be stout against the run and avoid giving up explosive plays for touchdowns if Akron is going to have a chance in this game. Final Thoughts: Akron has shown there is enough talent on this roster to compete and play well in spurts. Putting it all together for four quarters is an entirely different matter. I can’t pick the Zips to win, but I would love to be proven wrong.

QB: CB certainly brings a different element to this offense, and it makes one wonder how many games would have turned out differently this season with him running the show. He wasn’t perfect by any stretch, but his mobility and variety of throwing angles help keep the offense moving. Rather than pushing the ball downfield, CB typically utilized the underneath options, and we also saw the tight ends get more opportunities. There was one play that really stuck out to me where CB connected with Williams, and it looked like Williams may have fumbled at the end of the play. CB quickly got the offense downfield and ran another play before the officials had time to review it. That’s the first time I’ve seen something like that during the Moorhead era. Usually, the offense lines up quickly but then takes its time before the snap, giving the officials ample opportunity to stop play. On the flip side, CB should have given the ball to Gant a few more times than he did. It looked like he wasn’t quite sure what to do on a few of those read options. Whenever in doubt, give it to the back, especially when we have one of the best backs in the conference. The biggest mistake, however, was the interception returned for a touchdown. It looked like he actually had the tight end open sooner, and the receiver also came wide open on that side. CB just happened to throw it perfectly to the wrong spot at the wrong time. RB: What a day for these guys. As mentioned above, I thought Gant should have had a few more carries than he did. Patrick had some nice runs as well. The only negative I have with these two was a few failed blitz pickups in the passing game. WR: Mason thrived with CB at quarterback, as he does a really good job of creating space and getting open when the quarterback is scrambling around. Burris also did a nice job of finding open space and sitting down in coverage. I would have liked to see Williams get a one-on-one opportunity when we were down in the red zone, but that’s not really on him. Overall, it was a good outing by the wideouts. TE: I can’t say enough good things Cravaack and Hook. They really played well and made the most of their opportunities. Between their blocking and ability to get yards after the catch, it was the type of performance I hope we see more of. OL: I’m sure I sound like a broken record when I say this OL is built to run the ball. When we get away from that for consecutive plays, bad things tend to happen. CB was able to make this unit look a little better in pass protection due to his mobility, but there were still some struggles against a really good pass-rushing defense. DL: The defense as a whole displayed what they are capable of in the first half, holding Ohio to under 20 yards of total offense. Unfortunately, we got caught in some tough situations in the second half. Durham had one of his better games rushing the passer, and we also had some pressure applied from the interior at times. Williams single handily stopped one play from turning into something. Almost the entire defense was looking to the sideline when the ball was snapped, Williams quickly recognized it, blew up the guard, and then proceeded to make a tackle for loss. Why he and Kavals haven’t seen more snaps this season is beyond me. LB: Johnson is having an All-MAC year. He’s on pace to easily surpass 100 total tackles, which would put him in the same conversation as seasons McCoy and Bubba had when they earned their selections. For what it’s worth, PFF has Johnson down for just six missed tackles this season. Nunoo and Curtis played well again, too. For all the struggles this defense has had, linebacker play has been really good. To me, that was the biggest question mark coming into the season. DB: There were three big blunders that led to touchdowns. Although, who’s to say whether Ohio’s drives wouldn’t have resulted in scores anyway? Regardless, it’s tough to give up points the way we did. The first was by Thomas, who had a “kill” shot on the quarterback during a run and instead dropped his head and missed the tackle. This is college football, and apparently, things like “see what you’re tackling” still need to be drilled. The second, I believe, was also by Thomas. He dove for the interception, came up empty, and the receiver had nothing but green grass in front of him. If defensive backs are going to gamble on making interceptions like that, they’d better be 100% correct. Otherwise, it puts the rest of the defense in a no-win situation. The third was the long touchdown run, basically straight up the gut and untouched. There had to be some type of miscommunication on the play call. I just can’t believe we would line up without another defender in the box in that situation. As I was watching, before the ball was even snapped, I thought to myself, this isn’t going to be good. I had no idea it would turn out to be the worst possible outcome. I know this sounds ridiculous to say, but outside of those three big plays, the defensive backs and the defense as a whole played well. Sadly, those three plays led to 21 points. ST: The timing of the onside kick made no sense to me. It’s since been cleared up that it was a mistake, but that can’t happen at a critical juncture. Everything else by this unit was pretty good, outside of the one missed long field goal. Final Thoughts: My only complaint about the game itself is that the staff seemed to call things too conservatively. We had several opportunities to go for it on 4th-and-short, especially with the run game working, but chose to kick field goals instead. We’ll never beat good teams playing like that. That said, I’m proud of how hard this team played. I hope we continue to see that kind of fight as we finish out the season. QB: Broughton Roggow RB: Gant Patrick Williams WR: Williams WR: Mason Louis WR: Burris TE: Hook Cravaack LT: Slayden Gould LG: Smith Fox C Lyons RG: Hampton Falkner RT: Jones Gould DE: Durham Waye DE: Frazier Waye DT: Hull Williams DT: Mixon Kavals LB: Johnson Jones LB: Nunoo Curtis NB: Moss Branch CB: Thomas Newsome CB: Hobson Newsome S: Davis Flowers S: Hunter Flowers Top Rated Offense: RB - Gant LT - Slayden WR - Burris TE - Cravaack LG - Smith Top Rated Defense: S - Hunter CB - Hobson LB - Johnson LB - Nunoo DE - Durham

QB: Ohio has utilized several quarterbacks throughout the 2026 season due to injuries, and unfortunately for the Zips, they are now healthy at the position and will be rolling out their original starter, Nick Poulos. Poulos has thrown for 781 yards, completed 59% of his passes, and recorded 6 touchdowns compared to zero interceptions. He is excellent when kept clean, but can struggle under pressure, completing only 27% of his passes in those situations. However, he is rarely under pressure, as Poulos has the mobility to escape the pocket when needed and also plays behind one of the better offensive lines in the MAC. RB: The Bobcats primarily rotate two running backs in UConn transfer Victor Rosa and German native Duncan Brune. The duo has combined for 716 yards and 8 touchdowns. Although neither back has the breakaway top-end gear, they are both excellent at grinding opponents down. The most explosive back is redshirt freshman Irving Brown, but he did not play in the last game. Brown has rushed for 219 yards on just 23 carries. WR: Redshirt sophomores Riley Neer, Dom Dorwart, and Kentucky transfer Preston Bowman have been almost the exclusive options at wide receiver in 2026. The trio has combined for 1046 yards and 11 touchdowns. TE: Ohio will rotate several different tight ends in its offense. Redshirt sophomore Jake Furtney is the primary pass catcher, while redshirt sophomore AJ Miller and Kansas State transfer Andrew Metzger are mostly utilized as blockers. OL: This offensive line has only allowed 13 sacks and is also a big reason for the Bobcats effectiveness in the run game. LT - Jarian Shelby (6’4 295) (R. Sr.) LG - Tigana Cisse (6’3 314) (Gr.) C - Bryce Parson (6’3 308) (R. So.) RG - Seth Anstead (6’3 310) (R. So.) RT - Trumain Lawson (6’5 295) (R. Fr.) - Transfer from Long Island DL: Redshirt freshman Ike Ackerman and Michigan State transfer Tyler Gillison are the starters at edge. They have combined for 5.5 sacks. Redshirt freshman Ty Neubert and former Youngstown State transfer Nehemiah Dukes start on the interior. LB: Redshirt seniors Michael Molnar and Jack Fries handle the majority of snaps at linebacker. Both are likely in line for all-conference seasons as they’ve collected 138 total tackles and 7.5 sacks. DB: Incarnate Word transfer Barry Dillon and redshirt junior Kendall Bannister are the starting cornerbacks. Redshirt sophomore JT Haskins starts at nickleback, with former Zip Ronald Jackson rotating in. Elon transfer Darren James-Hamilton and redshirt junior DJ Walker are the starting safeties. ST: Kent State transfer Will Hryszko is 10 of 13 on fields goals and perfect on 26 extra point attempts. Magnus Haines is averaging nearly 44 yards per punt, with a long of 53 yards. Safety James-Hamilton is also the primary kick returner and has already taken two back for touchdowns. Keys on Offense: Run the ball as much as possible. The best path to success is keeping the ball on the ground, grinding out the clock, and limiting possessions for this physical Ohio offense. Keys on Defense: The phrase "Bend, But Don't Break" truly applies to this game. The Bobcats will likely look to run the ball early and often. Akron will need to commit an extra defender to the box to slow down Ohio's offense. It goes without saying, but the Zips' secondary cannot afford to have another performance like it did last week. Final Thoughts: Ohio is yet again one of the better teams in the MAC, and the odds are definitely in their favor. However, Akron has nothing left to play for but pride at this point, and sometimes the lack of pressure can allow a team to play more freely. I’m not calling for a Zips win, but I am interested to see how this program responds given the way this season has unfolded.

QB: Roggow is what he is at this point. Yes, it’s true that he was originally the third string quarterback, but that excuse needs to be put to bed. I maintain he is good enough to give this offense a chance to be successful when paired with a run game. We saw that for most of the contest, until he was asked to air it out in the last few minutes. The interception was not his fault as Roggow put the ball on the money and the receiver couldn’t bring it in. RB: I thought the offensive staff had an excellent game plan until the first drive where we went down. The plan seemed to be lean on the run game and pick our spots in the passing game where Roggow could have success. Then, for whatever reason, we decided not to give the ball to the best player on the field and instead pass for three consecutive downs. That led to a failed fake punt and the game crashing down on us. Gant had 162 yards and should have been given the opportunity to keep carving up a Kent defense that simply could not contain him. Instead, call it coaches outsmarting themselves or whatever phrase is suitable here and we handed the game away. WR: Despite our wideouts having a decent day, they needed to have a great day. Mason dropped one that should have been a touchdown, and Williams batted one in the air that led to an interception. Both of those plays needed to be made, and they weren’t. There was also a false start on a wideout that had nothing to do with the play that was being run. We have a quarterback who desperately needs his receivers’ help, and they need to play up to their potential. TE: Alexander and Cravaack set some crushing blocks this game. They may not have been utilized much in the passing game, but they were vital reasons why Gant often had massive holes to run through. OL: I know I’ve said it a number of times already, but this OL is not built to be a one-dimensional passing team. They were strong in the run game throughout the contest but fell apart at the end when Kent was allowed to tee off on Roggow. I know Lyons had a holding penalty, but I also want to point out he has been playing his tail off and is having what should eventually be recognized as an all-conference season. DL: The defensive line was solid. They did give up a few short-yardage situations, but some of that also falls on the back seven filling and finishing tackles. My biggest gripe with this group was the inability to get DeSheilds down in the backfield. There were times when the DL had him on the run or were able to get a hand on him but just couldn’t finish the play. Their pressure certainly bothered DeShields, and Kent’s two running backs were held to a combined 54 yards. LB: Outside of a missed tackle leading to a long touchdown, linebacker play was actually pretty good. In fact, the trio of Johnson, Nunoo, and Curtis have been bright spots on a defense that has struggled to stop explosive plays throughout the year. DB: In most games this season, passing coverage could be excused - to an extent - due to the lack of a pass rush. This game, however, DeSheilds was pressured plenty throughout the contest, and our secondary flat out stunk. The number of times our defensive backs did not get their heads around on passes is inexcusable. That falls directly on coaching. The PIs calls were legitimate penalties. The only positive I have to say is the DBs were mostly solid in run support, but that was also against one of the worst rushing offenses in college football. ST: Kickoff and punt coverage were actually pretty good. However, the fumble on kickoff return and the confusion on how to fair catch were difficult to watch. The missed chip-shot field goal was yet another addition to the special teams woes we’ve unfortunately come to expect. I will say, however, that the 50 yard make by Stire and the 56 yard punt by Castle was nice to see. Final Thoughts: 15 penalties for 165 yards and two turnovers. We’re an undisciplined team that won’t beat anyone playing like that, including a less talented Kent squad. 422 yards of total offense can’t undo consistent self-inflicted wounds. Yes, we’ve had some injuries to some important players, but it’s the staff’s job to get the best out of the players that are available, and that isn’t happening. QB: Roggow HB: Gant Patrick Williams WR: Williams WR: Burris WR: Mason TE: Alexander Cravaack Hook LT: Slayden LG: Smith C Lyons RG: Jones RT: Gould Mann DE: Frazier Abor DE: Durham Waye DT: Hull Williams Brown-Demery DT: Mixon Kavals LB: Johnson Jones LB: Nunoo Curtis NB: Branch Moss CB: Thomas Hobson CB: Newsome Hobson S: Davis Branch S: Hunter Flowers Top Rated Offense: HB - Gant WR - Mason QB - Roggow WR - Burris LG - Smith Top Rated Defense: LB - Johnson DT - Williams DE - Abor LB - Curtis S - Hunter

QB: Redshirt junior Dru DeShields is the returning starting quarterback. He isn’t having as good of a season as he did last year, but he hasn’t had much help from the run game either. DeShields has thrown for 1,145 yards and 4 touchdowns compared to 6 interceptions. He has also rushed for 189 yards and 3 touchdowns. He has performed about the same in a clean pocket as he has under pressure. Where DeShields has really excelled is on passes 10 yards or less, as he has a completion rate of 70% in that range. Beyond 10 yards it drops to 45%. RB: The usual starter, Illinois State transfer Mason King, missed the last game, allowing freshman Brandon White to get the start in his place. The two backs have combined for 393 yards rushing, but have rushed for only one touchdown. WR: Redshirt sophomore Wayne Harris, senior Da’realyst Clark, and former Kentucky transfer Ardell Banks are the main targets at receiver. Harris is on pace for an All-MAC season, with 31 receptions for 396 yards. Clark has 273 receiving yards, while Banks has add 206 yards. TE: Redshirt junior Hunter Hopperton will line up all over the place. He is mostly utilized as a blocker, but every now and then, he’ll see a pass come his way. OL: The offensive line has struggled to create much running room and has also been hit or miss in pass protection. LT - Moustafa Daoud (R. Fr.) (6’6 300) - Transfer from JUCO LG - Dustyn Morell (R. Sr.) (6’4” 290) C - Ben Midea (Jr.) (6’2 320) - Transfer from St. Francis RG - Cecil Wilson (R. Jr.) (6’4 320) RT - Mofe Adewole (R. Sr.) (6’3 275) - Transfer from Robert Morris DL: Redshirt sophomores Antonio Bottiggi and Jaihein Roy are the starters at edge, while numerous players have rotated along the interior. Freshman Dion’Dre Taylor and Robert Morris transfer Camden Wilborn started at defensive tackle last week for the Flashes. Despite the heavy rotations, Kent’s defensive line has accumulated 8 sacks this season. LB: USF transfer Rocco Nicholl returned to Kent this offseason and has recorded 33 total tackles with 3 sacks. He is usually flanked by Kentucky transfer Hayden Dawahare, who has 35 total tackles and 2 sacks. DB: Redshirt junior Angelo Stockstill and redshirt senior A’tiq Muhammad are the starting cornerbacks. Sophomore Trey Rubenstein starts at nickelback, while sophomores Derrick Jackson and Joel Cordoba start at safety. The secondary has been solid in conference play against the pass, but has yet to do much in the way of forcing turnovers. ST: Da’realyst Clark is an all-conference returner, although he hasn’t been able to break one longer than 27 yards this season. Sean Leonard is 3 for 8 on field goals and 9 for 9 on extra points. Redshirt freshman Jake Stoeckel averages nearly 43 yards per punt, with a long of 59 yards. Keys on Offense: Run the football and stay balanced. Kent has a solid defense, but they tend to spend a lot of time on the field and will wear down. Akron needs to sustain drives on offense and not beat themselves. Keys on Defense: Keep everything in front and make the tackle. Kent has struggled to finish drives and put points on the board. The more plays the Flashes have to run, the more likely they are to goof up. Final Thoughts: The Zips have more talent, but the Flashes are a scrappy bunch. Akron needs to jump ahead early and force Kent into uncomfortable situations. In the end, this game may come down to which team hurts itself the least.

The tight end was lined up on the line of scrimmage. For him to be an eligible receiver, the wideout next to him needed to be lined up off the line of scrimmage. Since the wideout was also lined up on the line of scrimmage he “covered up the tight end” making the tight end an ineligible receiver on that play. On the plays I was referring to, Miami was releasing one DE forcing him to make a decision. The DE is usually taught to square up and squeeze down. If he doesn’t squeeze down enough, he leaves a gap. If he squeezes down too much, he’ll leave a gap on the opposite side and probably get caught up in the “trash”. Our DEs kept getting caught in what I refer as no man’s land and allowing gaps on both sides of them. In regards to the “last back” this is for a defensive player on the backside that probably can’t see where the ball is during the mesh and has to make a decision to either hit the QB or RB. I recall Durham choosing to hammer the QB as the QB let loose of the ball to the RB. Earlier in the game (I think it was Durham again) chose the RB and the QB pulled for a nice gain. If he had stayed with the last back both times, one of those plays would have been a loss. Instead, both went for gains.

QB: Roggow is not at the level where he can win a game without run support. His two worst outings have come when the run game has either been limited or somewhat ineffective and he’s thrown the ball over 30 times. Not to say Roggow didn’t have any good moments, because there were plenty of times where he displayed excellent pocket awareness and got the ball out on time. The problem was that the end result of those passes often wasn’t good enough. Not many teams are going to win a game by tossing four interceptions. RB: Gant ran hard, but there just wasn’t much room to work with on the interior. However, there were a handful of outside runs that worked well, including Gant’s touchdown run. I felt this was a game where Patrick’s availability would have been beneficial, as he tends to perform better on the outside runs than Gant. Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option, and Miami usually shut down the interior with just their base defense. WR: When the offense becomes one dimensional, the receivers must help the quarterback. Drops reared their ugly head again, and Miami dominated the 50/50 balls in the air. This receiving corps has too much talent to not come down with more of the balls thrown their way. There’s frankly no excuse for these guys to not help out their quarterback more on a day where he was struggling. I also want to point out the one pass play to the tight end where the receiver covered him up and caused the tight end to be an ineligible receiver. Things like that simply cannot happen. TE: I intentionally separated the tight ends from the wide outs, as I thought Cravaack and Alexander had a strong outing. Cravaack hasn’t performed as well as he did last year, but hopefully this performance will serve as a springboard for the rest of the season. Alexander has been Mr. Consistent all year and played well again. OL: Pass protection was excellent for much of the game. Eventually, it broke down some as the offense became more one-dimensional, but overall, nice job to this group in that area. On the flip side, push in the run game was almost non-existent. Injuries finally caught up to a unit that had been playing the same five guys for the past few games. At one point, backups were in at left tackle, right tackle, and right guard. DL: I actually thought the defensive line, as a whole, played decently. There were a few issues, like edges not squeezing down enough and leaving some wide-open gaps, as well as tackling the wrong back at the mess point, but overall, I thought this unit did fairly well. As far as tackling the wrong back at the mesh point, we used to coach that if you were unsure, go to the last back, and the Zips did that. It just ended up being the wrong choice in the end. Sometimes that is going to happen. I do want to point out that Durham had a standout day. It’s frustrating to imagine what this defensive line could have looked like with a healthy Abor on the opposite side. LB: This is tough because I thought the linebackers played well for much of the game. Unfortunately, the handful of times they didn’t, lead to some of Miami’s biggest runs of the season. Johnson was uncharacteristically shoved off by Miami’s running back, which led to a touchdown. On another play, Johnson and Nunoo took bad angles that resulted in another huge run by a Miami ball carrier. The way we lined up against Miami often required the linebackers and safeties to come down and fill the gap as the last line of defense. When we failed to do that or make the tackle, things turned ugly. DB: My only gripe with this group is in run support, and that’s a big gripe. Miami’s quarterback wasn’t a threat to throw the ball. Yes, he did make one perfectly placed touchdown pass, but that was really it. Everything else was either short or usually off-target. That meant we had to be stout in run support, and when we weren’t, it was glaring. ST: Outside of a nice return on kickoff, it was a rough day for this crew. A shanked punt at a crucial point in the game, another short punt, and a missed long field. I may be missing something else, but I think I’ve already listed enough. Final Thoughts: This game could have had a very different outcome. The Miami team we played yesterday did not have the same firepower on offense they had earlier in the year. Had we not self-combusted and wasted opportunities to potentially take and build on a lead, I don’t believe Miami had the quarterback to bring them back from a deficit. Our defense was already getting home on a number of passing downs, and forcing Miami to lean on the passing game would have changed the outcome. Instead, this team yet again, had a high number of self-inflicted wounds at critical moments. There is enough talent on this roster to be competitive and possibly win a few more games, but as long as we continue with this undisciplined nonsense, it won’t happen. Clean it up, Zips. QB: Roggow Beals HB: Gant Williams Curry WR: Williams Myers WR: Burris Hills WR: Mason Louis TE: Cravaack Alexander LT: Slayden Gould LG: Smith Puckett C Lyons RG: Hampton Falkner RT: Jones Gould Mann DE: Frazier Waye DE: Durham Waye DT: Hull Williams Ross-Graves DT: Mixon Kavals LB: Johnson Jones LB: Nunoo Curtis CB: Hobson CB: Newsome NB: Branch Moss Al. Branch S: Davis Moss S: Flowers Hunter Top Rated Offense: C - Lyons TE - Cravaack WR - Burris HB - Gant TE - Alexander Top Rated Defense: S - Moss NB - Branch CB - Newsome DT - Hull S - Flowers

Williams slaps the Miami player right in front of Moorhead and he doesn’t say a word???

That’ll do it. Safety comes up with his head down and completely whiffs on the tackle. Touchdown. Defense was in place for the stop and poor form gives Miami another long run.

And we’re now rolling with backups at LT, RT, and RG.

And then we come right back with a holding penalty. Right on cue. Come on….

Fantastic onside kick. Well done.

Roggow didn’t even see the LB. But another interception was bound to happen when throwing the ball this much.

Looks like ESPN gave Ross-Graves’ half sack to Hull. Poor guy’s position coach won’t play him and then when he does play, ESPN doesn’t give him credit. Now he’s hurt. Tough day.

We shouldn’t be down 10 judging by almost any halftime metric, but here we are. Hopefully, Roggow can get back on track because we can’t get any push on the interior for the run game. Not sure why we’ve gone away from outside zone.

Looked like a block in the back on that big run. Good hold by the defense after that though. Durham is whipping an OT that has been pretty good this year.

The unnecessary stuff we do to kill our own momentum is mind blowing.

Johnson finally misses a tackle and it turns into a TD. Frazier has not been doing a great job squeezing on the other side.

Pretty sure Kavals just shoved Hull into the RB for the tackle.

Good job by the defense. Tibs threw out a new look on that third down stop. Great job by the OL in pass protection and Roggow throwing the ball. Also, well done by the receivers catching the ball. I shouldn’t have to say that, but there have already been too many drops this year. Keep it going Zips

Looks like Thomas is out too. Probably means we’ll see Branch slide out to corner and Flowers at nickel some more. May not be a bad thing.

Bump for update.

QB: Fort Hayes (DII) transfer Caleb Heavner is the current starting quarterback, having ascended into the roll due to injuries. Heavner has thrown for 329 yards and 1 touchdown to 1 interception. When kept clean, he’s completed 59% of his passes, but that number drops to 37% under pressure. Heavner will also run the football, totaling 114 yards and a touchdown on 33 attempts. RB: Monmouth transfer Rodney Nelson is the main running back. Nelson has 206 yards on 55 carries. So far, none of the backs have produced the amount of explosive plays that Miami has been accustomed to in recent years. WR: Bethune-Cookman transfer Maleek Huggins, redshirt junior Lynel Billups-Williams, junior Damarion Witten, and redshirt sophomore Braylon Isom are the main targets at wide receiver. Huggins leads the group with 309 yards, but the passing game has been fairly balanced in spreading the ball around. TE: Redshirt freshman Brendan Loftus usually sees the most snaps at tight end. The tight ends are rarely involved in the passing game, with the group combining for just 10 targets all season. OL: The offensive line is a solid unit. However, when the quarterback holds on to the ball too long or makes poor decisions, it can make this group seem subpar. LT - Eric Smith (6’6 306) (R. Sr.) - All-MAC LG - Greg Smith (6’4 300) R. So.) C - Kris Manu (6’1 300) (R. So.) RG - Jacob Schorsch (6’5 300) (R. So.) RT - Evan Malcore (6’6 305) (R. Sr.) - Northern Illinois Transfer DL: North Texas transfer Zhaiylen Scott and redshirt senior Grant Lyons are the usual starters at edge. Redshirt junior Roosevelt Andrews and redshirt sophomore Brach Rice are the starters on the interior. These four have produced 7.5 sacks, and Andrews is on pace for an all-conference season. LB: Kent State transfer CJ Young, South Alabama transfer Blayne Myrick, and redshirt junior Malcolm McCain are the starters at linebacker. McCain is likely on track to be All-MAC. DB: Senior Mychal Yharbrough and Indiana/Northern Illinois transfer Amariyun Knighten are the starting cornerbacks. Redshirt freshman Desmon Yharbrough and Northwestern transfer Dillon Tatum are the safeties. Knighten has been the best of the bunch and will likely be lined up against our best receiver. ST: Redshirt junior Kellen McLaughlin is 8 of 12 on field goals and 17 of 17 on extra point attempts. Senior Pierse Stainton averages 43 yards per punt, with a long of 62 yards. Freshman Scoop Smith has already taken a kickoff return back 98 yards for a touchdown. Keys on Offense: Miami’s defense is going to dare the Zips to throw the ball on first and second down. Akron must stay balanced and continue to rely on Gant and Patrick, even when the numbers may not always be in our favor. The RedHawks are going to pressure on passing downs and are really good at disrupting plays during those times. If Akron becomes one-dimensional, it could be a long day. Keys on Defense: Don’t beat ourselves. Miami is not elite on offense this year, but they can put up points with help from opponents’ mistakes. The Zips’ defense needs to play a clean game and be stout on key downs. Final Outlook: Miami usually has our number, and even though the Zips have a chance to pull out a victory, I’m still going with the RedHawks to win it at home.

QB: Roggow easily played the best game of his career. The redshirt sophomore looked comfortable and confident, making a number of really nice plays. For the most part, Roggow made the right decisions with where to deliver the ball and when to give on the RPOs. Most importantly, he protected the football, and I can’t remember a single pass having a chance of being intercepted. RB: I loved the staff’s determination to stick with the run game. Gant and Patrick combined for 28 rushing attempts compared to Roggow’s 24 passing attempts. Gant made several big-time runs and collected over half of his yards after initial contact. The best runs came off of what we used to call “Y Wham,” where the TE pulled and hit up in the A/B gap, in essence acting like a fullback. Patrick didn’t have as many opportunities, but that’s ok, as Gant was having a strong day. I did see Patrick come off the field complaining about a foot issue, and he did not see any action after that. WR/TE: PFF credited the receivers with only one drop, but I saw multiple drops. Not every pass was dead on the money, but there were several catchable balls that were not caught. Blocking on the perimeter was decent from what I could see, including the very first play on offense where Williams set a key block on a defensive back. Alexander also set a great block on M. Williams touchdown catch. OL: Outside of a handful of plays, Roggow usually had plenty of time to throw the ball. My only gripe - and this isn’t just tied to the OL - is we didn’t score off of either turnover. There were false start penalties on the first plays of both drives that immediately backed us up and eventually led to giving the ball back to EMU. DL: The defense created the most pressures it has all year and also saw much more rotation than we’ve recently seen. Kavals was nearly unblockable in the fourth quarter, and that, combined with his other performances, has probably earned himself a nice payday heading into next year. Enjoy watching him while we have him. LB: Johnson was seemingly every where again and may not have missed a tackle. He was credited with 16 total tackles. Credit to Jones for initially missing a tackle, then getting back up and hustling to create a fumble. Nunoo also made a couple of nice plays. DB: The defensive backs weren’t perfect by any stretch, but they played well enough to give the team a chance. A few of the pass interference calls were questionable at best. I’ve been critical of the DBs this year, though a bright spot may have been found. Flowers was excellent when lined up in the box as either a nickleback or, in essence, a third linebacker. He hasn’t been great playing in coverage as a safety this season, but he was extremely active and effective in the role he played against EMU. The staff needs to explore using him in that capacity more often. Flowers also recovered the forced fumble. Davis had an interception at deep safety and would have likely had another had it not been batted away by a cornerback. ST: The punt block was a major gaffe, as no one even touched the player that blocked the punt. Kickoff return was also underwhelming. Schramm hit a 40-yard field goal but couldn’t quite hit the game winner from 47. It had the distance but turned just as it reached the upright. Final Thoughts: Zips played well enough to win and, honestly, should have. I was able to attend the game, and everyone I was with couldn’t stop talking about how fun the last six minutes were. The stadium had a buzz about it and demonstrated what Akron games could be with a consistently competitive product. It’s disappointing we couldn’t come away with a win. QB: Roggow HB: Gant Patrick M. Williams WR: Williams Myers WR: Burris Hills WR: Mason Louis TE: Alexander Cravaack LT: Slayden LG: Smith C Lyons RG: Hampton RT: Jones DE: Durham Waye DE: Frazier Waye DT: Hull Williams Brown-Demery DT: Mixon Kavals Ross-Graves LB: Johnson Jones LB: Nunoo Curtis Hocker CB: Thomas Hobson CB: Newsome Hobson Galloway NB: Branch Moss S: Davis Branch S: Flowers Branch Somerville Top Rated Offense: TE - Alexander QB - Roggow RB - Gant WR - Burris WR - Williams Top Rated Defense: DE - Durham S - Flowers CB - Hobson DT - Williams LB - Johnson