After a neutral-site loss on Saturday to Louisville, Indiana will look to get back in the win column in its final non-conference game of the season against the Akron Zips.
Akron visits Bloomington following a blowout 35-3 loss in Lexington against Kentucky on Saturday night.
The Hoosiers (1-2, 0-1 in Big Ten play) take on Akron (1-2, 0-0 in MAC play) on Saturday evening at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington. Kickoff is set for 7:30pm ET.
Here's a first look at Indiana's week four opponent, the Akron Zips.
Key Players
- QB DJ Irons: After starting 10 games on his way to Third-Team All-MAC honors a season ago, Irons has started his third season with the Zips a little slowly. Irons has shared time with fellow signal caller Jeff Undercuffler Jr. to begin the season, but has garnered the bulk of the snaps. Irons has completed 65 percent of his 72 pass attempts so far this season for 392 yards and two touchdowns as well as an interception. Irons is most dangerous when he utilizes his legs. The former Iowa Central Community College transfer ran for 314 yards and four touchdowns last season. This year he has not fared as well with his legs, rushing for just 66 yards through the first three games of the season. Irons has been sacked multiple times in each Akron's first three games, skewing his net-rushing statistics. If the Hoosiers can continue to force him to be a passer and limit his time outside of the pocket, Irons and the Zips could struggle to move the football.
- WR Alex Adams: Irons' favorite target is his 6-foot-1, 190 pound junior receiver. Adams was named was named First-Team All-MAC last season after catching 63 passes for 850 yards and a team-high nine touchdowns. This season, Adams has a team-leading 14 receptions for just over 100 yards and a touchdown. He's an experienced receiver who excels at creating space and running routes close to the line of scrimmage. Adams is averaging just seven yards per catch this season. Because Indiana likes to allow teams to throw it underneath and then swarm to the football, Adams could be in for a high-catch, low-yardage performance on Saturday.
- DL CJ Nunnally IV: The 6-foot-3, 230 pound Independence Community College transfer has been great to begin his first season with Akron. Nunnally has just eight tackles through the first three games, but has consistently found himself in opposing teams backfields. He has four and a half tackles for a loss and three sacks already this season. He also has forced a fumble. The Douglasville, GA native has been disruptive in both the passing game and the running game throughout the early stages of the season. Nunnally is a guy Tayven Jackson and the entire Indiana offensive line will need to locate before each snap. Don't be surprised if Indiana recruits the help of tight ends or running backs to chip the Akron difference maker.
- LB Bryan McCoy: McCoy -- and Nunnally -- are responsible for the biggest play of the season up to this point for Akron. Down 21-17 with under a minute to go in the fourth quarter of Akron's week two matchup with Morgan State, McCoy scooped up a fumble that Nunnally forced and took it to the end zone to give the Zips the lead late. That score ended up being the game-winning touchdown. The sophomore leads Akron in tackles with 25 and has two tackles for a loss this season. McCoy is a fantastic athlete that has big-play ability.
Key Stats
- Akron's offensive line has struggled mightily to begin this season. The Zips are averaging just 1.6 yards per carry this season. The offensive line has allowed 13 sacks through three games to begin the year.
- Akron has thrown more interceptions (4) than they have thrown passing touchdowns (3) this season. Three of those interceptions are from the arm of backup quarterback Undercuffler Jr.
- Akron's opponents have scored eight touchdowns on nine red zone trips to begin the season.
Key Notes
- Indiana is 3-0 all-time against Akron. The last time the two teams met was 2010, a 35-20 Hoosier victory in Bloomington.
- Akron is 1-23 all-time against the Big Ten with that lone win coming in 2018 against Northwestern.
- The last time the Zips finished a season with a winning record was 2015, when they went 8-5. Akron beat Utah State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl that season.
- Akron went 2-10 last season with wins against Saint Francis and Northern Illinois.
