Ohio State Football: 10 Things We Should Know About Akron

The Ohio State Buckeyes are ready to get their highly-anticipated season started on Saturday when they kick off against the Akron Zips.

Just a few more grains of sand are left in the hourglass and 100,000-plus fans are anxiously awaiting their opportunity to witness a game in the Horseshoe.

Buckeyes’ fans—it’s been a long, hard offseason. We deserve a pat on our back for the trials we’ve faced, reputations we’ve risked and the Jim Tressel signed ball we still proudly showcase on our mantle (or is that just me?). Now it’s time to get back to the gridiron and let the boys in scarlet and gray to do what they do best—win football games.

And it starts Week 1 versus Akron.

With all due respect (sorry, Zips fans), this matchup obviously holds a forecast for an Ohio State blowout victory. However, it allows us to get a sneak peak at what is soon to come this year, learning new faces and letting us know what to expect.

As we prepare for yet another successful season, let’s take a look at our upcoming clash against Akron and what we need to know about the Mid-American opponent

History

Akron’s football program has been around for a very long time (1891). Since its establishment, it has won 486 games to 485 losses, while having been tied 37 times.

In 1987, the Zips were the first team to move from Division-1AA to Division-1A. They have had one bowl appearance during this time, where they lost to Memphis in the Motor City Bowl (2005).

Akron has two division titles and one conference title. It has seven players currently active in the NFL.

2010 Campaign

The Zips finished with a 1-11 overall record (1-7 in MAC play) last season, falling to last place in the East.

Their sole victory came in the season finale; a 22-14 win over conference foe Buffalo. Akron lost every other game it played by an average score of 37-15, including a defeat to the hands of Gardner Webb.

According to CBSSportsline.com, Akron finished dead last (out of 120 schools) in the national rankings.

The Offense

Akron returns the nation's second-worst offense when it comes to total yards and 118th-ranked in points scored (15.6 points per game).

And it doesn't look like it'll be much better in 2011.

The Zips lose four-year running back Alex Allen, who rushed for 877 yards and eight touchdowns last year. Sophomore Broderick Alexander is expected to start in his place.

Jeremy LeFrance and Jalil Carter—the team’s leading receivers—are gone due to graduation. Antonio Russell, Marquelo Suel, Gray Pride and A.J. Price enter the season and will most likely share playing time.

Akron has one of the most unproven groups of offensive skill players in the NCAA.

However, it does bring back a decent core of offensive linemen, which include Jake Anderson and Zac Kasparek. Field general Patrick Nicely returns for his junior year and has two years of experience at the quarterback position.

Patrick Nicely

Junior QB Patrick Nicely’s stats are anything but overwhelming—he has a career 286 of 558 (51.3 percent) with 3,102 yards, 16 touchdowns and 19 interceptions.

However, if you take a look at his final three games, you can tell he improved. In these appearances, he went 48 of 96 (50 percent) with 571 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions. The offense put up 22 points per game throughout this span—almost seven more than the team’s season average.

Nicely is ranked 56th out of 117 quarterbacks, according to the NFL Draft Scout.

The Defense

Akron returns an interesting assembly to the defensive front seven. Michigan State DT transfer Oren Wilson is expected to lead an improved D-line that ranked 72nd against the rush last year.

Nonetheless, most of the secondary is back on the gridiron, which is most likely a bad thing for the Zips’ defense. It ranked 113th against the pass in 2011 and will need major renovations to move forward.

And my oh my, allowing 35 points per contest will not win you football games…but that’s a big reason why Akron went 1-11 last season.

Rob Ianello

Coach Rob Ianello is approaching his second season at the helm of the Akron football program.

For two years, he was a tight ends coach at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, before he proceeded to the University of Notre Dame to take on the duties of becoming the receivers coach and recruiting coordinator.

Ianello shortly took over responsibilities as Notre Dame’s interim head coach in 2009 after the Irish fired Charlie Weis.

He was then awarded the first head coaching stint of his career in 2010 when he became the Zips' commander in chief.

Ianello is a native of Port Chester, New York and a 1987 graduate of The Catholic University of America where he received a bachelor's degree in English.

Stick to Soccer

The Zips haven’t had a winning record since the 2005 season (7-6) when they won the MAC championship. Since then, Akron has won 18 games compared to 42 losses, getting beat by 20 or more points 13 times.

Bet on the Buckeyes

According to the Las Vegas Oddsmakers, the Akron Zips are currently 34-point underdogs heading into Saturday’s season-opener against Ohio State in the Horseshoe.

Vegas has worked up one heck of a credible resume and is extremely accurate when it comes to the betting lines.

I wouldn’t put too much investment for a Zips upset.

Don't Even Think About It

Zips fans (if you’re out there), take a deep breath before reading this fact:

The last time an Akron football team defeated a Big Ten school was in the 19th century, when it beat Ohio State 12-6 on September 5, 1894.

Alright, exhale (that is, if you want to).

One for the Road...

Collegefootballpoll.com is projecting Akron to once again finish last in the MAC East, failing to win a conference game.

The Zips are predicted to put together yet another one-win season, with their only victory coming against an FBS school (VMI)—in which they are still only eight-point favorites.

And finally, Akron is picked to be the second-worst team in all of college football (119 of 120) behind the Memphis Tigers.

I think we’ve covered everything there is to know about the Akron Zips—now it’s time to see these two squads brawl on the field in Week 1’s matchup in Columbus.