Saturday afternoon at the “Shoe” will be the 10th meeting between the Akron Zips of the MAC conference and the Ohio State Buckeyes from the Big Ten. Ohio State leads the series between the Zips 8-1. Akron’s lone win in this series came way back in 1894 when the Zips took down the Buckeyes 12-6 in Columbus. However the last meeting between these two in 2021 went a different direction, a 59-7 rout for the Buckeyes lead by then back-up quarterback Kyle McCord who was filling in for the injured CJ Stroud.
Fast forward to 2024 and the second ranked Buckeyes will look to open their season up with a statement win over the Zips. Akron does however return some key players from last season. Defenders CJ Nunnally IV on the line and linebackers Antavious Fish and Bryan McCoy add experience and talent to the team. Offensively the Zips bring back two very talented wide receivers in Alex Adams and Bobby Golden. You can never take an opponent lightly especially one that is a sleeper pick to contend for the MAC championship. Leading Akron in his 4th season is veteran head coach Joe Moorhead. Not only is this a golden opportunity for his program to showcase their talent in the spotlight of Ohio Stadium, it does however allow a team to build strength and character matching up against a pro talented caliber program like Ohio State.
The Buckeyes return 14 starters from last season including 36 lettermen. Originally Southern Miss was the opening day opponent coming to Ohio Stadium before they swapped spots with Akron who was scheduled to face Kentucky but here we are as the week one matchup between the Zips and the Buckeyes is set. Catch the game this Saturday at 3:30pm on CBS.