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 CINCINNATI, OH – Zach Collaros threw for a touchdown and ran for another, while Cincinnati's defense returned three turnovers for touchdowns in the first half, setting up a 59-14 victory over Akron on Saturday at Nippert Stadium.
The Bearcats (2-1) built a 49-0 in the first half.
"I have never been in a game like that before in my entire 25 years," Akron head coach Rob Ianello said. "Those (turnovers for scores) were back breaking plays. Plays like that are game-changing, and you have three of them in one half. That's the kind of momentum that you're not looking to give the othe team."
Collaros, playing in just the first half, was 10-of-16 for 157 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown pass. He also ran seven yards for a score.
Akron quarterback Clayton Moore, meanwhile, had a fumble that was returned for a touchdown and two sideline interceptions that were run back for scores. The fumble occurred while he was getting sacked, and linebacker Maalik Bomar returned the ball 54 yards for a 14-0 lead.
Patrick Nicely took over and had an interception that set up a touchdown.
"I thought he (Moore) needed to settle down, absolutely," Ianello said. Clayton's our quarterback, and he will be our quarterback. ... the train was kind of moving fast for him at that time, and I thought he needed some time to watch and think, and that is exactly what we did with him."
Akron quarterbacks were 8-of-19 for 97 yards with three interceptions, three sacks and two fumbles in the first half.
"'The coaches did a good job this week at just knowing what the other team was going to do in certain situations," said senior defensive back Dominique Battle, who returned a second quarter interception for a score. "We know they like to do the comebacks to the sticks. So i decided to stay and look into the quarterback's eyes - and I jumped it."
"We were very opportunistic on defense," said UC coach Butch Jones, who came to Cincinnati via Central Michigan of the Mid-American Conference. "it was great to see. I like the confidence our back end played today - their break and drive. They attacked the ball in the air, which we talked about all week."
Cincinnati led 59-0 in the fourth quarter when the Zips got on the scoreboard. Keith Sconiers caught a 51-yard pass from Moore with 12:37 left in the game. Moore threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Price with 50 seconds remaining after a Cincinnati fumble, leaving him 16-of-30 for 213 yards. Sconiers had seven catches for 137 yards.
Jamar Williams led Akron in tackles with 11. Hasan Hazime contributed a block on Tony Miliano's 43-yard field goal attempt.
Akron returns home on Sept. 24 to play host to Virginia Military Institute in a 2 p.m. ET contest at InfoCision Stadium – Summa Field.
"We certainly did not transfer what I thought was a good week of practice to the game field today," Ianello said. "We have to go back and have another good week of practice and then transfer that to the game field."
NOTES: The Zips outgained the Bearcats 349-342 in total offense, including a 220-178 edge in passing ... UA also held an edge in time of possession, 30:15 compared to 29:35 ... Freshman S Bre' Ford recorded his first collegiate start and had five tackles ... Redshirt freshman RB Jawon Chisholm rushed 25 times for 133 yards, including a long of 31 ... Senior P Zack Campbell kicked four times for 161 yards (40.2 avg.) ... Freshman Tyler Williams saw his first collegiate action, returning two kickoffs for a combined 40 yards in the second half.
Courtesy of Akron Athletics |
