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Saturday, June 16, 2012

120. Akron 2012 Preview


(1-11, 0-8) Mid-American Conference

Rankings -
Offense
Avg
Defense
Avg
Rushing
114.42
Rushing
219.58
Passing
163.33
Passing
207.58
Total
277.75
Total
427.17
Points
14.17
Points
38.50

Overview

The Zips aren’t exactly a MAC powerhouse, but when your only victory is over 2-9 FCS minnow VMI and you finish 118th in scoring offense and 116th in scoring defense, something has got to give. HC Rob Ianello was handed his marching orders and ex-Auburn coach Terry Bowden was brought in to try and turn things around. After the ongoing debacle of the last few years, Bowden has a tough job ahead of him. He’s a decent coach, despite his issues at Auburn, and will need some time to make the Zips competitive. He needs to show improvement quickly or he may not get it.

Offense

Patrick Niceley was supposed to bring some veteran leadership to the offense in 2011, but instead he proved a bad fit for the new offense and lost his job to mobile sophomore Clayton Moore. Moore wasn’t great passing, completing just 47.6% of his passes for 1655 yards with 9 each of TDs and interceptions, but he wasn’t a bad runner, gaining 207 yards and a score, but he wasn’t the guy to sustain drives. Niceley failed to take any opportunities offered him and actually made Moore look better than he really was. With Niceley gone, Moore will need to perform well in training camp to keep his job - Kyle Pohl sat out last year to be groomed for the starting job. The best weapon on offense was RB Jawon Chisholm (961 yards, 5 TDs), and he looks even better so far this year. He has decent speed and strength. Backup Broderick Alexander gained 196 yards, most of which came towards the end of the season. The Zips also have a couple of okay receivers in Keith Sconiers (47-639-5) and Marquelo Suel (34-417-4). I’d like to see their production with a decent QB at the helm. The offensive line only brings back only one starter, but they were hardly a productive group. C Adam Bice returns while Mitch Straight should win the job at LT after starting 4 games their in 2011. A couple of other players with starting experience will try and hold off the challenge of some decent incoming freshmen.

Defense

Don’t let the 39th ranked pass defense fool you - no-one needed to pass against Akron to beat them, so they didn’t tend to. They were actually 112th in pass efficiency defense (passer rating) which paints a different picture. The biggest problem with the defense last season was the lack of production up front. Two of the five players who started last season return, but there is no guarantee they’ll keep their jobs. Bowden brought in Chuck Amato to  sort out the defense, but he’ll have his hands full with this lot. Nic Caponi and John Griggs manned the ends but tallied just 7.5 TFLs (2 sacks) between them. They have a couple of big guys who can man the middle - Dajour Morris is a former wrestler while James Price was 3 times all-conference in HS - but both are inexperienced. They can’t be worse than last year’s pair though. MLB Brian Wagner transferred to Arizona, depriving the team of one of the top players in the MAC, and his 409 tackles over the last 3 years will be difficult to replace. The LBs as a whole weren’t awful last season, facing tough odds with OLs constantly in their face. Troy Gilmer is the only full-time starter back - he had 71 tackles and a TD on a fumble return - but 3 players who started also return. Justin March, Jamar Williams and S ShelDon Miller will all get a crack at a starting job in 2012, but watch out for 3 star recruit Jatavis Brown. A number of different combinations were tried in the secondary, but only Manley Waller (45 tackles, 8 PBUs) started every game, and he’s graduated. CBs Bill Alexander and DeAndre Scott both had interceptions in the spring game (equalling last year’s season total!), and may get a longer look in the fall. Johnny Robinson and DeVonte Morgan both finished the season at safety and should keep their jobs if no-one else steps it up. While Amato should inspire the defense somewhat, I can’t see them being a whole lot better in 2012, especially with Wagner gone.

Special Teams

The lack of talent on the squad nullified any real impact by the special teams, but there were some okay performances. After TJ Marchese’s struggles at K, freshman AJ Fox stepped in and made all of his kicks (9 PATs, 8 FGs) and should keep the job this season. A new punter needs to be found with Zack Campbell graduated. If Zach Paul can’t win the job, Fox may need to do double duty. Tyler Williams showed some ability on kick returns, but was let down by his blockers. Coverage units were surprisingly solid.

5 Players to watch out for


  1. .RB Jawon Chisholm - last year’s surprise is expected to be next season’s hero, and the offense will lean on him (and Alexander) to get the job done. He won’t be flying under the radar next season.
  2. QB Dalton Williams - Moore may start the season and Pohl is the heir apparent, but Williams showed he can move the offense in the spring. If he doesn’t win the job outright, watch for him to take over at some point during the season.
  3. LB Jatavis Brown - Someone needs to replace Wagner, and Brown is a good run-stuffer and blitzer. He really needs to bulk up, but could do some damage on the weakside while he hits the gym.
  4. OG Quaison Osborne - a tackle in HS, Osborne translates more to guard at this level and has the ability to dominate in the MAC straight away. With solid skill position players already in place, any impact players on the offensive line would b greatly appreciated.
  5. DE Albert Presley - the JUCO transfer may not be the biggest, but his speed (4.6 40) is more than enough for him to make his presence felt this season. He’s already turned heads in camp.

Prediction

With some relatively young and useful players dotted throughout the roster, Bowden could conceivably pull off a few wins this season. First he has to change the team’s mindset, but his sheer presence has already helped there. The biggest concern is depth - if any of his “stars” go down, he may not be able to replace them. 3-9 would be a big improvement over the last couple of years.

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