It was almost a really big year. The Zips were almost in the hunt for fun things.

By Pete Fiutak | @PeteFiutak

Just when it seemed like Akron was going to turn a big corner and become a program ready to take a step forward, it couldn’t close.

Head coach Terry Bowden has done a terrific job of making Akron football more competitive. The Zips needed an overhaul, coming up with three straight 1-11 seasons including Bowden’s first year, but the offense started to click a little bit, and the defense wasn’t so miserable in two straight 5-7 campaigns. Unfortunately, last year was the ninth straight losing season since Akron won the MAC championship in 2005, and it didn’t have to be that way.

The passing attack wasn’t efficient, but it put up yards. The defense came up with a terrific year, and overall there were improvements made allowing more than 27 points just three times. But when it came time to come up with that one win to become bowl eligible against a bad Kent State team that finished the year with just two victories in the finale, the Zips couldn’t do it.

Akron started out 4-2 including a shocker over Pitt, but losing five of the last six games was a disaster – that has to serve as a motivating factor going forward for a team with a whole bunch of promise.

Enough talent returns on offense to get excited, and there’s just enough firepower, to expect more pop and explosion. There wasn’t anything happening down the field, but the Zips have a strong receiving corps, a few options at quarterback, a good running back in Conor Hundley to hand off to, and a decent enough line to get by.

The defense that made such great strides last year could be fantastic with three starters back up front and both starting corners to work around – the building blocks are in place.

Can Akron take that next step now in Year Four under Bowden? The coaching staff is solid, the experience is there on both sides of the ball, and there’s reason to hope and believe that the team can at least be two wins better. This time, the Zips should be good enough to finish the job.

What You Need To Know About The Offense: Can the offense start to be more potent? There wasn’t any real running game to speak of, and the passing game came up with yards, but it was painfully inefficient. There was just no explosion – the Zips struggled to crank up more than 24 points on a regular basis. Seven starters return with the hope of a bit more consistency, starting with a line that should be stronger with three starters returning. Most of the top skill players return with QB Kyle Pohl being around long enough to know what he’s doing. The receiving corps should be good enough to make him better.

What You Need To Know About The Defense: A positive throughout last year, the defense had a few rocky moments, but it made a few excellent strides. Now it needs some tweaking with top pass rusher Nordly Capi gone and the linebacking corps a potential issue. Three starters are back up front for a run D that allowed just 149 yards per game, however, safety is a big concern with Bre Ford, Devonte Morgan, Martel Durant and Johnny Robinson gone. Even with the holes to fill, this should still be among the MAC’s better defenses with a little bit of time.

What to watch for on offense: Can the downfield passing game start to work a little better? The defense was good enough to keep the offense from taking too many chances, but there were still 14 interceptions thrown on the year to go along with 14 touchdown passes – and five of the scoring throws came in the first game of the year. There were plenty of yards, but there was a lot of dinking and dunking to get there. There just wasn’t enough of a spark, but finding steady play at quarterback will be a must. In the five wins, Akron threw ten touchdown passes and just one interception. In the seven losses, the passing game came up with four touchdown passes and 13 picks.

What to watch for on defense: Where’s the pass rush going to come from? One of the bigger keys to the defensive improvement in the Bowden era came with the pass rush that generated 26 sacks in each of the last two years. 11 different players came up with sacks in 2013, and eight players got to the quarterback last year, but Nordly Capy tied for the team lead with five sacks and Nmesoma Okafor generated 4.5 – they’re both done. The Zips can manufacture pressure from several spots, but they need the line to sit in the backfield. If they can apply the pressure, the solid corners should shine.

The team will be far better if … it can score when the chances are there. PK Robert Stein had a great year hitting 13-of-16 field goals, but that didn’t really matter when it came to coming up with key points in the red zone. The Zips came away with points just 68% of the time when getting inside the 20, and that proved to be a disaster in the 27-24 loss to Kent State and at times against Bowling Green and Marshall when the team needed a little momentum. If Akron can get to around 80% conversion rate in the red zone, that should mean at least another win or two.

The schedule: The Zips have a rough midseason run of four road games in five dates, but there’s a very, very welcome week off in the middle of the storm.
– They need to hit the MAC ground running with a win over Ohio at home and at Eastern Michigan. The second half of the slate isn’t so bad – it’s just getting through the midsection.
– Missing Northern Illinois and Toledo from the West is a huge break, but Central Michigan won’t be a picnic.
– Can they pull off an upset over Pitt? Probably not, but if they can come up with a road win over Louisiana-Lafayette, going 2-2 – they’re going to lose to Oklahoma – wouldn’t be too bad.
– WATCH OUT FOR … Miami University. The RedHawks aren’t going to be strong, but this road game comes at the end of the rough run. Focus will be vital.

Best offensive player: Senior WR Zach D’Orazio. The passing game that needs to be more dangerous and more explosive needs better play from the quarterbacks, but the receiving corps has to do its part, too. D’Orazio showed he could stretch the field a bit in his first two years, averaging over 13 yards per grab, but last season he became more of a possession receiver. He’s as reliable as they come and will be the go-to guy in key moments. It might not always be flashy, and his game might not be dangerous, but he’s a rock-solid veteran who can rise up and do more with a bit better quarterback play.

Best defensive player: Senior LB Jatavis Brown. The do-it-all-playmaker for the front seven, he came up with a team-leading 99 tackles with four sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss, holding up well against the run while serving as a disruptive force in the backfield. Athletic, he was even used as a receiver from time to time. The dangerous weakside defender is the lone returning starter in the linebacking corps, but he’s a terrific one to build around.

Key player to a successful season: Senior QB Kyle Pohl or sophomore QB Thomas Woodson. They both had their moments last season, but they didn’t do enough to keep the chains moving with too many problems on third downs. The defense should do its job, and there’s just enough to the running game to help balance the attack out from time to time, but unless Akron gets a big year from one of its quarterbacks, it’ll be an also-ran, at best.

The season will be a success if … the Zips win seven games. That might be a big jump up for a program that hasn’t come up without a winning season in nine years, but the schedule is light enough, and the team is good enough, to make it happen. Savannah State, at Eastern Michigan, at UMass, at Miami University, Buffalo, and even after last year’s gaffe, Kent State are all must-wins. Even five wins out of the six would be nice, but they’d have to beat Ohio, Louisiana-Lafayette, or Central Michigan – or pull off a big upset or two – to come up with a big year. Being two games better isn’t asking for too much.

Key game: Oct. 3 vs. Ohio. Call this the tone-setter for the rest of the MAC season. The road game at Eastern Michigan the week after is a must-win for any team with any real hopes of coming up with a nice year, and there are several winnable games down the road, but taking care of the Bobcats at home would show that this really might be a different year. It would be a statement game.

2014 Fun Stats:
– Punt return average: Opponents 7.2 yards – Akron 3.9 yards
– Penalties: Akron 101 for 870 yards – Opponents 95 for 849 yards
– Red-Zone Scores: Opponents 31-of-41 (76%) – Akron 32-of-47 (68%)

Players You Need To Know

1. LB Jatavis Brown, Sr.
The team’s leading tackler and All-MAC star came up with 99 tackles with four sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss, doing a little bit of everything from his weakside linebacker spot. The 5-11, 217-pound veteran is a blur into the backfield, and he holds up well against the run coming up with 107 stops two years ago as he stepped up his play over the second half of the 2013 season. Last year he came up with 16 tackles against Bowling Green and 14 against Eastern Michigan – along with two sacks against the Eagles – registering double-digit stops in four games.

2. NG Cody Grice, Sr.
The 5-11, 284-pound veteran on the nose was the main man to hold up against the run and anchor the line, making 31 tackles with 2.5 sacks, and the former fullback was also used as a barreling runner at times with four short-yardage touchdowns. Quick off the ball, he’s able to get into the backfield from time to time with several tackles behind the line over the last few seasons with four tackles for loss last year and 15 in his first two seasons. While he’s not massive, he moves well to make up for his lack of raw bulk.

3. WR Zach D’Orazio, Sr.
The team’s leading receiver didn’t explode, but he came up with 62 catches for 658 yards and a score, averaging 10.6 yards per grab. He also led the way in 203 with 42 grabs, but now he has to do even more to stretch the field. At 6-2 and 217 pounds he has decent size, and he can get physical with good speed to go along with his toughness, but he only hit the 100-yard mark twice and his lone touchdown came in a nine-catch, 117-yard day against Ohio. He’s reliable, and now he has to become dangerous.

4. P Zach Paul, Sr.
The All-MAC star has been one of the key parts of the program for the last three years, averaging 41 yards per kick as a freshman and 43 as a sophomore. Last year, he was even more consistent and even better overall, averaging 42.5 yards per kick putting 24 inside the 20 and forcing 16 fair catches. He doesn’t have a cannon, but he can blast the team out of jams and he’s ultra-reliable.

5. CB Kris Givens, Sr.
Part of the rotation at corner, the 5-9, 163-pound veteran came up with two picks, broke up four passes, and was great in the open field coming up with 45 stops. The former JUCO transfer stepped in right away and produced, getting all over the field making plays and turning into a good enough hitter to potentially turn into a safety – he pops well for his size.

6. RB Conor Hundley, Sr.
More of a fullback than a true tailback, he got his share of the workload working with Jawon Chisolm last year finishing second on the team with 540 yards and four scores, averaging 5.19 yards per carry. While he wasn’t used much as a receiver, he was good in short range making nine grabs for 55 yards and two scores, but his real worth was as a blocker and power runner. Can he be a workhorse? He doesn’t have any flash, but he can be a settling factor for the attack.

7. QB Kyle Pohl, Sr.
He didn’t dominate enough to make the job his for good, but he’s the veteran who has been around long enough to know what he’s doing, throwing for 2,438 yards and 14 scores two years ago and completing 54% of his passes for 2,189 yards and nine touchdowns last year. The problem? Picks, giving away 18 over the last two years, and he doesn’t run enough to make up for all of the mistakes, but he has 6-3, 217-pound size, a nice arm, and good enough athleticism to get by. He hit Eastern Michigan for 326 yards, and threw for 304 against Bowling Green, but he also gave away three interceptions against the Falcons.

8. DT Se’Von Pittman, Jr.
The versatile 6-3, 268-pound Pittman worked inside at tackle for most of last year, making 36 tackles with a sack and 6.5 tackles for loss. Quick off the ball, he’s a beefed up linebacker who moves with ease and is quick off the ball. While he’d be better as a 3-4 defensive end, and he might be turned loose at some point as a pure pass rusher, the former Ohio State transfer has too much talent not to be more of a factor up front.

9. QB Thomas Woodson, Soph.
Adding another look and style to the offense, the 6-1, 233-pound sophomore can throw a little bit, but he’s at his best when making things happen on the move. He has a good enough arm to get a longer look as a pure passer, and he finished third on the team with 131 rushing yards despite his limited time. Interceptions were a problem in his first year, throwing six with just five touchdown passes, giving away four in the loss to Ball State and two in the loss to Ohio. However, he can be used like another running back when he’s under center.

10. PK Robert Stein, Sr.
Okay as a sophomore, hitting 9-of-16 field goals, Stein was terrific last year connecting on 13-of-16 shots after Tom O’Leary initially got the call to start the year. Stein missed two field goals against Bowling Green from 51 and 40 yards out, and missed a 25-yarder against Kent State, but he showed decent range and was reliable from 45 yards and in.