Akron News
Akron News
No First game Jitters...
QB's Charlie Frye and Nick Sparks seem to like season openers as they combined to complete 28 of 38 passes for 296 yards and two touchdowns vs. the Hawkeyes (Aug. 31). Their 73.7 completion percentage rivals last year's first game when they combined to hit 79.2 percent of their passes (19 of 24) en route to a 31-29 come-from-behind win over Ohio.
Among the National Leaders...
It didn't take long for Charlie Frye to jump among the national leaders in passing and total offense. Frye ranked No. 19 in the country in passing efficiency and No. 32 in total offense after the opening weekend and remains among the nation's elite this week. Frye ranks No. 30 in passing efficiency (143.3 rating) and No. 36 in total offense (226.5 yards per game) despite playing in just five quarters of action this season. Nick Sparks played the second half at Iowa and Micah Faler handled the snaps in the fourth quarter at Maryland.
Tough Opposition...
Three of Akron's opponents this season saw action in a bowl game last season. Iowa was crowned Alamo Bowl champion with a 19-16 decision over Texas Tech, while Maryland lost to Florida in the Orange Bowl, 56-23. Marshall, a team the Zips host in league play, defeated East Carolina, 64-61, in the GMAC Bowl.
Manning the Middle...
The Zips have a new face manning the middle linebacker position this season. Chace Blackburn, who switched from the defensive line after last season, has started the first two games in the middle and looks as if he will be fixture there. The sophomore, who uses his quickness to roam from sideline to sideline, posted a career-high eight tackles, including three solo stops and one tackle for loss against Maryland. With his performance against the Terrapins, he claimed the team lead in tackles with 15.
He's Done Better...
Charlie Frye's stellar completion percentage of 72.4 (21 of 29) vs. the Hawkeyes in the season opener wasn't even the best effort of his career. In his first career game (vs. Ohio, 8/30/01), he set a UA record (min: 10 atts.) by hitting 13 of his 16 attempts (81.3 percent).
First Time Opponents...
Akron and Maryland faced each other for the first time on the gridiron last Saturday. In fact, all four of Akron's non-conference opponents this season (Iowa, Virginia and Liberty) will be first-ever meetings. The Zips will matchup with Virginia (Sept. 21) and Liberty (Oct. 12) later in the year.
Record-Setting Season...
The sky seems to be the limit for sophomore quarterback Charlie Frye who is coming off a record-setting 2001 campaign in which he threw for a UA freshman-record 2,053 yards and posted school records in completions (170) and completion percentage (58.8). Frye wasted little time increasing his career numbers in the season opener with a 21-for-29, 230-yard performance vs. the Hawkeyes and followed that up with a 15-for-25, 216-yard performance vs. Terrapins.
Moving Up the Charts...
Despite only 12 games under center, Charlie Frye is already among the Zips' all-time passing leaders. With his 230-yard performance at Iowa, Frye passed Tom Boggs (1955-67/2,082) and John Stone (1956-59/2,270) to move into ninth on the UA career passing yards list (2,283). Last Saturday at Maryland, Frye, who threw for 216 yards, passed Dennis Brumfield (1979-81/2,314) and Brandon Payne (1999-present/2,476) to move into 14th place on the UA career total offense list. Frye now has 2,499 career yards passing and 2,528 total yards in 13 career games. In addition, his 190.3 ypg average is the best in school history.
Spreading the Wealth...
Ten Zips caught passes in the matchup with Iowa (Aug. 31), including four players with at least four receptions. Leading the way was Matt Cherry who snagged a game-high eight passes for 68 yards and one TD. Following close behind were Brandon Payne with four receptions, Dan Basch with a career-high four and Miquel Irvin with his first four catches as a member of the Zips. Saturday's meeting with Maryland saw a similar result as 11 Zips caught at least one pass from QBs Charlie Frye and Micah Faler, led by Irvin's career-high five receptions.
First Touches...
A pair of redshirt freshmen collected their first career receptions in the season opener at Iowa (Aug. 31). RB Jerell Ringer, who also rushed four times for 14 yards, caught one pass for six yards, while WR Jamie Goodwin scored a touchdown on his first-ever reception, a 31-yard toss from Charlie Frye as time expired in the first half. It was also Goodwin's first career play. In the Zips second of the season, last weekend at Maryland, WR Jason Montgomery added his name to the list of first-time receivers.
LeFall Back in the Fold...
The UA defensive coaches welcomed sophomore defensive end Dwayne LeFall back to the gridiron this summer. LeFall, who sat out the 2001 season, played in all 11 games as a true freshman in 2000. The Oakland, Calif., native also collected 4.5 sacks en route to earning the Zips' Outstanding Freshman of the Year award. In the loss to Iowa, he was in on a pair of tackles and batted down two passes, but was more active in the Maryland game collecting six tackles and one tackle for loss.
Plenty More Payne...
After playing in just five games last season, senior running back Brandon Payne is back in the fold. Payne, who ranks No. 6 on the Zips' all-time rushing list (2,476), suffered a season-ending knee injury vs. Western Michigan. At the time Payne was on pace for his second-straight 1,000-yard rushing season after posting 1,062 yards on the ground in 2000. The 5-foot-10, 205-pounder had posted 498 yards on the ground through the game with the Broncos. Payne had surgery and sat out this past spring, but now looks ready to rack up some yardage. Although Payne was held to just 32 yards at Iowa, he did manage to catch four passes for 52 yards. The senior added 38 yards on the ground vs. Maryland.
Zips in the NFL...
Four members of the 2001 Zips' roster signed professional contracts following the 2002 NFL Draft. WR Jake Schifino was chosen by the Tennessee Titans in fifth round, while OTs Konrad Dean (Cleveland Browns) and Jeff Grzeskowiak (Chicago Bears), along PK Zac Derr (Dallas Cowboys) signed free-agent deals. Derr was waived by the Cowboys earlier in the summer and Grzeskowiak was released by the Bears late in the preseason. Schifino (hamstring), meanwhile, was placed on the injured reserved list by the Titans and will miss the 2002 season. Dean was one of the final cuts by the Browns, but was picked up by the Seattle Seahawks before the season opener.
Nick "/" Sparks...
The Zips have their own version of "Slash," a term given to Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kordell Stewart in his early days with the NFL franchise. The multi-dimensional Nick Sparks maintains that role for UA. Sparks, who opened the season as the starting quarterback last year, has been used at both wide receiver and QB during the preseason and in the first two games. The junior, who suffered a turf toe injury in the 2001 season opener vs. Ohio, played sparingly the rest of the season at QB and wideout. Now healthy, Sparks gives the Zips' offense a new dimension. The Flint, Mich., native caught his first career touchdown pass last Saturday at Maryland. He showed his athleticism by snagging a five-yard slant and out-racing the Terrapin defense to the endzone for a 65-yard score. In the opener at Iowa (Aug. 31), Sparks saw action as a receiver in the first half and collected three receptions for 31 yards before heading under center after the break replacing Charlie Frye, who suffered from dehydration. Sparks completed 7 of 9 passes for 66 yards in his one half of action vs. the Hawkeyes.
MAC Attack...
Brandon Payne entered the 2002 campaign as the Mid-American Conference's active leader in career rushing yards and scoring. He continues to lead in scoring but now ranks second in rushing. Payne has scored 224 career points and has 2,437 career rushing yards. It should be a season-long battle between Marcus Merriweather (Ball State/2,499), Thomas Hammock (Northern Illinois/2,432) and Payne on the rushing chart as all enter this weekend separated by 67 yards. However, Payne does have a comfortable lead over Steve Azar (181) of NIU on the scoring chart.
Sanders Returns...
Running back Marcus Sanders returned to the Zips two weeks ago. The talented sophomore from Ravenna, Ohio, left the squad in August for what he termed "medical and personal reasons." Sanders, who may play vs. Central Michigan, missed the Zips first two games. Sanders has been bothered by a left foot injury. Sanders, who played at Ravenna High School, is one of six players in Ohio prep history to rush for more than 6,000 career yards. The 5-foot-10, 180-pounder sat out last season after transferring from the University of Minnesota following the 2000 campaign.
Injury Report...
RB Matt Carter (knee) and DB Jesse Smith (shoulder) are out indefinitely, while RBs Ty Washington (sprained ankle) and Jerell Ringer (sprained ankle) missed the Maryland game and are questionable for the CMU contest. RB Brandon Payne (sprained ankle) should return to practice later this week and SS Marcus Suber (stinger), who missed most of the Maryland game should practice this week.