5 takeaways from University of Akron football spring game
The University of Akron football team held its annual spring game Saturday afternoon at InfoCision Stadium.
Second-year coach Joe Moorhead and his staff pitted the offense against the defense for a four-quarter scrimmage that lasted a little over an hour with a running clock. Team Zippy defeated Team Roo 24-13 in an exhibition game that featured a majority of the players playing for each team.
“The spring game, heading into it, was vanilla from a schematics standpoint,” Moorhead said. “We wanted to come out in the first open practice and have some wrinkles on both sides of the ball that we really didn’t want to delve too much into because we got a bunch of work in the 14 practices prior.
“I just wanted to come out and see the kids play with energy, have a great attention to detail, for it to be obsessively competitive, exhibit great mental and physical toughness and to finish. ... I thought the kids played hard. I didn’t think it was particularly clean in any phase, but I thought there were a lot of positives to take away heading into the summer.”
Here are five takeaways:
Quarterback Jeff Undercuffler Jr. comfortable guiding Akron offense
Moorhead said the Zips' quarterback position is “in flux” with two signal callers injured and three competing on Saturday.
Rising senior Jeff Undercuffler Jr. was the Team Zippy quarterback Saturday and completed 14 of 25 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns. Undercuffler threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Myles Walker and a 12-yard score to Bobby Golden.
Freshmen Dijon Jennings and Steele Wasel split time at quarterback for Team Roo. Jennings completed 3 of 5 passes for 47 yards and connected with Dakota Thomas on a 39-yard touchdown pass. Wasel finished 3 of 10 for 12 yards and two interceptions.
Quarterbacks DJ Irons and Ryan Jankowski and wide receiver Alex Adams were among several players sidelined because of an injury.
Moorhead said he expects Irons, Jankowski and Adams to be ready for the 2023 season.
Myles Walker impresses at wide receiver for Akron
Walker was Undercuffler’s top target with five receptions for 58 yards.
“I thought Myles Walker had a really nice day,” Moorhead said.
Daniel George contributed four catches for 45 yards.
DiMarco Johnson and Darrian Lewis grab interceptions for Akron
DiMarco Johnson and Akron native Darrian Lewis were among the defensive standouts and each player grabbed an interception Saturday.
“Darrian Lewis made a bunch of good plays,” Moorhead said.
Lorenzo Lingard Jr. provides versatility at running back for Akron
Moorhead said senior Lorenzo Lingard Jr. “had a great spring” that ended with a 3-yard touchdown run for Team Zippy Saturday. Lingard totaled six carries for 24 yards and two receptions for 14 yards.
Lingard played football as a reserve at the University of Miami and the University of Florida between 2018 and 2022. He earned a bachelor's degree in Education Sciences in 2022 at Florida.
Lingard was selected as the Gatorade Player of the Year in Florida as a high school senior in 2017, and initially chose Miami over scholarship offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida State, Florida and Georgia, among others.
Noah Perez and Owen Wiley compete to kick for Akron Zips
Noah Perez and Owen Wiley each bounced back from a missed field goal Saturday to convert multiple kicks. Perez made a 47-yard field goal, a 43-yard field goal and a PAT for Team Roo, and added a PAT for Team Zippy. Wiley was true on a 39-yard field goal and two PATs for Team Zippy.
Joseph Castle contributed two 42-yard punts, one inside the 5-yard line and another inside the 15-yard line.
Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com and is on Twitter at @MBeavenABJ.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: 5 takeaways from University of Akron Zips football spring game
