CONTENTS n n n - of College Football Games

The Un i v e r s i T y of Ak r o n • 2008 fo o T b A l l Me d i A GU i d e
2007 Season in Review
Game 2
Akron .................................................................................. 2
at #11/12 Ohio State ......................................................... 20
Sept. 8, 2007 • Ohio Stadium • 104,317
COLUMBUS — Akron turned in a strong defensive effort which featured five forced turnovers and the
team’s first safety since 2001, but No.11 Ohio State proved too much in the second half as the Buckeyes
pulled out a 20-2 victory at Ohio Stadium.
Akron forced a three-and-out on Ohio State’s first possession. While the Zips’ offense had early success,
getting to the Buckeye 37, a penalty on second and two changed the complexion of the drive and
UA would have to punt. John Stec, who would set a school record with 14 punts, registered the first of
many big plays as his punt covered 40 yards and was downed on the OSU two yard line.
On OSU’s first play after Stec’s punt, Zips’ linebacker Brion Stokes wrestled down OSU running back
Chris Wells in the endzone with 10:12 remaining in the first quarter to give the Zips a 2-0 lead with the
safety. (The play on the field had Wells getting out of the endzone, but video replay reversed the call
resulting in the safety.)
The teams traded punts the remainder of the first quarter. However, as the period came to a close,
the Buckeye offense began to march down the field. Reigning MAC East Defensive Player of the Week
Reggie Corner created the first of Akron’s five turnovers with an interception.
Akron’s ensuing drive ended in a 52-yard Stec punt. Two plays later, Corner once again came up big
tipping a Todd Boeckman pass which came down in the hands of UA rover John Mackey for his second
career pick.
After an Akron punt, Ohio State put together a steady drive, ending with a 37-yard Ryan Pretorious
field goal, putting the Buckeyes up 3-2. That would be the score at the break. However, OSU had one
final attempt to score late in the first half only to see UA’s Yamari Dixon force a fumble on a punt return,
which Doug Williams recovered.
On Ohio State’s first drive of the second half, Pretorious converted a 33-yard field goal for a 6-2 OSU
lead. The Buckeyes would pad their lead, going up 13-2, on their second possession of the second half
as OSU quarterback Boeckman found Brandon Saine in the endzone for a six-yard TD.
As the fourth quarter began, Akron’s defense produced another big play. On second and nine near
mid-field, UA’s Parris McNeal forced a fumble after a completion, which teammate Eric Lively recovered.
The Zips would not take advantage and OSU responded with a six-play, 83-yard scoring drive. Boeckman
read a blitz well and found an open Brian Robiskie for a 13-yard TD to provide the 20-2 final score.
While neither team would score over the final nine-plus minutes, the Zips would record their fifth and
final turnover on the day as Williams forced a fumble which McNeal recovered.
Overall, OSU forced Akron into 13 consecutive three-and-out series. Akron managed just three first
downs and 69 yards on offense - gaining 3 net yards on 19 rushing attempts. The Zips had two first downs
the first time they had the ball, then did not pick up another until five minutes remained.
Stec averaged 41.1 yards on his 14 punts, with three punts being downed inside the OSU 20.
Defensively for Akron, Andre Jones tallied 10 tackles, including the Zips’ lone sack of the day. Mackey
added nine stops to go along with his INT, while Davanzo Tate had nine tackles as well. Corner had six
tackles with his pick and two pass beakups.
Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 Score
Akron 2 0 0 0 2 Record: (1-1)
Ohio State 0 3 10 7 20 Record: (2-0)
Scoring Summary:
1st 10:12 AKRON Brion Stokes tackled Chris Wells in the endzone for a safety
2nd 07:54 OSU Ryan Pretorius 37 yd field goal, 9-46 4:17
3rd 10:09 OSU Ryan Pretorius 33 yd field goal, 9-32 2:55
06:10 OSU Brandon Saine 6 yd pass from Todd Boeckman (Ryan Pretorius kick), 7-62 2:23
4th 09:18 OSU Brian Robiskie 13 yd pass from Todd Boeckman (Ryan Pretorius kick), 6-83 2:42
AKRON OHIO STATE
FIRST DOWNS ................................................................ 3 18
RUSHES-YARDS (NET) .................................................. 19-3 41-196
PASSING YDS (NET) ....................................................... 66 167
Passes Att-Comp-Int ........................................................ 32-17-0 31-20-2
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS................................... 51-69 72-363
Fumble Returns-Yards ..................................................... 0-0 0-0
Punt Returns-Yards .......................................................... 1-9 6-31
Kickoff Returns-Yards ....................................................... 4-73 1-39
Interception Returns-Yards ............................................... 2-0 0-0
Punts (Number-Avg) ......................................................... 14-41.1 4-46.2
Fumbles-Lost ................................................................... 2-1 3-3
Penalties-Yards ................................................................ 5-40 5-36
Possession Time .............................................................. 26:37 33:23
Third-Down Conversions .................................................. 2 of 16 7 of 16
Fourth-Down Conversions................................................ 0 of 0 1 of 1
Red-Zone Scores-Chances .............................................. 0-0 4-4
Sacks By: Number-Yards ................................................. 1-7 3-22
RUSHING:
Akron - Carlton Jackson 3-10; Dennis Kennedy 8-8; Alex Allen 2-3; Bryan Williams 2-0; Chris Jacquemain 4- -18.
Ohio State - Chris Wells 20-143; Brandon Saine 9-28; Maurice Wells 7-12; Rob Schoenhoft 3-11; Brian
Hartline 1-9; Todd Boeckman 1- -7.
PASSING:
Akron - Chris Jacquemain 12-21-0-48; Carlton Jackson 5-10-0-18; Dennis Kennedy 0-1-0-0.
Ohio State - Todd Boeckman 14-23-2-131, 2 TDs; Roib Schoenhoft 6-8-0-36.
RECEIVING:
Akron - Jabari Arthur 4-32; Brandon Williams 3-13; Bryan Williams 3-12; Dennis Kennedy 3- -9; Merce
Poindexter 2-10; Joe Tuzze 1-5; Stephon Fuqua 1-3.
Ohio State - Brian Hartline 6-43; Brian Robiskie 4-82, 1 TD; Rory Nicol 3-12; Brandon Saine 3-8, 1 TD;
Brandon Smith 1-9; Dane Sanzenbacher 1-9; Taurin Washington 1-4; Devon Torrence 1-0.
INTERCEPTIONS: Akron - John Mackey 1-0; Reggie Corner 1-0. Ohio State - None.
AKRON TACKLES LEADERS (UA-A): Andre Jones 4-6; John Mackey 7-2; Davanzo Tate 6-3; Doug
Williams 3-4; Brion Stokes 5-1; Kevin Grant 4-2; Reggie Corner 4-2; Nate Robinson 2-3.
Game 3
Akron ................................................................................ 24
at Indiana .......................................................................... 41
Sept. 15, 2007 • Memorial Stadium • 31,196
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Akron was tied with Indiana at halftime and trailed by three with nine minutes
to go, but Indiana quarterback Kellen Lewis proved to be too much in leading his Hoosiers to a 41-24
victory at Memorial Stadium.
Lewis, who rushed for two touchdowns and threw for three, finished the game rushing for 199 yards
on 18 carries, while completing 19-of-24 passes for 137 yards.
Akron quarterback Carlton Jackson came off the bench to provide a similar spark for the Zip offense.
He rushed for a TD and a team-high 71 yards on 20 carries (including 39 negative yards on four sacks).
He also completed 15-of-21 passes for 200 yards and two TDs. Jackson’s top target was Jabari Arthur,
who caught seven passes for 118 yards and a TD.
The Hoosiers struck first as they took advantage of an Akron turnover on its first drive. Indiana had a
short field but would be forced to settle for a 30-yard field by Austin Starr.
On Indiana’s second possession, Lewis had a 64-yard run on the first play, getting his team to the UA
five. The Zips looked as if they would keep IU out of the endzone once again. However, Indiana went for
it on fourth-and-one, scoring on a Lewis to Josiah Sears pass to take an early 10-0 lead.
Akron settled down and took advantage of a Hoosier pass interference call to spark a long drive. Chris
Jacquemain did his part too — completing a 17-yard pass to Arthur, a 21-yard pass to Dennis Kennedy
and 13-yarder to Arthur — putting the Zips to the IU nine. Akron would settle for a Igor Iveljic field goal.
On the ensuing possession and with Indiana driving, Davanzo Tate broke up a pass in the endzone,
which Andre Jones picked off for a touchback. Jackson then led the Zips on an 80-yard scoring drive. He
capped the drive with a three-yard run, stretching the ball just over the goal line to tie the game at 10.
The Zips kept the momentum, forcing a punt after five plays. Jackson remained at quarterback and
marched the team down field. Akron would take a 17-10 lead as Jackson hit Kris Kasparek down the
middle of the field for a 21-yard scoring strike.
As Akron did on its first scoring drive, Indiana capitalized on a pass interference call to tie the game at
17 with 1:20 left in half as Lewis hit Ray Fisher on a short pass, which Fisher turned into a 24-yard TD.
Indiana took the opening kickoff of the second half and drove to the Akron two thanks mainly to a
59-yard run by Marcus Thigpen. Despite having first and goal from the two, the Zips kept the Hoosiers out
of the endzone, forcing a 21-yard Starr field goal.
Lewis continued to use his elusiveness to put Indiana up 27-17. The sophomore had ran for 45 yards
in the 81-yard drive, including the final three for the score.
The Zips trimmed their deficit to three (27-24) with 9:6 left in the contest. Jackson had a 27-yard pass
to Brandon Williams then capped the seven-play, 80-yard drive with a 26-yard pass to Arthur.
Indiana responded, being the benefactors of two pass interference calls against the Zips during the
drive. Lewis would give IU a 10-point cushion once again on a 17-yard scoring rush. Indiana tacked on a
final TD, a 21-yard Lewis to James Hardy TD, with 2:43 left for the final, 41-24.
Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 Score
Akron 0 17 0 7 24 Record: (1-2)
Indiana
Scoring Summary:
10 7 10 14 41 Record: (3-0)
1st 10:28 IND Austin Starr 30 yd field goal, 7-23 3:03
07:06 IND Josiah Sears 1 yd pass from Lewis, Kellen (Starr, Austin kick), 5-69 1:44
2nd 12:55 AKRON Igor Iveljic 20 yd field goal, 11-80 5:19
07:18 AKRON Carlton Jackson 3 yd run (Igor Iveljic kick), 10-80 3:36
03:45 AKRON Kris Kasparek 21 yd pass from Carlton Jackson (Igor Iveljic kick), 7-78 2:21
01:20 IND Ray Fisher 24 yd pass from Kellen Lewis (Austin Starr kick), 7-77 2:25
3rd 10:53 IND Austin Starr 21 yd field goal, 9-77 4:07
04:04 IND Kellen Lewis 3 yd run (Austin Starr kick), 14-81 5:21
4th 09:36 AKRON Jabari Arthur 26 yd pass from Carlton Jackson (Igor Iveljic kick), 7-80 2:38
06:25 IND Kellen Lewis 17 yd run (Austin Starr kick), 7-74 3:11
02:43 IND James Hardy 21 yd pass from Kellen Lewis (Austin Starr kick), 5-30 1:33
AKRON INDIANA
FIRST DOWNS ................................................................ 24 25
RUSHES-YARDS (NET) .................................................. 41-120 49-338
PASSING YDS (NET) ....................................................... 250 137
Passes Att-Comp-Int ........................................................ 27-19-1 24-19-1
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS................................... 68-370 73-475
Fumble Returns-Yards ..................................................... 0-0 1-0
Punt Returns-Yards .......................................................... 1-5 1-21
Kickoff Returns-Yards ....................................................... 5-125 4-53
Interception Returns-Yards ............................................... 1-0 1-49
Punts (Number-Avg) ......................................................... 5-31.6 3-34.3
Fumbles-Lost ................................................................... 3-1 1-0
Penalties-Yards ................................................................ 6-60 5-63
Possession Time .............................................................. 29:02 30:37
Third-Down Conversions .................................................. 6 of 13 9 of 15
Fourth-Down Conversions................................................ 0 of 1 1 of 1
Red-Zone Scores-Chances .............................................. 2-2 6-7
Sacks By: Number-Yards .................................................
RUSHING:
0-0 4-39
Akron - Carlton Jackson 20-71, 1 TD; Bryan Williams 6-23; Dennis Kennedy 9-15; Chris Jacquemain
5-6; Joe Tuzze 1-5.
Indiana - Kellen Lewis 18-1992 TDs; Marcus Thigpen 12-78; Demetrius McCray 13-60; Josiah Sears
5-2; TEAM 1- -1.
PASSING:
Akron - Carlton Jackson 15-21-1-200, 2 TDs; Chris Jacquemain 4-6-0-50.
Indiana - Kellen Lewis 19-24-1-137, 3 TDs.
RECEIVING:
Akron - Jabari Arthur 7-118, 1 TD; Stephon Fuqua 4-38; Bryan Williams 3-33; Dennis Kennedy 2-23;
Brandon Williams 2-17; Kris Kasparek 1-21, 1 TD.
Indiana - Ray Fisher 5-10, 1 TD; James Hardy 4-65, 1 TD; Andrew Means 3-28; James Bailey 3-22;
Marcus Thigpen 2-11; Josiah Sears 1-1, 1 TD; Demetrius McCray 1-0.
INTERCEPTIONS: Akron - Andre Jones 1-0. Indiana - Tracy Porter 1-49.
AKRON TACKLES LEADERS (UA-A): John Mackey 13-0; Kevin Grant 7-4; Davanzo Tate 8-1; Reggie
Corner 7-1; Andre Jones 4-2; Brion Stokes 4-1; Almondo Sewell 0-5.
Akron’s 66th and Final Season at the Rubber Bowl
83