Pitt Panthers Vs. Akron Zips Live Stream, Odds, And Preview
By Larry Snyder
Entering Week 2, the University of Pittsburgh Panthers (1-0) pursue their first road victory of the season. The Blue and Gold are in Ohio Saturday to battle the University of Akron Zips (0-1).
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Pat Narduzzi, who made his debut as head coach, wants his squad to keep moving forward from its season-opening 45-37 victory against the Youngstown State Penguins at Heinz Field.
With All-American junior tailback James Connor out with season-ending knee surgery, the ground game could remain in the hands of newcomer Qadree Ollison. The 6-foot-2, 230-pound redshirt freshman collected 207 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries against YSU. It should be noted that his incredible contribution to the Panthers win came in the second half of the contest.
The Zips, under fourth-year head coach Terry Bowden, are coming off a 41-3 loss last week on the road to the Sooners in Oklahoma. Akron was selected to finish second in the Mid-American Conference Eastern Division this season by the media.
When: Saturday, Sept. 12
Kickoff: 6 p.m., ET
Site: InfoCision Stadium – Summa Field in Akron, Ohio
Playing Surface: Prograss Artificial Turf
Akron Ticket Information: Go Zips
Series Began: 1900
Series Overall: Pitt leads 2-1
At Pittsburgh: Pitt leads 2-1
At Akron: 0-0
Neutral Sites: N/A
Last Meeting: Sept. 27, 2014 (Akron won 21-10)
Television: ESPN3
Announcers: Michael Reghi and JeRod Cherry
Radio Coverage: 93.7 FM – The Fan and the Pitt IMG Sports Network
Announcers: Bill Hillgrove and Pat Bostick with Larry Richert reporting from the sidelines
Sirius XM Satellite Radio: XM Channel 109
Live Audio Stream: College Sports Live / TuneIn.com
Pitt Gameday LIVE Mobile App: Download for iOS / Download for Android
Akron Live Stats: Presto Sports
Pitt Social Media – Twitter: @GoPittFootball / @PittAthletics
Odds: Pitt -12 According to the Bovada Online Sportsbook with the Over/Under at 50.
Weather Channel Online Forecast: Cloudy with scattered thunderstorms this evening. Low of 51. There is a 60 percent chance of rain. The winds will be out of the northwest at 10 mph.
Live Feed
With the First Pick
In the event that Ollison falters, Narduzzi could turn to sophomore Chris James or another freshman tailback in Darrin Hall to get the ground game back on track against the Zips.
The Panthers defense claimed six quarterback sacks against Youngstown State in the season opener. That is almost one-third of the number of sacks recorded in 13 contests when Pitt put up a total of 19. Redshirt senior linebacker Nicholas Grigsby led the charge with two sacks against the Penguins.
The Akron offense hopes to leave its mark this week against the Panthers. Senior quarterback Kyle Pohl completed 6 of 17 passes for 88 yards against the Sooners. Sophomore signal caller Tra’Von Chapman was the leading rusher with 48 yards on 14 carries. He was unsuccessful throwing the ball as Chapman went 0 for 8 in pass attempts.
When the Zips do put the ball in the air, watch for sophomore wide receiver Jerome Lane, who had three receptions for 57 yards, including a 42-yard catch in Oklahoma.
Senior linebacker Dylan Evans led the Zips with a career-high 13 tackles last week, including eight solo stops, and one pass break-up.
My Prediction: Pitt takes care of some leftover business for the second week in a row and defeats Akron 31-20.
Up Next: Pitt stays on the road Saturday, Sept. 19 when they take on the Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa. The contest is set to kick-off at 8:00 p.m. ET. It will be broadcast on the Big 10 Network.
Next: Panthers and Mountaineers to meet again in 2022