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Posted on Sun, Oct. 24, 2004

Zips' recovery from start of season impressive

By Terry Pluto

Let's start with a fact: Akron is 4-1 in the Mid-American Conference.

Not a lot of fans know that.

Of course, not that many fans have been paying attention to the Zips, who beat Ball State 35-23 before 7,426 fans on a rainy, chilly Saturday night at the Rubber Bowl.

But 4-1 in the MAC is 4-1, good for second place in the East Division behind 5-0 Marshall.

And 4-1 is rather amazing for a team that opened the year being crushed 48-10 at Penn State, then blew a fourth-quarter lead by giving up 10 points in the final four minutes to lose 31-24 against Middle Tennessee.

That was followed up with a dismal 51-0 spanking at Virginia.

Just as fast as you can say 1-2-3, the Zips were 0-3 under J.D. Brookhart.

It was at this point that Akron fans began to learn something about their rookie head coach. He took his team to Can't State, where he not only could lose again -- but also lose the team for the entire season.

Especially when star quarterback Charlie Frye fractured the pinkie finger of his throwing hand on the first play of the game. He stayed in the game, but threw a couple of touchdown passes, even though he later complained about them being ``wobblers.''

But the Zips won.

It was more gritty than pretty, but the 24-19 verdict seemed to set the two teams in different directions, as Can't State is 1-6.

Give Brookhart credit for rallying his team, especially impressive because most of them were recruited by the Lee Owens regime. Often, a change of coaches leads to suspicion, especially between the upperclassmen and the new man.

From the end of spring practice, Brookhart has insisted the vast majority of his players ``are really good people.'' He won the confidence of Frye, his star and team leader. He convinced seniors Chase Blackburn, John Fuller and Dewayne Fall to buy into a new defensive scheme.

Right after the win over Can't State, the Zips were manhandled, 49-19, at Northern Illinois.

That made them 1-4. They had played only one home game. For a new head coach, that's a very difficult spot, one where it would be easy to watch everything fall apart.

While he wasn't winning many games, he did continue to earn respect in the dressing room. Once the schedule softened, they began to win.

You can say that the four teams they've defeated are a combined 3-27.

But there have been times in the 1990s when the Zips were one of those 1-10 or 2-9 teams. And it could have been like that this season, especially with the grueling early schedule.

Consider that the Zips lost their top rusher Bobby Hendry (981 yards, 14 TDs) and their top four receivers from 2003. It amounts to about 85 percent of their offense from a year ago.

Frye convinced Brookhart to move leading tackler and starting safety Domenik Hixson to receiver. The fact that Brookhart was willing to consider a major suggestion like that from his quarterback is a sign of maturity.

It also has been a key to this season.

Hixson has 41 catches, and is the team's leading receiver. He returned a punt 85 yards on Saturday for a touchdown. He caught two touchdown passes in the big win over Can't State.

Frye has played with guts and poise under some very discouraging circumstances early, and now it's paying off, as his team is in contention for a MAC title. He was sharp Saturday, completing 21-of-33 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns.

But the biggest surprise has been a kid named Biggs, as in junior-college transfer Brett Biggs. He chewed up 195 yards on the ground Saturday, and also caught 44-yard screen pass for a touchdown. He ran for touchdowns from 3 and 14 yards.

He's listed optimistically at 5-foot-9 and 190 pounds. Your eyes tell you that he's a tough little guy who keeps his legs moving, usually running in a straight line.

In his last three games, Biggs has 163, 150 and 195 yards. Akron was his only Division I offer, and that happened because current Zips assistant Kevin Verdugo coached Biggs in junior college.

Brookhart calls Biggs ``an accountable football player.''

He means that Biggs doesn't fumble, remember plays, blocks with effort and listens to his coaches. He carried the ball 31 times Saturday, and seems to be one of those backs who is stronger than he looks.

And right now, that's true of the rest of the team.

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Messages for Terry Pluto can be left at 330-996-3816 or terrypluto2003@yahoo.com. Sign up for Terry's free, weekly e-mail newsletter ``Direct from Pluto'' at www.ohio.com.

Posted on Sun, Oct. 24, 2004

A Biggs victory for Zips

Junior scores three touchdowns in beating Cardinals

By Gary Estwick

Beacon Journal staff writer

Running back Brett Biggs found a few ways to reach the end zone Saturday night, and the University of Akron found a way to hold off Ball State. The end result was a 35-23 victory in front of 7,426 fans at the Rubber Bowl.

Biggs, a junior, rushed for 195 yards and two touchdowns and scored on a 44-yard screen pass. Receiver Domenik Hixon caught a 9-yard touchdown pass and also scored on an 85-yard punt return.

Just as important, the Zips' defense made a fourth-down stand in the final minutes as the Cardinals rallied from a 35-10 deficit.

``I'm pleased with the victory,'' coach J.D. Brookhart said. ``The manner of which wasn't pretty at times, but I love what I'm seeing out of this football team.''

After an 0-3 start this season, the Zips are back to .500 and eyeing a berth in the Mid-American Conference championship game.

Akron has outscored its last three opponents 66-28.

``We've made a real point to win these three games to give us a chance at it,'' said quarterback Charlie Frye, who passed for 246 yards and two touchdowns. ``By taking it one week at a time, we've set ourselves up pretty nice.''

This win was just what the Zips (4-4, 4-1) needed to stay in a second-place tie with Miami in the East Division of the MAC.

After this week's bye, Akron will host division leader Marshall on Nov. 5. A win would put the Zips one game closer to the school's first-ever Division I-A bowl berth.

Biggs made all this possible with his third consecutive 100-yard performance. He broke tackles, spun off Cardinal defenders and showed patience by waiting for his hefty blockers.

Biggs scored on runs of 3 and 14 yards. He also caught five passes for a team-high 86 yards.

His contribution would have been even greater, if he didn't drop a touchdown pass early in the second quarter. On the play, Frye eluded the rush and spotted Biggs running across the field. The pass bounced off Biggs' hands.

No matter. He made up for it later, following a trio of blockers down the left sideline on a screen, then exploding past what was left of the Ball State secondary.

``The screen came up well because everybody was going at Charlie,'' Biggs said. ``I just happened to get behind the blitzers, my linemen dropped very well up field, and it opened up.''

His 309 all-purpose yards are the second-highest total in school history.

Biggs was the perfect complement for Frye, who avoided the rush for most of the night, completing 21-of-33 passes.

Along with his punt return -- which also set a school mark -- Hixon caught six passes for 45 yards.

Ball State (1-7, 1-4) tried to take advantage of three Akron fumbles. Running back Adell Givens scored twice in the fourth quarter, and his run from 18 yards with 7:35 remaining was set up after Akron running back Jerell Ringer fumbled on the first play of a Zips drive.

But Jino Vital broke up a pass on fourth-and-2 at the Akron 30, and on the next Cardinals possession, Jay Rohr intercepted a pass in the end zone with 10 seconds left.

``You see some flushes of some really good things,'' Brookhart said. ``We have a chance to be a really good football team.''

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Messages for Gary Estwick can be left at 330-996-3826 or gestwick@thebeaconjournal.com