Memorial Stadium - Champaign, Ill
The Akron Zips open their Tom Arthera Saturday when they visit Big Ten opponent Illinois on the road. Akron returns just 10 starters, but has 57 letterwinners with which to work. Illinois, meanwhile, also has some building to do.
ABOUT ILLINOIS
➤➤ Illini head Coach Lovie Smith enters his fourth season with one of the youngest squads not only in the Big Ten, but across the entire Football Bowl Subdivision. In 2018, nearly 60 percent of the Illini roster were underclassmen.
➤➤ Illinois opened last season with wins over Kent State and Western Illinois. In their win over the victory over the Golden Flashes, UI needed a 21-point third quarter to gain the lead and then held on for the victory.
➤➤ Smith’s young team struggled through much of the campaign, losing six of their last seven games, including a 63-0 blanking at the hands of Northwestern.
➤➤ As camp opened, Illinois had seven returnees on the offensive side of the ball. One big question was at quarterback. However, Smith recently announced that Brandon Peters - a transfer from the Michigan Wolverines -- had won the spot over several younger options.
➤➤ Peters was a four-star recruit out of high school and ranked as the No. 3 pro-style prep quarterback in the nationAt Michigan, he saw action in 10 games, with four starts.Overall, he completed 58 of11 passes (53%), good for 680 yards and four scores.
➤➤ One of Illinois’ strength last season was in the running game. Reggie Corbin demonstrated he could be a big play man, averaging almost 8.5 yards per carry while rushing for 1,085 yards.
➤➤ The receivers are led by senior Ricky Smalling, who paced the Illini with 33 catches for 406 yards and five touchdowns. Tremon Davis contributed 30 receptions for 278 yards and Sam Mays snagged 29 for 331 yards.
➤➤ Senior Richie Petibon and junior Yederman Lowe anchor the O-line
➤➤ There is more experience on the defense, which brings back 10 starters. Linebacker Jake Hansen recorded a team-high 95 tackles. Senior DB Stanley Green inotched 58 total stops and an interception.
➤➤ Most pre-season polls have Illinois at the bottom of the B1G Western Division,
➤➤ UA is one of two MAC teams Illinois will face on their non-conference schedule. Eastern Michigan comes to Champaign on September 14. UI has a trip to Connecticut before opening conference play at home against Nebraska. The Illini will have five of their first seven games at home including Michigan and Wisconsin
ABOUT AKRON
➤➤ UA lost its last five games in 2018 finishing with a record of 4-8 (2-6 in the MAC). Following a season-ending loss at South Carolina, it was announced that Head Coach Terry Bowden was being relieved of his duties after seven seasons.
➤➤ To replace Bowden, UA went young, hiring 38-year old Tom Arth as the 28th head coach in school history and the sixth since Akron moved into the Football Bowl subdivision.
➤➤ Under Arth, and new offensive coordinator Tommy Zagorski, UA will have qa different look in 2019. Arth has said he will use a multitude of offensive formations and not just the spread formation. He added the Zips will employ one-back and two-back set as well.
➤➤ At the controls is junior quarterback Kato Nelson. The Florida native will begin his third season as the starting quarterback. A season ago he completed 52 percent of his pass (178-of-342) for 2,329 yards with 15 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
He added 303 yards and a score on the ground and comes into the 2019 season as the Zips leading returning rusher.
The main thing for Nelson and the Zips offense is that he must stay healthy. He was injured late in the third quarter of a home loss to Northern Illinois and missed two games in which the offense was ineffective.
➤➤ New Defensive Coordinator Matt Freeney said he will use a 4-3 base defense. However, Arth has said they are not afraid to change the scheme during the course of a game.
➤➤ The front line includes junior Dylan Meeks and senior Josh Ward, who had four sacks and 33 total stops.
➤➤ The linebackers will be led by senior John Lako. The former walk-on led UA in total tackles last season with 126 (73 solo), adding a fumble recovery and three pass breakups.
➤➤ The secondary is led by seniors Alvin Davis and senior Shawn Featherstone. Davis finished fourth on the team in tackles with 75 (43 solo). His four interceptions included a pair of touchdowns in the win over Northwestern. Featherstone, meanwhile, is coming back from a season-ending injury early in 2018.
➤➤ Zips were picked fifth in the pre-season MAC poll and begin their 11th season at InfoCision Stadium on September7th against UAB.