Future results will show whether Joe Moorhead’s assessment is correct, but the University of Akron football coach, who has been coaching for three years, is confident that his team is better this season.
The Zips finished 2-10 in each of Moorhead’s first two years in charge, and are 0-2 this season after being beaten by two Big Ten teams: 49-17 at Rutgers on Sept. 7 and 52-6 at Ohio State on Aug. 31.
Now UA is preparing for its home game against Colgate (0-2) on Saturday at 6 p.m. at InfoCision Stadium.
“A loss is no consolation, no matter who the opponent is,” Moorhead said Monday. “But when you play three games like that (against big teams Ohio State, Rutgers and South Carolina on Sept. 21), you have to be able to measure improvement somehow.”
“There’s just something that feels different about this year’s team, and it’s hard to quantify. It’s subjective, but there’s just a different feeling about this team.”
Here are some players who have given Moorhead reason to believe the Zips will make progress in 2024.
Akron Zips quarterback Ben Finley
Ben Finley moved to Akron last offseason after previously being stationed at Cal (2023) and NC State (2020-22), and fought for the starting quarterback job in a close competition with fellow redshirt junior Tahj Bullock.
In a total of 13 games at Cal and NC State, Finley completed 137 of 245 passes for 1,484 yards with seven touchdowns and nine interceptions. He started four times.
UA desperately needs stability at the quarterback position, and Finley has impressed the school’s athletic department brass with his leadership, and Moorhead named him captain.
“He’s shown an incredible level of maturity in his approach to the game,” Moorhead said. “He’s a guy that motivates the team with his preparation and his work ethic, and the guys, No. 1, really respect him and they like him, too.”
“He’s a guy the team rallies around, but he’s also a guy who can throw the ball with accuracy, speed and feel and can make plays with his feet. He’s a pretty good competitor, too.”
Finley has completed 22 of 45 passes for 191 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions this season. He has rushed 11 times for 29 yards.
Moorhead still uses Bullock at quarterback on occasion and uses him at other positions as well. Bullock has completed 12 of 16 passes for 81 yards this season, rushed 18 times for 42 yards and caught two passes for 4 yards. One of Bullock’s passes went for 5 yards to Finley.
Linebackers Antavious Fish and Bryan McCoy from the University of Akron
Senior linebacker Antavious Fish and junior linebacker Bryan McCoy lead the Zips this season with 15 and 14 tackles, respectively.
“We signed these guys our first year here, Antavious from JUCO, then Bryan from high school in Illinois,” Moorhead said. “It’s a little bit like classic recruiting in the sense that you brought these guys in and saw their development.”
“They are definitely the heart and soul of the defense, both emotionally and performance-wise. They are the two guys the defense relies on to give their signals. They play at 100 mph 100% of the time and back it up with productivity.”
Speaking of performance, sophomore defensive tackle Marcus Moore Jr. (Massillon) and redshirt junior safety Daymon David combined for a highlight-reel performance for the Zips last week. Moore hit Rutgers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis as he threw deep, and David intercepted the pass on the game’s first possession.
Zips defensive end CJ Nunnally IV
Another UA defensive standout is senior end CJ Nunnally IV. This season, he has 10 tackles, including a half tackle for a loss.
Nunnally was a first-team All-Mid-American Conference selection last season, recording 15½ tackles for loss and seven sacks.
The only other 2023 All-MAC player to return to the Zips this season is McCoy, who was selected to the third team last year.
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Akron running back Jordon Simmons and UA wide receiver Adrian Norton
Redshirt junior running back Jordon Simmons and sophomore wide receiver Adrian Norton have scored touchdowns for UA this season.
Finley beat a Rutgers cornerback blitz and connected with Norton for a 32-yard touchdown with 11:45 left in the third quarter. Simmons ran for a 73-yard touchdown against Rutgers with 10:11 left in the fourth quarter. It was UA’s longest rushing touchdown since 2021, when Jonzell Norrils ran for a 74-yard touchdown.
Simmons transferred to UA after playing the last four seasons for Michigan State. He is Akron’s fastest player, according to tracking data the Zips used in the preseason. He has 16 carries for 118 yards this season.
Norton is a holdover from the Zips and part of a receiving group that Moorhead is optimistic about.
“Our receivers are probably our most talented unit overall and the group that needs to improve the most is the offensive line,” Moorhead said.
Redshirt juniors Myles Walker and Alex Adams and redshirt sophomore Phaizon Wilson have been absent so far in 2024 due to injury, and their return to the receiver group would be a huge asset.
Moorhead and UA head coach Orie Sahlfeld select a player on each side of the ball who earns the right to wear the No. 1 jersey by demonstrating leadership qualities in the spring. Walker and veteran defensive end Bennett Adler were selected this year.
Akron Football’s Garrison Smith, Dante Jackson and Avery Book
To say there has been a big jump in UA’s special teams this season is “100% true,” Moorhead said.
Redshirt senior Dante Jackson serves as the kickoff specialist (seven with four touchbacks), senior Avery Book as the punter (11 for a 47.9-yard average with three inside the 20) and redshirt junior Garrison Smith as the placekicker (3 of 4 field goals and 2 of 2 extra points).
Smith made field goals of 48 and 49 yards at Ohio State, giving UA the longest successful attempts since Robert Stein made a 50-yard field goal in 2015. At Rutgers, Smith made a 41-yard field goal and missed another from the same distance.
“Small sample size, but the special teams were more special than not,” Moorhead said.
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Nate Ulrich can be reached at [email protected]. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
