# 2024 Akron Zips football team

The 2024 Akron Zips football team represented the University of Akron in the Mid-American Conference during the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Zips were led by Joe Moorhead in his third year as the head coach. The Zips played their home games at InfoCision Stadium, located in Akron, Ohio.

## Preseason
### Preseason polls
#### Coaches Poll

On July 19 the MAC announced the preseason coaches poll. Akron was picked to finish eleventh in the conference. They received zero votes to win the MAC Championship.
MAC Coaches poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Miami | 119 (9) |
| 2 | Toledo | 109 (3) |
| T3 | Bowling Green | 92 |
| T3 | Northern Illinois | 92 |
| 5 | Ohio | 81 |
| 6 | Eastern Michigan | 64 |
| 7 | Western Michigan | 60 |
| 8 | Central Michigan | 59 |
| 9 | Ball State | 42 |
| 10 | Buffalo | 37 |
| 11 | Akron | 24 |
| 12 | Kent State | 13 |
Coaches poll (MAC Championship) :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes |
| 1 | Miami | 10 |
| 2 | Toledo | 2 |

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 31 | 3:30 p.m. | at No. 2 Ohio State* | Ohio StadiumColumbus, OH | CBS | L 6–52 | 102,011 |
| September 7 | 12:00 p.m. | at Rutgers* | SHI StadiumPiscataway, NJ | BTN | L 17–49 | 41,021 |
| September 14 | 6:00 p.m. | Colgate* | InfoCision StadiumAkron, OH | ESPN+ | W 31–20 | 8,932 |
| September 21 | 7:30 p.m. | at South Carolina* | Williams–Brice StadiumColumbia, SC | ESPNU | L 7–50 | 78,704 |
| September 28 | 3:30 p.m. | at Ohio | Peden StadiumAthens, OH | ESPN+ | L 10–30 | 21,265 |
| October 5 | 3:30 p.m. | Bowling Green | InfoCision StadiumAkron, OH | ESPN+ | L 20–27 | 9,337 |
| October 12 | 3:30 p.m. | at Western Michigan | Waldo StadiumKalamazoo, MI | ESPN+ | L 24–34 | 19,507 |
| October 26 | 3:30 p.m. | Eastern Michigan | InfoCision StadiumAkron, OH | ESPN+ | W 25–21 | 4,277 |
| November 2 | 12:00 p.m. | Buffalo | InfoCision StadiumAkron, OH | CBSSN | L 30–41 | 4,610 |
| November 13 | 7:00 p.m. | at Northern Illinois | Huskie StadiumDeKalb, IL | CBSSN | L 16–29 | 6,795 |
| November 19 | 7:00 p.m. | at Kent State | Dix StadiumKent, OH (Wagon Wheel) | CBSSN | W 38–17 | 6,768 |
| November 26 | 7:00 p.m. | Toledo | InfoCision StadiumAkron, OH | ESPN2 | W 21–14 $^{OT}$ | 4,716 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings released prior to gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||

## Game summaries
### at No. 2 Ohio State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Zips | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| No. 2 Buckeyes | 7 | 10 | 21 | 14 | 52 |
at Ohio Stadium • Columbus, Ohio
* Date: August 31
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Cloudy, 80 °F (27 °C)
* Game attendance: 102,011
* Referee: Tim O'Dey
* TV announcers (CBS): Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (analyst), and Jenny Dell (sideline reporter)
| Statistics | AKR | OSU |
| First downs | 11 | 24 |
| Plays–yards | 64–177 | 64–404 |
| Rushes–yards | 35–47 | 33–170 |
| Passing yards | 130 | 234 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 18–29–2 | 18–31–0 |
| Time of possession | 34:03 | 25:57 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Akron | Passing | Tahj Bullock | 9/13, 68 yards |
| Akron | Rushing | Tahj Bullock | 14 carries, 42 yards |
| Akron | Receiving | Jake Newell | 2 receptions, 41 yards |
| Ohio State | Passing | Will Howard | 17/28, 228 yards, 3 TD |
| Ohio State | Rushing | TreVeyon Henderson | 8 carries, 65 yards |
| Ohio State | Receiving | Jeremiah Smith | 6 receptions, 92 yards, 2 TD |

### at Rutgers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Zips | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
| Scarlet Knights | 7 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 49 |
at SHI Stadium • Piscataway, New Jersey
* Date: September 7
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 76 °F (24 °C) • Wind: SW 7mph
* Game attendance: 41,021
* Referee: Bryan Banks
* TV announcers (BTN): Jason Horowitz (play-by-play), Matt Millen (analyst), and Taryn Hatcher (sideline reporter)
| Statistics | AKR | RUTG |
| First downs | 15 | 26 |
| Plays–yards | 59–307 | 67–515 |
| Rushes–yards | 25–156 | 44–285 |
| Passing yards | 151 | 230 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 17–34–1 | 14–23–1 |
| Time of possession | 27:30 | 32:30 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Akron | Passing | Ben Finley | 14/31, 138 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Akron | Rushing | Jordon Simmons | 9 carries, 109 yards, 1 TD |
| Akron | Receiving | Adrian Norton | 3 receptions, 55 yards, 1 TD |
| Rutgers | Passing | Athan Kaliakmanis | 14/23, 230 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT |
| Rutgers | Rushing | Kyle Monangai | 27 carries, 208 yards, 3 TD |
| Rutgers | Receiving | Chris Long | 4 receptions, 87 yards, 1 TD |

### Colgate (FCS)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Raiders (FCS) | 17 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 20 |
| Zips | 7 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 31 |
at InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH
* Date: September 14, 2024
* Game time: 6:00 p.m.
* Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
* Game attendance: 8,932
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Anthony Lima (play-by-play) and Ryan Cavanaugh (analyst)
| Statistics | COLG | AKR |
| First downs | 13 | 24 |
| Plays–yards | 62-243 | 75-416 |
| Rushes–yards | 30-84 | 31-51 |
| Passing yards | 159 | 365 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 19-32-1 | 29-44-1 |
| Time of possession | 29:02 | 30:58 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Colgate | Passing | Michael Brescia | 9-17 95 Yards 1 TD |
| Colgate | Rushing | Michael Brescia | 14 Carries 60 Yards 1 TD |
| Colgate | Receiving | Treyvhon Sanders | 7 Receptions 82 Yards 1 TD |
| Akron | Passing | Ben Finley | 28-43 358 Yards 4 TD 1 INT |
| Akron | Rushing | Jordon Simmons | 9 Carries 49 Yards |
| Akron | Receiving | Adrian Norton | 5 Receptions 125 Yards 1 TD |

### at South Carolina

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Zips | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Gamecocks | 15 | 7 | 7 | 21 | 50 |
at Williams–Brice Stadium • Columbia, SC
* Date: September 21, 2024
* Game time: 7:30 p.m.
* Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 81 °F (27 °C) • Wind: SSE at 3 miles per hour (4.8 km/h)
* Game attendance: 78,704
* Referee: Jeff Heaser
* TV announcers (ESPNU): Clay Matvick (play-by-play) and Steve Addazio (analyst)
| Statistics | AKR | SCAR |
| First downs | 9 | 27 |
| Plays–yards | 51–154 | 80–549 |
| Rushes–yards | 21–37 | 53–273 |
| Passing yards | 117 | 276 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 16–30–1 | 19–27–0 |
| Time of possession | 23:57 | 36:03 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Akron | Passing | Ben Finley | 14/27, 110 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Akron | Rushing | Jordan Simmons | 6 carries, 19 yards |
| Akron | Receiving | Adrian Norton | 4 receptions, 56 yards, 1 TD |
| South Carolina | Passing | Robby Ashford | 15/21, 243 yards, 2 TD |
| South Carolina | Rushing | Robby Ashford | 16 carries, 133 yards, 1 TD |
| South Carolina | Receiving | Gage Larvadain | 2 receptions, 79 yards |

### at Ohio

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Zips | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Bobcats | 0 | 14 | 2 | 14 | 30 |
at Peden Stadium • Athens, OH
* Date: September 28, 2024
* Game time: 3:30 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 75 °F (24 °C)
* Game attendance: 21,265
* Referee: Andrew Speciale
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Michael Reghi (play-by-play) and Marcus Ray (analyst)
* Pregame line: Ohio -12.5; O/U 46.5
| Statistics | AKR | OHIO |
| First downs | 14 | 21 |
| Plays–yards | 58–178 | 69–440 |
| Rushes–yards | 20–-18 | 51–236 |
| Passing yards | 196 | 204 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 25–38–2 | 12–18–0 |
| Time of possession | 25:33 | 34:27 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Akron | Passing | Ben Finley | 25/38, 196 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| Akron | Rushing | Charles Kellorn | 4 carries, 12 yards |
| Akron | Receiving | Adrian Norton | 5 receptions, 59 yards |
| Ohio | Passing | Parker Navarro | 12/18, 204 yards, 2 TD |
| Ohio | Rushing | Parker Navarro | 13 carries, 113 yards, TD |
| Ohio | Receiving | Coleman Owen | 6 receptions, 130 yards, 2 TD |

### Bowling Green

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Falcons | 7 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 27 |
| Zips | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
at InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH
* Date: October 5, 2024
* Game time: 3:30 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 76 °F (24 °C)
* Game attendance: 9,337
* Referee: Jeremy Valentine
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Anthony Lima (play-by-play) and Ryan Cavanaugh (analyst)
| Statistics | BGSU | AKR |
| First downs | 20 | 15 |
| Plays–yards | 66–386 | 54–321 |
| Rushes–yards | 36–118 | 22–115 |
| Passing yards | 268 | 206 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 24–30–0 | 21–32–0 |
| Time of possession | 34:58 | 25:02 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Bowling Green | Passing | Connor Bazelak | 24/30, 268 yards |
| Bowling Green | Rushing | Jaison Patterson | 18 carries, 52 yards, 2 TD |
| Bowling Green | Receiving | Harold Fannin Jr. | 9 receptions, 135 yards |
| Akron | Passing | Ben Finley | 21/32, 206 yards |
| Akron | Rushing | Jordan Simmons | 9 carries, 73 yards |
| Akron | Receiving | Adrian Norton | 3 receptions, 78 yards |

### at Western Michigan

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Zips | 10 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
| Broncos | 0 | 24 | 7 | 3 | 34 |
at Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI
* Date: October 12, 2024
* Game time: 3:30 p.m.
* Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Shawn Kenney (play-by-play) and Charlie Strong (analyst)
| Statistics | AKR | WMU |
| First downs | 20 | 19 |
| Plays–yards | 68-501 | 66-387 |
| Rushes–yards | 27-88 | 39-196 |
| Passing yards | 413 | 191 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 26-38-1 | 17-25-0 |
| Time of possession | 29:34 | 30:26 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Akron | Passing | Ben Finley | 24/36, 395 yards, INT |
| Akron | Rushing | Jordon Simmons | 13 carries, 63 yards, TD |
| Akron | Receiving | Adrian Norton | 8 receptions, 168 yards |
| Western Michigan | Passing | Hayden Wolff | 17/25, 191 yards, 2 TD |
| Western Michigan | Rushing | Jalen Buckley | 7 carries, 103 yards |
| Western Michigan | Receiving | Malique Dieudonne | 3 receptions, 48 yards |

### Eastern Michigan

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Eagles | 0 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 21 |
| Zips | 8 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 25 |
at InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH
* Date: October 26, 2024
* Game time: 3:30 p.m.
* Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Anthony Lima (play-by-play) and Ryan Cavanaugh (analyst)
| Statistics | EMU | AKR |
| First downs | 23 | 20 |
| Total yards | 475 | 377 |
| Rushing yards | 121 | 220 |
| Passing yards | 354 | 157 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 29-48-0 | 14-25-1 |
| Time of possession | 31:44 | 28:16 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Eastern Michigan | Passing | Cole Snyder | 29/48, 354 yards, 2 TD |
| Eastern Michigan | Rushing | Delbert Mimms III | 22 carries, 58 yards, TD |
| Eastern Michigan | Receiving | Terry Lockett Jr. | 3 receptions, 98 yards |
| Akron | Passing | Ben Finley | 12/22, 121 yards, TD, INT |
| Akron | Rushing | Jordon Simmons | 16 carries, 109 yards |
| Akron | Receiving | Bobby Golden | 4 receptions, 61 yards |

### Buffalo

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulls | 14 | 10 | 14 | 3 | 41 |
| Zips | 7 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 30 |
at InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH
* Date: November 2, 2024
* Game time: 12:00 p.m.
* Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
* TV announcers (CBSSN): John Sadak (play-by-play) and Randy Cross (analyst)
| Statistics | UB | AKR |
| First downs | 19 | 23 |
| Total yards | 390 | 452 |
| Rushing yards | 180 | 74 |
| Passing yards | 210 | 378 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 17-29-0 | 23-43-1 |
| Time of possession | 32:56 | 27:04 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Buffalo | Passing | C.J. Ogbonna | 17/29, 210 yards, 2 TD |
| Buffalo | Rushing | Al-Jay Henderson | 18 carries, 107 yards, TD |
| Buffalo | Receiving | JJ Jenkins | 5 receptions, 57 yards, TD |
| Akron | Passing | Ben Finley | 23/42, 378 yards, 4 TD, INT |
| Akron | Rushing | Jordon Simmons | 14 carries, 68 yards |
| Akron | Receiving | Adrian Norton | 6 receptions, 98 yards, 2 TD |

### at Northern Illinois

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Zips | 6 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Huskies | 17 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 29 |
at Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL
* Date: November 13, 2024
* Game time: 7:00 p.m.
* Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
* TV announcers (CBSSN): Jason Knapp (play-by-play) and Brock Vereen (analyst)
| Statistics | AKR | NIU |
| First downs | 19 | 14 |
| Total yards | 255 | 439 |
| Rushing yards | 50 | 295 |
| Passing yards | 205 | 144 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 26:31 | 33:29 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Akron | Passing | Ben Finley | 19/52, 205 yards, TD |
| Akron | Rushing | Jordon Simmons | 12 carries, 56 yards |
| Akron | Receiving | Adrian Norton | 2 receptions, 57 yards, TD |
| Northern Illinois | Passing | Ethan Hampton | 9/16, 105 yards, TD |
| Northern Illinois | Rushing | Telly Johnson Jr. | 21 carries, 104 yards |
| Northern Illinois | Receiving | Dane Pardridge | 1 reception, 39 yards, TD |

### at Kent State (Wagon Wheel)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Zips | 10 | 13 | 15 | 0 | 38 |
| Golden Flashes | 7 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
at Dix Stadium • Kent, OH
* Date: November 19, 2024
* Game time: 7:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 56 °F (13 °C) • Wind: S 4 miles per hour (6.4 km/h)
* Game attendance: 6,768
* Referee: Matt Packowski
* TV announcers (CBSSN): John Sadak (play-by-play) and Ross Tucker (analyst)
| Statistics | AKR | KENT |
| First downs | 28 | 9 |
| Plays–yards | 77–527 | 48–281 |
| Rushes–yards | 46–277 | 28–52 |
| Passing yards | 30–250 | 20–229 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 14–31–0 | 12–20–1 |
| Time of possession | 36:32 | 23:28 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Akron | Passing | Ben Finley | 14/29, 250 yards, TD |
| Akron | Rushing | Jordan Simmons | 11 carries, 113 yards |
| Akron | Receiving | Adrian Norton | 5 receptions, 107 yards |
| Kent State | Passing | Tommy Ulatowski | 12/20, 229 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Kent State | Rushing | Ky Thomas | 13 carries, 52 yards |
| Kent State | Receiving | Luke Floriea | 3 receptions, 103 yards, TD |

### Toledo

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Rockets | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| Zips | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
at InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH
* Date: November 26, 2024
* Game time: 7:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 4,716
* Referee: Billy Williams
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Matt Schumacker (play-by-play) and Dustin Fox (analyst)
| Statistics | TOL | AKR |
| First downs | 30 | 18 |
| Plays–yards | 86–465 | 57–328 |
| Rushes–yards | 42–176 | 34–107 |
| Passing yards | 289 | 221 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 31–44–0 | 12–23–0 |
| Time of possession | 32:24 | 27:36 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Toledo | Passing | Tucker Gleason | 31/44, 289 yards, 2 TD |
| Toledo | Rushing | Connor Walendzak | 19 carries, 87 yards |
| Toledo | Receiving | Junior Vandeross III | 11 receptions, 84 yards |
| Akron | Passing | Ben Finley | 10/21, 194 yards, 2 TD |
| Akron | Rushing | Charles Kellom | 21 carries, 69 yards |
| Akron | Receiving | Ahmarian Granger | 2 receptions, 106 yards, TD |