'It's bigger than us,' Akron Zips football's Bubba Arslanian says of Kent State rivalry

And then there was one.

University of Akron linebacker Bubba Arslanian had little idea that a pandemic would extend his career at UA, making him the last person to play for the Zips in a win over Kent State, the team’s archrival.

It was as a 24-23 overtime thriller decided by a mishandled hold on an extra point in overtime.

“I know it came down to the wire,” Arslanian, who was a redshirt freshman, said during a phone conversation Wednesday night.

“I remember they do that muddle huddle on their extra points and field-goal attempts and that was the botched snap and hold that they had that led us to take home that wheel with us. You know, it was a hell of a game and, you know, it always is.”

There was no shortage of excitement or drama in that game on the Zips sideline as the team, struggling in then-coach Terry Bowden’s final season at 2-3, battled a Kent State team that came in 1-6.

More:'It was a bitter pill to swallow:' Akron Zips football moves on from loss, Kent State next

Zips quarterback Kato Nelson showed off his potential with a 55-yard touchdown run at 8:41 of the third quarter that tied the score at 17-17. It remained tied until the end of regulation. The Zips, getting the ball first, punched it in the end zone on a touchdown pass from Nelson, to wide receiver Andre Williams, on a third-and-7 from the 8-yard line.

Kent State answered on a 29-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Woody Barrett to running back Justin Rankin. Holder Dustin Crum couldn’t handle the subsequent snap cleanly on the extra-point attempt and the Zips left Kent with the victory and the Wagon Wheel.

For Arslanian, coming from Aurora High School, he understood the rivalry to a certain degree, but it was emphasized upon his arrival.

“When I got in there as a freshman in 2017, they had one and Akron had won it, I believe, four years prior to that,” he said. “So, I mean, it was important that it stayed there and walking in and seeing that wheel sitting right in that entrance in the locker room every day, it meant something. It means something.”

Joe Moorhead recognizes importance of Akron-Kent State rivalry

Coach Joe Moorhead, having coached at UA in the past, has an enhanced perspective on the rivalry and what it means to have possession of the Wagon Wheel.

“[So] know the feeling of the wheel being set behind the goalpost and winning the game and the excitement that goes along with running down there and having possession of that thing for a year and the pride that comes along with that,” he said, “with the schools being so close together, but also having been in some other pretty big rivalry games too.”

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Moorhead said he and his staff have emphasized the rivalry.

“It's not the only game on the schedule that matters, but it's definitely the most important one,” he said. “So we've relayed that to them very clearly, No. 1 since January, and certainly at the beginning of this week.”

And he turned to Arslanian to drive the point home. It’s not simply because he’s been there before, but also since cracking the starting lineup, Arslanian has been a team leader through the bad, the good and the worst. With his production, he likely could have gone elsewhere through the transfer portal. Even this year, he’s the team’s leading tackler by a wide margin with 77. The next closest Zip has 42.

Bubba Arslanian shares meaning of the Wagon Wheel

Moorhead asked Arslanian to speak to the team earlier this week.

“You know, it's been a while since we've had it and these guys don't know what it feels like to go down and run underneath that goal post and pick up that wagon wheel and almost take a lap with it and be proud of what just happened,” Arslanian said.

He also has a keen understanding of what it means to the community at large.

“Because it's not just for us, it's bigger than us,” he said. “It's for the community. It's for alumni.  It's bragging rights for all of them. So, it's bigger than us.”

Arslanian’s message was received enthusiastically it would seem. Darrian Lewis played for St. Vincent-St. Mary and is currently a UA defensive back. A redshirt freshman, Lewis is receiving significant playing time and is the defense’s third-leading tackler.

“We had him speaking in front of the whole team,” Lewis said of Arslanian. “He told us this was one of the biggest games. He was talking about the community, ‘they will ask you about the Kent State game, not about how any other games go.’

“Bubba explained how big this game is for the community, for us as players, for him as a senior and all the older players – that we need to do it for them,” he said. “This is a really big game. We look at this game more than just for ourselves – more for the community and everyone else.”

Bubba Arslanian wants familial bragging rights

Yes, the players want to win for the UA community, but it’s also a bit personal for Arslanian. His father and sister attended Kent State, so there’s the matter of household bragging rights.

Because of those local ties, Arslanian said he regularly gets people asking how the season went, but most usually just want to know how the Akron-Kent State game turned out.

“To be able to say, ‘Hey, yeah, we took it home, you know, it's where it belongs. It's back in our locker room.’ You know, that's a lot of pride that I have, you know, to be able to say that,” he said. “And hopefully, you know, we go out there on Saturday and, you know, execute and be able to do so.”

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

Akron at Kent State

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This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron football's Bubba Arslanian shares meaning of Kent rivalry