Game Day Information
Date: November 8, 1997
Site: Akron, Ohio
Stadium: Rubber Bowl (35,202)
Kickoff: 3:30 ET
Team Records: UA is 1-8, 1-5 in the MAC; Kent is 3-6 (3-4 MAC).
Radio: Akron's broadcast will originate on WHLO-AM (640) and WTIG-AM (990).
Kent's broadcast will originate on WNIR-FM (100.1).
TV: UA highlights will be replayed November 10 as part of Zips Monday Night
Football on WAKC-TV Channel 23 at 8 p.m.
Series: 19-18-2, Akron
When it comes to rivalry games, dozens of cliches are used. They are trite, but usually true. That's why they are cliches!
"Throw the records out the window."
"This is a Backyard Brawl!"
The list goes on and on. And they all apply when Akron and Kent tangle in anything, from football to tiddlywinks.
The 40th Wagon Wheel Game, to be played this Saturday at the Akron Rubber Bowl, matches the rising Golden Flashes (3-6, 3-4 MAC) against a struggling bunch of Zips (1-8, 1-5).
"We make a lot of mental mistakes," says UA head coach Lee Owens. "Whether it's fielding punts, finding the first down marker or the use of timeouts, we may be as physical as our opponents, but we're not playing smart football."
The Zips have played well at home, despite a 1-2 mark. Akron led Bowling Green, 21-0, before falling, 31-28. The Zips drubbed Central Michigan, 53-14, and battled Ohio to the last play, coming up short, 21-17. Owens expects his club to rally and play well.
Saturday is Senior Day as 10 Zips will be making their final home appearance: DL Eric Anderson, LB Nate Boyd, LB Matt Chase, DE Corey Christian, LB Pat Powell, FB Jamie Reader, FB Chris Rooney, PK Jamie Stidham, DT Tarik West and TE Chad Zgonc. Kent has won back-to-back games for the first time since 1988, and is fresh off a 29-20 home victory over Bowling Green. A year ago (October 5), the Flashes came from behind in the fourth quarter to claim a 32-17 win over the Zips at Dix Stadium.
QUOTABLE: The way our schedule has unfolded, it's been tough...We wanted the first half to be played like the second half. Unfortunately, we had dug ourselves too deep a hole." -- Lee Owens last Saturday after the Zips' 31-14 loss to Ball State.
SERIES: Zips lead the all-time series 19-18-2. Today's game marks the 40th Wagon Wheel contest. The home team has won the last five meetings. The two schools have met annually since 1983, with the exception of 1991. The series began in 1923.
LAST MEETING: On October 5, 1996 at Dix Stadium (Kent, O.), the 39th Wagon Wheel Game matched the MAC's No. 1 defense against the league's No. 2 offense, and on this day, two was better than one.
With Akron leading 17-11 midway through the fourth quarter, the Golden Flashes marched 90 yards on 12 plays to take an 18-17 lead with 2:01 to play. This set the stage for a bizarre Kent scoring binge which made the final tally 32-17, and left the Zips demoralized.
Two KSU interceptions sandwiched around a 41-yard TD run by Astron Whatley had produced the game's lopsided score.
"We did not deliver the knockout punch (earlier in the game)," said a dejected UA coach Lee Owens.
Akron accumulated 395 yards of total offense compared to 346 for Kent, but the Zips gave the ball away five times while KSU lost it once. Zip fullback Chris Rooney rambled for 102 yards on 10 carries, including a 73-yard jaunt, which proved to be the nation's longest run from scrimmage that day. Quarterback Mike Junko's 55-yard rainbow pass to Tyrone Ryan gave Akron a 14-3 lead midway through the second quarter.
LB Nate Boyd, DB Andre McCray and DB John Harpring were double-figure tacklers for UA. DE Corey Christian had one interception and a tackle for loss.
AKRON'S MAC AWARD NOMINEES FOR NOVEMBER 1: Sophomore wide receiver Willie Spencer (Massillon/Washington) is the Zips' Offensive Player of the Week. Spencer had eight receptions for 47 yards against Ball State. He now has 36 catches in nine games (4.0 per game).
Junior strong safety George Germany (Pittsburgh, Pa./Schenley) is the Zips' Defensive Player of the Week. Germany racked up a team-high 11 tackles, including three tackles for loss for -13 yards. He also had one pass breakup and one QB sack.
MEDICAL UPDATE: Junior DB Jerome Cargile (Cleveland/Chanel) took a blow to the head at Ball State, but is cleared to play.
Sophomore LB George Cameron (Alliance) missed the Ball State trip to attend a family funeral.
Sophomore fullback Tyrone Ryan (Wexford, Pa.) suffered a knee sprain in practice prior to the Ohio game and has missed the last two contests.
Junior LB Eric Small (Akron) hurt his right shoulder at Eastern Michigan and did not dress for Ohio or Ball State.
Sophomore QB Greg Gromek (Chesterland) tore the ACL in his left knee (Oct. 11 at Marshall) and is lost for the rest of the season. He underwent surgery last week.
Redshirt freshman guard Chad Smith (Canton) has missed the last seven games with a shoulder strain.
ALOHA: Zip senior fullback Jamie Reader (Monessen, Pa.) has been invited to the Hula Bowl, Jan. 18, 1998. Reader and Greg Lomax, two Monongahela Valley (Pa.) products, started in the Zips' backfield against Ball State.
IRON MAN: Junior quick tackle Kevin Kuntz (Steubenville/Edison) made his 31st consecutive start against Ball State. Originally a 210-pound, walk-on tight end, Kuntz (now 275) is among the MAC's top offensive linemen.
THE 400 CLUB: Akron will have seen plenty of offense this season, including seven of the nation's Top 25 units. In this week's NCAA Division I-A statistics: 1. Nebraska (508 yards per game), 6. Toledo (469), 12. Kent (451), 13. Marshall (450), 17. LSU (434), 18. Eastern Michigan (433), 24. Miami RedHawks (423). Two other foes, 33. Central Michigan (405) and 45. Ohio (382), are highly rated.
SMACO LUNCHEON: The Sports Media Association of Cleveland is sponsoring a rivalry luncheon Thursday, November 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 yards per game.
NATIONAL POLL: The Toledo Rockets (8-0, 6-0 MAC) climbed to #18 in this week's Associated Press Top 25. UT has been ranked three weeks in a row. Two other MAC teams are receiving votes: Ohio (35 votes) and Marshall (4). Toledo is #20 in the USA Today/ESPN poll and plays at Ball State this Saturday.
MAC POWER RANKING: There must be something to this two-divisional format thing. As of last week, 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 14 of 25 trips inside the 20 for the season. The other times resulted in 3 of 6 on field-goal tries, one turnover and four out on downs (TD% is 56, score% is 68). Opponents have been inside Akron's 20-yard line on 44 occasions, scoring 34 touchdowns and kicking four field goals (TD% is 77, score% is 86).
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 6 games. In the preseason, he had four sacks for 35 yards in losses. The Dolphins (5-4) are tied with the New England Patriots for second place in the AFC East, one game behind the 6-3 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. Green was a first-team All-MAC pick in '92 and had nine career interceptions for the Zips.
SCHEDULE MAKER: The way things have played out, the schedule maker wasn't kind to the Zips. Akron's slate has been rated in the top third of Division I-A's toughest schedules. Through five games, The Seattle Times ranked the Zips' list of opponents as the 16th toughest in the nation.
But in November, the schedule maker has actually done Akron a favor, leaving defending MAC champion Ball State, Wagon Wheel rival Kent and 18th-ranked Toledo for last -- three games in which there is plenty of incentive to play well.
AMONG NCAA LEADERS: This week, UA punter Mike Hayes is ranked 19th nationally in punting (44.08), while kickoff return man Mike Lagasse is 22nd at 25.29 yards per return (430 yards, 17 returns). Lagasse needs 84 yards in kickoff returns to break the school mark of 513 set by Scott Rindfuss in 1989 (23 returns). Hayes is #1 in the MAC in punting. Lagasse is second in kickoff returns. Greg Lomax is ninth in all-purpose yards (107.9 yds/game) and 10th in rushing (67.2 yds/game). The Zips as a team are third in the MAC in rushing offense (197.7 yards per game). Akron has yielded just nine QB sacks (3rd in the MAC).
"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 Kent game will be shown November 10 with the final show November 17 following Toledo.