University of Akron Athletics – Bryce Petersen

By Ray Hamill — It was a good weekend for the local contingent of D-I college football players, with all three winning and first wins of the season for two of them.

Former McKinleyville Panther Bryce Petersen and the Akron Zips got a decisive 31-3 win over Bowling Green to break a 21-game losing streak, which had been the longest in the FBS.

Petersen, a preseason All-Conference selection at center for the past two years, is one of the few veterans on a young Zips team that is finding its feet and he will have an additional year of eligibility next year because of COVID-19. 

Former Eureka Logger Isaak Gutierrez also enjoyed a big weekend as the New Mexico Lobos got their first win of the fall, 17-16 over Wyoming.

It was the right guard’s first victory at the D-I level after transferring from Butte College earlier this year, and the win ended a 14-game losing skid by a young Lobos team.

And rounding out a successful weekend for the local contingent of D-I players, former McKinleyville standout Kyle Spalding and the San Diego State Aztecs won 29-17 against Colorado State to improve to 4-3.

All three players will be back in action on Saturday, including a huge showdown for Spalding and the Aztecs at BYU, the No. 14 team in the country in the AP poll.

That game will be televised live on ESPN 2 at 7 p.m.

The Zips will play Buffalo at 11:30 a.m. on the CBS Sports Network., while the Lobos play Fresno State at 7:30 p.m. on Fox Sports 1.