Guest Zip88 Posted October 26, 2004 Report Posted October 26, 2004 Posted on Tue, Oct. 26, 2004 Akron making itself Herd in MAC title race Week off gives Zips time to prepare for Marshall By David Lee Morgan Jr. Beacon Journal staff writer It's official -- the University of Akron is in the midst of a conference championship race in football. The Zips (4-4, 4-1 Mid-American Conference) defeated Ball State, 35-23, on Saturday and have won four of their past five games. This is the best conference start for the Zips since 2000, when they tied for the MAC East championship with Marshall at 5-1. ``The confidence level in all phases has grown,'' Akron first-year coach J.D. Brookhart said. ``When you get on a little bit of a streak, you practice better, and the intent is better. We certainly haven't put together any perfect games, but we're seeing great strides made on special teams, defense and the running game. ``The (guys) feel comfortable right now that we're making progress. We really made a point about the urgency of practice, and I give them a lot of credit.'' The running game has been impressive the past three weeks. Junior Brett Biggs rushed for a career-high 195 yards Saturday -- fourth-highest total in a game since Akron moved from Division I-AA to I-A in 1987 -- and three touchdowns. He also recorded 309 all purpose yards, which is No. 2 on the school's all-time list for a single game. Biggs was named the MAC East Division Player of the Week. Biggs has rushed for 510 yards, averaging 170 yards per game, the past three games. Marshall (4-3, 4-1) will visit the Rubber Bowl at 7 p.m. Nov. 5. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN2. But before that game, the Thundering Herd will be the host of Central Florida on Saturday. Akron defeated Central Florida 26-21 two weeks ago. The Zips are off this week. The open date didn't sit to well with Brookhart, at first. ``When I looked at it at the beginning of the year, I wasn't real high on where it was placed,'' Brookhart said. ``I thought it was too late in the season. ``The way it's worked out, it's actually perfect because we've got a number of guys who are banged up, nothing major, though. When Sunday rolls around, we're going to focus on Marshall.'' A win for Akron against the Thundering Herd could put the Zips in favorable conference position with two games remaining. Brookhart is reluctant to talk about any run for the title. ``The biggest thing we need to do is focus on ourselves and the game at hand,'' Brookhart said. ``We knew with a new system being implemented, it was going to take some time to grow, so we really haven't looked ahead. Obviously, I know some guys will, but for the most part, we're concentrating on getting healthy.'' -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Messages for David Lee Morgan Jr. can be left at 330-996-3824 or dlmorgan@thebeaconjournal.com Quote
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