#70 Akron Zips Preview

  #70 – Akron Zips 7-6 SU; 7-6 ATS   

 Fargo’s Take  Akron was the surprise of the MAC last season, winning three of its final four games to make it to the MAC Championship where it defeated Northern Illinois in a classic battle. A defeat to Memphis in the Motor City Bowl was disappointing but it was the first ever 1-A bowl game for the program so there was nothing to hang their heads about. Talk of repeat started as soon as that game against the Tigers ended but it’s not going to be easy as some might think. The Zips do return quarterback Luke Getsy, arguably the best in the MAC, but all of the other skill positions need to be replaced including leading rusher Brett Briggs, who rushed for 1,230 yards last season. The defense was a pleasant surprise, finishing 32nd in the country in total defense, and nine of those starters return. Akron returns the most starters of any team in the conference so a second straight MAC East title should happen but in this conference, anything can happen.

 Returning Starters on Offense – 8  The offense is centered around Getsy, who shined in his first season with Akron, running the West Coast offense to perfection. The transfer from Pittsburgh threw for 3,455 yards and 23 touchdowns but the one negative was his 53 percent completion rate. He will be tossing to relatively new receivers this season as 188 of his 278 completions have graduated. The main candidate to take over for Domenik Hixon is junior Jabari Arthur, who closed last season with a brilliant game in the Motor City Bowl. The other side is wide open still. At running back, things aren’t as good as the leading returning rusher is Dennis Kennedy, who ran for 131 yards on just 2.9 ypc last season. Getsy does benefit from the return of all five of the offensive linemen, a smallish but very experienced unit. Akron averaged 23.6 ppg last season, a fairly low amount considering the talent that was on the team so reaching that average again could be a stretch.

 Returning Starters on Defense – 9  This is where the Zips are going to have to shine if they are to make a second consecutive trip to the MAC Championship. Nine starters return to the mix and there are no glaring weaknesses anywhere. The defensive line will be stout as will the linebackers but if there is one area to improve in, it is stopping the run. Akron finished 71st in the country in rushing defense last season, allowing 159 ypg, and while that was a huge improvement from the last five years, it still needs to come down. Allowing a combined 596 yards on the ground in the final two games does not give the Zips a lot of momentum heading into this year. The secondary was excellent last season, finishing 16th in the nation in passing defense and brings back all five of its starters.

 Schedule  At first glance, the schedule looks pretty tough with seven road games but after looking further, it is very manageable. The Zips start out with two extremely tough non-conference road games at Penn St. and NC State before playing their MAC opener at Central Michigan. The home opener is a non-conference game against North Texas and then it’s back to the road for two more games against Kent St. and Cincinnati. Playing five of their first six games on the road is not an easy task but three of those games are winnable. Four of the final six games are at home including games against Miami and Bowling Green, both of which are in rebuilding seasons. The toughest game in that final stretch is a road game at MAC West contender Toledo. The final road game at Ohio could very well decide the division.

 You can bet on…  Akron definitely overachieved last year and it will likely take a similar effort to get back to a bowl game. Akron has had a winning record the last three seasons yet it did not receive bowl bids in those first two campaigns so winning the entire MAC might be the only way to make it to the postseason once again. Akron has been solid as a home dog, going 16-8 ATS since 1996 but it is unlikely to find itself in that role this season. The Zips made a name for themselves and with every home contest a likely win, they will be favored in all of them. They are just 5-9 ATS as a home favorite over the last five years and in order to shoot for a third straight profitable season against the number, that is going to have to improve.

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