Tag: Akron Zips

After series win over Akron, Duke remains steady at No.12 in D1Baseball Top 25

Duke remains at No. 12 in D1Baseball ahead of week that features five games. Three of those games are against top ranked Wake Forest.

Despite losing its first game this past weekend, Chris Pollard’s baseball team is a crisp 10-1 and remains the no. 12 team in the latest D1Baseball poll released Monday morning.

D1Baseball released its top 25 this week, with no movement at the top as every team in the top 14 remained the same from last week’s poll. There are still six ACC schools in. the top 25, with Wake Forest pacing the country at number one. Clemson is still the 10th-ranked team in the country after they went 3-0 last week with two big wins over their biggest rivals, the South Carolina Gamecocks. Much like Duke, Virginia suffered its first loss last week, yet they remain at 13. NC State went an impressive 5-0 and remains steady at 14. The Tarheels of North Carolina were the only ACC team to slide as they fell one spot to 17th despite going 5-0 last week themselves.

Duke has two mid-week games this week against Appalachian State and Georgetown before the Blue Devils make their first proper road trip this upcoming weekend to Winston-Salem to take on the top-ranked Demon Deacons to kickstart off conference play.

Duke was 1-2 in their home series versus Wake Forest last year, with both losses to Wake Forest being by two runs apiece, sandwiched between an 8-1 win.

Former Penn State QB gets promotion on Joe Moorhead’s staff at Akron

This former Penn State quarterback is now the offensive coordinator for a MAC program

Even the most hardcore of Penn State fans may struggle to come up with a memory of former quarterback [autotag]Billy Fessler[/autotag], but the former Nittnay Lion has proven to be a valuable commodity on the Akron football staff for head coach [autotag]Joe Moorhead[/autotag]. The former Penn State offensive coordinator certainly likes having the former Penn State backup quarterback around and values his role on the staff. On Thursday, Moorhead gave Fessler a promotion.

Akron officially announced Fessler has been promoted to offensive coordinator of the Zips program, where he will be working closer with Moorhead in managing the team and the offense. Fessler had been serving on the staff as a quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator.

“We are very excited to announce the promotion of Coach Fessler to Offensive Coordinator,” Moorhead said in a released statement. “In one season, he’s done a phenomenal job developing DJ Irons, who earned all-conference honors, and the entire QB room. He’s also played a major role in the improvement of our offense in every statistical category, while becoming one of the top-passing offenses in the MAC and NCAA. I’m excited to watch our offense and QB’s grow under Coach Fessler’s tutelage.”

“I am honored and thankful for the opportunity from Coach Moorhead to be the Offensive Coordinator at The University of Akron,” said Fessler. “The history of Coach Moorhead’s offense speaks for itself, and I am excited to continue to work with the offensive staff to build on the success of the past.”

Fessler was a backup quarterback at Penn State in 2016 and 2017, and he appeared in just one game with two pass attempts and eight career passing yards. But he certainly made a solid enough impression on Moorhead to join him on the staff at Mississippi State in 2019 as an offensive graduate assistant following his graduation from Penn State. Fessler went on to spend two seasons working on Ohio State’s coaching staff as a graduate assistant before reuniting with Moorhead at Akron after Moorhead was hired to be the head coach.

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LSU overcomes halftime deficit to beat Akron, advances to Cayman Islands Classic championship

The Tigers trailed by two at the break, but they outscored the Zips by 15 in the second half of the semifinal matchup.

The Tigers struggled at times and found themselves in an early hole, but they ultimately pulled away for a comfortable 73-58 win in the Cayman Islands Classic semifinals on Tuesday over Akron. LSU is now 5-0 on the season to start the [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] era.

This one was tight in the first half, and LSU actually trailed. The Zips led by eight at one point in the final minutes, though the Tigers were able to cut that lead to two by the break.

LSU outscored Akron by 17 in the second half, largely thanks to a 15-point frame from leading scorer [autotag]Adam Miller[/autotag], who had 23 points in total on the day. The Tigers shot 48.1% from the floor, and the offense had a season-low 10 turnovers. [autotag]KJ Williams[/autotag] had 19 points and five rebounds, while Justice Hill had a season-high 14 points.

Defensively, it was a great game for the Tigers, who held Akron to 25.9% shooting for the game and 20% in the second half. They forced 14 turnovers, nine of which were steals.

Now, the Tigers move on to the championship, where they will face the winner of Tuesday night’s game between Kansas State and Nevada. That game is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday.

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LSU basketball vs. Akron: Stream, injury report, broadcast info for Game 2 of the Cayman Islands Classic

The Tigers will face the Zips in the winner’s bracket on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. CT.

After a smooth, 77-61 win over Illinois State in which forward [autotag]KJ Williams[/autotag] led the team with 33 points, coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] and 4-0 LSU will draw Akron in Game 2 of the Cayman Islands Classic in the winner’s bracket.

The Zips, who enter this game at 3-1 on the season, enter by virtue of a 72-53 win over Western Kentucky in their tournament opener. Otherwise, Akron has tight wins against Morgan State and South Dakota State with its loss coming by 19 points against Mississippi State.

Led by sixth-year coach John Groce, the Zips are coming off a MAC Tournament Championship and appearance in the NCAA Tournament. They lost their first game as a No. 13 seed to No. 4-seeded UCLA.

Here’s what you need to know to follow this one, which tips off at 12:30 p.m. CT.

Back 4 MAC teams in Week 12: Mid-American Conference’s best bets

Analyzing Mid-American Conference betting odds and lines for Week 12, with picks and predictions for the best MAC bets to make.

The Mid-American Conference (MAC) season is winding down, with just 2 more weekends remaining in the regular season. Toledo has already punched its ticket to the Dec. 3 title game at Ford Field in Detroit. But several teams have plenty left to play for down the stretch.

Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook‘s lines around the MAC’s Week 12 slate, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.

Check out: AFCA Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports

Stream select live college football games and full replays: Get ESPN+

MAC best bets for Week 12

– All games listed are ET unless noted

Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 7:04 a.m. ET.

Ohio -4 (-113) at Ball State – Tuesday, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)

The Bobcats (7-3, 5-1) are in the driver’s seat in the East Division, controlling their own destiny. If Ohio keeps winning, it will represent the East in Detroit against Toledo in the MAC Championship Game.

The Cardinals (5-5, 3-3) are simply playing for bowl eligibility, needing 1 win in the next 2 games to qualify for the postseason. Ball State fell 28-21 against the Rockets in Toledo, but the Cardinals did cover the 13.5-point number.

The Bobcats have covered each of the last 6 outings, while going 6-0 ATS in the last 6 MAC games, too. Ohio is also 4-1 ATS in the last 5 appearances on Tuesday, too.

On the flip side, the Cardinals have covered just once in the last 6 games against teams with a winning overall record, and it is 3-9 ATS in the last 12 home games against teams with a winning record, too.

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Bowling Green +15 (-111) at Toledo – Tuesday, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)

The Falcons meet the Rockets in the annual Battle of I-75 at the Glass Bowl. Toledo (7-3, 5-1) has already clinched the West Division title, and will be playing in Detroit. It’s possible, with a win here, Bowling Green (5-5, 4-2) could meet its rivals, Toledo, in the MAC Championship Game for much bigger stakes.

Toledo holds a 42-40-4 lead in the series, but the Rockets have dominated lately with 11 wins in the previous 12 meetings. The Falcons haven’t won in Toledo since a 38-10 victory on Nov. 28, 2008.

While the Falcons are just 3-7-1 ATS in the last 11 trips to Toledo, the road team is 6-2-1 ATS in the last 9 in the series, too.

Bowling Green is worth taking with the points, as it still has plenty left to play for, while Toledo has already clinched a division title. While the Rockets would certainly like to spoil the chance of their rivals joining them in Detroit, Toledo has a little less to play for here.

Western Michigan +10 (-108) at Central Michigan – Wednesday, 8 p.m. (ESPNU)

The Broncos hit the road to meet the Chippewas, and Western Michigan will be playing for nothing but pride in this rivalry game.

Western Michigan (3-7, 2-4) can knock Central Michigan (4-6, 3-3) out of contention for a bowl with a win here, giving it a little extra incentive at Kelly/Shorts Stadium on Wednesday.

The Broncos are worth backing, too, as they’re 6-2 ATS in the last 8  appearances on Wednesday, while going 5-2 ATS in the last 7 games on the road. In addition, WMU is 5-0 ATS in the last 5 trips to Mount Pleasant, with the road team 9-1 ATS in the last 10 in the series.

Central is an amazing 15-1-1 ATS in the past 17 appearances on Wednesday, so you’ll be picking against that history. But, more importantly, CMU is just 1-5-1 ATS in the last 7 home games, and 1-6-1 ATS in the last 8 against losing teams. CMU is also 0-4-1 ATS this season as a favorite of 6 or more points, too.

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Akron +16.5 (-108) at Buffalo – Saturday, 3:30 p.m. (CBS Sport Network)

The Bulls (5-5, 4-2) are still alive for the East Division title, but it needs to keep winning. That shouldn’t be a problem against Akron, a team which has managed just 1 win overall, and none inside conference play to date.

However, the Zips (1-9, 0-6) have actually been pretty competitive lately, falling just 34-28 against Eastern Michigan last week, its 3rd 1-score loss in the last 4 outings. Akron ran for 163 yards while passing for 223 yards, outgaining EMU in each category. Akron also had 25 first downs to just 22 for EMU.

The Bulls have been tripped up in a pair of games against Central Michigan and Ohio, both on the road, damaging their hopes for an East Division title. The pair of non-covers also splashed cold water on a 5-0 SU/ATS run.

Backing Akron will have you bucking some trends, as Akron is 0-4 ATS in the last four meetings, and 0-5 ATS in the last 5 trips to Buffalo.

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Akron backup QB Jeff Undercuffler Jr. ejected while on sidelines

Akron backup QB Jeff Undercuffler Jr.’s mouth got him ejected while on the sidelines

Miami (OH) was having its way with Akron on Saturday in MAC action.

The officials weren’t having any of the trash talk from the sidelines by Zips backup quarterback Jeff Undercuffler Jr.

It took the announcers some time to figure out what was happening but in the long run, Undercuffler wound up ejected from the game after mouthing off to officials from the sidelines.

Toward the end of the epic video and call, you will see how Undercuffler, a junior from Burlington, N.J, mouths off to the officials with some salty language.

That earned him two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and an ejection.

Ricky Rahne tops Brent Pry in matchup of former James Franklin assistants

Ricky Rahne and Old Dominion topped Brent Pry and Virginia Tech in a Week 1 showdown between former James Franklin coordinators

It was quite an eventful head coaching debut for former Penn State defensive coordinator [autotag]Brent Pry[/autotag] on Friday night. Pry, now the head coach at Virginia Tech, found himself matching wits against his former colleague, [autotag]Ricky Rahne[/autotag], as he coached the Hokies on the road against underdog Old Dominion. And after a night on which his assistants were stuck in an elevator long enough to delay the start of the second half and watching his Hokies turn the football over five times, Pry was on the losing end in his head coaching debut. Rahne, on the other hand, celebrated a major win for his program.

Nothing came easily for Pry’s Hokies, but they did own a 17-10 lead going into the fourth quarter. A short field goal by Old Dominion early in the fourth quarter cut the Virginia Tech lead to 17-13 and a one-yard touchdown run with 33 seconds remaining in the game helped deliver Old Dominion to its second biggest win in program history, and both have come against Virginia Tech. The game-winning touchdown was set up by a deep pass two plays prior, putting the Virginia Tech lead in serious jeopardy.

Rahne’s Monarchs were out-gained 340-245 in total offensive yards, but the Hokies turning the football over five times led to 17 Old Dominion points on the scoreboard, including a wild botched field goal snap that was returned for a touchdown by Old Dominion to take a lead in the second quarter.

Old Dominion’s game-winning touchdown also came following a Virginia Tech turnover when Grant Wells was picked off by Ryan Henry on 3rd and 13 at the Old Dominion 41 with 2:58 left to play. Nine plays later, Old Dominion scored the game-winner. A more conservative approach in that situation to keep the ball on the ground and force Old Dominion to burn a timeout before potentially punting the ball away may be armchair quarterbacking a bit, but it will be a decision that will be reviewed by Pry in reviewing the film.

Rahnecontinues to be doing some terrific work for a program that sat out the entire 2020 season in his first year on the job. After starting the 2021 season with a record of 1-6, Old Dominion won five consecutive games to earn bowl eligibility and has now won six of their last seven games going back to last season. And on Friday night, maybe Old Dominion put the rest of the Sun Belt Conference on notice.

Also, obligatory love for Old Dominion’s biggest fan, Hudson. He is a dog that wears crocs!

Rahne replaced Joe Moorhead as Penn State’s offensive coordinator when Moorhead left the Nittany Lions to become the head coach at Mississippi State. Moorhead has since made a stop at Orgeon as the offensive coordinator and is now back to being a head coach again in 2022. Moorhead coached Akron to an overtime victory on Thursday night against Saint Francis, 30-23.

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Akron Zips Preview 2022: Season Prediction, Breakdown, Key Games, Players

Akron College Football Preview 2022: Team breakdown, season prediction, keys to the campaign, and what you need to know

Akron Zips Preview 2022: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Air Force season with what you need to know and keys to the season.

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

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Akron Zips Preview
Head Coach: Joe Moorhead, 1st year at Akron
7th year overall, 52-25
2021 Record: Overall: 2-10, Conference: 1-7
Previews 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
Keys To The Season | Season Prediction, What Will Happen
Akron Top 10 Players | Akron Schedule & Analysis

Akron Zips Preview 2022

It’s been a rough run for the Akron program. The last winning season was 2015, the last bowl appearance was 2017, and the fans enjoyed a grand total of three wins over the last three years – two of them against Bowling Green.

But the program got a good one in new head coach Joe Moorhead. He rocked in four years at Fordham, was great as the offensive coordinator at Penn State, and he was fine Mississippi State for two years before getting shoved out. The guy knows offense – he handled the Oregon attack over the last few years – and now he has to work minor miracles to get the up-tempo attack going.

Akron Zips Preview 2022: Offense

The coaching will be better and the system should be stronger, but the offensive playmakers have to emerge. None of that matters if the offensive line isn’t far, far better after finishing last in the nation in sacks allowed, and without much of a running game to count on. For good and for bad, just two steady starters return to the front around veteran LT Xavior Gray.

Now the running attack has to follow. Minnesota transfer Cam Wiley was a great get to help bump up the production along with leading rusher Jonzell Norrils. The Zips only ran for 1,463 yards and eight scores – that’s about to change.

Zach Gibson took over the quarterback duties last year, but now he’s off to Georgia Tech. DJ Irons is a very big, very interesting quarterback who wasn’t all that bad before getting banged up. He’s a potential playmaker to work around, but leading receiver Konata Mumpfield is gone to Pitt and second-leading target Michael Mathison is done, too.

There are parts around TE Tristian Bank including LSU transfer Alex Adams – the system will make the receivers shine.

Akron Zips Preview 2022: Defense

The D might take a little while longer to get going than the offense. The Zips didn’t do much on the offensive side, and they really didn’t do much for long stretches defensively. There wasn’t enough of a pass rush and the run defense was among the worst in the nation.

On the plus side, the Zips are loaded with veteran tacklers. Jeslord Boateng leads the a good-sized linebacking corps with a decent number of options. The hitters are there, but the pass rush has to come from some where – Boateng and two others tied for the team lead with 1.5 sacks. There’s just enough bulk to work in a good rotation on the nose.

There’s a good chance the secondary is among the team’s biggest strengths if it gets any help from the pass rush. Senior Charles Amankwaa led the team with three picks, Jaylen Kelly-Powell is a good hitter with 73 tackles last season, and there’s enough versatility to play around with the options.

Keys To The Season | Season Prediction, What Will Happen
Akron Top 10 Players | Akron Schedule & Analysis

Akron Zips: Keys To The Season, Top Game, Top Transfer, Fun Stats NEXT

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

Akron Zips Top 10 Players: College Football Preview 2022

Who are the 10 best Akron players going into the 2022 season?

Akron Zips Preview 2022: Who are the top 10 players going into the season?

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Akron Zips Preview
Akron Offense. Defense Breakdown | Keys To The Season
Season Prediction, What Will Happen | Akron Schedule & Analysis

 

 

 

 

 

Joe Moorhead adding another Penn State transfer at Akron

Former Penn State wide receiver is reuniting with a former coach in the MAC out of the transfer portal

For the second time this week, former Penn State offensive coordinator [autotag]Joe Moorhead[/autotag] has successfully added a former Nittnay Lion to his roster at Akron. Moorhead, now the head coach at Akron, is working the transfer portal to tap into some Penn State connections. The latest to make his way from Happy Valley to Akron is wide receiver [autotag]Daniel George[/autotag].

George announced his commitment to the Zips with a message posted on his Twitter account on Thursday with the message “Different location, Same conversation.” The message referred to George’s connection to the former Penn State coordinator. Moorhead was a key part of the coaching staff when George initially joined the Penn State program, even though it would not be long before Moorhead left to become the head coach at Mississippi State (and then the offensive coordinator at Orgeon before taking the Akron job).

George, a former four-star recruit in Penn State’s Class of 2018, did spend four seasons with Penn State but will have two years of eligibility at his disposal, should he choose to use them both. George has a redshirt season and the extra year of eligibility granted to every student-athlete impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. George caught 18 passes for 285 yards and a touchdown during his time at Penn State, largely in a backup receiver role.

George’s commitment to Akron comes in the same week Akron received a commitment from former Penn State offensive lineman Anthony Whigan.

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