The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
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Ohio State
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Zips Fall to No. 2 Ohio State in Season Opener
August 31 | Football
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Akron fell 52-6 in the 2024 season opener to the No. 2 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on Saturday afternoon with 102,011 fans in attendance.Â
Redshirt junior K Garrison Smith made a pair of field goals, scoring the Zips six points. Smith split the uprights with 48- and  49-yard kicks, marking the longest field goals since Robert Stein buried a 50-yarder in 2015.
Three quarterbacks saw action for the Zips in the season opener as redshirt junior Tahj Bullock paced both the passing (68 yards) and rushing (42 yards) categories. Redshirt junior Ben Finley earned the starting role and threw for 53 yards, while redshirt sophomore RB Charles Kellom added nine yards on the ground. In addition, redshirt sophomore TE Jake Newell reeled in two catches for 41 yards to lead receiving corps, while redhirt junior RB Jordon Simmons caught four passes for 25 yards.
Redshirt junior S Daymon David paced the Akron defense with six tackles while redshirt junior DL CJ Nunnally IV and senior LB Antavious Fish each had five tackles.
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Akron grabbed a 3-0 lead over Ohio State after scoring the game's first points with 8:44 remaining in the first quarter. Ohio State outpaced Akron to a 31-3 lead before the Zips put a field goal on the board to cut into the advantage and make it a 31-6 game. Akron didn't score again in the game and Ohio State added 21 more points to finish off the scoring.
Game Notes» Akron converted 4 of 16 third downs while Ohio State was successful on 9 of 14.
» Avery Book punted six times for the Zips with an average of 48.2 yards per punt while pinning the Buckeyes inside their own 20 two times.
» Akron went 2-for-3 on fourth down, converting on 66.7 percent of attempts.
» Bullock completed 69.2% of his passes on the day, going 9-for-13.
What's Next?
Akron travels to face Rutgers for its next test on Saturday, September 7.Â
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Team Stats
AKR 3, OSU 0
AKR - Smith,Garrison 48 yd field goal 10 plays, 47 yards, TOP 05:18
AKR 3, OSU 7
OSU - Smith,Jeremiah 16 yd pass from Howard,Will (Fielding,Jayden kick) 14 plays, 75 yards, TOP 06:00
AKR 3, OSU 10
OSU - Fielding,Jayden 40 yd field goal 5 plays, 11 yards, TOP 00:40
AKR 3, OSU 17
OSU - Smith,Jeremiah 9 yd pass from Howard,Will (Fielding,Jayden kick) 9 plays, 76 yards, TOP 04:30
AKR 3, OSU 24
OSU - Judkins,Quinshon 2 yd run (Fielding,Jayden kick), 3 plays, 60 yards, TOP 00:52
AKR 3, OSU 31
OSU - Ransom,Lathan 27 yd fumble recovery (Fielding,Jayden kick)
AKR 6, OSU 31
AKR - Smith,Garrison 49 yd field goal 7 plays, 44 yards, TOP 03:38
AKR 6, OSU 38
OSU - Peoples,James 4 yd run (Fielding,Jayden kick), 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:56
AKR 6, OSU 45
OSU - Tate,Carnell 34 yd pass from Howard,Will (Fielding,Jayden kick) 4 plays, 47 yards, TOP 01:53
AKR 6, OSU 52
OSU - Powers,Gabe 29 yd interception (Fielding,Jayden kick)
