“For 48 minutes, the University of Akron’s football team was in first place in the Mid-American Conference East Division. After Western Michigan beat Buffalo, who entered Saturday tied for first in the East Division with the Zips, and UA took a 27-14 lead in to the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game against Bowling Green at the Rubber Bowl, it looked like it would be a certainty that the Zips would be a top pick for the MAC East standings for the first time since 2005.”
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For 48 minutes, the University of Akron’s football team was in first place in the Mid-American Conference East Division.

After Western Michigan beat Buffalo, who entered Saturday tied for first in the East Division with the Zips, and UA took a 27-14 lead in to the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game against Bowling Green at the Rubber Bowl, it looked like it would be a certainty that the Zips would be a top pick for the MAC East standings for the first time since 2005.

A crushing defeat followed after the Falcons put 26 points on the board in the final 15 minutes to take that distinction away from the Zips.

I don’t look for silver linings in games like this one, but I can’t help but think how these games will help the Zips next season, especially since there a number of key cogs set to return.

Like junior quarterback Chris Jacquemain, who surprised everyone this season with his production. I don’t think anyone thought he would play this well, especially after the debacle last season where he and Carlton Jackson split time under center, only to have neither play well.

Though no Charlie Frye, Jacquemain has done his job this season.

He has kept the Zips in every game, except against the then No. 11 Wisconsin against the current No. 24 team in country Ball State, though there were multiple dropped passes by UA receivers during that game that halted drives.

And Deryn Bowser, who is Jacquemain’s main target near the goal line because of his size and athletic ability, has a year of eligibility left, as do the two injured running backs Alex Allen and Andrew Johnson.

Others, such as four of the five starting offensive lineman, as well as Ryan Bain, who is reportedly ineligible for the remainder of the season for using an over-the-counter dietary supplement that contained an ingredient that is banned by the NCAA, will be back if the foot injury that has kept him off of the field all season heals.

Losses like the one last Saturday will only help next season, like last season’s poundings have helped this season.

The average score for a Zips game last year was 29-21 in favor of their opponents. This season, the Zips yield 27.3 points per game and score 26.1, meaning that, on average, it’s a 1-point game when the Zips play.

In the last three games, the margin of victory has been four points or less, with a two point loss to Cincinnati, a three-point win against Kent State and the four point loss to BG.

Saturday, Jacquemain threw an interception to BG’s Antonio Smith in the fourth quarter that led to the Falcons’ taking the lead for good.

On that play, Jacquemain was setting up a screen play, which BG was all over. A similar situation happened in the two-point loss to Cincinnati two weeks ago. That time, Jacquemain threw at the feet of his receiver and was called for intentionally grounding.

This time he tried to throw it away, but the throw didn’t make it to the sidelines and it cost the Zips the game.

There’s no excuse for the loss to BG, or to Cincinnati, for that reason, but next year when UA is 14 minutes from taking over first place, they’ll know how to handle it.

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