Courtesy: John Ashley Photography

Akron will host rival Kent State this Saturday in the first Wagon Wheel game to be played in the Zips' new home - InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field. Kickoff is set for 3:30 and will be televised on FSN Ohio as well as on ESPN Game Plan. Also, the Akron/ISP Sports Network will broadcast the game on 1350 AM, 106.9 FM and GoZips.com.

Akron vs. Kent State

Akron and Kent State have met on 51 previous occasions with the Zips owning a 29-20-2 advantage in the series

This will also mark the 39th time the teams have played for the coveted Wagon Wheel.

Akron won 12 of the first 14 meetings in the series (from 1923-1942) and has won 10 of the last 12.

The inaugural battle for the Wagon Wheel came in 1946. Kent State won the first nine meetings with the new trophy and owns a slight 19-18-1 advantage in such games.

In games played in Akron, the Zips hold a decisive 21-8-2 advantage over their rival.

The series between the schools took a significant hiatus from 1954-72 and the teams only met four times from 1972 until 1983. However, the teams have met every year since '83, except 1991, and Akron owns a 17-8 advantage over the last 25 years.

Last year's Wagon Wheel game was a thriller, featuring the first overtime battle in the series. Kent led 21-10 at halftime, but UA held the Golden Flashes to just three points in the second half. Facing 4th-and-11 with 1:35 left in the game and the Zips down four points, Deryn Bowser made an impressive TD catch in the left corner of the endzone to give UA a three-point lead. However, KSU marched down the field and hit a 32-yard field goal as time expired to force overtime.

In the first OT, KSU's Nate Reed and UA's Igor Iveljic both made field goal. However, in the second OT, Iveljic split the uprights from 25 yards out, while Reed's 23-yard attempt sailed wide right to keep the Wagon Wheel in Akron.

The last time the game was played in Akron - Sept. 22, 2007, the Zips regained possession of the Wagon Wheel with a 27-20 victory. Akron scored 17 unanswered in the second half and Davanzo Tate intercepted a pass in the endzone as time expired to secure the win.

The Wagon Wheel Origin

According to legend, the "Wagon Wheel" came into being in the spring of 1870 when John R. Buchtel, an Akron industrialist, at the insistence of Rev. Andrew Willson of the Kent Universalist Church, set out for Kent in search of a site for a proposed college. However, his wagon became bogged down in the mud where Kent State University is currently located, the horses broke away and left bits and pieces of the carriage scattered, including one of the wheels, which remained wedged in the mud.

Buchtel eventually found his way back to Akron, where he settled on a site for Buchtel College, the forerunner of the present University of Akron.

During construction of a pipeline along the Western Reserve Trail in 1902, the wheel was discovered and eventually became the property of Dr. Raymond Manchester, who in 1945 as the Kent State Dean of Men, suggested the wheel be set up as an award to the winner of the annual Akron-Kent State football game.

Manchester had the wheel painted blue and gold, the school colors of both schools, and it has been a prized trophy ever since. Each spoke bears a plaque verifying the score of each game.

Closest Rivalries in NCAA FBS

When it comes to playing your biggest rival, not many schools can claim more intensity than Akron-Kent State, due to the proximity of the two schools. Below is a list of the closest football rivalries in the NCAA FBS subdivision (formerly I-A). Only schools with a regular history made the list.

CAMPUS-TO-CAMPUS DISTANCE (via Google Maps)

Rice - Houston 6.1 miles

Washington State - Idaho 8.7 miles

North Carolina - Duke 10.0 miles

AKRON - KENT STATE 11.6 miles

Southern California - UCLA 14.1 miles

Stanford - San Jose State 21.3 miles

Duke - North Carolina State 25.3 miles

North Carolina - North Carolina State 25.5 miles

Bowling Green - Toledo 27.5 miles

A True Civil War

The Civil War was famous for pitting brother versus brother. Many years, it has seemed that way with the close proximity of the schools and the many friends and relatives that have ties to both school.

However, this year, the Akron-Kent State game will literally have brother versus brother when Akron's redshirt freshman Marvase Byrd (#15) will battle his brother, Kent State redshirt freshman Leon Green (#20). Both Bryd and Green are defensive backs. Byrd has played in eight games, starting at corner at Syracuse and playing most of the game at Buffalo for the injured Manley Waller. Byrd has 11 tackles, getting five at Buffalo and two at Syracuse, while also playing on several special teams units. Green has played in eight of the nine Golden Flashes' games, getting three tackles and a fumble recovery.

While Byrd and Green are brothers, they did attend different high schools in the Pittsburgh area. Byrd went to McKeesport HS, while Green is a product of Monroeville HS. Both are also cousins to former NFL Pro Bowl running back Curtis Martin.

Broderick Burns Redshirt

True freshman Broderick Alexander burned his redshirt year with just five games to play last week at Northern Illinois. However, he did not just fill in here and there, he stepped in as the starter at running back, becoming the first UA true freshman to start at the position since Terry Cameron in 1978 and is believed to be just the third all-time as Billy Mills accomplished the feat in 1973. Akron is hoping Alexander experiences similar success Cameron and Mills had. Cameron tied for the team lead with nine touchdowns in 1978, thanks to a school-record five TDs in the season finale versus Northern Iowa. Mills led UA in rushing in 1973, then again in '75 and '76, and ranks sixth on the school's all-time rushing list with 2,816 yards.

Alexander was solid his first three quarters, having 15 carries for 48 yards for an average of 3.2 yards per attempt. However, he only ran the ball four times for zero net yards in the fourth quarter to skew the numbers.

With several injuries to the Zips running back corps this season, head coach J.D. Brookhart has worked Alexander in the regular practice rotation on several occasions in hopes of playing the Covington, Ga., native. Ultimately, Brookhart decided to not play Alexander in hopes of keeping the redshirt, but Alexander's talent finally won out for the Northern Illinois game.

Honoring the National Champions

During the Akron-Kent State football game, the University of Akron will be honoring Stevi Large and Jenna Compton - its two national champions from the 2008-09 year.

Large shattered her own school and Mid-American Conference record twice in the hammer Friday to win the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship with a throw of 223-4, held at the University of Arkansas.

Large posted a personal-record throw of 221-10 (67.62) on her first throw in the final, which would have been good enough to win. After a two-hour weather delay, prohibitive favorite Southern Cal's Eva Orban, who was the nation's leader coming into these championships, and Arizona State's Sarah Stevens began getting closer to Large's standard. With Orban only trailing by seven inches in the final round of throws, Large stepped up and delivered the clinching throw of 223-4 (68.08).

Large, a four-time All-American and three-time UA Caroline Pardee Female Student-Athlete of the Year honoree, won her fourth career MAC title in hammer and second career NCAA Mideast Regional title. Large is just the fourth women's student-athlete in MAC history to compete a career sweep in an event. Also, during the indoor season, she competed in the weight throw seven times, winning six with her third career MAC title. Her only non-win of 2009 indoor season was a runner-up finish in the weight throw at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

While Large entered her NCAA Championship as a contender to win, Compton was an improbable champion in every sense. A true freshman, Compton showed steady improvement as the season progressed and was the 48th seed of the 48 co-ed competitors at the championship.

All the makings of a Cinderella story were in place for Compton's fairytale ending. The freshman, who has been a constant performer for the Zips this season, gained her NCAA berth at the NCAA Qualifier after firing a personal-best mark of 587, earning top gun honors and a gold medal at the event. More importantly, Compton became just the second shooter in UA history to earn a national bid since Varsity "A" Hall of Famer Mark Beres did so back in 1979.

Following flights one and two in the first round of competition, Compton fired a personal and school-best mark of 590 but still trailed West Virginia University's Bryant Wallizer by just one point, as Wallizer rested in first with 591. The Olympic finals conclude the event as each shooter fired 10 shots before the National Champion was decided and where Compton would eventually win her title.

Compton bested Wallizer, who shot 100 in the finals (and ended the day with a mark of 691), by six-tenths of a point, notching a score of 101.6 to finish ahead with a final tally of 691.6. For dramatic flare, the freshman waited until her ninth and 10th shots to take the .6 point advantage, becoming the number one individual collegiate shooter in the nation.

Compton and Large became the second and third, respectively, national champion in Akron history, joining 2000 heptathlon national champion Christi Smith.

Carter is Clicking

Junior Jalil Carter had a slow start to the season, but has shown why head coach J.D. Brookhart placed him on the All-MAC watch list. At Buffalo, he led the Zips with 12 tackles, adding an interception. At Syracuse, Carter only tallied six tackles, but rebounded to register 10 tackles at Northern Illinois. The three-game total of 28 dwarfs his first five-game total of eight tackles, getting no stops in two of the five games.

Davis Gets First Career Start

Junior Kevin Davis logged his first career start, getting the nod at free safety for Wayne Cobham. Davis redshirted in 2008 and came to Akron as a junior college transfer. The Soquel, Calif., native responded with three tackles, including his first career tackle for loss.

Davis has a strong football pedigree as he is the son of 13-year NFL veteran Eric Davis, who earned Pro Bowl honors and won a Super Bowl with the San Francisco 49ers.

Hazime Continues to Make Plays

Sophomore Hasan Hazime has played extremely well of late, coming up with some big plays. Most recently, he blocked field goal at Northern Illinois, the first of his career and the second for Akron this season. Almondo Sewell had a block versus Indiana. For the game Hazime had six tackles.

Over the past four games, Hazime has tallied 21 stops, including two sacks and three TFL.

Long Distance; Alex to Jones Connection

The 80-yard, Alex Allen-to-Andre Jones touchdown pass at Northern Illinois marked the longest pass play of the season for Akron and the MAC. It was also the longest since Luke Getsy hit David Harvey on a 77-yard play on Nov. 9, 2006 and Akron's first pass play of at least 80 yards since James Washington hit Jake Schifino for an 85-yarder on Nov. 11, 2000. Both of the previous long plays were against Buffalo.

Jones' Career Day, Near UA Leader in Just Three Games at WR

Andre Jones had 154 receiving yards (on six receptions) at Northern Illinois, a career high and the first 100-yard game by a UA receiver this season. Part of his big day came on an 80-yard touchdown reception from Alex Allen on a halfback pass, the longest pass play in the MAC in 2009.

Although Jones has only played wide receiver for three games, he already ranks third on the team in receptions (13) behind Jeremy LaFrance (27) and deryn Bowser (21). More impressively, he has 297 receiving yards, just 11 yards behind team leader LaFrance (308). Jones additionally had two touchdown receptions, scoring the team's lone offense TD at Syracuse and Northern Illinois. He and Bowser are the only two players to have TD receptions for the Zips in 2009, Bowser with five in six games.

Jones' previous career best was 114 yards on five catches at Eastern Michigan in 2008. He also had five receptions for 100 yards at Army, a game he earned MAC East Offensive Player of the Week honors.