The 2025 campaign has not been pretty for either side entering this contest, which is set to kick off the conference’s weeknight slate. Both the Akron Zips (3-6, 2-3 MAC) and the UMass Minutemen (0-8, 0-4 MAC) have shown flashes of brilliance amidst a sea of inconsistent play; what it will look like when the two take the field together is filled with mystery.
Something has to give, however, and the weeknight schedule has a way of producing unexpected results. Will this game be one of those memorable
matchups?
Game notes
- Time and date: Saturday, November 4th, 2025 at 7 p.m. Eastern time
- Location: Summa Field at InfoCision Stadium in Akron, Ohio
- TV network options: The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU; a valid subscription is required for viewing. Viewers on YouTube TV could be affected due to Google’s ongoing carriage dispute with Disney, which as of publication, has not been resolved.
- Radio options: Dave Skoczen (play-by-play) and Joe Dunn (color) will provide the Akron call for WHLO-AM 640; Jay Burnham (play-by-play) and Matt Goldstein (color) will call the game for UMass Radio Network on WHMP-AM 1440.
- Gambling considerations: Akron is listed as a 9.5-point favorite, with an over/under 49.5, per FanDuel.
- All-Time Series: Akron leads the all-time series by a 3-2 margin, though it was the Minutemen who won the last time the two teams met back in 2019.
About the UMass Minutemen
2025 has been a draining inaugural MAC campaign in Amherst, with several potential wins squandered in the final minutes, questions surrounding the first-year coaching staff’s ability to lead, and a litany of injuries forcing depth contributors to play before they’re ready.
It was always going to be a challenge to be competitive in the MAC after coming off of a decade of independence, but even the most pessimistic projections had UMass picking up at least a handful of wins. Instead, they sit at 0-8, with only four games remaining.
They’re the worst team in the conference in scoring offense (11.5 points per game) and rushing offense (81.6 yards per game), third-worst in total defense (438.6 yards allowed per game) and second-worst in passing defense (256.1 yards per game allowed) and scoring defense (35.9 points allowed per game), sitting no higher than eighth in the MAC in any team category (172.4 yards per game in passing yards.)
The worst part of it is there’s no real identity to point to on either side of the ball; they technically run a multiple offense with a 4-2-5 defense, but it’s hard to see how that impacts the game at all considering how much UMass struggles to move or stop the ball.
Despite the trials and tribulations, there’s still football to be played, and the Minutemen have some players to watch for.
AJ Hairston (812 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions) started the year as QB3 under the new staff, but worked his way up the depth chart to re-claim the starting role he had from last season. His accuracy is simply woeful (47 percent completion), but when it fires correctly, Hairston has some of the best arm talent in the conference.
The receivers have had issues with drops in recent weeks. Part of it is due to new contributors trying to work into the game plan, but it’s still something to watch for as we enter Tuesday’s action. Only Jake McConnachie (14 receptions, 134 yards) remains from the three starters on UMass’ Week 1 depth chart, with both Jacquon Gibson and T.Y. Harding out with injury. Even tight end Max Dowling (13 rec., 164 yards, two touchdown) was questionable for their last game.
The team has tried their best with Kenyon Massey (14 catches, 86 yards), Donnie Grey (16 catches, 192 yards) and Kezion Dia-Johnson (six catches, 73 yards, touchdown) rotating into the lineup. Perhaps a BYE week will have done wonders for their health and chemistry.
The running backs have shown to be capable in spots, with Rocco Griffin vital to its success. Griffin averages over five yards per rush when he gets the ball, but has not been able to stay on the field, missing three games this year due to injury. Brandon Hood (69 carries, 287 yards, two touchdowns) has stepped up recently with some long highlight runs in his stead. Unfortunately for them, the team has lost both their starting guards for the season, which will have an effect on the interior run game.
The defense has looked rough in even their brightest moments. Some might remember the infamous sequence of events which led to Buffalo beating the Minutemen despite UMass forcing a turnover with under a minute left.
That said, there’s some talent to be had here. Timmy Hinspeter (69 tackles, four TFLs, two sacks, interception, two pass break-ups, one each forced and recovered fumble) has been the lynchpin at the linebacker position after arriving from Rutgers in the offseason. Dartmouth transfer Marques White is the other star to look for, holding team leads in tackles-for-loss (10) and sacks (five), with 31 total tackles from the defensive end position.
About the Akron Zips
As we’ve noted before, Akron has been one of the least predictable teams in the conference, just as capable of a dominating performance where they exert pressure from start to finish as they are of taking a Sunday stroll in the park for 60 minutes.
A quick glance at the stats indicate as such. The Zips middling in total offense (325.1 yards per game; seventh in MAC), and near the bottom of the league in total, rushing and passing defense— sitting at tenth, ninth and 11th in each respective category. Akron is also brutal on third downs, converting on just 28 percent of opportunities, while allowing nearly 37 percent.
To put it plainly: they’re efficient in the right game state, but their predictability can often lead to being knocked off their block.
Last week, however, might have been a breakthrough for a Zips team which has had a lot of close calls in recent years, as they forced five turnovers and several turnovers-on-down en route to an emphatic victory over Buffalo to move them to 3-6 overall on the season— with two MAC wins to boot.
The potential to reach four wins for the second season in a row is entirely possible this week, and could even set them up for their best season since 2017.
How quarterback Ben Finley (1,678 yards, 13 passing touchdowns, seven interceptions) performs will be crucial. Much like Hairston, he has one of the MAC’s strongest arms— as seen with his 12.6 yards per completion— but sits at 51.8 percent completion. Finley is a natural gamer, taking a lot of downfield risks and scrambling to try and find advantages, which can result in broken plays or incomplete passes. It’s something he has had to be comfortable doing because Akron’s offensive line has been one of the worst in the MAC, with 25 sacks allowed in nine games. If he can settle down and find his targets, he’s as dangerous as they come.
Tennessee State transfer halfback Jordan Gant has been a revelation in the run game after starting the season behind Sean Patrick and Marquese Willams, leading the team with 141 carries, 697 yards and three touchdowns. Gant averages nearly five yards a carry, and averages 77 yards per game, with two 100+ yard performances and two games of 90+ yards in the last two weeks. He’ll key in prominently to the Akron game plan.
When Akron does get the ground game going, they like to incorporate plays which get their receivers in space for downfield shots. Akron spreads the ball around, with seven receivers who average over 10 yards a completion, and four receivers eclipsing the 20-yard mark for receptions. Kyan Mason has emerged as the primary playmaker on the outside, with 25 receptions for 380 yards and four touchdowns, while Israel Polk leads the team with five touchdowns on 26 receptions for 360 yards.
Defensively, Akron does do a few things right. The Zips are decent on leverage downs, allowing 37.4 percent of third-down attempts (sixth in MAC) and 21.4 percent of fourth-down attempts (second in MAC.)
Their ability to get into the backfield is also a strong point; the Zips are fourth in the conference with sacks (21), while also picking up 58 tackles-for-loss. The trio of Bruno Dall (7.5 TFLs, four sacks, five pass break-ups, six QB pressures), Julian Laventure (7.5 TFLs, three sacks, six QB pressures) and Cyrus Durham (5.5 TFLs, three sacks, five QB pressures, fumble recovery) have given opponents fits, especially in conference play.
The Zips also have a trio of defensive backs who have proven crucial, with Malcolm DeWalt IV (team-leading seven pass break-ups, two interceptions and a defensive TD), Alex Branch (32 tackles, four TFLs, sack), Elijah Reed (two interceptions, four pass break-ups) and Dimarco Johnson (48 tackles, 28 solo, one interception, three PBUs) anchoring the secondary.
Final Thoughts
From outside, there isn’t a lot of intrigue that isn’t Sicko-related. Akron and UMass are not brand-name programs by any stretch of the imagination, and they will be counter-programmed by one of the MAC’s most storied rivalries.
The game itself is not going to be pretty either; both teams depend on perfect circumstances to run what they want to run, and the rosters as they stand are very inconsistent, especially in the trenches.
However, lifelong MAC football fans will remember a time where the Zips were so pathetic, being a two-score favorite over a conference opponent was a pipe dream. The fact Akron can walk into this game as such a favorite is a testament to the coaching staff keeping the faith in what they’re building. Akron has suffered an unbelievable amount of close losses the last four years; any sign of progress (including a win streak!) would be welcome for a program which has essentially been a doormat since the departure of Tommy Bowden.
But for every story of redemption like Akron’s (and to an extent, Kent State’s), there is an equal and opposite reaction. That’s where UMass currently sits, staring at the abyss of a potential winless season if they can’t nab one of the next two games. There will be no hiding from the eyes of the public in this game either; a lot of (honestly pretty unfair) pressure will be on the team and staff to perform to justify UMass’ move to the MAC. All warts will be revealed.
This dichotomy is where the game collects intrigue.
The long-term futures of both sides could be on the line in this contest. Fans, media and administrators involved will pour over every detail to read the tea leaves of what could possibly be. Can Akron finally turn the corner and get back to their 2010s level of competition? Can UMass rally towards a single purpose and show a spark of potential?
We’ll see which narrative holds true under the Tuesday night lights.
