Turnovers played a big factor in the contest as the Bulls forced four Akron turnovers and converted three of them into points. In the first quarter, Max Michel recovered a fumble and returned it to the Akron seven-yard line, setting up a 23-yard field goal by Alex McNulty to give the Bulls a 3-0 lead.
Dylan McDuffie extended the UB lead to 10-0 early in the second quarter on a two-yard touchdown run. It was another big day for the junior running back who finished with 111 yards rushing and also added a four-yard touchdown catch.
Quarterback Kyle Vantrease added a rushing touchdown in the second quarter and found Jamari Gassett for a 15-yard touchdown pass to give the Bulls a 24-10 lead at the half.
Vantrease had an efficient afternoon, finishing 15-of-20 for 241 yards and three touchdowns. His favorite target was Gassett, who had the best game of his career with four catches for 95 yards and a score.
The Bulls got touchdowns catches by Dominic Johnson and McDuffie and a rushing touchdown by Jake Molinich in the third quarter to extend their lead.
Kyler Laing had one of the finest defensive performances in program history. The sophomore defensive end had 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble in the game. His 3.5 sacks were the most by a player in a single game in the Bulls' FBS era (since 1999).
Overall, the Bulls had a program-record 11 sacks in the game, shattering the previous record of eight. The 11 sacks are the most by an FBS program this season, besting the 10 sacks Ohio State had against Akron earlier this year.
The Bulls rolled up nearly 500 yards of total offense in a balanced performance as UB finished with 231 yards on the ground and 253 yards through the air.
"We really challenged our guys all week about putting together 60 minutes of our best football," said head coach Maurice Linguist. "I was proud of the way we had fought back the last two weeks, but we knew if we wanted to get to the next level as a program we needed to play a complete game, and we fell like our guys did that across the board today."
Akron quarterback D.J. Irons through just 13 passes, competing five for 66 yards and was intercepted once. Konata Mumpfield had three catches for 36 yards.
UA had 298 yards on the ground. Jonzell Norrils led with 11 carries for 155 yards. Irons grossed 111 yards in rushes, but netted just 54 due to 57 yards in losses.
Three Zips recorded double figures in tackles: Jaylen Kelly-Powell (13), Andrew Behm (14) and Jeslord Boateng (11).