# 2018 Akron Zips football team

The 2018 Akron Zips football team represented the University of Akron in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by seventh-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. They finished the season 4–8, 2–6 in MAC play to finish in a tie for fourth place in the East Division.
On December 2, Akron fired head coach Terry Bowden. He finished at Akron with a seven-year record of 35–52. On December 14, the school hired Chattanooga head coach Tom Arth for the head coaching job.

## Preseason
### Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released
| Award | Player | Position | Year |
| Chuck Bednarik Award | Ulysees Gilbert | LB | SR |
| Fred Biletnikoff Award | Kwadarrius Smith | WR | SR |
| Jim Thorpe Award | Kyron Brown | CB | SR |
| Bronko Nagurski Trophy | Ulysees Gilbert | LB | SR |

### Preseason media poll

The MAC released their preseason media poll on July 24, 2018, with the Zips predicted to finish in fourth place in the East Division.
East Division :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Ohio | 140 (21) |
| 2 | Buffalo | 112 (1) |
| 3 | Miami | 95 (2) |
| 4 | Akron | 74 |
| 5 | Bowling Green | 58 |
| 6 | Kent State | 25 |

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 8 | 3:30 p.m. | Morgan State* | InfoCision StadiumAkron, OH | ESPN+ | W 41–7 | 18,413 |
| September 15 | 7:30 p.m. | at Northwestern* | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL | BTN | W 39–34 | 40,014 |
| September 22 | 11:00 a.m. | at Iowa State* | Jack Trice StadiumAmes, IA | FSN | L 13–26 | 54,028 |
| October 6 | 3:30 p.m. | Miami (OH) | InfoCision StadiumAkron, OH | ESPN+ | L 17–41 | 22,437 |
| October 13 | Noon | at Buffalo | UB StadiumAmherst, NY | CBSSN | L 6–24 | 19,506 |
| October 20 | 3:30 p.m. | at Kent State | Dix StadiumKent, OH (Wagon Wheel) | ESPN+ | W 24–23 $^{OT}$ | 18,774 |
| October 27 | Noon | Central Michigan | InfoCision StadiumAkron, OH | ESPN3 | W 17–10 | 17,582 |
| November 1 | 7:00 p.m. | Northern Illinois | InfoCision StadiumAkron, OH | CBSSN | L 26–36 | 16,401 |
| November 10 | Noon | at Eastern Michigan | Rynearson StadiumYpsilanti, MI | ESPN3 | L 7–27 | 12,403 |
| November 17 | 3:30 p.m. | Bowling Green | InfoCision StadiumAkron, OH | ESPN3 | L 6–21 | 17,742 |
| November 23 | Noon | at Ohio | Peden StadiumAthens, OH | CBSSN | L 28–49 | 12,938 |
| December 1 | Noon | at South Carolina* | Williams–Brice StadiumColumbia, SC | SECN | L 3–28 | 53,420 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||
    The game between Akron and Nebraska, originally scheduled for September 1, 2018, was canceled due to inclement weather. The Zips agreed to schedule South Carolina, who also canceled a game earlier in the year due to Hurricane Florence.
* Source:

## Game summaries
### Morgan State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bears | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Zips | 17 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 41 |

### At Northwestern

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Zips | 0 | 3 | 23 | 13 | 39 |
| Wildcats | 7 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 34 |

### At Iowa State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Zips | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
| Cyclones | 7 | 10 | 0 | 9 | 26 |

### Miami (OH)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| RedHawks | 0 | 14 | 10 | 17 | 41 |
| Zips | 0 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 17 |

### At Buffalo

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Zips | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Bulls | 7 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 24 |

### At Kent State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Zips | 7 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
| Golden Flashes | 3 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 23 |

### Central Michigan

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chippewas | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Zips | 7 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 17 |

### Northern Illinois

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Huskies | 7 | 17 | 5 | 7 | 36 |
| Zips | 7 | 3 | 16 | 0 | 26 |

### At Eastern Michigan

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Zips | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Eagles | 7 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 27 |

### Bowling Green

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Falcons | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Zips | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |

### At Ohio

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Zips | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 28 |
| Bobcats | 21 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 49 |

### At South Carolina

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Zips | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Gamecocks | 14 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 28 |

## Players drafted into the NFL

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL Club |
| 6 | 207 | Ulysees Gilbert III | LB | Pittsburgh Steelers |