Zips fumble away hopes to win first game

Football
The Zips had a great chance tonight to avoid going to 0-11, but they found a way to avoid that.
Miami won 19-13. Akron's potential game-winning drive ended with a Jeremy LaFrance fumble in the redzone.
With just more than a minute left on the clock, Rob Ianello called timeout to give the replay referee the time to take another look at the play. Someone in the booth should have told Akron's coach that it was an open-and-shut case: fumble beyond a reasonable doubt. As a result, the Zips had expended their last timeout and could not stop the clock after Miami took over.
It wasn't all bad. The coaches showed some more creativity when the Zips faced fourth-and-one on that last drive. Rather than the predictable QB sneak or fullback plunge, Patrick Nicely pitched the ball to Alex Allen; the quarterback ran a route and caught a pass from the running back -- first down Akron.
There were other positive aspects of the game. Allen ran for 126 yards, highlighted by a 91-yard touchdown dash. Jalil Carter played his best game at receiver, catching seven balls for 119 yards. The defense clamped down in the redzone. Nicely passed for 200 yards for the first time this season.
But the win column number remains zero. And it sets the stage for a historic Black Friday, when Buffalo comes to town and Akron faces the realization that this is the worst team in the program's history.