The University of Akron and Kent State football teams will renew acquaintances Wednesday night at InfoCision Stadium in the annual matchup where the winner gets the wooden Wagon Wheel.
UA and KSU both have 1-7 overall records and 0-4 marks in the Mid-American Conference. Each team is 1-2 at home and 0-5 on the road. The Zips have lost six in a row and the Flashes have lost five in a row.
Akron 's only win came on Sept. 9 when the Zips topped Morgan State 24-21.
Kent's only win came on Sept. 16 when the Flashes defeated Central Connecticut State 38-10.
UA and KSU have one common opponent this season, Buffalo. The Bulls beat the host Zips 13-10 in overtime on Sept. 30 and defeated the host Flashes 24-6 on Oct. 21.
Here are five things to know about the matchup:
Akron leads the all-time series with Kent 35-28-2. The teams first played in football in 1923, with the Zips winning 32-0. There are multiple seasons in which the teams have not played in the past 100 years. The Wagon Wheel trophy was introduced in 1946. The teams have played each other every year since 1983 with the exception of one year.
Kent has won four in a row over Akron from 2019 to the present under former coach Sean Lewis after the Zips won four in a row over the Flashes from 2015-2018 during the Terry Bowden era.
"No one on the current team has experienced a win in the Wagon Wheel game outside of coach [ Reno ] Ferri and I on the coaching staff and coach [Jeff] Sobol when he was at Kent," Akron coach Joe Moorhead said.
Ferri is Akron's associate head coach and tight ends coach. Sobol is Akron's strength and conditioning coach.
Moorhead and Ferri were both assistants to J.D. Brookhart, who was Akron's coach from 2004-2009. Sobol worked as football sports performance coach at Kent on Lewis' staff from 2018-2022.
"We emphasize every single day in practice, regardless of whether it is spring ball, fall camp or any other game, trying to convey the importance of winning the game to the team and certainly understand how important it is to our fans and our alumni," Moorhead said. "We are doing everything we can to get that thing [the Wagon Wheel] back here."
Jeff Undercuffler Jr. and Tahj Bullock continue to get snaps at quarterback for Akron after a season-ending injury to DJ Irons.
Akron's offense also features running backs Lorenzo Lingard and Drake Anderson and wide receivers Daniel George, Jasaiah Gathings, Alex Adams and Bobby Golden and tight end TJ Banks.
The Zips' leaders on defense are linebackers Bryan McCoy, Antavious Fish and Corey Thomas Jr., defensive backs Darrian Lewis , KJ Martin Jr. and lineman CJ Nunnally IV.
Kent State is also playing two quarterbacks, Michael Alaimo and Tommy Ulatowski. The offense also features running backs Gavin Garcia, Jaylen Thomas and Xavier Williams and wide receivers Chrishon McCray, Trell Harris and Luke Floriea.
The Flashes' leaders defensively are linebackers Devin Nicholson, Nicholas Giacolone and CJ Harris , safeties Bryce Sheppert and Alex Branch and cornerback D.J. Miller Jr.
"They run the no huddle up tempo offense that coach Lewis brought in there," Moorhead said. "They have moved the ball well in spurts, running it and throwing it, but they haven't had a ton of consistency. I know that is something that they appear to be striving to get fixed as they move forward.
"Defensively, they have a lot of size and athleticism up front, and a bunch of speed on the back end. They will give you some different man and zone looks. Coach [Kenni] Burns is really working hard in his first year to establish his program."
The Zips have three players whose hometown is Akron: Lewis, a St. Vincent-St. Mary graduate, and Archbishop Hoban graduates Grant Gainer and Davion Jennings.
Lewis and Jennings are defensive backs and Gainer is a tight end.
Akron's other players with local ties are cornerback Tyson Durant (Canton McKinley) and defensive lineman Marcus Moore Jr. (Massillon). Durant played at Copley before transferring to McKinley.
Sheppert is a Stow graduate and Branch is a Twinsburg graduate.
Three Kent State players are from Akron: punter Charlie Durkin (Hoban) and defensive linemen Macyo Williams (St. Vincent-St. Mary) and Antoine Campbell Jr. (Copley).
KSU offensive lineman Nolan Rumler is a Kent native and Hoban graduate.
KSU's other players with local ties are offensive lineman Kevin Toth (Hudson), tight end Hayden Junker (Jackson), running back Preston Taylor (Copley), cornerback Freddie Lenix (Massillon), safety Nick Cuva (Tallmadge), linebackers Luke Murphy (Massillon) and Shane Slattery (Revere) and defensive linemen John Jackson (Barberton) and Bryce Sisak (Hoban).
Michael Beaven can be reached at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal and is on Twitter at @MBeavenABJ .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: University of Akron vs. Kent State football game | 5 things to know
