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AKRON 28, EASTERN MICHIGAN 21
Uplifting victory caps off gloomy season

Zips' seniors rally vs. underdog Eagles

By Tom Gaffney
Beacon Journal sports writer

Published on Saturday, Nov 28, 2009

The University of Akron football team opened and closed the first season of InfoCision Stadium the right way.

The time in between was not necessarily productive or memorable, but, on this day, all that mattered was that there was a victory to celebrate on Senior Day.

The Zips (3-9, 2-6) concluded a year of distractions and disappointment by defeating Eastern Michigan 28-21 on Friday afternoon before a friends-and-family crowd announced at 9,962 at InfoCision Stadium.

''I congratulated the seniors and thanked them for what they have been to this football program,'' Zips coach J.D. Brookhart said. ''They have grown into outstanding young men. They will be champions in their lives because of what they have gone through.''

UA dominated Morgan State 41-0 on Sept. 12 in the stadium debut, but then came losses in eight of the next nine games. The closing win against the heavy-underdog Eagles (0-12, 0-8) in the stadium finale provided one last memory that will be positive.

''It was twofold. It was a great end for these guys [the seniors] and a great start for the other guys to take into next year,'' Brookhart said. ''Obviously, it was a great feeling to win. These guys deserved more of them.


That wasn't the case this year, but to end on a note like this is a plus for them.''

Before the game, 19 seniors were honored — and then members of that class more than did their part to determine the outcome. Tailback Alex Allen rushed for two touchdowns, receiver Dashan Miller scored his first touchdown from scrimmage this season and cornerback Miguel Graham changed the momentum with an interception return for a touchdown.

''It felt good to play with the seniors. We are a big old family,'' said Allen, who is hoping to get one more year of eligibility in 2010 because of two seasons of injuries. ''I love being out there with them.''

The Zips led 28-14 early in the second quarter on a day in which freshman quarterback Patrick Nicely threw two interceptions and the wind was gusting. The Zips then took a more conservative path to protect the lead, and that worked most of the way. But the Eagles woke up and drove 50 yards to score on a 1-yard touchdown run by Dwayne Priest with 1:53 left in the game.

The Eagles then tried an onside kick, but UA's Jeremy LaFrance returned it 17 yards to the EMU 21, and the Zips ran out the clock to finish with a 3-3 record at home.

''It looked like it was going to be a shootout for a bit,'' Brookhart said. ''Some things slowed down. We made some young mistakes.

''That's why we tried to tone it down and just manage the game . . . playing smart football in the second half.''

In the opening quarter, the Zips scored on their first two series and the Eagles on their second for a 14-7 Zips' lead at the end.

Allen scored both of the early touchdowns with runs of 2 and 8 yards to end drives of 71 yards and 38 yards, respectively. The EMU touchdown came on a 1-yard run by Priest.

The Eagles, who now have lost 19 consecutive games in two seasons, tied the score at 14-14 at 12:20 of the second quarter on a 27-yard run by freshman quarterback Alex Gillett.

Later in the quarter, EMU had the ball at the Zips' 41 when Graham intercepted a soft sideline pass from Gillett and returned it 62 yards for a touchdown to make it 21-14, which was the score at halftime.

''The wind was blowing pretty good, so we knew for the most part, they will be running short routes,'' Graham said. ''I saw the quarterback step back. I read it and made a play on the ball.''

In the third quarter, UA needed only five plays to go ahead 28-14, with Miller ending a 50-yard drive with a 27-yard touchdown on a reverse.

Nicely completed 11-of-18 passes for 117 yards, and freshman Broderick Alexander rushed 10 times for 54 yards. Allen added 50 yards on 14 carries.

Gillett ran for 102 yards and passed for 148 for the Eagles, who suffered their first winless season since 1981.

Tom Gaffney can be reached at tgaffney@thebeaconjournal.com.

The University of Akron football team opened and closed the first season of InfoCision Stadium the right way.

Get the full article here.

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