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Bowden went 4-8 in his final Akron season. That’s the same year he beat Northwestern. Academics no longer factor into D1 football. Every year the Zips lose 1/2 the team…over 40 players…to the portal. Every team does. Players today majoring in NIL money and maintaining eligibility outnumber the ones taking advantage of their free education 4:1. Education is parsley on the D1 plate. Why does no one mention Lee Owens when discussing the most successful Zips HC’s (post Dennison). The guy was 7-5 when he got fired. 5-3 in the MAC. Greats like Dwight Smith, Frye, Hixon, Blackburn, Cherry, Arthur, Payne …they were all his recruits. And he convinced them to play at The Rubber Bowl, with no Stiles Center. His final year at Ashland he went 10-2. In the tallest midget competition, Lee Owen’s dwarfs the field.

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.

Generally speaking, I thought it gave it a better vibe than just setting tables up at the JAR. Food was solid and they had staff dishing it out and picking up plates, etc from tables when people finished. Seating was set up in a way that allowed you to feel part of the event no matter where your table was. Audio was good (I could hear each speaker) and they had music mixed in, too. Spirit team did a good job welcoming everyone and for the check-in process. I enjoyed it more than last year at the JAR.

These road games in the SunBelt challenge haven't treated Akron well. It should be a good early season test.

That's why I have a little hope with Goodrich.

Thanks!

On the road too.

Akron opens as 5.5 point favorites over Louisiana.

I think you just did.

With the way the results fell today, Zips need a win against Marquette. A loss would almost certainly knock the Zips out of the Big East tournament and even a tie would put them on shaky ground. Also if Akron, Creighton and UConn all win all three make the tournament, but Akron would be the 4th seed and play Georgetown in the opening round.

Even stranger this graphic was on the ESPN broadcast today which seems to contradict the Big East rules. I think I'd trust the Big East tiebreakers.

When it's bad coach after coach year after year the problem is the institution and it's management of the program not the captains of the ship.

I think the speculation is that Chuck Amato (RIP) was the real catalyst for the success, and he retired before that last Bowden season IIRC

With the MLS Next Pro season over for Austin FC 2, Stefan is on the bench today for Austin in their MLS match in Los Angeles against the Galaxy. I believe this is just the 2nd time he's been on a MLS matchday squad. Let's hope he gets to make his debut tonight!

Burton has a nice stroke.

It's pretty exciting that we have three former Zips active in the G League right now - Enrique Freeman (Iowa/Minnesota), Shammah Scott (Texas/Dallas), and Nate Johnson (OKC). The Charge host Iowa on 11/17 and 11/28. It would be cool if we can get a big Akron contingent up there to cheer him on.