2026 MAC Football Week 1 Game Preview: Akron Zips vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons

The Akron Zips were agonizingly close to a six-win record in 2025, falling one game short of their first non-losing season in nearly a decade.

But that's the past; Akron underwent a lot of roster churn due to graduations and transfers, and will integrating a lot of new names at key positions in the 2026 campaign, a fact head coach Joe Moorhead lamented in the lead-up to this week's game against Wake Forest.

"We're operating in an Etch-a-Sketch era now," Moorhead told media earlier this week. "The season starts, you draw a picture. The season ends, you shake it up."

Indeed, the Zips replaced 41 of their 85 scholarship players during the offseason.

Now that team will look to put down some foundational sketchwork towards a successful season against a Wake Forest team going through changes of their own.

Game Notes

• Date and Time: Thursday, Sept. 3rd, 2026 at 7 p.m. Eastern time
• Location: Allegency Financial Stadium in Wake Forest, North Carolina
• Television Network: The game will be on the ACC Network, part of the ESPN family of networks. A valid cable subscription is required for viewing.
• Streaming Options: The game will be available for streaming on the ESPN App or on applicable cable/satellite services. A valid subscription is required for viewing on either platform. Other streaming carriers include Sling, DirecTV Stream, fuboTV, Hulu Live TV, or YouTube TV.
• Akron Radio: Dave Skoczen (play-by-play) and Joe Dunn (color) will provide the Akron call for WHLO-AM 640
• Gambling Considerations: Wake Forest is a -24.5 point home favorite, with an over/under set between 47.5 and 48.5 by various books, per Covers.
• All-Time Series: This will be the first matchup between these two teams.

Wake Forest outlook

The Demon Deacons are under the auspices of second-year head coach Jake Dickert, who came in from Washington State back in 2025.

His inaugural season saw an out-of-nowhere nine-win campaign and a postseason appearance after back-to-back 4-8 campaigns in 2023 and 2024, giving fans optimism the team has a great foundation to build upon.

Alas, like it does for lots of teams in Division I, the offseason came for Wake Forest and was merciless– particularly on the offensive side of the ball. They lost two quarterbacks with starting experience, their top halfback, four of their top five receivers and four starters on the offensive line all in one fell swoop, and will be hoping to find their guiding lights early in the season.

Gio Lopez, formerly of South Alabama and North Carolina, is the team's entrenched starter at quarterback after finishing 2025 with 1,475 yards, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions as a Tar Heel. Wake Forest hopes he can be a steadying presence after they rotated at the position last year.

Carlos Hernandez (40 receptions, 611 yards three TDs) was the best receiver on the team by a long shot in 2025 and is the leading returnee amongst the passcatchers, a bright spot amongst the mysteries elsewhere. Kam Shanks, UAB's leading receiver in 2024, looks to key in the offense after a gap year with Arkansas. He and Antonio Meeks, a former D-II standout with Tuskegee who contributed at Louisville in 2024 and 2025, look to join Hernandez.

Ty Clarke, who had two starts for the Deacs in 2025, is the listed starting halfback after collecting 323 yards last season. The staff also brought in Florida transfer KD Daniels (120 yards in '25) to shore up depth after a few departures and could use redshirt freshman Jamar Searcy, who stands at five-foot-seven, 200 lbs.

The offensive line is filled aggressively with transfers, but even still only holds 25 FBS starts and two FCS starts between them. It'll be a mystery as to how they take to the field.

The defense is in a little better shape, returning most of the players who elevated the unit in 2025.

All four starters along the defensive line return, including ends Langston Hardy (team-lead in sacks [7] and TFLs [17]) and Gabe Kirschke (five sacks, nine TFLs), as well as DTs Dallas Afalave and Zach Lohavichan (56 tackles, 10 TFLs, three sacks combined.) Several transfers also arrive behind them, including Weber State standout Matt Herron (13.5 TFLs, 6.5 sacks in career) and New Hampshire's DJ Johnson (42 tackles, 2.5 sacks in '25.)

Aiden Hall is the leading returner amongst the linebackers, finishing 2025 with 73 tackles, eight TFLs and three pass break-ups at the MIKE position. Frank Cusano (45 tackles in '25) and former All-Mountain West backer Buom Jock (100 tackles, 2.5 sacks in '24 with Colorado State) could also play a key in the 4-2-5 look.

The defensive backfield is defined by star safety Davaughan Patterson, who caught the eyes of pro scouts after collecting 80 stops and nine pass break-ups as a sophomore. He'll take on a larger role now with the departure of last year's leading tackler Nick Andersen (team-leading 106 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, 2.5 sacks in '25).

Braylon Johnson moves from cornerback to the "star" defensive back position after a campaign which saw him finish ninth on the team in tackles (44); Deuce Blades arrives from FIU to strengthen the outside secondary with 103 career tackles and two interceptions in his career.

Wake Forest lost their placekicker and punter from a very good special teams squad in 2025– but Hernandez comes back at kick returner after notching a score on kick return duty. The Deacs also housed a punt for a touchdown last season, making this phase dangerous.

Akron Outlook

The Zips start over once again on both sides of the ball– and find themselves unsure of if the build can even work due to a recent development on the offense.

As of publication, the eligibility of transfer quarterback Reese Poffenbarger is in question. Poffenbarger arrived in Akron this offseason after five years between UAlbany, Miami [FL] and North Texas with the expectation of being the starter after Ben Finley's departure.

The Zips have ran spring and fall camps under the assumption Poffenbarger was clear; if he can't play, the only rostered QB with any game experience is Brayden Roggow (11-of-17 passes for 91 yards.) That will absolutely impact what Akron will be capable of offensively.

During media availability, Moorhead did not commit to a starter at the position, stating simply that all of their quarterbacks got reps in fall camps and that he looks forward to the season.

Thankfully, they're not completely out of options, as this team was going to run halfback Jordan Gant a lot regardless. Gant, who collected over 1,000 scrimmage yards in a breakout campaign last season, is expected to be one of the MAC's best prospects in the upcoming year. The former Tennessee State product had 1,032 rushing yards and six touchdowns en route to being named to the second-team all-MAC offense and looks to build upon that success.

Whoever plays at QB will have some great weapons to throw to, as both Marcel Williams and Kyan Mason return to the fold. The loss of leading scorer and second-team all-MAC receiver Israel Polk (eight touchdowns) to Oklahoma State does hurt, but Williams and Mason were similarly productive. Williams led the team in yards (641) and receptions (45) in 2025, while Mason collected the same amount of receptions as Polk (33) and held his own with 481 yards and five touchdowns.

Defense is where the Zips will be hurting, as they lose their top eight tacklers due to graduation or transfer, and completely reset at the linebacker spot.

Some experienced names do return, such as Cyrus Durham (31 tackles, 8.5 TFLs, three sacks) along the defensive front, and the quartet of Aamii Branch (three starts), Alex Branch (six starts), Mehki Flowers (four starts) and Rodrick Hunter (four starts) in the defensive backfield.

Flowers, a former Penn State prospect, is the one to keep an eye on here. He is the team's leading returnee for tackles (43) and availed himself well in both pass coverage and run stuffing from the cornerback position. Aamii Branch will likely see time in the hybrid back spot after collecting 34 tackles, four TFLs and a sack in 2025.

Special teams returns a unit which was respectable towards the end of last season. A full season with Matthew Schramm (12-of-12 on field goals) could prove to be a steadying presence.

Game Outlook 

This will be a game where both programs are trying to feel themselves out.

Wake Forest's experienced defense takes on an Akron offense which, on paper, should be a pretty effective unit. That leaves an Akron defense with security in the back end but questions in the trenches against a Wake Forest passing attack with talented players but a rushing attack which needs clarity.

This game will ultimately be won in the margins; last season, Akron was one of the least effective teams in leverage downs in the NCAA, failing to convert on third down 70 percent of the time and did not find production when they did get going, scoring 22 points on average (108th in NCAA.)

They'll need to prove they've learned to maintain discipline against a Wake Forest team capable of setting the emotional pace of the game; Phil Steele had the Deacs with four net upsets and three close victories of their nine in '25.

At the end of the day, Wake Forest is the program with superior resources, and Akron might not even be at its expected strength. Until we see what the Zips are made of, it'll be hard to pick them for a bit.

Wake Forest should be capable of winning comfortably within the point spread.