The 2020 Akron Zips football team represented the University of Akron during the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Zips were led by second-year head coach Tom Arth and played their home games at InfoCision Stadium in Akron, Ohio. They competed as members of the East Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). In their fifth game, the Zips defeated Bowling Green, 31–3, to break their 21-game losing streak dating back to the 2018 season.[2]
Schedule
Akron had non-conference games scheduled against Clemson, Youngstown State, New Mexico State, and UMass, which all were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]
[4]
Game summaries
vs Western Michigan
| Game information |
- First quarter
- (10:33) WMU – Thiago Kapps 48-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 24 yards, 4:27; Western Michigan 3–0)
- (7:32) AKR – Michael Mathison 14-yard pass from Zach Gibson, Cory Smigel kick (Drive: 6 plays, 73 yards, 2:56; Akron 7–3)
- (3:48) WMU – D'Wayne Eskridge 5-yard pass from Kaleb Eleby, Thiago Kapps kick (Drive: 7 plays, 60 yards, 3:33; Western Michigan 10–7)
- (1:52) WMU – A. J. Thomas 38-yard interception return, Thiago Kapps kick failed (Western Michigan 16–7)
- Second quarter
- (13:04) AKR – Cory Smigel 41-yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 51 yards, 3:48; Western Michigan 16–10)
- (7:33) WMU – Sean Tyler 12-yard run, Thiago Kapps kick (Drive: 10 plays, 76 yards, 5:25; Western Michigan 23–10)
- (3:41) AKR – Cory Smigel 28-yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 64 yards, 3:52; Western Michigan 23–13)
- (1:34) WMU – Jaylen Hall 68-yard pass from Kaleb Eleby, Thiago Kapps kick (Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:01; Western Michigan 30–13)
- Third quarter
- (13:09) WMU – D'Wayne Eskridge 76-yard pass from Kaleb Eleby, Thiago Kapps kick (Drive: 2 plays, 83 yards, 0:53; Western Michigan 37–13)
- (9:14) WMU – Jaxson Kincaide 14-yard run, Thiago Kapps kick (Drive: 4 plays, 53 yards, 1:23; Western Michigan 44–13)
- (0:32) WMU – La'Darius Jefferson 1-yard run, Thiago Kapps kick (Drive: 9 plays, 67 yards, 4:51; Western Michigan 51–13)
- Fourth quarter
- (6:14) WMU – Christian Singleton 5-yard run, Thiago Kapps kick (Drive: 4 plays, 17 yards, 2:40; Western Michigan 58–13)
|
| Statistics | WMU | AKR |
| First downs | 21 | 15 |
| Plays–yards | 58–484 | 64–256 |
| Rushes–yards | 39–218 | 32–130 |
| Passing yards | 266 | 126 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 13–19–0 | 19–32–1 |
| Time of possession | 30:53 | 29:07 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Western Michigan | Passing | Kaleb Eleby | 12/16, 262 yards, 3 TD |
| Rushing | La'Darius Jefferson | 9 carries, 70 yards, 1 TD |
| Receiving | D'Wayne Eskridge | 3 receptions, 114 yards, 2 TD |
| Akron | Passing | Zach Gibson | 18/30, 125 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Rushing | Boogie Knight | 11 carries, 74 yards |
| Receiving | Michael Mathison | 6 receptions, 44 yards, 1 TD |
at Ohio
| Game information |
- First quarter
- (12:10) OHIO – De'Montre Tuggle 9-yard run, Tristian Vandenberg kick (Drive: 6 plays, 62 yards, 2:50; Ohio 7–0)
- Second quarter
- (12:27) OHIO – Armani Rogers 1-yard run, Tristian Vandenberg kick (Drive: 3 plays, 41 yards, 1:13; Ohio 14–0)
- (4:25) AKR – Nate Stewart 14-yard pass from Zach Gibson, Cory Smigel kick (Drive: 9 plays, 97 yards, 4:22; Ohio 14–7)
- Third quarter
- (9:47) AKR – Cory Smigel 35-yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 58 yards, 5:13; Ohio 14–10)
- (6:27) OHIO – Tristian Vandenberg 44-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 21 yards, 3:14; Ohio 17–10)
- Fourth quarter
- (2:02) OHIO – De'Montre Tuggle 1-yard run, Jonah Fortkamp kick (Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 4:23; Ohio 24–10)
|
| Statistics | AKR | OHIO |
| First downs | 20 | 15 |
| Plays–yards | 72–434 | 50–307 |
| Rushes–yards | 42–216 | 33–185 |
| Passing yards | 218 | 122 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 18–30–2 | 10–17–0 |
| Time of possession | 34:53 | 25:07 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Akron | Passing | Zach Gibson | 18/30, 218 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT |
| Rushing | Teon Dollard | 22 carries, 165 yards |
| Receiving | George Qualls Jr. | 3 receptions, 64 yards |
| Ohio | Passing | Kurtis Rourke | 8/14, 92 yards |
| Rushing | De'Montre Tuggle | 22 carries, 139 yards, 2 TD |
| Receiving | Shane Hooks | 4 receptions, 73 yards |
at Kent State (Wagon Wheel)
Akron Zips (0–2) at Kent State Golden Flashes (2–0) – Game summary
at Dix Stadium • Kent, Ohio
- Date:
- Game time: 8:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Wintry mix • Temperature: 34 °F (1 °C) • Wind: 17 miles per hour (27 km/h)
- Game attendance: 0
- Referee: Bryan Banks
- TV announcers (ESPN): Courtney Lyle (play-by-play) and Dustin Fox (analyst)
- Box score, Recap
| Game information |
- First quarter
- (12:05) KENT – Marquez Cooper 3-yard run, Matthew Trickett kick (Drive: 5 plays, 46 yards, 1:18; Kent State 7–0)
- (7:51) AKR – Xavior Gray 0-yard fumble return, Cory Smigel kick (Tied 7–7)
- (4:49) KENT – Dustin Crum 15-yard run, Matthew Trickett kick (Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:02; Kent State 14–7)
- Second quarter
- (10:08) AKR – Teon Dollard 28-yard run, Cory Smigel kick (Drive: 8 plays, 86 yards, 3:42; Tied 14–14)
- (9:56) KENT – Isaiah McKoy 75-yard pass from Dustin Crum, Matthew Trickett kick (Drive: 1 play, 75 yards, 0:12; Kent State 21–14)
- (9:38) AKR – Teon Dollard 59-yard run, Cory Smigel kick (Drive: 1 play, 59 yards, 0:10; Tied 21–21)
- (5:42) KENT – Marquez Cooper 19-yard run, Matthew Trickett kick (Drive: 9 plays, 79 yards, 3:52; Kent State 28–21)
- (0:58) AKR – Teon Dollard 13-yard run, Cory Smigel kick (Drive: 9 plays, 64 yards, 4:44; Tied 28–28)
- (0:15) KENT – Ja'Shaun Poke 11-yard pass from Dustin Crum, Matthew Trickett kick (Drive: 6 plays, 58 yards, 0:37; Kent State 35–28)
- Third quarter
- (13:08) KENT – Dustin Crum 9-yard run, Matthew Trickett kick (Drive: 7 plays, 78 yards, 1:46; Kent State 42–28)
- (9:14) KENT – Marquez Cooper 1-yard run, Matthew Trickett kick (Drive: 5 plays, 36 yards, 1:35; Kent State 49–28)
- (0:20) KENT – Bryan Bradford 13-yard pass from Dustin Crum, two-point pass failed (Drive: 12 plays, 87 yards, 4:54; Kent State 55–28)
- Fourth quarter
- (12:50) AKR – Teon Dollard 8-yard run, Cory Smigel kick (Drive: 6 plays, 61 yards, 2:23; Kent State 55–35)
- (10:00) KENT – Xavier Williams 49-yard run, Matthew Trickett kick (Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:50; Kent State 62–35)
- (2:49) KENT – Javaughn Williams 1-yard pass from Collin Schlee, Matthew Trickett kick (Drive: 7 plays, 27 yards, 4:43; Kent State 69–35)
|
| Statistics | AKR | KENT |
| First downs | 21 | 37 |
| Plays–yards | 56–366 | 78–750 |
| Rushes–yards | 41–212 | 51–390 |
| Passing yards | 154 | 360 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 9–15–1 | 24–27–0 |
| Time of possession | 29:21 | 30:39 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Akron | Passing | Zach Gibson | 9/15, 154 yards, 1 INT |
| Rushing | Teon Dollard | 28 carries, 202 yards, 4 TD |
| Receiving | Nate Stewart | 2 receptions, 68 yards |
| Kent State | Passing | Dustin Crum | 22/25, 348 yards, 3 TD |
| Rushing | Marquez Cooper | 14 carries, 107 yards, 3 TD |
| Receiving | Isaiah McKoy | 6 receptions, 140 yards, 1 TD |
vs Miami (OH)
Miami RedHawks (1–1) vs Akron Zips (0–3) – Game summary
at Infocision Stadium–Summa Field • Akron, Ohio
- Date:
- Game time: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 43 °F (6 °C) • Wind: W at 9 miles per hour (14 km/h)
- Game attendance: 0
- Referee: Tim O'Dey
- TV announcers (ESPN3): Anthony Lima (play-by-play) and Je'Rod Cherry (analyst)
- Box score, Recap
| Game information |
- First quarter
- (9:35) M-OH – Jack Sorenson 61-yard pass from Brett Gabbert, Henry Beckett kick (Drive: 4 plays, 86 yards, 1:47; Miami (OH) 7–0)
- Second quarter
- (11:42) M-OH – Henry Beckett 42-yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 44 yards, 4:07; Miami (OH) 10–0)
- (6:10) M-OH – Jack Sorenson 29-yard pass from Brett Gabbert, Henry Beckett kick (Drive: 7 plays, 58 yards, 2:52; Miami (OH) 17–0)
- (1:17) M-OH – Jack Sorenson 28-yard pass from Brett Gabbert, Henry Beckett kick (Drive: 8 plays, 70 yards, 3:56; Miami (OH) 24–0)
- Third quarter
- (2:38) M-OH – Emmanuel Rugamba 62-yard interception return, Henry Beckett kick (Miami (OH) 31–0)
- Fourth quarter
- (11:37) M-OH – Jack Sorenson 15-yard pass from Brett Gabbert, Henry Beckett kick (Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 3:41; Miami (OH) 38–0)
- (8:08) AKR – Michael Mathison 11-yard pass from Zach Gibson, Cory Smigel kick (Drive: 8 plays, 74 yards, 3:24; Miami (OH) 38–7)
|
| Statistics | M-OH | AKR |
| First downs | 17 | 14 |
| Plays–yards | 54–416 | 55–145 |
| Rushes–yards | 27–108 | 28–4 |
| Passing yards | 308 | 141 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 18–27–0 | 16–27–1 |
| Time of possession | 28:17 | 31:43 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Miami (OH) | Passing | Brett Gabbert | 18/27, 308 yards, 4 TD |
| Rushing | Brett Gabbert | 4 carries, 48 yards |
| Receiving | Jack Sorenson | 8 receptions, 177 yards, 4 TD |
| Akron | Passing | Zach Gibson | 16/27, 141 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Rushing | Teon Dollard | 13 carries, 22 yards |
| Receiving | George Qualls Jr. | 3 receptions, 50 yards |
vs Bowling Green
| | | | | | Total |
| Falcons | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Zips | 3 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
at No. 24 Buffalo
| | | | | | Total |
| Zips | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| No. 24 Bulls | 14 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 56 |
Roster
References
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| Bowls & rivalries | |
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| Culture & lore | - Zippy
- "Akron Blue and Gold"
- Zips Marching Band
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| People | |
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| Seasons | |
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