 OHIO 37, AKRON 20
Ohio (5-3, 2-2 MAC) lost its last two games by a combined total of four points, but they took the lead early in the second quarter Saturday on a 76-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Tyler Tettleton to senior wide receiver LaVonn Brazil.
The win, coupled with Temple’s loss at Bowling Green, put the Cats one-half game behind the Owls in the Eastern Division with TU coming into Peden Stadium for a night game November 2.
“I think we showed some signs of coming out of our slump.” Ohio head coach Frank Solich said after the game. “I was discouraged early in the game. We did not get any points on the board, but I thought in the second half we started to get the points and move the ball.”
Akron (1-6, 0-3 MAC) had an extra week to prepare but still lost its third consecutive game and 10th of the Zips last 11 MAC games dating back to last year.
“Clearly I am disappointed today” Zips head coach Rob Ianello said afterwards “I felt as we progressed here during the season that we made considerable progress with our team. We were showing a lot of improvement…. I am not sure all that improvement came through in this game.”
Tettleton, the son of former Major League Baseball catcher Mickey Tettleton completed 21-of-29 passes for 326 yards and the long touchdown to Brazill. It was the second time this season Tettleton passed for over 300 yards. He had 339 in the Cats 44-7 win over Marshall September 17.
Ohio was moving theon its first possession until it reached the UA 37. On second down, a deflected pass was intercepted by junior strong safety Josh Richmond. It was just the fifth interception Tettleton has thrown this season.
UA could not capitalize on the turnover, however, and gave the ball back on a punt.
Starting from their own 21, the Cats moved drove to the Zips seven. Tettleton tried for the touchdown, but his fade pass for wide receiver Donte Foster was too long. Junior placekicker Matt Weller came on and connected on a 24-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.
After an exchange of punts, the Zips took over on their own three-yard line. Sophomore quarterback Clayton Moore got two big pass completions - an 18-yarder to wide receiver Keith Sconiers and a 17-yard gain to running back Jawon Chisholm - on the drive, which carried into the second quarter.
When the 15-play drive stalled at the Ohio 26, freshman placekicker A.J. Fox connected on a 43-yard field goal to tie the game at 3-3.
The Cats offense on this day was a ticking time bomb to the Zips defense. Midway through the second quarter, Ohio exploded for a big play. On a first down from their own 22, Tettleton called a hitch-and-go route for Brazill who made one move on UA cornerback Manley Waller and raced down the sidelines 78 yards to give Ohio a 10-3 lead.
Brazill, who in the loss last week to BSU became Ohio’s all-time leader in receptions, caught just three passes in the game, but they accounted for 102 yards and a score
“The big play has been our Achilles heel, and then we did not answer it” Ianello said.
With a little field position help from the hosts, Ohio added to its lead before halftime
Akron was facing a third down at its own 48 when a bad snap by center Vinnie Rizzo went over Moore’s head. When Moore finally recovered the fumble, it was a loss of 27 yards and a change in post-punt field position.
Rizzo was playing his second straight game due to the hand injury suffered by starter Adam Bice. The injuries to Bice and right guard Zac Kasparek, showed again, especially in the running game. The Zips managed just 81 yards, with Chisholm the leading ground gainer (48 yards on 21 carries). Chisholm had three consecutive 100-yard rushing games earlier this season, but he has gained just 91 yards and one touchdown in the last two contests.
Moore was harried and harassed for the second consecutive game, although he was sacked officially only once. He finished the afternoon completing 13-of-26 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown.
The Cats took possession after the punt on their own 38 and started moving the ball. In the drive, Tettleton connected on a 27-yard pass to Riley Dunlop and had an 18-yard run on a quarterback draw, moving the ball to the UA 10.
With time running out, Tettleton took one shot into the end zone, but all the receivers were coverered and threw the ball away. Weller came on to make a 27-yard field goal to make the score 13-3 at halftime.
UA was, indeed, lucky to be down just 10 points at intermission. Over the first 30 minutes, Ohio had a decisive edge in yards, 319-to-136.
“At halftime, it was a very manageable game.” Ianello said.
Ohio benefitted from some good field position after an Akron punt on the first drive went out of bounds at the UA 36.
The Cats, took quick advantage. On the next play, Tettleton rolled away from pressure and connected with Dunlop, who was all alone at the one-yard line and walked into the end zone to extend the lead to 20-3.
After another UA punt, Ohio took over at their own three yard line. Like the Zips did late in the first quarter, the Cats moved the ball slowly and efficiently. After moving from their own three to the Zips three, the drive stalled. Weller came on to make his third field goal of the game, this one a 23-yarder that increased Ohio’s advantage to 23-3.
There were four key plays in the drive, with the first coming on a third down from the Ohio five. Senior tailback Donte Harden gained eight yards and a first down.
The second was a 15-yard personal foul penalty on UA for hitting Tettleton in the head. The final two key plays were a pair of completions - a 16 yarder to junior wide receiver Tyler Futrell and a 19-yard reception by senior running back Phil Bates.
Harden finished the day with 123 yards on 22 carries. For the day, Ohio gained 212 yards, the fifth time this season they have reached 200 or more yards on the ground.
With their offense, pretty much throttled, the Zips did get a break late in the third quarter.
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From his own 43, Tettleton threw a backward lateral pass, which was ruled a fumble. Sophomore defensive end Nico Caponi scooped up the loose ball and returned it to the Ohio four-yard line. It took all four downs, but UA did score a touchdown as Moore found Sconiers in the left corner of the end zone to make the score 23-10.
But any thought of a Zips comeback were squashed on Ohio’s possession after the touchdown. OU moved the ball 75-yards in 13 plays. Tettleton finished the drive with a one-yard touchdown run off a quarterback draw to make the score 30-10.
UA moved the ball on its next possession, aided by a pair of pass interference penalties and a roughing the passer call. The Zips reached the Ohio 25 before bogging down. Ianello decided for the field goal, and Fox connected for the second time in the game, this a 42-yarder to make it 30-13.
Over the last half of the fourth quarter, both coaches turned their backup quarterbacks and both led them to touchdowns.
For Ohio, red shirt freshman Kyle Snyder, engineered a 39-yard drive after the Cats recovered an on-side kick. Sophomore running back Beau Blankenship, a transfer from Iowa State, finished the drive with a six-yard scoring run
Junior Patrick Nicely relieved Moore and led the Zips to the final points of the game on a nine-play,74-yard drive, capped by a six-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Marquel Suel who was returning to the lineup after missing the last three games with a lower back injury. He led the Zips with six catches for 54 yards.
One of the keys to the game was the Zips defense inability to get key stops. UA allowed 10-of-14 third down conversions to the Bobcats, and for the second consecutive game, failed to register even one three-and-out.
The Akron defense has given up 1,080 yards over the last two games. It was the third time this season the Zips allowed over 500 yards, and the 556 by the Cats were the most allowed in 2011
There were some bright spots for the defense, however, as they forced three turnovers (two fumbles and an interception) and three players had 10 or more tackles in the contest. Junior linebacker Brian Wagner led the way with 17 stops, freshman safety Devonte Morgan had 12 and senior defensive tackle Dan Marcoux had 10.
UA looks to end a three-game slide and pick up its first MAC win since last season’s finale against Buffalo when Central Michigan visits InfoCision Stadium nest Saturday
GAMERS
OFFENSE: TYLER TETTLETON-OHIO The sophomore from Norman, Oklahoma completed 21-of-29 passes for 328 yards and two touchdowns. The two scores moved him into the top 10 of the Bobcats career touchdowns list. He has 17 on the season, compared to just five interceptions
DEFENSE: NICO CAPONI-AKRON. The sophomore from Sandusky, Ohio came up with the Zips biggest defensive play as he picked up Tyler Tettleton’s lateral and ran it back to the Ohio four. Akron converted the turnover into a touchdown.
SPECIAL TEAMS: MATT WELLER-OHIO. The junior from Twinsburg, Ohio made three field goals (24, 27, and 23 yards) along with converting four extra points. His 13 points moved him into third on Ohio’s all-time scoring list. The 24-yard field goal allowed him to pass Kevin Kerr as the top scoring kicker in school history
NOTES
The game was the 28th lifetime meeting between the two schools, with Ohio holding a 15-12-1 advantage after winning four straight and five of the last six …It was the 17th game in Akron (Zips 11-5-1) and the second at InfoCision Stadium (Ohio winning 19-7 in 2009)…The win by the Cats marked the first time they had won consecutive games against UA in Akron since 1995 & 1997 (at the Rubber bowl)…Josh Richmond-AKR – His first quarter interception was his first since the 2010 season finale against Buffalo and the third of his career…Nico Caponi-AKR - His fumble recovery was the second of his career…Antoine Russell-AKR played on the defensive side of the ball for the first time and had six tackles in the game (three solo)…Tyler Tetrtleton-OHIO has 1979 yards on the season just 21 away from 2,000 for the season..LaVonn Brazil-OHIO is just 64 yards from 2000 in his career.
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