For Akron football team, winning begins with changing a stagnant culture

Editor's note: Thursday night's football game between the University of Akron and St. Francis was not completed by press time. For the result, go to beaconjournal.com

The unveiling for the University of Akron football team came at 6 p.m. Thursday at InfoCision Stadium against St. Francis.

By design, details about the Zips, their scheme and depth chart has been scant from first-year coach Joe Moorhead and his coaching staff. It is clear, however, at least on the surface, that change is afoot.

There’s isn’t a lot that can be assumed from the selection of team captains other than the players chosen possess leadership qualities but in the case of the Zips, two of them — wide receiver Jacques Louis Shocky (Pittsburgh) and defensive lineman Curtis Harper (Syracuse) — are transfers, which is not necessarily the norm.

It speaks to the culture change Moorhead has undertaken that newcomers are making an impression.

New Zips make an impression

“The new guys [are] accustomed to winning doing things the right way. We're not asking them to do anything they haven't done,” Moorhead said. “A byproduct of that is they're communicating it to a group of guys who really haven't had that opportunity the past few years, so it certainly helps along those lines.”

Shocky, who caught 83 passes for 1,010 yards while at Pitt, is fully aware of why he was one of the many transfers brought in.

“They told me what we was trying to get done. We was going to get some guys in here. We was going to try to change the culture,” he said. “The three, I didn't know about the three games and three seasons. I heard that. I was like, 'Oh yeah, we're going to switch that all around. Get that out of people's head.'”

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Harper said he came to UA because he trusted Moorhead to make that culture change despite the Zips' lack of success in recent years.

“You can’t always look at the past,” he said. “Sometimes you have to look at the future and want to make a change, and that’s what I want to do — make a change. Coach Moorhead and his history shows for itself, so I wasn’t worried about the previous record. I’m focused on now.”

Coach Joe Moorhead brings optimism

Changing the mindset that surrounds every aspect of UA football has been a focus for the better part of a decade. But even with some optimism under former coach Terry Bowden, a sense of sustainability was never established. Moorhead's immediate predecessor, Tom Arth, and his staff were victimized by the COVID-19 pandemic.

With Moorhead comes more optimism. Given that he’s won wherever he’s served as a head coach, including in the SEC at Mississippi State, it’s certainly warranted. Ultimately, what Moorhead’s team looks like with respect to scheme and execution represents a mystery.

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Access to fall practice was limited and Moorhead and his staff have declined to offer specific details about what they are bringing to UA. The same goes for his players.

“Let's just say it's a lot of opportunity,” Shocky said. “It's a lot of opportunity, big-time opportunities in that offense. And I can't wait to show it on Thursday. Let's just say that.”

Moorhead known for high-scoring offenses

Moorhead, offensively, has a resume, most recently as offensive coordinator at Oregon — the same team that took it to Ohio State in the second game of the season last year, laying a 35-28 loss on the Buckeyes. In that game, the Ducks rushed for 269 yards and passed for 236. Moorhead has stated on several occasions that he prefers a balanced offensive attack. That Ducks offense averaged 33.2 points per game last season.

While offensive coordinator at Penn State (2016-17), the offense averaged 39.3 points per game.

Ultimately, however, personnel will dictate what his UA offense can do. Presumably DJ Irons will be the starting quarterback. Look for running back Cam Wiley, a transfer from Minnesota, to get the bulk of the carries. Beyond that, welcome to the great unknown.

Defensively, the question mark may be larger given UA’s ranking as the Mid-American Conference’s worst unit last year.

“I like the way they're preparing. I think our coaches are doing a good job in the meeting room providing them with information. Kids are coming out on the field and playing with great effort,” Moorhead said. “I think our execution or precision really needs to improve the next few days to earn the right to take the field with confidence. I want us to be well prepared. I want us to play every snap harder than our opponent for 60 minutes or as long as it takes.”

Moorhead expressed respect for St. Francis, which went 5-6 last year. But his expectation for the game is a UA victory, and he will rely upon the culture changes he and his staff have implemented to help accomplish that goal.

"Obviously, we haven't won very many football games in the past few years and have faced many challenging situations and, invariably, adversity will rear its head during the course of the game,” he said. “And I want our guys to fall back on our culture and respond to it the right way, have a plan, attack it the right way and be prepared to overcome it.”

Reach George M. Thomas at gthomas@thebeaconjournal.com or on Twitter @ByGeorgeThomas.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron football coach Joe Moorhead leans into change in culture