Fitch’s Davanzo Tate plays well at cornerback for Akron in loss to OSU

The Zips forced five turnovers and recorded a safety, but their offense punted 14 times.

By JOE SCALZO

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

COLUMBUS — Akron senior cornerback Davanzo Tate slowly walked up the stadium ramp at Ohio Stadium following Saturday’s game, shaking his head and muttering to himself.

It was hard to argue with Tate’s performance — or the rest of Akron’s defense — but it was clear he wasn’t happy with the result.

“I think we can somewhat feel like it was a moral victory,” Tate said. “We came in here against a great team, a ranked team, and we played every snap. This lets us know we can play with anyone.”

Tate, a Fitch High graduate, finished with nine tackles (six solo), one behind Andre Jones’ team-leading total, as Akron’s defense held its own in a 20-2 loss to the Buckeyes.

Good coverage

Tate also teamed with Reggie Corner to provide good coverage against Ohio State’s talented receivers, holding the Bucks to just 167 passing yards.

“I think they [the corners] played well,” said Akron coach J.D. Brookhart, whose unconventional 3-5-3 defense may have confused Ohio State. “There were a couple balls they got on us but that happens in football.”

Problem was, Ohio State’s depth at running back (it used three backs) and Akron’s offensive ineptitude eventually took its toll on the Zips’ defense.

After gaining just 115 yards in the first half, Ohio State started rolling in the second, gaining 248 yards and scoring 17 points.

Although the Zips forced five turnovers and recorded a safety, they couldn’t overcome a record 14 punts from their offense.

“We were rolling three backs in there ... and they [the Zips] weren’t getting much rest because our defense was sending their offense out there three and out,” Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said. “So by the time they got a drink, they were getting their helmet back on.

“So perhaps that did help.”

Tackling trouble

The biggest example of that fatigue came at Tate’s expense. With about 11 minutes left in the game, Ohio State running back Chris “Beanie” Wells broke through the right side of the line into the open field.

Tate tried to tackle him but had a poor angle and Wells stiff-armed him to the ground (drawing oohs and aahs from the crowd) en route to a 40-yard gain.

“In the second half we picked up a couple MAs [missed assignments],” Tate said. “We didn’t tackle as well as we did in the first half and that [Wells’ run] was another case of bad tackling.

“Fatigue played a big role today. I think we played strong, mentally, and at the end of the game we just wore down.”

Wells’ play aside, Tate (who was sporting a close-cropped mohawk) more than held his own, which isn’t a surprise given his talent level. He was good enough at Fitch to be recruited by West Virginia and played one season with the Mountaineers before transferring to Akron.

Graduated

After playing in all 12 of Akron’s games last fall (starting nine), Tate graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration communication in the spring.

He came back for his final season and recorded four tackles and an interception in a win against Army last week. With a little help from the offense, the Zips could have made it two straight.

“Our guys held their own,” Brookhart said. “The defense played well enough to win.”

scalzo@vindy.com