The last time Husker fans saw the Akron Zips, they were heading to the airport in the middle of an epic squall line of thunderstorms that wiped out Nebraska’s 2018 season opener. Immediately after kickoff, the first bolts of lightning hit near downtown Lincoln, and Mother Nature didn’t relent for nearly nine hours, until well after 3 am Sunday morning. By that time, Akron was already back home despite Nebraska’s attempts to placate Fox’s limitations on rescheduling the game into their available Sunday time slot.
Akron really didn’t have much of a choice but to head home, with no hotel available nearby and Fox demanding a quick turnaround the next morning.
Quite frankly, that thunderstorm was the first sign that the Scott Frost era was simply cursed. The next week, Nebraska had to work out their first game jitters and kinks against Colorado, only to have Adrian Martinez taken out by a cheap shot on the final drive. Martinez would be limited for several weeks, and the ensuing losing streak that ensued scuttled any chances for a bowl game in 2018.
(Note: we’re not discussing Frost in this thread. He returned to the land of Mickey Mouse, and all of the myopic groupthink coming from some in the Nebraska media is mind-numbingly exhausting. Let’s move on.)
Back to Akron. Things haven’t gone well at Akron since then either, churning through coaches with losing season after losing season. Current head coach Joe Morehead has been the least awful of the bunch, going 4-8 last season after Akron went 7-35 the previous four seasons. Morehead doesn’t have much returning from last year’s team, but has been hitting the transfer portal hard to fill all of the holes.
The key returnee for Akron is senior quarterback Ben Finley (6’3” 200 lbs.), who completed nearly 55% of his passes for 2,604 yards and 16 touchdowns with nine interceptions. Last season, Finley split time with the now-departed Tahj Bullock, but now it’s Finley’s job with only inexperienced players behind him. Finley’s not a mobile quarterback, rushing for just 52 yards after subtracting sacks on the season.
Finley’s 52 yards rushing also gives him the dubious distinction of being the Zips’ leading returning rusher. To fill the void, will be junior Jordan Grant (5’11” 205 lbs.) , a transfer from Tennessee State who was a FCS Freshman All-American in 2023. Junior Cam Macon (5’11” 210 lbs.) transferred from division 2 Macon, where he rushed for 964 yards the last two seasons. Redshirt freshman Sean Patrick (5’11” 170 lbs.) is also expected to contribute.
The receiver room will be greatly improved if senior Alex Adams (6’1” 190 lbs.) returns to his freshman form. In 2022, Adams earned first-team All-MAC honors, but has been limited to 12 games the last two seasons. Junior tight end Jake Newell (6’4” 240 lbs.) is Akron’s leading returning receiver, catching 35 passes last season for 254 yards and two touchdowns. Amongst the transfers that Akron hopes will fill the void are redshirt freshman Marcel Williams (6’0” 200 lbs.) from Marshall, sophomore Israel Polk (6’1” 170 lbs.) from Pitt, junior Tim Grear (6’0” 176 lbs.) from Fresno State and sophomore Brandon Hills (5’10” 163 lbs.) from Washington State.
Only two starters return on the Zips’ offensive line. Sophomore center Delvin Morris (6’3” 275 lbs.) and junior Keylen Davis (6’2” 300 lbs.) are the only experienced players at this level. Akron is bringing in reserves from FCS and Division 2 schools, so I wouldn’t expect much from the Zips on the line.
Akron’s defense is in a complete rebuild, with only a handful of part-time (and no full-time) starters returning from last season. Sophomore rush end Bruno Dall (6’7” 250 lbs.) played in 11 games last season with nine tackles and a sack is pretty much the extent of the returning experience on the defensive line.
At linebacker, senior weakside linebacker Shammond Cooper (6’2” 220 lbs.) started six games in 2023 with 44 tackles, but then missed most of last season. Junior middle linebacker Gage Summers (6’0” 235 lbs.) appeared in six games last season with 35 tackles.
Senior safety Justin Anderson (6’0” 200 lbs.) is the Zips’ leading returning tackler, with 44 tackles in seven starts last season. Junior cornerback Elijah Reed (6’3” 190 lbs.) started six games last season with 32 tackles after transferring from Kentucky, where he appeared in 12 games. Junior safety Daymon David (6’0” 190 lbs.) and sophomore cornerback Catrell White (5’11” 180 lbs.) were spot starters last season, but only had nine and seven tackles respectively.
Joe Morehead is a pretty good coach, so my inclination is that Akron’s transfers will make them a competitive MAC team in November. But week two in Lincoln? I’m not sure Akron will be ready for Nebraska’s home opener with so much inexperience, especially on defense. Oh, and the weather forecast for that evening? AccuWeather’s long-term forecast says there’s a 60% of showers.
Go figure.
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