The rivalry with Akron will be renewed for the 66th time Wednesday, and Kent State will look to keep the Wagon Wheel at home for the fifth-straight season.

The team will look to bounce back after a 24-6 loss to the University of Buffalo on Homecoming night Oct. 21.

“With last week’s game, we’re obviously disappointed in the loss to Buffalo – but a lot of credit to them,” coach Kenni Burns said. “I don’t feel that we adjusted fast enough as a coaching staff. We have to be better with that, and we’ll learn from that, for sure. But, again, we’re on to the next one.”

Midweek MACtion is nothing new to Burns, who was a running backs coach at Western Michigan in 2016.

“I am excited about midweek MACtion,” he said. “I remember at my time with Western Michigan that it was always good football, and it was fun for the kids to be in nationally televised games.”

The loss to Buffalo was the most recent in a string of five consecutive defeats for the Flashes.

The team has a 1-7 overall record this season and is winless in four games against Mid-American Conference opponents.

Akron has identical overall and conference records, putting both teams in a tie for last place in the MAC East.

Akron’s losing streak reached six games after a dominating 41-14 loss to Bowling Green State University.

“They’ve got a really good football team, and I truly mean that,” Burns said. “This team could easily be 5-3. You can see that they’re trending in the right direction. We have our hands filled here, and we have to play our best football, keep getting better, and keep the Wheel here.”

KSU has had extra time to prepare for the matchup, as the team had a bye week, which Burns said was “at a really good time.”

“I think our team needs it – we need to get away,” he said. “I think we’re drained emotionally and physically right now. That’s what college football does to you. This time right now to sit back, reflect and see how we can be better as individuals – I think that’s why this is important that it is now.”

Player matchups

Quarterback

Redshirt senior Jeff Undercuffler, Jr. will make his third consecutive start after being the backup at the start of the season.

• Last game at BGSU: 22-38, 234 passing yards, zero touchdowns, two interceptions
• Season Stats: 60-95, 598 passing yards, two touchdowns, six interceptions

Burns will continue to give redshirt junior Mike Alaimo the starting nod.

• Last game vs. Buffalo: 7-14, 51 passing yards
• Season Stats: 79-144, 932 passing yards, two touchdowns, four interceptions

Running back

Redshirt senior Lorenzo Lingard will start in the backfield for Akron.

• Transferred from Florida at the start of the season
• Leads team in carries, rushing yards, and yards per carry
• Last game at BGSU: 12 carries, 56 rushing yards, one touchdown, two receptions, 23 receiving yards
• Season Stats: 78 carries, 388 rushing yards, two touchdowns, 22 receptions, 230 receiving yards, one receiving touchdown

Redshirt senior Jaylen Thomas will continue to start in place of sophomore Gavin Garcia.

• Last game vs. Buffalo: 17 carries, 65 rushing yards, one reception, seven receiving yards
• Season Stats: 80 carries, 305 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown

Receivers

Akron’s most productive receiver this season has been redshirt senior Daniel George.

• Transferred from Penn State before the 2022 season
• Last game at BGSU: seven receptions, 74 receiving yards
• Season Stats: 31 receptions, 298 receiving yards

Redshirt freshman Chrishon McCray has consistently been Kent State’s most reliable receiver this season.

• Last game vs. Buffalo: five receptions, 52 receiving yards
• Season Stats: 35 receptions, 449 receiving yards, two touchdowns

Defense

On the defensive side of the ball, Akron is anchored by sophomore linebacker Bryan McCoy.

• Tied for 27th in the nation for total tackles
• Last game at BGSU: nine total tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss
• Season Stats: 72 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one fumble recovery

Defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Dave Duggan highlighted senior defensive lineman CJ West and graduate student cornerback D.J. Miller Jr as leaders on the defensive side of the ball.

• Duggan: “[West] has never wavered from a leadership point of view. Even in the spring, you could always lean on him. He was always a voice that I could talk to, and he gave great insight to how the team was doing. D.J. is the exact same way. Both of them are so mature – they get it, they listen, they have a great perspective on seeing it through two lenses (a coach’s perspective and a player’s perspective), and they lead by example.”
• West’s season stats: 22 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, one forced fumble, two quarterback hits
• Miller Jr’s season stats: 32 total tackles, one tackle for loss, one interception, one pass breakup

How do they stack up?

Despite the big loss, Burns “wouldn’t say (the team) didn’t move forward” against Buffalo.

“Defensively, we did some really good stuff, and offensively, we just have to do our job – I don’t think our 11 guys are doing their job enough,” he said. “We have to find ways to be creative and score touchdowns and not have field goals. So, there’s stuff we’re studying as a coaching staff, and I wouldn’t say we’re not moving in the right direction; I just think we need all 22 moving at the same time in the right direction.”

The defense continues to struggle, allowing an average of 33 points per game (114th in the nation out of 130) and 375.5 yards per game.

“I told the team this past weekend, ‘I’m sorry that things have not worked out the way we had hoped that they would,’” Duggan said. “We have a really mature group, and I love working with this group, but I wish we were having more success, and we’re not – we are what we are, and we can only do one thing: look forward to getting back to work.”

Kickoff will be at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in InfoCision Stadium.

Burns indicated his understanding that the team needs to finish strong as the season is quickly coming to a close.

“Our guys are excited, and now we have to finish the next four the right way: getting bigger, faster, stronger,” he said. “The time is now to start putting this thing together, and I know that they’re eager to get back to work.”

John Hilber is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].