The University of Akron football team enters the 2024 season coming off back-to-back 2-10 seasons.
Included in those 20 losses are 10 setbacks by seven or fewer points.
"We took a noncompetitive program and we have become competitive," Akron third-year coach Joe Moorhead said July 19 during the Mid-American Conference Football Media Day at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. "We have 10 one-score losses in two years, including five by a field goal or less and four of those in overtime.
"From a morale standpoint, it would be different if every week we were lining up and getting our ass kicked by 28 points. That hasn't been the case, but at a certain point you have to stop talking about being competitive and find a way to close out those games.
"There is a level of optimism with our kids that we are not that far away, but also a certain level of displeasure that we have had an opportunity of instead of being a two-win team two years in a row to a team that could have won anywhere from four to six games if we were able to close out some games better."
Entering his 28th year in coaching, Moorhead will lead Akron into Ohio Stadium at 3:30 p.m. Saturday for a Week 1 meeting with nationally ranked Ohio State.
Prior to coaching, Moorhead played football for 13 years, including two years in the German Football League with the Munich Cowboys.
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"Off the top of my head, I can't think of two years in a row going like this. Five of them [losses] have been by three or less [points]," said Moorhead, who was a star quarterback at Pittsburgh Central Catholic High School and Fordham University.
Moorhead is accustomed to winning, with stints as head coach at Fordham and Mississippi State and offensive coordinator-quarterbacks coach at Georgetown, Akron, Connecticut, Penn State and Oregon.
He is trying to turn around an Akron football program that has had a losing record in each of the past six seasons. Akron's most recent winning season was in 2015 , when Terry Bowden led the Zips to an 8-5 record and a win over Utah State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl . The Zips finished 7-7 in 2017 under Bowden and lost to Florida Atlantic in the Boca Raton Bowl.
"This is always an optimistic time of the year," Moorhead said. "We have had a good offseason since January, had a good spring ball and carry it in to fall camp and continue making small improvements everyday.
"We graduated a bunch of guys and had numerous others leave via the [transfer] portal. ... We return more experience on defense than we do on offense."
Running backs Lorenzo Lingard and Drake Anderson, quarterbacks Jeff Undercuffler and DJ Irons, wide receiver Daniel George and defensive back KJ Martin all completed their eligibility last year .
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The Zips ' first official practice was July 31, and since then redshirt junior Ben Finley has earned the starting quarterback position after previously playing at North Carolina State and California. Redshirt junior Tahj Bullock is the backup QB.
Akron had seven quarterbacks on its roster last year. Bullock and redshirt freshman Johnny Brookhart are the only returnees with Undercuffler and Irons done and Steele Wasel, Ryan Jankowski, Dijon Jennings gone via the transfer portal to Oklahoma, Massachusetts and Weber State, respectively.
Akron returns redshirt sophomore Charles Kellom at running back and has added redshirt junior Jordon Simmons (Michigan State transfer), redshirt freshman Marquese Williams (Minnesota transfer) and freshman Sean Patrick from Kenston High School.
Redshirt junior Alex Adams and junior Bobby Golden are back at wide receiver for the Zips.
"We lost [Jasaiah] Gathings [who transferred to Connecticut] to the portal and Daniel George through graduation," Moorhead said. "Alex wasn't really 100 percent healthy at any point in the entire season last year. He had offseason surgery, so it is good to get him back and healthy.
"We added a couple of very talented players [redshirt freshman Israel Polk from Pittsburgh and junior Ahmarian Granger from Old Dominion] through the portal. That will be a position with the least returning production, but I think it has the most upside."
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Moorhead said the offensive line will have a new look this season.
"Stating the obvious, that is the area that requires the most improvement for us to take the next step forward," Moorhead said. "We were fairly productive on offense in Year 1 and took a huge step backward last year. We haven't been able to run the ball successfully and we haven't protected the passer particularly well. We have got to find a way to right that ship and be able to run the ball and protect the passer."
Akron football coach Joe Moorhead optimistic Zips defense 'can take another positive step forward'
Moorhead said he is "optimistic" Akron's defense "can take another positive step forward" with coordinator Tim Tibesar. Senior defensive lineman Bennett Adler and junior linebacker Bryan McCoy are leaders who attended MAC Football Media Day.
McCoy and senior defensive lineman CJ Nunnally IV were both named to Phil Steele's All-MAC preseason team and the Athlon Sports All-MAC preseason team.
Other Akron players named to Phil Steele's All-MAC preseason team were senior linebacker Antavious Fish (second team); senior wide receiver Alex Adams and junior punt returner Bobby Golden (third team); and junior defensive lineman Lama Lavea (fourth team).
Zips selected to Athlon Sports All-MAC preseason second team team were Adams, Fish and redshirt junior cornerback Darrian Lewis (St. Vincent-St. Mary graduate), and Adler, redshirt junior cornerback Devonte Golden-Nelson and redshirt junior safety Daymon David were third-team picks.
"We were in a lot of ways ineffective for parts of the season on offense last year, but I thought we took a huge step forward, from Year 1 to Year 2, on defense," Moorhead said. "Across the board, CJ Nunnally, Lama Lavea, Marcus Moore [Jr. from Massillon], Nathan Kapongo, a kid we brought in from New Hampshire, Bennett Adler and Kam Cheatom is a young guy who is going to play a lot of snaps for us at defensive end.
"Antavious Fish, Bryan McCoy and Darrian Lewis return. Safety is our deepest position. We brought in Paul Lewis [III] from Cornell as a transfer. [Daymon] "Scoop" David from Oregon is here, and we brought in some corners as well."
Akron lost starting defensive back Tyson Durant, who played high school ball at Copley and Canton McKinley, to Washington State.
Akron football coach Joe Moorhead counting on new special teams coordinator
Moorhead is counting on new coordinator Ryan Matviko, who previously coached at Hawaii, Robert Morris and Thiel, to help turn around the special teams.
Redshirt senior kicker-punter Dante Jackson and sophomore kicker Owen Wiley are back and will be counted on to show improvement in 2024.
"Quite frankly, our special teams haven't been very special," Moorhead said. "Just being honest, we missed a bunch of kicks at the end of games the past few years that could have won us a few. We have got to do a better job across the board. We brought in new long snappers, we brought in new punters and we brought in new place kickers to compete. Hopefully providing more competition at those positions will allow us to win that third of the game."
Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com and is on Twitter at @MBeavenABJ .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron Zips football coach Joe Moorhead optimistic about Zips' 2024 season
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