Akron takes the MAC East crown, trumps Kent State 24-14

When Terry Bowden was hired to coach the Akron Zips, most thought it was only a matter of time until the Zips were competing for Mid-American Conference Championships. After their win Tuesday night over the Kent State Golden Flashes 24-14, the Zips are one step closer as they clinched the MAC East division title and the subsequent trip to Detroit.

It was far from high dramatics at InfoCision Stadium, though, as Akron jumped out early to a 10-0 lead and used a 40-yard fumble return just before halftime to lead 24-7 at the break. That was one of three turnovers for Kent State in the contest, compared to one for the Zips.

Both the Zips and Flashes were largely ineffective on the offensive side of the ball, combining for only 437 yards between both squads to go with 28 first downs combined.

Perhaps the biggest stat disparity came in the form of penalty yards, an 84 to 20 yard margin held by Kent State thanks largely to this German Suplex from Jon Cunningham. Despite being on the receiving end of that, Akron’s Kato Nelson would finish the game with 21 yards on 19 carries and 69 yards passing on 20 attempts and 6 completions to go with his one TD and one INT.

Kent State closes their season 2-10 and 1-7 in the MAC while Akron finishes the regular season at 7-5 and 6-2 in the MAC. They await the winner of the MAC West which will be decided on Friday. The MAC Championship will be played at Ford Field in Detroit on December 2.