The Akron football team pulled off a significant upset against Pittsburgh 21-10 Saturday.
The Zips (3-2) put up more yards than their Atlantic Coast Conference opponent, 382-349, in the game. Akron was led by running back Connor Hundley, who rushed for 148 yards on 19 carries. Through the air, the Zips received a solid performance from quarterback Kyle Pohl, who threw for 193 yards and one touchdown in the game.
The Panthers (3-1) stayed in the game early, scoring the first touchdown in the second quarter, but Akron answered right back with a touchdown to head into halftime tied, 7-7.
The Zips took control of the game in the second half, as they added a touchdown with 12 minutes, 13 seconds remaining in the third quarter and subsequently held Pittsburgh to only a field goal to take a 14-10 lead into the final frame. The Panthers failed to score again, while Akron tacked on a final touchdown to clinch the victory.
A major note from this game was the ability of the Zips to stop Pittsburgh’s vaunted rushing attack.
Panthers’ running back James Conner came into the game with 699 yards rushing—good enough for first in the FBS. On Saturday, he was held to 92 yards by Akron’s defense.
The Zips return to action next Saturday against Eastern Michigan at 2 p.m.
Toledo wins a high-scoring affair against Central Michigan
Toledo won a high-scoring game against Central Michigan 42-28 in Mid-American Conference action.
The Rockets were led by quarterback Logan Woodside, who passed for 339 yards and threw two touchdowns while rushing for another.
Offense was the name of the game for both teams in Saturday’s conference matchup. Toledo racked up 543 yards, while the Chippewas totaled 386 yards.
Neither team had any trouble passing the ball, but it was the balanced rushing attack of the Rockets that made the difference in the game.
Terry Swanson and Damion Jones-Moore led a 200-yard rushing attack for Toledo with 97 yards and 51 yards respectively.
With the win, the Rockets moved to 2-0 in MAC play and sit atop the West division. Central Michigan dropped to 0-1 in conference play.
Both teams continue their MAC schedules next Saturday, as Toledo (3-2) plays at Western Michigan at 7 p.m., and the Chippewas (2-3) take on Ohio at home at 3:30 p.m.
Buffalo escapes with win against Miami (OH)
A heavily-favored Buffalo squad barely escaped with a 35-27 win against Miami (OH) on Saturday.
The story of this game was the play of Bulls’ running back Anthone Taylor. The 5-foot-10 junior rushed for 222 yards and three touchdowns, both career highs. But his career day was almost overshadowed by Buffalo’s struggles to put away the RedHawks.
Miami was up 27-26 in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t finish the job as the Bulls came back to win behind a touchdown by Taylor and a late Patrick Clark field goal to take the 35-27 lead.
The competitive play was a positive sign for the RedHawks (0-5), who have almost pulled off upsets the past two weeks (Cincinnati last week), but came up just short.
Both quarterbacks had their way on Saturday. Buffalo quarterback Joe Licata threw for 276 yards and two touchdowns, while Miami quarterback Andrew Hendrix was equally as impressive, finishing with 238 yards and three touchdowns.
The win puts the Bulls at 1-0 in MAC play, while the RedHawks drop to 0-1.
Buffalo (3-2) has a tough test next week as it takes on defending MAC champions Bowling Green at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. Miami looks to get its first win as it hosts another winless team, Massachusetts, at 2:30 p.m.
Adam Aucoin can be reached at [email protected].
