Western Michigan @ NU: A Breakdown of the Broncos

Who is Western Michigan? 

Western Michigan University is a public university in Kalamazoo, MI with an undergraduate population of around 20,000. In terms of education, US News and World Report ranks them at 181st among national universities. Their athletic teams, called "The Broncos,"  play in the Mid-American Conference.

How Did They Do Last Year?

Poorly. They went 4-8 with wins against Eastern Illinois, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Central Michigan.

How About This Year?

Not any better. The Broncos are 0-2 with a loss to lowly Nicholls St. last week. 

Recent History Against Northwestern

These two teams have never played.

Coaching

32 year-old P.J. Fleck is serving his first year as Broncos head coach. He is currently the youngest coach in the FBS. Most recently prior to accepting this job, Fleck served as a wide receivers coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Fleck took over after the firing of Bill Cubit follosing last season.
Stepping in at offensive coordinator is Kirk Ciarrocca, who previously was a running backs coach at Delaware. Defensive duties belong to Ed Pinkham, who is in his first year after leaving the same position at Elon. 

Western Michigan Pass Offense vs. NU Pass Defense

Western Michigan's pass offense has been very bad, falling to 109th in the nation in yards per attempt. Senior starting quarterback Tyler Van Tubbergen has struggled mightily, failing to complete even 50% of his passes, while not yet throwing a touchdown. On top of this, he has only gone for 327 yards and has thrown four interceptions. Freshman backup Zach Terrell, has completed barely over 40% of his passes, but at least has gotten the ball into the endzone twice. He has however, added an interception. Northwestern, who currently is at the top of the interception rankings nationally, has a good chance to add even more this week. The Broncos' go-to receiver as of now is true freshman Corey Davis, a 2-star prospect whose only other offer came from Illinois State. This is not the kind of guy you want to have to count on. Regardless, he has twice as many receptions as anyone else on the team, with 16. Sophomore Timmy Keith has added eight receptions of his own, but beyond this, the threat from wide receivers drops substantially. Only one other wideout, sophomore Courtney Bynes has recorded even a single catch. Leading receiver from last year, Jaime Wilson, has been suffering from an injury and is questionable for this game. Three other guys to keep an eye on in the receiving game are tight end Clark Mussman, running back Brian Fields, and running back Dareyon Chance, all seniors. Overall, this is not an intimidating bunch at all. Advantage: Northwestern

Syracuse Rush Offense vs. NU Rush Offense

The Bronco rush attack has not been much better than their passing game, running for only 121 yards per game. There are only two guys who I expect to contribute here, Brian Fields and Dareyon Chance, and they are likely to share the load approximately equally. Fields has been a contributor for the Broncos for all four of his years at the school, yet he has already tied his career high in touchdowns with 3. This season, he has carried the ball 31 times for 127 yards, giving him 4.1 yards per carry, somewhat below his 5.3 from last season. Chance burst on to the scene last year, taking over as a feature back. He carried the ball 176 times for 947 yards and four touchdowns. His 5.38 yards per carry has dropped only slightly to 5.08 this year, as he has carried the ball 26 times for 132 yards. All in all, Chance and Fields are both competent running backs, but the Northwestern run defense is stifling, and I don't expect much from either of them.  Advantage: Northwestern

Western Michigan Rush Defense vs. NU Rush Offense

First, I should acknowledge that Venric is listed as questionable for this game, but I will be very, very surprised if he plays. Therefore, our primary run threats will be Colter, Green, and Trumpy, with a little Buckley, Malin Jones, and maybe even true freshman Warren Long, who is potentially due to have his redshirt burned. While it would be nice to have Mark here, I have total faith in the guys we will have on the field. Besides, the Broncos run defense is poor. They have given up 201.5 yards per game and got torched by a running quarterback in their last matchup Advantage: Northwestern

Western Michigan Pass Defense vs. Northwestern Pass Offense

The Northwestern pass offense is looking to be a huge improvement from last year, with Siemian playing fantastically and even Colter looking quite good. The 'Cats are getting lots of receivers involved, and each receiver is performing admirably. The Broncos pass defense is yet to give up many yards, nor have they allowed a touchdown pass, but the Northwestern passing game is orders of magnitude better than Michigan State's or Nicholls State's.  We will be seeing Western Michigan's pass yards allowed per game (currently 170) skyrocket. Advantage: Northwestern.

Western Michigan Special Teams vs. Northwestern Special Teams

I have been singing the praises of Northwestern's special teams and, to an extent, they've been making me look foolish. Without Venric, we are yet to return a punt and our kick returning is mediocre. These aspects will improve with Mark's return, but until then, I don't expect much.  The Broncos have been pretty average on kick returns, and a bit better than NU, with 22.5 yards per return. Their 2 yards per punt return, however, is among the worst in the nation (but at least they have a punt return!). The kicking game is another story. Jeff Budzien continues to be perfect and allegedly nailed a 70 yarder (?!) during practice. He, along with the rest of the kickoff unit, has also been good in that duty, as NU is a top 20 team in kickoff return yardage allowed. The Broncos' kicker, Andrew Haldemen, has taken, and made, only one kick on the year. They are a pretty average team in terms of kickoff return yardage allowed. Northwestern punter Brandon Williams has been somewhat subpar in punt average, at 39.22 yards per punt, but the 'Cats' .5 yards per return allowed is top 10 in the country. Western Michigan's punter J. Schroeder (J. appears to be his name, no joke) is actually punting quite well at over 44 yards per punt, but the Broncos are allowing over 9 yards per return. Overall, I'm less satisfied with NU's special teams than I'd like to be, but I still give this matchup to the 'Cats, mostly due to Budzien. Advantage: Northwestern

Bottom Line

This should be an easy game for the 'Cats, as they are the better program across the board. I see Northwestern getting off to a very early lead, but slowing later as starters leave the game. In fact, I will be somewhat surprised to see our key players play much at all in the second half. If the starters played all game, 60-70 points would certainly be within reach for the 'Cats. instead, I'm going with the following: Prediction: Northwestern 41 - Western Michigan 13.