** 2018 Opponent Previews: Akron (Game 1) **

Saunders

Saunders

Heisman Trophy Winner
SBNation: Terry Bowden’s done a great job at Akron, but 2018’s probably a reset year

The Zips ranked 112th in S&P+ last season, three spots worse than in 2016, when they went just 5-7. The defense improved just in time for the offense to regress by an equal amount. As is seemingly the case every year, Bowden struggled to keep the same QB on the field — three threw at least 26 passes, and none played more than 10 games — and a couple of key absences on defense made things more volatile than planned.
 

2017 record and S&P+ ranking: 7-7 (112th)

Projected 2018 record and S&P+ ranking: 4-8 (119thth)

Five key points:

1. Akron rode turnovers luck and a series of close wins to a stunning MAC East title in 2017.
2. Luck tends to regress to the mean.
3. Bowden might have found his QB of the future in Kato Nelson, but the skill corps undergoes an almost complete reset. That tends to lead to regression, and Akron’s offense was already pretty ... regressed.
4. Longtime defensive coordinator Chuck Amato retired, though he leaves his successor with a deep, exciting back seven.
5. This is probably a reset year for Akron, but the Zips have enough underclassman talent to put together a pretty exciting campaign in 2019.

https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2018/3/14/17104174/akron-football-2018-preview-schedule-roster
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CollegeFootballNews: Somehow, It Gets The Job Done

How the heck did that actually happen? Akron was awful.

The coverage teams were miserable. The offense was the second-worst in the MAC and 121st in college football. The defense finished 103rd in the country and was also the second-worst in the conference. The team struggled to score, had the MAC’s worst running game, was the worst in the sport in first downs allowed, couldn’t throw the ball, couldn’t convert in the red zone, couldn’t rush the passer and couldn’t protect the passer.

But it won the MAC East and played for the conference title.

https://collegefootballnews.com/2018/05/akron-zips-college-football-lpreview-2018

– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players, Key Game, Fun Stats
– What Will Happen & Win Total Prediction
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More to come...

 
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Gage County said:
Akron will be looking to avenge their lost and even the series at 1-1. The previous match up? The 1997 season opener in Lincoln. Frost and London had good showings.
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teachercd said:
I think I was at that game.  
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First game I was able to attend at Memorial Stadium. :D It was also the game where Der Viener Schlinger was officially named, IIRC.

 
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