Taking a Look At Coach Bowden's Future in Akron

In December 2011, Akron made a big splash by hiring Terry Bowden to become its next head coach.  He replaced Rob Ianello, who was fired on November 26 after compiling a 2–22 record in two seasons.  Bowden was seen as a splashy hire by the Zips, and everyone was thrilled to see "Bowden Ball" on its way to Akron. 

In 2012, the Zips struggled, going 1-11 in Bowden's first season.  Ianello didn't leave Bowden much to work with initially, so it was understood by most that a rebuild would take some time.

2013 saw some improvement.  The Zips almost pulled off a huge upset of Michigan in Ann Arbor (and probably should have won - referees missed a blatant pass interference call on the final play).  They finished 5-7, which was a huge improvement from previous years.  Year 3 of Bowden's tenure produced another 5-7 team, and Bowden was given a vote of confidence with a two-year extension.  That move looked great in 2015, as the Zips went 8-5 and won a bowl game for the first time in school history, defeating Utah State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. 

2016 was a step back though, as the Zips fell back to 5-7.  Coming off an an exciting run the previous season, questions began to circulate about Bowden's performance.  While everyone understood he had inherited a mess, the Zips were a losing team in his 5th year.  This set the stage for 2017, which would fire up the Bowden debate even further.

Akron had a disappointing start to the season, going 1-3 in non-conference play.  When they hit MAC play, the team took off.  They started 4-1 in conference, only losing to MAC power Toledo on the road.  Fans started discussing a possible MAC Championship appearance.  But those hopes seemed to take a big hit when starting quarterback Tommy Woodson was abruptly suspended for a violation of team rules, leaving an untested freshman in Kato Nelson to take charge.  The Zips dropped one in Miami, and some hopes were dashed.  The team responded with two straight wins over Ohio and Kent State to qualify for the MAC Championship, before being trounced by Toledo.  They were invited to the Boca Raton Bowl, where they lost big again, 50-3 to FAU.

The team finished 7-7, giving Bowden a 31-44 record overall (21-27 in the MAC). 

Proponents of Coach Bowden will point to two of the school's three bowl appearances coming under his guidance, and the team being a MAC East contender for the past three seasons.  Those who want change will point to the beautiful InfoCision stadium and Akron's premier facilities and suggest that there should be higher expectations given his perceived resources.  While it was a huge step for Akron to reach its 2nd MAC Championship, a gap between Toledo and even more so against FAU was certainly evident. 

Multiple sources tell Just a Blog From Akron that Akron Athletic Director Larry Williams has strongly considered making a coaching change over the past two seasons, but it's uncertain if that has changed since the Zips' surprising-to-some run to the MAC Championship Game. 

While it was frustrating to see the Zips blown out in both the MAC Championship and Boca Raton Bowl, it seems to make sense to see this through with Coach Bowden.  His 2018 recruiting class is seen by most as his most talented so far at Akron, and Bowden and his staff should be able to use momentum from this year's run to catch the attention of even more recruits.  He has a supremely talented quarterback in Kato Nelson, who is young and inexperienced, but has shown star potential already.  Several pieces are there to take the program to the next level, and Bowden, who has won everywhere he's been a head coach, certainly has the resume to provide Zips fans with belief that he can do it.  It makes the most sense to hold Coach Bowden through his contract and re-evaluate, if needed, at its completion. 

If you want to read Coach Bowden's contract, you can check it out here.