2009Akron Zips football
Conference	Mid-American Conference
Division	East
Record	3–9 (2–6 MAC)
Head coach	J. D. Brookhart (6th season)
Offensive coordinator	Shane Montgomery (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Jim Fleming (6th season)
Home stadium	InfoCision Stadium–Summa Field (Capacity: 27,881)
Seasons ← 2008 2010 →

The2009 Akron Zips football team represented theUniversity of Akron in the2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Akron competed as a member of theMid-American Conference (MAC) East Division. The team was coached byJ. D. Brookhart and played their homes game atInfoCision Stadium.

Much of the anticipation leading up to the season involved the grand opening of the new on-campusSumma Field at InfoCision Stadium. The university set upwebcams, allowing fans to watch the progress of the stadium being built.^[1] Fans watched online as the final stages of the stadium were pieced together, including a 40-foot by 25-foot video scoreboard and ribbon boards along the east stands.

The first Spring Training Scrimmage took place on March 12, after only five practices.^[2] With the offensive side down two key running backs (DeVoe Torrence andAlex Allen), the defense was able to win this session, along with the second scrimmage on March 28.^[3] In the annual Blue-Gold game, the defense came out victorious again, winning the game with a score of 28–24.^[4] Key plays in this game included a blocked field goal by Norman Shuford and an interception by Kevin Davis.

Alex Allen was one of the 106 nominees forAllstate'sAFCA Good Works Team. According to the Press Release, this list "honors college football players who make outstanding contributions in the areas of volunteerism and civic involvement."^[5]

College recruiting information (2009)
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40‡	Commit date
Bill Alexander CB	Columbus, GA	Carver HS	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	4.49	Feb 4, 2009
	Star ratings:Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Broderick Alexander RB	Covington, GA	Eastside HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	–	Feb 4, 2009
	Star ratings:Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
David Anderson LB	Cincinnati, OH	Purcell Marian HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	–	Feb 4, 2009
	Star ratings:Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Deonte Ball CB	Yuma, AZ	Arizona Western JC	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	4.40	Dec 14, 2008
	Star ratings:Scout:   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Jake Brandt OT	Bexley, OH	Bexley HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	4.9	Feb 4, 2009
	Star ratings:Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 74
Josh Couch P	Carlisle, OH	Carlisle HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	–	Feb 4, 2009
	Star ratings:Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Jake Delmonico	Beaver Falls, PA	Blackhawk HS	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	4.42	Dec 10, 2008
	Star ratings:Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Jerrod Dillars WR	Adrian, MI	Adrian HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	–	Jan 19, 2009
	Star ratings:Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Blake Fraley MLB	Hilliard, OH	Hillard Darby HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	–	Oct 31, 2008
	Star ratings:Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Dee Frieson WR	Orange Park, FL	Fleming Island HS	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	–	Jun 16, 2008
	Star ratings:Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Randy Greenwood CB	Mentor, OH	Lake Catholic HS	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	4.54	Aug 14, 2008
	Star ratings:Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 67
Chris Henderson DT	New Berlin, NY	Milford Academy	6 ft 2.5 in (1.89 m)	313 lb (142 kg)	–	Feb 4, 2009
	Star ratings:Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 77
Abdallah Homayed SLB	Dearborn, MI	Fordson HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	5.09	Jan 22, 2009
	Star ratings:Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Jeremy LaFrance WR	Fullerton, CA	Fullerton JC	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	4.50	Feb 4, 2009
	Star ratings:Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Anthony Meriwether WR	Middleburg Heights, OH	Midpark HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	–	Dec 14, 2008
	Star ratings:Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Patrick Nicely QB	Willoughby, OH	South HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	4.70	Jan 21, 2009
	Star ratings:Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 71
Joe Petrides OG	Baltimore, MD	Archbishop Curley HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	240 lb (110 kg)	–	Nov 17, 2008
	Star ratings:Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Nolan Procter WR	Beverly Hills, MI	Wylie E. Groves HS	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	–	Jul 23, 2008
	Star ratings:Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 74
Jon Root TE	Erie, PA	Cathedral Preparatory School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	–	Feb 1, 2009
	Star ratings:Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Adam Steiner C	Canton, OH	GlenOak HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	–	Feb 4, 2009
	Star ratings:Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Phil Tonga DT	Wilmington, CA	Los Angeles Harbor JC	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	280 lb (130 kg)	–	Feb 4, 2009
	Star ratings:Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Joe Vidovic OT	Willoughby, OH	South HS	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	250 lb (110 kg)	–	Dec 7, 2008
	Star ratings:Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Diamond Weaver CB	Santa Rosa, CA	Santa Rosa JC	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	4.35	Dec 12, 2008
	Star ratings:Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A
Grant Williams TE	Louisville, KY	Ballard HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	–	Nov 19, 2008
	Star ratings:Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Overall recruiting rankings:Scout:116   Rivals:69
‡ Refers to40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Akron Commit List for 2009". Rivals.com. RetrievedAugust 20, 2009. "Scout.com: Football Recruiting". Scout.com. RetrievedAugust 20, 2009. "Akron Football Recruiting 2009". ESPN.com. RetrievedAugust 20, 2009. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. RetrievedAugust 20, 2009. "2009 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. RetrievedAugust 20, 2009.

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 5	Noon	at No. 9Penn State*	Beaver Stadium University Park, Pennsylvania	BTN	L 7–31	104,968[6]
September 12	2:00 p.m.	Morgan State*	InfoCision Stadium Akron, Ohio		W 41–0	27,881[7]
September 19	3:30 p.m.	Indiana*	InfoCision Stadium Akron, Ohio	ESPNU	L 21–38	18,340[8]
September 26	4:00 p.m.	atCentral Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium Mt. Pleasant, Michigan	Fox Sports Ohio	L 21–48	20,032[9]
October 10	6:00 p.m.	Ohio	InfoCision Stadium Akron, Ohio		L 7–19	16,381[10]
October 17	3:30 p.m.	atBuffalo	UB Stadium Buffalo, New York	Fox Sports Ohio	L 17–21	13,750[11]
October 24	3:30 p.m.	atSyracuse*	Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York		L 14–28	36,991[12]
October 31	Noon	atNorthern Illinois	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, Illinois	ESPN GamePlan	L 10–27	10,148[13]
November 7	3:30 p.m.	Kent State	InfoCision Stadium Akron, Ohio (Battle for the Wagon Wheel)	Fox Sports Ohio	W 28–20	20,802[14]
November 13	8:30 p.m.	Temple	InfoCision Stadium Akron, Ohio	ESPNU	L 17–56	10,927[15]
November 20	5:30 p.m.	atBowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium Bowling Green, Ohio	ESPNU	L 20–36	9,163[16]
November 27	2:00 p.m.	Eastern Michigan	InfoCision Stadium Akron, Ohio	ESPNU/ESPN360	W 28–21	9,962[17]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings fromAP Poll released prior to the game All times are inEastern time

^[18]

The Zips lost relatively few starters from the 2008 football season.^[19] However, the starters that they did lose include lettermenDennis Kennedy andChris Kemme, the latter of which signed for theDetroit Lions after the2009 NFL draft.^[20] On the defensive side, Akron lost all three linebackers to graduation, and Strong Safety/Kickoff ReturnerBryan Williams signed a free agency deal with theCleveland Browns.^[21]

 Freshman

The Zips made hired three new coaches for the 2009 football season.Shane Montgomery was the head coach of theMiami Redhawks for the past four seasons, and moved over to serve as Akron's offensive coordinator and tight ends coach.^[23] During his time at Miami, he led the team to a first-place tie in the MAC East Division in both 2005 and 2007.Walt Harris is best known for being the head coach ofPitt from 1997 to 2004 andStanford in 2005 and 2006. A week later, Akron announced the hiring of new Linebackers coachVince Okruch.^[24]

Ninth-rankedPenn State built a 31–0 halftime lead, holding Akron to 28 total yards and minus-17 yards rushing in the first half. Akron was able to get on the board in the second half on a 40-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Chris Jacquemain following a Penn State turnover. The Zips finished with 186 total yards, only 28 of which were from rushing. Penn State amassed 515 total yards including 379 from passing, mostly from quarterbackDaryll Clark, who also threw 3 touchdowns. Following the win, the Nittany Lions rose to #5 in the polls and improved to 4–0 all-time against the Zips.^[26]

The Zips openedSumma Field at InfoCision Stadium against theMorgan State Bears, aFootball Championship Subdivision team. This was the Zips' first meeting with the Bears, as well as the Bears' season opener.^[27] The Bears were led byCarlton Jackson, who had previously played for the Zips in the 2007 season. He battled for the starting quarterback position withChris Jacquemain in that year, who prevailed and led the Zips in this game.^[28]

Logistically, the game went on without any major problems and the new stadium was well received by fans. The biggest problem according to fans was finding their appropriate parking lot.^[29] During the game, Akron amassed 436 total offensive yards, which included 186 passing yards. This was the most passing yards allowed by Morgan State since a 2008 game against Towson.^[30] Despite the 250 yards rushing, no running back individually rushed for 100 yards, because six different backs were used.^[28]

The game marked the second meeting between the two teams, the first being in the2007 season at Indiana'sMemorial Stadium where theHoosiers won 41–24.^[27] Indiana faced Akron in their third game of the season and first road game after defeatingEastern Kentucky andWestern Michigan at home. This was also the first time a team from theBig Ten Conference had played in Akron.^[31] In the days leading up to the game, however, the Zips met with some adversity when it was announced September 18 that starting quarterbackChris Jacquemain would be indefinitely suspended for a violation of team rules. No reason was given in that suspension nor was a timetable provided for his return.^[32]

BehindBen Chappell's two touchdown passes and Ray Fisher's opening kickoff return, the Hoosiers were able to again defeat the Zips by a final score of 38–21.^[33] For Akron, new starting quarterbackMatt Rodgers, who had just two days of practice as the starting quarterback, completed six of his eight passes in the first half, but threw four interceptions in the second half. Two of the interceptions would lead to touchdowns for Indiana.^[34] The Zips were able to score touchdowns on a blocked punt early in the game as well as a Rodgers rushing touchdown.

Akron began theMAC schedule with an away game againstCentral Michigan, their first meeting since a 35–32 Central Michigan victory at theRubber Bowl in 2007.^[27] The Zips faced more discouraging news in the week leading up to the game. First, it was announced on September 23 thatJacquemain had been dismissed from the team.^[35] The next day, the university announced that sophomoreCowles Stewart had been suspended from the team after he was charged with felonious assault^[36] and running backs coach and recruiting coordinator Reno Ferri was put on paid administrative leave as the university began to investigate violations of NCAA Compliance rules.^[37]

Central Michigan QuarterbackDan LeFevour had a career day against the Zips, scoring six touchdowns in becoming the seventh MAC quarterback to pass for 10,000 yards in his career.^[38] Matt Rogers achieved apass efficiency of 120 with no interceptions. He completed 12 of his 19 passes for a total of 127 yards.^[39] Running BackJoe Tuzze also ran in for a score, which was the first in his collegiate career. The Zips fell to 8–14 all-time against the Chippewas with the loss.^[27]

After an off-week during the season, the Zips awaited their next MAC Opponent,Ohio University. Overall, the series between these two schools are tied, 12–12–1, with the last game a 49–42 loss inAthens.^[27] However, this series is heavily favored year after year towards the home team. The last game that was lost at the Rubber Bowl was in 1997 when the Zips lost in a four-point decision. Prior to the game, previously suspended running backs coach Reno Ferri had resigned from his position, effective November 1.^[40] This resignation comes amidst an internal investigation by the university regarding recruiting violations.

The woes only got worse once the game started for Akron. During the second quarter, starting quarterbackMatt Rodgers suffered an ACL injury and was removed for the rest of the game, possibly the rest of the season.^[41] To replace him, the Zips had to turn to their third quarterback,Patrick Nicely, who was originally planned to have a redshirt year. The lone touchdown for the Zips came in the third quarter when running backJoe Tuzze ran for a 3-yard score. Other than that, the game belonged to Ohio. The Bobcats' scoring came from two field goals and two touchdowns (onetwo-point conversion attempt failed).

Akron began a three-game road series with a trip to UB Stadium to face theBuffalo Bulls. Akron leads the overall series 8–2, but Buffalo has won each of the past two meetings, including a 40–43 quadruple-overtime decision in the2008 season.^[42] That was the last game in the historicRubber Bowl, as the university was working hard on the new stadium. The Zips, 1–4 on the season, had been in this same position in 2005, when they won the most conference games in the school's history as well as the MAC Championship.^[43]

Akron began the scoring in the second quarter when Mike Ward recovered aPatrick Nicely fumble in theendzone.^[44] However, Buffalo quickly came back with 8:47 left in the first half and tied the game on a Maynard pass to make the game 7–7. Buffalo scored again only four minutes later with another pass to Roosevelt, and the game went to halftime with the score 14–7. After the break, Zips running backAlex Allen tied the game once again with a 1-yard touchdown run, and kickerBranko Rogovic gave Akron its final lead of 17–14 with 9:57 remaining in the game. However, Buffalo was able to make the last score asMario Henry made a 1-yard touchdown run with 6 minutes remaining in the game. Akron was never able to recover.

This game was high in injuries as the Zips lost two significant players as a result of this game. Leading receiver and seniorDeryn Bowser left the game in the first half with a broken fibula. Along with Bowser, Sophomore linebacker Aaron Williams suffered a broken arm in the 21–17 loss.^[45] Both players will not return this season.^[46] The Bulls also lost players due to injuries, with tailbacksIke Nduka andBrandom Thermilus both going down with sprained ankle injuries. Junior tight endKyle Brey also left with a shoulder injury.^[47]

In the middle of the season, the Zips took a break from Mid-American Conference opponents and traveled toSyracuse, New York, to take on theSyracuse Orange. The series between these two teams only began last season, as Akron traveled to theCarrier Dome and came out with a victory, 42–28.^[48] This victory was seen as anupset by many journalists, although the Orange finished the season 3–9 and finished last in theBig East Conference.^[49] Syracuse was poised for revenge against Akron.

Freshman quarterback Nicely got the first touchdown of his collegiate career when he connected withAndre Jones in the first quarter. After moving to the wide receiver position due to Bowser's injury, Andre Jones became the only player in the nation to start at four different positions, three on offense and one on defense.^[50] Early in the second quarter, Syracuse got its first score from running backDelone Carter on a 7-yard run with 12:20 remaining in the half. The Orange was able to score again with 4:14 remaining when Carter scored another touchdown. With the score 14–7 in Syracuse's favor, Akron's kickerBranko Rogovic missed a 29-yard field goal to send the game into halftime. The second-half kickoff was returned byDashan Miller for 98 yards to tie the game, but Syracuse scored two more touchdowns, one byMarcus Sales and another by Carter, to win the game.^[51]

With hopes of playing in abowl game all but lost, the Zips traveled toNorthern Illinois University to take on the MAC West Huskies. The Zips have faced the Huskies a total of nine times, including the2005 MAC Championship Game onFord Field. Northern Illinois leads the overall series 5–4, although Akron has won the last two meetings.^[52] The previous match up between these two teams was in the Championship Game. Northern Illinois was ahead 30–24 with only 17 seconds remaining in the game whenLuke Getsy connected withDomenik Hixon for a 36-yard touchdown pass to give the Zips a 31–30 victory.^[53] Akron won both meetings in 2005 with a combined score of 79–62.

Along with the Zips, the Huskies have been having quarterback problems as well. In an earlier game against theToledo Rockets, starting quarterbackChandler Harnish was sent off of the field with a knee injury. This forced the team to start their backup, DeMarcus Grady, for theMiami and Akron games.^[54] In the first half of the game, the only scoring was provided by Northern Illinois kicker Mike Salerno when he scored field goals in the first and second quarter. In the third quarter, however, the momentum shifted when Akron was able to make two scores to take the lead. Branko Rogovic provided the first points by kicking a 34-yard field goal in their first possession after kickoff, and then scored a touchdown on an 80-yard pass from halfback Alex Allen toAndre Jones to make the score 10–6.^[55]

Northern Illinois would prove to bounce back in the fourth quarter however, and put three touchdowns on the board to win the game. The first came only 1 minute and 25 seconds into the quarter, as running back Chad Spann rushed 28 yards for a touchdown. Spann would score again with eight minutes remaining to put the Huskies ahead 20–10, and the game ended on aNathan Palmer touchdown with only 46 seconds remaining.^[56]

Every year,The University of Akron andKent State University face off in a rivalry game for theWagon Wheel. While Akron has won 29 of the 51 matches against Kent State, the Golden Flashes held the lead since the Wheel was introduced in 1946.^[57] This year's game is unique in the series, in which both teams' quarterbacks are pure freshmen who just came out of high school not even six months ago. Kent State quarterbackSpencer Keith took over the job as the original starter,Giorgio Morgan suffered an ankle injury in an earlier game.^[58]

Kent State was able to score on their first drive, moving 60 yards down the field to set up a field goal byFreddy Cortez. However, Akron immediately responded with a drive on their own, but ended up scoring a touchdown to take the lead 7–3 in the first quarter.^[59] The lead was extended in the second quarter by a 59-yard reception byJeremy LaFrance, to set Akron's score at 14. TheGolden Flashes were able to come back at this point, scoring ten unanswered points which were finished by a field goal in the ending seconds of the first half. In the third quarter, it had appeared thatJeremy Bruce had fumbled the ball, which was recovered by a Kent State defender and returned for a touchdown. After the review however, it was determined that Bruce's elbow had hit the ground before the ball coming loose, therefore the player was down.^[60] That play proved to be crucial to the Flashes, as they ended up losing the game by potentially one touchdown, with a final score of 28–20.

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