Written by: D.J. Johnson
On September 12, 2009, The University of Akron unveiled InfoCision Stadium in front of a sold-out crowd that watched the Zips trounce the Morgan State Bears, 41-0.
Just over three years later, a lot of the magic that was present on the field that day is no longer there.
The man in charge of restoring that magic is first-year head coach Terry Bowden. He and the rest of Akron football will host the Bears for round two Saturday night.
“It will still boil down to us focusing on ourselves,” Bowden said. “We have to go out there and play our best football.”
All is not lost for the Zips (0-2). There may even be some consolation in last week’s loss, a 41-38 overtime thriller with Florida International.
“You don’t see any lingering affects of the tough loss, as long as we continue to feel sick about losses like that, and to react to them,” Bowden said.
The optimism may stem from last week’s performance. The Zips’ 38 points this past Saturday were the most for them since that September day three seasons ago.
The Bears (1-1), a Football Championship Subdivision team, fell to Mid-American Conference opponent Buffalo a week ago, 56-34. In their last three meetings with MAC opponents, the Bears have been outscored 155-47.
Though Bowden has preached to take no team lightly, the time to win appears to be now.
Akron travels to #23 Tennessee in week four before heading into conference play for the rest of the season.
“We are focused on this game,” Bowden said. “I expect (us) to go out there hungry for a win. Hungry and have-to-have-it.”
Fifth-year senior Dalton Williams looks to be the centerpiece of the turnaround after last week’s five-touchdown pass performance. In only two games as starting quarterback, he has already thrown for 313 yards.
The Zips will look to get their running game in gear after two straight performances of less than 100 yards on the ground. Their opponents have rushed for a combined 438 yards.
Morgan State’s biggest threat lies in the hands of their lead back. Senior Travis Davidson has pumped 243 yards in the season (121.5 per game). His late fourth-quarter touchdown in week one secured a 30-27 (4OT) victory over Sacred Heart.
The Bears will look to go to 2-1 for the first time since the 2009 season.
Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon. The game will also be aired on WatchESPN.