Game Day Information
Date: November 1, 1997
Site: Muncie, Ind.
Stadium: Ball State (21,581)
Kickoff: 1:00 ET
Team Records: UA is 1-7, 1-4 in the MAC; Ball State is 3-6 (2-4 MAC).
Radio: Akron's broadcast will originate on WHLO-AM (640).
Ball State's broadcast will originate on WLBC-FM (104.1) in Muncie.
TV: UA highlights will be replayed November 3 as part of Zips Monday Night
Football on WAKC-TV Channel 23 at 8 p.m.
Series: 7-5-1, Akron
Long time, no see!
The Akron Zips and Ball State Cardinals have not tangled since 1994. The quirk in the Mid-American Conference schedule means that UA head coach Lee Owens will see BSU for the first time in his three years at Akron. The Zips are in Muncie, Ind., on Saturday for a 1 o'clock kickoff.
The defending MAC champions have won their last two games over Central Michigan (37-34 OT) and Northern Illinois (21-14), but are 3-6 overall and 2-4 in the MAC. Ball State has lost 15 starters from last year's squad which opened 0-3, then won eight straight to win the MAC and represent the league in the Las Vegas Bowl. The Cards fell to Nevada, 18-15, to finish 8-4.
Akron gave a courageous effort in falling to MAC East Division leader Ohio, 21-17, last Saturday at the Rubber Bowl.
"We think we play well at home, so we do," says Zip head coach Lee Owens. "We think we play bad on the road, so we do. Now we've got to take this show on the road.
"If we continue to play like we did against Ohio University, things are going to start to even out."
The Zips have played a monstrous road schedule (at Nebraska, Miami (O.), LSU, Marshall and Eastern Michigan) and still have MAC West leader Toledo in the Glass City on November 15.
Zip tailback Greg Lomax (Monongahela, Pa.) has cracked the MAC's Top 10 rushing list with 554 yards on 82 carries (6.75 per). His 92-yard scoring run vs. Ohio is the third longest in UA history.
QUOTABLE: "I thought our defensive coaches had put together a real good game plan. Ohio outschemes a lot of teams. Our players executed well. It was a little bit of a chess game." -- Lee Owens last Saturday after the Zips' 21-17 loss to Ohio.
SERIES: Zips lead the all-time series 7-5-1. The two teams have not played since 1994. The Cardinals have won the last two meetings in 1994 (38-28) and '93 (31-9). Akron won in '92 (22-14). The Zips won five and tied one in eight annual games between 1969 and '76.
LAST MEETING: On Novermber 12, 1994 at Ball State Stadium (Muncie, Ind.), running back Michael Blair scored four touchdowns to lead Ball State to a 38-28 MAC win over Akron.
Freshman quarterback Brian Magrell rallied UA from a 31-7 halftime deficit, throwing for a school-record 347 yards. The old mark had been 339 passing yards by Jeff Sweitzer in 1990 vs. Youngstown State.
Magrell completed 25 of 40 passes, 10 of the 25 completions going to running back DeShawn Brown, good for 154 yards.
AKRON'S MAC AWARD NOMINEES FOR OCTOBER 25: Junior tailback Greg Lomax (Monongahela, Pa.) is the Zips' Offensive Player of the Week. Lomax rushed for a career-high 150 yards (15 carries) and had touchdown runs of 23 and 92 yards. The 92-yarder is the third longest in UA history and gave Akron a 17-14 lead late in the third quarter.
Junior free safety Andre McCray (Akron) is the Zips' Defensive Player of the Week. McCray racked up 10 tackles (8 solo), one tackle for loss and one forced fumble to lead the Zips' defensive charge. UA limited the Bobcats to 270 total yards of offense -- 130 below their season average.
MEDICAL UPDATE: Senior DT Tarik West (Miami, Fla.) was questionable going into the Ohio game (twisted knee, October 21) and did NOT play against the Bobcats. He is regarded as the Zips' best defensive lineman.
Sophomore fullback Tyrone Ryan (Wexford, Pa.) suffered a knee sprain in practice last Thursday and did not play against Ohio.
Junior LB Eric Small (Akron) hurt his right shoulder at Eastern Michigan. He did not dress for Ohio.
Two Zips sustained knee injuries at Marshall. Junior DT Jamey Bennett (McDonald, Pa.) sprained his MCL and will be out 2-4 weeks. Sophomore QB Greg Gromek (Chesterland) tore the ACL in his left knee and is lost for the rest of the season. He will likely undergo surgery this week.
Junior DL Jeremy Maxa (Finleyville, Pa.) suffered an elbow injury the week of the Marshall game, did make the trip to Eastern Michigan, but did see limited action against Ohio.
Redshirt freshman guard Chad Smith (Canton) has missed the last six games with a shoulder strain.
Two defensive backs, junior Jon Eaton (ankle) and sophomore Mike Hughes (shoulder), are medical redshirts for 1997.
ALOHA: Zip senior fullback Jamie Reader (Monessen, Pa.) has been invited to the Hula Bowl, Jan. 18, 1998, in Honolulu.
IRON MAN: Junior quick tackle Kevin Kuntz (Steubenville/Edison) made his 30th consecutive start against Ohio. Originally a 210-pound, walk-on tight end, Kuntz (now 275) is among the MAC's top offensive linemen.
THE 400 CLUB: Seven of Akron's first eight opponents are ranked among the nation's Top 40 in total offense: No. 1 Nebraska (514 yards per game), 15. Eastern Michigan (432), 20. Kent (426), 28. Marshall (412), 29. Miami (411), 32. LSU (408), 33. Central Michigan (406), 37.Ohio (400) (last week's stats).
SMACO LUNCHEON: The Sports Media Association of Cleveland is sponsoring a rivalry luncheon Thursday, Nov. 6, at noon at the Cleveland South Hilton Inn (Rockside Road at I-77, Independence). UA's Lee Owens will be joined by coaches from Kent, John Carroll and Baldwin-Wallace. The Zips entertain the Golden Flashes that Saturday at 3:30. Tickets are priced at $12 each for SMACO members and $15 for guests. Call the UA Sports Information Office at (330) 972-7468 to reserve a seat.
SMASH MOUTH: The Zips rushed for a season-high 306 yards against an Ohio defense ranked first in the MAC vs. the run, yielding an average of 80.7 yards per game. It marked Akron's second-highest rush total in six MAC seasons (342 vs. Ohio in 1992). UA is third in the MAC in rushing offense at 198.1 yards per game. Lee Owens cited strong tackle Rex Pyles (Wheelersburg) for outstanding play.
NATIONAL POLL: The Toledo Rockets (7-0, 5-0 MAC) cracked the Associated Press Top 25 last week at #24 and moved up to #22 this week. Three other MAC teams are receiving votes: Ohio (32 votes), Miami (5) and Marshall (2). Toledo is #23 in the USA Today/ESPN poll and hosts Miami this Saturday.
MAC POWER RANKING: There must be something to this two-divisional format thing. The Mid-American Conference is rated sixth among the nation's 10 Division I-A football leagues. This year there is a distinct division line between the top five and the next five. The SEC, Pac-10, Big Ten, Atlantic Coast and Big 12 are 1 thru 5, respectively, according to the Seattle Times computer rankings. The MAC heads up the next division, followed by the Big East, WAC, Conference USA and the Big West. How many bowl bids will the MAC land? The MAC champion is headed to the Ford Motor City Bowl Dec. 26 in Pontiac. The championship game loser might also wind up somewhere over the holidays.
RED ZONE: The Zips lately have struggled in the red zone, scoring touchdowns on 12 of 21 trips inside the 20 for the season. The other times resulted in 3 of 5 on field-goal tries, one turnover and three out on downs (TD% is 57, score% is 71). Opponents have been inside Akron's 20-yard line on 41 occasions, scoring 32 touchdowns and kicking three field goals (TD% is 78, score% is 85).
"POSITIVE PERFORMER": Junior FS Andre McCray (Akron/Buchtel) is this week's USA Today Online "Positive Performer." A preseason first-team All-MAC selection, McCray ranks third on the squad with 59 total tackles (33 solo) and second in the MAC with eight pass break-ups. One of the Zips' captains, he represented Akron at the NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Conference last May in Orlando, Fla., and carries a solid 2.85 GPA.
AKRON'S NFL PERFORMERS: Former Zip star Jason Taylor was having a stellar rookie season for the Miami Dolphins until he broke a bone in his arm during practice two weeks ago. A third-round draft pick (73rd overall), Taylor had racked up 29 tackles (22 solo), two QB sacks (for -16 yards) and two pass deflections through 7 games. In the preseason, he had four sacks for 35 yards in losses. The Dolphins (5-3) are in a three-way tie for the lead in the AFC East with the New England Patriots and the New York Jets. A first-team All-MAC DE last fall, Taylor had 18 tackles for loss, including 10 sacks.
Victor Green, a Zip letterman from 1990-92, led the NFL in tackles last year as a DB for the New York Jets.
"DR. CRANE": Head coach Lee Owens knew the Zips' 1997 schedule would be a huge challenge -- the most difficult in school history. But -- how about the 16th toughest in Division I-A? The Seattle Times rated it 16th (through 5 games) among 112 schools.
AMONG NCAA LEADERS: Last week, UA punter Mike Hayes was ranked 20th nationally in punting (44.0), while kickoff return man Mike Lagasse was 22nd at 25.3 yards per return.
"LUNCH WITH THE COACH": UA's popular "Lunch With The Coach" program takes place every Monday at noon at the Martin University Center, 105 Fir Hill Street. Zip head coach Lee Owens reviews the previous week's game and previews the upcoming contest. Tickets are priced at $7.50. Joe Dunn serves as emcee.
MAC FORMAT: The MAC will stage a Championship Game, pitting East and West champs, Dec. 5 in Huntington, W. Va. The winner will advance to face an at-large team in the first Ford Motor City Bowl, Dec. 26, at the Pontiac Silverdome.
RADIO COVERAGE: For the sixth straight year, Akron radio station WHLO 640-AM is the flagship station for University of Akron football. Massillon station WTIG 990-AM has reached agreement for a third season to form the Zips Football Radio Network. WHLO's 5,000-watt daytime signal covers 66 of Ohio's 80 counties in addition to western Pennsylvania and into West Virginia.
In his ninth season as the "Voice of the Zips" is Steve French. He is joined in the broadcast booth by Clint Scroggs, who last year served as UA's sideline reporter. The UA network is on the air 15 minutes before kickoff with the pre-game show, featuring Zip head coach Lee Owens.
AKRON ZIPS' MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL: Every Monday night throughout the season, Zip football fans will be able to see UA game highlights on WAKC-TV Channel 23 at 8 o'clock. The one-hour show, hosted by Joe Dunn, will feature head coach Lee Owens evaluating game highlights from the previous Saturday. Coach Owens also will preview the Zips' upcoming opponent. The Ball State game will be shown November 3 with the final show Nov. 17 following Toledo.
ZIPPY THE KANGAROO: Zippy, Kasey, Moe and Katy. What do they have in common? They are the only four college kangaroo mascots in America. The University of Akron has Zippy, the University of Missouri-Kansas City has Kasey, Virginia Military Institute has Moe, and Austin College in Sherman, Texas, has Katy. UA's Zippy originated in 1954 with the playing of the first Acme-Zip football game.