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Preview: Miami looks for first consecutive wins of the season against Akron

Quarterback Caleb Heavner looks to scramble in game against Bowling Green.
Quarterback Caleb Heavner looks to scramble in game against Bowling Green.

The Miami University RedHawks (3-3, 1-1) will face off against the University of Akron Zips (1-5, 0-2) at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12 at Yager Stadium.

Following a narrow win against the University of Massachusetts Minutemen, Miami is looking to win back-to-back games for the first time this season and improve to 2-1 in Mid-American Conference (MAC) play.

It has been a rough first half of the season for Akron, who has zero wins against Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponents. Last season, Miami defeated Akron 20-7 on the road. 

Besides its win against the Robert Morris University Colonials, Akron played its best football of the season in its  most recent game against the Eastern Michigan University Eagles on Saturday, Oct. 10. 

Akron missed a 47-yard field goal with 19 seconds left and lost the game 25-23, which would have been a big upset in the MAC, as the Eagles were favored by four points according to ESPN. The Zips are in desperate need of a win to give them some momentum for the rest of the season.

Akron is led by head coach Joe Moorhead, who has a record of 14-40 since he joined the Zips in 2022. Moorhead has failed to get Akron to a bowl game over the past four years, and his best season was last year with a 5-7 record. 

Redshirt sophomore and Tiffin, Ohio, native Bryaden Roggow has started at quarterback for the Zips in three straight games after he came in off the bench in each of the first three. Roggow’s last game was his best one yet, where he threw for 229 yards and three touchdowns against Eastern Michigan. 

Akron’s rushing attack is led by redshirt-senior running back Jordan Gant, who has totaled 410 yards on 84 carries this season. Sophomore running back Sean Patrick has 221 yards for 41 carries this season. As a whole, the Zips average 4.3 yards per rushing attempt.

The Zips are only averaging 19.7 points per game this season and 20 against MAC opponents. The defense has also not played well for Akron this year. The Zips have allowed 38 or more points in four of their six games. 

Miami has scored 20 or more points against its first two MAC opponents, so the team will look to do the same against Akron. 

The RedHawks struggled to find success in the passing game in their last game against UMass, where senior quarterback Caleb Heavner completed only six of his 20 passing attempts, for a total of 95 yards. 

Heavner used his legs to provide a boost to the Miami offense, as he totaled 54 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown. Freshman wide receiver Scoop Smith had a 20-yard rushing touchdown as well, and the RedHawks totaled 165 yards on 36 carries. 

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After scoring two touchdowns in the first quarter, Miami scored only two field goals for the rest of the game, which both came in the second half. 

The RedHawks defense was able to play well enough to get them a win against UMass by allowing only 19 points. UMass scored a touchdown with one second left in the game, but the defense stopped the two-point conversion and won the game in regulation. 

The RedHawks look to improve to a winning record (4-3) for the first time this season, along with a 2-1 record in MAC play. 

Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at Yager. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

hartlapo@miamioh.edu

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