Thirty minutes into Akron's Mid-American Conference opener, the Zips have done nothing to give the impression that they're going away. Today, they dominated first quarter play and jumped out to a 14-3 lead. At halftime, the lead has shrunk, but the Zips cling to a 14-10 edge.
Only one problem -- Akron quarterback Kyle Pohl was injured on the next-to-last play of the half. On a third down pass, he took a shot from BGSU's rush and was on the ground for a couple of minutes. We're not sure what the issue is at the moment, but we'll give another update as soon as we have the latest.
Akron outgained the Falcons 199-158, but BGSU had a 92-65 edge in the second quarter. Pohl is 15-for-23 with 140 yards and one touchdown, although the Falcons missed a golden opportunity on the first pass of the game when a gimme pick-six was dropped. Pohl also leads the Zips with 19 yards on four carries. Jawon Chisholm has 17 yards on six carries.
Zach D'Orazio was held to just one catch for seven yards, but that slack was taken by L.T. Smith, who produced three catches for 75 yards (and a touchdown). In all, eight players caught passes for Akron in the first half.
Matt Johnson was just 7-for-13 with 76 yards and a touchdown in the first half. Shaun Joplin caught the touchdown pass and leads the Falcons with three catches and 49 yards. Travis Greene leads all rushers with 95 yards on ten carries. Johnson is also credited with nine carries but has lost a net total of 20 yards; he was sacked several times in the first half. C.J. James has three and Albert Presley has two for Akron.
UPDATE:
Pohl is back on the field and started the second half.