2008 Akron Zips Season

2008 Akron Zips Season, Game Recaps, Scores and Reviews

2008 Akron Zips

Nov. 28
Temple 27 … Akron 6
Temple busted open a tight game by turning turnovers into late scores with 21 unanswered points in the final eight minutes. Adam DiMichele ran for two four-yard touchdowns and Marcellous Grigsby ran for two short scores in a just over a minute and a half. Akron was only able to manage two Igor Iveljic field goals in the second half.
Player of the game: Temple S Alex Joseph made 11 tackles and broke up two passes
Stat Leaders: Akron - Passing: Chris Jacquemain, 20-39, 166 yds,3 INT
Rushing: Dennis Kennedy, 25-153. Receiving: Deryn Bowser, 5-48
Temple - Passing: Adam DiMichele, 15-30, 220 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Adam DiMichele, 12-50, 2 TD. Receiving: Jason Harper, 6-115
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... With the world there for the taking, Akron lost its final three games to blow the MAC East, a winning record, and a good season. The defense did a great job against Temple, holding tough throughout, but the offense put the D in a bad position late too many times and there wasn’t enough offensive pop to make up the slack. This was a good season overall that didn’t close out well, but the offense, until the loss to Temple, worked. The defense needs to get healthy up front going into next year.

- 2008 Akron Preview
- 2007 Akron Season

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 4-8
2008 Record: 5-7

Aug. 30 at Wisconsin L 38-17
Sept. 6 at Syracuse W 42-28
Sept. 13 Ball State L 41-24
Sept. 20 at Army W 22-3
Sept. 27 Cincinnati L 17-15
Oct. 4 at Kent St W 30-27 2OT
Oct. 11 Bowling Green L 37-33
Oct. 18 at Eastern Mich W 42-35
Oct. 25 OPEN DATE
Nov. 1 OPEN DATE
Nov. 5 Toledo W 47-30
Nov. 13 Buffalo L 43-40 4OT
Nov. 22 at Ohio L 49-42
Nov. 28 at Temple L 27-6

2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 5-7
2007 Record: 4-8

Sept. 1 Army W 22-14
Sept. 8 at Ohio State L 20-2
Sept. 15 at Indiana L 41-24
Sept. 22 Kent State W 27-20
Sept. 29 at Connecticut L 44-10
Oct. 6 at West Mich W 39-38
Oct. 13 Temple L 24-20
Oct. 27 at Buffalo L 26-10
Nov. 2 at Bo. Green L 44-20
Nov. 7 Ohio W 48-37
Nov. 14 at Miami Univ. L 7-0
Nov. 23 Central Mich L 35-32

Nov. 22
Ohio 49 … Akron 42
Boo Jackson threw his fifth touchdown pass of the game on a one-yard play to David Carter with just 32 seconds left to lift Ohio over Akron in the shootout. Jackson’s day through the air balanced out a huge day from Akron RB Dennis Kennedy, who ran for four short scores and 123 yards. Three of his touchdowns came in the fourth quarter including his final one with just over two minutes to play, but Jackson was able to go to work and pull off the win. LaVon Brazill started off the scoring for Ohio with a 55-yard punt return, while Taylor Price caught three of Jackson’s touchdown passes.
Player of the game: Ohio QB Boo Jackson completed 20-of-28 passes for 222 yards and five touchdowns, and he ran nine times for 52 yards
Stat Leaders: Akron - Passing: Chris Jacquemain, 21-36, 235 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Dennis Kennedy, 34-123, 4 TD. Receiving: Deryn Bowser, 7-118, 1 TD
Ohio - Passing: Boo Jackson, 20-28, 222 yds, 5 TD
Rushing: Boo Jackson, 9-52. Receiving: Taylor Price, 8-100, 3 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Dennis Kennedy is closing out his career with a bang, but the defense has to show up for the Zips to become bowl eligible. The loss to Ohio was devastating as it’ll take a miracle to get to a bowl now, even with a win over Temple. On the plus side, the last four losses have all come by a touchdown or less, but that’s partly because the defense isn’t showing up. The line isn’t generating any pressure and it isn’t scaring anyone. Ohio’s Boo Jackson got all day to work, and he picked the Zip secondary apart for short scores.

Nov. 13
Buffalo 43 ... Akron 40 4OT
Richie Smith recovered a Chris Jacquemain fumble in the fourth overtime and A.J. Principe nailed a 40-yard field goal to give Buffalo the win in the final game in the Rubber Bowl. The two star running backs played as well as advertised as Akron's Dennis Kennedy scored four times with a one-yard run with 23 seconds to play to force overtime. On the other side, UB's James Starks did a little of everything with three touchdowns and 13 catches for 90 yards. In OT, Drew Willy scored on a fourth down one-yard run to give UB the lead, but Akron answered with a four-yard Dashan Miller catch. The two teams traded field goals in the second overtime and Starks and Kennedy one-yard runs in the third. Buffalo held to to the ball for 38:21.
Player of the game: Buffalo RB James Starks ran 37 times for 151 yards and three touchdowns and led the team with 13 catches for 90 yards.
Stat Leaders: Akron- Passing: Chris Jacquemain, 20-38, 295 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Dennis Kennedy, 25-142, 3 TD. Receiving: Andre Jones, 8-99
Buffalo - Passing: Drew Willy, 27-39, 252 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: James Starks, 37-151, 3 TD. Receiving: James Starks, 13-90
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Losing in the Rubber Bowl's final game might be tough, but at least the send off was tremendous. Akron played a wonderful game against Buffalo, but it couldn't get the defense off the field and there were a few mistakes in a dead even game. The Bulls got a huge day all around from James Starks, but the Zips were able to get a monster performance from their stars to keep up. Dennis Kennedy is running like a difference back with more pop and better decisions, while Chris Jacquemain has the offense down. Now the D needs to start coming up with a few key stops.

Nov. 5
Akron 47 … Toledo 30
Akron got out to a hot start scoring 21 first quarter points helped by a blocked punt return for a score and two Chris Jacquemain touchdown passes. Toledo pushed its way back into the game with an Aaron Opelt six-yard touchdown run and a 22-yard pass to Kenny Stafford, and then pulled within three on an eight-yard pass to Stephen Williams late in the third. Dennis Kennedy and the Akron running game took over as the Zips cranked out 21-straight points, highlighted by a 33-yard Andrew Johnson touchdown run, to put the game away.
Player of the game: Akron RB Dennis Kennedy ran 30 times for 153 yards and a touchdown, and he caught two passes for 33 yards.
Stat Leaders: Toledo - Passing: Aaron Opelt, 23-35, 277 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: DaJuane Collins, 14-51. Receiving: Stephen Williams, 10-136, 2 TD
Akron - Passing: Chris Jacquemain, 16-23, 226 yds, 3 TD, 1INT
Rushing: Dennis Kennedy, 30-153, 1 TD. Receiving: Deryn Bowser, 7-71
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Akron stayed in the hunt for the MAC title by running wild on Toledo. The Zips controlled the game, and when needed, the clock, especially in the fourth quarter to put the game away. The Toledo offense was able to come back a bit too easily on the Zips after a big early UA lead, but Kennedy and the offensive line were able to take over. Now comes the big showdown against Buffalo to close out the Rubber Bowl, and possible the MAC East.

Oct. 18
Akron 42 … Eastern Michigan 35
In a wild finish, EMU got the lead on a six-yard Josh LeDuc touchdown catch with just under four minutes to play, and LeDuc appeared to save the one-point lead with a blocked field goal with 39 seconds remaining. However, Akron recovered and got the ball down to the five-yard line leading to a four-yard Dennis Kennedy touchdown run with 14 seconds to play. Kennedy finished with 277 yards rushing with three touchdown runs to offset a big day from EMU QB Andy Schmitt, who threw three touchdown passes to go along with two short Terrence Blevins scoring runs. The two teams combined for 1.017 yards.
Player of the game: Akron RB Dennis Kennedy ran 25 times for 277 yards and three touchdowns and caught a pass for 15 yards
Stat Leaders: Eastern Michigan - Passing: Andy Schmitt, 22-34, 258 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Terrence Blevins, 21-91, 2 TD. Receiving: Jacory Stone, 7-109
Akron - Passing: Chris Jacquemain, 11-19, 208 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Dennis Kennedy, 25-277, 3 TD. Receiving: Andre Jones, 5-114, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Akron got a monster day from RB Dennis Kennedy to get past Eastern Michigan to become the lead dog in the muddled MAC East pack. Now the team needs to be consistent. Keeping the chains moving on EMU was a problem, and the defense didn’t come up with enough stops. Even so, thanks to Kennedy, and an efficient day from QB Chris Jacquemain, was enough to get the win, and now it’s time to take control of the division race with home games against Toledo and Buffalo up next.

Oct. 11
Bowling Green 37 … Akron 33
Bowling Green scored 23 fourth quarter points helped by a 21-yard Corey Partridge touchdown catch, and halfback option pass from Anthony Turner to Jimmy Scheidler, and a 19-yard Tyler Sheehan run to overcome a 13-point deficit. Akron got a big day from Dennis Kennedy, who ran for 182 yards with touchdown runs from three and 19 yards out, but the offense stalled in the third quarter leading to two Igor Iveljic field goals. The Zips finally got into the end zone again midway through the fourth on a Merce Poindexter catch, but the defense couldn’t slow down the Falcons.
Player of the game: Bowling Green RB Anthony Turner ran 19 times for 126 yards and threw a five-yard touchdown pass.
Stat Leaders: Akron - Passing: Chris Jacquemain, 19-34, 161 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Dennis Kennedy, 29-182 yds, 2 TD. Receiving: Deryn Bowser, 5-67, 1 TD
Bowling Green - Passing: Tyler Sheehan, 26-41, 239 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Anthony Turner, 19-126. Receiving: Corey Partridge, 7-58, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Akron got the offense rolling against Bowling Green early on, and it had the chances to put the game away, but couldn’t. The defense collapsed in the fourth quarter and Dennis Kennedy and the running game couldn’t come up with the long, sustained drives needed. Now at 1-2 in the MAC, there’s no margin for error. The chances will still be there to win the division, but the turnaround has to start next week against Eastern Michigan and there can’t be any slip ups. The toughest game left will probably be on the road at Ohio. That’s not bad.

Oct. 4
Akron 30 … Kent State 27 2OT
In a wild game, Akron kept the Wagon Wheel in the rivalry thanks to a 24-yard leaping touchdown catch from Deryn Bowser on fourth down with 1:28 to play to force overtime. It was originally ruled incomplete, but Akron called a time out and it was overturned. The two teams exchanged field goals in the first overtime. Igor Iveljic hit a 25-yard field goal in the second overtime to give Akron a 30-27 lead, and Nate Reed missed his 23-yard attempt. Chris Jacquemain threw two touchdown passes, but he also threw three interceptions that helped Kent State take a 21-10 lead into halftime, but Akron held the Golden Flash offense off the board in the second half and got a one-yard Dennis Kennedy touchdown run before the Bowser catch forced overtime.
Player of the game: Akron WR Deryn Bowser caught five passes for 77 yards and a touchdown.
Stat Leaders: Akron - Passing: Chris Jacquemain, 21-39, 243 yds, 2 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Dennis Kennedy, 15-23, 1 TD. Receiving: Andre Jones, 5-85, 1 TD
Kent State - Passing: Julian Edelman, 17-31, 157 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Julian Edelman, 18-113. Receiving: Kendrick Pressley, 8-57
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... It wasn’t pretty against Kent State, but it was a win. The passing game kept making mistakes, the running game didn’t show up, and the defense struggled in the first half. However, the D was fantastic in the second half an in overtime and when he had to come through, Chris Jacquemain did. All of a sudden, the game against Bowling Green next week is huge to keep the Zips alive in the MAC race.

Sept. 27
Cincinnati 17 … Akron 15
Cincinnati got two Tony Pike touchdown passes to Marshwan Gilyard, but Pike broke his arm. Akron hung tough with a seven-yard Deryn Bowser touchdown catch, but the extra point was blocked. A one-yard Dennis Kennedy touchdown run in the fourth gave the Zips a one-point lead, but the two-point conversion attempt failed when QB Chris Jacquemain came up short on a run. The Bearcats rallied with a 48-yard Jake Rogers field goal, and the defense held on.
Player of the game: Cincinnati WR Marshwan Gilyard had seven receptions for 146 yards and two touchdowns.
Stat Leaders: Cincinnati - Passing: Tony Pike, 23-34, 320 yds, 2 TDs
Rushing: Jacob Ramsey, 13-54. Receiving: Marshwan Gilyard, 7-146, 2 TDs
Akron - Passing: Chris Jacquemain, 26-40, 254 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Dennis Kennedy, 11-41, 1 TD. Receiving: Deryn Bowser, 10-72, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Akron moved the ball on the on the Cincinnati defense through the air, but it didn’t generate much from the running game. The defense played extremely well, keeping the Bearcats to 104 yards and not letting anyone bust off any big runs. Despite the loss, the team appears to have settled in over the last few weeks. Chris Jacquemain has improved, and the defense has gotten better. Now the wins have to come against Kent State, Bowling Green, and Eastern Michigan before an off-week.

Sept. 20
Akron 22 … Army 3
Army turned the ball over five times and only came up with 223 rushing yards and a field goal, but Akron struggled to put the game away settling for three Igor Iveljic field goals while not putting the game away until a one-yard Dennis Kennedy touchdown run in the fourth. Andre Jones caught a 25-yard touchdown pass for the Zips in the second quarter.
Player of the game: Akron QB Chris Jaccuemain completed 14-of-25 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown.
Stat Leaders: Akron - Passing: Chris Jacquemain, 14-25, 204 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Dennis Kennedy, 19-73, 1 TD. Receiving: Andre Jones, 5-100, 1 TD
Army - Passing: Carson Williams, 6-12, 52 yds, 1 INTD
Rushing: Chip Bowden, 21-65. Receiving: Carlos Sandiego, 3-25
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Akron got a great game out of its defense against Army to make up for the spotty day from the offense. Chris Jacquemain threw the ball well and Dennis Kennedy had a nice day running the ball, but it took too long to put the game out of reach. Against Cincinnati next week, the attack has to be much sharper after converting just 1-of-9 third down chances.

Sept. 13
Ball State 41 … Akron 24
Ball State broke open a 10-10 tie with 21 straight points and a 28-7 run with a 33-yard Sean Baker fumble return for a touchdown, two short scoring runs from MiQuale Lewis, and a 25-yard touchdown catch from Darius Hill. Nate Davis threw two touchdown passes for the Cardinals. Akron got touchdown runs from Alex Allen and Andrew Johnson, but four Chris Jacquemain interceptions, with three picked off by Sean Baker, proved to be too costly.
Player of the game: Ball State RB MiQuale Lewis rushed 28 times for 154 yards and two touchdowns, catching four passes for 35 yards, & Sean Baker made nine tackles, three interceptions and recovered a fumble.
Stat Leaders: Ball State - Passing: Nate Davis, 24-36, 300 yds, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing: MiQuale Lewis, 28-154, 2 TDs. Receiving: Dante Love, 7-97
Akron - Passing: Chris Jacquemain, 21-44, 269 yds, 1 TD, 4 INTs
Rushing: Andrew Johnson, 7-50, 1 TD. Receiving: Deryn Bowser, 8-117
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Akron needs to change up its defensive scheme. It has been too easy to run on the three-man front; Ball State had few problems getting the ground game moving. After a great game last week, Zip QB Chris Jacquemain regressed with four interceptions and several misfires that halted drives. It would be nice If the running game could start to produce on a more regular basis.

Sept. 6
Akron 42 … Syracuse 28
With the score ties at 28 midway through the fourth quarter, Akron got a 12-yard touchdown catch from Andre Jones for the lead, and with under three minutes to play, got an 18-yard Merce Poindexter scoring catch to put it away. Chris Jacquemain threw three touchdown passes for the Zips and Alex Allen ran for two one-yard scores in the see-saw battle. Syracuse kept pace with Cameron Dantley throwing three touchdowns passes including two in the second half to tie the score. Each team ran for 218 yards.
Player of the game:  Akron QB Chris Jacquemain completed 20-of-26 passes for 260 yards and three touchdowns with an interception
Stat Leaders: Akron - Passing: Chris Jacquemain, 20-26, 260 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Alex Allen, 21-103, 2 TD  Receiving: Jeremy Bruce, 6-49
Syracuse - Passing: Cameron Dantley, 13-20, 135 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Curtis Brinkley, 21-143, 1 TD. Receiving: Mike Owen, 5-59, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... It was only the second win over a BCS team in Akron history, and while it might have been over lowly Syracuse, it was still an important win for a team looking for an identity and for something positive to build on when MAC play starts. The problem continues to be the run defense. The three-man alignment got obliterated by Wisconsin and couldn’t slow down the mediocre Orange ground game.

Aug. 30
Wisconsin 38 ... Akron 17
Wisconsin rumbled for 404 rushing yards with P.J. Hill getting 210 of them along with touchdown short touchdown runs. The score looks better than the game as the Badgers blew two chances for early scores with Hill fumbling through the end zone on one drive and an bad pass from Allan Evridge in the end zone getting picked off and leading to an Akron field goal with two seconds remaining in the first half. Akron got two Chris Jacquemain touchdown passes with the second coming with 38 seconds to play. Tyler Campbell made 18 tackles for the Zips.
Player of the game: Wisconsin RB P.J. Hill ran 26 times for 210 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Akron - Passing: Chris Jacquemain, 22-36, 227 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Dennis Kennedy, 8-35. Receiving: Deryn Bowser, 5-76
Wisconsin - Passing: Allan Evredge, 7-10, 75 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: P.J. Hill, 26-210, 2 TD. Receiving: Kyle Jefferson, 2-27
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Akron got down so big so early against Wisconsin that it had to start throwing, but to give the defense more of a break, the running game had to be more effective. The Zips only attempted 22 runs for 70 yards, and while Chris Jacquemain wasn't bad, he picked apart the Badger D at times when he had time to throw, he can't carry the offense. The 3-3-5 defense had a nightmare of a time against the physical Wisconsin front, but so will everyone. The Syracuse game will be a better indication of where the team is at.

2008 Recruiting Class

Star of the Class

Deryn Bowser 6-2, 215, WR Long Beach, Calif. (Los Angeles Harbor College/Washington Prep HS)
Played two seasons at Los Angeles Harbor College and will have two seasons of eligibility remaining with the Zips. At LAHC: Listed as one of the top junior college receivers, getting four stars on Scout.com  ... Tabbed honorable mention All-American in 2007 ... Named first team All-California Region III and first team All-Western State Conference as a sophomore and freshman ... Had 54 catches for 742 yards in 2007 after posting 55 receptions for 1,021 yards and 10 touchdowns in ‘06 ... Was Western State Conference Receiver of the Week after catching 10 passes for 112 yards and a TD in week one of the 2007 season ... Set LAHC records with 109 career receptions and 19 career TDs

Potential Instant Impact Players

Adam Bice 6-5, 255, OL Dresden, Ohio (Tri Valley HS)
Rated 17th-best center in the nation by Scout.com ... A Division II first team All-Ohio selection ... Also a two-time All-Eastern District honoree, All-Muskingum Valley League pick and MVL Lineman of the Year ... Named honorable mention All-Ohio as a junior ... Led his team to an 18-5 record over his final two years, including a 10-2 mark and a MVL championship as a senior ... Was a four-year starter at Tri Valley ... Has the versatility to play many positions thanks to his agility and athleticism ... On defense, made 51 tackles, including 5.5 sacks, with an interception and a forced fumble as a senior.

Dashan Miller 6-1, 185, WR Corona, Calif. (Bakersfield College / Centennial HS)
Spent one season at Texas-El Paso before transferring to Bakersfield ... Will have two years of eligibility remaining at Akron. Prior to Akron: at Bakersfield: Missed portion of the season with a broken arm ... (Ironically, first game out with the injury was versus fellow UA signee Deryn Bowser and LA Harbor College) ... Returned for the playoffs, playing with a steel rod in his arm ... Prior to injury, had 14 catches for 247 yards in three games, averaging 17.6 per catch ... at Texas-El Paso: Signed with UTEP out of high school, spending a redshirt season with the Miners ... at Centennial HS: Caught 70 passes for 1,184 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior ... Rushed 21 times for 180 yards and four touchdowns ... Also had 13 tackles and two pass deflections in spot-duty on defense ... Named first team all-league ... Tallied 47 receptions for 702 yards and five touchdowns as a junior ... Was three of five passing for 95 yards and one touchdown ... Had five carries for 74 yards and one touchdown ... Named first team all-league ... One interception on defense.

Rest of the Class

Adam Bice	6-5	255	OL	Dresden, Ohio / Tri Valley HS
Deryn Bowser (Jr.)	6-2	215	WR	Long Beach, Calif. / Los Angeles Harbor College / Washington Prep HS
Nadir Brown	6-5	205	WR	East Orange, N.J. / East Orange Campus HS
Marvase Byrd	5-8	180	DB	McKeesport, Pa. / McKeesport HS
Andrew Colosimo	6-5	260	OL	Upper Arlington, Ohio / Upper Arlington HS
Kevin Davis (Jr.)	6-1	200	DB	Soquel, Calif. / Cabrillo College / Soquel HS
Will Fleming	6-4	205	DB	Akron, Ohio / Archbishop Hoban HS
Kevin Funches (Jr.)	5-11	190	DB	Kansas City, Kansas / Coffeyville CC / F.L. Schlagle HS
Troy Gilmer	6-1	200	LB	Huber Heights, Ohio / Wayne HS
James Harvey	6-4	280	DL	Cochranton, Pa. / Cochranton HS
Hasan Hazime	6-6	245	DL	Pickering, Ontario / Vanier Prep
Rhyne Ladrach	6-6	225	TE	Orrville, Ohio / Orrville HS
Dashan Miller (Jr.)	6-1	185	WR	Corona, Calif. / Bakersfield College / Centennial HS
Jordan Miller	6-2	215	QB	New Philadelphia, Ohio / New Philadelphia HS
Joe Pachuta	6-7	290	OL	New Concord, Ohio / John Glenn HS
Jared Province	6-1	180	DB	Warren, Ohio / John F. Kennedy Catholic HS
Josh Richmond	5-11	200	DB	Passaic, N.J. / Milford (N.Y.) Academy / St. Mary HS
Nate Schuler	6-2	220	LB	New Middletown, Ohio / Springfield Local HS
Norman Shuford	5-9	180	DB	Southfield, Mich. / Harrison HS
Mitch Straight	6-6	290	OL	Russell, Pa. / Eisenhower HS
Brian Wagner	6-2	215	LB	Dayton, Ohio / Springfield Catholic Central HS
Manley Waller	5-8	160	DB	Decatur, Ga. / Southwest Dekalb H

2008 Early Lookahead
Why to get excited: Eight starters return on offense with the hope for experience to translate into production. After a year of transition, QBs Chris Jacquemain and Carlton Jackson should be more consistent and more decisive, while Bryan Williams is a decent back to work around. OT Chris Kemme is one of the best in the MAC. Andre Jones is one of the nation's elite kick returners.
Why to be grouchy: The offense didn't do anything last year, and while the passing game should be better, it loses top targets Jabari Arthur. The defense loses just enough strong veterans to take a step back with the front five taking the biggest hit. Starting off the season at Wisconsin isn't a plus.
The number one thing to work on is: Moving the ball. The offense went nowhere in 2007, mostly because of the quarterback play. If Jacquemain and Jackson aren't better, the Zips will have another disappointing season. The passing efficiency has to be better without Arthur. Good luck.
Biggest offensive loss: WR Jabari Arthur
Biggest defensive loss: LB Brion Stokes
Best returning offensive player: OT Chris Kemme, Sr.
Best returning defensive player: DE Almondo Sewell, Soph.

2007 Recap
Recap: Instability behind center and general futility on offense plagued Akron all season, making the program’s MAC title under J.D. Brookhart feel a lot longer than just two years ago.  When the Zips were competitive, it was usually attributable to an underrated defense that placed five players on the All-MAC squad, including freshman DE Almondo Sewell.  The program’s problems were accentuated on road trips, finishing a miserable 1-6 in games away from the Rubber Bowl.                  

Offensive Player of the Year: WR Jabari Arthur

Defensive Player of the Year: LB Brion Stokes

Biggest Surprise: The Zips lone road win came at the expense of Western Michigan in one of the wildest finishes of the season.  Trailing 38-33 with just a few ticks remaining on the clock, FS Andre Jones took a pitch from teammate Alphonso Owen, and returned a kickoff 89 yards for the game-winning score as time expired.      

Biggest Disappointment: Akron was never the same after blowing a big lead to Temple on Oct. 13, losing 24-20.  Cruising along with a 20-3 lead in the fourth quarter, the Zips permitted three Adam DiMichele touchdown passes, the final one a backbreaker with 27 seconds left on the clock.           

Looking Ahead: For Brookhart’s offense to succeed, he’s got to have a more reliable pitcher, which certainly wasn’t the case in 2007.  With the back seven about to undergo a major overhaul in 2008, and the schedule including games with Kentucky and Cincinnati, it could be another four-win campaign for the Zips.