# 2017 Akron Zips football team

The 2017 Akron Zips football team represented the University of Akron in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by sixth-year head coach Terry Bowden and played their home games at InfoCision Stadium–Summa Field in Akron, Ohio, as members of the East Division of the Mid-American Conference. The Zips finished the season 7–7, 6–2 in MAC play to win the East Division. They lost to Toledo in the MAC Championship. They received an invitation to play in the Boca Raton Bowl where they lost to Florida Atlantic.
Notable players: Ulysees Gilbert III, Kyron Brown, Jamal Davis, Kwadarrius Smith.

## Preseason

In a preseason poll Aof league media, Akron was picked to finish fourth in the East Division.

## Coaching staff

| Name | Title | Years at Akron | Alma mater |
| Terry Bowden | Head coach | 6 | West Virginia |
| Chuck Amato | Assoc. head coach and def. coord. | 6 | NC State |
| Todd Stroud | Asst. head coach and DL coach | 6 | Florida State |
| A. J. Milwee | Off. coord. and QB coach | 6 | North Alabama |
| Jeff Bowden | ST coord. and WR coach | 6 | Florida State |
| Trent Boykin | TE and h-backs coach | 6 | Youngstown State |
| Brett Ekkens | OL coach | 2 | Mount Union |
| Eric Hickson | RB coach | 3 | Kansas State |
| Otis Mounds | CB coach | 4 | Auburn |
| Mike Woodford | Safeties coach | 6 | Arizona |
| Mark Ouimet | Assistant director of football operations | 6 | Siena Heights |
| Matt Gildersleeve | S&C coach | 4 | Mount Union |
| Hunter Bowden | GA, offense | 2 | North Alabama |
| Mike Schuff | GA, offense | 1 | Mount Union |
| Dylan Evans | GA, defense | 1 | Akron |
| Nick Verna | GA, defense | 2 | Akron |
Source:

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 2 | Noon | at No. 6 Penn State* | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA | ABC | L 0–52 | 101,684 |
| September 9 | 6:30 p.m. | Arkansas–Pine Bluff* | InfoCision StadiumAkron, OH | ESPN3 | W 52–3 | 17,464 |
| September 16 | Noon | Iowa State* | InfoCision StadiumAkron, OH | CBSSN | L 14–41 | 22,811 |
| September 23 | 6:00 p.m. | at Troy* | Veterans Memorial StadiumTroy, AL | ESPN3 | L 17–22 | 27,324 |
| September 30 | 6:00 p.m. | at Bowling Green | Doyt Perry StadiumBowling Green, OH | ESPN3 | W 34–23 | 15,111 |
| October 7 | 3:30 p.m. | Ball State | InfoCision StadiumAkron, OH | ESPN3 | W 31–3 | 20,199 |
| October 15 | 1:00 p.m. | at Western Michigan | Waldo StadiumKalamazoo, MI | CBSSN | W 14–13 | 16,568 |
| October 21 | Noon | at Toledo | Glass BowlToledo, OH | WTOL/ESPN3 | L 21–48 | 20,414 |
| October 28 | 11:30 a.m. | Buffalo | InfoCision StadiumAkron, OH | CBSSN | W 21–20 | 17,427 |
| November 7 | 7:30 p.m. | at Miami (OH) | Yager StadiumOxford, OH | ESPN2 | L 14–24 | 12,813 |
| November 14 | 7:00 p.m. | Ohio | InfoCision StadiumAkron, OH | ESPN2 | W 37–34 | 17,832 |
| November 21 | 7:00 p.m. | Kent State | InfoCision StadiumAkron, OH (Wagon Wheel) | ESPNU | W 24–14 | 21,683 |
| December 2 | Noon | vs. Toledo | Ford FieldDetroit, MI (MAC Championship Game) | ESPN | L 28–45 | 16,225 |
| December 19 | 7:00 p.m. | at Florida Atlantic | FAU StadiumBoca Raton, Florida (Boca Raton Bowl) | ESPN | L 3–50 | 25,912 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||

## Game summaries
### At No. 6 Penn State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Zips | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 6 Nittany Lions | 14 | 21 | 10 | 7 | 52 |

### Arkansas–Pine Bluff

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Lions | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Zips | 14 | 17 | 14 | 7 | 52 |

### Iowa State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cyclones | 14 | 6 | 14 | 7 | 41 |
| Zips | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |

### At Troy

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Zips | 3 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
| Trojans | 7 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 22 |

### At Bowling Green

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Zips | 13 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 34 |
| Falcons | 6 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 23 |

### Ball State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Zips | 7 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 31 |

### At Western Michigan

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Zips | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Broncos | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 13 |

### At Toledo

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Zips | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
| Rockets | 21 | 3 | 14 | 10 | 48 |

### Buffalo

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulls | 7 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
| Zips | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |

### At Miami (OH)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Zips | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| RedHawks | 7 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 24 |

### Ohio

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bobcats | 14 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 34 |
| Zips | 10 | 20 | 0 | 7 | 37 |

### Kent State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Flashes | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Zips | 10 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 24 |

### 2017 MAC Championship Game

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Zips | 0 | 0 | 7 | 21 | 28 |
| Rockets | 7 | 21 | 10 | 7 | 45 |

### 2017 Boca Raton Bowl

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Zips | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Owls | 7 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 50 |