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UA scores big victory over Big East's Syracuse with balanced team play
By Jim Mandelaro
Special to the Beacon Journal
Published on Sunday, Sep 07, 2008
SYRACUSE, N.Y.: The game plan was simple enough for University of Akron football coach J.D. Brookhart on Saturday:
''Take what you'll give us,'' he said.
The porous Syracuse University defense obliged, and the Zips turned in a balanced effort in a 42-28 upset win before 31,808 fans at the Carrier Dome.
Chris Jacquemain passed for 260 yards and three touchdowns, and the Zips rushed for 218, led by 103 from Alex Allen.
''Our offensive line worked their tails off,'' said senior tailback Dennis Kennedy, who rushed for 89 yards and one touchdown. ''They gave us great pushes and opened up holes.''
UA (1-1) built a quick 14-0 lead, but Syracuse (0-2) rallied to tie it 28-28 early in the fourth quarter. The Zips answered on touchdown passes from Jacquemain to Andre Jones and Merce Poindexter, scoring a victory for the Mid-American Conference over a team from the BCS-represented Big East.
''This was huge,'' Jones said. ''We got excited when they scored, because we knew we had to match their intensity.''
It was a big change from last week for the UA rushing game, when it could only manage just 70 yards rushing in a 38-17 loss to Wisconsin.
The Zips took the opening kickoff and drove 75 yards in just seven plays. Jacquemain hit a wide-open Jones at the goal line for a 33-yard touchdown. Another big play pushed UA's lead to 14-0 near the end of the first quarter, as Kennedy beat five would-be tacklers to score on
a 35-yard run with the Zips facing third-and-23.
UA was 10-of-14 on third-down conversions.
Syracuse woke up the crowd with a 32-yard touchdown pass from Cam Dantley, son of former NBA star Adrian Dantley, to tight end Mike Owen in the first minute of the second quarter.
Dantley received a surprise start ahead of junior Andrew Robinson.
UA answered with a 67-yard drive that culminated in Allen's 1-yard touchdown run. Syracuse cut the lead to 21-14 on Curtis Brinkley's 1-yard touchdown plunge with 2:17 left in the half. Once again, the Zips offense had an answer, driving 62 yards on eight plays in just 1:55, capped by another 1-yard touchdown run from Allen to take a 28-14 lead into halftime.
Former Copley High star Delone Carter gained 34 yards on four carries on Syracuse's opening drive of the second half, including a 27-yard burst. The Orange scored on a 4-yard pass from Dantley to Owen.
Carter was the Beacon Journal's 2005 Player of the Year and was named Mr. Ohio Football after leading the state with 2,788 yards rushing and 49 touchdowns for Copley.
He's coming back from a dislocated hip that sidelined him for the 2007 season. Carter barely played in the first half but started the second half. He rushed 13 times Saturday for 77 yards and figured in two of the game's biggest plays.
Syracuse faced fourth-and-1 from the UA 31 early in the fourth quarter, and Carter pounded his way 15 yards up the middle for a first down. Dantley then hit tight end Nick Provo in the right corner of the end zone on the next play, tying the score at 28-28.
The Zips kept their cool and marched 78 yards on 10 plays, as Jacquemain lofted a pass to a wide-open Jones in the right corner of the end zone to give UA a 35-28 lead with 7:28 remaining.
Syracuse faced fourth-and-1 from the UA 46 with 4:55 remaining, and this time, Carter was stuffed at the line by strong safety Bryan Williams.
''That was a huge stop,'' Brookhart said.
Poindexter then hauled in an 18-yard touchdown pass with 2:43 remaining.
''It doesn't matter if we lose to Akron or Penn State (next week's opponent),'' Syracuse receiver Bruce Williams said. ''Akron is a good team. We're stunned and shocked.''
The Zips play Ball State on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the home opener at the Rubber Bowl.
SYRACUSE, N.Y.: The game plan was simple enough for University of Akron football coach J.D. Brookhart on Saturday:
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Posted 11:53 AM, 09/07/2008
wow and Cant State got killed again, GO ZIPS CANT STATE SUCKS!
North Hill, OH
Posted 10:40 PM, 09/07/2008
Posted before that Akron is going to open some eyes this year. Keep it goin Zips! See you at the bowl next week!
