2018 Western Michigan Broncos football team
The 2018 Western Michigan Broncos football team represented Western Michigan University (WMU) in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by second-year head coach Tim Lester and played their home games at Waldo Stadium as a member of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference. They finished the season 7–6, 5–3 in MAC play to finish in a three-way tie for second place in the West Division. They were invited to the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl where they lost to BYU.
| 2018 Western Michigan Broncos football | |
|---|---|
 | |
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, L 18–49 vs. BYU | |
| Conference | Mid-American Conference |
| West Division | |
| 2018 record | 7–6 (5–3 MAC) |
| Head coach |
|
| Offensive coordinator | Jake Moreland (2nd; 11th overall season) |
| Defensive coordinator | Tim Daoust (2nd; 6th overall season) |
| Co-defensive coordinator | Lou Esposito (2nd; 5th overall season) |
| Home stadium | Waldo Stadium (Capacity: 30,200) |
| 2018 Mid-American Conference football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| East Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Buffalo x | 7 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Miami | 6 | – | 2 | 6 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ohio | 6 | – | 2 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Akron | 2 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling Green | 2 | – | 6 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kent State | 1 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Illinois x$ | 6 | – | 2 | 8 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Michigan | 5 | – | 3 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Michigan | 5 | – | 3 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Toledo | 5 | – | 3 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ball State | 3 | – | 5 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Central Michigan | 0 | – | 8 | 1 | – | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship: Northern Illinois 30, Buffalo 29 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Previous season
The Broncos finished the 2017 season 6–6, 4–4 to finish in fourth place in the West Division. Despite being bowl eligible, the Broncos did not receive an invite to a bowl game.[1][2]
Preseason
Award watch lists
Listed in the order that they were released
| Award | Player | Position | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rimington Trophy[3] | John Keenoy | C | SR |
| Doak Walker Award[4] | Jamauri Bogan | RB | SR |
| LeVante Bellamy | RB | JR | |
| John Mackey Award[5] | Giovanni Ricci | TE | JR |
| Outland Trophy[6] | Luke Juriga | G | JR |
| John Keenoy | C | SR | |
| Wuerffel Trophy[7] | Jamauri Bogan | RB | SR |
| Justin Tranquill | DB | JR |
Preseason media poll
The MAC released their preseason media poll on July 24, 2018, with the Broncos predicted to finish in third place in the West Division.[8]
| West Division | ||
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northern Illinois | 133 (15) |
| 2 | Toledo | 125 (7) |
| 3 | Western Michigan | 87 (1) |
| 4 | Eastern Michigan | 67 |
| 5 | Central Michigan | 58 (1) |
| 6 | Ball State | 34 |
Schedule
The following table lists WMU's schedule.[9]
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 31 | 6:00 p.m. | Syracuse* | CBSSN | L 42–55 | 20,628 | |
| September 8 | Noon | at No. 21 Michigan* | FS1 | L 3–49 | 110,814 | |
| September 15 | 7:00 p.m. | Delaware State* |
| ESPN+ | W 68–0 | 23,244 |
| September 22 | 2:00 p.m. | at Georgia State* | ESPN+ | W 34–15 | 15,264 | |
| September 29 | 3:30 p.m. | at Miami (OH) | ESPN+ | W 40–39 | 15,012 | |
| October 6 | Noon | Eastern Michigan |
| ESPN+ | W 27–24 | 24,282 |
| October 13 | 3:00 p.m. | at Bowling Green | ESPN+ | W 42–35 | 18,551 | |
| October 20 | 3:00 p.m. | at Central Michigan |
| ESPN+ | W 35–10 | 10,097 |
| October 25 | 7:00 p.m. | Toledo |
| ESPN2 | L 24–51 | 11,389 |
| November 1 | 7:00 p.m. | Ohio |
| ESPNU | L 14–59 | 11,935 |
| November 13 | 6:00 p.m. | at Ball State | ESPN2 | L 41–42 OT | 5,503 | |
| November 20 | 7:00 p.m. | Northern Illinois |
| ESPNU | W 28–21 | 18,278 |
| December 21 | 4:00 p.m. | vs. BYU* | ESPN | L 18–49 | 18,711 | |
| ||||||
Game summaries
Syracuse
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orange | 24 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 55 |
| Broncos | 7 | 0 | 28 | 7 | 42 |
| Series Record | Previous meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| First meeting | ||
at Michigan
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broncos | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| No. 21 Wolverines | 21 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 49 |
| Series Record | Previous meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 0–6 | 2011 | MICH, 34–10 |
Delaware State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hornets | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Broncos | 14 | 14 | 16 | 24 | 68 |
| Series Record | Previous meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| First meeting | ||
at Georgia State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broncos | 3 | 17 | 14 | 0 | 34 |
| Panthers | 0 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 15 |
| Series Record | Previous meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| First meeting | ||
at Miami (OH)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broncos | 14 | 0 | 13 | 13 | 40 |
| RedHawks | 17 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 39 |
| Series Record | Previous meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 21–37–1 | 2015 | WMU, 35–13 |
Eastern Michigan
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 0 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| Broncos | 7 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 27 |
| Series Record | Previous meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 33–18–2 | 2017 | WMU, 20–17 |
at Bowling Green
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broncos | 0 | 7 | 21 | 14 | 42 |
| Falcons | 7 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
| Series Record | Previous meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 18–32–3 | 2015 | BGSU, 41–27 |
at Central Michigan
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broncos | 7 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 35 |
| Chippewas | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Series Record | Previous meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 48–38–2 | 2017 | CMU, 35–28 |
Toledo
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockets | 14 | 9 | 21 | 7 | 51 |
| Broncos | 7 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
| Series Record | Previous meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 30–42 | 2017 | TOL, 37–10 |
Ohio
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bobcats | 21 | 24 | 7 | 7 | 59 |
| Broncos | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Series Record | Previous meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 33–28–1 | 2016 | WMU, 29–23 |
at Ball State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broncos | 7 | 10 | 3 | 15 | 6 | 41 |
| Cardinals | 7 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 42 |
| Series Record | Previous meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 25–19 | 2017 | WMU, 55–3 |
Northern Illinois
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Huskies | 7 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
| Broncos | 7 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 28 |
| Series Record | Previous meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 24–18 | 2017 | NIU, 35–31 |
vs. BYU (Famous Idaho Potato Bowl)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cougars | 7 | 0 | 28 | 14 | 49 |
| Broncos | 0 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 18 |
| Series Record | Previous meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2–3 | 1970 | WMU, 35–17 |
References
- "Central Michigan heads to Idaho Potato Bowl; Western Michigan left out". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2017-12-19.
- "The 3 bowl-eligible teams that missed bowls". SBNation.com. Retrieved 2017-12-19.
- "Rimington Trophy Press Release". May 30, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
- "2018 Doak Walker Award Candidates". July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
- "2018 John Mackey Award Preseason Watch List Released" (PDF). July 20, 2018. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
- "22018 OUTLAND TROPHY WATCH LIST UNVEILED". July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
- "Wuerffel Trophy Unveils 2018 Watch List". July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
- http://getsomemaction.com/news/2018/7/23/niu-ohio-picked-as-divisional-winners-in-2018-mac-football-media-preseason-poll.aspx
- http://www.wmubroncos.com/schedule.aspx?path=football
- "Western Michigan vs. Michigan - Game Summary - September 8, 2018". ESPN. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
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