Bowden’s Zips chasing stability
COLLEGE FOOTBALL RANKINGS: NO. 116 AKRON
Orlando Sentinel college insider Matt Murschel ranked all 130 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the country entering the 2017 season. The Sentinel staff takes a closer look at a new team daily, counting backward from No. 130 to our projected No. 1 team.
Akron Terry Bowden (24-37, entering sixth season; 164-99-2 overall)
5-7, 3-5 in the Mid-American Conference, tied for third in the East Division
Akron earned its first bowl berth in more than a decade when the Zips won eight games in 2015. Injuries and a lack of depth, however, caught up with the team in 2016 when Akron suffered its 12th losing season since 2000. Five out of the seven losses were by double-digits margins, including three games decided by margins of more than 30 points.
8 the field this spring, opening the door for Nick Johns, a transfer, and freshman Kato Nelson to earn practice snaps.
The offensive line was the rock of the team last season, with the starters combining to miss just one game.
The Zips finished first in the MAC in field goals in 2016 thanks to Tom O’Leary, who converted 10 out of 11 kicks, including six out of seven from more than 30 yards out.
Akron’s defense, which was rated No. 1 in the MAC in 2015, plummeted to No. 11 in the league after the unit returned just four starters in 2016. Injuries forced the coaching staff to use eight different players up front on the defensive line.
The group finished last in the league in sacks (16) — the Zips’ lowest total since 2012 — and next-to-last in rushing defense, allowing 224 yards per game on the ground. The unit returns seven starters in 2017, including all-conference linebacker Ulysees Gilbert, who led the team with 121 tackles.
Akron hasn’t won more than eight games in a season since 1969, with the Zips last claiming a piece of the MAC’s East Division title in 2005. Bowden pulled the program out of the depths of despair, but he hasn’t managed to deliver consistent winning seasons. A tough nonconference schedule won’t help the team’s chances of bouncing back during the 2017 season.