Akron found themselves trailing 21-17 with less than a minute to go. Zips defensive tackle CJ Nunnally IV stripped the ball away from Morgan State RB J.J. Davis and scooped the ball to teammate Bryan McCoy in the waning seconds for the game-winning TD.
Zips with the lead‼️ pic.twitter.com/OtvtKZnST8
— Akron Football (@ZipsFB) September 10, 2023
Zips Head Coach Joe Moorhead had this to say about the victory;
“That was a hell of a play by CJ and Bryan,” Akron coach Joe Moorhead said. “This kind of validates what we have been talking about since January. When we got to a point in the fourth quarter and looked up at the scoreboard, and we have a chance to win a game, we gotta find a way to finish. I didn’t expect it to be in that dramatic fashion, but full credit to our kids. Defense played lights out.”
Akron now travels to Lexington, Kentucky, for a Saturday matchup with the 2-0 Kentucky Wildcats. The Zips are +25.5 point underdogs when they meet at 7:30 p.m. at Kroger Field.
Moorhead Expecting Tough Game on Saturday
Zips Head Coach Joe Moorhead is expecting a tough, physical game on Saturday night and told reporters earlier this week;
“They’re [Kentucky] going to be tough, they’re going to be physical, they’re going to be well-coached,” Moorhead said. “It’s going to be a huge challenge.”
It will be a challenge for Akron. They have no running game to speak of and played three quarterbacks against Morgan State. The offense scores 22.5 points per game with an average of 274.5 yards of total offense. The Akron offense meets a Kentucky defense, allowing 15.5 points and 303 total yards of defense per contest.
Akron Defense Exceeds Expectations
The Zips allow the 39th fewest yards in college football. They are 18th against the rush and 72nd against the pass this season. Akron has recorded four sacks with six passes defended and a pair of picks.
Still, they have a mountain to climb against a Kentucky offense ranked 76th in total yards with a fifth-year senior QB with over 7300 passing yards in Devin Leery.
Akron vs. Kentucky Betting Analysis
The Zips offense struggles to score the football and faces a strong Kentucky defense on the road Saturday night. The best bet for this one is Kentucky Under 49.5 (-110) at Caesars Sportsbook Ohio.
This Akron offense is a mess. They can’t rush the football at all, and at least their passing attack is better than the ground game. Not much better, but at least the Zips QBs can throw a TD pass occasionally. The problem is the Akron quarterbacks throw more interceptions than scoring strikes and get sacked four times per contest. Kentucky has a better-than-average defense, and with no rushing game to speak of, I don’t see Akron scoring more than 10 points.
Kentucky has a strong offense, but Akron does play good defense. The Wildcats will light up the scoreboard, but the Zips will get enough stops for this game to end Under 49.5 (-110) at Caesars Sportsbook.
For more Ohio sports betting tips, check us out at OH Betting.
