Spring Game Recap

Another Spring Game has come and gone in beautiful Akron, Ohio. Zips fans were treated to a solid defensive game with a few big time plays from, hopefully, future big time players. The Blue defeated the White 17-6. Sophmore QB Kato Nelson showed flashes of what Zips fans can expect for the next couple of seasons and the defense looked to be in mid-season form already. This piece will dive a bit into the big positions and the big question marks heading into the 2018 season.

Quarterback

There isn't a question as to who will be the Zips starting QB heading into week one, that job belongs to Kato Nelson. Nelson, who started the last 3 games of the regular season last year, lead the Zips past OU and Kent State en route to a MAC East title. During the Spring Game, the sophomore from Hollywood, Florida connected with another Floridian in Redshirt Senior Kwadarrius Smith for his only touchdown pass of the day.

While the QB1 spot isn't in much doubt, the Blue squad got a solid performance from Redshirt Freshman Alex Ramart. Ramart's pocket presence was on full display as he lead the Blue squad on a 9 play, 80 yard drive, capping it off with a touchdown pass to Nate Stewart. 

Wide Receiver

One of the biggest questions coming into the Spring Game was at the WR position. The Zips were in search of their next big target. While they may not have found it yet, the Zips got tremendous play out of Kwadarrius Smith. Smith, who can run a 40 time faster than I can type this sentence, really emerged at the end of the last season with his blazing fast speed. That speed was on display as he caught one of the games two touchdowns. Akron also got tremendous play from their young wide receivers, namely Nate Stewart and Dustin Burkhart. Again, while they may not have found the big target yet, the WR core seems to be in really solid shape.

Kicker

Toward the end of last season, the kicker position became one of the most problematic for your Zips. Tom O'Leary faded a bit after having a strong start to the season and the Zips alternated between him and Nate Gasser, hoping to find some consistency. Consistency was the name of the game during the Spring Game however, as the kickers were as reliable as you dead-sprinting from Olin to Polsky to not miss class. Tom O'Leary hit a 42 yard FG to put the Blue Squad up 3-0 in the first. Nick Gasser then answered with a 49 yard FG to tie it at 3. Jerry Fitschen even got in on the action, nailing a 24 yarder to put White up 6-3 in the 2nd Quarter. The kickers were solid, which is all you can ask for.

That'll do it for our recap of the Spring Game. Let us know your thoughts on the 2018 Akron Zips by commenting or tweeting us @Zips_United. We'll see you September 1st as the Zips take on Scott Frost's Nebraska Cornhuskers. For Just a Blog From Akron and Zips United, Go Zips.