2018 Akron Zips football team

Akron Zips football
	2018 Akron Zips football
Conference	Mid-American Conference
	East Division
2018 record	4–8 (2–6 MAC)
Head coach	Terry Bowden (7th season)
Offensive coordinator	A. J. Milwee (6th season)
Defensive coordinator	Todd Stroud (1st season as coordinator, 7th overall season)
Home stadium	InfoCision Stadium–Summa Field (Capacity: 27,881)
	Seasons ← 2017 2019 →

Template:2018 Mid-American Conference football standings The 2018 Akron Zips football team represented the University of Akron in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by seventh-year head coach Terry Bowden and played their home games at InfoCision Stadium–Summa Field in Akron, Ohio as members of the East Division of the Mid-American Conference. They finished the season 4–8, 2–6 in MAC play to finish in a tie for fourth place in the East Division.

On December 2, Akron fired head coach Terry Bowden.^[1] He finished at Akron with a seven-year record of 35–52. On December 14, the school hired Chattanooga head coach Tom Arth for the head coaching job.^[2]

Previous season[]

The Zips finished the 2017 season 7–7, 6–2 in MAC play to win the East Division. They lost to Toledo in the MAC Championship. They received an invitation to play in the Boca Raton Bowl where they lost to Florida Atlantic.

Preseason[]

Award watch lists[]

Listed in the order that they were released

Award	Player	Position	Year
Chuck Bednarik Award^[3]	Ulysees Gilbert	LB	SR
Fred Biletnikoff Award^[4]	Kwadarrius Smith	WR	SR
Jim Thorpe Award^[5]	Kyron Brown	CB	SR
Bronko Nagurski Trophy^[6]	Ulysees Gilbert	LB	SR

Preseason media poll[]

The MAC released their preseason media poll on July 24, 2018, with the Zips predicted to finish in fourth place in the East Division.^[7]

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
East Division
1	Ohio	140 (21)
2	Buffalo	112 (1)
3	Miami	95 (2)
4	Akron	74
5	Bowling Green	58
6	Kent State	25

Schedule[]

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 8	3:30 p.m.	Morgan State*	InfoCision Stadium Akron, OH	ESPN+	W 41–7	18,413
September 15	7:30 p.m.	at Northwestern*	Ryan Field Evanston, IL	BTN	W 39–34	40,014
September 22	11:00 a.m.	at Iowa State*	Jack Trice Stadium Ames, IA	FSN	L 13–26	54,028
October 6	3:30 p.m.	Miami (OH)	InfoCision Stadium Akron, OH	ESPN+	L 17–41	22,437
October 13	12:00 p.m.	at Buffalo	UB Stadium Amherst, NY	CBSSN	L 6–24	19,506
October 20	3:30 p.m.	at Kent State	Dix Stadium Kent, OH (Wagon Wheel)	ESPN+	W 24–23 ^OT	18,774
October 27	12:00 p.m.	Central Michigan	InfoCision Stadium Akron, OH	ESPN3	W 17–10	17,582
November 1	7:00 p.m.	Northern Illinois	InfoCision Stadium Akron, OH	CBSSN	L 26–36	16,401
November 10	12:00 p.m.	at Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI	ESPN3	L 7–27	12,403
November 17	3:30 p.m.	Bowling Green	InfoCision Stadium Akron, OH	ESPN3	L 6–21	17,742
November 23	12:00 p.m.	at Ohio	Peden Stadium Athens, OH	CBSSN	L 28–49	12,938
December 1^[a]	12:00 p.m.	at South Carolina*	Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC	SECN	L 3–28	53,420
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

^{^[a]}The game between Akron and Nebraska, originally scheduled for September 1, 2018, was canceled due to inclement weather.^[8] The Zips agreed to schedule South Carolina, who also canceled a game earlier in the year due to Hurricane Florence.

Source:^[9]

Game summaries[]

Morgan State[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
Bears	0	0	0	7	7
Zips	17	10	14	0	41

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
2–0	2009	AKR, 41–0

at Northwestern[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
Zips	0	3	23	13	39
Wildcats	7	14	7	6	34

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
First meeting

at Iowa State[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
Zips	7	3	3	0	13
Cyclones	7	10	0	9	26

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
0–1	2017	ISU, 41–14

Miami (OH)[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
RedHawks	0	14	10	17	41
Zips	0	10	7	0	17

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
9–17–1	2017	MIOH, 24–14

at Buffalo[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
Zips	3	3	0	0	6
Bulls	7	3	7	7	24

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
11–6	2017	AKR, 21–20

at Kent State[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
Zips	7	3	7	0	24
Golden Flashes	3	7	7	0	23

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
34–24–2	2017	AKR, 24–14

Central Michigan[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
Chippewas	0	0	10	0	10
Zips	7	10	0	0	17

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
9–16–1	2015	CMU, 14–6

Northern Illinois[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
Huskies	7	17	5	7	36
Zips	7	3	16	0	26

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
5–9	2013	NIU, 27–20

at Eastern Michigan[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
Zips	0	7	0	0	7
Eagles	7	3	0	17	27

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
19–12	2015	AKR, 47–21

Bowling Green[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
Falcons	0	7	7	7	21
Zips	3	3	0	0	6

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
5–9	2013	AKR, 34–23

at Ohio[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
Zips	0	7	7	14	28
Bobcats	21	7	7	14	49

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
13–20–1	2017	AKR, 37–34

at South Carolina[]

	1	2	3	4	OT
Zips	3	0	0	0	3
Gamecocks	14	14	0	0	28

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
First meeting

Players drafted into the NFL[]

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL Club
6	207	Ulysees Gilbert III	LB	Pittsburgh Steelers

References[]

↑ http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/25434221/terry-bowden-fired-head-coach-akron-zips
↑ Caron, Emily (December 14, 2018). "UT-Chattanooga's Tom Arth Named Akron Football Coach". si.com. https://www.si.com/college-football/2018/12/14/tom-arth-names-akron-zips-football-coach. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
↑ "2018 Bednarik Award Watch List - Maxwell Football Club" (in en-US). Maxwell Football Club. 2018-07-16. https://www.maxwellfootballclub.org/2018-maxwell-bednarik-watch-list/.
↑ "2018 Biletnikoff Award Watch List". July 19, 2018. http://biletnikoffaward.com/2018-biletnikoff-award-watch-list. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
↑ "Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Names 2018 Preseason Watchlist". July 23, 2018. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180723005105/en/Paycom-Jim-Thorpe-Award-Names-2018-Preseason. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
↑ "2018 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Preseason Watch List". July 24, 2018. http://touchdownclub.com/nagurski-trophy/watch-list/. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
↑ http://getsomemaction.com/news/2018/7/23/niu-ohio-picked-as-divisional-winners-in-2018-mac-football-media-preseason-poll.aspx
↑ "Akron–Nebraska Football Game Cancelled". Akron Athletics. September 1, 2018. https://gozips.com/news/2018/9/1/akron-nebraska-football-game-cancelled.aspx. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
↑ 2018 Akron Zips football schedule. FBSchedules.com. Accessed April 7, 2018.

[1] ttp://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/25434221/terry-bowden-fired-head-coach-akron-zips

[2] Caron, Emily (December 14, 2018). "UT-Chattanooga's Tom Arth Named Akron Football Coach". si.com. https://www.si.com/college-football/2018/12/14/tom-arth-names-akron-zips-football-coach. Retrieved December 26, 2018.

[3] "2018 Bednarik Award Watch List - Maxwell Football Club" (in en-US). Maxwell Football Club. 2018-07-16. https://www.maxwellfootballclub.org/2018-maxwell-bednarik-watch-list/.

[4] "2018 Biletnikoff Award Watch List". July 19, 2018. http://biletnikoffaward.com/2018-biletnikoff-award-watch-list. Retrieved July 19, 2018.

[5] "Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Names 2018 Preseason Watchlist". July 23, 2018. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180723005105/en/Paycom-Jim-Thorpe-Award-Names-2018-Preseason. Retrieved July 23, 2018.

[6] "2018 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Preseason Watch List". July 24, 2018. http://touchdownclub.com/nagurski-trophy/watch-list/. Retrieved July 24, 2018.

[7] ttp://getsomemaction.com/news/2018/7/23/niu-ohio-picked-as-divisional-winners-in-2018-mac-football-media-preseason-poll.aspx

[8] "Akron–Nebraska Football Game Cancelled". Akron Athletics. September 1, 2018. https://gozips.com/news/2018/9/1/akron-nebraska-football-game-cancelled.aspx. Retrieved September 2, 2018.

[9] 2018 Akron Zips football schedule. FBSchedules.com. Accessed April 7, 2018.

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