Akron should be a cakewalk even by Group of Five standards and the Zips' nickname history involves rubber shoe covers.
Those five words sum up all the reasons for Buckeye fans to be excited this week because OSU’s Week 1 opponent isn’t going to be on the first line of a marquee anytime soon.
No returning players rushed for more than 14 yards on last year’s team. No players return who hauled in more than 188 yards receiving. That’s from a team which, out of 133 squads in college football, ranked 130th in scoring and 129th in yards per game in 2023. Those offensive futilities are especially frustrating for Akron considering Moorhead’s background as a successful offensive coordinator at Penn State and Oregon.
Transfer quarterback Ben Finley beat out fellow redshirt junior Tahj Bullock to earn the first snaps of the season. Finley arrived at Akron this offseason after a season at Cal, where he largely took a backseat to freshman Fernando Mendoza while mixing in a few starts. Finley completed 57.4% of his throws for 572 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions with the Golden Bears.
Akron was 81st in points allowed, which is still in the bottom half of college football, but its own offense shoulders some of the blame for that ranking. A lack of consistency moving the ball left the Zips’ opponents with short fields, as reflected by the fact Akron ranked 32nd in total defense, 22nd in pass defense and 58th against the run.
Overshoes are a pair of rubber shoes worn over a different pair of shoes for protection. Put bluntly, Akron’s athletic teams are nicknamed after rubber shoe covers. The “Zippers” moniker was shortened to “Zips” in 1950.
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