CLEVELAND: No matter who is playing quarterback for the University of Akron, the Zips showed they will throw a lot to senior wide receiver Jabari Arthur.

Arthur caught a career-high 11 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown as UA defeated Army 22-14 before a crowd of 17,865 in the season opener Saturday night in the inaugural FirstMerit Patriot Bowl at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

The victory is the Zips' first win against the Black Knights, who entered the game 3-0 against UA. It was also the first win in a season opener for the Zips under coach J.D. Brookhart, who is in his fourth season with UA.

''Obviously it was a great win,'' Brookhart said. ''I think we grew up a little bit in some areas we needed to grow up in.''

Brookhart had decided to use a two-quarterback system, with Chris Jacquemain getting the start and fellow sophomore Carlton Jackson starting the second quarter.

That raised several questions about UA's offense. Rhythm, consistency, continuity and controversy are typical worries when two quarterbacks get playing time, but Jacquemain and Jackson made one thing clear: The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Arthur is their main target.

Jacquemain completed 14-of-24 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown, and Jackson completed 3-of-5 for 29 yards.

Arthur, a native of Montreal who was selected sixth overall in the 2007 Canadian Football League draft, moved from ninth to sixth on the Zips' career-receptions list.

With 3:01 remaining in the first half, UA got the ball at its 20-yard line and marched down the field for

a nine-play, 80-yard drive that was capped by a 19-yard touchdown reception by Arthur.

Jacquemain threw a pass to the back-right corner of the end zone, where Arthur caught it and slid out of bounds backward with his left foot down. Officials originally ruled that Arthur was out of bounds before he made the catch, but after reviewing the replay they ruled it a touchdown.

That gave UA a 19-7 lead they took into halftime, and Army never threatened again.

Brookhart said of Arthur: ''He's a competitive kid, and he's capable of having those big games. We took advantage of certain matchups, and he capitalized on it.''

UA junior Bryan Williams, a Buchtel High graduate, returned the game's opening kickoff a career-high 70 yards to the Army 23-yard line. The Zips, however, couldn't put the ball in the end zone and were forced to settle for freshman Igor Iveljic's 23-yard field goal that gave UA a 3-0 lead with 12:30 left in the first quarter.

The UA defense then scored the Zips' first touchdown of the season when senior cornerback Reggie Corner, a Canton McKinley graduate, intercepted Army quarterback David Pevoto's pass and raced down the Black Knights' sideline untouched for a 74-yard return. Iveljic's extra point kick went wide left, however, leaving the Zips with a 9-0 lead with 3:50 left in the first quarter.

Army responded with a 10-play, 61-yard drive that was capped by junior running back Wesley McMahand's 3-yard rushing touchdown, which cut UA's deficit to 9-7 with 14:20 left in the second quarter.

Brookhart kept his promise and stuck with his pregame plan by allowing Jackson to take over at quarterback to start the second quarter. Jackson didn't shock the world with his performance, but he did lead the Zips on a 12-play, 66-yard drive that set up Iveljic's 32-yard field goal, which gave UA a 12-7 lead with 10:28 left in the first half.

Jabari's touchdown catch made it 19-7.

Iveljic made a 28-yard field goal with 13:46 left in the fourth quarter to give the Zips a 22-7 lead.

The Zips didn't need more points with the way their defense played after halftime. Army's lone touchdown of the second half was the result of a blocked UA punt recovered in the end zone.