Overall Record: 13-1
MAC Record: 8-0
MAC Championship: 29-23 win over Ohio
Cotton Bowl: Wisconsin 24, WMU 16
2017 MAC Media prediction: 2nd, MAC West
MAC Record: 8-0
MAC Championship: 29-23 win over Ohio
Cotton Bowl: Wisconsin 24, WMU 16
2017 MAC Media prediction: 2nd, MAC West
Fleck gone, but talented Broncos still dangerous
(All rankings are MAC, unless otherwise noted)
Flamboyant coach P.J. Fleck finally took his Western Michigan Broncos to the summit last year. WMU rolled off 12 straight wins and claimed a MAC championship on the way to a Cotton Bowl date with Wisconsin.
With the final whistle of a 24-16 Badgers victory, it became time to turn the page. Fleck took a head coaching position at Minnesota, and the Broncos eventually turned the reins over to former WMU standout quarterback Tim Lester.
To be sure, Western . . .
Flamboyant coach P.J. Fleck finally took his Western Michigan Broncos to the summit last year. WMU rolled off 12 straight wins and claimed a MAC championship on the way to a Cotton Bowl date with Wisconsin.
With the final whistle of a 24-16 Badgers victory, it became time to turn the page. Fleck took a head coaching position at Minnesota, and the Broncos eventually turned the reins over to former WMU standout quarterback Tim Lester.
To be sure, Western . . .
. . . lost some outstanding talent. Quarterback Zach Terrell capped his fine career in style, throwing for 3,533 yards and 33 TDs.
Nineteen of those scores went to MAC Player of the Year Corey Davis, who also led the conference in receptions (97) and receiving yards (1500). The NCAA’s career receiving yardage leader was taken by the Tennessee Titans with the fifth overall pick in April’s draft.
Michael Henry (63 catches, 779 yds, 4 TDs) and Carrington Thompson (63 catches, 637 yards, 6 TDs) are also gone, leaving All-MAC (Third Team) tight end Donnie Ernsberger (25 catches, 121 yards, 1 TD) as the top returning receiver.
Nineteen of those scores went to MAC Player of the Year Corey Davis, who also led the conference in receptions (97) and receiving yards (1500). The NCAA’s career receiving yardage leader was taken by the Tennessee Titans with the fifth overall pick in April’s draft.
Michael Henry (63 catches, 779 yds, 4 TDs) and Carrington Thompson (63 catches, 637 yards, 6 TDs) are also gone, leaving All-MAC (Third Team) tight end Donnie Ernsberger (25 catches, 121 yards, 1 TD) as the top returning receiver.
RB Jarvion Franklin will be finishing a spectacular career. (WMU Athletics) OFFENSE:
● There is good and bad regarding junior quarterback Tom Flacco.
Good: He has been with the Broncos for two years.
Bad: To say he has limited experience is quite an understatement.
Flacco managed to complete 10 of 12 pass attempts (188 yards, 1 TD) as a freshman. Last year, he registered one pass attempt.
Also vying for the starting gig is sophomore Jon Wassink, who has yet to throw a Broncos game pass. Lester indicated fall camp performance will likely tip the scale on who gets the starting call for the opener Sept. 2 at Southern Cal.
● While Terrell and his receiving corps provided the Broncos with an extremely productive passing attack, part of WMU’s winning formula was a dangerous run game. Those key players return, and Western can be counted on to ride the ground game for plenty. The Broncos were second (MAC) in rushing, averaging 228.9 ypc. Just how much the ground game will be affected by a potential drop in passing prowess (Fifth MAC, 252.4 ypg) remains to be seen.
● Senior Jarvion Franklin (6.0, 225) has been churning out the yards since his freshman season, when he stormed onto the scene with a 1,551-yard, 24-TD campaign. In so doing, he became the first player to ever win MAC Rookie of the Year and MAC Offensive Player of the Year honors in the same season.
● Franklin picked up 1,353 yards in 2016, but opponents know that total would have been higher were he not sharing duties with another talented back. Junior Jamauri Bogan (5-7, 192) is a lightning quick back who stepped off 923 yards on 179 carries and tallied eight TDs despite missing three full games. His 198 yards against Toledo helped seal the deal on a MAC West title. Sophomore LeVante Bellamy adds even more depth to a super-talented backfield.
● Even with the departure of Taylor Moton (NFL Carolina Panthers, 2nd round selection), the Broncos should have enough up front to keep the offense moving. Junior center John Keenoy, sophomore guard Luke Juriga and tackle Chukwuma Okorafor return.
● Unlike the running game options, WMU will need to develop a young crop of receivers to join Third Team All-MAC tight end Donnie Ernsberger (6-3, 255, Sr). Luke Sanders is a freshman out of Indianapolis. D’Wayne Eskridge notched 17 receptions for 121 yards as a freshman in 2016.. . . lost some outstanding talent. Quarterback Zach Terrell capped his fine career in style, throwing for 3,533 yards and 33 TDs.
Nineteen of those scores went to MAC Player of the Year Corey Davis, who also led the conference in receptions (97) and receiving yards (1500). The NCAA’s career receiving yardage leader was taken by the Tennessee Titans with the fifth overall pick in April’s draft.
Michael Henry (63 catches, 779 yds, 4 TDs) and Carrington Thompson (63 catches, 637 yards, 6 TDs) are also gone, leaving All-MAC (Third Team) tight end Donnie Ernsberger (25 catches, 121 yards, 1 TD) as the top returning receiver.
● There is good and bad regarding junior quarterback Tom Flacco.
Good: He has been with the Broncos for two years.
Bad: To say he has limited experience is quite an understatement.
Flacco managed to complete 10 of 12 pass attempts (188 yards, 1 TD) as a freshman. Last year, he registered one pass attempt.
Also vying for the starting gig is sophomore Jon Wassink, who has yet to throw a Broncos game pass. Lester indicated fall camp performance will likely tip the scale on who gets the starting call for the opener Sept. 2 at Southern Cal.
● While Terrell and his receiving corps provided the Broncos with an extremely productive passing attack, part of WMU’s winning formula was a dangerous run game. Those key players return, and Western can be counted on to ride the ground game for plenty. The Broncos were second (MAC) in rushing, averaging 228.9 ypc. Just how much the ground game will be affected by a potential drop in passing prowess (Fifth MAC, 252.4 ypg) remains to be seen.
● Senior Jarvion Franklin (6.0, 225) has been churning out the yards since his freshman season, when he stormed onto the scene with a 1,551-yard, 24-TD campaign. In so doing, he became the first player to ever win MAC Rookie of the Year and MAC Offensive Player of the Year honors in the same season.
● Franklin picked up 1,353 yards in 2016, but opponents know that total would have been higher were he not sharing duties with another talented back. Junior Jamauri Bogan (5-7, 192) is a lightning quick back who stepped off 923 yards on 179 carries and tallied eight TDs despite missing three full games. His 198 yards against Toledo helped seal the deal on a MAC West title. Sophomore LeVante Bellamy adds even more depth to a super-talented backfield.
● Even with the departure of Taylor Moton (NFL Carolina Panthers, 2nd round selection), the Broncos should have enough up front to keep the offense moving. Junior center John Keenoy, sophomore guard Luke Juriga and tackle Chukwuma Okorafor return.
● Unlike the running game options, WMU will need to develop a young crop of receivers to join Third Team All-MAC tight end Donnie Ernsberger (6-3, 255, Sr). Luke Sanders is a freshman out of Indianapolis. D’Wayne Eskridge notched 17 receptions for 121 yards as a freshman in 2016.. . . lost some outstanding talent. Quarterback Zach Terrell capped his fine career in style, throwing for 3,533 yards and 33 TDs.
Nineteen of those scores went to MAC Player of the Year Corey Davis, who also led the conference in receptions (97) and receiving yards (1500). The NCAA’s career receiving yardage leader was taken by the Tennessee Titans with the fifth overall pick in April’s draft.
Michael Henry (63 catches, 779 yds, 4 TDs) and Carrington Thompson (63 catches, 637 yards, 6 TDs) are also gone, leaving All-MAC (Third Team) tight end Donnie Ernsberger (25 catches, 121 yards, 1 TD) as the top returning receiver.
Robert Spillane is part of a solid linebacking group that should keep the Broncos among the MAC's better defenses. (WMU Athletics) DEFENSE:
● With the departure of Fleck, there was a period of time when player transfers were a concern. Fortunately, WMU was able to retain some top-notch talent.
Senior Darius Phillips was a First Team All-MAC selection and returns after snatching four interceptions in 2016. Junior corner Sam Beal and safety Justin Tranquill will also be back to anchor a pretty solid back end of the defense.
● The Broncos ranked third in pass defense efficiency last year and tied with Ohio for the most interceptions (15).
● Linebacker is another strong suite for Western Michigan as the entire unit – all seniors -- returns. Robert Spillane earned Second Team All-MAC honors last year and led WMU in tackles with 111. That included 10.5 TFL, 3.0 sacks and three interceptions.
Asantay Brown was second in Bronco tackles with 95 stops (8.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks), while Caleb Baley registered 71 hits.
● Keion Adams piled up 18 TFL and 7.5 sacks in 2016 and was picked by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the seventh round of April’s draft. However, senior DT Andre Turner and junior DE Eric Asouna are back. Several others also have experience.
● With the departure of Fleck, there was a period of time when player transfers were a concern. Fortunately, WMU was able to retain some top-notch talent.
Senior Darius Phillips was a First Team All-MAC selection and returns after snatching four interceptions in 2016. Junior corner Sam Beal and safety Justin Tranquill will also be back to anchor a pretty solid back end of the defense.
● The Broncos ranked third in pass defense efficiency last year and tied with Ohio for the most interceptions (15).
● Linebacker is another strong suite for Western Michigan as the entire unit – all seniors -- returns. Robert Spillane earned Second Team All-MAC honors last year and led WMU in tackles with 111. That included 10.5 TFL, 3.0 sacks and three interceptions.
Asantay Brown was second in Bronco tackles with 95 stops (8.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks), while Caleb Baley registered 71 hits.
● Keion Adams piled up 18 TFL and 7.5 sacks in 2016 and was picked by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the seventh round of April’s draft. However, senior DT Andre Turner and junior DE Eric Asouna are back. Several others also have experience.
Darius Phillips brings electricity to special teams as a kick and punt returner. (WMU Athletics) SPECIAL TEAMS:
● What do you do for an encore after settring a MAC record for points (128) as a freshman? If you are placekicker Butch Hampton, you go play soccer for your coaching father at the University of Science and Arts Oklahoma. Freshman Josh Grant figures to take over placekicking, while Derrick Mitchell returns to handle punting.
● Cornerback Darius Phillips earned 2016 Second Team All-MAC honors for both kickoff and punt returning.
MISC:
● It doesn’t get much tougher over the opening two weeks than Western Michigan’s road matchups against Southern California and Michigan State. The Broncos will then finish non-conference play at home against Idaho and Wagner.
● The Broncos cross-divisional opponents are Buffalo, Akron and Kent State. All three are in the bottom half of the MAC East according to the 2017 MAC Media poll.
● Another testimonial to Western Michigan’s superlative 2016 season is the fact that WMU finished first among MAC teams in both scoring offense AND scoring defense! The Broncos also topped the loop in converting third downs AND defending third down conversions.
● Nobody was even close to WMU in turnover margin. The Broncos finished Plus-18. Kent State was next at Plus-11. Three other teams were at plus-1, while the remainder all owned negative margins.
BOTTOM LINE:
It’s a year of transition for Western Michigan as Lester takes over for the departed Fleck. Just how that transition plays out remains to be seen.
The Broncos have enough outstanding talent to forge another fine season, especially if someone is able to step up at quarterback.
● What do you do for an encore after settring a MAC record for points (128) as a freshman? If you are placekicker Butch Hampton, you go play soccer for your coaching father at the University of Science and Arts Oklahoma. Freshman Josh Grant figures to take over placekicking, while Derrick Mitchell returns to handle punting.
● Cornerback Darius Phillips earned 2016 Second Team All-MAC honors for both kickoff and punt returning.
MISC:
● It doesn’t get much tougher over the opening two weeks than Western Michigan’s road matchups against Southern California and Michigan State. The Broncos will then finish non-conference play at home against Idaho and Wagner.
● The Broncos cross-divisional opponents are Buffalo, Akron and Kent State. All three are in the bottom half of the MAC East according to the 2017 MAC Media poll.
● Another testimonial to Western Michigan’s superlative 2016 season is the fact that WMU finished first among MAC teams in both scoring offense AND scoring defense! The Broncos also topped the loop in converting third downs AND defending third down conversions.
● Nobody was even close to WMU in turnover margin. The Broncos finished Plus-18. Kent State was next at Plus-11. Three other teams were at plus-1, while the remainder all owned negative margins.
BOTTOM LINE:
It’s a year of transition for Western Michigan as Lester takes over for the departed Fleck. Just how that transition plays out remains to be seen.
The Broncos have enough outstanding talent to forge another fine season, especially if someone is able to step up at quarterback.
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