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 AKRON, OH – There is a saying in the game of football that the final score does not always indicate how the game materialized on the field. Saturday afternoon’s game between the Akron Zips and the Florida International Panthers was an example that point.
FIU (4-2, 1-1 Sun Belt) won the game 27-17 before an announced homecoming crowd of 16,016 at InfoCision Stadium. However, the visitors from Miami totally dominated the statistics as they amassed 524 yards of total offense in snapping a two-game losing streak - both heartbreaking losses at home (to Louisiana-Lafayette, and to Duke).
“We squandered opportunities particularly in the red zone.” FIU head coach Mario Cristobal said after Saturday’s game. “A lot of credit to Akron, they are a well-coached team. But (we’re) always happy to go on the road and get a victory.”
Akron (1-5, 0-2 MAC) was playing without two starters in the offensive line, center Adam Bice and RG Zac Kasparek. UA managed just 269 yards of total offense and yielded 524 yards. It was the most allowed by the Zips defense this season.
“I was proud of our effort and how we fought from the first play to the last,” Zips head coach Rob Ianello said afterwards. “We won’t take any consolation in not winning. I don’t believe in moral victories. Neither does our football team, and neither does our program.”
The first half was one of missed opportunities for the visitors. FIU came out in its no-huddle spread offense. It was an offense UA had not seen so far this season, although MAC teams like Miami, Bowling Green, and Central Michigan run that type of offense.
“That spread offense, the ball is over here and the ball is over there.” junior linebacker Brian Wagner said. “It’s from sideline-to-sideline. It is a tough offense to defend.”
In their opening possession however, the Panthers ran the ball up the middle with sophomore running back Kedrick Rhodes battering his way for huge chunks of yards. FIU moved the ball from its own 34 to the UA eight, where the drive stalled. Placekicker Jack Griffin’s 23-yard field goal attempt hit the right upright.
On their next possession after a Zips punt, FIU again moved the football. This time the Panthers opened up the passing game, with senior quarterback Wes Carroll finding open receivers in the zone defense. FIU moved the ball from its own 35 to the UA 20, where the defense stiffened and Griffin’s 37-yard field goal attempt was good to give the Panthers a 3-0 lead.
Carroll finished the game completing 26-of-38 through the air for 308 yards and an interception (his first of the year). His favorite target on the bright sunny day was senior wide receiver T.Y Hilton, who set an FIU single-game record with 12 receptions for 144 yards.
After going three-and-out on the first two possessions, the Zips started moving the ball. Sophomore quarterback Clayton Moore was the key man in the drive. On third and four from the UA 30, Moore was flushed out of the pocket and gained 14 yards for a first down to keep the drive alive. Moore then used his right arm and found sophomore WR Keith Sconiers for a 19-yard game to the FIU one. From there, redshirt freshman RB Jawon Chisholm took the ball into the end zone for the touchdown and a 7-3 lead.
Chisholm, who came into the game with three consecutive 100-yard rushing games, and was second in the MAC in rushing, suffered a foot injury in practice and did not start, gaining just 43 yards in the contest. Included in his 12 carries was a 27-yard run on the drive.
On the next possession, the UA defense came up with a turnover. On a second down from the FIU 36, Carroll completed a pass to junior wide receiver Wayne Times. He was hit by junior linebacker Troy Gilmer, causing a fumble that DB Emmanuel Lartey recovered on the FIU 46.
The Zips turned the fumble into points as the second quarter began. Aided by a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty, UA drove to the FIU 23 before the drive stalled. Freshman placekicker A.J. Fox connected on a 40-yard field goal, the first of his career to extend the UA lead to 10-3.
Fox who had been handling kickoff duties, was given the opportunity when senior T.J. Marchese missed three field goals in the 31-23 loss last week at Eastern Michigan.
The Panthers again moved the football on the next possession, reaching the Zips 29 when Carroll threw to the end zone and was intercepted by freshman safety Johnny Robinson. It was UA’s first pick of the season, and the first thrown by Carroll in 2011.
The FIU defense came up big after the interception, holding Akron to a three-and-out -- one of seven in the game. Forcing a punt, UA took possession on its own 49. From there, it took nine plays to tie the game at 10-10 as senior running back Deriot Perry went off right guard and scored a touchdown from two yards out.
The turning point in the game came on the Zips next possession. Just two plays after the touchdown, Moore’s pass was defelcted and intercepted by sophomore safety Terrance Taylor, who returned the ball to the UA 43. A 19-yard pass from Carroll to Hilton put the ball at the Zips six yard line. But three attempts to reach the end zone failed, and Griffin came on to kick his second field goal, this a 21-yader. The Panthers had a 13-10 lead going into halftime.
FIU outgained the Zips 265-101 over the first 30 minutes, with Hilton owning 103 receiving yards. Carroll was 13-for-19 for 142 yards, but the missed FG and the two turnovers cost FIU. Another thing that hindered visitors were penalties. One was a 15-yarder that kept a Zips drive alive and resulted in the field goal. Overall; FIU had 10 for 80 yards.
On the Zips side, the offense sorely missed Bice and Kasparek in the middle of the line. They gained 84 yards rushing, but Moore completed just two passes and was under constant pressure.
Midway through the third quarter, the Panthers got some breathing room. After a Zips FIU took over on their own 19 yard line. On the first play of the drive, Carroll threw a screen pass to sophomore wide receiver Willis Wright, who broke a tackle and raced up the right sideline 68 yards to the UA 18. Rhodes capped the dive with a one-yard touchdown plunge to give FIU a 20-10 lead.
But the Zips would not go away. Late in the period, they gained possession on their own 38 after a FIU punt. Moore then threw a deep pass down the right sideline that junior WR A.J. Price made a brilliant catch on for 44 yards down to the FIU 18. Three plays after the catch, Moore escaped the rush and saw nothing but field turf on the left side. He dashed for the left pylon and into the end zone for his first career rushing touchdown, putting UA back into the game, 20-17, going into the fourth quarter.
The touchdown gave the Zips life, and a belief that they could came back to win the game. The Panthers, however, squashed that on the next possession after the touchdown. Taking the ball on their own 40, they engineered a nine-play, 60-yard drive Perry ended the drive with his second touchdown of the game, this from three yards out to bring FIU’s lead back to 10 (27-17).
The Zips still had some fight in them, and they had a chance to get back into the game as six completions by Moore moved the ball to the FIU 11. But on second down, Moore was hit while attempting to pass and fumbled. Senior DE James Jones recovered, and the Panthers came away with the victory.
One UA player that FIU could not contain was Wagner, who had a career high 22 tackles (nine solo) in the game. It was the 20th time in 31 career games he has had 10 or more tackles in a game. Wagner came into the game leading the MAC in total tackles and was among the leaders in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
“You have to account for him all the times,” Cristobal said of Wagner. “They brought him inside and from the outside he was super against the run and got a hand on a couple of balls. He is a tremendous football player. “
Ianello is still optimistic about his football team. “We’ve got passion,. We’ve got heart. We are playing with great effort. What we are not playing with is great execution at certain stages of the game. It is the execution that has to improve in the second half of the season.”
UA is off next week before returning to MAC play on Saturday October 22nd against the Ohio Bobcats at home. FIU returns to Sun Belt Conference play next Saturday as they travel to Arkansas State.
EVAN’S GAMERS
OFFENSE: T.Y HILTON-FIU. The senior wide receiver from Miami set a Panthers single-season record with 14 catches for 144 yards catching passes over the middle, on crossing routes, and along the sidelines
DEFENSE: BRIAN WAGNER-AKRON. The junior linebacker from Springfield, Ohio had a career high 22 tackles (nine solo). He was everywhere after coming off a 17-stop performance last week against EMU
SPECIAL TEAMS: JACK GRIFFIN-FIU. The junior placekicker from Naples, FL did miss his first field goal attempt but made two others, made three extra points, and averaged almost 68 yards on his kickoffs.
NOTES: The game was the first lifetime between the two schools. They will meet next September down in Miami…Johnny Robinson-UA his first career interception and the first for the Zips since Josh Richmond & Anthony Holmes swiped two in the 2010 finale vs Buffalo…Clayton Moore-UA second quarter interception broke a string of 119 consecutive passed without an interception the third longest streak in school history…Moore became the first Zip to throw a touchdown, rush for one, and receive for one since Brett Biggs-2005…UA 11-11-2 lifetime against the Sun Belt…FIU is the 14th different school to play the Zips in InfoCision Stadium…FIU 3-2 vs MAC…Deriot Perry-FIU became the schools all-time leading touchdown scorer with his two TDs in the game (26 in his career).
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