Akron Blanked by Buffalo, 21-0

Saturday, October 19

Akron, Ohio

3:30 PM

University of Akron

0-7 , 0-3

Buffalo

3-4 , 1-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

BUFFALO

AKRON

October 19 | Football

Box Score

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STATS | STATS IN PDF | POSTGAME NOTES | POSTGAME QUOTES | PHOTO GALLERY | VIDEO

AKRON, Ohio – The Akron Zips fell 21-0 to the Buffalo Bulls in Mid-American Conference action at InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field on Saturday.

Defense dominated play for both teams as the game only produced one offensive touchdown and a pair of defensive scores. The lone offensive score came on the first drive of the game as Buffalo (3-4, 1-2 MAC) turned the opening kickoff into seven points. The Bulls used 14 plays to drive 75 yards in 7:13. The scoring drive was capped by a two-yard rush from Kevin Marks.

After the initial drive, the Zips and the Bulls battled back-and-forth, fighting for field position. Akron (0-7, 0-3 MAC) marched into Buffalo territory two times during the second quarter, but the Bulls defense forced the Zips into a pair of 45-yard field goal attempts. The Zips missed the mark on both, and neither team put points on the scoreboard for the rest of the half. At halftime, Buffalo led 7-0.

In the second half, Buffalo caused a pair of fumbles that resulted in 14 points. At the 3:54 mark of the third quarter, UB's Taylor Riggins sacked UA's freshman QB Zach Gibson (Alpharetta, Ga.) and stripped the ball in the process. Buffalo's Ledarius Mack recovered the loose ball and returned it 35 yards to the endzone. Later, in the fourth quarter, the Bulls caused a second sack-fumble play for the score as Kadofi Wright knocked the ball out of Gibson's hand near the one-yard line and recovered the ball in the endzone.

Defensively, the Zips only allowed seven points as senior LB John Lako (Monroe, Mich.) led the way with 14 tackles, adding two tackles for four yards of loss. Sophomore CB Jalen Hooks (Warren, Ohio) followed with nine tackles and freshman DB A.J. Watts (Columbus, Ga.) had seven tackles, a forced fumble and two pass break-ups.

Gibson led the Zips' offense, completing 22-of-39 passes for 193 yards with a long of 39 yards to sophomore WR Jeremiah Knight (Jefferson, Ohio). It was Knight's only reception of the game. Redshirt sophomore WR Julian Hicks (Cleveland, Ohio) led the Zips' receiving corps with nine receptions for 51 yards, while junior WR Nate Stewart (Bethlehem, Pa.) followed with five catches for 42 yards. Redshirt sophomore TE Maverick Wolfley (Morgantown, W.Va.) and freshman WR Michael Mathison (Covington, Ga.) added 30 and 27 yards, respectively.

Akron closes out the month of October with a road trip to Northern Illinois on Saturday, Oct. 26. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET (2:30 pm. CT) at Huskie Stadium on ESPN3.