AKRON, Ohio- Savannah State led Akron with 9:32 left in the second quarter but the Zips finished the game with 45 unanswered points as they posted a 52-9 victory over the Tigers.
 
The crowd of 16,763 at InfoCIsion Stadium saw Akron (1-2) take a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter when Cody Grice scored on a one-yard run and Robert Stein added the extra point.
 
On the Tigers first possession, SSU marched from their own 16 to the Akron 35. Faced with a fourth and five situation, quarterback David Handler tossed a pass to running back Joshua Berry but it went for no gain and the Zips took over.
 
Akron's possession did not last long when Juwuan Tolbert picked off a  Tra'Von Chapman pass at the SSU 49 and returned it 20 yards to Zips 31 yard line.
 
Handler guided the Tigers offense as far as the Akron 13 before it stalled and had to settle for a 30-yard field goal from John Barron to cut Savannah State's deficit to 7-3 with 4:01 left in the opening quarter.
 
The SSU defense stopped Akon on their next offensive series. The Zips were driving deep in Tiger territory when Isiah Bennett intercepted a Thomas Woodson pass in the endzone and returned it to the SSU four yard line with 17 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
 
The teams traded punts early in the second quarter but on Akron's second drive of the quarter, they marched all the way to the SSU 12. Faced with fourth and 12 from the Tigers' 14, Akron lined up to attempt a 31 yard field goal but it was blocked  by SSU's Marquis Smith. Tolbert picked up the loose ball at the SSU 19 and rambled 81 yards for a touchdown. The two-point conversion failed but the Tigers held a 9-7 advantage with 9:32 left before halftime.
 
After the Tigers (0-2) went ahead, head coach Earnest Wilson III was upbeat and thinks the future of the program is headed in the right direction.
 
"If we keep working and working hard I know we can put this program back on top, " states Wilson.
 
Akron finished the first half by scoring on their final three drives to take a 28-9 lead into intermission.
 
A Handler interception led to a Akron field goal midway in the third quarter and the Zips added another touchdown with just under three minutes left in the quarter.
 
Akron led 38-9 at the end of three quarters of play and added a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
 
SSU's deepest offensive penetration in the second half was the Akron 44.
 
The Zips had 31 first downs in the game while Savannah State had 14.
 
Akron put together 626 yards of offense while the Tigers had 202.
 
David Handler finished with 69 yards passing for the Tigers while Arshon Spaulding, who normally starts at wide receiver, played quarterback and finished the contest with 59 yards passing and 60 yards rushing. Running back Joshua Berry caught four passes for 30 yards.
 
Defensively, freshman defensive back Isiah Bennett led the team in tackles with nine while linebacker Les Jordan was in on eight stops.
 
Woodson passed for 207 yards and  a touchdown for the Zips while Conor Hundley ran for 128 yards and a touchdown. Jerome Lane had three receptions for 99 yards and a touchdown and Dylan Evans had nine tackles for the defense.
 
The Tigers open Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play on September 26 at Bethune-Cookman.