The University of Akron football team fell to The University at Buffalo on Thursday, Oct. 27, by a score of 41-20.

With another loss, the Zips now have a record of 5-4 (3-2) while Buffalo picked up its first conference win of the season (1-3). Overall, the Bulls are now 2-6.

The Zips defense had a long night on Thursday. It gave up 518 total yards — with 378 coming from the Bulls’ unstoppable rushing attack. Despite Bulls quarterback Tyree Jackson only completing seven passes for 140 yards and their offense only converting once out of 10 times on third down, Akron allowed the Bulls to average nine yards per rush.  

Buffalo’s Jordan Johnson carried the load on the ground for the Bulls, rushing for 284 yards on 24 carries to go along with two touchdowns. The Zips have allowed two 200-yard rushers in the last three weeks and three over the entire season.

Zips quarterback Thomas Woodson struggled to find rhythm through the air, only completing 18 passes on 42 attempts with just 178 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.

Akron’s rushing attack was by committee, but only managed to gain three yards per carry. Van Edwards Jr. led the Zips with 56 yards on just 12 carries. Denzel Jones Jr. also helped with five carries for 29 yards.

JoJo Natson had a significant impact on the game with a 79-yard punt return for a touchdown giving him his second of the year, while also having five receptions for 53 yards. Jerome Lane chipped in with four catches for 40 yards.

Alvin Davis led the Zips with eight tackles, and Kyron Brown was able to create a turnover with his team-leading third interception of the season.

The Zips offense failed to keep many drives alive, going 7-21 on third-down conversions, and only 1-5 on fourth-down conversions.

Early in the fourth, Akron cut the deficit to just seven points after a Natson touchdown reception made the score 27-20, but the defense couldn’t get a stop with the Bulls scoring on their next two drives, with each being less than two minutes.

The Zips will try to bounce back with another short week as they host the Toledo Rockets on Wednesday at InfoCision Stadium. The game will be played at 7:30 pm.