AKRON, Ohio - The Akron Zips survived themselves and short-handed Central Michigan, 17-10, to keep hopes of defending their 2017 MAC East Division title alive Saturday afternoon in InfoCision Stadium. The Zips suffered through five fumbles, losing four, and what could have been a critical missed field goal, to take down the Chippewas.

'There are no ugly wins, just wins,' Akron head coach Terry Bowden said. “Thank goodness this team has been in a lot of tight ballgames.” The big plus for Akron was its running game, with 170 yards rushing. Counting the Zips' 24-23 victory last week at Kent State, the running game Akron has yearned for in recent seasons is finally starting to emerge.

'We told our team, we’ve got to run it,' Bowden said of the weekly game plan. Against the Chippewas, Akron tailback Van Edwards gained 112 yards rushing with a touchdown while quarterback Kato Nelson added 23. 'Our offensive line blocked well up front,' Edwards said.

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“It was up to me to run the ball.” Now the Zips (4-3, 2-2) have four games left in the season, two vs. Teams also in the title hunt for the MAC East (Ohio University) and MAC West (Northern Illinois) and one MAC team still in the hunt to become bowl eligible (Eastern Michigan). Akron sits two games back of division-leading Buffalo (7-1, 4-0) and have already lost to the Bulls, giving Buffalo the tiebreaker. So while Akron needs to win out to have a chance at defending its crown, Buffalo is likely one MAC win away from eliminating the Zips from contention. But there is still hope.

The Zips ended last season winning three of their final four games to capture the division title. The other plus Saturday was Akron’s defense, which easily could have had a shutout if not for the offensive struggles. Key was linebacker John Lako, who had 24 tackles, nine solo, including a critical fourth-and-one stop at Akron’s five that effectively sealed the victory. The CMU tailback had no chance, as Lako was past the line of scrimmage and wrapping him up fractions after the snap. 'A huge defensive stop,' Bowden said. Fellow Akron linebacker Ulysees Gilbert said, 'It was an amazing play.

He had an eye for the football all game.” The Chippewas (1-8, 0-5) began the game without their starting quarterback and without their starting tailback. That was a bonus for the Zips, who have gotten themselves back above.500 on the season, and.500 in the MAC playing the two worst teams in the league (Kent State, CMU) back-to-back.

The Zips were the first team to score, on a four-yard reception by Newman Williams that capped an 88-yard drive. Akron took that 7-0 lead into the second quarter, when the Zips' Nick Gasser converted a 43-yard field goal for a 10-0 Akron lead with 14:48 to play before the half. Another score for the Zips, a 20-yard TD run by Edwards with 1:01 to go before the half, made it a three possession game for Akron to start the final two quarters. Then Akron began to make the game interesting, suffering their third turnover early in the third quarter.

But even getting the ball at Akron’s 11, CMU, which had just 92 yards of offense at the half, could only muster one yard. The Chippewas had to settle for a 28-yard field goal, cutting Akron’s lead to 17-3 with 12:20 left in the period. Minutes later the Zips shot themselves in the foot again, as defensive back Alvin Davis missed on an ill-advised third-down interception attempt deep in Akron territory instead of forcing a fourth down kick. The CMU receiver promptly got the first down, ultimately leading to a touchdown that sliced Akron’s lead to 17-10 with 7:40 still to go in the third quarter. 'The worst thing it did was uplift their (Chippewas) spirits,' Bowden said of Akron’s sudden rash of mistakes. “They started to believe they could win.” Then it got worse.

A fifth Akron fumble by Mykel Traylor-Bennett at Akron’s 43 gave the Chippewas a short field once again. Now playing with a sense of urgency, Central Michigan moved to Akron’s five before settling for a 23-yard field goal. Which bounced off the left upright, keeping the Zips with a one-touchdown lead. Both teams would sputter the rest of the game, until CMU made its last run at sending the game into overtime. But Lako was there.

With the 6-2, 230-pound Lako doing yeoman’s work on the defense, the Zips were able to survive and now have a short week of prep before a Thursday night contest against Northern Illinois, 7 p.m. In InfoCision Stadium.

Story Links Jan. 14, 2017 CENTRAL MICHIGAN (2-0) at WESTERN MICHIGAN (1-2) Sunday, Jan. University Arena. Kalamazoo, Mich. Twitter: @CMUGymnastics. Sunday's meet is the Mid-American Conference opener for both teams.

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The Chippewas defeated Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Hamline in their season-opening tri-meet last week at McGuirk Arena. The Chippewas posted a 192.075 total in the meet, a score that ranks tied for 42nd nationally. CMU was led by junior in that victory as she won vault, floor exercise and balance beam.

Teammate shared the top spot with Clements in on beam. Her performance earned Clements the MAC Gymnast of the Week Award.

The Chippewas posted a 49.025 total on floor exercise in the meet. Western Michigan opened last week with a third-place finish in a quad meet at Northern Illinois. Iowa and Lindenwood also competed in the event. The Broncos posted a 193.250 total in that meet.

That score ranks 39th in the nation. Anna Corbett led Western with a victory on vault in the meet at Northern Iowa. CMU was picked to finish second in the MAC preseason poll. Western was picked to finish sixth.

Next for CMU: Home vs. Eastern Michigan in a MAC meet on Friday, Jan.