Zips sports news, features and notes
- College baseball/Kent State 4, Akron 1: Flashes top Zips, get help from Bowling Green to win MAC title, earn top seed in tournament
- On the Record — May 18
- College baseball/Kent State 4, Akron 3: Flashes muster enough energy to top Zips, stay alive for top seed in MAC Tournament
- Kent State golf in fifth after two rounds of NCAA Regional
- Kent State-Akron in-game updates: Kent State wins 4-3
- Kent State 5, Akron 4 in 17 innings: Diamond Classic turns into real gem
- On the record: Ohio State, UA and KSU college roundup and recruiting news
- On the Record — May 14
- College sports — May 12
- Akron men, KSU women win MAC track titles
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Akron vs. Indiana preview
Football
After doing some snooping, I found out that ticket sales are lagging behind for this week's football game, when compared to the grand opening of InfoCision Stadium.
That should be no surprise. I think you'll see a big walk-up crowd, though. The home opener, by contrast, is a game that people believed would be a sell out, and it was to be such a special experience that nobody wanted to risk missing.
I'm confident it will be another great atmosphere at InfoCision Stadium, especially with the fans that the Hoosiers are sure to bring.
Behind an experienced offensive line, running back Demetrius McCray has picked up nicely as Indiana's starting running back. He ran for 134 yards against Western Michigan. McCray is no Evan Royster, but he is playing like a solid Big Ten back. The difference from the Big Ten style is that Indiana likes to run McCray off tackle, rather than the "three yards and a cloud of dust" strategy.
Two sophomore receivers have emerged as targets for new quarterback Ben Chappell, whose problem has been drives stalling in the redzone. Offensive penalties also have hindered many scoring opportunities.
Indiana's defense gave up 278 passing yards to Eastern Michigan and 266 passing yards to Western Michigan's Tim Hiller. EKU quarterback T.J. Pryor also had success running the ball, scrambling four times for 37 yards.
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Notes...
The ABJ's Patrick McManamon described the college festivities this weekend, between Friday's soccer game and Saturday's games in Cleveland (OSU vs. Toledo), Akron and Kent State (vs. Iowa State).
Here is what I wrote about Indiana on May 26. Back then, 79 percent of Zips fans thought Akron will prevail.
The weather looks phenomenal.
The Zips are still favored by between four and 4.5 points. The over-under is about 49.
Tom Gaffney wrote an interesting story where IU coach Bill Lynch says the gap between the Big Ten and the MAC has narrowed.
Scout.com mentions that Indiana has lost seven straight road games. The story also discusses the team's redzone woes.
Prediction...
Indiana has given up a lot of passing yards and it's likely that will continue Saturday. Two weeks ago, Penn State's front seven had no problem getting into Akron's backfield. With Jammie Kirlew and Greg Middleton being great pass rushers, this will be a big test to see if the Zips have improved on pass protection.
The Zips' defense, meanwhile, is on a roll, holding opponents to six consecutive scoreless quarters. For that reason, the real room for variance is Akron's running game. If the Zips move the chains, then Akron's balanced attack should pull away. If not, then this will be a close game.
Akron 31, Indiana 23
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