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In a battle of back-up quarterbacks, Akron Zips quarterback Tre’Von Chapman made more plays with 254 total yards and four total touchdowns, including a 70-yard touchdown scamper on the Zips’ second offensive play. Meanwhile, Noah Wezensky of the Miami RedHawks was decent in his first college start, going 14/28 for 153 yards, a score, and two interceptions. Miami simply couldn’t make the plays when it mattered, with one red zone touchdown in three trips and one third down conversion on 12 tries.
After the RedHawks took a 3-0 lead after the first drive, Akron imposed their will on them by finishing three of their first four drives with touchdowns and the three turnovers in the second half by the ‘Hawks prevented any kind of comeback from taking place. The Red and White had their share of opportunities in this game as the defense forced five three-and-outs and the offense got the deficit to one score in the third quarter, but Akron was just too much for them.
JoJo Natson had himself a day for the Zips as their leading receiver as well with seven catches for 81 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Jared Murphy and Ryan Smith of Miami had 11 receptions between them for 111 yards and a score. Alonzo Smith added 86 yards on 17 carries for the RedHawks, but Ulysses Gilbert was a wrecking machine for Akron on defense a game-high nine total tackles, including a tackle for loss.