Strong second-half lifts Chippewas past Akron

AKRON, Ohio – True freshman tailback Ontario Sneed is looking less and less
like a freshman every game.

Sneed rushed for 183 yards, caught six balls for 77 yards and had three
total touchdowns as the football team beat Akron 31-17 tonight at the Rubber
Bowl.

“The offensive line and receivers made it easier for me,” he said. “All I
had to do was play off them.”

Senior quarterback Kent Smith recorded 263 all-purpose yards, 224 of them
passing. He threw two touchdown passes to Sneed and rushed for a third.

The Zips led 10-0 after their first two drives with 2:38 left in the first
quarter. Sneed then lined up in the slot in the second quarter and scored on
a 45-yard pass from Smith.

UA responded with a 52-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Luke
Getsy to senior wide receiver Domenik Hixon. Hixon finished with 10 catches
for 138 yards and two touchdowns. The Zips led 17-7 at halftime.

CMU responded in the second half with 24 unanswered points and was fueled by
its defense.

Smith began the scoring with a one-yard touchdown run after Sneed ran 59
yards to the UA 2-yard line. Freshman linebacker Chris Wohlgamuth
intercepted a Getsy pass and freshman kicker Rick Albreski booted a 33-yard
field goal, tying the game at 17.

“We did two things very well today,” said coach Brian Kelly. “We controlled
the ball offensively and we forced key turnovers.”

The Zips punted on three consecutive series, and Sneed followed with a
50-yard touchdown run, putting CMU up 24-17.

Senior safety Marlin Maxwell sacked Getsy the next series, forcing a fumble,
which junior Dan Bazuin recovered. Albreski failed to convert a 24-yard
field goal, but Smith threw a ten-yard touchdown pass to Sneed a series
later with 5:46 left in the game.

Senior cornerback Jesse Dailey intercepted Getsy on the Zips’ final drive.
CMU took over and ran out the clock from there.

“We were down early, but we didn’t panic,” Kelly said. “We just went out
after the half and did something about it.”

The Chippewas held UA to just 47 total yards of offense in the second half
after giving up 313 yards in the first half. The Zips finished the game with
360 yards of offense.

It is the first time this season Central has shut out a team in the second
half.

CMU had just 174 yards of offense at halftime but outperformed UA in the
second half, amassing 287 yards of offense to finish the game with 461.

“It was a complete team victory in the second half,” Kelly said. “We played
as well as we could, and that’s the only way these kids know how to play.”

The defense forced four total turnovers, with sophomore safety Curtis Cutts
recording an interception in the second quarter.

CMU’s secondary had given up nearly 360 passing yards per game prior to
tonight. Getsy only passed for 270 yards and two touchdowns.

“It was well-written about our secondary not playing well this season,”
Cutts said. “We responded the way we needed to tonight.”

Senior wide receiver Justin Harper had six catches for 98 yards and junior
Damien Linson had four grabs for 36 yards.

Freshman quarterback Brian Brunner made a brief appearance in the first
quarter, replacing Smith for one play. He rushed for five yards on an option
play.