Akron Stuns UAB in High-Scoring Week 3 Upset
Akron pulled off a stunning upset over UAB on Saturday, winning 28-31 in a back-and-forth contest that saw eight lead changes throughout the game. The Zips dominated the first half, scoring 17 points in the opening quarter and 3 more in the second to build an early advantage. UAB kept pace with 14 first-quarter points and 17 in the second quarter, but couldn't maintain momentum in the second half as both teams were held scoreless in the third and fourth quarters combined.
UAB quarterback Jalen Kitna led all passers with 341 yards, though he was intercepted once by Akron's Markus Boswell, who returned it 44 yards. Akron's Ben Finley connected with Israel Polk on a 75-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter that proved pivotal. Polk led all receivers with 99 yards, while Sean Patrick rushed for 81 yards for the Zips.
The game lived up to the betting lines with Akron covering the 12-point spread as an away team, while the contest pushed the over-under at 59 points.
AI-generated recap · Aug 16, 2026
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Akron | 17 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 28 |
 UAB | 14 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 31 |
Scoring Timeline
Drive Chart
Box Score
| Statistic | Akron | UAB |
|---|---|---|
| Passing | 19-35 | 30-45 |
| Pass Yards | 282 | 341 |
| Rush Yards | 159 | 81 |
| Total Yards | 441 | 422 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| 3rd Down | 6-16 | 3-12 |
| Penalties | 5-44 | 4-29 |
| Possession | 29:58 | 30:02 |
Player Leaders
Player Leaders
Play-by-Play
Owen Wiley kickoff for 61 yds , Solomon Beebe return for 96 yds for a TD (Jonah Delange KICK)
Ben Finley pass complete to Israel Polk for 75 yds for a TD (Owen Wiley KICK)
Owen Wiley kickoff for 56 yds , Solomon Beebe return for 18 yds to the UAB 27
Jevon Jackson run for 12 yds to the UAB 39 for a 1ST down
Jevon Jackson run for a loss of 1 yard to the UAB 38
Jalen Kitna pass complete to Corri Milliner for 11 yds to the UAB 49 for a 1ST down
Jevon Jackson run for a loss of 2 yards to the UAB 47
Jalen Kitna pass complete to Brandon Hawkins Jr. for 8 yds to the AKR 45
Jalen Kitna pass incomplete to Elijah Lagg
Jalen Kitna pass incomplete to Iverson Hooks
Sean Patrick run for 2 yds to the AKR 47
UAB Penalty, Face Mask (15 yards) (Amorie Morrison) to the UAB 36 for a 1ST down
Ben Finley run for 7 yds to the UAB 29
Sean Patrick run for 1 yd to the UAB 28
(09:54) No Huddle-Shotgun Finley,Ben pass incomplete short right to Newell,Jake thrown to UAB25 PENALTY UAB Offside (Odinjor,Ezra) 5 yards from UAB28 to UAB23, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Jordan Gant run for 4 yds to the UAB 19
Ben Finley pass incomplete to Jake Newell
Ben Finley pass complete to Israel Polk for 10 yds to the UAB 9 for a 1ST down
Sean Patrick run for 4 yds to the UAB 5
Ben Finley pass complete to Israel Polk for 5 yds for a TD UAB Penalty, Defensive Offside (Yards) declined (Owen Wiley KICK)
Owen Wiley kickoff for 61 yds , Solomon Beebe return for 31 yds to the UAB 35
Jalen Kitna pass complete to Solomon Beebe for 3 yds to the UAB 38
Jalen Kitna pass complete to Evan McCray for 8 yds to the UAB 46 for a 1ST down
Jalen Kitna pass complete to Evan McCray for 14 yds to the AKR 40 for a 1ST down
Jalen Kitna pass complete to Evan McCray for 8 yds to the AKR 32
Isaiah Jacobs run for 1 yd to the AKR 31
PENALTY UAB False Start (Perez,Calib) 5 yards from Akron31 to Akron36. NO PLAY.
Solomon Beebe run for 3 yds to the AKR 33
Jalen Kitna pass complete to J.C. Sivley for 21 yds to the AKR 12 for a 1ST down
Jalen Kitna pass complete to J.C. Sivley for 4 yds to the AKR 8
Nate Rogers run for 8 yds for a TD (Jonah Delange KICK)
Sean Patrick run for 2 yds to the AKR 27
Ben Finley pass complete to Kyan Mason for 32 yds to the UAB 41 for a 1ST down
Sean Patrick run for no gain to the UAB 41
Ben Finley pass incomplete to Kyan Mason
Ben Finley pass complete to Tim Grear Jr. for 9 yds to the UAB 32
Jordan Gant run for 12 yds to the UAB 20 for a 1ST down
Ben Finley pass complete to Kyan Mason for 1 yd to the UAB 19
Ben Finley pass incomplete to Tim Grear Jr.
Ben Finley pass incomplete to Myles Walker
Owen Wiley 36 yd FG GOOD
Isaiah Jacobs run for 5 yds to the UAB 40
Kaleb Brown run for 5 yds to the UAB 45 for a 1ST down
Jalen Kitna pass complete to Solomon Beebe for 13 yds to the AKR 42 for a 1ST down
Jalen Kitna pass incomplete to Jevon Jackson
Jalen Kitna pass complete to Kaleb Brown for 16 yds to the AKR 26 for a 1ST down
Jalen Kitna pass incomplete to Solomon Beebe
Jalen Kitna pass incomplete to Solomon Beebe
Jalen Kitna pass incomplete to Iverson Hooks
Jonah Delange 44 yd FG GOOD
Owen Simpson kickoff for 58 yds , Brandon Hills return for 18 yds to the AKR 25
Ben Finley pass complete to Jake Newell for 3 yds to the AKR 28
Ben Finley pass complete to Sean Patrick for 8 yds to the AKR 36 for a 1ST down
Ben Finley pass incomplete to Myles Walker
Sean Patrick run for 4 yds to the AKR 40
Ben Finley sacked for 0 yards to the AKR 40
Joseph Castle punt for 56 yds
Jalen Kitna pass complete to Iverson Hooks for 48 yds to the AKR 48 for a 1ST down
Jalen Kitna pass complete to Iverson Hooks for 14 yds to the AKR 34 for a 1ST down
Jalen Kitna pass complete to Elijah Lagg for 16 yds to the AKR 18 for a 1ST down
Solomon Beebe run for 3 yds to the AKR 15
Jalen Kitna pass incomplete to Corri Milliner
Jalen Kitna pass complete to Brandon Hawkins Jr. for 4 yds to the AKR 11
PENALTY Akron Delay Of Game 5 yards from Akron11 to Akron06, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Jalen Kitna pass complete to Jevon Jackson for 6 yds for a TD (Jonah Delange KICK)
Jordan Gant run for 5 yds to the AKR 30
Ben Finley run for 6 yds to the AKR 36 for a 1ST down
Ben Finley pass incomplete to Tim Grear Jr.
Jordan Gant run for 1 yd to the AKR 37
Akron Penalty, Personal Foul (Myles Walker) declined
Joseph Castle punt for 36 yds , Iverson Hooks returns for 14 yds to the UAB 41
Jalen Kitna pass complete to Iverson Hooks for 10 yds to the AKR 49 for a 1ST down
Jevon Jackson run for 5 yds to the AKR 44
Jevon Jackson run for 9 yds to the AKR 35 for a 1ST down
Jalen Kitna pass complete to Iverson Hooks for no gain to the AKR 35
Jevon Jackson run for 1 yd to the AKR 34
Jalen Kitna pass complete to Corri Milliner for 10 yds to the AKR 24 for a 1ST down Akron Penalty, Defensive Offside (Myles Walker) declined for a 1ST down
Jalen Kitna pass intercepted Markus Boswell return for 44 yds to the UAB 31
Ben Finley run for 9 yds to the UAB 22
Sean Patrick run for 12 yds to the UAB 10 for a 1ST down
Sean Patrick run for 2 yds to the UAB 8
(02:43) No Huddle-Shotgun Finley,Ben pass incomplete short right to Williams,Marcel thrown to UAB00 PENALTY UAB Offside (Burge,Chris) 4 yards from UAB08 to UAB04. NO PLAY.
Kyan Mason run for a loss of 1 yard to the UAB 5
Ben Finley run for a loss of 1 yard to the UAB 6
Owen Wiley 23 yd FG GOOD
Owen Wiley kickoff for 53 yds , Isaiah Jacobs return for 26 yds to the UAB 38
Jalen Kitna pass complete to Jevon Jackson for a loss of 1 yard to the UAB 37
Jalen Kitna pass complete to Brandon Hawkins Jr. for 14 yds to the AKR 49 for a 1ST down
Jevon Jackson run for a loss of 2 yards to the UAB 49
Jalen Kitna pass complete to Corri Milliner for 23 yds to the AKR 28 for a 1ST down
Jalen Kitna pass complete to Corri Milliner for 15 yds to the AKR 13 for a 1ST down
Akron Penalty, unnecessary roughness (Alex Branch) to the AKR 5 for a 1ST down
Jalen Kitna pass incomplete to Corri Milliner
Jalen Kitna pass complete to Corri Milliner for 5 yds for a TD (Jonah Delange KICK)
Owen Simpson kickoff for 64 yds , Brandon Hills return for 25 yds to the AKR 40 Akron Penalty, Personal Foul (Ben Kamara) to the AKR 13
Jordan Gant run for 7 yds to the AKR 20
Jordan Gant run for 9 yds to the AKR 29 for a 1ST down
End of 2nd Quarter
Owen Simpson kickoff for 65 yds , Brandon Hills return for 21 yds to the AKR 21
Ben Finley pass incomplete to Israel Polk
Sean Patrick run for 6 yds to the AKR 27
Ben Finley pass incomplete to Israel Polk
Joseph Castle punt for 50 yds, punt out-of-bounds at the UAB 23
Jevon Jackson run for no gain to the UAB 23
Jalen Kitna pass incomplete
Jalen Kitna pass complete to Brandon Hawkins Jr. for 24 yds to the UAB 47 for a 1ST down
Isaiah Jacobs run for 1 yd to the UAB 48
Jalen Kitna pass complete to Corri Milliner for 6 yds to the AKR 46
Jalen Kitna pass incomplete to Elijah Lagg
Jalen Kitna pass incomplete to Corri Milliner
Ben Finley pass complete to Myles Walker for 24 yds to the UAB 30 for a 1ST down
Akron Penalty, Personal Foul (-15 Yards) to the UAB 39
Ben Finley sacked by Kyle Mosley for a loss of 1 yard to the UAB 40
Ben Finley pass complete to Israel Polk for 9 yds to the UAB 31
Owen Wiley 48 yd FG MISSED
Jevon Jackson run for 3 yds to the UAB 34
run for 7 yds to the UAB 27 fumbled, recovered by UAB Jalen Kitna
Jalen Kitna pass complete to Jevon Jackson for 12 yds to the UAB 39
Patrick Foley punt for 33 yds, fair catch by Sean Patrick at the AKR 28
Jordan Gant run for 2 yds to the AKR 30
Ben Finley pass incomplete to Kyan Mason
Ben Finley pass complete to Cameron Monteiro for 12 yds to the AKR 42 for a 1ST down
Jordan Gant run for 8 yds to the 50 yard line
Jordan Gant run for 13 yds to the UAB 37 for a 1ST down
Ben Finley pass incomplete to Marcel Williams
Sean Patrick run for 4 yds to the UAB 33
Sean Patrick run for 4 yds to the UAB 29
Sean Patrick run for no gain to the UAB 29
Isaiah Jacobs run for 15 yds to the UAB 44 for a 1ST down
Isaiah Jacobs run for 7 yds to the AKR 49
Jalen Kitna sacked by Bruno Dall for a loss of 4 yards to the UAB 47
UAB Penalty, Offensive Holding (Yards) declined
Patrick Foley punt for 36 yds, punt out-of-bounds at the AKR 17
Ben Finley run for 4 yds to the AKR 21
Jordan Gant run for 2 yds to the AKR 23
Ben Finley pass complete to Tim Grear Jr. for 10 yds to the AKR 33 for a 1ST down
Sean Patrick run for 2 yds to the AKR 35
Ben Finley pass incomplete to Tim Grear Jr.
Ben Finley pass complete to Myles Walker for 18 yds to the UAB 47 for a 1ST down
Michael Johnson Jr. run for 5 yds to the UAB 42
Michael Johnson Jr. run for a loss of 3 yards to the UAB 45
Ben Finley pass complete to Tim Grear Jr. for 17 yds to the UAB 28 for a 1ST down
Sean Patrick run for 9 yds to the UAB 19
Sean Patrick run for 18 yds to the UAB 1 for a 1ST down
Sean Patrick run for 1 yd for a TD (B. Finley Run For Two-point Conversion)
Brayden Johnson kickoff for 56 yds , Solomon Beebe return for 4 yds to the UAB 18
Jevon Jackson run for 7 yds to the UAB 25
Jevon Jackson run for 2 yds to the UAB 27
Jevon Jackson run for 3 yds to the UAB 30 for a 1ST down
Jalen Kitna pass incomplete to Iverson Hooks
Jalen Kitna sacked for a loss of 9 yards to the UAB 21
Jalen Kitna pass complete to Brandon Hawkins Jr. for 9 yds to the UAB 30
Patrick Foley punt for 56 yds , Sean Patrick returns for 8 yds to the AKR 22
Jordan Gant run for 4 yds to the AKR 26
Ben Finley pass complete to Jake Newell for 3 yds to the AKR 29
Ben Finley pass complete to Marcel Williams for 8 yds to the AKR 37 for a 1ST down
Ben Finley pass incomplete to Myles Walker
Ben Finley pass complete to Myles Walker for 12 yds to the AKR 49 for a 1ST down
Ben Finley pass complete to Marcel Williams for 11 yds to the UAB 40 for a 1ST down
Sean Patrick run for 2 yds to the UAB 38
Ben Finley sacked by J'Quan Mason for a loss of 9 yards to the UAB 47
Ben Finley sacked by Eli Ennis for a loss of 1 yard to the UAB 48
Joseph Castle punt for 48 yds for a touchback
Jalen Kitna pass complete to Solomon Beebe for 12 yds to the UAB 32 for a 1ST down
Isaiah Jacobs run for 8 yds to the UAB 40
Jevon Jackson run for 4 yds to the UAB 44 for a 1ST down
Jevon Jackson run for 4 yds to the UAB 48
Jalen Kitna pass complete to Iverson Hooks for 12 yds to the AKR 40 for a 1ST down
Solomon Beebe run for no gain to the AKR 40
Jalen Kitna pass complete to Elijah Lagg for 4 yds to the AKR 44
UAB Penalty, Offensive Holding (Yards) declined
Patrick Foley punt for 44 yds for a touchback
Ben Finley pass complete to Myles Walker for 15 yds to the AKR 35 for a 1ST down
Ben Finley pass incomplete to Jake Newell
Ben Finley sacked by Chris Burge for a loss of 4 yards to the AKR 26
Ben Finley pass incomplete to Marcel Williams
Ben Finley pass incomplete to Kyan Mason
(00:46) Kneel down by UAB at Akron27 for loss of 1 yard.
(00:18) Kneel down by UAB at Akron28 for loss of 1 yard.