KENT: There seemed to be as many swings of momentum and emotion as there were spokes on the Wagon Wheel trophy that went to the winner.

The University of Akron won a football game that it could easily have lost. Conversely, Kent State lost a game it could easily have won.

The Zips needed equal doses of perseverance and good luck to edge the Golden Flashes 30-27 in double overtime Saturday afternoon in a Mid-American Conference game before a crowd of 18,536 at Dix Stadium.

UA (3-3, 1-1) scored a controversial touchdown late to take the lead and saw the Golden Flashes kick a miraculous field goal in the final seconds to forge a 24-24 tie. In the overtimes, Igor Iveljic of the Zips kicked two field goals and Wadsworth High graduate Nate Reed of KSU made one, but missed a deciding 23-yarder, ending the game.

''The thing that coach talked to us about all year is dealing with adversity, the ups and downs of a game, of a season,'' Zips junior quarterback Chris Jacquemain said. ''No matter what happens, we have to keep our heads high, stay focused on our goal, keep plugging away and hope for the best.''

The Flashes (1-5, 0-2) held a 21-10 halftime lead and were still ahead 21-17 with 4:30 left. The KSU sidelines and stands were sensing victory because the defense had forced a Zips punt.

But returner Phil Garner of the Flashes fumbled it and Tyler Campbell of UA recovered at the KSU 42. Seven plays later, Jacquemain threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Deryn Bowser at the 1:28 mark to give the Zips a 24-21 lead.

Reed, who had missed a 27-yarder with 13:32 left, kicked a tying field goal from 32 yards with no time left that was hit at the line, but carried over the crossbar by a yard.

The overtime matchup of field goals left Kent State on the losing end despite having a 413-301 edge in total yardage and a 25-15 edge in first downs.

''Look at what we did statistically. We dominated that football team. It's a fact,'' KSU coach Doug Martin said. ''Our players just can't make those crucial mistakes. You can't . . . drop a punt and you can't miss two chip-shot field goals. That's really the game right there.''

UA coach J.D. Brookhart saw his players carry the Wagon Wheel all over Dix Stadium afterward, winning it for the second consecutive year and 10th in the past 12. But he also saw an uneven performance on that same field that had his team surviving as much as winning.

''I feel very fortunate to have won that football game. In the end, we were able to pull it out,'' Brookhart said. ''We didn't execute very well. We made a lot of mistakes. We put ourselves in a hole, and we had to fight our way out. I give our kids credit.''

Fans will remember this one for its drama and unpredictability. They also will remember the late touchdown pass from Jacquemain to Bowser that will be discussed and dissected well into the future.

The Zips were facing defeat with a fourth-and-11 at the Kent 24 with 90 seconds left. Jacquemain threw the ball to the back left corner of the end zone, where Bowser was guarded closely by KSU's Rico Murray.

Bowser had his back to the end line, and Murray had his back to the ball. Bowser reached around Murray and cradled the ball for a period. He then went over the end line, and the ball fell to the ground.

Just as Bowser was ready to celebrate, two officials ruled it an incomplete pass. KSU and its fans were jubilant; UA and its fans were stunned.

However, Brookhart asked for a review of the play, and the ruling was overturned.

''No doubt about it that I got my feet down and caught the ball. It popped out at the last second and I was down,'' Bowser said. ''I wasn't too happy with the call. I knew it was a catch.''

Kent State, with a mad dash of 34 yards by quarterback Julian Edelman, followed that with a drive that resulted in Reed's tying field goal.

In the first overtime, UA survived when Jacquemain completed a 22-yard pass to Bowser on third-and-23 from the Kent 38. Iveljic then connected from 32 yards to make it 27-27.

Iveljic's 25-yarder in the second overtime was the difference when Reed's kick went wide right, ending the 3-hour, 42-minute marathon.

''I gave myself a game ball for the five heart attacks I had,'' Brookhart quipped.

Jacquemain completed 21-of-39 passes for 243 yards and touchdowns to Bowser and Andre Jones.

Edelman ran 18 times for 113 yards and completed 17-of-31 passes for 157 yards and touchdowns to Justin Thompson and Shawn Bates.