“The Zips’ football team struggled offensively and defensively Friday night as it suffered its third consecutive Mid-American Conference East Division loss at Bowling Green, falling 44-20. The Zips (3-6, 2-3 MAC) were out- gained by the Falcons (5-4, 3-2 MAC) 517-435, but Akron’s inability to score when inside the 20-yard line and four turnovers were the factors that crippled the Zips’ chances of keeping pace with the Falcons’ high-powered offense.”
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The Zips’ football team struggled offensively and defensively Friday night as it suffered its third consecutive Mid-American Conference East Division loss at Bowling Green, falling 44-20.

The Zips (3-6, 2-3 MAC) were out- gained by the Falcons (5-4, 3-2 MAC) 517-435, but Akron’s inability to score when inside the 20-yard line and four turnovers were the factors that crippled the Zips’ chances of keeping pace with the Falcons’ high-powered offense.

The Zips converted only 3-6 chances in the red zone and had two fumbles late in second quarter drives that thwarted scoring opportunities.

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Carlton Jackson got his second start of the season and played the entire game in place of starting quarterback redshirt sophomore Chris Jacquemain, who was suspended for the game by Akron head coach J.D. Brookhart.

Jackson was effective at moving the team on the ground, but struggled throwing the ball. The Zips rushed for 243 yards and gained 192 yards through the air. The 6-2, 195-pound backup quarterback led the team in rushing yards with 133, but also fumbled once and threw two interceptions – the first of which was returned by Bowling Green’s P.J. Mahone for a 51-yard touchdown on Akron’s opening driving in the second half.

Brookhart said after the game that Jackson appeared hesitant in some of the team’s passing plays.

He certainly did well running the football, but struggled throwing, Brookhart said. He was tentative. He looked like he wasn’t stepping into a lot of the throws that he made.

Jackson said that the Zips’ failure to finish drives with scores, and the Falcons’ ability to do so, proved to be the difference in the game.

We came out, got in the red zone a few times and missed some opportunities, Jackson said. We didn’t capitalize, and it came back to haunt us in the end. Hats off to the Bowling Green offense.

While the Zips’ offense had difficulty getting into the end zone, the defense struggled to keep the Falcons’ offense out of it. BGSU’s offense scored four touchdowns behind the arm of sophomore quarterback Tyler Sheehan and the arm and legs of dual-threat talent Anthony Turner.

Sheehan threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns. Turner, a converted quarterback, ran for 104 yards and a score, and threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Chris Wright on the game’s first possession.

Brookhart said that Bowling Green’s offense kept the Zips’ defensive in a reactive position.

Defensively, we played tentative early on and we were back on our heels, he said. We played hard, but we did not look like we were going all-out.

The Zips scored their two touchdowns on a 42-yard touchdown reception by Jabari Arthur and a 3-yard touchdown run by redshirt sophomore Alex Allen. Place-kicker Igor Ivelijic converted a 20-yard field and a 32-yard field goal.

Off the field

Along with Jacquemain’s one-game suspension, the Zips’ coaching staff announced before the game Friday night that redshirt senior place-kicker Matt Domonkos has been suspended for the remainder of the season for violating UA’s athletics department’s class attendance policy.

According to assistant athletic director for media relations Mike Cawood, the policy states that if a student-athlete has four unexcused absences in one class, the student-athlete will miss 10 percent of his team’s regular-season contests. Each miss thereafter, the student-athlete will miss one additional contest.

Domonkos’s misses exceeded the number of contests the football team has remaining, and his eligibility is exhausted, so he has been suspended for the remainder of the season.

When asked about the recent suspensions and other issues earlier in the season, Brookhart reiterated the confidence that he has in his team and said that the only problem that the team has had this season has been its inability to make big plays on the football field.

In my mind, we have only had one suspension, that being Chris this past week, Brookhart said Sunday night. Earlier, Carlton Jackson was just supposed to come off the bench and play (at Connecticut), but Chris had the hot hand and we stuck with him. The other, Matt Domonkos, was suspended due to the athletics department’s new attendance policy. I can not wake up and make these kids go to class. This (attendance policy) is a good policy and I support it.

This has been a good group. I will take these kids anytime. The problem is not discipline or anything like that. We are just missing some players making plays.

Zips return home to face Ohio

The Zips will play the final of three games in a 12-day span when they host the Ohio Bobcats Wednesday night at the Rubber Bowl.
The Bobcats (5-5, 3-3 MAC) have clawed their way back into contention in the MAC East with back-to-back MAC East wins at Bowling Green and against Temple.

OU has been led by senior tailback Kalvin McRae, who ran for 200 yards and scored three times in the Bobcat’s 38-27 victory at Bowling Green. He followed that performance by rushing for 151 yards and a touchdown at home against Temple Friday night.

Every week, stopping the run is the first thing, he said. When you play Ohio, that is double. They are committed to running the ball and they do it very well. Stopping the run is first and foremost on our mind

The game will air nationally on ESPN2 at 7:30 p.m.

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” #1.1361548:4282152183.jpg:ksu080.jpg:Carlton Jackson started Saturday after Chris Jacquemain’s suspension.:Jeff Harwell / Zips Sports Photography”