Zips Hold Off Eastern Michigan in the Second Half to secure 25-21 Victory

Saturday, October 26

Akron, Ohio

3:30 PM

University of Akron

2-6 , 1-3

Eastern Michigan

5-3 , 2-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Eastern Mich.

Akron

Zips Hold Off Eastern Michigan in the Second Half to secure 25-21 Victory

October 26 | Football

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AKRON, Ohio - The Akron football team put together a 10-play, 75-yard scoring drive, culminating in a 21-yard touchdown reception from redshirt junior Ben Finley to sophomore Adrian Norton with 3:59 left in the ballgame to give the Zips a 25-21 win over Eastern Michigan on Saturday afternoon at InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field.

Redshirt junior Jordon Simmons led all Zips rushers with 109 yards in the contest, picking up 6.8 yards per carry. Simmons has ran for 100+ yards twice this season with the previous being a 109-yard performance at Rutgers. Redshirt sophomore Charles Kellom also added 65 yards on the ground, averaging 13 yards per carry. Redshirt junior Tahj Bullock rushed for two scores and 21 yards.

Akron put together a big outing on the ground, gaining 220 rushing yards while averaging 7.1 yards per carry and out-rushing Eastern Michigan by 106 yards.

Junior Bobby Golden led the receiving corps with four receptions for 61 yards. Sophomore Conner Cravaack had two catches for 32 yards while junior Ahmarian Grainger had four catches for 31 yards.

Senior CJ Nunnally IV led the Akron defense with 10 tackles and one tackle for loss. Junior Bryan McCoy was close behind with nine and one tackle for loss while recording eight or more tackles in seven games this season. Senior Paul Lewis III added seven tackles, three pass breakups, and one recovered fumble in the win.

As a team, the Zips recorded 75 tackles. Akron has recorded 70 or more tackles five times this season (85 at Ohio, 75 vs Eastern Michigan, 75 at South Carolina, 73 vs Bowling Green, 71 at Rutgers).

Defensively, Akron held up fairly well against the Eastern Michigan rushing attack, holding the Eagles to 114 yards on the ground.

The Zips improved to 2-6 on the year and 1-3 in Mid-American Conference play, while the Eagles fell to 5-3 and 2-2.

How It Happened

Akron got on the scoreboard first with 2:54 left in the first quarter on a three-yard rush from Bullock. The Zips added two more points to take a 8-0 lead when Bullock found redshirt Junior Liam Reardon for a 2-pt conversion.Another Zips score then extended the lead to 11-0 when redshirt junior Garrison Smith hit a 34-yard field goal

Akron kept Eastern Michigan off the scoreboard and extended its lead to 18-0 with 2:45 remaining in the second quarter on a 15-yard rush from Bullock.Eastern Michigan then took control of the lead, building a 21-18 advantage before the Zips scored again with a 21-yard touchdown pass from Finley to Norton to retake the lead at 25-21. Neither team scored again in the game.

Game Notes

» Akron had their highest scoring quarter in the second period, when they put up 10 points.
» Akron converted 3 of 9 third downs while Eastern Michigan was successful on 7 of 17.
» The Zips had two players with more than eight tackles in the ballgame led by Nunnally, who had 10.
» Senior Avery Book punted four times for the Zips with an average of 47.8 yards per punt while pinning the Eagles inside their own 20 three times.
» The Zips didn't allow a sack in the contest.
» Akron won the time of possession battle 43:22 to 30:15.
» Akron got off to a hot start in the contest, putting 18 unanswered points on the board before Eastern Michigan could respond.

What's Next?
The Zips play once again at InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field when it hosts Buffalo on November 2 for Senior Day