The shock that rattled Dix Stadium in Kent last Saturday wasn’t just the University of Akron’s win on the final drive of the game to keep ownership of the Wagon Wheel.
For Zips fans, it likely was sitting down there or in front of their television sets at home to discover that starting quarterback Thomas Woodson wouldn’t be playing, a decision that wasn’t made until just before the game started.
Because of an injured shoulder suffered in the Appalachian State game, Woodson couldn’t play and Tra’Von Chapman, a Kent Roosevelt graduate, assumed the reins of the offense.
Chapman struggled in the first half and delivered the win in the second. In that first half, he completed 2-of-14 passes, threw two interceptions and lost a fumble. In the second, he completed 9-of-14 passes for two touchdowns.
Zips fans can look forward to more uncertainty. Coach Terry Bowden said during his news conference on Tuesday that Woodson, who threw on a very limited basis, has not been ruled out for Saturday’s game against Miami University.
Bowden said he feels comfortable putting the offense in Chapman’s hands again.
“I think you can watch the game from Kent State and watch him transform from the first half,” Bowden said. “There’s so much riding on that game in his mind because [his] hometown, wanting to be a success, wanting to prove himself. All that pressure building up on himself. By the second half, I think we saw the way he could play.”
What happens at the quarterback position could be important for the Zips’ future. A healthy Woodson enables the Zips to stay with their plan for freshman Kato Nelson.
Ideally, they would like to get through the season without having to use him in a game. NCAA rules allow Nelson to practice and he’s getting snaps with the first-team offense at times, but UA doesn’t have to declare him a redshirt.
Being able to place that designation on him at the end of the season allows for an extra year of development.
Rising up
The question at the top of everyone’s list coming into the season was whether the Zips would be able to replace the defensive production provided by departed linebacker Jatavis Brown, who is currently starting at linebacker for the San Diego Chargers. Sophomore Ulysses Gilbert continues to get better with each game.
Bowden called him a linebacker by birth, but he’s not quite grown up. Bowden credits associate head coach and defensive coordinator Chuck Amato with Gilbert’s development and that of other linebackers to come through their program at UA.
“He’s just learning how to play football,” Bowden said of Gilbert. “He has the speed of Jatavis Brown, but doesn’t quite have the knowledge. [But] he has so much room for improvement.”
Gilbert, who has 55 tackles including seven tackles for loss, turned into a wrecking crew against KSU, delivering 16 tackles and three tackles for negative yardage. It’s the kind of output that’s been the norm at that position since the arrival of Bowden and Amato.
Safety Zach Guiser is also making his presence felt on the defense with 38 tackles, two of them going for losses.
Gilbert was named Mid-American Conference East Division Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts against KSU.
Welcome back
UA will recognize the 1976 team and coach Jim Dennison (80-62-2), the program’s all-time leader in wins, for homecoming at Saturday’s game. The 1976 team went 10-3 and went on to play in the Division II final, losing 24-13 to Montana State.
Injury update
The Zips defense will have to get by the rest of the season without senior defensive lineman Jamal Marcus. He underwent season ending surgery.
George M. Thomas can be reached at gmthomas@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Zips blog at www.ohio.com/zips. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GeorgeThomasABJ.