KALAMAZOO, Mich. — In a thrilling college football matchup, Western Michigan triumphed over Akron with a score of 34-24, following a lengthy weather delay that lasted five hours on Saturday night.

Hayden Wolff stood out for Western Michigan, tossing two touchdown passes during the game. His first touchdown came in the form of a 25-yard pass to Kenneth Womack in the second quarter, bringing the score to 24-17 at halftime. Then, with just over four minutes left in the third quarter, Wolff connected with Kaevion Mack on a 10-yard touchdown pass that put Western Michigan ahead 31-24. The game was temporarily halted shortly after due to thunder and lightning.

When play resumed, Western Michigan’s Luka Zurak successfully kicked a 20-yard field goal with 11:28 left in the fourth quarter. In contrasting efforts, Akron’s Garrison Smith missed a crucial 34-yard field goal attempt with just over a minute remaining in the game.

Wolff finished the night with an impressive performance, completing 17 passes out of 25 attempts for a total of 191 yards. Additionally, Jalen Buckley contributed significantly to the offense, rushing for an impressive 103 yards on just seven carries.

On the other side, Akron’s Ben Finley aired it out, completing 24 of his 36 passes for a whopping 395 yards. Receiver Adrian Norton was a key target for Finley, bringing in eight catches that totaled 168 yards. Jordon Simmons also made an impact for the Zips, scoring on a 4-yard run that tied the game at 24 during an extended 11-play, 77-yard drive. He finished with 63 rushing yards and added six receptions worth 97 yards.

Akron initially took control of the game with a dominant 17-0 lead early in the second quarter, aided by Smith’s successful 38-yard field goal and two short touchdown runs by Tahj Bullock. However, Western Michigan rallied back to turn the tide. Overall, despite Akron’s offensive advantage of 501 total yards to Western Michigan’s 387, the Zips’ four turnovers proved costly in the context of the game.