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Do IT this week: Layering
Squandering late leads not part of game plan in victory over Toledo
By Tom Gaffney
Beacon Journal sports writer
Published on Friday, Nov 07, 2008
There was a specific moment Wednesday night when any University of Akron football fan at the Rubber Bowl or watching on ESPNU had the right to say, ''ohh-oh.''
It came with 6:29 remaining in the third quarter, when the University of Toledo — down 21-0 at one point — pulled to 26-23 on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Opelt to Stephen Williams.
The Zips have had a habit in recent games of not putting teams away and giving away leads, so concern and worry were a natural reaction by the fans.
However, UA responded after the Toledo touchdown with three scores of their own in a 10-minute period to win 47-30 and move into a tie with the University at Buffalo for first in the East Division of the Mid-American Conference.
''We needed to not stop ourselves, which was what was happening,'' UA coach J.D. Brookhart said about how Toledo was able to rally. ''We did that. We have a resilient football team that is hungry to play and is complimenting each other right now.''
Brookhart said the Toledo rally was a byproduct of the parity in the MAC.
''That's football. We are all pretty even. That's the way it is going to be in this conference,'' Brookhart said. ''Nobody is that much better that you are going to be winning 47-0 very often.''
The victory came via contributions from the offense, defense and special teams.
On offense, the Zips had 28 first downs and a balance of 232 yards rushing and 226 yards passing. Senior tailback Dennis Kennedy rushed for 153 yards on 30 carries, giving him 612 yards in the past three games.
''You have got to give it to the guys up front,'' said junior quarterback Chris Jacquemain, who completed 16-of-23 passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns. ''The holes out there are huge for Dennis to run through and Dennis is running the ball great. He is breaking tackles and making the right cuts. It's a total offensive team effort.''
On defense, an 18-day layoff led to some tinkering on the line. End Almondo Sewell often lined up inside, and linebackers Kevin Grant and Doug Williams spend some time outside, essentially as stand-up ends.
That helped the Zips hold the Rockets to 93 yards rushing on 25 carries, a 3.7 average.
''Defensively, we saw some things improve. The run game was much improved . . . a lot better,'' Brookhart said. ''We tried some new things. It was more effective.''
Special teams came up with a big play that helped shift the momentum back to the Zips.
Early in the third quarter, UT got to 24-16 on a 22-yard touchdown pass from Opelt to Kenny Stafford. The ensuing extra point was blocked by Sewell and returned 98 yards for two points by Shawn Lemon to make it 26-16.
The victory came in the first of four games after the long layoff in what the team is calling its second season. Now comes a second game Thursday against Buffalo in the Zips' finale at the Rubber Bowl, with sole possession of first place at stake.
''We wanted to start the second part of the season 1-0 and that is what we did,'' Kennedy said. ''Now we have to get ready for another big game.''
Tom Gaffney can be reached at tgaffney@thebeaconjournal.com.
There was a specific moment Wednesday night when any University of Akron football fan at the Rubber Bowl or watching on ESPNU had the right to say, ''ohh-oh.''
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Posted 10:50 AM, 11/07/2008
great win for the ZIPS...good to see the city starting to get behind them!
North Hill, OH
Posted 01:05 PM, 11/07/2008
A couple more wins will book a trip to Detroit....looking forward to the final tailgate at the Rubber Bowl on Thursday. Hopefully we can send the ol' lady out with a bang.
GO ZIPS!
Posted 01:51 PM, 11/07/2008
The Roo seems to be fearful again. Go zips!
Posted 05:54 PM, 11/07/2008
DK's really been busting out. The O-Line has been playing tremendously. CJ's been moving the offense up and down the field. Our WR's are top-shelf. Our D? Uh, still a little scary. But bring on Buffalo! This is a huge game but this team is really learning how to win instead of finding ways to lose. I hope the fact that the game is on a Thursday night doesn't hurt attendance as much as I'm fairly certain it will. Let's send the RB out on a sky-high note! Go Zips!!!
