Wild ending: Late defensive touchdown lifts Akron football to win over Morgan State
Moments away from a tough loss in its home opener, the University of Akron football team delivered a stunning 24-21 win over Morgan State on Saturday night.
With Akron trailing by four points and Morgan State looking to run out the clock in the final minute, Zips defensive lineman CJ Nunnally IV forced a fumble on the Morgan State 15-yard line. Akron linebacker Bryan McCoy picked up the loose ball and ran 13 yards for the game-winning touchdown with 52 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
Noah Perez kicked the extra point for the three-point lead. And the Zips defense closed out the victory with a sack by Terray Jones.
"That was a hell of a play by CJ and Bryan," Akron coach Joe Moorhead said. "This kind of validates what we have been talking about since January. When we got to a point in the fourth quarter and looked up at the scoreboard and we have a chance to win a game, we gotta find a way to finish. I didn't expect it to be in that dramatic fashion, but full credit to our kids. Defense played lights out."
Akron (1-1) led 17-7 at halftime in front of a crowd of 8,213, but Morgan State (1-1) rallied with several big plays in the second half.
"This is year 26 [coaching]," Moorhead said. "This is a game where you ride a lot of emotions and you go from the 0-2 talk to the 1-1 talk. I obviously prefer the 1-1 talk."
Said Akron defensive lineman Ryan Johnson: "All year we have been emphasizing the word 'finish,' and that is what we did."
Moorhead played three quarterbacks with DJ Irons starting and Tahj Bullock and Jeff Undercuffler Jr. entering as reserves.
Undercuffler entered in the later moments of the second quarter and provided a spark, connecting with Alex Adams on a 29-yard touchdown pass.
The third quarter was a different story as Morgan State defensive backs Jae'veyon Morton and Jordan Toles intercepted passes by Undercuffler that led to two touchdowns passes by Bears quarterback Duce Taylor to wide receiver Treveyon Pratt. Taylor connected with Pratt for 31 yards and 12 yards at 4:23 and 1:55, respectively.
Undercuffler guided the Zips down the field on a promising drive in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter, but Toles leaped in the end zone for an interception and a touchback.
Undercuffler completed 17 of 25 passes for 201 yards. Jasaiah Gathings had six catches for 78 yards and Adams had six catches or 75 yards.
Moorhead said the Zips need to get the quarterback spot "solidified."
"Obviously, you can't turn the ball over three times, but he was able to get the ball out to our playmakers and threw for over 200 yards," Moorhead said. "We gotta get some things figured out on offense. We gotta shore up the offensive line, we gotta find a way to be a lot more effective running the ball and then certainly we gotta cut down on the turnovers."
Akron starts fast in football home opener
Nunnally opened the game with two sacks and a quarterback pressure on Morgan State's first possession.
The drive ended with a punt blocked by Zips special teamer Noel Roach. Roach grabbed the ball on the Morgan State 14 and ran to the 7 to give Akron prime field position.
Four plays later, Perez converted a 22-yard field goal to give Akron a 3-0 lead with 11:18 remaining in the first quarter.
Morgan State took a 7-3 lead with 5:32 to go in the second quarter when quarterback Dominique Anthony threw an 8-yard TD pass to tight end Matt Lowe.
Akron scored 14 points in the final minute of the second quarter to take a 17-7 halftime lead. Undercuffler completed 5 of 5 passes for 72 yards, including the 29-yard TD pass to Adams with 50 seconds left in the second quarter.
Morgan State attempted to put together a drive, but Akron cornerback Devonte Golden-Nelson grabbed an interception and ran 50 yards for a touchdown with 14 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
Morgan State coach Damon Wilson also played three quarterbacks with Carson Baker starting and Anthony and Taylor entering as reserves. Taylor completed 9 of 18 passes for 102 yards.
Akron's KJ Martin grabbed an interception, McCoy finished with 14 tackles and Darrian Lewis and Antavious Fish had nine tackles apiece.
"A ton of credit to coach [Tim] Tibesar and the defensive staff," Moorhead said. "The kids are executing the plan. ... They are playing a physical, aggressive, opportunistic and productive style of football."
Michael Beaven can be reached at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal and is on Twitter at @MBeavenABJ.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron football scores defensive TD in final minute to top Morgan State
