Akron football will bring its ‘Turnover Tire’ to Kroger Field when it plays Kentucky

Kentucky football’s opponent on Saturday has attracted attention for its unusual celebration routine.

In their 24-21 win over Morgan State last Saturday, the Akron Zips celebrated forcing turnovers with the “Turnover Tire.”

Akron is known as the “Rubber City” for being the home of major tire manufacturers.

Instead of a “turnover chain” used by other teams, Akron donned the “Turnover Tire” after intercepting a Morgan State pass, then later when it stopped Morgan State on a fourth-quarter stop.

The Zips brought out the “Turnover Tire” again after Bryan McCoy returned a Morgan State fumble 13 yards for the winning touchdown with just 52 seconds left.

Kentucky plays Akron at Kroger Field at 7 p.m. Saturday. The game is to be televised on ESPNU.

Akron is 1-1 on the season. The Zips lost 24-21 at Temple in their opener on Sept. 2 before beating FCS member Morgan State last Saturday in Akron.

This story was originally published September 12, 2023 at 9:42 AM.

John Clay

Lexington Herald-Leader

859-472-4218

John Clay is a sports columnist for the Lexington Herald-Leader. A native of Central Kentucky, he covered UK football from 1987 until being named sports columnist in 2000. He has covered 20 Final Fours and 42 consecutive Kentucky Derbys. Support my work with a digital subscription