5 Things You Need to Know About the Akron Zips

In Week One, the Kentucky Wildcats had a slow start and trailed Ball State 7-3 after the first quarter. However, the offense dominated from that point forward as the ‘Cats cruised to a 44-14 victory. Then, in Week Two, it was an even slower start. Kentucky needed a key punt return to set up a short field in order to get on the board and tie the game at 7-7 going into halftime. Once again, the offense was drastically better in the second half and the Wildcats escaped with a 28-17 win over Eastern Kentucky. Can Coach Mark Stoops and company play 60 complete minutes on Saturday? That will be the burning question heading into Week Three in Lexington against the Akron Zips.

Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time kickoff will feature Kentucky’s second MAC opponent of the young season. The Akron Zips went 2-10 a year ago and come to Kroger Field with a 1-1 record so far the season. In Week One, they lost a close 24-21 battle to Temple before flipping the script and defeating Morgan State by the same score last weekend. Despite being led by a respected offensive mind in Coach Joe Moorhead, the Zips have really struggled offensively under the former Mississippi State boss. This will be a get right opportunity for Kentucky’s defense in third down situations. Coaches and fans alike will also be looking for a faster start, and overall faster pace, on the offensive side of the ball. Week Three will be all about cleaning things up and flipping the script to SEC play.

As always, we have all of your pregame needs right here on Kentucky Sports Radio dot com. If you haven’t already, two must reads are Adam Luckett’s Scouting Report and Freddie Maggard’s goals for the game. Those are in the in-depth, football-nerd previews. For those looking for a more surface level look at what to expect on Saturday night, you are in the right place. Let’s dive on in to five things you need to know about the Akron Zips.

Akron Will Use Three Quarterbacks

There is an old adage in football that if you have two quarterbacks you have none. Well, what do they say about having three quarterbacks? On Saturday night, you can expect to see the Akron Zips have three different players take snaps. The most established of the bunch is DJ Irons. He is in his third season with the Zips and has logged 15 starts. Irons has thrown for 3,760 yards, rushed for over 1,000, and racked up 26 total touchdowns. However, turnovers have plagued the veteran signal caller. The Third Team All-MAC selection has 12 interceptions and 19 fumbles during his time at Akron.

Last week, Irons was pulled from the game in favor of super senior Jeff Undercuffler Jr. A prolific passer in four seasons at Albany, Undercuffler Jr. started the final two games for Akron last season which included an upset win over Northern Illinois. On Saturday, the veteran was 18-25 for 209 yards, but did throw three interceptions. No matter who is behind center, Kentucky should have some takeaway opportunities.

The third Akron quarterback that is likely to receive some snaps on Saturday night is Tahj Bullock. While he hasn’t attempted a pass yet this season, the Virginia Tech transfer will play a wildcat type role for the Zips. He had a rushing touchdown in the season opener against Temple. Coach Moorhead will cycle through all three of his options to see what works against the ‘Cats.

Zips Have Power Five Talent at the Skill Positions – Running Backs

In terms of numbers and metrics, this Akron Zips offense has struggled. That was true all of last season and has carried over into year two of the Coach Moorhead era. However, there is some Power Five talent at the skill positions that has come to Akron via the transfer portal. In the backfield, the Zips feature a pair of running backs with a lot of experience. Drake Anderson has spent time at Arizona and Northwestern accumulating 1,378 rushing yards and six total touchdowns. Meanwhile, former five-star prospect Lorenzo Lingard has made stops at Miami (FL) and Florida. Neither have found much success on the ground this season, but the talent is there. Lingard did have a 77 yard touchdown reception against Temple.

Zips Have Power Five Talent at the Skill Positions – Wide Receivers

There is more former five-star talent at wideout and it helped propel the Zips to victory against Morgan State. LSU transfer Alex Adams caught six balls for 75 yards and a score in Week Two. He earned First Team All-MAC honor last season with 63 catches, 850 yards, and a team-leading nine touchdowns. Daniel George, a Penn State transfer, has 101 receiving yards through two games to lead Akron. He created a nice one-two punch with Adams last season finishing with 67 catches, 793 yards, and a pair of touchdowns. However, it was redshirt sophomore Jasaiah Gathings who led the way against Morgan State finishing with 86 yards on seven catches. Regardless of who plays quarterback, these three will be potential potent targets for the Akron offense.

Former Mississippi State Head Coach Joe Moorhead Calling Plays

Coach Joe Moorhead took the leap to Power Five college football when he got the Penn State offensive coordinator position in 2016. During his two seasons in State College the Lions won 22 games and Coach Moorhead became a highly sought after offensive savant. He cashed in by taking over the head job at Mississippi State but that experiment didn’t last long. Coach Moorhead went 14-12 in Starkville, including a pair of wins over Ole Miss, but it wasn’t enough and he was let go after just two seasons. Then, after two years at Oregon, he landed back in a head coaching role at Akron.

Despite Coach Moorhead’s past with successful offenses, that hasn’t yet translated to the Zips. Last year, Akron ranked near the bottom of the FCS in several categories.

• Scoring: 21.8 (No. 107 overall)
• Points Per Drive: 1.71 (No. 100 overall)
• Yards Per Play: 5.1 (No. 105 overall)
• Yards Per Rush: 2.9 (No. 128 overall)
• Yards Per Pass: 6.8 (No. 92 overall)
• Pass Play Percentage: 60.1% (No. 7 overall)
• 20+ yard plays: 49 (No. 90 overall)
• Red Zone TD Percentage: 55.8% (No. 95 overall)

The Akron Zips have long been a bottom feeder in the MAC. In the last two decades, they have managed just four winning seasons with the most recent coming in 2015. Coach Moorhead will have his work cut out for him to turn this program around. However, while the results haven’t come yet, there is at least some recruiting momentum building for the Zips.

Much Improved Defense Led By Talented Front Seven

Last season, the Akron Zips had one of the worst defenses in college football. They allowed 33.5 points per game while giving up six yards per play. Those metrics ranked 118th and 105th respectively in the country. So far this season though the Zips have appeared to be much improved.

CJ Nunnally IV has been the most havoc-producing this year and it led to him earning MAC Defensive Player of the Week honors in Week Two. The junior college transfer forced a fumble against Morgan State that led to Akron’s game-winning touchdown. He has accumulated three and a half tackles for loss and a pair of sacks through two games. Ryan Johnson, another JUCO product, plays opposite Nunnally IV on the line and has put pressure on opposing quarterbacks consistently. The 6’2″ 255 pound senior leads the Zips with eight quarterback pressures.

Akron may still have some growing pains as they get into MAC play, but there is no denying this defensive unit has improved. Their ability to get into the backfield and put pressure on the quarterback has allowed their secondary to shine through the first two weeks of the season.