Akron Visits Bowling Green for MAC East Showdown

Saturday, October 9

Bowling Green, Ohio

12:00 PM

University of Akron

Bowling Green

Akron Visits Bowling Green for MAC East Showdown

October 07 | Football

Follow Zips Football on Twitter (@ZipsFB), Facebook and Instagram

GAME NO. 6 - AKRON AT BOWLING GREEN NOTES (10/9)

Akron (1-4, 0-1 MAC) at Bowling Green (2-3, 0-1 MAC)
Saturday, Oct. 9
Doyt L. Perry Stadium
Bowling Green, Ohio • 12 p.m.

Series History: Bowling Green leads 18-9
Live Stats: www.GoZips.com
Live Stream: www.GoZips.com (subscription may be required) and ESPN App
Television: www.GoZips.com (subscription may be required) and ESPN App
Radio: 640 WHLO AM (Dave Skoczen - pxp and Joe Dunn - color)

WHAT'S AHEAD
The University of Akron football team continues Mid-American Conference play this Saturday, Oct. 9 as the Zips travel to Bowling Green to battle the Falcons. The 12 p.m. contest will be broadcast on the ESPN+ with Jason Ross and Marcus Ray calling the action with a link on GoZips.com.

HEAD COACHES
Bowling Green: Scot Loeffler (Michigan, 1998), overall record: 5-17 (Third Season)/record at Bowling Green: 5-17 (Third Season)
Akron: Tom Arth (John Carroll, 2003), overall record - 51-42 (Ninth Season)/record at Akron - 2-21 (Third Season)

SERIES HISTORY
Bowling Green leads, 18-9
Arth vs. Bowling Green: 1-1, Akron def. Bowling Green, 31-3 (Akron, Ohio - Dec. 5, 2020)
Last Meeting: Akron def. Bowling Green, 31-3 (Akron, Ohio - Dec. 5, 2020)
Last Meeting in Bowling Green: Bowling Green def. Akron, 35-6 (Bowling Green, Ohio - Nov. 2, 2019)

Akron is meeting Bowling for the 28th time in program history with the Falcons owning a 18-9 series advantage. In the last meeting between the two schools, Akron registered a 31-3 triumph past Bowling Green on Dec. 5, 2020 at InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field. The Zips and Falcons last met in Bowling Green on Nov. 2, 2019 as the Falcons posted a 35-6 victory.

The series between the two schools dates back to the 1941 campaign when Akron earned an 8-0 home victory over Bowling Green. The Zips and Falcons have met every season since 2012 with Akron in search of its fifth all-time road triumph over Bowling Green.

SCOUTING BOWLING GREEN
Bowling Green comes into action versus Akron on the heels of a 27-20 setback at Kent State on Saturday, Oct. 2.

Senior QB Matt McDonald has directed the Falcons' attack passing for 1,149 yards, including throwing for three touchdowns and rushing for three others. Freshman RB Jaison Patterson owns a team-best 120 yards, while the trio of sophomore WR Tyrone Broden, junior WR Austin Osborne and junior TE Christian Sims have registered 247, 233, and 232, respectively, through the air en route to combining to score two of Bowling Green's four receiving touchdowns.

Defensively, the duo of junior LB Darren Anders and senior CB Davon Ferguson have combined to record 80 tackles, including posting 44 and 36 stops, respectively. Ferguson owns 5.5 tackles for a loss this season, including a pair of sacks.

As a unit, the Falcons average 18.4 points per game, while registering 277.0 yards per game, including throwing for 229.8 yards and rushing for 47.2 yards per tilt.

Bowling Green is ranked fourth in the NCAA in team passing efficiency defense (93.64), seventh in blocked punts (2), 12th in blocked kicks (2), 17th in fumble recovered (5), 19th in turnovers gained (10), 20th in defensive touchdowns (1), 31st in red zone offense (.923), 32nd in punt return defense (3.67), 33rd in kickoff returns (23.71), 35th in team sacks (2.80), 36th in completion percentage (.652), 38th in turnover margin (0.60), 45th in tackles for a loss (6.6) and time of possession (30:41) and 47th in total defense (334.2). Individually, McDonald is ranked 15th in the NCAA in completions per game (23.60), 35th in completion percentage (.663), 43rd in passing yards (1,149) and 47th in passing yards per tilt (229.8).

IN OUR LAST MEETING (DEC. 5, 2020 - AKRON, OHIO)
Three defensive takeaways along propelled the University of Akron football squad to a 31-3 victory over Bowling Green on Dec. 5, 2020 at InfoCision Stadium - Summa Field.

The triumph represented the 50th career coaching win for Zips' head coach Tom Arth and first at Akron.

Teon Dollard rushed for a game-high 185 yards on 26 carries for the Zips, while redshirt freshman QB Zach Gibson (Alpharetta, Ga.) completed 9-of-17 passes for 87 yards, including one touchdown pass.

Freshman TE Tristian Brank (Asheville, N.C.), sophomore WR Michael Mathison (Covington, Ga.) and junior WR George Qualls, Jr. (Caruthersville, Md.) combined for eight catches for Akron totaling 32, 27 and 23 yards, respectively.

The Zips finished the contest with 282 total yards, including 195 yards rushing, while the Falcons recorded 295 total yards.

Redshirt junior LB Bubba Arslanian (Aurora, Ohio) directed Akron's defensive efforts on the afternoon registering a season- and team-high 16 tackles, including garnering a career-best 11 solo stops. Additionally, sophomore CB Randy Cochran, Jr. (Doralville, Ga.) added seven tackles.

Gavin Blunt highlighted the Zips' special team efforts on day recovering a blocked punt in the endzone for a touchdown as well as a fumble recovery in the opening quarter.

The Zips struck the first blow in the game as Blunt dove onto a Bowling Green fumble by Jake Rogers at the visitor 11-yard line off the Akron punt at the 12:51 mark of the opening quarter.

Four plays later, the Zips assumed a lead they didn't relinquish on a 36-yard field goal from redshirt sophomore K Cory Smigel (North Royalton, Ohio) at the 10:20 mark.

The Falcons answered with a 16-play, 61-yard drive of their own to knot the score at three as Nate Needham kicked a 23-yard field goal with 2:12 left in the first quarter.

The Zips took the lead for good with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Gibson to Qualls, Jr. with 11:54 left before halftime. The scoring play capped a 10-play, 75-yard effort from Akron.

After the two sides exchanged drives, a heady play on special teams by Arslanian downed the Zips' punt at the Bowling Green two-yard line.

Akron forced the Falcons into a punt where Michiah Burton blocked the Mason Lawler attempt in the endzone and Blunt recovered the ball for the touchdown to extend the Zips' lead to 17-3 with 3:38 remaining in the second quarter.

The Zips opened the second half with their first interception of the season as sophomore CB A.J. Watts (Columbus, Ga.) picked off Labronz Davis' pass at the Akron 17-yard line returning the ball 44 yards to the Falcons' 39-yard line at the 12:53 mark.

Four plays later, Dollard went on nine-yard rush into the endzone with 10:45 left in the quarter to extend Akron's lead to 24-3. A 29-yard completion from Gibson to Brank highlighted the efforts on the drive.

A key sack by Arslanian with 12:37 left in the game on a 4th-and-7 play for Bowling Green on Akron's 32-yard line, gave the Zips the ball on the 43-yard line.

On 2nd-and-10, Dollard rushed for 10 yards to the midfield stripe before breaking off a 50-yard run to the back of the endzone to push the Akron margin to 31-3 with 11:34 remaining in the game.

ZIP TIDBITS
• TE Tristian Brank scored his first career touchdown with a nine-yard reception in the third quarter against Ohio on Oct. 2. He culminated his day posting three catches for 23 yards.
• S Jaylen Kelly-Powell led the Zips in tackles versus Ohio on Oct. 2 with career-high marks in tackles (11), solo tackles (5) and assists (6).
• Registering their first career sacks at Akron against Ohio on Oct. 2 was LB Reggie Corner, Jr., who posted a solo sack for six yards of loss, while LB Brandon Bischof and DL Zach Morton (Detroit, Mich.) combined on a sack.
• Twenty different Zips registered a tackle versus Ohio on Oct. 2, including a career-high 10 tackles from S Ronald Jackson, Jr. (Detroit, Mich.).
• WR Konata Mumpfield has scored a touchdown in four of Akron's first five games this season, including a career-long 45-yard scoring strike from DJ Irons against Ohio on Oct. 2.
• LB Bubba Arslanian registered his 250th career tackle with his first stop at Ohio State on Sept. 25.
• RB Blake Hester established career-best marks in rushes (13) and rushing yards (51) versus Ohio on Oct. 2, while setting career marks in receptions (3) and receiving yards (22) against Ohio State on Sept. 25.
• Akron's 514 yards of total offense versus Bryant represented the Zips' highest total since registering 626 against Savannah State on Sept. 19, 2015.
• Nine different Akron receivers pulled in a reception for the Zips against Bryant, the most for Akron since the same number recorded a catch at UMass on Sept. 28, 2019.
• QB DJ Irons threw for a career-high 296 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for a career-best 136 yard rushing against Bryant en route to collecting 432 yards of total offense.
• QB DJ Irons is off to a solid start to his Akron career connecting on 72-of-104 passes for 824 yards and eight touchdowns. He was perfect in debut as a Zip against Auburn, completing 13-of-13 passes for 129 yards with his first passing touchdown coming to Norrils in the fourth quarter. He followed with a 19-of-23 effort for a career-high 296 yards versus Bryant.
• Akron's freshmen trio of WR Konata Mumpfield, TE Tristian Brank and freshman WR Oran Singleton, Jr. (Clewiston, Fla.) recorded career-highs in receiving yards posting 69, 46 and 36 yards, respectively, against Bryant.
• Redshirt freshman RB Anthony Williams, Jr. (Chicago, Ill.) recorded a career-best 39 yards rushing on nine carries before scoring a one-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter against Bryant for his first career touchdown at Akron.
•WR Michael Mathison leads the Zips in catches (26) and receiving yards (306) this season and has garnered 68, 101, 61, 17 an d59 yards, respectively, in Akron's first five games this season.
• The Zips posted 14 tackles for a loss for 59 yards in a 35-14 victory over Bryant. Redshirt sophomore ILB Jeslord Boateng (Dublin, Ohio) led the way for Akron with three tackles for a loss, including a sack, while redshirt junior LB Michael Scott (Tallahassee, Fla.) garnered a career-best two sacks for the Zips.
• LB Bubba Arslanian recorded a team-best 17 tackles against Temple and is rated sixth in the NCAA in total tackles (10.8).
• ILB Jeslord Boateng ranks second on the team in total tackles (31), solo stops (14) and assists (17), while leading the Zips in tackles for a loss (3.0).
• Akron is 12-of-17 in the red zone this season, including nine touchdowns and a trio of field goals this season after going 12-for-14 a year ago with nine touchdowns.
• Akron is rated 11th in the NCAA in time of possession (33:09), 15th in fewest penalty yards per game (4.80), 19th in fewest penalties (24), 21st in fewest penalty yards per contest (42.00), 22nd in completion percentage (.680), 23rd in fewest penalty yards (210) and 46th in team passing efficiency (148.26).
• QB DJ Irons is rated 14th in the NCAA in completion percentage (.709), 23rd in passing efficiency (159.9), 32nd in passing touchdowns (9), 35th in points responsible for (66) and 37th points responsible per tilt (13.2).
• WR Michael Mathison registered his first career 100-yard receiving day versus Temple pulling in career-high marks in catches (8) and yards (101).
• Freshman RB Jonzell Norrils (Toledo, Ohio) posted career-best marks in rushing attempts (15) and yards (66) against Temple, a week after scoring his second-career touchdown and first of 2021 with a four-yard reception in the fourth quarter versus Auburn.
• Bubba Arslanian's 17 tackles versus Auburn represent the sixth-highest single-game effort in the NCAA this season.

UP NEXT
The University of Akron football team travels to Oxford, Ohio for a 2:30 p.m. tilt against Miami on Oct. 16.