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UA coach says players feel they can compete in today's OSU game
By David Lee Morgan Jr. Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Saturday, Sep 08, 2007
The payday is pretty sweet.
$375,000.
That's how much the University of Akron will receive for playing Ohio State this afternoon at Ohio Stadium in Columbus.
Wonder whether UA football coach J.D. Brookhart would return that hefty paycheck for a win in the Horseshoe? It would be a second consecutive colossal Big Ten upset, in the wake of Appalachian State's stunning 34-32 win last week over Michigan.
''Those are great wins for everybody,'' Brookhart said about the Appalachian State victory. ''Everybody loves that underdog story. But our guys feel like they've gotten to a point where they feel like they can play with most everybody and compete.
''Do we have to play well? We have to play very well to be in this football game, because (Ohio State) is that good. But nobody is saying we can't play well, either.
''We've come a long way in four years. You look back as far as last year. We were able to win in a difficult environment, so it's not that we haven't done it.''
Brookhart was referring to UA's 20-17 win at North Carolina State on the last play of the game, a 1-yard run by running back Dennis Kennedy with no time remaining.
Last week, the Zips looked good on both sides of the ball in a 22-14 win against Army at Cleveland Browns Stadium in the inaugural Patriot Bowl.
Sophomore quarterback Chris Jacquemain, making his first career start, was efficient, completing 14 passes for 125 yards and one touchdown. Senior wide receiver Jabari Arthur caught a career-high 11 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown, and junior running back Kennedy pounded out 72 yards.
But it was UA's defense, led by senior cornerback Reggie Corner, that was most impressive. The defensive front three are in Please see UA, C8
experienced, but the trio of junior Eric Lively, sophomore Wallace Pendleton and freshman Almondo Sewell held their own.
The leadership came from the linebackers and secondary (a nontraditional 3-3-5 alignment), with players like Corner, who was named the Mid-American Conference East Division Defensive Player of the Week (he returned an interception 70 yards for a touchdown), Brion Stokes, Kevin Grant and John Mackey.
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel wants his Buckeyes to beware.
''Defensively, (Akron) plays a scheme that we haven't lined up and played against since the 2002 Outback Bowl (January 2002), different for our guys (so) it's going to take good mental focus. We've got to make sure we don't have assignment problems,'' Tressel said during his weekly news conference. ''There's not the familiarity in blocking it, which in some ways is a good thing, because it really makes you put your thinking cap on and we've got to have a great preparation in terms of the Akron defense they come at you with.''
As much as Brookhart loves the challenge of playing a program like Ohio State, he said there is a delicate balance between wanting to be competitive and playing for money.
In 2002, Akron played at Iowa, Maryland and Virginia, losing all three games by 149-64.
''This is a great opportunity but I think as you try to grow a program, it's difficult to play three of these a year,'' Brookhart said about his nonconference schedule, which includes Ohio State, at Indiana (Sept. 15) and at Connecticut (Sept. 29.)
''In the end, what matters to us are the six MAC games, because that's how you get to a championship. If we go down (to Columbus) and win, it doesn't guarantee us anything. You have to play these games right now as MAC schools to support your budget financial. You'd love to get away from three paydays but unfortunately that's the situation we are in right now. But this is still a great opportunity for our program and our kids.''
David Lee Morgan Jr. can be reached at dlmorgan@thebeaconjournal.com.
The payday is pretty sweet.
Get the full article here.
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