Joe Moorhead aiming to lead Akron football back to relevance

Former head coach Terry Bowden had the Zips in the MAC title game in 2017. Since that high-water mark, the game has not been kind to Akron. The Zips have won nine games since 2017. That is not a typo; they’ve won nine games in six seasons. To add another layer of context, four of those nine wins game in 2018.

Akron has won just five conference games in that same span. To say that times have been tough for the Zips is an understatement.

After the abysmal Tom Arth era, there was a glimmer of hope in 2022 under new head coach Joe Moorhead. Akron got dominated in its paycheck games (Tennessee and Michigan State), but they were a tough out in conference play.

The Zips lost five games by one score and lost to Liberty by nine points. Ohio was the only team to score over 40 points against Akron, and Miami (OH) was the only school to hold the Zips under ten points.

It might sound cliche, but there were some positives beyond the scoreboard, and the scoreboard didn’t look too bad. With the high variance in the MAC, anything can happen in 2023. Does that mean the Zips win more games?

That’s why they play the game.