1. Ball State head coach Pete Lembo wasn’t happy with the second-team offense.
At the 5:07 mark in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s win, Ball State held a 38-10 lead over Western Michigan University. The No. 2 offensive unit came into the game for mop up duty. Freshman running back Teddy Williamson rushed twice before freshman Ozzie Mann threw an interception. On the next drive, it took two more offensive plays before Ball State committed another turnover, leading to a Western Michigan touchdown.
“I was a little disappointed with the second offense late in the game,” Lembo said. “It was great to get those guys in, but I would’ve liked to have seen a little bit better execution out of them.”
2. University of Akron is a better team than its 2-6 record shows.
The Zips have been just a few plays away from a much better record this season. The team lost to then-No. 11 Michigan by four points and came down to a 4th down play in the final seconds. Akron lost to Northern Illinois University, the top team in the conference, by seven points.
“If you watched as much video as our staff has in the last couple days, and you said they were 6-2 and not 2-6, it wouldn’t shock anybody,” Lembo said.
3. Akron has size at the wide receiver position.
All three of Akron’s top statistical receivers, Zach D’Orazio, L.T. Smith and Jerrod Dillard, are at least six feet tall. D’Orazio leads the team by a wide margin with 30 catches for 390 yards and four touchdowns.
“He’s built like Jordan Williams or maybe Zane Fakes,” Lembo said. “Maybe somewhere between the two. He’s a physical player, a good blocker. He can make the tough catch and get yards after contact.”
4. Akron is one of the top MAC teams in getting after the quarterback.
Senior quarterback Keith Wenning will have to keep focused against the Akron defense, which is ranked second in the MAC with 23 sacks this season. Leading that charge is senior Albert Presley with 4.5.
“They are very good up front,” Lembo said. “They do a nice job with their front four on both defending the run and generating a very good pass rush.“
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