Central Michigan beats Akron 41-17 on Saturday in the Mid-American Conference opener at Kelly/Shorts Stadium in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Quarterback Angel Flores rushed for 154 yards and a touchdown and threw for another score as the Chippewas improved to 3-2 overall and 1-0 in the MAC.
Akron took an early 7-0 lead, but Central Michigan scored 21 consecutive points in the second quarter and never looked back, as we outlined in our preview of the matchup. The Zips fell to 1-4 and 0-1 in the conference.
How Central Michigan beats Akron: the ground game takes over
Flores tied the game with a 55-yard touchdown run, then found Shawn Foster II for a 48-yard touchdown pass. Brock Townsend added a 5-yard touchdown run to complete the 21-point burst. The Chippewas outgained Akron 203-19 in the second quarter alone.
Nick Woodford and Jayden Clerveaux extended the lead with rushing touchdowns, and Clerveaux’s 23-yard score was the first of his career. Backup quarterback Jadyn Glasser added a fourth-quarter touchdown pass. Central Michigan finished with 332 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns, and it totaled 481 yards to Akron’s 340.
Akron’s passing game struggles
Brayden Roggow completed 15 of 32 passes for 180 yards and one touchdown, but he threw three interceptions. Akron converted 6 of 15 third downs.
Running back Jordan Gant gave the Zips a bright spot with 102 rushing yards and a touchdown on 17 carries, an average of 6.0 yards per attempt. He totaled 129 all-purpose yards. Dwight Nunoo led the Akron defense with nine tackles, followed by Rodrick Hunter with eight and Donelius Johnson with seven.
Why the second quarter decided the game
The 203-19 yardage edge in the second quarter tells most of the story. Akron led 7-0 early, but once Flores broke loose for his 55-yard score, the Zips never found a counter. Central Michigan averaged more than seven yards per rushing attempt for the game, and Akron’s defense had no answer for the mix of Flores, Townsend, Woodford and Clerveaux.
Akron’s offense, by contrast, finished with 340 yards but could not turn them into points once Roggow began forcing throws. His three interceptions halted drives that might have kept the Zips within reach. Gant’s efficient running was not enough to offset the turnovers, and Akron never recovered after Central Michigan’s 21-point run. The Zips will need cleaner quarterback play in the weeks ahead to turn their ground production into wins, especially with a home game against Eastern Michigan next.
Series history and homecoming context
When Central Michigan beats Akron at home, it has become a habit: the win extended the Chippewas’ series lead to 20-11-1 and gave them six straight home victories against the Zips. Kelly/Shorts Stadium has been friendly territory for Drinkall’s team, which is 7-1 at home under the coach after improving to 3-0 there this season.
The result also settled a homecoming crowd after a rough week. Central Michigan had fallen 52-3 to then-No. 6 Miami, and the Chippewas responded by gaining 481 yards. Akron, meanwhile, came in at 1-3 and still looks for its first conference win.
What’s next for Central Michigan and Akron
Central Michigan beats Akron in its 100th homecoming game after a 52-3 loss to Miami (OH) a week earlier, and the bounce-back gives Matt Drinkall’s team its fourth straight MAC opening win. The Chippewas travel to Ohio next, a team we previewed in our Ohio-Kent State breakdown.
Akron returns home to host Eastern Michigan on Oct. 10 at 3:30 p.m. For a look at that opponent, see our Eastern Michigan-UMass preview. More details are in the official Akron recap.
