College football · Akron Zips · Tue, Aug 4, 4:59 PM ET
Akron season-ticket holders can design opening drive
Akron announced a fan promotion in which one season-ticket holder will be named "offensive coordinator of the game" and get to script the opening drive of the Zips' home opener against Robert Morris on Sept. 12. All current season-ticket holders are automatically entered into a random drawing for the promotion, according to Akron, and a winner will be selected at random on Aug. 19 from eligible entrants.
The idea came from Akron athletic director Andrew T. Goodrich and senior deputy athletics director and chief operating officer Matt Pottorff, who conceived it while flying home after Akron faced Texas Tech in the men's basketball NCAA tournament's opening round. Pottorff said Goodrich initially asked what would happen if they named a random fan the offensive coordinator of the game, before they scaled the idea down to just the opening drive.
Moorhead will work directly with the contest winner to help design the plays for the opening drive. "I'm looking forward to collaborating with the season ticket holder who wins this contest," Moorhead said in a news release Tuesday. "This will give our fans a behind-the-scenes experience that has never been done before anywhere, so I'm excited to show them how to put together the opening script and see what they can do."
The announcement drew far more attention than the program expected, producing 22 million views on X as of Thursday evening, according to the article. Pottorff said the response has led to what he called "an incredible two days of ticket sales," along with increased sponsorships and donations, and suites for the season selling out.
Moorhead served as Akron's playcaller last season, when the Zips averaged 353.5 yards per game, fifth best in the conference, and 22.3 points per game, eighth best in the MAC, with their highest-scoring performance a 51-7 win over Duquesne on Sept. 20. Akron's opening drive in its first home game last season was a five-play, 21-yard effort that ended in a punt during a 10-0 loss to Wyoming, and the Zips finished 5-7 overall, including 3-3 at home.
Written from ESPN's report. Their story has the full detail.
