The Editorially Independent Voice of The University of Akron

The Buchtelite

The Editorially Independent Voice of The University of Akron

The Buchtelite

The Editorially Independent Voice of The University of Akron

The Buchtelite

Sympson's sports view: football and men's soccer

Written by: Matt Sympson

There is very little to be excited about, as our football team is still struggling to get their second win. However, the men’s soccer team did have a great weekend, scoring a solid victory and continuing to improve their record.

Akron football

Our football team continues to battle opponents in attempts to achieve a second win. They’re doing everything in their power to not go 1-11 for a third straight season. They fell to Northern Illinois on Saturday 37-7, and they’re still winless in the MAC. Even though it’s been a disappointing season, our football team is still a big improvement from last year. At least the team is competing in games rather than getting completely blown out.

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The Zips defense continues to struggle. Our cornerbacks continually got beaten by wide receivers who seemed to be open all the time and to score so easily. Our offensive line also struggled, as quarterback Dalton Williams kept getting sacked. It was tough to watch. We have four games to try and earn that second win: next week against Central Michigan, Nov. 3 at Kent, Nov. 10 at home against Massachusetts, and Nov. 20 at Toledo. The good thing is that Massachusetts is still winless this season, so we could definitely earn our second win there.

Men’s soccer

Our men’s soccer team came out of this weekend with a 2-1 victory over West Virginia on Saturday night. We improve to an incredible 11-1-2 on the season and are clicking on all cylinders. It’s not a good feeling to know that head coach Caleb Porter will soon be departing for the MLS, but I wish him the best of luck. I know that he will find great success there. The men’s soccer team travels to Ohio State on Tuesday. Hopefully they return to Akron with win number 12.

Professional football

The Cleveland Browns fell to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday in a nail-biter. The Browns’ struggles continue as they drop to 1-6 on the season. The Browns had their chances to win that game, but due to some key drops by their wide receivers, the Browns returned to Cleveland with another loss. Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden is still a solid quarterback in my book. He has terrific accuracy; his receivers just aren’t catching the ball. If that doesn’t start to change, it could definitely be a problem for the team in the future. The Browns play the San Diego Chargers at home on Sunday.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, on the other hand, picked up a much-needed win Sunday night against the Cincinnati Bengals. This game was a must-win for the Steelers, with everyone in their division losing. The Steelers improve to 3-3 with the victory and rise to second place in the AFC North. Baltimore stands in first place with a 5-2 record; I hope the Steelers can catch them. The Steelers will try and get above the .500 mark next Sunday at home, where they’ll face Robert Griffin III and the Washington Redskins.

I’m really hoping our football team gets their second win when they play Central Michigan next week. One more victory, and I’ll say we had a good season. It’s going to take some time to get a winning football program going, but I believe Terry Bowden can do it! I’m also confident that our men’s soccer team will get a victory this Tuesday.

I hope all students and staff have a safe and happy Halloween this weekend!

Go Zips!

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