Game Six (EMU) Thoughts - 2026

[catdaddyp]

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 gaff, 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.

 

 

I’ll come back to add Participation/PFF.

Edited 3 hours ago by catdaddyp