akron-pitt
Time: 1:30 PM ET
Spread: PIT -20.5
Total: 50.5
M/L: PITT -1275; AKR +775
Betting odds courtesy of Bookmaker
The Akron Zips are 1-2 on the season, with an opening day win 41-0 over Howard, followed by consecutive losses to Penn State and Marshall. Thus, the Zips head into a matchup against Pitt, with Pittsburgh being favored by 20.5 points according to college football oddsmakers.
The Zips have had a good passing attack thus far, ranking 34th in the nation with 286.3 yards per game. That success is contradicted by a bad ground game, which sees the Zips manage just 91.3 yards per game. The leading rusher is the quarterback Kyle Pohl, who has ran for 69 yards on the season. Pohl has thrown 64-of-119 for a 53.8 percent completion ratio, and he has 4 TDs to just 2 INTs on the season. His QB rating of 108.6 is very solid, but the Zips have to get something going from its backfield.
Sophomore running back Hakeem Lawrence has been the best answer thus far. The 5’7” 176 pound back has rushed for 61 yards on just 12 attempts, good for a 5.1 yard per carry average. He sat out last season, and saw limited time in 2012, so we’re not quite sure of what Lawrence is really capable of. He’s also caught two passes for 19 yards, and if the Zips could feature him a a dual-threat back, it would help the offense even more. For the time being, however, it is mainly Pohl and Lawrence that will be held accountable for rushing.
Akron will get a boost from its running game if Jawon Chisholm is ready to go this week. That makes the Zips even more dangerous, but not enough to put the scare into a much tougher opponent from a major conference.
The Pittsburgh Panthers opened the season with three consecutive victories against Delaware, Boston College and FIU, and then lost Week 4 to Iowa 24-20.
Akron won’t represent much of a test, but then Pitt heads into ACC play with matchups against Virginia, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and Duke. Those four games will give a better idea of how well this Panthers team measures up this season.
The Panthers have been a rush-dominant team thus far, led by sophomore running back James Conner. Conner is a strong 6’2” 250 and has already amassed 699 yards through four games. Last season, he ran for 799 the entire season, but he’ll pass that carry total by next week. He’s also improved his yards per carry from 5.5 to 6.4, and he has more TDs this season already than last season (9 vs 8). He’s caught two passes for 20 yards. If this Panthers team is to achieve long-term success it will be on the shoulders of Conner.
The Panthers also have a sophomore starting at QB, Chad Voytik. He’s been fairly sensational against the Panthers’ mediocre competition thus far, throwing 48-of-70 (60.8 percent) for 534 yards in four games. He has five TD passes to three INTs, and he’s been sacked just three times, helping to account for his 130.8 QB rating.
Last year as a freshman, he saw just 11 pass attempts, but Pitt had high hopes for his prospects this season, and thus far he has delivered. Remaining proficient will only help Conner get better holes when he penetrates defenses. Teams must respect Voytik because he can also run, and rushed for 114 yards in the win over FIU, including a 40 yard run and a TD.
While that game has inflated his stats somewhat, he still had 47 yards in the win over Boston College, rushing for a long of 23 yards. That dual threat nature and Conner should keep Pitt competitive this year, and certainly will give them enough to blow out Akron this week.
