Akron Zips prove to be own worst enemies in blowout loss to Michigan State: Takeaways

For those looking for immediate results from the University of Akron football team (1-1), Saturday’s 52-0 loss to 14th ranked Michigan State (2-0) serves as a reminder that the ride to respectability and success will be bumpy – perhaps very bumpy.

After a promising start offensively during which the Zips drove deep into Michigan State’s territory, familiar mistakes reared their heads, leading to UA getting punished. Despite most of the effort inducing cringes, there was some good to go with the bad. Here are the takeaways from the game:

Self-inflicted wounds continue to plague Akron Zips

That is a familiar refrain from past seasons. UA won’t win many, if any, games turning the ball over four times. Nor does committing 10 penalties for 99 yards help, either. It’s difficult to discern with a game like Saturday’s whether the Zips are just that bad, haven’t yet gelled or whether it was just one of those days when absolutely nothing goes right. From this perspective, it looks like heaping dose of all of that.

UA coach Joe Moorhead said two of those gaffes were effort turnovers in that players were fighting for extra yardage.

On the first, the Zips marched to the Spartans 36 at 10:42 of the first quarter when UA quarterback DJ Irons found tight end TJ Banks for a 16-yard gain. Banks had the ball knocked loose on the play and the Spartans recovered and drove for the game's first touchdown.

The turnover bug bit again with about five minutes left in the first quarter when Irons hit wide receiver Shocky Jacques-Louis for 22 yards, many of which came after the catch. The Spartans again stripped the ball, recovered and scored another TD with 2:26 left in the quarter. Three Zips turnovers led to 21 Spartans points.

As for the penalties: one came on a personal foul call. The rest Moorhead called penalties of aggression.

“Certainly, you’ve got to get those cleaned up,” Moorhead said. “You have too many turnovers, too many penalties. You can’t beat a team like Michigan State doing those things.”

Joe Moorhead may have to make serious offensive adjustments

With DJ Irons possibly out with a lower body injury, Moorhead will have to compensate primarily because Irons is a legitimate dual-threat quarterback who can run the ball.  Irons left the game midway through the second quarter with a leg injury that he could not put pressure on, according to television reports. Jeff Undercuffler Jr., his backup, doesn’t have the same ability, being more of a pure pocket passer from what he showed Saturday.

“I think you saw some of the adjustments we need to make relative to Jeff,” Moorhead said. “He’s not a dual-threat guy like DJ but he’s a big guy (6-foot-5, 230-pounds), strong arm, who was a little anxious today … we have to build a game plan around what he does well and minimize his weaknesses.”

The Akron Zips defense may be on the right track

When your offense puts you in precarious spots courtesy of turnovers, it’s difficult to lay the blame for Saturday’s performance overall on the defense. The defense certainly deserves its share, however. They didn’t stiffen after all of the turnovers the Spartans grabbed and on three of them – all fumbles – they allowed touchdowns.

But Moorhead did see potential in their play.

“You can’t put your defense in adverse situations like that,” he said. “We got two picks and a stop on downs. You can’t let a team like Michigan State, who’s big and physical, continue to get extra possessions and wear you down.”

The offensive line certainly isn't on the right track

The most effective runner for UA left the game midway through the second quarter. Irons left as the leading Zips' rusher and he held that distinction until game’s end as the offensive line got little in the way of a push at the line of scrimmage and the UA offense averaged less than a yard per carry on rushes. Some of that was due to sacks but the running game was stalled.

The passing game didn’t offer any redemption. The Spartans got regular pressure on Irons, and eventually his replacement. The Zips also struggled in third-down efficiency, converting just 3 of 14 opportunities.

“At the end of the day, you’ve got to be able to run the ball,” Moorhead said. “You’ve got to protect that passer and that starts up front. We’re still looking for the right combination and we’ll continue working on those guys with fundamentals and techniques and make sure we’re calling plays that puts them in position to be successful.”

Who is Jeff Undercuffler Jr.

Undercuffler, it would seem, will lead the Zips offense going forward. He came to UA from the University of Albany with two years of eligibility left. Undercuffler, a redshirt junior, threw for 6,406 yards and 59 touchdowns in four seasons with Albany.

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

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Turnovers, penalties doom Akron Zips against Michigan State Spartans