Opponent Scouting Report: Does Akron Have Any Chance Against Indiana?
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana football plays its third and final nonconference game of the season on Saturday against the Akron Zips.
Given that Akron is currently a 1-2 MAC team coming off a 2-10 season in 2022, it's understandable if most IU fans have not made themselves familiar with their weekend visitors. Akron does not have Louisville's Jamari Thrash always-threatening speed, or the Ohio State front seven that's littered with future NFL Draft picks. Most are assuming this is the easiest remaining game on Indiana's 2023 schedule, which is likely true.
However, the Zips should have more fight in them then Indiana State did. They have an exciting dual-threat quarterback in DeMarcus Irons Jr. (better known as D.J. Irons), and a creative offensive mind with head coach Joe Moorhead. Akron lost to Kentucky 35-3 in Week 3, but that was a 14-3 game with just over a minute left in the third quarter.
To learn more about what challenges Akron could pose to the Hoosiers on Saturday night, I once again enlisted the help of Patrick Mayhorn.
Possibly no one knows Group of Five football better than him. He covers all of college football for Meet at Midfield, and the Utah State football team for The Aggship, two independent media outlets that he created. You can follow him on Twitter @PatrickMayhorn. Here's what Mayhorn told us about the Akron Zips.
Akron Depth Chart, Stats
Quarterback: D.J. Irons
Even on a team that is 3-12 in its last 15 games, Irons' numbers stand out. He's thrown for 892 yards and eight touchdowns through the first three weeks of the season, though his four interceptions are less than ideal. Irons also brings a ton in the ground game, rumbling for 296 yards and two touchdowns.
However, Irons' method for scrambling might be easier for Indiana to handle based on his particular style. The Akron quarterback, to put it simply, is a large young man. College Football Reference lists him at 6-foot-5, 200 pounds, and his running capabilities are dependent on physicality and finishing through contact.
Indiana's defense struggled with Louisville a week ago because they didn't have anyone to match the speed of Thrash. Though, to be fair, who does? Meanwhile, the improved girth of the defensive front seven has been one of the biggest talking points surrounding the IU in 2023. They should be able to handle Irons as a runner.
Still, Irons needs to be taken seriously. This is not the pair of Indiana State quarterbacks who struggled to complete the simplest of passes. This is above average Group of Five quarterback that the Zips will have under center.
Demarcus Irons Jr. dropping back for a pass in Akron's Week 3 game against Kentucky.
© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports
Running back: Lorenzo Lingard, Drake Anderson
Neither Lorenzo Lingard nor Drake Anderson has rushed for 100 yards this season. They're both capable backs, but this Akron offensive line really can't generate anywhere near enough push to open lanes for them, which we'll touch on shortly.
Both running backs are transfers in their first years with the Zips after previously playing at Power Five schools. Lingard started at Miami (FL) in 2018, then played at Florida from 2020-22. Anderson, meanwhile, might be a familiar name to Indiana fans with a good memory. He was the starting running back for Northwestern in 2018 and 2019, and is the son of legendary NU halfback Damien Anderson. Drake transferred to Arizona in 2020, and is now playing in his sixth year of college football at Akron in 2023.
Side note: Anderson was a sophomore at Northwestern when I was a freshman in 2019, and finished as the leading rusher at the first NU football game I attended as a student. Seeing that he was still playing college football all these years later was a jump scare that I was definitively not ready for.
Wide Receivers, Tight End: Alex Adams, Daniel George, Jasaiah Gathings, T.J. Banks
Following the same mold as the running backs, wide receiver Alex Adams is a transfer from a much better football program, LSU. He's a big-play threat for Akron and worked well out of the slot in 2022. Likewise, the team's No. 2 wideout — Daniel George — transferred to Akron from Penn State in 2022, and works more as the team's possession receiver.
They've also found a surprise contributor in wide receiver Jasaiah Gathings, the rare non-transfer on this offense. He has 13 catches for 134 yards so far this season. Tight end T.J. Banks is in his second year at Akron after transferring from West Virginia in 2022, and at 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds is a freaky athlete with massive upside.
Offensive Line
When I asked Patrick in August what he thought of this Akron offensive line, this is what he told me:
"They're young and will probably be the worst unit on the roster again."
Lo and behold, Akron has struggled mightily on designed run plays, and has changed its passing attack to avoid having to rely on consistent protection from the offensive line. You can hear Patrick and I discuss this in more detail on the Hoosier Roundtable Podcast.
Defensive Line: C.J. McNunnaly, Terray Jones, Kyle Thomas, Corey Thomas Jr.
This group looked brutal entering 2023, but has been surprisingly competent through three games. C.J. McNunnaly has broken out as a star pass rusher and already has three sacks on the season. Tennessee State transfer Terray Jones has also stepped up in a big way, while Patrick mentioned Kyle Thomas as one of the few underclassmen impact players on the roster.
Linebackers: Bryan McCoy, Antavious Fish
Once again, the linebackers for Akron looked rough entering 2023, but have played better than expected. They lost both starters, Tim Terry and Bubba Arslanian, but Antavious Fish and Bryan McCoy have been serviceable in replacing them.
Another side note: between Bubba Arslanian and Antavious Fish, this is an all-time team in terms of cool names.
Secondary: Tyson Durant, Rishad Hence, KJ Martin, Nate Thompson
One of, if not the, most dependable position groups on the roster. All four names you see listed above were starters in 2022, and do a good job of avoiding mistakes.
Akron's offensive and defensive scheme
If anyone remembers what the Penn State offenses in 2016 and 2017 looked like, then they'll be prepared for what Akron does on Saturday. Though it will be done with lesser talent, obviously.
In typical Moorhead fashion, Akron uses a lot of pre-snap motion into run-pass options (RPOs), and they keep things up-tempo while banking on their misdirection to create big plays.
Tim Tibesar is the defensive coordinator for the Zips, and he's a branch off Wisconsin defenses of the past. As Patrick said, they started with a typical 3-4 defense, but progressively shifted into a 4-2-5/3-3-5 hybrid defense, mainly to make up for the lack of talent on the roster.
In this defensive look, Akron will have a defensive end standing up who can drop into pass coverage. A bigger tell for when the Zips might blitz it the number of guys they put on the line. Their blitzes involve putting extra bodies up against the five offensive linemen, and getting concentrated pressure out of that.
Kickoff between the Hoosiers and Zips is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
Related Stories on Indiana Football:
- HOW TO WATCH: Indiana football continues the 2023 season against the Akron Zips on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington. Here's how to watch, with game time and TV information, the latest on the point spread, series history, coaching information and more. CLICK HERE
- MICAH MCFADDEN LEADING GIANTS IN TACKLES: Former Indiana linebacker Micah McFadden has 10 tackles and four tackles-for-loss in New York's primetime game vs the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday. CLICK HERE
- RADIO SHOW HIGHLIGHTS: Indiana coach Tom Allen and play-by-play broadcaster Don Fischer discussed the Hoosiers' 21-14 loss against Louisville, previewed Saturday's matchup against Akron and talked about a whole lot more on Wednesday's edition of "Inside Indiana Football." CLICK HERE
- ALLEN SAYS CARPENTER IS BEST O-LINEMAN ON IU: Coach Tom Allen said on Wednesday that center Zach Carpenter has played the best of any Indiana offensive lineman this season through the first three weeks. CLICK HERE
