2026 MAC Football Week 4 Game Preview: Akron Zips vs. UNLV Rebels

The Akron Zips (1-2) get set to play one last non-conference tilt before the start of the Mid-American Conference slate, hosting the Mountain West's UNLV Rebels (1-2, 1-0 MWC) this upcoming Saturday.

The Zips are coming off an expected loss to Big Ten foe Minnesota, where they suffered an injury which could put their offense in flux. The Rebels, meanwhile, are on their third-straight road contest, falling by a 44-6 tally against North Texas in last weekend's action.

Both teams could use a lift as they near the second act of their seasons; how do they look as we move towards kickoff?

Game Notes

• Date and Time: Saturday, Sept. 26th, 2026 at noon Eastern time
• Location: Summa Field at InfoCision Stadium in Akron, Ohio
• TV options: The game will stream exclusively on ESPN+. A valid subscription is required for viewing.
• Akron radio: Dave Skoczen (play-by-play) and Joe Dunn (color) will provide the Akron call for WHLO-AM 640.
• Gambling Considerations: UNLV is a 13.5-point road favorite, with an over/under set around 52.5-53.0 by book, per Covers.
• All-Time Series: These two teams have only played once, with their last meeting in 1976's NCAA Division II playoffs. Akron eliminated UNLV with a 27-6 win in the quarterfinals.

UNLV Outlook

Former SEC coach Dan Mullen is back for a second year of duty in Vegas after going 10-4 in his first campaign. The 2026 Rebels have been a bit shakier so far.

UNLV is coming off an early BYE week, but last time they were in action, they had one of their worst performances in recent memory, taking a 44-6 drumming on the road against North Texas last weekend.

It was a real "burn the tape"-type performance, failing to score 20 points in a game for the first time since 2023 and failing to score a touchdown for the first time since 2021 in the loss.

A loss in this game would put the Rebels in a bit of a bind; they're 1-0 in conference play with a road win vs. Hawai'i, but sit 1-2 overall and have games vs. Cal and North Dakota State after this weekend. If they can get past those two teams, the schedule opens up in league play, but nothing has been a given for UNLV through four weeks, as they blew three separate leads before losing to Memphis to open the season, then had to sneak out a win vs. the Rainbow Warriors to follow.

The Rebels are decent if not flashy on offense, sitting 89th in total offense, with fairly average numbers in the pass (203.3 yards per game) and in the run (171.7 yards per game).

Auburn transfer QB Jackson Arnold and former Michigan QB Alex Orji are listed as co-starters, but it's Arnold who has taken the majority of the snaps, tossing for 602 yards and four touchdowns, while rushing for 132 yards and a team-leading three scores. Taz Reddicks leads the Rebs in receptions (eight) and yards (120), while Kayden McGee has a touchdown to go with five catches for 103 yards. They're listed as co-contributors at one of the receiver positions, but have put up over a third of the team's receiving production. Tight end Keyan Burnett (seven catches, 74 yards) has been a solid contributor as well.

The running game is held by Jai-Den "Jet" Thomas, who leads the team with 42 carries for 224 yards and a score. Thomas was a 1,000+ yard rusher in 2025, earning first-team all-Mountain West honors, and paces the team once again in 2026.

The defense has been similarly middling, sitting 84th in the NCAA with almost-even numbers given up between the pass and the run in terms of yards and touchdowns.

Jake Pope has been the heart-and-soul of the defense from the safety spot, as the former Georgia Bulldog picked up 13 total tackles in UNLV's season opener vs. Memphis and has 23 overall. Joining Pope in the safety room is the emergent sophomore Tre Fulton, who holds the joint-lead in tackles-f0r-loss (two) and sacks (two) while also bringing in two pass break-ups, a forced fumble and 21 tackles. Senior linebacker Cam Santee, of nearby Avon, Ohio, will have an opportunity for a homecoming game; Santee is tied for third in tackles (17) and second on the team in solo stops (10).

Akron Outlook

The Zips, outside of their win over Robert Morris, have taken two expected losses to Power opponents in Wake Forest and Minnesota.

Their season has been complicated by uncertainty at the quarterback position; transfer Reese Poffenbarger, who trained through spring and fall camps as the starter, was held back due to an NCAA inquiry into his eligibility. In stepped Cibastian Broughton, who has performed admirably given the circumstances, with 380 passing yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions on 80 percent completion through the air and an additional 170 rushing yards to lead the team.

Unfortunately, Broughton is questionable to play due to a foot injury suffered against Minnesota last week. As of publication, Akron has not released game notes, depth chart or an injury report, so we can only speculate as to his current condition.

Backup QB Brayden Roggow has been called to action in all three games, accumulating 231 passing yards and two touchdowns on 63 percent completion. He does not offer quite the running skills Broughton does, but has notched a touchdown on the ground.

Under either signalcaller, the Zips have done a great job distributing the ball in Joe Moorhead's RPO-based spread system, with eight receivers sitting on five or more receptions through three games. Receiver Marcel Williams leads the pack in receptions (12), while halfback Sean Patrick has the team-lead in yards (83) on nine catches. Transfer tight end Elijah Alexander has also been a significant target, with a team-leading three touchdowns on eight catches.

The rushing game has looked markedly different in 2026, with more of an emphasis on QB runs. Broughton has toted the rock 30 times, averaging 5.7 yards per carry and 56.7 yards per game. Jordan Gant, who had over 1,000 yards last season, sits at only 107 yards through the first three games, averaging a mere 35 yards per contest. This is the case for him and Patrick both, with the latter averaging 38 yards. With Roggow under center, this attack could look much different– but how different will depend on the game state.

The defense lost a lot of their best contributors in the front seven during the offseason, and their secondary– which led the way in returning experience– has faltered thus far, allowing nearly 247 yards per game and over seven yards per attempt. Opponents have scored 10 touchdowns on the Zips, with seven through the air.

Kennesaw State transfer Donelius Johnson, a starting linebacker, leads the team with 27 total tackles and 12 solo stops. FIU transfer Dwight Nunoo has collected at least a half-TFL in every game so far, leading the team with three TFLs. Catrell White has three pass break-ups on the outside corner, while Aamii Branch has two PBUs and a TFL.

Game Outlook

Akron has some questions surrounding who will start at QB, which makes it hard to project how this game could play out. That said, UNLV is the clear favorite, and even if the numbers are middling on the scale of the NCAA, UNLV's rock-steady consistency, especially on offense, will make for a tough assignment for an Akron defense bereft of depth in the trenches.

Akron's best chance at a win is to force turnovers on defense and possess the ball using the run game– two things on offense they have struggled to do thus far in 2026 outside of improvisation.

This is a likely UNLV win, especially if Broughton can't go at QB for the Zips.