2026 MAC Football Week 6 Game Preview: Eastern Michigan Eagles vs. Akron Zips

The Eastern Michigan Eagles (3-3, 2-0 MAC) hit the road once again looking to extend their margin in MAC play, taking on the Akron Zips (1-4, 0-1 MAC), who are looking to erase the taste of two-straight performances out of their mouths.

EMU is already on their seventh total game (and third MAC tilt) of the season, having played their league season-opener in Week 0 against Sacramento State and not having a BYE week thus far. They're coming off a dominating win over college football darling UMass, who entered that game undefeated.

The Akron Zips, meanwhile, were absolutely bullied on the road by the Central Michigan Chippewas, who ran roughshod over the defense to the tune of 334 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. They're wounded on both sides of the ball, but have shown bursts of inspiration and hope they can find the spark they need to finish with the team's first non-losing season in a decade.

They'll meet in Akron to determine the direction of both their seasons.

Game Notes

• Date and Time: Saturday, Oct. 10th, 2026 at 3:30 p.m. Eastern time
• Location: Summa Field at InfoCision Stadium in Akron, Ohio
• TV options: The game will stream exclusively on the ESPN+ App. A valid subscription is required for viewing.
• Eastern Michigan radio: Tom Helmer (play-by-play) and Rob Rubick (color) will provide the EMU call for WEMU-FM 89.1.
• Akron radio: Dave Skoczen (play-by-play) and Joe Dunn (color) will provide the Akron call for WHLO-AM 640.
• Gambling Considerations: Eastern is a 6.5-point favorite, with an over/under set around 51.5-52.5 by book, per Covers.
• All-Time Series: Akron leads the all-time series, with a record of 20-16. Akron won the last game the two teams played back in 2024 by a final score of 25-21. The last three contests (2022-24) were all decided by six points or less.

Akron Outlook

The Akron Zips have lost their last two games after picking up their lone win of the season against FCS Robert Morris. They've been pretty demoralizing results, to boot, with the Zips showing grit and potential in the first half only to fall behind and make a lot of game-sealing mistakes late.

Last week against Central Michigan, Akron kept it scoreless through one quarter thanks in part to an early CMU turnover, dominating time of possession to the tune of over 10 minutes. However, they couldn't finish drives on offense, squandering a fantastic defensive performance. From then onwards, it was all CMU, who won 41-17 after the Zips took the initial 7-0 lead.

The struggles have in large part been due to their defense. Akron ranks ninth in the MAC in total defense (384.4 yards allowed), and are generally in the mid-pack in relevant categories such as sacks (sixth), interceptions (sixth) and opponent third/fourth down conversion (fifth and second, respectively)– but are simply woeful in pass defense (229.2 yards allowed), ranking 12th. That's a concern, as Akron's secondary returned a lot of their experienced starters.

Despite that, there have been some intriguing individual pieces on that side of the ball. Newcomer Dwight Nunoo, formerly of FIU, has been an anchor on the defensive line with 30 tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble from the EDGE spot. Former Kennesaw State linebacker Donelius Johnson leads the team in total tackles (41) and solo tackles (18) as well after recovering from a injury which kept him out all of 2025. Cornerback Catrell White has missed the last two games, but leads the team with three PBUs in three games.

On offense, the Zips have been hampered by quarterback injuries. Projected starter Reese Poffenbarger was declared ineligible to play after pleading for a redshirt prior to the season, while Week 1 starter Cibastian Broughton is out for the foreseeable future after a lower-body injury against Minnesota.

That leaves third-stringer Brayden Roggow under center. He's shown flashes in the offense, with a strong arm which is more than capable of hitting explosive plays downfield. What gets him in trouble is an accelerated clock; Akron has one of the worst pass-protecting offensive lines in the NCAA, and it gets QBs in trouble. When combined with playing from behind the majority of the season, it has resulted in a lot of mistakes. In his last three games, Roggow has tossed at least one interception in the second half of each contest, and ties for the MAC lead in picks (five) while also averaging only 121 passing yards per game.

When Roggow does have time to throw downfield, he has some deep passing threats to depend on, including a 2025 second-team all-MAC receiver Marcel Williams (20 catches, 201 yards) and Kyan Mason (15 catches, 143 yards), who make up the majority of Akron's receiving output. Roggow's connection with Williams is especially productive; they've combined for eight receptions and 119 yards in Roggow's two full games as a starter.

Jordan Gant looked more like his old self last week against Central Michigan, rushing for over 100 yards for the first time in the 2026 campaign. The first-team all-MAC halfback from last season sits seventh in the MAC with 293 yards and three rushing touchdowns, and is third on the team in receiving with 93 yards on nine receptions. Sean Patrick has also contributed well here, with 35 rushes for 195 yards (none lost) and 11 catches for 191 yards and a score.

Akron boasts one of the better special teams units in the MAC, with Brandon Hills third in the MAC in return yards and Joseph Castle fifth in the MAC in punting average (43.4 yards).

Eastern Michigan Outlook

The Eagles have really turned their prospects around the last two weeks, dominating FCS Lindenwood and MAC opener UMass to course-correct their way into a 3-2 overall record.

Last week's game was especially instructive, as EMU dominated UMass from start-to-finish thanks to a stout defense limiting UMass to a little over 300 total yards, limiting Pop Watson III's ability to stretch the field on the run and keep him contained. With the defense keeping up their end of the bargain, the offense could relax and play in rhythm. That's been the difference over the last few weeks, as in prior games, it was often the defense unraveling after the offense made a mistake, which allowed opponents an opening to make the issue worse.

Noah Kim is once again one of the MAC's most efficient signalcallers, sitting second in the league in passing yards (1,187 yards) and touchdowns (eight), while topping the league in attempts (203). He was without favorite target Nick Devereaux (15 rec., 143 yards, two TDs) last week but still found plenty of production, hitting Kozy Issac and Harold Mack for touchdowns, converting 12 first downs via the pass and finding five receivers at least three times each on the day. Mack leads the way despite missing a game, with 23 catches for 264 yards and two TDs.

The running game has also picked up in recent weeks, with Amareon Blue (60- carries, 360 yards, three TDs) leading the way. EMU scored three rushing touchdowns vs. UMass– all by different backs– and had 193 rushing yards as a unit. Braydon Bennett and Joey Mattord are also over 100+ yards on the season and have contributed scores in relief and subpackages.

Going back to the defense we mentioned earlier, EMU has been up-and-down through six games, with positives being third in the MAC in scoring defense (25 points per game) and fourth in rushing defense, while the negatives are in passing defense (ninth in conference) and opposing third/fourth down conversions (eighth and seventh, respectively). That said, they have tightened up recently, allowing an average of 8.5 points and 253.5 yards per game over the last two weeks.

A major mark of the defense has been their ability to force turnovers and play clean, fundamental football. EMU is third in the MAC in interceptions and forced fumbles, second in recovered fumbles and first in penalties against. (They've also had the luck to be third in opponent penalties.)

The defense centers on linebacker Zach Mowchan, who is amongst the NCAA leaders in total tackles (50), and also has 2.5 sacks, four pass break-ups and three QB hurries. Mowchan is a homegrown special, having waited his turn as a depth backer for four years to get his chance, which he has taken and ran with. Another emergent homegrown talent is corner Caleb Dobbs, who has already tripled his PBUs from last season (six) in the team's first six weeks and leads the team with two interceptions.

On the defensive line, the pass rushing pair of Ronn Hardin (16 tackles, team-leading 3.5 TFLs, two sacks, two PBUs, three QB hurries, fumble forced) and Quincy Byas (14 tackles, three TFLs, two sacks, team-leading six QB hurries, fumble forced) dictate the pace of play, with the safety pair of Jason Marshall (29 tackles, TFL, two PBUs, interception, one each forced fumble/fumble recovery) and Bryce Llewellyn (28 tackles, two TFLs, three PBUs, fumble recovered) cleaning up on the back end.

Special teams, typically a steady unit under Chris Creighton, have been an adventure for EMU in 2026. Placekicker Rudy Kessinger has hit on just 5-of-8 attempts this year, with a long from 51 but three misses from inside 49. Daniel Hull averages 43 yards per boot, but the protection unit has not been kind to him, as he's faced an unusual amount of pressure on punts. Just five of his 25 punts have landed inside-the-20.

Game Outlook

It's hard to look at the recent form of both of these teams and not think that Eastern has the advantage. They're a lot healthier than Akron, they've proven to be a winner against better outfits than Akron, and they've shown a balance and discipline Akron hasn't had this season either.

EMU has plenty of ways to win this game; looking at the paper, it seems like the best one is to stack points quickly in the passing game and then sit on the ball in the second half to limit the Zips' ability to recover.

If the Zips can't fix their second-half woes on offense, they'll have a hard time keeping up with EMU, who has shown capable of grinding games down in the run or pushing the pace in the pass game.

That's not to say Akron is completely out of options. Jordan Gant has looked more like his old self after a slow start to the season and could pop out against EMU's serviceable run defense. EMU's pass defense is one of the lesser units in the MAC as well, showing a potential for explosive gains on the outside with Williams, Mason and others. If they can exploit that and find a play or two on defense, they'll be in a good position to win.

The oddsmakers have EMU has a firm near-touchdown favorite, and that feels appropriate here. It could be more than that by game's end.