The Bronco defense forced three fumbles, recovering two. It also recorded one interception on the day, along with three sacks and 10 tackles for loss.
Junior linebacker Drake Spears had a game-high nine tackles, along with two sacks, three tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Sophomore defensive back A.J. Thomas registered seven tackles, a tackle for loss and an interception.
The Broncos had two 100 yard rushers for the first time since Oct. 7, 2017 at Buffalo. Redshirt senior Jamauri Bogan led the way with 126 yards on 15 carries and junior LeVante Bellamy had 121 yards on 21 carries.
Freshman wide out Jayden Reed continued his fantastic start to the season with a game-high 101 yards receiving on seven catches. The offense combined for 528 total yards.
Georgia State got the ball first and drove down the field into WMU territory before Spears forced a fumble on GSU quarterback Dan Ellington. Sophomore Ralph Holley pounced on it at the Bronco 25-yard line.
Western Michigan's offense moved down the field thanks to two fourth down conversions before freshman kicker Gavin Peddie connected from 24 yards to give WMU a 3-0 lead with 3:55 left in the first quarter. The 17-play, 67-yard drive ate up 6:36 on the clock.
The Panthers responded with a field goal with 12:52 left in the second quarter to tie the game at 3-3.
Wassink threw his first touchdown of the game to cap off a 9-play, 61-yard drive to give the Broncos a 10-3 lead. He connected with sophomore tight end Brett Borske from 17 yards for Borske's first career catch and first career touchdown reception.
On the ensuing drive by Georgia State, junior DeShawn Foster forced a fumble and Alex Grace recovered it at the GSU 19. Peddie later connected for a career-long 38-yard field goal to give the Broncos a 13-3 lead with 2:59 left in the second quarter.
The Panthers quickly drove down the field, thanks to a 50-yard pass to Destin Coates, before Ellington ran it in from 10 yards for the touchdown. The extra point was wide right and the Broncos maintained a 13-9 lead.
WMU got the ball on its own 13 with 2:01 left in the half and Wassink led the Broncos down the field for another touchdown. After moving to the WMU 40, Wassink connected twice with junior Keishawn Watson. The first for 18 yards and the second for a 24-yard touchdown, Watson's first of the season, to give Western Michigan a 20-9 lead at halftime.
WMU started the second half with the ball and wasted no time finding the end zone. After four straight running plays got the ball to the Georgia State 40, Wassink hit Reed on a 40-yard touchdown play for Wassink's third TD pass of the day, pushing the lead to 27-9 after another extra point by Peddie.
After forcing a three-and-out, Bogan took the first play of the drive 71 yards for his third touchdown run of the season. It was Bogan's 30th career rushing TD, tying Bronco Hall of Famer Robert Sanford for third most rushing TDs in program history.
The Panthers used a 10-play, 75-yard drive to cut the lead to 34-15, but the Bronco running attack and defense kept GSU off the board for the rest of the game.
Western Michigan opens up Mid-American Conference play next Saturday, heading to Miami to take on the RedHawks at 3:30 p.m. ET.
(Courtesy of WMU Athletics)